Hollywood’s distortion of truth Essay

When it comes to film’s interpretation of history and reality, such as the recent film’s â€Å"Argo† and â€Å"Zero Dark Thirty†, Hollywood has long had a habit of altering facts, creating illusions and fabrications, and even distorting final outcomes. Hollywood is an industry, and for a long time now, has understandably aimed at creating the best possible plot line with regard to its films. In some ways, it could be considered a â€Å"dream factory,† with regard to how removed from reality many of the Hollywood plot lines are. After all, Hollywood film makers are motivated by an economic imperative and as such their bottom line is profit, and aim to satisfy their target audience as greatly as possible. However, in too many films supposedly based on fact, reality and truth has been sacrificed all together, in the pursuit of pure, generic entertainment. The phrase, â€Å"don’t let truth get in the way of a good story† is worryingly, far too applicable to modern Hollywood. With regard to films that claim to be based on a TRUE story, there is a line that should be drawn when Hollywood creates its version of history. To put it simply, how untrue, is just true enough? It seems at present, the answer is somewhat flexible. On February 23rd this year, â€Å"Argo† a significantly dramatized, exaggerated and almost ahistorical interpretation of true story, took out the Academy award for â€Å"Best Picture†, the most prestigious of the Oscars. â€Å"Argo†, directed, produced by and starring Ben Affleck, portrays six helpless, and importantly, innocent Americans thrilling escape, notably orchestrated by the CIA, from the hostile and draconian revolutionary Iran, which is depicted to have been overrun by hoards of bearded savages. The story concludes with celebration, surrounding American, heroism, courage and innovation, leaving the Iranians with frustration in their defeat. Now this approach to film making is not unusual, take James Cameron’s â€Å"Avatar†, the highest grossing film of all time. â€Å"Avatar†, unlike â€Å"Argo†, does not imply that it represents history, and reality, and in this respect tells a fantastic story without misleading the audience. Hollywood blockbusters have always traditionally depicted one party as glorious and triumphant, and the other defeated. â€Å"Avatar†, depicts the peaceful, nomadic tribes of the planet Pandora and their experiences with Humans, who have recently landed on Pandora. The audience is positioned to sympathise with the tribes, before the natives are subject to ruthless invasion and onslaught by the armies of ‘future earth’, and with an enormous struggle, eventually emerge victorious over the violent and materialistic invaders. However, this is fantasy, and illusion, in resplendent, eye popping 3D. â€Å"Argo† on the other hand, and other films such as zero dark thirty, take dramatization and illusion a step further, by distorting the truth of the stories intended to be â€Å"based† on history. In this respect, Hollywood alters reality and history for the audience, and leads them to believe fabricated tales and false facts. Argo’s portrayal of the American civilian escape from Iran as danger ridden, with capture and horror always just around the corner was a plot construction by Hollywood. One of the diplomats involved in the actual escape said of it; â€Å"Noone ever asked, the truth is the immigration officers barely looked at us and we were processed out the regular way†¦It was that straight forward†. The Hollywood interpretation of the true story was so far removed from reality that it prompted Ken Taylor, a Canadian Diplomat to say; â€Å"the amusing side is the script writer in Hollywood, had no idea what he was talking about†. According to Ben Affleck, â€Å"It’s okay to embellish, it’s okay to compress, as long as you don’t fundamentally change the nature of the story and what happened†. Yes, to a small extent it is. However, the reality in â€Å"Argo† was drastically manipulated. It portrayed the Iranian’s as immoral, ignored their docile side and failed to depict the fact that they too had a cause, and wanted justice. It made out as though it was almost entirely the American’s who had skilfully crafted and executed the escape plan, but in reality, according to Jimmy Carter, it was more than 90% a Canadian effort. The transformation of the truth and history, into â€Å"Argo†, somewhat resembled that of Griffin Mill’s ‘winning’ marketing elements for films in â€Å"The Player†, a satirical film on Hollywood, directed by Robert Altman. Mill talks of the factors in film needed to market it successfully; â€Å"Suspense, laughter, violence. Hope, heart, nudity, sex. Happy endings. Mainly happy endings. † His statement is then followed by the question asked by June; â€Å"What about reality? †. Hollywood applies Mill’s theory of â€Å"up, everything up†, too satisfy the profit motive by which Hollywood works, and in many cases glorify the American culture; as seen in the fictional conclusion of â€Å"Argo†. It should be acknowledged that this approach to interpretations of history by writers and directors is not new, and was evident in Shakespeare’s late 16th century in which he slanders Richard the 3rd in support of Tudor dynasty. When Hollywood advertises its intention to base a film around history and reality, its ahistorical interpretations of the truth should be curbed, as it is through story telling that we learn about ourselves, and our cultures as the human race. Recent research has shown that film, far more than previously thought is an incredibly powerful tool for teaching ; children in particular. When films distort the truth, and include incorrect facts, the audience too interprets history, and the reality falsely, even the falsity is outlined pre and post screening of the film. In this respect, when claiming to represent truth, Hollywood should defeat the powerful temptation to apply to the film many of Griffin Mill’s ‘successful marketing elements’, and rather than fabricate to produce pure entertainment, represent truth so that society may understand history, truth, and reality.

