Prison Expansion No Benefit to Society Essay - 2055 Words

No one likes seeing large imposing buildings with high brick walls and barbed wire topping them And behind those thick walls is another imposing building with small slivers crossed with large grates to let light in and men and women clothed in orange roaming the highly watched yard. They are imposing and daunting buildings, ones that would take away from a community’s attractiveness. But worse than seeing a new building like this one being built in one’s community, is seeing an already imposing building expanding into one’s neighborhood. These imposing buildings remind society that the world is not as safe as one would like to believe, that there are more than a few less than savory citizens in our midst. Expanding our nation’s†¦show more content†¦But much has changed since these days in the past. Prisons are now on more of a lockdown, or at least those deemed â€Å"dangerous† are. The prisoners are not allowed out of their rooms un less on chains or restrained in some other manner (Abramsky 75). Prison expansion will not benefit society. Expanding prisons will cost taxpayers more money, education, jobs, and not decrease the amount of crimes that occur. There is a link between education and crime. When funding for prisons increases, the funding for education decreases (Hawkins). The state and federal governments argue that either there will be tax increases or the money is to be cut from somewhere in order to fund the increasing number of convicts flowing into the prison system. The prison system has been growing since the system was created. And not only has the system grown, it has also increased in cost. â€Å"Over the past 15 years, government spending on prison construction has increased more than 600%† (Taylor 21). And that is just the construction of prisons, not the cost that each prisoner inflicts on the state each year. Each prisoner costs the state up to $25,000 a year, and with the number of prisoners on the rise, that number keeps multiplying (Imprisonment is Beneficial 26). Even when the crime rate decreases, states are still pumping money into the system. When crime started falling in the 1990s, states across the country kept pouringShow MoreRelatedSociological Perspective Of Punishment Is Economic Determinism And Class Interest1459 Words   |  6 Pagesinterest. Marxist see punishment in relation to the economic structure of society in which it takes place and to the class system, which as a result it promotes by penal practices and ideologies. In other words, the labour market has an impact on the choice of penal methods, and punishment serves the interest of the dominant class. Following from this Rusche and Kircheimer attempted to show that the penal practices in any society is directly linked to the mode of production, they highlighted that aRead MoreQuestion and Answer on Contemporary Social Issues Essay1411 Words   |  6 Pagesare individualis m and competition. That is, if everybody peruses his or her own individual self-interests in a market of free market of free competition, then the best-quality products will be made available at the lowest possible prices and the society will thrive. This belief presumes the preexistence of equal opportunity, which can be easily refuted. The vast majority of street crimes- both violent and nonviolent- are poor. The values of individualism, competition, and financial success provideRead MoreIncarceration : Balancing Punishment And Treatment988 Words   |  4 Pagesoffenses, six of whom were serving life sentences (Miles 2014). The surge in the prison population of the United States of America can be attributed to changes in sentencing and policies that created stricter laws and harsher punishments for offenders. For the last half-century, America’s attempts to get tough on crime and wage a war on drugs have landed the U.S. the highest spot on the worldwide charts in regards t o prison population; only in recent years has the rate of incarceration changed courseRead MoreThe Effects Of Incarceration On The United States Of America978 Words   |  4 Pagesoffenses, and six of whom were serving life sentences (Miles 2014). The surge in the prison population of the United States of America can be attributed to changes in sentencing and policies that created stricter laws and harsher punishments for offenders. For the last half-century, America’s attempts to get tough on crime and wage a war on drugs have landed the U.S. the highest spot on the worldwide charts in regards to prison population; only in recent years has the rate of incarceration changed courseRead MoreAnalysis Of The Article Is Article Written By Mary Giliberti1008 Words   |  5 PagesWith the development of the modern society, the rhythm of life has become compact. The intense work and pressure of survival result in an increase in patients with mental illnesses. â€Å"It s Outrageou s: Jails and Prisons Are No Place to Treat Mental Illness; Just Ask Paton Blough† is article written by Mary Giliberti. The article describes the unfair treatment of the mentally ill patients in jails. In the present times, the system of jail has a deficiency in this regard, and there is an urgent needRead MoreA Step Towards Democracy: The Jacksonain Era848 Words   |  4 Pagesreforms. This era is commonly known as the Jacksonian Era. Prior to the Jacksonian Era, the early 19th century was classified to be a period of extreme instability. The Jacksonian Era involved many new ideas such as King Mob, the spoils system, expansion towards the West, and the Bank War. These characteristics of the Jacksonian Era brought stability and set a foundation for which its people could start reform movements. Even though not all these reforms were successful, they all had the goal ofRead MoreWhat Happens Behind Prison Doors? Essay1539 Words   |  7 PagesHave you ever wondered what happen s behind prison doors? Prisons are defined as a correctional institution where persons are confined while on trial or for punishment. A prison is also referred to a place of detention. Embodiment of the United States is a concrete power under the Constitution of the United States, which means that prisons are under authority of both the federal and state governments. Different United State prisons contain different prisoners based on the crime or felony committedRead MoreThe Prison System1048 Words   |  5 PagesFinal Exam Essay Question #2 Question: Discuss the history of the prison system in the United States. Be sure to identify the various stages that the American prison system has gone through. Also identify what problems were present with each stage as you see them. Response: American prison system incarceration was not officially used as the main form of punishment in United States (U.S.) until around the 1800’s. Before that time criminals were mainly punished by public shaming, which involved punishmentsRead MoreThe Prison Industrial Complex : How Do We Define It?1640 Words   |  7 PagesWhat if I told you that prisons in America aren t built for the main purpose of locking up â€Å"criminals† and making them better to re enter society and keeping other citizens safe but for some companies to make profit off of cheap labor? In essence that is the prison industrial complex. How do we define it? A few define it as a term that is used to explain rapid expansion of the US inmate population to the political influence of private prison companies and businesses that supply goods and servicesRead MorePrison Overcrowding : The United States1535 Words   |  7 Pages 2017 Prison Overcrowding The United States has the highest number of incarcerated individuals than other countries. Offenders are arrested every day for minor and major offences such as murder. America is hard on crime. When someone breaks the law the criminal justice’s system seeks an eye for an eye. Prison overcrowding has become a major problem in the United States, it is very expensive to house an inmate and there are other methods to punish offenders without sending them to prison for extended

Addiction Free Essays

Introduction: In the current world, we have had various issues that have come out due to the technological development that has been experienced in the world during the previous century. The world has recorded tremendous technological development in the recent past and this has come up with various challenges despite the good aspects that have come with the developments. The advancement in technology has presented a new challenge in the name of technological addiction which needs to be categorized as a real disorder more like any other addiction disorders including drug addiction, gambling and alcohol. We will write a custom essay sample on Addiction or any similar topic only for you Order Now Technology addiction has become a major issue in the modern world which manifests itself in many ways including problematic use of the internet. This paper shall examine technology addiction as a real disorder which requires medical attention just like many other medical issues and not as a failure of character as it has been regarded for a long time. Technology Addiction: Technology addiction is not a new concept per se; television, radio, and telephones have been with us for a long period of time. Technology has resulted into various objects that have altered our behaviors in one way or another. Video games for instance have resulted into addictions where individuals spent more time playing the video games and would not want to abandon their acquired habits. Dr. Ivan Goldberg coined the ‘Internet Addiction Disorder’ in the year 1995 ensuing unending debate as to whether technology addiction could be regarded as a mental problem or not (Wells, 2007). Previously, it was thought that technology addiction was a domain that concerned young people. However, demographic surveys reveal that technology addiction is not a preserve of young individuals as it cuts across all ages and gender. Problematic internet use for instance is said to affect all age groups, social classes with no respect to race, education level, income level, and gender (Young, 1998). Due to the technological advancement and the way it has traversed the lives of many individuals in virtually all aspects of their lives, the people risks overexposure to the new advances regardless of age. Most individuals become addicted to the technology in various manners which includes the â€Å"cell phone, video games, PDAs and the internet† (LeClaire, 2009, para 1). Technology addiction has been overlooked by the respective medical professionals in the field of mental health which deals with mental problems including addiction. In the newly released manual, ‘The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder, technology addiction was avoided and therefore not recognized as a mental disorder (Guy, 2008). Technology Addiction a real disorder: The surge in technological advancement has made various technological gadgets available for the people of all ages. Cell phones and computers have taken the world by storm and virtually anyone has access to these gadgets and many others. The technology that has come up may be misused or may affect the individual in a negative manner. Overuse of the technological gadgets like the computers and the cell phones may have negative impacts on the individuals (Parenting Teens Blog, 2008). Technology addiction is therefore a real problem that requires attention more like any other form of addiction. Technology addiction as reported in a survey on its effects on school children is disastrous. The research revealed that children are addicted to cell phones in various ways and that about 40 percent of these children admitted that the text messaging had impacted on their language use due to the internet slang thereby affecting their spelling negatively. Video games also impact negatively on the children as the research reveal that such children become anti-social. Such children were found to distance themselves and they are more likely to thrive in a fantasy. A child who is always playing an online game is likely of being docile and passive and become an aggressive individual. There are various types of technology addiction but the internet is the most profound. The impacts on the children are that such addiction has significance on the personality of the child (Parenting Teens Blog, 2008). Technology addiction is here with us and there is need for curative and preventive measures to be adopted to save the world from its bad consequences. In various parts of the world, some measures have been adopted to help deal with the problem and they include clinics which charges expensively for their programs which may last for a month and include exercising and reading of books. However, there is no regulation on how to deal with the problem due to the fact that technology addiction is yet to be officially accepted by the medical professionals (Guy, 2008). Conclusion: Technology addiction has to be looked at as a real disorder that if left unchecked shall affect the people in a bad way. Though there is need to let the children access technology since it holds the future of the world; boundaries needs to be established to safeguard the technology usage. This calls for the need to monitor the child’s accessibility to the internet and other technological devices. The young people who are left unchecked on their technology usage stand a high risk of identity theft. It must be noted that children might not realize the importance of keeping private information secret. If technology addiction is not recognized as a major problem in the society today, then humans stand to loose not only on the moral ground but social as well. Reference: Guy, G., (2008). Technology Addiction? Retrieved on 26th July 2010 from; http://www.efa.org.au/2010/04/28/technology-addiction/. LeClaire, J., (2009). Personal Tech Addiction Snares Teens, Adults. Retrieved on 26th July 2010 from; http://www.technewsworld.com/story/53102.html. Parenting Teens Blog, (2008). Teen Technology Addiction. Retrieved on 26th July 2010 from; http://parentingteens.com/blog/460/teen-technology-addiction/. Wells, T., (2007). Addicted to Technology? Retrieved on 26th July 2010 from; http://www.devhardware.com/c/a/Opinions/Addicted-to-Technology/ Young, K. S. (1998). Caught in the Net.   New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons, Inc. How to cite Addiction, Essay examples Addiction Free Essays

