Lawless

SYNOPSIS Creates diversionary program for juveniles who are criminally charged for â€Å"sexting† or posting sexual images. CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT As introduced. An Act creating a diversionary program for certain juveniles, and amending P. L. 1982, c. 81 and supplementing Title 2A of the New Jersey Statutes. Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey: 1. Section 2 of P. L. 1982, c. 81 (C. 2A:4A-71) is amended to read as follows: 2. Review and processing of complaints. a. The jurisdiction of the court in any complaint filed pursuant to section 11 of P. L. 1982, c. 77 (C. A:4A-30) shall extend to the juvenile who is the subject of the complaint and his parents or guardian. b. Every complaint shall be reviewed by court intake services for recommendation as to whether the complaint should be dismissed, diverted, or referred for court action. Where the complaint alleges a crime which, if committed by an adult, would be a crime of the first, second, third or fourth degree, or alleges a repetitive disorderly persons offense or any disorderly persons offense defined in chapter 35 or chapter 36 of Title 2C, the complaint shall be referred for court action, unless the prosecutor otherwise consents to diversion.Court intake services shall consider the following factors in determining whether to recommend diversion: (1) The seriousness of the alleged offense or conduct and the circumstances in which it occurred; (2) The age and maturity of the juvenile; (3) The risk that the juvenile presents as a substantial danger to others; (4) The family circumstances, including any history of drugs, alcohol abuse or child abuse on the part of the juvenile, his parents or guardian; (5) The nature and number of contacts with court intake services and the court that the juvenile or his family have had; 6) The outcome of those contacts, including the services to which the juvenile or family have been referred and the results of those referrals; (7) The availability of appropriate services outside referral to the court; (8) Any recommendations expressed by the victim or complainant, or arresting officer, as to how the case should be resolved; [and] (9) Any recommendation expressed by the county prosecutor; and (10) The offense alleged is an eligible offense pursuant to section 3 of P. L. , c. (C. (pending before the Legislature as this bill) and the juvenile is eligible to participate in the educational reform program set forth section 3 of P. L. ,c. (C. )(pending before the Legislature as this bill). (cf: P. L. 1988, c. 44, s. 17) 2. (New section) Where a complaint against a juvenile pursuant to section 11 of P. L. 1982, c. 77 (C. 2A:4A-30) alleges that the juvenile has committed an eligible offense satisfying the criteria set forth in subsection c. of section 3 of P. L. , c. (C. ) (pending before he Legislature as this bill) and the court has approved diversion of the complaint pursuant to section 4 of P. L. 1982, c. 81 (C. 2A:4A-73) the resolution of the complaint shall include participation in an educational program set forth in 3 of P. L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill). 3. (New section). a. As used in P. L. , c. (C. )(pending before the Legislature as this bill), â€Å"eligible offense† means an offense in which: (1) the facts of the case involve the creation, exhibition or distribution of a photograph depicting nudity as defined in N.J. S. 2C:24-4 through the use of an electronic communication device, an interactive wireless communications device or a computer; and (2) the creator and subject of the photograph are juveniles or were juveniles at the time of its making. b. The Attorney General, in consultation with the Administrative Director of the Administrative Office of the Courts, shall develop an educational program for juveniles who have committed an eligible offense as defined under the provisions of subsection a. of this section.A juvenile who successfully co mpletes the program shall have the opportunity to avoid prosecution for the eligible offense. c. Admission to the program shall be limited to cases where: (1) the juvenile has not previously been adjudicated delinquent for or convicted of a crime or offense which, if committed by an adult, would constitute aggravated sexual assault; sexual assault; aggravated assault; aggravated criminal sexual contact; endangering the welfare of a child pursuant to N. J. S. 2C:24-4; luring or enticing a child pursuant to section 1 of P. L. 1993, c. 291 (C. C:13-6); luring or enticing an adult pursuant to section 1 of P. L. 2005, c. 1 (C. 2C:13-7) or an attempt to commit any of the enumerated offenses; (2) the juvenile was not aware that his actions could constitute and did not have the intent to commit a criminal offense; (3) there is a likelihood that the juvenile’s offense is related to a condition or situation that would be conducive to change through his participation in the educational program; and (4) the benefits to society in admitting the juvenile into this educational program outweigh the harm done to society by abandoning criminal prosecution. . The educational program shall provide information concerning: (1) the legal consequences of and penalties for sharing sexually suggestive or explicit materials, including applicable federal and State statutes; (2) the non-legal consequences of sharing sexually suggestive or explicit materials including, but not limited to, the effect on relationships, loss of educational and employment opportunities, and being barred or removed from school programs and extracurricular activities; 3) how the unique characteristics of cyberspace and the Internet, including searchibility, replicability, and an infinite audience, can produce long-term and unforeseen consequences for sharing sexually suggestive or explicit materials; and (4) the possible connection between bullying and cyber-bullying and juveniles sharing sexually suggest ive or explicit materials. e. The Attorney General may promulgate guidelines to effectuate the provisions of this act. 4. This act shall take effect on the first day of the seventh month after enactment. STATEMENTThis bill establishes an educational program as an alternative to prosecution for certain juveniles who are charged with a criminal offense for posting sexually suggestive or sexually explicit photographs, or who engage in the behavior commonly known as â€Å"sexting,† in which these pictures are transmitted via cell phones. The bill provides that where a complaint against a juvenile alleges that the juvenile has committed an â€Å"eligible offense† and the court approves diversion of the complaint, the resolution of the complaint would include participation in the educational program created by the bill.The bill defines an â€Å"eligible offense† as an offense in which: (1) the facts of the case involve the creation, exhibition or distribution of a pho tograph depicting nudity as defined in N. J. S. A. 2C:24-4 through the use of an electronic communication device, an interactive wireless communications device or a computer; and (2) the creator and subject of the photograph are juveniles or were juveniles at the time of its making. Under the bill, the Attorney General, in consultation with the Administrative Office of the Courts, would develop an educational program for these juveniles.A juvenile who successfully completes the program would have the opportunity to avoid prosecution for the offense. Admission to the program would be limited to cases where: (1) the juvenile has not previously been adjudicated delinquent for or convicted of a crime or offense which, if committed by an adult, would constitute aggravated sexual assault; sexual assault; aggravated assault; aggravated criminal sexual contact; endangering the welfare of a child; luring or enticing a child; luring or enticing an adult or an attempt to commit any of the enum erated offenses; 2) the juvenile was not aware that his actions could constitute, and did not have the intent to commit, a criminal offense; (3) there is a likelihood that the juvenile’s offense is related to a condition or situation that would be conducive to change through his participation in the educational program; and (4) the benefits to society in admitting the juvenile into this educational program outweigh the harm done to society by abandoning criminal prosecution.The educational program would provide information concerning: (1) the legal consequences of and penalties for sharing sexually suggestive or explicit materials, including applicable federal and State statutes; (2) the non-legal consequences of sharing sexually suggestive or explicit materials including, but not limited to, the effect on relationships, loss of educational and employment opportunities, and being barred or removed from school programs and extracurricular activities; 3) how the unique characte ristics of cyberspace and the Internet, including searchibility, replicability, and an infinite audience, can produce long-term and unforeseen consequences for sharing sexually suggestive or explicit materials; and (4) the possible connection between bullying and cyber-bullying and juveniles sharing sexually suggestive or explicit materials. In addition, the bill amends N. J. S. A. 2A:4A-71 to specifically provide for the diversion of juveniles into the newly created educational program created under the bill as one of the enumerated recommendations which can be made by the court.SYNOPSIS Creates diversionary program for juveniles who are criminally charged for â€Å"sexting† or posting sexual images. CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT As introduced. An Act creating a diversionary program for certain juveniles, and amending P. L. 1982, c. 81 and supplementing Title 2A of the New Jersey Statutes. Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey: 1. Section 2 of P. L. 1982, c. 81 (C. 2A:4A-71) is amended to read as follows: 2. Review and processing of complaints. a. The jurisdiction of the court in any complaint filed pursuant to section 11 of P. L. 1982, c. 77 (C. A:4A-30) shall extend to the juvenile who is the subject of the complaint and his parents or guardian. b. Every complaint shall be reviewed by court intake services for recommendation as to whether the complaint should be dismissed, diverted, or referred for court action. Where the complaint alleges a crime which, if committed by an adult, would be a crime of the first, second, third or fourth degree, or alleges a repetitive disorderly persons offense or any disorderly persons offense defined in chapter 35 or chapter 36 of Title 2C, the complaint shall be referred for court action, unless the prosecutor otherwise consents to diversion.Court intake services shall consider the following factors in determining whether to recommend diversion: (1) The seriousness of the alleged offen se or conduct and the circumstances in which it occurred; (2) The age and maturity of the juvenile; (3) The risk that the juvenile presents as a substantial danger to others; (4) The family circumstances, including any history of drugs, alcohol abuse or child abuse on the part of the juvenile, his parents or guardian; (5) The nature and number of contacts with court intake services and the court that the juvenile or his family have had; 6) The outcome of those contacts, including the services to which the juvenile or family have been referred and the results of those referrals; (7) The availability of appropriate services outside referral to the court; (8) Any recommendations expressed by the victim or complainant, or arresting officer, as to how the case should be resolved; [and] (9) Any recommendation expressed by the county prosecutor; and (10) The offense alleged is an eligible offense pursuant to section 3 of P. L. , c. (C. (pending before the Legislature as this bill) and the juvenile is eligible to participate in the educational reform program set forth section 3 of P. L. ,c. (C. )(pending before the Legislature as this bill). (cf: P. L. 1988, c. 44, s. 17) 2. (New section) Where a complaint against a juvenile pursuant to section 11 of P. L. 1982, c. 77 (C. 2A:4A-30) alleges that the juvenile has committed an eligible offense satisfying the criteria set forth in subsection c. of section 3 of P. L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) and the court has approved diversion of the complaint pursuant to section 4 of P.L. 1982, c. 81 (C. 2A:4A-73) the resolution of the complaint shall include participation in an educational program set forth in 3 of P. L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill). 3. (New section). a. As used in P. L. , c. (C. )(pending before the Legislature as this bill), â€Å"eligible offense† means an offense in which: (1) the facts of the case involve the creation, exhibition or distribution of a photograph depicting nudity as defined in N. J. S. 2C:24-4 through the use of an electronic communication device, an interactive wireless communications device or a computer; and 2) the creator and subject of the photograph are juveniles or were juveniles at the time of its making. b. The Attorney General, in consultation with the Administrative Director of the Administrative Office of the Courts, shall develop an educational program for juveniles who have committed an eligible offense as defined under the provisions of subsection a. of this section. A juvenile who successfully completes the program shall have the opportunity to avoid prosecution for the eligible offense. c.Admission to the program shall be limited to cases where: (1) the juvenile has not previously been adjudicated delinquent for or convicted of a crime or offense which, if committed by an adult, would constitute aggravated sexual assault; sexual assault; aggravated assault; aggravated criminal sexual contact; en dangering the welfare of a child pursuant to N. J. S. 2C:24-4; luring or enticing a child pursuant to section 1 of P. L. 1993, c. 291 (C. 2C:13-6); luring or enticing an adult pursuant to section 1 of P. L. 2005, c. 1 (C. C:13-7) or an attempt to commit any of the enumerated offenses; (2) the juvenile was not aware that his actions could constitute and did not have the intent to commit a criminal offense; (3) there is a likelihood that the juvenile’s offense is related to a condition or situation that would be conducive to change through his participation in the educational program; and (4) the benefits to society in admitting the juvenile into this educational program outweigh the harm done to society by abandoning criminal prosecution. . The educational program shall provide information concerning: (1) the legal consequences of and penalties for sharing sexually suggestive or explicit materials, including applicable federal and State statutes; (2) the non-legal consequences of sharing sexually suggestive or explicit materials including, but not limited to, the effect on relationships, loss of educational and employment opportunities, and being barred or removed from school programs and extracurricular activities; 3) how the unique characteristics of cyberspace and the Internet, including searchibility, replicability, and an infinite audience, can produce long-term and unforeseen consequences for sharing sexually suggestive or explicit materials; and (4) the possible connection between bullying and cyber-bullying and juveniles sharing sexually suggestive or explicit materials. e. The Attorney General may promulgate guidelines to effectuate the provisions of this act. 4. This act shall take effect on the first day of the seventh month after enactment. STATEMENTThis bill establishes an educational program as an alternative to prosecution for certain juveniles who are charged with a criminal offense for posting sexually suggestive or sexually explicit pho tographs, or who engage in the behavior commonly known as â€Å"sexting,† in which these pictures are transmitted via cell phones. The bill provides that where a complaint against a juvenile alleges that the juvenile has committed an â€Å"eligible offense† and the court approves diversion of the complaint, the resolution of the complaint would include participation in the educational program created by the bill.The bill defines an â€Å"eligible offense† as an offense in which: (1) the facts of the case involve the creation, exhibition or distribution of a photograph depicting nudity as defined in N. J. S. A. 2C:24-4 through the use of an electronic communication device, an interactive wireless communications device or a computer; and (2) the creator and subject of the photograph are juveniles or were juveniles at the time of its making. Under the bill, the Attorney General, in consultation with the Administrative Office of the Courts, would develop an educatio nal program for these juveniles.A juvenile who successfully completes the program would have the opportunity to avoid prosecution for the offense. Admission to the program would be limited to cases where: (1) the juvenile has not previously been adjudicated delinquent for or convicted of a crime or offense which, if committed by an adult, would constitute aggravated sexual assault; sexual assault; aggravated assault; aggravated criminal sexual contact; endangering the welfare of a child; luring or enticing a child; luring or enticing an adult or an attempt to commit any of the enumerated offenses; 2) the juvenile was not aware that his actions could constitute, and did not have the intent to commit, a criminal offense; (3) there is a likelihood that the juvenile’s offense is related to a condition or situation that would be conducive to change through his participation in the educational program; and (4) the benefits to society in admitting the juvenile into this educational program outweigh the harm done to society by abandoning criminal prosecution.The educational program would provide information concerning: (1) the legal consequences of and penalties for sharing sexually suggestive or explicit materials, including applicable federal and State statutes; (2) the non-legal consequences of sharing sexually suggestive or explicit materials including, but not limited to, the effect on relationships, loss of educational and employment opportunities, and being barred or removed from school programs and extracurricular activities; 3) how the unique characteristics of cyberspace and the Internet, including searchibility, replicability, and an infinite audience, can produce long-term and unforeseen consequences for sharing sexually suggestive or explicit materials; and (4) the possible connection between bullying and cyber-bullying and juveniles sharing sexually suggestive or explicit materials. In addition, the bill amends N. J. S. A. 2A:4A-71 to specifically provide for the diversion of juveniles into the newly created educational program created under the bill as one of the enumerated recommendations which can be made by the court.