External Reserach – Childcare Level 3

‘’It is important to plan to meet the care and learning needs of all children. ’’ External research CACHE LEVEL 3 DIPLOMA IN CHILDCARE AND EDUCATION Introduction Criteria 1 – Criteria 2 – The first stage of the learning cycle is planning and this is where you plan for the children activities that will be carried out throughout the time at placement and these activities need to be planned for the needs of all children.When practitioners are planning the activity they need to consider the resources, if the activity is age stage appropriate, any protective clothing that may be need during the activity, health and safety and how all the children will be included together, not discriminating any child because of their age, gender, abilities or disability. The second stage is where the planned activity takes places and during this the children will carry out the activity to help them, learn and develop in all aspects of development; social, emotiona l, physical, and intellectual and language development.It also allows practitioners to observe the children during play activities. When practitioners observe, they look for the child’s development and abilities. The third and last stage of the cycle is to review and this is when the practitioner looks back and reflects on the activity (reflect on it) to see where they can improve. The planning cycle is used to meets care needs of children, learning needs of children, help them develop and help them to develop and learn different stages of development.I have seen this happen at placement where the practitioners were planning an activity along the lines of previously noticing a group of boys enjoy playing with the cars and after noticing this, they decided to carry out a work sheet using cars to teach them how to count. When planning this activity, they considered the abilities of the children, the health and safety as well as resources needed.During this activity the practiti oners were observing to see how the children were coping, child’s development stages and what the children were learning during the activity. Once the activity has taken place the practitioners reviewed it by using a reflective cycle. A long term goal is something you want to achieve over a long period of time normal one year or five years. In a school a long term plan is used to cover all aspects of the National Curriculum whereas in a Nursery a long term plan would cover all aspects of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS, 2012).The practitioners would plan for whole year of children’s time at the setting and it meets the care needs of children by planning for their holidays. It cares for the learning needs of children because it plans to provide the best use of resources and equipment available and the environment in which the children will learn in. This can be a disadvantage because the planning doesn’t allow for immediate changes on a day to day or terml y basis.A long term plan would be covering a curriculum plan because it sets goals, develops strategies and outlines tasks and schedules within the setting. It meets the care needs of children by allowing the practitioners to provide supporting activities for the individual needs of the children and meets the hearing needs by having opportunities that challenge the children, varied types of activities such as adult- led, child-led and free play by learning indoors and outdoors.Practitioners have a meeting ever term and plan for activities and task for the whole school term of the child to help support and develop their care and learning needs in the best possible way to allow each individual child to achieve the next stage. A medium term goal is something that you build upon from a short team goal. Practitioners would plan termly/monthly by building upon the short term plans. It meets the learning needs of children by looking at the themes. Medium term planning in my placement consi ders a central theme spread across a number of weeks:A short term goal is achieving something in the near future for example: within a week. Practitioners would do daily plans and observe the children in order to be able to make changes in the plan to meet individual unique child’s needs. It meets the learning needs of children because it can be immediately changed on a daily basis or weekly basis according to the child’s individual learning needs, abilities and disabilities as well as their likes and dislike to help them move forward in their development and develop their skills.In my current placement practitioners saw a group of boys enjoying playing with the cars. Later on that same day the practitioners got an idea to plan activities around that theme for the following week to help the 2 to 5 years olds learn to count up to 20 which helps the practitioners to encourage and interest the children’s learning by using things that they like to help meet their ne eds in order for them to develop. Routines are tasks, chores, or duties done as regularly as possible or at specified time of the day e. g. typical or every day. It can also be activities happing during the same time period in the day, such as lunch, reading, or playground time. In a childcare setting, a routine maybe having meal times three times a day or having rest time after lunch. They are used for teaching them to be prepared for adult life and helping them to understand their duties. It is important that adults stimulate children’s minds, social skills, emotional and bodies with routines for them to be able to learn and remember these different routines for the future.Routines meet care needs of children because they make children feel safe and build’s the child’s confidence. Routines meet children’s learning needs because the children will learn everyday skill and also allow children to know what is expected of them. I have experienced many differ ent routines throughout my work placements; I have recently seen a routine for the whole day which is in my appendix 2. Criteria 3 – Criteria 4 – Effective planning is something that works well. It also meets the children’s individual needs and helps identify a path of achievement.There are eight feature to effective planning; support for practitioners, effective planning, sharing best practice, knowing the child, encourage reflection, helps with translation and makes it requirement and enjoyable. Effective planning involves around the child. Curriculum plans can be done and allows for practitioners to meet the children’s learning and care needs over a long period of time. This does not always work because each child is individual and they develop skills and abilities at their own time.To make this work effectively practitioners could use a SMART target to plan over the week for each individual child according to their likes, dislikes and what they can an d can’t do. Practitioners could combine both the curriculum plan and Smart target by using the planning cycle, long term and short term plans to make it effective because this allows for all children to learn and develop at their own time and achieve their next stage up. Within my setting practitioners plan effectively by using the SMART target to plan for the week ahead and combine this with using the curriculum plan to do and review over the next month for every child.Once