The Watch (English language creative writing)

A while back I bought a gun from a man who stole a mustang. He sold it cheaply: hundred bucks for A Browning 9x19mm Grande Puissance. Hard black plastic handle – cold to touch, black metallic covers the barrel and the heaviness weighs my hand down as I hold it under my coat, carry it to my car and place it on the passenger seat. A criminal – cold, alone it stays still. I drive fast, imagining the scenarios where my trusty weapon would be used. Trapping a burglar, stopping a murderer. I take it to my house, hide it under the bathroom sink – and never speak of it to my two angels. My abode: so secure and sheltered, it is often one which is of difficulty to find. One of which is so protected it is under my own lock and key twenty four hours a day. My family, like my pride of lions -spellbound by my fantasy boundary. My imaginary line of the strictest limit to the edge of our fence, unless otherwise approved. Strict guidelines set: to be followed accordingly. Blinds open at zero six hundred hours every morning, pulled up to the third stopper on the wiry string: all seventeen in the house except one. This, followed swiftly by waking the children up at the exact precise time as of when the blinds are raised, so they are able to carry out their chores in austere time spans of fifteen minute bursts. Following this: the children head to school, and I take my place on the antique grey aged rocking chair in front of the porch window, draw the blind down at exactly zero eight hundred hours and watch as the slender young girls and broad young men outside cross the only way to the secondary school placed two hundred and fifty six meters down the avenue. Although it may seem a disgusting habit, if you truly took the time to understand the utter belief I have in this art, then you surely would understand the necessity of it. For I do not spy on the children. I do not seek to harm their innocent bodies, or to even make an attempt to frighten or threaten them. All I seek for them is their safety, and for that one obligation to stay out of harm's way. I spy only upon a small yellow house, a mere nineteen meters from my very residence. Inside this small house, gleaming with fake satisfaction and false contentment. Hiding behind the sunshine beaming from the walls of the bunkers' exterior lives a man. This man, I have observed for many months now, and have found that his main priority is to stay hidden in the gloom of the shadows, behind his window. This window, like a mirror reflects myself. he follows the same routine as me by staring out of his window when my children step out of the door, but for different reasons these glares are seen . He, for different reasons from my speculation lusts for the young. Like a cheetah, he prays on weak, girls, only just becoming of age. The intensity has grown, focusing upon him daily. His routine has changed; he starts to water his grass at zero seven hundred hours every morning, and stays there on his lawn for approximately eighty minutes, so he can catch the paper girls attention each morning. The children grow suspicious: I tell them its for their safety. My main concern my daughter: Jenny, a simple thirteen year old. Dark chocolate brown long hair with innocent mossy eyes. Slim and tall, his favourite. He spies on her: I can see it. in the evening when she is allowed out for an hour to visit the park, or to visit her dear acquaintance Jona who lives in the next avenue. I watch him watch her as she skips nightly to her play date – strict instructions to be home for bed at twenty hundred hours. Months pass. The necessity for him to prey increases and an itch begins to develop. To be scratched, there is only one way. It cannot be let to get that far. Soon the time will come and the itch will be gone: the sunshine will dim and the moon will shine clear upon our avenue. I saw him again like a ghost to the window: he stood white against the moonlight. I saw my opportunity. For months he had invaded my privacy, tried to separate my intact stable home and ruin he only thing I have left that I can say is real. My daughter not his. I ran to the bathroom. Staring into my mirror I saw sweat dripping from my forehead. I reach under the pipe in the cupboard and find the cold metal press against my fingertips. I rip it away from the tape and cock the gun, It clicks and the barrel is loaded. Before I realise – I'm out of the door and in his back garden, feet imprinted on his perfectly trimmed grass. I shout. No reply – and again, a clumsy rattle comes from his kitchen as he fondles to find the back door knob. I lift my hand – pointing the shaft directly at his heart, he steps out. ‘Whos the-‘ cut off mid sentence by a bang. Disbelief is the only emotion I feel. I stand next to my neighbour in cold blood shaking – frozen. Minutes pass – a siren bellows down the surrounding avenues. I try to move, but I cant, cement is weighing me down. Four officers around me – surrounded I drop to the floor, weapon down. I smile. A cold room – alone, grey. All that remains is a tape recorder, a table and two chairs – one which I, the hero sit on, and another opposite. The blind is down on the window, third click on the wiry string. And officer walks in. standing tall, staring with intention. He doesn't have a chance to speak before I tell my tale. ‘A while back I bought a gun from a man who stole a mustang.' I whispered to the tape recorder.

American History Coursework

Andrew Jackson’s coming to power, his election in 1828 and the inauguration that followed was a critical moment when a democratic spirit took possession of American culture and public life. But the democratic movement was too large and wide to be reflected perfectly in the rise of a single leader, however influential he might be. But before looking at Jackson’s role and in the national arena where he played this out, I think we need to understand the wider scope of opinion that turned America in a more democratic direction and made Jackson’s rise possible.During the 1820’s and 30’s the term democracy first became in use as a way of describing how American institutions were supposed to work. The Founders had defined democracy as direct rule by the masses of the people; most of them rejected this approach to government because it was against their conception of a well balanced republic led by a natural aristocracy. For winners of popular government in the Jacksonian period the people were truly sovereign and could do no wrong. â€Å"The voice of the people is the voice of God† was the clearest expression in this principle.Conservatives were less certain of the knowledge of the common folk. But even they were coming to see that public opinion had to be won over before major policy decisions could be made. Besides giving a feeling of popular sovereignty the democratic movement seemed to stimulate a process of kind of like a social equality. Earlier Americans had usually assumed that the rich and wellborn should be treated with special respect and recognized as natural leaders of the community and guardians of its culture and values.By the 1830’s there was a disappearance of inherited social ranks and clearly defined aristocracies or privileged groups was a radical feature of democracy in America. The election of 1828 saw the birth of a new era of mass democracy. Jackson’s presidency started with his endorsemen t of rotation of officeholders or the spoils system. He was the first president to defend this practice as a legitimate application of democratic doctrine. Jackson also established a new kind of relationship with the cabinet.Under other administrations, cabinet officers had acted on their own responsibility, making major policy decisions and advising Congress on legislation without presidential direction. They would serve for the full term of the president who selected them. Key questions affecting the government as a whole had often been decided by a majority vote of cabinet. All of that changed when Jackson came into power and when he came into office he reorganized the cabinet. The Whigs were a new national party that got its name because of its associations with both English and American Revolutionary opposition to royal power and standards.But the main force of their creation was because of the critical support from southern proponents of states rights who had been upset by the political nationalism of Jackson’s stand on nullification and his unconstitutional abuses of power in his withdrawal of federal deposits from the Bank of the U. S. Jackson’s presidency was marred with many scandals and impassioned ideals. But in my opinion how he handled the western expansion gave him an â€Å"F† on being a president. The example I want to use is the â€Å"Trail of Tears† and the ruthless land grabbing his administration was known for. Reference: Latner, Richard B.The Presidency of Andrew Jackson: White House Politics, 1829- 1837. Athens: University of Georgia Press, (1979). #2) Discuss industrialization of the North during the antebellum period†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ There are few developments in all of human history as important as the Industrial Revolution. This great movement created wealth, material goods, and services on a scale unimaginable to the people of any earlier society. It created the resources to provide a reasonable standa rd of living for virtually the entire society, and stands of education, medical care, and nutrition unknown anywhere in the world before.Just as important was the contribution of the millions of men and women who made up the labor force in the new factory system. Industrialization had some unfortunate social consequences as well as beneficial economic ones, and the history of labor was not necessarily characterized by steady improvement in either wages or conditions. A number of factors determined the condition of workers in a particular period. Among them were the available supply of labor, the skills necessary to a particular job, the type of industry in which one was employed, and the attitudes of courts and together governmental agencies toward labor and business.During much of our industrial history, the economic theory that considered labor a commodity whose value would fluctuate with supply and demand, just as the cost of raw materials or manufactured products might, dominate d American thinking. The first half of the nineteenth century is an especially interesting period in American labor history. During those years, industrialization with its substantial technological innovations and the introduction of the factory system of labor happened quickly. Yet there was a wide spread fear or distrust for the new machinery and the new spirit of industrial growth.There was also a well established social philosophy as to the position of classes, the responsibilities of the employer and the roles of men and women in the labor force and in the home. Such deep social beliefs are not easily removed and only slowly were they modified to meet the demands of the new industrialism. One interesting face of labor history during this period is the way in which some of the new capitalists attempted to reconcile the old social philosophy of the paternalistic employer and his responsibility for the worker with the factory system of labor and the introduction of women workers.S ome of the women of the period extended their concerns to areas such as the antislavery crusade after they had become inflamed by the discrimination they experienced as women. Many other first began working in abolition and humanitarian reform movements and turned their attention to the women’s rights crusade only after discovering that their meddling in these area evoked taunts and threats of women in public affairs. Their reforms ranged from dress styles that afforded more freedom to equality in marriage, law, and employment. Women entered industry, journalism, medicine, teaching and in many other areas.But throughout the nineteenth century the majority of American women still saw their roles as those of wives and mothers. Females were still expected to devote all of their time and strength to providing a home for their husband and children. To write or lecture in political causes was unfeminine. Despite the reforms of the Jacksonian period, there is little evidence of subs tantial changes in either male or female attitudes towards women. Reference: Ware, Norman. The Industrial Worker: 1840-1860. Peter Smith: 1959, (1924). #3) Discuss the agrarian economics of the South during the antebellum period†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Southerners became increasingly alarmed by their region’s lack of economic self-sufficiency. Dependence on the North for capital, marketing facilities, and manufactured goods were seen as evidence of a dangerous subservience to external economic interests. Southern nationalists called for the South to develop its own industries, commerce, and shipping. Southerners did not believe that such diversification would require a massive shift to free wage labor. They saw no reason why slaves could not be used as the main work force in an industrial revolution.Men with capital were doing too well in plantation agriculture to ask their money in other ventures. I think it would be difficult to determine whether it was some inherent characteristic of slavery as a labor system or simply the strong market demand for cotton and the South’s capacity to meet it that kept most slaves working on plantations and farms. A minority of about 5 percent during the 1850’s were successfully employed in industrial tasks. Besides providing most of the labor for mining, lumbering, and constructing roads, canals and railways slaves also worked in cotton mills and tobacco factories.In the 1840’s and 50’s a debate raged among white capitalists over whether the South should use free whites or enslaved blacks as the labor supply for industry. Some wanted to defend a white labor policy arguing that factory work would provide new economic opportunities for a degraded class of poor whites. But others that were for industrialization feared that the growth of a free working class would lead to social conflict among whites and preferred using slaves for all supervised manual labor. Some factories employed slaves, others white wo rkers and a few even experimented with integrated work forces.As nearly as con be determined, mills that hired or purchased slave labor were just as profitable and efficient as those paying wages to whites. By 1800 slavery had been eliminated in the North and in 1808 Congress banned the further importation of slaves from Africa. Although some illegal importations continued, other factors primarily accounted for the extraordinary need and expansion of slavery in the nineteenth century. One factor was the invention of the cotton gin which allowed the quick cleaning of as much cotton as the slaves could pick.A second contribution was the acquisition of vast new territories beyond the Mississippi River, which created a market for slaves and gave rise to the domestic slave trade within the United States. Between 1820 and 1860 the slave population increased by more than 400,000, Southern planters found slavery to be economically profitable. There was also the high birth rate among African Americans and before the Civil War there were four million black people lived as permanent, hereditary slaves.This formed the chief labor force from tobacco fields of Virginia to the cotton fields of Alabama, blacks were very important to southern agriculture and to sever other parts of the southern economy. As chattels, bought and sold like livestock, they were an easily marketable property that could bring ready cash to the slave owner. Slaves brought with them their own culture and beliefs that when considering the size of the population did influence, and one could say, Africanized the South. Reference: Owens, Leslie H. This Species of Property: Slave Life and Culture in the Old South.New York: Oxford University Press, (1976). #4) Discuss some of the major events which intensified the conflict between the North and South†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Many have looked for the reason in the crisis that worked up to the disruption of the Union, but have failed to agree on exactly what they were . Some have said it was the clash of economic interests between agrarian and industrializing regions. But this does not reflect the way people at the time expressed their concerns. The main issues in the sectional debates of the 1850’s were whether slavery was right or wrong and whether it should be extended or contained.Many disagreements over protective tariffs and other economic measures allegedly benefiting one section or the other were only secondary. It has never really been clear why the interests of northern industry and those of the South’s commercial agriculture were irreconcilable. There was really no reason for producers of raw materials to go to war with those who marketed or processed them. Some have blamed the crisis on irresponsible politicians and agitators on both sides as being the problem. But the modern view has the roots lying in the ideological differences over the morality and use of slavery as an institution.Increased tension during the Mexican War began because the Constitution had not predetermined the status of slavery in future states and led to the Missouri crisis that resulted in compromise that was designed to decide future cases and remain a rough division between slave and free states by drawing a line between them and extending it westward through the unsettled portions of what was them American soil. When Texas was admitted as a slave state, northern expansionists could still look to Oregon to counter balance, but the Mexican war raised the prospect that California and New Mexico would be acquired and then what.Then with the free-soil crusade and the proposed amendment to the military appropriation bill that would ban slavery in any territory that would be acquired from Mexico trouble began to brew. A chain of events in late 1859 and early 1860 turned southern anxiety about northern attitudes and policies into a crisis of fear. These events alarmed slaveholders because they appeared to threaten their safety and dominance in a new and direct way. The first was the incident of John Brown’s raid on Harper Ferry.Brown was a fervent abolitionist who had shown in Kansas the he was prepared to use violence against the enemies of black freedom. Brown’s aim was to arm the local slave population to commence a guerrilla war from havens in the Appalachians that would eventually extend to the plantation regions of the lower south. After Brown was sentenced to be hung Southerners were stunned and outraged by the outpouring of sympathy and admiration that Brown got from the North before his execution.Southerners interpreted the wave of northern sympathy as an expression of the majority of opinion and the real attitude of the North. Then there was Lincoln’s election that provoked the secession of seven states of the Deep South even though it did not lead immediately to an armed conflict. After Lincoln’s election there were doubts as to if he could do the job because of his lac k of experience and with the collapse of compromise efforts only increased the tensions that brought this country closer to the Civil War.But probably the most important reason for the south to be so upset was because of Lincoln’s belief in ending slavery, a very important factor in Southern life. Reference: Donald, David H. Liberty and Union. Boston: Little, Brown, and Co. , (1978). #5) Why was the Confederacy unsuccessful in establishing its Independence†¦ By early 1863 the Confederate economy was in shambles and its diplomacy with England had collapsed. The social order of the South was also showing signs of severe strain.Masters were losing control of their slaves, and non slaveholding whites were becoming disillusioned with the hardships of a war that some of them described as â€Å"a rich man’s war and a poor man’s fight. † As slaves fled from the plantations, increasing numbers of lower-class whites deserted the army or refused to be drafted i n the first place. Whole counties in the southern backcountry became deserter havens. Appalachian mountaineers, who had remained loyal to the Union, resisted the confederacy more directly by mounting a small scale war behind southern lines.Yet the North was slow to capitalize on the South’s internal weaknesses because of its own serious morale problems. The long series of defeats on the eastern front had engendered war weariness and the new policies that military necessity forced the government to adopt encountered fierce opposition. The last two and a half year of the struggle saw the implementation of more radical war measure. The most important of them was the North’s attempt to follow through with Lincoln’s passion to free the slaves and bring the black population into the fight on the Union side.The battle turned in the summer of 1863, but the south continued to resist for 2 more years until it was overtaken by the weight of the North’s advantages in manpower and resources. The limits of the Jeffersonian vision were very apparent even to contemporaries. The people who spoke of equality often owned slaves. It was not surprising that leaders of the Federalist Party accused the Republicans, especially those who lived in the South of hypocrisy and in Massachusetts Federalists defined Jeffersonian democracy as a plantation owner with many slaves.The race issue simply would not go away. Jeffersonian did not fulfill even their own expectations. As members of an opposition party during the presidency of John Adams, they insisted upon a strict interpretation of the Constitution. Large navies were vital in the scramble for colonies, and in the 1870’s the United States had almost no navy. One of the most powerful fleets in the world during the Civil War, the American navy fell into rapid decline.With the military effort to seize control of the Mississippi Valley halted at Shiloh, the Union navy soon contributed dramatically to the pursuit. On April 26th a fleet under flag officer David Farragut, coming up from the Gulf, captured the port of New Orleans after boldly running past the forts below the city. The occupation of New Orleans, besides securing the moth of the Mississippi climaxed a series of naval and amphibious operations around the edges of the Confederacy that had already succeeded in Capturing South Carolina’s Sea Islands and North Carolina’s Roanoke Island.Strategically located bases were provided to enforce the blockade of the southern coast. The last serious challenge to the North’s naval supremacy was when the Confederate ironclad vessel the Merrimack had demolished wooden hulled northern ships was repulsed by the Monitor an armored Union gunship. It was later both ships were lost, the Merrimack at Norfolk and the Monitor in a gale in December. Reference: McPherson, James M. Ordeal by Fire: The Civil War and Reconstruction. New York: Knopf, (1982).

