The American Influence in the post-Cold War Era: a Critical Perspective

Introduction The post-Cold War era saw the end of the simple bipolarity in international affairs, and the redistribution of power in the international system resulted in the revision of classic concepts of war, power, security and conflict. The new agenda for economic development of the poorest regions and their political integration in a globalizing world, led to an increased role of non-governmental organisations in foreign affairs (Cox, 2003; 2008; Baylis & Smith, 2007; Brown, 2005; Strange, 2002). With globalization, the capacity of the state was undermined, and transnational corporations and global firms became the landmarks of a new world order, which some labelled as post-democracy (Crouch, 2004). In the age of post-democracy, the debate around the reorganization of power in the international system and the sustainability of the main continuities in US foreign policy such as trade liberalization and democratization became a question of new debate (Nye, 1990; Strange, 2002; Cox, 2003; 2008). The question whether the United States was going to preserve its economic and political primacy in a much more complex world divided experts, and existing theories of imperialism clashed with newly emerged visions of a multilateral world, where influence and resources are shared among a relatively strong America, and emerging Asian powers. This short essay will critically examine the influence of the United States in the post Cold War world, and will explore whether the demise of the American dream for political and economic freedom is really on its way. This will be observed in the context of US foreign policy. Research question This essay will explore whether the American dream and its replications in foreign policy is in its demise in the post-Cold War era. It will defend the view, that despite the rising powers from Asia and the political and military capabilities of Russia, Israel and Iran, the American continuities in foreign policy remain resilient and to a large extent – sustainable in a multi-polar world. In order to do this, the author has decided to look at two specific tenets of US foreign policy and their sustainability as factors in global politics – economic trade liberalism and democratization. Both of them will be discussed separately. First, the author will briefly mention the replications of the American dream in foreign policy. The American dream re-examined – the foreign policy dimension The American dream largely reflects the American values, embedded in the ideas of social equality for all people and economic freedom. Its replications in foreign policy have had two shapes – one is economic trade liberalization, and the other one is the spread of democracy. In the post Cold War era, theories related to the contested powers of the United States permeated the political discourse, and the ubiquity of the American influence in the world became a topic of discussion. According to Gowan (2008), one of the characteristic traits of American foreign policy has been the preservation of its capitalist policies, through the spread of liberal values all over the world. He argues that despite the rise of Asian powers, the US has managed to maintain its â€Å"world empire image† (347) through the sustainability of American dominated free market and institutions. The result of this post-Cold War strategy is the increasing political influence of the US in military and security issues. In sum, the American dream in foreign policy in the post-Cold War period can be looked at on two levels – one is economic and is related with the ever expanding policies of trade liberalism. The other one is related to growing political power, stemming from t he preservation of American controlled markets. For the purposes of this essay, both will be examined. The American economic liberalism in the new era In this section, it will not be sufficient to explore only the American macroeconomic performance after the end of the post Cold War. First, we need to briefly highlight the ideological tenets, on which this performance rests. The ideology, which has shaped the US performance since WWII is related to economic liberalism, free trade and cooperation, for the purposes of sustaining a capitalist model of production (Gowan, 2008; Brown, 2005 Cox, 2003; 2008). It rests on the image of liberal values and openness, which the US embraced during its expansion in Latin America in the 19th century. This image, described by some as American exceptionalism (Hunt, 1987; Levy, 2001) has remained continuity in US foreign policy, despite the changing conditions of the external political environment. The idea of open trade, dynamic industries and multi-lateral trade relations are all tenets of the perpetuating image of the United States as a key player in trade and economics, and a proponent of capital ism. Although it is argued whether this consistency has revolved around economic multilateralism, mercantilism or neo-imperialism (Wallerstein, 2003; Gowan, 2008), its perpetuation in international affairs is undisputed. Despite the global recession and the rising Asian powers, the US has preserved its position as one of the leading powers in the global economy. Official figures for American gross domestic product show that since 1994, the American economy has grown at a significantly faster rate than other main advanced economies such as the Eurozone and Japan (Gowan, 2008). Growth declined sharply in 2001 and 2002 but recovered shortly after, and before the recession, figures show that the US total share in the global economic output has grown to 49.6 per cent (Gowan, 2008:351). With the global recession, the American economic ideology was challenged, and the supremacy of the dollar as the world currency – put to question because of issues related with mounting trade deficits and foreign debt. However, at present America remains one of the largest actors in the global economy, because of its ascending productivity, increasing competitiveness and domineering trade relations. Undisputedly and despite the global economic conditions, the American market will always be attractive for capitalisms from the rest of the world, because of its enormous size (Gowan, 2008; Dam, 2004; Verdier, 1994). This would perpetually encourage other economic powers from Asia and Latin America for example, to accept â€Å"American-centred economic regimes† (Gowan, 2008: 353). Also, the tangible American presence in the international financial institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, makes the US a dominant power in terms of development economics and recovery. In this sense, the ideology and the structural characteristics of American capitalism have succeeded in a post-Cold war world, and despite the challenges ahead, at present the US remains a leading economic power. Democratization and the United States As the previous section briefly outlined, despite the formidable challenges on the global horizon, which the US faces, it has managed to preserve its economic position in the world. This economic position, however, is not simply the result of the rise of American capitalism within the world economy, but also of the political rise of the American values and the ability of the US to use its political power and influence in a globalizing world (Gowan, 2008). Authors such as Wallerstein (2003) and Gowan (2008) suggest that the US has managed to reshape the ideas of world peace and cooperation, through the historic preservation of its capitalist ideal. Also, the attempts to export democracy (Chua, 2004) and democratic values in many parts of the developing world have led to the widespread influence of the United States. Some are willing to speculate, that this was a devised strategy, designed to sustain the position of the United States as a leading political power (Cox, 2003). What was l abelled as neo-imperialism or the spread of American values through the use of â€Å"soft power† (Cox, 2003; Nye, 1990) is one of the main reasons, why the United States is likely to keep its place in the international system in the decades to come. The American democratic model has been exported to Africa, the Middle East and Latin America and despite the criticisms related to its implementation, it has served as a means for the preservation of the American position in foreign affairs. Conclusion This essay has attempted to show, that despite the challenges on the US foreign policy agenda, its influence in the international system remains significant. Therefore it would be exaggerated to say that the American dream is a reminiscence of the political past. The most powerful manifestations of the perpetuating American presence in foreign affairs are related to economic liberalism and political exports, such as democracy, human rights, and social equality. In the post-Cold war period, the United States has continued to spread its influence, and has largely remained at the centre of international financial institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. In terms of political governance, the American formula remains uncontested. America’s greatest export commodity – democracy – has established a sphere of influence in the developing world, where the American presence will remain strong, at least for several decades to come. Whether one will take the mercanlitist, multilateralist or imperialist approach to understanding America’s future role in the world is less relevant compared to the fact that the United States remains an important element in a shared world leadership, where the swing of China and Russia towards capitalism, and the rise of a global civil society, have already shifted the balance of power in a totally different direction. Bibliography: Baylis, J. & Smith, S. (2007) eds, The Globalization of World Politics. Oxford: Oxford University Press Brown, C., (2005) Understanding International Relations, Palgrave: Macmillan, Ch. 6, pp. 106-123 Chua, A. (2004) â€Å"Our Most Dangerous export†, Guardian, Saturday, February 28 Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2004/feb/28/globalisation.iraq Cox, M. (2003) â€Å"Empire’s Back in Town. Or America’s Imperial Temptation – Again†. Millennium: Journal of International Studies. ISSN 0305-8298. Vol.32, No.1, pp. 1-27 Cox, M. & Stokes, D. (2008) â€Å"Introduction: US Foreign Policy- Past, Present and Future†, in US Foreign Policy, Cox, M. and Stokes, D. (eds), Oxford University Press, New York, pp. 3-23 Crouch, C. (2004) Post – Democracy, Polity Press Dam, K.W. (2004) The Rules of the Global Game: A New Look at US International Economic Policymaking, Chicago: University of Chicago Press Gowan, P. (2008) â€Å"Global Economy†, in US Foreign Policy, Michael Cox & Doug Stokes (eds), Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 336-350 Hunt, M. (1987) Ideology and US Foreign Policy. Yale University Press Levy, S.M. (2001). American Exceptionalism and US Foreign Policy. Palgrave, New York Nye, J. S. (1990) ‘Soft power’, Foreign Policy (electronic source), issue 80 (Fall), pp.153-71. Strange, S. (2002) The Declining Authority of States, in The Global Transformations Reader: an Introduction to the Globalization Debate, 2nd edition, Held and McGrew (eds) Cambridge: Polity Press, pp.127-134 Verdier, D. (1994) Democracy and International Trade, Princeton: Princeton University Press Wallerstein, I. (2003) Historical Capitalism with Capitalist Civilization London: Verso