they have observed the activity and child, they then plan activity according to their observation. A combination of planning tools are used in settings to give practitioners good outcomes, meet children’s needs and learning needs and don’t allow practitioners to plan, do and review. I have noticed in my previous setting that practitioners use one type of plan which is the short term plan because they plan weekly for their activities whereas in my current placement practitioners use a range o f plans such as a weekly plan along side an activity plan and a medium plan.If effective planning wasn’t used practitioners would be having bad management in organising activities, practitioners will not get the outcome they are looking for easily, children needs will not be meet to the best interest and they may not be able develop their skills and development well enough because they don’t have the assess to the appropriate activities and resources (age stage). Criteria 5 – Having an appropriate environment in place to support care and learning needs is important because practitioners should make sure that the environment is safe and secure for the children as well as welcoming and warm.It also needs to be stimulating for the children to be able to explore and investigate in. This is stated by Early Years foundation stage (EYFS, 2012) who states that it is important to plan and provide an appropriate environment both indoors and outdoors throughout the day. Th e Reggio Emilio approach focuses on both the outdoor and indoor environment as equally important because they both allow children to explore and discover, free play and creative thinking. Reggio believed that the indoor and outdoor nvironment stimulates children’s learning, children develop socially and they can express themselves in any way they want. Reggio pre-schools believes in having discovery, stimulating learning environments (both indoor and outdoor) for children to be able to reflect on their own learning and record the children’s learning progress (Tassoni, 2007) This approach can benefit children as it allows them to work more closely with the adult to help stimulate their skills, abilities and development within their environment.Children’s play is carried out in a learning environment which is characterised by both indoor and outdoor learning to help children move on in their development stage and it needs to be safe for children to play and learn in where they are protected and supervised at all times by an adult. It is vital to have the appropriate equipment at the child’s level in both the outdoor and indoor environment to help support the learning they need as well as meet each child’s individual needs.Both theorists also support the learning needs of children by allowing them to physical, socially, emotionally, intellectually, cognitive and language develop. ‘’ A good early childhood environment meets the child's basic needs and supports and encourages children to engage in activities that implement the programme's curriculum. ’’ (Exteral research/creating-indoor-environments-for-young-children. htm 1997-2012) Criteria 6 –Care needs are supporting the children’s personal care needs such as feeding, sleeping and hygiene. It helps children to become independent and teaches them life skills. The theorist which supports this is Maslow (1943) and his hierarchy of need. It concerns the responsibility of adults to care and provide a safe environment that encourages and enables the adults to support and meet all the needs of an individual child.These needs include; physical, emotional, social, and intellectual and are shown in the model and diagram of the pyramid five stages. The framework that supports care needs is the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) (2012) and they influences day to day practice by making sure each practitioner follows the correct curriculum framework within their practice and care for the children. ‘’There is also a range of supporting guidance on implementing the EYFS requirements which should be used alongside the Statutory Framework.In particular: Development Matters – which provides guidance on observing, assessing and planning for each child's individual learning and development, a know how guide for progress check at age two – which gives case studies and templates to support you with the requir ement to provide parents with a written summary of their child's learning and development between their second and third birthday, EYFS for parents – which you should personalise to your setting to help you meet the requirement of informing parents how the EYFS is delivered. ’’ (czone. eastsussex. gov. uk 2012) Criteria 7 –Jean Piaget’s (1948) theory of play is play-based curriculums were all children are actively involved in their learning. He said that children go through four stages of development; Piaget (1948) theory of play is thought that ‘’learning is an active process in which children draw conclusions though exploration. He called these conclusions schemas. ’’ (Tassoni. P et al 2007 Pg 284). Piaget (1948) is a key influence on children learning (Tassoni, 2007). His theory supports and extends children’s learning needs because he believed that children will learn when they are ready to learn.Vygotskyâ€⠄¢s (1978) theory is based on zone of proximal learning. His theory supports children’s learning needs because he believed that children will learn cooperative activities set up for them where the less able children can learn and get help from the more advanced children. Vygotsky (1978) believed that if a child is at the zone of proximal for an activity and getting help from the adult, will allow the child to boost their achievement of the activity (simplypsychology. org 2010-2012). Criteria 8– Piaget (1984) theory of play has 4 types of play; physical play mastery play, symbolic play and constructive play.He thinks that play is assimilating and children make their own environment through the four different type of play. Piaget (1948) believed that children adapt and develop on their own experience. It is recognised in placement by practitioners because it gives them a guideline on the teaching they should be providing children with and enhance the children to develop their learning and skills. Practitioners could do this by respecting the children’s ideas, suggestions and opinions when they carry out an activity or task.Planning is early years settings should be used because it helps practitioners to get to know the child better by observing them in order to meet each individual child’s needs and plan accordingly to their stage of development and abilities to future help them develop their skills, abilities and development. They should plan for this by using weekly plans because each child is unique and they develop at their own rate which will allow them to make daily/weekly changes according to what they observe and see the children do and learn.Bibliography: Books: Tassoni. Penny, Kate. Beith, Kath. Bulum and Harriet. Eldridge (2007) CACHE level 3 Child Care and Education 4th edition, London: Heinemann Websites: East Sussex County Council (2012) – Early Years Foundation Stage [online] available at: https://czone. eastsuss ex. gov. uk/supportingchildren/childcare/support/eyfs/Pages/main. aspx Assessed on: 6th November 2012

