Barry Glassner’s The Culture of Fear Essay

The murder of thousands of Americans on their own soil on September 11, 2001 created a new era in United States History: the era of fear. That is the finding Barry Glassner, author of The Culture of Fear: Why Americans Are Afraid of the Wrong Things. In the book’s pages is found a thorough examination of why Americans are fearful, why they aren’t, and what this says about the average citizen. It is not to say that Glassner indicates that Americans do, or should, live in fear of unexpected terrorist attack. Rather, his purpose in writing is to illuminate why it is that Americans fear the wrong things and fail to act on the right fears: he cites examples such as fearing shootings on school grounds, but not limiting access to guns. In other words, he is attempting to describe what fear is like in the culture of America and what it says about reality and perception. That is his thesis. Summed up, Glassner writes that when it comes to fear, Americans live in a culture of false paranoia and irrational paradoxes. His methodology comes through clearly. He utilizes individual case studies to coherently and cohesively build a strong unified theory. Each story and topic becomes one more brick in the foundation of his thesis. In that way he easily compels and convinces all but the most cynical reader. Finally, it is Glassner’s point of view that really works wonders. He acts as if he is but a casual, though analytical, objective observer. What Does the Author Have to Say? Fear can be created – and manipulated. Time and again Glassner returns to the example of the events of September 11, 2001 for treasures with which to bolster his theory. It is indeed ripe ground for that. It seems to be the case study for just why American citizens are paranoid for all of the wrong reasons. Yes, the terrorist attacks were awful, and all the more so because 1) they were completely unexpected and unannounced, and 2) they targeted the innocent civilian populace. That being said, writes Glassner, they were also completely anomalous. The fear of such an attack in the future due to the fact that it happened once before is unjustifiable. It had been two hundred and twenty-five years from the beginnings of the United States for such an attack to occur, and as of this tenth anniversary edition of the book it has been another ten years without such attack. Sure, that is not to say that it couldn’t happen again. However, the point that the author makes is that it is just circumstances like this that are fertile breeding ground for manipulators. In this case, he cites the then ongoing efforts of President George W. Bush to convince the population that there was an active war on terror. This war, he reminded frequently, was directed at the American citizen, the mom and pop on the street. The war could reach every home, every business. The entire country was under various alert conditions at all times. This supports the first main point of The Culture of Fear. Fear can be a force of manipulation and creation. The second point of the book is closely related to its main premise. It is the ongoing effects of a mass media accentuating the most unlikely of crimes. Each and every day the media, including the press, the internet, and the television networks, blares out stories of kidnappings, murders and more. The chief aim seems to be that ‘it could happen to you. ’ In fact, it probably will happen to you unless you take precautions daily. Fingerprint your children. Update your photographs and dental records. Plant microchips in your children’s skin. Anything to do to escape the boogeyman, because undoubtedly he’s out there. Never mind the fact that more often than not, the statistics behind the reports are skewed mightily to prove these points ex post facto. The announcements alone are proof enough for most people. The culture of fear is encouraged, and bought into. After all, the media is a powerful presence. When it comes to the third point, it becomes somewhat murky as to how some things come about. Glassner relates example after example of public policy responses to these scenarios – and how they absolutely fail to deal with the actual situations that spawn the fear. In other words, ineffective public policy is the knee jerk reaction to fear. The author is quick to relate such failures. He points out the sheer number of dollars allocated to these efforts and the startling statistics that show the problem has not changed at all. Also, he is not shy at pointing out that this culture of fear and reaction provides great political opportunity for candidates that are ‘tough on crime’ to emerge, ready to raise the banners of various well-meaning causes. Once the candidates become elected officials, either the cause is dropped along with its passion, or new laws are passed that in essence are just excuses to spend money and advance political careers. Criticism of the Author I greatly enjoyed this book. I will be unequivocal about that. Perhaps it biases my review, but I do have points to support my response. To begin with, the book is well-paced. By that I mean to say that it reads well. Much of non-fiction – particularly educated and researched non-fiction – is dry, and fails to engage the reader in the sense that its subjects remain remote. Granted, Glassner has a subject that is much more accessible to readers than the typical tome, but he does not bore with statistics or inane stories. He moves the action right along by showing readers why this involves them, and why it should naturally interest them. Each chapter begins with a premise that is readily understandable. It also includes a counterpoint and then the fun begins. Every chapter delivers. There is a natural satisfaction to this and makes reading the book enjoyable. I never experienced a more well planned out book, in this regard. I was never left wondering why something was missing, or what the author’s point was after all. He provides vignettes that most every reader either has knowledge of, or direct experience with. In that regard, the book almost reads like a continuous narrative, full of intrigue and personal connections. What surprised me in particular were the findings of the author. He clearly exposed the myths behind much of the country’s fears – fears that turn out to be nearly entirely fictitious or so improbable as to be nearly laughable. Then he does something important and which caused my surprise. He listed the fears that all Americans should actually be concerned with. These are the issues that most citizens will encounter on a daily basis and should be giving their attention rather than the stories at the top of newspaper headlines. Motor vehicle injuries, drowning, fires, head injuries to children from bicycle accidents, these are the realities of danger in America. And these can be prevented. Safer vehicles, more restrictive drivers’ licenses, and bicycle helmet laws – these are the tools of the fearful citizen that can bring some peace to life. I never thought that Glassner would make such a strong point out of such mundane information. It made me want to actually change my personal living styles, and not in the manner of investing in gas masks or bunkers. Naturally, the book is not perfect. Probably the greatest weakness is the ability of it to be dismissed as a big government bashing book. It could be accused of having an agenda. It is fairly heavy handed when it comes to discussing the media and the government’s efforts at propagating fears among the population. Perhaps Glassner could have helped himself some by providing statistical analysis of actual terrorist linked events over the course of the century. This may have more convincingly pointed out just how anachronistic the terror attacks of Fall 2001 really were, and remain. Rather than describe the government’s reaction to it, he could have simply left it at that and trusted the reader to draw his or her own conclusions. But that is a small point. One area that could have been covered differently is that chapter on Youth at Risk. With a subtitle of Faulty Diagnoses and Callous Cures one would expect that it would be a medically related chapter. Indeed that it is. However, I feel that the chapter rather disregards the pervasive depression and angst that this generation seems to be finding themselves in. It would appear at least from common experience that these troubles which are leading to more and more suicides and bullying are real and worth a serious look. It is not as if Glassner just glosses over these things, but I think that his overall take on the situation is not serious enough. He instead appears to have it out for the medical establishment. Some could say that this trivializes the problems that teens today are undergoing. I think that would be an accurate indictment. The chapter could either have been more aimed that direction, or perhaps could be eliminated altogether as a general fear among the United States population at large. Summation Barry Glassner’s book The Culture of Fear is one to be read. It is quite easy to recommend. Primarily it is because the book’s audience is also the general population. Every reader would know a potential reader in a neighbor, co-worker, relative. Glassner makes his point very clear – the culture of fear is absolutely pervasive. We are all a part of this society that lives in near constant paranoia over things that probably will never happen; and we ignore what we probably should fear on a daily basis. That is what is so ultimately compelling about the book. It is nearly a handbook for peaceful living. The Culture of Fear makes promises through its introduction and its chapter titles, and it delivers. The prose is concise and clearly understandable. The scenarios, likewise, are situations in which nearly every reader can either imagine, or has actually experienced. This lends an instant authority and trustworthiness to the book. And after all, where there is trustworthy authority, there is careful consideration of fears itself.

Microbiology Essay

Unknown reports in microbiology are written in scientific format. Scientific writing is written differently from other types of writing. The results of the exercise or experiment are what are being showcased, not the writing. The purpose of scientific writing is not to entertain, but to inform. The writing should be simple and easy to understand. There is a specific style that must be followed when writing scientific reports. Scientific writing is typically written in the passive voice. The pronouns â€Å"I†, â€Å"We† and â€Å"They† are not typically used.. For example, instead of writing â€Å"I used a TSA agar plate to isolate my unknown,† it is customary to write, â€Å"A trypticase soy agar (TSA) plate was used to isolate the unknown.† It is also customary to write in the past tense for most of the report. This includes the introduction, the summary, the description of the materials and methods and the results. The present tense is reserved for the conclusions about the results. See the examples given below. Some other general rules that should be followed are: Microbial nomenclature: The name of the bacterium should written and spelled correctly. The name should be italicized or underlined. Italicized is preferred. For example, Staphylococcus aureus. The genus is capitalized but the species is not. After the full genus name is given in the paper, it can be written as S. aureus, but still italicized. This is as long as there in no other genera in the paper that starts with the same letter. MATERIALS AND METHODS This is where the details of the study are listed. Where did the specimen come from, and what methods were used to identify it? Be specific, but do not re write the lab manual. One way is to mention the names of the materials used and reference the lab manual for the procedure or method and then continue to elaborate when necessary. See example 1. Example 1: â€Å"An unknown labeled as letter G was given out by the lab instructor. The methods that have been learned thus far for identifying bacteria have been applied to this unknown. Procedures were followed as stated in the course laboratory manual by De Mers (1), unless otherwise noted. The first procedure that needed to be done was to streak the unknown out on a Trypticase Soy Agar plate, using the T streak method described in the lab manual.. This needed to be done in order to test the purity of the unknown. After the plates were incubated and grown, the morphology was observed and recorded and a Gram stain was performed. Quality control bacteria were Gram stained along with the unknown to make sure that the Gram stain reaction was done correctly . After determining the Gram reaction, specific biochemical tests were performed. The biochemical tests were chosen from the unknown identification tables that were in the lab manual. Since unknown G was determined to be a Gram negative rod, an oxidase test was performed and the organism was inoculated into a BCP lactose tube. Note all of these tests were performed by the methods listed in the lab manual by De Mers (1). Table 1 lists the test, purpose, reagents and results. All of the following tests were performed on thi s unknown: 1. Oxidase test 2. BCP Lactose 3. Indole 4. H2S 5. Citrate 6. Motility 7. Methyl Red 8. Urea† Another way is to write out the methods in detail in either a paragraph form or listed. This way is not necessary for this type of paper, since this is lab report for the identification of an unknown bacterium and the methods are explained in detail in the lab manual. If there is a procedure that the instructor added or made changes to, or the student used another procedure not in the course lab manual, then it should be written out and referenced.