Beowulf: Sigemund Episode Essay

One of the best literary devices the author of Beowulf uses is the use of episodes and digressions. Each of these episodes and digressions tell another story apart from the main plot of Beowulf, but sets up an introduction to the main plot. One such episode, the Sigemund episode, tells of valiant King Sigemund who received glory and honor through his killing of the dragon and possession of the hoard. Sigemund became a noble and experienced king, only to be betrayed and brought to his downfall. Beowulf was much the same as Sigemund, and both were great examples of heroes. The Sigemund episode introduces a comparison to Beowulf, foreshadows Beowulf’s downfall, and parallels the irony of Beowulf’s shortcomings. As we see in the following lines: â€Å"Sigemund’s name was known everywhere. / He was utterly valiant and venturesome, / a fence round his fighters and flourished therefore† (897-898), the author introduces Sigemund as an excellent comparison to Beowulf. The author uses the Sigemund episode to set up a better understanding of the character of Beowulf by describing a king much like himself. This allows the reader to understand the character of Beowulf and know what a noble and valiant character he was. The author presents Sigemund as a brave warrior who defeated the dragon, much like the victorious warrior that Beowulf was. And within the Sigemund episode, Heremod is introduced as a wicked king, an exact opposite of Sigemund and Beowulf. This allows the reader to compare the three kings, and promote Beowulf as a noble king such as Sigemund. Another purpose of the Sigemund episode within Beowulf is to foreshadow Beowulf’s defeat and downfall. Sigemund is a noble and mighty king, but is led to his defeat in the following lines: â€Å"†¦ The king was betrayed, ambushed in Jutland, overpowered / and done away with† (901-903). This defeat of Sigemund foreshadows Beowulf’s defeat and death during the battle with the dragon. As Sigemund and Beowulf are both valiant kings, they both are led to their failure and death. This part of the Sigemund episode gives the reader a glimpse of what is to come for Beowulf in the rest of the poem. From this episode, the author uses irony that Beowulf will become a great and mighty king, but also will come face to face with his destruction. The author uses this irony to connect the characters of Sigemund and Beowulf. Not only does the Sigemund episode foreshadow the downfall of Beowulf, but it also sets up a choice that Beowulf has to make. Beowulf has to either chose to be like Sigemund, a courageous and noble king, or take the path of Heremod, an evil king. This gives the reader a sense of uncertainty of the choice Beowulf will make. As the reader, the choice that Beowulf will make is obvious, but this is a huge choice of character for Beowulf. It gives a chance for Beowulf to prove his character, and allows the reader to understand the trustworthiness of Beowulf once he does chose to be a noble king. Among the various episodes and digressions within Beowulf, Sigemund’s episode sets up the best foreshadowing of Beowulf’s life. In all, Sigemund’s episode clues the reader in with what type of character Beowulf is. Sigemund is the perfect comparison to Beowulf, and this allows the reader to expect what is to come for Beowulf. Sigemund’s hymn apart from the main plot of Beowulf accomplished the task of introducing and setting up the destiny for Beowulf.

An Essay About Orbits Communications Essay

An Essay About Orbits Communications Essay The word orbit we hear it very often, whenever the space shuttle launched or it meets up ISS (International Space Station) or when a rocket launches a payload, we always come across the word ‘orbit’. But what actually the orbit is? An orbit is a specific path on which an artificial satellite revolves/travels around another body or planet .This path is regular and repeating .Satellite can be natural and artificial, like Moon .Moon itself acts like a satellite which travels around the Earth in a particular path. In the solar system , nine planets including Earth ,revolves around the sun in an orbit .Satellite that travels around the Earth are not in a constant distance from Earth, it varies .Sometimes its closer and sometimes far away. The closest orbit of satellite around the Earth is called â€Å"perigee† and farthest orbit called â€Å"apogee†. The time required for a satellite to complete full orbit is called a â€Å"period†. According to Isaac Newton’s first law of motion, a moving object will remain in motion unless something pulls it or push it, and that is gravity. Without Earth’s gravity, satellite would go off in the space along a straight path .With Earth’s gravity it keep on pulled satellite back to Earth. To maintain the orbit, the gravitational force and the momentum of moving object have to be balanced. Another factor is Escape velocity. It is the speed of an object (satellite) to break free from the gravity of the planet and enters into a certain orbit. It depends on the mass of the planet and varies from planets to planets and the distance from the centre of the planet to the object (satellite) is also important. The escape velocity of Earth is approx. 11.3 km (7 miles)/hr. Orbital Velocity: Orbital velocity is the required speed needed for an object (satellite) to stay in an orbit. It is about and altitude of 242 km, approx 17,000 miles /hr. [4] SATELLITE ORBITS There are three differ ent types of orbits High Earth orbit (Geostationary orbit), Medium Earth orbit (MEO), and Low Earth orbit (LEO).The orbit selected for satellite is depend on its usage and application. Direct Broadcast Programmes and weather communication satellites use Geostationary Orbit, as they are far away from the Earth and they travel in the Earth’s direction therefore looks stationary .Satellite navigation systems (NAVSTAR or GPS [global positioning system] ),designed to navigate a particular region or area and satellite phones are in MEO(Medium Earth Orbit). NASA’s Earth Observing System and other scientific satellites uses LEO (Lower Earth Orbit). [5] [6] Earth orbits. [7] ORBITAL DISTANCES [8] , [9] Orbits Orbit Initials Miles Km 1-way Delay Orbit altitude (KM above earth’s surface) Low Earth Orbit (LEO) 100-500 160 – 1,400 50ms 200 – 1200 Medium Earth Orbi t (MEO) 6,000 – 12,000 10-15,000 100ms 1200 – 35790 Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) ~22,300 36,000 250 ms 35790 Circular and Elliptical Paths There are two types of orbit paths, in which satellite travels around the Earth, circular and elliptical. In circular orbits, the distance between the earth and satellite remains same all the time. When a satellite orbit around the Earth, it creates a plane, which goes across the geo -centre or centre of gravity of Earth. If the satellite orbit with Earth’s rotation, it is called â€Å"posigrade† and if it is in opposite direction, it is â€Å"retrograde†.

Identify the major sources contributing to the changes in patterns of Essay

Identify the major sources contributing to the changes in patterns of paid employment for women in Ireland in the 20th century 1900-2000 - Essay Example Women were not allowed to stand for parliament; only single women could hold property in their name. After marriage women were expected to hand over their property and even their wages to their husbands. Towards the late 19th century, feminist movement gathered pace and the participation of women in this movement increased. Two women, based in Dublin and Belfast led the initial movement in the 1860’s to change the law on women’s property rights. Unfortunately the membership of the Irish feminist movement belonged exclusively to the middle and the upper classes of society. The credit for true feminist movement to attract women from all classes of society goes to James Connolly. He emphasized that women should become involved in the social struggle and this was reflected in the Irish Citizen Army’s insistence on treating women on an equal footing with men (Hartnett). During the late nineteenth century and the early twentieth century, labor and trade union movements in Ireland were stronghold of male supremacy and women made little progress. The protectionist policies excluded women and the male was supposed to support the family without the need of his wife to engage in paid employment. The women’s suffrage movement encountered opposition from the labor activists who were satisfied with the 1884 Reforms Act which gave all powers to the man to run the family (Richardson, 2004). The suffragists recognized the need that women should also have the right to vote by getting the vote for women on the same terms as men. This suddenly led to the fear that middle and upper class women might get the vote before many working men did. Women were constantly harassed and subject to organized and random acts of violence. The trade union activists resented women workers and were reluctant to offer any practical help. This hostility towards women damaged t he entire working class. The women became a part

LighterLife Workshop Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

LighterLife Workshop - Case Study Example Obese people do not just detract from the country's growth by being unfit to perform their duties, they pose a financial burden because of their associated medical problems. Healthy non obese people can fulfill their duties to their country and thus are a great asset. A LighterLife counselor is thus in a unique position to contribute to the society by helping clinically obese people as well as to take advantage of a growing business opportunity. LighterLife now has 250 accredited and fully trained counsellors. The brand is unique in that it offers a real, scientifically proven and permanent solution to client's obesity problem. It has helped treat more than 60,000 obese people but the market penetration is low as per the expected business demand. Collective efforts are required to address this problem. In view of this, it is important to position the brand effectively. As a counsellor, I must emphasize what the brand has to offer and the values that we incorporate. I must project our belief in health, integrity and efficacy in a confident and well-balanced way. The philosophy of sustained healthy attitude towards food for life must be reinforced through the management program. This will help me forge a life long relationship with the client. Thus, more clients will stay on the route to management and management long after they have lost weight. Marketing For marketing LighterLife weight loss and weight management products, it's necessary for both the Company and the independent self employed counsellors to work in tandem. The counsellors must share their successful/ unsuccessful marketing efforts for LighterLife products with the Company. The Company can either take solutions from the marketing experts or share the tips from the successful marketers. To improve their business, counsellors should organize and attend relevant exhibitions in their areas, distribute flyers and combine advertising with advertorial. At their end, LighterLife will review and improve the present marketing material and tools to make it more sales oriented. It will make a concerted effort to support Counsellor marketing through new schemes, products and incentives. LighterLife will analyze the present Central marketing done from its offices through channels like magazine, website, public relation and exhibitions to get more clients interested. Counsellors will also be