House Overwhelmingly Approves K to 12 Bill on Third and Final Reading Essay

A bill that will ensure the continuity of K to 12 and its corresponding funding by the state has been approved overwhelmingly by the House of Representatives by a vote of 190 in favor and eight against. The Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2012, or House Bill 6643, was approved on third reading yesterday. It will then be reconciled with the Senate version for amendments and improvements until it becomes a law. Education Secretary Br. Armin Luistro FSC said that DepEd is thankful for the support of the lawmakers in spearheading legislation that will open more opportunities to the Filipino youth by way of an education system that is relevant to the learners, the community, and industries. â€Å"We are getting closer to our goal of putting in place a basic education system that responds directly to what our learners need and to what the employment and entrepreneurship sectors require, even as it gives enough preparation for students who are geared for higher education,† added Luistro. K to 12 starts with Univeral Kindergarten which mandates all public elementary schools to offer kindergarten class and accept 5-year old learners beginning 2011. It is followed by six years of Elementary, four years of Junior High School, and two years of Senior High School where students will pursue their preferred career track depending on their skills and inclination. K to 12 does not preclude students from pursuing a college degree and gives them better preparation for the rigors of higher learning. Luistro has expressed his appreciation to the K to 12 proponents in the House of Representatives, especially Rep. Rosenda Ann Ocampo, Committee on Basic Education and Culture Presiding Officer, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, and the late Salvador Escudero III. The K to 12 bill in the Senate is being championed by Senator Edgardo Angara. A most recent survey conducted by the Social Weather Station revealed that majority of the respondents approved of K to 12 and are confident that it will bring the much-needed reform in the country’s educational system.