Public and Private Schools Essay

There are many advantages and disadvantages to both public and private schools. As a parent, both options must be explored and the choice must be based on what is right for each particular child.   Public schools often have a larger variety of subjects available, especially when it comes to electives. However, what is learned is somewhat decided by the state because public schools need to do well on standardized testing. Private schools, on the other hand, whether parochial or private have much more freedom of choice in curriculum and can choose to make their own assessments. Because of the individualized instruction, private schools tend to do generally better on standardized testing, that is, if they choose to use it. Private schools, many times, have more demanding curricula and have a higher rate of students who go on to attend college. Public schools are larger and also have larger class sizes. Public schools also have larger student-teacher ratios. According to a web site called Public School Review, â€Å"Private schools average 13 students per teacher, compared with an average of 16 students per teacher in public schools† (publicschoolreview). However, public schools have certified teachers. Private schools typically have teachers who are not state-certified and who may not have expertise in their subject matter.   The biggest difference between public and private schools probably is that public schools are required to educate all students. They cannot deny any student admission. On the other hand, private schools have complete control about who they accept and can kick students out much more easily.   Public schools are funded by tax revenue whereas private schools are funded privately. That means private schools cost money to attend called tuition. Taxpayers pay for public schools so the payment is included in what people pay. However in private schools, the payment is upfront for students to attend. Overall, there is no one right answer for which kind of school a student attends—public or private. The decision must be made for each individual student as there are advantages and disadvantages of both. Works Cited Public School Review. Public Versus Private Schools. Retrieved Nov. 15, 2007 at Web

What is Public administration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

What is Public administration - Essay Example Though administration in regular life is mostly involuntary, it is possible to control and co-ordinate such activities for common good. Hence the administration aspect is combined with management to optimize its benefits. Inclusion of management has given an ethical and social angle to the PA portfolio. In the traceable beginnings of this complex discipline the areas of politics and administration were separated vaguely. As times passed by, the political nature of administration made it complex to keep the two disciplines associated. Hence in recent times, political scientists study the organizational behavior of governments at all levels and provide inputs to the administration wing to act on the suggestions. This process evolution has removed the political influence on administration aspects to a large extent. In the symbolic front bureaucracy is still a synonym for public administration, reflecting the initial influence of politics on PA. The face of public administration has changed drastically over centuries. The rudiments of this discipline can be found in different parts of the world in different cultures aiming to achieve similar public interest objectives. In the earlier set up, public administrators were considered only as implementers of law. This idea ignored the human element involved in administration.

Marketing Concepts and Planning of Cathay pacific Essay

Marketing Concepts and Planning of Cathay pacific - Essay Example The company believes that their business is marketing knowledge to the travellers. Accordingly, the company is dedicated to Hong Kong where it was established as it continues to make substantial investments to create Hong Kong’s aviation industry and improve the position for Hong Kong as a regional transportation hub. Furthermore, additional to fleet of aircraft, the company also invests in food preparation, aircraft repairs and ground management companies. To Cathay Pacific, a great airlift is not just concerned with the offering of a charming check-in, delicious food and relaxed seats; it is about knowing what a customer desires before they need to request. This is Cathay Pacific company considers that the factual long-term distinction between themselves and their rivals is the exclusive service elegance offered by their staff. Research has shown that their service has an even superior influence on travellers' opinions than the product they provide (Danny 2006, p. 78). To Ca thay Pacific, this shows that training and advancing in their workforce has just as noteworthy profit as their venture in extraordinary technology. For this reason, they have been concentrating or aiming at evolving a culture of service quality. They call this new culture 'Service Honest from the Heart.' Segmentation, Targeting And Positioning Decisions of Cathay Pacific Cathay Pacific is the sphere`s third most cost-effective air company. It is registered and grounded in Hong Kong and at present hires over twenty thousand employees. Segmentation, targeting and positioning are the vital methods of marketing plan. Quantity market is separated into minor sections in which clients share the same set of needs and desires (Graydon 2003, p. 87). Sellers recognize sections or fragments and choose the most practicable and cost-effective sections to target. Cathay Pacific targets trade travellers by chosen account database and mice advertisings. Giving emphasis to the dedication to Hong Kong is a distinction positioning approach of Cathay Pacific (Moyo 2005, p. 59). In addition, Cathay Pacific situates itself as an air company giving superiority services from deep down their hearts. Therefore, its present brand building war for reinforcing this position is â€Å"Individuals and services.† Cathay Pacific manages the complaints of its clients through various channels including comment card, Website, and frontline employee because the number of objections is a sign, which can reveal client approval or contentment indirectly. Accordingly, the company recurrently performs survey concerning the contentment of clients proactively (Greenley 2005, p. 123). The outcome of the contentment shows that client is fulfilled with Cathay Pacific`s services. Content clients lead to client reliability and, in turn, improve brand justice. Nevertheless, Cathay Pacific still copes with two tiered reliability program to uphold and enhance customer reliability. According to Robeson (200 9, p.89), segmentation, targeting and positioning are interrelated steps for planning marketing stratagem. Segmentation has been identified to encompass apportioning the market into numerous smaller sections with comparatively consistent client needs and desires. Targeting includes a company`s choice of deciding on one or more target sections to attend. On the

