State of Racism and Gender Discrimination - 3437 Words

State of Racism and Gender Discrimination What is discrimination? Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of a different person or groups of people based on certain characteristics. In the United States there are seven protected characteristics or classes that are defined by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination Employment Act, and the American Disabilities Act that can not be discriminated against: race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, and disability. This paper focuses on two of the protected classes: race and gender discrimination. What is racism? Racism (also known as discrimination against a race or races) is a belief that all members of one racial group have superior characteristics or†¦show more content†¦These requirements are important to becoming a fire fighter and many argue that they are more than necessary. However, this does not mean that the fire department does not want to work with women. It is just the policy to set the standards high. Another interesting example: A male employee was fired by his employer because he refused to work at night (â€Å"Small Business Encyclopedia† 2002). This company had a policy saying that women did not have to work at night because the company was located in a high crime area. The male employees had to work the night shifts for the company, while the women employees did not. The male employee in question filed a suit under Title VII against his employer claiming sexual discrimination. The company claimed that several female employees would qui t if they were forced to work at night. The company also claimed the policy was a bona fide occupational qualification (BFOQ). This case is interesting because BFOQ can be used as a defense to allow certain discrimination. BFOQ is an exception provided by Title VII for jobs that require a specific religion, sex, national origin, or age as a reasonable necessity for normal operations of a business. Although BFOQ applies to the fire department qualifications, the courts deemed that the company who asked only its male workers to take the night-shift was could not use BFOQ as a valid defense (â€Å"Small BusinessShow MoreRelatedSexism And Racism : Racism And Prejudice Essay1348 Words   |  6 PagesSexism vs Racism Discrimination and prejudice have both been a major problem in our society since the idea of gender and race contacted our brains. Everyone hopes that humankind will change and treat everyone equally and fairly, but this still has yet to happen. Mankind is still treating people as minorities without a second thought. Women are still stereotyped as being too feminine for a â€Å"man’s job†, such as construction or military forces. As well as, men being considered to manly to be ableRead MoreDiscrimination : Discrimination And Discrimination1161 Words   |  5 PagesDiscrimination in U.S.A Introduction This term is utilized to highlight the contrast in treatment between individuals from diverse groups when one group is purposefully treated†¦ 1. Gender Discrimination †¢ Although gender discrimination has decreased a lot as compared to past but still the situation is far from ideal†¦ †¢ Several institutions are reluctant to give important and commanding posts to women†¦ †¢ Gender discrimination is also evident in social life of America†¦ 2. Religious DiscriminationRead MoreRacism And Racism Essay986 Words   |  4 Pagessimilarities between sexism and racism. Sexism occurs when a person’s gender or sex is used as the basis for discriminating. Females are more susceptible to sexism although males are also susceptible. Sexual harassment and rape are examples of extreme cases of sexism. Racism occurs when people of a particular race or ethnicity are discriminated against or made to feel inferior. The primary outcome of the paper after comparison is to determine most dehumanizing act between racism and sexism. The first similarityRead MoreRacial Inequality797 Words   |  4 PagesRacial inequality is regrettably imbedded in the history of the United States. Americans like to think of the American colonies as the start or founding of the quest for freedom, initially, the ending of religious oppression and later political and economic liberty. Yet, from the start, the fabric of American society was equally founded on brutal forms of supremacy, inequality and oppression which involved the absolute denial of freedom for slaves. This is one of the great paradoxes of American historyRead MoreThe Power of Unintentional Discrimination Essay741 Words   |  3 PagesRacism and sexism are both examples of discrimination that happen daily in contemporary society. Unfortunatel many instances of discrimination go unnoticed and unchecked because the society, more specifically the United States, is supposedly past the era of discriminatory practices in work, education and day to day living. In fact, rac ism and sexism can be unintentional as well as intentional and good people who mean well can inadvertently say things that are racist and sexist and homophobic (RothenbergRead MoreEssay on Defining Racial Discrimination?775 Words   |  4 PagesFor discrimination to occur both power and prejudice need to come together, forming barriers that oppress a person or group of people deemed inferior. Discrimination can be intentional or unintentional. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines racism, as the belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities, and produces an inherent superiority of a particular race. Racial discrimination refers to discriminatory actions based on race or skin color. Racial discrimination canRead MoreOthello - shakespeare and saxs film adaptation923 Words   |  4 PagesWilliam Shakespeare’s Othello and Geoffrey Sax’s film Othello. This reflection is established through the two ideas of racism and the inequality between genders. The context of a text plays an essential role as it is the way in which the composers convey their message and this is done effectively as both composers are conveying an important message about racism and gender inequality. Racism is a theme that is prominently evident throughout Shakespeares Othello. Through this theme, there are several perceptionsRead MoreSexism And Racism Essay1301 Words   |  6 PagesAllison Price English 3 12 August 2017 MLA Sexism and Racism within the American Judicial System There is blatant sexism and racism within the American Judicial System shown by a lack of convictions and inconsistent sentencing. Despite many small steps forward towards equality, injustice and systemic racism still find their way into the cases and verdicts we hear on the news every day. The battle for racial and gender equality is a fight that’s been fought diligently for centuries and while stepsRead MoreRacism : A Social Construct1593 Words   |  7 Pagesaffected by implicit biases, prejudices and discrimination based on my race, however my socioeconomic class, gender and my sexual orientation are significant forces of my social identity that not only define who I am, but are interconnected in the way I am and have been oppressed. Albeit racism has an impact on all of our lives in the US, however; it’s the intersectionality of the other social identity forces that when they are interacting with racism, they manifest many forms of social oppressionRead MoreRace, Gender And Age Discrimination896 Words   |  4 PagesRace, Gender and Age Discrimination in America America’s motto is based upon a strong belief of freedom and liberty for all, but does everyone truly receive these benefits? When looking in America’s past one sees that these perfect ideals are hardly met by historical records of discrimination and racism throughout the past. Although not as ambiguous, the following show that race, gender inequality and discrimination still pose issues in America’s culture and are prevalent in today’s society Most

NASA’s Love Triangle Approach Free Essays

In the workplace, consensual personal activities of individuals always affect the working relationship in undesirable ways. Often intimate relationships between co-workers emit preferential treatment at its best and discriminatory acts at its worst. Although Title VII does not declare intimate relationships in the workplace as an immoral, unethical and distasteful act, enough room for discrimination often produce a resultant effect when persons are disadvantaged due to a preferential treatment of another. We will write a custom essay sample on NASA’s Love Triangle Approach or any similar topic only for you Order Now There is a potential for hostility when widespread favoritism exists between male and female employees. In a professional working relationship, the workplace would be ideally free from intimate relationships to prohibit favoritism and thereby banning nepotism. Office romances though are not illegal and discriminatory given the increased amount of time spent together by co-workers giving value to their work. However, work is a serious business and management requires workers to act rationally while doing their job. This phenomenon should be a cause for concern when personal issues interfere with work-related issues. The three-way love triangle situation between Lisa Nowak, Bill Oefelein and Corlean Shipman threaten the traditional ideas of anti-nepotism and non-fraternization in the workplace. NASA capitalizes on its human workforce to proffer its interests. Although it’s governing code of conduct according to NASA’s Shana Dale upon interview (Orlando Sentinel, 2007) do not necessarily insisted regulations that guard and meddle on astronauts and other federal employee’s personal lives. No matter how we try to justify this explanation for NASA’s lapses I continue to insist that American companies have a natural desire to keep personal relationships at bay in the workplace in the face of corporate dilemmas over discrimination and harassments. Often management sees that relationships within the company lead to a conflict of interests and inefficiency resulting from spending time and energy on non-work related activities (Avelenda, 1998: 691). Under the guise of protecting employees from claims of sexual harassment, policies would often widen to informally restrict fraternization and intra-organizational intimate interaction. It was therefore a shock to learn how NASA completely disregarded the personal lives of its employees. Astronauts are usually subjected to stringent rules and equally invasive medical procedures. Nowak no doubt had undergone extensive medical and psychological examinations if protocols were followed prior and after her July 4, 2006 on the STS-121 mission which included a trip to the International Space Station according to NASA (2006). Her NASA bio declared her as a flight engineer with a rank of captain who logged almost 13 days in space and garnered the honor as the first Italian American in space. Her confrontation with a fellow NASA employee who was reportedly a rival for the affections of another space shuttle pilot definitely exhibits her gullibility to submit to effects of an emotional strain that is aggravated by strained relationships. NASA’s lapses in the face of the current situation involving the triangle love affair of their employees indicated the organization’s past disinterest over interpersonal issues involving their own working family. NASA has forgotten that Nowak at the age 43 and likely at the prime of her life after her shuttle trip last summer may have felt a bleak end to her career as an astronaut whose second and third spaceflights would be tough to get after space shuttles are scheduled for retirement in 2010(Orlando Sentinel, Feb.,2007). Bouts of depression are also not uncommon to astronauts who come home and are considered as heroes and overachievers. To recall, Edwin â€Å"Buzz† Aldrin as the second man to step on the moon after Neil Armstrong had alcohol problems after their successful return from their mission. NASA has therefore dismissed the complexities of an unpredictable human emotional response in the face of scientific calculable predictability. In response to Nowak’s arrest NASA should review the procedures involved in their psychological evaluations. The military have been instrumental in submitting their personnel particularly pilots for psychological intervention following extraordinary stress like divorce or deaths in the family (Christian Science Monitor; September, 2004). NASA may not have been helpful on this aspect. They may have forgotten how catastrophic consequences are brought about by a human element of error. It would therefore be beneficial for NASA and its employees to understand the stress of working in the space program and at least delegate focus on the personal relationships among its astronauts. Mccurdy (1999) once said that astronauts, like police officers, treat their profession as a way of life, not just a job. Despite any self-discipline, astronauts are enjoined to focus on their goals and keep on pursuing such goals which was seen in Nowak’s single-minded pursuit against a foe. It would help NASA if it should also establish protocols and policies that treat the grievances of their own personnel. A professional independent body that provides proper psychological help and emotional assistance and counseling for its personnel should be made available for its employees. This body’s aim is for the recognition of possible emotional and psychological trauma experience by its key personnel without being used to leverage employment standing in the organization. Any official involvement into the diagnosis and treatment would alert and divert employee-patients away from the program. Secondly, NASA must also work to regulate workplace fraternizing relationships through a less authoritative disapproval of intra-organizational romance. This would be properly implemented when put into writing for NASA to be able to eliminate its involvement in the future as an employer liability. Further, when inter-organizational romance and sexual relationships are frowned upon naturally, the well-discipline NASA astronauts would be consistent in their efforts to refrain from intimate relationships with their co-workers. Another alternative also is for NASA to require employees to report any consensual relationships within its initiation and aftermath through the proper human relations body. In the face of the current scenario between Lisa Nowak, Bill Oefelein and Corlean Shipman, given the organization’s growing exposure and in conjunction with being held liable for its apparent disregard for the well-being of its employees; I feel that NASA has an ethical and moral responsibility to support Nowak through her misdemeanor and refrain from painting her faults and deviant behavior. After all, Bill Oefelein seemingly exercised his dominion by maintaining two romantic relationships at the same time with two different women in the same organization thereby causing trouble for both. To restrict this trend, it would serve NASA if Oefelein should face a temporary suspension as well. Corlean Shipman is entirely the innocent party and ould not benefit any organizing body to involve her in any internal disciplinary measure that Oefelien shall face. Lisa Nowak is already facing criminal charges and yet, NASA is duty-bound to support her through this ordeal after all it has been remiss in its duties towards its employees and the whole scientific community and the public. Society must therefore scrutinize the various policies involve in National scientific and military organizations and regulate the intimate relationships of employees within their organization. This is to ensure that employees are not placed in an unnecessary position that requires them to choose between duty and relationship to enhance productivity and protect them from any emotional turmoil. Title VII may not be so keen on fraternization within official work and duty but somehow this has provided an avenue for harassment and discrimination in the past (Avelenda, 693). NASA as a healthy organization geared towards training personnel for space excellence must also recognize the full potential of allowing people to deal with their emotional problems with the assistance and help of independent human relations services that provide psychological evaluation, treatment and counseling for personnel particularly the ones who are involved in missions. Works Cited Willoughby, Mariano, Cabbage, M., Lundy, S. and Hunt, A. (2007).The Orlando Sentinel. February 7. Avelenda, Saily M. (1998).Comment: Love and Marriage in the American Workplace: Why No-Spouse Policies Don’t Work. PA. J. LAB. ; EMP. 691, 693 . United States. NASA. (2006) Astronaut Biography: Lisa Nowak. Accessed : 04 April, 2007 http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/nowak.html Editorial. (2004). Anyone Ever Prepared To Kill? Christian Science Monitor Magazine, September 29. McCurdy, Howard. (1999). Space and the American Imagination, new ed.   Smithsonian. ; How to cite NASA’s Love Triangle Approach, Essay examples