Observing Non-Verbal Communication

Non-verbal communication is the process of communicating that is characterized by the absence of words but rather communicating, sending and receiving messages via bodily language, styles, and symbols. I tried to observe this type of communication in the park with a particular male and female as a target subjects. A young man, possibly 20 yrs of age and a woman, more or less of the same age group, were ‘conversing’ in the park at 5 PM in the afternoon. I use the term ‘conversation’ loosely here. Using the concept of proxemics, parks would be classified under the group, public territory, but I note that, generally speaking, such places would have no control on the behavior of the people; people there would exceed territorial rights with regards to their behavior. Without thoughtful analysis, the first idea that had entered my head was that the man and the woman were in a relation but apparently I cannot make a concluding statement about this. Physical appearances suggest informal relations as suggested by their casual appearances. Both were wearing pants with the female wearing a pink tank top and the male wearing a faded statement shirt. There is a high possibility that their meeting was not business or work associated. I disregarded Monochromatic time schedule in favor of Poly-chronic time schedule since the subjects conversation and appearances were evidently personal. Kinesic communication of the subjects— facial expressions, body movements, gestures, and posture ­Ã¢â‚¬â€reveal one important thing; the subject’s conversation was neither intimate but rather harried, constrained and angry. There was an obvious lack of touch between the two which would denote ‘friendship’ or ‘love’. The woman was gesticulating her hands wildly, and at some point in time, she was waving her right hand at the right empty space indicating that she was ‘emphasizing’ something to the man. Her shoulders were not slumped but rather posed upwards indicating a highly constrained emotion. Her feet was braced apart and she walking around wildly. Her face was clearly angry; her brows were drawn together in a frown and most probably her nostrils were growing bigger or flaring up, with her irises dilating indicating, a high emotional state. The sides of her mouth were slanted downwards as she was talking clearly indicating a negative emotion. Her curly hair was moving with the movement of her mouth. Blood was rushing to her face which makes her face really look red indeed. When the male was talking, she was ‘rolling her eyes’, indicating mockery and disbelief to what the person was saying. She was intentionally trying or trying to appear like she was not listening to the other person was saying when she was looking away at the other direction. The male subject was equally angry. His stance, shoulders upwards were poised for a fight but he was defensive as indicated by the arms that were crossed high on his chest. When he was not talking, his lips were drawn in tight line and he was highly attentive what the female was saying because ‘he did not remove his eyes from her’. His eyes were in slits, indicating anger and at some point, he was also gesticulating his hands indicating that he was forcefully explaining something to the female. I observed that proxemics for the park as a space was clearly loosely defined as to the public territorial usage; the subjects were clearly using the space for ‘personal’ purposes. Movement and body position of my subjects hinges towards negative emotional responses, ost specially that of charged anger. The subjects exhibited negative attitudes, and mostly involuntary non-verbal communication. All messages transmitted between the two were conscous and deliberate and not subliminal; their conversation was intended to say something and both were equally aware of it. Bibliography Argyle, M. (1988). Bodily Communication. Madison: International UP.

IKEA of Leadership and Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

IKEA of Leadership and Management - Essay Example Opportunities of IKEA†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...7 3.1.4. Threats of IKEA†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.8 4. Complexities of the Environment†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 8 5. Key Business Challenges and a Rationale for a Leadership and Management Challenge Underlying IKEA†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦9 6. Leadership within IKEA†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â ‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦9 6.1. Problems with the Current Situation of Leadership†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..11 6.2. Options for Improving Current Leadership Situation at IKEA through Application of Models†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦....13 7. Recommendations to address the major challenges IKEA is facing†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.....17 7.1. Factors that may affect implementation of recommendation†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦...19 7.2. Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢ € ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.....21 8. ... The paper utilized SWOT as an environmental model in the analysis of the internal and external environment. It has also provided appropriate recommendation measures that relate to the development and implementation of effective organizational plans for appropriate leadership and management and the impacts it may have on organizational success. IKEA 1. Introduction IKEA is a privately owned company that specializes in the production of furniture such as beds and desks. It is rated the world’s largest home products company that deals with design and sale of home accessories as well as ready-to-assemble furniture. IKEA was founded in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad in Sweden. It operates in 55 countries and has a total of 76, 000 employees. IKEA is recognized world wide for its wide variety of products, flat storing, affordability as well as high class models. IKEA has developed over the years leading to the establishment of other branches of the company in various states. All the branche s of IKEA are controlled by a Dutch Corporation known as INGKA Holding B. V. The company has developed properties which have to be managed effectively to ensure no losses are incurred and to ensure that it continues to operate without any obstacles. IKEA’s intellectual property is, therefore, controlled by various corporations which are under the Netherlands Antilles and also the Interogo Foundation in Liechtenstein. Various activities are undertaken at IKEA that enable the company to be successful in its operations. Manufacturing, purchasing as well as supplying functions have to be effectively carried out by the responsible parties to ensure that the business performs efficiently. Industrial Group of Swedwood is responsible for sourcing the manufacture of

