Lines of Color, Sex, and Service: Sexual Coercion in the Early Republic by Sharon Block Essay

â€Å"Lines of Color, Sex, and Service: Sexual Coercion in the Early Republic† by Sharon Block is based on two women who were mistreated by their masters. Rachel Davis, a white woman, was a servant to William and Becky Cress when she was 14-years-old. Harriet Jacobs, an enslaved black woman, was a slave in James and Mary Norcom’s household. When the women reached ages 15 and 16, both their masters made sexual overtures to them, in which the women had to try and over power. Becky Cress, William’s wife and Mary Norcom, James’ wife were women who could not control their husband’s actions. Since both Becky and Mary suspected that their husbands were having a sexual relationship with their servant, they insisted that the servant left the house immediately. Even though Rachel and Harriet were removed from their master’s household, their masters continued to visit them at their new home trying to have sex with them. When Mary had Harriet sleep with her so her husband could not and so she could â€Å"protect† Harriet, Harriet said, â€Å"she whispered in my ear, as though it was her husband who was speaking to me, and listened to hear what I would answer. (140) When Mary confronted her husband about the issue, he did not stop his sexual overtures. After Becky heard William trying to kiss Rachel in the cellar, Rachel said, â€Å"she had caught him & he wd deceive her no longer, but William denied any wrongdoing and Becky left in tears. These verbal confrontations apparently did not alter William’s behavior; he continued to force himself sexually upon Rachel. † (140) These two wives show that they had no power over their husband. They confronted their husbands about the situation and all they did was deny their behaviors, which lead to Becky and Mary not undertaking any actions to put their husband’s sexual overtures to an end. If Becky and Mary really wanted their husband’s sexual relationship with their servant to end, why didn’t they remove their husband from the house? Or why didn’t they just divorce their husband? This shows how men over powered women during this time by talking their way out of dilemmas and how women did not have the courage to stand up for themselves and prove that they are right and their husband are wrong. By Rachel Davis being a white woman she had more of an opportunity to over power her master than Harriet Jacobs. â€Å"The master of the white servant was sent to prison, while the black slave imprisoned herself to escape her abuser. † (136) â€Å"In 1807, Rachel’s father found out what had occurred and initiated a rape prosecution against William, who was found guilty and sentenced to ten years in prison. † (136) Since Rachel had her father’s support and also because she was white she was very fortunate that her master ended up in jail. Even though Rachel and Harriet’s rape incidents by their masters were very similar, â€Å"enslaved women ordinarily did not have access to the protection offered by a patriarchal figure. † (143) This is unfair to Harriet because she doesn’t get the local legal system to form a criminal prosecution like they did for Rachel because she is black. Harriet also went through rougher times than Rachel. Rachel was demanded out of the household right when her mistress suspected the sexual relationship. For Harriet, Mary demanded that she left the house when she found out Harriet was pregnant. Harriet had to do this so she could get away from her master and show her mistress that what her husband was doing to her was factual. Harriet didn’t have anyone to help her end her master’s sexual overtures on her, she had to became a runaway slave, and hide in her free grandmother’s attic. Even though both the masters treated Rachel and Harriet the same way, Harriet’s grandmother could not help her lead to legal intervention like Rachel’s father did for her. During this time, women were treated with no respect just as if they were nothing, especially the black women.

Is Life Fair? Essay

Is life fair? This is a question which has always been asked by people from all walks of life since time immemorial. It was always asked by people who have less in life. For people from Africa – they who have always been featured in international magazines looking like skeletons wrapped in desiccated skin, life certainly is unfair. They are the people who cannot even eat one whole nutritious meal in one week. They only exist because of the kindness of others. If help comes, then they can eat; if none arrives, they have to forgo eating and patiently wait for another day. They could not even afford to wrap themselves in the flimsiest garment to protect their bodies from the elements. When they get sick – which happens very often because of their state of deprivation – they cannot get their hands on the simplest medicine because none is available to them. They are supposed to be our brothers and sisters in God who were given free will just like ours. However, in their situation, one could not help asking the question: Are they in any position to exercise their free will? The answer is undoubtedly a resounding NO! How could they when they could not even lift a finger to defend themselves from biting insects? They who have been photographed in an apparently weakened state being watched by waiting vultures preparing to eat their remains as soon as they close their eyes in dying surrender? These unfortunate people of Africa could not be heard asking if life is fair because even their voices have already been swallowed by poverty and deprivation. In spite of their silence, however, nobody can deny that life has indeed been very unfair for these ill-fated, luckless, forgotten children of God. The situation in Africa is by all means extreme. One does not need to cite such severe cases nor go to far-off Africa, however, just to establish that life has never, or could never be fair. There are numerous examples of life’s unfairness right here in the country. Even in America, the unequal distribution of wealth is very evident. There are parents who could barely send their children to school because of poverty. There are high school graduates (in fact majority of them) who choose not to proceed to college because they would rather work and help support their families. Some defenders of the American way of life would often flaunt that this is because jobs are readily available in America. This is merely a smoke screen, however. Who would not aspire to have a college degree if given the opportunity? It is not unknown to everybody that the high-paying jobs are only available to college graduates and holders of master or doctoral degrees. As a result, these people enjoy more of life’s blessings than their fellow citizens who work after high school. Of course, there are student loans available to those who qualify. Unfortunately, this program is not readily available to everybody, aside from the fact that the loan has to be paid with interest some years after graduation. Meanwhile, the family members are already reeling from the effects of poverty. So instead of availing of these student loans and go to college, young people choose to work instead. In the meantime, rich kids go to college, work for their master’s degrees and even proceed to the doctoral programs and get as much as five, six, or even ten times higher salaries afterwards. So is life fair in the United States? The picture becomes slightly different when one visits the third world countries. Because college education is comparatively cheaper in such countries, many of the high school graduates could afford to go to college and in fact do so. Unfortunately for them, jobs are not available even to college graduates. Some of the more fortunate find their way to developed countries like the United States and land good-paying jobs. The rest, however, have no other option but to stay at home and basically work for loose change, become underemployed, or even join the ranks of the unemployed despite their diplomas. In such countries, it is usual to find college graduates working as busboys in restaurants, crews in supermarkets, and taxi drivers. Is life, then, fair?

American Online Case Study

Q1: The major explanations to the reason why AOL was so successful in the commercial online industry comparing to its competitors CompuServe and Prodigy are as follows:  · AOL offered the unique and board range of features such as Online Community, Computing and the like, so their services are relatively differentiated  · AOL kept good relation with its customer because of the easy access to AOL’s online service which only required to have a personal computer, a telephone line, and a computer, and also reflected in AOL’s rate structure which was the easiest for consumers to understand and anticipate, relative to its competitors  · The bargaining power of AOL with supplier is achieved by making strategic partnership with American Express, and so on; and completing its acquisitions of Internet software developers, along with AOL’s growing membership base, in order to strengthen its new interactive services industry by means of pursuing a number of initiatives .  · The threat of new enchant is low, since there is not much service providers, like AOL, acted as middlemen between thousands of content providers and millions of customers, which provided lucrative profits prior to 1995. Q2: There are several crucial changes happened in the commercial online industry in the year of 1995 and after:  · With the advent of the Internet World Wide Web and the entrance of Microsoft Network, content providers had substitution distribution channels that offered greater control over their products  · Under the background that the migration of proprietary services and content to Web sites, the exclusive offerings of AOL was declining, thus it was likely reduce the market share of AOL in the industry and subsequently posed negative effect on its profitability  · Since everyone with a PC was his/her own publisher, customers would sign up for an Internet on-ramp service provided by other companies and they were tend to use the other companies’ browsing software to surf the world’s database, resulted in the situation that content providers were starting to make use of these distribution channels. Q3. Based on the annual reports and footnotes, AOL’s accounting policy was to capitalize subscriber acquisition costs prior to 1995, which in my view, was not likely to be justified in that period based, for the uncertainty whether ts customers could migrate to the internet still remained since this would probably affect the growth in its subscriber and the profit of its services, although the CFO of AOL attributed the choice to the explanation that the period over which the revenue would be received was matching with the timing the expense, yet there was a rising gap between the reported income and its tax income, except for a big change in its service quality, these two numbers bear a consistent relationship to each other. Q4. The company should shorten the length of amortisation of the acquisition costs instead of extending it. The reason of this assertion are based on the life cycle of the industry which was supposed to be relatively short and because of the constantly cha nging environment of the commercial online industry with huge uncertainties, which was likely to require conservative accounting policy to reflect the financial figures so as to better match revenues with expense. Nevertheless, AOL even extended the amortization period for its subscriber acquisition cost from about 15 months to 24 months, which made it would be tend to face big risks when customers switched to other online service under uncertainty. Therefore, the company’s response seems to be inconsistent with my view. Q5. If AOL followed the policy of expensing subscriber acquisition outlays rather than capitalizing them, there would be a huge amount of subscriber acquisition costs, leading to a comparatively decreasing profit and increase operating loss in the income statement as well as lower equity in the balance sheet for the last same period or compared to its peers, which might lose the attractive looking of the accounting figures when it was eager to raise money from the public market so as to pay its bill.

Modern day Rip Van Winkle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Modern day Rip Van Winkle - Essay Example His only work was to ride his bike and wander hither and thither with a can of beer and a hobo bag carrying teddy bears and milk chocolates for kids. Troubled by the escaping tendency of Rip, his wife Dame presented him one satellite phone so that she could easily get hold of her husband. One autumn afternoon Rip along with his dog head towards the mountains to escape the irresistible nagging of his wife. There he discovers something very unconventional and out of place. He found someone calling him with his name and discovers some weird men who are dressed like robots and are silently playing saxophone. They were drinking strong beer and were completely silent. Rip felt a bit awkward and he discovered the noises which were coming out of the abandoned theatre up in the hills. It will always seem very awkward for a man to discover that some suspicious characters completely unknown, knew Rip’s name. But as usual Rip was least interested on the fact and took more interest in thei r liquor. After drinking few cans of liquor, Rip falls asleep. He wakes up one morning and finds that the place where he is sleeping is unknown to him. He found himself on the foot path and as soon as he stood up on the foot, it started moving.