Clinical Quality Indicators in Pain Management

Question: Discuss about the Clinical Quality Indicators in Pain Management. Answer: Introduction The report brings into highlight the topic of post-operative pain assessment and management. Pain is a common part of almost all surgical procedures. The pain may be acute which subsides after sometime or it may be chronic which persist for long time. If this pain is not managed accurately, it may lead to adverse physical and psychological outcome both for patient as well as family members. This report provides information about three current-evidence on the topic and gives an analysis of the situation. It will also describe the challenges that one can face in implementing research finding into research practice setting and recommend solutions to the gap found in research or practice. Evidence for current practice on post-operative pain assessment and management Magidy et al., (2015) studied about the experience of post-operative pain management among hospitalized patients in Swedish health care. The health clinic engaged patient in the process and took feedback from patients regarding the quality of pain management. It mainly compared the experience of acutely and electively admitted patients who had soft-tissue surgery. A multi-dimensional tool called Strategic and Clinical Quality Indicators in pain management (SCQIP) was used to assess patients experience and this feedback was taken before discharge from hospital. The questionnaire consisted of four aspects such as patients perspective about pre-operative knowledge of pain, level of post-operative care and treatment for post-operative pain in the hospital, patient involvement in care and equipments and facilities given for relief. Among 160 participants consisting of acutely admitted and electively admitted patients, who gave rating for quality of pain management, it was found that poor rating was given for pain management compared to electively admitted patients. There is a need to enhance post-operative care so that no patient experience poor post-operative care. Current evidence on post-operative pain management and treatment suggest that suboptimal outcome will persist as long as health clinic do not take guidance from best scientific research. Bott et al (2014) explained that incorporation of algorithm derived from best evidenced based practice may help in improving the quality of pain assessment. The study mainly focused on creating an algorithm for patients with total hip replacement surgery. In association with experienced physicians, the focus of the group was to develop an algorithm that supports pain management decisions. It was also necessary to identify barriers and enablers in implementation algorithm. The first step was to identify the issues in pain management such as practice of prescribing analgesics and creating an analgesic guideline specific to total knee replacement patients. Prevalence and intensity of pain was judged by interview with patients. A pharmacological pain treatment survey was also done to determine the types of analgesics given prior to hospitalization, intra-operatively and 24 hour prior to interview. This helped in identifying the need to change current practices and develop accurate guideline according to intensity of pain and their impact on daily living. One study provided details on nurses experience of post-operative pain assessment and how it influenced their pain management decisions. The common barrier that interferes with high quality of pain-management in nursing practice includes shortage of staff, high workloads and lack of skills in pain assessment. It was found that quality of pain assessment depends a lot on competence of nurses. However, poor outcome was mainly seen because of variation in pain assessment skills and lack of interpretation of pain in patients. It is also important to assess pain score and reassess pain after administration of medications. However, many nurses do not reassess patients leading to poor pain management. Hence, nurses ability to assess pain varied and this affected the accuracy of the process. It is necessary to enhance their skill and prevent delay in pain by keeping novice nurse under the supervision of competent nurse (Chatchumni et al., 2016). Situational analysis on practices of pain management The evidence from current literature revealed that inaccuracy in pain management and assessment continue to exist despite several tools and support available to enhance post-operative care. Common form of barrier include lack of competence skill among nurses to manage pain, absence of appropriate framework or guideline to implement pain assessment process and difference in care given to acutely and selectively admitted patients. It is critical to address the gap in implementing best-evidence based care in pain management and assessment. If overlooked, this situation may lead to hazardous health complications like delayed healing, pneumonia, persistence of chronic pain, infection, pneumonia and other health issues. Current progress on quality of pain assessment suggests it is extremely important that accurate pain management practice is implemented in hospital setting (Hudson et al., 2015). Challenges in implementing pain management practices From situational analysis on the topic, it can be said that challenges in implementing pain management practices occur mainly because of lack of competence among nurses, lack of adherence to pain management guidelines, inefficient communication skill to interpret patients pain. Apart from this type of assessment differ according to age of patients. There may be difference in the pain management of infants and adults and so gap in knowledge in this area lead to poor outcome (Kuusniemi Pyhi, 2016). Hence increased responsiveness is needed to address the gap in practice and embrace recent advances in pharmacology to enhance post-operative care. Solution to reduce research-practice gap The health care system can play a role in developing strategies to enhance post-operative pain management. They main priorities may be as follows: It is extremely important to involve patients in decisions making and educate them about pain management as many complication occurs by negligence of patients too. Secondly, it is necessary to inform patients about range of treatment and their possible outcome. Good communication of nurse or physician with patients is also important as evidence revealed that many nurse fail to interpret patients pain level which lead to poor outcome. Arrangement should be made for better professional training and increasing competence in multi-disciplinary pain management team. Optimization of treatment procedure is also essential. For example using synergistic antibiotic to target pain at different levels, adoption of patient-specific analgesia and promoting minimally invasive surgery as far as possible (Meissner et al., 2015). Restructure the organization may also help to enhance pain management by implementing best guidelines for practice, making pain services available throughout the day, imposing adherence to protocol among medical team and following recent technological advance to provide care (Joshi et al., 2014). Reference Botti, M., Kent, B., Bucknall, T., Duke, M., Johnstone, M. J., Considine, J., ... Cohen, E. (2014). Development of a Management Algorithm for Post-operative Pain (MAPP) after total knee and total hip replacement: study rationale and design.Implementation Science,9(1), 1. Chatchumni, M., Namvongprom, A., Eriksson, H., Mazaheri, M., Avdelningen Vrd och Omvrdnad, Rda Korsets Hgskola. (2016). Thai nurses experiences of post-operative pain assessment and its influence on pain management decisions.BMC Nursing,15doi:10.1186/s12912-016-0136-8 Hudson, B. F., Ogden, J., Whiteley, M. S. (2015). Randomized controlled trial to compare the effect of simple distraction interventions on pain and anxiety experienced during conscious surgery.European Journal of Pain,19(10), 1447-1455. Joshi, G. P., Schug, S. A., Kehlet, H. (2014). Procedure-specific pain management and outcome strategies.Best Practice Research Clinical Anaesthesiology,28(2), 191-201. Kuusniemi, K., Pyhi, R. (2016). Present-day challenges and future solutions in postoperative pain management: results from PainForum 2014.Journal of pain research,9, 25. Magidy, M., Warrn-Stomberg, M., Bjers, K., Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gteborgs universitet, . . . Institute of Health and Care Sciences. (2015). Assessment of post-operative pain management among acutely and electively admitted patients - a swedish ward perspective.Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice,Epub ahead of print Meissner, W., Coluzzi, F., Fletcher, D., Huygen, F., Morlion, B., Neugebauer, E., ... Pergolizzi, J. (2015). Improving the management of post-operative acute pain: priorities for change.Current Medical Research and Opinion,31(11), 2131-2143.