Compare and contrast how Marxist and foucauldian criminologist Essay

Compare and contrast how Marxist and foucauldian criminologist conceptualize power and their exercise of power in their analysis - Essay Example The modes of production in society consist of two elements: the means of production, which is constituted of technological, process and the relationship of various classes to the means of production whether they either own the means of production or work for those, who posses them. Since the ultimate economic source of surplus in society involves the amount of goods which is produced in excess of what the workers consume, there is a need to understand the difference between those who hold the means of production and those who work for them so as to be able to comprehensively understand who owns the surpluses in society. McLaughlin states that means of production in society can either be privately owned or not. In some societies, means of production are owned by state, for example in former soviet Union, in others they are controlled by small groups of workers for instance in Yugoslavia or collectively owned by units of workers, farmers, peasants and other classes in society for examp le in china This forms of production definitely produces different types of social relations and also lead to various forms of crimes an criminal law. McLaughlin et al notes that in capitalistic societies particularly where means of production concentrates on private individuals and there has been a development of divisions between the class that dominates, the owners of means of production and the class that is dominated, those working for the ruling class, the level of crime is very substantial and of high degree. This is because of the contradiction that is created by the capitalist system. (McLaughlin, 2003, p 250) To begin with, the first contradiction is that the capitalist enterprise tries to crate a desire among the class of workers to consume the products generated by their system. Many of this products don’t do not necessarily contribute to the improvement of peoples wellbeing and also have no value. For their system to be viable, they develop mechanisms to make the people utilise what they produce. In order for the capitalist to produce their goods, they make labour force to work diligently and over time. This helps the ruling class to accumulate more and more capital and maintain their position in society. Also to keep the workers at bay, the capitalist specialise in keeping a considerable proportion in society poor and miserable. This means that if the currently employed group of workers down their tools, and refuse to carry their duties as required by management, they are dismissed and the reserve work force waiting for the job takes over immediately. In the long run, the capitalist structures end up creating both a desire to consume and the inability for the large population of the people to earn the money required for buying necessaries need for life. The second contradiction about capitalism is that the categorization of society in two classes: one that owns means of production and a deprived group that inevitably works for wage so as t o survive leads to conflict between the two classes. These conflicts can be seen from rebellion and riots emanating from the proletariat. Also the state passes law to protect the interest of the ruling class, applies sanction to regulate the actions of proletarian which threatens the egoistic interests of the bourgeoisie .The proletarians who are caught jeopardising the interest of the ruling class are labelled to as criminal and their actions branded as crime. As capitalism

Euro-Debt Crisis and the European Union Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Euro-Debt Crisis and the European Union - Essay Example Rather than specifically call out any of the EU member states, Christine Lagarde calls on the ECB to fully commit reserve funding to deploy bailouts. The problem with this particular viewpoint is that the European Union is becoming more and more entwined with the internal political and economic desperation that is exhibited among the weakest links within the Union’s membership. Although attempting to save the European Union has been a central theme of the combined efforts of the world’s most influential financial body (the IMF), these efforts have dragged on and on and look increasingly unlikely to avert a crisis and/or disaster that is already unfolding before the eyes of the viewer (Wall Street Journal 1). The situation with Greece is but one example. Although the article in question deals mostly with the IMF’s implied directions regarding Spanish liquidity, this is just another example of the debt contagion that threatens to envelop the economies Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal, and Ireland (PIIGS). In the article, Lagarde goes on to implore the domestic/state actors of the respective economies to fully cooperate with all haste and cooperation with the efforts of the European Central Bank. One interesting component of this advice is the fact that many of these state actors are playing a very tenuous balancing game. This balancing game is accented by attempting to employ the rigid austerity measures that the ECB requires in order for the disbursal of any further monetary aid/loans/bailout package, the fear that the European Union will eventually collapse and the consequential reaction to withhold resources in order to prepare for a worst-case scenario forcible exit from the Eurozone. It is for precisely this reason that Christine Lagarde is so adamant that each of these nations commits themselves fully to the proposition of saving the Euro.

Forecasting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

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WEEK 5 DISCUSSION 2 Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

WEEK 5 DISCUSSION 2 - Annotated Bibliography Example The first section comprises of various facts about the state and its economy, which new entrants in the Indian market ought to know (Fischer, 2012). The second section Fischer highlights pitfalls which numerous multinational investors usually encounter and how to avoid them (Fischer, 2012). This is because Indian culture is entirely diverse from both the western and American regions (Fischer, 2012). Therefore, the source will be of vital importance in supporting arguments concerning the uniqueness of Indian market besides other multinational corporations that have failed in the region (Fischer, 2012). This source comprises of literature written by diverse experts in their respective fields. Varma and Budhwar in their work provide comprehensive information meant to guide diverse investors who may wish to invest in India. This is via outlining prospects and pitfalls, which they ought to evade. Aspects highlighted in this book embrace economic development, critical negotiation skills, opportunities and business culture (Varma & Budhwar, 2010). In this study, the source will avail adequate information concerning multinational investment in India besides general information concerning economy and pitfalls, which new entrants ought to evade (Varma & Budhwar, 2010). In addition, it will also support arguments regarding critical negotiation skills (Varma & Budhwar, 2010). Uppal and Mishra outlines diverse aspects that comprise Indian environment, which new entrants ought to consider so that they may succeed. This is because the Indian business environment is extremely diverse from other regions in the world, for instance, the West (Uppal & Mishra, 2009). Some of the aspects highlighted in this source encompass new deregulated policies especially in accounting, auditing and reorientation of the centrally monitored fiscal to market oriented (Uppal &

Now we Settle for Half Essay Example for Free

Now we Settle for Half Essay A dispute may only end when one side has been defeated. The side can be destroyed through raw fighting or peaceful legal actions. In the play, A View from the Bridge, the battle is between two prominent characters, Eddie and Marco whose objective is to get rid of each other using either justice or law. Eddie uses the law by snitching to the Immigration Bureau about the opponent who is an illegal immigrant. Marco uses what he and his culture will consider justice by humiliating and, in the end, killing Eddie. Now we settle for half and I like it better (pg.12) is the exact opposite of how both men act who refuse to compromise. Give me the number to the Immigration Bureau I would like to report illegal immigrants. (pg. 67). Eddies selfishness of Catherine, his niece, drives him to snitch to the American Immigration authorities that jail Marco for his illegal entry into the country. This is legitimate according to the law but unjust to the illegal immigrants whose main goal is to scrape out a living. He robbed my children, he mocks my work. I work to come here, (pg. 79) proclaims Marco who is destined to return back to poverty. Through this quote the audience can see that the law did not compromise for both parties but left Eddie writhing in success and Marco to starve with his family in Italy. Where is the law for that, questions Marco who is utterly disgusted at the measures taken by Eddie. Marco thought that justice will only be done with the death of Eddie. In my country he would be dead by now, (pg. 79) asserts Marco whose only intentions were to kill Eddie once bailed out of jail. This quote shows that Marco sees Eddies death as justice and the only remedy for what he has done. The killing though, means that only Marco gains from it. Marco has defended himself and kept his name as an Italian but Eddie has lost his life in the process. During the emotional apprehension of the two illegal immigrants by the police, Marco cannot withstand himself from accusing Eddie. Marco was not able to control his tongue and humiliated him in front of the whole community by the horrendous act of spitting in his face. Nobody is gonna talk to him again if he lives to a hundred. Everybody knows that you spit in his face. (pg.78) Eddie has completely lost his name in the community and is labeled as a traitor. Hes a rat! He belongs in the sewer, (pg. 81) states Catherine who is ashamed to look upon him. This is justice and again only Marco wins all. Eddie is left friendless and an outcast of the whole community. No solutions can be made and no compromise was considered. Attempts were made by Beatrice and Catherine to reconcile the disagreement between the two but none prevailed. This all concludes with the tragic ending of Eddie who dies with a stab in the heart. In the end, one question needs to be asked who gained?

