Pursuasive Speech Outline

To persuade. Specific purpose: At the end of my speech my audience will Identify 2 consequences of drinking and drunk driving, and also 2 safe ways you can avoid those consequences. Central Idea: Drunk driving Is against the law and It causes harm to many people, but with the right precautions, many lives can be saved. Introduction Imagine receiving a call from a police officer telling you that there's been a terrible accident due to a drunk driver, and they need you to come in and identify a body.We all know that drunk driving is a serious thing that has killed many, but yet some still whose to get behind the wheel and endanger not only themselves, but the others that are on the road. Just think, how would you feel if you were to receive that horrific call? Many of people have unfortunately received this phone call and lost a loved one due to some stupid decisions. I myself have been through this experience. I lost my uncle to a drunk driver. He was riding his motorcycle one night, when a lady who had been drinking earlier that night, crashed Into him causing him to fly off of his motorcycle and Into a wall.The pain that my family went through was unbearable, ND unfortunately many other families have gone through the experience. Whether you're the person drinking and driving, or you're a victim of another person's inconsiderable actions, it's a problem that is much too common. I'm here today to talk to you about what drinking does to you and your health, the dangers of getting on the road while drinking, and some ways you can ensure the safety of yourself and others (if you do decide to drink).There are multiple ways to avoid going from a fun night out, to a deadly night that you'll never forget. Body l. What does drinking do to your mental and physical health? A. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, alcohol affects many parts of your body. 1 . Along with the blackouts and memory impairment, alcohol affects the way the brain wor ks, which changes mood and behavior. A. This alteration makes decision making harder, which makes driving harder. 2.Drinking In excess, causes multiple problems to your heat, such as: cardiopulmonary, Irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, or even result in a stroke. 3. Heavy drinking also causes problems to your liver, such as swelling or your liver. 4. Drinking increases your chances of developing liver, mouth, throat, and other types of cancer. 5. Alcohol damages and weakens one of the most important parts of your body, your immune system. A. â€Å"Consuming a lot of alcohol in one occasion slows down your immunes system, even up to 24 hours after getting drunk† (â€Å"Alcohol's Effects on the Body. ). B. Alcohol is also high in calories, which causes weight gain. C. Many think that alcohol helps relieve stress and helps in difficult situations, but it actually increases your chances of developing mental problems. 1 . Overuse of alcohol often causes depression, anxiety or even bipolar disorder (Salsas). Transition: Now of course If It's causing changing your Judgment, driving Is an absolute no! II. Every time you get behind the wheel while drinking, you risk your life, and those around you. A. Alcohol- impaired motor vehicle crashes cost more than an estimated $37 billion impaired driving crashes – one every 51 minutes† (â€Å"Impaired Driving†). C. â€Å"Among drivers with BACK levels of 0. 08 % or higher involved in fatal crashes in 2010, more than one out of every 3 were between 21 and 24 years of age† (â€Å"Impaired Driving: Get the Facts†). Transition: Now the last thing I'm going to talk about, which in my opinion is the most important, is how to avoid anything dangerous happening to you or anyone else. Ill.It would be unreasonable to ask people to not drink at all, but Just take precautions if you do plan of having a drink or two. A. If you're going out with a group of friends, assign the designated drive r position to a friend that is okay if he/ she doesn't drink that night. B. If you're by yourself and you've been drinking, call a trusted person to come pick you up. C. Never get in a car with someone who has been drinking. 1. Offer to drive, if you haven't had anything to drink. D. Be very careful and observant while driving, even if you haven't been driving. ConclusionNow that Eve talked about the harm that drinking does to your health, the dangers of driving while drinking, and ways to ensure your safety; I hope this encouraged you to be careful and be smart enough to never get behind the wheel while driving, or even get inside of a car with someone who is drinking and driving. Some people don't realize how their actions can affect those around us, and that is why we still have, to this day, people dying from an accident that could have been avoided. There are plenty of people that care about each and every one of you, so please don't risk your entire life, for a couple of shots and a good night.

Callaway Golf Canada

| Callaway Golf Canada: The Mobile Performance Team| Case Study| | | | Jamie Merrimen 100117777 October 12, 2012 Business 1703 D1 Dr. Conor Vibert | Problem Statement Wayne Mallette is the director of performance management for Callaway Golf Canada, the world`s largest golf club manufacturer. In 2004, Mallette launched the Mobile Performance Team (MPT), a team of 20 consultants who demonstrate the Callaway equipment line as well as measuring customers for custom equipment at private golf courses during the golf season.Mallette has been asked by Callaway Canada`s managing director to design a plan for the approaching 2008 golf season to make sure that Callaway Canada will stay ahead of its competitors. Mallette is faced with multiple choices for possible improvement, or the option to continue with the current operations. Important Facts * The golf manufacturing market is highly competitive. It is important for Callaway Golf Canada to stay ahead of the competition in order for them to keep their reputation and status, as well as increasing their sales. After the success of Callaway Golf`s Mobile Performance Team, other golf manufacturers are likely to follow lead and provide more service to their customers. * Callaway Golf philosophy states that the company intends to give more golfers more opportunities, by designing, creating, building, and selling the best golf clubs. Callaway Golf also believes that by making golf more enjoyable for the average golfer, the game of golf will grow. * In early 2008, Callaway Golf was the largest golf club manufacturer in the world. Golf equipment products have a life cycle of about two years, resulting in pressure on companies to release successful new products every year. Failure to release successful new products will result in poor sales in the current year, as well as future sales by hurting the company’s reputation. * Companies in the industry used two strategies: focusing resources on research and development to dev elop new, innovative products; or focusing resources on securing endorsements from professional golfers on tours, which led to an increase in sales from exposure.Callaway preferred to maintain a small amount of endorsements with high-profile players, while investing and focusing more on research and development. * From 2005 to 2007, nearly 65% of Callaway’s sales occurred during the first half of the year. * Callaway’s customers are players from every ability level and a wide range of socioeconomic groups. * Small golf specialty stores were the Callaway’s biggest customer. Other customers included sporting goods retailers, mass merchants, golf retailers, and pro shops. * The United States Golf Association began to institute policies limiting manufacturer innovation.This leaves manufacturers struggling to find different ways to compete. Other firms had cut prices as a way of competing, which resulted in a loss of margins across the industry. Firms were also focus ing more on securing endorsements with tour professionals. * The goal of the MPT is to maximize the performance of each individual golfer, not to maximize Callaway’s sales, even if it means recommending a competitor’s product. * The MPT program costs about $500,000 annually. * Callaway has a sales conversion of about 75% from custom fitting sessions. Alternative Solutions 1) Mallette has many different ideas on how to improve Callaway’s sales.His first option is to leave the MPT program unchanged; as it has been so successful he does not want to jinx it by changing something that could potentially decrease profit for Callaway’s Golf. 2) Callaway Golf does not currently require their mobile performance consultants (MPCs) to be professionally certified. If the MPCs were to be professionally certified, they would not only be able to give a hybrid service of custom fitting, but they would also be authorized to provide official lessons. This would add greater value to the private fitting and consultations if there were to be a private lesson included.Having a professional on site would increase the credibility and effectiveness of the consultations. An inconvenience in this plan is that `to become certified in Canada, an individual must work a minimum of 35 hours per week under a head professional and pass a playing ability test (Jackman, Brett (2008) Callaway Golf Canada. Ivey Cases page 9). 3) Mallette also is considering pairing the MPCs up with professional staff at the club the MPC is working at. This would have the same benefit of having professionally certified MPCs, but there wouldn`t be the one-on-one aspect that many club members enjoy and value.On the contrary, club members may be comforted by having a member of their club`s professional staff present, it may lead the club member to trust Callaway Golf and the MPC more. It would also be beneficial as the club member could consult the club`s staff member if they had any more qu estions after the MPC had left. The inconvenience in this scenario is that Callaway would have to pay the club staff member as well as the MPC. 4) Another option would be to update the equipment that Callaway Golf MPC`s use during their consultations.They currently are using Accusport Vector machines that are in fine working condition, but the newest model has just been launched, the Vector Pro monitor which would be useful for the golf professionals during lessons as it incorporates video swing analysis into the fitting process. This may also add value to the consultations. The downside to this solution is that each monitor would cost $3,500, as well as bringing all 20 MPCs to the head office for a training day at the expense of Callaway Golf. 5) There is currently only one MPC per territory in Canada.There is an average of 30 different accounts in each territory, and Mallette believes that hiring more MPCs would be beneficial in by being able to give more attention to each account . Mallette says that by doubling the amount of MPCs, the amount of service provided would be doubled. This means that the cost of the MPT program would be doubled as well, considering training and wage expenses. Most fitting days are scheduled for four hours; typically, each golf club currently has one fitting day per month, as there is insufficient demand to require more (Jackman, Brett (2008) Callaway Golf Canada.Ivey Cases page 8). This leads to the fact that there is insufficient demand for Callaway Golf to hire more MPCs. 6) Callaway Golf is focused on working with their current accounts, which are mainly private clubs. If they were to work more closely with public clubs across the country by bringing them MPT program, more sales could potentially be made. This option would only be realistic if more MPCs were hired, as there are many public clubs across the country and the MPT wouldn’t be as successful if they started neglecting their current accounts.Decision Criteria P rofitability: Choosing to leave the MTP program the same would result in Callaway Golf`s net income for 2008 to slightly decline or slightly increase. There wouldn`t be much change seeing as there was no change to the MTP program. The cause of decrease would come from the possibility of Callaway`s competitors launching a program similar to the MTP, causing Callaway`s to experience fewer sales. The increase could happen if the competitors programs weren`t a success.Changing the hiring requirements for MTCs would result in a loss of time and money in order to train current employees, or hire professionally certified employees and train them to be MTPs. Since having professionally certified employees would add value to the consultations, Callaway could increase their prices. It isn`t clear if this would generate more income in the end result. This solution would benefit only members of private clubs where the consultations are held, and public club members may start opting for cheaper products if Callaway’s increases its prices, which would lead to lower sales.Pairing MTCs with club staff would cost Callaway more in wages expense. It may result in more sales since customers would feel more comfortable with a club staff member, therefore more willing to trust Callaway Golf and buy their product, resulting in more sales. This solution would benefit only members of private clubs where the consultations are held, and public club members may start opting for cheaper products if Callaway’s increases its prices, which would lead to lower sales. Updating equipment would cost both the equipment price, and the price of training all current MTCs.This would also add more value to the consultations, which would lead to an increase in price of Callaway’s products, which may or may not lead to an increase in long term income. This solution would benefit only members of private clubs where the consultations are held, and public club members may start opting for cheaper products if Callaway’s increases its prices, which would lead to lower sales. Hiring 20 more MPCs would not be beneficial for Callaway Golf, seeing as there is not enough demand. This would lead to a loss in profit since the extra profit would not be sufficient to cover the extra wage expense.Hiring more MPCs to do consultations at public clubs would lead to an increase in sales for Callaway Golf. Looking at how much the net income increased after launching the MTP program in private clubs, it seems it would be beneficial to launch the program in public clubs as well. There are many more public clubs across Canada, so the sales made at all of these clubs would be greater than the wages expense for the new employees. Customer Satisfaction: Leaving the MTP program unchanged would result in the customer satisfaction rate leveling off and eventually declining s competitors improved their programs.Changing hiring requirements to include only professionally certified em ployees would increase customer satisfaction since there would be more value added to consultations, although this would lead to a price increase which could decrease the customer satisfaction rate if the price increase were too high. Pairing MTCs with club staff would have the same result as hiring only professionally certified staff, although customer satisfaction would likely increase since customers would be more comfortable with a member of the club’s staff.Updating equipment would also increase customer satisfaction because it would be adding value to the consultations. The product price increase may decrease the satisfaction rate. Hiring 20 more MPCs would only lead to customer satisfaction if they were introduced into public clubs. The public club members would likely be very happy to have a private consultation, which leads to a higher rate of customer satisfaction. If 20 more MPCs were hired only to work in private clubs, the unique value of consultations would go d own, causing fewer sales and more employees with nothing to do. RecommendationBased on the decision criteria, the best choice for Wayne Mallette to ensure that Callaway Golf Canada stays one step ahead of their competition is to hire more MTCs to work in public clubs. This is the best choice because both profitability and customer satisfaction would increase. It would also assure customers that Callaway Golf is not only a company for intense golf players, but for average players just like the Callaway Golf philosophy states. Starting consultations in public clubs would build Callaway’s reputation even more, increase sales and profit, and customer satisfaction. This is the best case scenario for Mallette to choose.