Updated PC Industry Essay Example

Updated PC Industry Paper Since the emergence of PCs primarily as desktops in the ass and ass, the industry has seen reduce expansion innovation, in the form of laptops, notebooks, and net books. Growth was increased by lowered prices and expanding technology and the industry roared through the early sass. 2010 saw the arrival of the pad which gained significant ground for tablets which actually have been In the PC market since the ass. In 2011 came another category of laptops called ultra books which were ultra- thin, lightweight, and high-performance. It has yet to be seen how the market will shift again In coming years based on new Innovations as well as substitutes Like marathoner. So just how competitive has the PC industry been globally over the years? The total shipments (in millions) by PC manufactures from 2000 to 2011 have increased greatly. In 2000, we saw total shipments of PCs increase from 128. MM to 352. MM in 2011. That is a 174. 2% growth over that time span. Worldwide PC revenue has increased in that same period from $251 billion in 2000 to $329 billion in 2011. With the PC industry expected to grow as new innovations and products come along, the 201 5 estimate in global revenue for the industry is around $383 billion. On the reface, these numbers look very attractive and appealing to potential competitors. But, Its Important to take In account the costs the industry Incur and how revenue and volume growth have slowed down. The PC Industry Is very price competitive. Firms and manufactures are looking for ways to lower prices and lower costs while increasing volume growth. The industry has a very low average profitability. We will write a custom essay sample on Updated PC Industry specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Updated PC Industry specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Updated PC Industry specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer By 2011, the average PC manufactures net profit margin was 5%. For example, in 2009 Hips PC business was the lowest operating business segment in the entire company. Selling at an average price of $1323. 0 per Mac, Apple gained a profit of $370. 55 for every Mac sold. Compare that to the average selling price per PC for HP of $650 with a gained profit of only $52. Even though HP sold 5 times as many PC units as Apple in IQ of 2009, Apples price discipline proved to be superior to that of HP which has led to Apple becoming one of the most valued companies. The PC industry is very competitive and cutthroat. In Just the 21st century alone we have seen the market share leader change four times. Compact led the sass market until HP acquired the company In short time after. HP led the market share In 2002 at 16%. A back and forth fight occurred over the next couple of years between HP and Dell eventually leaving HP as king of the Hill. That is of course until the most recent years have seen ten reels AT Leno. I en essences Dates company NAS a 1 % market snare as AT 2 slightly better than HP. Dell and Acre account for the other two top PC vendors as these four companies combined to make up 53. % of the worldwide shipments in 2011. China became one of the largest and fastest growing PC markets in the world. The fact that Leno has a 35% share in this market can explain its increasing presence in the world market. The Leno market share leadership doesnt come as a surprise when one looks at the statistics for PCs in-use for the main regions of the world. The sass showed North America with a slig ht lead in units of PCs in-use with just fewer than 200 million. That quickly changed in 2008 through 2011 as Asia-Pacific became the outright leader in PC units. Estimations have the Asian Pacific region to use more than 800 million units by 2015. That is more than twice the next leading region. How attractive is the PC industry? Early Years An analysis of the PC industry requires the use of Michael Porters Five Forces model o help understand the profit potential of the PC industry and how firms can position themselves to gain and sustain competitive advantage. The rule of thumb is that that stronger the forces, the lower the industrys profit potential. This makes this industry less attractive. Lets take a look at the PC industrys early years related to the first force, Threat of Entry. Threat of Entry In the early years of the PC Industry, IBM was the dominant force. The threat of entry was low at this time. But, as the combination of Windows SO and the Intel microprocessor became the standard (Winter), the threat of entry increased attracted. Vims system was relatively open and easy for producers to copy. This was seen when the thousands of manufactures built their own PCs. Capital requirements to enter were low because of the standard model. Michael Dell formed Dell in the early ass out of his dorm room. The products were also not differentiated. There were relatively little exits barriers as well. In the early years when a company wasnt profitable, it had no problem dropping out of the market as seen with the thousands of manufactures funneling only to a handful. Finally, no dominate brands or players were established yet. IBM PC like clones controlled most of the market share in the ass. For these reasons there was a moderate threat of entry. The Power of Buyers The power of the buyer in early years was moderate to high. The sass brought more knowledgeable PC consumers including individual and group buyers. One of the main buyers are corporate buyers, or buyers buying for large companies. These consumers were very price sensitive meaning they were usually looking for good deals and the lowest price. These types of buyers plus large businesses, governments, and schools buy computers in large volumes which gave them a lot of rower to Darnel on prices. Selecting costs Ana Drain loyalty to Tells Like Apple were in the early stages of being established. Also direct sale to consumer from manufactures and the white box channel became popular and increased the power or the buyer. The Power of Suppliers Suppliers to the PC industry were either those that made products with many sources or those that made products with few sources. The latter type of suppliers, producers of microprocessors and operating systems, had a high bargaining power. The two chief firms that produced these products were Intel and Microsoft, especially. Intel commanded almost 80% of the PC CPU market share. In the early years, they had a lot to say on setting prices, costs, etc. Even with emerging competitors, Intel has remained the market leader in microprocessors with a recognizable brand, economies of scale, and state of the art technology. Like Intel, Microsoft has dominated the SO market. About 85-90% of all PCs ran on some version of Windows in the late 20th century. Both Intel and Microsofts dominating presence in the early years started with MOM, but quickly shifted to the Winter era of the ass. With thousands of manufactures using these two companies mainly, its easy to see why the bargaining power of these two suppliers is so high. Substitutes were few and their product was important to the input of the buyers product. Threat of Substitutes The threat of substitutes in the PC industry during the early years was relatively low. PCs as desktops were innovative and monumental for their time. There was nothing else quite like it. The demand for the Internet, lower prices for products, and expanding capabilities for PCs all supported the fact that threats of substitutes for he PC industry was low. With this technology and innovation being relatively new, it isnt often that substitutes start being produced in the early years. Its when the market is in the mature stage that substitutes become popular. This is seen with Smartness and other SEC today. Though, the PC industry did adapt to changes by creating new products themselves such as the emergence of laptops. Rivalry Among Competing Firms With almost every industry comes intense and cutthroat competition. Especially in the early years, companies are Jockeying for strategic position and competition advantage. From the thousands of manufactures using the cloned IBM PC emerged a select few firms who went on to be the market leaders that found a winning formula. As we will see later though, that formula may not always be profitable in the long- run. The competition is cutthroat because of the slow growth, lowering of prices, and innovation of products from certain firms. Its the competition of price that especially makes the competition in this industry so intense. PC Analysis In ten Later stages As time went on, the industry seemed to be slowing down a little bit. The decade starting in the early sasss saw a slowing volume growth, which was followed by a slowing revenue growth. As mentioned in the case, the average selling prices (ASP) of the PCs declined by a compound annual rate of 8-10% per year from the early sasss through 2005 (page 5). Most of the companies in the industry had to reduce costs in other places, most of them turning to reduced R funding to combat the tougher times. To move further in the industries age, the ASP for the PC dropped 25% in a 3- year span from 2008-2009. Http:,/. NP. N. R. N. Satanist. Mom/chart/1766/global- PC- mind gusty-continues-downward rd-trend/ This downturn forced companies to start looking outside of the box for new and improved products that would drive revenues up and get consumers once again excited for portable computers. Right around the time of the economic downturn in 2009, lightweight mini notebooks were made. They made a huge first impression, as more than 40 million notebooks sold in 2009(peg. 5). However, these notebooks didnt lead the market for too long, as in 2010 the pad was released and dramatically reduced the sale of the mini notebooks. Threats of Outside Competition During the later stages of the PC industry, the outside competition has decreased dramatically. Many of the smaller companies that were trying to succeed in the early days realized they wouldnt be able to cut it, and that is why now you only have your handful of companies that are still on top of the industry. Leno, Dell, HP, and Acre accounted for over 50% of the shipments in 2011, showing that most of the market space Is already occupied Dye ten Log cogs. Apple only NAS roughly AT ten market shares as a PC manufacturer in 2011, showing how difficult in can be. Threat of Substitutes There are many threats that have popped up when looking in the later stages of the industry. Instead of only having online capabilities on a PC,you can now browse the web on your phone, Pad, or even small gaming systems. Anything can be used to search the web, therefore making for the number of substitutes to rise. If the price of one PC is too high for a consumer, there are multiple ways of which he can accomplish what he needs. Whether you need to take notes for a class or stream a movie, almost any smart device in todays world will have the capabilities. There is definitely a rivalry between the big PC producing firms. In this cutthroat environment, everyone is trying to come out with the magic formula that will increase efficiency, lower costs, and ultimately produce a better product for the consumer. The follow the leader system seems to be in place, as companies routinely copy the past successes and try to make small adjustments to make their product rare and hard to imitate. The Power of The Buyer The buyer continues to have much power when it comes to the PC industry. Consumers know what they want as well as what price they are willing to pay. As reviewed in the substitute part, consumers can find what they need almost nowhere, so in order for a company to be profitable in this industry, it must come out with innovative items at a reasonable price that consumers feel is fair. The competitive advantages that companies create verses others are the reasons as to those companies that succeed rather than fail. Firms Profitability in the PC Industry As seen in exhibit 5 below, the main operating measures seem to be varied between the different companies. Apples gross margins have increased from 21% to 41% during the period between 1997 and 2011. However, Dell and Hips gross margins have decreased during that same time. As apple grows, the other competitors seem to be falling behind. We believe this is because of the innovation that Apple has compared to the rest of the industry. The new ideas partnered with the following of the company allow for a great combination. The PC profits grow with apple because of the brand name along Walt ten complicatedly AT ten PC Witt toner apple evolves Tanat consumers nave. Example, everything that you do on you Apple PC can be synced with you phone. Apples Other Industries MPH Players In 2001, Apple had entered the MPH market by introducing the pod as part of their haft towards a digital hub strategy. The introduction of the pod set Apple on its explosive progression in the growth of the company. The pod separated itself from other MPH players due to its sleek and simple design and large storage. The first pod has the ability to store up to 1 ,OHO songs in your pocket while the competitors products only stored about an hour of music. The next year Apple introduced the second-generation pod which had an increased storage that could hold up to 4,000 songs. Over the next several years, Apple continued to introduce new designs and products to their pod family. By partnering their innovating pod products with their exclusive tunes library and App store they have been apple to control more than 70% of the U. S. MPH market. The market for Amps is a much more attractive market compared to the PC market due to the PCs cutthroat competition. Within the PC market, Apple is in competition with four large competitors which accounted for almost 54% of shipments worldwide. These four PC vendors are Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Leno, and Acre. They all have well-established positions in the market. When Apple entered the MPH market, no competitor had strong hold. Apple was able to preferential themselves with innovative products and strategies. By producing pod accessories, pod was able to sell $1 dollar in add-on products for every $3 dollars spent on an pod. Another feature that helped Apple emerge itself to the top of the MPH market was the compatibility with Windows along with its own ISO software. This compatibility helped launch the tunes Music Store which has over 10 billion songs sold as of 2010; completely changing the way music is purchased. Although the MPH market is not as competitive as the PC market, we see less total gross sales per year as other technology materializes. Smart Phone Along with entering the MPH market, Apple had entered the smart phone market in 2007 by launching the first phone. The industry for mobile phones at the time were dominated by short life cycle products with sophisticated technology that Apple had not experienced. Although the outlook to enter the mobile phone market seemed risky, Apple was able to revolutionize the entire phone market with a differentiated product. Steve Jobs was quoted saying in January of 2007 Every once in a while a revolutionary product comes along that changes everything. Today, were introducing three revolutionary products of this class. The first one is a widespread pod with touch controls. The second is a revolutionary mobile phone. And the third is a breakthrough Internet communications device. These are not three separate devices, this is one device, and we are calling it phone. In over five quarters, the original phone had over 6 million units sold with their exclusive network operator, AT. Apple would continue to develop and introduce new versions of their phone, along with changing agreements with network operators so that the phone could expand its market capacity. Four years after the first phone was launched, the reduce attributed to 44% of Apples total revenue. Parallel to the PC industry, competitors quickly gaunt on to ten revolutionary trends AT smart phones Ana software systems. Manufacturers such as Samsung, LEG, Motorola, and ETC all created their own operating systems and designed their own hardware giving them the opportunity to be considered by consumers. In 2012, the greatest threat to the Apple in the smart phone industry was developed by Google. This threat has become known as the Android platform, a platform that is open and free for other manufacturers to use. This gave Apple competitors a chance to compete with the Apples differentiated App Store. Manufacturers, such as ETC and Samsung, were able to develop phones that were very competitive and in some aspects superior to the phone all while using the Android platform. Http://commons. Wakefield. Org/wick/File:World-Wide-Smartened-Market-Share. Pang Above is a chart showing the trends of operating system market share worldwide from 2007 to 2011. In 2007, we can see the ISO market share start to increase as the phone was introduced. Recent trends have shown that the Android operating system is increasing in market share each year since Google has developed the platform. In Quarter 3 of 2011, the android platform has climbed to roughly 53% of the market. This is due the capabilities of open and free platform able to collaborate with smart phones manufactured by Apples competitors. Over the years, the intense competition within the smartened industry has led to lawsuits based on design and intellectual properties. Steve Jobs has become one of the most aggressive Coos in terms of legal action. He is quoted in saying l will spend every penny of Apples $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong. Im going to destroy Android, because its a stolen product. Im willing to go to thermonuclear war on this. They are scared to death, because they know they are guilty. Tablet I en Tanta revolutionary product Apple Ana producer silence ten Macintosh Is Known as the pad. The pad was another Apple innovation that had uncertainty in market demand before its launch. In 2010, when apple released the pad, an entirely trivial market had emerged into one of the most demanded technological markets. The market is referred to as the tablet market, which was led by the pad. In the first week on the market, the pad sold over 450,000 units. In February 2012, over 55 million nits of pads had been sold. Similar to the PC industry, Apple had an early Jump on competitors, but it was only a matter of time before competitors would catch on. In late 2010, Android based tablets had been introduced to the market to compete with Apples pad. Three main threats to the pad are manufacturers using Googles Android, Amazon using an open Android version, and Microsoft-based tablets. Amazons tablet had been able to grab 14% of the market by quarter 4 in 2011. Competition in the tablet market in 2012, is similar to the cutthroat competition seen in the smartened and PC industries.