Nonstandard Accounting common to the High-Tech Industry Essay

Nonstandard Accounting common to the High-Tech Industry - Essay Example The main idea behind the convergence concept was that, all nations would come together and form a unified set of accounting standards that would be applied in major capital markets. Additionally, the IFRS also wanted to ensure that the standards are adequately and rigorously used. More over the international standards formulated by international accounting standards took into account the financial reporting needs of the developing nations as well as small and medium-sized entities (SME’s).The IFRS is also in charge of maintaining the IASB independence and financial autonomy. By 1973 the international Accounting standards Committee was formed and it served as the first international accounting standards setting body. In 2002, it was however reorganized and became an independent accounting standard setter. Currently, more than 100 countries use the International Financial Reporting standards (that is set and issued by IASB) or a local direct of the IFRS. In the United States, the IASB have been developing Generally Accepted Accounting principles (GAAP) as well as IFRS. Additionally the Asian community (China and Japan) are also formulating their accounting standards to conform to the IFRS (Michael, 77). The IFRS dictates that financial statements must be structured in such a way that they reflect the true and fair view of the organization’s financial performance as well as the fair financial position. In this regard the financial statements must provide accurate information about the assets, equity, liabilities, incomes and expenditures of a given organization as well as the operating profits or loses. Additionally, to other relevant information include cash flow movement, contribution by/distributions to investors, notes. Such information enables a prospective investor to predict with great accuracy on when to invest profitably in the organization based on the prediction of future cash flows. IFRS dictates that financial

Analysis of Organs for Sale Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analysis of Organs for Sale - Essay Example ntries continue to writhe in harsh living conditions, sometimes even lacking food and shelter, rich people suffering from end-stage renal have more than enough money but lack proper mechanisms to acquire kidneys to save their lives. This is to say that rich people in urgent need of kidneys and have the resources to acquire them, but lack legal means to acquire kidneys speedily since they have to wait their turn in the long donor list (Mackay 2). On the other hand, poor people living in third world countries are largely willing to sell their organs such as kidneys for meager amounts if only to save them from starvation and bankruptcy. MacKay’s primary purpose is to articulate how a legal and regulated organ selling environment will allow both donors and recipients to benefit from organ sale, which is presently conducted illegally and without guarantees to both recipient and donor (Mackay 7). MacKay argues that a legal and regulated organ selling milieu will allow donors, whether in first or third world countries to gain financially from their courageous acts of parting with an organ of their bodies. At present, the organ selling business is tilted in favor of the recipients, doctors who perform the operations and agents who arrange for the operation, placing the donors at a disadvantageous position since they receive amounts as low as $1,000 for selling a vital part of their bodies. With regard to the quality of MacKay’s argument, it is evident that she is quite passionate regarding the topic of organ sale. MacKay effectively articulates her stance, using emotion to exemplify her key points and stances. The argument aims at instigating emotional responses such as compassion, empathy and sympathy towards both organ donors and recipients who suffer immensely in the current organ sale environment. The argument draws on the morality of allowing both kidney donors and recipients to benefit from a legal and fully regulated atmosphere in which they can purchase and

Major Historical Event in US History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Major Historical Event in US History - Essay Example Thus, the agenda of 'legal equality' and then 'social equality' will be the general themes that brings together or provides a cohesion for the woman's movement in US history from 1865 to the present. The period of 1865 to 1876 can be said to be pivotal to the woman's movement in U.S. history. The introduction of the fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the U.S. is largely thought to be a step backward. That is, as far as the goal of bringing the franchise to women and other groups not yet recognized to have a legal right to vote. In U.S. history, the right to vote for women was an agenda that went back as far as the early to mid seventeenth century, and historians trace the first legal challenge in the U.S. as occurring at that time in the state of Maryland. A one-time governor named Leonard Calvert, appointed a woman named Margaret Brent as his personal executor. Brent was an attorney which was exceptional in the seventeenth century, and found herself in 1648 petitioning the government of Maryland for the right to vote as well as the right to carry out her duties as executor. She was a property holder, and a successful attorney at the time. By 1868 when the Fourteenth Amendment was introduced, there had already been a significant woman's suffrage movement, and indeed, legal challenges for the right to vote [Mays 58-9]. ... Unit one as associated with post 1865 is the beginning of the period known as reconstruction, and what follows in the aftermath of the Civil War (1860-1865) is a fairly reactionary political mandate. Arguably, the period following the Civil War can be characterized as a period where a great number of concessions were made to the interests of Southerners who had been defeated in the war that was centered around the issue of slavery. During the period in question or the era of Reconstruction after the Civil War, the notorious â€Å"Jim Crow† legislation throughout the South had introduced a pattern of which distinct traces can still be seen in the southern states. The new laws stated that no one could vote unless a poll tax had been paid and in some places, unless the voter could pass a literacy test, too. Blacks were not allowed to use the same railway cars, schools or residential areas as whites. These laws contradicted the Fourteenth Amendment but the Supreme Court seems to h ave turned a blind eye to what these state laws meant in relation to the laws of the central government. By this time, northerners seem to have allowed themselves to feel less responsible for post-War developments in the South. Blacks would feel abandoned by the north while facing southern hatred expressed both officially and violently. As Gillett explained, even white reformers seemed more concerned by what ought to be done with Blacks, as opposed to for Blacks and with many content to state that the slaves had been freed by the northern Civil War effort and that they now must work towards their own betterment [Gillett 368]. Segregation continued in a system which managed the Black population by keeping them separate from

Reaction paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 22

Reaction paper - Essay Example As he toured Auschwitz, Cole described humanitarian structures such as a â€Å"disinfestation complex,† theater and swimming pool inside of the camp. These structures call into question the function of the prison. If prisoners were sent to Auschwitz to be murdered, why should the Germans provide hygiene, entertainment and exercise to them? Coles interview with Dr. Franciszek Piper, curator of the Auschwitz State Museum, is the focus of the video. Cole disputes the Holocausts existence because there is no proof, â€Å"theres no picture, plan or wartime document dealing with homicidal gas chambers or a plan to exterminate Jews† (Cole). He tries to provide a â€Å"perfectly normal explanation† for the materials and exhibits which define the Holocaust (Cole). Poison gas was used for disinfection, dead bodies were caused by a Typhus epidemic and discarded clothing came from naturally deceased prisoners. The interview with Dr. Piper is primarily concerned with the Auschwitz gas chamber. Cole questioned the function of this building because it had been changed since the end of the war. While Piper believed that four holes were drilled in the ceiling of this building for the purpose of killing prisoners, Cole believed that these holes were drilled after the camp was liberated by Soviet forces during the camps reconstruction. Cole points to aerial photographs as evidence of the new construction. Cole also cited the lack of Zyklon B residue in the chamber as proof that it was never used to kill humans. Cole then turned from the institution to the numbers. Traditionally, the Holocaust is stated to have killed eleven million Jews and non-Jews. These figures are based on Soviet claims made after the war which Cole does not accept. Cole compared it to American prison camps where, â€Å"anywhere from several hundred thousand to over two million† Germans died (Cole). To him, this was e vidence that all camps of this era were

Investigation of the beer - Lambert law Lab Report

Investigation of the beer - Lambert law - Lab Report Example It illustrated in the diagram below. Beer-Lambert law states that the absorbance is directly proportional to the concentration of the solution. It relates the absorbance of sample (A) to the concentration of the substance in the solution absorbing it and the path length of the light. Incident light from a tungsten or deuterium lamp is focused through a lens and passed through a slit. Passing the beam through the wavelength selector diffracts it separating it into light of a single wavelength. This particular wavelength is selected and exits through the slit. The light passing through the sample is detected by the photo detector which then converts it into an electrical current measured by the galvanometer. The reading is then sent to a read-out device. The plot of absorbance of light at different wavelengths is called it absorption spectrum. Fig. 1 gives the absorption spectrum of potassium permanganate (KMnO4 ). According to Beer-Lambert law, absorbance is directly proportional to concentration. This is clearly illustrated by Fig. 4. This is also known as a calibration curve. It should be drawn with utmost accuracy in order to obtain a straight line graph. The slope of this curve is equal to the absorbance of the potassium permanganate (Skoog, 45). One source of error is the use of inappropriate concentrations when applying Beer-Lambert law. It is only applicable for dilute solutions and becomes less accurate with increase in concentration. Another source of error is stray light or scattering within the instrument as this cause large errors especially when reading small values. The aim of the experiment was obtained because Beer-Lambert law was verified. Using linear regression analysis, Beer-Lambert law (A = ÃŽ µlc) implies that when concentration is equal to zero, absorbance must also be zero. This is a straight line equation passing through the origin hence the aim was achieved (Svanberg,

Review of Literature on the Attributes of the Ideal Leader in Higher Research Paper

Review of Literature on the Attributes of the Ideal Leader in Higher Education - Research Paper Example Quaqebeke & Knippenberg (2012) contended that leaders can only be effective when they are able to exercise influence over subordinates. A researcher viewed that when subordinates look at their leaders as ideal, they will follow them with respect and likes to be self-identified with them. Using self-other-overlap measure, researchers determine the level of respect accorded by the respondents to their leaders through their communicative openness with them (Quaqebeke et al., 2012). Mael and Ashford identification questionnaire was also utilized to know if they can self-identify themselves with their respective leaders.Researchers confirmed that the relationship between leader categorization and openness to leadership is stronger, which posit that more subordinates thought of themselves as imbibed with ideal leaders qualities. They further agreed that people's categorization of leaders and themselves is contingent upon if the ideal leader category is viewed as far from standards set as t he benchmark.Aaker (2003) meanwhile studied the leadership styles of female administrators in Tennesee using 13 two-year community colleges (p.1). Through Leadership Practice Inventory and with demographic data of varied respondents, Aaker (2003) argued that the traits commonly used in leadership are enabling, modeling, encouraging, challenging, and inspiring (p. 1). Aaker (2003) likewise affirmed that there are no significant differences between female executives designated in students affairs (p. 1).

Team Model Essay Example for Free

Team Model Essay Forming: Roles and responsibilities not clear, everyone unknown to each other. Meeting group members. Storming : everyone has different point of views on different issues. Then they decide which one to choose. People complete for consideration. Norming : Develop a mutual plan, create guidelines in order to make rule for themselves. Performing: Achieving the goals the group has set. Adjourning: Finishes task. Tuckman’s Model of Team Formation Some overlap between the stages Tuckman’s model is linear; many others say the process he describes is cyclical. The model below takes into account movement back and forth through the stages. Small teams do seem to follow a predictable path. MODEL 2 Gersick’s Theory of Group Development Punctuated Equilibrium – (from Evolution theory) This model of team development does allow for gauging time which is a significant difference between it and Tuckman’s model. The Gersick model focuses on successive stages which are characterized by even increasing focus on task performance and completion as time becomes a factor. Each model assumes the individuals will strive for success in accomplishing the team’s set goals. The PE model is characterized by periods of stopping and re-planning when we recognize the time restrictions as we go through Gersick’s stages. Gersick’s theory they all of a sudden realize that they have a time limit. This is the difference between these two models. STAR Model Strengths- individuals in a group identify and develop strengths. Teamwork- come together and build relationships. Aligns – team leader assists group to achieve goals. Results- obtain results that are meaningful. (ACHIEVEMENT) Difference Gersick’s model: they suddenly realize that they have a deadline. Tuckman’s model has specific stages. Gersick’s model is mainly based on time. Gersick focuses more on task performance and completion Tuckman’s model is more specific and divides the group development into five distinguished stages, Gersick’s Lot of reforming of goals, sometimes 3 or 4 times. Similarities Both working towards a specific goal. Mainly all the work is done on the midway of the process.