Skills Gained In Social Care Social Work Essay

Skills Gained In Social Care Social Work Essay A significant learning experience is one in which the student has acquired knowledge and/or skills or where the experience has informed or shaped the students social care values and beliefs. Throughout the course of my placement there have been many cases upon which I have experienced significant learning. These include conversations with both staff and service users, as well as sitting in on various meetings and programs. The main learning experience I enjoyed was in relation to Personal Centred Planning folders or PCPs. Personal Centred Planning is a way of discovering how a person wants to live their life and what is required to make that possible (NDA, 2005). Personal Centred Planning primarily focuses on the person as opposed to a disability. It is about the whole person and their life, not just their disability. Personal Centred Planning is not an assessment of service users. PCPs are, an extremely effective method of helping service users meet their goals in life and also, for keeping track of their basic daily activities. It was a very interesting and useful method to learn how to use. Person centred planning is based on shared action, about finding creative solutions rather than categorising people and about problem solving and working hard over time to achieve goals. Its about changing a persons life (Sanderson 2000). PCPs seek to craft a vision for a persons life in which they can play an active role in their local community or any organisation of their choice. It also describes the action necessary to make this vision come through (McGinn Cassidy, 2006). This is accomplished through some basic stages. Firstly you must discover, understand and then address the core issues for the individual involved. Secondly you must explore choices available to the individual before you then alert and involve the individuals entire social network. A balance must then be reached between what is important for the individual and what is important for their social network. Ideally, the individuals goals for themselves are the ones most focused on and not the goals that the individuals friends and family have for them (McGinn Cassidy, 2006). There are six key principles that underpin person centred planning. These are that PCPs are an individuals perspective, creative approach to planning, uses all the resources available to the person, requires serious and genuine commitment, an art and not a science and that the development of the plan is not the objective. There are also several advantages to using Person Centred Planning. Some of these are that it sets out important goals for the future, provides a forum to make choices, it provides encouragement and support and may be viewed as a lifelong process and support (McGinn Cassidy, 2006). Person Centred Planning is based on completely different way of seeing and working with people which is fundamentally about sharing power and community inclusion (Sanderson, 2000). A good caring service mobilises all its resources to assist people with disabilities to increase control over their lives. They also set goals that are personally meaningful and express personal preferences. They offer guidance to the individual. It is only through organisations like this that the PCPs are a success (McGinn Cassidy, 2006). There are many issues to be considered when supporting people who have difficulty in making choices. Some of these issues are if you take a different perspective than that of the person, if you develop a different understanding of the person and risk assessments must be carried out. The service user also requires certain support and assistance from the PCP process. Some of these include interpreting the environment, understanding other peoples expectations and conditions for cooperation and to figure out satisfying ways to pursue what they want (McGinn Cassidy, 2006). Person Centred Planning has one plan per person. The service users key worker drives the process. The first step the key worker must take is to get to know the person. This includes getting to know their personal history, family, friends, health, hobbies and other personal details. You must talk to the person in order to gather this information. You must observe them in their natural environment too in order to get your own vision of the persons personality. A good way to add to this vision is to speak to the persons family and friends to get other opinions of the service users personality and goals in life. Finally reviewing previous documentation on the service user will give you other opinions on the service user, this time from a professional view (McGinn Cassidy, 2006). The second step is to discuss the persons own goals and dreams for the future with them. This involves sitting down with the service user in what they feel is a safe environment, so that they can reveal their dreams to you without feeling threatened or embarrassed about them. You then document the service users goals in their PCP file and move onto step three which is to plan a meeting. The meeting is entirely the service users choice. They get to decide who attends, where it is, when it is and what exactly will be discussed. It is simply our job to facilitate them by giving them any help or support they might need. The meeting itself is then step four. In the company of the service user and whoever they had wished to have at the meeting you work out what has to done is the coming weeks and months to achieve the service users targets. The fifth and final step is to implement everything that had gone before. It is now that the staff starts working on achieving the agreed goals. Any progress gained should be recorded in a progress plan form. A review sheet must also be completed at the end of each month and at the six month review meeting (McGinn Cassidy, 2006). The staff involved in the Person Centred Planning process, play a crucial role and have extremely important responsibilities in ensuring the process is a success. Person centred planning requires that staff adopt a flexible and responsive approach to meeting peoples changing needs and circumstances, guided by general principles of good practice rather than standard procedures (Sanderson, 2000). It is important that the staff do not underestimate the scale of the task and should allow sufficient time for it to be completed. Initially the process involves identifying people who are likely to support the idea and then, running some information and basic training sessions for everyone likely to be directly involved, impacted or called upon for support (McGinn, 2006). The unit manager also plays an important role in the Person Centred Planning process. Managers have a significant role to play in enabling staff teams to adopt a person centred approach (Sanderson, 2000). Sanderson advocates that managers extend the principles of person centred planning to their staff teams, in order to develop what she describes as person centred teams (McGinn, 2006). There are characteristics that a person centred team leader needs in order to be successful. Some of these include being able to bring the best out in people, having a clear vision and direction, encouraging personal involvement with the people being supported and investing in community connections (Sanderson, 2003). The leader of this process needs to develop a very clear understanding of the key principles and processes of Person Centred Planning (McGinn, 2006). The leader must ensure that staff work together as a team and not as individuals which will only drag the process in different directions, accomplishing nothing. They must ensure that there is good, ongoing communication at individual plan level. It is also their job to maintain and update plans over time or assign somebody the role of doing so. At a more general level, it is important to establish a routine process of monitoring, evaluating reviewing and developing the way person centred planning is being done, so as to ensure it is having a positive effect on lives and services. Every effort should be made to ensure that the role and responsibilities of every individual, group and organisation participating in the person centred planning process is clearly understood and agreed by them and adequately supported (McGinn, 2006). Success will be achieved will the Person Centred Plan if the staff team ensure that the needs of the service user are met to the greatest extent possible, consistent with their responsibility to assess risks involved and ensure that they are acceptable and considered. It is also necessary that they build a closer relationship with the service user in order to become more acutely aware of their needs and wishes. The staff team must ensure that all risks are identified and action is taken to minimise them. They must seek to maximise opportunities for the service users self development, self esteem and independence in order to realise their fullest potential (McGinn, 2006). Finally the role of the Key worker is crucial to the success of the Person Centred Plan. The Key workers objectives are to develop a close and positive relationship with the service user. They must also work co-operatively with other staff, family, external services/professionals etc, on the service users behalf to ensure that a quality service is provided. The Key workers team role is to enable the team to effectively support the service user. To do this the Key worker must listen to others, respect and support team members, maintain commitment and communicate effectively. The Key worker enables the service user to advocate for themselves, develop new skills and build enjoyable relationships with others (McGinn, 2006). There are of course challenges to implementing Person Centred Planning. The need for everyone to develop a new perspective on people with disabilities is defiantly one of the larger ones. For a goal like that to be reached it will take a global effort and one that is not easily achieved. Other challenges include the need for a new general perspective on services, resistance to change and risks and learning curves (McGinn, 2006). All of this was being carried out on a constant basis in RehabCare Cavan while I was there. Sitting in on meetings between the key workers and the service users was an eye opening experience. It also really stood out to me just how much Unconditional Positive Regard is used in services and why it is so crucially important in a programme such as Person Centred Planning. Without it the programme would be a complete failure. The entire PCP programme worked well while I was on my placement. It was being managed very sufficiently and all staff members had an excellent relationship with each other. I personally felt that I helped the staff to show unconditional positive regard towards the service users when they were finding it tough. Most importantly I have learned and witnessed just how positive an impact the PCP programme can have on the service users when managed properly. Seeing the delight on service users faces when they achieved goals which would have been impossible without Person Centred Plans made me realise how much they need the programme and educated social care workers to manage it for them. Critical Reflective Paper My twelve week placement in RehabCare Cavan provided me with sufficient opportunities for learning and to enhance my social care knowledge, skills and values. Throughout the duration of my placement I enjoyed the experience of working with a vast variety of service users most of whom had disabilities and problems that were completely unique to themselves within the centre. I also had the chance to compare my skills as a social care worker with a number of people from different occupations including social care workers, community nurses and psychologists. They all both worked together as a team and then as individuals. Overall my placement in RehabCare Cavan was an immensely enjoyable and positive experience. There were however, a number of difficulties to deal with along the way. These included challenging behaviours from the service users and limitations from the staff. Altogether though, I believe my placement would not have been as educational had it not been for the combination o f positive and negative factors. The part of my placement which I feel most facilitated my learning was working with the inter-disciplinary team. This team consists of a list of professionals from different occupations and also collaborates with the parents or friends or next of kin for each of the service users. The service user decides who they wish to have present at the meeting from their family or friends. There are strong positive relationships between the different members of the team. At the beginning of my placement I found it quite overwhelming and complicated to understand how a team consisting of so many people managed to perform sufficiently and how mistakes werent made. I also struggled to understand how there was need for so many individuals and how they each had their own unique role within the group. At first I just sat in the corner of the room and observed the team meetings. I felt I didnt know the clients well enough to make contributions and that the staff didnt know me well enough to be able to justify accepting my contributions. It was my job for the first few weeks to simply sit, observe and analyse what was being discussed and proposed within these meetings. Over the following days and weeks I started to become more familiar with the staff, the service users and the cases. I began to feel more confident interacting with the staff and service users and believed I had a place within the centre. I could see advantages of using the interdisciplinary team system, however I quickly realised too that mistakes were made. These mistakes were few though and no system or person is flawless so they were generally accepted as small human errors and rectified. Each team member had adequate knowledge of the other team members, their profession and their disciplines. This allowed each team member to answer questions and give guidance, even if was only to tell the person involved which team member was most likely to solve their problems. As my placement progressed I was able to become more involved with the staff as I became more aware and familiar with each case. By having the opportunity to observe and ultimately work with the different professionals i nvolved I was able to gain valuable knowledge and skills relevant to each discipline which will prove valuable throughout the rest of my course and beginning of my own professional career. One aspect of the service or the centre which limited my learning was unfortunately due to cutbacks. Due to lack of funds the service was severely understaffed which meant there was an extremely heavy workload on the remaining staff members. This in turn meant that there were long periods were they had work to do and I was unable to participate. During these periods I would socialise with the service users, talking to them, playing games with them and helping them in whatever way possible. Although from a professional perspective this reduced my learning experience, personally it greatly increased it. It was during this time that I got to know the service users, their likes and dislikes, their personal ambitions and most importantly, what it was like for them individually growing up in the community with their disabilities and how RehabCare has greatly improved their lives and self-esteem. I felt that it was this information that would help and inspire me to progress through my place ment and academic years ahead. While on my placement I took a leading role in facilitating a few programmes in particular for the service users. As I have a great interest in sport personally I became involved in all sport related programmes with the service users. Every Tuesday six