Research Methdologies and Emerging Technologies Assignment

Research Methdologies and Emerging Technologies - Assignment Example The products and services provided by Google are spread all over and are in use by the common internet users. The project idea is termed as a wearable computing innovation by Google Inc. The product is also termed as Head Mounted Display (H.M.D). The new buzz word that has people stunned is the Google glasses. Only this year Google Inc launched the project in the name of â€Å"Project Glass† that is based on a state of the art facilitated concept in the field of virtualization. It is another step towards the already fast growing concept of virtualization. With cloud computing and virtual networks dominating the field of science and technology, the virtual glasses concept will further enhance the field of upcoming technology. People have seen the ordinary 3D glasses and other similar products but Google is focusing on bringing about total new dimensions in this field. The project is aimed at going commercial and officially public as soon as the current year and is expected to c apture large market of customers who use gadgets and other digital equipment in their daily life to a larger extent. This product is a venture of Google X laboratories which is responsible for number of other similar innovative products. The purpose of this laboratory is to come up with such innovative products and benefit the company through its competitive advantage attribute (PatentBolt, 2012). While some term this product as an aliens like instrument and others call them Star Trek sort of glasses, but these glasses are a reality and are just a few months or at most an year away from the public domain. Massive research and development input has been invested into this project and the pioneers behind the Google map and mapping applications have contributed towards this product through their ideas and expertise. One of the person who is at forefront of entire concept is Steve Lee. The product is created in a very crafty manner and instead of covering the whole face, a slim thin lin e runs through the forehead like a thin copper wire with a small screen attached to one side of the forehead . Through the use of voice instructions, the person using the device can perform number of built in instructions namely photo shoot, geological location determination, and various other features. Other features that are supposedly chained to this product include 3G and 4G connection support, though no official word has been heard from the company itself, instead the insiders who are working on this project and have been part of the pilot tests conducted time to time keep coming with information about its specifications(Bilton, 2012). While the early model is said to have a low resolution camera, it won’t go without a consideration that later models will have further enhanced digital capabilities. A small feature that is being explained for the novice states that anyone who desires to take a picture of something that is in front of them ,would not need to bring out the mobile phones, or other digital photography associated gadget, rather through these glasses, they can capture the scene since it is built in with a camera. These glasses might look odd in the beginning but the real end users who are wearing it will have the real taste of this gadget and will be fully absorbed in the digital world. The main theme behind the entire project is to reduce the dependency on the windows based application that

Nike's Dilemma Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Nike's Dilemma - Case Study Example The on-going recession poses a serious threat to expansion of sports businesses. The only option left is to increase their advertising and improving the quality of the service they give to their customers. Titleist and other competing companies dealing with golf products could have taken advantage of this by raising promotions targeting clubs currently buying from Nike. As quoted on the Wall Street journal, â€Å"in 2009, sales of clubs and other support tools fell in by 11.9 %, which is three quarters of total golf sales Bustillo† (web). However, two other Nike golfers won two crucial matches in the same year helping Nike to regain the lost credibility. The drop in the golf sales and the recessionary period may hinder Nike to venture into new golf products, but this is advisable. Nike needs to work hard in rebranding Woods. This is one of the best ways of securing sales in golfing market since Woods is still influential despite the presently tainted image. The idea of introduction of new golf balls, t-shirts, and shoes that do not bear the old names that Woods used. They â€Å"Have you learnt anything?† Commercials by Nike helped in gathering people’s views on the scandal after engaging them to respond. Nike was supporting Woods to rejoin his family and achieve both corporate and personal penance. This approach by Nike was not much of a help since the companies sales still went down. According to National Golf Foundation, there is a decrease in golf sports. Since 2000, the number of those involved in this sport fell from 26 million to 30 million. Additionally, the persons who played this sport for 25 times a year fell to 4.6 million in 2005 from 6.9 million in 2000 (Vitello

Heroine Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Heroine - Assignment Example Remarkably, the differences between the sexes are extraneous; what matters are the roles played by individuals. For instance, the female Mulan joins the battlefield and fights on her father’s account. The arty chap Xu Wei illuminates how Mulan profusely participates in the war and records a splendid performance despite being a woman. Mulan sounds badass and controversial. She appears at the war as a man, fights, wins, and goes back to carry on weaving roles that were perceived to be relished by women. Undoubtedly, her physic was that of a woman but not even her comrades could realize that she was a woman; a clear evidence that the body cannot simply be used to define gender. The line raises the question of identity, inequality, and being real to oneself in the facade of execution and persecution. Despite her sex, she participates in unlikely activities, a factor that makes her appear as though concealing her identity and true self. This is over and above the modest question of

Writing a Rabbi Sermon #3 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Writing a Rabbi Sermon #3 - Research Paper Example Here is a good example; back in the year 1982, a rabbi who was at then a U.S. Sixth Fleet navy chaplain within an Italian town had his daughter attend one of the catholic preschool within the area for the first day. H hoped that his daughter would learn Italian as well as come to have new friends out of the navy base. After school, he was waiting for his daughter and so began to wonder if at all he had prepared his daughter for a catholic school run by nuns in their black traditional habit. He was wondering how the day might have been for his child when suddenly the school bus appeared. Through the window his daughter looked so happy when they finally reunited she could not wait to tell him how she had, had quite an interesting day and the lovely teachers from sound of music. Definitely, this he did not expect. Why? Because of the stories that had modeled his view of nuns (Resnicoff, 2014). The stories that this rabbi had known had become the way through which e viewed the world of nuns. People’s believes are their foundation as well as framework for their vision. If this little girl had grown up under the influence of anti-Catholic stories, could be she would have encountered nuns with hatred as well as fear but not the excitement and happiness she found in them. It is important that everyone learns that what children learn from stories will determine their way of life in a major way (Resnicoff, 2014). As far as believers are concerned, this is a major part of the faith. Abraham explained the story of how one God created the universe. Through this the idea of the past was planted in the hearts as well s minds of people. This is what people believe in today. A single God it is. This is the reason that yesterday’s happenings have today’s bearing. If there were many gods, then people would be dealing with different gods at different times. This would mean that what happened yesterday with one God would mean nothing

Analysis of the Pepsis and Bacardi Limons Advertisement Essay

Analysis of the Pepsis and Bacardi Limons Advertisement - Essay Example This "Analysis of the Pepsi’s and Bacardi Limon’s Advertisement" essay outlines differences between two drinks' ads. The first advertisement carefully projects the image of Pepsi as a fun drink that all members and all age groups enjoy. The men hold Pepsi bottles, as also the girls. The pepsi bottles in the picnic box further heighten the impression that it’s a drink meant for outings and is even better than beer. Another significant detail is the Pepsi icon in the shape of a ball, where the text states: â€Å"it’s the cola†, further reinforced by the football nearby on the picnic table, which further heightens the impression that this is a drink associated with fun and games. The heart shaped carving on the tree with â€Å"Pepsi and BBQ† engraved within it is a useful little detail that implies Pepsi is made for such outdoor occasions. The second advertisement is set in a bar/disco/party setting, which conveys an impression that the drink be longs in a more adult, sensual setting. The words in the advertisement convey the mood: â€Å"Mischievous, mixable, magical†. This is substantiated by the image of the sexy woman reflected in the glass of the man who holds it, implying that it’s the drink that has brought her into the palm of his hand – a magical experience. The use of mirrors, the shiny clean bar, the sparkling crystal bottles and glasses, all contribute to the impression of a magical kind of dating environment, where the drink appears to be the prop that aids the man in capturing the woman he desires.

The Disconnect of Fashion Advertising with Young Females Dissertation

The Disconnect of Fashion Advertising with Young Females - Dissertation Example Researchers suggest advertising media may adversely impact women’s body image† – [Online] Available at: www.healthyplace.com [Accessed February 2011] â€Å"For centuries individuals or societies have used clothes and another body adornment as a form of nonverbal communication to indicate occupation, rank, gender, sexual availability, locality, class, and wealth and group affiliation. Fashion is a form of free speech. It not only embraces clothing but also accessories, jewelry, hairstyles, beauty, and body art. What we wear and how and when we wear it, provides others with the shorthand to subtly read the surface of a social situation.† -[Online] Available at www.fashion-ersociology_semiotics.com [Accessed February 2011] With the peer pressure of being socially accepted in different environments, fashion is even more so an issue with the younger generation of females. Research has shown that 70% of women who regularly read fashion magazines consider them t o be an important source of beauty and fitness information. -[Online] Available at www.healthyplace.com [Accessed February 2011] In a study carried out by Peck and Loken in 2004, entitled â€Å"When will larger-sized female models in advertisements are viewed positively?† It was stated that a quarter of those that were analyzed, were women that reported they did have a strong interest in imitating fashion models, hence there seems to be a disconnect between the images used by fashion advertisers and the impact on female consumers. As consumers, we are always being bombarded with fashion in many different ways. The newest look or the trendiest color is constantly in our faces by many different methods- if it is not by billboard it is by magazine, television and even on the foods that we eat, Influences even come from music that we listen to with music videos. Fashion is everywhere and it is something we can’t get away from. â€Å"Fashion style is important. Your clot hes make your fashion statement, and how you're perceived. Stand straight and carry yourself with grace. You will radiate self-confidence.† -[Online] Available at www.zinearticles.com [Accessed March 2011] However, the way in which advertisers of fashion clothing portray young females in their advertising, does not necessarily seem to correspond with the way that young females want to be viewed. Rational/Usefulness of the project The aim of this dissertation is to analyze and determine whether fashion advertising uses relevant imagery to have an impact on young females today.  Thus the research will try and provide advertisers of fashion clothing with a deeper insight and helpful observations into understanding their audience, their young female customers. Overview of the role of female imagery in fashion advertising †¦ Research Objectives The main aim of the project is to try and prove whether there is or there is not a disconnect between how advertisers advertise fash ion to females. The focus will be on an audience of 18-25-year-old female students at London South Bank University that are fashion conscious.