Framework for the Assessment of Children and their Families Essay

The Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families (which I will refer to as the assessment framework in this assignment) is an ecological framework that includes personal, intra-personal, inter-personal and sociological influences on development. It was developed in response to findings from a programme of research on child protection (Department of Health 1995), and a series of government inspections (Social Services Inspectorate 1997a,b). Social workers often have to balance the needs of children and families with agency requirements, which Davies (1997), points out are often underpinned by a legal mandate therefore accountability is a complex concept in social work. The assessment framework provides a systematic way of gathering, analysing, understanding and recording what is happening to children and young people within their families and the wider context of the community in which they live, (Department of Health, Department for Education and Employment, Home Office, 2000); and the skill in undertaking and recording an assessment according to Coulshed & Orme (1998 p.26) lies in the ability of professionals to collect enough of the right kind of information and this can only be done in the right kind of environment. Cleaver and Walker’s (2003) research study found that the implementation of the assessment framework overall has been successful, it has facilitated joint working  between agencies having a profound influence on policy and practice in children’s services. The Every Child Matters policy initiative was a positive social policy programme in a lot of respects and a catalyst for radical reform however some of the processes and procedures invaded and undermined the rights of the child to privacy under Article 8 of the European Convention for Human Rights (ECHR), Hoyle, (2008), which I will discuss further in this assignment. There have been many criticisms of the assessment framework and Helm (2011) mentions that even though the quality of assessments have improved there is persistent difficulty with levels and quality of analysis and a repeated failure amongst professionals to pay sufficient attention to what children and young people may be saying about their own needs and experiences. Parton (2010) highlights that during the period since late 2008 & the tragic death of Baby P, the focus has shifted more centrally to child protection where prior to this period the emphasis was on ‘safeguarding’, and there has been a renewed official priority given to social work to which the developments have been given an added impetus with the election of the Conservative/Liberal Democrat Coalition government in May 2010 which generated the Munro review into child protection. I will provide a critical analysis of how relevant legislation and policy impact on assessing the needs of children and their families and I will discuss ways that inadequate assessments can lead to failures. To successfully implement the assessment framework a process has to be followed which requires social workers to be skilful and experienced. I will explore ways in which the assessment framework is a useful tool in contemporary social work practice, identifying the significance of risk and safeguarding with children and young people and how we can learn from past mistakes. In addition I will discuss some of the dilemmas that social workers face with the assessment process in relation to the rights of children and families. Legislation and Policy in the Children and Families Assessment Framework The assessment framework was introduced under section (7) of the Local Authority Social Services Act in 2000 and implemented in April 2001. (Millar & Corby, (2006). It followed the introduction of the Children Act (1989) which legitimises actions taken by social workers. The framework builds on the duties of assessment of needs set out in section (17) and schedule (2) para (3) of the Children Act 1998. (Parker & Bradley, p.18), and builds on responsibilities under section (47) of the Children Act which obliges local authorities to consider making inquires if concerns have been expressed about a child’s well-being or possible maltreatment. Assessments under section (47) involve a shared responsibility in consultation with other professionals. Failure to properly implement Section (17) schedule (2) meant that the broader welfare needs of disadvantaged children was overlooked so the DOH had to refocus social work practice so that child protection concerns were included in the assessment framework. Parker (2007) states that the assessment framework is policy driven and highlights the importance of inter-agency sharing of information and cooperation in working together, while emphasising the principles of person-centred, strengths-based practice. It is made up of three domains (triangle) that represent the child’s developmental needs, the parenting capacity to respond to those needs and family and environmental factors with the child’s welfare at the centre (Department of Health, 2000a). According to Parton (2010), there was an important shift under the New Labour government away from services that were framed primarily in terms of ‘the family’ to ones that were explicitly ‘child-centred’. The Every Child Matters (ECM) policy framework a direct response to the Climbie Report was developed within government and championed by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) in September (2003), and underpins the Children Act (2004). The ECM joined-up services for children and families under one roof; so how can anyone dispute that not every child matters? Well, it only applied in 150 local authority areas in England and was not scheduled for  implementation in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, which would lead to the assumption that every child matters in England but not in the United Kingdom. Also under the ECM framework was a considerable financial investment, made in establishing a universal child surveillance database (Contact Point) and countless areas of activity concerning children but were brigaded under the ‘every child matters’ brand. The Integrated Children System which built on the assessment framework according to White et al, (2010) disrupted the professional task, engendering a range of unsafe practices and provoked a gathering storm of user resistance, (p.405). Parton (2011, p.16) notes that the Conservative/Liberal Democrat Coalition government made it clear, after its election victory in May 2010, that it was the reduction in the public finance debt that was its overriding and most urgent political priority and immediately set about reducing public expenditure. The new government established an independent review of child protection, chaired by Eileen Munro within three weeks of coming into office, (Parton, 2010, p.2); and the new government also began to dismantle key elements of the ECM framework (e.g. Contact Point), and almost consigned the enormous ECM website to the archive! ( Butler & Hickman, 2011). Research tells us that when thresholds are likely to be raised if there are limited resources, financial constraints or the pressure of increased workloads, this is a way that organisations can ration responses, by prioritising cases, (Turney et al, 2011), executive summary notes that, where children are neglected or abused evidence in dicates that the help they received from services was inadequate. The Munro review is the latest in a long line of policy initiatives in England set up to address the challenges for the state and wider society to the problem of child abuse. (Parton, 1985:2006). The review argues that a major reason why child protection policy and practice has developed in the way that it has in England arises from negative and critical responses from the media to professionals, in particular social workers, so improving the public image of social work is key to improving child protection. (Parton,  2012, p.158). But the review did not make it clear what it meant by child protection or what it identified as the main aims of the child protection system (p.154) The Assessment Process Assessment can be seen as an on-going, continuous and mutual process in which the service user interacts and participates. Darlymple and Burke (2006) explain that participation defines an activity where people are not just listened to or consulted but are also able to influence and achieve change. It is a process of what has happened and what is happening now. (Butler & Hickman, 2011 p.168), and Smale et al. (1993) highlight the idea of ‘exchange’ in assessment in which a two-way communication takes place, enabling the views of service users and professionals to be accorded equal respect. The assessment framework describes itself as ‘rooted in child development’, (DOH, 2000) therefore it is vital that social workers have a thorough understanding in child development as this is critical for work with children and families. It takes the skill and talent and understanding of a social worker to make sense of the information gathered from different sources and begin the process with the information in front of them. Sometimes the information needs to be collected again and again at the cost of the people using the services, especially if they have already given information to a social worker previously, but the process is an on-going one so in some cases negotiations need to be made with a range of people. Each child’s needs should be assessed individually when referred to services. An initial assessment is completed within 7-10 days. The initial assessment gathers information along the three parameters of assessment framework, which determines what services (if any) are needed. The tight time constraints can at this stage in the assessment framework can influence the initial decisions about where and how to manage referrals. Regan (2001) mentions that the form filling associated with the assessment framework is a time-consuming obstacle to the process of engaging helpfully with people.  (cited in Millar & Corby, 2006, p. 888). The core assessment which is an in-depth process containing numerous questions, is only necessary if it is clear from the initial assessment that a more detailed assessment is required and if there are safeguarding concerns. It uses the full model of the assessment (the child’s needs, the needs within the wider community) and the (capacity of the parents) and should be done within 35 working days. Current statutory guidance on promoting the health and well-being of looked after children (DCSF, 2009) suggests the use of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) as an early stage screening tool for this purpose. (cited in Turney et al, 2011). In social work practice, it is important to agree on the assessment plan with the child and it’s family so all parties are aware who is going to be doing ‘what’ and ‘when’, and how the assessment will be used to inform overall judgements about the child’s needs and subsequent planning, (DOH, 2000a). Two studies conducted by Corby et al, (2002a) who sought the views of 34 sets of parents being assessed under the new framework, concluded that almost all parents were satisfied or had positive views about the initial assessments and two-thirds felt in a similar way about core assessments. Focus groups who also took part in the study were also positive about initial assessments and had mixed views about the core assessments. The majority raised issues about time constraints and staff resources. The study doesn’t mention, which local authority area the study took place, the ages of the parents or the ethnic origins as this may have made a difference to the outcome. Anti-oppressive and Anti-discriminatory practice when conducting assessments should take into account people’s differences, for example religion, colour or race. If assessments are done correctly it will be person-centred and will include diverse factors such as the gender, sexuality or age of a person, cited in Turney et al, (2011). They also note criticisms of the child development model and that it doesn’t take into account the child’s disability and suggest that the assessment should include tailoring of templates to reflect their strengths, abilities and needs through their chosen method of communication. Coulshed and Orme (1983) discuss drawbacks to the assessment process in that they could be used to control not just access to services but also disadvantaged sections of the community for example dossiers kept on so-called ‘problem families’ or those who have assertively sought assistance, and Ahmad (1990) mentions the adjective ‘aggressive’ which is applied to black clients who assert their needs for equitable services and that white assessments fail to take into account black realities and environments. Preston-Shoot, (2003) adds that studies have shown that social workers have a lack of referencing to research and theory in their assessment reports. The components of the assessment framework requires more than just vision. It requires social workers to observe behaviours as well as gather information which can be non-verbal, for example observing facial expressions, looking at attachments with family members, observing body language etc. The message in social worker practice is clear, that when working with children and their families it is vital to have a non-judgemental manner, not to make assumptions when carrying out assessments and intervening with individuals and to keep an open mind. In addition social workers should, maintain adequate and accurate note keeping records and should ensure accountability when working in collaboration with other organisations. Risk and Safeguarding The discussion of risk and safeguarding and allocation of resources is a reminder of the power that social workers hold. The assessment framework (Department of Health et al., 2000), attempted to move the focus from the assessment of risk of child abuse and ‘significant harm’ (Department of Health, 2001) to one that was concerned with the idea of risk of impairment to a child’s overall development in the context of their family and community environment. (cited in Parton, 2010 p.7). Parton, (2010) discusses that by the early 1990s the child protection and child welfare systems could be characterised in terms of the need to  identify ‘high risk’ cases so that these could be differentiated from the rest. According to Dale et al., 1986; Parton and Parton, 1989, ‘High-risk’ was conceptualised in terms of ‘dangerousness’, for it occurred in the small minority of ‘dangerous families’, and such families were subject to extreme family dysfunctions and violent personalities and were seen as the primary cause of child abuse and needed to be identified so children could be protected. Government guidelines that specifically focused on ‘the protection of children from abuse’ was reinforced further in the only official guide on the purpose and content of professional assessments from the Department of Health, (1998) guide, Protecting Children: A Guide for Social Workers Undertaking a Comprehensive Assessment. The guide was specifically designed for social workers in cases where abuse was either substantiated or highly suspected and was concerned with assessments for ‘long-term planning in child protection’ cases. (Parton, 2010, p.6) So how can risk be identified? According to the (2003) Green Paper the risk characteristics of experiencing negative outcomes is concentrated in children with certain characteristics, and the more risk factors a child had, the more likely it was that they would experience negative outcomes for example ‘poor parenting’, ‘crime’ and ‘anti-social & deviant behaviour’ are seen to playing key roles and it is stated that identifying factors and intervening early provided a major strategy for overcoming the social exclusion of children and avoiding problems later in life. (cited in Parton, 2010, p.10) The Department of Health (Social Care Institute for Excellence, 2005), following the introduction of the Children Act (1989) commissioned a series of research studies which reported an over-emphasis on issues of abuse and neglect at the expense of assessing and supporting families. The (SCIE) drafted the report ‘Managing risk and minimising mistakes in services to children and families’ in 2005. The report based on a pilot study of organisational approaches to risk management and includes opportunities for learning from safeguarding incidents. The teams involved in the study were practitioners and service users recruited from England and Wales and fieldwork was conducted in July/August 2004 from both teams. Regarding the  needs assessment, the report mentions that assessing and safeguarding children from significant harm is complex, which means that near misses involves cases where potential significant harm to children was overlooked. During the referral and assessment stage the near misses arise due to the prioritisation of cases  professional not having an accurate or full picture of what is happening decisions made by other teams or agencies The report concludes that in relation to assessing the needs of children in particular the need to safeguard them from significant harm practitioners commentaries showed that near misses were a regular occurrence and were part and parcel of the job. The report also suggested that latent failures are embedded in the system which include a lack of sufficient resources to meet the needs of children and families. (SCIE, 2005, p.35) The role of social work practice in children’s services in England has in relation to child protection seen a dramatic change. Since late 2008, Parton (2010) mentions that following the Baby P’s tragic death, policy and practice have moved in new directions and the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS, 2009) reported that there were nearly 50 per cent more care applications to court in the second half of 2008-09 compared with the first half of that year. High-profile and very public criticisms of social workers and other health and welfare professionals in cases of child abuse put increasing pressure on child welfare services in the UK. (Parton, 1985; Butler and Drakeford, (2005). More recently the sentencing of 9 Asian men in the ‘Rochdale Grooming’ case in which critics have highlighted further ‘protection’ issues amongst professionals. So with clear messages from research, what is the best way for professionals to address issues of risk to children? The report focused primarily on active failures and it states that good practice is to learn from past mistakes and a key means for learning is to harness the knowledge and expertise from service users and to improve assessment systems promoting the welfare of children and families. (SCIE, 2005). Social workers also need to  know why they are seeking a particular piece of information and how to process it questioning all the information from sources, being intuitive and thinking analytically and critically. Professional issues in relation to rights of children and families and the assessment process. Jones (2001) mentions that social work assessment frameworks in general largely ignore the value of listening and forming supportive relationships, diminishing the power of service users to express their concerns effectively, and adds that social workers often have to balance the needs and rights of the child with those of the parents. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) sets out the independent rights of the children, but it also states that the ‘best interests of the child’ are usually served by supporting the child’s family, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, (2005). The (JRF), 2005 study examined the tensions inherent in child and family policy, it’s implications of human rights legislation for policy development and the extent to which government has managed these responsibilities through the development of appropriate policies and structures for service delivery. The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), sets out the parents and children entitlements, including the right for respect for family life enshrined in Article (8). The (2005) study encourages a debate about managing the tensions between policies in support of children and those directed at parents and the family and concludes that contradictions and conflicts in policy in children’s welfare eclipses parents’ rights, and there is no consistent overview of how interests of family members are managed across the generations. It also states that at local level, Children’s Trusts might be strengthened by changing their name to Children and Family Trusts encouraging holistic thinking and making their remit explicit. ‘Although the ECHR has been integrated into domestic law through the Human Rights Act, it’s entitlements are not promoted in social policy and despite signing up to the CRC the government has not incorporated its articles into UK legislation’. (JRF, 2005) It is important as part of the assessment process and for a good assessment to keep the focus of the child at the centre of the assessment process. Although this may be a problem with teenagers who are already going through changes and many of whom have estranged relationships with their parents and families. Studies note that there is sometimes an unwillingness of some social workers to intervene with teenagers and evidence from Serious Case Reviews indicate that suicide was a common cause of death with teenagers aged between the ages of 16 to 17 years of age. Social workers need to be aware of the dangers and of the impact of non-engagement with teenagers, and agencies need to have appropriate strategies and resources in place to address their needs (Brandon et al., 2008 and 2009; Hicks and Stein, 2010; Stein, 2007) (cited in Turney et al , (2011). The Turney et al, (2011) research article indicates that there are difficulties for many social workers in making and sustaining relationships with children and with representing the child’s voice in assessments and evidence shows that on occasions practice has fallen short of the standard required. Helm (2011) writes that children and young people have clearly identified that professionals fail to really listen, not because of a lack of time, but because they focus on adults views and protect themselves from the difficult nature of what they are being told. (p.908) Ferguson, (2001) mentions the difficulties that social workers and other professionals face in such cases of assessing the needs of children while at the same time trying to engage a mother and father who don’t always want the intervention, and research shows that there is considerable evidence that the nature of parental relationships with professionals affect decisions arising from assessments. Turney et al, (2011). Assessments of disabled children raises a number of complexities and challenges; for example the child developmental model underpinning the assessment framework can be seen by some social workers as not appropriate for disabled children (Cleaver et al.,2004; Mitchell and Sloper, 2008). Children need support at various stages of the assessment process so as to be  able to exercise their own rights. (Butler & Williamson 1994, Darlymple & Hough 1995). The child’s views whether expressed verbally or non-verbally and those of relevant people in the child’s life to the assessment is usually sought to get ideas about the best way of helping the child. (Coulshed and Orme, p.26). The assessments of parents relies on verbal communication, but if the parent has learning disabilities or there are language barriers communication could be misinterpreted. A qualitative study carried out by Walker (1999 a,b) in which 15 children aged between 12 and 15 were interviewed for the purpose of viewing children’s experiences of review meetings. Many of the children viewed assessment as formal and bureaucratic, which they said took place on the adults’ terms, and many wanted to get away from the meetings as soon as possible. One child described feeling as an outsider, when adults opened their diaries and planned the next meeting without consultation with the child. Some children felt the language used was difficult, and the aim of meetings was to talk about them and not with them. Conclusion The Assessment Framework is underpinned by child development and an ecological framework developed in response to findings from a programme of research on child protection. It provides a systematic way for social workers to gather and analyse information and recordings of what is happening to children and young people within their families and the wider community in which they live. Legislation and policy legitimises what actions social workers can take when undertaking assessments. There was an important shift under the New Labour Government in assessment with the ‘Every Child Matters’ policy framework which was a direct response to the Climbie Report & the death of Victoria Climbie. The ECM framework joined-up children’s services under one roof, but it was only implemented in England, it was a considerable financial investment and established a child surveillance database and countless areas of activity were brigaded under the ‘every child matters’ brand. Within 3 weeks of coming into office in May 2010, the Conservative/Liberal Democrat Coalition government’s most urgent political priority was reducing the public finance debt. The government established an independent review of child protection chaired by Eileen Munro, which is the latest in a long line of policy initiatives in England. The new government dismantled the key elements of the ECM framework almost consigning the enormous ECM website to the archives. The Assessment Framework as a process appears to have been welcomed by professionals and service users, but there have been criticisms. Messages from research tell us that the issues raised from professionals regarding the assessment process were the time constraints and staff resources and usually when there are limited resources, thresholds are likely to be raised and organisations tend to ration responses to their services by prioritising cases, and Turney et al (2011) note that in cases where children are neglected or abused evidence shows that the help they received from services was inadequate. Discussing Risk and Safeguarding according to Parton (2010) ‘high risk’ in the early 1990’s was conceptualised in terms of ‘dangerousness’ and occurred in a small minority of dangerous families. But the 2003 Green Paper looks at certain characteristics associated with risk such as ‘poor parenting’ or ‘anti-social behaviour’ (deviance) as playing a key role in negative outcomes associated to ‘risk’. The Social Care Institute for Excellence 2005 study found that during the referral and assessment stages near misses occurred due to prioritisation over cases and professionals not having an accurate or full picture of what is happening in a child’s life and that near misses were part and parcel of the job. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child notes ‘the best interests of the child’ are usually served by supporting the child and their family and although the European Convention on Human Rights sets out the parents and children entitlements in Article 8, according to a study conducted by the (2005) Joseph Rowntree Foundation study the entitlements  are not promoted to social policy and despite signing up to the CRC the government has not incorporated its articles into UK legislation. For good assessments it is important that social workers keep the focus on the children and young people and use intuitive skills even though there are difficulties in social work practice in making and sustaining relationships. References Ahmad, A. (1990) Practice with Care, London, Race Equality Unit/National Institute for Social Work. Bartlett, H. (1970) The Common Base of Social Work Practice. New York: National Association of Social Workers. Brandon, M., Bailey, S., Belderson, P., Gardner, R., Sidebotham, P., Dodsworth, J., Warren, C. and Black, J. (2009) Understanding Serious Case Reviews and their impact: A Biennial Analysis of Serious Case Reviews 2005-07. Research Report DCSF-RR129. University of East Anglia. Brandon, M., Belderson, P., Warren, C., Howe, D., Gardner, R., Dodsworth, J and Black, J. (2008). Analysing Child Deaths and Serious Injury through Abuse and Neglect: What Can We Learn? A biennial analysis of serious case reviews 2003-2005. Research Report DCSF-RR023. University of East Anglia. Butler, I. And Drakeford, M. (2005) Scandal Social Policy and Social Welfare, Bristol, Policy Press. Butler, I & Hickman C. (2011). Social Work with Children and Families: Getting into Practice. Third edition. Jessica Kingsley Publishers. London Butler, I. & Williamson, H. (1994), Children speak, Children, trauma and social work. Essex: Longman Information and Reference. Cleaver, H., and Walker, S. (2003) From policy to practice: the implementation of a new framework for social work assessments of children and families. Child and Family Social Work 2004, 9, pp 81-90. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Cleaver, H. & Walker, S. with Meadows, P. (2004) Assessing Children’s Needs and Circumstances: The Impact of the Assessment Framework. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Coulshed,V and Orme, J. (1998) Social Work Practice: an introduction, Basingstoke: Macmillan. Dale, P., Davies, M., Morrison, T. and Waters, J. (1986) Dangerous Families: Assessment and Treatment of Child Abuse, London, Tavistock. Dalrymple, J. & Hough, J. (eds) (1995), Having a Voice. An Exploration of Children’s Rights and Advocacy. Birmingham: Venture Press. Davies, M. (1997) (ed) The Blackwell Companion to Social Work. Oxford: Blackwell. Department of Health (1995) Child Protection: Messages from Research. HMSO, London. Department of Health (1988) Protecting Children: A Guide for Social Workers undertaking a comprehensive assessment. London: HMSO Department of Health, Department for Education and Employment, Home Office. (2000). Framework for the assessment of children in need and their families, London: The Stationery Office. Every Child Matters Green Paper, Retrieved, 30th May 2012 from http://publications.everychildmatters.gov.uk Helm, D. (2011) â€Å"Judgements or Assumptions? The Role of Analysis in Assessing Children and Young People’s Needs†. British Journal of Social Work, 41, 894-911 Hoyle, D. (2008). ‘Problematizing Every Child Matters’ the encyclopedia of informal education. Retrieved June 8th 2012 from http://www.infed.org Jones, C. (2001) ‘Voices from the front line: state social workers and New Labour’, British Journal of Social Workers, 31 (4), pp. 547-562. Jones, P. (2011) â€Å"What are Children’s Rights?: Contemporary Developments and Debates†. Part One; Chapter Overview. Retrieved, 29th May 2012 from http://www.sagepub.com Joseph Rowntree Foundation. (2005). Findings; Informing Change: â€Å"Human Rights obligations and policy supporting children and families†. Retrieved, 29th May 2012 from www.jrf.org.uk Mitchell, W. and Sloper, P. (2008) The Integrated Children’s System and Disabled Children. Child and Family Social Work, 13 (3): 274-285. Parker, J. (2007) â€Å"Chapter 11: the process of social work: Assessment, Planning, Intervention and Review†. In, Lymbery, Mark & Postle, Karen (Eds.), Social Work: a companion to learning, pp. 111-122, London: SAGE Publications Ltd. Parker, J and Bradley, G. (2005) Social Work Practice: Assessment, Planning, Intervention and Review. Learning Matters. Parton, C. and Parton, N. (1989) ‘Child Protection, the law and dangerousness’, in O. Stevenson (ed), Child Abuse: Public Policy and Professional Practice, Hemel Hempstead, Harvester-Wheatsheaf. Parton, N. (1985). The Politics of Child Abuse, Basingstoke, Macmillan. Parton, N. (2006). Safeguarding Childhood: Early Intervention and Surveillance in a late Modern Society. Palgrave/Macmillan: Basingstoke Parton, N. (2010). ‘Child Protection and Safeguarding in England: Changing and Competing Conceptions of Risk and their Implications for Social Work’. British Journal of Social Work 2010, pp, 1-22 Parton, N. (2012). ‘The Munro Review of Child Protection: An Appraisal. Policy Review. Children & Society Volume 26, (2012) pp. 150-162 Preston-Shoot, M. (2003) A matter of record? Practice, 15 (3): 31-50 Smale,G., Tuson, G., Biehal, N. and Marsh, P. (1993) Empowerment, Assessment, Care Management and the Skilled Worker, London, The Stationery Office. Social Care Institute for Excellence (2005). Managing risk and minimising mistakes in services to children and families. Children and Families’ Services Report 6. The Policy Press Social Services Inspectorate (1997a) Assessment, Planning and Decision-Making, Family Support Services. Department of Health, London. Social Services Inspectorate (1997b) Messages from Inspections: Child Protection Inspections 1992/1996. Department of Health, London. Stein, M., Hicks, L., Rees, G. and Gorin, S. (2007) A Review of the Literature on the Preparation of Guidance for Multi-Disciplinary Teams and a Guide for Young People. (Confidential Draft) Turney, D., Platt, D., Selwyn, J., & Farmer, E. (March 2011) Social work assessment of children in need; what do we know? Messages from Research Executive Summary; School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol. Accessed 29th May 2011. Walker, S. (1999 a), Children looked after: their involvement and perceptions of decision-making. University of East Anglia Walker, S. (1999 b), â€Å"Children’s perspectives on attending statutory reviews†, in Schemmings, D. (eds.) Involving Children in Family Support and Child Protection. London: The Stationary Office. White, S.,Wastell. D., Broadhurst, K., and Hall, D. (2010) ‘When policy overlaps itself: The ‘tragic tale’ of the integrated children’s system.’ Critical Social Policy 30, 3, 405-429.

