Child vaccines should be optional (this is a PERSUASIVE PAPER) Essay

Child vaccines should be optional (this is a PERSUASIVE PAPER) - Essay Example By doing this, it stimulates the immune system in order to fight the disease if the child catches it. This is known as vaccination. McTaggart contradicts that vaccines are helpful by to children by pointing out that vaccination problems far outweigh those of going unvaccinated. Therefore, there are many questions concerning the safety and effectiveness of vaccines as opposed to those of going unvaccinated (McTaggart 1992, 1-5). Vaccines can cause complications that are more harmful than those of going unvaccinated or even the disease itself. Professor of epidemiology at the university of Washington, Dr Russell Alexander, points out that the people that determine the risks of vaccination does not compare it to those risks of being unvaccinated (Miller 1993, 9-9). This means that the research done by the panel, which said vaccination risks are 'too small to count', contains many weaknesses. McTaggart links the appearance of learning disabilities, autism, and hyperactivity to the beginning of the mass vaccination programs. Thus, vaccination is directly related to many diseases; and some are still unknown. McTaggart adds that the mumps vaccine has proved to be a direct cause of seizures, meningitis, deafness, and encephalitis. These diseases are extremely dangerous and cannot be cured. Dr J Anthony Morris, an immunization specialist formerly of America's 'National Institutes of Health' and 'Food and Drug Admin istration' states that in several of the studies, the measles vaccine strain has been recovered from the spines of the victims. This shows conclusively that the vaccine caused the encephalitis' (McTaggart 1992, 5-5). As a medical authority, Doctor Morris relates the measles vaccine to deadly diseases; such as encephalitis. On the other hand, the risks of catching the disease for unvaccinated children are similar, but less, to the risks of developing harmful complications due to the vaccine. Therefore, vaccination is more risky to your child than going unvaccinated. In addition to the safety problems, vaccines have also proven to be ineffective among many children. McTaggart reasons the current debate about vaccination and states that the measles portion of the triple shot is not working. This means that children who receive the MMR shot, also known as the measles, mumps, and rubella, are not completely immune against these diseases. McTaggart adds that the cases of measles have increased during the last decade. Similar to measles, McTaggart states that rubella's portion of the vaccine showed failure to prevent this fatal disease (McTaggart 1992, 13-13). Therefore, the fact that vaccination is not effective is common in many diseases. According to the 'Centers for Disease Control Morbidity and Mortality' in 1985, about 80 percent of measles cases occurring in children in America were in vaccinated ones who were vaccinated at the appropriate age (McTaggart 1992 3-3). Therefore it has been proven that vaccinations are ineffective against some dise ases. Vaccine supporters defend vaccines by claiming that vaccines caused a reduction in the number of disease

Applications of Total Quality Management Essay Example for Free

Applications of Total Quality Management Essay Total Quality Management (TQM) is a philosophy of management that strives to make the best use of all available resources and opportunities through continuous improvement. TQM means achieving quality in terms of all functions of the enterprise. Many researchers attempted to analyze how IT and TQM can jointly add value to organizations and the purpose of this first post on TQM is to evaluate the practicality of TQM in an IT service. In this evaluation, a balance of the service management needs with the reality of bottom-line effectiveness is provided. The post also provides a list of critical success factors to consider in a change management initiative engaged by an IT service. TQM in Practice : The essence of quality is to do it right the first time, and to satisfy customer requirements every time by involving everyone in the organization. The works of Crosby and his colleagues on the evolution of TQM cut across all pervasive philosophies of management. TQM has been a key business improvement strategy since the 1970s, as it has been deemed essential for improving efficiency and competitiveness. TQM aims to achieve an overall effectiveness which is higher than the individual outputs from the sub-systems such as design, planning, production, distribution, customer focus strategy, quality tools and employee involvement. This philosophy of management strives to make the best use of all available resources and opportunities through continuous improvement. As a management philosophy, TQM makes use of particular set of principles, practices, and techniques to expand business and profits and provides a bypass to enhanced productivity by avoiding rework, rejects, waste, customer complaints, and high cost. This can be achieved by emphasizing the organization’s commitment from data-driven, problem-solving approaches to quality accruing. The five basic pillars of TQM are : a) top management commitment for quality enhancement, b) customer centric advancements of processes and building a long-lasting trustworthy relationship between the organization and the customer, c) relentless development by setting goals and deadlines, d) benchmarking with several specific tools and quality-adding techniques, and e) strengthening the employee base by concentrating at any stage of a process on quality, where customer satisfaction is stationed. Table 1 provides a summary of the key dimensions that constitute TQM. TQM key dimensions : 1. Top management leadership : Top management commitment is one of the major determinants of successful TQM implementation. Top management has to be the first in applying and stimulating the TQM approach, and they have to accept the maximum responsibility for the product and service offering. Top management also has to provide the necessary leadership to motivate all employees. 2. Customer relationships : The needs of customers and consumers and their satisfaction should always be in the mind of all employees. It is necessary to identify these needs and their level of satisfaction. 3. Supplier relationships : Quality is a more important factor than price in selecting suppliers. Long-term relationship with suppliers has to be established and the company has to collaborate with suppliers to help improve the quality of products/services. 4. Workforce management : Workforce management has to be guided by the principles of: training, empowerment of workers and teamwork. Adequate plans of personnel recruitment and training have to be implemented and workers need the necessary skills to participate in the improvement process. 5. Product design process : All departments have to participate in the design process and work together to achieve a design that satisfies the requirements of the customer, which should be according to the technical, technological and cost constraints of the company. 6. Process flow management : Housekeeping along the lines of the 5S concept. Statistical and non-statistical improvement instruments should be applied as appropriate. Processes need to be mistake proof. Self-inspection undertaken using clear work instructions. The process has to be maintained under statistical control. 7. Quality data and reporting : Quality information has to be readily available and the information should be part of the visible management system. Records about quality indicators have to be kept, including scrap, rework, and cost of quality. TQM and Change Management Initiative for IT Performance : A business firm achieves world-class status when it has successfully developed operational capabilities through TQM to support the entire company in gaining a sustained overall performance over its competitors. Although there is insufficient statistical evidence to conclude significant simple relationships between TQM and IT services quality performance, many studies investigated the notion that TQM practices provide approaches to improve the economic position in the service sectors in general. Both IT and TQM had, and will continue to have a significant impact on most organizations. I only regret the lack of empirical research on the relationship between the two and how they both relate to business performance.

Macbeth and Lady Macbeth - Who Has the Greater Guilt? :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

Greater Guilt - Macbeth or Lady Macbeth ? Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, is an exciting story containing all kinds of plots and murders. The characters that are killing and are planning murders are all very deceiving and treacherous. Two of the most dangerous criminals in this play are Lady Macbeth and her husband. Together they commit the most dreadful murder by killing the King; Duncan. This is why it is difficult to determine which one of these two carries the greatest guilt, because they each do their own part in committing the crime.   Lady Macbeth would prepare the plan and then encourage Macbeth to go through with it.   Macbeth did the actual murdering, he was also the first person who thought about killing Duncan. Furthermore he did some killing on his own. Lady Macbeth did not have any involvement in these cases.   Based on these facts, Macbeth would be found more guilty than Lady Macbeth. The very first murder in this story   was committed on Duncan. This crime was planned by both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. The actual murder was done by Macbeth, making him more guilty of the crime.   Lady Macbeth just talked about committing the crime, but she never actually went through with it nor would she ever, and that is all that counts.   Talking about committing the incident is very different from actually doing it.   Lady Macbeth did a little more than just talk about it though. She also urged Macbeth into doing it and that is what makes her part of this crime, but she is not as guilty as Macbeth.   He really didn't have to listen to what his wife said. Macbeth had a mind of his own and he could make his own decision.   The other murders that Macbeth was involved in were not committed by him, but were ordered by him. The people who did the killing had no choice, they had to do it, because they worked for Macbeth.   Macbeth knew this and was a bit more guilty in t hese murders then lady Macbeth was when she urged him.

Nypd Case

Columbia Business School Revised December 18, 2000 The New York City Police Department Patrol System The City of New York is divided into 73 precincts. These precincts are the basic managerial units for the operation of the familiar police patrol cars (called radio mobile patrols or RMPs) we see on the City streets. For staffing purposes the Police Department divides the day into three eight-hour tours of duty: 12 midnight to 8AM, 8AM to 4PM, and 4PM to 12 midnight. A particular police precinct such as the 26th, in which Columbia University stands, may have 6 patrol cars in the field during the typical 8-to-4 tour.In New York about 1200 cartours are fielded on an average day — about 200 on the 12 to 8 tour, about 400 on the 8 to 4 tour, and about 600 on the 4 to 12 tour. Most cars are staffed with two police officers. The primary tasks of the patrol cars are responding to emergencies that are phoned in by citizens via the 911 emergency telephone system and patrolling the stree ts. Annually, there are about 10 million calls received by the 911 system. Incidence of emergency calls is generally very unpredictable, but incidents are most prevalent in the early evening hours.Emergency incidents vary in severity and importance — ranging from reports of crimes in progress to complaints about loud neighbors. Roughly 10% of calls are potentially serious and get high priority from the police. When not responding to 911 calls, patrol cars patrol in their assigned neighborhoods, referred to as sectors. Each precinct typically has 4 to 8 sectors. â€Å"Back-office† operations for the 911 system are located in Police Headquarters in downtown Manhattan at One Police Plaza. Incoming 911 calls are handled by banks of telephone operators, grouped by borough.The operators screen the calls to determine whether or not they are legitimate police matters, and key in to the central computer system information about the time, location, and nature of the incident. If the incident was not previously reported, the information is electronically relayed to the police patrol dispatcher for the appropriate precinct. NYPD Patrol System Columbia Business School p. 1  © 1998, Linda V. Green – 67 – Dispatchers are civilians who are responsible for assigning patrol cars to 911 incidents in the precincts they handle.They also monitor the status of incidents and patrol cars and input all relevant information to the central computer system. Dispatchers are typically responsible for 2 or 3 contiguous precincts. When a dispatcher receives a new incident, the information is automatically added to a computer screen for that precinct, and the job is added to the dispatch queue in priority order. When a patrol car from the precinct is available, the dispatcher will assign it to the next job in the dispatch queue. If the incident is a dangerous one, more than one car may be dispatched.All communications are via radio When a car is dispatched to a jo b, it first travels to the scene of the incident. If the incident is still active, the officers perform whatever tasks are called for and, when done, write up required reports and radio to the dispatcher a final status code. The amount of service time per car per incident (including travel time) varies greatly from incident to incident, but overall it averages about 30 minutes. Allocation of the 1300 car-tours among the precincts is a complex and sensitive issue.Precincts vary greatly in population, physical area, frequency of 911 calls, incidence, and type of crime and special needs. Moreover, the rate and type of 911 calls may vary by day of the week and by season. For these reasons, allocations must be adjusted regularly, and thus it is necessary to have a fast and efficient computer-based method to help determine allocations. Fortunately, accurate data is readily available from the 911 computer system which records detailed information about each call. The table below illustrate s the type of data that is collected and used to help determine allocations for each 8 hour tour of duty.Though at any given point in time the total number of RMP’s is fixed, occasionally the city decides to either increase or cut the number, usually as a reflection of the financial status of the city. The marginal cost of adding a fully staffed car for one tour-of-duty for a year is approximately $300,000 ($230,000 of which is for labor). Suppose the city consists of only six precincts as shown in the table. Your assignment is to allocate patrol cars among these six precincts for the tour of duty described by these data.You may assume that, on average, a car spends 30 minutes on each call in each precinct. Furthermore, statistical analysis has shown that service times are well modeled by an exponential distribution. NYPD Patrol System Columbia Business School p. 2  © 1998, Linda V. Green – 68 – PRECINCT AVERAGE NO. CALLS/ HOUR 6. 4 3. 8 PERCENT OF CALLS HIGH PRIORITY 8. 2 7. 7 TOTAL FELONIES PER YEAR 10,600 6,600 SIZE (SQ. MI. ) 1. 9 . 8 A B C D E F 2. 6 3. 4 1. 5 6. 6 7. 3 13. 8 4. 0 12. 2 4,300 9,400 1,800 8,500 5. 2 1. 0 17. 0 1. 7 NYPD Patrol System Columbia Business School p. 3  © 1998, Linda V. Green – 69 – – 70 –