How to Write Best Illustrative Essays For College Level

How to Write Best Illustrative Essays For College Level Illustrative Essays For College Level Any focused student would have to handle an illustration essay that appears like an art and a design. Does an illustration essay help in composing visual pictures in our books? Oh, no. However, the name sounds as if that is what the students should be doing. Some tutors refer these kinds of essays as example essays since they consider them giving an insight to readers through their detailed process on a given situation and provide more information on something. Some teachers would prefer calling them descriptive kind of essays. You might be in a dilemma on which side to follow. If this happens to you ensure your tutor clarifies to you about his/her expectations in the provided assignment. Because these types of essays dont require a thesis statement, some expert assumes they are the easiest to write. To confirm this, let students show their understanding of a given idea. However, once you go through our detailed guide on the descriptive essay, you will be in a position to get a passing mark or even higher grade. What is Meant by Illustration Essay? The descriptive essays refer to the kind of essays that will give readers knowledge on an existing situation. Sometimes it may apply to current work by scholars. Occasionally, these kinds of work seek to provide an explanation, illumination, and evidence aimed at clearing the path on a series of processes, concept, and phenomenon. For instance, the question on: What does a doctor do? Could be responded using a descriptive kind of writing. This essay would cover all the description job and details of the doctor. All of these are essential information. As seen above descriptive would be very simple. On the other hand, you might be faced with a situation where you are expected to discuss the issue of racial discrimination. In support of the viewpoint that in promotions, non-whites are rarely given promotions and their payment is way less compared to their counterparts? Write this essay using reputable sources. This is another example of an illustrative essay that seems simple, but it is complex in a way. First, you are not asked to write any thesis statement. Any acceptable essay needs to describe as well as discuss the times and life of doctors. But to have an influential essay, you need to explain in detail the duties and goals of doctors following a provided thesis statement in your introduction. In your academic life, you will notice that there are other common instances like your instructor provides you with a thesis statement and requires you to discuss or illustrate more about it. The first thing to do when given such an assignment is to single out what you are expected to do in the task. Whether you are to expand on the provided thesis statement or write your thesis, however, if you still find it difficult understanding illustrative essays, feel free to contact our experienced tutors and you will get more than help. Outline for Illustrative Essay Some students will treat an illustrative essay so simple that they will even omit writing an outline. While writing a piece, an overview is a must regardless of its complexity. In most college assignments, you will be expected to explain or describe a given phenomenon or situation. So you need to have well-organized points before you begin writing. So you should write a good outline. However, you will not have to construct such a complex framework that will be a challenge for you. Most of the frameworks you will come across are more than just glorified points noted down. Example of Outline Hook: Statistics, exciting story, fact, or anecdote in your chosen topic. Introduce your topic. Explain the significance of exploring your topic further would be essential. Thesis statement. The first paragraph in the body: give a full illustration of your topic. In your second body paragraph: Give another significant factor explanation on your topic. Third paragraph: provide your readers with nuances and detailed information on your topic to help in harmonizing all your ideas. Conclusion: While concluding your essay, remember to restate your thesis statement but this time using a new version of the language. Mention in a laze some of your basic points you have discussed throughout your essay avoiding repetition of vocabulary. For your conclusion to be meaningful, ensure you have connected it to the more significant issue in society. Example of Illustration Essay If you ask any average citizen in the United States especially from New York on their opinion of gun control, they will suggest having strict gun control laws. However, if you ask an average citizen from Texas a similar question, you will be given an exact opposite answer. Gun control and usage have been an issue of concern in the United States for a lengthy period. Supporters and opposers of gun control have sharp points on why they support their stand on the matter. People have different opinions on whether guns in the United States keep them safe or not. One fact for sure is that gun control was once part of American society. If we take the city of New York, for instance, shooting cases in high school was common before 1969 when students used to bring guns with them to school and would turn them over either to their teacher or coach. This was just to keep teachers off their way whenever they wanted to do something. In the early days, young children would pick up their guns after school to go for a gun shooting practice peacefully without causing any confusion. Today, if a high school student brings a gun to school, there will be confusion and panic. One would wonder how things have from a peaceful society where young children would peacefully practice with firearms without posing a danger to anyone to a terror society where shootings have turned out to be the order of the day. The shift in society would be traced back to the media. The rise of video, film, and television has impacted the mental programming of both children and adults to that of violent citizens. This paper will show you how media violence has evolved and intensified over time and changed the perspective of youths on guns. Copious research shows that the relationship between exposure of citizens to violent media and violent society is directly proportional. The study further indicates that the highest risk of violence is the existence of violent electronic games that are popular in the current century. Also, Real aggressive emotions and media-stimulated experiences that are associated with the intention of revenge are significant factors of violence in both schools and violent. From the study, it was clear that the more we expose our children to violent movies like horror in their childhood times and the more they play violent electronic games, they will be more violent and uncontrollable as early as 14 years old. This study provides detailed information that shows how exposure of children to violent media during their sensitive times, when their brain is still under development would determine how they will handle stress and threats in their adulthood. Children who are constantly exposed to violent media as an acceptable means of solving conflict will have the message remain in their brain forever. That is why we find many children who are exposed to the media frequently being delinquency. It is like the constant view of violent films implant in their brain a new form of instruction that guides them throughout their life. Teenagers between 1940 and 1950s who were mostly in gun clubs in New York were never exposed to these kinds of violent films. That is why most of them were kind, non-violent and had learned better ways of solving issues when confronted with stressful situations. With them, they could only watch movies like ‘I Love Lucy and Leave it to Beaver. The two famous films of their time had no violence in them and nurtured a peaceful nation that was void of shootings. Go through all our essay examples and in any case you are stuck, ensure you have contacted our support team for assistance. Professionals have suggested that there is such a great connection between hostile behavior and violence in the media shown by youths. As a result, one could comfortably say that watching violent films in the press is the beginning of violent behavior in individuals. According to scholarly studies, exposure to violent whether online or offline is substantially associated with increased chances of violent acts shown by the youths today. Some teens even confirmed that most sites they come across have a lot of content showing people engaged in real violence. This research further shows that any form of violent whether online or offline or sometimes through video games that most youths enjoy playing would show signs of impressionable individuals. This might be simple to most of you, but the underlying reason why violent never existed in the 1950s was that some things like Purge franchise never lived. Sources that existed did not show the horrific violent like they are suffocating the current century. In the contemporary world, people who seek justice commit horrible acts like murder to those surrounding them. Unlike adults who can process and distinguish these kinds of media, youths would not do the same and would only implement what they see. They rarely differentiate between fantasy and reality in violent films. The real consequences of violent never appear to them as a crucial role to play. They seem not to have learned a lesson regarding the results of violent to them and the whole society. In the early films that were shown in the me dia, there was nothing like legal shooting; hence it was rare to find classmates shooting each other. They had nothing to trigger their mind to do such unacceptable actions in a society like taking the lives of others. In our community, potent stimulators are almost everywhere and difficult to avoid because of the way they present themselves to us. As a result, we have many cases of shooting to account for that is mainly from our youths. Another interesting study looked at the consequences of the media to the subjects from a biophysical approach. Researchers identified a particular group of individuals who had either aggressive or non-aggressive behaviors. After finding them, they then showed them violent media for a consecutive period of two years. A notable reaction was seen from biological responses was pinpointed when they were deliberately told to consume violent media. The energetic group recorded less brain activity compared to non-aggressive groups. This was observed mainly in the orbitofrontal cortex. This is a region in the human body that is responsible for all past studies and their related emotional decisions making and self-control. On the other hand, the aggressive group appeared to be more determined and inspired than when they had not watched the media. They were even nervous and less upset. This is quite funny as the aggressive group saw the violent film as something soothing and acknowledging their actions. The kind of violence that was shown to them appeared like something they are used to and liked most in their life. The movie energized them to do their aggressive actions more in the future knowing that they are right when doing so. This was a shocking discovery that showed there was a real problem when we promote violent media to the citizens and presenting it as a legitimate kind of behavior. This is because there are some people out there in the world who naturally have aggressive impulses and it will be dangerous trying to stimulate them. This will be like keeping a breed of hardcore criminals with the intention of terrorizing citizens in the future. Similarly, the study conclusion is worrying as it showed that aggression is a type of personality that develops in the nervous system as the child grows. As the child grows his behavior pattern becomes more solidified even at the adult stage when they are thought of personality. This might be the basis of existing distinct characteristics between aggressive and non-aggressive individuals and the role media plays towards motivating them to do specific actions. The summary of this study shows that media can motivate energetic people to behave aggressively. This is extremely dangerous, and the media should be cautious about it. In summary, we would say that the anger for gun control is most of the time misplaced. Instead of getting hungry for a tool that the youths use during their stressful moment, the focus should be directed towards the source of their action. There is a need to understand what triggers them to act aggressively. Throughout the paper, we have tried to demonstrate that the media is capable of influencing the youth negatively. It has the ability to teach and program them through all ugliness they see in the media that is meant to show them how to deal with frustration, depression, or anxiety. Therefore, we need to come up with alternative sources of entertainment for our children. Violence has always remained a derivative and predictable aspect resulting from the media. Thus, the need to be more vigilant on the type of content our children watches. Giving our children all the freedom of even watching violent media is a way of preparing them for antisocial behaviors soon. It will take combin ed effort to impact a reasonable change in all programmed content availed for the public for viewing. An illustrative essay will help you to present a general aspect of a given topic or situation with the use of details, interpretation, and facts. That is why most tutors prefer giving this kind of written assignments. As you write, provide enough examples in your assignment. This essay enables readers to understand the reason behind the existence of an individual situation or things. Successful illustration essay should leave readers with a deeper understanding of the subject giving them a detailed sense of clarity. Our experienced tutors have done a myriad of these essays and are fully aware of what instructors look for when they give out these assignments. In case you need help writing your piece, we have more than enough qualified writers ready to help you complete your work and get that grade you deserve.