Gods True Prayer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gods True Prayer - Essay Example The prayer also indicates that for this relationship with Jesus to work, the Believers necessarily ought to continue to accept the truth of the message by heart and follow or imitate Christ’s righteousness sincerely. This is a way of truly knowing who belong to the Father and deserve to be with Him in the eternal life after death by the time Judgment comes. 2. What does this prayer tell us about the Believers relationship to the world? Based on this prayer, the Believers do not actually belong to the world forever. Besides being in the world temporarily to come to discover God-endowed human potentials and to appreciate His creation, the world serves as a ground where men are exposed to the physical matter, as opposed to the spiritual so that they may eventually be able to distinguish the divine nature from the human nature and the wonders of faith or forming convictions without having to see in reality Whom one has developed faith with. So in other words, the Earth becomes a p lace of huge significance as it puts each Believer’s faith to test through worldly temptations then filters who among those who initially follow Christ would be his disciple until the end. The world is a representation of what humans are prior to knowledge of God by faith. It signifies weakness of human nature or that which usually cuts the fellowship of Believers in God’s community. If one is ‘of the world’ and could not leave his material possessions behind in exchange of entering God’s kingdom, it is then impossible to be with God since His nature is divine or spiritual and is not in any way made of anything out of the world. 3. What does this prayer tell us about the Believers relationship to the Father? As he utters ‘I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them’ (John 17:26), Jesus similarly desires for the Bible readers to understand that the Believers belong to the Father as His children. Thus, he is given the essential mission of making Him known to the world so that the world may know that He is the Father in return. God expresses His unconditional love toward the Believers, being their Creator and Father who possesses immeasurable abundance in power, mercy, grace, and wisdom which He has constantly imparted mankind to this point due to His unfailing love despite man’s shortfall. Through ‘The High Priestly Prayer of Christ’, Jesus addresses the essence of establishing a relationship with God through Christ that goes beyond mere church traditions. The substance of the prayer calls for righteousness other than fulfilling religious obligations or that to a deeper extent, the Believers are anticipated to genuinely love God back for it is His desire as well for the world to comprehend that He is not a distant being or entity who only punishes the ‘evil’ and rewards the à ¢â‚¬Ëœgood’. Rather, due to the full measure of His love, He does not keep records of wrongs regardless of the number of times sins are committed thus, with an overflowing grace and compassion, He is the Father who is ready to forgive or redeem an unrighteous

Facilitating Change in Health and Social Care Essay

Facilitating Change in Health and Social Care - Essay Example The Economic factor is one of the key aspects in case of health and social care services. In this regard, Plamping (n.d) claimed that rising cost of the health and social care services leads to certain challenges for patients. However, it is witnessed that governmental authorities have availed financial resources to the health and social care organizations for the betterment of health and social care services. Plamping argued that through incorporating economic as well as cost-effective approach, care organizations could bring changes in health and social care services for the betterment of future. At the same time, the workforce is one of the essential aspects in case of health and social care services. Thus, it is essential for the health and social care organizations to enhance the skills and ability of the workforce for greater effectiveness in future. Apart from this, it can also be claimed that Whitstable Nursing Home (WNH) can reduce the cost of the workforce for improving the ir opportunities in terms of health and social care services. The rising expectation and quality care were driving the need for change. Social and demographic issues can negatively affect the overall performances of the health and social care services. For an instance, it can be argued that an individual’s health-related behavior such as smoking could adversely affect the surrounding and the physical environment. On the other hand, it can be claimed that social and cultural values (Plumbing, n.d.).

Marginalization in Haiti, Peru, Russian Term Paper

Marginalization in Haiti, Peru, Russian - Term Paper Example The Russian Federation, Haiti, and Peru are classified as developing countries, which is mainly due to the unevenness of their respective people’s access to national resources. There are small numbers of extremely rich and powerful individuals enjoying the national wealth while a large group of the populations remain marginalized and kept aloof from the resources and political power.   Regardless, the former kind of marginalization is manifested in the three countries, especially among members of the middle-class segment of the populations. The population segment face marginalization in terms of access to higher education, comprehensive medical care, proper nutrition, and adequate housing due to poor paying jobs and lack of adequate training. However, some members of the group enjoy food stamps, fair-priced housing, universal elementary education, and access to emergency health care. However, these safety nets are inadequate and are usually overstretched by other pressures such as overpopulation. For instance, constant natural disasters such as floods have usually exposed substantial numbers of Haitian middle-class, for instance, to the problem of overstretched rescue teams and medical resources (Kidder Chapter 3). Certainly, these populations live in extremely trying situations and feel marginalized by the fewer more, affluent members of the society.  On the oth er hand, abject poverty which is the focus of the protagonist and his community is attributed to a lack of any safety net for vast populations. The group is represented by the lower-class populations of Russia, Haiti, and Peru who cannot access footwear, safe water for drinking, basic education and health care (Kidder Chapters 4 and 5). In addition, those who are in abject poverty are completely marginalized in terms of access to housing as evidenced in inadequate floor area, leaking roofs, improper furniture, and walls or other finishing.  Ã‚     

CIS 375 Week 2 Assingment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

CIS 375 Week 2 Assingment - Assignment Example The section below provides a comparison between the metaphors used in the two interfaces. Metaphors are a basis for the interaction and communication between the user and the computer. According to Carroll, Mack, & Kellogg (2007), applications utilizing menu driven screen have metaphors such as mouse pointers and cursors to indicate the motion of the mouse on the screen. This metaphor has been replaced all together on the multi-touch screen interface. The mouse driven interfaces are operated by dragging the cursor on the screen and effecting commands by clicking. Underling concepts of the application are presented in form of icons for a user to understand. Both the mouse driven and multi-touch screens use icons to represent underlying application concepts (Carroll et al, 2007). For instance the recycle bin is used to represent deleted items. Mouse driven screen interface uses the desktop metaphor which is a unifying concept that helps users to easily use a computer. The desktop metaphor treats the computer monitor as the user’s interaction point. Here, objects such as documents, files, folders and other accessories are placed. On the other hand the multi-touch screens use the home metaphor where all applications can be accessed by the user. In other applications that use both the mouse driven and multi touch screens both the home screen and the desktop metaphors can be used (Carroll et al, 2007). Multi-touch screens allow moving layered views to allow the user to view content beneath them; the screen also uses swiping as a way of viewing different windows. Additionally, the interface uses the dragging, flicking and swiping objects on the screen. This is common when playing games and performing other basic tasks (Carroll et al, 2007). The mouse driven screen will perform this tasks using the minimizing and maximizing option on the window. This interface also utilizes the dragging metaphor for movement of objects on

Examines one of the following charactersHester Prynne, Rev. Arthur Essay

Examines one of the following charactersHester Prynne, Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale, Pearl Prynne, or Roger Chillingworth - Essay Example Additionally, to further quotes will be analyzed with regard to academic literature and the way in which Rev. Dimmesdale can be understood. Accordingly, it is the hope of this author that such a unit of analysis will be beneficial definitive and concise representation of what Rev. Dimmesdale truly representative. As a man of Biblical learning and intelligence that was respected greatly within the community, administer suffers from a continual denial of who he represents. Additionally, the continual inward struggle that is represented is effectively encapsulated within the Rev. Dimmesdale’s sermon, â€Å"At the great judgment day,† whispered the minister—and, strangely enough, the sense that he was a professional teacher of truth impelled him to answer the child so. â€Å"Then, and there, before the judgment seat, thy mother, and thou, and I, must stand together. But the daylight of this world shall not see our meeting† (Hawthorne 92)! As can adequately be seen, Dimmesdale lacks the moral fortitude of approaching the issue of his love and lust with the congregation that so adulates and adores him. Instead, he seeks to understand and interpret the final judgment as something that will be between God and the individual. One of scholars that examined Dimmesdaleâ€℠¢s duplicity and the following to say, â€Å"Dimmesdale represents a dichotomy of confusion between that which is expected that which is natural within his own frame of understanding† (Hunt 28). It is this continual difficulty that continues to define the way in which Rev. Dimmesdale understands the world around them. The second would be utilized at Dimmesdale’s cowardice has to do with the way in which he interacts with his lover. Says Dimmesdale, â€Å"Happy are you, Hester, that wear the scarlet letter openly upon your bosom! Mine burns in secret! Thou little knowest what a relief it is, after the torment of a seven years cheat, to look into an eye that recognizes me

Best Practices for School Principals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Best Practices for School Principals - Essay Example This essay declares that principals are the chief executives of schools. In the absence of a competent principal, a school may face lot of problems. In other words, a principal can make or break a school. Scholars often talk about the importance of teaching and the skills necessary for teachers. They speak less about the importance of principals in controlling or managing school resources. In fact principal is the person who is managing the school resources, including teachers and infrastructure facilities in the school compound. This paper analyses the importance and best practices of school principals in general and school principals in Texas in particular. This paper stresses that democratic way of functioning by the principal is always welcomed by the students, parents and teachers. However, it is not necessary that democracy may bring intended results in schools. For example, teachers and students may consider the liberal attitudes of the principal as a weakness and they may try to exploit it. In order to avoid that it is better for the principal to implement situational leadership in his functioning. In other words, the principal should change his way of functioning based on the situations. There are situations in which the principal forced to use his power and authority to punish the students and teachers. Teachers may come late and students may not attend the classes regularly, if the principal fails to punish the culprits. School is a place from which the students lean discipline. In the absence of a competent principal, students may learn crazy life styles from school campuses instead of discipline. It should be noted that in ma ny of the Texas school campuses, drug addiction and alcoholism are big problems. Moreover sexual exploitation is also taking place in many of the Texas school campuses. If the principal fails to take necessary actions to punish the culprits, such unacceptable behaviors may increase in school compounds. In short, an effective principal should be the one who implements