None Provided26 Essay Example For Students

None Provided26 Essay The Great Gatsby: Distortion of the American Dream The American Dream as it is Portrayed in The Great Gatsby Picture this, a person graduates from high school with honors, goes to college and graduates at the top of his/her class. After college, he/she is offered a job in the field he/she wants with an annual salary of about $400,000 a year. He/she marries the person of his/her dreams, has two children and moves into a large, elegant house. Forty years later that person retires with a pension and lives the rest of his/her life in luxury. This is the American Dream. F. Scott Fitzgerald had this dream and worked his entire life to fulfill it, with no avail. Fitzgerald was a sensitive young man who idolized wealth and luxury. He fell in love with a beautiful young woman named Zelda while stationed at a military camp in the South. Several years after meeting Zelda, he reached a high enough social standard that she agreed to marry him. Shortly after the wedding, Fitzgerald published his f irst big novel. He became a celebrity and fell into a wild, reckless lifestyle of parties and decadence. Fitzgerald thought he had achieved his dream. Unfortunately, his beautiful wife was the first part of his dream to crumble. In 1930, Zelda had her first of many mental breakdowns. Soon after Zelda’s breakdowns began, Fitzgerald published his novel Tender is the Night. When this novel was not a success Fitzgerald also started to have mental problems. When his novels started failing, he retreated to Hollywood where he began writing screenplays. On December 21, 1940, Fitzgerald died as a drunk in his lover’s Hollywood apartment. Throughout his career, Fitzgerald published many books, but The Great Gatsby is the one that became a classic. The fourth paragraph from Encarta’s Encyclopedia on F. Scott Fitzgerald best summarizes his novel: Written in crisp, concise prose and told by Nick Carraway, it is the story of Jay Gatsby. Gatsby becomes a bootlegger in order to attain the wealth and lavish way of life he feels are necessary to win the love of Daisy Buchanan, a married, upper-class woman who had once rejected him. The story ends tragically with Gatsby’s destruction. Although the narrator ultimately denounces Daisy and others who confuse the American dream with the pursuit of wealth and power, he sympathizes with those like Gatsby who pursue the dream for a redeeming end such as love. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, the upper class’s carelessness with their money, the myth that hard work always equals success, and the lack of true love in marriage all show a distortion of the American Dream. One would think that people with money should know how to use it properly. Unfortunately this is not so of the upper class characters in The Great Gatsby. The following paragraph from the novel is an excellent example of how Gatsby wasted money on his upper class friends. There was music from my neighbor’s ho use through the summer nights. In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars. On Mondays eight servants, including an extra gardener, toiled all day with mops and scrubbing-brushes and hammers and garden-shears, repairing the ravages of the night before. (Fitzgerald 89) The previous quote shows how Gatsby went through much turmoil just to make it seem as though he had enough money to do as he wished. In the upper class, one person would try to outdo another by buying gifts that are more lavish and by throwing parties that are more extravagant than their friends last one. Robert Douglass wrote an article in 1938 about society at that time. In it, he described how people took so much for granted. The following is an excerpt from his article: The people living in the little town have a richer life than their parents did. They can reach a motion-picture theater by a twenty-minute drive, they have radios, and they think n othing of jaunts to Atlantic City, Boston or Canada that many of the old residents never made in an entire lifetime. (19) As one can see, people throughout the .u950f0a5686251a9041d770b4dfd9c0d0 , .u950f0a5686251a9041d770b4dfd9c0d0 .postImageUrl , .u950f0a5686251a9041d770b4dfd9c0d0 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u950f0a5686251a9041d770b4dfd9c0d0 , .u950f0a5686251a9041d770b4dfd9c0d0:hover , .u950f0a5686251a9041d770b4dfd9c0d0:visited , .u950f0a5686251a9041d770b4dfd9c0d0:active { border:0!important; } .u950f0a5686251a9041d770b4dfd9c0d0 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u950f0a5686251a9041d770b4dfd9c0d0 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u950f0a5686251a9041d770b4dfd9c0d0:active , .u950f0a5686251a9041d770b4dfd9c0d0:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u950f0a5686251a9041d770b4dfd9c0d0 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u950f0a5686251a9041d770b4dfd9c0d0 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u950f0a5686251a9041d770b4dfd9c0d0 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u950f0a5686251a9041d770b4dfd9c0d0 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u950f0a5686251a9041d770b4dfd9c0d0:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u950f0a5686251a9041d770b4dfd9c0d0 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u950f0a5686251a9041d770b4dfd9c0d0 .u950f0a5686251a9041d770b4dfd9c0d0-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u950f0a5686251a9041d770b4dfd9c0d0:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Self-discovery Through Adversity Essay Thoreau compares the art of and active life to one of unending youthfulness. He pervades the importance of the youth as innocent and pure. Such life must not be tainted by obscurities and the mundane routine of the city life but rather emerged, submerged in the purest form of existence-nature. Thoreau equates the outdoors (natural stimuli) with innocence when he states that every child begins the world again, to some extent, and loves to stay outdoors (17).Thoreau mirrors youthfulness to nature in order to convey a need of constant rebirth into purity and innocence that leads to a love of the earth. Thoreau provides an example of a life embracing youthfulness and the active search for change and perfection. The story of the man from Kouroo is a compelling anecdote for how humans can transcend time and reduce it to the simple illusion that it is. This passage and the story of the man as a whole can be taken as a metaphor that Thoreau is showing us, one which we can apply to our own li ves. The art does not compromise with time or with others opinions (211). The artist of Kouroo continuously searches for the perfect stick to make a staff until he finds that stick. He ignores even his friends dissuasions and desertions and perseveres his pursuit to obtain that which will bring purity. Thoreau states, Let us settle ourselves and work and wedge our feet downward through the mud and slush of opinion, and prejudice, and tradition, and delusion, and appearance (63). The metaphor that Thoreau gives of the swamp with the hard bottom serves to show how people can drown and sink in the bog of society. However, to settle is to unsettle oneself from the conventions and ground feet downward in order to transcend. Although he searches for a simple element a stick- the process, the art of living is continual, complex and endearing. It is his singleness of purpose and love for the activity that brings him a pure art and youthfulness.The active life Associated with the art of livi ng reveals living ones life engaging and searching nature without worrying of limitations. The search of perfection results in a perfect art so unimpeded by external events. The artist uses pure materials of nature that are not tainted by the materialistic focus of the world. By employing these pure elements, the true artist of life brings a new system to take the place