Cell Phones

Cell phones should be permitted in classrooms for educational purposes. Having cell phones in an environment that is already geared towards learning opens the opportunity to teach safety and manners for the devices. Teachers can explain in detail to their students how to remain safe on the internet and how to utilize it to its fullest ability. This presents the ideal circumstances for addressing issues such as cyberbullying and online predators as well as how to avoid or properly deal with these topics. The school also can monitor and control what sites students may visit, and it protects them from off-topic or detrimental websites. In addition to safety, instructors may lead lectures on etiquette associated with these devices (http://www.schoolmoney.org). Using technology in the classroom is useful for recording and recalling information. Ken Halla found that his students turned in their homework more often when they were using their devices to remind themselves of their homework. By using the devices as reminders, the students were able to combat their forgetfulness and raise their grades as they had begun to complete their assignments (http://neatoday.org). Another teacher, Sherri Story, uses smart phones to administer group quizzes in which a total of six phones are used, so all the students get a chance to participate and work together. She finds that the students have all the information they need at their fingertips and can find answers that even she does not know almost immediately. The students can share notes and assignments that their classmates may have missed in a previous period, which allows the absent student just as much time to work on a given topic as his peers and no excuse for not completing assignments (https://pilotonline.com). Implementing a ‘Bring Your Own Device,' or ‘BYOD' policy can be cost-effective for schools that are underfunded. For schools that cannot afford many computers; laptops; or tablets, having students bringing in their own devices, even if they must be shared, saves the school from expending money that it does not have (http://neatoday.org). Additionally, a study, led by Joshua Littenberg-Tobias and Vincent Cho, showed that when students' devices were utilized for learning in Boston College, the teachers saw improvement in the learning abilities of their students (https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org). Because the use of technology has grown exponentially over the years, the quantity of educationally focused applications has grown. Apps, such as Remind101, are used to remind students of upcoming assignments while websites like Poll Everywhere can be used to determine what materials a class needs to review before assessments and what it does not. Other apps, such as dictionary or reference apps are quick and easy to use, cutting down on the time needed to search for information so that more time may be spent on learning (http://www.nea.org). Certain apps such as Kahoot are tailored to make learning in all subjects enjoyable, entertaining, and like a game, which helps some students learn better than simply sitting through a lesson without understanding (https://education.cu-portland.edu). Cellular devices may be used by children that would otherwise not ask for assistance. They may by utilized by disabled children to communicate with everyone else and give them a sense of normality. They may also be used by students who are too shy or nervous to ask for help in front of their entire class. These students may fear that they will be considered stupid if they ask for help, so the anonymity gives them the confidence they need to receive the additional attention they need. Moreover, when students are placed into groups to complete projects, none of them are singled out because they do not own a smartphone. All students in a group work together, using a single device (https://www.edutopia.org). Permitting cell phones in an academic setting would be a wise decision, despite its drawbacks, which are easily remedied.

Persepolis Critical essay

As a native to this strict Middle-Eastern country', Satraps had much to discuss about the expected public behavior of women and the higher standards men were granted through gender inequality. Following the Islamic Revolution of 1 979, the new theocratic regime enforced strict moral conduct codes for females that, in effect, opposed women's rights. Satrap's description of her country aligns itself with the idea that women who openly spoke out and opposed the regime's traditional values were negatively received by the government.Women were expected to be complacent and diet, and failure to do so resulted in severe punishments, such as execution or imprisonment. When magazines published a photograph of Maria's mother demonstrating for freedom, she quickly transformed her appearance and suppressed her rebellious personality in fear of the government's retribution (5). This outspoken attitude was passed down to Marci who, on various accounts, was reprimanded and kicked out of schools and several residences.Aware of the potential consequences her words held, Maria's parents went to such drastic lengths to ensure the protection of their daughter that they sent ere to Vienna where freedom of speech was right was not restricted (147). Furthermore, women were especially disemboweled because their individuality was minimized when they were forced to wear a veil in public, a theme and image that are frequently depicted through Satrap's style of drawing. The similarity between the female characters' images evokes the sentiment that the veil erases all sense of individuality.This obligatory accessory came to eliminate a woman's body shape and protect women from the potential rapists who got excited by their hair. When Maria's mother went UT in public without wearing the symbol of modesty, two'0 fundamentalist men saw it as their right to verbally attack and insult her since she was challenging the regime (74). The executives were very critical towards women who strayed from their straight and narrow path, as demonstrated when Marci was almost taken to the headquarters of the guardians of the revolution for wearing â€Å"symbols of decadence† (132-134).This radical government system was not fully welcomed by the citizens, and Satraps described it as a suffocating and oppressive state where discrimination against women was a jugular occurrence. Gender roles and the power associated with them were clearly detectable throughout the comic; men were viewed as the bread makers and intelligent leaders of society, and women were housewives. Boys were indoctrinated from a young age to become soldiers, tempted with literal keys to open the gates of heaven, and fighting on the front line to earn their entry into paradise (99).War propaganda glorified being a soldier, and it became less about fighting for a country values and more about using the military to protect territorial and financial investments. The young soldiers ere filled with a false sense of p ower because they were hypnotized into believing it would grant them access into an â€Å"afterlife even better than Disneyland† (101). Girls, on the other hand, were kept at home to make winter hoods for soldiers, still with the expectation of remaining complacent and quiet.Satraps also criticized government officials by calling them hypocritical in their judgment of modest appearances. Numerous restrictions were imposed on what and how women were allowed to dress, whereas men were given the freedom to â€Å"present themselves with all clothes so tight they were practically sculpted on† (297). At one point during a convocation, Marci publicly confronted the administration by questioning if â€Å"religion was defending [their] physical integrity or if it was just opposed to fashion† (297).Even more, Satraps depicts how men's Offensive actions could be justified by the comportment of women, and how women were objectified and degraded by men. It was acceptable for a guardian of the revolution to marry and steal the virginity of a rebellious girl before her execution, as was the case with Nonlinear, the eighteen-year-old communist who was only given a dowry equivalent to five dollars (125). For a country that placed a lot of importance on modesty, the gender inequalities were far more apparent.Although Satraps shares many of her memories on controlling leaders and discrimination against women, that is not to say that there are only radical portrayals of gender in Prolepsis. Satrap's connection to Iran is strong and loyal; she believes the â€Å"entire nation should not be judged by the wrongdoings of a few extremists† (introduction). Maria's family and her circle of friends were very avian-garden and would make subtly oppose the government by hosting secret parties with the opposite sex, wearing makeup, ND exposing tufts of hair through the veil.Capitalism and anything relating to the Western world was banned and a cultural revolution was supported by the theocratic regime. Because of this uprising, females were expected to follow an enforced and strict conduct, and the conformity often became so familiar that an escape from the chains seemed impossible. Gender inequality is also explored throughout the comic, highlighting how men were given more freedom and power than women. Satraps portrayed men as being able to contribute to society and hold high-ranking titles, whereas the AR required women stay confined by the walls of their house.