Creative Writing – It was just like any normal day in the picturesque suburb of Massapequa, N.Y.

It was just like any normal day in the picturesque suburb of Massapequa, N. Y. It was in the middle of fall and leaves were scattered on people's front lawns. It was a completely ordinary Sunday morning with people either going to the shops or just casually lazing around on their verrandahs, everyone leading a deceptively offhand style. But all was not the same for the Rediros. This family were living descendants and a modern replica of the infamous Gambino family. Amongst the Rediros' neighbourhood they present themselves differently and carry out their lives in a normal manner around home and try to show the residents they are average people living an uneventful, debonair life with a nonchalant attitude to life. Most of the criminal activity comes from the father of the family, Al Rediro, he was so high up in the ranks of the elusive New York crime family he practically had his own army there was talk from amongst his father's friends that Al Rediro was to become il capo di tutti cappi, the boss of bosses, godfather and chosen heir to Paul Castellano. Al Rediro made his money from owning various strip joints, bars, nightclubs, drug dealing, money laundering, prostitution and owning New York's biggest illicit stolen car ring. Carlo was one of the many people visiting the shops that day; he popped along to get some bread and milk. But once he returned he was in for a shock, a very big shock. He encroached his six bed-roomed well furnished house walking up the drive to notice the front door open; it all seemed a bit peculiar to Carlo for a neat family, leaving there front door open shows means there showing the neighbourhood into their lives. He could view through the illustrious and grand front door and immediately spotted furniture upturned and out of place; the house looked surprisingly out of touch for the neat family. He slowly peered his head inside and got more than he bargained for, he could blatantly tell someone had forced an entry quite simply ransacked the place, whether they had done anything else was for him to find out. He wondered around the ground floor and looked around, â€Å"hello, anyone there† he asked. He stood there looking helpless with a great big white, blank face as a sign of fear and desperation, wishing for a member of his family to reply. Silence. Carlo began to step around in his hallway cautiously watching where his feet landed amongst the furniture left wrecked around his house. He found nothing of use to him in finding his family, so he backed up against one of the walls and threw a book through the living room door on his left side, to show he's there in case anyone was in there. Then carefully, very slowly, he gently moved his head so only one eye could see in, he saw nothing wrong but could only see half of the room. Then suddenly he plucked up enough courage inside him and quickly jumped in to witness the tragic scene of his sister Ella lying with her back down on the sofa. That was the sofa the family would sit on and enjoy nights in and sing songs with the rest of the family, but now this time it was very different for his sister, Ella had been brutally stabbed in the back, the claret-red blood was all over her back saturating the back of her shirt, it was dripping off her nose from her face and staining the sofa all over. Carlo stood there about ten yards from her body standing completely shocked and dismayed. Carlo was now engaged in an emotional outburst crying out loud as any other 12 year old boy would seeing a dead body, especially his sister's, he began to sprint aimlessly around the house not having a clue what to do. Carlo dashed in and out of every room on his ground floor of his three storey house hoping to find a member of his family alive, but there was nothing to be seen, just more wreckage of their once beautifully kept house with beautiful dicor. He sprinted through his hallway, past the front door he arrived through and tore it up his staircase screaming for aid, help and to see his family. Once at the top to see he saw straight across the landing, his worst nightmare had just got even worse, he had now found his mother hanging from a noose in her bedroom doorway. The coldest part was when Carlo unexpectedly witnessed a gruesome sight of blood stemming profusely from her stomach. She had been riddled with bullets from an automatic gun across her torso to make sure she never survived her slow death of hanging. Continuously crying, Carlo was becoming more and more desperate by the minute. He carried running in and out of the bedrooms and had noticed Robbi, Carlo's nineteen year old brother had his window wide open. Carlo ran across and by now had learnt to expect the worst. He looked out everywhere to witness nothing wrong but peered his head out a bit more to look straight down and see Robbi square on the patio lying cold. Courageously he vowed to continue looking for his last possible living family member, his father, Al. Undoubtedly this attack on the family was from someone who knew Al and were never going to leave him be they were certain to chillingly kill him just like every other member of Carlo's family. In utter desperation Carlo continued searching. He had combed the whole house, apart from the basement where Carlo knew Al spent a lot of time. He sprinted down the steps to see fresh blood still wet on the floor. He followed one end of the trail to lead him to a laundry basket; quickly he opened it and straight away recognised a body but no head. He immediately followed the other end of the trail of blood to stand in front of the washing machine; he looked through the transparent screen to see his father's head knocking around. Carlo, screaming senselessly in a fit of anger, he was completely deluded as if he was in his worst nightmare, he knew he'd hit rock bottom. Without any hesitations he ran straight up the steps and across the hallway and exited through the front door and ran down the block heading for the park where he plays with his friends after school. But Carlo bumped into a man he recognised but hadn't introduced himself ever before, Carlo recognised him from the trips he had made to the grocery store throughout his childhood. The man introduced himself as Zack and immediately could tell something major had gone on in Carlo's life very recently. Carlo described to him the situation he was in and they wondered back to his flat and from then on they hit it off, they had a lot of things in common and they were more or less from the same background, Zack felt for Carlo and Carlo moved in with him. That night they watched the news and discovered the attack was an event waiting to happen amongst the underworld for many weeks. Ever since the trial of Vince Vandetti, Al de Miro had been waiting for it. Al de Miro had committed the biggest unwritten rule for anyone in the underworld, grassing. Al testified against Vince in his trial for the numerous money laundering arrangements he had made. Al wouldn't have done it but he gave in to the Courts, he was gong to risk jail for all his illicit businesses had it not been for all the deceitful and corrupt judges. They had struck a deal with Al, he testified and he would get immunity. Carlo had learnt everything now, everything was fitting into place but couldn't forget his father, his father had completely let the family down. For the next few weeks Carlo settled into Zack's two bed-roomed apartment. Together they worked well; they bonded to the extent that Zack became his legal guardian. But one day Carlo noticed something that would turn his life around – again. Zack was cleaning the barrel of a handgun. Carlo shocked with disbelief thought his days of lies and crime were over questioned Zack, â€Å"Why have you got a gun? † Zack replied calmly â€Å"this is my job Carlo. I'm a cleaner; I get paid to do this†. Carlo was in an outrage. â€Å"Did you kill my family? † Zack told Carlo he would never do such a thing because he has two rules:- 1. No women 2. No children He also told him he doesn't know who killed his family. Carlo is a soloist who does jobs for the Mafia and proclaimed he has never had links with Vince Vandetti. From then on Carlo agreed with him and believed him, he changed also as a person and began to train with Zack for the skills he needed, Zack became an inspiration and Carlo declared he wanted to be a cleaner as well. After over 9 months of intensive training and expert tips Carlo turned into a one time 15 year old with a scrawny figure to a muscle bounding, flesh hungry assassin. They were beginning jobs together and by the age of 17, Carlo had killed 12 men. There was one job though that the Mafia gave Carlo and Zack, this was thought to be a good incentive for Carlo, it was to eliminate Vince Vandetti from life. The job was also aimed to take out the whole Vandetti family, Vince had got off lightly as some of the charges against him were dropped for a lack of evidence, this meant he was only in prison for two years. Once out Vince and his own family had severed links with the Mafia as Al de Miro was much loved within the Mafia. Since out of prison Vince grew links down south with the Columbian Mafia. So for Zack and Carlo to do their job they went there, they posed as drug dealers and arranged a meeting with him at a casino. However, they had other things on their mind and set up a post on the roof of a building with their sniper and night-vision scope. They found him dressed in a long dark grey jacket on the crowded street, the setting was perfect as they would never be caught as everyone would be panicking, then they aimed at him and Carlo fired with pleasure. They decided between themselves that he was definitely dead quickly before a mass crowd occurred around him; they fled the scene and got on the next plane to New York. All was well, they touched down safely and got on with the rest of their lives and carried on doing more jobs. Three months later word must have spread, Carlo and Zack had been found out and on a normal trip to the grocery store they were both wrestled by two men into a dark alley and executed in the head as part of a reprisal. They paid the consequences for just one of their many jobs, people said Carlo should have given up and left the New York crime scene since the loss of his family and set up life elsewhere and continued with the rest of his childhood but he didn't and ultimately paid the price. But people who remembered Carlo and Zack, the only people who can consecrate their memory, were fellow callous minded members of the Mafia from the New York underground crime scene turned up to their joint funeral to give their condolences to two very loyal colleagues killed on the job.