Enforcing Racial Discrimination Essay Example for Free

Enforcing Racial Discrimination Essay The series of photographs documented by the Farm Security Administration of the Office of War Information photographers were taken between 1937 and 1943, presumably during the years the unit was in operation. These photographers were tasked to document various manifestations of change and continuity in the prevalent American life, and this resulted in a vivid collection of images that particularly focused on the practice of racial segregation. Curiously, while the photographers were not officially acknowledged to have been directed to document specific scenes, the prints produced exhibited a skew toward signs that indicate racial discrimination and segregation (LOC 2004). Among the thirty-one photos included in the series, all depict signs situated in a number of locations such as bus and train stations, restaurants, cafes, bars, movie theaters, stores, and billiard halls. These signs also collectively show the use of words such as â€Å"colored† and â€Å"white’, which clearly validate the existence of segregation between Caucasian Americans and individuals of ethnic origins such as blacks and Indians. True to the era during which they were photographed, the environment and people incidentally present in each picture appear in authentic manners of architecture and fashion. II. Racial Segregation in America The issue on race and discrimination in America can be famously traced centuries back, with the history of Africans being brought into the country as slaves. Though this deplorable condition had been corrected by the gains of the Civil War, thus granting freedom to blacks. However, the occurrence of the Great Depression in the 1920s brought back situations identical to those experienced by African-Americans previously, as the country was beset by the chaos produced by the lack of jobs and sources of income. In 1932, most blacks found themselves without work, and there was increasing pressure from whites to have blacks fired from any job that they believed should be assigned to unemployed whites. Numerous forms of racial violence again ensued, particularly in the South, during the 1930s (LOC 2002). The legal foundation of racial segregation was the Jim Crow laws, which were imposed in the 1860s mainly in railroad cars, and continued to be enforced throughout the decades until the 1960s (McElrath 2008). The effects of segregation on typical American life and society were apparently significant enough to create scenes extraordinary enough to tell their own stories through photographs, which were precisely what the Farm Security collection achieved. III. Beyond the Signs: Marking the Lines of Race The objective of the Farm Security photographs had been to depict regular American life, yet it is clear how the typicality of the images at the time does not lend itself in the same nature today. There is a point of discussion in the deliberate move to show not just groups of whites and ethnic people, but the centering on the signs that limit freedom, that erase the function of choice. The study of signs, known as semiotics, provides the connection between the audience, interpreter, and the sign itself (Littlejohn 2008). The photos, with their studied involvement of the actual sign, venue, and individuals, already form the three-part process; the blacks are the audience and the photographer is the interpreter, within the space covered by the sign. This shows how the photographers aimed to convey a reality, a system that used semiotics as a way to impose discrimination. This they had done with not just a bit of participation on their end, quite like the way Coles (1997) appropriated documentary work with the linking of lives with the subject. The same logic is utilized by Gripsrud (in Gillespie and Toynbee 2006), when he classified a photographer’s work as indexical—the identifying of a specific aspect of a subject—and therefore lends to much subjectivity. IV. Showing Signs of Racial Conflict to an Audience While the audience of the signs were the blacks—and whites, depending on the sign and situation—the photos’ audience are people who would benefit from knowledge of a different period, as was the arguable objective of the Farm Security photographers in documenting change and continuity in American life. Mainly, the photos were for research and evaluation, whether or not the audience would find them appalling or give them their approval. It may be possible that some of those who comprise the audience are people who have lived through the same era, making them mere confirmations of what they already know; but the more relevant audience would be the uninformed, who would find new insight into American society and its management of racial issues in the late 1930s and early 40s. V. Appropriation of Technique and Style in Communicating Racism The black-and-white photography is already significant on its own, referring to the subjects as well; seeing words on the signs captured in the photographs deals a double blow—‘black’, or ‘colored’, and ‘white’ signs in black-and-white photos. The photographers simply captured the signs as they were, specially for those in venues without people milling around, but there were also photos that provided degrees of humanity and emotion. One of the most striking is a photo of a bar showing whites having beer, a sign on the wall above them that says â€Å"Positively no beer sold to Indians†. Though Indians are known for their penchant for alcohol, it is disturbing one clear sign can show how this ethnic group is singled out and discriminated against—an error of generalization. The white people in the photo appear serious and quite professional, which indicates how the sign should not be misconstrued as a joke. Other photos in the collection, though showing signs and places rather than people as subjects, reveal the increasing culture of urbanization—shown by the railroads, buses, and stores where the signs are found. Urbanization, being common ground for both blacks and whites, necessitates signs; these indicate white control over society and economy, and the intent to keep ‘colored’ people away from this power. Works Cited Primary Source: Library of Congress. â€Å"Photographs of Signs Enforcing Racial Discrimination: Documentation by Farm Security Administration-Office of War Information Photographers†. Prints Photographs Reading Room. April 30, 2004. http://www. loc. gov/rr/print/list/085_disc. html Secondary Sources: Coles, Robert. â€Å"The Tradition: Fact and Fiction†. Doing Documentary Work. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997. Gripsrud, Jostein. â€Å"Semiotics: signs, codes and cultures†. In Gillespie, Marie and Jason Toynbee. Analysing Media Texts. Berkshire: Open University Press, 2006. Library of Congress. â€Å"Great Depression and World War II, 1929-1945: Race Relations in the 1930s and 1940s†. 2002. http://lcweb2. loc. gov/learn/features/timeline/depwwii/race/race. html McElrath, Jessica. â€Å"Creation of Jim Crow South: Segregation in the South†. About. com. 2008. http://afroamhistory. about. com/od/jimcrowlaw1/a/creationjimcrow. htm