Hydraulic fracking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hydraulic fracking - Essay Example Fracking or hydraulic fracturing is the procedure of drilling natural gas out of shale rock layers profound within the ground. This process makes it feasible to produce natural gas drilling in shale layers that were once inaccessible with traditional technologies (Heywood 42-45). Fracking is one subject that has brought lots of controversies in regard to it being an answer to the energy crisis the world is facing or a disaster for the environment (4News 1-2). The controversies are acceptable since they assist in analyzing the process further and make proper adjustments. A report by 4news early this year reported a statement made by David Cameron in support for Fracking process. Cameron said that shale is significant for UK. He asserted that the shale gas could bring 74,000 jobs, more than  £3bn of investment, provide the people with a cheaper energy for the future, and boost the country’s energy security (4News 1-2). Cameron said this after being convinced by the institute of Directors claims that shale gas might generate over seventy four thousand jobs. Geologists, construction workers, engineers, truck drivers, business analysts and public relations employees are samples of the employees required by the production as well as equipment manufacturer s, cement and steel manufacturers, and drilling services corporations (Heywood 42-45). To counterbalance Cameron support for Fracking, 4news article provided an anti-fracking protester’s claim. The protester provided an extract associated with Fracking in US (4News 1-2). It stated that the US had evidently demonstrated fracking as hazardous, unhelpful and devastates societies. Considering the circumstances, this will be the scenario in UK, if the process is embraced. The protester noted that only one well had been drilled and fracked in UK and it caused earthquakes that destroyed the well so chemicals and gas leaked out. This

Responsible for most of the global economic problems Essay Example for Free

Responsible for most of the global economic problems Essay Neo-liberalism is a political ideology that suggests that ‘human well-being can be advanced by the maximisation of entrepreneurial freedom, characterised by private property rights, individual liberty, free markets and free trade’ (Geografiskar, A 2006). In today’s modern society neo-liberalism is widespread around the globe with various stakeholders offering conflicting views. Some advocates, namely the capitalistic portion of society argue that a liberal market is essential for economic growth whilst others hold neo-liberalism responsible for the global economic problems we are experiencing today. It is clear to many that the policies arising from this ideology have caused the poor to grow poorer and the rich to grow richer. Accordingly, this essay will argue that Neo-Liberalism greatly contributed greatly to today’s global economic problems and will shed light on the overriding reasons why a neo-liberalism is not ideal to foster a sustainable and healthy economic environment for all as the ideology proposes. One of the primary economic problems in the world is sub-standard living conditions and the major gap between the wealthy and the non-wealthy. The first argument that encapsulates the problems associated with neo-liberalism is the tendency for the ideology to foster inequality in society. Navarro (1998) agrees and extends to say that neoliberalism has caused increasingly declining living conditions for most of the world’s population, whilst the minority continue to grow wealthier. This is supported by the argument that the inequality arises from policies that exist in a neo-liberal society such as granting tax-cuts for the wealthy and decreasing minimum wages for the non-wealthy (George, 1999). Pro neo-liberals would combat these arguments and suggest that a free market will grow the prosperity of a society as a whole however, it has been argued that although wealth might be increased, it is supressed by the elite and  the non-elite do not share in the economic growth making neoliberal ideologies on positive for one level of society (Beder, 2006). A prominent example is in Brazil where in the early 1990’s the country liberalised the market considerably, as a result the inflation rate decreased and the economy was stimulated however the living conditions of the general society did not improve and inequality was greater than ever (Amann Baer, 2002). Brazil still continues to grow poorer as neoliberal ideologies now control the vast majority of Latin America increasing the inequality amongst majority of society. Therefore it can be concluded that neo-liberalism is a major contributor to global economic problems such as inequality and sub-standard living conditions. When governments implement neoliberal ideologies it causes regulatory agencies to be taken over by special interests and anti-government groups which reduces the level of protection for the general public. Deregulation is the â€Å"the reduction or elimination of government power in a particular industry, usually enacted to create more competition within the industry†. (investopedia, 2013). From a neoliberal supporter’s standpoint, deregulation allows corporations to increase their bottom line and profit margins by reducing regulations that may restrict them from certain income-producing activities. However, by reducing regulation there are large risks involved that can lead to catastrophic events. The enormous ecological and economic damage in the Gulf of Mexico caused by the British Petroleum oil spill is just one of many examples of the breakdown of regulation caused by neoliberalism. It has also come to light around the globe that the reduction of government oversight of the financial sector was a leading cause of the mortgage loan crisis and the severe economic recession that it triggered. The most prominent and possibly the most notable market crash is the ‘Global Financial Crisis’ which was a direct repercussion of the neo-liberal policies which were implemented at the time and for which many of today’s global economic problems has stem from. These policies predominately include the replacement of government functions and services with profit-seeking entities, or more commonly known as privatisation and most importantly the deregulation of the economic market (Beder, 2006). Due to the deregulation, financial institutions and other economic players were able to invest in more complex financial markets which were beyond their understanding and a result a market crash occurred and the detrimental effects were widespread. If regulation had been put in place to monitor investment activity then it has been argued that the Global Financial Crisis would not have occurred and the associated global economic problems we are experiencing today would not have eventuated (Dag Einar Thorsen, 2013). As neoliberal policies where implemented around the world casing the global financial crisis the world disparities in wealth and income increased as well as poverty, contradicting neoliberal theories that by increasing the wealth at the top everyone becomes better off. One of the largest areas of concern around the globe is the poverty levels. Over the last 40 years governments have been influenced by neoliberal ideologies and poverty has increased on a global scale. Neoliberalism has contributed to this increase by boycotting certain government regulations and cutting tax rates, providing private industries with more power to grow wealthier while the poor suffer the consequences. A representative from the World Bank stated â€Å"Reducing government regulation with tax rates and deregulation across most of the planet has not brought anything close to an end of poverty†, (World Bank 2001). Neoliberal advocates believe that wealth generated by reducing regulation and allowing private enterprises such as banks and financial institutions to hold more power will be passed down to all levels of society. However, this is not the case, an example is the United states, under Neoliberal governments child poverty rose by a third and in the â€Å"united kingdom between 1980 and 1990 when the government was run by neoliberal policies poverty rose by half†.( Navarro, Vicente. 1998). The high volume of capital movements caused by neoliberalism have led to much crisis, exposing developing countries to new risks. There are various reasons why neoliberal policies have failed to address the issues of poverty in society. One of these reasons being the stability policies neoliberalism has input into our governments, supported by tight fiscal and monetary controls which have provided neither growth nor stabilization within countries’ economies. (Geografiskar, A 2006). The liberalisation of foreign trade was put in place to remove the barriers of developing countries but maintenance of these barriers has given birth to an unfair international market. Thoroughly linked with poverty, another major economic human problem that neoliberalism has failed to resolve is  employment. Global markets have not generated anything close to enough waged work for the world’s labour force. Hundreds of millions of people remain unemployed or underemployed. Neoliberalism ideologies are set through government to generate wealth in private industries, this wealth aims to grow business’s and by doing this aims to increase employment. However, owing to the neo-liberal economic reforms, the higher costs of utilities like power and water are caused by the government reducing expenditure, when services become privatized, such as transport, health and education which the leads to business’s enhancing their turnover. â€Å"As a result of the diminishment government owned industries and the economic agents cut back on output growth rates and downsize the number of employees, inevitably generating unemployment† (Daniela Zirra, 2012.). Private industries continue to aim for increasing profits, this is achieved by lowering expenses and when their main expenses are wages the unemployment rate continues to rise. Current debates concerning the effects of neoliberalism ideologies have frequently separated between advocates who see only benefits and opponents who see only problems. In practice the results have been more one sided. Alternatively many people have faith in in the Neoliberalism ideology’s and argue towards supporting it as the way of the future. The mixture of positives and negatives has varied between one situation and another; the negatives of a neoliberal society are far more detrimental to our economy than what the positives produce. I argue that Neoliberals re responsible for most of the global economic problems we are currently experiencing today. It will be hard to stop governments enforcing Neoliberal policies and standards as ‘Neo-liberal theories have been embraced by big businesses because they provide legitimisation for their pursuit of self-interest and avenues for business expansion (Beder, 2006). However, we can look towards a more positive future for all levels of society, reducing the global economic problems we face today by standing together and fighting against Neo-liberal beliefs. Referencing Amann, Edmund and Werner Baer. 2002. â€Å"Neoliberalism and Its Consequences in Brazil.† Journal of Latin American Studies 34(4):945-959. http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=376 2011  Beder, Sharon (2000). Selling the work ethic: : From puritan pulpit to corporate PR. Australia Daniela Zirra, 2012. CURRENT NEOLIBERAL IDEAS ABOUT EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT . Romanian Economic and Business Review – Vol. 4, No. 1. — Elizabeth Martinez and Arnoldo Garcia, What is â€Å"Neo-Liberalism†?, National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, January 1, 1997 George, Susan. 1999. â€Å"A Short History of Neoliberalism.† Presented at the Conference on Economic Sovereignty in a Globalising World, March 24-26, Bangkok, Thailand. Geografiskar, A. Series B, Human Geography , Vol. 88, No. 2, Geography and Power, the Power of Geography (2006), pp. 145-158 Published by: Wiley on behalf of the Swedish Society for Anthropology and Geography . Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/stable/3878384 Profit Over People: Neoliberalism and Global Order. Seven Stories Press. November 1998. ISBN 1-888363-82-7 1998†(John Williamsons Washington Consensus,1998. Navarro, Vicente. 1998. â€Å"Neoliberalism, ‘Globalization,’ Unemployment, Inequalities, and the Welfare State.† International Journal of Health Services 28(4):607-682. Neoliberalism, globalization, unemployment, inequalities, and the welfare state. Navarro V 2012. Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins University, School of Hygiene and Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205-1901, USA. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jan/14/neoliberal-theory-economic-failure http://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1220context=artspapers http://willyloman.wordpress.com/2013/03/04/as-expected-sequestration-cuts-are-neoliberal-blueprint-not-dumb-mistakes/ Title: Guidelines for Public Debt Management Published: 20010, World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