To kill Dolores Essay Example For Students

To kill Dolores Essay In my opinion, the lead actress, Patina Miller was amazing, and her performance lacked nothing. However, the stronger character was the character of the mother superior, although she had a simpler role; I felt it was played to its full extent. I think that Patina Miller cleverly expressed her characters struggles to the audience, and she gave a clear example of how a person in the characters situation would behave. I felt that her performance was realistic, yet had the perfect balance of comedy, and drama. As for Sheila Hancocks character, I thought she portrayed Mother Superior in an excellent fashion, and used her lines cleverly, and added her own sense of style to the character. She also pulled the audience into the story, and helped focus the plot. The male leads, also played their characters well, and both had excellent characterisations. The sheer amount of contrast between both characters was excellently portrayed to the audience, and helped to shape the STORYLINE. Finally, the characterisation from the minor characters also showed, and the sheer amount of talent in the cast was evident in this performance. We will write a custom essay on To kill Dolores specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Furthermore, the costumes were one of the things that made the play. If the costumes had been similar, there would hardly be any contrast between the characters. However, the fact that in the convent, this was exactly what was happening was the spark of the whole play. In the scenes where Dolores was in her Cabaret singer personality, her clothes would be colourful, and very revealing, while at the moment she joins the convent, she is stripped away from the flashy outfits and told to wear a simple habit. This drags the audience in, as it presents the problem of identifying each nun, without resorting to looking at their clothing! Furthermore, Doloress clothes seem to cause a lot of controversy with Mother Superior, however, in one scene, Sister Mary Roberts accepts Doloress shoes, showing that she has a much fuller personality than the beginning of the play suggested. Moreover, when Curtis attempts to kill Dolores, he has his men dress up as nuns, thereby showing what effect the costumes have on the storyline. Finally, each costume defines a persons character in the play. For example, Dolores and her cabaret personality, as well as her nun personality, along with Eddie and his nerdy character, and his more outlandish and confident character. My favourite scene was the climax and the last part of the play. Firstly, the scene where Dolores finally accepts her caring, nun-like personality. Especially during the song Sister Act, my favourite piece in the whole play, does the play seem to change along with Dolores. Even the minor characters seem to have a stronger personality. The scene that follows uses a combination of light, music and set that creates a masterpiece. The moment that Dolores walks into the convent, and Curtis and his followers chase her is spectacular. This effect is mainly created by the opening and closing of the panels and the casts superbly rehearsed sequence. This really impressed me as it used the stage to its full potential, and used it in such a way it really stood out to the audience! Finally, when the sisters defend Deloris, it is an awe inspiring moment, and the use of the sound effects was brilliant. It had the perfect balance between drama, comedy and action! The only problem with the play was that it relied too much on gimmicky props and in my opinion, the play should have been a little more abstract, and I felt that it relied too much on pleasing the audience, rather than creating a more abstract piece which left the audience thinking. However, the amazing characterisations from the cast helped me to overlook this fact, and overall, I cant say it was an un-enjoyable performance, or that it wasnt amazing! .u56160f765e45c5e933dbf01755888792 , .u56160f765e45c5e933dbf01755888792 .postImageUrl , .u56160f765e45c5e933dbf01755888792 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u56160f765e45c5e933dbf01755888792 , .u56160f765e45c5e933dbf01755888792:hover , .u56160f765e45c5e933dbf01755888792:visited , .u56160f765e45c5e933dbf01755888792:active { border:0!important; } .u56160f765e45c5e933dbf01755888792 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u56160f765e45c5e933dbf01755888792 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u56160f765e45c5e933dbf01755888792:active , .u56160f765e45c5e933dbf01755888792:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u56160f765e45c5e933dbf01755888792 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u56160f765e45c5e933dbf01755888792 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u56160f765e45c5e933dbf01755888792 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u56160f765e45c5e933dbf01755888792 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u56160f765e45c5e933dbf01755888792:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u56160f765e45c5e933dbf01755888792 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u56160f765e45c5e933dbf01755888792 .u56160f765e45c5e933dbf01755888792-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u56160f765e45c5e933dbf01755888792:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Smoke Free Restaurants EssayOverall, I loved the play, and if I could afford à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½125 Id drag my family along too! I thought that it ranked among some of the best plays Ive seen, and that there is rarely a play that is as good as this one! I thought that each and every member of the cast did an excellent job portraying their character, and that the teamwork among them was amazing. I would recommend seeing this to anyone I know as it is a musical which has to be seen at least once, or maybe twice if you can afford to see it again!

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald The Great Gatsby is F. Scott Fitzgeralds greatest novel- a book that offers damning and insightful views of the American nouveau riche in the 1920s. The Great Gatsby is an American classic and a wonderfully evocative work. Like much of Fitzgeralds prose, it is neat and well-crafted. Fitzgerald has a brilliant understanding of lives that are corrupted by greed and turn out incredibly sad and unfulfilled. He was able to translate this understanding into one of the finest pieces of literature of the 1920s. The novel is a product of its generation- with one of American literatures most powerful characters in the figure of Jay Gatsby, who is urbane and world-weary. Gatsby is really nothing more than a man desperate for love. The Great Gatsby Overview The novels events are filtered through the consciousness of its narrator, Nick Carraway, a young Yale graduate, who is both a part of and separate from the world he describes. Upon moving to New York, he rents a house next door to the mansion of an eccentric millionaire (Jay Gatsby). Every Saturday, Gatsby throws a party at his mansion and all the great and the good of the young fashionable world come to marvel at his extravagance (as well as swap gossipy stories about their host who- it is suggested- has a murky past). Despite his high-living, Gatsby is dissatisfied and Nick finds out why. Long ago, Gatsby fell in love with a young girl, Daisy. Although she has always loved Gatsby, she is currently married to Tom Buchanan. Gatsby asks Nick to help him meet Daisy once more, and Nick finally agrees- arranging tea for Daisy at his house. The two ex-lovers meet and soon rekindle their affair. Soon, Tom begins to suspect and challenges the two of them- also revealing something that the reader had already begun to suspect: that Gatsbys fortune was made through illegal gambling and bootlegging. Gatsby and Daisy drive back to New York. In the wake of the emotional confrontation, Daisy hits and kills a woman. Gatsby feels that his life would be nothing without Daisy, so he takes the blame. George Wilson- who discovers that the car that killed his wife belongs to Gatsby- comes to Gatsbys house and shoots him. Nick arranges a funeral for his friend and then decides to leave New York- saddened by the fatal events and disgusted by the way lived their lives. Gatsbys Character and Societal Values The power of Gatsby as a character is inextricably linked to his wealth. From the very beginning of The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald sets up his eponymous hero as an enigma: the playboy millionaire with the shady past who can enjoy the frivolity and ephemera that he creates around him. However, the reality of the situation is that Gatsby is a man in love. Nothing more. He concentrated all of his life on winning Daisy back. It is the way that he attempts to do this, however, that is central to Fitzgeralds world-view. Gatsby creates himself- both his mystique and his personality- around rotten values. They are the values of the American dream- that money, wealth, and popularity are all there is to achieve in this world. He gives everything he has- emotionally and physically- to win, and it is this unrestrained desire that contributes to his eventual downfall. Social Commentary About Decadence In the closing pages of The Great Gatsby, Nick considers Gatsby in a wider context. Nick links Gatsby with the class of people with whom he has become so inextricably associated. They are the society persons so prominent during the 1920s and 1930s. Like his novel The Beautiful and the Damned, Fitzgerald attacks the shallow social climbing and emotional manipulation- which only causes pain. With a decadent cynicism, the party-goers in The Great Gatsby cannot see anything beyond their own enjoyment. Gatsbys love is frustrated by the social situation and his death symbolizes the dangers of his chosen path. F. Scott Fitzgerald paints a picture of a lifestyle and a decade that is both fascinating and horrific. In so doing, he captures a society and a set of young people; and he writes them into legend. Fitzgerald was a part of that high-living lifestyle, but he was also a victim of it. He was one of the beautiful but he was also forever damned. In all its excitement- pulsating with life and tragedy- The Great Gatsby brilliantly captures the American dream in a time when it had descended into decadence.

Eggplant Domestication History and Genealogy

Eggplant Domestication History and Genealogy Eggplant (Solanum melongena), also known as aubergine or brinjal, is a cultivated crop with a mysterious but well-documented past. Eggplant is a member of the Solanaceae family, which includes its American cousins potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers). But unlike the American Solanaceae domesticates, eggplant is believed to have been domesticated in the Old World, likely India, China, Thailand, Burma or someplace else in southeast Asia. Today there are approximately 15-20 different varieties of eggplant, grown primarily in China. Using Eggplants The first use of eggplant was probably medicinal rather than culinary: its flesh still has a bitter after-taste if it is not treated properly, despite centuries of domestication experimentation. Some of the earliest written evidence for the use of eggplant is from the Charaka and Sushruta Samhitas, Ayurvedic texts written about 100 BC that describe the health benefits of eggplant. The domestication process increased the fruit size and weight of eggplants  and altered the prickliness, flavor, and flesh and peel color, a centuries-long process which is carefully documented in ancient Chinese literature. The earliest domestic relatives of eggplant described in Chinese documents had small, round, green fruits, while todays cultivars feature an incredible range of colors. The prickliness of the wild eggplant is an adaptation to protect itself from herbivores; the domesticated versions have few or no prickles, a trait selected by humans so that we omnivores can pluck them safely. Eggplants Possible Parents The progenitor plant for S. melongena is still under debate. Some scholars pinpoint S. incarnum, a native of North Africa and the Middle East, that developed first as a garden weed and then was selectively grown and developed in southeast Asia. However, DNA sequencing has provided evidence that S. melongena is likely descended from another African plant S. linnaeanum, and that that plant was dispersed throughout the Middle East and into Asia before becoming domesticated. S. linnaeanum produces small, round green-striped fruit. Other scholars suggest that the true progenitor plant has not been identified yet, but was probably located in the savannas of southeast Asia. The real problem in trying to resolve the domestication history of eggplant is that archaeological evidence supporting any eggplant domestication process is lackingevidence for eggplant simply hasnt been found in archaeological contexts, and so researchers must rely on a set of data that includes genetics but also a wealth of historical information. Ancient History of the Eggplant Literary references to eggplant occur in Sanskrit literature, with the oldest direct mention dated from the third century AD; a possible reference may date as early as 300 BC. Multiple references have also been found in the vast Chinese literature, the earliest of which is in the document known as the Tong Yue, written by Wang Bao in 59 BC. Wang writes that the one should separate and transplant eggplant seedlings at the time of the Spring equinox. The Rhapsody on Metropolitan of Shu, 1st century BC-1st century AD, also mentions eggplants. Later Chinese documentation records the specific changes that were deliberately wrought by Chinese agronomists in domesticated eggplants: from round and small green fruit to large and long-necked fruit with a purple peel. Illustrations in Chinese botanical references dated between the 7-19th centuries AD document the alterations in eggplants shape and size; interestingly, the search for a better flavor is also documented in Chinese records, as the Chinese botanists endeavored to remove the bitter flavor in the fruits. Eggplant is believed to have been brought to the attention of the Middle East, Africa and the West by Arabic traders along the Silk Road, beginning around the 6th century AD. However, earlier carvings of eggplants have been found in two regions of the Mediterranean: Iassos (within a garland on a Roman sarcophagus, ​the first half of the 2nd century AD) and Phrygia (a fruit carved on a grave stele, 2nd century AD). Yilmaz and colleagues suggest a few samples may have been brought back from Alexander the Greats expedition to India. Sources DoÄŸanlar, Sami. High resolution map of eggplant (Solanum melongena) reveals extensive chromosome rearrangement in domesticated members of the Solanaceae. Amy FraryMarie-Christine Daunay, Volume 198, Issue 2, SpringerLink, July 2014. Isshiki S, Iwata N, and Khan MMR. 2008. ISSR variations in eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) and related Solanum species. Scientia Horticulturae 117(3):186-190. Li H, Chen H, Zhuang T, and Chen J. 2010. Analysis of genetic variation in eggplant and related Solanum species using sequence-related amplified polymorphism markers. Scientia Horticulturae 125(1):19-24. Liao Y, Sun B-j, Sun G-w, Liu H-c, Li Z-l, Li Z-x, Wang G-p, and Chen R-y. 2009. AFLP and SCAR Markers Associated with Peel Color in Eggplant (Solanum melongena). Agricultural Sciences in China 8(12):1466-1474. Meyer RS, Whitaker BD, Little DP, Wu S-B, Kennelly EJ, Long C-L, and Litt A. 2015. Parallel reductions in phenolic constituents resulting from the domestication of eggplant. Phytochemistry 115:194-206. Portis E, Barchi L, Toppino L, Lanteri S, Acciarri N, Felicioni N, Fusari F, Barbierato V, Cericola F, Valà ¨ G et al. 2014. QTL Mapping in Eggplant Reveals Clusters of Yield-Related Loci and Orthology with the Tomato Genome. PLoS ONE 9(2):e89499. Wang J-X, Gao T-G, and Knapp S. 2008. Ancient Chinese Literature Reveals Pathways of Eggplant Domestication. Annals of Botany 102(6):891-897. Free download Weese TL, and Bohs L. 2010. Eggplant origins: Out of Africa, into the Orient. Taxon 59:49-56. Yilmaz H, Akkemik U, and Karagoz S. 2013. Identification of plant figures on stone statues and sarcophaguses and their symbols: the Hellenistic and Roman periods of the eastern Mediterranean basin in the Istanbul Archaeology Museum. Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry 13(2):135-145.

Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 19

Religion - Essay Example w Research Center for the People & the Press and the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life indicate that around 96% of Americans believe in God or other supreme being which is an indication that there is some form of religion that is alive in America. Further research by General Social Survey (GSS) shows that in the 21st Century, the number of Americans attending religious services and those who proclaim their religious preference has since doubled from that of the previous century. As from 2008 in the onset of economic crisis, the number of Americans who turned religious is said to have increased drastically. Critics say this is as a way of trying to seek divine intervention from the economic problems but according to Newport in his book God Is Alive and Well: The Future of Religion in America, it is because they realized that it is only through religion and divine intervention that they can be redeemed and get solace (Newport 45). This can be said to be the case because even as the economic problems eased, those that had become religious did not revert back to secular ways but have continued to remain among the religious based on the polls conducted by research firms. According to Newport, the evidence of religion is through actions where religious people are expected to change their behavior from bad to good or even better. Based on this therefore as an indication of an increase in religion, America can be said to be religious (Newport 156). Further evidence other than the one from the polls indicates a reduction in crime. This is an indication that many Americans have changed their behavior for the better. The elections of 2012 also proved to have religion in mind and proved that religion is alive. The leaders who were vying for positions such as the senate one had religious agendas in mind though not expressed directly. For example some of them were prolife and repulsed all the evil that is not acceptable by religion. If the leaders are religious, then many

Grammatical information from the Lexicon is fundamental to sentence Essay

Grammatical information from the Lexicon is fundamental to sentence syntax - Essay Example These assumptions might also change what is thought to be involved in lexical and phrasal processing. As we discuss below, these assumptions imply a notion of lexical processing that bears considerably more responsibility for the combinatory analysis of language. Psycholinguistics has not been alone in this focus on the lexical aspects of combinatory process. Syntactic theory has increasingly moved detailed combinatory information into the lexicon, where individual lexical items are associated directly with their syntactic combinatory options. The field of applied parsing in computational linguistics has also seen a shift toward lexicalization. Many have recognized the effectiveness of coding these syntactic options as tendencies. In doing so, statistical natural language processing systems have begun to be able to recover the grammatical structure of novel sentences with astonishing accuracy. These movements in linguistics and computational linguistics touch on many of the same issues that have given rise to the development of constraint based lexicalist theories of parsing in psycholinguistics. ... Some of the best support for this view has come from on-line studies of reading, which have shown that the sub categorization and thematic role tendencies of individual verbs can guide the resolution of local syntactic ambiguity. For instance, Garnsey examined readers' abilities to resolve temporary syntactic ambiguities involving classic direct object/sentence complement ambiguity. The use of lexical priming techniques in psycholinguistics has arguably been a highly effective tool for studying both the content of lexical representations and the time course with which such information is activated. For example, priming has been used to map the time course of activation of phonological and orthographic information during word recognition as well as the activation of the alternative meanings of ambiguous words. In most cases, however, the tasks used in these studies to measure participants reaction to target words are unlikely to be influenced by any hypothesized co activation of sub categorization or thematic role information, because such information is typically not relevant to successful execution of these tasks. Moreover, tasks that are sensitive to this sort of information, such as collection of reading times on individual words during sentence comprehension, have not been amenable to lexical priming techniques because the introduction of consciously perceiv ed prime word, mid sentence, would catastrophically disrupt the ongoing comprehension of the sentence as a whole. In the early 1990's, however, Rayner and colleagues introduced a covert lexical intervention technique, dubbed fast priming, which allowed for the study of lexical priming