The Itnerarium Pereginorum et Gesta Regis Ricardis (The Chronicle of Research Paper

The Itnerarium Pereginorum et Gesta Regis Ricardis (The Chronicle of the Third Crusade) - Research Paper Example The paper is also meant to inform the readers of the figures that were behind the crusade and how each of them contributed to the struggle of rescuing and maintaining the ruler-ship of Jerusalem. The genre with which this work is written is kind of a narrative with blends the illustrations and examples that vividly make the reader grasp every element of the author’s thought. The text is elaborate and the evidences given are backed by references from other works thus authenticating it beyond doubts. The text though seems to be biased towards its analysis and projection of the opponent, the Muslim, who is the occupant of Jerusalem. Their leader Saladin is portrayed as a bad person yet to some extent the things that he did were much similar to those that Richard of England did. Richard is defended in the text for his deeds and he is showered with praises all through the text. Firstly, Richard is portrayed as a leader and a warrior who is a schemer with great intelligence. He thin ks ahead of time and he takes due consideration of his subject. During the initial stages of the third crusade, he knew and he had a feeling that it was very possible to conquer Jerusalem, but it needed more than that1. In his wisdom, there was a possibility of the win but maintaining the city after the conquest would pose a great challenge for him. This is because the soldiers and the crusaders would have loved to go back home to their people who had missed them. As the King, he had the authority of forcing the soldiers to take guard of the city but instead, his understanding stood open and in that consideration, he laid further strategies of laying the attack without offending his people both at home and in the battlefield. In the effect of this, Richard upon the in-depth analysis and understanding of the situation. He came to the realization that the dual combination of the Saladin’s powerful control of Egypt and Syria permitted him to in effect take control and surround t he crusaders. Because of his deep concern for others and the loyalty that he enjoyed, he had the stamina of power and humor of love that made him a powerful man in the crusade. He had the audacity to face danger and even in the farce face of defeat, he lost no hope and with resilience, he often snatches victory from the hand of defeat. This made his people believe in him. It is a natural thing that people would always follow the leader who assures them victory even in the face of confusion. His strategies were clear and even when there was uncertainty in the direction to follow, he promised victory by offering clear formula and methods of war and attacks2. Richard is further portrayed to have human attitude. He is empathetic and never had he wanted to put people to death. This is a thought which is quite paradoxical. When he was faced with conflicting situations, he had no choice but to slay a number of people. At the time, he wanted to make advances to the south, he was faced with a situation. He had two options; to set the war prisoners free or to leave a section of his soldiers in the guard or to kill them. As a rational thinker and a competent soldier, leaving a section of his soldier to take captive the prisoners would weaken his force.

EU LAW Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

EU LAW - Essay Example Article 18(1) of the E.C. Treaty provides that every citizen can move and reside freely in any part of the E.U. Article 39 (1) provides for free movement of workers. Article 43 provides for freedom of establishment by which individuals can get self employed. Article 49 gives freedom to provide and receive service in any part of the E.U.1. Citizens are bound by the law of the European Union and decision of the European Union Court of Justice is final. The individuals and Government officials should consult the legislation relating to the European parliament which represents people of Europe, the Council of the European Union which represents national governments of member states, and the European Commission that takes care of the common interest of the E.U. The Sarbotinians should exercise their votes in European Parliament elections. Some of the benefits that Sarbotinians can enjoy because of this membership in the EU are that they can travel across EU regions without passports and border checks. They can buy goods of their choice in any other member state where they may get at cheaper prices without custom duties. The single currency Euro makes it easier for all EU members to travel in any part of EU without having to convert it to local currency. Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxemburg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain are already using Euro even for their local transactions. Hereafter it will be a single market without frontiers for member states thus intensifying competition and ensuring the highest possible quality for goods and services at the lowest possible prices. As per ascension treaty, there can be restrictions on work in other member states for new Sarbotinians between January 2010 and December 2015 but they will be phased o ut gradually. While the U.K.,

Creating High Performance teams in the workplace Essay

Creating High Performance teams in the workplace - Essay Example A group of six to seven people does not comprise a team. Teams are a group of individuals within a group with a common goal (Griffin &Moorhead, 2011, p.268). Groups and teams are not the same as group is a collection of people who may not have the same goal but in team the goal remains the same for every team member (Griffin &Moorhead, 2011, p.268). In a team, the decisions are taken either by the group together or a single person who may have better skills and expertise (Katzenbach & Smith, 2001, p.8). In a team, there is a continuous and a rigorous assessment of the performance of the team members (Katzenbach & Smith, 2001, p.9). Team activities help a person to inculcate leadership qualities in his personality (Franz, 2012, p.5). Features and benefits of team working Collaboration- In a team, the members work together to fulfill the common goal. Effective team work can produce tangible and intangible benefits for an organization in the form of increase in the quantity of the produ cts and increased customer satisfaction (Parker, 2011, p.5). Communication- In a team work, communication plays a major role. The leader would communicate with his team members on a regular basis as a good team cannot be built unless there is proper orchestration or communication of thoughts (Pritchett, 1992, p.2). Reducing complexity- Any activity that is first sorted out within a team will help to reduce its complicity and chaos in the operation (Willcocks & Morris, 1997, p.8). Balance of individual contribution – In a team, every member contributes his knowledge and expertise. The dominant members also contribute their expertise but they do not suppress the opinion of the others (Clutterbuck, 2007, p.70). The team leader would try to ensure that there is no imbalance in this regard Mutual support- In a team, the members mutually supports each other and help in continuous improvement (Goethals, et al., 2004, p.1533). Mutual trust can help the team to establish a work climat e and a communication process (Barner & Barner, 2012, p.40). Effort- The effectiveness of a team performance is assessed by its efforts. The effort that a team might put in depends on the task which should be motivating for the team members (Parcon, 2006, p.92). Cohesion - Team cohesion describes the way the team comes together in a social work (Kornspan, 2009, p.57). There is a positive relationship between performance level and cohesion in a team (Jowett, 2007, p.95). Effective ways to create high performance teams There can be many ways and tactics to create a high performance teams. a few aspects like bonding pattern in newly hired team, removing low morale in the project team, the team fit , resolving conflicts and increasing participation and creativity in the team can lead to a high performing team. It is often observed that new recruits or people joining an organization in their teams face difficulty and are uncomfortable with the environment. Also, sometimes the people with in a team feel isolated due to the factors like loneliness, new environment etc. This can harm the productivity of the team to a great extent (Roussel, 2011, p.244). So, the manager needs to make the new recruit comfortable with the team. Organizations face problems where there is inconsistency in the fit amongst the workers. In a team, some people can be productive working in a traditional work environment but as the working environment changed, there may be situations where these workers may not be able to work with

Human Resource Management of eBay in China Essay

Human Resource Management of eBay in China - Essay Example eBay’s failure in China is attributable to its rigid and product-centered approach that did not complement consumer behavior in China. Cultural differences, unique characteristics of Chinese consumers and hence their demands from e-shopping differ vastly from that of American buyers. This problem identification requires the development of appropriate solutions to help eBay tackle the threat of dominant competition in China that is being posed by Taobao. A success in doing so would allow eBay to capture the booming e-shopping market in China which is expected to grow to an astounding $315 billion dollars by 2015 and therefore, presents a monumental opportunity for eBay to move forward with its plans of global expansion. The report proposes an incorporation of the expertise of local managers and workers in the operations of eBay China to remove issues that are being posed by cultural barriers. It should also be noted that this Human Resource Management initiative will also help in cost reduction and minimization. Diversity in a workforce is integral to idea generation and would also help redesign eBay’s business model to suit to the needs of the Chinese C2C market. Drawbacks of the proposed solution are also discussed and it is recommended that further reports are commissioned to assess the validity of the said drawbacks and how they should be minimized. Contents 1.Terms of Reference 3 2.Literature Review 5 3.Problem Identification 7 3.1 Background 7 3.2 Competition from Taobao 9 3.3 Cultural Issues 10 3.4 Unique Characteristics of Buyers 10 3.5 eBay’s Business Model 11 4.Evaluation of Alternatives 11 4.1Employing Local Managers 11 4.2Transferring Core Employees with Chinese Background 13 5.Recommendations 14 6.Reflective Appendix 15 References 17 1. Terms of Reference eBay is a global internet-based business that acts as an intermediary between consumer-to-consumer transactions for a wide range of products that include electronics, automobil es, clothing, sporting gear and several other products falling under various categories. eBay entered the Chinese market in 2003 through its acquisition of EachNet (Zhang et al. 2009) with hopes of gaining a considerable market share and to repeat the success that it had achieved in the U.S. However, as industry analysts would later report eBay failed to compete with the dominant force of Taobao – a local website that was launched by Alibaba in hopes of battling the imminent threat that eBay posed to sellers in China’s booming internet shopping market. While, commentators and analysts have evidently explained the reasons why eBay eventually could not make a significant impact on the online shopping market in China, it is important to note that much of that discussion has been directed towards assessing comparative analyses between the business models of eBay and its adversary Taobao. The purpose of this report however, is to focus specifically on the Human Resource Man agement of eBay in China in order to utilize the evaluations derived from the assessment to propose recommendations and suggestions that could be undertaken by the multinational corporation. The report aims to do so by defining the problems and issues that eBay faced in the Chinese market which posed as obstacles in allowing the organization to capture a considerable market share within the industry in the face of tough competition. These main issues include exploring

Work Based Integrated Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5250 words