History of the Colosseum or Flavian Amphitheater

History of the Colosseum or Flavian Amphitheater The Colosseum or Flavian Amphitheater is one of the most well-known of the ancient Roman structures because so much of it still remains. Meaning: Amphitheater comes from the Greek amphi ~ on both sides and theatron ~ semicircular viewing place or theater. An Improvement Over the Existing Design The Circus The Colosseum in Rome is an amphitheater. It was developed as an improvement over the differently shaped  but similarly used Circus Maximus, for gladiatorial combats, wild beast fights (venationes), and mock naval battles (naumachiae). Spine: Elliptical in shape, the circus had a fixed central divider called a spina down the middle, which was useful in chariot races, but got in the way during fights.Viewing: In addition, the spectators view was limited in the circus. The amphitheater put spectators on all sides of the action. Flimsy Early Amphitheaters In 50 B.C., C. Scribonius Curio built the first amphitheater in Rome to stage his fathers funeral games. Curios amphitheater and the next one, built in 46 B.C., by Julius Caesar, were made of wood. The weight of the spectators was at times too great for the wooden structure and, of course, the wood was easily destroyed by fire. Stable Amphitheater Emperor Augustus designed a more substantial amphitheater to stage venationes, but it wasnt until the Flavian emperors, Vespasian and Titus, that the enduring, limestone, brick, and marble Amphitheatrum Flavium (aka Vespasians Amphitheater) was built. The construction utilized a careful combination of types: concrete for the foundations, travertine for the piers and arcades, tufa infill between piers for the walls of the lower two levels, and brick-faced concrete used for the upper levels and for most of the vaults.Great Buildings Online - Roman Colosseum The amphitheater was dedicated in A.D. 80, in a ceremony lasting a hundred days, with the slaughter of 5000 sacrificial animals. The amphitheater may not have been finished, however, until the reign of Titus brother Domitian. Lightning damaged the amphitheater, but later emperors repaired and maintained it until the games were ended in the sixth century. Source of the Name Colosseum The medieval historian Bede applied the name Colosseum (Colyseus) to the Amphitheatrum Flavium, possibly because the amphitheater which had taken back the pond on the land Nero had devoted to his extravagant golden palace (domus aurea) stood beside a colossal statue of Nero. This etymology is disputed. Size of the Flavian Amphitheater The tallest Roman structure, the colosseum was about 160 feet high and covered about six acres. Its long axis is 188m and its short, 156m. Construction used 100,000 cubic meters of travertine (like the cella of the Temple of Hercules Victor), and 300 tons of iron for clamps, according to Filippo Coarelli in Rome and Environs. Although all the seats are gone, at the end of the 19th century, the seating potential was calculated and the figures are generally accepted. There were likely 87,000 seats in 45-50 rows inside the colosseum. Coarelli says social standing determined seating, so those rows closest to the action were reserved for the senatorial classes, whose special seats were inscribed with their names and made of marble. Women were separated at public events from the time of the earliest emperor, Augustus. The Romans probably held mock sea battles in the Flavian Amphitheater. Vomitoria There were 64 numbered doors to let spectators in and out that were called vomitoria. N.B.: Vomitoria were exits, not places spectators regurgitated the contents of their stomachs to facilitate binge eating and drinking. People vomited forth, so to speak, from the exits. Other Noteworthy Aspects of the Colosseum There were substructures under the fighting area that may have been animal dens or channels for water for or from the mock naval battles. It is hard to determine how the Romans produced venationes and naumachiae on the same day. A removable awning called velarium provided the spectators with shade from the sun. The outside of the Flavian amphitheater has three rows of arches, each built according to a different order of architecture, Tuscan (the simplest, Doric, but with an Ionic base), on the ground level, then Ionic, and then the most ornate of the three Greek orders, the Corinthian. The vaults of the Colosseum were both barrel and groined (where barrel arches intersect each other at right angles). The core was concrete, with the exterior covered in cut stone.

Journal Entry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Journal Entry - Essay Example These and many other issues have made it necessary that all stakeholders in the nursing fraternity should seek to be active when it comes to developing health regulations and policies. This is contrary to the existing scenario in which government policy makers and not healthcare professionals are developing them. With the increasing complex landscape of patient care, it is the role of the nurses and nurse leaders to devise measures of providing the required care. This is because nurses are the healthcare professionals who execute all the roles required to foster faster and better recovery of patients. Additionally, they spend the most time beside patients’ beds. One of the major ways of addressing this is by implementing the all-round foci as taught in nursing school that range from preventive care, patient communication, improving efficiency, cost containment, and more importantly preventing relapse and costly returns to healthcare institutions by the patients. In a nutshell, the nurse can only be able to implement such if they become active in developing health policies and regulations since they understand the patients’ needs and welfare than do the federal and state bodies. The landscape of patient care is expanding and varying rapidly, and efficient strategies such those m entioned can only be identified and customized for the good of patients if healthcare professionals are allowed the necessary support and freedom. Nurses should take up the challenge of being politically active because it is a sacrifice required to bring a better healthcare system into existence. Political skills are required in addition to energy, time, will, and resources of power. One way to become politically active is by providing first-person perspectives on matters healthcare by highlighting the impacts that certain regulations, bills, or decisions are bound to affect the healthcare fraternity. This includes patients and

Brand Evaluation of Starbucks Coffee Assignment

Brand Evaluation of Starbucks Coffee - Assignment Example The major parts of coffee conceived a barricade to application, constraining get access to circulation passages for the use of exclusive agreements with food shop shops, but it was not so in the commerce specialty coffee, where the circulation was made mainly in retail shops belongs to by manufacturers of specialty coffee. These application obstacles more clear offer high or reduced obstacles to application into the specialty coffee commerce and force us to analyze the obstacles to application less transparent. Many cost benefits can be unaligned of scale and can be got by conceiving a place in the commerce at the beginning. They can be passed as first mover advantage. Some of these advantages arrive with a patented, so straightforward get access to raw components, favourable positions and the bend of teaching or experience. Introduction Today we are seeing a new era of coffee, one of Caffe Latte, macchiatos espresso, cappuccino and Frappuccinos. Specialty Coffee is here to stay, and no longer desire to notify you that what Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, the market and conceive a brand synonymous with commitment, honesty and longevity. Main body Starbucks Brand Value The aim of Starbucks' should be established as the most identified and highly regarded in the world. To accomplish this aim, first Starbucks will extend to augment, grow, and grab market opportunities. The major assets of the business are, of course, espresso coffee, which encompasses beverages, tea, nourishment and beverages. Their goods are coffee does not aim on traditional-style coffee, but mostly freezing blended, baked coffee beans, coffee and liqueurs. They furthermore offer a kind of coffee combines in a kind of flavour and style. In supplement, beverages, Starbucks boasts a kind of nourishment for example sandwiches, salads, pastries and ice creams (Venkatraman Nelson 2008). Other choices offer Starbucks the farther use of earnings are accessories and gear for coffee lovers. Novelty pie ces for example cups, crystal, cyclic and vacation goods to supply buyers with Starbucks "a sense of brand loyalty. For those who desire to make the Starbucks know-how at dwelling, there are coffee appliances and grinders for sale. Part of the Starbucks know-how is befitting to depict and resting air with music. This melody is furthermore accessible for sale in its stores. Detail that they took such a gigantic capacity of procedures emphasizes this issue farther with the likelihood to purchase little enterprises and augment their enterprises at negligible cost. The biggest of their undertakings augment more leverage they have with the trading of their goods and services. Starbucks employees are employed to smaller incomes and share earnings for the barista as comparable to the industry. While Starbucks as its competitors on earnings and earnings, they did not capitalize on their workers, premier to inefficiency (Adamy 2008). These outcomes inefficiencies decreased clientele service and approval that Starbucks prides itself. Dissatisfied clients will finally halt buying Starbucks goods next the decrease of the company. When Starbucks started, personalized service is a priority. The reason was to buy a coffee an exclusive experience. However, in latest years with the fast expansion of outlets in latest years this concept has been lost.  

