Reality TV Essay

Unscripted program, real people NOT actors in a specific environment Normal people with no discernible talent, no discernible insights, but who are willing, eager to be seen and heard living their own life. -â€Å"real life† television is filmed with out stoppage time, and then edited to catch the viewers eye -certifiable global pop-culture phenomenon Reality TV comes is all different forms now from daily life of real people such as Big Brother and Jersey Shore, sports shows, business shows like undercover boss and dirtiest jobs, talent shows such as American Idol and Dancing with the stars, family shows John and Kate plus 8, and motivational shows like biggest loser and survivor. – This eventually led to being filmed and put on TV in 1948. â€Å"Candid Camera† (CQ researcher: Reality TV: Maryann Haggerty -In 1989 COPS came on air because of the writers guild of American strike. This show followed police during their daily activities. It began with no music or narration just a simple camera following a police. -Over on ABC, beginning in 1990, people were turning their own cameras on family and pets to make â€Å"America’s Funniest Home Videos -In 1992, reality TV was a novelty. In 2000, it was a fad. In 2010, it’s a way of life. Time Magazine article – It wasn’t until the premiere of ‘The Real World’ on MTV in 1992 that we began to witness the emergence of many of the textual characteristics that would come to define the genre’s current format,† -In 2008, the Emmys awarded a stature to the best host of a reality TV show for the first time, which was exciting news to all†¦ – -ABC NBC Fox MTV CBS – -In 2010 Reality TV is now a valid career choice. The New York Times estimated that at any given time, there are 1,000 people on air as reality TV stars. Topic 3: Addictiveness of Reality TV – One reason for their popularity is financial: an hour of reality can cost a few hundred thousand dollars, compared to the one to three million for a scripted drama. – But part of the reason fans become involved in the show is that they get invested in the good guys and bad guys. -That’s how people watch reality TV: you can doubt it, interrogate it, talk back to it, believe it, or not.

Barry Bonds and Steroid Abuse by Athletes Essay

On a warm, sunny morning on July 24 in the year of 1964, Barry Lamar Bonds was born in Riverside, California. He was born the son of Patricia and Barry Bonds, a former major league All-Star. As he grew up, he attended Junà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pero Serra High School, in which he excelled in baseball, basketball, and football. During his high school years, Barry was part of the varsity baseball team and was drafted by the San Francisco Giants when he was a senior. Barry Bonds had declined the Giants’ offer and attended Arizona State University instead, where he continued to excel when playing baseball. After graduating and receiving a degree in criminology in 1986, Bonds was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates and began his major league career in the MLB. Barry Bonds made his major league debut on May 30, 1986 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. In his first season he had 16 home runs, 48 RBI, 36 stolen bases and 65 walks, while playing centre and left field and he batted as the leadoff hitter. In his second season, Bonds obtained 25 home runs, 32 stolen bases, and 59 RBIs. Barry Bonds continued to expand and get better each season. In 1987 and 1989, Bonds recorded 19 home runs, 58 RBIs, and 14 outfield assists, and was second in the MLB. Barry Bonds received his first ever MVP award in 1990 and continued to be awarded numerous Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards with the Pirates until 1992. In that year, Barry Bonds opted for a salary too high for Pittsburgh to meet; therefore he was forced to resign. Barry met Susann Branco in August 1987, in Montreal, Quebec, the soon-to-be mother of his two children. They both eloped to Las Vegas, Nevada on February 5, 1988 and married not too long afterwards. Their first son arrived in 1990, named Nikolai, and their daughter, Shikari, arrived a year later. They then separated in June of 1994 and finally divorced in December of the same year, which was said to be caused by mutual abuse and also said to have been a media affair. Barry Bonds then married again on January 10, 1998 in San Francisco, with Elizabeth Watson. He had one daughter with her named Aisha, born in February of 1999. Despite all of the negative publicity and comments the couple has surpassed, the Bonds’ marriage is nearing its end. Barry Bonds then followed in the footsteps of his father and godfather by joining the San Francisco Giants in 1993. Barry remained a Giant for another fourteen seasons, earning countless awards and creating new records; Bonds was at an all-time career high. In 2003, controversy began to revolve around Bonds, and was referred to as the â€Å"BALCO Scandal.† Barry was alleged to have lied while under oath about taking steroids. His trainer, Greg Anderson was accused of supplying steroids to several other athletes as well. Bonds was charged with four accounts of perjury and one account of obstruction of justice, with its trial set to be held on March 21, 2011. On September 21, 2007, the San Francisco Giants confirmed that they would not be re-signing Barry Bonds, leaving him as a free agent, and he still is one currently. Rumours blamed the BALCO Scadal as the reason why the Giants did not re-sign Bonds. Major Accomplishments: > Graduated from Michigan State University in 1986 with a criminology degree > Drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1986 > Awarded 7 MVP awards throughout his career in the National League > Earned 8 Golden Glove Awards throughout his career > Obtained 12 Silver Sluggers as an outfielder > Part of numerous clubs such as the 50/50 club, the 500 club, and the 600 club > 3-time MLB Player of the Year > 14-time All-Star > He recorded 762 home runs, 2,558 walks, 688 intentional walks, 1,996 RBI, .444 on-base percentage, 2,227 runs, 2,986 games, 1,440 extra-base hits, 12.92 at-bats per home run, 5,976 bases, 601 doubles, .607 slugging percentage, 514 stolen bases, 9,847 at-bats, 2,935 hits, 77 triples, 91 sacrifice flies, and 1,539 strikeouts > And much more†¦ Effect of Steroids on Barry Bonds’ Career: Barry Bonds was always an amazing athlete, even before he allegedly began taking steroids. He was going to be drafted into the National League at the mere age of 18 (an offer which he politely declined). He had already won 3 MVP awards and passed the 300 home runs mark, before being said to take performance-enhancing drugs around 1998. After the year Barry Bonds was said to have taken steroids, his career was beginning to reach an all-time high, which was rumoured to be the effect of steroids on Bonds’ body. There were tests done that conclude that Barry may have used a steroid-like substance, leading to his rebuttal, in which he attempted to place the blame on his trainer for â€Å"tricking† him into using steroids. This may have been Barry Bonds’ way of trying to remove the responsibility of taking performance-enhancing supplements from himself and onto his personal trainer, Greg Anderson. Even if the rumours weren’t true, the allegations thus led to the downfall of his career. Supposedly, his career lasted for another 9 years, after his substance abuse, but ended in 2007 when his contract with the San Francisco Giants expired and they did not sign Bonds again. Barry hasn’t retired yet, and as a free agent he is still looking for a contract, although he may not receive one due to his alleged steroid use. Why Athletes Use Steroids: There are several psychological and sociological reasons for why athletes would like to and have used steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs. One of the big causes of steroid use is low self-esteem; an athlete may be insecure and is scared of performing poorly, letting fans down, or of embarrassing themselves, so they look towards drugs to enhance their performance. Sometimes athletes believe that if they don’t look bigger or stronger than others, they aren’t as good as others, which isn’t always true. Other athletes may be aiming to be number one and nothing less, but they want to take a short-cut by using steroids, so they can get instant results. They believe that once they perform better, they can also make more money, get more endorsement deal, and more. Constant pressure from teammates, coaches, and society leads to the use of this drug, therefore the athlete cannot always be blamed. These all may be liable reasons, but they aren’t good enough to make steroid use acceptable. How the Body is Affected by Steroids: Both Sexes: * Increased risk of mood disturbances including mania and depression * Increased risk of psychosis * Increased risk of aggressive acts which may injure self or others * Increased risk of cardiovascular disease * Increased risk of liver disease and cancer * Increased risk of kidney disease and cancer * Risk of HIV and Hepatitis B & C from contaminated needles * Acne * Bad breath * Decreased sex drive * Baldness * Water retention * Muscle cramps * Aching joints * Increased risk of muscle tears * Increased risk of tendon injuries * Increased risk of nose bleeds * Insomnia * Decrease in immune system effectiveness * Infertility Men: * Increased risk of prostate enlargement and cancer * Decreased testicular size * Gynecomastia (growth of breasts) Women: * Increased risk of cervical and endometrial cancer * Increased risk of osteoporosis * Irreversible enlargement of the clitoris * Irreversible hoarsening and deepening of the voice * Irreversible increase in facial and body hair * Decreased breast size * Amenorrhea * Uterine atrophy Children: * Short Stature * Premature ephiphyseal closure Taken from: http://www.musclenet.com/steroid.htm A Natural and Legal Way for Athletes to Improve Their Performance: Improving an athlete’s performance isn’t as complex as it’s believed to be. Athletes just have to follow simple lifestyle rules every day to help boost their athletic performance naturally and legally. An athlete just needs to follow the workout routine specific for what sport they are participating and while they exercise they must rehydrate, replenish their body with carbohydrates and protein, refuel electrolytes, and practice a lot. Athletes can also do specific exercises to work on things like their swing, speed, kick, etc. For example, if a baseball player wanted to work on the power of their swing, they would use a heavy, lead bat and practice batting with that, gradually increasing their strength. This may be the â€Å"long road† to improving athletic performance, but it’s also the natural and legal way. Bibliography: 1. 15 Simple Ways to Improve Athletic Performance. http://www.hammernutrition.com/ hnt/2227&OMI=10126,10071&AMI=10126&RETURN_URL=%252Fza%252FHNT%253FPAGE%253DTRAININGTIPS%2526OMI%253D10126%252C10071%2526AMI%253D10126&RETURN_TEXT=Performance%2520Tips/ Copyright 2011, Hammer Nutrition LTD. 2. Barry Bonds Bio. http://www.jockbio.com/Bios/Bonds/Bonds_bio.html Copyright 2007 Black Book Partners, LLC. All rights reserved. 3. Steroids – Pros and Cons. http://www.musclenet.com/steroid.htm Copyright 2005 MuscleNet.com