Financial Reporting Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Financial Reporting - Coursework Example Therefore, this is a positive perspective that has greatly contributed to the company’s success. Tesco plc has a market share of around 30 %. It is the second largest supermarket in terms of revenues after Walmart. The company targets the general public with its goods and services. It made an expansion and is currently offering financial services via Banking. The bank is known as Tesco Bank. Lastly, Tesco company is a publicly traded Company on the London Stock Exchange. The company’s share prices for 2011, 2012 and 2013 were  £ 425,  £ 391and  £ 336. Therefore, this paper contains analyses on the Company’s financial performance for two years, that is, (2012 and 2013), profitability analysis, leverage analysis, efficiency ratios, investment analysis, and analysis of the segmental performance and lastly, the analysis of the company’s accounting policies for goodwill and other intangible assets. Return on capital employed (ROCE) – capital employed is total assets – current liabilities. Therefore, return on capital employed ratio indicates the return generated by every pound invested as capital employed. Concerning the case study, in 2012 and 2013, ROCE for Tesco PLC was 8.9% and 0.38% respectively. This means that in 2012, 8.9% of the company’s net profit was generated by the company’s capital employed. However, the company’s ROCE decreased in the year 2013 due to a sharp reduction in the net profit. The profitability level decreased because loss for the year from discontinued operations increased by  £ 916 million (Duncan 2009, pp. 42-44). Gross profit margin – the ratio indicates a company’s financial health after meeting the cost of sales. It also indicates the company’s ability to pay for future operating costs. Concerning Tesco PLC, the ratio for 2012 and 2013 are 8.4% and 6.3% respectively. This means that in the year 2013, 6.3 % of the

Analyze a passage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 10

Analyze a passage - Essay Example When God told man to subdue the world, He meant that he should improve the world for his benefit. There was still enough and good enough left. However, man’s enclosure for himself left very little for others to use. The author gives a few reasons in support to his thesis. For instance, he says that if someone leaves as much as another man can make use of, does just as good as the one that has taken nothing at all. He goes further to say that labor was the title for the land that God gave to mankind. However, if one meddles with what has been improved by another man’s labor, it is arguable that he has desired the benefits accrued from another man’s labor. According to the writer, this is wrong because each man should labor for his own gains. The reasons the author gives support his thesis. He emphasizes on man’s greed and rebukes those that desire what is not rightfully theirs. The reasons are plausible on their own right. This is because when God created man and commanded him to till and subdue the earth, His intentions were that people should live in harmony. However, man’s greed increased that he annexed what was initially common for all men. This passage has a significant role to the rest of the world. The author mentions an example that serves to remind people that common land is not individual land. He says that even in England, or any part of the world, within a government, no one has the right to appropriate or enclose any part without the consent of the rest of the people

Comparison of Xu Bing and Gu Wenda Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Comparison of Xu Bing and Gu Wenda - Essay Example In addition, the contemporary artists like Xu Bing and Gu Wenda are aware of that their viewership is not limited within the Chinese context, but it extends to the global community. Thesis statement: The comparison of the Chinese artists named as Xu Bing and Gu Wenda, based upon their life, career and work, proves that both of them share certain similarities within their life and career, but their artworks prove that Xu is interested in combining traditional art with modernity, but Gu is interested in going beyond traditional art by making use of the elements of modernity. Xu’s life (say, this artist was born in the year 1955) represents the modern/contemporary art within China. Besides, he was born in a major city area in China, named as Chongqing. But his family was forced to relocate to Beijing and this helped this artist to be in touch with metro life. Ann MacArthur stated that, â€Å"Xu Bing. a leading figure in the international art world, was born in China and now lives in America† (2006). But the Cultural Revolution deeply influenced this artist’s early years of life because he was forced to relocate to village areas for service. Later, he was able to return to metro life. Here, he decided to mold his future career by enrolling himself as a student at the CAFA. In the year 1987, he was able to receive MFA. Within scenario, his major subject (say, printmaking) deeply influenced his future career and usage of medium in art. At the same time, he was not ready to yield to the strict laws implemented by the authorities. This is evident in his works related to political criticism. So, he was forced to migrate to US and this helped him to gain international attention. Still, he was not ready to forget his motherland because he returned to his motherland in the year 2008. But Gu’s early life was comparatively