The Dangers of Alcohol Used Minors Essay Example for Free

The Dangers of Alcohol Used Minors Essay â€Å"Plastered, Hammered, Wasted, Drunk, Lifted.. These are all terms my friends use on any given Friday or Saturday night to ask if I want to party for the weekend! When we do get to parties, kids are doing keg stands (Where someone holds your legs up in the air, you grab the keg with both hands, and someone else feeds your beer through the hose upside down. ) We play quarters, beer pong, and flip cup. The drinking games are endless as in the alcohol available to teens. â€Å"Hey Ryan, let’s go out tonight, find a few girls, and throwback a few brewskies! Temptation to drink alcohol as a minor is everywhere! Some corner stores sell it to us, older brothers and sisters get it for us, or we can just wait for someone who looks cool to go in and buy it for us. Before having to do the research on teens and alcohol, I truly did not think it was that big of a deal. I though alcohol was acceptable because everyone does it casually and in order to be popular, you want to fit in at the parties. I believed I could drink 6 beers and 2 shots and probably arrive home safely. I’ve seen kids drink 11-17 beers and still be standing. The amount teens are drinking is truly scary. I have even seen kids get behind the wheel, not realizing how intoxicated they were until they had to get out of the car. These things all frighten me. I know my mom would completely devastated if she knew I was drinking and driving. I have seen tragedy in alcohol related events with my friends, and I do not want to end up being statistic like they were. In March of 2011, 6 of my friends were consuming alcohol and taking Zanax Bars. They weren’t driving, but were so intoxicated, the home caught on fire, and they didn’t wake up in time to get out. All six of my friends died. I’ve seen my friends get arrested and thrown in the back of Police cars for Intoxication. I’ve had a friend fall asleep because she was so drunk and died from crashing her car. The dangers that I have experienced personally go on and on. Having to write this paper has really opened up my eyes to the shocking statistics of teen and alcohol abuse. First, let’s discuss why teens drink alcohol in the first place. Teenagers, like adults, drink alcohol for many different reasons, although some of them are different for teens. Teens are more likely to start experimenting with drinking if they have parents who drink, if they have friends who are also deinking, and if their parents don’t give those clear messages about not drinking outside the house. Also, Alcohol is a powerful drug and changes how you feel. Some of the initial sensations at lower blood alcohol levels are pleasant. It really makes you feel good and lose all the inhibitions you have when you are sober. You will say and do almost anything. It is this sensation that many teens crave. Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant. So if you’re tense or uptight, drinking some alcohol will, at least in the beginning, reduce some of that tension and will help you â€Å" chill out â€Å". We as teenagers need to consider talking with an adult you trust or a counselor if drinking is something we really want to do. Drinking, especially heavy drinking(4 or more women, 5 or more men) can significantly increase your risk for alcohol-related problems and health problems even as a teenager beginning to experiment with alcohol. It can cause dependency early on, pushing teens to try other things, and either end up in Juvenile Hall, rehab facilities, or even dead. Significant relationships were found between young people’s drinking behaviors and perceptions of risk and protective factors in the family environment. Parental monitoring was strongly associated with modifying teen behavior. There is a real need for alcohol misuse prevention interventions and classes in the high schools. I am currently a sophomore and have not had any classes or assemblies about the dangers of alcohol in teens. Now, let’s discuss the dangers of teen drinking.. Teens don’t just drink. They drink to excess. As I mentioned before, I have seen teenage boys drink even as much 17-18 beers in a night. More than 7 percent of eighth graders, 16 percent of sophomores and 23 percent of seniors report recent binge drinking ( 5+ drinks on the same occasion). Binge drinking used to mean drinking heavily over several days. Now, though, it means drinking way to much in a short amount of time. Liquor stores, commercials advertising alcohol, all make drinking seem attractive and fun. It is so easy for teens to get caught up in a social scene with lots of peer pressure to drink to fit in. Teens love the feeling of alcohol and the way it makes us â€Å"Bulletproof. † We believe it will make us feel good, but don’t think about getting sick or hung over the next day. It helps to relieve stress, but eventually just causes more. Drinking also makes teens feel older and more free. Statistics show that the majority of current teen drinkers got drunk in the previous month. That includes 50 percent of the high school sophomores who drink and 65 percent of the high school seniors who drink. Underage drinking is linked to injury and risky behavior. We can get alcohol poisoning, which is potentially life threatening. It can cause confusion, vomiting, seizures, and low body temperature. Finally, when I am adult and have children, I will educate them before they come in contact with the temptations of being a teenager. It’s easy to see why using alcohol as a solution to problems, or a way of trying to cope, is trouble. Drinking should never take the place of talking things through and working out difficulties in other ways.

Julius Caesar as a Tragic HEro Essay -- essays research papers

Julius Caesar as a Tragic Hero   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Ides of March mean much more than March 15th, it was also the day Julius Caesar, the Roman general and leader was killed. Although this day is not a holiday, we should take time to think of things Caesar didn’t on this fateful day. In â€Å"Julius Caesar,† by William Shakespeare, Caesar that morning solidified his place as a tragic hero because of his tremendous fatal flaw. Aristotle once defined the tragic hero as a person of noble or influential birth, who has a moral personality. The tragic hero also must have one hamartia, which is a fatal flaw. This fatal flaw is the cause of the person's downfall. This also means that it is a noble person, and it is one part of their personality that brings them down. Julius Caesar is a tragic hero because he was a champion of the people, but it was his hubris that led to his death. Caesar was a great leader and well-loved by Romans, but his arrogance made the people who were close to him mad and jealous of him. It was Caesars excessive pride that led directly to his death. We see evidence throughout the play through the dialogue and events that this is true.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Firstly, Caesar was a great leader and adored by his subjects. At the opening of the play, all of the Romans in the streets are cheering for Caesar and rejoicing in his triumph. Although two soldiers don’t agree, the first we hear of Caesar is that is a eagerly supported. At the Feast of Lupercal, for example, Marc Antony tries to crown him king three times, and each time, Caesar refuses. As he does, the people cheer for him because they bel 09ieve him to be so noble. This shows how the people revered him, admired him, and accepted him as their leader. They cheered for him in the streets and supported his every move. Caesar had made many positive changes in Rome, and people appreciate that. Caesar is a good, observant leader as he notices the way that Cassius is not a man to be trusted, and he is correct. He understands people and paid close attention to the way Cassius spent too much time thinking, and not enough time enjoying life and the arts. He warns M arc Antony that they should watch out for Cassius. â€Å"Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look; He thinks too much; such men are dangerous †¦ Such men as he be never at heart's ease/ Whiles they behold a greater than themselve... ...d it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion, it is clear that Caesar is a great man with one tragic flaw: hubris. His arrogance is so strong that it taints his wisdom and takes away his fear. This shows us that fear is actually a great asset and tool not just for all of mankind. As long as people don’t let fear take over them, it will help keep them safe. To have no fear at all is not an advantage or strength, but a foolish flaw. Although Caesar is a great leader and admired by the people, his arrogance makes others mad and jealous and causes them to find reasons why they would be better off without him. Finally, this arrogance leads directly to his death because it takes away his fear, and therefore his ability to pay attention to the many signs that should have shown him that he was in danger. We have seen evidence that is was this lack of personal fear, which comes from Caesar’s hubris, that causes him to allow himself to be in a position to be killed by his own men, including his own best friend. So, when the Ides of March come around each year on March 15th, we should all take some time to remember, that a little fear is a healthy thing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Swot Analysis of Carnival Cruiselines

Strategic management is important to the success and expansion in most businesses. What is Strategic management? It is the art and science of formulating, implementing, and evaluating cross-functional decisions that enable an organization to achieve its objectives (slide 1-4, chapter one of The Nature of Strategic management). Why would this information be vital to Carnival Cruise? The annual revenue for just the U. S economy was 37. 85 billion dollars and the annual increase for the company is 7. 4% (Cruise Ship Industry Statistics).That is a huge profit margin and is vital reason why the cruise industry takes strategic management so seriously. Strategic management also helps companies figure out how to create better and more profitable business strategic plans. This helps Carnival Cruise make tough decisions biased among many decisions. Let’s start with Strategy formulation. It starts with the company having a vision and mission statement. It also helps identify the strength s, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) (slide 1-8, chapter one of The Nature of Strategic management).Why does a successful company need this? It helps determine what ventures to leave behind or enter. It helps reduce wasting resources and helps improve how companies operate. It also can prevent hostile takeovers and guide paths in international markets or expanded operations to diversify. Strategy implementation also called the action stage going to help Carnival develop annual objectives, policies, motivation tactics, and allocate resources (slide 1-10, chapter one of The Nature of Strategic management). Strategy implementation is very important stage. Only 19. 9% of the U. S. opulation has taken a cruise and of that 19. 9% the average age of a passenger is 50+ years old (Cruise Ship Industry Statistics). To maintain a high profit margin a company needs to find ways to save on expanses and entice new customers. It is especially important in today’s economy because many people are saving and not spending on luxury items. Strategy evaluation is how companies can review external and internal factors that are the bases for current strategies, measuring performance, and taking corrective actions (slide 1-11, chapter one of The Nature of Strategic management).Carnival Cruise understands this and uses it to gain a competitive advantage. Let’s start with the company’s vision statement. â€Å"To consistently provide quality cruise vacations that exceed the expectations of our guests† (Carnival Team). This helps a company figure out what path it wants to take. Many companies view this as the first step in strategic planning (slide 1-16, chapter one of The Nature of Strategic management). Vision statements are underestimated in many businesses. It can help draw the team together and provide a universal goal.Carnival Cruise’s vision statement is short, sweet and direct to all who read it. A mission statement provides identifi cation for many companies and answers the question of, â€Å"what does our business portray or do? † Carnival’s mission statement is, â€Å"Our mission is to take the world on vacation and deliver exceptional experiences through many of the world’s best-known cruise brands that cater to a variety of different geographic regions and lifestyles, all at an outstanding value unrivaled on land or at sea. † They have one of the better mission statements compared to other competitors.It lets all know who the customers are (everyone in the world are customers), what products are offered (vacations), and what markets (different geographic regions) and technology (best-known cruise brands). It does all this while identifying Carnival’s philosophy and self-concept. The mission statement does not cover survival growth, public image or concern for employees. Leaving these areas out of their mission is hurting the company especially concern for survival and grow th. There are many individuals that want to go on a cruise but choose not to.Not being concerned with survival and growth limits future customers. The mission statement wants to be a value unrivaled on land or sea but does not want to bring in new customers. Having an amazing deal but not tempting new customers really does no good. It will bring returning customers back but it needs to work on bringing in new financial opportunities.Carnival Cruises can prove they understand the importance of Vision and Mission statements because of their success record. It is important for the company to really change with the times and entice passengers to partake on one of their cruises. 36 million Americans have an intention to cruise in the next three years (Cruise Lines International Association). The average money spent per person per week on a cruise is $1,770. 00 (Cruise Ship Industry Statistics). Carnival can really increase their profit margin and gain loyal and satisfied customers just b y individuals that are already planning on taking a cruise.Those customers just need to choose which cruise they want to take. In order to have a happy and returning customer, Carnival Cruise needs to create their shared vision. This helps employees understand a mission and create opportunity and challenges within their work. Vision and mission statements should create an â€Å"emotional bond† and â€Å"sense of mission† between the organization and its employees (slide 2-11, chapter two of The Business Vision and Mission). A mission statement does not suppress management and employee creativity, but creates a guideline by identifying a generalization of the company’s mission.A SWOT (Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats) is also a very important concept for Carnival cruise. According to the â€Å"2011 Cruise Market Profile Study conducted by TNS; Carnival had a 94% satisfactory rating among its customers and 82% of the ship passengers feel that a cruise i s the best way to sample destinations (Cruise Line International Association). In order to keep up a positive customer image is to understand the strengths and weaknesses of a company. Here is an example of Carnival’s SWOT: (Carnival Cruises SWOT Company Profile)Strengths Carnival is one of the world's largest cruise operators, has a large fleet capacity and operates 11 of the most recognizable cruise brand names.Their portfolio of brand names appeals to almost every niche market, from budget minded, contemporary to luxury cruises.They are such a large company that they have significant cost advantages over most of their competitors.Carnival is one of the profitable cruising companies. The company's average net income (FY2005 to FY2009) amounted to 18. 1% compared to the industry standard of 6. 3%.Carnival aggressively and effectively invests in print and television media. Their promotions target the lifestyles of each group of customers.   Carnival are â€Å"Fun Shipsâ₠¬  Holland America, a premium cruise, is promoted through the tagline â€Å"a signature of excellence† Seabourn, projects itself as â€Å"intimate luxury† while the Ocean Village projects as â€Å"the cruise for people who don't do cruises†.Carnival has a 47% market share in the UK, 68% in Italy, 51% in Germany and 45% in France.Weaknesses The net profit was $1,790 million in FY2009, a decrease of 23. 2% as compared to 2008.Carnival derives a majority of its revenue (nearly 52%) from US customers. In 2009 the revenue from the North American market registered a double digit decline.   The over-dependence on the US market makes Carnival vulnerable to the economic fluctuations of the American economy and this company is dependent on customers’ disposable income.Another weakness is that Carnival reports their financial statements in dollars. About half of their revenue is generated in a non-US currency, but is reported in terms of US dollars. The value of the dollar against Euro appreciated from 1. 60 in January 2010 to 1. 53 by April 2010 against the Pound. If the dollar strengthens it would record a lower revenue than is actually earned.In the middle of economic uncertainty Carnival has 13 ships under construction as of November 2009, and the estimated cost of all this growth is around $8. 2 billion. It is difficult at best to justify such a huge cash outflow in the middle of economic instability. This may result in consequences like huge debt burden on the balance sheet and reduced profitability.Opportunities The cruise industry has grown considerably in the past 10 years but still occupies a very small proportion of the global vacation market. Cruise lines accounted for only 4. % of the $542. 2 billion worth of the travel industry in 2009. While the revenue for cruises has declined in the US, it is growing in Europe and Asia, leading to more opportunities for Carnival to expand in these regions.They are planning to increase berth capacity for the European market 37% by 2012.Customers in Asia are now looking for luxurious cruises as a vacation option. Disposable income of the Chinese consumer has grown annually by 10% a year. The total number of passengers sourced from China increased approximately 74% in 2009 so the Costa Classica was launched specifically for this market.They are also planning to introduce the larger cruise liner Costa Romantica in 2010.Trends have shifted in the cruising industry towards the 45-60 year old age group. As this age group grows in population, Carnival can take advantage of the economies of scale and offer them the best prices.In July 2009, Carnival announced the union of Costa Europa with Thomson Cruises, a British Travel Company, under a 10-year bareboat charter beginning in April 2010. ThreatsCarnival has been taking advantage of special tax loopholes to avoid paying US corporation taxes. In 2009 the US government decided to look at closing those loopholes. If these loophol es are closed, it could affect their financial statements and fiscal bottom line in the future.The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency has changed laws to reduce the sulfur content (emission) in fuel oil used aboard ships. This increases the demand for lower sulfur fuel, which raises the prices of the fuel. Carnival may have to deal with a significant increase in fuel prices.In 2009, Carnival experienced bad press when three passengers fell off ships in a three week period. There were a total of 22 incidents of passengers falling overboard in 2009. As of December 2009, Carnival was not required to report such incidents. Such events reflect negatively on the company and the industry.In December 2008, passengers on the Carnival owned Oceania cruise ship were attacked by Somali pirates. The ship sped away and no one was injured, but the threat of terrorism and pirates overtaking cruise ships is a concern for companies in this industry, and also negatively affect consumers’ per ceptions of cruising. The SWOT of a company is extremely important. It helps identify the strategic-management model. What is a strategic management model?It helps identify better strategies through the use of a more systematic, logical, and rational approach to strategic choice (slide 1-28, chapter one of The Nature of Strategic management). This all leads to a higher financial profit and happier customers for Carnival. Strategic planning is beneficial in so many ways. It helps improve communication, understanding and improving commitment. This all leads to a stronger company with a larger financial backing and loyal customers. Knowledge is power and it creates a high-performing firm or in this case a cruise company.