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

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

What is Our Role in Creating Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

What is Our Role in Creating Change - Essay Example The change has to first start from the self and then alone can we try to change people and things around us. Our role in creating change starts with the change within us. The mind works based on past experiences and knowledge. The mind is the most powerful agent and if the mind-set can be changed, change is smooth. However, human beings resist change because they fear the unknown. They would like to adhere to what has been the practice and are reluctant to adopt something better. Change within can occur only when we understand the benefits of change, when we have the ability or the knowledge to understand the benefits of change. This requires effective communication. We can bring change to the world through effective communication. Communication encompasses much more than simply talking. It requires the skill, it requires patience to listen. Listening enhances understanding between people; listening enables us to know one another; it helps extend compassion to those in need. Communic ation should not create rumors or lead to distortion of facts. Meg Wheatley emphasizes on simple honest conversation (pg. 3) where each individual has a chance to speak, the chance of being heard. Communication has the power to move the world, says Meg. This has been witnessed in social movements throughout history. A small group of committed people can change the world. This is evident in Poland’s powerful labor movement when solidarity that started with 9 people grew to 9 million (Wheatley, 2001). Also, an individual mother’s grief led to a national movement under the banner of Mothers Against Drunken Driving (MADD). Working in collaboration and cooperation creates a positive environment. Everyone involved in the work is at ease and gives his/her best. The mind is peaceful and a peaceful mind is creative. Meg draws upon the example of nature and explains how the system functions as one single unit even though it is comprised on so many different elements. Human being s too have the quality to work in harmony but we have somehow fallen off the track. Competition in every field has made people move at a fast pace so as not to be left behind. Meg believes that relationships are all there is (pg. 19). Competition against fellow beings only gives rise to unwanted emotions, feelings of ownership, jealousy and greed. Vitality comes from cooperation and not from competition, she says. An important aspect in change is to respect and acknowledge one another as equals (pg. 29). Traditions and cultures around the world have always promoted peace and harmony. Now that people around the world communicate and interact oftener due to advancements in communication and information technology, people are unable to adjust or be cooperative. We have to learn to understand diversity and the benefits of diversity. We gain diverse experiences which should make us richer and humbler and not arrogant. We should acknowledge diversity in people, in their culture, in their traditions and appreciate them instead of condemning them. Each individual has to take responsibility of the change in the self. We have allowed ourselves to drift like a piece of wood thrown in the water. We need to inculcate discipline. This does not mean to follow rules or abide by regulations. It is the discipline that should come from within and should not be imposed by an external source. Imposed discipline makes one feel suppressed and over time one does not give it any importance. However, discipline that is followed by one’s own self is always towards improvement, regulated and it needs no monitoring. Great changes starts from a small conversations held among people that care and people that are committed to the cause (Waltuck, 2010). Change in the

Hispanic American Diversity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 4

Hispanic American Diversity - Essay Example Hispanics share the heritage of the Spanish language but many do not speak Spanish at all. Among the Mexican Americans, 23 percent speak English, 26 percent are bilingual and 51 percent are Spanish dominant. The society is concerned about their immigrant status and is often confused whether their stay is legal or illegal. The Mexican Americans comprise of the affluent as well as poor peasants. They usually come from low income background and have less formal education. They have made gain in formal schooling but still lag behind most Hispanics. Family and religion are a great source of strength to the community. They have religious preference for the Catholic Church. The court of law does not provide protection for the poor, Spanish-speaking. The community has a culture of poverty as they have no future planning, no commitment to marriage and no work ethic. They prefer to adhere to their Mexican culture. As the number of Mexican Americans is growing, they have become conscious voters . Thus subgroup is politically conscious and when they did not get any response from the established politicians, they set up their own party. The Mexican Americans are eligible for dual nationality. Even if their children are born in America, they can claim Mexican nationality, although dual nationality does not give them voting rights in Mexico. They can be found in large number in New York. Puerto Ricans are English-oriented with about 39 percent being English-dominant and 40 percent of the population being bi-lingual. Only 21 percent of the Puerto Ricans are Spanish-dominant. This subgroup too, is challenged by the immigrant officials but they have the same voting rights as other Americans. Puerto Ricans are no longer concentrated in New York but are dispersed throughout New Jersey, Illinois, Florida and California. They are more familiar with the US culture and the English language. Unemployment among the mainland Puerto Ricans is high. They have a vibrant

Super size me Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Super size me - Movie Review Example This film earned Morgan Spurlock the best director award in 2004 appreciating his personal investigation and contribution into issues associated with health hazards caused by fast foods. In the 30 days in which Spurlock subjects himself to a steady diet, his normal equilibrium and fit body undergo ugly and dark changes; his cholesterol increases dramatically, grows so fat, his organs develop beatings, and his days are characterized by mood swings, headaches, narrowed sexual energy, and addiction symptoms. The outcome of the film is a too obvious gimmick that cannot sustain any documentary features. This, Spurlock achieves by spending most parts of the film probing on subtle means that the fast food industry has wormed its way into the young children hearts and school lunchrooms. Making himself the subject of the documentary he was covering, Spurlock targets the commercial food industry as his main subject. The outcome of those 30 days was a sure proof of the mental and physical effec ts of easting fast food. The film also targets the American’s food culture through its politics and school corporation. The movie â€Å"Super Size Me† shades a different kind of light on obesity which has proved to be American’s biggest health issues (Super Size Me). The liberty value is what most American citizens value the most. They fight for the freedom of speech and freedom to work and be successful in life. However, this liberty value also involves the freedom to ruin their lives. This view is individualistic; it leaves the responsibility of each citizen’s prosperity on their heads. The worst that comes out of this situation is that it leads to a society that is selfish in which every man’s state is of no significance. This remains a critical issue to the nation as its citizens are intelligent and have a good sense in doing the right things for themselves and to those around them. This is however not the case, people have

Ethics Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Ethics Assignment - Essay Example Most assuredly is the fact that making a personal choice to ethics requires much thought, information, and the free will to make such a choice while knowing of the resultant consequences. Indeed, personal ethics affects individuals and their society. Ethics should therefore promote our prioritization and achievement of our core values. Ideally, personal ethics may relate to our religion, virtues, morals, and the community we live in. Personal ethics reflect in ones standards of honesty, courtesy, respect, integrity, trust, harmony, truth, justice, and loyalty (Shay Web). More so, personal ethics vary from one person to another and their effects equally vary. Personally, I believe that my ethics are developing as I grow up. I am an honest, responsible, and respectable person. More so, these are my personal choices that define my personality and my morality. Nevertheless, these attributes have grown with time and various factors propagate the development of these ethics. I think that the development of such ethics comes with time and relate to the environment. For example, I can easily remember that initially I was not an honest person until my teacher and parents sought to intervene in my way of life. My teacher taught me on how to remain honest despite the many possibilities that might force me to compromise. At the same time, my parents ensured that I stick to what is ethical as I grew to an adolescent. Hence, the value of honesty developed in me from my teachers and parents with time. In addition, I relate the development of my personal ethics to the environment where I live. I grew in an environment where the society advocated for the respect of the elderly, law, and leaders. As such, with time I d eveloped this virtue and have since adopted it. Therefore, by interacting with peers and environment that promotes these virtues, it was easier for me to choose them as my environment promoted

Literature Review of The Use of Shame With Sexual Offences Essay

Literature Review of The Use of Shame With Sexual Offences - Essay Example Although Anne has taken an obvious standpoint in the beginning but she has presented the opposing arguments quite often in the article. The article is grounded into strong ethical boundaries and Anne has presented any personal details or hints. Public protection is the essence of any legislation either it is concerned with the pre-crime evasive measures or post-crime reclamation. The author has taken up a particular aspect of restorative justice, defined to be â€Å"a way of dealing with criminal offences by involving the offender, the victim, and possible community representatives in an informal negotiating process which results in the offender's undertaking some 'reparative' task.† (Hirsch et al. 2003). Anne give the brief overview of restorative justice and challenges it was facing. There critics of the restorative justice were asking for inflicting penalizations and penalties for the committers of sexual harassment and sexual offenders. They hold the point that this restor ative justice does not have much to tackle the culprit and offers no good to society in the long run. Deflem has observed this in his article, â€Å"policies designed to treat and rehabilitate offenders had an unacceptably low success rate – especially when evaluated in the light of the very science which produced those policies – the discretion given to judges to fit sentences to the offender and not exclusively the offense seemed misplaced.†(Deflem, 2006). However, Anne defended his stance for use of shame as an instrument for restorative justice and criticized the current ‘what works’ approach of criminal justice policy and pointed out the lack of focus in legislation and implementation on sexual offences. Anne categorically claims that â€Å"the traditional form of retributive justice does not seem to be working.† It is not only Anne but a number of other experts have already advocated in favor of restorative justice and allied tools for ensured and improved effects and outcomes from it. The relationship between society and the offender’s infliction is often overlooked by the theorists as Durkheim has argued, â€Å"the function of punishment has less to do with the offender and more to do with a collective reaction of the community to the violation of its norms and an effort to re-establish solidarity around those norms.† (Deflem, 2006). Sexual assault against children is considered to be the most offensive and heinous crime and the retributive justice despite sentencing the offender can not integrate the offender with the community which increases the chances of a second attempt by the offender. This disintegration of the offender, according to Anne is required to be change into integration with the community through restorative justice. Although it might be referred as a ‘paradigm shift’ but it has to be case if reintegration is a declared ultimate objective of the justice system. The re storative system has its own advantages that cannot be overlooked, Carrabine has argued for the same, â€Å"the use of integrative shaming techniques, mediation and reparation aim to provide an alternative and more appropriate way of resolving disputes, confronting offenders with their wrong doing and empowering the victim.† (Carrabine et al., 2009, p.174.). Anne has righteously pointed out the role of media in the success of the restorative justice and has not been helping the cause by calling it a ‘