Case study of the hydropower development in Argentina Essay Example for Free

Case study of the hydropower development in Argentina Essay In this paper I would also discuss one more case of the hydropower regulation and assessment. The next country to be discussed is Argentina. This country also possesses considerable hydropower potential. It has been estimated that the country has the potential of production of 169,000 GWh/year . Argentina relies in its future development on hydropower as a source of energy. That’s why its scientists resort to close examination of various aspects of hydropower development and impact on environment and society. Great emphasis is also placed on the financial aspect of hydropower development and legal regulation of hydroelectric plants and dams construction. Therefore, Argentina greatly relies on sustainable development, which can be defined as â€Å"the process which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs† . Sustainable development of the hydropower potential of the country requires deep consideration and cooperation of three basic components economic growth, environmental security and social justice . There are several acts, which serve the legal basis of the hydropower development in Argentina. One of the most important of them is The Electricity Regulatory Framework Law, which implemented the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (ENRE). ENRE is an independent item, which operates within the framework of the Secretariat of State for Energy. The latter in its turn creates the regulations, which control the work of the electricity industry . The Energy Secretariat (SENER) is the legislative component, which is responsible for the energy policy implementation. Within its frame this legislative body has one more component, the National Electricity Regulator (ENRE), which is responsible for actual application of the regulatory framework stated in the Law 26,046 of 1991 . ENRE is responsible for regulation and supervision of whole energy sector under federal control, while the other utilities are regulated by provincial regulators. The other important regulatory body of the energy sector is CAMMESA (Compania Administradora del Mercado Mayorista Electrico), which supervises whole wholesale electricity market through establishing the price of electricity, operating the electricity system and the controlling the commercial transactions in the electricity market Very important role in the energy sector of Argentina is given to the Electric Power Federal Council (CFEE), which was established in 1960 and currently plays the role of the administrator of the Funds, which given to special electricity operations. CFEF also performs consulting function of the National and the Provincial Governments regarding the power industry, new projects and researches, public and private energy services, and electricity tariffs and prices as well as changes in the legislative base of the power industry The National Promotion Direction (DNPROM) within the Energy Secretariat (SENER) regulates creation and implementation of programs concerning renewable energies and energy efficiency. The Secretariat for the Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) is in charge of the questions concerning environmental policy. The legal basis of Argentina concerning the energy is Law 25,019 from 1998 and Law 26,190, from 2007. Changes to this law, made in 2007, focus on the national interest in renewable energy sources in regard with the public services. The law states that within the next ten years the consumption of the energy, produced from the renewable sources, will grow up to 8 %. The other main point is that law establishes a Trust Fund, which promotes the development of the renewable energy. Hydropower is recently viewed in Argentina as a potential key source of energy. On the one hand its advantages are clearly visible: it has less negative impact on the climate change as compared with fossil fuels, it’s relatively clean and environmentally-friendly, low-cost and renewable. However, not all the researchers are so optimistic. Many of them claim that hydropower plants have a negative influence on surrounding area and society. As one more proof they point at additional expenses in case of shortfalls . Sometimes, these disadvantages are even overemphasized, which presents hydropower in the negative light, or even present it as potentially dangerous. In the process of the research I found a very interesting fact, showing that such claims for the most part come from the most unexpected source – NGOs, the primary intention of which is conservation. However, in this process they seem to completely disregard such important aspects of the country development as poverty alleviation, obtaining a valuable source of cheap energy and promotion of the safe water environment, which can be provided by hydropower plants . Environmental and Social Impact Assessment of the hydropower plants in Argentina is based on the Sustainable Guidelines of the International Hydropower Association, which focus on environmental, social and economic aspects of the hydropower plant construction and operation . In order to develop new hydropower projects in accordance with the newest ecological and social requirements, Argentina greatly relies on five key areas characterized by Dr. Kofi Annan on the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002. These five key areas include: water, energy, health, agriculture and biodiversity . Conclusions. So, in this paper I investigated the role of the hydropower as an alternative source of environment, associated expenses and benefits to the society. I also made a review of the history of the hydropower as a source of energy and compared it with the other sources. I made an overview of the legislative base of two countries – China and Argentina concerning hydropower energy and their potential of development of the hydropower as an alternative source of energy. References ADB, Summary Environmental and Social Impact Assessment: Nam Theun 2 Hydroelectric Project in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. Manila: Asian Development Bank, 2004. Online. Available at: http://www. adb. org/Documents/Environment/LAO/lao-nam-theun2. pdf 30 September 2007. Advantages of Hydropower. Online. Available from: http:///www. corpsresults. us/hydro 30 September 2007. Atkins, W. , Hydropower: Impacts and Trends. Online. Available from: http:///www. waterencyclopedia. com 30 September 2007. Buckley, L. Hydropower in China: Public Participation and Energy Diversity, Online. Available from: http://www. worldwatch. org/node/5037. 30 September 2007 Becker, H. A. Social impact assessment: method and experience in Europe, North America and the developing world, London, UCL Press, 1997. BP Annual Report, 2006, Online. Available from: http:///www. bp. com 30 September 2007. Burdge, R. J. , A Community Guide to Social Impact Assessment, Middleton, USA, Social Ecology Press, 2004. China Passes Renewable Energy Law, Online. Available from: http:///www. renewableenergyaccess. com 2005. Coordinacion de Energias Renovables, Potencial de los aprovechamientos energeticos en la Republica Argentina, 2006. Devoto, A. , Hydroelectric power and development in Argentina, ENTE Nacional Regulador de la Electicidad, 2005. Graham, I. , Water Power, Austin, TX, Raintree Steck-Vaughn, 1999. Hydropower, Online. Available from: http://inhabitat. com/2006/12/01/rediscovered-wood-the-triton-sawfish/#more-1973 30 September 2007. Interorganizational Committee on Principles and Guidelines for Social Impact Assessment , 2003. Integrated Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Guidelines. Tunis: African Development Bank, 2003. Online. Available at: http://www. afdb. org/pls/portal. docs/PAGE/ADB_ADMIN_PG/DOCUMENTS/ENVIRONMENTALANDSOCIALASSESSMENTS/IESIA. PDF International Association for Impact Assessment, Online. Available from: http://www. iaia.org 30 September 2007. Kellert, S. R. , Macmillan Encyclopedia of the Environment, vol. 3. New York, Macmillan Library Reference USA, 1997. Learn about Hydroelectric Power Alternative Energy Source, Online. Available from: http://www. beyondfossilfuel. com/hydroelectric/ 30 September 2007. Petts, J. Handbook of Environmental Impact Assessment, Blackwell, Oxford, 2005. Renewabables Global Status Report. Online. Available from: http:///www. ren21. net/globalreport 30 September 2007. Rosso, A. La construccion como herramienta del crecimiento continuado. Sector electrico. Evaluacion de las inversiones necesarias para el sector electrico nacional en el mediano plazo. Camara Argentina de la Construccion, 2006. Rules of land compensation and people resettlement in medium and large hydraulic and hydroelectricity projects. State Council, 1991. Ryan, V. Advantages and Disadvantages of Hydropower, Online. Available from: http://www. technologystudent. com/energy1/hydr2. htm 30 September 2007. Summer of International dissent against Heavy Industry, Saving Iceland. Online. Available from: http:///www. savingisland. org 30 September 2007 Sadler, B. , Verocai, I. Frank Vanclay. Environmental and Social Impact. Assessment for Large Scale Dams. Middleton, WI: The Social Ecology Press, 2000 Taylor CN, Bryan CH, Goodrich CG. Social Assessment: theory, process and techniques. Middleton, WI, The Social Ecology Press, 2004. The Historic Mechanicville Hydroelectric Station, IEEE Industry Applications Magazine, Jan/Feb. 2007 Tremblay, V. , Roehm and Garneau, Greenhouse Gas Emissions Fluxes and Processes, Springer, 2005. Xiaogang, Yu Jia Jiguo. An Overview of Participatory Social Impact Assessment for Manwan Hydropower Station in Lancang River. Asian Science and Technology Institute, 2000.

The Importance of the Ozone :: essays research papers fc

The Importance of the Ozone â€Å"Like an infection that grows more and more virulent, the continent-size hole in Earth’s ozone layer keeps getting bigger and bigger†(Beyond Discovery). The ozone is a protective layer that occurs naturally in the stratosphere, 6 to 28 miles in altitude. Each year, since the late 1970’s, much of the ozone layer above Antarctica has disappeared, creating what is popularly known as the â€Å"ozone hole.† This hole now measures about 9 million square miles, nearly the size of North America. Less dramatic, but still significant, depletion of ozone levels has been recorded around the globe. With less ozone in the atmosphere, more ultraviolet radiation strikes Earth, causing more skin cancer, eye damage, and possible harm to crops.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main causes of ozone depletion are chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s), such as coolants, aerosols, and fire extinguishers. When CFC’s are released, they rise into the ozone layer. The UV (ultraviolet) radiation then releases chlorine from the CFC’s. Chlorine is a chemical that disintegrates the ozone. Other everyday items that contribute Cottrell 2 to the devastation of the ozone include household refrigerants and exhaust fumes emitted from automobiles.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Without the ozone layer the health of every single living being on planet Earth would be jeopardized. Ozone depletion leads to an increased exposure to ultraviolet light, which can cause many health problems. Exposure to ultraviolet light greatly increases the risks of skin cancer and cataract development. Skin cancers are very treatable in their early stages but very deadly in the advanced stages. Cataracts are growths in the eyes that cloud vision and can lead to blindness. Increased UV exposure also causes decreased growth of phytoplankton. This is the light-sensitive organism that not only forms the base of the ocean’s food web, but also is responsible for removing much of the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Last, a thinning ozone layer would produce lower crop yields. Some crops, such as rice, are sensitive to ultraviolet light. Increased UV exposure could make these crops less productive or even kill them. Much of the world relies on rice as a pri mary source of food.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The people who need it most are destroying the ozone layer. This problem can be traced back to the overwhelming increase in the world’s population. With more people on the planet, there will be use of more automobiles, CFC’s, and refrigerants. In turn, an increase in these products will yield an increase in air pollution.