Work Based Integrated Project - Essay Example As a young Muslim female growing up in the u.k, my parents always have been very protective and kept me grounded. Morals and values have had a huge impact on my life because my parents have been brought up in a traditional Muslim way, were they raised in Iraq they brought me up the same way their parents have been bought up the tradition Muslim way for example dressing in a modest way and wearing a scarf (the hijab). This is something that has come natural to me and I often have to explain to people what it is and why I wear it and to be honest its made me the woman I’m today, its part of my identity and I will never change it. Obviously being a Muslim girl, it usually restricts us to a certain way of life we live in and living in the UK is such an eye opener to everything. However I have such strong beliefs and challenging the western ideologies wasn't an issue growing up, under the influence of my parents i was on track with religion as well as being modernized. I have alway s wanted to make something out of me, it will be very common if i just accepted in getting married at the age of 16 to a young Muslim man but that was not what I wanted for myself, I’m a very confident and passionate young women wanting to be successful, its my goal to follow my dreams and be very wealthy and proud be able to say I did it, for taking radio after my degree is what I want to do for definite. Furthermore I want to be an inspiration to the young Muslim females that didn’t get a chance to finish education and follow their dream, because it’s very tradition in my culture to get married and have a family of your own. Without a doubt I do want to follow my tradition of getting married and having family, but for now I will take a step ahead to follow my dreams and what I really want to do quite funny I can imagine myself being on a radio station and people would want to tune in early hours in the morning on their ways to work sampling the radio I did for year 2 part of media communication course we studied radio module and produced a 10 minute radio show, I received a lot of positive feedback not only from my peers but also my lecturers told me to take this on. My passion for radio grew even more since I started my media communication course at university. This was an eye opener into taking on radio presenting as a career it’s my comfort zone and if I'm honest I do like the sound of my own voice. My main goal is to work Kiss 100 a British radio station in London since it’s my favorite London station and hopefully follow experience with having my own radio show named: ‘MunMun Radio’ but for now my main focus is work for kiss 100 and be successful. Self evaluation expressed as personal SWOT CV and cover letter should be included in this section Interpersonal sensitivity based on agreeableness encompasses the status of being considerate towards situations and events. Agreeable personality is marked by nature of being tactful, sensitive, as well as altruism qualifying leaders to be more agreeable. There is that sense of modesty and non-excessive affiliation to certain groups. Within the social set-up people tend to discover certain group affiliations, however, the need for affiliation appears to be negatively related to leadership. There’s some sense of ambiguity between agreeableness and leadership (Ellis and Harper, 1997). Leadership based on conscientiousness focuses on the end results whereby the leader ensures appropriate completion of tasks. Positioning of leadership within organizations determines the level of group effectiveness. Performances within organizations depend on the nature of individual conscientiousness which ultimately determines the

Mathematics Assignment Math Problem Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mathematics Assignment - Math Problem Example 1 m3 = 100 cm3 = 0.86 tonnes Then, divide both sides by 10 10 Cubic cms = 0.086 tonnes (b) What volume of soil weighs 3 kg 1 ton = 1000 kg Then, 0.86 tonnes = 860 kg = 1 m3 So, 1 m3 = 860 kg Multiply both sides by 3/860 3/860 m3 = (3*860) / 860 kg 0.0035 m3 = 3 kg 14. If 10 men take 3 days to complete a task (a) How long will it take 6 men to complete the task 10*3 = 6*x 30/6 = x = 5 (b) If the task is to be completed in two days how many men are required 10*3 = x*2 X = 30/2 = 15 15. Draw the graph of 5x + 2y 10 = 0 and determine the x and y intercepts When x=0, 5(0) + 2y = 10 Y= 10/2 = 5 (x,y) = (0,5) Similarly, when y=0. 5x + 2(0) = 10 X = 10/5 = 2 (x,y) = (2,0) 16. The distance travelled by a train and the corresponding times are given by Time, hrs 0 0.5 1.5 2.5 Distance, kms 0 38 114 190 Plot the graph of distance as a function of time and determine the equation of the line. Equation of the line, y = mx +c Where, c = y-intercept & m = slope of the line = here, as the graph shows c = 0, whereas, let us consider (0,0) and (0.5,38) to determine m. m = (38 - 0) / (0.5 - 0) = 76 So, the equation of the line is: y = 76x + 0 or y = 76x 17. A ball is thrown upward with an initial velocity 55 m/sec. The speed of the ball decreases uniformly with time and after 5 secs its velocity is 6 m/sec. (a) Determine the equation relating the velocity of the ball and time. Here, there are 2 coordinates given, i.e. (55,0) and (6,5) considering time is plotted on the y-axis. As per the graph in part b, c (y-intercept) = 5.6 and m = (5-0)/(6-55) = -5/49 Therefore, the equation will be, + 5.6 Or 49y +5x = 274.4 (b) Draw the graph of this equation. (c) Determine the time at which the... The negative velocity in this example would be a hypothetical state to achieve. The equation for such a case will be bound by constraints, ensuring no negative values can be put in for time and velocity.

Final research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Final research - Essay Example In the opening line of Tomson’s play â€Å"The Rez Sisters†, the character Pelajia says, â€Å"Philomena, I want to go to Toronto†. Pelajia is a Native girl; a reservation resident who immediately pulls audiences into the story because it’s clear she wants to leave her life on the reservation in favour of the multicultural, urban existence of Toronto. Tomson, a Native himself, understands how the pull of the great urban multicultural centre can take a young Native out of his or her home; primarily he understands that this is because many Natives feel segregated and essentially sidelined to life itself, and to cultural awareness and individual expression. This is one of many ways that Tomson has decided to explore and write about Canada as a multicultural nation: his idea of this idealistic notion is basically positive but in this play he pays tribute to the fact that many people, although integral parts of the nation’s multicultural society, feel le ft out of Canadian culture and lifestyle on the whole and seek to explore multiculturalism from their own perspective. â€Å"On the Rez† is ambiguous in that it clearly represents a multicultural nation but it also represents a segregated part of society that often has little recourse to the ethnic differences of an entire nation of people. The multicultural Canada theme continues into Tomson’s other works, most markedly in â€Å"Kiss of the Fur Queen† and â€Å"My Canada†. The first is a story that follows Native boys during their enrolment at a reservation school in Manitoba. Aside from using the major themes of child abuse and segregation, this story also touches on the theme of a multicultural Canada. Instead of showing the idealistic side of a multicultural society, â€Å"Kiss of the Fur Queen† actually delves into the darker side of Canadian history and portrays how people originally dealt with cultures that were

Associate degree program in nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Associate degree program in nursing - Essay Example An individual must also possess clinical experience to function efficiently in teaching. A baccalaureate degree and two-year experience in nursing are also a requirement. Faculty is defined as individuals employed to teach nursing education programs. The qualifications and responsibilities in nursing or for medical assistant differ depending on the program type and degree offered. The faculty is followed by a description in educational obligations, responsibilities, and information about the faculty positions. The requirements for assuming nursing roles are mandated by several organizations. These organizations include Maryland Board of Nursing, national accrediting bodies and the policies of an individual college. The reference regulatory programs are based on the Maryland Nurse Practice Act. The minimum qualification for a faculty in nursing is a master’s degree in nursing and an RN license from Maryland (School of Nursing: Associate Degree, 2012). These qualifications might be waived with respect to an individual nursing program under certain circumstances. 7. Intended Approval/Accreditation Preferring an entry program to nursing career is a personal choice. Finances and age determine the choice and future career plans. Students who want to take nursing and have bachelor’s degrees in non-nursing fields need to take an accelerated BSN or second-degree BSN program. These programs are for students who have a bachelor’s degree in the non-nursing field. Accelerated programs are fast and intense; thus, students are required to have a 3.0 GPA or higher. These programs offer students an opportunity to earn BSN in less than 16 months (Gun, 2012). Associate degrees in nursing or for medical assistant are designed to give students skills and knowledge of becoming competent nurses in various settings. The program combines theory, clinical practices, and lab experiences. It is mandatory for students to complete general education courses and nursing c ore courses for attaining an associate degree in nursing (School of Nursing: Associate Degree, 2012). There are three-entry levels for students who want to take a nursing degree. Different types of schools offer these levels. The 4-year BSN is preferred by most schools for entry in nursing programs because it offers job opportunities to students. Many classifieds have BSN as a requirement for any position because it is the entry point for nursing practice. The second year associate degree concentrates more on technical skills than theory; thus, it is a steppingstone to BSN. This associate degree program allows students to become registered nurses and earn money faster than students in a 4-year BSN program (Gun, 2012). Therefore, it works better for students since they are able to make a livelihood for themselves. Second year associate degree is the entry level for nursing students taking technical nursing practice. 8. Student Selection and Requirements The associate degree program i n nursing or for medical assistant has a mission of preparing entry-level registered nurses for care of health issues across different parts of the world (Miller, 2009). This program respects the individuality of every student as it considers people coming from different cultures and having different educational backgrounds. The goal of the program is to provide a positive learning by instilling critical and

Business management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words - 3

Business management - Essay Example This occurs until the time when their disruptive innovation manages to invade the previous value network. At that period, the conventional firm in that network can at best only defend the market share attack by employing a me-too entrance with the reward being survival and not thriving. The theory of disruptive innovation was initially invented by Harvard professor Clayton M. Christensen during his research on the disk-drive business. It was later made popular by his book The Innovator’s Dilemma, which was published in 1997. This theory gives explanation on the event by which an innovation changes an existing and established sector or market by initiating convenience, accessibility, simplicity and affordability in areas where complication as well as high cost are evident (Christensen and Anthony 2004, 46). Initially, a disruptive innovation is created in a niche market which may seem unattractive or insignificant to business incumbents. Eventually, the new product or thought totally redefines the business. Initially, disruptive innovations occurred as technologically straightforward. They comprised of off the shelf elements assembled together in a product design that was mainly simpler compared to the previous approach (Christensen 2006, 40). They provided l ess of whatever the consumers and consumers in the already established markets needed. This meant that they could not be effectively employed in those markets. They gave out a different package of qualities that were only valued in the emerging markets far from, and significant to the established market. Christensen asserts that a disruptive innovation has the ability to hurt well managed and successful companies (Hwang and Christensen 2008, 1330). He argues that this can occur regardless of the company being responsive to its customers, or having exceptional research and development. These companies have a tendency to ignore those markets that are more susceptible to disruptive innovations. This is

U.S government control Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

U.S government control - Assignment Example tailed, and US government should have both prior warrant and probable cause before it can track any individual location by employing tracking devises (Goodlatte). Both the Fifth Amendment and the Fourteenth Amendment stipulate that no individual shall be divested of liberty, life or assets without due process of law. However, there are initiatives through the National Defense Authorization Act, 2012 to authorize the US military with the US President’s authorization to arrest any American citizens indefinitely without any due process on American soil. According to me, though it may help the government in its fight against terrorism, the authorization from any court for such action could help to minimize its abuse (Goodlatte). In Kelo v.New London, it was held by US Supreme court that eminent domain could be employed for attaching of any property owned by individual for economic development objectives. Due to this decision, many US state governments started to employ the power grabs to snatch away the private property from one individual and give it to another. According to me, this is against the Fifth Amendment and there should be initiatives to stop the abuses, the states and their local eminent domain power