An investigation of mediating effects on the core-self evaluation and Assignment

An investigation of mediating effects on the core-self evaluation and organizational commitment relationship - Assignment Example The decisions involving career planning needs to be done meticulously with emphasis given on individual strengths, weaknesses, skills, interest areas, motivational aspects and psychological assessment of the required job. The portfolio will deal with all the individual aspects and evaluation plans which can justify my key strengths and capabilities in finding the right job as per my professional capabilities. CV The making of Curriculum Vitae is the first step of the Personal Development Plan which highlights the key areas of interest, skills and expertise of a person. The best way of constructing a CV is to make it short, precise and emphasize on the points which matters the most to the companies like key areas of expertise, work experience in dealing with specified domains. CURRICULUM VITAE Steven Paul Birmingham, UK Cell phone: (+44) 7831310254 E-mail: spaul@yahoo.com OBJECTIVE Knowledge Acquisition and a learning drive are the motivating factors of my professional life which has helped me develop my professional goals and ambition. I am looking forward to a full time opportunity to work in a dynamic business environment. PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES Excellent interpersonal and communication skills Ardent believer in team work. Strong Management capabilities and experience to lead big teams. Project initiation and development. Self-motivated, hardworking and reliable Hunger to learn and acquire new skills, methods and procedures Computer skills: MS Office, MS Projects, Tally WORK EXPERIENCE 2007 till Date KPMG Project Leader Led a team of 10 people doing audit for client Held regular meetings with team for work assessment Gave Power Point presentations to the management for projects being carried out on a regular basis. ACHIEVMENTS/CERTIFICATES 2010 Diploma certification in Hedge Funds 2006 Certification in Science from Heritage Institute of Technology 2005 School Topper EDUCATION 2008-2010 Masters of Business and Administration from Durham University with specializa tion in Finance. 2005-2008 Bachelors in Science from University of Wales LANGUAGES Able to speak fluent English and French HOBBIES Reading; Playing sports REFERENCES: Available upon request Covering Letter To, The Human Resource Head Home Retail Group London, United Kingdom Sub: Application for the position of Financial Analyst Sir, This is to inform you that I wish to offer my candidature for the post of financial analyst. I am an MBA from Durham University with major in Finance. My key area of specialization is that of a management consultant. I have good domain knowledge of operations and logistics which I combine with my financial expertise to tell the management what would be the correct step forward. I have done years of research in Durham University which has helped my cause with enough industry experience. I would like to be given an opportunity to give a presentation to you where I can show my strengths and answer business related queries of yours. Thanking You, Yours truly , Steven Paul Job Market The world market was under recession in 2008 when the economy was in shatters with the top banking firms collapsing due to financial crisis which was more of a policy failure with huge financial credits given being unrecoverable. This had put the economy under severe recession and my firm was also retrenching candidates. From that stage the economy has recovered and so has the job market. The current job market in the accounting sector in 2012 has again seen a boost compared to the dip

The Role of Religion in Contemporary Irish Society Essay

The Role of Religion in Contemporary Irish Society - Essay Example Contemporary sociologists have judged that â€Å"any sociological study of Ireland must reflect the importance of religion in the shaping of our contemporary society, its continuing relevance in terms of everyday social life and the still central role of religious institutions† (Tovey and Share, 2003, p. 384). This observation, however, runs counter to the belief that was a cultural shift in all Western societies which started in the period of the Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, which introduced a whole new set of scientific tools. Max Weber, Émile Durkheim and other early proponents of the new discipline of sociology described evidence of a shift away from religion and towards rationalisation. The term â€Å"secularization† is used to describe this change, and the â€Å"secularization thesis† is a belief that religion will slowly fade in the face of new scientific, and by implication better, ways of seeing the world. This paper shows, however, that there is evidence in the recent history and sociology of Ireland to prove that the secularization thesis does not hold, since contemporary Ireland fully reflects modern cultural trends and yet it is by no means an increasingly secular country. Origins of the secularization thesis. In the Middle Ages, a Christia n world view dominated the whole of Europe, with close links being maintained between Church and State, and other religions such as Judaism and Islam being classed as outsiders. Secular monarchs reigned in the firm belief that they had a divine right to rule, and they often used their powers to enhance the dominance of the Christian Church, leading to the Crusades and the demonization of other faiths and other nation states. The reformation polarised Catholic and Protestant branches of Christianity so that in Europe, at least, religion became associated with conflict between factions within Europe. Ireland played a decisive role in the early stages of the Christian colonisation of Europe, and Ireland’s continual loyalty to Rome in the face of British rebellion is a reflection of political differences as much as it is a religious position. The relationship between Church and State remains close in Ireland, since there was no split between the monarch and Rome, and this explain s the influence that religions continues to have at the present time on Irish political and social affairs. In Victorian Britain and Imperial Germany the protestant work ethic was credited with producing the beginnings of the capitalist system, and Karl Marx theorized religion in this context as a logical an necessary part of this culture of trade and industry. In the analyses of Marx, Engels and Lenin, religion was a thriving force to be reckoned with, and they very much supported the underlying motivations that led people to put their faith in it: â€Å"Religion is a many-faceted reflection of the real world, including deep-seated human needs for security, consolation, and beauty. They (Marx, Engels and Lenin) do not want to take away from people the solace, comfort of beauty that religion brings to their lives †¦ religious beliefs are not merely illusory; they stand in the way of man’s mastering both nature and his social relations in the interests of a better and fu ller life† ( Selsam and Martel, 1987, p. 225). A combination of these political ideas,

The Old Folks Home Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Old Folks Home - Essay Example The author of â€Å"The Old Folks Home† begins his narrative with the statement that approaching always brings up the same feelings in the author: duty, of course, and excitement because he hasn’t seen his grandma in so long†¦ but there is always a touch of apprehension, of dread. The fact is, there is not a whole lot that we have in common together, not a lot of common ground to talk about.   This means that we will check up on each other – because we do care, we truly do, but after that first inspection, the tales of the past week or two or four, a silence laps. The visit turns into watching jeopardy or a Cubs game, comfortable, yet not all that fulfilling.   The author tells that he cannot leave after the first checkup though – what would the point be for such a short visit?   Wouldn’t that be admitting defeat?   Wouldn’t that be telling each other that there is not actually that much for us to talk about anymore? He keeps on telling himself, and his grandma keeps on telling him, that she appreciates them, that the author is doing a good thing.   But he also worries that his discomfort is shared – that she knows no matter how much they love each other, that there is nothing that love can do to help bridge the 60-year gap that separates their birth.   He tells himself this is fine, that his presence is all that is required, that he is doing good.   He wishes he could believe himself.   He wishes he could do more.

Nietzsche - Geneology of Morality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Nietzsche - Geneology of Morality - Essay Example In this way, Nietzsche claims that rather trying to persuade, argue with, or grapple to explain the fallacy of certain ways of thinking, it is necessary for the philosopher to look at such notions with disdain, resentment, disgust, and superiority. It is through such a response mechanism that Nietzsche believes that it is possible for the superiority of ideas to triumph over another by means of the contempt that they are shown. Accordingly, this essay will attempt to focus upon the idea of â€Å"ressentiment† as presented by Nietzsche and quantify it with regards to whether it is a beneficial and/or useful practice that should be engaged with or whether it is fundamentally harmful to the free flow of information and expression and disagreement that has been indicative of the intellectual community since time immemorial (Clark 21). As such, key aspects and competing realities of Nietzsche’s point of view will be considered, weighed, and analyzed. In effect, this ressenti ment is a form of intellectual disdain and disgust for those aspects of different types of worldviews that the individual does not respect. Nietzsche further described that the reason that many individuals place themselves in subjugation to the morality and laws of his era was the fact that they felt more comfortable in a master and slave-type relationship (in which they were invariably playing the part of the mental slaves). As a means to jar these individuals from their complacency and acquaint them with the folly of such a worldview, Nietzsche advocates levying a degree of contempt on such belief systems as a means of encouraging those that hold these to re-access them and come to a more complete understanding of the inherent inadequacies and lack of logic presented within them. With respect to the extent to which this particular author agrees or disagrees with the concept of â€Å"ressentiment† as described by Nietzsche, the answer to this cannot be simply stated. Firstly , there are a multitude of instances in which world views, ideas regarding morality, and other such philosophical constructions cannot and should not be considered due to the sheer preposterous nature of their claims. However, the clear and overriding elements of intellectual hubris also come together to raise key questions in the mind of one who reviews such a tactic and response. By not only refusing to engage but showing contempt for a given belief system or worldview, the philosopher is unable to transmit the necessary knowledge which could be key in convincing the practitioner to abandon an otherwise untenable stance. Such an approach, although advocated by Nietzsche has little if any effect in bringing about a greater understanding as such, for purposes of intellectual and academic advancement, stifles the expression of thought and the transmission of ideas. Accordingly, it is the belief of this author that such an approach is more or less fruitless due to the fact that neithe r participants is able to differentiate or expand upon the argument due to the fact that employing ressentiment will necessarily close down the participant’s ability and/or desire to reason together with the opposition. This understanding of intellectual supremacy helps the individual to understand further nuances of the way in which Nietzsche engages the reader with his understanding of the master and slave paradox. Whereas no one wants to consider themselves the intellectual slave of another, Nietzsche effectively argues that those who