Wieden and Kennedy Essay Example for Free

Wieden and Kennedy Essay Chapter 1: The agency and how it fits within the context of the industry W+K Inc. is an independent, full service, creatively driven advertising agency based in Portland, Oregon. W+K was founded by Dan Wieden and David Kennedy in 1998. Upon working together, the duo recognized great similarities in their advertising philosophies and nurtured a strong business relationship that led them into creating their own advertising agency. Since the establishment of W+K on April 1st, 1982, the company has grown to become one of the world’s leading creative agencies with offices in the United States (Portland and New York), Amsterdam, London, Sao Paulo, Tokyo, Shanghai and Delhi. W+K has been built around the founders’ common tendency to break from the status quo advertising with intention of creating a firm and solid relationship between their clients and their customers. The business structure was formed around the ambition to provide an environment where employees would be able to produce their best work, and in turn offer a diversity of talent unparalleled by any other agency. Till this day the company continues to acknowledge and give credit to its staff for the agency’s superb creative reputation, as its shows below of some of their most prestigious and prized awards that have allowed them to propel the agency and therefore becoming a tough competitor to compete with, within the industry. Few factors that sets them apart from their competitors, are show below: The picture on the left shows â€Å"the 2012 Creativity awards report†. You can clearly see that the most successful creativity agency is W+K, Winning the Best Creative director of 2012, the best campaign along with best advertising agency in the world, compared to some of their competitors such as ServicePlan Munich, BBH and BETC EURO RSCG. Furthermore to prove why they are the top competitor within the industry; they’ve recently been voted by ‘ADWEEK’ the â€Å"Agency of the year† and from the picture on the left you can see some of the many awards they’ve won due to their innovative and creative work. What makes W+K so successful compared to other competitors, is arguably a result of the companys arcane understanding of current trends and, as of more recently, digital media such as ‘Social networking’ websites. The agency has latched onto the idea of making advertisements for its major clients that go the distance. For example, More recent success for the agency can be found in their current Old Spice campaign titled, ‘The Man Your Man Could Smell Like,’ which recently won the 2010 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Commercial. This campaign featured former professional football player Isaiah Mustafa to rebrand your grandfathers cologne into a modern mega-b rand beloved by young and middle-aged men alike. Isaiahs swagger and strange but enticing acting captivated the country by means of the agencys knowledge of the digital marketing. The campaign generated more than 94 million views for the brands YouTube spots, over 90,000 additional Twitter followers, and up to 675,000 Facebook fans. Another reason for W+K success is down to the co-founder and global president Dan Wieden attributes that creative consistency to building a culture that’s â€Å"just more fun than you can believe and harder than hell. That generates ideas, great enthusiasm and new ways of looking at old issues.† They hire some of the most talented people from around the world, where they are trained by experienced ad gurus and moulded around the agencies goals, to ensure they come up with the most innovative, unique and outstanding advertising campaigns for their clients. Although they can come-up with the most unique and the most creative ideas; but what they do better than anyone else, according to Ian Armstrong- Honda, is that they: â€Å"Truly ‘understand’ who we are as a client, to a point where they feel more like long-standing Honda employees than an agency. It is wonderful to see them truly immersing themselves in our business, even if that does mean racing cars around the track most of the time!’ – This is the main reason why W+K stands out from the crowd as they have a strong desire to protect the truth in communicating the brand values and objectives, whilst keeping a unique voice in a crowded market. W+K uniqueness in the industry, their success and the reason why they’re the top competitors, can be seen below through the eyes of their clients: Chapter 2: The different roles within the agency: The process of creating a TV ad for Honda The first stage of the process starts when the Client calls and asks to arrange a meeting with the Account management of W+K. The account management of W+K are responsible for getting their clients messages across the public and they act as the main point of contact between the agency and the client. More importantly, Account management will ensure that project are completed on time, and within budget, whilst ensuring they create a sociable and friendly relationship with the clients. The strategic planner will than consult work with the client, to discover what the real business problem is that they’re trying to solve. The planner would also find and draw conclusions from factors such as the consumer wants, needs , behaviours, that are then conducted through exhaustive market research and testing. For example the strategic planner of W+K was given a brief from Honda which was to: With this in mind, the strategic planners must incorporate research from focus groups, survey’s, questionnaires, in order to aid them, in development of the overall advertising strategy. From their in-depth research on Honda they discovered that: Based on the research shown above the planner than concludes by detailing how the goals will be achieved. When the communication brief is created, it would outline and instruct the W+K creative team on where they need to advertise, who they need to be targeting and the message that they want to send. The communication brief states: With the needs understood, the strategic planners of W+K would then travel to the headquarters of Honda, in japan in order to gain insight to what this car manufacturing company is all about and also to help them generate a marketing strategy. With strategy in place and the client’s approval of the strategy, the next step of the process would be providing down all these valuable information about Honda to the creative directors and designers of W+K. Tony Davidson: Executive Creative directorKim Papworth: Executive creative director The main roles of creative directors within W+K, are to be responsible for the overall supervision of the agencies creative products, meaning they will be monitoring progress, discussing ideas and suggesting changes. The directors will than arrange a meeting, where they would be presenting the client’s needs and wants to the design directors and then pass down through to junior designers, in order for them to generate some creative ideas. The creative minds of W+K were than able to turn the â€Å"The power of dreams† and â€Å"telling the truth about Honda† marketing strategy into cleverly thought out campaign called â€Å"Hate something, Change something†. The overall Honda communications strategy is about simply getting the truths of Honda out there. This strategy led them into discovering an interesting truth; the diesel engine from the company that hated diesel engines. During the two years that W+K having been working with Honda, sales have consistently beaten industry expectations and brand tracking has been incredibly satisfying. Thanks to creative minds of W+K, Honda beat brands like Ford, VW, Renault and Toyota. Honda’s voice is now in the public domain, and they’re starting to mean more than small, dull, reliable cars. Most of this was down to a fantastic client and agency team and some inspired creative thinking. But I believe the new ways they’ve invented to integrate strategic and creative thinking made a significant contribution to their success. Chapter 3: The agencies clients and case study of a client and campaign of your choice with critical analysis According to Nike company lore, one of the most famous and easily recognized slogans in advertising history was coined at a 1988 meeting of Nike’s ad agency W+K and a group of Nike employees. Launched in August of 1988, Nikes â€Å"Just Do It† tagline was conceived by W+K. â€Å"Just Do It† is without a doubt one of the most Powerful lines in marketing, which Dan Wieden credits the inspiration for his â€Å"Just Do It† slogan to Gary Gilmores last word, â€Å"Let’s Do it†. â€Å"After stumbling badly against archrival Reebok in the 1980s, Nike rose about as high and fast in the ‘90s. It took on a new religion of brand consciousness and broke advertising sound barriers with its indelible Swoosh, â€Å"Just Do It† slogan and deified sports figures. Nike managed the deftest of marketing tricks: to be both anti-establishment and mass market, to the tune of $9.2 billion dollars in sales in 1997.† —Jolie Soloman â€Å"When Nike Goes Cold† Newsweek, March 30, 1998 From the above source you can see that before the creation of the â€Å"Just Do It† Campaign, Nike was losing ground to Reebok and other competitors, therefore something had to be done to get them back on track. With the help of W+K and its â€Å"Just Do it† Campaign and Nike’s strong products, they were able to increase its share of the domestic sport-shoe business from 18 % to 43 %, from $877 million in worldwide sales to $9.2 billion in the t en years between 1988 and 1998. Thanks to the creative mind of W+K Nike were able to gain a stronger brand to expand their market share, command higher prices and generate more revenue than its competitors. The main message behind this campaign is to get everyone urgently too loose weight by either: running miles, joining a sports team and basically not being lazy and being productive in their lives. What Just Do it, means is that they want you to ‘Just do it!’ don’t think twice and don’t have second thoughts start exercising!. The main success of the â€Å"Just Do It† campaign was the timing, when Nike was able to tap into the fitness craze of the 1980’s, by releasing a tough, take-no prisoners ad campaign that practically shamed people into exercising, and more importantly, to exercising in Nikes. They propelled their campaigns by endorsing celebrities such as Michael Jordan, who is considered the best basketball player of his time. Nike were than able to cleverly use the success of Michael Jordan, to create a whole new line of Nike apparel coined, â€Å"Air-Jordan†, which persuaded the customers into believing that his shoes were performance enhancers. In their TV advertisements with the basketball star, there were several instances where at the end of the ad, they concluded, â€Å"It must be the shoes† that makes his success. Along with Jordan’s rise to fame, Nike was able to tap into the spot light. Where ever Jordan succeeded, Nike was close behind offering the swoosh and the healthy saying of â€Å"Just do it.† Celebrity endorsement also helped to forge a relationship with the consumers, whilst also appealing to their sense of belonging and â€Å"hipness†. Nike went on to become a self-fulfilling image prophecy: meaning if you want to be hip, wear Nike; if you are hip, you are probably wearing Nike. The â€Å"Just Do It† campaign was able to turn sweaty, pain-ridden, time-consuming exercise in Nike sneakers into something sexy and exciting. Perhaps most importantly, even those who were not in fact exercising in Nikes (the vast majority) still wanted to own them. By focusing on the aura and image conveyed by the fitness culture, Nike was able to attract those who wanted the image without incurring the pain. Chapter 4: The agency as a Brand and rational for why it fits to you as brand The company’s personality, culture, and style resonate greatly with me; it’s about thinking outside the box, forgetting the rules, and bringing out the best in its team. ‘Thinking outside the box’ is one thing that I try to apply in life, as it allows me to think differently to others, see things from different prospective and not being afraid to try something that seems different. From the in-depth research that I’ve completed, there is a little doubt remaining that W+K has proven itself continuously throughout the past three decades as a leader and bar setting agency in the advertising world across the globe. W+K attention to detail and their commitment to hiring only the best employees comes through strongly in their work. While modern marketing expects an understanding of digital media and popular culture, to truly push the boundaries of what is achievable, a deeper current understanding is needed. As an agency, its collective critical eye into the vortex of technology, commercial art, and all types of media gives Wieden + Kennedy the advantage of foresight into campaign ideas that otherwise would go undiscovered by their competitors. Bibliography/reference Berry, Matt. Making of Honda Diesel Ad. Http://wklondon.com. N.p., 12 Oct. 2009. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. http://wklondon.com/general/about/further-reading/Making-of-the-Honda-Diesel-ad.pdf. Daniel Seijo , (2006), http://www.motorpasion.com/videos-de-coches/otro-precioso-anuncio-de-honda-impossible-dream [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www.motorpasion.com/videos-de-coches/otro-precioso-anuncio-de-honda-impossible-dream [Accessed 13 December 12]. Ed Cotton, (2010), Goodby talks to weiden and kennedy [ONLINE]. Available at:

The Three Main Goals Of Research Psychology Essay

The Three Main Goals Of Research Psychology Essay Research is the examination of a particular topic using a diversity of reliable, scholarly resources. The three main goals of research are establishing facts, analyzing information, and reaching new conclusions. The three main actions of doing research are searching for, reviewing, and assessing information. This KAM will examine the different research paradigms available for my study. The paradigms will be compared and contrasted against other research methods that are available in order to determine which the best methods to use are. There are many different paradigms available which include: the positivist/empiricist view, the constructivist/naturalist worldview and the pragmatic model. Abstract Depth There are many research paradigms and research methods available to be used by researchers depending on the nature of the study that is being undertaken. This thesis paper on the depth component explores the strengths and weaknesses of each paradigm and outlines the key research methods that can used to ensure successful use of the approach. The depth portion will include the traditional annotated bibliography addressing the research paradigms and their use in accounting research. This report employs secondary research on the internet and most of the information gleaned is from the content and literature. Additionally this paper lays the grounds for further research in research methods and their uses. Abstract Application In the application section both the breadth and depth will be brought together with other research in regards to developing or discussing uses of the different research paradigms. The breadth section of this thesis paper will lay out in detail all of the available research paradigms and how the relate to accounting research. When looking at these paradigms this paper will try to focus on the one that will be chosen for my research, and how it compares and contrasts to the rest. This paper will particularly detail the chosen research paradigm and how it relates to the concept of auditing practices and their effects on the corporate governance of a company with a conceptual focus on international accounting principles. This report employs secondary research on the internet and most of the information gleaned is from the content and literature from non-profit organizational case studies, applications and on-going research on auditing practices on an international level. Breadth Section Organizations use research, especially in market research activities. Market research is used to identify potential markets, the needs and wants of each, how those needs and wants can be met, how products and services could be packaged to be most accessible to customers and clients, the best pricing for those products and services, who the competitors are and how best to complete against each, potential collaborators and how to collaborate with each and many other applications of research. Organizations can conduct this research without having to have advanced skills (Free Management Library, n.d.). Academic research is research and development (RD) undertaken in the higher education sector, including universities, polytechnics, etc., and research centres that have close links with higher education institutions. Higher education research has grown during the past 20 years. Between 1981 and 2003, the share of RD carried out by the higher education sector increased from 14.5% to 17.4% of the total RD effortà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦(Vincent-Lancrin, 2006, p. 170). Drivers of this growth include professionalization of the academic profession (including specialization and standardization of the trade), the importance of the quantitative research output in academic career paths and the emergence of strong external incentives to publish following the introduction of research assessment exercises in several countries. The well-known publish or perish rule is rather recent (Vincent-Lancrin, 2006). Research Paradigms A paradigm offers a theoretical framework for seeing and making sense of the social world. The implication of paradigms is that they shape how one sees the world and are reinforced by those around us and the community of practitioners. Contained by the research process the attitudes a researcher holds will reflect in the manner they research is planned, how data is both gathered and analyzed and how research results are presented. For the researcher it is significant to distinguish their paradigm, it permits them to identify their role in the research process, decide on the course of any research project and differentiate other perspectives (Methodology, n.d.). There are numerous research paradigms that are used across and within different disciplines. These include (a) the positivist/empiricist view, which supports the use of quantitative methods, (b) the constructivist/naturalist worldview, which supports the use of qualitative methods, and (c) the pragmatic model, which supports the use of quantitative, qualitative, or a combination or mix of both methods (Tashakkori Teddlie, 1998). Other paradigms that will be looked at in this paper include post-positivism and interpretivist view. Paradigms guide how we make decisions and carry out research. As a researcher, it is important to know where ones discipline belongs, that there are different ways of viewing the world and that ones approach to knowledge is one of many. Paradigms can be characterized through their: ontology (What is reality?), epistemology (How do you know something?) and methodology (How do go about finding out?). These characteristics create a holistic view of how people view knowledge: how they see themselves in relation to this knowledge and the methodological strategies they use to discover it (What is your paradigm, n.d.). Positivist/empiricist View The positivist paradigm of exploring social reality is based on the philosophical ideas of the French Philosopher August Comte. According to him, observation and reason are the best means of understanding human behaviour; true knowledge is based on experiences of sense can be obtained by observation and experiment. At the ontological level positivists assume that the reality is objectively given and is measurable using properties what are independent of the research and his or her instruments; in other words, knowledge is objective and quantifiable. Positivistic thinkers adopt scientific methods and systemize the knowledge generation process with the help of quantification to enhance precision in the description of parameters and the relationship among them. Positivism is concerned with uncovering truth and presenting it by empirical means (Research Methodology and Design, n.d.). Using scientific method and language to investigate and write about human experience is supposed to keep the research free of the values, passions, politics and ideology of the researcher. This approach to research is called positivist, or positivist-empiricist and it is the dominant one in social research. Positivist researchers believe that they can reach a full understanding based on experiment and observation. Concepts and knowledge are held to be the product of straightforward experience, interpreted through rational deduction (Ryan, n.d.). According to the positivist epistemology, science is seen as the way to get at truth, to understand the world well enough so that it might be predicted and controlled. The world and the universe are deterministic; they operate by laws of cause and effect that are discernable if we apply the unique approach of the scientific method. Thus, science is largely a mechanistic or mechanical affair in positivism. Deductive reasoning is used to postulate theories that can be tested. Based on the results of studies, we may learn that a theory does not fit the facts well and so the theory must be revised to better predict reality. The positivists believe in empiricism, the idea that observation and measurement are at the core of the scientific endeavor. The key approach of the scientific method is the experiment, the attempt to discern natural laws through direct manipulation and observation (Krauss, 2005). The social scientist must study social phenomena in the same state of mind as the physicist, chemist or physiologist when he probes into a still unexplored region of the scientific domain. Objectivity is then defined by being the same as that of natural science and social life may be explained in the same way as natural phenomena. This tradition may therefore be characterized in terms of the prediction and explanation of the behaviour of phenomena and the pursuit of objectivity, which is defined as the researchers detachment from the topic under investigation. The results of research using this method of investigation are then said to produce a set of true, precise and wide-ranging laws (known as covering laws) of human behaviour. We would then be able to generalize from our observations on social phenomena to make statements about the behaviour of the population as a whole. Positivism thus explains human behaviour in terms of cause and effect and data must then be collected on the s ocial environment and peoples reactions to it (May, 2001). In its broadest sense, positivism is a rejection of metaphysics. It is a position that holds that the goal of knowledge is simply to describe the phenomena that we experience. The purpose of science is simply to stick to what we can observe and measure. Knowledge of anything beyond that, a positivist would hold, is impossible. predict how people will behave everything else in between (like what the person is thinking) is irrelevant because it cant be measured. Positivists believe that reality is stable and can be observed and described from an objective viewpoint, without interfering with the phenomena being studied. They contend that phenomena should be isolated and that observations should be repeatable. This often involves manipulation of reality with variations in only a single independent variable so as to identify regularities in, and to form relationships between, some of the constituent elements of the social world (Positivism Post-Positivism, 2006). In empiricism knowledge is only validated through sense experience, or in more recent versions through the surrogates of scientific instrumentation (which in the social sciences would include survey questionnaires and interview data). Its importance to scientific method in the natural and social sciences lies in the centrality of emphasis placed on empirical hypothesis testing. Thus if we formulate a hypothesis such as industrialization leads to worker alienation, this is only meaningful if it can be verified empirically; anything less is metaphysical speculation. Moreover empiricists (unlike realists) eschew claims of causal necessity, because (after Hume) it is maintained that although event A may precede event B in time, we cannot be sure A brought about B. In social science this principle is exemplified by the social survey where the strength and direction of association between variables is expressed, but no necessary function claimed (Williams, 2006). Post- Positivism Post-positivism is a wholesale rejection of the central tenets of positivism. A post-positivist might begin by recognizing that the way scientists think and work and the way we think in our everyday life are not distinctly different. Scientific reasoning and common sense reasoning are essentially the same process. There is no difference in kind between the two, only a difference in degree. Scientists, for example, follow specific procedures to assure that observations are verifiable, accurate and consistent. In everyday reasoning, we dont always proceed so carefully (Positivism Post-Positivism, 2006). Constructivist/Naturalist Worldview Constructionism is a perspective that considers facts, descriptions and other features of objective reality to be inescapably contingent and rhetorical. This is a more recent formulation of constructionism (without the social) which follows the traditional view of social constructionism as a perspective wherein people are seen as produced (constructed) through social interaction rather than through genetic programming and biological maturation (Hepburn, 2006). Naturalism is the hypothesis that the natural world is a closed system in the sense that nothing that is not a part of the natural world affects it. More simply, it is the denial of the existence of supernatural causes. In rejecting the reality of supernatural events, forces, or entities, naturalism is the antithesis of supernaturalism (Augustine, 2012). The naturalist or constructivist view says that knowledge is established through the meanings attached to the phenomena studied; researchers interact with the subjects of study to obtain data; inquiry changes both researcher and subject; and knowledge is context and time dependent (Krauss, 2005). Constructivists maintain that scientific knowledge is constructed by scientists and not discovered from the world. Constructivists argue that the concepts of science are mental constructs proposed in order to explain sensory experience. Another important tenet of Constructivist theory is that there is no single valid methodology in science, but rather a diversity of useful methods. Constructivism is opposed to positivism, which is a philosophy that holds that the only authentic knowledge is based on actual sense experience and what other individuals tell us is right and wrong (Guba Lincoln, 1994). Pragmatic View The pragmatic approach to science involves using the method which appears best suited to the research problem and not getting caught up in philosophical debates about which is the best approach. Pragmatic researchers therefore grant themselves the freedom to use any of the methods, techniques and procedures typically associated with quantitative or qualitative research. They recognize that every method has its limitations and that the different approaches can be complementary. The pragmatic approach to science involves using the method which appears best suited to the research problem and not getting caught up in philosophical debates about which is the best approach. Pragmatic researchers therefore grant themselves the freedom to use any of the methods, techniques and procedures typically associated with quantitative or qualitative research. They recognize that every method has its limitations and that the different approaches can be complementary. Being able to mix different approa ches has the advantages of enabling triangulation. Triangulation is a common feature of mixed methods studies. It involves, for example: the use of a variety of data sources (data triangulation) the use of several different researchers (investigator triangulation) the use of multiple perspectives to interpret the results (theory triangulation) the use of multiple methods to study a research problem (methodological triangulation) (The four main approaches, 2012). Research is a necessary ingredient for a knowledge-based society, which includes a knowledge-based economy and its growth. A professional publication process is indispensable for the dissemination of knowledge and the advancement of knowledge through further, innovative research. These goals of publishing are best reached by means of an open access publishing business model. It is essential that open access becomes the standard and does not remain the exception. Open access publishing should become a requirement for publicly funded research. In order to make open access publishing a success, the enthusiastic cooperation of the professional publishing companies active on the market is highly desirable (Engelend, 2011). Interpretivist View