Research Anaylsis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Research Anaylsis - Essay Example The â€Å"No Child Left Behind Policy in the United States viewed the teachers as dutiful mechanism to foster that so called proven literacy education programs and methods. This follows the â€Å"Do as I do, not as I say† rule. This method implies that students are more likely to perform well and engaged themselves in any activities especially in reading and writing when they learn from teachers who manifest the same traits. Therefore, the competency of teachers being active readers and writers influence the performance of the students. It brings life to the classroom and affects the students interest and enthusiasm to participate in reading and writing and be effective readers and writers themselves. On the contrary these studies can just be a generalization of the whole scenario. The focus of this analysis is the individual experience and approach of an effective teacher. Individual teacher has different attitude, beliefs and practices. Therefore, the teachers individual capacity will affect their performance in sustaining and delivering effective literacy instruction and learning opportunities to students. This is an individual role for them as educators. As a support to this, Susi (1984) found that teachers assumed different positive writer roles and identities as a result of their participation in writers workshops. They experienced the struggles and joys of composing and revising, which, in turn, not only taught them to be more empathetic to the experiences of their students, hut also "humanized" them to their students. Therefore, the extent of what the teachers would facilitate to their students could be determined by their own experiences. It is absolutely hard to teach something when in fact, a person does not have enough knowledge regarding that subject matter. This is further supported by the report of some other researchers stating that more diverse teacher self-concepts as writers from

How far was Platos Essay Example for Free

How far was Platos Essay With this end in mind, it seems that he can set about the task by whichever means he likes, so long as it will achieve the end. By telling the creation myth, it is his intention to promote the tripartite theory of society, which will, in turn, promote the ideal balance and justice. For justice to be maintained among the people, the Philosopher kings must hold absolute power. Justice is only possible when each class of the society stays in its own place and does that which is its duty. The Philosopher Kings are the rational element, and, according to Plato, the golden part of society. The silver auxiliaries provide the spirited element, and the workers are the base metal, the appetite element. If appetite should begin to rule over reason, then the body is out of balance, and so cannot function correctly. The same is true of society. If the Philosopher Kings were to be ruled over by the workers in society, balance would no longer be maintained. However, even in the reverse direction, should the Philosopher kings try their hand at farming, they are unlikely to have the specialised knowledge to do so, and so society again cannot function correctly. After all, the city cannot have wisdom and judgement because of the knowledge of its carpenters21, as this would simply make it good at carpentry22. The quality of good judgement is clearly a form of knowledge, as it is because of knowledge and not because of ignorance that we judge well. 23. The society must necessarily, then, be hierarchical, where those who know, rule. They are masters of all the others, and perhaps with an eye on Protagoras, Plato says Master of oneself is an absurd phrase. For if youre master of yourself youre presumably also subject to yourself, and so both master and subject24. The rhetorician places the just society in jeopardy. They are capable of influencing the people and so upsetting the balance between the classes of society and between the elements of the soul. They would be capable of over-egging the spirit of the auxiliaries to such an extent that they might overthrow the guardians, or behave in a way which is reckless rather than brave and jeopardise the protection of the state. As he says, we are left with two qualities to look for in our state Self discipline, and the real object of our whole enquiry, justice25. The base metal, or appetite, could be influenced to feed itself to too great an extent, and so cause the state to cease to flourish. Just as in the context of the human body, appetite must be encouraged to sustain balance and life, but if it is over-excited it causes greed and disharmony. Emotion and appetite must remain in the correct balance to allow normally functioning life. Reason must have ultimate control over the system. Therefore, by analogy, Philosopher kings should have power over the people. On the face of it, the picture emerging is a chilling one, similar to the situation in George Orwells 1984. Whilst it may at first seem that it is this sort of world towards which Plato is leading, the Philosopher Kings have access to the world of forms, and most importantly, the form of the good. For Plato, knowing the Good is both a necessary and sufficient condition for doing the Good, and therefore, once the philosopher kings know the good, they will always do the good. If the Philosopher Kings do only what is good for the sake of the state, then Platos creation myth is, in his terms, justified, as the people are being led towards the truth, and to justice. The Philosopher Kings are incorruptible, and as such will only guide the people towards that which is good for them. Having earlier described rhetoric as used by the sophists as flattery26, Plato now presents it as boldness and irresponsibility. 27. Plato believes that it is the popular applause which destroys any good in such people and deceives them into thinking that they really are statesmen28. He knows that, as it stands, they are so sunken into their own rhetoric and lies that they can be easily swayed, in the way that a Philosopher King cannot. The rhetoricians must pander to public opinion to remain powerful. Rhetoric is a dangerous weapon in the hands of people never trained in its use, who are those who do not know the best interests of the state. The implication is that the Philosopher kings, on the other hand, could know how to use rhetoric to the advantage of the community, and so have more than a mind which is good at guessing, some courage, and a natural talent for interacting with people29. As the rhetoricians do not know reality, they are dangerous to the state, and belong to the group in the simile who see only the shadows on the cave wall, and do not see by the light of the sun. However, we are aware that Platos utopia is based on an aristocratic and elitist view. Indeed, Karl Popper, in his Open society and its Enemies holds that, should Platos Republic ever become a reality rather than merely a philosophical exercise, Plato himself, or just such a person, would be the only one with the knowledge, and therefore, the only philosopher king. The people, the silver and most especially the base metal, have no power in this society. In our modern society, we are shocked by dictatorship, associating it with fascism and Communism. In the context of Poppers own experience of twentieth century Europe, his dislike of Platos apparent aspiration is understandable. We cherish what we see as our right to choose between what the politicians have to say. However, if Plato is right, this does not make sense. After all, we would not choose a surgeon simply by virtue of the strength of his rhetoric. If we would not entrust our lives to a doctor on these grounds then we should not entrust our lives to a politician for the same reasons. However, the two would not be comparable if both were not knowable. In his simile of the sea captain, Plato would have us believe that the good for man is just as knowable as the skill of navigation. If we accept that the good is indeed as knowable as navigation, then we are unable to contest Platos ideas. However, I am more convinced by his pupils view. Aristotle states that the science that studies the supreme good for man is politics30 and yet politics is not an exact science31. This is clearly antithetical to Platos form of the good, and in book I, vi, Aristotle says that things are called good in as many senses as they are said to exist Clearly, then, there cannot be a singe universal common to all these cases, because it would be predicated not in all the categories, but in one only32. This appears to confirm my initial response to Platos theory of forms, which does not seem to stand up to scrutiny in the real world, as apart from the evidence given in The Republic 508e, and the images of the sun, and apart from this, which is on no way substantive enough, there is no evidence for the existence of the form of the good. Gorgias argues that the rhetoric can be used like any competitive skill When morally appropriate33. Plato, however maintains that this would lead the general public to believe that he is an expert on morality when he isnt and think hes a moral person when he isnt34. This is odd, as in the Republic, he appears to support the argument made by Gorgias, yet, in the Gorgias, he presents rhetoric as wholly dangerous, and the rhetoricians as dangerous weapons out of control. The Utopia which Plato has created is presented to us largely in terms of metaphors and similes. Some of these are sufficiently outrageous, such as his creation story, that he even apologises. However, Plato, with the subtlety of a true rhetorician, seems to make his similes so close to reality as to make us accept the truth of what he is saying. Many of those in The Republic include references to everyday things such as farming and sailing. In Gorgias, he speaks of cooks and doctors. We are easily led into accepting his ideas through the everyday nature of these discussions. Then suddenly we find that the sun outside the cave is not merely a part of a simile, but is actually being used to describe the source of all reality and truth. There is no doubt as to the existence of the sun in our world, and we are aware that Plato has led us, by clever rhetorical devices, into accepting his similes as reality. However, the evidence that he presents us with is in no way substantive enough to prove the existence of his world of forms, and so we must wonder whether his rhetoric is merely a means to gaining his political ends. If this is the case, then he is going against his professed views of rhetoric, which would indeed be inconstant. However, the only other alternative would be that he truly did wish us to conform to his ideals. Whichever was the case, it seems likely that, ironically, Plato was the greatest rhetorician we have yet experienced. Bibliography Primary Source Aristotle, The Nicomachean Ethics trans. J. A. K. Thomson, Penguin Classics (1976) Plato, Gorgias Worlds Classics (1994) Plato, The Republic Penguin Classics (1987) Popper, Karl, The Open Society and its Enemies: The Spell of Plato Routledge and Kegan Paul (1962) Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War trans. Richard Crawley, Encyclopaedia Britannica: The Great Books (1952) Secondary Source Encyclopaedia Britannica Rhetoric Encyclopaedia Britannica Rhetoric: Importance in Ancient Greek Education www. wikipedia. org: Plato www. wikipedia. org: Rhetoric 1 The Republic, 492b 2 Thucydides, The Peloponnesian war boo.