Enron Corporate Culture Essay

Bench was founded in the Philippines by Ben Chan in 1987 originally selling men’s t-shirt in small retail stores. The brand is registered under the trademark of Suyen Corporation. The brand also grew on providing ladies’ line, underwear, fragrances, house wares, snacks, and a wide array of other lifestyle products, Kyle Marco P. de Vera, Justin Andrew Lawrence L. Rigor and Jolo Marco R. Tayag are junior students from the Department of Marketing and Corporate Communications in San Beda College AY: 2012-2013. The researchers have equally contributed to the fulfillment of the research with the help and advice of Dr. Jennifer T. Ramos. with the distinction of being present in virtually every retail space in the Philippines, and with a worldwide network of stores and outlets, reaching as far as the United States, the Middle East, and China. It has also been a pioneer to the use of celebrity endorsers, television, and giant billboards to push for a fashion brand that offers premium quality products at affordable prices in the market. By multiple product line and brand extensions, Bench was able to go through demographic divisions such as age, gender, socioeconomic status having â€Å"Bench is forever† as the company’s article of faith. Emerging as a global brand, Bench has 610 stores worldwide, 67 internationally & 543 locally. (Adapted from Bench’s Website) Growing globally resulted to creating new product lines and extensions of the Brand; known for being an apparel brand, Bench as a product-oriented company have evolved into being a market oriented brand not only selling clothes but also extending to the market’s needs in terms of lifestyle such as food and personal care. One of Bench’s promising extensions is Bench Fix, aside from the Fix salon, hair wax is also one of the commonly sought product today in their offerings. Many companies or brand today have been adapting to the trends and needs of the society, by utilizing the brand that they have established in the market, they make their offerings relevant at the fast changing time. Product-line and brand extensions do not only create new markets but it is also one of the strategies in maximizing brand equity to survive in the competitive industry. The intention of the study is to know whether Bench is a strong Brand, by assessing its brand equity, brand positioning and competitiveness in the market and eventually make realizations for other pioneered and extending brand entities. The researchers got interested with this particular study because they want to discover whether a local brand of apparel like Bench, can be a strong brand and if it can be as appealing as those of the foreign brands that Filipinos patronize. Operational Framework Input Process Output Figure 1. 1 showed the three variables that have been assessed to know whether Bench is a strong brand, it can be measured through the independent variables, and these are the brand equity, the brand positioning and how Bench deals with the competition. The dependent variable is Bench being a strong brand because it has been the variable subject for result. The figure also displayed the process that the researchers have worked on. The research is a descriptive type of study. Survey was used to gather quantitative data which had been interpreted by its corresponding verbal interpretations. The person triangulation was intended to check and balance the consumers’ evaluation and be able to supplement qualitative data. Conceptual Framework This concept was adapted from , which suggested that a strong brand is manifested through the following indicators; Strong Brand Equity, Strong and Clear Brand Positioning, and Competitiveness. The main problem of the study is to know whether Bench is a strong brand. It specifically seeks to answer these following questions: 1. What is the assessment of the consumers to Bench’s brand equity? a. Brand Awareness b. Perceived Quality c. Brand Loyalty d. Brand Association 2. What is the consumers’ assessment on Bench’s brand positioning level? a. Attribute b. Benefits c. Beliefs and Values 3. How does Bench deal with the competition? a. The relative strengths and weaknesses of competition. b. The marketing strategies of their competition. Assumptions were used in this study. The researchers assumed that the product line and brand extensions of Bench are only categorized into accessories, apparel, personal care, footwear and food that the consumers have assessed in the questionnaire. They also assumed the determinants used in assessing the brand positioning. The researchers presumed that the close competitors of Bench are Folded & Hung, Mint, Penshoppe, and People are People. The researchers assumed that Bench is not a strong brand. The study will benefit local competitive company brands to push for a more valuable product and service to create stronger brands enabling them to prepare for product and brand extensions so that they can survive long in the competitive market, not only that they will focus on their current products and services but they can also focus on the other needs and interests of the market. This study will also be able to provide companies and researchers a basis for assessing whether a brand is strong or not. The study will also benefit Bench, because the study will be able to provide an insight with regards to the brand’s current standing and be able to help them identify their existing constraints that inhibit their full brand development. To the researchers, the study will serve as ground for development, as future marketers. This research will be a good foundation for their career. In this study they will be able to assess, select, and apply carefully theories and concepts that they have learned and to the future researchers, the study will be a good source of information if ever it will relate to their topic well. The researchers are expecting that this will be available to the public since the current researchers also had a hard time finding local studies, this will be a good reference for them. Hopefully, the future researchers will be able to improve on this study and also be aspired to help other local researchers as well. It will also benefit the consumers, with the study conducted they will be able to learn and explore more of a brand’s offerings in the market. With more choices, variation in the brand, it will likely improve their buying behavior as to how they manage their lifestyle of selection and consumption. The scope of this study was limited on the assessment of the indicators of a strong brand, which was adopted from Armstrong and Kotler, namely; brand equity, brand positioning, and how a brand deals with competition in the market. The researchers were only focused on Bench as subject. With regards to the quantitative data, there is an ideal number of one hundred (100) respondents composed of buyers and nonusers of the brand to avoid conditional sampling; For the qualitative data, one (1) of Bench’s brand manager and one (1) brand manager of Bench’s competitor has been interviewed, particularly Folded & Hung. Because the study is only good for duration of five (5) months, it has to meet with the researchers’ convenience. The researchers are bounded by time financial difficulty, respondents and lack of expertise. Review of Related Literature Building a Brand, a Strong One Brands play an important role in the purchasing decision of the product or service . Companies establish a brand primarily because they want to be considered a reference for customers when purchasing or availing products and services. Like what have said in their study, brands act as shorthand in the consumer’s minds so that they do not have to think much about their purchase decision. Being a reference provider, the brands are the interface between consumers and the company; on the other hand consumers are subject to commit to brands. Since brand is a cluster of functional and emotional values that promises a unique welcome experience (Chang & Liu, 2009) and are fundamentally about relationships, these should form the main source of any company’s connection to the customers so that a brand may be able to avoid negative perception and aim for positive feedbacks. Brand’s influence is not imposed by the company or the business; rather their relevance depends on the needs and wants of the people because â€Å"the power of the brand lies in the minds of consumers† . â€Å"Brand name alone does not make a brand† one has to be strong enough to develop a market-leading brand capacity that is essential for long-term competitiveness. What is a strong brand anyway? In identifying a strong brand, we have to take in consideration some key indicators of such; high brand equity, brand positioning and competitiveness. The Brand’s Labor: Brand Equity Aaker defines brand equity as a set of assets and liabilities inked to a brand’s name and symbol that adds to or subtracts from the value perceived by a product or service to a firm and or the firm’s customer however Keller defines brand equity as the differential effect of the brand knowledge on consumer response to the marketing of the brand . Aaker’s definition on brand equity is centered on the consumer’s negative or positive perception attached to the brand while Keller described it as the difference between the business’ projection of the brand on the consumer’s interpretation and perception of the brand. Taking it from a study’s perspective, have suggested that brand equity is the outcome that accrues to a product with its brand name compared with those that would accrue if the same product did not have a brand name, simply put it is the outcome of the overall marketing effort of the brand. Since there is already an evaluation of the product and service, brand equity plays a role in how information is learned and then retrieved and used in making choice . That is why brand equity has emerged as a key strategic asset that needs to be monitored and nurtured for maximum long-term performance . Not only that it serves as an important signal to reduce perceived risk but it is also why considers brand equity as the value of a brand to the firm. According to brands with higher equity have an established strength in the market for they are able to generate higher immediate returns from their marketing mix efforts and higher loyalty brands generate greater stockpiling from promotions. Also have mentioned that buyers respond to branding by purchasing the same products or brands or by showing preference toward a particular brand, bringing firms higher in the market share, higher profits or share value. To sum it all up, brands which have higher equity can get the customer’s preference and tendencies and result in higher level of sale . The concept of brand equity has remained a complex phenomenon for many researchers because of the many associated concepts applicable under it. To understand it fully, the researchers would have to identify its key components. Aaker approaches brand equity as a set of fundamental dimensions grouped into a complex system comprising mainly: brand awareness, brand perceived quality, brand loyalty and brand association. The Impression, Brand Awareness For a brand to sustain a presence in the marketplace, people must be aware of it. As such, at its most basic level, knowledge encompasses brand awareness and the extent to which customers recall and recognize the brand. . To define brand awareness, it is the consumer’s ability to identify the brand and can be measured with the help of brand recall and brand recognition. Brand recall is the ability of consumers to retrieve the brand from memory, when the product category, the needs fulfilled by the category, or some other type of probe, is given as a cue. Brand recognition reflects the ability of consumers to confirm prior exposure to the brand . It is also the extent to which a person able to recognize a particular brand given a set of brands according to . According to the role of brand awareness in building brand equity depends on the strength of the brand’s presence in the consumers’ mind and with that brand awareness had become a vital factor to influence the buying decisions and purchase intentions . It also enhances the prospects of being considered in the future purchase situations. . But awareness alone is not enough according to for the initial work was found that awareness alone was not adequate to build brand understanding. It will also need help of the other brand equity’s dimensions. Perceived Quality: The Judgment To sustain one’s presence in the market, awareness had been the founding principle to perform such but is the image just right to deliver positive quality perception that may even push more knowledgeable consumers to buy or purchase products. Perceived Quality is defined as the customer’s judgment of performance of a performance excellence of a product or service relative to the expectations of quality (Balaji, 2011). In other words perceived brand quality represents consumers’ view of how well a brand meets their requirement and expectations . According to , he stated that â€Å"perceived quality also represent consumers’ judgments regarding a brand’s overall superiority†. To add on Huang’s study, said that consumers’ apparel purchase decisions may be more likely to be influenced by their perceptions of apparel attributes such as price, quality, and style than by their concerns about the ethnical conditions under which apparel is or was produced. Perceived quality is a consumer’s subjective judgment about products or services . It is personal and irrational, quality may only equate to a certain features and benefits that are unique or different from others and these qualities may not be of standard or preference of one prospect, meaning a brand may only be able to be successful if they impress the right people or the target market per se. Brand Association: The Synapse Associations represent what the brand stands for and imply a promise to customers from the organization members. This means that brand association is something that provides meaning to a brand . In other words, brand association are ideas or descriptions consumers can relate with the product or service offered by the brand. Other definition of brand association stated by and is that it is anything linked in the memory of the consumers to the brand and the thoughts that come up to mind after brand or offering is recalled. Brand associations help consumers retrieve and process information and evoke a positive effect and cognitive considerations of the benefits . By convenience, brand association can actually make the product information more accessible that it can influence faster purchase decisions of consumers. Brand Loyalty: The Corner Stone Another dimension of brand equity is brand loyalty. To define brand loyalty on understanding, it is â€Å"a deeply commitment to rebuy or repatronize a preferred product or service consistently in the future, causing repetitive same brand or same brand set purchasing, despite situational influences and marketing efforts having the potential to cause switching behavior†. In relation to the study, mentioned that loyalty is understood to be a long term attachment to a firm and it is considered to be intimately linked to consumer based brand equity. Now how can brand loyalty be of use, brand loyalty is of strategic importance for companies to obtain a sustainable competitive advantage because it is considered as one of the most important factors affecting consumer choice according to and. In identifying loyalty, satisfaction strength is a vital determinant because it plays a crucial role in the translation of stated satisfaction into customer loyalty and research of indicates that though satisfaction is link to some aspects of loyalty, its impact may depend on facets of the prior relational experience. In addition, the authors anticipate that satisfaction strength will influence both loyalty and the translation of satisfaction into loyalty, also suggested that the willingness of individual consumers, employees, friends the investor personal sacrifices in order to strengthen the relationship may help. One of brand loyalty’s substance is, Brand self-connection wherein according to is the idea that attachment involves a bond with the brand included as part of the self; it suggests that a critical aspect of attachment involves the cognitive and emotional connection between the brand and the self. That’s why trust in a brand is important and is a key factor in the development of brand loyalty according to because it can result to customer retention. In metaphor, brand loyalty is the cornerstone of brand equity and brand itself. Brand Positioning According to marketers need to position their brands clearly to target costumer’s minds at the lowest level; they can position the brand on product attributes. However attributes are the least desirable level for brand positioning. A brand can be better positioned by associating its name with a desirable benefit. The strongest brands go beyond attribute or benefit positioning. They are positioned on a strong beliefs and values. They explained the concept of brand positioning in terms of its three levels. The brand must be aligned to its goals and prospect consumers in order to be positioned well in the market. Like what have mentioned in their study, consistency in value delivered helps brand providers understand the value targets and helps customers understand the brand positioning. In the study of , they stated that it is important for businesses to create attraction in their brand to be better positioned than their competitors. In return, when a brand has a relative advantage in consumers’ mind, its market share should increase or at least not decrease . The study of mentioned that positioning is a very left brained phenomenon, where brands are narrowly defined by either personality or benefits. When one defines brands so rigidly, the advertising gets predictable, and there’s no margin for creativity or expansion. Fluid nature and flexibility is one of the ways for brands to survive. Brand belief works by tracking a particular brand also by trying to see it in the context of other brands of the same category, the comparison creates a distinct positioning. Advantages to Competition