The Impact of using New Technology in Art Exhibitions Essay

The Impact of using New Technology in Art Exhibitions - Essay Example This is followed by a thorough analysis of the various expert viewpoints regarding several issues, such as whether online exhibition seems likely to replace traditional exhibition completely. These viewpoints are extracted from different literatures. For the artistic viewpoint, the research has used ‘Ways of Seeing’ and ‘Management and the Arts’, whereas, management books help elaborate the business viewpoint. 1. Traditional Exhibition: Scientific and technological advancement has dynamically altered the traditional exhibition industry, bringing in innovative technology into performance art, as is present in the London Design Museum. This has enhanced the ability of artistic techniques to express and generate emotion, and has also made the use of network form more efficient. Experts also write about how technological changes have affected the viewership and appreciation of the relevant art forms and their exhibitions. Technology has enabled a whole new segme nt of visitors to visit these art exhibitions and museums to appreciate the work. These audiences are those present worldwide, who can now appreciate the art by visiting online galleries of these museums (Camp, MacFadden and Mercer, 2000). Thus, the visitors are no longer limited to physical visits to the institutions. Their visits are no longer contingent on their geographical location, but simply on their passion and interest in art. Furthermore, technology has made it possible to sort out and cater to each of these virtual visitors individually, based on their educational backgrounds, ages and interests. This helps museums further achieve their goals of educating the public with the various lessons that art has to offer, and expanding their minds to further enable them to understand the depths of each piece of art. Thus, with this technological aide, museums are able to enrich the experience they provide to their visitors (Perlin 1998). Another relevant insight that the available literatures had to offer was about the â€Å"Contaminated Cultural Materials in Museum Collections† workshop that the Arizona State Museum at the University of Arizona in Tuscon held. The planning and implementation was sponsored by a NAPGRA grant, and the event took place from March 16th to 18th in 2000 (Odegaard & Sadongei, 2005). The workshop was held for representatives of the twenty one American Indian tribes in Arizona, aiming to discuss the features and quantity of chemical contamination present on tribal cultural material that the museum possesses. Following this, it aimed to explain the need for using such poisons on the materials. This was accompanied by a brief overview of the health risks, which are potentially attached with preserving and restoring a functional object in order to display to a community. Finally, the workshop aimed to circulate the clearinghouse information pertaining to medical referrals as well as toxicologists, chemical hygienists and other su ch health experts (Odegaard and Sadongei, p xi, 2005). Conclusion The workshop highlighted some important facts that need attention when museums and tribes plan to collaborate in the restoration of objects before sending them back to their place of origin. It shed light on the importance of communication in this ordeal. It is the museums responsibility to actively communicate all issue during consultations, and to keep the tribes informed during the whole process. The chances of uncovering a serious health issue of

Freshman Forced to Live on Campus Annotated Bibliography

Freshman Forced to Live on Campus - Annotated Bibliography Example The author of the article is credible and well aware of the trend, as she has been associated with the Arizona State University for more than three years (Soucie, 2009). The targeted audience of this article is the teacher`s faculty and students of the university, who are willing to know about current situation of campus housing (Soucie, 2009). Moreover, in this article it is explained that university students do not like to live in campus houses, but the reason behind their preferences is not clearly mentioned in the source (Soucie, 2009). Villagio apartments are most preferable houses of students and they so wanted to live in there, but due to economical situations, they cannot afford those houses (Soucie, 2009). Here, the author should mention the difference between rents of Tempe homes and campus houses, but he failed to do so. This article is useful and I will use this article as an important source for illustrating promotion of campus houses in the universities in comparison wi th other rental homes for students. This article is also taken from the same source. The title of the article indicates that the university is welcoming all new students to come and live in campus houses. The writer of this article is trustworthy and responsible because he is a qualified young journalist, who has recently passed out from the Arizona State University (Quizon, 2008). The author has targeted fresh students of the university and those who are willing to take admission in the Arizona State University (Quizon, 2008). The author has explicitly explained in his article that students, who live on campus houses, can have more chances to attain good marks in the exams, as previously it has been noticed that students who lived on campus houses performed more efficiently, than those who lived in other rental houses away from the campus (Quizon, 2008). Additionally, views and comments of faculty members show that campus intended to provide

Philosophy Statement Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Philosophy Statement - Assignment Example eedback from students, evaluating unique academic performance, motivating and addressing weaknesses, and reporting to authorized personnel (school administrators, parents, care givers) the outcomes of academic reviews and performance of students, as required. Roles/Responsibilities of the Learner: Learners have roles and responsibilities that are diverse and multidimensional. Learners are expected to assume the roles of active participants, as collaborative members of the learning environment, as a source for constructive feedback. Their responsibilities include â€Å"dialogue and interactions with peers and teachers, practical investigations, performances, oral presentations and discussions† (Education Scotland, n.d., p. 1), among others. Beliefs about Teaching: Good teaching is viewed as being able to practice what one preaches. By being a role model to students, good teachers could effectively impart lessons that could be emulated by students through the values and manifestations of actions that are consistent with good morals and ethical codes of conduct. On the other hand, bad teaching simply exhibits actions and delivery of academic information that are contrary to the standards of ethical and moral practices expected of the profession. Beliefs about Learning: Learning happens in progressive stages and could be enforced through motivating students in a conducive learning environment. Learning is most effective when teachers design strategies that encourage participation of students and acknowledge their contribution to the learning environment. Prejudice, discrimination, restricting encouragement and freedom of expression and exhibiting inequality across gender, ethnic and cultural background definitely make learning less effective. Applications in Language Classroom: Given the beliefs and philosophies in teaching, one would strive to promote equality and the integration of diversity in culture in one’s language classroom to focus on the unique

It’s Only Child Abuse if it is Violent Essay Example for Free

It’s Only Child Abuse if it is Violent Essay Child abuse is defined as the physical, emotional or sexual mistreatment of a child. Child maltreatment is defined as acts of omission or commission by parent or any other caregiver which may result to harm or potential of harm as well as harm threat to any child (MedlinePlus, 2010). Most of child abuse are known to occur in the child’s home but smaller occurrences has been noticed in schools, organizations as well as community, which the child is interacting with. Child abuse is not only through violent acts but there are several ways and acts which can be said as abuse to a child. In this paper, I argue that child abuse is not only perpetrated through violent means but also through other nonviolent means. Child abuse is in different forms. It is much more than broken bones and bruises that can be noticed on a child who has been physically abused. Other forms of child abuse such emotional abuse as well as child neglect may also leave a child with long lasting and deep scars, which may not be seen but in the heart of the child (Wolfe, 1999). Some of the signs that can show a child has been abused may be subtler than the others. Smoking in front of children or inside cars which is carrying children may serve as one form of child abuse. This is because one smoking in places where children are present would mean ruining the health of the children as they are not aware of that and even they can not stop you from smoking. Cot deaths in children are linked to mothers smoking while they are pregnant (UNICEF, 2000). In America evidence has shown that many children die as a result of the effects of their parents smoking and is more than the deaths which results from accidents. Neglecting a child is known to be another form of child abuse. Neglecting child encompasses many things which may include non-compliance with the recommendation of health care, depriving a child food which may result to the child being hungry as well as failing to enable the child to thrive physically (Baskerville, 2006). Other areas of concern may include exposure of children to drugs as well as lack of protecting them from the dangers of environment. Furthermore, child abuse can as well include abandonment of child, poor hygiene, inadequate supervision and depriving a child the right of education. In addition, there are several other forms of child abuse which may include ridiculing a child, degrading a child, destruction or torture of child’s pet, destroying personal belongings of a child, criticizing a child excessively, withholding communication with a child as well as humiliating a child (UNICEF, 2000). All these form of child abuse does not mean one is using violence but the fact is that these acts can result to child abuse. This form of abuse can hurt the child internally and may make the child to live uncomfortable life through out his or her life. In conclusion, not all forms of child abuse require one to use violence so as to be considered as child violence. Emotional abuse is one of the worst practices of child abuse since its effect is long lasting and may even cause the life of a child to change completely through out his or her life. Therefore, emotional child abuse and other forms of child abuse that does not involve violence should be considered as equally affecting the life of child negatively.