Romans And The Christian Worldview

Romans And The Christian Worldview Pauls letter to the Roman church was not meant to be a systematic theology. It was an occasional letter that contained a very systematic presentation of the Gospel. This makes Romans a very important book when it comes to the Christian Worldview. It covers a wide array of topics that are essential for a believer to understand and to live by. These topics include: creation, sin, salvation, eschatology, ethics, and theology. It will be shown what Paul teaches about these topics and how they apply to a Christians worldview. Paul teaches that in creation, God has given a testimony of himself and his goodness in Romans 1:19-20. This passage says that what can be known about God is made plain and that His invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. (Romans 1:20) It also speaks about how believers should have relationships with the opposite sex and not with the same sex in Romans 1:26-27, because this is the natural way. In ones human nature one chooses to rebel not wanting to be under any kind of authority, whether it is that of another person or God himself. So since humans would much rather choose to live under their own control, Paul teaches that God gives those who would reject Christ over to lust in Romans 1:28-32. Sin is another topic that Paul covers in his letter to the Roman Christians. Sin at one point is described as anything not done from faith, in Romans 14:23. In Romans 6:23 Paul says, For the wages of sin is deathà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Sin is not something that God takes lightly and it is important for Christians to understand that they are sinners and to avoid it at all costs. In Romans 1, Paul gives his readers a list of sins that mankind was committing in Romans 1:29-32. In learning that everyone sins from Romans 3:23 and need a savior, one also learns that there is salvation.  [2]   SALVATION Salvation does not lie in anything that a person can do for themselves; Paul teaches that it is the power of God and God alone in Romans 1:16-17. In Romans 3:24-25, Paul tells about the work of Jesus Christ as the redeemer, who was put forth as the propitiation for the sins of the world. Also including the surrounding verses of 21-21, Paul continually uses the word faith when dealing with Gods righteousness and justification. When it comes to sanctification and living a life empowered by the Holy Spirit, Romans 8 gives one of the strongest sections on how one can live apart from the flesh and live in the Spirit.  [3]   ESCHATOLOGY/ETHICS/ THEOLOGY One can learn about God and some of his ultimate goals by reading Romans 11. In this chapter Paul teaches about the last days and what Christians can expect during these times. Chapter 11 lays out the plan and process by which the Gentiles are saved and how the people of Israel will be saved in the last days. It is important to know our place in all of this. Romans aslo speaks directly as to how we should live as Christians. It begins in chapter12, being told to live as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God in Romans12:1. Paul continues instructing people to renew their minds, basically telling them to think differently than they did when they belonged to the world. Throughout the book of Romans one can gather glimpses of what God is truly like; starting in chapter one verse twenty, his power and divine nature have been clearly seen. Throughout chapter two and parts of three Paul teaches about how God is righteous. In 3:25 one learns about his forbearance with previous sin, al l while learning how much he loves his children. In chapter eight and nine Paul teaches of his sovereignty and that all things are in his control. Through it all Paul teaches that believers can trust God to do what he promises, according to Romans chapter 4.  [4]   CONCLUSION The Book of Romans is full of teachings that are essential to a Christians walk. With all of the talk about evolution and the big bang theory one needs to know what God teaches about creation and what he wants to get across. Sin causes death in a believer and God has provided away for each human to be saved from this death. That comes through salvation from Jesus Christ. In the end times Gods ultimate goal is to see all his children come to a saving knowledge of His Son, Jews and Gentiles. Christians should operate in a righteous fashion while in this world and God will always be there to help and support each and every one of them.

Computer Access :: Personal Narrative Technology Essays

Computer Access My experience with access to computers has been a roller coaster ride this year at school. At the end of the last year’s school year, when I had to face the scary fact that I would be in charge of producing a 240 page yearbook, I knew that I needed to start planning right then and there. Since I knew the adviser I was taking over for had a TTI laptop on loan from the school and would have to give it back, I wrote the principal a note inquiring how I could get my hands on that precious piece of technology. I knew having an instrument that I could carry with me back and forth to school would make the nightmare of being a yearbook adviser a little bit easier, since I knew I would be devoting a lot of time after school to this second job. Excited about this prospect, I felt like I had been literally punched in the stomach when I got a note back that read "Contact Media Services". After contacting Media Services and asking if I could trade in my TTI IMAC for a laptop, I was told th at the TTI contracts were for three years and I couldn’t make a "trade". I already had my own desktop computer at home, so the IMAC sat next to my computer, only to go unused. What I waste, I thought to myself. But what could I do? I travel to three different classrooms throughout my school day, so I don’t even have anywhere that I can store the IMAC for easy access. Discouraged, one of my fellow English colleagues offered up her TTI laptop, since she had other "access". Excited, I eagerly accepted. I was instantly able to download Adobe PageMaker 7.0 and all of the other yearbook software I would need. Pumped, I still needed to follow up on a proposal that was submitted for an $8,000 technology grant for yearbook computers. I contacted the appropriate person to find out that the grant was approved. Once the check was received at school I contacted a Media Services Specialist from the district who happily helped me pick out computers that would get the yearbook job done. I ended up with four Dell desktops, one of which we call the "Mother Ship" because it has a zip drive, the most memory, and some other bells and whistles.

Canterbury Tales - Comparison of the Millers Tale and the Knights Tal

A Comparison of the Miller's Tale and the Knight's Tale  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   It is common when considering The Canterbury Tales to discuss how some tales seem designed to emphasise the themes of others. Two such tales are the Miller's Tale2 and the Knight's Tale3. At first glance these two tales seem an incongruous pairing. The Knight's Tale is told by an eminent person, is an historical romance which barely escapes a tragic ending, and its themes are universal: the relationship of individuals to providence, fortune and free will. The Miller's Tale is told by a drunken "cherl" (MT 3182), is a farcical fabliau, and has "a plot, not themes"4. And yet, in my opinion, there is much to be gained by reading the Miller's Tale with the themes and characters of the Knight's Tale firmly in mind. The juxtaposition of the Miller's Tale to "the Knight's Tale makes its very lack of significance significant"5. These two tales have seemingly opposite doctrines, and yet, it seems to me, both have the same object: to encourage us to survive the misfortunes and uncertainties of life as best we can. The Knight's Tale tells us to "maken vertu of necessitee"(KT 3042) while the Miller's Tale expects "every wight" to "laughen at this stryf"(MT 3849). The Miller's Tale is designed to "quite" (MT 3127) the Knight's Tale. It certainly matches it in quality of composition, but 'repays' the other tale mainly through its use of comedy. Humour throws new light on the characters and actions of the preceeding tale. The folly of the carpenter in the Miller's Tale is by no means the only comic device used by Chaucer to create humour, but it is central in many ways. "He is, in theory, the 'authority figure' of the tale, and it therefore opens with him; ... ...e Chaucer: Third Edition (Oxford: OUP, 1987), The Miller's Tale. All line references to the Miller's Tale will be given in text, preceded by the initials "MT". 3. Larry Benson, The Riverside Chaucer: Third Edition (Oxford: OUP, 1987), The Knight's Tale. All line references to the Knight's Tale will be given in text, preceded by the initials "KT". 4. Helen Cooper, Oxford Guides to Chaucer: The Canterbury Tales (Oxford: OUP, 1989), p. 101. 5. Cooper, p. 101. 6. Cooper, p. 99. 7. Robert Miller, "The Miller's Tale as a Complaint," Chaucer Review, 5 (1970), p. 147-160. This from p. 150. 8. Derek Pearsall, "The Canterbury Tales II: Comedy," In Piero Boitani and Jill Mann (eds), The Cambridge Chaucer Companion (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1986), p. 125-142. This from, p. 131. 9. Cooper, 99. 10. Pearsall, p. 129.      

The Changing Role of Women in Automobile Advertisements Essay -- Compa

Side-by-side are two advertisements, each showing a picture of a car and two family members. The ads demonstrate the amount of power allotted to women in the times they were made. The differences in these ads far outweigh the similarities. The ad Ââ€"from a 1954 Good Housekeeping Ââ€"shows a woman being reprimanded by her husband for wrecking their car. The otherÂâ€"from a 2003 RedbookÂâ€"shows a wife and mother holding her daughter with one hand and an umbrella with the other. One woman is ignorant, irresponsible, incapable, and not in control; the other is competent, responsible, and in control. The evolution of advertising reflects the changes that have taken place in the way American society views women. The ads use body image, body language, and text to encapsulate the stereotypical women of each era; in the 50's, women needed to be controlled, but now women can be in control. The 1954 ad portrays the ideal woman of that era. This ideal was incredibly unrealistic. She has a tiny waist but large birthing hips. Her feet are small and she's wearing super-high heels. Her hands are petite and feminine, yet she's not holding anythingÂâ€"her purse has fallen to the ground. But, not a hair is out of place, and the elegant skirt and top she is wearing look unharmed, putting even more emphasis on the fact that the man is "wearing the pants." The 1950's society viewed women as incompetent. They needed their husbands to be in control because they could not fend for themselves; when they tried, they "crumpled fenders." Still, the woman in the ad is the ideal womanÂâ€"Barbie. She is only good for looking pretty and having children, otherwise, she can't do anything right. No wonder she is not able to drive the car without wreckingÂâ€"that in... ...rn society sees women as real people with intellect. Instead of not being allowed or perceived as capable of controlling their own lives and situation, today's women are expected to control their own lives without interference or constant dependence on others, or more specifically, their husbands. These advertisements demonstrate just what a drastic change has taken place in the last fifty years. Even though both ads are about cars, the body image, body language, and text portray a striking difference in the view of women. Maybe this change was brought about by the Women's Liberation Movement, maybe such subjugation just cannot last forever. But whatever the cause, the change has definitely taken place. Works Cited "Dodge Caravan." Advertisement. Redbook June 2003: 75. "Safety Power Steering by Saginaw." Advertisement. Good Houskeeping Feb. 1954: 40.