Effect of Sleep on Academic Performance

Effect of Sleep on Academic Performance Abstract Several studies have reported that a lack of sleep will negatively affect GPA.[FW1] Many others indicated that lack of sleep would also impair cognitive functions in all aspects[FW2]. This study is designed to determine if a sleep will have an impact on academic performance as well as look for a difference between male and female performance. To test this, 100 undergraduate students ages 18-24 will be randomly assigned to one of two condition. One group will be sleep deprived while the other will not, then both groups will take an exam with select math and literature questions taken from the SAT. It is expected that the participants not sleep deprived will score significantly lower than those in the standard sleep group. It is also expected that there will be no significant difference of male and female scores in either the sleep deprived or standard sleep conditions. This will demonstrate that sleep does affect academic performance in both males and females. Keywords: Sleep, Academics, Undergraduate, Students, Deprivation   Effect of Sleep on Academic Performance in Undergraduate Students Humans rely on sleep to help function during the day or during the night.[FW4]The ability for one to learn can be drastically effected by whether or not he/she gets enough sleep the night before. According to one study, it has been found that lack of sleep has negative affect on both memory recall and memory formation (Longordo, Kopp, Là ¼thi, 2009). This is a problem many college students face. When the students need to complete assignments or study for an exam they will often stay up all night and not sleep, hoping to get the paper complete or memorize the information so their grade will reflect how well they understand the material being taught. The problem here is that a lack of sleep makes academic success more difficult to achieve. There is a negative feedback loop demonstrating this predicament; the student stays awake studying or working, then does not receive the desired grade because memory recall is far more difficult, now the thought process is that more studying is req uired for the next exam or assignment, so the student stays up later. This sleep deprivation does not only come from the need to study or complete assignments. Because college is expensive many students get jobs to help pay the tuition (Chiang, Arendt, Zheng, Hanisch, 2014). Because the employed students are not the only ones needing help staying awake while doing assignments or during a lecture, they find alternative methods. As a way to help undergraduates stay awake, they consume energy drinks[FW5]. Energy drinks and their connection to sleep continue to negatively affect student performance. A study conducted by Champlin, Pasch and Perry found that there is a significant correlation between lower grade point average (GPA) and the consumption of energy drinks (2016). Because there are several ways sleep impacts student performance, this researcher intends to continue this area study. The researcher aims to demonstrate that there is a correlation between the amount of sleep a student gets and his/her ability to complete an exam. The hope is that the re will be a significant difference in scores between the two groups, indicating that the amount of sleep an undergraduate student gets the night before an exam will contribute to their score. This is important because it may help students understand that staying up is not the solution to success; therefore, they will may look for healthier and more beneficial study techniques to help them increase their academic performance. The researcher will also look at the difference in scores between sexes in each conditions. It is desired that there will be little difference between these scores, which will show that both male and female students have similar levels of understanding and that sleep has an effect on both sexes. The discovery that lack of sleep can be dangerous led to an article that stated that sleep is a biological necessity (Gilbert Weaver, 2010). It has been found that much like how the absence of eating leads to health concerns and eventual death, the absence of sleep will eventually have these same side effects. The research conducted by Gilbert and Weaver (2010) found that there is a significant negative correlation between poor sleep quality and GPA. This adds to the validity of a study done in 2008 [FW6]which indicated that students with GPAs over 3.0 reported that they were less likely to engage in all-nighters while students with GPAs of 2.5 report occasionally performing this action, and students with 2.0 and lower said that they conduct all-nighters frequently (Thacher[FW7]). This indicates a need for sleep if a student strives to be successful in their college career. In 1997[FW8], two researchers reported that students being sleep deprived were fatigued and had an increase in confusion, which caused those in the sleep-deprived group to struggle in their performance (Pilcher Walters). This may indicate that sleep deprivation[FW9] (SD) does not directly affect student performance instead; it creates the conditions that will impair student success. Another study also demonstrates that SD is not directly affecting the students. Engle-Friedman, Riela, Golan, Ventuneac, Davis, Jefferson, Major (2002) conducted an experiment with results that showed SD students, when given a choice, are significantly more likely to choose questions that are of less difficulty than students who had a normal amount of sleep. They also learned that even though the SD group selected easier questions they still scored less than the other group who chose more difficult questions. It was determined that being sleep deprived causes students to put forth less effort than people not sleep deprived. Even though lack of sleep makes it difficult to focus and makes students want to take t he easiest path to the finish, there are also emotional and physiological effects. Brown, Buboltz, and Soper reported that when people are sleep deprived they suffer an emotional imbalance. This imbalance causes the student to have a low sense of life satisfaction. Accompaning this is for depression and anger (2006). The research conducted by Brown et a. 2006 supports that done by Pilcher and Walters (1997) in that both found that the lack of sleep caused fatigue and confusion. Another more serious physiological effect that arises when the body does not rest enough is that it lessens the production of T cells. This is dangerous because T cells work with the immune system, when the immune system becomes weaker the body is more suseptable to infections and diseases (Longordo, Kopp, Là ¼thi, 2009). This can be a problem for students because if they are too sick to attend class they will fall behind leading to another reason lack of sleep harms GPA, because one cannot learn the information if they are not present. Sleep disorders have a major affect on the academic p erformance of students because they cause sleep deprivation. A study done with 1,845 participants showed that 27% of the students with a GPA less than or equal to 2.0 were at high risk of having a sleep disorder (Gaultney, 2010). Because sleep deprivation has had such a major impact on the GPA in college students, researchers set out to discover what range of sleep is effecting the students. They found a significant difference in GPA between students that had a maximum of 6 hours of sleep compared to the students that Routinely had 9 or more hours of sleep; however, they did not find a statistically significant difference between students that received 7-8 hours and those that had less than 6 nor was the difference significantly different between the students geeting 9 or more hours and those getting 7-8 hours of sleep (Kelly, Kelly, Clanton, 2001). Getting enough sleep is not enough to earn a good GPA, the student must also apply themsenves and be dedicated to the courses they are taking. Because of this the researcher will try to determine just how much sleep effects a students GPA or are they just not applying themselves to be successful. To solve this the following method will be used. Method Participants There will be 100 undergraduate [FW10]students between the ages of 18-24 recruited from Central Washington University (CWU). This range is being selected because it is the most common undergraduate age. All ages are being selected because the researcher wants to view the effect on all undergraduates not just freshman, sophomore etc. Materials There will be a questionnaire with questions such as did you wake up after falling asleep? (see appendix E for all questions) for the participants in the standard sleep time group. There will be a test which will have 20 questions taken from the SAT, 10 questions will be mathematics such as Which of the following is equal to sin(à Ã¢â€š ¬/5)? (see appendix C for questions and appendix D for solutions) calculators will be provided to all participants. There will also be five literature questions formulate the test. Participants will be shown an informed consent prior to beginning the study (see Appendix A) and a debriefing form after completing the study (see Appendix B). Design Using an experimental design, participants will be randomly assigned into one of the two conditions. These conditions will consist of either a deprived sleep group or a standard sleep time group. The administered test contains questions from the SAT because it is a standardized test, which all CWU applicants must have taken, giving them some level of familiarity with it. Participants in the deprived sleep group will be kept awake throughout the night and morning until they have completed the test. To ensure the participants remain awake, they will stay in a laboratory where the room will be lowered to the temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit, which will be warm enough to avoid any form of injury, damage, or illness yet help prevent the participants from sleeping. Music will play over a loudspeaker for 20 minutes every hour and there will an option of coffee until 2 hours before the test. The participants in the standard sleep time group will be allowed to sleep at their own residence and will return to take the test, when they return they will fill out a questionnaire. Both groups will proceed to take the same test at 12pm. The beginning of the test will have a demographic to determine if sex have an effect on the data. The data will be analyzed based on the number of correct test questions in each group. An ANOVA with alpha = .05 will be performed to determine if there is a significant difference between the deprived sleep and standard sleep time groups, as well as to see if there is a significant difference between male and female performance in each group. Procedure To begin the research all participants will be randomly assigned into one of the two conditions then they will be shown a consent form to read and agree to, if a participant does not agree they will be thanked for their time and asked to leave. The participants that agree to the informed consent form will be randomly assigned into 14 groups. Each group will be designated a day of the week within the next 14 days to take their test. There will be three participants from both groups to take the test each day; this is because of limited space in the lab. Those in the deprived sleep group will be asked to return to the lab by 9pm to be kept awake and the standard sleep group will be asked to sleep for at least 8 hours. Before the test begins, the standard sleep group will be given a questionnaire to fill out as a way to determine if they received the necessary amount of sleep, if they do not meet the required 8 hours they will be given a debriefing form and dismissed as to not contaminat e the data. Both groups will be required to be in the lab at 12pm to take the test. Before starting the test, each participant will be given a TI-83 calculator to assist in the math portion of the test. When a participant completes the test, he/she will return the calculator and then be given a debriefing form explaining the purpose of the study, if he/she is in the deprived sleep group they will be encouraged to go home and sleep. Results The data will be analyzed using an ANOVA. The researcher does not expect a significant difference between sexes in either group, this will show that sleep effects both male and female. The researcher does expect that the individuals will have significantly different scores based on the condition they were assigned to. Specifically, the participants in the deprived sleep group will score lower on both the math and literature than the participants in the standard sleep time condition. This will indicate that sleep does significantly affect the academic performance in undergraduate students. Discussion This study will set out to discover if and/or how sleep effects undergraduate academics and if these effects vary between sexes. The results should support previous research, which has indicated that the amount of sleep students get over the course of a quarter does have an effect on their GPA. It should be reported that students deprived of sleep have a lower score and that there is little to no difference in the scores between sexes. However, several limitations that may arise could have an effect on the results. Because the students are free to opt out of the study at any point, attrition