BTEC national diploma in business 2013-2014 Essay

|Unit Title: Managing Business Information |Unit Code: 26 | |Lecturer: Gaye Snook | | | |Assignment Title: Managing Business Information | |Assignment: 1 | | | |Principle Objectives Assessed: | |1 Understand the importance of information to organisations | |2 Know how organisations use business information | |3 Be able to maintain an information system | |4 Be able to produce information to support decision making in organisations. | | | |Key Skills Competence: | |N3.1,3.2,3.3 | |C3.1a, 3.1b, 3.2, 3.3 | |ICT3.1, 3.2, 3.3 | |Date Set: September 2013 |Date Due: December 2013 | | | |Scenario – You are responsible for the information management with The Box Company a company manufacturing storage boxes. You are asked to | |firstly write a report about the effective management of information. You are also asked to carry out practical tasks for information | |management and to report and present the findings of you information interrogation. | | | |Task 1 | | | |Write a report following an investigation of The Box Company, covering the following points | | | |Describe the characteristics of the information that The Box Company needs | |(this addresses P1) | | | |Characteristics: types of information (qualitative, quantitative, primary, secondary); quality of information (valid, complete, accurate, | |timely, fit-for-purpose, accessible, cost-effective, intelligible) | | | | Explain the sources of information needed in The Box Company | |(this address P2) | | | |Sources: internal (financial, HR, marketing, purchasing, sales, manufacturing, etc); external (government, trade groupings, commercially | |provided, databases, research, competitor information) | | | |Describe how information is used for three different purposes in The Box Company (this addresses P3) | | | |Purposes: record transactions and activities; monitor, control, co-ordinate and plan activities; analysis (patterns, trends); prediction | |(extrapolation, what if?) | |Describe the legal and ethical issues the organisation must consider in using business information | |(this addresses P4) | | | | Data Protection Act 1998, Computer Misuse Act 1990; ethical issues (privacy, access, organisational IT protocols, codes of practice from the | |Information Commissioner’s Office(ICO) and the British Computer Society (BCS) | | | |Explain why business information is important to the success of an organisation, giving several examples of how it is used to help decision | |making | |(this addresses M1) | | | |Decision making (operational, tactical strategic); administration; promote efficiency; develop competitive advantage; increase market share; | | | | | |Write a report to evaluate how a selected organisation could improve the quality of its business information to support decision-making. | |Prepare a presentation of the information and your recommendations. You will be assessed on the appropriateness of the formats chosen. | |Remember to justify your recommendations in your report. | |(this addresses D1) | | | |Tracking fast and slow moving sales will suggest to a retailer how to adjust its product range. Monitoring staff absence will allow | |absenteeism patterns to be identified and absence reduced. Improving the quality of the information will improve the business. | |A senior manager will be likely to understand information presented in a formal report, a junior assistant may be better able to assimilate | |information in a visual format. A poor choice of format hinders communication of the message. | | | | | | | | | | | |Task 2 | | | | You are required to conduct practical exercises on a data management system. You do not need to create this system; your tutor will provide | |this for you. Undertaking the following tasks, format the given data management system into a professionally presented and useful system by | |completing the following tasks | | | |Format Table | |Add grid lines | |Add formatting to headers | |Format cell type (i.e. text/numbers) | | | | Add validation rules to appropriate cells | | | |Add profit column (use formula) | | | |Update Table | |Add new sales for next three months | |Customer 128 has gone out of business, delete this customer | |Add customer 129 – Boxes R Us, 145 Station Road, Maidenhead, Sl4 9UY, 07788 6589652. Anticipated demand from this customer will be 30 of | |product B each month from July | |Change contact for customer 125 to 07799 8745698 | | | |Following the above, in the presence of your tutor who will observe you, interrogate the system to provide analytical data e.g.: | | | |a. Total sales per product | |b. Total profit per product | |c. Total sales per customer | |d. Total profit per customer | |(this addresses P5) | | | | | |Task 3 | | | |Building upon task 2, produce information that can be used to support the following business decision. Scenario – the company is thinking of| |launching a new product, however, due to the capacity of the production line it can only do this if is stops making one of the existing | |products. Use the above analysis in task 2 and the details on the potential new product use to justify your decision proposal. | | | |A ) Produce information in four suitable formats to support decision making This can include the following: using an electronic organiser | |to arrange a meeting to discuss the information, including an agenda of items/issues to discuss; circulating supporting information, as | |attachment to email; producing a report outlining the key findings of your analytical data and producing tables etc to highlight the main | |findings. | |(this addresses P6) This will be supplemented by observations from the tutor. | | | |B) Compare the features of different types of software in producing information to support business activities, e.g. word processing, | |spreadsheets and databases, commenting on the appropriateness of using each for a given purpose. (This addresses M2) | | | |C) Analyse the information from above and explain the significance to the organisation of the information that has been obtained from the | |system. Propose appropriate actions to respond to the given scenario, which must be supported by the information generated. (This addresses | |M3) | |Tutor Signature: GAYE SNOOK | Date: | |Pre-Verified: |Internally Verified: | | | | |Date: |Date: | Assessment and grading criteria In order to pass this unit, the evidence that the learner presents for assessment needs to demonstrate that they can meet all the learning outcomes for the unit. The assessment criteria for a pass grade describe the level of achievement required to pass this unit. Assessment and grading criteria To achieve a pass grade the evid  |P1 describe the characteristics of the |M1 explain how business information is |D1 recommend how a selected organisation | |information needed in a selected |used for different purposes in a selected|could improve the quality of its business| |organisation |organisation |information to support decision making. | |P2 explain the sources of information | | | |needed in a selected organisation | | | |P3 describe how information is used for | M2 compare the features of different | | |different purposes in a selected |types of software used in producing | | |organisation [RL, CT] |information to support business | | | |activities | | |P4 describe the legal issues an |M3 analyse information produced in | | |organisation must consider in using |different formats to support business | | |business  information |decision making. | | |P5 input and manipulate the data entered | | | |into data management software [CT, TW, | | | |SM] | | | |P6 produce information in suitable | | | |formats to support business decision | | | |making. [IE, CT, SM] | | |

Forbidden City †Book Review

Forbidden City – Book Review Free Online Research Papers After I finished reading this unforgettable novel â€Å"Forbidden City†, I think about a lot things happened to Alex who is the most important character in the novel. In my opinion, Alex grows as a person through the novel. Since many things happened to him when he went to Beijing, China, it seemed like a corner in his life. This corner changed the world which he viewed. Alex became from a boy who like military history, adventure, and admire heroes, to a person who knew truth, responsibility, and meaning of brave. Before Alex went to Beijing, he simply likes Chinese military. As he stayed in Beijing for few months, he found that there were more differences than he thought. He becomes more mature. Alex is addicted to Chinese military history, and he made many clay soldiers at his own home. When the students’ demonstration happened in Beijing, the government of China used people to against their people. That’s not like what Alex heard the history story, which talked about using enemy’s power to against them (borrow the arrows). When PLAs used tear gas to repress those people who were in the Tiananmen Square, Alex was shocked by what they did. On June 4, 1989, all PlAs were on Tiananmen Square to arrest students, and Alex found that PLAs were not people’s army. He realized that he just found the surface of the truth before. Before Alex went to Beijing, he likes adventure. As he met with that horrible and bloody massacre, his responsibility was growing. Everything needs to be organized before he wants to do. He felt sorry for Lao-Xu. If Alex didn’t rushed out of hotel at that day, Lao-Xu might not go to Tiananmen Square with him, even death. Alex saw that Lao-Xu felt on the ground with his warm blood. Another thing shows Alex became more and more responsibility, when Alex’s legs were hurt and healing at grandma’s house. He knew that he needed to find his father and he did care about him. At last, before he left grandma’s home to Canada, he smuggled to take tapes out of China. He wanted to help students indeed, and he knew that he had the responsibilities to support and help the students. Even they have different world, life, languages, and colors of skin. They did have a kind heart. Alex wrote this journal as the soldier Ulysses did, and he admired brave people. However, not everything can be done just with passions. In his mind, three people are brave heroes. First, Lao-xu is a hero, even he just bravely stand in front of PLAs’ guns. Hero may not do a huge thing. Second, Alex regarded Xin-hua as his friend in China, also a lifesaver. Some of the students had a miserable life, and Xin-Hua’s determination showed Alex a different world. In order to protect Alex, Xin-Hua paid her own life to their beliefs. After he was turn to Canada, he boiled those clay soldiers, he knew that they were not heroes, heroes were the ordinary people like Xin-Hua, Lao-Xu, etc. In summary, Alex understood more and more about the world and society and people. He grows as a person. Alex used his own experiences with those brave people to find his corner to change his life with more mature, responsible. For my generation, people and experience affect us a lot, teaching us how to grow as a person. Research Papers on "Forbidden City" - Book ReviewBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XStandardized TestingPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyQuebec and CanadaWhere Wild and West MeetHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayThe Hockey GameHonest Iagos Truth through Deception19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraBringing Democracy to Africa