service users went swimming and I accompanied them. I observed how much excitement and pleasure they got on a weekly basis out of this one simple activity. I also got involved with a soccer programme with the service users. As I have a good knowledge of the game I took some training sessions with them and helped them develop their skills. They are hoping to compete and win out a regional RehabCare Soccer tournament in the New Year. I also became heavily involved in programmes that were not sport related. I helped set up a woodwork programme which had not existed before I arrived. I trained the service users in the basic skills of carpentry and through this they learned how to work on a project as a team, but most importantly they could see that they were making a difference and that their project was evolving into beautiful furniture. I witnessed a sense of pride amongst the service users that was almost unprecedented. A pleasure as small as completing a piece of furniture was enough to have them busting with pride for days. Overall the programme was a remarkable success. I am particularly proud of this group as I feel this is an area in which I was able to apply a lot of knowledge and skills to that nobody else in the centre could have. One other Key programme which I participated in was the Writing skills programme. The activities or skills that were focused on during this programme were writing, pronunciation and basic maths skills. Under these heading we worked on different needs of each client which included spelling, counting and oral communication skills. As this was a continuous weekly programme I had the opportunity to observe these service users as week by week they worked in their weaknesses and I could observe a marked improvement from when I first arrived. I was able to monitor their progress and have evaluated that it was a very effective programme. I was able to contribute my knowledge towards the class which meant that more progress was gained in the same length of time. One aspect which I feel contributed positively towards my learning was working with and witnessing the staff handle particular cases which involved serious and cautious matters involving the service users. Examples of these cases are when violence is threatened by service users or a case where one service user was being unfairly manipulated into giving away the money they earned on social benefit. The staff team in RehabCare are quite a close-knit team and conduct their work very professionally. Working alongside them was an extremely positive experience and I had no problems in asking them questions when I had queries. The staff all worked together in serious cases and did not just leave it to the service users Key worker. I could see that this was an extremely effective and positive way for them to operate as each staff member brought their own ideas and together they were able to formulate a plan more effectively than if it were just one of them. Initially I was too nervous to mak e contributions myself but as the weeks passed I began to make a few suggestions some of which were used in solving certain cases. As a result of my experiences on placement I have significantly enhanced many of my social care skills and values and expanded my knowledge. One particular area in which I feel more confident in is my communication skills with a range of professionals and services, especially when communicating with people who suffer with intellectual disabilities. I gained experience and built my ability to show empathy and unconditional positive regard, particularly when being on the receiving end of insults. It is essential that social care workers have the ability to demonstrate empathy to allow them to be more responsive to the service users needs and build better relationships based on trust and honesty. Learning about the Person Centred Planning approach was probably the most valuable information I gained. I saw firsthand how well the plan works when managed sufficiently. It is a goal based system, focusing on what the service user wants to achieve in their lives. It is person focused which is the secret to is success and why it is so popular. The medication procedures in the supported accommodation branch of RehabCare were extremely interesting. The service user had to put their pills into an egg cup and then swallow them all. The support worker then had to check the service users mouth to make sure they were all swallowed. I realised then the extreme of the medication policy within RehabCare. I found it rather unsettling that the support worker had to look into the service users mouth to make sure the medication had been swallowed. Previous to distributing the medication each daily dose had to be counted to make sure that the pharmacy didnt make any mistakes while distributing it. It was surprisingly frequent how often the pharmacy had made mistakes. In conclusion my time spent on work placement has been an invaluable experience to me. I have learnt and developed many skills that will be a great attribute to me in my career as a social care practitioner. Some of these skills have included learning how to manage a Person Centred Plan, gaining practical experience in solving a wide variety of cases involving people with intellectual disabilities, improving my overall knowledge on disability awareness and most importantly learning that I can make a positive impact in any social care field that I wish to pursue. I am fully aware that becoming a successful, fully trained social care worker does not happen overnight but takes years of hard work and practice. However, seeing the positive impact that I can make of peoples lives with my career is the inspiration I need to go on and succeed. It is a long journey to get where I want to be, one that started years ago and is set to continue for a good time to come. This journey will change wh o I am, will change who I will become but only for the better. With the knowledge that I am gaining from my social care class, the lessons I am learning about myself I am sure that I will evolve into a fully competent and successful social care practitioner. Personal Learning Account Profile For the purpose of this placement, I have received a position in RehabCare Cavan, working with the Programme Facilitators at the facility. RehabCare is the health and social care division of the Rehab Group. Their aim is to enhance the lives of all of their clients through the provision of high quality, flexible, person centred services. They presently provide and are developing a number of services, including Resource Centres, Residential Services, Respite Care, Supported Accommodation and Home Based Services for people with disabilities. The role of the Programme Facilitator in the facility is to report to the Community Service Manager through the Programmes Supervisor. The Programme Facilitators facilitate service users in their choices, developing programmes within the context of a person centred model of service delivery. The programmes may include independent living, personal development and occupational and leisure activities within the context of a quality of life model. For this placement, there are a number of personal attributes and learned knowledge which will assist in getting maximum benefit from completing placement with the Programme Facilitators. Some personal attributes which play an important role in the social care role are patience, understanding, kindness and the ability to apply learned knowledge to a specific situation. Having talked to one of the Programme Facilitators I also became aware that being open-minded, compassionate flexible and a good listener play particularly important roles in this service. These are all equally important attributes as at different times they can individually and collectively be the difference between dealing well any given situation in comparison to dealing poorly with it. Due to the unfortunate discrimination that, many of the older service users received when they were younger, the Programme Facilitator must take an understanding therapeutic approach when working with these service users. For this to be successful the Programme Facilitator must apply Carl Rogers conditions for the outcome to be successful. Rogers created three conditions which a service user must believe are present b efore a therapeutic relationship can develop. These are empathetic understanding, congruence and unconditional positive regard (Sherry and Lalor, 2009). The skills and knowledge that I gained through Creative Studies (both art and drama), will play a great role in helping me assist the Programme Facilitators, in trying to ensure the service users get the best experience possible from the service. Arts and Crafts as well as drama are programmes which receive a lot of focus from the Programme Facilitators at the facility. A good understanding of people with disabilities which I gained from modules, such as Issues in Social Care and Theories in Social Care along with, reading Applied Social Care by Perry Share and Kevin Lalor will assist me throughout my placement. Also the knowledge that I gained doing woodwork in secondary school will be of great benefit, as the Programme Supervisor is planning on starting up a woodwork programme for the service users but no Programme Facilitator has any experience in the field. Communication plays a crucial role in working in RehabCare or any organisation which is designed to fit the needs of adults with intellectual disabilities. Listening is a function which we do every day without paying much notice to the information we are obtaining. However, in a facility such as RehabCare the ability to listen to clients and then digest what they are saying is of crucial importance. The ability to listen attentively to service users problems and concerns and to then support them in whatever form necessary is a skill that cannot be replaced. Considering the fragile state of mind of many of the service users you must always be compassionate when listening to them and your response must be swift. Needs Analysis Within the learning contract there are a number of objectives identified as part of key learning. Enclosed in the professional learning objectives, the task is outlined of using and critiquing social care theories. As a second year social care student I felt that it was important for me to identify theories and then critique them and recognise limitations within the theories structure and their application to real life situations. My personal learning objectives surrounded interactions with the service users. I was lacking confidence and very unsure of myself when I first started my placement. The staff were very supportive though and within a few days I found my confidence improved dramatically and with it so did my effectiveness in helping the staff and having a controlling but compassionate authority over the service users. I became firm and assertive when dealing with problematic service users and fights between them. I hope my abilities and confidence continue to grow in this ar ea which will leave me in a very strong position by the time my placement is completed. Showing Unconditional Positive Regard towards some of the service users is something I struggled with for the first few days. It was left difficult when service users were constantly rude, disruptive and fighting. I have felt myself improving though and believe over the next few weeks I will have perfected it. During my induction week I had numerous policies and procedures to familiarise myself with. There are policies and procedures regarding health and safety, fire evacuation, risk management, prevent and control, child and adult protection, swine flu, confidentiality, medication policy and staff supervision etc. A basic knowledge of these policies and procedures is paramount in order for me to play an effective and positive role during my placement. Action Planning and Activity Throughout the course of this placement, I shall partake in a number of activities with the service users, which will assist me in meeting my learning objectives. Areas of activity include practical work such as arts and crafts and woodwork while sports and drama both play key roles in the centre too. Communication skills and independent living skills have a high priority too, as RehabCare is an organisation, designed to bridge the gap from full support to independent living. Assisting the programme facilitators in training the service users through these programmes, I felt I would meet my learning objectives. The programmes are usually done on a 10(service users)-2(programme facilitator and myself) basis. I will have several opportunities to practice my communication skills as I will have to give my input and express my opinion in different cases involving different service users and different programme facilitators. Through the communications programme I will also get a chance to train some of the users in the basic forms of communication, i.e. teach them how to, write a letter to a friend, use the telephone and practice various verbal and non- verbal communication skills. During the placement it is highly important that I test a number of theories which I learned through academic means. Through applying theories to real life situations, and recognising when a theory is used, the applicability and usefulness of the theory should be examined. As a social care student, the ability to recognise the limitations within theories will assist in identifying the best practice for the service user. I can practice this in different programmes and in free time that I spend just talking to the service users. Throughout placement knowledge of policies and procedures surrounding disability awareness will be obtained through dealing with the different cases and service users. I will have to familiarise myself with all government and RehabCare policies and procedures. I shall also become aware of them through hands on work throughout the duration of my placement. Evaluation A consideration of the learning goals following the completion of the placement, there is a sense of achievement as I believe all learning goals were reached and an in dept knowledge of disability awareness and the role of a programme facilitator were gained. I believe I successfully completed identifying and applying theories. I was very happy with my supervision classes as I was able to discuss with my supervisor what I did well and what I did not so well. I was able to discuss troubling issues which I had witnessed and discover the background stories and mental reasons for such incidents arising. Treating the service users with empathy and unconditional positive regard proved crucial time and time again as I managed to keep the service users trust in compromising and threatening situations. It also allowed some of the service users to open up about their feelings and their lives. Due to their mental disabilities some service users wouldnt disclose such information while others would have without being treated with empathy or unconditional positive regard. They didnt know any different. An example of where these theories didnt work was when a service user threatened violence against both myself and the staff members in the centre. This situation arose on numerous occasions. There was a considerable improvement in my communication skills throughout my placement. I was slightly shy on my first day in the centre both with staff and the service users. It took me the length of the induction week to overcome this shyness and be able to give a genuine account of myself. By the time my placement was completed shyness was a problem of the past and communication was free flowing between me and the service users. An example of this communication is when I took programmes with up to ten service users and took a teacher like approach with them. I regularly took the writing skills programme which involved me stand