The Aesthetical Philosophies of St Thomas Aquinas Essay Example for Free

The Aesthetical Philosophies of St Thomas Aquinas Essay Thomist philosophy as the only true Christian philosophy3 , regarded to the best of its kind. As we delved into the study of the aesthetics of Tomas Aquinas, the interesting thing about it that there seemed to be no singular book written about the topic among his great body of philosophical oeuvre. It also have been said that he seemed to be not written a clear, specific aesthetic theory4 . Yet his appreciation of beauty and aesthetics and his artistic personality are spread throughout and very much evident in his works. Now lays a problem for me, our contemporary era in the 21st century has no relevant comparison to the medieval times. Our contemporary times with the technological advancements and societal developments and upheavals present little resemblance to the conditions of the Middle Ages. To my mind the world we are living in, i. e. my life and my way of thinking, is anything but medieval. Studying the philosophies of St. Thomas, made me think if there is any significance of his aesthetic principles to my artistic future. Now comes the question: do the aesthetic principles of St. Thomas still be applicable to our fickle fast-faced times of â€Å"anything-is-possible† and â€Å"art-isover†5 mentality? In these era of mobile phones, Internet, iPodâ„ ¢Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s, iPadâ„ ¢s and Digital Cameras, where beauty is a sinuous shape and titanium casings to to die-for, do integritas, proportio, and claritas6 still ring true to the contemporary artists like Vik Muniz7 , designers at Apple ®, or to the recent OSCARâ„ ¢Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s best picture movie director of â€Å"The King’s Speech†, are they even applicable to other arts such as performance art like dance? What got me interested in this particular topic is stating the obvious: I am curious if St. Thomas aesthetics and appreciation of beauty is still relevant to me? With a 700 years between us, can his teaching still have any impact to me? A newbie artist / graduate student. 3 4 5 Ralph McInerny, Thomas Aquinas: Selected Writings (London: Penguin Books, 1998) p. xxvii Umberto Eco, The Aesthetic of Thomas Aquinas (Milan: Gruppo Editoriale Fabbri, 1970) p. 19 Arthur Danto, The End of Art in the Philosophical Disenfranchisement of Art (New York: Columbia Uni- versity Press, 1986) pp 85 6 7 Thomas Aquinas, â€Å"Summa Theologica† Q39, Ar 8. Vik Muniz is a Brazilian Artist who is famous for bringing multi-media artform to the wide acceptance of the public. See his TED video presentation of his life, work and artistic philosophy: http://blog. ted. com/2007/04/20/vik_muniz_on_te/ Majella Salceda-Tresvalles †¢ [emailprotected] com †¢ UST Graduate School 4 Tomasso D’Aquino His education and professional life Thomas from the land Aquino was born in the thirteenth century Italy, in 1225, at a time of resurgence in the appreciation of the classical literature, philosophical writings and concepts. He was born to an aristocratic class, and having been well provided for, had been educated at the nearby monastery of Monte Cassino. He was exposed very early in his life to musical education thanks to the resources of his landed family. Having been honed early in rhetoric, grammar, dialectic in his trivium years and later, quadrivium of arithmetic, geometry, music and astronomy8 , the appreciation of the finer arts of music, poetry and literature came very natural. Through his education that his aesthetic sense was developed. His early grasp of musical harmony shows in his liturgical musical compositions later in his professional life. His solid background in rhetoric is well evident in his voluminous writings of the Summas, Commentaries, Letters, etc. All these presents us, modern people, a deep artistic appreciation of the many creative talents of Thomas Aquinas. Thomas wrote on his appreciation of beauty of the arts was coming from the breath of his education and experience and not merely coming from detached point of view of an observer or mere intellectual. Before becoming a friar himself he had already a highly-developed sense of artistic talent and aesthetics. Much was said about how Tomas became a Dominican, a mendicant order of friars, much to the consternation of his wealthy family who had designs for him to become a landlord himself or become an Abbot of the nearby Benedictine Abbey, Monte Cassino, much like his uncle the Abbot Sinibald. But Tomas had other plans. He became a Dominican, this ambition was instrumental to his success as the leading thinkers of all history. It was with the Dominicans that 8 Ralph McInerny, editor, Thomas Aquinas Selected Writings, (London: Penguin Books, 1998) pp. x Majella Salceda-Tresvalles †¢ [emailprotected] com †¢ UST Graduate School 5 his in-depth intellect was nurtured and encouraged and given credence. It was a match simply planned in heaven! Tomas became a protege of Albertus Magnus, a giant among the intellectuals in the Dominican order. But earlier on, in his education at the University of Naples Tomas was introduced by one of his teachers, Master Lawrence, a Transylvanian, of to the great writings of Aristotle9. It also have to be noted that the classical philosophies at that time had a resurgence by way of Alexandria. The islamic scientists and scholars have been known to have and propagated the ideas championed by Plato, Aristotle 10, Plotinus, Boethius and many more. St. Albert the Great nurtured Tomas’ talent and intelligence to maturity. To cite a few of his compositions, â€Å"The Office and Mass of Corpus Christi† is surely the most admirable liturgical service ever composed, the â€Å"Adoro Te† touches deep emotion and has been considered as a great poetry. Tomas was not only exact in his theology but also a master of prosody11 . Tomas became a bright young teacher himself after being conferred a master at the University of Paris. He was under the tutelage of his great mentor, Albertus Magnus and eventually out-shined his master. A contemporary of Tomas was Giovanni Di Fidanza, who later became Bonaventure, a Franciscan who later became a saint himself. The two had a mutual respect for each other but that relationship was later tested by a religious controversy, which we will not be discussing, as the scope of this paper is limited. The two former classmates went on their separate directions, Thomas became a renowned teacher and philosopher, had two stints as regent master of the Parisian Dominican house and Bonaventure, a noted Theologian, eventually became the Minister General of the order of Franciscans. Both led parallel lives and both died in the same year, 1274, a mere four months of each other. Bonaventure was eventually declared a â€Å"Doctor Seraphicus† and we know Tomas is â€Å"Doctor Angelicus† and the â€Å"Doctor Universalis†. St. Thomas died early without finishing his greatest work, the third part of Summa Theologica, about Christ. Around six months prior to his untimely 9 Peter Strather, Thomas Aquinas in 90 Minutes An Audiobook (Blackstone: London, N. d. ) Ibid. David Knowles, â€Å"The Evolution of the Medieval Thought† 2nd ed. (Longman Group: Essex, England, 10 11 1988), p235 Majella Salceda-Tresvalles †¢ [emailprotected] com †¢ UST Graduate School 6 death, he had another vision of God that changed his point-of-view. Apparently he had conversation with God while saying a mass, this vision had shown him the magnificence and grandeur of God. After which, he ‘hanged his writing instruments’, so to speak. His reasoning was that all his writings were mere ‘straw’ compared to the majesty of God. Tomas was canonized a saint some fifty years after his death, but not without controversy within the theological community, largely brought by the Franciscans 12 and other theologian opposed to his theoglogy. But Pope Leo XIII, an ardent Thomist scholar, prevailed in 1879, citing in his encyclical Aeterni Patris that the theology of Thomas is philosophia perenis, whose philosophies are to be taught in all the religious schools from there on after. Thus, the prophesy of Albertus Magnus came true, that the ‘dumb ox’s bellowing will be heard to the ends of the earth’, and it is still being heard as of this day, loud and clear. 12 â€Å"St. Thomas Aquinas†, New Advent website, 7 Majella Salceda-Tresvalles †¢ [emailprotected] com †¢ UST Graduate School Medieval Concept of Beauty and Art Gothic Cathedral in Lyon, France (Photo Credit: Majella Salceda-Tresvalles, 2008) Let us start by understanding the concept of beauty and art during the medieval times, the appreciation of beauty is very much different from appreciation of arts. Way back in the classical times in Greece, Arts, or Ars, as it was known then, as techne (‘ ’, meaning craft)13 were related to craftmaking only, unlike what we know of art today. The artist then was a craftsman that churns the requirements of the religious to come up with tall churches, golden vestments and bejeweled chalices. The monarchs and landed too are among the privileged few that can afford to have beautiful things to adorn their palaces and splendid residences. Medieval thought, like the classical thought, did not considered that art necessarily had to do with the production of beautiful things or stimulation of aesthetic pleasure. As â€Å"Ars† (art) signified a technique for constructing objects. If some of these objects appeared to be beautiful, this was a side issue. However this â€Å"side issue† is central to modern philosophy, to which the artistic experience is always somehow connected with aesthetic experience. 14 13 14 Steve Shipps, (Re)Thinking ‘Art’: A Guide for Beginners (USA: Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2008) pp. 4 Eco, Aesthetic of Thomas Aquinas, pp. 3 Majella Salceda-Tresvalles †¢ [emailprotected] com †¢ UST Graduate School 8 A survey of the history of medieval aesthetics provides ample evidence of the two of the elements in medieval culture: (1) philosophical reflection on beauty; (2) a concrete and conscious awareness of the beauty of things and the aesthetic reality of art. Some historian assert that the two are in fact independent of each other, the metaphysical reflection on beauty was something quite separate from the everyday, concrete aesthetic sensibility at that time. In the medieval times, the appreciation of beauty in the everyday living was grounded on the ordinary taste. It cannot be denied that the medievals had aesthetic sense, yet it must be noted too that during those times, they lack in the proper artistic semantics unlike what we have in our â€Å"advanced† era of the 21st century. But not knowing the terminologies does not mean that they did not admire what beauty was. One only has to survey the designs of medieval cathedrals, musical compositions, commissions to produce various metal functional implements, to agree that truly there was medieval aesthetics. The integration of the temporal pleasures to the theological beauty was very much evident in the Middle Ages, i. e. temporal pleasures admiration of the beauty of a church, theological beauty- church architectural design served to â€Å"give praise† to the divinity of God. If art could simultaneously instruct and delight (prodesse et delectare) this was because the medieval sensibility like the whole medieval culture as a whole, was an â€Å"integrated† sensibility. 16 This integration was used to the fore by the church, choosing the art in churches to simultaneously instruct and enhance worship. The Catholic Church was the biggest benefactor or client for the artisans, art was used for religious, court and political purposes only. Whether one favors that the only appreciation of beauty was limited to theological aspects or only of this earth, or both, the apparent system of aesthetic sensibility, i. e. its limitations in semantics should be taken into account within the cultural framework of the medievals at the time. Lets face it, the wheels of history was moving slowly during that time, and inventing new words and discovering new things took time.