Early learning studies Essay

In the first five years of life, a child has gone through rapid development in physical, cognitive, and social/emotional characteristics. Around the time these children start kindergarten, their growth has slowed down. However, it is still vital for the kindergarten teacher to know how their students have developed and what they can do to further develop their students as a whole. According to â€Å"Educating Children in Nursery Schools and Kindergartens† by Lillian L. Gore, by the age of 5 children are learning how to relate to others in a positive manner. This skill forms the basis of all human relations (16). In general, kindergarten-aged children are beginning to develop their own self image and their likes and interests through sensory and other experiences (Gore 16). To a kindergarten-aged child, the world is big and mysterious. The combination of physical, cognitive, and social/emotional development allow these children to explore and begin imposing basic order and control over their environments (Gore 16). Overall, these experiences allow children to understand and appreciate the world around them. When the teacher looks at the overall development of their kindergarten students, the physical, cognitive, and social/emotional aspects are relatively similar across each child. That is to say that each child experiences relatively the same development in all three areas. Physically, a kindergartener has two distinct developmental characteristics. #1 is the individual characteristics such as rate of growth, body build, and eye color (Gore 17). The teacher should respect each child’s unique characteristics and teach others to respect them as well. #2 is each kindergartener has a wide output of energy (Gore 17). A kindergarten teacher should expect their students to be fully active one day and inactive the next. Similarly, the activities the children participate in receive different levels of energy from day to day (Gore 17). Cognitive development in kindergarten in vital for a child to understand and experience all that school and the world have to offer. In Gore’s book, she notes two important cognitive developments that a kindergarten child experiences. #1 is the development of hand-eye coordination (Gore 17). At this stage, children are developing awareness for everything that needs both hands and eyes in order to function properly. As the teacher, you should be aware of the students and their surroundings. Particularly on the playground, the teacher should know the students inability to judge speeds and distances properly (Gore 17). To aid in the development of proper hand-eye coordination, the teacher should incorporate hand-eye coordination lessons and activities into the daily schedule. The second important cognitive development in kindergarteners is that they want to grow and learn (Gore 19). Kindergarten is a stepping stone into what school will be like for the rest of their lives, and the fact that each student wants to grow and learn makes the teacher’s job easier because the students are intrinsically motivated. To further their enjoyment of learning it is important for the teacher to provide conditions for each student to explore, discover, and feed their sense of wonder at their own pace (Gore 19). Teachers should also allow students to think and solve problems at their own pace as well (Gore 19). By letting each student work at his or her own pace, the student feeds their desire to grow and learn and also learns that they are capable of many things. One of the most important developments that kindergarten children make is social and emotional developments. Both these developments aid children in forming friendships, relationships and emotional maturity as their lives continue. Two social developments are highlighted in Gore’s book. #1 is that children will fluctuate their patterns of social growth and they may regress at times (Gore18). This is a natural process that children go through and navigating it can be tricky. As a teacher, we should encourage children to proceed in and out of groups at will (Gore 18). This will allow children to experience many different people and form many friendships. As teachers we should also encourage students to relate an experience with one group of students to experiences with another group (Gore 18). This will allow each student to mentally process each experience and decide which experiences they prefer to have, which in turn leads to them having friends of similar beliefs and interests. Above all, kindergarten children learn how to cooperate with others when they choose which group of students to associate with. The second social characteristic that kindergarten children develop is their preference of children of the same sex as playmates and friends (Gore 18). As a teacher we should support this development and help each child learn appropriate sex role with their peers. In addition, kindergarten teachers should also encourage children of the opposite sex to interact. When it comes to emotional characteristics of development, the #1 characteristic is that children in kindergarten are learning how to accept and give affection (Gore 18). This developmental characteristic is vitally important because if children do not learn how to give and accept affection, then all their relationships with others will be short-lived. We as teachers can help foster this important characteristic by providing warm relationships for emotional growth in the classroom and individually with your students (Gore 18). In addition to the developmental characteristics, a kindergarten teacher must also be aware of how they arrange their classroom. Utilizing space and organizing the classroom to best suit the needs of the students allows each kindergartener to maximize their use of the classroom. In Doris Fromberg’s book â€Å"The Full-day Kindergarten†, it is important to know both the teacher’s and the student’s views on four elements relating to classroom organization. Those four elements are; â€Å"Choice: what the students will be doing. Space: where the students will be engaged. Pacing: when the students will be participating. Social Activity: how and with whom the students will interact† (Fromberg 62). These elements are also applicable to what the students are doing in a kindergarten classroom and what activities they participate in. By understanding when and where to implement these four elements, the classroom experience will be enhanced for all the kindergarten students. In a kindergarten classroom, the students are capable of making choices that are relevant to the school-day procedure (Fromberg 62). When a kindergarten student, or any other person, chooses what to do, their attention is higher to that activity than if they had not chosen. However, this is not to say that kindergarten students enter into an â€Å"anything goes† classroom (Fromberg 62). The teacher has preselected and screened everything that is already in the classroom to ensure that it is safe and educationally-sound. The teacher also screens the materials that students bring from home on the same criteria (Fromberg 62). By ensuring that all materials in the classroom are on the same level and that the children decide what they want to do, they will establish a routine of making independent choices knowing that what they choose will spark their interests and be educationally appropriate. The space and organization of the classroom is an important concept to consider when in a kindergarten classroom. Kindergarten students enjoy moving around and being independent, but also need a sense of stability and security. How the classroom space is organized reflects four characteristics about the teacher and the classroom in general: 1) How independent the students are expected to be. 2) How responsible the students are expected to be. 3) Relays what activities are valued in the classroom. 4) How students will spend their time in the classroom (Fromberg 64). When organizing the classroom, it is important to keep materials where they will be used and in limited-use sections. By creating a section of the room only for writing, or art, or reading, children will be more focused on that activity or feel part of a small group (Fromberg 64). Limited-use sections also help the students answer the question, â€Å"What will I do next? † (Fromberg 64) For example, a child that is finished at the writing center will know that there is nothing more they can accomplish at this center; they decide that they want to work on their art project and move to the appropriate section. By utilizing limited-use sections, the students are minimizing procrastination and are maximizing their ability to select their own choices. By using these elements, Fromberg describes a properly organized kindergarten classroom. In a kindergarten classroom, all materials are stored where they will be used; books are in the reading areas, writing supplies are in the writing area, and art supplies are in the art area. The students work in the areas where the materials are stored. This not only keeps them focused on their tasks, but also eliminates the possibility of misplacing materials. These active work areas should be located away from student desks or other areas where students are meant to concentrate and reflect (Fromberg 64). In addition, the teacher should always organize their classroom where they and the students are visible to each other at all times. This not only allows the teacher to monitor behavior, but it also allow students to see what model behavior looks like. In addition to the organization of the room, there also needs to be proper time management as well. Proper time management can help reduce the issues that arise in those students who have ADHD or other unpredictable behavior patterns (Fromberg 66). In a full day kindergarten classroom, it is beneficial to have a whole-class planning session in the morning and afternoon, with a small gathering before lunch or around 11:00 AM according to Fromberg (66). Kindergarten instructors have found it helpful to provide at least two long activity blocks of 30 minutes or more each day (Fromberg 66). In this time, the students will be engaging with the different sections of the room; art, writing, reading, etc. at their own choice and pace. From having this time to select which activity to do and how long to do it for, the students are inspired to make long-range plans and increase their sense of control over their environment (Fromberg 66). Within the kindergarten environment, the lessons and activities should emphasize academic content but also personal relationships and social behaviors. While kindergarten does prepare students to â€Å"do school† and everything that comes with it, I believe that lessons and activities that stress proper relationship techniques and social behaviors are just as important. For example, kindergarteners may not realize what they say sometimes and although they find nothing wrong with it, the teacher or others students will. Having several lessons on how to talk to other students in a nice and polite way will not only benefit the students in class, but they can take that knowledge and apply it to other situations as well, such as talking to adults. Lessons that demonstrate proper social behaviors and etiquette will also benefit kindergarteners. For example, how to stay quiet and listen while another person is talking or how to solve conflicts in a respectful manner will again not only benefit the students in the classroom, but also prepare them for the world as they grow older. Finally, classroom management is very important in a kindergarten class. A teacher could have a perfectly organized room and excellent lessons, but if they cannot manage their students they will never get a chance to utilize their room or lessons. Firstly, the kindergarten teacher should make a set of class rules for the school year. In addition to their professional opinion, the teacher should ask the students themselves what rules should be followed during the school year. This serves two purposes: 1. it reinforces the element that children are capable of making relevant choices pertaining to school and 2. It allows the students to