will likely be evident. This would likely occur in the sleep-deprived condition because they may start out enthusiastic but become unwilling to sacrifice sleep to continue participation. Another limitation in the sleep-deprived condition would be from the students that physically could not stay awake which would disqualify them from the study. The test being administered to the students may also have an effect on the collected data. This is because some students may be more proficient in math and literature due to the classes they have already taken. In addition, the questions are being taken from the SAT to give the students a familiarity but many of them would not have taken the exam for many years. The students in the standard sleep time condition may lie on the questionnaire as to not be disqualified from the study. There are some possible ways to solve for these limitations. Having the standard sleep time condition, sleep in a lab where they can be monitored would eliminate the possibility of not knowing if they truly obtained the necessary sleep. Not using such a wide age range could reduce the risk of unfamiliarity with SAT questions as well as narrowing the proficiency gap. Future research could add a time limit, which would help to simulate a real class exam. They may also compare male and female scores between conditions to determine if sleep has an effect on both or just one sex. A practical application to this researchers findings would be knowing whether sleep does or does not have an effect on academic performance, which could be used to inform the students on the effects of sleep. This would benefit people because they would know that having enough sleep will help them do better in school which plays a major role in ones future. Understanding this could lead to an increase in average student GPA and in turn the graduation rates. The knowledge of the difference in scores between sexes could also be used to determine if one sex has the potential for the need of more assistance to learn the material being presented. References   Brown, F. C., Buboltz, W. C., Soper, B. (2006). Development and evaluation of the sleep treatment and education program for students (STEPS). Journal of American College Health, 54, 231-237. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.ezp.lib.cwu.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=c01bec01-699f-4217-997e-ada931c678d4%40sessionmgr4006vid=11hid=4105 Champlin, S. E., Pasch, K. E., Perry, C. L. (2016). Is the consumption of energy drinks associated with academic achievement among college students? The Journal of Primary Prevention, 37, 345-359. doi:10.1007/s10935-016-0437-4 Chiang, Y.-C., Arendt, S. W., Zheng, T., Hanisch, K. A. (2014). The effects of sleep on academic performance and job performance. College Student Journal, 48, 72-87. doi:10.1037/t05178-000 Engle-Friedman, M., Riela, S., Golan, R., Ventuneac, A. M., Davis, C. M., Jefferson, A. D., Major, D. (2003). The effect of sleep loss on next day effort. Journal of Sleep Research, 12, 113-124. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.ezp.lib.cwu.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=c01bec01-699f-4217-997e-ada931c678d4%40sessionmgr4006vid=17hid=4105 Gaultney, J. F. (2010). The prevalence of sleep disorders in college students: Impact on academic performance. Journal of American College Health, 59, 91-97. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.ezp.lib.cwu.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=c01bec01-699f-4217-997e-ada931c678d4%40sessionmgr4006vid=20hid=4105 Gilbert, S. P., Weaver, C. C. (2010). Sleep quality and academic performance in university students: A wake-up call for college psychologists. Journal of College Student Psychotherapy, 24, 295-306. doi:10.1080/87568225.2010.509245 Kelly, W. E., Kelly, K. E., Clanton, R. C. (2001). The relationship between sleep length and grade-point average among college students. College Student Journal, 35, 84-86. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.ezp.lib.cwu.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=c01bec01-699f-4217-997e-ada931c678d4%40sessionmgr4006vid=26hid=4105 Longordo, F., Kopp, C., Là ¼thi, A. (2009). Consequences of sleep deprivation on neurotransmitter receptor expression and function. European Journal of Neuroscience, 29, 1810-1819. doi:10.1111/j.1460-9568.2009.06719.x Pilcher, J. J., Walters, A. S. (1997). How sleep deprivation affects psychological variables related to college students cognitive performance. Journal of American College Health, 46, 121-126. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.ezp.lib.cwu.edu/ehost/detail/detail?sid=c01bec01-699f-4217-997e-ada931c678d4%40sessionmgr4006vid=29hid=4105bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=1997-42387-003db=psyh Thacher, P. V. (2008). University students and the all-nighter: Correlates and patterns of students engagement in a single night of total sleep deprivation. Behavioral Sleep Medicine, 6, 16-31. doi:10.1080/15402000701796114 Appendix A Study Title: Sleep and Academics Principal Investigator(s): Eric Flowers Contact: [emailprotected] What you should know about this study: You are being asked to join a research study. This consent form explains the research study and your part in the study. Please read it carefully and take as much time as you need. Ask questions about anything you do not understand now, or when you think of them later. You are a volunteer. If you do join the study and change your mind later, you may quit at any time without fear of penalty or loss of benefits. Why is this research being done? This research is being done to discover if sleep changes performance. Who can take part in this study? The basic eligibility criterion for one to participate is that they must be an enrolled undergraduate student between the ages 18 and 24. Must be able to read and write English. The expected number of participants is to be around 100. What will happen if you join this study? If you agree to be in this study, we will ask you to do the following things: Once the study has been selected, you will be shown an informed consent. Once read and accepted, the participant will be asked return to the lab by 9pm to be kept awake until completion of the test starting at 12pm the next day or will be instructed to sleep for between 8 and 9 hours at their own residence and return by 11:30am to fill out a questionnaire before taking the test. The total time it will take to complete this study is between 15.5 and 16.5 hours. What are the risks or discomforts of the study? The risks and discomforts in this study are exhaustion, extreme tiredness and fatigue if in the deprived sleep group. The discomfort for the standard sleep time group may be from sitting down during the questionnaire and test. Are there benefits to being in the study? There is not benefit to you from being in this study. If you take part in this study, you will help further research in the link between sleep and academics. What are your options if you do not want to be in the study? For all participants:You do not have to join this study. If you do not join, it will not affect any benefits to which you are entitled. Can you leave the study early? You can agree to be in the study now and change your mind later. If you wish to stop at any time, please tell us immediately. What information about you will be kept private and what information may be given out? No defining characteristics will be asked of you. The only characteristics needed for this study are gender and age. This way, confidentiality can be assured. Data collected may be used for future research. What other things should you know about this research study? a. What is the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and how does it protect you? This study has been reviewed by the CWU Human Subject Review Council. HSRC is made up of faculty from many different departments, ethicists, nurses, scientists, non-scientists and people from the local community. The HSRCs purpose is to review human research studies and to protect the rights and welfare of the people participating in those studies. You may contact the HSRC if you have questions about your rights as a participant or if you think you have not been treated fairly. The HSRC office number is (509) 963-3115. b.What do you do if you have questions about the study? Call the principal investigator, Eric Flowers, at (253) 797-6777. If you think you are injured or ill as a result of being in this study, call the principal investigator, Eric Flowers at (253) 797-6777. If you have an urgent problem related to your participation in this study, call the Student Medical and Counseling Clinic at 963-1881. This study is not able to offer financial compensation nor to absorb the costs of medical treatment should you be injured as a result of participating in this research. However, the services at the Student Medical and Counseling Clinic will be open to you as they are to all students. What does your signature on this consent form mean? By signing this consent form, you are not giving up any legal rights. Your signature means that you understand the study plan, have been able to ask questions about the information given to you in this form, and you are willing to participate under the conditions we have described. A copy of the form will be given to you. Participants Name (print): Participants Signature: Date: Signature of Investigator(s): Eric Flowers Date: Appendix B This study is concerned with the effect of sleep on academic performance in undergraduate students. How was this tested? In this study, you were asked to participate after signing a consent form. You were asked to return complete a test to the best of your ability. One group was instructed to return to the lab to be kept awake from 9pm until the completed the test which started at 12pm the next day. The other group was instructed to sleep for 8-9hours and return to the lab by 11:00am the next day to fill out a questionnaire which was used to determine if the amount of sleep obtained met the requirements to continue with the study. Both groups then took the test at 12pm Hypotheses and main questions: We expect to find that those in the sleep deprived group will score lower than the participants in the standard sleep time group. We do not expect to find a significant difference between sex in either group. Why is this important to study? This is important to study in order to better understand differences in sleep, and the effect it has on academic performance. This research may help students realize that not sleeping does not benefit them and will hopefully lead them to find different ways to study. Who do I contact for more information? If you have concerns about your rights as a participant in this experiment, please contact Eric Flowers at (253) 797-6777 or [emailprotected] Thank you again for your participation. Appendix C 10 Math Questions and 5 Literature Questions Measured Math The recommended daily calcium intake for a 20-year-old is 1,000 milligrams (mg). One cup of milk contains 299 mg of calcium and one cup of juice contains 261 mg of calcium. Which of the following inequalities represents the possible number of cups of milk m and cups of juice j a 20-year-old could drink in a day to meet or exceed the recommended daily calcium intake from these drinks alone? 299m + 261j à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥ 1,000 299m + 261j > 1,000 299/m + 261/j à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥ 1,000 299/m + 261/j > 1,000 A research assistant randomly selected 75 undergraduate students from the list of all students enrolled in the psychology-degree program at a large university. She asked each of the 75 students, How many minutes per day do you typically spend reading? The mean reading time in the sample was 89 minutes, and the margin of error for this estimate was 4.28 minutes. Another research assistant intends to replicate the survey and will attempt to get a smaller margin of error. Which of the following samples will most likely result in a smaller margin of error for the estimated mean time students in the psychology-degree program read per day? 40 randomly selected undergraduate psychology-degree program students. 40 randomly selected undergraduate students from all degree programs at the college. 300 randomly selected undergraduate psychology-degree program students. 300 randomly selected undergraduate students from all degree programs at the college. 3. The first metacarpal bone is located in the wrist. The scatterplot below shows the relationship between the length of the first metacarpal bone and height for 9 people. The line of best fit is also shown. How many of the nine people have an actual height that differs by more than 3 centimeters from the height predicted by the line of best fit?      Ã‚   2 4 6 9 4. A survey was conducted among a randomly chosen sample of U.S. citizens about U.S. voter participation in the November 2012 presidential election. The table below displays a summary of the survey results. Reported Voting by Age (in thousands) Voted Did Not Vote No Response Total 18- to 34-year-olds 30,329 23,211 9,468 63,008 35- to 54-year-olds 47,085 17,721 9,476 74,282 55- to 74-year-olds 43,075 10,092 6,831 59,998 People 75 years old and over 12,459 3,508 1,827 17,794 Total 132,948 54,532 27,602 215,082 Of the 18- to 34-year-olds who reported voting, 500 people were selected at random to do a follow-up survey