Role of haraam Practices on behavior and performance of employees Case Study

Role of haraam Practices on behavior and performance of employees - Case Study Example She started to come late, misbehave with other employees and take long lunch breaks. Maryam was a lady who work on time and respond fast to the work. However, after four years of her job, she started getting late to her job. When anyone asks the reason, she gave a standard answer that there is a family problem. She was  a  single mother having two babies. Her seniors think that there might be any problem relating to family. However, she continued her habit of getting late after getting warned by the seniors. The observation about her drinking habit was realized at that time although no one had seen Maryam while drinking (Zia-ur-Rehman & Rashid, 2012). The other employees noticed the change in the behavior of Maryam. She started to shout at juniors,  misbehaved with seniors had noticed that her behavior had changed due to her drinking habits. Haleema, who was senior of Maryam,  had started to find out the problem so that the solution would become possible. She inspected about her attitude and realized that there is a problem of drinking with her (Zia-ur-Rehman & Rashid, 2012). It was noticed by Haleema that Maryam started to take much time for lunch breaks. She even sleeps after coming back from a long break. Haleema asked Maryam that if there is some problem she can share it with her. She was kind to Maryam but she was also aware of the organization (Zia-ur-Rehman & Rashid, 2012). Maryam attitude was not beneficial for the organization. The seniors did not like to fire her from the job. However, consistent negative attitude lead the seniors to fire Maryam from her job. Haleema and her boss fired Maryam from job without contacting employee assistance program (EAP), which is concerned with all the job problems. 1. Haleema can not terminate Maryam without running into legal problems because Maryam is the employee of the organization for last four years, and nobody have seen her doing haraam practices with his or her eyes. . Haleema should

Benefits of College Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Benefits of College - Essay Example â€Å"The median earnings of full-time workers with bachelor’s degrees were $55,700 in 2008 — $21,900 more than those of workers who finished only high school.† (Lewin, New York Times). While it cannot be denied that a college degree confers unequivocal advantages in terms of career prospects and financial remuneration, opponents argue that a college education is not essential for skill development and the steep costs are not justified by its benefits. On the contrary, the benefits of a college education are not only economical but also encompass tangible benefits involving health, society, family and personality. A college education contributes several health benefits. According to recent data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, people with a college education have an average life expectancy of 9.3 years more than those who are less educated. The percentage of women above the age of 25 who are obese is 39-43 percent for those who have not attende d college, in comparison with 25 percent for those with a bachelor’s degree. Similarly, 31 percent of adults in the age group 25 – 64 years, who hold only a High School diploma, are smokers, while only 9 percent of adults with a college degree smoke (Griesmer, College Insider). College graduates are also likely to make other healthier lifestyle choices, such as exercising. Research from the BMC Health Services shows that a higher level of education is also linked to lower blood pressure. College graduates are also at a lower risk of developing colorectal, prostate, lung and breast cancer, according to a 2008 study published in the  Journal of the National Cancer Institute (Hardy, Yahoo Education). Their higher paying jobs also ensure that graduates have better access to preventive health care. This also contributes to better health. The societal benefits of a college education are substantial. The higher income earned by graduates translates into higher taxes. The he alth benefits listed above, combined with the fact that graduates are more likely to have jobs that offer health insurance and retirement benefits, means that graduates are less dependent on government social programs, such as unemployment compensation, Medicare and Medicaid, food programs, and welfare. This results in substantial public savings. The incarceration rate for graduates is only a quarter that of those with a High School diploma, or less. Prison costs are thus reduced. Another emphatic societal benefit stems from the fact that the mission statement of all universities includes civic education. As a consequence, graduates are more likely to participate in community services. 2004 statistics show that 36 percent of graduates performed voluntary community service, in comparison with only 21 percent of High School diploma holders. Similarly, 76 percent of graduates voted in the 2000 election, while only 56 percent of High School diploma holders voted. Educational attainment stimulates public awareness and interest in community issues (Cunningham, John Carroll University). ). The multicultural and multiethnic university world also promotes racial understanding and tolerance, and encourages the belief in common values across racial divides. As such, graduates are more likely to be free of social prejudices and stereotypes than their less-educated peers. A college education benefits the family structure. Studies show that college graduates a