feel that they have a say in how the classroom is to be run. By having this sense of control, the students are more likely to follow the rules and provide less argument when disruptions arise. Secondly, student behavior accountability should be established. In her article â€Å"Classroom Management†, Jody Camp describes her accountability system. She has four circles displayed in her room, each a different color and face. All the students have a clothes pin with their name on it. Every morning each student starts on the green smiley face. If a student breaks one classroom rule, they move their clothes pin to the yellow face. The yellow face is a warning for the student to start acting correctly. In addition to that, the student loses 5 minutes of recess. If the student breaks another rule, they move to the red face, which means the student needs to stop and think about what they are doing. The student also misses an entire recess. The last face in Jody Camp’s management system is the blue sad face. This means that the student needs to go to the principal’s office (Classroom Management). By implementing these or similar classroom management techniques, any teacher will be successful and be able to focus the majority of their time on educating the minds of America. As a student moves through elementary school and into middle school many changes occur so fast that they may, to the frustration of teachers and parents, act like kindergarteners once more. However, it is important to realize and understand the developmental characteristics of middle school students so they still have a positive educational experience. Similar to kindergarten students, middle school students have their own unique set of physical, cognitive, and social/emotional characteristics. Physically, middle school students are in transition between their childhood bodies and their adult bodies. This leads to three main physical characteristics. Susan Robinson, Guidance Counselor at Southern Columbia School District in Catawissa, PA, nicely lays out physical characteristics of middle school students (5th-8th grade) on her webpage. The first physical characteristic is large muscle development (5th Grade Characteristics). In boys, this means that their arm and leg muscles are becoming more defined, as well as their abdomens. In girls, muscle development leads to growth spurts and gaining weight. The second physical characteristic is the desire to be outdoors and physically challenged (5th Grade Characteristics). It is at this time that both boys and girls become very interested in sports and physical activity. This characteristic can also lead to a decline in school performance because the students are more interested in playing outside than doing homework. The third physical characteristic is that they become restless and in constant motion (6th Grade Characteristics). The need to move and be active can also lead to declining performance because the students won’t be as focused. This can also lead to more discipline because the students can’t stay in one place for extended periods of time. Cognitively, middle school students are now open to more abstract and logical reasoning than ever before. The first cognitive characteristic is that 5th grade students have is an increased memory and ability to abstract (5th Grade Characteristics). The increase in memory potential allows the students to remember more academic information, but also helps them remember social activities like birthday parties and phone numbers. The second cognitive characteristic is the affinity for logical reasoning and problems solving (5th Grade Characteristics). 5th and 6th grade students are now using more of their brain in every aspect of life which allows them to solve and reason more than ever before. Similar to how kindergarten students like to impose control on their environments, middle school students enjoy the feeling of being able to solve a problem or think logically with classmates and teachers. The third cognitive characteristic of middle school students is their increased concentration in all aspects of school (5th Grade Characteristics). With the increase of concentration students are able to read, focus on homework, and participate in activities for longer periods of time. This cognitive gain can help balance out the need for movement during physical development. Middle school is the time when every student starts to define who they are and who they want to be. Socially and emotionally, each middle school student is becoming more mature as they grow older and it is important to know what developmental characteristics these students face. When a student is in 5th grade they are more socially and emotionally sound than 6th graders. The first developmental characteristic of 5th graders is that they are generally content with themselves and others (5th Grade Characteristics). At this stage they are in a state of equilibrium in terms of social and emotional growth. This is not to say that 5th graders are void of anger. When this age group gets angry, they tend to get angrier faster than usual but they also are faster to forgive (5th Grade Characteristics). The second characteristic of 5th graders is that they work well in groups and enjoy team-oriented activities such as sports and clubs (5th Grade Characteristics). Because they are generally content, it boosts 5th graders abilities to work cooperatively. This age group would benefit greatly from pods in the classroom and team-oriented competition. Lastly, 5th graders are mostly truthful and are developing a larger sense of right and wrong (5th Grade Characteristics). At this age, students want to be taken seriously because they feel that they have valuable opinions. They realize that they can’t lie and be taken seriously so they tell the truth. Also, as they are telling the truth more, they are expanding their sense of right and wrong. It is at this point when crucial right/wrong situations should be explained to the students such as drugs and alcohol. When a child hits 6th grade, they change once again and sometimes not for the better. There are three main characteristics of 6th graders from Susan Robinson’s website. The first is that 6th graders become more moody and sensitive (6th Grade Characteristics). 6th graders are starting to hit puberty and this messes with their normal selves. The hormones set off mood swings and sensitivity towards almost any situation. It is important to know this because it could be the cause of many problems with your students. The second characteristic is that 6th graders are becoming more autonomous and with that comes more opposition to rules and punishments (6th Grade Characteristics). As they get older, the students begin to realize that they are held to higher standards but still try to get around those expectations. This inevitably leads to confrontations between teacher and student(s) and the student(s) will test your patience at this age. The third characteristic is more positive. As the students age and grow during 6th grade, they will start to take on an adult personality (6th Grade Characteristics). They will lessen their oppositional behavior and become more respectful and dutiful in school work and social activities. While their bodies are going through a massive amount of change in a short period of time, it is important to layout the classroom, lessons, and management techniques to keep up with these middle school learners. First off, it is important to keep the students in groups when at their desks. This helps the students remain social with others and it helps the students to keep working in teams. As they are older, each student should be given their own desk. This allows the student to become more independent and it allows for individuality to show through if they are permitted to decorate their desk. Similar to the kindergarten room, there should be sections of the room where students can go to complete different assignments. Especially at this time, the movement will allow these students to relieve some tension from their growing bodies. Overall, the classroom at the middle school level starts to become similar to that of high school and college classrooms, but should still represent a sense of home and security for 5th and 6th graders. The lessons and activities that these students participate in should also be developmentally appropriate. At this stage of life, the students are beginning to think and reason logically. Therefore, lessons in math and science can enhance the individual student’s ability to think and reason logically. In addition to logic and reasoning, social skills are key to a healthy development. In 5th and 6th grade, it is important to teach and model proper social etiquette and behaviors. One way to accomplish this is to have the students sit in pods when at their desks. This serves two purposes: 1) it allows each student to work in close proximity to other students and 2) it allows students to practice proper social behavior on a daily basis. Lastly, students at this age are going through major physical changes and it is important to keep that in mind when designing lessons and activities. When possible, incorporate some form of physical movement into your lesson plans. This will allow the students to move their bodies and retain focus in school. If you simply let the students sit at their seats all day, they will become restless very quickly and will lose focus and interest in what you are trying to teach them. Similar to the kindergarten classroom, without successful classroom management techniques, the teacher will struggle to maintain focus and interest in their lessons. With this age group, routines are essential to having successful classroom management. As noted by many teachers, routines help the students to know what is coming next in the school day and how to proceed from one task to the next. With a regular routine, students won’t need to be told to take out their reading materials or their math books; they will already know what is coming. By establishing successful routines, the teacher can minimize distractions and maximize learning time. Another management technique that I remember from 6th grade was the use of a money management system. My teacher, Diane Dale, set up a management system that revolved around the use of a weekly â€Å"allowance† for each student. Each student started the week with a predetermined amount of â€Å"money†, i. e.$100. Actions in class had either a positive or negative effect on the student’s allowance. For example, if one student got a perfect on their math test, they may get $25 added to their account. If another student starts a fight on the playground, besides the consequences of the principal, they may lose $75. At the end of each week the students with the 3 highest allowances got to pick a prize from the â€Å"Class Treasure Chest†. To my recollection, this system worked well in our class and I plan on modifying this management system to create my own. All in all, as an elementary teacher it is important to know and be able to work with students from all age groups. By understanding the characteristics of the students in your class, you will be able to maximize the effectiveness of your lessons because they are aimed to work with their developmental characteristics, not as a substitute. In addition, to knowing developmental characteristics, a teacher should also institute effective classroom management techniques and proper lesson plans that will maximize the learning experience for each student. Works Cited Gore, Lillian L. , and Rose Koury. Educating Children in Nursery School and Kindergartens. Washington: U. S. Dept. of Health, Education, and Welfare, Office of Education, 1964. Print. Wills, Clarence Dechent, and Lucile Lindburg. Kindergarten for Today’s Children. Chicago: Follett Educational Corporation, 1967. Print. Fromberg, Doris. The Full-Day Kindergarten. 1995. eBook. Camp, Jody. http://www. atozteacherstuff. com/Tips/Classroom_Management/Managing_Behavior/index. shtml Robinson, Susan. http://www. scasd. us/ms/RobinsonPage/grade5. htm White, George. Incoming 6th Graders. http://www. ringwoodschools. org/files/ryerson/parent_orientation_booklet. pdf.