Motivation In The Workplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Motivation In The Workplace - Essay Example For managers to set effective motivation strategies, they need to understand that they cannot make the employees do anything. What they can do is to create the right settings that will motivate the workers. Motivated workforces are more productive since motivation infuses positive energy into the organizational tasks. Motivation is applicable to the open-system perspectives, the organizational learning perspectives; the high-performance work practices perspectives, and the stakeholder perspectives. The high-performance work practices perspective Workplace motivation is a very complex issue to many managers since the system of motivation is not constant, but it alters. The workforces’ motivation can be looked in two perspectives, which includes the internal and external motivators (Stein 2007). All the motivators are the practices, which can lead to high performances in a corporate. Some of the motivators entail the positive reinforcement, right ways to discipline the workers, fair treatment, workers’ needs satisfaction, setting of goals, restructuring jobs, and setting the best reward systems (Stein 2007). Fair treatment The leaders of organizations should ensure that all individuals are treated fairly and equally. Fair treatment will motivate employees to partake actively in the work place tasks, and this augments their performance (Podmoroff 2005). Fair treatment augments cooperation, which increases the outputs too. If the managers treat the workers fairly, it will increase their loyalty to the organization. Workers loyalty is very vital in any firm since it makes the workers committed to their tasks. For example, an organization is fair when an employer asks for a special consideration and he, or she is denied because another employee was denied some times back. In addition, fairness in a firm can be shown when an employee who always comes to work on time daily, is not treated the same as the one who comes to work when late every day (Podmoroff 2005). Setting organizational goals In all companies, the leaders should sett goal so that the performance of the workforce is escalated. The goals are v ital since the workers will know what they need to produce and this can make them to devise new ways of production. Goals are effective in raising performance especially if they are difficult but easy to attain. Too difficult goals can demoralize the employees and this can make the performances suffer. In order to ensure that the workers are motivated by the goals and to increase their commitment, the managers should ensure that the workforces accept the goals. Goal setting is a useful way of motivating employees because the workers will work towards the set goals in a motivated way. For goal setting to be effective in motivating the workforce, the leaders should ensure that they regularly give feedbacks regarding the achievements. This is vital since the workers will be convinced that the goals they set are practicable. Additionally, the goals should be very specific and not vague or too general. For those workers who have realized their set goals, they should be recognized by rewa rding them to further motivate them. The realization of goals implies that the workers’ performances have increased (Salvendy 2012, p.413). Positive reinforcement Positive reinforcement is the way a firm strengthens the desirable behaviours by rewarding them. If the corporate leaders praise the workforce for behaving in certain ways, there are high chances the workers will continue behaving in the same ways so that they can get more praises. Positive reinforcement is vital in increasing the firm’s performance. If behaving in certain ways can make the organization realize its goals faster, the leaders of

Analysis and your opinions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Analysis and your opinions - Essay Example Yet, he is the one to produce conscious moral difference between good and evil. Uncontrollable and shameless desires make him insane eventually and that is the main point Socrates presents in his theory. Callicles also elaborated a philosophical notion for us, desires if satisfied can generate happiness and if they can not satisfy some of the desires or wishes then power produces insanity. The insanity to attain the unattainable by any means and this perspective is guilt proof, which produces further fantasy based ideas. Gaddafi would be called a servant of his desire, who would jump from one desire to the other to gain happiness and would eventually end up being more frustrated instead of contended. The logic I comprehend in this response is that happiness is neither linked to power nor to the achievement of desires. Secondly, soul or morality of a person defines his comprehension of justified acts. When one person has dissuaded his soul with persistent torturing and violent acts, how would he be able to feel joy or pleasure and when he will not be able to feel it, he will indulge in more devilish acts to attain the sentiment of happiness. Student 2: The desire is the main criteria of measuring the evilness of the dictator. Illicit sexual desires and advances also lead to illegal attainment of such pleasures. Again, when such actions are taken by a person he never gets enough of it, the desire increases and the spiral (of desires) against him gets

Canadian v.s. American Healthcare System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Canadian v.s. American Healthcare System - Essay Example In Canada, the single layer healthcare system seems to deliver outcomes, which are more positive, explaining why members of the public have exhibited preferences for it. There is a salient need for both countries to provide their citizens with reliable access to quality health care as well as preventive health care services. However, the multi-layer healthcare system in the United States has presented certain disadvantages that serve as barriers to the delivery of quality health care and access to health care services when needed. On the other hand, the single layer system in Canada has received an appraisal for its fairness and efficiency, ensuring that all the citizens can have access to health care services. This paper will compare the Canadian healthcare system with the American health care system. The paper will place emphasis on the fact that the Canadian single layer system is more effective and has a more desirable outcome than the American health care system. There has been an increasing controversy over the increasing number of uninsured people in the United States. The American government seeks to develop strategies for reducing the number of uninsured people and ensuring that every American has access to quality health care. However, the reforms made in the healthcare sector do not match the efficiency presented by the Canadian single-tier health care system. The United States operates on a multi-layer healthcare system. The multi-layer healthcare system depends entirely on employment. Only some layers of the healthcare system are government sponsored. The greatest providers of health care insurance in the United States are private companies. Many critics have described the American health care insurance system as privately owned. On the other hand, the Canadian health care system is publicly owned. A close analysis of the Canadian system reveals that it is a universal insurance coverage offered by provincial health insurance plans. B oth the federal

Developments in the Last Century Essay Example for Free

Developments in the Last Century Essay In detail this paper will show how the media played an important role in the culture today. It will answer the questions What were the major developments in the evolution of mass media in the last century? It will also ask How did each development influence American culture? And What is ment by the term media convergence and how it affected everyday life? How we conceive mass media comes in different ways such as: television (24 -hour news channels,) (hoarders to fashion models,) (music videos, nature documentaries, and reality shows). With videos on demand provided by the local cable company plus online streaming or down loading. Media literacy on one hand, is the growth of the internet as the primary information source exposes the public to increased levels of text, thereby increasing the level of literacy. What were the major developments in the evolution of mass media in the last century? The three major developments in the last century were (print, electrical, and digital). In terms of print media books are durable and contain a large amount of information. Books are expensive to produce. As for newspapers they are cheaper and can be made quickly. In the 1800 hundreds the newspaper faced a new threat called penny press. These papers were cheaper than the regular newspapers. The penny press also printed more of murder and scandal rather than of the political news of the day. Another form of mass media is the radio. Radio was not that expensive less than television and more available. Radio gave the people the opportunity to listen to a live event at the same time. Specifically the radio was made for advertising. Radio accessed a large audience. Radio also made listening in the privacy of ones own home to be pleasure seeking and curious. With radio one can listen to a story and imagine in ones own head how the story plays out, thus creating imagination. Television is another form of mass media. The television was invented in 1923. Broadcast television was the most dominant form of mass media. By 1946 more than 17,000 televisions existed. There were at the time only three major networks, they controlled more than 90% of the news programs. By the 1960s television televised the conflict of the Vietnam war. The telegraph is part of the mass media seen also. Any part of information received via radio, television, newspaper, and Internet have been considered to be mass media. In todays society more people tend to receive their news and other information via the Internet. How did each development influence American culture? Each development influenced the American culture in many ways. The way we receive the news is very different today. Newspapers came a long way from just black and white to color. Before anything what we had was newspaper that is how one would get the facts regarding what is going on in the world. With newspaper they do not get to see the vast aura of colors as television. The newspaper made people want to read what was written. For the television world was more in tuned to todays society. Television has the visual aspect and as for the news per say the electronic media has come full circle from radio to television. For print people did not have to rely on teachers, preachers, or story tellers. They were allowed to read what was published and interpret it how they seen it. The telegraph led to radio, fax machine, and phones. Instant communication is how print and electrical mass media influenced America. They are able to put more information out there along with visual aspects . What is ment by the term media convergence and how it affected everyday life? Media convergence is the merging of all the technology together. A merger of mass media. It affects us in many ways such as fax machines and e-mail. We as humans no longer have to hand write a letter any more when we have e-mail. We went from writing letters by hand to typing them on a type writer to writing an e-mail on computers to texting on phones. With the simple click of a button the letter is sent through millions of power lines to get to the person it is intended for. Media convergence is a link between old and new technologies. They come together to share the same tasks and resources. There are five kinds of convergences they are Economic, Organic, Cultural, Global, and Technological. a) Economic involves such things as internet, phone, and cable regarding the provider one chose for these services. b) Organic occurs when one can stream video listen to music and text a friend all at the same time. c) Cultural occurs when a person turns a book into a movie, film, and even toys such as Spiderman. d) Global occurs when the process of geographically distance cultures influencing one another despite the distance that physically separates them. e) Technological occurs when the merging of technologies come together, such as the ability to watch television shows online on sites like crackle. Conclusion In conclusion the media has changed in many ways, such as how one receives the news and communicates with one another. We have gone from the telegraph to radio, television, phones, and computers regarding how we receive information. It is completely up to the individual how one use the various forms of media technologies out there today. However, a few things have stayed the same major media companies own popular media content sites such as Hulu, and YouTube and control access to a great deal of online information. Perhaps the standards for literacy will shift to an emphasis on simplicity and directness.