Women’s Bodies in Taoism Essay -- Religion Religious Essays

Women’s Bodies in Taoism â€Å"I would rather live in a world where my life is surrounded by mystery than live in a world so small that my mind could comprehend it.† This powerful statement by Henry Emerson Fosdick so simply defines the concept of a common Chinese religion. Taoism is a religion practiced by many Asians and by people around the world. It is a religion that is so beautifully complex and yet based on principle as simple as breathing in and out. This paper will outline some basic information on the Taoist tradition, examine the views of the female body in Taoism as presented by Barbara Reed and my own critique of the tradition will be provided. A brief history of Taoism is required in order for us to pursue these goals. To begin with, Taoism originated from a man named Lao Tzu. He wanted to deeply come to an understanding of how one could induce human beings to live together. Tradition says that he developed such a theory but there was no one around to listen to him. In turn, he hopped on his water buffalo and rode to Tibet. When he arrived, he found a border guard and Lao Tzu taught the guard his philosophy. The guard agreed with all Lao Tzu stated and he encouraged Lao Tzu to write his teachings down. The word Tao means â€Å"The way†. This is the entire basis of the Taoist tradition, finding harmony, living peaceably and being creative during the flow of nature. Taoists have a goal as living life for â€Å"the way†and achieving immortality. The Taoist tradition has two sacred texts. Both of these texts â€Å"extol the way of nature as the path of happiness.† says Barbara Reed in Women in World Religions.(161) The Tao te ching is the basic text for Taoism. It has been translated to mean â€Å"The Way an... ... History, University of Chicago Press, Chicago and London, 1970. Reed, Barbara, â€Å"Taoism†, Sharma, Arvind, eds. Women in World Religions, State University of New York Press, Albany, NY, 1987. Schipper, Kristofer, The Taoist Body, University of California: Berkley and Los Angeles, CA, 1993. Smith, Houston, The World’s Religions, HarperCollins, San Francisco, CA, 1991. Tortchinov, Evgueni A., The Doctrine of the â€Å"Mysterious Female† in Taoism: a Transpersonalist View, Department of Philosophy, St. Petersburg State University, Russia, reprinted from, Everything is According to the Way: Voices of Russian Transpersonalism, Bolda-Lok Publishing & Educational Enterprises, Brisbane, Australia, 1997. http://etor.h1.ru/mystfem.html Young, Serinity, eds. An Anthology of Sacred Texts By And About Women, The Crossroad Publishing Company, New York, NY, 1993.

Product Placement Essay -- essays research papers

Introduction Product placement can be considered a new marketing tool when associated within motion pictures and television. It can result in a more positive brand attitude when the product is associated with a character or group of characters that are preserved to be positive in the eyes of their audience. It is the intention of this study to look at the effects of product placement and it’s use in combination with advertising and their effects on the target audience. This literature review is an attempt to view both sides of the controversial issue. Problem Statement The problem of this study is the effect of product placement, used as a marketing tool, in motion pictures, television, literature, Internet, and in games, and the effect that it has on particular product consumers. Summary of Articles Shinan Govani is a Toronto-based freelance writer whose work has appeared in George magazine. She was summarized in saying that products don't tarnish a movie; sometimes they enhance it. She justifies this by saying â€Å"†¦these products give movies an indelible imprint of realism. In real life, we eat, drink, wear, and drive brand name products. It’s part of our typography.† (Govani, 1999) She went on to comment, â€Å"Some may disparage this product treasure-hunt mentality, but it's something nearly all of us respond to. Even during the Clinton-Lewinsky saga - the year's most popular movie, according to Neal Gabler, author of "Life: The Movie" - we chuckled at mention of Monica's blue Gap dress or at Clinton taking a swig from a Diet Coke can during his grand jury testimony.† (Govani, 1999) Was this planned, was this product placement†¦ no it’s real life. David Bauder reported on the controversy and was quoted in saying, â€Å"The new technology isn't likely to replace regular commercials†, he also reported that when it comes to television, â€Å"it's starting to get harder to tell when the ads end and the show begins†. (Bauder, 1999) Bauder interviewed several experts and officials in the industry such as Robert Thompson, director of the Center for the Study of Popular Television at Syracuse University, who said, "There is certainly a sense that the bleeding of the commercials into the programs is getting more extreme than it ever has been†. For many years, networks took pains to avoid product placement. The results often looked awkward: Actors would drink from a... ...p://www.businessweek.com/datedtoc /1998/ 980622.htm. Buss, Dale (1998, June 22). You Ought to be in Pictures. Business Week: On-line. Retrieved on October 8, 2001, from http://www.businessweek.com/datedtoc /1998/ 980622.htm. Hellen, Nicholas and Nuki, Paul(1999, April 25). Product Placement and politics of advertising. Retrieved from http://www.bilderberg.org/product.htm Rothenberg, Randall (2001). Marketing’s ‘borders’ blurred by product placement revival. Advertising Age, 72, 24. Sellers, Dennis (1999, November 4). Faous People: GQ, Stanley Mouse, and product placement. MacCentral On-line. Retrieved from http://maccentral.macworld.com/news/9911/04.famous.shtml Weaver, D.T., & Oliver, M.B. (2000, June). Television programs and advertising: Measuring the effects of product placement within Seinfeld. Paper presented to the Mass Communications Division at the 50th annual conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), Acapulco, Mexico. Weinberg, Larry. Product Placement. Retrieved from http://www.geocities.com/weinbergreport/brandinglarry.htm Wells, Melanie (2001, October 29). Who Really Needs Madison Avenue? Forbes 131.