A History of African-Americans essays

A History of African-Americans essays It is often taught that the social and economic conditions of African Americans have been one of Americas greatest struggles. For some, the struggle continues, although changes are evident, it has in no way erased the damage that was inflicted. Others believe that the time has come to move on and consider racism and the residual effect of slavery as a thing of the past. However, its apparent that the conditions of African Americans have improved, and they are making noticeable contributions in the American Democracy. From slavery to today, many laws has been implemented which would normally restrict blacks from improving their social and economic standards. From the passing of the 14th Amendment to amending the Georgia State flag, laws are continually being updated to reflect Americas diversity in regards to African Americans and others. In this paper I will attempt to discuss the progressive improvements of African Americans from their arrival in America in the 15th century until the present day. During a time when it was easier to conform, rather than rebel, Rosa Park, chose the later. Her choice sparked the African American movement during the sixties, igniting others into the bus boycott in Selma Alabama. Today, blacks can now seat wherever they please, and in retrospect, many even sits on the Board of Directors for Transportation Authorities. Many black activists, such as Frederick Douglas, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Truman, and Martin Luther King, sacrificed themselves, and began the revolutionizing of America. Slavery, the condition in which one human being was owner by another. A slave was considered by law as property and was deprived of most of the rights ordinarily held by a free person. Slaves were used principally for personal and domestic service, including concubine. Generally the owner is responsible for providing minimal food, shelter and clothing. The first African brought to the E...

Definition and Examples of Dialect Leveling

Definition and Examples of Dialect Leveling In linguistics, dialect leveling refers to the reduction or elimination of marked differences between dialects over a period of time. Dialect leveling tends to occur when speakers of different dialects come into contact with one another for extended periods. Contrary to popular belief, theres no evidence that the mass media are a significant cause of dialect leveling. In fact, say the authors of Language in the U.S.A., there is considerable evidence that social dialect variation, especially in urban areas, is increasing.   Alternate Spellings: dialect levelling (UK) See Examples and Observations below. Also, see the following related terms: AccentCodificationEstuary EnglishKoineizationLanguage StandardizationReceived Pronunciation (RP)Regional DialectSpeech AccommodationStyle-Shifting Examples and Observations [D]ialect differences are reduced as speakers acquire features from other varieties as well as avoid features from their own variety that are somehow different. This may occur over several generations until a stable compromise dialect develops. -Jeff Siegel, Mixing, Levelling and Pidgin/Creole Development. The Structure and Status of Pidgins and Creoles, ed. by Arthur Spears and Donald Winford. John Benjamins, 1997Levelling, in this sense, is closely related to (indeed, results from) the social psychological mechanism of speech accommodation (Giles Powesland 1997; Trudgill 1986a:1-4), by which (provided mutual goodwill is present) interlocutors will tend to converge linguistically. In a situation (such as in a new town) where speakers of different, but mutually intelligible dialects come together, countless individual acts of short-term accommodation over a period of time lead to long-term accommodation in those same speakers (Trudgill 1986a:1-8). -Paul Kerswill, Dialect Levelling a nd Geographical Diffusion in British English. Social Dialectology: In Honour of Peter Trudgill, ed. by David Britain and Jenny Cheshire. John Benjamins, 2003) How Dialect Leveling Works New Zealand English, which was formed more recently than North American varieties, sheds some light on how dialect leveling works. Researchers there describe a three-stage process: the original settler generations kept their home dialects, the next generation chose somewhat randomly from all the linguistic options available, and the third generation leveled out the diversity in favor of the most frequent variant in most cases. Probably something similar happened in North America, centuries before dialectologists and tape recorders were around to document it. -Gerard Van Herk, What Is Sociolinguistics? Wiley-Blackwell, 2012 The Future of Dialects [A]ccording to Auer and colleagues, it is too early yet to tell if the internationalization of economic and administrative structures and the increase in international communication in present-day Europe will strengthen or weaken the traditional dialects (Auer et al. 2005: 36). For one thing, when no other variety is part of a speakers environment, accommodation is not an option. If urbanization is accompanied by the formation of ethnic or working-class enclave neighborhoods, traditional distinctions may be enforced through dense, multiple social networks (Milroy, 1987). Similar processes in the context of residential and educational segregation are responsible for the maintenance of substantial differences between the English of some African Americans and that of nearby whites. Furthermore, speech accommodation theory, as well as more recent adaptations of it (Bell 1984, 2001), also allow for the possibility of divergence as well as convergence. -Barbara Johnstone, Indexing the Loca l. The Handbook of Language and Globalization, ed. by Nikolas Coupland. Wiley-Blackwell, 20112 Americanisms in British English A phrase which has been ubiquitous in the past week is loved ones. Even Ian McEwan used it, in the elegy he wrote in this paper last Saturday. Loved One got currency in Britain in 1948, with Evelyn Waughs novella of that name. Waugh chose to be highly satirical about the American funeral industry and the obscene euphemisms (as he saw them) of its grief therapists. Mealy-mouthed, mercenary morticians disinclination to call a corpse a corpsethats what loved one connoted. For decades after Waughs blast, no writer of McEwans stature would have used loved one unless contemptuously and with anti-American intent. It still collocates mainly with American death. But its a striking example of dialect levelling (or linguistic colonialism) that its now in non-pejorative British usage. -John Sutherland, Crazy Talk. The Guardian, Sep. 18, 2001

What Is The Best Way To Impact On The Deer Population Essay

What Is The Best Way To Impact On The Deer Population - Essay Example Unlike most wild beasts, that attack human physically, the deer hurt human beings indirectly but poses great damage. The higher the population of the deer the higher the associated risks and thus it deems necessary to reduce their numbers. As a matter of fact, the hunters believe that wild animals should be kept in low numbers has proved to make more sense in the treatment of deer as compared to animal protectionist. The deer poses problems to the whole community. First, the deer attacks specific plant species to obtaining food. The recorded high population of deer has reduced some indigenous plants rendering some of the extinct. This follows the fact that the animal is selective despite it being observed to consume any green matter during starvation times. On depleting preferred species in the natural forests, the deer community poses a threat to farmers and landowners by attacking their crops. Secondly, the deer is associated with many road accidents with some areas being marked as hotspots. During mating, the buck chases the doe and can easily knock a fast moving vehicle resulting to a mere accident. As a matter of fact, deer accidents reported have been increasing leading to serious injuries or death of both the deer and the vehicle occupants. The worst of all is that, despite over 60% of road accidents being caused by deer, the insurance companies pose questions on the causality of the accident. It is to the knowledge of everyone, starting from the federal government, state government, wildlife protecting organizations, and the whole community that the large population of deer is posing a great threat to human life. Acting in the absence of the federal government, which has no mandate over wildlife, the state communities are now striving to reduce the number of deer in existence as well as reducing the damage. Several methods have been put forward towards achieving this goal. To start with, farmers have taken the forefront to guard their property against d estruction by the deer. Local officials, farmers, and other land-owners especially those living in suburbs have had their property surrounded by fences. Fences vary from the low sized ones used to guide vegetables to over ten-foot high propylene meshed fenced, not to forget electric fences that surround the defended areas leaving the outside ground uncovered. Although this works straight to the fence holder, it cannot be considered a national defense as natural forests as well as road accidents are not taken into consideration. Moreover, the fenced ground portions make the state look more of a prison than a community resident. Having in mind the general risks that the existence of large deer population pose to the community, the best decision would be to reduce their numbers. Arguments on the best method of reducing the population create a great debate, which needs a critical evaluation to obtain, the best and in this case the most effective in solving the problem. However, deer man agement is a societal issue that not only needs proper evaluation but also a considerably enough time to implement. As a matter of fact if an instant solution was to be implemented, then it would invite hunters and poachers who would indeed reverse the game rules to fit their desires. Firstly we have the scientific methods of reducing the population gradually which focus on two physiological processes; nutrition and reproduction. On nutrition, the deer is either poisoned or left to starve. Both of these processes are enhanced by use of certain chemicals.

Key Features Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Key Features - Assignment Example The literature Review conducted by the authors is exhaustive and in-depth. The sources that were used by the authors are reliable. However, the authors should not have used sources that are older than ten years. The reason is that approaches to conducting research have changed over the years. In addition, old sources might have outdated information. As a result, basing the conclusion on such sources might make the journal to be deemed as unreliable. Nevertheless, the fact that the authors used varying sources from different fields reduces the level of biases. In addition, the sources are from credible organizations and institutions of higher learning. All sources that were used in this study emanates from the relevant fields. As a result, the information in them can be used to make an in-depth conclusion. The authors are trying to find out different work health and safety issues that affect the young people and the most effective solutions. They were trying to determine whether these issues have an effect on young people’s performance in their workplaces. Nevertheless, other articles clearly state the research questions rather than include it in the objective. This is important in ensuring that the article is clear. Ethical Consideration The authors ought to have sought ethical approval from the organizations. The young respondents that were used in this study were working in the organizations. As a result, a credible study should seek permission to interview or use some of the employees in the study.