Social Work Case Study Foster Care

Social Work Case Study Foster Care Kirsty Lynch    You are a new social worker to the case. Your team leader has asked you to look at where the placement is going. What should be the care plan for James? As the newly appointed social worker to James case I have reviewed all of James file and have met with James and his foster family in order to complete an appropriate care plan. In accordance with best practice guidelines I met James on his own and spoke to him about his current placement and where he would like this to go. Hearing the voice of James informed my decision when choosing an appropriate care plan for James as this went beyond simply listening to his wishes, but it also allowed me to hear his fears and concerns regarding his placement and future placements (HSE, 2013). The overall aim of James care plan is to determine the most suitable placement for James in the long-term. As multiple foster care placements can often disrupt stability and educational needs it is important to ensure as little disruption to James routine as possible (Darmody, et al., 2013). Having met with James, I have evaluated three placement options for James and concluded my final recommendation below. Placement Option 1: Relative Foster Care Under Section 3 (2)(c) of the 1991 Child Care Act, it states that it is in the best interest of children to grow up within their biological families. When a child is in need of a foster care placement, Tusla, the Child and Family agency, will initially look for a suitable relative or a person who is known to the child to provide relative foster care. Relative foster care, also known as Kinship care is defined as the full-time nurturing and protection of children who must be separated from their parents, by relatives, members of their tribes or clans, godparents, stepparents, or other adults who have a kinship bond with a child (Winokur, et al., 2009, p. 8). Advantages of Relative Foster Care Relative foster care improves childrens sense of belonging through the continuity of family identity, which plays a huge role in terms of the stability of the foster placement (Farmer Moyers, 2008). Research shows that there is little difference between how well children do in relative or non-relative care, it is a consistent finding that children in relative care do just as well as children in non-relative foster care, including the stability of the placement (Hunt, et al., 2008), however it is found that children in kinship care find relative care to be less stigmatising than non-relative foster care (Messing, 2006). Other advantages of placing children in relative foster care include; familiarity for the child, family identity, access to wider family, less traumatic environment and the child is able to continue with their life within their own ethnic, racial and religious background (Cuddeback Orme, 2002) Disadvantages of Relative Foster Care Research suggests that relative foster care does not provide children with the same level of safety as non-relative placements and as a result, non-relative foster placements may be safer in terms of the possibility of violence or other environmental dangers (Berrick, 1997). Cuddeback (2004) found that children in relative care do not function as well as children in the general or non-relative foster care, this includes higher reported behavioural problems and lower performance in school subjects. Children living in relative foster care often experience more environmental adversity due to the demographic characteristics of their relative foster carers (i.e relative foster carers tend to be older, less educated, single, possibility of illness and poverty) (Ehrle Geen, 2002). Placement Option 2: Long-term Foster Care The second option for James is that his current foster placement is turned into a Long-term foster placement, this would involve James continuing with his current foster family on a long-term basis. Long-term foster care is required when a social work department reaches a decision that it is unlikely that a child or young person will return to their own family and necessitates a commitment from the foster family for a number of years (IFCA, 2017). Long-term foster care allows children to become a part of their foster family and often continue to live with their long-term foster family until they reach adulthood (IFCA, 2017). Long-term foster care is generally classed as any period of time over 6 months, James placement has already drifted into a longer-term placement then originally planned as James has been with the Behan family for more than a year. Advantages of Long-term Foster Care Research suggests that children in care are much better off being cared for in long-term family units rather than being cared for in residential care homes. This is because children in long-term foster families receive more individual attention than they would in a residential setting where they are one child out of a large number of children being cared for. Festinger (1983) found that children who were in long-term foster care, functioned better than children who were brought up in residential care settings in a variety of different areas, these areas included; children in long-term foster care accomplished higher levels of education, had a smaller chance of criminal behaviour which would lead to arrest or conviction, had less disappointment with the frequency of contact that they had with biological siblings, were less likely to move away when they reached independence and less likely to live alone in adulthood. A long with this young people in long-term foster care were less likely than those in residential care to develop problems around substance abuse (Jones Moses, 1984). Long-term foster care can provide children with a sense of belonging when the foster family allow the child to become a part of their family, children in long-term foster care often engage in family rituals and fun experiences which is important for encouraging feelings of belonging (Hedin, 2014). Research also shows that long-term foster carers who are meaningfully involved in the foster childs life and who offer supportive and caring relationships, provide better placement stability and less breakdown of placements (Christiansen, et al., 2013). Disadvantages of Long-term Foster Care International research suggests that children who are in long-term foster care may be at risk of lower emotional and developmental outcomes when compared with children who are reunified with their birth families, or children who are adopted (Moran, et al., 2016). The legal status of long-term foster care offers no sense of permanency for children and young people, and as a result, children in long-term foster care can often be left with feelings of anxiety and uncertainty. There is a strong possibility that children will be further subjected to more legal proceedings and there is always the change that the placement will be terminated (Grey, 2006). Placement Option 3: Residential Foster Care In my opinion, residential foster care should only be chosen as a last resort placement as children deserve to be brought up in a family. However, for young people who are effectively unable to live in their own home or in an alternative foster family, residential care may be the only suitable placement. There are various types of residential care, some are homes run by the HSE, others are run by private companies or voluntary organisations. Regardless of the type of residential setting, all are subject to inspection. In accordance with policy and best practice, the HSE does not place children who are 12 years of age or under in residential foster care except in exceptional circumstances (McEvoy Smith, 2011). Advantages of Residential Foster Care A small study which was conducted by Save the Children found that a high percentage of children in care identified that that would rather be in residential care than living in a foster home (Barry, 2001). Those interviewed advised that they had a strong preference for residential care as they felt it was more stable for young people, especially around schooling and found that it was easier to talk about their experiences with other children who are in residential care (Moran, et al., 2016). The young people identified that their trust in people and their capacity to sustain long-term relationships was affected by the constant moving between foster care placements and various schools, whereas in residential care they felt this was a long-term solution and they were able to maintain friendships with school friends by continuing to attend the same school on a regular basis (Barry, 2001). Disadvantages of Residential Foster Care The study found that children also identified many negatives with residential care, including; challenging to have any time alone, the lack of discipline made it difficult to live with other young people who had challenging behaviour and often the unpredictable ambience that was formed by a large number of young people all living together in one care setting (Barry, 2001). Other research emphasised a variety of problems experienced in residential care, both physical and emotional, which can have an enormous impact on the stability of the placement (Hyde Kammerer, 2009). These included a high turnover of residential staff, anxiety, dealing with impulsive behaviours of other young people and often children who are placed in residential care can model their own behaviour off of others and as a result young people in residential care often have aggressive tendencies (Moran, et al., 2016). By placing together young people who are at-risk, this can often limit their experience of positive role models and their prospects to develop their own attitudes and pro-social skills (Turner Macdonald, 2011). My Recommendation It is my recommendation that James continue his placement and that this be made long-term. When James first came into foster care the CFA assessed James for relative foster care, unfortunately James has no relatives other than his mother Jennifer in Ireland and Jennifer has very little contact with her family back home. To date Jennifer has not been in contact with the CFA despite a number of attempts from the CFA to make contact with her. Jennifer left Ireland without informing the CFA and it has since become clear that she is living abroad in a new relationship. Jennifer has made no attempts to make contact with James in over 12 months. Children deserve to grow up in a loving, caring family, and I feel James deserves to experience this with the Behan family as it is not possible for James to return to his biological family. Research shows that children who experience loving relationships with foster families frequently consider them as their second family (Mason Tipper, 2008), from speaking with James it is clear that he regards the Behan family as his own family. Mary supports James emotionally, James feels that he can trust Mary, this is evident as James confided in Mary about being bullied in school. International research shows that foster parents who are emotionally concerned about their foster children and who provide supportive relationships with their foster children, have been found to provide better placement stability and there is a much lower risk of the breakdown of placements (Carnochan, et al., 2013). James has been living with the Behan family for 14 months, has frequently attended the local primary school and has been enrolled into the local secondary school for September coming. I feel that the transition from primary school to secondary school will be hard on James, however I feel that with the support of the Behan family, and familiar friends attending the same school, that this will be easier for James than being uprooted to a new foster home and starting over again in a new school unknown to him. It is my final recommendation that it is in James best interests to continue his placement with the Behan family and that this placement be made into a long-term placement. Your team leader is sceptical about the idea of supporting the skiing holiday idea (on financial and health and safety grounds). But she also asks you to argue for the idea, so that the issues can be clearly set out for discussion and decision I support the idea of James going on a skiing holiday as I feel that holidaying with family is an integral part of growing up and will benefit James in a number of ways. I have outlined below what I feel the benefits of this holiday will be to James and I have supported this with academic research. I have also addressed your concerns on the financial and health and safety grounds of James attending this holiday. Benefits of Skiing family Holiday Studies show holidays can benefit carers and   children in their care by helping to create a bond between the two (Lewis, 2001). Research on the effects of children in cares participation in holidays has also specifically explored how engaging in holidays can be a way of encouraging engagement with mainstream society and promoting the social inclusion of children in care (Quinn Stacey, 2010). Lewis (2001) found that children in care were aware of their social exclusion and they often felt they were missing out on holidays that other children were able to experience with their families. This is supported by Hughes who advised that being able to go on holiday gives children the ability to participate in the commonly ordinarily accepted   style of life in the community (Hughes, 1991). Benefits of Family Holidays for Foster Children: Strengthening Family bonds: Holidays allow children and their foster families time to bond as a family. It is crucial for children to have healthy attachments and family holidays provide provision for this to happen (IFAPA, 2013). If James placement is to be made long-term, it is important that he continues to build and maintain relationships within the Behan family and a family holiday will help both James and the family to strengthen their family bonds. Normalisation: Family holidays are a normal part of growing up and often children in care can feel that they are not normal and that they dont fit in with social norms. A lot of children in foster care often miss out on the normality of family life and this should not be the case (IFAPA, 2013). It is important for James to feel that he is part of the Behan family and for him to continue to have as normal a childhood as possible. Independence: By including foster children in the planning process of a holiday, this can boost childrens independence. Foster children can learn a lot about the holiday planning process that can allow them to have some ownership, this is not only ownership within the process, but also ownership in the outcome of the holiday. Holidays are a vital part of childhood and provide many opportunities for children in care to learn valuable life skills (IFAPA, 2013). Foster children often feel that they are not important enough to include and many struggle with feelings of low self worth (IFAPA, 2013). Currently James is struggling with feelings of low self worth as he has reacted badly to his mothers disappearance and has become quite withdrawn and depressed. The fact that the Behan family wish to include James on their family holiday is important to show James that he is part of their family and that he is wanted. A holiday would be beneficial to James not only to strengthen his bond with the family, but also for his own mental wellbeing. Financial Foster families are provided with a fostering allowance to help foster parents to meet the daily living needs to the childs, this allowance generally covers the likes of food, clothing and education such as books, uniforms and extra-curricular activities, the allowance also tried to cover treats such as toys, games and holidays (Tusla, 2017). When it comes to holidays, these are an expensive event for any family, especially if the holiday is abroad. The Behan family have already worked together to save as much as they can for the upcoming Skiing holiday to contribute to the cost of bringing Sean with them. The remaining à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬400 that they are seeking from Tusla is needed in order to pay for the extra insurance needed to bring Sean away, Seans passport, as well as needing a bigger apartment to ensure that Sean has his own bedroom for the duration of the holiday. Many other fostering agencies recognise this and in some cases, increase the foster carers allowance over the dura tion of school holidays which can often help foster carers to fund a holiday for their foster child (NFA, 2015). In some cases foster parents are entitled to an additional payment when they choose to take their foster child on a family holiday with them and I feel that this should be the case for the Behan family as the benefits for James would be immense (NFA, 2015). Health and Safety The Irish foster care association advises that foster children are not always covered under family insurance policies for holidaying as foster children may not be included in the definition of family or close relative. They further advise that they have raised this issue with many travel insurance companies and as a result, more and more travel insurance companies are now including foster children under the definition of family since the legalities of foster care have been brought to their attention (IFCA, 2013). I have contacted a number of travel insurance companies on behalf of the CFA to confirm whether or not foster children are included on their policies and have compiled a list of appropriate companies for future purposes. As there is further risk associated with sports holidays, such as a skiing holiday, this has been further discussed with the Behan family to ensure that the insurance policy that they take out has a provision for a skiing holiday. The Behan family are aware of the health and safety risks of a skiing holiday with James and have discussed their concerns around this with me. Having researched health and safety and insurance of foster children on holidays, the Behan family have advised that they are satisfied that the insurance policy that they will be taking out will be sufficient for James to attend the holiday with them. Conclusion The research provided proves that children can benefit from holidays abroad by experiencing new activities, culture and educational experiences. In her research on children in care in 2001, Lewis identified the benefits of children in care participating in family holidays as strengthening relationships, relaxation, escaping routine, social interaction, self-fulfilment and educational opportunities (Lewis, 2001). As a result I support the idea of James attending the skiing holiday with the Behan family as I believe that holidaying with family is an integral part of growing up and it will benefit James to experience this while providing him with a positive childhood experience which many foster children often miss out on. Word Count: 2,997 Bibliography: Barry, M., 2001. A sense of purpose: Care leavers views and experiences of growing up. Glasgow: Strathprints Institutional Repository. Berrick, J. D., 1997. Assessing quality of care in kinship and foster family care. Family Relations, Volume 46, p. 273-281. Carnochan, S., Moore, M. Austin, M. J., 2013. Achieving placement stability. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, Volume 10, p. 235-253. Child Care Act, 1991. The Child Care Act. Dublin: Government of Ireland. Christiansen, O., Havnen, J. S. K., Havik, T. Anderssen, N., 2013. Cautious belonging: Relationships in long-term foster-care. British Journal of Social Work,, Volume 43, p. 720-738. Cuddeback, G. S., 2004. Kinship family foster care: a methodological and substantive synthesis of research. Children and Youth Services Review,, Volume 26, pp. 623-639. Cuddeback, G. S. Orme, J. G., 2002. Training and services for kinship and nonkinship foster families. Child Welfare, Volume 81, pp. 879-909. Darmody, M., McMahon, L., Banks, J. Gilligan, R., 2013. Education of Children in Care in Ireland: An Exploratory Study, Dublin: Ombudsman for Children. Ehrle, J. Geen, R., 2002. Children cared for by Relatives: What Services Do They Need? Assessing the New Federalism Policy Brief, Washington DC: The Urban Institute. Farmer, E. Moyers, S., 2008. Kinship Care: Fostering Effective Family and Friends Placements (Quality Matters in Childrens Services). London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Festinger, T., 1983. No One Ever Asked Us a Postscript to Foster Care. New York: Columbia University Press. FFI, 2017. Fostering First Ireland. [Online] Available at: https://www.fosteringfirstireland.ie/what-is-fostering/the-different-types-of-placements/standard-placements/[Accessed 27 February 2017]. Grey, B., 2006. LONG-TERM FOSTERING OR ADOPTION? A RESEARCH REVIEW. Seen and Heard, 15(4), pp. 45-51. Hedin, L., 2014. A sense of belonging in a changeable everyday life A follow up study of young people in kinship, network and traditional foster care. Child and Family Social Work, 19(2), p. 165-173. HSE, 2013. Court: Best Practice Guidance , Dublin: Health Service Executive. Hughes, H. L., 1991. Holidays and the economically disadvantaged. Tourism Management, 12(3), pp. 193-196. Hunt, J., Waterhouse, S. Lutman, E., 2008. Keeping them in the family, outcomes for children placed in kinship care through care proceedings. London: BAAF. Hyde, J. Kammerer, N., 2009. Adolescents perspectives on placement moves and congregate settings: Complex and cumulative instabilities in out-of-home care. Children and Youth Services Review, Volume 31, p. 265-273. IFAPA, 2013. Iowa Foster Adoptive Parents Association. [Online] Available at: http://www.ifapa.org/pdf_docs/weeklywordjune42013.pdf[Accessed 3 March 2017]. IFCA, 2017. Irish Foster Care Association. [Online] Available at: http://www.ifca.ie/fostering/types-fostering/[Accessed 2 March 2017]. Jones, M. A. Moses, B., 1984. West Virginias former foster children: Their experiences in care and their lives as young adults. New York: Child Welfare League of America. Lewis, E., 2001. Evaluation of the Benefits of Recreational Holidays for Young People in Public Care. London: National Childrens Bureau. Mason, J. Tipper, B., 2008. Being related: How children define and create kinship. Childhood, 15(4), p. 441-460. McEvoy, O. Smith, M., 2011. Listen to our voices: Hearing Children and Young People living in the care of the state, Dublin: Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. Messing, J. T., 2006. From the childs perspective: A qualitative analysis of kinship care placements.. Children and Youth Services Review,, Volume 28, pp. 1415-1434. Moran, L., McGregor, C. Devaney, C., 2016. Practitioner Guide to Literature Review: Permanence and Stability for Children in Care, The National University of Ireland, Galway: The UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre. Quinn, B. Stacey, J., 2010. The Benefits of Holidaying for Children Experiencing Social Exclusion:Recent Irish Evidence. Leisure Studies, 29(1), pp. 29-52. Turner, W. Macdonald, ,. G., 2011. Treatment foster care for improving outcomes in children and young people: A systematic review. Research on Social Work Practice, 21(5), p. 501-527. Winokur, M., Holtan, A. Valentine, D., 2009. Kinship care for the safety, permanency, and well-being of children removed from the home for maltreatment, s.l.: Wiley.