My Thoughts About Travelling

I want to travel. I want to travel to any places, especially those popular with backpack tour. I’ve been asked, why do you want to travel? Well, I told him that I want to learn new things. Things like what? Things where our own country and home doesn't have. What do you mean by that? Any difference of our country and other countries? Well, of course there are. At least I want to see how the people lives at other countries. I want to see what our differences are, and what our similarities are as well. I can know how does their country work and operate.Travelling is also, a way to relieve stress. So, why not travel? And also, you learn how to live in different conditions, in different ways, in different environment, surrounded by different people. You can learn how to communicate and interact with different people. You'll be amused by how other people respond to problems, what they think about issues. What do they think they should do to improve either themselves or the country? Travelling is also a challenge in a way, as it trains both our mentality and physicality.In my opinion, it can broaden our mind as we can gain experience from our travelling. There's a saying, which I guess everyone had heard of before: Don't be a frog in the well. Because if we do, we are limiting ourselves to many other part and aspects of life that could have gone much better than you can imagine, and that's if you choose to be that way, 'cause there's no certainty if you'll do better, because life, has its ups and downs, how you want it to be, all depends on how you want it to be and how u respond and handle it.True story. Alright, let's go back to travelling. Hmmm†¦ In a way, I do think that travelling brings out our true personality and character. Whether you're travelling alone or with some buddies, in travelling, most of the time, there's no doubt that you'll be letting yourself enjoy every moment of it. And that's where your true personality and character show itself. Hence, to be honest, I just realized that's what I want to achieve of all this time, finding my true self.And I believe that's what life's purpose, finding our own selves. So, I’m kind of out of juice after writing this passage, it's just what I thought about travelling. I just simply can't imagine any disadvantage of it, except that it requires a lot of money, but I still believe there's some way to travel without much costing. So, you got any suggestion for me? I really appreciate it. But, no matter how, I’ll still be travelling, no matter where it is. Thanks for reading.

Organizational structure as a determinant of performance: Evidence from mutual funds Essay

Management Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Management is an important aspect of any organization. For an organization to be successful, it is important that there should solid management carried out by managers. All companies that are successful have often ensured that they have a sound and strong management system as well as capable managers that can help in achieving the objectives of companies. Task 1   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A manager can be described as an individual that has been placed in a position of authority to oversee the operations of an organization. Management is the art of overseeing the operations of an organization by ensuring that all operations are in line with the objectives of the company (Csaszar, 2012). An organization is any entity that is focused in achieving a collective objective. Managers as mentioned are persons in positions of authority within an organization that are tasked with the responsibility of overseeing the operations of a particular organization. Managers are the decision makers within an organization and every decision that they make is often implemented with an aim of meeting the objectives of the organization(Aquinas, 2010). The success of any organization greatly depends on the managers as they are the decisions makers that influence success. For example, when there are operational changes to be made such as the rate of production within an organization, a manager is deeply involved in providing the much needed guidance as well as making the final decision on what steps to undertake (Aghina, Smet,& Heywood, 2014). With the approval of the manager, the rate of production can be increased which can then help the company to attain more revenue.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Furthermore, managers are important within organizations since they perform the function of planning. It is the duty of the manager to plan how operations will be carried out and how each project within the organization will be undertaken. For example, if an organization has an objective of improving on its sales, the manager will be involved in the planning process by deciding the necessary steps that need to be taken for the project to be accomplished(Aquinas, 2010). Furthermore, it is important to note that managers are important in that they play the role of organizing. This involves formation of teams as well as providing the appropriate resources that can be used in completing tasks(Janićijević, 2013). Organizing also involves giving authority as well as assigning the staffs in the company respective duties. Managers are also important within organizations because they provide the staffing and make decisions on human resource s. After assessing the needs that certain operations within an organization require, a manager will take the responsibility of sourcing for the right employees, recruiting as well as ensuring that they are capable of handling the duties(Aghina, Smet, & Heywood, 2014). The human resource manager is often the person in charge of staffing and ensures that there are enough staffs that can carry out the operations for the success of an organization.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Apart from the above important roles of a manager, they are also important because they provide leadership. The success of an organization will greatly depend on the type of leadership that is offered within the company(Koontz, &Weihrich, 2007). Managers often motivate, guide, communicate as well as encourage the employees under their leadership to perform well within the company. The managers also are important towards the success of an organization since they help employees in solving problems that they may face in the course of carrying out their duties. Therefore, through the leadership qualities, managers are able to help a company or business become successful. Finally, managers are importance within an organization since they provide control within an organization(Janićijević, 2013). It is important that there must be frequent and continuous checks to ensure that operations of an organization are in line for the success of t he company. Therefore, to ensure that all things run as required and that there are no loopholes in the operations of an organization, a manager must be available. Task 2   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Organizational structure refers to the arrangement in a hierarchical order which depicts the lines of authority as they are supposed to be within an organization. Furthermore, organizational structure depicts the channels of communication, duties as well as the rights as they should flow within the organization from the top ranking officers to the lower or junior employees. Organizational structure is of great importance because it helps in outlining how an organization operates in terms of roles, responsibilities as well as the powers and how they are assigned to each person in the company (Koontz, &Weihrich, 2007). It helps in ensuring that there is proper coordination of operations within an organization and proper control is maintained to avoid conflicts. Furthermore, it is also to be noted that organizational structures within organizations are important in identifying how information flows within the organization. PRESIDENT/CEO Figure 1: Organizational chart VP-PRODUCTION VP-MARJKETING VP-SALES MANAGER1 MANAGER1 MANAGER1 MANAGER2 MANAGER2 MANAGER2   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The different levels of management, that is the top level, middle level, as well as the bottom level management often work closely with each other to ensure that the primary objectives of an organization are net both in the short run and in the long run. It is important to observe that the organizational structure of any given company will primarily depend on the objectives of the organization as well as its strategies (Krot, &Lewicka, 2012). When an organization has a centralized structure, it means that the overall decision making within the organization is made at the top level management of the company. Furthermore, under a centralized structure, the top management has great and tight control over all the divisions as well as the departments within the organization and often those departments have different levels of independence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An organizational structure is important in that it helps to outline what steps different stakeholders need to take when dealing with the organization. Furthermore, it is to be noted that organizational structure helps in maintaining accountability(Aquinas, 2010). Through an organizational structure, one is able to know who is supposed to be held responsible in case certain things happen in the company. Every person has their roles outlined in the structure hence high level of accountability is maintained. It is also important in the success of an organization because it helps in the maximization of resources (Rolà ­nek, Vrchota, Kubecovà ¡, &Ã…  varovà ¡, 2014). The organizational structure is important because the resources can be allocated properly by following the right channel of communication as outlined by the structure.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In an organizational structure, the different levels of management are involved in making different types of decisions for the benefit of the organization (Chisa, 2014). It is to be noted that the strategic decisions which are often long term decisions of an organization are made by the top level management. These are decisions which shape as well as direct the operations of an organization as a whole and therefore the senior managers are the ones that make such decisions. The top level management often make their decisions which affect the stakeholders of the organization such as the shareholders as well as the internal stakeholders. The impact of the strategic decisions can be said to be greater than the impact of the operational decisions since the strategic decisions influence the tactical and the operational decisions to be made by other managers. On the other hand, the tactical decisions within an organization are often made by the m iddle level management. These are decisions which are made and help in the implementation of the strategies of an organization(Aquinas, 2010). The middle level management work closely with the top level management so that the strategies formulated and the tactical decisions made by the middle level management can result in to positive results.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The tactical decisions will often rely on market research and data to ensure that the implementation of the strategies provide positive results in the long run. Finally, the operational decisions within an organization are often made by the middle or the junior management in an organization (Takahara, &Mesarovic, 2003). These decisions often involve the daily routine activities that are performed within the organization. For example the decision to change shift for employees from time to time is an operational decision made by a junior manager. Task 3   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Unilever Plcis one of the multinational corporations that deal in consumer products as well as services across the globe. The vision and mission of Unilever Plc is â€Å"helping people to look good, feel good and get more out of life.† The vision and mission of the company is to provide customer with consumer products that are of high quality and affordable (own website). The corporate strategy which Unilever has continued to use is that of providing products that meet the expectations of the consumers as well as ensuring that the prices are affordable hence attractive to customers. Packaging and branding is another corporate strategy the company has been using, ensuring that all its products are packaged in a unique way(own website).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   SWOT analysis refers to the analysis conducted on a company to check on its strengths, weaknesses, the various opportunities it has as well as the threats that it faces in the course of carrying out its operations (Unilever SWOT Analysis, 2012). This analysis helps in determining whether a company is in a better position as compared to its competitors and can help in making important decisions. It helps in identifying opportunities which a company can take on as well as the weaknesses which a company can build on to improve its performance. Unilever makes use of the SWOT analysis to help make major business decisions such as the pricing of its products as well as packaging and how to handle competition(Unilever SWOT Analysis, 2012). Under SWOT analysis, the strengths of the company include innovation and new products launching, a strong portfolio for its brands as well as it has made strategic acquisitions. The weakness of the company is r ecalling of its products which affects its revenue. The opportunities include growing new markets such as home and personal care(Unilever SWOT Analysis, 2012). However, it is faced with the threat of counterfeit products in the market. Organizational culture is also important in performance of a company. In the case of Unilever, the company can improve its performance if its changes its culture of having a wide range of products under one brand (Unilever SWOT Analysis, 2012). The company needs to rebrand and have different portfolios for its products categorized for each consumer group. References Aghina, W., De Smet, A., & Heywood, S. (2014).The past and future of global organizations. Mckinsey Quarterly, (3), 97-106. Aquinas, P. G. (2010).Organization structure and design: Applications and challenges. New Delhi: Excel Books. Chisa, E. (2014). Evolution of the Product Manager.Communications Of The ACM, 57(11), 48-52. doi:10.1145/2669480 Csaszar, F. A. (2012). Organizational structure as a determinant of performance: Evidence from mutual funds. Strategic Management Journal, 33(6), 611-632. doi:10.1002/smj.1969 Janićijević, N. (2013). THE MUTUAL IMPACT OF ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE AND STRUCTURE.EkonomskiAnali / Economic Annals, 58(198), 35-60. doi:10.2298/EKA1398035J Koontz, H., &Weihrich, H. (2007).Essentials of management: An international perspective. New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill. Krot, K., &Lewicka, D. (2012).THE IMPORTANCE OF TRUST IN MANAGER-EMPLOYEE RELATIONSHIPS.International Journal Of Electronic Business Management, 10(3), 224-233. Rolà ­nek, L., Vrchota, J., Kubecovà ¡, J., &Ã…  varovà ¡, M. (2014).THE LEVEL OF PROCESS MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES APPLICATION IN SMEs IN THE SELECTED REGION OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC.Serbian Journal Of Management, 9(2), 203-217. doi:10.5937/sjm9-6376 Takahara, Y., &Mesarovic, M. (2003).Organization structure: Cybernetic systems foundation. London: Kluwer Academic/Plenum. Unilever SWOT Analysis. (2012). Unilever SWOT Analysis, 1-10. Source document