The safety of nuclear power generation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The safety of nuclear power generation - Essay Example Fig 1 shows the few instances of nuclear accidents as compared to the cumulative years the reactors have been in operation. The report will focus on the underlying causes involved in the three disasters in order to reveal the most effective ways of ensuring that human life is not lost again due to nuclear accidents. The accident at Three Mile Island (TMI 2) that occurred in 1979 was caused by a combination of equipment failure and the inexperience of the plant operators (World Nuclear Association 2013 p. 1). The nuclear professionals failed to understand the heat condition of the reactor at pivotal moments during the event (World Nuclear Association 2013 p.1). As a result, their response was ineffective. A gradual loss of cooling water to the heat-producing core in the reactor caused a partial melting of the fuel rod cladding. In addition, the uranium fuel was also affected. As a result, a small amount of radioactive material was released. The Chernobyl accident was caused by a flawed reactor design. The accident occurred during a test for emergencies because operators were trying to determine what would happen to a reactor if a power outage occurred (Mara 2011, p. 15). The reactor had a large positive void coefficient. The void coefficient refers to the response of a nuclear reactor in case of increased steam formation in the water coolant. The second flaw involved the design of the rods that were expected to slow down reactions in the rector. The lower part of the control rods was made of graphite. In addition, it was shorter than the conventional design. The design led to the increase of power output. The practice achieved unintended results, a fact that was clearly unknown to the reactor operators. In contrast, the Fukushima power plants had an excellent design. When the authorities learned about the impending storm, they executed a

Political communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Political communication - Essay Example Since the flu affects every individual regardless of gender, cultural background or economic status, the campaign is directed to all the people in United Kingdom. Special attention is also given to people coming in the country because they may be bringing the virus just like in the case of the two infected persons confined in a hospital in Scotland who arrived from Mexico (Wake Up Britain, 2009). The campaign aimed to warn people about the dangers of swine flu and at the same time educate them on how to prevent getting infected or infecting others if they suspect they already have the virus. The government used different media such as flyers (Charles, 2009; Department of Health, 2009; NHS & DHSSPS), radio and television broadcast as well as the internet to communicate the information. They hit the right target audience because with the characteristics of the flu, no one is invulnerable. The flyers contained complete information about swine flu and extended more information by giving numbers which people could call in case they need to be educated more about the virus (NHS & DHSSPS, 2009). However, it should be considered that not all who receive leaflets really read them completely. The television advertisement (Department of Health, 2009) can be considered to have effectively relayed the message to the different kinds of people by using models of different races genders and ages. It was short, clear and concise. However, the campaign was quite short and fails to expound on the seriousness of the advice being given. Nevertheless, this could also be understandable because when the campaign was done, everybody seemed to have been well-informed about the swine flu already. Perhaps it could be safe to say that the television is the most accessible medium of information because it is often used for relaxation and people do not need to read what is presented on the screen.

Application of the Criminal Justice System Research Paper

Application of the Criminal Justice System - Research Paper Example As the discussion highlights the criminal justice system follows a well elaborate process. The process starts when the suspect of a crime is apprehended by the police, all the way to the time the suspect is arraigned, charged and convicted or released by the courts, and through to serving the required sentences if the suspect is found guilty. This study stresses that the crime involved the murder of Joseph Ronan at his home by John Burke. The crime was first suspected to be homicide, but after the police investigations, it was discovered that it was a murder case that involved a drug deal gone soar. The police followed the reads and were able to track down the suspect of the murder, who was set to be arraigned in court and charged for the crime of murder. This is the first process in the criminal justice system, which entails the police apprehending a suspect who is suspected of having committed a certain crime. Therefore, John Burke who is the offender in this case, will first be arrested by the police and kept in police custody, awaiting the next procedure in the criminal justice system. However, the arresting of the offender takes place only when the police have sufficient evidence to charge the suspect with the crime the suspect is alleged to have committed. This is the second process in the criminal justice system th at John Burke will go through. The prosecution and pretrial stage of the criminal justice process is the stage in which the prosecutor, will analyze and evaluate the available evidence gathered by the police.

Political communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Political communication - Essay Example Since the flu affects every individual regardless of gender, cultural background or economic status, the campaign is directed to all the people in United Kingdom. Special attention is also given to people coming in the country because they may be bringing the virus just like in the case of the two infected persons confined in a hospital in Scotland who arrived from Mexico (Wake Up Britain, 2009). The campaign aimed to warn people about the dangers of swine flu and at the same time educate them on how to prevent getting infected or infecting others if they suspect they already have the virus. The government used different media such as flyers (Charles, 2009; Department of Health, 2009; NHS & DHSSPS), radio and television broadcast as well as the internet to communicate the information. They hit the right target audience because with the characteristics of the flu, no one is invulnerable. The flyers contained complete information about swine flu and extended more information by giving numbers which people could call in case they need to be educated more about the virus (NHS & DHSSPS, 2009). However, it should be considered that not all who receive leaflets really read them completely. The television advertisement (Department of Health, 2009) can be considered to have effectively relayed the message to the different kinds of people by using models of different races genders and ages. It was short, clear and concise. However, the campaign was quite short and fails to expound on the seriousness of the advice being given. Nevertheless, this could also be understandable because when the campaign was done, everybody seemed to have been well-informed about the swine flu already. Perhaps it could be safe to say that the television is the most accessible medium of information because it is often used for relaxation and people do not need to read what is presented on the screen.

German Aesthetics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

German Aesthetics - Essay Example These ideas pursue to estimate to a demonstration of cogent ideas (Makkreel, 1990). According to Makkreel (1990), by Critique of the Power of Judgment, he demanded that a work of art is a media by which an artist may express such an idea, a notion that may not immediately be intelligible. For Kant, a notion is an idea whose objective merely can’t be met in experience. He illustrated a difference between the notions of the understanding, which forge instincts into skills and the pure ideas of reason, the notions that won’t be mixed with any instinctive fundamentals and hence remain beyond the understanding of experience. He believed that the onset of beauty is a product of the contemplative judgement. The art philosophy can be explained by close analysis of its guiding principles. He intended to differentiate art as a source of desire from entertainment as a source of cordiality. An aesthetic judgement concerning a piece of art must be unbiased. The idea of functionality is also predominant in the second indicated objective of Kant’s philosophy of art that is to differentiate art from craft. After identifying the main features of these judgments, Kant then requires to ask the question of how such judgments are likely. And are such judgments in any manner valid (Kemal, 1986). In the development of his treatment of beautiful art, he confers fine art in relation to the fabrication of human relics. He Associates fine art to the arts and makes remarks about the relation amid the beauty of art and that of nature, demanding in specific that fine art resembles to us like nature in that it must appear free and genuine. He also gives a classification of the numerous fine arts and a contrast of their respective aesthetic value, with poetry topping and music. Of interest, within Kants explanation of fine art, is his argument of how beautiful

Autocratic Management Have No Place in Todays Business World- Discuss Essay Example for Free

Autocratic Management Have No Place in Todays Business World- Discuss Essay Many people think nowadays that autocratic management is bad and doesnt motivate employees. They believe this type of management will never work in todays business world. However, it is not entirely possible for todays world to have everyone as democratic people, nor is it true that most people are Theory Y type. Autocratic management used to be the most effective management technique, as well as the simplest. Employees are told what to do and expected not to question back, like in the army. If the worker fails to accomplish the task then he/she either gets fired or disciplined. Managers always expect his/her decisions and orders to be obeyed without question, and everything will go fine. Managers tend to be in control of nearly everything within a firm, and make all the decisions. They also believe that workers are only motivated by incentives such as money and are lazy, which is based on McGregors Theory X and Taylors theory. The advantages of this type of management are that it is quite efficient, as there are no disputes of any sort between the employees and the management. Secondly, the decisions within a firm could be done very quickly and efficiently as there is practically no such thing as a discussion and opinions. The drawbacks of this style of management, however, are that employees wont have a sense of self-esteem or self-actualization, which is specified in Maslows Hierarchy of Needs. It is not possible to fully motivate an employee if this management is used. Also, communications within the firm will almost be non-existent, which is a problem for social needs. Workers will feel bored or demotivated if they even cant establish any relationship within the workplace. The business world today can be considered as different to the world in the past. However not everything would change in such a swift pace, therefore it is not possible that all employees are Theory Y type workers. The initial statement that claims autocratic management has no place in todays business world is practically impossible to be true, because there are still people in this world that still supports this type of management. There are still lazy and selfish people in the world that fit perfectly into McGregors Theory X. Some people might not like the idea of making their own decisions as they fear it might affect the business in a negative way so they would rather rely on management to do all the decision making. Also, workers who, in the past, had worked in an autocratic environment will tend to act the same as their superiors when they become part of the management. It is similar to child abuse, where the child grows up to be a very aggressive person. Autocratic managers obviously wouldnt like to work in a democratic firm, as the manager tends to refuse any delegation to his/her subordinates. It is believed that autocratic management is very effective in the short-term but would be devastating in the long-term. This is because there is a high chance of a large number of labour turnovers within the business and the morale of existing workers would rapidly decrease. Eventually the employees would probably go on industrial action or, in worse scenarios, sue the business for unfair treatment. The quality of output from subordinates will also decrease, as they are highly demotivated due to the fact that they are like puppets, doing what theyre told. They dont feel as if theyre a part of the company. It is successful in the short-term because employees are initially motivated by money, which explains the high output. Also, as stated before, decisions are made very quickly therefore the firm can achieve their objectives in no time. Of course, as time passes employees are no longer interested in money that much as before, so they start to get demotivated. In conclusion, there is a place for autocratic management in todays business world. It is just not as widely accepted as before because humans believe that they can think for themselves and never needs to be commanded by another being. Nevertheless some might say democratic management tends to do better than autocratic management, but that all depends on the employees themselves.