Interpretive researchers believe that reality consists of peoples subjective experience of the external world; thus, they may adopt an inter-subjective epistemology of the ontological belief that reality is socially constructed. Some believe that interpretivists are anti-foundationalists who believe that there is no single correct route or particular method to knowledge. It has also been argued that in the interpretive tradition there are no correct or incorrect theories. Instead, they should be judged according to how interesting they are to the researcher as well as those involved in the same areas. They attempt to derive their constructs from the field by an in-depth examination of the phenomenon of interest. Interpretivists assume that knowledge and meaning are acts of interpretation, hence there is no objective knowledge which is independent of thinking, reasoning humans (Research Methodology and Design, n.d.). The interpretivist research paradigm emphasizes qualitative research methods, which are flexible, context sensitive and largely concerned with understanding complex issues. Researchers widely debate how the trustworthiness of interpretivist research efforts is evaluated. Positivist researchers, who emphasize the issues of validity, reliability and generalizability, often regard qualitative research methods as unscientific. Several researchers suggest new criteria for evaluating qualitative enquiry and many different approaches to evaluating qualitative research have been discussed in the literature (Carcary, 2009). In the interpretivist paradigm, the researcher is not perceived as being entirely objective; rather he/she is a part of the research process. Interpretivism recognizes the difficulty in making research value-free and objective. In terms of this view, a single objective reality does not exist. The social world does not lend itself to being understood by physical-law-like rules. Multiple realities need to be considered. These include an external reality, which is what actually occurred in the physical world, and internal realities, which are subjective and unique to each individual. Because each situation is different, the researcher needs to delve below the surface of its details to understand the reality. The meaning derived by the researcher is a function of the circumstances, the people involved and the broad interrelationships in the situations being researched (Carcary, 2009). The interpretivist paradigm emphasizes qualitative research methods where words and pictures as opposed to numbers are used to describe situations. In qualitative research, the researcher is actively involved and attempts to understand and explain social phenomena in order to solve what Mason (2002:18) calls the intellectual puzzle. It relies on logical inference (Hinton et al, 2003) and is sensitive to the human situation as it involves dialogue with informants. In general, the researcher collects large quantities of detailed evidence. Thus, qualitative research may achieve depth and breadth. Further, qualitative methods are useful when the researcher focuses on the dynamics of the process and requires a deeper understanding of behaviour and the meaning and context of complex phenomena. It is the most appropriate approach for studying a wide range of social dimensions, while maintaining contextual focus (Mason, 2002). Conducting qualitative research requires considerable reflection on the researchers part, and the ability to make a critical assessment of informants comments. It involves debating the reasons for adopting a course of action, challenging ones own assumptions and recognizing how decisions shape the research study (Carcary, 2009). Once a paradigm for research is chosen one must then decide on which research methods to employee in order to conduct their research. There are three different types of research methods that are available to those who are undergoing research. These include: quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods. These methods will now be explored in great detail throughout the rest of this paper. There have always been important differences between the research findings derived from quantitative research and those of qualitative research. The two methodologies have different approaches and their intended goals are not the same. In many ways, they also have competing visions of what constitutes truth. Despite these differences, however, the two methodologies often work in effective symbiosis with each other and each brings to the other a level of understanding that it would not otherwise achieve (Barnham, 2012). Quantitative Research Research involving the collection of data in numerical form for quantitative analysis. The numerical data can be durations, scores, counts of incidents, ratings, or scales. Quantitative data can be collected in either controlled or naturalistic environments, in laboratories or field studies, from special populations or from samples of the general population. The defining factor is that numbers result from the process, whether the initial data collection produced numerical values, or whether non-numerical values were subsequently converted to numbers as part of the analysis process, as in content analysis (Garwood, 2006). Quantitative research tends to be associated with the realist epistemology, the approach to knowledge that maintains that the real world exists, is directly knowable (although not necessarily at this moment) and that the real world causes our experiences. That is, real things exist, and these can be measured, and have numerical values assigned as an outcome measure, and these values are meaningful. These values can only be meaningful if researchers accept some of the criteria associated with the positivist standpoint (Garwood, 2006). Gaining numerical materials facilitates the measurement of variables and also allows statistical tests to be undertaken. For example, descriptive statistics can be used to illustrate and summarize findings, detect relationships between variables, as in correlation coefficient values, or inferential statistical analysis can be undertaken to establish the effects of different interventions, as in analysis of variance, analysis of covariance and multivariate analysis of variance. Interactions between variables can also be investigated within experimental designs and also as part of the analysis of data from surveys or secondary sources. Changes over time can be more easily tracked using quantitative methods, as measures of the same properties can be taken at several points during an intervention (Garwood, 2006). Quantitative studies provide data that can be expressed in numbers-thus, their name. Because the data is in a numeric form, we can apply statistical tests in making statements about the data. These include descriptive statistics like the mean, median, and standard deviation, but can also include inferential statistics like t-tests, ANOVAs, or multiple regression correlations (MRC). Statistical analysis lets us derive important facts from research data, including preference trends, differences between groups, and demographics (McClain, 2012). Quantitative research design is the standard experimental method of most scientific disciplines. These experiments are sometimes referred to as true science, and use traditional mathematical and statistical means to measure results conclusively. They are most commonly used by physical scientists, although social sciences, education and economics have been known to use this type of research. It is the opposite of qualitative research. Quantitative experiments all use a standard format, with a few minor inter-disciplinary differences, of generating a hypothesis to be proved or disproved. This hypothesis must be provable by mathematical and statistical means, and is the basis around which the whole experiment is designed. Randomization of any study groups is essential, and a control group should be included, wherever possible. A sound quantitative design should only manipulate one variable at a time, or statistical analysis becomes cumbersome and open to question. Ideally, the research should be constructed in a manner that allows others to repeat the experiment and obtain similar results (Shuttleworth, 2008). Qualitative Research Qualitative research is a situated activity that locates the observer in the world. Qualitative research consists of a set of interpretive, mate ­rial practices that make the world visible. These practices transform the world. They turn the world into a series of representations, including field notes, interviews, conversations, photographs, record ­ings, and memos to the self. At this level, qualitative research involves an interpretive, naturalistic approach to the world. This means that qualitative researchers study things in their natural settings, attempt ­ing to make sense of, or interpret, phenomena in terms of the mean ­ings people bring to them (Denzin Lincoln, 2011, p.3) Qualitative research is not a single set of theoretical principles, a single research strategy or a single method. It developed in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, across a range of disciplines, on varied and sometimes conflicting philosophical and theoretical bases, including cultural anthropology, interpretive sociologies (such as symbolic interactionism), phenomenology and, more recently, hermeneutics, critical theory, feminism, post-colonial theory, cultural studies, post-structuralism and postmodernism. These diverse approaches inevitably give rise to substantial differences and disagreements about the nature of qualitative research, the role of the researcher, the use of various methods and the analysis of data (Sumner, 2006). However, qualitative research is often based upon interpretivism, constructivism and inductivism. It is concerned to explore the subjective meanings through which people interpret the world, the different ways in which reality is constructed (through language, images and cultural artifacts) in particular contexts. Social events and phenomena are understood from the perspective of the actors themselves, avoiding the imposition of the researchers own preconceptions and definitions. There is also often a concern with the exploration of change and flux in social relationships in context and over time (Sumner, 2006). The methods used in qualitative research, often in combination, are those which are open-ended (to explore participants interpretations) and which allow the collection of detailed information in a relatively close setting. These methods include depth interviewing, ethnography and participant observation, case studies, life histories, discourse analysis and conversational analysis. It is in the nature of qualitative research, with its emphasis on depth and detail of understanding and interpretation, that it is often small-scale or micro-level (Sumner, 2006). According to Glesne (2006), qualitative methods strive to understand some type of social phenomena through the perspectives of the individuals involved. Two major assumptions include a predisposition that reality is socially constructed and that the variables in a situation are highly complex, interwoven and difficult to measure. The purpose of such research is to contextualize, understand and interpret a situation. Typically, qualitative research begins with some type of inductive inquiry, resulting in a hypothesis or participant generated theory. The researcher is considered the main instrument in a setting that is as naturalistic as possible. The methods involved require a high level of descriptive writing and attention to detail. Moreover, a significant amount of time to collect and process the data is required. The researcher is directly involved with the research in a personal way. The various methodologies of qualitative inquiry allow a researcher to choose a strategy that is best suited for his or her purpose. Examples of qualitative research include ethnographies, grounded theory, case studies, phenomenologies and narratives (Designing a Qualitative Study, n.d.). Each methodology relies on specific protocols such as interviews, observations, content analysis, fieldwork, video and audio-taped transmissions, surveys or open-ended questionnaires. Data resulting from qualitative research should be thick in description, meaning that it go beyond surface explanation, expressing in-depth understanding not possible with quantitative methods. The methods of qualitative research are concerned with process, or how something occurs within the confines of the inquiry. The researcher constructs, analyzes and interprets data in a non-linear, non-chronological fashion (Szyjka, 2012). Participant Observation One of the most frequently used methods for qualitative data collection is participant observation, which is also one of the most challenging. It necessitates that the researcher become a member of the culture or context that is being observed. The literature on participant observation discusses how to penetrate the context, the function of the researcher as a participant, the compilation and storage of field notes, and the examination of field data. Participant observation frequently requires months or years of concentrated work because the researcher needs to become accepted as a normal part of the culture in order to guarantee that the observations are of the natural occurrences (Qualitative Methods, 2006). Advantages These include that it affords access to the backstage culture; it allows for richly detailed description, which they interpret to mean that ones goal of describing behaviors, intentions, situations, and events as understood by ones informants is highlighted; and it provides opportunities for viewing or participating in unscheduled events. It also improves the quality of data collection and interpretation and facilitates the development of new research questions or hypotheses (Kawulich, 2005). Disadvantages Disadvantages include that sometimes the researcher may not be interested in what happens out of the public eye and that one must rely on the use of key informants. Different researchers gain different understanding of what they observe, based on the key informant(s) used in the study. Problems related to representation of events and the subsequent interpretations may occur when researchers select key informants who are similar to them or when the informants are community leaders or marginal participants. To alleviate this potential bias problem, it has been suggested that pretesting informants or selecting participants who are culturally competent in the topic being studied (Kawulich, 2005). Direct Observation Direct observation is notable from participant observation in a number of ways. First, a direct observer doesnt characteristically try to become a participant in the environment. However, the direct observer does attempt to be as inconspicuous as possible so as not to prejudice the observations. Second, direct observation proposes a more disconnected perspective. The researcher is observing rather than taking part. As a result, technology can be a helpful part of direct observation. For example, one can videotape the occurrence or observe from behind one-way mirrors. Third, direct observation tends to be more centered on participant observation. The researcher is viewing certain sampled circumstances or people rather than trying to become engrossed in the complete context. Finally, direct observation tends not to take as long as participant observation. For example, one might observe interactions among people under specific conditions in a laboratory setting from behind a one-way mir ror, looking particularly for any nonverbal cues that are being used (Qualitative Methods, 2006). Advantages Simply observing people bypasses all the prob