Social Exclusion and Social Capital Theories: Urban Areas

Social Exclusion and Social Capital Theories: Urban Areas Introduction The idea of social exclusion, the forces within society which have contributed to it, and results of social exclusion are all issues that have been described in the following terms by Musterd, S and Ostendorf, W ((1998) p1): ‘The excluded lose the opportunities, the means and finally the ability to participate in society, which is expressed by a lack of labour market participation, low school participation, a weak position in the housing market, limited political participation and restricted socio-cultural integration†¦[1]’. Levitas, R (1998) has a slightly different view of social exclusion and her views have been described in the following way: ‘The MUD moral underclass discourse is rooted in neo-conservatism. Levitas describes this discourse as equating social exclusion with the development of an ‘underclass’†¦.[2]’ Therefore, while there are those who question the very existence of social exclusion problems: ‘†¦..the term does not necessarily imply either a positive or a negative state. It is simply a way of describing the established patterns of human relations in any given society†¦.[3]’, what the arguments of Levitas (1998) and Musterd, S and Ostendorf, W (1998) show is that social theorists have mapped an increasing trend within society which has entrenched wide gaps between social groups in terms of wealth and social status, and this trend has been noticed particularly in regard to urban areas and in terms of low income families. Social exclu sion has led to an explosion at both extreme ends of the socio-economic scale, with increases in households that have a low income, seen to expand proportionally with increases in the amount of households with high income and skills that are highly sought after. Those at the bottom of the scale are frequently referred to as ‘excluded’ and those at the top are those who benefit from social inclusion. The broad policy of redistributive justice has been seen as a way to redress this socio-economic imbalance. Redistributive justice refers to a process whereby the political process encourages the distribution of property and wealth, by introducing schemes such as taxation, which can channel wealth from the wealthy to the poor in society. This concept has been associated with Marxism, Socialism and Pluralism. Therefore, whether one accepts the discourse of an underclass propelling social exclusion, or whether one simply holds the view that social exclusion is mainly caused because of socio-economic reasons, it is plain to be seen that the UK government has recognised social exclusion as a problem which needs to be addressed in terms of policy. The effectiveness and coherence of these policies is of course, open to interpretation and criticism and two government policies will be examined in this essay to highlight the problem of social exclusion and to critique the government’s response to it. Two specific policies have been chosen by the writer with which to use as a focal point in the further discussion of the topic of social exclusion. The first policy is a policy called ‘Programme for Partnership’ which is aimed at narrowing the gaps that social exclusion imposes with regard to those living in urban areas of Scotland. The second scheme within the social capital and social exclusion area is the ‘Tackling Exclusion from Education’ scheme which proposes to see social exclusion as a problem which starts at an early age and which aims at improving the problems of social exclusion through the improvement of the education system in the UK. Urban and the City Few people doubt that the problems of social exclusion emanate in a substantial way from city life and problems associated with deprived urban areas. This scenario can be seen to produce an ‘underclass’ that live in these areas. As Martin (2004) has demonstrated underclasses, whatever their construction are a product of post industrialisation. Martin argues: ‘There are various interpretations of the term underclass. Indeed, Bovenkerk (1984) and Mann (1992 in Mann 1999: 150) argue that Murrays account of the underclass sounds remarkably like Marx and Engels accounts of the lumpenproletariat, and the term itself has been attributed to the work of the Swedish economist Gunnar Myrdal. According to Gans (1995: 2) the underclass is a redefinition of an economic term originally introduced by Myrdal in 1963 to describe the workers being forced out of a new economy, now often called postindustrial..[4]’ Therefore the first chosen policy which will be discussed in regards to the urban and the city topic is one which is aimed at dissipating the problems of an urban underclass. The scheme has only recently been announced by government and it relates to urban regeneration in Scotland. The scheme itself has been entitled ‘Programme for Partnership’ and it involves formulating ideas which will influence the long term lifestyles and opportunities of those living in deprived urban areas. This programme has held at its core the idea of ‘regeneration partnerships’ which encourages a level of cohesion between agencies charged with the responsibility of dealing with the problems of social exclusion in urban Scotland. For example, through directing resources to target inequality in the healthcare system, the ‘Programme for Partnership’ is intending to indirectly deal with the problems within the educational system such as low attainment which can be linked with poor health. This scheme therefore has been aimed at reducing inter-related problems linked with city life which combine to produce what has been described as: ‘†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦the horrible reality of being cut out of our credit-based, plastic card economy†¦[5]’. Other initiatives which have have been borne from this ‘Programme for Partnership’ initiative have been aimed at tackling the problems associated with homelessness, which is another sign of social exclusion. What the Partnership initiative has recognised is that homelessness is not a singular problem which randomly befalls those it affects. Homelessness, a problem endemic in urban areas can often be associated with poverty, low educational attainment, drugs, poor healthcare (particularly for the mentally ill) and family problems including abuse. Therefore, the government has formulated a new Code of Practice which encourages urban social service actors to develop strategies to deal with poverty which incorporate a holistic approach to dealing with the social problems that cause social problems, and not just isolated problems. The Cabinet Office’s social exclusion unit and the Scottish Office work closely to supervise and to help implement the ‘Programme for Partnership’ scheme. The Scottish Executive has recently been quoted as saying: ‘Part of the social justice strategy is the†¦.development of person-centred services (and) involves the breaking down of the old vertical hierarchies, such as the historical division between the UK Benefits Agency and Employment Service, which have recently been merged†¦[6]’. Yet, rhetoric does not solve the problem of social exclusion, and this scheme may be of little use if its effectiveness cannot be measured and attuned to the fluid distribution of the problems of social exclusion in urban areas. There is a fundamental problem which arises when one attempts to tackle a broad problem with an inter-agency approach and this problem involves measuring the success and/or failure of the policy, and targeting appropriate solutions within this grey area. The resulting subterfuge may be of benefit to a government seeking reelection, but how far it has gone to reduce continuing problems associated with social exclusion in urban areas is difficult to see through the rising crime rates, the continuing problems of anti-social behaviour and rising poverty, problems which those in urban areas are particularly susceptible to. Social Capital and Social Exclusion As we have seen earlier from the explanation of social exclusion provided by Musterd, S and Ostendorf, W (1998), the problem of social exclusion mainly affects those at the lower end of the socio-economic scale. The government has recognised that this problem in many ways reflects the way that poor children are treated in the education system. Statistics have suggested that there are links between a person’s educational and social development and this is particularly true of those who enter the educational system from a deprived background. Commentators such as Archer (2003) have pointed to a core problem relating to social exclusion and the educational system: ‘†¦.educational inequalities not only persist, but in some cases have increased†¦[7]’. Therefore the New Labour government have recently launched the ‘Tackling Exclusion from Education’ scheme, which is a scheme again aimed at local authorities and which encourages them to develop sch emes aimed at improving literacy in young people and teenagers. This scheme therefore aims to facilitate the progression of young people within the education system and one of its objectives is to tackle problems associated with emotional and behavioral difficulties in young people, problems which contribute to the problems that have been described above in an urban context. Truancy is also a big issue in this regard and the ‘Tackling Exclusion from Education’ scheme encourages local authorities to introduce pilot schemes within schools to look at alternatives to excluding children, and to improve attendance records. In this way the problem of failure in the educational system can be seen as a root cause of those problems described in the above urban and city section, as problems in school often persist into later life, and these problems can often be seen within cities. Linked with this Education initiative are schemes aimed at improving confidence among young people, and these schemes include out of hours activities which are funded by the National Lottery. As Majors (2001) has argued, ‘England is experiencing an education revolution. Few would deny that in the four years since the Labour government came to power they have made major advances in education and social inclusion.†¦[8]’. Yet, again, this scheme suffers from the same inadequacies as the later scheme. The difficulty again lies with separating rhetoric from success. While it is true that the problem of social exclusion can be tackled in the ways described above, it is not clear whether these schemes are actually effective, in light of the poor comparison Britain makes with other Western European educational systems. An intrinsic problem which has dogged other areas of political life is recognised as ‘political spin’. This New Labour propensity to cloud probl ems with ‘spin’ has permeated the social sector as much as it has the political sector. This leads to a problem of measurement and of recognition and the increasing inconsistency that can be seen from looking at what the government says it is achieving and reconciling this with poor educational attainment, truancy and other problems which afflict poor, young people in British state schools. Conclusion This essay has looked at the idea of social exclusion both in urban areas and in terms of social capital. In many ways social exclusion, begs questions about the definition of freedom; questions about redistributive justice which Marx and Engels have asked many years ago. Therefore, few could argue that the problems of social exclusion emanate in large part from industrialisation and this has been a theme of the essay. While Bashford and Strange (2003) have argued that: ‘†¦new political imaginings of freedom†¦ (and)†¦the invention of liberty as an inalienable right†¦[9]’ have improved the situations of many, the problem of social exclusion persists, as it argued by Rosenfeld and Tardieu (2002): ‘The very poor are shut out; the social institution is shut in. Both live with a sense of defeat and mutual misunderstanding To the extent that there are overtures from either side, these seem doomed to failure and make no sense to the other side. Nothin g is going on; there are no surprises, no exchanges, no meeting points. There is no story to tell†¦.[10]’. Therefore government policy which aims to target these problems must address social exclusion, not just in terms of description, but in terms of effectual strategy which measures success and failure in a fair and unbiased way. Bibliography Books and Articles Archer, L. et al. (2003) Higher Education and Social Class: Issues of Exclusion and Inclusion. Publisher: RoutledgeFalmer. Place of Publication: New York. Publication Year: 2003. Bashford, A. and Strange, C. (2003) Isolation: Places and Practices of Exclusion. Publisher: Routledge. Place of Publication: New York. Publication Year: 2003. Bollens, S. (2002) Urban Planning and Intergroup Conflict: Confronting a Fractured Public Interest. Journal Title: Journal of the American Planning Association. Volume: 68. Issue: 1. Page Number: 22+. Johnson, M. (2001) It May Not Grab the Headlines, but Tackling Financial Exclusion Is Social Democracy in Action. Magazine Title: New Statesman. Volume: 130. Issue: 4530. Publication Date: March 26, 2001. Majors, R. (2001) Educating Our Black Children: New Directions and Radical Approaches. Publisher: RoutledgeFalmer. Place of Publication: London. Publication Year: 2001. Martin, S. (2004) Reconceptualising Social Exclusion: A Critical Response to the Neoliberal Welfare Reform Agenda and the Underclass Thesis. Journal Title: Australian Journal of Social Issues. Volume: 39. Issue: 1. Publication Year: 2004. Page Number: 79+. Musterd, S. and Ostendorf, W. (1998) Urban Segregation and the Welfare State: Inequality and Exclusion in Western Cities. Publisher: Routledge. Place of Publication: London. Publication Year: 1998. Riddell, S. and Tett, L (2001) Education, Social Justice, and Inter-Agency Working: Joined Up or Fractured Policy. Publisher: Routledge. Place of Publication: New York. Publication Year: 2001. Rosenfeld, J. and Tardieu, B. (2002) Artisans of Democracy: How Ordinary People, Families in Extreme Poverty, and Social Institutions Become Allies to Overcome Social Exclusion. Journal Title: Social Theory and Practice. Volume: 28. Issue: 3. Publication Year: 2002. Internet Sources The Scottish Stationary Office (Undated) Social Exclusion in Scotland: A Consultation Paper. Available at:  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library/documents1/socexcl.htm >>. United Nations Research Institute for Social Development. (1994) Social Integration: Approaches and Issues. Available at:  http://66.249.93.104/search?q=cache:cbPDnQ4TsgkJ:www.unrisd.org/unrisd/website/document.nsf/ab82a6805797760f80256b4f005da1ab/510920da18b35a6880256b65004c6a7b/%24FILE/bp1.pdf+social+integrationhl=enct=clnkcd=17 >>. Anonymous (2002) Social Inclusion/Exclusion. Available at:  http://66.249.93.104/search?q=cache:aRXxsOaWPLkJ:www.rwbsocialplanners.com.au/SOCIAL%2520INCLUSION.pdf+moral+underclass+discoursehl=enct=clnk>>. Footnotes [1] p1. Musterd, S. and Ostendorf, W. (1998) Urban Segregation and the Welfare State: Inequality and Exclusion in Western Cities. Publisher: Routledge. Place of Publication: London. Publication Year: 1998. [2] Anonymous (2002) Social Inclusion/Exclusion. Available at: www.rwbsocialplanners.com.au/SOCIAL%20INCLUSION.pdf+moral+underclass+discoursehl=enct=clnk>>. [3] United Nations Research Institute for Social Development. (1994) Social Integration: Approaches and Issues. Available at: http://66.249.93.104/search?q=cache:cbPDnQ4TsgkJ:www.unrisd.org/unrisd/website/document.nsf/ab82a6805797760f80256b4f005da1ab/510920da18b35a6880256b65004c6a7b/%24FILE/bp1.pdf+social+integrationhl=enct=clnkcd=17 >>. [4]p1. Martin, S. (2004) Reconceptualising Social Exclusion: A Critical Response to the Neoliberal Welfare Reform Agenda and the Underclass Thesis. Journal Title: Australian Journal of Social Issues. Volume: 39. Issue: 1. Publication Year: 2004. Page Number: 79+. [5]Johnson, M. (2001) It May Not Grab the Headlines, but Tackling Financial Exclusion Is Social Democracy in Action. Magazine Title: New Statesman. Volume: 130. Issue: 4530. Publication Date: March 26, 2001. [6]p3. Riddell, S. and Tett, L (2001) Education, Social Justice, and Inter-Agency Working: Joined Up or Fractured Policy. Publisher: Routledge. Place of Publication: New York. Publication Year: 2001. [7] p2. Archer, L. et al. (2003) Higher Education and Social Class: Issues of Exclusion and Inclusion. Publisher: RoutledgeFalmer. Place of Publication: New York. Publication Year: 2003. [8] Majors, R. (2001) Educating Our Black Children: New Directions and Radical Approaches. Publisher: RoutledgeFalmer. Place of Publication: London. Publication Year: 2001. Page Number: 1. [9] Bashford, A. and Strange, C. (2003) Isolation: Places and Practices of Exclusion. Publisher: Routledge. Place of Publication: New York. Publication Year: 2003. Page Number: 3. [10] Rosenfeld, J. and Tardieu, B. (2002) Artisans of Democracy: How Ordinary People, Families in Extreme Poverty, and Social Institutions Become Allies to Overcome Social Exclusion. Journal Title: Social Theory and Practice. Volume: 28. Issue: 3. Publication Year: 2002. Page Number: 519+.