Contentions Of Standpoint Epistemology Sociology Essay

Contentions Of Standpoint Epistemology Sociology Essay This paper examines the concept of standpoint epistemology in the field of social science and discusses whether this remains a viable radical perspective on knowledge. The focus is placed upon the perspective from the feminist viewpoint and the application to sociology. The historical content is examined as a foundation to knowledge and this is placed into context in the relationship to knowledge. It is argued as to whether there continues to be a viable radical perspective on knowledge, both the pros and cons are examined. Conclusions summarize these points highlighting the key issues of the argument. The concept of standpoint epistemology is based upon the philosophy of knowledge that enables a holistic world-view of the challenges of oppressed women and the vision of how knowledge provides a platform for social activism, transformation and change. It combines the concept of both a body of knowledge and a method of conducting research. The feminist standpoint provides a call for political action and a reformation agenda. Dorothy Smith  [1]  was one of the original feminine theorists who developed standpoint epistemology. Smith focused heavily on gender studies and talked about ruling texts which examined the power relations in society and the dominance of men in social societies. Smith made the point that the knowledge we have of women, together with ruling texts that define the relationships are completely opposite to the experiences of how women are treated in society. Smith focused in on racism and stated that a common bond existed between black women of all nations as the y had experience of oppression, slavery and discrimination. (Johnson 2010) Sandra Harding,  [2]  within the context of feminine standpoint epistemology puts forward two important claims: (i) Those social positions within the under privileged classes has less distortion than those embodied within other classes and (ii) All scientific knowledge is socially situated. She in essence puts forward the argument that the diversity amongst inquirers creates an epistemic advantage. (Rolin 2006). The standpoint epistemology has maintained interest from sociologists over the last thirty years. Despite the criticism involved it has continued to evolve into a wide array of different perspectives and viewpoints. The research is considered to be closely aligned to the materialist perspective (the Marxist feminism view). This provides the research in a more balanced and realistic stance. Marxist feminism argued a standpoint epistemology that embraced concepts of both knowledge and power; as such having emphasis more on process than that of the materialistic viewpoint. A standpoint as such may be defined as the action that we accomplish from a social status perspective. Standpoint research theorists claim that their research is a more complete and rigorous set of results than that of their male counterparts. They believe that feminist research suffers from less distortion than male research and as such stands up to better scrutiny. (Pamela Abbott 2005). Standpoint is considered to b e an epistemology of transition and as such seeks to find change that aligns with knowledge transfer. It has been widely held that the feminist standpoint theory, as of today, seeks to find epistemic privilege that supports the female point of view. Harding has condemned the feminist standpoint theorists for attempting to express a single womens perspective (Harding 2004). The condemnation is based upon the fact that theorists fail to consider the complete diversity of the female opinion. In 1991 Harding  [3]  stated that there needs to be a reformation of a standpoint that portrays more post modernist standpoints. CONTENTIONS OF STANDPOINT EPISTEMOLOGY In the context of feminist standpoint epistemology it is necessary to compare traditional standpoints with that of modern perspectives. Traditionally it was held that science holds that objective, political neutral inquiry that maximises the power in order to achieve scientific aims. (Cassandra L. Pinnick 2003). Harding argues against this viewpoint stating that objectivity in scientific research is a delusion and as such a contradiction; it is far too rigorous to be objective. (Cassandra L. Pinnick 2003). Abortion is a subject area that contains contentions within the context of standpoint epistemology. The feminist standpoint provides linkages between that of experience and knowledge. In order to achieve a feminist standpoint you need to identify and experience both the struggle and intellectual challenges first-hand. Hence those women who accomplish this have a far sounder perspective than the male researcher. In the contemptuous subject of abortion, those women who have actually experienced the problem will have a profound understanding of the issues, trauma and prejudice of the process than that of a passive observer. It is the difference between that of specific experience and that of pure perspective. MariAnna  [4]  underlines the importance of concrete experience as an important source of information towards a body of knowledge. Sandra Harding stated that feminist epistemology is characterised by the recognition that women are agents of knowledge (MariAnna 2002). Women in general are seen to be more flexible with a fluidity that enables them to multi-task and accomplish multiple events at the same time. MariAnna stated that it is important to distinguish between that of methods and methodology, it is the latter which has deep roots in the epistemology approach to research. Feminist methodology within the approach to inquiry is deeply rooted in those feminist beliefs and theories that provide a more holistic and wider range of thinking to the subject matter under review. It has been pointed out by Pamela Abbot et al that there are conflicting areas of knowledge within feminism i.e. that of standpoint epistemology and the concept of post modernization. They have become problematic because they aspire to contain a degree of unity. Abbot argued that an element of relativism remains in the multiple standpoint approaches (Pamela Abbott 2005). That is to say the question remains unanswered as to who is exactly the final arbiter of truth (Pamela Abbott 2005). Abbott et al conclude by saying that within the overall research carried out in her book mainstream sociology becomes inadequate owing to the systematic bias and distortion in male stream knowledge (Pamela Abbott 2005). They argue that a total re-thinking is required in sociological knowledge that embraces the feminist contribution. The transformation is required because historically women have not just been ignored but their input has been both marginalised and distorted within the overall science. As such advances and contributions made by female researchers and sociologists need to be examined for integration within the overall body of knowledge and process of sociological thinking. It is a transformational step process that requires reformation in order that both concepts and questions become more centric to the issues of the discipline. Shawn Best  [5]  looked at research from the standpoint epistemology that examined the power of white feminists and the attempt to subjugate the knowledge of black women; the latter of which has been historically regarded as invalid intellectual knowledge. Interestingly he examined white women in the role of oppression. In addition to the concept of racism and power, in the 1990s attention was drawn towards the gay and lesbian communities and as such the post-modernist Queer Theory emerged. This put forward the argument that biological sex in addition to gender was part of the social construct. As such the possession of certain organs was the type that defined the binary reality of women or man. (Best 2005). Sirmondo  [6]  stated that the central argument of standpoint theory is that it is based upon a theory of privilege and not merely another different perspective. It examines sexual discrimination from the viewpoint of the female and as such provides a platform in order to become more informed and understand gender issues. As such women are in an improved position to see discrimination from a perspective that eludes males. This becomes more apparent when female activists take political actions to overturn male discrimination. He concludes that those people who see social constraints as oppressive can more easily comprehend those constraints than those who cannot see them. (Sismondo 2010) In recent years sociologists have been somewhat detached in the mainstream philosophy of science. It was David Bloor  [7]  who commented that social science remains impartial to truth, falsity, rationality, irrationality, success or failure. The desire for detachment has not only been confined to that of relativism. Others have commented that standpoint epistemology may be more of an escape from the intellectual quicksand of relativism and indefensible territory of neutrality and detachment (Iorio 2009). As such the standpoint requires a new examination of objectivity and a movement away from what is considered to be subjective perspectives. It is considered that most of the contentions that surround standpoint feminism and postmodern feminism are centered on power and agency. The post structural feminists continue to question the transparency upon the experiences put forward by women. They state that they rely upon the same expressive state of language that under pins liberal feminism. Many of these standpoint theories operate from the premise of fixed truth about the insights made. It is automatically assumed that experience represents both valid and reliable sources of information. These individuals with already fixed identities have limited experience of oppression. These experiences are articulated in conventional power relations. These power relations have a tendency to fix women to a specific category. (Carole Ruth McCann 2003). By way of comparison it is useful to examine the international perspectives of contention in standpoint epistemology. The political activism that is currently taking place in modern day Chile provides a direct response that has been based upon gender experience. Historically Chilean women have been branded and placed in a specific position in Chilean society, this being termed marianismo (Tà ©treault 2000). There have been certain criticisms of postmodernism and the movement towards relativism. This in turn has seen many females hybridize the epistemologies in order to deflect the criticism. The approach has moved towards examining different voices and standpoints of feminism. In Chilean society the women are deemed to be very cultured and have different views on a range of varying subject matter. It is considered that the postmodern feminist perspective has broadened the voice of the Latin American woman and allowed true feminist views to be openly expressed. (Tà ©treault 2000). It is over the last two decades that there have been significant advances in sociological theory and in particular the many changes in feminist theory. The emphasis being placed upon the areas of gender, identity and subjectivity. Dietz stated that within the many debates that have took place it has been contested what is the true meaning of feminine citizenship (Dietz 2003) FEMENIST EPSISTEMOLOGY Epistemology essentially refers to the science of knowing and the acquisition of knowledge. It relates to how people understand what they know and draws its source from the disciplines like sociology and psychology. The research fields within this area have given rise to feminist epistemology and the knowledge that specifically applies to women. As such it becomes an approach that summarises the experience of women and integrating both knowledge and experiences into the female voice. More recent manipulations of the term epistemology illustrate the term has been widened or redefined to include new areas that were previously omitted by traditional research concepts (Alcoff 1993). The historical implications of female epistemology have been based around clashes that involve female liberalism and the oppression of women in society. The need to have their contribution recognized and included within the context of the social sciences. Feminist standpoint theories generally put forward the view that gender creates the social differences in epistemology. The aim being to obtain a closer comprehension of how authoritative knowledge is obtained and how female constructive uses can be put forward from marginal standpoints. Historically it has been considered that feminist standpoint theory has remained subordinate to the traditional mainstream philosophy of science. This has caused feminists to feel uncomfortable with both their role and contribution in the field of sciences. (Hirschmann 1997) In the journal Hypatia, numerous feminist empiricists have argued that scientific knowledge is socially situated and as such there is increasing levels of convergence between feminist empiricism and standpoint feminism. The latter has become much more subtle in terms of interpreting standpoint claims distinguished from that of views held by feminine empiricists. Sociologists have stated that feminine empiricism is more a way of how scientific claims may be proven as opposed to standpoint feminism which is more related to the study of science as a phenomenon. Both views are similar in that they strive towards a greater degree of diversity. (Intemann 2010). Jane Flax argues that psycho analysis, feminist theories and postmodern philosophies are all independent methods of thought, with each being understood in a different way. Each of these has its own perspective on social issues and transitional way of thinking. Flax describes feminist theory as a delimited area of intellectual discourse where general consensus occurs amongst its practitioners (Flax 2010). Regardless of this there remains a lively debate on those who are identified as feminist theorists. Within this is the importance of analysing gender and the distinction of female issues to that of the male domain. The aim of feminist theories is that of a recovery vehicle in order to reclaim those aspects in society that have been suppressed or denied by male dominated viewpoints. As such feminist values call for transformative thinking about such items as values, sense of self-worth and the dealing of stereotypes by the compartmentalization of women into specific categories and the reby denying freedom of expression. One of the central points in feminist standpoint theory is derived from that of Karl Marxs views on materialism. Feminists have adopted from this philosophy that the concept of power is the main way towards understanding social society. As such there exists a social identity between that of power and gender. The feminist engagement with epistemology tends to represent itself in one of two ways i.e. it is either very closely aligned with postmodernism or aligned with that of epistemology; the term female epistemology generally tends to imply that it is lined to the latter term. This in itself creates a degree of tension and conflict between the two forces. Miranda Fricker stated that we can credit feminist postmodernism with making a number of important contributions to social science. Amongst this is the contribution to the intellectual knowledge base and making the general populace more aware of the complexity of social identity. In this sense it is more accurate than that of an onthology that relates purely to class. (Fricker 2000). In current terms it is important to recognise that a large number of women are employed in science, engineering and academic positions. As such they offer a diverse range of opinions on a wide range of subject matter. The female positions tend to have two distinct types of focus (i) that engaged with the sciences and (ii) that focused upon society. Researchers have emerged from former marginalised groups and as such have had a profound way of changing the pattern of inquiry and thought process. There are still those however that holds the opinion that feminism is a threat to the objectivity of science. Sandra Harding pointed out that if all knowledge is socially constructed it will pose a major threat and challenge to science. For example with most scientists the notion that their views of the natural world are subjective is counter to their professional training. (Wyer 2008) Holland et al believe that the notion of a feminist standpoint tends to be more theoretical and political. The reason being the inability to separate politics and the epistemology. They have cited particular differences appropriate to realism and those influenced by empiricism. In addition they believe that standpoint feminists are far too influenced by concepts of gender. In making specific judgements or opinions on subject matter, the feminist needs to have a superior knowledge that the theoretical epistemological position if the research is to be formally accepted. (Caroline RamazanoÇlu 2002) Sandra Hardings  [8]  views on Standpoint Epistemology focused more on the concepts of objectivity. Harding advocated a new concept of strong objectivity, as opposed to that of the weak concept which she referred to as objectivism. She stated that objectivity must contain all social values and interests from the research that is carried out. She was aware that certain social values could adversely impact the research and cause potential distortions. As such Harding viewed traditional research concepts and objectivity as the denial of cultures best beliefs (knowledge), whereas the new version fully embraces both political and historical origins. Harding believed that her new theory holds validity, particularly from the feminist standpoint i.e. women are part of an oppressed group and as such they approach research problems in a less arbitrary way. They are more likely to evaluate theories that might otherwise be overlooked or denied by more traditional concepts or viewpoints. Harding states that that the standpoint has a substantial foundation in the empirical experiences of women and although this may not constitute a foundation of knowledge, nevertheless it does create a more diverse contribution leading towards increased objectivity. As such it might be regarded as a hybrid approach, between that of objectivity and relativism. Critics have argued that this is bound to fail because concepts of hybridisation cannot adequately deal with issues of generalisation and as such it will fail to distinguish from that of weak objectivity. (Sandra 2001) One of the most influential people in the field of standpoint epistemology was that of Dorothy E Smith.  [9]  Smith is famous throughout the world as a developer of theories and as such she has advanced the academic position from a feminist standpoint. Smith developed theories and concepts around the subject matter of gender and particularly that of the ruling texts of man. She advocated that many texts were compiled from the male perspective and as such were responsible for defining gender. She further advocated that such rules written by men determined the rules of society and defined the way in which we live and conduct our lives. Amongst the books that Smith referenced were the US Constitution, The Holy Bible and the Communist Manifesto. Smith stated that the rulings defined in many of these books were completely opposite to the manner in which women conducted their lives today. Such obsolescence creates the way for transformation of thinking and revision in these areas. Rya n B Johnson  [10]  (Johnson, Standpoint Epistemology Summary 2010) The ASA  [11]  President Patricia Collins  [12]  has also been extremely influential in her works on standpoint epistemology. Collins has excelled as a distinguished black professor rising through the ranks dealing with oppression that includes race, class and gender. She emphasises this point in her research and talks about white privilege in feminist society. She has broadened the discussion of gender to include that of racial factors as black women shared a common bond in terms of almost universal oppression. Most black women could recount from their history a record of oppression, slavery and discrimination. This created an even stronger standpoint than that experienced by white women and had a wider impact than other discriminated groups like gays, lesbians and Jews. (Johnson, Standpoint Epistemology Summary 2010). CONCLUSIONS Alison Wylie  [13]  maintained that Standpoint theory is grounded in social and political thought. As such the notion of knowledge and epistemology is nothing new. Wylie states the most significant contributions in the area have been made by Sandra Harding and Nancy Harsock. Standpoint theory continues to have a profound impact on social and political thinking to this very day. (Grebowicz 2007). The arguments put forward by the female epistemology practitioners focus upon potential bias and exclusion by their male counterparts. The practice has seriously disadvantaged women by : (i) excluding them from inquiry (ii) denial of access to epistemic authority (iii)denigrating female cognitive styles and types of knowledge (iv) male dominance that is self-serving and denigrates female contributions as being inferior or insignificant (v) theories of social phenomenon that render womens interests invisible (vi)the production of knowledge that creates class divisions, creates hierarchies or relegates women to that of subordinate roles. (Andersen 2010). Whilst considerable strides have been made towards the resolution of contentions in standpoint epistemology, particularly in what we refer to as the Western or first world environment; on the global scene there still remains a lot of work to accomplish. Females still suffer oppression in such areas as the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Latin America and many Muslim speaking countries. The internet has helped in the creation of a global forum for women to communicate world-wide and talk about experiences, lifestyle, social interaction, oppression etc. Nevertheless despite open access communication we are even seeing examples of where this is being subverted for political power and exclusion of feminine authority. Examples being that of China and certain Middle Eastern countries. Feminist groups have also advocated for the recognition of womens rights on a global scale. However, when this has been approached as a human righ ts issue it has met with opposition from cultural relativists and liberal human rights activists. It has been viewed as an attempt by western women to expand western cultural philosophy. The relativists argument being that recognition of womens rights as human rights is linked to that of western imperialism. This view is very misguided because by nature the concept of oppression, racial discrimination, gender issues etc. are universal ones and as such not confined to the west but are global issues for resolution. (Kim 2010) 3733