Human Resource Management Approaches

Introduction In any organization, the human resource force is one of the most vital assets. In this regard, it is vital for organizations to ensure that they formulate and implement human resource management policies that will optimize employees’ contributions so as to maintain competitiveness in their different industries of operation (Armstrong, 2008; Marchington & Wilkinson, 2005). There are different approaches that different organizations use to ensure that their employees are at their optimal productivity. Some of these approaches include recruitment of highly qualified staff members, providing occasional training for employees to improve their competence at work, fair remuneration, and employee motivation (Ulrich et al., 2008). Scholars in the field of human resource management have proposed several models that can be used in managing people. Some of these are scientific management and human relations theory (Taylor, 2013; Thompson, 2011). The scientific management approach emphasis es on managing employees to increase efficiency by using monetary motivation (Taylor, 2013). The human relations approach is based on the notion that using monetary rewards is not the only way in which employees can be motivated. They can also be motivated through other social factors like being praised, promoted or making developing in them a sense of belonging (Thompson, 2011). This paper intends to examine human relations and scientific management concepts by comparing and contrasting human resource management approaches at TGI Friday’s and Christians against Poverty, one of the Sunday Times 100 best not for profit organizations. The paper also discusses whether both approaches to management are relevant in the 21st century, and whether not for profit organizations should manage their employees in a way that is different from companies whose main objectives are profit maximization. Management at TGI Friday’s TGI Friday’s is a restaurant chain with its UK head offices in Luton (TGI Friday’s, 2014). Based on an employee survey carried out by the Sunday Times, the company ranked third among the 25 best big companies. The survey sought to establish the employees’ perceptions of the way they were being managed. The company also ranked third on the overall 100 best companies to work for in the United Kingdom (The Sunday Times a, 2013). The good ranks that the company holds among the best companies to work for reflects the effectiveness of the company’s human resource management approaches. Management of people at TGI Friday’s displays both the human relations and scientific management approaches. With reference to the human relations approach, performance is enhanced by the creation of an effective working environment and instilling a sense of belonging in their employees (Thompson, 2011). The scientific management approach is also used through offering monet ary bonuses and retaining productive employees and dismissing the unproductive employees (Taylor, 2013). Examples of these approaches at TGI Friday’s is further discussed belowHuman Relations ApproachRecognitionEmployee recognition is defined as giving employees a positive feedback to let them know that they are valued by their colleagues and workmates in the organization. Wright et al. (2012) argue that for employee recognition to have an impact in the progress of an organization, it needs to encourage employees to increase their efforts towards attaining organizational goals. According to Karen Forester, the TGI Friday’s managing director in the UK; employee recognition has been part of the company’s culture since it started in 1965 (TGI Friday’s, 2014). One way in which the company recognizes its employees is through the use of achievement badges, which are given to employees as a form of appreciation for their achievements or extraordinary contributio ns they make towards the company. The company also has a program where employees are nominated by colleagues based on their performance, and are later gifted through different treats. For instance, in January 2013, TGI Friday’s UK flew 400 employees to a party that was held in Florida (The Sunday Times a, 2013). Whereas such employee recognition efforts may be costly and could cut down on the company’s profitability, the organization believes that it is a â€Å"huge deposit in the emotional bank account†.Creation of a Conducive working EnvironmentThe organizational environment also has a role to play in the productivity of employees. There are several approaches that have been suggested by researchers on the approaches that can be used to create an organizational environment that enhances employee productivity (Armstrong, 2008). One of these is creation of an open and transparent form of communication across the organization. By so doing, all employees will have a feeling that their opinions are valuable to the organization. This also instils a sense of belonging in the employees (Aula & Siira, 2010). Another approach that can be used in creation of an effective work environment for employees is ensuring that there is a work-life balance for employees (Bratton & Gold, 2012; Miner, 2005). To attain work-life balance, employees ought to be given the chance to fulfil other goals and responsibility in life apart from their work. These include responsibilities to their families and the community, spiritual needs and personal growth, among others (Clutterbuck, 2003). Other approaches include encouraging a team spirit in the organization, provision of a job security assurance and offering training to improve employee competence (Orlitzky & Frenkel, 2005). As opposed to typical fast-paced food restaurants, TGI Friday’s employees have the assurance that their jobs are secure. With reference to a research carried out by the Sunday Times, 86% of the company’s employees felt that they had secure jobs. With regard to instilling a sense of belonging in its customers, the company has a tradition for treating each of its 4000 staff members in the UK as family (The Sunday Times a, 2013). According to Karen foster, the company’s UK managing director, â€Å"We never call them staff or employees, we call them family and we treat them like family† (Martin, 2013). This also creates a sense of teamwork, which is also a factor that improves employee productivity.Scientific Management ApproachEvaluation of employee performanceThe scientific approach to human resource management emphasizes on increasing efficiency in employee productivity. One of the ways in which this can be done in an organization is through the evaluation of the performance of employees in periodic intervals (Taylor, 2013). Employees that are not competent enough ought to be trained or given a certain time to improve. If they fail to improve in performance, they are dismissed and replaced by more competent recruits (Bloisi, 2007). This also takes place at TGI Friday’s. There was a period in time when the company needed to redefine its culture and redefine itself. To do this, some brutal approaches were undertaken to ensure that only the right staff members were left in the company. This involved carrying out an assessment of each member of the company and classifying them according to their contributions. As argued by the company’s UK managing director, â€Å"Everyone in the organisation was assessed and classified as ‘players’, ‘wannabe players’ (who needed more training), ‘potential players’ (who could go either way) and ‘assassins’ (who had the ability to sabotage the transformation project)† (Martin, 2013). The group of employees that was referred to as the assassins was dismissed from the company, a step that resulted in the improvement of the company’s performance. This is an ideal approach of increasing the efficiency of the company, which is quite synonymous to the scientific management approach.Monetary MotivationTo motivate employees, TGI Friday’s also uses the monetary approach. Employees at the company receive annual pay reviews. In 2013, members of the company’s kitchen staff were offered a 9.5% pay rise as a gesture to appreciate their contributions to the company (The Sunday Times a, 2013). Even though the monetary incentives are used to motivate the company employees, they are used alongside other forms of incentives. The reason for this is that when monetary incentives are used exclusively by a company, it may limit the creativity and innovation of employees (Adeogun, 2009). Management at Christians against Poverty (CAP) Christians against Poverty (CAP) is a not-for profit organization operating the United Kingdom. It specialized in debt counselling, a charity work that that is based in different local churches across the UK (Christians Against Poverty, 2013). It offers solutions and hope for people who are in heavy debts by providing advice to the affected people on the ways in which they can generate income to enable settle the debts and relieve themselves from the associated stresses that could be even detrimental to their health. Apart from helping the company’s target populations to get out of poverty, CAP has also received recognition by the Sunday Times as being among the best not for profit companies to work for (The Sunday Times b, 2013). In a study that was carried out by Sunday Times on opinions of the company’s employees about how they felt about their leadership and whether they enjoy working at CAP, there was a 95% positive response that indicated that employees loved to w ork for the company. 97% of the employees indicated their pride in being employed by the company, while 99% of the employees believed that the company makes a positive contribution in society (The Sunday Times b, 2013). Just as was the result at TGI Friday’s, this response from the company employees indicates that the approaches used in the human resource management of the company is appropriate. The main difference that exists between TGI Friday’s and CAP is that whereas TGI Friday’s incorporates monetary incentives in employee motivation, there is no evidence that indicates that CAP uses the same.The Human Relations ApproachCommunication at CAPIn any organization, effective communication is one of the factors that contribute towards an improvement in employee performance. Communication often depends on the structure of the organization. Hierarchical organizational structures are characterized by vertical communication channels, where employees pass information to managers through their immediate bosses (Adeogun, 2009). On the other hand, adhocratic organizations are characterized by horizontal communication channels, where employees are free to address top managers in case they need to pass across a certain message (Ulrich et al., 2008). The structure at CAP is adhocratic, based on the fact that senior managers and employees interact to share information that id positive for the organization’s progress. Not only does this reduce the channels through which information it passed, but also motivates employees by providing them with a sense of belonging (Armstrong, 2008). They are also motivated to contribute more towards the organization because they know that their opinions and ideas matter. Effective communication at CAP was demonstrated in 2012 where there was a restructure of client service teams in the organization. When staff members that had been adversely affected by the reshuffle voiced their concerns, the original restructu ring plans were changed (The Sunday Times b, 2013). In another demonstration of effective communication at CAP, there was a Dragon’s Den-style event, where teams were established to propose improvements on the company’s operations. All the proposals were presented, and a vote was made to select those that had to be implemented immediately. Afterwards, the managers pledged that they will ensure that the suggested proposals will be implemented (The Sunday Times b, 2013). This clearly indicates that the company involves its employees in decision making.Catering for Employees’ WellbeingEnsuring that the well being of employees is catered for is another approach that CAP uses to motivate its human resource force (Meyer & Allen, 2007). According to the research that was carried out by the Sunday Times, the company has an 88% score on how effectively it addresses the wellbeing of its employees. One of the ways in which the company addresses the wellbeing of its employe es is through setting aside a full day every year, referred to as the wellbeing day. On this day, employees are informed on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle, encouraged to use the staff gym. Several group exercises are also carried out (Christians Against Poverty, 2013). Another approach that is used to address the wellbeing of employees is through organizing motivational talks to empower them. Matt Barlow, the chief executive director of CAP, gives regular motivational speeches to the company’s staff members, which mainly aim at inspiring them to attain their potential in life while at the same time ensuring that they adhere to their moral principles (The Sunday Times b, 2013). This has increased the faith that employees have in him and the company. When employees are aware that the company is concerned about their well being, there is an increased likelihood for them to be more committed to the organization (Orlitzky & Frenkel, 2005).IncentivesAs opposed to TGI Fridayâ⠂¬â„¢s where employees are provided with monetary incentives in form of bonuses and salary increments, the incentives that employees at CAP get are usually in form of free drinks and fruits, a cycle to work program and being provided with free sports facilities (The Sunday Times b, 2013). There is also a program where employees are nominated by managers for awards, depending on their performance. When employees make contributions that are beyond what is expected of them, they are recognized and awarded. Far from financial rewards that are given in most companies, the rewards that are given at CAP include meals, cinema tickets or chocolates. The annual salary of a caseworker in the company is at ?21,164, of which employees believe is a reasonable pay for their efforts (Christians Against Poverty, 2013). Being a not for profit organization, this explains the fact that there are no incentives in form of financial reward. Relevance of the Human Relations and Scientific management in the 21st Century To establish how relevant these approaches of human resource management are in the present-day organizational environment, it is vital to have an understanding of the principles that govern them. The scientific management approach has four core principles (Taylor, 2013). The first is referred to as the replace rule of thumb work approaches. These approaches have to be arrived at by carrying out a scientific study. The second principle is that every employee in the organization ought to be scientifically selected, trained and developed, as opposed to letting them train themselves with work experience. The third principle is that managers ought to cooperate with employees so as to ensure that they are strictly adhering to the operational methods that have been scientifically developed. The fourth principle is that work ought to be equally divided between workers and managers to allow managers to apply the principles of scientific management to plan duties for workers (Taylor, 2013). Cr itics of this approach of management argue that it increases work monotony and reduces avenues through which employees could provide feedback to their managers (Ulrich et al., 2008). However, there is still relevance of this approach in present-day human resource management. One of the principles that are still applicable is that employees ought to be scientifically selected, trained and developed by organizations (Taylor, 2013). Even present-day organizations have certain criteria that they use in selection and recruitment of their employees, and also emphasize on training them so as to make them more capable in executing their responsibilities (Bratton & Gold, 2012). The human relations approach to management is based on three underlying principles (Thompson, 2011). The first principle is decentralization, where hierarchy that is often employed in classical management is replaced with providing employees with greater autonomy. The second is participatory decision making, where employees ought to be involved in the decision-making process of the organization. The third principle is that managers need to develop employees that are self-motivated (Thompson, 2011). This management approach is supportive of an organizational structure that is adhocratic (horizontal), and against the hierarchical organizational structure. Given that present-day organizations are becoming less hierarchical and more horizontal, it can be thus stated that the human relations approach to management is quite relevant in the 21st century (Ulrich et al., 2008). In regard to whether not-for-profit organizations and organizations that aim to maximize their profits need to apply different management approaches, this is quite debatable. Whilst the objectives of these organizations might differ, it is vital for both to ensure that their employees are motivated and efficient. The main aspect that may differentiate not for profit organizations with the profitable ones is that while employees in not for profit organizations may not prioritize monetary incentives, those in profitable companies expect such incentives to be incorporated in their motivation strategies. Conclusion As aforementioned in this study, human resources are the most important assets owned by any organization. Therefore, human resource managers ought to use people management strategies that motivate employees to increase their contribution towards attaining organizational goals. Two main approaches to people management have been addressed here. These are the scientific management approach and the human relations approach. Explanation of these approaches has been done by comparing management approaches in two organizations ranked among the top 100 companies to work for in the UK. One of the companies, TGI Friday’s, is a profit oriented company, while other, CAP is a not for profit organization. Similarities and differences that exist in the human resource management approaches of these companies have been highlighted in this report. In establishing the relevance of scientific management and the human relations approach of management, future research should carry out a more in-dep th analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of both in the present-day organizational environment. References Adeogun, J., 2009. Monetary Motivation, Performance and Job Satisfaction. New York: ILEAD Academy. Armstrong, M., 2008. Strategic Human Resource Management: A Guide to Action. London: Kogan Page. Aula, P. & Siira, K., 2010. Organizational Communication and Conflict Management Systems: A Social Complexity Approach. Nordicom Review, 31, pp.125-41. Bloisi, W., 2007. An Introduction to Human Resource Management. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill Education. Bratton, J. & Gold, J., 2012. Human Resource Management: Theory and Practice (5th edition). London: Palgrave. Christians Against Poverty, 2013. About Us. [Online] Available at: https://www.capuk.org/ [Accessed 20 February 2014]. Clutterbuck, D., 2003. Managing work-life balance: a guide for HR in achieving organizational and individual change. London: Chartered Institute Of Personal Development. Marchington, M. & Wilkinson, A., 2005. Human Resource Management at Work: People Management and Development. London: CIPD. Martin, P., 2013. TGI Friday’s MD: my people management secrets. [Online] Available at: http://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/hr/features/1078162/tgi-fridays-md-people-management-secrets [Accessed 20 February 2014]. Meyer, J.P. & Allen, N.J., 2007. A three-component conceptualization of organizational commitment: Some methodological considerations. Human Resource Management Review, 1, pp.61-98. Miner, J.B., 2005. Organizational Behavior: Essential theories of motivation and leadership. New York: M.E. Sharpe. Orlitzky, M. & Frenkel, S., 2005. Alternative pathways to high-performance workplaces. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 16(8), pp.1325-48. Taylor, F.W., 2013. Scientific management. New York: Routledge. TGI Friday’s, 2014. About Us. [Online] Available at: http://www.tgifridays.co.uk/ [Accessed 20 February 2014]. The Sunday Times a, 2013. The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies. [Online] Available at: http://features.thesundaytimes.co.uk/public/best100companies/live/template [Accessed 20 February 2014]. The Sunday Times b, 2013. 100 best Not for Profit Companies. [Online] Available at: http://features.thesundaytimes.co.uk/public/best100companies/live/template [Accessed 20 February 2014]. Thompson, J.D., 2011. Organizations in action: Social science bases of administrative theory. California: Transaction Publishers. Ulrich, D., Younger, J. & Brockbank, W., 2008. The twenty-first-century HR organization. Human Resource Management, 47, pp.829-50. Wright, B.E., Moynihan, D.P. & Pandey, S.K., 2012. Pulling the Levers: Transformational Leadership, Public Service, Motivation, and Mission Valence. Public Administration Review, 72(2), p.206–215.