Art Dealer :: essays research papers

ART DEALER By age five, Michael Irvin loved art and museums but, in retrospect, his was no schoolboy infatuation. Today, his dedication to objets d'art has made him one of the most sought-after art dealers in Southern California. The wares of his perenial treasure hunt span his clients' estates and summer homes, private planes and yachts anchored in Newport Beach and Monte Carlo. But Irvin is not simply a wholesale art dealer, for this stylish art connoisseur describes his work as â€Å"part psychologist, part art consultant,† and he uses his expertise to interpret and translate his clients' artistic expressions. "Many of my clients already have everything. Luxury cars, beautiful jewelry, clothes," said Irvin, a rugged 39-year-old who resembles a bronzed and taller Tom Cruise. "Their homes are their calling cards, and these homes command exquisite art." These demands require a comprehensive understanding of art history, and celebrities like Dr. Phil McGaw and Orange County's elites regularly call Irvin. His client roster is a veritable â€Å"who’s who† of OC society and includes a top Microsoft executive and a Saudi princess. Unlike traditional art dealers who simply locate art for their customers, Irvin consults with clients who have little time to research and are unsure of their decorative choices. He relies on his extensive database of artists and experts amassed over a decade of work, and buys directly from the source at wholesale prices. "Michael has a solid grasp of what his clients want," said Sheldon Harte of Harte Brownlee & Associates, a celebrated interior design firm in Laguna Beach. "He's the best in the business." Despite the posh imagery, Irvin, said his daily routine is anything but glamourous. His typical day involves unloading and carrying heavy canvases, wood panels or sculptures in all shapes and sizes. But Irvin doesn’t complain. The son of a Dallas fireman, Irvin grew up in Texas and was first exposed to opulance and excess during a stint as a chauffeur for Texas oil tycoons. He later worked as a caterer at the mansions of Stanley Marcus, of Neiman Marcus department stores, and society mavens like Anne Bass. "I became acclimated to fine things I'd never seen as a kid," said Irvin, who speaks with a slight, charming Southern accent. "It was a lifestyle I wanted for myself." Irvin went into business moving fine art to athletes’ homes in Colorado and Califorina, then settled in Irvine in 2000 and worked at an art gallery in Laguna.

Suffragettes :: American America History

Suffragettes In Great Britain, woman suffrage was first advocated by Mary Wollstonecraft in her book A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792) and was demanded by the Chartist movement of the 1840s. The demand for woman suffrage was increasingly taken up by prominent liberal intellectuals in England from the 1850s on, notably by John Stuart Mill and his wife, Harriet. The first woman suffrage committee was formed in Manchester in 1865, and in 1867 Mill presented to Parliament this society's petition, which demanded the vote for women and contained about 1,550 signatures. The Reform Bill of 1867 contained no provision for woman suffrage, but meanwhile woman suffrage societies were forming in most of the major cities of Britain, and in the 1870s these organizations submitted to Parliament petitions demanding the franchise for women and containing a total of almost three million signatures. The succeeding years saw the defeat of every major suffrage bill brought before Parliament. This was chiefly because neither of the leading politicians of the day, William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli, cared to affront Queen Victoria's implacable opposition to the women's movement. In 1869, however, Parliament did grant women taxpayers the right to vote in municipal elections, and in the ensuing decades women became eligible to sit on county and city councils. The right to vote in parliamentary elections was still denied to women, however, despite the considerable support that existed in Parliament for legislation to that effect. In 1897 the various suffragist societies united into one National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies, thus bringing a greater degree of coherence and organization to the movement. Out of frustration at the lack of governmental action, however, a segment of the woman suffrage movement became more militant under the leadership of Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughter Christabel. After the return to power of the Liberal Party in 1906, the succeeding years saw the defeat of seven suffrage bills in Parliament. As a consequence, many suffragists became involved in increasingly violent actions as time went on. These women militants, or suffragettes, as they were known, were sent to prison and continued their protests there by engaging in hunger strikes. Meanwhile, public support of the woman suffrage movement grew in volume, and public demonstrations, exhibitions, and processions were organized in support of women's right to vote (see photograph). When World War I began, the woman suffrage organizations shifted their energies to aiding the war effort, and their effectiveness did much to win the public wholeheartedly to the suffragist cause. Suffragettes :: American America History Suffragettes In Great Britain, woman suffrage was first advocated by Mary Wollstonecraft in her book A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792) and was demanded by the Chartist movement of the 1840s. The demand for woman suffrage was increasingly taken up by prominent liberal intellectuals in England from the 1850s on, notably by John Stuart Mill and his wife, Harriet. The first woman suffrage committee was formed in Manchester in 1865, and in 1867 Mill presented to Parliament this society's petition, which demanded the vote for women and contained about 1,550 signatures. The Reform Bill of 1867 contained no provision for woman suffrage, but meanwhile woman suffrage societies were forming in most of the major cities of Britain, and in the 1870s these organizations submitted to Parliament petitions demanding the franchise for women and containing a total of almost three million signatures. The succeeding years saw the defeat of every major suffrage bill brought before Parliament. This was chiefly because neither of the leading politicians of the day, William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli, cared to affront Queen Victoria's implacable opposition to the women's movement. In 1869, however, Parliament did grant women taxpayers the right to vote in municipal elections, and in the ensuing decades women became eligible to sit on county and city councils. The right to vote in parliamentary elections was still denied to women, however, despite the considerable support that existed in Parliament for legislation to that effect. In 1897 the various suffragist societies united into one National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies, thus bringing a greater degree of coherence and organization to the movement. Out of frustration at the lack of governmental action, however, a segment of the woman suffrage movement became more militant under the leadership of Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughter Christabel. After the return to power of the Liberal Party in 1906, the succeeding years saw the defeat of seven suffrage bills in Parliament. As a consequence, many suffragists became involved in increasingly violent actions as time went on. These women militants, or suffragettes, as they were known, were sent to prison and continued their protests there by engaging in hunger strikes. Meanwhile, public support of the woman suffrage movement grew in volume, and public demonstrations, exhibitions, and processions were organized in support of women's right to vote (see photograph). When World War I began, the woman suffrage organizations shifted their energies to aiding the war effort, and their effectiveness did much to win the public wholeheartedly to the suffragist cause.