Counselor Role in Special Education Essay

My perception of the school counselor’s role in special education is that it largely mirrors the role embodied for all students, but with some added considerations and collaborations for the special needs student. My understanding is that a school counselor should be available to all students for personal, ethical, academic, career, and social advice; to listen to a student’s point of view; to deal with any mental health issues that may arise for a student; to help a student prepare for transitions; to advocate for a student in a given situation, and to whatever degree possible, teach the student to advocate for himself. A counselor must be committed to helping all students reach their full potential; but for students with disabilities and other special needs, a school counselor needs to accomplish this in the face of extra challenges. These tasks and trials are not limited to those presented by the varying disabilities of a child, but include the demands of satisfying the administrative and legal requirements of a counselor serving students with special needs. Today’s school counselor is likely to be involved in a student’s individualized education program (IEP) when one is warranted. According to the Ohio Department of Education’s Office for Exceptional Children, at least one of the IEP team members needs to be an individual who has knowledge or special expertise regarding the child. This person is in addition to the child’s regular and special education teachers, a principal/assistant principal or other senior staff member, the parents, the school psychologist, and the child (if appropriate) required to participate on the team. The school counselor, at the discretion of the parent or the school district, may be included as a member of the IEP team if they have special insight regarding the child. A school counselor will work as part of a multidisciplinary team within the school and community in aligning and providing services for the special needs student. Without yet having been exposed to a practicum or internship experience as a school counselor, I perceive this piece of the workload to be potentially delicate and complex. A parent may have a viewpoint divergent from that which is covered in the Evaluation Team Report (ETR), resulting in an extended identification process. School staff members may have contrasting opinions as to whether a child is in need of special education and an IEP, or just accommodations covered under a 504 Plan. The bottom line is that the identification team must work collaboratively, with a lack of ego, in assessing and determining what measures are in the best interests of helping the child to be successful in school. It seems that the most difficult aspect of a school counselor’s job is to find a balance in managing so many responsibilities in each given day. Responding to the unique challenges of special needs students can both intensify and complement the workload. I think much can be gained professionally, personally, and emotionally by embracing that responsibility. A good counselor should teach the special education students attending her school about resiliency, inner strength, positive identity, and a sense of purpose. In the general terms of the professional school counselor’s role, I believe that the most valuable services to be provided in the special education realm are: †¢ Individual Student Planning – communicate high expectations and help disabled students establish personal goals for each school year and their future success. Familiarize oneself with the varying learning styles of the students who have disabilities, and work consultatively with teachers to improve their performance behaviorally and academically. Be a staunch advocate for these students and their post-secondary options; help create opportunities for them. †¢ Responsive Services – implement prevention and/or intervention activities like individual and group counseling, provide referrals, facilitate better peer relations, and advocate for them. Conduct needs assessments to identify potential systematic, programmatic, and attitudinal areas for change in order to create positive environments for their learning. Assist teachers in staying on top of 504 and IEP accommodations/interventions, being prepared to troubleshoot if certain measures are not enabling student to perform optimally. †¢ School Guidance Curriculum – developing and delivering a curriculum of structured lessons to help each identified student achieve desired social and academic outcomes. A counselor could implement a student development curriculum aimed to improve typical students’ understanding of and sensitivity to their special needs’ peers. By communicating high expectations and providing support, school counselors can help students with disabilities understand that their disabilities should not be reason to limit their aspirations.

Post Colonial Essay

PostColonial Literature Essay 3. With reference of at least two short stories from the course, consider in what ways either Desai, Munro, Galgut and Rushdie’s stories are Postcolonial texts. You may consider issues such as home and homelessness, absences in the text, place, positionality or anything you feel is relevant to your attempt at decoding postcolonial identities. Post-colonial literature can be considered as a body of literary writings that reacts to the discourse of colonization. Post-colonial writers focus on issues such as de-colonization and the political and cultural independence of people formerly subjugated to colonial rule. However post-colonial literature cannot be described only by the definition above, many other issues have to be considered in order to fully understand post-colonial texts. In order to understand post-colonial texts, one has to focus on two post-colonial writers: Anita Desai and Damon Galgut. To begin with, Anita Desai is an Indian novelist and short story writer, especially noted for her sensitive portrayal of the inner life of her female characters. Desai prefers the concerns of Westernized, middle-class characters rather than those facing the majority of India. Desai has comments on her work â€Å"My novels are no reflection of Indian society, politics or character. They are my private attempt to seize upon the raw material of life. † â€Å"Diamond Dust†(2000), a second Desai’s short story collection, features a selection of tales set in North America and India, Indian characters and concerns figure in all of them, illuminating Desai’s thematic preoccupation with the psychological effects on multiculturalism. A short story called â€Å"Five Hours to Simla or Faisla† was written by Desai. Shubha Tiwari in â€Å"Critical responses to Anita Desai† argues that â€Å"Five Hours to Simla Or Faisla is one of the most successful stories in this collection because of the clarity of the motives in it. It is a humorous story about the adamant attitude of a Sardarji causing a good deal of tension to the travelers on the way to Simla. † In my opinion, â€Å"Five hours to Simla or Faisla† can be called as a post-colonial text for many reasons. First of all, I think that key character is a crucial thing while talking about post-colonial texts. A key character in this text is really important as short stories tend to be more interesting in characterisation. In this story the key character is the mother’s character as it shows tradition-bound patriarchal culture in India: mother’s responsibility to take care of children and not having a say in the family, being less important than the father / husband. At that stage Desai tries to focus on middle-class women in contemporary India as they attempt to overcome social limitations. Writers’ qualification is also very important in post-colonial texts as it reflects why the author chose to talk about this particular subject in their text. Desai’s qualification is feminine and we can see why mother’s ( the wife’s) character is such an important thing in this short story. Her qualification is also somehow engaged in as to why her daily life is occupied with the complexities of modern Indian culture from a feminine perspective, while highlighting the female Indian predicament of maintaining self-identity as an individual woman. Being an immigrant, Desai sees differences between her culture and Western world. Talking about the mother’s character, she tries to show the limited opportunities for women in Indian society; she tries to find the dissolution of traditional Indian values and Western stereotypes of India. Talking about central characters, we can consider family as central characters in this story as Desai focus on family relationship so much in this text. She talks from a third person perspective â€Å"she†, â€Å"he† and she never mentioned family member names, so she place very long distance between readers and family-unnamed characters makes a little bit difficult to talk about them for readers. Secondly, language/style is also really important in post-colonial texts. Desai’s literary language is not her native language, but English. She uses fluid language and a less flaky, descriptive style. She writes in a very natural way. This text is really interesting in linguistic terms, for example Desai in this text uses words such as kohl which means German politician who served as chancellor of West Germany. We can see here that Desai tries to focus on her real roots as her mother was German. Thirdly, it is worth to talk about identity in this text as identity is a key issue in post-colonial text. Desai use this story to solidify, through criticism and celebration, an emerging national identity, which she has taken on the responsibility of representing. Desai in this text represents post-independence India while she is talking about traffic jam. Traffic jam is like a symbol (symbolism is also an important thing in most post-colonial texts) of the stagnancy of the Indian society: India had never formerly existed and so it a huge issue – national identity crises in India. Traffic jam also symbolizes that members of a postcolonial society have an identity which has been shaped jointly by their own unique cultural and community history, intertwined with that of the colonial power. Desai tries to show cultural and social changes that have swept India since its independence from Britain in 1947. Key passages also play a vital role in post-colonial texts. The text I have chosen is: †She did not need to draw upon her thumb juices for long. The news of the traffic jam on the highway had spread like ripples from a stone thrown. From somewhere, it seemed from nowhere for there was no village bazaar, marketplace or stalls visible in that dusty dereliction, wooden barrows came†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (p. 122) I think that this passage shows that the market place finally appeared in Indian society. Market place at this stage is very important as it represents the centre of the community; it connects community together again after British oppression; it is like a sense of community even in stagnancy; it represents a whole nation again. It is always important to look at the title in post-colonial texts. The â€Å"Five hours to Simla or Faisla† title is no exception. Of course, we first look at Five hours to Simla because it makes sense for us- and the text in general represents it, but when we are looking deeper in the text context we make sure that Faisla is an important part of the title too. Faisla in English means judgment/ verdict, so how it is relative to this text? Traffic jam as I said is a symbol of stagnation of the Indian society. It also represents that Indian people are waiting someone to take control of India; to connect all religions together into one India identity/ into one native India. India was damaged by being colonized, so who will bring this country together? Indian people really need someone to take a verdict/leadership. Opening and ending of the text are essential parts of analysis of the post colonial texts too. Desai ends her text with no great judgment and resolution. Short story writers are tend to leave things open. They can’t really solve the problems, but they can represent the problems from all angles and allows people to judge. Another short story, which I would like to analyze is â€Å"The Lover† from â€Å"In a Strange Room† (2010) written by Damon Galgut, a South African novelist. I will start with a speaking person. The narrator is sometimes referred to in the first person singular, sometimes in the third. All this makes connection and at the same time disconnection in one’s mind, especially because Galgut is free and easy with conventional punctuation. Galgut writing style and punctuation is unusual in a way that he does not use any questions marks. Identity is also very important figure in this text. We can see that identity in this text is a migrant identity- the main character in this text is lost in this world, â€Å"he has not made a home for himself†. By this text, the author means that the character has not found a place in the world that he could call home, he doesn’t feel right, and is trying to find a place where he would feel accepted and content. Therefore he travels to Zimbabwe, without having planned anything â€Å"No particular intention brings him to Zimbabwe, all those years ago. He simply decides one morning to leave and gets on a bus that same night. † He also tries to find this place, that in his imagination he could call home. In the text the narrator says â€Å"Somebody has a map and knows which way to go†, he refers to how other people are different than him in a way that they have planned their routine, and have a place they can call home, whereas he hasn’t got any routes or plans, as he feels lost. In my opinion, him travelling around, symbolizes the fact that he is lost. He is trying to change his surroundings, he is trying to find a community, home, to find someone to love. â€Å"If I was with somebody, he thinks, with somebody I loved, then I could love the place and even the grave too, I would be happy to be there. † He emphasizes the fact that he is desperately trying to find a lover, a person who he would love, and that that person would make the surrounding right for him, that only then he would feel happy in the place. The character feels guilt, because he is trying to find a place that he could call home, and a person that he could call his lover, but fails to do that, and therefore he feels guilty. The title â€Å"The Lover† reflects the whole point of this story. In my opinion, the title refers to that person that the main character is looking for throughout his journey. That person in my opinion is the Irish woman that he meets in the hotel and starts his journey. We are told that the moment when they leave the hotel, him and the Irish woman, is the moment when the â€Å"real journey begins†. Sometimes it happens as you leave your house, sometimes it’s a long way from home. † We are told that even though the main character of the story has travelled for a while, his journey has only begun at that time when he, and his ‘lover’, leave the hotel, to go to Malawi. Even though there is no evidence that the woman is feeling any romantic feelings for him, his jo urney only begins now, and this Irish woman gives him hope, and he thinks that she could be her lover, in my opinion. Class issues are very obvious in this text. The officials at the border of Malawi are described as very ignorant, and incompetent. This is due to the fact that when they were told by the tourists, that they were informed by their embassy that they wouldn’t require a Visa. After that the officials shouted at them, and told them that they were wrong, and sent them back to get the Visa. This shows that the officials aren’t well informed, and also badly mannered. This goes to show that the stereotype that most African’s are very narrow minded is still very much true. They wouldn’t allow foreign people to go through the boarded without a Visa, even though it wasn’t required, but they did allow some South African’s through without a Visa. In conclusion, I believe that in order to understand post-colonial text you may consider issues such as identity, story title, characters, language, style, key passages, home and homelessness, place and etc. References: Anita Desai (2000). Diamond Dust, â€Å"Five Hours to Simla or Faisla†. Damon Galgut (2010). In a Strange Room, â€Å"The Lover†. Hart, Jonathan; Goldie Terrie (1993). â€Å"Post Colonial theory†. In: http://books. google. com/books? id=CTJCiLG9AeoC&pg=PA155#v=onepage&q&f=false Word count: 1,967.