Moral Conflicts in Crime and Punishment Essay -- Crime Punishment Essa

Moral Conflicts in Fydor Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment  Ã‚   Crime and Punishment by Fydor Dostoyevsky has been hailed as the greatest literary work in the Western hemisphere. Crime and Punishment was written in pre-Communist Russia under the Tsar. Dostoyevsky's writing shows insight into the human mind that is at once frightening and frighteningly real. His main character, around who all other characters are introduced, is Rodion Romanovitch Raskolnikov. Raskolnikov murders an old pawnbroker woman for seemingly no reason at all. His sister and mother move to St. Petersburg following his sister's engagement to a man whom Raskolnikov was extremely displeased. Raskolnikov undergoes severe mental trauma, and falls ill after the killing. The reader isn't sure why Raskolnikov killed the woman, indeed it appears that Raskolnikov didn't know himself. He is surrounded by friends and his family and draws in other characters to him during his illness. He befriends a woman, Sofya Seymonavitch, who prostitutes herself to support her mother and her drunken father. As the police come closer onto his trail Raskolnikov faces serious threats to his sister from her two suitors, one of which tries to rape her and kills himself after he finds that he can't bring himself to. At the end Raskolnikov gives himself up, and gives his family into the care of his friend Rauzumihin, who marries Raskolnikov's sister Douina. Dostoyevsky exposes the darkest sides of human nature in with characters that are completely human. The tale Dostoyevsky weaves is a murder mystery, with the murderer and all the facts of the murder known in the very first pages of the book. How then can it be a murder mystery? The mystery is finding out why Raskolnikov comm... ...and then gives all of his money in the world to Marmeledov's family after his death? Who befriends and supports Sofya? Who time and time again defends his sisters honor and safety? Can the reader call this man murderer, shun him, and cast him out, make him the bad guy? Or must the reader be forced to see the suffering Raskolnikov is inflicting upon himself, the acceptance that what he did was evil, his urge to confess to the world what he had done. Must the reader in the end admit that this horrible criminal is human? That Rodion Romanovitch Raskolnikov was neither brute nor hero, but one of us? Dostoyevsky leaves the reader who was looking to divide the characters with the sword of moral right and wrong with the sword pointing directly at himself. Works Cited: Dostoevsky, Fyodor. Crime and Punishment. Trans. Constance Garnett. New York: Modern Library, 1950.

Essay --

NAME: Angela Ferreira †¨ STUDENT NUMBER: 543939†¨ COURSE: FVPA†¨ ASSIGNMENT: Assignment one Stuart Hall: the work of representation†¨ DUE DATE: 12 March TUTOR NAME: Amanda Mullins Plagiarism declaration†¨ I know that plagiarism is wrong. Plagiarism is to use another’s work and to pretend that it is one’s own.†¨ I have used the author date convention for citation and referencing. Each significant contribution to and quotation in this essay from the work or works of other people has been acknowledged through citation and reference.†¨ This essay is my own work.†¨ I have not submitted this work, or a substantial portion thereof, for assessment previously.†¨ I have not allowed and will not allow anyone to copy my work with the intention of passing it off as his or her own work.†¨ I have done the word processing and formatting of this assignment myself. I understand that the correct formatting is part of the mark for this assignment and that it is therefore wrong for another person to do it for me. —————Angela Ferreira—————————- Signature†¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨12 March 2014 ———————————– Date Angela Ferreira Student number: 543939FVPA ASSIGNMENT 1 STUART HALL: THE WORK OF REPRESENTATION QUESTION 1 The approach that Saussure adopted to understanding representation as a sign system is called ‘The Semiotic Approach’ or ‘Semiotics’ (HALL 1997: pg 31) Question 2 The sign The sign can take different forms such as: sounds, images, objects and so on. However, signs only really become signs when we invest meaning into them (HALL 1997: pg34). The sign consists of multiple attribute... ...the keys’, in simple- history is recorded by the victorious and those on top will filter, give access to and withhold information of their choosing.  Reference list 1) Biko, S, 1988. Some African Culture Concepts. In P.H. Cotzee et al (eds) Philosophy From Africa. London: International Thompsen publishing 2) Fritz, F. 1937. Die Judenfrage im Unterricht. Nà ¼rnberg: Der Stà ¼rmer-Abteilung Buchverlag 3) Hall, S. (ed). 1997. Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying practises. London: Thousand Oaks; New Delhi: Sage publications in association with Open University. 4)McLuhan , M. 1964. Understanding Media. McGraw-Hill: Canada 5) Peter Gabriel, Biko, 1980. real world music Ltd, EMI music publishing. Courtesy of PeterGabriel.com 6) The Concise Oxford Dictionary of current English, 1990. 8th edition. Walton street, New York, Oxford.

Chilly Morning. Essay -- essays research papers

There is a place where the chill of the morning air cuts through a person like a knife. To stand up would take every muscle of the body, but even that would take too much energy. Thus, one sits upon the icy pond called the floor. Is this a dream? Somewhere a voice answers that it is more like a nightmare, so one just makes the most of it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All around the sights and sounds of the morning begin to take affect. Very few people are there in the beginning. They all are in a sleepy haze, yearning to be back in the sweet comforts of their own bed. There they can wrap themselves in a blanket of never ending warmth and dream a never ending dream. In the harsh reality of the morning, they are here in the chilly morning air. There are very few sounds in the twilight of the day. All that one can hear is the buzz of what is the beginning of talking. Far off there is the sound of an early morning basketball game. There the players can hear the cheering of the crowd of a championship ball game in its fourth quarter. Will they win? Who knows?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is some strange aroma that starts to wake the senses. In a nearby room there is a fresh, hot pot of coffee brewing. It begins to wake the senses and the mind, however, one still would rather be at home in bed. An awful stench begins to take the place of the coffee. The smell of breakfast begins to drift down from the kitchen. It has the aroma of mom cooking scrambled eggs. One begins to ...