Overview of the Production Possibility Curve

Overview of the Production Possibility Curve Production Possibility Curve Production possibility curve is the curve that show the combination of two item or services that can be produce in the market in a certain amount of time provided that all other eternal factor that can effect the curve are kept constant such as, labour, technology land and capital. The curve shows the production between two item and how much can we produce with the current resources or technology. As the title says ‘possibility’ which also means that with this much of resources, how much of item can it produce or achieve. There are 3 types of production possibility curve which are straight-line sloping down, concave and convex curve. The first type of curve has a constant negative gradient or constant ratio which also means that as one item/good decreases by one, the other item/good will increase by one, and it will always be constant. Which also means that its opportunity cost will be always constant. But this type of curve is not realistic because it cannot represent the market/economy. The second type of curve is known as concave curve, it has increasing ratio as moving on the curve which also means that we need to decrease more of a item/good to produce more of the good and the decreasing number will keep increase as a sacrifice for another item/good. Which also means that the opportunity cost will keep increasing. Thus this graph is also knows as increasing opportunity curve. This type of curve is more realistic and it represent the whole market or economy. The last type of curve is known as convex curve, it has decreasing ratio as moving on the curve which is also means that we need to decrease less of a item/good to produce more of a good and the decreasing number will keep decrease as moving along the curve. Which is also means that the opportunity cost will keep decreasing. Thus the graph is also known as decreasing opportunity curve. This type of curve does not really exist in the real life economy, some says that in agriculture, this type of curve does exist but mostly it is not. Assumptions of the Production Possibility Curve There are assumption on the production possibility curve because the curve is not a live feed as the market always changes and it also could not show every possible detail of the market so we will have to keep it short and simple while still able to represent the market. There are four assumption of the production possibility curve which are assumption of two goods/items, constant resources, constant technology and efficiency. The first assumption is that the curve assumed that the market/economy only have two goods/items or that the goods/items will represent the whole market/economy. This way we could define or assume the economy from the curve, because the two goods/items simplify the economy thus we only could interpret the economy because in reality there are too many goods/items to take into account or it is impossible to take everything into one curve. In conclusion this assumption of the two goods simplify the market/economy so that we could monitor the changes and the stands of the market/economy. The next or second assumption is that the resources that is supply to the economy is constant or fixed. Resources will always change but we cannot use the real amount of resources to construct the production possibility curve, we will need to resources to be constant to construct the production possibility curve. Due to it constant resources at a time, we could use it to compare with another amount of resources at another time, with this we could analyse the increase in resources or decrease in resources. The third assumption is quite similar to the second one as it assumed the technology is constant. This is an assumption of how well or how much the tools and machineries will produce goods/items given the same amount of resources. It can be seen when a tool or machine produces 10 cake with 10 kg of flour while another tool with a higher or more advanced technology produces 10 cake with 5kg of flour or produces 20 cake with 10 kg of flour. This technological advancement will cause the production possibility curve to change and technology advances everyday thus we need to make it constant. Similar to the assumption of the constant resources, we can use it as comparison as shown is the example, we can use the amount of goods/items produce to compare because is the technology advances, more goods/items will be produce and the other way when the technology degrades. The last assumption is the efficiency, the production possibility curve assume that all the resources are utilize fully but in reality the resources are never been utilize fully. This can be seen where the some labour have no motivation or heart to work and work at its fullest. This is the hardest factor to control so the possibility of the labour force will be fully utilize is very less. There are times when the machineries are old and did not sent for maintenance which will cause the efficiency of the production to drop which will be another factor to contribute to efficiency cannot be fully achieved. Thus it assumed that the work force is fully utilize and no waste of resources to produce the production possibility curve. Opportunity Cost Production Possibility Curve A Opportunity cost is the cost or expenses needed to be given or sacrifice to gain something, like the production possibility curve A above, we can produce either guns or butter but to increase the production of one type of goods/item we need to decrease the other, for example now we are producing at point A and we want to produce more of butter so we decided to shift our production to B, when our production for butter increases, at the same time we need to decrease the guns production in exchange because of scarcity. There are 3 type of opportunity cost which are increasing opportunity cost, constant opportunity cost and decreasing opportunity cost. Production possibility curve A shows increasing opportunity cost which can be seen at between point AB and Point CD, to increase the production of butter by 10, the quantity of guns needed to be reduced by 5 but as going down the curve like point C and D, to increase the production of butter by 10, the production of 50 guns need to be reduced. From that we can say it is increasing opportunity cost because the opportunity cost increase as going down the curve from 5 to 50 to produce the same amount of butter. Unemployment Unemployment in terms of business refers to a situation whereby a graduate or a working age adult fails to get a job. There are many types of unemployment, which includes classical, cyclical, structural, frictional, hidden and long-term. This problem would bring about negative impact in the long run to the country’s economic growth. In terms of economics, unemployment is defined as the wastage of resources in a production. When this occurs the economy would not be able to reach the production possibility curve which is a result of any point that appears INSIDE the curve. This can be further illustrated by the production possibility curve whereby the point which shows unemployment is at Point D which is located INSIDE the curve. At this point the resources are not fully used in the production of goods but would still attainable. Point A, B and C on the other hand achieve full employment in the production of capital goods and consumer goods.In addition to this, point E is an example of the production that is unattainable based on the current advancement of technology and resources. There are many ways to improve the production possibility curve in order for all the resources to be fully utilized. The government would provide insurance, compensation, and subsidies to aid in restraining of the demand. Besides, the labor market is never 100% efficient, therefore, the minimum wage policy should be reconsidered and the power of unions should be reduced at the same time. This would then improve the economic in the long run. Economic Growth Economic growth can be easily defined as the output shift of the production possibility curve due to the rise of the economy over a certain period or an increase in the production due the fully utilization of scare resources. This shift on then production possibility curve shows that the economy has successfully increased its capacity to produce more. The few factors that contribute to the economic growth is the advancement in technology, the increase in man power, the discovery of new production methods as well as raw materials. When there is an advance in technology, the production of goods or services would be more efficient. For example in countries like China, the rapid economic growth is due to application of new technology to then manufacturing process. An economy would not be able to grow if there is an insufficient amount of resources allocated especially to the capital goods. Next, the increase of labor force is important to enable a more number of people to contribute physically in the production. A particular country allows specialization between the laborers to enable better quality and a well divided task to improve the productive capacity and to ensure to outward shift on the production possibility curve in the time to come. Over the years new production methods as well as raw materials are discovered to improve the economic growth of the country. For example the first usage of technology such as computers or other electronic gadgets to control the production methods such as robots has greatly improve the productivity of the economy and many other firms contributing to this economic growth. Alternative types of raw materials were introduced to ensure the continuous supply for the production of the good. Diffence Between Constant Opportunity Cost and Increasing Opportunity Cost Constant opportunity cost occurs when the production possibility curve is linear. The relationship between opportunity cost and quantity supplied is the same. Assuming that a factory wishes to increase their production of good T from 250 units to 500 units, the factory has to sacrifice 250 units of good R in order to increase the production of good T. Thus, the ratio between opportunity cost and quantity supplied is constant, 1:1. The production possibility curve of increasing opportunity cost is concave from its origin. Increasing opportunity cost means the more units of good T produced, the more the opportunity cost of good R. Assuming that the factory has to forgoes 20 units of good R so that the factory is able to produce 50 more units of good T. If the factory wishes to increase the production of good T from 100 units to 150 units, they have to let go 60 units of good R. In this case, it clearly shows us an increasing opportunity cost. Reference 2000. Assumption of Production Possibility Curve. 3 February 2015. Available from : http://www.amosweb.com/cgi-bin/awb_nav.pl?s=wpdc=dspk=assumptions,+production+possibilities 2014. Unemployment. Viewed on 7 February 2015. Available from : https://www.boundless.com/economics/textbooks/boundless-economics-textbook/unemployment-22/definitions-102/defining-unemployment-388-12485/ 2000. Unemployment. Viewed on 7 February 2015. Available from : http://www.amosweb.com/cgi-bin/awb_nav.pl?s=wpdc=dspk=unemployment,+production+possibilities 2015. Economic Growth. Viewed on 7 February 2015. Available from : http://www.economicsonline.co.uk/Competitive_markets/Economic_growth.html