Sons And Lovers :: essays research papers

D.H. Lawrence: Son and Lover â€Å"Bildungsroman, a form of fiction which allows the novelist to recreate through the maturing of his protagonist some of his own remembered intensity of experience† (Nivin, Alastair; pg. 34)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  D.H. Lawrence re-created his own life experience through the writing of Son’s and Lovers, an intensely realistic novel set in a small English mining town, much akin to the town in which he was raised. The son of a miner, Lawrence grew up with a father much like the character of Mr. Morel in Son’s and Lovers. Morel (as the father is called) is an ill tempered, uneducated, and rather crude man. A man with little ability to express his feelings to his wife and family, who love him dearly despite the fact that he was seldom cordial to any of them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Lydia (Lawrence’s mother) was high-minded and pious. She had been a schoolteacher and had written poetry. She hated dirt and drink and poverty.† (Segar, Keith; pg.11)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lydia met her husband Arthur at a family function and they married only a year later. â€Å"It was an attraction of opposites which could not last. Arthur was irresponsible and poor.† (pg.11) While the two loved each other dearly, their differences caused many of the problems that arose later on in Lawrence’s life. In the novel the Mother and Father also met at a dance, where Mr. Morel’s ability to dance was â€Å"natural and joyous†, he possessed â€Å"a certain subtle exultation like glamour in his movement.† These features attracted Mrs. Morel immediately, just as Mr. Morel was attracted to her because she was â€Å"perfectly intact, deeply religious, and full of beautiful candor.† (Lawrence, D.H.; pg. 44)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Morels, once married moved to an end house on â€Å"hell row† in the â€Å"Bottoms†, just on the outskirts of the mine.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The bottoms consisted of six blocks of miners’ dwellings, two rows of three, like the dots on a blank-six domino, and twelve houses in a block. This double row of dwellings sat at the foot of the rather sharp slope from Bestwood, and looked out, from the valley towards Selby.† (pg.36)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Bottoms as described by Lawrence in the novel Sons and Lovers, was, I’m sure much alike his home town, which consisted mainly of â€Å"ugly mid- Victorian shops† (Segar, Keith; pg.9) and the poor dwellings of the towns miners. The Town’s name was Edgewood, and it was not perhaps as rundown or dilapidated as the town he created for the novel, yet it was by no means advanced as a city like London was.