A Character Study on Tybalt and Mercutio, and as Director What :: Drama

A Character Study on Tybalt and Mercutio, and as Director What Instructions I would give the Actors Taking on their Parts Romeo and Juliet is a world famous play written by William Shakespeare. The tale is of two lovers suicide when their feuding families keep them apart. The families have been sworn enemies for generations they are wealthy, powerful and often violent. Some characters are quiet without much involvement, others the play revolves around, Tybalt and Mercutio are somewhere in the middle they do not greatly contribute to the main story line, however they form the base of it, even though they both are killed early on. They create the atmosphere and reality aspect in the story. The prologue sets the scene, briefly summarizing the story and emphasising the trouble in Verona. We are told of the feud between two credential families, the Montague's and the Capulet's, there have been three civil brawls caused by them, 'from ancient grudge beaks new mutiny' the city is in chaos. This makes the environment for Tybalt ideal, as he relishes fighting. Tybalt (A.K.A prince of cats) is a passionate swordsman. He was born to violent times in troubled Verona, therefore he lives and breathes fighting. He has known nothing but chaos throughout his life as he is a Capulet, sworn enemy to all Montague's and their companions (including Mercutio, Romeo's [Montague] best friend). Tybalt lives to the extreme, his mannerisms are eccentric and he repeatedly overreacts, he takes simple things out of context and always reacts violently as he knows nothing else. For example, in Act1 Scene1, as Benvolio seeks peace he cries 'what, art tho drawn amongst these heartless hinds? Turn thee Benvolio and look upon thy death.' This shows his willingness to kill without mercy, on the slightest pretence. Therefore considering first impressions, as director I would chose an actor to be Tybalt that has an Italian influence in his appearance, and accent. He would have 'rugged' features and deep, brown, fiery eyes to correlate with his delicate temper, this in my opinion, giving the impression of a key member in a Mafia. He would have brown/black short hair and a small 'goatee' but the rest of his face would be clean-shaven to show he takes great pride in his intimidating appearance. His clothes would also reflect this, wearing dark colours and always looking smart, again based on the stereotype of a gang member. He should be wearing a white shirt open at the top, black jacket and trousers with shiny back shoes, he would always look calm and collected as though he enjoyed life and hadn't a care in the

My lifelong Hobby

While it is true that hobbies are activities we engage ourselves in during our extra times for personal pleasure and relaxation (Microsoft Encarta, 2006), hobbies are also quite expensive and time-consuming for scores of people and occasions. However, when we do what we enjoy expense will always be a secondary thing: the love for the pastime consumes us and leads us to explore all the facets of our interest.I love to draw, experiment with a variety of the painting medium and make people happy by giving them the fruit of my labors. Since grade school years, people in my grade came to know me as one who spends break time or recess as my opportunity to finish with â€Å"orders† from classmates who asked for artistic letterings of their names. Just what are the nuances of this hobby and how did I develop my output from the time I was a very young school child?My hobby is drawing, painting and acquiring a collection of a variety of drawing and painting materials and guides to help me expand my knowledge of creativity and artistry. This paper attempts to briefly elaborate the three types of drawing, which includes doodling, sketching and coloring that I am usually acquainted of and do during my free hours.II. What is doodling and how does one look like when he/she doodles?Doodling is â€Å"to draw something aimlessly or absent-mindedly, usually while doing something else such as attending a meeting (Microsoft Encarta, 2006) and one of the â€Å"funny† parts that I oftentimes do in the presence of other people.This form of artistic ability is very common. It doesn’t take for one to be artistic in order to doodle; however, no artist probably would ever say they have not spent a time that they did not doodle. Attending a class for example or talking with a friend on the phone are perfect times that I get to doodle.Whenever a class starts to get boring, I would pull out my scratch of paper and ball pen and start to make circles or squares, and usual ly end up later with a very messy job at the tip of my pen. Though seemingly an aimless performance to some, this is actually the time when I develop appetite for details and other times mull over how to either imitate an artistic work, or practice those new skills I have adapted.III. What is sketching and how does it differ with doodling?Sketching is drawing a â€Å"picture done quickly and roughly: a drawing or painting that is done quickly without concern for detail† (Microsoft Encarta, 2006). While doodling is almost like its twin, oftentimes it is not the serious type of this skill. Sketching is more of a prelude of what the work will look like when it is finished. It is like a first layer of the foundational principles of drawing, and a body to the artistic work. It tests your patience also whenever you have difficulty achieving the â€Å"look† you want.IV. What is coloring and why does it matter considerably in an artwork?Coloring is applying color to a sketch o r drawing (Microsoft Encarta, 2006). Even before I start to draw, I already have in mind what medium works best with the type of picture I will sketch. This is most crucial for an artist. Many are great â€Å"drawers† but whose work is buried underneath piles of color. This is one area of the artistic expression that also shows texture and life to a drawing.V. ConclusionWhen I doodle, sketch or color, it spells to me luxury. Time is a fleeting resource and doodling, sketching and coloring are skills that make life less boring and predictable. Friendship is built time and again, because of my skills in drawing.Life is a lot like these three: it cannot be hurried. For an artwork to be certified beautiful, time is of the essence. When we pause to ponder and think about our many options in life, we should also strive not only to stop in the â€Å"doodling† or â€Å"sketching† phase, but rub on the hues on an otherwise drab portrait. Spread over affections on people who matter most in your life, and experience the beauty that emerges from their beings.Reference:1. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2006.  © 1993-2005 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved

Business Process Outsourcing Management System

AbstractA BPO is an area where several customer service representative (CSR) agents are located to man a bank of telephones and computer terminals. These agents are specially trained on telephone etiquette, the type of customer queries, that may arise and on how to respond to these queries in a quick and efficient manner.A BPO can also equipped with an automatic call handling system like an Interactive Voice Response system (IVR) so that all routine, repetitive queries. BPO has tremendous impact on business. BPO for selling goods and services, as well as call centers for providing customer care, is going to become a familiar part of the business of virtually every person. BPO also pioneered the developed of self-service via the telephone, using interactive voice response technology. It is providing a richer and friendlier environment for self-service transactions than the tone telephone can be answered by the system without the customer having to speak to a customer associate.Introdu ctionThe purpose of this project was the BPO management system for information about the customer need from inside and outside world. BPO is typically categorized into back office outsourcing-which includes internal business functions such as human resources or finance and accounting, and front office outsouring-which includes customer related services such as contact center services.BPO that is contracted outside a company’s country is called offshore outsourcing.BPO that is contracted to a company’s neighbouring country is called nearshore outsourcing.Given the proximity of BPO to the information technology industry.USE CASE DIAGRAM:SEQUENCE DIAGRAM:COLLABORATION DIAGRAM:CLASS DIAGRAM:REAL TIME PROCESS DIAGRAM: COMPONENT DIAGRAM:

Comparative Essay: To Kill A Mockingbird and Martin Luther Kin Essay

Choose 2 of the texts we have studied and explain how each composer has successfully communicated their message to the responder. In the text To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee and the ‘I have a dream’ speech by Martin Luther King Jnr, both composers have conveyed strong messages that are communicated through narrative and oral techniques. These messages of courage and prejudice and discrimination are what the composer thought is necessary to write in order to change social attitudes towards these issues. Both texts were written at a time when those who were oppressed were fighting for freedom and tolerance by those who discriminated. Atticus Finch shows a remarkable amount of moral courage by defending Tom Robinson in Court when accused of raping a white woman. This act takes courage, as Atticus already knows the small town of Maycomb has found Tom guilty. The intolerance and racism that has been widespread among southern society for hundreds of years may not be eliminated by this case, but Atticus will fight anyway. â€Å"†¦if I didn’t I couldn’t hold my head up in this town†¦I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again† This quote said by Atticus to Scout in an effort to teach Scout about social etiquette and morals. Atticus feels that he must have honesty in all sides of his life and that if he were to be false as a lawyer he would not be true to his family or friends. Having the children at the court case exposes them to the prejudice and hypocracy faced to those who a different to the majority. In the novel, coloured people are seen as dangerous and violent to those who are prejudiced. † I seen that black nigger†¦ruttin on my Mayella!†¦lived down yonder in that nigger-nest†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Bob Ewell says this when he gets carried away while accusing Tom Robinson. The quote demonstrates that Bob feels ‘Negroes’ are inferior savages that have no rights or feeling and is displayed when he uses language reserved for animals. By using Scout to narrate the story allows Harper Lee to expose the responder  to views and attitudes formed by minor with innocence. The audience learns about prejudice and discrimination as Scout learns. Through her eyes we see her father, Atticus, show moral courage as he defends a coloured man in court. The ending of the novel is cautiously optimistic as Atticus does not win the court case but still manages to have taught his children valuable life lessons. Martin Luther King Jnr stood up in front of a crowd, about 250, 000 followers who had gathered in Washington from around the world, and delivered a truly inspiring speech. The speech he gave that day on August 28th, 1963 became an anthem to those who were and still are being discriminated against. King knew of the risks he faced by standing up for himself and others in his position and what he did that day took courage and bravery. â€Å"†¦the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty†¦an exile in his own land†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This quote conveys that King felt that discrimination occurred in every aspect of a coloured persons life: personal, economic, political, religion and opportunity. â€Å"†¦lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood†. This phrase talks about everyone making an effort with the nation to stop racial prejudice and together form a peaceful and loving nation. The tone of the speech makes it almost ironic that America is the ‘land of opportunity’ and ‘liberty’, and that the ‘American Dream’ is equality and yet has colour restrictions and those who are racially different are discriminated against. King used many techniques to make his message as clear and precise as possible. These resources included call and response interaction with the audience; a ‘calm to storm’ delivery which begins in a slow professional manner before gradually reaching its dramatic climax; repetition; imagery used when, for example, he is contrasting between light and darkness (hope and imprisonment); and finally allusions such as religious or political. Both composers wrote their texts for the same purpose, to help change social  attitudes and to challenge the responder to employ tolerance and understanding. They achieved this by using various techniques to convey messages that help the audience ‘walk in someone else’s shoes’ for a brief moment of time. King leaves his audience with a feeling of hope and optimism for the future; Lee’s ending provides cautious optimism but it is still apparent. Both texts leave the audience with valuable knowledge and insight into a era of great prejudice and discrimination.