Art Therapy: Children and its Effectiveness Essay -- Psychology

What is art? Art is the self-expression of someone of something that shows the hidden or underlying emotions that are found within the unconscious mind. Art has been around for centuries (â€Å"Merriam-Webster†). Normally, art would tell stories of past events which were significant to that culture. This could include things such as hunts and sacrifices to please the gods. As people and humanity started to evolve and become more civilized, art started to transform and take on a new appearance as well. From being a story prop to something that is more abstract; art started to become more and more important in the lives of people. During the renaissance in Europe, many new artists and ways of thinking emerged and became the main-stream way of thinking. Many of those artist are household names such as Vincent Van Gogh and Leonardo da Vinci . They transformed art from what it was to how we see it today (Belliveau). Jumping forward from the renaissance to the 1960’s, you h ave artists emerge such as Andy Warhol and Jackson Pollok. They pushed the boundaries of art and how it was perceived in society (American Art Therapy Association). When one talks about art there are many aspects that they could be talking about. Art could be seen as a painting but it could also be seen as a sculpture or sketch. When thinking about art the possibilities of how it could be used is endless. Art could be used in interior decorating or designing something extraordinary but it could also be used as self-expression of suppressed feelings that are unknown to the consciousness. In the beginning, art was never seen as a therapeutic form of expression. Art is now looked at as a good was to relieve stress and express emotions. Rather, art had a more practica... ....† Science 302.5646 (2003): 810-813. JSTOR. Web. 5 Mar. 2012. . Kramer, Edith, and Jerome Hellmuth. â€Å"Art and ... The troubled kid.† JSTOR. Art Education, n.d. Web. 5 Mar. 2012. . Mueller, Karen, and Margie Whittaker Leidig. â€Å"Women’s Anger and Feminist Therapy.† Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies 1 (Winter 1976): 23-30. JSTOR. Web. 5 Mar. 2012. . Wexler, Alice. â€Å"Painting Their Way out: Profiles of Adolescent Art Practice at the Harlem Hospital Horizon Art Studio.† Studies of Art Education 43 .4 (2002): 339-353. JSTOR. Web. 5 Mar. 2012. Belliveau, George. â€Å"An Alternative Practicum Model for Teaching and Learning.† JSTOR. An Alternative Practicum Model for Teaching and Learning, n.d. Web. 5 Mar. 2012. .

nature of ligic and perception Essay -- essays research papers

Logic and perception 1 One of the amazing yet perplexing things about thinking logically and critically is that all of us perceive issues differently and all of us have a unique thinking pattern. The things that we experience also play an important role in how we perceive issues and also our thinking patterns.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One believes the nature of logic is how we each deal with a situation and how we decide what the right thing to do is and how we come to certain conclusions about a situation. We all have had experiences in our life that contribute to what we feel is logical or not logical.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My perpetual process has a lot to do with the experiences that I have gone through. For example, if I experience something negative from that point on I will continue to think that and the same goes for a positive experiences. Some blocks that I have is that I, unfortunately was raised to always think of the worst before the best. This is something that I work on and have come far, but in the situation I am about to tell you about had happened you will be able to see this trait in me.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At my current workplace we were just starting to do all of our work and correspondence to our client’s via-email, since all of our clients were requesting this. So we decided to use it among each other in the office as well. My boss informed me that there was an email that had been sent to me and it was cruci...

Teaching Philosophy Statement :: Education Teachers Essays

Teaching Philosophy Statement Children by nature are human sponges. They absorb information on many different levels, intellectually, emotionally, physically, etc. Their lives are mapped out by experiences, what they learn, and where they learn it. School is the first opportunity for children to learn, to experience, and to see where their lives are headed. All children have the right to an education. One that focuses on their individual needs and an education that will make them learn and feel good about themselves. School should always be challenging. Children need to understand that they are responsible for who they are and who they become. They need to be taught that school is the beginning step to success. The more you learn and absorb the more power and opportunities you will have later in life. Between knowledge and self-esteem (that should be taught in schools), kids should be able to walk away from high school with the knowledge that they have developed and a head full of ideas on where to go from there. People as a society need to raise the bar on our educational standards. The teaching styles that were seen as exceptional in the 1950’s should not be seen as exceptional today. Kids need to be taught that they can reach for the stars and beyond. Everyone is special and with work can have the same opportunities as anyone else. Education is a tool that provides many aspects of learning into a nicely gift-wrapped package. Education teaches skills that help children move from grade to grade but also from childhood into adulthood with acute readiness. Education is important not only for the knowledge that is obtained, but also for the value it holds in today’s society. Jobs are not as obtainable as they once were without some form of higher education. Education is also important because it brings people together. Families are able to communicate with more ease. Nations are able to trade and help in times of need. Learning is education and the education of learning starts in the classroom. In my classroom I hope to accomplish all the textbook materials for the grade I am teaching so that my students may advance to the next grade level with ease. I also hope to accomplish new fun ways of teaching my students self-discipline and self-esteem. Teaching children at such a young age is crucial. I believe that early education teachers help to pave a student’s road through school and life.