Build-a-Bear

1. Give examples of needs, wants, and demand that Build-A-Bear customers demonstrate, differentiating each of these three concepts. What are the implications of each on Build-A-Bear’s actions? Needs are defined as a basic part of the human makeup. According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, the need for toys belong to the third level or the social needs for love and belonging level. The primary target market of Build-A-Bear are children. A toy can provide the friend or social belonging a child needs. Build-A-Bear provides for the natural need of a child of a toy. Wants is defined as the form taken by human needs as they are shaped by culture and individual personality. As a child grows, his or her need for toys develops into wants or desires. A child needs a toy but may want a doll, a toy car, or a stuffed animal. This certain want may be influenced by the environment or the people in their surroundings. Build-A-Bear offers stuffed animals that are usually desired by younger children, most especially girls. Furthermore, Build-A-Bear have created a â€Å"want† for toys that are personalized. Demand is defined as a want backed up by buying power of the customers. In the case of Build-A-Bear, the buying power or money is provided by the parents of the children. And since they will be paying for the satisfaction of the â€Å"wants† of their children, customers or parents would want to get the toys, particularly the stuffed animals, with the best benefits. Build-A-Bear increases their toys’ benefits by promising that they would provide more than just a toy but the joyful experience of creating the toy. By offering more than just a toy, they have created a remarkable edge over other toys that would make their products more appealing to buying customers. 2. Detail all facets of Build-A-Bear’s product. What is being exchanged in a Build-A-Bear transaction? A Build-A-Bear Workshop’s primary products are personalized stuffed animals. But they promise to offer more than just a toy since these stuffed animals are created by the customers through different stations positioned in the store. To make the actual stuffed animal, the customers are provided the raw materials and they must then go through the child-friendly stations (Choose Me, Stuff Me, Hear Me, Stitch Me, Fluff Me, Dress Me, and Name Me) in the Build-A-Bear Workshop and do the necessary processes in the stations. Thus, what is actually exchanged is the toy plus the playful experience of creating the toy. From the perspective of a child or even adults, this will be a very unique experience since most of toys currently available in the market are all factory-produced. This unique experience shall become a creative memory and is also an added feature of the said exchange. 3. Which of the five marketing management concepts best describes Build-A-Bear Workshop? The marketing management concept that is best apt for the Build-A-Bear Workshop is the Marketing Concept. The marketing concept is defined as the concept that conducts various researches first regarding the needs, wants and demands of the customers before producing the actual product. The marketing concept also introduces the concept of customer-driving market or offering a new product that the customer may want based on their research and market studies. In the case of Build-A-Bear, the company is a pioneer in their kind of business. Maxine Clark, the owner, has determined that customers need products that are customized or personalized and will give them a sense of creativity and uniqueness. They have created a toy that is more than just a toy. They have integrated a product and service and they are continuously improving their services to offer more to loyal customers. 4. Discuss the value that Build-A-Bear creates for its customers. Customer value is defined as the difference between the values the customer gains from owning and using a product and the costs of obtaining the product. Build-A-Bear not only offers a toy but rather the â€Å"experience of participating in the creation of personalized entertainment†. This experience satisfies the growing demand for products that are inclined towards customization. This is what separates Build-A-Bear Workshop from a regular toy store. This gives them the edge and competitive advantage from all other stuffed animals in the market. 5. Is Build-A-Bear likely to be successful in continuing to build customer relationships? Why or why not? Yes, because as what has been described in the text, the owner of the company is very much customer oriented. As demonstrated by the marketing concept, they look first at what is outside before going in. In her goal of going to 2 to 3 stores per month, the owner can get a personal first-hand experience of getting to know what the customer wants. She keeps their products updated by continuously asking the customers what they want. If the customers knew that the owner is very much concerned with what they want, this can develop their loyalty to the company. Furthermore, products that continuously answer to customer’s desires can also develop customer loyalty and leads to customers buying more from the company. Moreover, they can also share their experience with the company and encourage potential customers to try their products as well. Build-a-Bear 1. Give examples of needs, wants, and demand that Build-A-Bear customers demonstrate, differentiating each of these three concepts. What are the implications of each on Build-A-Bear’s actions? Needs are defined as a basic part of the human makeup. According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, the need for toys belong to the third level or the social needs for love and belonging level. The primary target market of Build-A-Bear are children. A toy can provide the friend or social belonging a child needs. Build-A-Bear provides for the natural need of a child of a toy. Wants is defined as the form taken by human needs as they are shaped by culture and individual personality. As a child grows, his or her need for toys develops into wants or desires. A child needs a toy but may want a doll, a toy car, or a stuffed animal. This certain want may be influenced by the environment or the people in their surroundings. Build-A-Bear offers stuffed animals that are usually desired by younger children, most especially girls. Furthermore, Build-A-Bear have created a â€Å"want† for toys that are personalized. Demand is defined as a want backed up by buying power of the customers. In the case of Build-A-Bear, the buying power or money is provided by the parents of the children. And since they will be paying for the satisfaction of the â€Å"wants† of their children, customers or parents would want to get the toys, particularly the stuffed animals, with the best benefits. Build-A-Bear increases their toys’ benefits by promising that they would provide more than just a toy but the joyful experience of creating the toy. By offering more than just a toy, they have created a remarkable edge over other toys that would make their products more appealing to buying customers. 2. Detail all facets of Build-A-Bear’s product. What is being exchanged in a Build-A-Bear transaction? A Build-A-Bear Workshop’s primary products are personalized stuffed animals. But they promise to offer more than just a toy since these stuffed animals are created by the customers through different stations positioned in the store. To make the actual stuffed animal, the customers are provided the raw materials and they must then go through the child-friendly stations (Choose Me, Stuff Me, Hear Me, Stitch Me, Fluff Me, Dress Me, and Name Me) in the Build-A-Bear Workshop and do the necessary processes in the stations. Thus, what is actually exchanged is the toy plus the playful experience of creating the toy. From the perspective of a child or even adults, this will be a very unique experience since most of toys currently available in the market are all factory-produced. This unique experience shall become a creative memory and is also an added feature of the said exchange. 3. Which of the five marketing management concepts best describes Build-A-Bear Workshop? The marketing management concept that is best apt for the Build-A-Bear Workshop is the Marketing Concept. The marketing concept is defined as the concept that conducts various researches first regarding the needs, wants and demands of the customers before producing the actual product. The marketing concept also introduces the concept of customer-driving market or offering a new product that the customer may want based on their research and market studies. In the case of Build-A-Bear, the company is a pioneer in their kind of business. Maxine Clark, the owner, has determined that customers need products that are customized or personalized and will give them a sense of creativity and uniqueness. They have created a toy that is more than just a toy. They have integrated a product and service and they are continuously improving their services to offer more to loyal customers. 4. Discuss the value that Build-A-Bear creates for its customers. Customer value is defined as the difference between the values the customer gains from owning and using a product and the costs of obtaining the product. Build-A-Bear not only offers a toy but rather the â€Å"experience of participating in the creation of personalized entertainment†. This experience satisfies the growing demand for products that are inclined towards customization. This is what separates Build-A-Bear Workshop from a regular toy store. This gives them the edge and competitive advantage from all other stuffed animals in the market. 5. Is Build-A-Bear likely to be successful in continuing to build customer relationships? Why or why not? Yes, because as what has been described in the text, the owner of the company is very much customer oriented. As demonstrated by the marketing concept, they look first at what is outside before going in. In her goal of going to 2 to 3 stores per month, the owner can get a personal first-hand experience of getting to know what the customer wants. She keeps their products updated by continuously asking the customers what they want. If the customers knew that the owner is very much concerned with what they want, this can develop their loyalty to the company. Furthermore, products that continuously answer to customer’s desires can also develop customer loyalty and leads to customers buying more from the company. Moreover, they can also share their experience with the company and encourage potential customers to try their products as well. Build-a-Bear 1. Give examples of needs, wants, and demand that Build-A-Bear customers demonstrate, differentiating each of these three concepts. What are the implications of each on Build-A-Bear’s actions? Needs are defined as a basic part of the human makeup. According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, the need for toys belong to the third level or the social needs for love and belonging level. The primary target market of Build-A-Bear are children. A toy can provide the friend or social belonging a child needs. Build-A-Bear provides for the natural need of a child of a toy. Wants is defined as the form taken by human needs as they are shaped by culture and individual personality. As a child grows, his or her need for toys develops into wants or desires. A child needs a toy but may want a doll, a toy car, or a stuffed animal. This certain want may be influenced by the environment or the people in their surroundings. Build-A-Bear offers stuffed animals that are usually desired by younger children, most especially girls. Furthermore, Build-A-Bear have created a â€Å"want† for toys that are personalized. Demand is defined as a want backed up by buying power of the customers. In the case of Build-A-Bear, the buying power or money is provided by the parents of the children. And since they will be paying for the satisfaction of the â€Å"wants† of their children, customers or parents would want to get the toys, particularly the stuffed animals, with the best benefits. Build-A-Bear increases their toys’ benefits by promising that they would provide more than just a toy but the joyful experience of creating the toy. By offering more than just a toy, they have created a remarkable edge over other toys that would make their products more appealing to buying customers. 2. Detail all facets of Build-A-Bear’s product. What is being exchanged in a Build-A-Bear transaction? A Build-A-Bear Workshop’s primary products are personalized stuffed animals. But they promise to offer more than just a toy since these stuffed animals are created by the customers through different stations positioned in the store. To make the actual stuffed animal, the customers are provided the raw materials and they must then go through the child-friendly stations (Choose Me, Stuff Me, Hear Me, Stitch Me, Fluff Me, Dress Me, and Name Me) in the Build-A-Bear Workshop and do the necessary processes in the stations. Thus, what is actually exchanged is the toy plus the playful experience of creating the toy. From the perspective of a child or even adults, this will be a very unique experience since most of toys currently available in the market are all factory-produced. This unique experience shall become a creative memory and is also an added feature of the said exchange. 3. Which of the five marketing management concepts best describes Build-A-Bear Workshop? The marketing management concept that is best apt for the Build-A-Bear Workshop is the Marketing Concept. The marketing concept is defined as the concept that conducts various researches first regarding the needs, wants and demands of the customers before producing the actual product. The marketing concept also introduces the concept of customer-driving market or offering a new product that the customer may want based on their research and market studies. In the case of Build-A-Bear, the company is a pioneer in their kind of business. Maxine Clark, the owner, has determined that customers need products that are customized or personalized and will give them a sense of creativity and uniqueness. They have created a toy that is more than just a toy. They have integrated a product and service and they are continuously improving their services to offer more to loyal customers. 4. Discuss the value that Build-A-Bear creates for its customers. Customer value is defined as the difference between the values the customer gains from owning and using a product and the costs of obtaining the product. Build-A-Bear not only offers a toy but rather the â€Å"experience of participating in the creation of personalized entertainment†. This experience satisfies the growing demand for products that are inclined towards customization. This is what separates Build-A-Bear Workshop from a regular toy store. This gives them the edge and competitive advantage from all other stuffed animals in the market. 5. Is Build-A-Bear likely to be successful in continuing to build customer relationships? Why or why not? Yes, because as what has been described in the text, the owner of the company is very much customer oriented. As demonstrated by the marketing concept, they look first at what is outside before going in. In her goal of going to 2 to 3 stores per month, the owner can get a personal first-hand experience of getting to know what the customer wants. She keeps their products updated by continuously asking the customers what they want. If the customers knew that the owner is very much concerned with what they want, this can develop their loyalty to the company. Furthermore, products that continuously answer to customer’s desires can also develop customer loyalty and leads to customers buying more from the company. Moreover, they can also share their experience with the company and encourage potential customers to try their products as well.