Teen Pregnancy Essays (489 words) - Human Development, Midwifery

Teen Pregnancy Essays (489 words) - Human Development, Midwifery Teen Pregnancy Teenage Pregnancy The Truth About Teen Pregnancy Although the rate of teenage pregnancy in the United States has declined greatly within the past few years, it is still an enormous problem that needs to be addressed. These rates are still higher in the 1990's than they were only a decade ago. The United State's teenage birthrate exceeds that of most other industrialized nations, even though American teenagers are no more sexually active than teenagers are in Canada or Europe. (Gormly 348) Recent statistics concerning the teen birthrates are alarming. About 560,000 teenage girls give birth each year. Almost one-sixth of all births in the United States are to teenage women are to teenage women. Eight in ten of these births resulted from unintended pregnancies. (Gormly 347) By the age of eighteen, one out of four teenage girls will have become pregnant. (Newman 679) Although the onset of pregnancy may occur in any teenager, some teens are at higher risk for unplanned pregnancy than others. Teenagers who become sexually active at an earlier age are at a greater risk primarily because young teenagers are less likely to use birthcontrol. African-American and Hispanic teenagers are twice as likely to give birth as are white teenagers. Whites are more likely to have abortions. Teenagers who come from poor neighborhoods and attend segregated schools are at a high risk for pregnancy. Also, teenagers who are doing poorly in school and have few plans for the future are more likely to become parents than those who are doing well and have high educationsl and occupational expectations. Although the rate of teenage pregnancy is higher among low- income African-Americans and Hispanics, especially those in inner city ghettoes, the number of births to teenagers is highest among white, nonpoor young women who live in small cities and towns. (Calhoun 309) In addition to the question of which teenagers become pregnant, interest is shown in the social consequences of early parenthood. Adolescent pare nts (mostly mothers) may find that they have a lost or limited opportunity for education. (Johnson 4) The higher a woman's level of education, the more likely she is to postpone marriage and childbearing. Adolescents with little schooling are often twice as likely as those with more education to have a baby bafore their twentieth birthday. Some 58% of young women in the United States who receive less than a high school education give birth by the time they are twenty years old, compared with 13% of young women who complete at least twelve years of schooling. (Tunick 11) Teens who become pregnant during high school are more likely to drop out. (Calhoun 310) A teen mother leaves school because she cannot manage the task of caring for a baby and studying, and a teen father usually chooses a job over school so that he can pay bills and provide for his child. (Johnson 4) Teen mothers usually have fewer