Positivism and study of society

Positivism and study of society Positivism was named by Auguste Comte in 19th century, which was influenced by early empiricism of Enlightenment- with achieve the targets which include make objective knowledge and formulate the universal laws. The Rationalism also contributed positivism to improve the human conditions but not God (Smith, 2003, p76). Positivism has three development stages after it was mentioned- the early positivism, the logical positivism and standard positivism (Smith, 2003, p77). This essay will discuss the early positivism and logical positivism. As a branch of empiricism, the broader sense of positivism is the true knowledge which should be based on sense experiences, and only can be advanced by observation and experiment, avoided all metaphysical or speculation (Urmson, 1960). Another definition in this essay which should be introduced is the contributions of positivism. In this essay, contribution means the positivism how to create knowledge than before but not only focus on any positivistï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½s theory or the contributions in any specific subject. Positivism affected the studies of society since early 19th century to now although some people point out positivism is not fitting for the development of society nowadays (Smith, 2003, p76). In this essay, the contributions of positivism are how the positivism creates knowledge. The methodology of positivism was complete the theory of empiricism in Enlightenment. Based on positivism methodology, the closed system was implemented in study of society by Positivists. The critical evaluation of these contributions will be stated in every section. This essay will also state using modern sight to review the contributions of positivism. Early positivism contributed to create a framework of research method and the basic principles of positivism. After early positivism, ï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½Vienna Circleï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½ developed the thoughts and created logical positivism. Positivists followed the same thought to find truth out no matter which stage of positivism. All of them had contributions in history. As mentioned above, positivism is a branch of empiricism. Comparing with empiricism in Enlightenment, the biggest contribution of positivism is complete the methodology on empiricism and lead the positivism nearly regard to scientific spirit today (Heidegren, 2006, p92). Through this methodology, new scientific methods will be completed and applied on social science. The ontology of positivism methodology is the world is external and objective, and the observers should be independent and be neutral in the researches (Smith, 2003). Under this situation, the epistemology of positivism is building hypothesises and then to find the relationships between limited facts in social phenomena, and formulate universal laws at last (Smith, 2003). Be ï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½neutralï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½ and ï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½objectiveï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½ were positivists insert in the positivism methodology and affect the whole society. Take an instance for the contribution of ï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½neutralï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½ and ï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½objectiveï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½ in positivism is the positivist approach in criminology. Before the positivism, criminal suspects could prove their own criminal behaviours and this lead some criminal suspects were suffering and had to admit the behaviours which were not existed. However, positivists thought this was not humanistic and criminal suspects should be avoid from evidences, that means the criminal suspects cannot prove their own criminal behaviours (Simon, 2006). However, the contribution of ï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½neutralï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½ and ï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½objectiveï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½ has been questioned. For example, legal positivism has begun to be questioned in recent years. Priel pointed out ï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½Legal positivism is the thesis that one does not need to rely on evaluative considerations in order to identify what the law isï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½ in his essay (2006). He had the question about the validity and content of legal positivism (Priel, 2006). Based on the positivism methodology, early positivists completed the scientific methods. As a representative of philosophers in Enlightenment, Bacon created ï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½science of methodï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½, there were three steps in the scientific method. First, making observations and repeat the observations, which were based on experiments. Secondly, classify the observations. Finally, formulating the observations to laws through inductive reasoning (Porter, 2007, p21-22). Comte and Durkheim inherited the scientific method and completed this scientific method to six steps, 1) make an observation, 2) suggest a question, 3) formulate a hypothesis and except outline, 4) testing the hypothesis through experiment method, 5) to analyse the data and 6) formulate a universal law (Cohen el al, 2007). Positivism completed the procedure of scientific method, inserted ï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½hypothesisï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½ and ï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½experimentï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½. ï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½Hypothesisï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½ in scientific method was the speculations of relationships between factors- the causes and effects (Cohen el al, 2007). The ï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½experimentï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½ means to make a test in a controlled artificial environment which had small number of variables, this system was named closed system and which will be discussed later (Smith, 2003). Hypothesis is not only the speculation of the research, but also the key of the research. Positivists mentioned this notion of hypothesis and lead the scientific method to become complete and more validity. Basically, the research is built on hypothesis, no matter in natural science or social science. For example, scientific method is applied in natural science such as biology, chemistry, physics, and other else. In social science, scientific method is also applied widely, such as economy, legal system, psychology and other subjects. Figure 1 is a good example to show the hypothesis has became one of the most important links in economic study. Applying the closed system in social science is another contribution of the early positivism, as the notion of ï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½experimentï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½ which is mentioned above. Before the positivism, people only applied scientific method in natural science. Comte and Durkheim believe the social science is similar as natural science and closed system can be applied and the truth and law in social science will be found. This thought provided a model for studying the social science and made people create more knowledge about the society. There are three closures in the closed system- experimental closure, theoretical closure, and statistical closure. Experimental closure is through the experiment methods in an artificial environment to get an empirical purpose (Smith, 2003). This kind of closure is usually applied in psychology and other similar subjects. Theoretical closure is usually building theory models to analyse the relationships between variables (Smith, 2003). Theoretical closure has been applied in economy widely. For example, economists anticipate the trend of national economy through the theory models. The last closure is statistical closure which means finding relationships between different variables through quantitative measurable data sets (Smith, 2003). This closure is used in economy, psychology, political science and other subjects widely. For example, customer satisfaction investigation, examination of electoral results and so on. Early positivists let people study and understand society better through applied scientific method and closed system in study of social science and tried to obtain definite objective knowledge. However, some disadvantages are existed when positivists applying scientific method and closed system in study of social science. There are too many other unpredictable variables exist outside of the boundary of closed system which can affect the results (Smith, 2003). In addition, some social variables cannot be measurable such as beliefs and scientific method maybe not suitable for this situation (Bryman Bell, 2007). Logical positivism is a development of early positivism and appeared in early 1920s (Smith, 2003). A group of philosophers who had informal discussions at the University of Vienna and they were named ï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½Vienna Circleï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½ (Smith, 2003). The logical positivism was promoted by ï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½Vienna Circleï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½, the centre of the logical positivism was still avoid any kind of metaphysics and speculative attempts (Smith, 2003). According to Ganguly (1967), logical positivism is a kind of the empiricism which with a premise that the objects can be verifiable empirically and meaningful. Comparing with early positivism, logical positivism has ambition to all knowledge which cannot be verified (Smith, 2003). One of the contributions of logical positivism is the meaning of the theory should be communicable. Logical positivists proposed achieve this target through synthetic and analytic statement (Ganguly, 1967). Ayer was a famous positivist who contributed much in logical positivism, and he pointed out that the language which was used in science should simple, clear and free from mystification (Ganguly, 1967). Smith pointed out that this proposal ï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½led many to refer to this new approach as the ï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½linguistic turnï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½ in the philosophy of the social sciences.ï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½ (2003) Another contribution of logical positivism is logical positivists provide verifiability principle. Combining with induction in logical positivism, logical positivists believed the real value-free could be achieved (Ganguly, 1967). Before the logical positivism, researches were based on designersï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½ purposes, therefore, the researches would be disturbed by designersï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½ opinions although they tried to avoid that. For example, in some marketing satisfaction investigations, the questionnaire will bring researchers subjective and leading the answers. Some theories such as physics theories which cannot be experiment directly should be proved by logic methods. Logical positivists tried to make absolute objective topic and find the real objective truth. Their strict method and serious scientific spirit lead people to treat natural and social sciences carefully, and the real truth can be found without any subjective. However, some experts pointed out there are problems on logical positivism. First, the language requirement of logical positivism makes people confuse about the truth. Indeed, it is hard to translate the language because this doctrine defined the language so exactly (Ritchie, 2009). Secondly, the logical positivists mentioned the knowledge should be verifiable and logical, however, some theories is hard to be proved but people cannot say that is metaphysics (Ritchie, 2009). Positivism contributed so much in history and still influencing the philosophies and study of natural and social sciences today. Positivists provided useful framework in its period and helped people to collect knowledge. Positivism is an ï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½extremeï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½ philosophy which oppose to interpretivism, however, it is the time to combine them together to develop new framework for study of society (Ricciardi, 2009). As mentioned above, some weaknesses are existed when positivists applied scientific method and closed system in social sciences and obtained the knowledge, such as some hide variables are ignored by closed system when studying social sciences. Under this situation, the validity of the research will be questioned and it is not follow the principles of positivism. Therefore, new framework or new philosophy should be created to solve this problem and replace the positivism. To sum up, positivism was mentioned in early 19th century, Comte and Durkhaim were the founders of the positivism. The purpose of positivism is finding the absolute objective true knowledge, different stage of positivism followed this thought and tried best to avoid metaphysics and subjective. Early positivists who were influenced by empiricism in Enlightenment and completed the positivism methodology, new completed scientific method was created based on this situation. Early positivists developed the closed system and enhance the development of sciences as well. Furthermore, early positivists applied scientific method and closed system in study of society, this helped people to understand the world better in that period, although some disadvantages were exist, such as some variables in society were ignored. Vienna Circle developed the thoughts and methods in early positivism and created logical positivism. They applied more strict principles to find the objective truth. The most imp ortant contributions of logical positivism were using exactly accurate language to describe the theories and verifiable principle. These lead the sciences to be objective and more accurate. However, the weaknesses are still in logical positivism, for example, using exactly language will bring the barriers in communication in different languages. As the development of philosophy and sciences, positivism emerge more and more weakness and will be replaced by other new philosophies. Positivism has depth influence in history and the contributions cannot be eliminated. Bibliography Bryman, A. Bell, E. (2007) Business research methods, published by Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2nd Ed, 2007 Cohen, L., Manion, L. Morrison, K. (2007) The Scientific Method, Research methods in education, published by Routledge, New York, in 2007 Ganguly, S. (1967) Logical positivism- as a theory of meaning, published by Allied Publishers Private Limited, India, in 1967 Heidegren, CG (2006) Positivism before Logical Positivism in Nordic Philosophy, The Vienna Circle in the Nordic Countries, published by Springer, published in 2006 Porter, D. (2007) Baconï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½s Method and Coleridgeï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½s Empiricism, Knowledge broken: Empiricist method and the forms of Romanticism, Presented to the Faculties of the University of Pennsylvania in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, published in 2007 Priel, D. (2006) TROUBLE FOR LEGAL POSITIVISM?, Legal Theory, Published by Cambridge University Press, published in 12/2006, p225-263 Ricciardi, F. (2009) Epistemology of Information Systems: Time for Something New? Positivism, Interpretivism, and Beyond, Information Systems: People, Organizations, Institutions, and Technologies, published on 03/10/2009 Ritchie, A. (2009) Errors of Logical Positivism, Philosophy, Vol: 12 Issue: 45, published in 02/2009 Simon, J (2006) Positively Punitive: How the Inventor of Scientific Criminology Who Died at the Beginning of the Twentieth Century Continues to Haunt American Crime Control at the Beginning of the Twenty-First, Texas Law Review, Vol: 84, Issue: 7, published in 06/2006, [accessed on 09/03/2010] Smith, M. (2003) Social science in question, edited, designed, and typeset by The Open University, published in 1998, reprinted 2002 and 2003 Urmson, O. (1960) The concise encyclopedia of western philosophy and philosophers, Urmson, O. edited, publisher: HUTCHINSON CO. London

Leadership :: essays research papers

What Makes a Leader In this landmark article, Daniel Goleman, the premier expert in the emotional intelligence movement, author of Emotional Intelligence (Bantam, 1995) and Working With Emotional Intelligence (Bantam, 1998) and co-chairman of the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations, based at Rutgers UniversityÆs Graduate School of Applied Psychology, describes why emotional intelligence is the crucial component of leadership, and how it shows itself at work. The author also describes how emotional intelligence can be enhanced by a distinctly different approach to human resource training. Superb leaders have very different ways of directing a team, a division, or a company. Some are subdued and analytical; others are charismatic and go with their gut. And different situations call for different types of leadership. Most mergers need a sensitive negotiator at the helm, whereas many turnarounds require a more forceful kind of authority. The author has found, however, that effective leaders are alike in one crucial way: they all have a high degree of what has come to be known as emotional intelligence. In fact, GolemanÆs research at nearly 200 large, global companies revealed that emotional intelligence--especially at the highest levels of a company--is the sine qua non for leadership. Without it, a person can have first-class training, an incisive mind, and an endless supply of good ideas, but he still wonÆt make a great leader. The components of emotional intelligence--self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skill--can sound unbusinesslike. But exhibiting emotional intelligence at the workplace does not mean simply controlling your anger or getting along with people. Rather, it means understanding your own and other peopleÆs emotional makeup well enough to move people in the direction of accomplishing your companyÆs goals. Leadership :: essays research papers What Makes a Leader In this landmark article, Daniel Goleman, the premier expert in the emotional intelligence movement, author of Emotional Intelligence (Bantam, 1995) and Working With Emotional Intelligence (Bantam, 1998) and co-chairman of the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations, based at Rutgers UniversityÆs Graduate School of Applied Psychology, describes why emotional intelligence is the crucial component of leadership, and how it shows itself at work. The author also describes how emotional intelligence can be enhanced by a distinctly different approach to human resource training. Superb leaders have very different ways of directing a team, a division, or a company. Some are subdued and analytical; others are charismatic and go with their gut. And different situations call for different types of leadership. Most mergers need a sensitive negotiator at the helm, whereas many turnarounds require a more forceful kind of authority. The author has found, however, that effective leaders are alike in one crucial way: they all have a high degree of what has come to be known as emotional intelligence. In fact, GolemanÆs research at nearly 200 large, global companies revealed that emotional intelligence--especially at the highest levels of a company--is the sine qua non for leadership. Without it, a person can have first-class training, an incisive mind, and an endless supply of good ideas, but he still wonÆt make a great leader. The components of emotional intelligence--self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skill--can sound unbusinesslike. But exhibiting emotional intelligence at the workplace does not mean simply controlling your anger or getting along with people. Rather, it means understanding your own and other peopleÆs emotional makeup well enough to move people in the direction of accomplishing your companyÆs goals.