Kraft Foods Essay

Kraft Foods is an extremely well recognized brand that provides a vast array of food and beverage products with the ultimate goal â€Å"to become North America’s best food and beverage company† (Kraft, 2014). Critical analysis of Kraft Foods mission, vision and values statements revealed some necessary changes to enhance organizational success. Kraft Foods will become the top in their industry by continuing to develop and sell products tailored to their consumers needs/demands. Assisting consumers to make healthy life choices is part of their dedication to stakeholders. Through incentives and rewards employees will remain dedicated, motivated and have pride in Kraft Foods products thereby increasing financial growth. Kraft Foods understands that contributing to the community is essential for lasting success. Actively protecting natural resources will leave a huge footprint and legacy for Kraft Foods.  Kraft Foods mission statement is very generic and broad in nature. By narrowing and focusing this goal they will guarantee their future success. The vision and values statements are well written and invoke memories and emotions from their stakeholders thereby drawing them to Kraft Foods. Introduction Since its establishment in 1903 Kraft Foods has become a well respected household name (Kraft Foods, 2014). Over the last century Kraft Foods has bought out many of their competitors and expanded their line of products, keeping them as one of the top food and beverage companies in the nation (Kraft Foods). In order to remain successful and accomplish their mission  it is imperative their business statements accurately reflect their vision and values. In this paper the author will discuss the mission, vision and values of Kraft Foods and how these powerful statements contribute to their overall success in the industry. Mission Statement Analysis Every organization should present a powerful clearly articulated statement as to why their organization exists (McNamara, 2009). This statement should convey to outside stakeholders the benefits of conducting business together to increase chances of financial success. Kraft Food’s mission statement reads â€Å"our aim is to be North America’s best food and beverage company† (Kraft Foods, 2014). Kraft Food’s mission statement is very simple, generic and lacks sufficient depth, especially given the size of the Kraft Foods organization. Mission statements should include strong powerful words that articulate and enunciate an organization, resulting in a memorable impression that remains on the forethought of all the stakeholders (Ramjee, n.d.). A mission statement is short term future goals and it is therefore imperative that organizations readdress their mission statements from time to time (Rector, 2010). With all the health phenomenon concerns in North America it is pivotal Kraft Foods continue to reevaluate their mission and re-strategize as needed to remain on the top of their industry and draw new clientele to their organization. The ability to use different marketing strategies, seize different opportunities will draw new stakeholders to Kraft Foods thereby ensuring mission success and financial growth. Vision Statement Analysis An efficient and effective vision statement is a powerful tool that paints a vivid picture while describing how an organization is going to accomplish their mission (McNamara, 2009). This one statement can convey power, confidence and inspire stakeholders (Change Factory, 2014). A vision statement takes into consideration an organizations market, customers, strengths and weaknesses in order to enhance themselves (Change Factory). Kraft Foods vision statement reads â€Å"we’ll get there by continuing to offer products consumers love, creating a performance-based culture that motivates  and excites employees and becomes the best investment in the industry† (Kraft Foods, 2014). With this simple sentence Kraft Foods inspires, motivates and invokes memories from their stakeholders. Painting a vivid picture for stakeholders invokes emotions from past experiences. These memorable impressions stay with stakeholders and they are therefore more likely to support Kraft Foods. This influential statement also describes the most cherished values, services and vision of the future thereby allowing stakeholders to determine if their personal values meet up with that of Kraft Foods future and if investment in this organization is beneficial (Crea, n.d.). Another aspect of vision statements is the ability to state realistic outcomes (Millard, 2010). Realistic outcomes are imperative as they motivate employees and help them focus on something bigger than themselves (Millard). Meeting these goals, â€Å"offering products consumers love† enhances dedications, motivation and pride, which will further enhance Kraft Foods success (Kraft Foods, 2014). The vision statement for Kraft Foods is well articulated, creates a vision of the future company, invokes emotions and draws stakeholders to the organization. Values Statement Analysis In addition to mission and vision statements a values statement will enhance an organizations chance of future success. A values statement is the core of an organization and what values they cherish (Edmunds, 2014). It defines how employees will behave and how actions and behaviors will be evaluated (Edmunds). A values statement reveals how an organization values not only their customers, but suppliers, shareholders and stakeholders (Edmunds). At Kraft Foods their values statement reads to â€Å"make a difference in communities, protect greatest resources – land, air, water, people, educate and motivate to make healthful choices, food safety and quality, and workplace safety† (Kraft Foods, 2014). It is essential a values statement identify and address the organizational values in a clear concise manner so every stakeholder knows and understands what will be tolerated within the organization. The clear writing of Kraft Foods vision statement allows people to contribute to something bigger then themselves. An added benefit of a values statement is rewards and recognitions are structured around this  statement and those employees who embrace the organizational values are identified and rewarded (Edmunds). This statement tells shareholders how the organization hires and promotes individuals and demonstrates that Kraft Foods external suppliers are in alignment with the organizations values, thus enhancing bonds of trust and respect. Alignment of Goals/Needs with Stakeholders Interests The mission, vision and value statements all work together to define an organization. Additionally these statements need to address the goals and needs of the shareholders and stakeholders thereby insuring future investors. Through their business statements Kraft Foods specifically addressed four stakeholder needs they hope to meet. Kraft Foods addresses consumers by focusing on â€Å"quality, safe food that consumers love† in their vision and values statements (Kraft Foods, 2014). Additionally Kraft Foods values statement discusses their dedication to helping North Americans â€Å"make healthy food choices† (Kraft Foods). Their dedication is also evident by the accumulation of healthy name brands products, such as Back to Nature granola (Kraft Foods). The values statement of Kraft Foods also addresses the organizations dedication to â€Å"making a difference in the community† (Kraft Foods, 2014). Kraft Foods is leaving a positive impression, huge footprints and taking massive strides â€Å"to make the world a better place with every action they take† (Kraft Foods). This is apparent by their dedication to food drives aimed at fighting hunger, providing humanitarian support, building playgrounds, and planting gardens (Kraft Foods). Kraft Foods also addresses their employees, one of the biggest stakeholders, in their business statements. Employees at Kraft Foods are â€Å"treated with respect, provided a safe work environment, and encouraged to do great things† (Kraft Foods, 2014). This organization understands that success is dependent on motivated, driven and dedicated employees that take pride in their work. Additionally, through their business statements Kraft Foods is telling the outside world about their employee commitment thus developing respect from the community, industry and other stakeholders. Kraft Foods understands that in order to be successful a strong cooperate governance must be establish to help balance the needs of shareholders and stakeholders (Kraft Foods, 2014). â€Å"Kraft Foods Board of Directors believe effective corporate governance provides a strong framework to assist them in upholding their fiduciary responsibilities to shareholders and promote long term success of the organization† (Kraft Foods). Improvements of the Company Statements Kraft Foods is one of the largest organizations in North America and it is essential their business statements accurately reflect their dedication and drive to succeed. Although admirable, Kraft Foods mission statement is very generic and lacks the special connection to draw stakeholders to the organization. In comparing McNamara’s list of criteria for a well written mission statement Kraft Foods falls short (2009). This statement is not powerful, not memorable, does not discuss growth and profit sufficiently and does not target specific clientele (McNamara). Additionally their goals are extremely far reaching and unattainable. The mission statement needs to be more focused in order to keep stakeholders motivated and driven for success. The vision statement is well written and invokes emotions and memories from stakeholders while also being descriptive in how they will achieve success. Millard states vision statements should be clear, memorable, realistic and discuss positive outcomes (2010). Kraft Foods addresses each one of these criteria in their vision statement. This powerful statement draws stakeholders to the organization and makes they want to be a part of the success. It is the author’s opinion that Kraft Foods values statement clearly articulates the values Kraft Foods cherishes. This statement motivates people to join the Kraft Foods team and become part of something bigger. Kraft Foods is dedicated to leaving a lasting impression and legacy not only with consumers but the environment and this is clearly communicated in their values statement. Conclusion Developed in 1903 Kraft Foods has become one of North America top brands. Through their mission, vision and values statement Kraft Foods is able to communicate to stakeholders why the organization exists, where they are going in the future, how they will get there and their dedication to the world around them. Although some adjustments can be made to their mission statement, overall these statements are clearly written and draw stakeholders to Kraft Foods by invoking their emotions, memories and values. References Change Factory. (2014). The Components of a Good Vision Statement. Change Factory.Retrieved July 13, 2014 from http://www.changefactory.com.au/our-thinking/articles/thecomponents-of-a-good-vision-statement/ Crea, T. (n.d.). A Good Mission Statement. All About Leadership. Retrieved July 13, 2014 fromhttp://www.all-about-leadership.com/good-mission-statement.html Edmunds, S. (2014, May 6). What is a Value Statement? EHow. Retrieved July 12, 2014 fromhttp://www.ehow.com/about_5063071_value-statement_.html Kraft Foods. (2014). Retrieved July 12, 2014 fromhttp://www.kraftfoodsgroup.com/home/index.aspx McNamara, C. (2009). Developing a Mission Statement. Management Library Online. RetrievedJuly 12, 2014 from http://managementhelp.or/strategicplanning/mission-visiom-vales.htm Millard, S. (2010, December 7). Characteristics of Mission and Vision Statements. University ofHawai’i Hilo. Retrieved July 10, 2014 fromhttp://hilo.hawaii.edu/strategicplan/documents/SPC18_10_Mission_and_Vision .pdf Rector, B. (2010, April 18). Clear, Concise Mission Statements. Memphis Business Journal.Retrieved July 10, 2014 fromhttp://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2010/04/19/smallb2.html Ramjee, P. (n.d.). The Important of Making a Good First Impression in Business. Chron SmallBusiness. Retrieved July 13, 2014 from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/importancemaking-good-firstimpression-business-23065.html