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Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Strategy - Essay Example Donald Hambrick and James Frederickson present a framework for strategy design insisting that a strategy has five distinct elements (Hambrick & Fredrickson, 2005, p 51). Providing the answers to five questions will distinguish these five elements allowing them to form a unified whole. Loblaw Companies Limited is the largest food retailer in Canada and also a leading provider among general merchandise, financial products, pharmacies and financial services. They have over 1000 corporate and franchised stores and they employ more than 135,000 employees, both full time and part time. As such they are one of Canada’s largest private sector employers (Loblaw Companies Limited, 2011). Strategies of a company should contain the answers to pertinent questions as to how the company will be a leader among their competitors, where will they base their activity, what is outlined in the company’s business and marketing plans to assist the company in reaching goals, how fast and in wh at order should our actions be planned to get where we want to be and in what economic ways will we realize our returns (Hambrick & Frederickson, 2005, p 3). Deciding the arena, or where the company will be active should not be a generalized decision but as specific as possible in order to focus strongly in implementing successful strategy that will allow them to expand and consider the possibility of one day reaching the status of a product, service, or company that could be considered general by the population. There are very few of these we consider to be general, meaning they are obviously the leader and most often thought of in a particular industry with little competition; the fact is that they just are and there aren’t many decisions to be made or choices when a product, service or company reaches the status of being general. Though there are many general products, such as bread, shoes, cars , etc. there are actually very few that when we think of the general word ther e is only one choice that comes to mind. This would also be considered defining the scope of the business (Collis, Rukstad, 2008, p2). While Loblaw’s mission is to be ‘Canada’s best food, health and home retailer their mission also includes innovative products at great prices (LobLaw Companies Limited.-2, 2008)’. Loblaw’s chose as it’s arena restoring innovation by making their brands and assortment of products worth changing supermarkets for and targeting consumers with specific brands and assorted product specialties that are hard to find in other supermarkets. Their brands wanted to strengthen and also revitalize product development, to simplify and also to grow. These areas are considered the arena the company has chosen to be active in. Core priorities of the company also describe strategy the company will use to achieve goals and reach milestones. LobLaw operations planned to focus on achieving greater performance and increasing engagem ent among colleagues, strengthening the customer experience, simplifying assortments and improving price perceptions (LobLaw Companies Limited.-2, 2008) Enhanced decision making support, an improvement in company infrastructure, along with better talent retention, motivation and development are also vehicles the company’s strategy includes in order to reach the goals their plans have outlined. Various vehicles are less effective than those which are concentrated and strong efforts utilizing only a few strategies at once in order to focus efforts. Differentiator’s used by LobLaw are those factors and attributes that LobLaw will use to differentiate itself among competitors; while not necessarily having one product that is used as differentiator among competitors companies can also have the best combination of differentiators can allow an

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Analyzing a news article from a geographical perspective on Latin america using geography journals - Research Paper Example The politics of the location and the place are addressed in the political geography of the social movements. The widespread insensitivity to the push by the social movements in these nations and the outright downplaying of the quest for recognition and respect is also made mention of. This is an idea I am going to apply in analyzing a journalism article. The journalism article in focus is â€Å"The Racism and Racial Divides in Venezuela† by Gregory Wilpert. This article addresses issues of political geography in an evidently racist Venezuela. This paper analyses and reports on how the author of the political geography article would respond to the journalism article. In the journalism article, there are a great deal of issues on international order and the perceptions that are largely accepted and internalized by certain sections of the world’s population. Key among these and widely explored in the journal article is the concern for racism in the world in general and in Venezuela in particular. As reported in the journalism article, it is evident that the mindset of most of the Venezuelans, humans from different geographical locations of the world are and will never be equal. On the face of it, Venezuelans would say that there is no racism in the country, but the opposite proves true. They would say that it does not matter whether one is dark, brown or white since they all consider themselves to be â€Å"Mestizo† or â€Å"brown† (Wilpert 2). The journal article gives an account of how the opposite of this statement is proven during the visit by the Trans Africa Forum to the nation of Venezuela. This position of reality of racism in Venezuela was made clear by the very delegation in their final press conference in the country. The delegation mentioned the Venezuelan news commentators who referred to their trip as a ‘burned’ tour. This statement was

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Fuel Systems and Alternative Fuels - Article Example He does not offer any substantive conclusion at the end of it. He leaves his readers with the task of doing more research to establish a middle path for the proponents and opponents of biofuels. The second article, â€Å"Farmers Growing Green with Energy†, discusses how some farmers have resorted to animal waste for generation of electricity. In as much the article highlights how a few farmers have benefited from the project, there are a number of shortcomings in the entire research. The article failed to inform the public on the minimum size of cattle that a farmer requires for minimum electricity production. It did not also give a list and quotation overview of all the required equipment for the project. Most importantly, this article should have highlighted any ethical issues that may arise in this project. As it stands now, small scale farmers may be under the impression that generating electricity from animal waste is very cheap and

Our bodies our politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Our bodies our politics - Essay Example Another article written by Rebecca Chalker examines this issue in its specific aspect, namely in terms of knowledge and understanding of the female sexuality and female genitalia. The author concludes that women around the world do not have enough knowledge about their sexuality and the structural features of their female reproductive system. In turn, in her article, Emily Martin conducts an even deeper analysis of the problem. This allows her to come to the conclusion that modern notions of masculinity and femininity have an impact on scientists ideas about the features of the reproductive functions of men and women. In particular, Martin points out that science considers the process of menstruation as a phenomenon, which marks the death of the female eggs (failed production), while the process of maturation of sperm is being evaluated solely from the positive point of view as a surprising phenomenon that allows men to produce millions of spermatozoons. Finally, the value of the vid eo from Betty Dodson is that it provides an opportunity for all women to obtain important information about the structure of their genitals, namely the internal clitoris. In addition, the value of a given video is also in the fact that Betty draws attention to the fact that â€Å"that women get erections just like men.† This information allows all women to improve their sexual experience and make their sexual pleasure more diverse. As one can see, the main reason for the problems identified in all of these articles is related to gender stereotypes that continue existing in modern culture and science. Femininity is seen as a phenomenon associated with such qualities as weakness, passivity and inertia. For this reason, masculinity presupposes the rejection of any characteristics that suggest its association with femininity. In science, this has led to the fact that the features of female

Sustainability Project Spain Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Sustainability Project Spain - Research Paper Example This has lead to use of sustainable designs whose goals are to expose architectural solutions that guarantee the coexistence of inorganic and living organisms. Conceptual framework informs architects on the various ways to meet the goal of sustainable designs. In undertaking sustainable projects, three principles are used. The first principle aims at economizing on the resources for the architects to reduce the use of the non-renewable materials in the establishment and operation of the building. In a construction site, materials continuously flow in and out of the building. The flow incorporates the movement of materials from the industries that provide the building materials throughout the life span of the building to get a good nature that support continuation of humans as well as their activities. The second principle is the life cycle model has the support on the usefulness of resources where resources are useful depending on the area of application. The third concept of sustain able design is the humane design probably the most important of all three principles. The concept has an emphasis on the respect towards other living organisms within the ecosystem and these include plants and animals. The other two principles are not considered highly valuable in comparison to the humane design idea because they require more on the efficiency and conservation than on the ecosystem. The paper will discuss the sustainability project in Spain and the various features of the building and standards instituted by the Spanish building standards as well as the importance of sustainability in construction. In the sustainable project, in Barcelona, the building standards have to be taken into consideration, and these standards have an emphasis on the protection of the ecosystem. The standards include the energy standards, which have elevated Spain to higher grounds in terms of solar energy all over Europe.