“Lord of The Flies”- Holocaust Essay

The book,†Lord of the Flies† parallels exactly to the horrible accounts of the Holocaust. It took place during the same time, and many ideas and events are very similar. The Holocaust was a huge inspiration on Golding’s book, and like the Holocaust, Golding creates a setting, that’s in a sense, secret. They also both took place during World War II. Just like in the beginning, when the boys first landed on the island, before the Holocaust even began, the boys were unified as one tribe. However,underneath the surface, problems were rising. Piggy was referred to only by his derisive nickname, much in the same way as Jews were stripped of their real names and called ‘Jew bastard’or ‘kike’. â€Å"You’re talking too much,† said Jack merridew, â€Å"Shut up fatty.† Laughter arose (Golding 21) This is only one of the many examples of the boys degrading Piggy. Jews weren’t ever treated quite as fairly as Germans. They were discriminated because of their race,religion, and mostly just because they were living a better life than the Germans. Ralph was the leader. He thought things out with his right hand man, Piggy. Together they were very intelligent, and were respected by most of the boys. Ralph who represents Neville Chamberlain, who was England Prime Minister before World War II was infamous for allowing Hitler to invade the Sudetenland without conse quence. Jack would represent Adolf Hitler. He wanted power, and would do anything to get it. Like Hitler, Jack was a very good public speaker. He said what people wanted to hear, that they would have fun, and eat meat, in a time when meat sounded very good to the boys, when they were on the verge of starvation from hunger. He took advantage of his abilities to hunt and the weakness of the boys, just as Hitler did. He would find in this downtrodden people, an audience very willing to listen. In his speeches, Hitler offered what they needed most, encouragement. He gave them heaps of vague promises while avoiding the details. Hitler didn’t work alone. He had his right hand man who was in charge of the extermination of his enemies. Roger was Jack’s chief executioner and Adolf Eichmann had the job of ridding Germany of Jews. You  could tell in the beginning that Jack would rebel. He always had a different  view than Ralph, and you could see some envy of Ralph in him. â€Å"We want meat-† â€Å"And we don’t get it†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ We need shelters† Suddenly Jack shouted in rage. â€Å"Are you  accusing-?† † All I’m saying is we’ve worked dashed hard. That’s all.† They were both red in the face and found looking at each other difficult (Golding 51). Ralph had his group- Piggy, Simon, and some of the â€Å"littluns†. They were the thinkers of the boys. They represented the Jews, and Jack hated them for it because Jack’s main worry was hunting while R alph tried to focus on the fire and getting rescued. Their ideas clashed and so did they. One of Hitler’s main problems with Jews was that they were so smart and they were living a wealthier life than everyone else, and hogging all of the luxuries that could and should be the Germans. That’s when Jack formed his new tribe with the choir boys, then known as the hunters, on the other side of the island. â€Å"I’m going off by myself. He can catch his own pigs. Anyone who wants to hunt when I do can come too.†(Golding 127). This is similar to Hitler’s forming of the Nazis. Jack recruited Roger who was a more sadistic member of the tribe. All of his tribe members played a very evil part, and most of them were only interested in killing. They thought it was exciting and enjoyed it. They were forced to rebel against Ralph, and they symbolized the people who were forced into torturing the Jews. They would torture, or be tortured. It was a simple answer for most, as it was for Sam and Eric. They were the public, easily convinced and lead into traps in which they didn’t think for themselves anymore. This is when it changes from a democracy to a dictatorship,exactly what happened after Hitler became leader. In the book, Jack made all of his followers call him chief, respect him, and acknowledge when he was done speaking. The two savages looked at each other, raised their spears and spoke in time. â€Å"The Chief has spoken.†(Golding 141).He made them march together, and look very well organized and unified. On October 13,1930, dressed in their brown shirts, the elected Nazi deputies marched in unison into the Reichstag and took their seats. When the roll call was taken, each one shouted, â€Å"Present! Heil Hitler!† . Both of these examples have alot of similarities. Both show the obedience the leaders had over their followers. They were  all brainwashed, and this statement goes to both Jack’s tribe and the Nazis. This brainwashing even got to a point where killing was okay. They didn’t really think  twice about it. They all thought what they were doing was right, they didn’t realize what they were doing, and didn’t look at the big picture. †¦Roger, with a sense of  delirious abandonment, leaned all his weight on the lever†¦The rock struck Piggy with a glancing blow (Golding 180). This statement describes Roger’s feelings about killing, and it obviously doesn’t matter that much to him. He wasn’t thinking before he acted. When Simon was coming down the mountain to tell everyone that there really wasn’t a beast, it was just a dead body from war, they mistook Simon himself for the beast  because they were so riled up from the feast and the dance, they actually tricked themselves into thinking Simon was something else. Even after, when they knew what they were doing they kept tearing Simon apart. The beast was on its knees in the center, its arms folded over its face. It was crying out against the abominable noise something about a dead body on the hill†¦At once the crowd surged after it, poured down the rock, leapt on to the beast, screamed, struck, bit, tore (Golding 153). The feast and dance are similar to Hitler’s speeches to get everyone excited to kill the Jews. He began speech in low, hesitating tones,  gradually rising the pitch and volume of his voice then exploding in a climax of frenzied indignation. He combined this with carefully rehearsed hand gestures for maximum effect. He skillfully played on the emotions of the  audience bringing the level of excitement  higher and higher until people wound up a wide-eyed, screaming, frenzied mass that surrendered to his will and looked upon him with pseudo- religious adoration. When Jack’s tribe is trying to hunt down Ralph to torture him, it represents the German police, ripping the ghettos apart just to find some Jews hidden in homes and  other buildings, so that they could be brought to concentration camps where they  would be tortured and/or killed. When they finally find Ralph, in his thicket hiding,  they decide there is not much they can do to kill him, but set the island on fire. This is  similar to when the German people working on the concentration camps cremated their  victims in a fire pit, where they couldn’t get out. I also think it is important to mention  that the word, Holocaust comes from the Greek holokauston , that which is  completely burnt, that which goes up, that is in smoke, or a sacrificial offering that is  consumed entirely by flames.   Ralph did end up escaping the fire, and just when everything seemed lost, the boys  were chasing after him, and it was expected for him to die, the naval officer showed  up on the island because he saw the flames from his ship. It is only when the boys are  rescued by a naval officer that the monster Jack has become shrinks back into his boy-  like state. This deflation of power signifies the collapse of Nazi Germany in the face of  the Allied forces(Windham 3). A little boy who wore the remains of an extraordinary  black cap on his red hair and who carried the remains of a pair of spectacles at his  waist, started forward, then changed his mind and stood still (Golding 201). In  the Holocaust, when everything seemed lost, soldiers fighting in the war started  showing up to liberate the Jews, and everyone else that was captured.  The similarites of the book and the German Holocaust are no coincidences. Golding  had definite intentions of referring to the Hol ocaust in this novel, and in this thesis there are  too many similarities to say they weren’t written because of the events going on during  World War II.

About The Groningen Holland Netherlands Architecture Essay

The United States has a really diverse civilization. The lone people that can truly state they are from here, are people that can follow their lineage back to the Native Americans that were here long before the first colonists came to the new universe. Everyone in the United States can follow their lineage back to states all over the universe. Over the last few hundred old ages these civilizations have blended together to go what is now thought of as U.S. civilization. During this assignment I found that my ascendants are from Groningen, Holland or the Netherlands. â€Å" Groningen is the capital metropolis of the state of Groningen in the Netherlands † . The metropolis is the largest metropolis in the North of the Netherlands. In 1594 the metropolis joined the Spanish in the Eighty Years ‘ War, or the Dutch war of Independence, but subsequently switched sides to the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands, besides known as the Dutch Republic. Groningen is home to the 2nd oldest university in the Netherlands. Groningen University was founded in 1614. In April of 1945, much of the metropolis was destroyed during World War II. The conflict lasted several yearss and came to be known as the Battle of Groningen. ( Wikipedia ) Recently the Swarthout household celebrated its 350th day of remembrance of its reaching in America. If your family name is Swartwout, Swarthout, Swartout, or Swartwood, you are likely descended from one Tomys Swartwout ( 1607-62 ) who brought his household to New Netherland in 1652. Tomys and his two brothers were born in Groningen, Holland. The three brothers were engaged in the baccy concern in Amsterdam in 1629, importing their merchandise from Virginia and New Netherland, the island of Manhattan, but merely Tomys settled in the New World, the other two staying in Amsterdam. During this period traveling your household all the manner to the New World was a great hazard. The household asked Tomys to travel to assist their concern as times were turning tough. Reluctantly, Tomys came to the New World with his household in hope of assisting his households baccy concern. Today in the Netherlands, the largest subsistence scheme used is industrialism. â€Å" The economic system, which is based on free endeavor, is extremely industrialised and efficient † . Petroleum refinement, machinery, chemicals, and building are merely a few of the taking industries. Agribusiness and gardening are two other important subsistence schemes. â€Å" The Netherlands exports nutrient and big Numberss of cut flowers and bulbs † . More than half of the universes flower exports are grown in the Netherlands. Although agribusiness and gardening employ less than five per centum of the labour force, these activities are important in bring forthing meats, cheeses, and other dairy merchandises that are sold to other states. Information engineering is another subsistence scheme that ca n't be ignored in the Netherlands. Recently a strong economic base has been developed around calculating, telecommunications, and biotechnology. This besides includes touristry and bank ing ( CultureGrams ) . With industrialism being the Netherlands strongest subsistence, many different engineerings are relied upon. Factories for fabrication, and all different types of machinery are used for treating natural stuffs and chemicals, such as crude oil. Technologies used for agribusiness include tractors, ploughs, combines, and many other specialised machines. None of these subsistence schemes would work without transit and communicating. The Netherlands has one of the best transit systems in Europe. â€Å" An efficient web of trains connects major and minor metropoliss † . Although most people own personal vehicles, the states six million autos makes traffic a serious job. Buss, trams, and subway systems are besides utilized in the part ( CultureGrams ) . Division of labour is seen in all subsistence schemes. The division of labour is really much skewed towards gender. â€Å" Women constitute merely 38 per centum of the labour force and frequently merely work portion clip † . One chief ground for this is the late entry of adult females into the work force because of the German business during World War II. Until late adult females needed their hubbies ‘ permission to come in into employments contracts. Within the atomic household, adult females are still seen to play the function of housewife, while the adult male is seen as the supplier and chief beginning of income ( Cultures ) . â€Å" The Netherlands is a unitary province governed by a cardinal organic structure. The political system is a parliamentary democracy every bit good as a constitutional monarchy. The queen has little political influence ; her function is mostly symbolic. Political power lies in the custodies of a cabinet of curates headed by a premier curate. The cabinet is accountable to the parliament, whose members are elected at four-year intervals. The Dutch Parliament consists of the First Chamber and the Second Chamber, which together constitute the legislative organic structure. The 2nd Chamber initiates new statute law. Its members are straight elected by the people. The legal age to vote is 18. The members of the Second Chamber are elected by relative representation, which leads to a great figure of political parties that together vie for 150 seats. The first Chamber either ratifies or rejects the new statute law proposed by the Second Chamber. Its members are elected by the members of the Pro-vinciale Staten. Each of the 12 provinces has a local regulating board ( Provinciale Staten ) whose chair is the commissioner to the queen, World Health Organization is appointed by the authorities for a life term. Its members are elected by the dwellers of the state. Commissioners and city managers are handpicked by the authorities for life footings † ( Culture ) . â€Å" The Dutch pride themselves on holding an advanced free market economic system that runs swimmingly † . In 1999, the labour force consisted of 7,097,000 individuals ; the unemployed numbered 292,000. The one-year gross national merchandise ( GNP ) amounted to 323 billion euros ( $ 373 billion ) in 1997. Two per centum of the Dutch population is employed in the extremely mechanised agricultural sector, 24 per centum are employed in the industrial sector, and 74 per centum work in the service industries. The Netherlands chief trading spouse is Germany. There are five classs that Dutch exports cab be divided into: agricultural merchandises, 15 per centum ; natural or enriched fuels, 6 per centum ; chemical merchandises, 17 per centum ; industrial merchandises, 12 per centum ; and machinery, 24 per centum † . Two-thirdss of Dutch exports go to five states: Germany, Belgium, France, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Those five merchandising spouses account for 61 per centum of Dutch imports ( Cultures ) . Catholics make up the largest fold in the Netherlands at approximately 30 per centum of the population. Reformed Protestants make up approximately 14 per centum followed by Dutch reformed at 7 per centum. The Muslim faith merely makes up approximately 4 per centum of the population. 40 per centum of the population are non spiritual or connected to a denomination. Small rural communities in the Dutch Bible Belt, which runs along the towns of Zierikzee, Dordrecht, Utrecht, Zwolle, and Assen, still have faith playing a major function in the ordination of people ‘s societal and cultural lives ( Culture ) . Traditionally, the northern and eastern parts of the state have been Protestant, while the South has been Catholic. The royal household belongs to the Dutch Reformed Church ( World Mark ) . Dutch people are free to take their partners and do so to the highest degree frequently out of love. The Dutch people do pattern endogamy though frequently get marrieding within the restraints of category, ethnicity, and faith. Monogamy is the lone signifier of matrimony allowed. â€Å" Same-sex twosomes can get married and hold the same rights as heterosexual twosomes † . The most common family unit is the atomic household. This consists of the male parent, female parent, and kids. It is a turning tendency to hold single-parent households, twosomes without kids, and single-person families. Extended household families are rare. The Dutch make a strong differentiation between relations by matrimony and relations by blood. â€Å" Consanquineal relations are considered more of import than are affine relations † . Financial and emotional support are normally directed to the closest family ( parents, kids, and siblings ) ( Culture ) . Soccer is the most popular athletics in the Netherlands. In 1988 the Dutch won the European association football title. Tennis, field hockey, swimming, seafaring, ice-skating, volleyball, badminton, and other athleticss are besides enjoyed. In old ages when the ice is thick, a day-long ice-skating race takes topographic point. The path encompasses Friesland ‘s 11 chief towns, many lakes, and parts of the sea. Equally many as 80,000 people participate ( CultureGrams ) . Dutch nutrient is wholesome and merely prepared. Seafood is widely eaten, particularly herring, which are traditionally lifted by the tail and dropped caput foremost into one ‘s overturned oral cavity. The Dutch breakfast is by and large a cold repast of chopped staff of life, meat, and cheese. In mundane life, the Dutch wear typical modern Western-style vesture for both formal and insouciant occasions. Traditional costumes including the wooden places can still be seen today near tourer attractive forces. D utch mythology is strongly linked to the sea and characters associated with it, such as mermaids and plagiarists. Many popular Dutch narratives, conundrums, and rites were suppressed over clip but some survived as portion of the state ‘s Christian traditions. The Dutch Father Christmas ( named, like the American Santa Clause, for Saint Nicholas ) is called Sinterklaas and has a dark-faced helper called Black Peter who is said to transport disobedient kids to Spain in a poke. â€Å" Many of the rites of transition that immature people undergo are spiritual rites, such as baptism, first Communion, verification, and matrimony † ( World Mark ) .