Domestic violence Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Domestic violence - Research Paper Example ic violence shelter has established several programs that can ensure the safety of domestic violence victims and provide the relevant support in an effort to eliminate domestic violence in the community. This paper will provide the details of all the processes and activities carried out by the program. The main objective of establishing a local, domestic violence shelter was to provide both short-term and long-term accommodation to domestic violence victims. Volunteers working in the shelter receive children, women, as well as men who have suffered domestic violence and can no longer live in their homes. Notably, women and children form the majority of domestic violence victims. Therefore, the local, domestic violence shelter receives children and women exposed to extreme domestic violence and present them with a safe place to live before situations return to normal. In some cases, the program organizes for long-term accommodation, especially for victims whose lives are at a risk. At the shelter, all the victims receive the relevant counseling from psychological experts. Domestic violence causes high levels of trauma in the victims. It can affect the normal development of children (Cook-Craig, Lane, & Siebold, 2010). Therefore, children who are exposed to domestic violence in the community can receive the relevant counseling and support in an effort to minimize long-term effects of domestic violence. In order to address issues related to domestic violence effectively, the volunteers indulge in a risk assessment process.The process sought to establish members of the community who are prone to domestic violence as well as establishing the potential causes of domestic violence in the community. All the volunteers recognize that it is impossible to address domestic violence effectively if the root causes of the problem are not identified (Cook-Craig, Lane, & Siebold, 2010). After identifying the social and community conditions that contribute to the increasing

Outlook and policy statement Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Outlook and policy statement - Term Paper Example However, with the recent hike in consumer spending with a 2 ? percent increase annually witnessed during the third quarter of 2010 has provided hope that economic recovery will eventually occur. The increasing investments in equipment and software industry have given a boost to the recovery. On the housing front the hikes in home prices and construction costs have not been able to contribute to this growth and at the same time not drastically affected the recovery process. While the labor market has been unable to accommodate the huge losses of jobs during 2008-09, the number of job openings and the hiring rate is on a constant rise in the past recent months. However, considerable time will be required in order for the unemployment rate to return to normalcy and this time period could have a lasting impact both on the financial status of those unemployed and also on their skills and future employment and earning prospects. The testimony also notes the downward trend witnessed in the inflation rate compared to the previous years. This trend has been mainly attributed to the struggling job market and the associated decrease in utilization of resources. However, the inflation expectations in the long-run are expected to remain stable.

Evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Evaluation - Essay Example In order to fathom the restaurant’s attributes, an insightful evaluation of the atmosphere, service offered, food and bar is necessary. As one approaches the Olive Garden Restaurant in Grand Forks, North Dakota, the architectural design of the building heralds a traditional Tuscan inspired farmhouse. The sight itself presents an aura of the traditional home that preconditions your mind to what lies within the walls. The articulately manicured lawns and the landscape design present a picturesque environment that is truly magnificent. I am truly impressed with the serene environment and the welcoming aura so far. However, the meticulousness in the landscape may scare one into thinking that the restaurant is exclusive to the rich in society. As one enters the waiting lounge, the lobby is complete with comfortable seats for waiting guests. Furthermore, the wall decor is filled with bright colors that portray the ambience of an Italian market. The familiar and delectable aroma of I talian dishes is ubiquitously present in the air. The ambience in the dining area is accentuated by the presence of a fireplace and dining booths with arched entrances. Furthermore, the dining area is decorated with flowers in strategically located flower vases. Certainly, the atmosphere set so far appeals to the senses and makes any guest feel at home. The quality of service exhibits itself when a waiter soon approaches me and warmly welcomes me to the restaurant. The waiters are smartly dressed in black trousers and white shirts. Moreover, the aprons are uniquely magnificent due to the golden color. All the waiters are engaged in an orderly rush serving the guests who are dotted in almost all the tables. Clearly, they are efficient in their service as they seek to attend to all the guests as soon as they arrive. The restaurant is full of guests in almost every table. The crowd puts off the homely feeling of the restaurant and brings one to the realization that it is a business joi nt favored by many customers. From the adverts posted in the restaurant’s website, the information states that the waiters and chefs are sent to the culinary Institute of Tuscany in Italy. The purpose is to enable them to get better insight into the Italian culture of cooking and winery. I set out to establish if the fact holds any water. Consequently, as the waiter patiently waits for me to place my order, I decide to ask him the best Italian appetizer for lunch. The waiter does not fail in his mastery of the Italian cuisine and recommends that I start with choice appetizers or antipasti such as Bruschetta, Caprese flatbread, the Grilled chicken flatbread or the Lasagna fritta (Olive Garden). I opt to order the grilled chicken flatbread for a start. The silverware set up in my dining table has been meticulously arranged complete with cutlery, plates and napkins. Five minutes later, the waiter returns withan appetizer dish of grilled chicken flatbread that neatly served on ex quisite plates. As the waiter leaves me with the appetizing dish, my personal views on his services so far is hospitable, patient, time conscious, neat and knowledgeable. The grilled chicken flatbread is an Italian appetizer made with ingredients of chicken, basil, roasted chili peppers, garlic spread and alfredo. The meal is warm, and the aroma emanating from the meal is enough to whet anyone’s appetite. After having a slice of the flatbread, I am not quite impressed by it.