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison Essay -- Toni Morrisons The Bluest Ey

The Bluest Eye There are many themes that seem to run throughout this story. Each theme and conflict seems to always involve the character of Pecola Breedlove. There is the theme of finding an identity. There is also the theme of Pecola as a victim. Of all the characters in the story we can definitely sympathize with Pecola because of the many harsh circumstances she has had to go through in her lifetime. Perhaps her rape was the most tragic and dramatic experience Pecola had experiences, but nonetheless she continued her life. She eliminates her sense of ugliness, which lingers in the beginning of the story, and when she sees that she has blue eyes now she changes her perspective on life. She believes that these eyes have been given to her magically and in some respects her eyes begin to corrupt her as an individual. The story begins to take a turn and the reader realizes that the main character has begun to entirely rely on self-image in order to build confidence. This leads to the question of h ow significant are the "Blue eyes" to society and how does the theme of beauty and ugliness linger throughout the story. With this in mind, how does this make Pecola a victim of society and a victim in herself? If any person can be credited for creating the obsession of beauty that Pecola builds it is Pauline (Pecola’s mother). Pecola experiences many insecurities and it can definitely be said that many of these are because of the way that Pauline acts in society and around Pecola. It was stated in the story that Pauline would always go to the movies and rate the characters on their beauty. This is one example that shows the obsession that Pauline has with beauty and looks. This rubbed off on to her daughter and that is where Pecola received her lack of self-esteem. It is clear that Pecola idolizes the ideals of being beautiful. It is interesting that Pecola is not the person telling the story in this book, and it is Claudia instead. It seems that the author wants the reader to build an immense amount of sympathy for Pecola because it would just be less effective if Pecola was telling the story. If it Pecola that was narrating in many parts then it would be more difficult to see her as a "total victim". The structure and way this book is organized is a good clue of how Morrison wants us to see Pecola’s and all black peoples situations. Instead of ord... ...could work miracles." This comes from the character Soaphead who finally realizes what it must be like to be an African American in a racist society. If only Pecola could literally see life through the eyes of someone who is not oppressed by their society. Pecola only wants to live up to the image of a blue-eyed white person. This is important, and it shows that the author is not only speaking to the black person about their sorrows, but also to the white person which shows how a racist social system can wear down an innocent mind. Basically being white is being successful and Pecola has no hope in this society. It is not solely because of racism that Pecola is not accepted. Not only does she have to deal with the hatred she receives from the white person, but also she is an outcast in the black infrastructure. This proves that Pecola is a "total victim" because she has no way out and the only way she can be normal is to try to change who she is in order to be someone she is not. Basically Pecola is totally entrapped by everything, her past (rape etc..), her present (society both black and white) and her future (she has very little hope at being an contributing member of society).

Albinism :: essays research papers

Albinism ALBINISM Albinism. The word albinism refers to a group of inherited conditions. People with albinism have little or no pigment in their eyes, skin, or hair. Recently a test has been developed to identify carriers of the gene for ty-neg albinism and for other types in which the tyrosianase enzyme does not function. The test uses a sample of blood to identify the gene for the tryrosinase enzymes by its code in DNA. The above test does not apply to to one type of albinism, called X-linked ocular albinism. For X-linked inheritance, the gene for albinism is located on an X chromosome. Females have two X chromosomes, while males only have one X and one Y chromosome. This X-linked albinism accurs exclusively in males. The gene is passed from mothers who carry it to their sons. The mothers have subtle eye changes which an ophthalmogist could identigy, but mothers usually have normal vision. For each son born to a mother who carries the gene, there is one in two chance of having X-linked ocul ar albinism. The description is a hereditary deficiency pigmentation. This could involve the entire body or part of the body. This is believed to be caused by an enzyme deficiency involving the metabolism of melanin during prenatal development. This can be inherited by an dominant or recessive trait. In complete albinism, there is lack of pigmentation in skin and hair, as well as in retinal and iris tissue; in incomplete albinism, skin and hair may vary from pale to normal; in ocular albinism, function may vary from norma to impaired. Impairments may involve the retina and iris. If a person has albinism then they usually have somewhere between 20/70 and 20/200 visual. Ty-Neg albinism or also called type 1A results from a genetic defect in an enzyme called tyrosinase. Tyrosinase helps the body to change the amino acid tyrosine into pigment. An amino acid is a building block of protien. Albinism is passed from parent to their kid through genes. For nearly all types of albinism both pa rent must carry an albinism gene to have a child with albinism. Parents may have normal pigmentation but still carry the gene. When both parents carry the gene, there is a one in four chance at each pregnancy that the baby will be born with albinism. This type of inheritance is called autosomal recessive inheritance.

Analysis of company history development & growth

Arthur W. Perdue†s quest for excellence in the poultry business began in 1917. Perdue started his company as a table-egg poultry farm. He slowly expanded his egg market by adding a new chicken coop every year. Arthur†s son Frank joined the family business in 1939 after leaving school at the end of his the second year. In 1950 Frank took over leadership of Perdue Farms, which had over 40 employees at the time. During the 1970†³s Perdue entered into new markets in Boston and Philadelphia and also opened a new processing plant in North Carolina. Shortly after this, in 1977 Arthur Perdue died, leaving behind a business who†s annual growth rate was 17 percent compared to the industry average of 1 percent. Arthur†s son Frank was left behind to take over the business. Frank Perdue without a hint of self-deprecation stated that â€Å"I am a B-minus student. I know how smart I am. I know a B-minus is not as good as an A-said of his father simply†, â€Å"I learned everything from him† (Hill & Jones, 208). During the 1980†³s and 1990†³s Perdue Farms diversified and expanded its market further down to other eastern coast states and southern states. By 1994, revenues were around 1.5 Billion a year. To add to this number Perdue purchased the twelfth largest poultry producer in the United States with about 8,000 employees and revenues of approximately $550,000 a year. Internal analysis of strengths and weaknesses – Maintain an environmentally friendly workplace – Represent the total quality management slogan – Largest poultry producer in the northeast – Second largest producer in the United States – Involved in every aspect of the business External analysis of opportunities and threats – Produce roasted Chicken and Chicken parts Risk of entry by potential competitors The risk of entry from potential competitors is low, due to the barriers of entry. The barriers of entry are high, traceable to the cost of starting the business and what it costs to remain successful. Perdue also has a cost advantage over potential new entrants that is credited to superior production operations. Perdue has control of their inputs required for production, such as labor, materials, equipment, or management skills. Between the existing companies rivalry is strong. There is no significant price competition because of the over capacity in the broiler industry. Buyers (consumers) have a great deal of bargaining power because the buyer has a variety of brands to choose from and a lot of options to choose from such as precook, fresh, roasted and boneless. Perdue Farms supplies all of its own inputs, and they have established relationships with the distribution retailers. The substitute products for the broiler industry are pork, beef, and seafood. These items hold a real threat to the broiler industry. Perdue is in a very good competitive position. It has gained recognition for becoming one of the top broiler companies in the nation. One strength of Pedrue it that they own their own trucking fleet which they can distribute their own product. A main strength of Perdue Farms is that they refuse to let their product be shipped frozen. Perdue says that if the poultry is shipped frozen, it will loose flavor and moistness when cooked. This strength can result into brand loyalty, because when customers see the name Perdue, they know that the product is fresh not frozen. Another strength is that Perdue leads the industry in quality. To ensure that Perdue continues to lead the industry in quality, it buys about 2,000 pounds of competitors† products a week. Inspection associates grade these products and the information is shared with the highest levels of management (Hill & Jones, 1998). Perdue†s company policy is taught to all associates in quality training. Perdue has one weakness at this time. Perdue has rode down the experience curve and changed all of its other weaknesses into positives. For example, In the 1980†³s Perdue decentralized and formed separate business divisions. Soon after this was done, chicken sales leveled off. At on point the firm was losing as much as $1 million a week and, in 1988, Perdue Farms experienced its first year in the red (Hill & Jones, 1998). Perdue learned from this and quickly changed back to centralized. Currently, Perdue has the opportunity to produce other kinds of meat such as beef or pork. This opportunity could soften the financial impact if the threat of overcapacity continue to haunt the broiler industry. Perdue Farms Mission –†Create a quality product, be aware of your customers, deal fairly with people, and work hard, work hard, work hard† (Hill & Jones, 1998). Perdue is a vertically integrated agribusiness (www.perdue.com). Perdue practices forward integration by moving downstream to distribution. Perdue owns it own trucking fleet by which they distributes it to the end users. Perdue also practices backward integration by formulating and manufacturing its own feed. By vertically integrating backward to gain control over the source of critical inputs or vertically integrating forward to gain control over distribution channels, a company can build barriers to new entry into its industry (Hill & Jones, 1998). The business level strategy of a company encompasses the overall competitive theme that a company chooses to stress. Perdue Farms business level strategy is considered to be differentiated. In the early 1980†³s Perdue diversified and broadened its market. Perdue did this by raising turkeys and production other meat products. Perdue distinctive competency is in premium quality products. Frank Perdue was convinced that higher profits could be made if Perdue†s products were premium quality so they could be sold at a premium price (Hill & Jones, 1998). This distinctive competency resulted in 1994 revenues around about 1.5 billion and net profits at $50 million. The philosophy at Perdue is quality and efficiency with emphasis on the first over the latter. To ensure that Perdue continues to lead the industry in quality, it buys about 2,000 pounds of competitors† products a week. Inspection associates grade these products and the information is shared with the highest levels of management (Hill & Jones, 1998). The structure and control at the function level is improved with efficiency. Efficiency is improved through management of details. At Perdue nothing goes to waste. To make sure this is true Perdue is involved in every aspect of the chicken business, from breading and hatching its own eggs to processing chicken feet and selling then to Asia as a barroom delicacy. These efforts were implemented through team management with a focused message coming from senior management.