Marketing strategy Essay

Nike Inc. founded in 1964 by Bill Bowerman and Philip Knight is global leader in sportswear and footwear industry. With Nike occupying around 45% of global market share in footwear and apparels and moving further ahead, much of the organisational success can be credited to its marketing strategy that have helped the organisation achieve revenue worth billions every fiscal year ($18 billion being in 2008). Nike Inc. UK has a major market in the UK for fitness trainers and shoes provided for health and fitness purpose benefits to the consumers. Nike understands the importance of market analysis and marketing strategy based upon those analytical processes. Considerable amount of research and analysis have been carried on in understanding consumer needs, UK’s environment and potential opportunities. This report consists of situational analysis SWOT of Nike in UK and also presents situational analysis suggestion of ways in which competitive edge can be gained against its rivals with segmentation, targeting and positioning of the products. The importance of marketing objectives has also been highlighted in the report and thus provides Nike with a glimpse of marketing environment in UK and the expectations with role of marketing mix (4P’s). Introduction Nike has predominantly been successful in shoe manufacturing and distribution among the shoe manufacturers with its superior quality, high tech, ultramodern shoes that meet on going demand of the market and its trends. From professional athletics to most common need for fitness trainers, Nike has got fitness shoes and trainers in all shape, sizes and colours. Some of the most famous Nike trainers and fitness shoes are Nike + (spelled as plus), Air Jordan, Nike Shox, Nike Lunar glide, Nike Air Zoom, Nike 360 and many more. Nike is the sole distributor of Nike trade mark represented on each of these and many of its fitness trainers sold globally. High quality material, design and cut and technological enhancement of the shoes as per requirement of various activities thus make Nike the best choice for fitness trainers and shoes. Marketing Analysis and strategic evaluation of a company is an important component of any organisational success. Without well-structured marketing strategies and road maps to planning and achieving them, no organisation can be at the point where they want to be. Nike in UK covers a fair amount of market share and revenue for the organisation. The huge market diversity, brand awareness in market and consumer base loyal to high quality products therefore help to its cause. On the other hand, UK market is generally health conscious and trendy. Trainers and fitness shoes are therefore in much demand over last few years within the country itself. Marketing Audit (Nike Inc. UK) Nike Inc. UK follows management strategies that combine with six of the most important external factors that can have an impact on the organisation. PESTLE is a situational analysis tool that can be used by firms to determine their position against possible external influences such as politics, economy, society, technology, environment and law. Nike and its positional stand against background of UK market can therefore be analysed in the following way: Political Factors Nike Inc. has a considerably stable political environment and an economy welfare provided by the state. Considerable amount of legal requirements were accomplished by Nike during its entry in the UK as an organisation completing all political alignments. Considerable amount of fitness shoes and trainers are imported in UK which is sold all over. However, Nike might have to face challenges if government drafts policy or quotas on Nike shoes that can be imported from its production sites such as Asia-Pacific. Economic Factors UK economy has been unstable in recent years. The double dip recession few years back, inflation rate fluctuating abnormally, growing living costs, income tax rate increments and other economic factors directly or indirectly affected Nike’s performance in the UK with comparatively weak sales figure. Economic balance, employment rate and PDI all must be stable and firm enough in the economy to help a business sustain. Nike therefore needs strategic move that can guarantee its sustainability in such circumstances. Social Factors UK market comprises of people from multiple culture, religion and ethnic backgrounds. Therefore, Nike needs to understand the social system and practice of all these people whenever approaching them. Sales and marketing of the fitness shoes should be therefore based upon social acceptance of methods, people’s lifestyle and their way of thinking. For instance, consumers in UK who purchase fitness trainers are pretty health conscious and the numbers are growing as well. Hence, Nike needs to provide more health benefitting shoes and apparel. Similarly, social responsibility image of Nike has to be significantly boosted with accusations of running sweatshops in Nike factories in Asia which it has tried to improve with facilities, factory improvements and commitment towards further improvement. Technological Factors Technological factors are an important aspect that needs to be considered by Nike Inc. UK . Technological advancements in fitness shoes need to be updated and research and development of such apparels have to be advanced. With fitness shoes that are designed such for injury prevention, sole strengthening, speed sports, less sweating and many other features the advancement has been unimaginable. UK customers are updated and spend good time researching on features and quality of the product they want. Nike therefore has to be technologically capable of providing customer satisfaction. Environmental Factors Nike needs total understanding of UK market as consumers are concerned about how products they purchase can make an impact upon environment. Production materials, process and sites can be harmful to environment in many ways. This can be a grave concern for environmental activists and hence persuade consumer thoughts. Nike has to be able to inform the consumers in UK with their continuous efforts in making Nike shoe production environment friendly and use of raw materials and the production process least harmful to nature. Legal factors Nike has to oblige with all the legal regulations and in relevance with companies operating in the UK. They must consider their business privileges as well as legal responsibility in concern with marketing, promotion and sales in the Kingdom. Some of the legal acts that they need to consider are regarding press, trade acts, acts on sales and supply of goods, adverts and campaigning, television adverts, environmental acts and so on. Without its compliance of local laws and acts Nike would suffer a huge blow in gaining consumer trust as they cannot operate with efficiency. SWOT ANALYSIS FOR NIKE FITNESS SHOES Strength: Nike is a global leader in shoe manufacturing and has been in market for very long time. There is a considerable amount of customer trust and loyalty based upon the very fact that Nike has been able to provide highest quality fitness shoes with modern techniques and design over years. The research and development investment in Nike is huge. The very reason has pioneered Nike in producing ultra-modern technology in fitness shoes. Shoes with air compressed soles for low pressure on soles, ankle protecting designs, speed boosting trainers etc. have all been Nike’s brilliant ideas in meeting with modern demands of consumers. Beside innovations, Nike also provides consumers with choice of designing their own shoes in the UK. Nike has a global presence and their revenues are worth billions . Distribution channels for Nike are well established and it has diverse range of products to cater the consumers with. Weakness: Nike Inc. UK has had to compete fiercely against several of its competitors in recent years with economic downfall regarding price of the product. Several of Nike’s fitness trainers are comparatively expensive than other brands. With buyers focusing their mind on cost efficient purchase, Nike prices are a thought for many. On the other hand, Nike’s sweatshop factories in Asia which are not owned by Nike themselves but subcontracted had tarnished Nike image among many people. Nike has considerably put much effort in improving the working condition and lives of its workers thereby. Opportunity: UK market has lots of potential opportunities for the Nike. With numerous amounts of health conscious people and growing sport enthusiastic generation of youngsters, Nike has the opportunity to grab market by launching shoes and trainers as per the consumer needs. Use of internet is wide and common in the UK and e-commerce has been developing in a tremendous pace. Nike can use this opportunity to promote, inform and cater its consumers with its fitness trainers. Threats: Nike has been competing fiercely with rival companies such as Adidas, Puma, Asics, Umbro and others for fitness shoe production and distribution in UK market. Besides, challenges from competitors, forged Nike footwear relatively cheap and of low quality are circulated by counterfeiters in market which has hampered Nikes reputation and brand. On the other hand growing economic uncertainty, government cuts and rising inflation have been challenging Nike sales. COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE Competitive advantage can be defined as strategic advantage a company holds against the competitors in the industry. It can be marked as the positional state of company when it is able to create a benchmark in terms of profit in the industry. Nike has the competitive advantage over its rivals through wider market coverage, higher gross revenue and customer loyalty as well. Nike fitness trainers with their high quality design and attributes have been able to outperform other shoe makers. Nike therefore wants to hold this competitive advantage over its rival sustainably. Competitive advantage can be achieved either by, Cost advantage techniques when production is made in massive quantity and products sold in relatively cheaper price or differentiation techniques of producing unique featured products against competitors and providing relative value to the good priced. In 2003, Svend Hollenson provided seven key factors that provide organisations with competitive advantage. Nike with all these consideration and seven key factors can boost its performance therefore in market. The seven factors are: Economy of scale: Economies of scale refers to the term when production cost of a company is relatively lower than its sales revenue and earnings made are from massive sales. These companies produce goods on regular basis and avoid shortage in the market. Economy of scope: Economies of scope relates to the idea that cost of production can be further reduced by other organisational means such as joint administrative firms for different products, similar storage for different goods and cost effective methodologies used in production to distribution. Strategic thinking: The core competence of any business to succeed in modern business world is strategic thinking. With enormous amount of competition and impediments that can affect the business, Nike should be able to analyse its internal and external environment, assess operational lapses so as they can provide effective strategy to eradicate arrears and achieve their objectives. Use of local market: Global companies such as Nike have ample opportunity to provide their range of products to local market in the UK. With well informed and health conscious consumers growing on daily basis, Nike can exploit the opportunity to provide its trainers in all parts of the country. Nike’s product range and standards are well accepted and with more quality products coming in it can boost with learning of local market and advantages it can take from. Ability to provide global services: Nike has been able to provide its product and service throughout the globe. With communication, transportation and various technological developments that have made international trade reliable, company such as Nike have been able to market and cater their business worldwide. Use if information technology in global service is an essential tool which has been used by Nike to deliver its goods and services. Competitive advantage (Company specific): Every organisation should have a distinct and unique feature which provides a competitive edge over its rival companies. Nike has been providing high quality footwear from their founding days. Superior technology, design and features of Nike footwear are second to none. This very reason has made Nike achieve higher market share globally than its competitors by building excellent customer relationship. Human resource (competitive advantage): Nike and its success can be credited on high level to the employees of Nike who with their commitment, skills and attitude have made tremendous development and market coverage for them. Human workforce is an essential element of any business where firm should be able to provide the employees with business specific skills. This helps organisation achieve most out of the available workforce. SEGMENTATION, TARGETING AND POSITIONING (STP) The marketing strategy of a company starts from mission and vision statement to selection of market and then positioning of the plans and objectives of the product in the market. Philip Kotler (1994) provided segmentation, targeting and positioning as the essence of strategic management for any organisation. Here, in terms of Nike Inc. UK, we can suggest following steps to be followed for strategic move: Segmentation: Research on existing market, types of customers and distribution of similar market should be carried out. Targeting: A target market (generally mass and more productive) which has to be served has to be analysed. Positioning: The plans are carried out to be performed in the target market and all the activities positioned. Nike Inc. UK should be able to research and develop the segments within UK market where consumers with similar characteristics can be served. The three approaches of market segmentation such as differentiated, undifferentiated and concentrated can be used to determine segments and plan accordingly by Nike. Nike can distinguish its market with several features and variables which determine the general concept about products that Nike offer, fitness shoes in this case. Socio-demographic variables such as age, gender, occupation, income and family etc. can be considered. It may also be based on geographic information such as area, area density, household and neighbourhood, market size and more. Behavioural data can be assessed to determine customer loyalty, buying trends, user choice and others. Psychographic studies would help Nike understand consumer lifestyle, fashion choices and many more. Nike and its segment targeting approach in the UK Socio demography: Nike Inc. UK provides fitness shoe and trainers in wide range and designs to offer different kind of customers. Trainers and shoes come in all shape, size, specification and quality. Trainers in multiple ranges for men, women and kids are available in the UK market. Sizes are marked effectively for fit in purpose and available readily in all the sales stores. Fitness trainers for men range from ? 38 least for Nike Zoom to ? 120 highest for Nike Trainer 1. Women have wide range of choice as well from Nike Air Cardio designs costing mere ? 28 to ? 140 for Nike Air Max+ 2011 id. Kid products range from ? 18 to ? 100. Geography: Nike has made its presence felt in all the major towns and cities in the UK. The points those are most likely to be consumer targeted have been covered as market by Nike. However, reaching the country sides would be a challenge and point of thought if Nike wants to expand its business all over the nation. Nike provides point of sale services in London, Birmingham city, Glasgow, Manchester city, Edinburgh and many other cities. However, internet usage is the only medium for other geographic parts to purchase Nike trainers. Customer Behaviour: It can be important for Nike to realise the importance of customer behaviour in UK. To learn more about consumer preferences and expectation, it is important to communicate with them and share their experiences. Customer loyalty can be earned by providing customers with benefits and services such as after sales, exchange facilities, warranty and making them feel cared for. Nike has to develop such credentials to learn more about customer status and capacity. Consumer psychograph: Nike has so far been successful in providing trainers and fitness shoes to varying demands of consumers that are available in the UK. Prices of the trainers range from ? 28 to ? 140 which shows that Nike has its focus on all sets of customer status. Some exclusive products are also sold in the market that focuses on trendy, fashionable and youthful nature of trainers and fitness shoes for the consumers. POSITIONING OF MARKET Nike Inc. has been very successful in positioning itself as a global leader in athletic footwear market. Even in UK, Nike has been really successful in covering huge market, enormous amount of consumer trust and therefore considerable amount of revenue for the company itself. Technological advancement, high quality materials, innovation and design in Nike footwear are what even the competitors try to imitate. Even though several European brands provide Nike with stiff competition in the UK, Nike has been efficacious in fending off challenges and come up with even better trainers and footwear as per the demand of demanding health conscious population. With a very competitive pricing strategy that is in concern with market expectations, Nike provides footwear of different sizes, design and price for different market segments. Nike has invested considerable amount of time and money on research of UK market since years which has made it one of the most trusted and loved brand in the UK. Such strong position and market share therefore is a positive sign for Nike in days to come. NIKE AND ITS MARKETING OBJECTIVES AND GOALS IN THE UK Nike has been established as a reputed business enterprise in the UK for years now. Their capability and product effectiveness are reflected in choice of people in using Nike fitness trainers before any available option. SMART based goals and objectives which relate to features of objective setting such as specification, measurement, attainment, realisation and time are necessary for Nike to implement in their strategies. Here, we analyse how Nike’s objectives can be related to the SMART approach. SPECIFIC: Nike is the leading women fitness provider in UK with revenue grossing worth 200 million dollars in 2010. Nike Inc. wants to double the gross amount by the fiscal year of 2014. MEASURABLE: Nike targets revenue of $27 billion by the end of 2015 as well as cumulative cash flow increment to $12 billion. ACHIEVABLE: Nike wants to provide UK consumers with 100% cotton used fitness trainers based upon consumer survey in coming years. Nike Inc. has plans to endorse its own athletics footwear during the 2012 summer Olympics in London by sponsoring all the American athletes participating in the games. REALISTIC: Nike Inc. UK wants to increase its market coverage in the UK which is 18% now to 25% within 2013 as Nike footwear have had tremendously appreciated response and promotional endorsements are to be boosted during Olympic games. TIME BOUND: All afore mentioned plans and objectives of Nike Inc. UK are to be completed in certain time allocated for each objective completion. MARKETING STRATEGIES AND PROGRAMS OF NIKE INC. UK Nike Inc. UK would have to define its objectives and the process of determining the achievement of those goals. Out of various strategic plans available, Nike Inc. UK can use growth strategies using both product and market. Figure source: http://highn. me/ansoffs-matrix-planning-for-growth/ Nike Inc. UK can develop its strategies by using various methods of strategic moves such as Market Penetration: by providing competitive prices against others, promotional campaigns, enhancing customer support and care etc. Market Development: by getting into newer geographic area, building newer distribution channels, creating new product dimension, creating new market segment etc. Product Development: by producing exclusive products, creating a new trend, using technological advancements in product, diversifying product ranges etc. Diversification: by producing new merchandises than usual for instance sweat free socks for Nike trainers, or other products to match Nike footwear and apparels such as caps, jogging scarfs etc. THE MARKETING MIX (4P’S) FOR NIKE INC. UK Nike Inc. UK and their marketing strategies may be subject to changes from external forces of environment such as politics, economy, society, technology, environment and law. The company however has no control on these factors and have to make adjustments on several occasions. The 4 p’s are variables that the organisation can control within its own marketing strategy and is generally known as 4 p’s of marketing mix. Here, we analyse Nike Inc. and its marketing mix. Product: Nike should be able to provide product variety to the consumers in UK. With people interested in different sports, Nike can make an impact on market here. The quality and features of the new trainers have to be of highest quality, design and durability. Latest trends and technology used in performance enhancement, accident prevention and safety of athletes should be made available in Nike trainers. Sizes and shapes have to come out in all different ways and the products need to be attractively packaged as well. Price: Nike needs to focus on all kinds of customer and research on the customer behaviour or purchasing pattern in the UK. Though Nike already provides trainers from as cheap as ? 28 to ? 140 and more, the prices need to be justified. List of the prices and their features marked with products can be helpful. Price discounts on times can be helpful for boosting business. Place: Nike should focus on locations where footwear can be retailed, distributed or sold more efficiently. Study of market is necessary to determine where Nike can make best out of its sales. Placement in this case may be stores around sport clubs, distribution to other sellers and others. Information technology has covered almost the whole part of UK which can be utilised by Nike to exploit the market and attract the customers. Promotion: Nike Inc. has used several of global athletes as brand ambassadors for the company. Their very link with the company and attachment has provided lime light to the Nike trainers as well. The company can advertise its trainers through media; create sales promotion from time to time and even sponsor future sport events to promote their products as well. Conclusion/Recommendation: Marketing Strategy is an important aspect in achieving the organisational goals and objectives. Only with considerable investment in analysing Nike Inc. ’s strength, weakness, opportunity and threats can the organisation implement marketing strategies. Nike enjoys good market presence and customer loyalty in the kingdom and thus can improve further. From the report, we can recommend some of the following aspects for Nike; The emerging youth culture and trend is an opportunity for Nike to market its products. More technological use in trainers, design can be improved so as to promote fitness trainers. Health benefits associated with fitness Nike trainers should be made aware to the consumers. Use of information technology can be great way to market coverage for Nike trainers and their distribution.