Review the Issues Involved in Strategic Planning Essay

Every year at about this time or a little earlier, we start the process of ‘strategic’ planning. The annual planning process, for all its focus on analysis, or template completion, can easily fall into the apparently comfortable tactic of merely updating the activity from last year’s plans. Often, however, what is really needed is a fresh approach which can pay dividends. Approaches to planning differ, depending upon the attitude and culture of the company involved, which in turn affect the relative importance given to different elements of the process and the output. Some companies are heavily financially oriented, making the desired output more focused on numbers than the thinking behind those numbers. Other organisations focus heavily on the resource implications of the tactical plan, and particularly sales force allocation and efficiency. Not all companies perform truly strategic (long -term) market-centred planning, but all companies generally aim to produce a set of financial forecasts. The major differences are in the way they get there and as a consequence the basis on which those forecasts are derived. First and foremost, the organisation needs to be clear about what issues can get in the way of developing a sound strategic plan before deciding on an appropriate approach. Clearly all planning is driven to an extent by profit and financial forecasts but there is a need to be clear what else the plan has to deliver for the organisation, the individual, and the brand – the planning ‘need’ – otherwise the process used may be sub-optimal. Why does the organisation need a plan? What is it meant to deliver over and above the financial projections? Many companies are often unaware of the issues and constraints that will affect the planning process and output , for example the local operating company situation. Are the right resources, the right experience and the right information available at a local level to develop and complete the plan? Can the local markets get the right quality of information they need to drive good quality thinking? If not, then how can this be provided to ensure the right level of thinking is achieved? It could also be that the chosen approach is too sophisticated or inappropriate to deliver the required answers. For example, the process may have all the ‘standard’ elements of analysis but there is no thought given to what each element is telling them. All companies do have a structured process but if the process does not drive the necessary thinking then the resulting plans can be limited. If the process does not challenge the planners to consider different ways of doing things but is merely a set of agreed templates and a time line for deliverables, the resultant forecast simply becomes a straight line projection from historical sales data, and activity remains the same as last year no matter whether or not things are changing in the market. This is the apparently ‘safe’ option but it rarely maximises return on investment and is often not safe at all. Above all the process needs to raise the right questions, stimulate debate both internally and with external stakeholders, and force conclusions to be drawn from the analysis and interpretation of information that can then form the basis for strategy development. And finally, senior management by their actions and questions often demonstrate that all they are really interested in are the numbers, with no challenge or credence given to the thinking behind those numbers. Even though a thorough process is used to arrive at a market -based forecast, senior management just focus on the revenue with/without profit Sometimes the budget or forecast even comes before the planning/thinking in time, and at other times it is ‘imposed’ so the plan reflects how to achieve it, not whether it is at all achievable. There are three very different approaches to strategic planning in our experience: The data-driven approach is based on hard data collected from a variety of sources, both primary panels and syndicated data, from which a market model is then built by brand from the bottom up. Issues are then identified but there seems to be no real focus on what drives success in local markets, or on what competitors will do and the impact of their actions. This approach can simply lead to ‘more of the same’, making a projection based on the previous year and no real change in approach, with the whole focus being on next year’s revenue. While many companies may not use such an apparently numbers-focused approach they still act in the same way, with the forecast being the key, rather than the rationale behind it. To overcome the inevitable local variances in both resource and/or experience and to ensure a consistent base for review, many companies utilise a template-led approach . This consists of a pre-defined plan with key headings that can be amplified or contracted, but with certain key elements which must be completed. This option works well as it provides a structured process for analysis, with check questions at each stage. However in some cases we have seen that such an approach can still be very financially focused. Sometimes it does not analyse the brand and company strengths and weaknesses in a meaningful market-centred manner, to enable a market -led SWOT analysis and often there is still not enough competitive focus. The next level is often seen in the ‘marketing excellence’ approach, where the organisation provides an integrated planning tool comprising standard marketing planning software. In a sophisticated example this allows local working but is linked into a central supporting database, with aspects that can be adapted and others that are fixed. The beauty of such a process is that it is transparent, allowing a clear overview of who is performing well, and enabling experience and successes to be shared. However when this is a relatively new process people tend to take time to get to grips with the process resulting in ‘doing the process’ rather than really thinking about what each step is telling them. Moreover for this approach to be used effectively, senior management must understand the process very well so that they can interrogate the people who are developing the plan. Efforts to plan correctly often fail due to poor alignment between personal and corporate goals – people are often rewarded for achieving short-term deliverables with secure outcomes rather than longer term brand building and innovation or driving change. In summary the key issues in strategic planning are: Not being clear about the planning ‘need’ Not being aware of the issues and constraints that will affect the planning process and output Approach too sophisticated or not appropriate to deliver the required answers The financial forecast is all that matters, with the thinking behind those forecasts being ignored or not challenged/considered Process not challenging people to think or act differently Insufficient external focus: environment and/or competitors Lack of real focus on (new) opportunities for growth Poor expertise at local level More tactical/operational than strategic focus So what works well in overcoming some of these inherent problems? Ensure a complete and effective structured process to develop the analysis base. Output should focus on alternative scenarios and ‘what ifs’ working from a base plan. Thereby, focusing on incremental growth and type of incremental drivers that need to be addressed. Build market -based forecasts by brand at country level. This requires country plans and budgets built from bottom up by brand and forecasts linked to hard data and clear market maps. Allow enough time for countries to make amendments based on sound strategic thinking and then finalise forecasts ? do not just use Excel formulas. Balance the need for a ‘quick’ solution with a complete process (analysis and review). Value the process, including through management attitude, and align management with the strategy. Key imperatives are to ensure a complete and effective structured process to develop the analysis base, with structured external and internal analysis, and check questions at each stage. The process should be transparent, reviewed by management so that the output is seen by senior management during budget process. Multi-functional teams should build plans with all key stakeholders involved, but led by marketing. Recent surveys show that where companies use a good formal process, satisfaction with strategic planning is higher. Companies are looking more and more at processes that drive to different strategies and/or activities. However, there is a demand for a stronger link in pharma between action and reaction, i. e. if we do X then â‚ ¬Y will result. Strategic planning should prepare executives to face the strategic uncertainties ahead, and serve as the focal point for creative thinking about the company or the brand’s vision and direction. It should also be about making choices between competing priorities, focusing on strategic as well as operational issues. This will ensure that progress against the strategic plan is monitored. There are a number of ‘tricks of the trade’ that help in strategic planning. Among the best practice companies, executives who carry out strategy also make it, and plans reflect goals and challenges. It is important to use any plan to identify growth opportunities, both within and outside the core business. Monitoring progress against the strategic plan is critical and a key area for improvement. It is important also that planning meetings are true ‘conversations’. Simple ‘tricks’, such as having only a small number of the right people in the meeting, can pay dividends. The process also takes time, so more than one meeting is required. It is also important to avoid combining strategy reviews with discussions of budgets and financial targets because when the two are considered together, short-term financial issues tend to dominate at the expense of long-term strategic ones. The ideal process leads to strategic decisions that allow the company to meet goals and challenges. It assesses risks as well as benefits, but is based on fact, focusing on strategic issues, and is therefore not merely tactical. The ideal process ensures that those who will carry out strategy are involved in developing it, builds shared understanding of market dynamics, and emphasises discussion of issues not process. Planning should build ‘prepared minds’ through dialogue to make sure that all decision makers involved have a solid understanding of the business, its strategy, and the assumptions behind that strategy. Then it will be possible for them to respond swiftly to challenges and opportunities as they occur during the year. No strategy process can guarantee great flashes of creative insight, but much can be done to increase the odds that they will occur. The process can be used to challenge assumptions and open people up to new thinking.