New Product Launch Marketing Plan Essay Example for Free

New Product Launch Marketing Plan Essay Our company is Audi AG. Audi is headquartered in Germany and is a subsidiary of Volkswagen since 1966. Founded in 1909 by automotive pioneer August Horch, Audi specializes in high end and luxurious automobiles (Audi Club North America Northeast , 2014). Audi’s cars collection is comprised of sedan, SUVs, convertible, coupe, diesel and hybrids. Audi is one of the three biggest luxury cars companies in the world. Our plan is to launch our newest headlights technology along with thousands of new cars around the globe. The automobile market is driven by technology and Audi intent to be the premium brand (Audi Ag, 2014).We intent to do so, by delighting our customers worldwide (Audi Ag, 2014). Safety is the number one decision motivator when purchasing a car regardless of where you live and Audi wants to capitalize on that. To predict our consumer’s buying impulses, we will rely on social, cultural and personal factors (Kotler Keller, 2012).Now is the best time to launch such a product as people drive more and more due in part to recent planes crashes and disappearance. By making night rides safer, Audi intent to gain an edge against its competitors and increase annual sales. Germany and the USA will be our launching platform. We intend to maximize our sales by putting together a strong advertising campaign. We will be utilizing social media like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, we will also advertise via television, radio, billboard, etc. Our advertising team is composed of Me Philippe Biboum, Kevin Mobley, Kirkland Browne, Dana Cannon, Tameika Mclean and Johanna Gutierrez. We are highly qualified and we have combined over twenty years of experience in this field. Here are the components of our plan. Executive summary Situational analysis Market growth potential and competitive analysis Segmentation, target market, and positioning Pricing and distribution strategies Marketing communication plan Financial information(including forecasting demand, break-even, sales, promotional budget, and marketing expense) Intended marketing objectives for Y1, Y2, and Y3 Evaluation and control metrics and methodology to measure performance Contingency planning Situational Analysis The Audi of America News Channel (2014) website stated that in July 2014, Audi increased its sales by 11.9%. This represents the 43rd consecutive record sales for our brand. The launch of our new headlights technology will increase sales even more. Germany and America will be our test launch and we are confident that it will be a success. Our target markets are rich men and women as well as families. Our product will be sold to every individual who is able to purchase and maintain a luxury car. We have a wide collection of cars to will fit everyone lifestyle. In terms of demography, our product aims at people between the age of 25 and 60 who have a lot of money. We recently have been making cheaper car to capture the consumers less than 25 years of age. Audi is aware of the fact that gender, family status and age influence car buying, that is why we built certain models fit younger generation like the A6, SUVs and sedan for families and coupe for single people. Geographically speaking, Audi knows that car buying differ according to the location. Our product will be appealing to individuals who live in the outskirts of big cities, or deep in the country because they often have to drive on roads that are not well lit. Social class, personalities and lifestyles divide the market into psychographic segmentations. Audi’s cars are aimed at upper social classes. We target individual who like a flashy lifestyle and want to show their wealth because we know they can afford the technology. About the market growth, we know that there is a need for a product such as our new headlights. According to the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI), good quality headlights are one of the best ways to avoid car crashes (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 2012). The recent  plane crashes along with airfare are driving people to drive more and more. We know we will increase our sales as long as we have a strong marketing campaign to advertise our produc t. SWOT analysis One of the strength here is that our product provides a safer nighttime driving experience for drivers who do long distance driving. The cost to add the feature will increase the purchase price of the vehicle and this is a weakness. An opportunity could be the effective utilization of marketing approaches will help to determine market need (i.e. surveys) and gain a competitive advantage (promotion, placement/positioning. Audi’s competitors such as BMW, Mercedes Benz, etc. can use the same or similar product if there is no patent on the development of the product and this is a threat to our bottom line. Our key to success here is to respond to consumer demand by creating a product they want and need. That product is the new headlights technology. This product will separate us from our competition because it is an innovation, it will help save lives and increase our bottom line. Market growth potential Audi’s goal is to slowly integrate their LED headlight technology into all of their vehicles. They will begin by installing them in higher-level class of vehicles as an â€Å"upgrade† option. Brighter, longer lasting headlight bulbs will reduce the cost of replacing regular bulbs, and brighter headlights will increase driver visibility at night. Audi expects competitors to install similar devices in their vehicles; however, Audi believes their version is longer lasting, brighter and safer for Audi drivers as well as, other drivers on the road. Competitive Analysis The automobile industry is fiercely competitive in the United States as well as, internationally. In 2006-2008, the automobile industry suffered a significant financial loss, especially the big three in Detroit. Foreign automobile manufacturers took advantage and saw growth. While some Asian and European manufacturers also suffered, many upgraded base models to entice buyers to purchase their product. Automakers did what they could to gain the upper hand against their competitors. Audi was no different, seeing a drop in sales during this time. For many customers, safety, reliability, and  fuel efficiency are increasingly important, more so than flash, speed, and power. The safety and visibility of an Audi driver is a priority Audi is attempting to increase. Segmentation The market segmentation has spate, but distinct parts: geographical, psychographic, and demographic. Audi will use geographical sales statistics to determine where sales are highest. Introducing upgrades and changes to Audi vehicles to the customers who buy them more frequently will benefit Audi and satisfy customer demand. Audi is responding to increasing customer demand for safety; therefore, increasing driver visibility satisfies customer demand. Moreover, the longer lasting, brighter headlights benefit teen and elderly drivers who may become easily distracted or have difficulty seeing at night. The increase in safety may also decrease accidents, which will make insurance companies happy. Target Market Audi is not specifically targeting one particular group; however, brighter lights will benefit drivers with limited experience or with poor vision or night vision the most. Elderly drivers are more likely to benefit from brighter headlights to increase their visibility at night. The headlight feature is not limited to elderly drivers though, all drivers can benefit from the safety feature. Audi expects high customer satisfaction and will eventually implement the LED headlight in all of their models. Any driver concerned for safety is part of the market Audi is targeting. Longer lasting lights means less maintenance cost, and brighter lights means other drivers can see the Audi sooner, and the Audi driver can see the road or and any debris in the road, sooner. Positioning Positioning is important, and precise placement of the headlight translates to better driver visibility. However, regardless of how bright or long lasting the headlight is, defensive, non-distractive driving is key to reduce traffic accidents and avoiding road hazards. Moreover, the ability to see an item in the road sooner will help the driver prevent a collision; however, failure to pay attention to the road will increase the potential for at-fault accidents and collisions. While many discard some features as â€Å"unnecessary,† brighter, longer lasting headlights is a product Audi feels  confident implementing, and confident customers will respond in an overwhelmingly positive way. Pricing Distribution When looking at pricing and distribution there are several factors to be considered. The wholesaler’s will always calculate its prices by adding the cost of the product itself (headlights), wages involved in the production, the overheads and cost to deliver such. Then, after the wholesaler calculates a reasonable mark-up, the product will then be sold to Audi. It is then Audi’s job to make the best out of this product by the promotion it carries out. Before Audi agrees to any business with a headlight manufacturer Audi strategizes and plans a how to price and distribute. Audi is a well-known luxurious vehicle where they now will have an added feature to promote safety. The sales potential are very high as we are targeting those that enjoy road trips, those that are behind the wheel for extended amount of hours. Audi then has to reanalyze its decision and consider losses, what if this does not work, how this will impact our business, what are other cost effective routes we can take. These are all considerations Audi has to take into play if the brighter headlights for their vehicles do not create more sales. This is going to be considered as a standard on all of Audi vehicles, it is not an add on feature Audi plans of charging extra for. Marketing Communication Plan Audi believes in its product. Before a company can be successful it must build its own awareness. Audi has built that awareness! Every day you see accidents caused by poor visibility due to poor lighting. Audi will use this to their advantage when marketing and communicating to its customers and potential customers the advantages of Audi’s new improved headlights. Furthermore, it is advantageous for Audi to stress the fact that the price tag of the vehicles have not changed due to the improved and upgraded headlights. Audi has been dedicated to communicate to its customers, potential customers and competitors that they have the solution for accidents caused by poor visibility due to poor lighting. They are advertising this through every mean of communication possible. Then internet/ media is a huge marketing communication source, the radio, newspapers, billboards, and the public itself by word of mouth. When driving  on the road if you see an Audi vehicle you will see the di fference in their bright headlights when compared to other vehicles. Asserting the fact that you communicate with all of your customers and potential customers plays a vital part in how successful this will be. Audi has identified families and one of their targets and this is the main target we are communicating our new product to. Audi has partnered and networked with different sources such as â€Å"safety programs† and/ or famous people, have also taken it a step ahead by recording infomercials on highways, dark roads and valleys to show its costumers the strength behind the new headlights their vehicles have. Audi has been servicing consumers upwards of one hundred plus years and Audi intends on being a provider until the end of time in order to stay relevant in the automotive industry Audi is aware of the evolving of automobiles. Audi has done its research throughout the years and through the years consumer safety has remained the number one factor when building an effective brand. Audi has continued to serve the consumer while remaining at the head of its class of Luxury automobiles. In past research through the National Highway Traffic Administration Audi found that one of the major issues of car accidents within the United States stemmed from blinding headlights (NHTA, 2013). The new product that Audi seeks is to install the LED headlights with objectives based around consumer safety first as well as profits. The objectives provided focused on the product from beginning to end starting from year one when Audi began searching for the new product to elevate the company. Audi will definitely captivate its target audience as well as reach its sales growth, once it begins manufacturing the product and getting the products in its show rooms. Objectives: Year 1 Completed research on issues surrounding vehicle safety Find the issue and find a product that will assist in increasing consumers comfort when driving Find target audience Year 2 build a Safe brand to suite consumers’ needs  implement the strategy in vehicles that target our initial consumer market (families) seek profits of upwards of 10-15 percent within the first year Year 3 Implement products in remaining vehicle models that service all consumers. Seek to increase Revenue another 10 to 30 percent Begin research on new product to assist with current features Financial Information It is imperative that the financial outlook of Audi for 2014 is predicated on the prior performance drivers. In 2013, the Audi A4, A6, Q5, and Q7 experienced increased sales from the previous years over the other vehicle models. The A4 and A6 belong to the sedan category and the Q5 and Q7 are in the SUV/crossover category. That being said, it is forecasted that these same vehicle category’s sales will continue to increase in 2014. Therefore, the introductory marketing of the new headlight designs should be donned in the aforementioned vehicle models. Moving forward, the following financial data, to include forecasted demand, sales, break-even point sales/units, and marketing/promotional budget expense, shall represent the four top selling vehicle models. Audi is looking to increase revenue by four percent annually over the next three years. With the addition of the enhanced headlights, Audi believes the projected forecasts will be successful. Figures A – D illustrate the proposed forecasts for each vehicle. Figure A. Figure B. Figure C. Forecasted Break-Even Point Analysis Figure D. Evaluation and Control Metrics Utilizing control metrics to measure the success rate of employed strategies is a very important aspect of the marketing plan. Ensuring the success of the chosen methods of marketing is needed to determine if changes should be and/or can be made to increase revenue. There are a variety of metrics tools that can be used to benchmark marketing data, but identifying four of  them will suffice for this particular analysis. 1 Market Size – the number of units sold to a market in a specific period of time (1 year). 2 Market Share – the number of units sold in a specific period of time that represents a percentage of the entire market size. 3 Brand Awareness – Actual and potential customers being able to identify the Audi brand. 4 Customer Satisfaction – Customer’s perception of Audi’s product and service delivery. (www.dobney.com, p.4-25). Contingency Planning The contingency plan for Audi headlights is very simple. As headlights are already used on every make and model, these advances in technology are not the reinvention of the wheel. These changes propose no danger to the continued success of Audi’s business operations. We will apply for a patent which will protect our new LED technology and lighting design for two years, and we actively pursue all copyright infringement to prevent any future instances. As it is inevitable that after the two year protected period that others will follow our lead we will use those two years to develop new designs with respect to LED lighting that will not only increase safety, but will also define Audi’s brand by a visual representation contained in our headlight assembly. A lighted trademark if you will. Our definition of success with respect to contingency planning will be to defend our position for the first two years while developing a trademarked light design for all future Audi models. References Anonymous. Understanding market metrics. Retrieved August 17, 2014 from http://www.dobney.com/Research/market_metrics.htm AUDI AG. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.audi.com/corporate/en/company/corporate-strategy.html Audi Club North America Northeast. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.neqclub.org/about-us/audis-history.html Audi of America News Channel. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.audiusanews.com/newsroom.do;jsessionid=B4BD8EEE4DAD44DA49C746C83D80A7BE?id=65allImage=1name=sales-newsmid=98 Insurance Institute for