Global Business and Political Forces Case Study Essay

Walgreens Corporation â€Å"C-Level Executives† will have to consider the Global Business and Political Forces associated with their Global International Expansion plans into the Country of Brazil during the period of (2014-2016). Analysis The key issues Walgreens Corporation â€Å"C-Level Executives† pose to face would be attempting a massive global expansion and creating new value innovation within that new global market. The want and need to expand internationally into Brazil might potentially cause the Company to lose its current top rated status quo and therefore could risk their Company’s name and future success rate if prior strategic planning is not done properly. Current competition in the same U.S Market looking to expand internationally such as CVS could also pose and cause a potential threat to Walgreens expansion plans. However, the Brazilian market is even more competitive because Brazilian Company’s already know how to operate in that country and are already familiar with the areas region. Therefore, their capabilities of gaining access to information and expertise about where the high demand for property expansion location sites would be at to open a new booming business, stands to be greater than that of other countries outsourced investors or foreign Company’s looking to expand. Related assumptions Walgreens would have to be able to maintain a competitive advantage point globally, so creating an exclusive brand pertaining to that specific region of the country, as well as, maintaining or improving their current Prescription Savings Club program and product line seems essential to their international expansion success. In order to stay ahead of the game and beat out any competition Walgreens â€Å"C-Level Executives† will need to focus on its core competencies and strengths. These practices are going to be critical when serving a diverse Country, while maintaining Walgreens longstanding tradition of fairness, trust and honesty. ((2013). Company Overview). Alternatives There are several alternative actions the C-Level Executives can take that would include the following: First, management must actively evaluate and manage any potential political risks involved when making global expansion investment decisions and then continue to monitor those associated risks on a routine basis. Political forces and risks that could impact Walgreens are going to be subject to change, so it won’t be considered enough to evaluate those risks only once before the decision to invest has been made. Executives of Walgreens must take an active approach and monitor political risks all the time and use those findings to their advantage by applying those methods strategically towards any other investments, operational plans and any other future decisions. Therefore, management over political forces must be implemented into Walgreens operating business practice and processes, in order to protect their investments. (PwC Advisory and Eurasia Group.) Secondly, obtaining reliable, accurate information and interpretation of international business risks tend to be roads blocks at times for executives seeking to better their decision making through evaluation of political risk. Therefore, the use of multiple world-wide sources in which provide up to date, extremely accurate information that has not only been analyzed but also prepared by top risk managers should also be considered as part of an ongoing systematic approach to political risk management. (PwC Advisory and Eurasia Group.) Thirdly, To avoid any future setbacks from competitors such as CVS and similar Drugstore/Retail chains, Walgreens will need to create and invest in a new value of innovation to enhance their diverse customer’s experience. I believe Walgreens strengths lies in the fact that they have their own unique branding style and a high level of ethical quality in the way they perform their business practice, so by enhancing their current U.S. loyal customer connections over into their potential new global customers they stand a better chance to set themselves apart from CVS and any other competitors they might be faced with along the way. Evaluation International partnerships increase challenges but also create new ideas in new markets that can then be translated back to US markets. Because all companies, even primarily domestic ones, are affected by politics to some  degree, all need a baseline of political risk management activity. At a minimum, company management should be aware of how political risks affect business processes, and they should factor these risks into both investment decisions and general risk management. Recommendation My suggestion would be that the â€Å"C-Level Executives† when operating internationally should carefully analyze their current approach to political risk management and determine whether it is contributing to their current business performance strategy as efficiently or effectively as it could and should be or having and adverse effect, taking away from it instead. Once carefully reviewed and evaluated they should find areas for improvement and make changes accordingly to ensure a better business development plan for the following (2014-2016) timeline. Implementation Long-term sustainable success internationally depends in good part on a company’s ability to grasp the implications of political risk and apply them to business risk. By embedding political risk considerations in normal business processes, companies enable management to make better decisions regarding global expansion, sourcing, branding, intellectual property protection, community and government relations, operational structures, and other business issues that arise in complex international markets. (PwC Advisory and Eurasia Group.) Conclusion Ultimately, any company looking to expand globally has to be willing to take risks, but it’s also essential to their future developmental successes that before taking that huge leap to expand internally that they become extremely aware of the high stacks and potential risks involved. In general, the more a company ventures beyond its home country physically or through outsourcing the more it increases its exposure to political risk. Companies should keep in mind, however, that even a minor investment involving a major risk or opportunity can have a material impact. Sustainable success internationally depends in good part on a company’s ability to grasp the implications of political risk and apply them to business risk. Mark Wagner, Walgreens Executive Vice President Operations & Community Management had this to say: â€Å"Our customers come from all walks of life, and it would be impossible for us to serve them well if we developed identical, instead of individual needs. I’ve found the best way to recognize individuality is by taking time to learn about diverse interests and their background. Everyone has needs, wants and expectations and as managers, it’s our job to develop that strategy and exceed those expectations.† (Walgreens outlines strategy to analysts.)

Bestbuy’s Strategy Essay

According to the case, BestBuy is trying to create a competitive advantage in three areas: customer-centricity, employment policies, and exclusive branding. After studying the VRIO framework, I have found that BestBuy’s three areas of strategy do fit into the VRIO framework. BestBuy believes that an effective strategy is a commitment to customer-centricity. A business that implements customer-centricity caters to specific customer needs and behaviors. According to the book, BestBuy wants to steer away from a product-centered marketing approach to a more customer-oriented marketing approach which will have them asking what problems its customers are facing, and then providing solutions. Furthermore, BestBuy wants to segment its customers into four different profiles: Upscale Suburban, Urban Trendsetter, Empty Nesters, and Middle America. In different regions around the U. S. you will find these diverse groups. BestBuy has been able to utilize the rare attribute of the VRIO framework with its ability to serve the needs of the predominant customer segment in a given region. BestBuy is unlike any company in the consumer electronic industry because as the book mentions, â€Å"Nearly all companies claim to be customer oriented, but being customer centric required a radical reorganization and shift in employee mindset. † BestBuy has reformatted the physical space in its stores and related products have been bundled together to meet the needs of certain segments. Store teams have also been trying to answer the following questions: What kind of traffic do we have coming in our stores today, how effectively are we selling to the people in the stores, what does our customer information look like, what segments do we have coming in, and what kind of market share do we have for those segments? To answer those questions BestBuy has been investing in the right tools so that the field knows what to focus on. BestBuy has taken customer interest a step further, and so far it has given them a rare advantage. BestBuy has also done a good job of organizing its employment policies to capture value. According to the book, BestBuy has set up an employee listening program that uses open communication to better understand the needs of its workers. This program has done a great job of exploiting the company’s capabilities because it is implementing tools such as annual company-wide surveys, a virtual discussion board, and one-on-one dialogue sessions. BestBuy is capturing value because they are listening to their employees and discerning information that was previously unknown to management. The final area that BestBuy is focusing its strategy on is exclusive brands. This last area is very important to BestBuy because it is valuable, rare, and costly to imitate. BestBuy currently owns these private labels: Insignia, Dynex, Init, Rocketfish, and Geek Squad. As far as background goes, Insignia produces TVs, monitors, home-theater systems, and portable video/ audio players. Dynex produces storage media, data and power cables, webcams, and office supplies. Init produces media storage, equipment bags, totes and furniture for home theaters. Rocketfish is a top notch producer of cables that are mostly used for TVs. And most famously, Geek Squad provides computer repair and installation services. BestBuy realizes that they cannot solely rely on these small private labels to create, on their own, enough revenue to stay in business. But nevertheless, these private labels are valuable because they add attractive features to the company. Most of the products offered by these small labels are accessories that add value to the more expensive products which in turn increase the profitability of BestBuy. In particular, I think Geek Squad is valuable because a lot of older people do not know how to set up the more complex electronics and often run into problems. Easy-to-setup installation and troubleshooting is a very attractive feature to most consumers. Along those same lines, these small labels are rare because their products are only being sold in BestBuy stores. If you’re a huge fan of Rocketfish cables or really appreciate the helpfulness of Geek Squad then you have to come to BestBuy to get you want. These private labels are also costly to imitate I imagine because it could be costly to implement and staff a repair and installation service in all of your stores like BestBuy has done with Geek Squad. Also, these private labels have a few unique products that could be hard to replicate. I know that Init has created some nice, high quality equipment bags and furniture for home theaters. I believe that after weighing the benefits of all three of these areas that BestBuy has indeed created a competitive advantage. In one way or another they have valuable, rare, costly to imitate, or are organized to capture value with their products and services. BestBuy’s business level strategy is to focus on its people through customer centricity and employment policies. The managers in both areas want to listen to the people and discern how to best appeal to them. Managers have planned to become customer centric by profiling its customers and then design the stores and provide products according to the profiles in the region. The cost driver associated is the cost of input factors because it requires a radical reorganization and shift in employee mindset. Stores need to be reformatted and related products need to be bundled. The main value driver for this focus has been customer service. BestBuy has excelled at customer service because they are able to identify customer needs and appeal to their wants because of the unique profiles that have been created. The main cost driver for employment policies has also been cost of input factors because I imagine it has been costly to implement the new annual company-wide surveys, a virtual discussion board, and one-on-one dialogue sessions. The main value driver for the employment policies is customer service. BestBuy has created distinctive techniques for company-wide communication that in turn provide better customer support. Managers now know what the consumers are thinking because the employees are able to share information with their superiors in an efficient way. The competition between BestBuy, Amazon, Apple, and Wal-Mart has been fierce over the last several years. BestBuy has found itself to still be at the top of consumer electronics in the minds of its customers with 40% of the votes. However, BestBuy comes in 11th place in the Top 15 most valuable retail brands. Furthermore, Apple has recently made a large push in the race by reaching $2. 8 billion in sales in 2010 which puts them in third place behind BestBuy and Amazon. However, BestBuy is in last place according to share performance in 2010 and 2011. After looking at all of the different results and surveys I would say that BestBuy is right in the thick of things and battling for the top spot. Amazon may be more a valuable company but the consumers still view BestBuy as the leading consumer electronic company. One of the critical problems facing BestBuy is people coming into the store and testing the products and then leaving and buying the product elsewhere. I think that BestBuy’s strategy to become customer centered is a good strategy. Many of the same products are sold by multiple companies, but if BestBuy can appeal to the segments and profiles of people coming into their stores then they can get people to buy the products in their stores. Identifying the profiles of people coming in is the first step and then being able to bundle products and arrange displays in an appealing way is a good strategy. If BestBuy continues to value its consumers I think they will find a way to sustain a competitive. After all, people want to feel important and be given what they need and desire.