How, if at all, can development organisations overcome the gendered Essay

How, if at all, can development organisations overcome the gendered limits of the rule of law paradigm such as those identified by Katerina Pistor et al - Essay Example There should be no discrimination in application of existent laws to individuals based on their status in the society2. From this theory, even government officials and government institutions are subject to the legislation in a country. Status in society is not a basis for exemption from the law. The concept of the rule of law concept is said to have its origin from Greek and Roman roots. In its development, it survived as inchoate during the medieval period. The concept of the rule of law was viewed as a product of western political and legal thought. In its development, the rule of law evolved to have certain characteristics. Among the characteristics said to constitute the rule of law is that of formal legality. Formal legality basically entails that a law has to be public, prospective, stable and generally applicable through a fair judicial process3. A law has to be promulgated publicly in the society. It should reasonably be of common knowledge to the members of the society. A policy that has been given the force of law by the required institutions of the government should be made public. The newly enacted law should be promulgated publicly to enable it to come to the knowledge of citizens of a particular country or state. The rule of law also requires that a law should be prospective in nature. Prospective means that a law should not seek to punish or penalize acts done before it came into being. A law that is promulgated as required by the legal institutions in place becomes active from the day that it is promulgated4. Therefore, it only penalizes and punishes acts done from the date that it is promulgated. It follows that no man can be prosecuted for a non- existent offence or an offence that is not provided for by law. On this premise therefore it is required that a law should be prospective in nature. Another principle in the rule of law is that a law should be stable. Stability of the

Social group Essay Example for Free

Social group Essay This book, Ain’t No Makin’ It, shows the lives of the youth who are living in a neighborhood of low income earners. It shows that people are not poor because they are not ready to work, but it is because of various societal structural barriers that get them entrapped in poverty. The book is about the lives of two distinct units of teenagers who live in the inner- city with one unit believing in the ideology of achievement while the other unit rejects it. It further shows how the society can play a destructive part in the lives of the marginalized in the society thus giving the well to do a chance to blame the less fortunate yet they are the victims with the excuse of achievement ideology. The working class kids are the blacks who call themselves the brothers and believe in achievement ideology. They have realized that racial discriminations which have already ceased to exist made the past generations not to excel in their endeavors. Now they view the society as one that has given them a level playing ground and they decide to achieve what they want by excelling in school and not engaging in bad habits. The second social group, which is made up of the whites who call themselves hallway hangers, on the contrary, reject the ideology of the achievement and believe that their aspirations are low in the labor market (MacLeod, 2008, p283). The hallway hangers have realized from friends and family that they can’t make it out of the poverty and due to this, they engage themselves in bad habits like smoking dope and dropping out of school among other unlawful deeds (ibid p29). Despite the fact that both groups have different aspiration levels, no single group prospers in its endeavors. The hallway hangers do not get any degree of upward-ness but the brothers, although they fail to get what they exactly aimed for, they do make to achieve a fraction of it. Thus the poor blacks turn out to be better of than their parents but the poor whites turn out poorer than their parents. Macleod has the belief that the working class kids have a tendency of ending up in working class professions; with this he also points out that the family’s class structures are passed to the coming generations through the school system. The working class kids are also seen using limited linguistic codes which form a disadvantage at school while the other group uses elaborated codes which have an advantage for they are the codes used in the school’s academic setting (ibid, p226). As it is evidenced, no single group prospers with the reason for this failure being that the whites believe that everything is on their way but the blacks believe that they have to struggle to make it in life. They both end up as losers due to the fact that they are disintegrated with different ideologies. Although the blacks excelled in school, what they achieved from the school were theories which could not help them excel in life. The fact that the blacks gained some upward mobility but not all they expected shows that one can not jump from the bottom to the top of the society in one lifetime for it has to take time; it also shows that at that rate, in three generations time the blacks will be at the middle class if at all they teach their children to follow in their footsteps. Despite the efforts the blacks made in school, they view themselves as losers and tend to view the America as a society which does not keep its promises thus ending up in hurting themselves more. The working class families should mentally change their fashion through being honest to themselves and thus be able to improve the education in their children; this can be through working very hard to show their children the importance of commitment and working hard in school for even if they do not excel, they will be able to overcome some barriers. Macleod’s work is seen to have played a very important role in both the Brother’s lives as well as that of the Hallway Hangers since it made it possible for them to see beyond their immediate despairs and conditions. Both groups experienced a persistent cycle of poverty with negative role models such that they could not help themselves; for those who had no fathers, they suffered great grief and anger. Although the brothers believed in achievement ideology while their counterparts did not, the outcome is that the dominant culture guarantees a better result for the hallway hangers as compared to the outcome of the brothers (ibid p66). Education cannot be treated as a part of luxury, but as a necessity in the country. There is a major advantage for the outcome of attending school. Nevertheless, it is until the United States comes to recognize the reality that America as a country symbolizes several ways of interpreting data on the basis of various linguistic codes in comparison with various cultural and social classes; through this they will know that the way education is arranged in the public schools is an enormous disadvantage to the groups in consideration, that is the brothers and the hallway hangers. There is no theory being constructed up to this moment to bring about societal equality in the manner education is arranged. For instance, in Haiti, the colonizers do not allow for educational equality but the parents have struggled to make their children be able to recognize some linguistic codes used in Parisian French so that they can fit in the professional market. For people to grow individually there is need of self- actualization; this is to mean that with the brothers getting positive role models who will give them just a bit of basic motivation, their lives will change a great deal (ibid, p283). The whites should stop their negativity in life and understand that hard work is the key to success; it is through this that they will not depend on the fact that they are white for their survival. The brothers should realize that patience pays and it is through patience that they will get to the top since they can not go to the top at once but has to go through steps which take time (ibid p 226). If the teenagers tried hard enough in their every day lives then they could have made it in life. There is one boy who almost made it but he fails because he can’t drop the behaviors of the poor such as having kids at a tender age. There are some behaviors which cannot be changed by education as is shown by the boy who makes it to a community college and has a chance of going further but has to drop out after he impregnates a girl in the neighborhood. The youngsters just lacked the drive to forget about their beginnings and thus work hard to better their lives so their failure to achieve their set targets had nothing to do with capitalism. The theoretical framework used by the author is that of the two major races in the United States which can never be at par in their achievements in the society. The blacks are expected to be below the whites and seen working very hard and achieving very little while the whites should just have achievements come their way with no struggling. The main topic of discussion is that of whether hard work pays as it is shown in the lives of the brothers who although achieve little, it is due to the efforts they put; the whites end up gaining nothing since they do not work hard at all and in deed leave school and engage in illegal activities. It is at this point that the country should change the academic curriculum to fit the groups in discussion. The topic of discussion is very important to the author for he wants to show that even the blacks can make it to the top of the society if at all they work towards it. It also shows that the blacks should not loose hope because they are not gaining to their expectations since they can not do it in a day. One only needs to set a target and work towards it and be satisfied even if he makes a single step towards it and believe that it is only a matter of time before he achieves the whole of it (ibid, p 204). Macleod hangs out with both groups to get the first hand data rather than relying on statistical data. He follows them and even after realizing their beliefs, that is achievement ideology, he later goes back to them to collect data on how far they have gone in realizing their dreams. He goes directly to his interest group which is the teenagers (the blacks and whites) and in fact he shows no interest in their background families but is only interested in their aspirations and beliefs. The author used the best method in his collection of data since he got the first hand information which is never distorted and biased; this is shown by the fact that he interviewed those people he was interested in and also use the method of data collection of observation. He also asked the questions for the information that he saw necessary such as their aspirations and the intended ways of achieving those aspirations. The results he yielded are valid because as he collects the data by asking questions, he can as well see for himself the realities for he is collecting the data by himself. He further goes back to them to see what they have achieved and finds that it is as he had expected. His going back shows that the results are true for it is at this point that he sees for himself the outcome of their beliefs without interviewing. Since his research is based on many people of two different races and ideologies, it is okay to apply it as if it is for the general population as long as the circumstances he based his research on are the same. The researcher has taken a good sample which is a good representation of the whole population since he has included in his research two races and two ideologies. There are no other better methods which could have been used to conduct this research since the most applicable are observation and interviewing and they are the ones used. The research yielded valid results since it gives a reality in America which nobody can deny; this shows that he had the best methods applicable in use to get valid results. The interpretation of the data by the author is the best he could have given since it is the reality that you have work hard to achieve your expectations and also the fact that it took time for him to make the conclusions. After he interviewed the teenagers, he had to come back to them years later to see how the youths were doing. He found out that the blacks had achieved something which is because they were optimistic but the whites had made zero progress because of their pessimism in life which led to most of them dropping out of school and start taking drugs. The book is a good read because it shows that the less fortunate in the society can change their status by working hard and stop blaming the society for their failure. The book clearly shows that one becomes what he aspires to be if he is focused and optimistic thus anybody’s son can be the president. Work cited MacLeod Jay, Aint No Makin it: Leveled Aspirations in a Low-income Neighborhood, NY, Perseus Books Group Publishers, 2008