SME Challenges to Access to Finance

1. SMEs usually have limited financial resources compared to a large company. Often it is hard to finance the standard model for software process improvement (SPI) activities. They try to avoid excessive overhead for the full custom standard process implementation. 2. The proven best practices for the large companies might be too expensive or time consuming to perform in SMEs because of their limited resources and business model. 3. The majority of small companies are independently financed. That causes a tight financial situation for many small businesses. So they can’t always afford to buy required expertise that possesses the skills required in a particular position. 4. A first step toward process improvement is identifying the strengths and weaknesses of organization software processes. For this, an assessment to examine the processes against a reference model which helps to determine the processes capability to meet the required quality, cost, and schedule goals is required, but small companies have difficulty running those. 5. The small size of a company not only causes for the challenges of networking, marketing and business issues for small software companies. It also creates problems for gaining and leveraging technological know-how. 6. Large companies can improve the work efficiency using all needed toolkits. Small company also need these tools in every step of software process but high licensing costs often put their project cost over expectable levels. 7. SMEs suffer from the lack of literature and publications describing efforts on an improvement initiative. But adoption of internationally accepted software process practices is essential for the success of all software companies to compete in the global software development market. 8. Many SMEs have multiple business operations like service, product, and consultancy. A given employee may have to change the projects more frequently. This leads to additional challenges to improve the required level of competence for different projects with different technologies. 9. A given employee of SMEs may simultaneously play multiple roles. For that, he may ignore tasks or consider many tasks as low priority. Thus many important tasks may be left undone. In some cases, these tasks may be contradictory or mutually exclusive (e. g. A person is responsible for product cost reduction and improvement of customer service simultaneously). 10. In SMEs the average project duration is shorter than in large companies. Manager faces challenges to reallocate employees more frequently to different projects.

How the Internet has aided criminal activity Essay

How the Internet has aided criminal activity - Essay Example codes; the creation of false bank accounts; theft of personal information and misuse of the stolen information; the virus infection created on computers that can hamper the proper software operations and damage records (Computer-Based Crime, 2011). This paper will give specific examples of criminal activities through the use of computers and the internet; will cite how yesterday’s non-digital crime, as in the case of pornography, has become today’s menacing digital crime; and will discuss some types of computer crimes, such as identity theft, phishing scam, virus and malicious software. September 11 Attack. The execution of the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center, which claimed an estimated 3, 120 lives from over 90 countries around the world, (US Department of State, 2002), is a form of cyberterrorism. Cyberterrorism is the unauthorized attack and risk against computers, networks, and the stored information purposely executed to threaten or force a government, a nation or its people to advance one’s political or social intentions. Cyberterrorist attacks demonstrate power and aggressively threaten or harm persons or property (Denning, 2000). Juvenile Computer Hacker Disabled FAA Tower at Regional Airport. In Boston, Massachusetts, a juvenile hacked the computer system of a telephone company servicing the Worcester Airport. A series of commands sent from the hacker’s computer immobilized the FAA control tower for six hours in March 1997 (US Department of Justice, 1998). Release of Computer Worm Attacked Microsoft Corporation. In September 2003, a juvenile was arrested for releasing a variant of the Blaster computer worm that directly infected computers worldwide to commence a distributed denial of service attack against the Microsoft Corporation (US Department of Justice, 2003). More than four decades ago, open, unusual or violent pornography was restricted to adult bookstores and movie houses. It could be only be viewed and circulated in

Interview Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Interview - Case Study Example on suffering mental illness; a summary of the findings and concise note using the subjective, objective, assessment, and plan (SOAP) format with each patients encountered findings. The essay also provides some examples to support the findings. First, Psychiatric history: this refers to the mental profile of the patient. It involves critical information about the patient’s chief complaint, their present illness, any psychological ailments they have made before or in the onset as well as after the mental illness (Hughes, & Kleespies, 2002). In this stage, more specific and closed ended questions could be asked during the assessment process so that the details of the patient’s illness or rather their profiles can be obtained. For instance, a patient who responds that, â€Å"I am just depressed.† Can be engaged further in questing through asking leading questions like, how long has the depression been? How often has the situation been? Or how long has this taken? Questions as such enable an in-depth understanding of the patient thus enabling a good history assessment of the mentally ill patient. Secondly: medical history of the patient. This is medically understood as the patient’s past and evens the present and future that may communicate information relevant for their future, present and past health (Hughes, & Kleespies, 2002). It is an account of all the medical problems and events that an individual has experienced. It also includes other medical facts and treatments or injuries that an individual has been through. As much as possible, they are taken in the patient’s own words. The drugs taken, past and present hobbies use of alcoholics as well as an exhaustive survey of any symptoms that may not have been covered in the patient. This medical history is an important part of the health assessment of a patient with mental illness. The 41 year old woman complaining of restlessness, little need for sleep, racing thoughts, inability to concentrate, alcohol

Jean Paul Sartre was a philosopher Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Jean Paul Sartre was a philosopher - Essay Example Nowhere is this more evident that in his one-act play, "Huis Clos." A dialogical exposition of the hellish nothingness which pervades three characters, "Huis Clos" does not simply emanate from within Sartrian existentialism but, may be defined as an enactment of it, with each of the characters therein personifying a particular aspect of this complex philosophical construct. Understanding "Huis Clos" and appreciating it as an enactment of, and metaphor for, Sartrian existentialism, necessitates identifying and defining Sartre's existentialist concerns and conceptualisations. Sartre' existentialist concerns and his perception of the human condition are, according to some critics, most concisely and precisely expressed in his Being versus Nothingness treatise.3 In L'Etre et le Nant, Sartre explicates his philosophical conceptualisation of human existence and the relation between man and himself, man and others and man and the environment within which he exists.4 Within the context of these relationships, man wavers between being and nothingness. Assuming that life has meaning, that the universe has some grand design, man is forever striving for meaning, convinced that he will attain being-hood once he has found meaning to his life. This quest is erroneously predicated on the belief that meaning, thus, being, is attained through others. Man believes his life acquires meaning, that he attains being-hood, from the positive perceptions and opinions that others may have of him. However, within Sartrian philosophy, this definition of being is nothing.5 Man's overwhelming predilection to define himself through the perception and opinion of others and his unwavering tendency to assume that he, accordingly, acquires being-hood, is inherently false. From the Sartrian existentialist perspective, it is false insofar as it assumes that life has meaning and creation has a noble purpose. Life, however, has no meaning and can only be defined as a void, as nothingness.6 Furthermore, the attempt to derive meaning, identity from the perception of others is a form of self-annihilation or a determined attempt to suppress the consciousness, or the authentic self. It is only when man accepts his authentic self, embraces nothingness, and realises that meaning emerges from within him, that he can acquire being-hood.7 Sartre's conceptualisation of being and nothingness is remarkably complex and if misunderstood, would seem self-negating. On the one hand, he claims that man lives in a void and that nothingness is the definitive feature of the human condition. He further maintains that the quest for being from without the self is futile.8 On the other hand, Sartre contends that the embrace of nothingness and the realisation of the void within which we live and which defines the human condition can lead to something. Not only that but he further asserts that once man realises that meaning cannot be imposed from without but, resides within the self, man can aspire towards being-hood. In this case, being is an outcome of the conscious realisation, and

Discussion Week 5 New Product Development and The Product Life Cycle Assignment

Discussion Week 5 New Product Development and The Product Life Cycle - Assignment Example that would initially enhance product awareness and sustain efforts for product recall; and (2) maintaining an effective competitive pricing strategy that would affirm the product’s core competencies and advantage over its competitors through time. An effective and well sustained advertising and promotional campaigns would ensure that the target market would be aptly aware, persuaded to purchase, and affirm loyalty to the product. Likewise, through these efforts, loyal customers would also invite others to purchase the product. On the other hand, maintaining a competitive pricing strategy would assist in confirming that customers would prefer purchasing their product due to other features, in conjunction with their competitive prices, as compared to those charged by competitors. As such, by not pricing the product way above competition or way below, customers would acknowledge preference to their product over their product life cycle. 2. From the e-Activity (Video) located at bottom, imagine you are on the marketing team for the Smart Car Company, which is looking to expand its current automobile offerings. First, propose one (1) possible new product or extension that your team could offer to either Smart Car Company’s existing target or a new target market. Next, formulate one (1) strategy for marketing your product to your selected market. Justify your response by comparing your strategy to the current Smart Car market and the challenges it is strategically facing. A possible new product extension that could be offered to a new target market for the Smart Car Company (Chapter 8: New Products, n.d.) is focusing on offering this to young professionals who are just beginning to exhibit professional growth. Due to the extremely good price which is considerably low, young professionals could be targeted as potential new clients who could easily afford to buy this. After defining this new target market, the strategy to market this product would be designed as