Tragic Hero Of Shakespeares Great Tragedies Essay Example for Free

Tragic Hero Of Shakespeares Great Tragedies Essay A tragic hero was defined by Aristotle as one who makes an error of judgment that eventually leads to their own destruction. Aristotle once had said that â€Å"A man doesn’t become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall.† In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the protagonist Macbeth is a true example of a tragic hero as he had countless noble qualities coupled with several tragic flaws. He holds an importance to his society; in the beginning, a fearless nationalist, fighting for his country and then eventually he became king. Macbeth did have some major character flaws such as his great ambition, him being haunted by superstition and he had made many grave errors in judgment, one of them being the murder of the King of Scotland. For the duration of events in the plot, Macbeth progressively becomes more and more miserable. There were outside forces which contributed to his corruption; the main force would be the three witches. A Shakespearean tragic hero contains all or most of the following qualities: providing a moral example to the audience, suffering public embarrassment, and meeting his doom with courage and dignity which Macbeth did all of. With it taken into consideration, Macbeth is most definitely a tragic hero. With Macbeth becoming more important in the plot is one of the crucial reasons to why he became a tragic hero in the end. Macbeth was a Scottish general, who was a fearless man and his performance in Scotland’s battle was celebrated greatly in the beginning of the play. Macbeth’s performance was described by the Captain as â€Å"Cannons overcharged with double cracks, so the doubly redoubled strokes upon the foe† (1.2.41-42) With Macbeth doing so well and receiving such positive feedback, King Duncan couldn’t help but be so overjoyed with Macbeth. With all of the valiant news, Duncan’s only response was to upgrade Macbeth’s title from Thane of Glamis to Thane of Cawdor. â€Å"No more that Thane of Cawdor shall deceive Our bosom interest. Go, pronounce his present death, and with his former title greet Macbeth† (1.2.73-76); â€Å"What he hath lost, noble Macbeth hath won.† (1.2.78). Many of Macbeth’s major character flaws were displayed along with his weaknesses and serious errors in judgment in the duration of the play. After he received all the recognition from his success in battle along with his title being upgraded, the ambition he had to become king couldn’t help but rise. His ambition to become King was too heavy and they overtook his morals in the end after meeting the witches’ and hearing his prophecies. When his ambition was combined with the witches’ prophecies it was as if he no longer had morals since he was easily persuaded into what he’d like to hear. When Macbeth is thinking of murdering Duncan to become King his ambition takes control for a moment, but then his morality takes back over. â€Å"Why do I yield to that suggestion Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair and make my seated heart knock at my ribs against the use of nature?† (1.3.147-150). When Macbeth recognizes that he is opening up to his tempt ation, he begins to question himself as to why. But, he begins to persuade himself into believing that the temptation of committing murder can’t be as daunting as he thinks it is, â€Å"Present fears are less than horrible imaginings† (1.3.150-151). In layman’s term, his only fear is fear itself. Macbeth is portrayed as this brave man, whose wife manipulates him by insulting and accusing him of being cowardice, which he believes he has to prove to be false. He won’t allow a single thing get in the way of his future as king. As soon as Macbeth made his final decision, after changing his mind five times, to kill Duncan; eventually it escalated into a sea of many problems both big and small; this is what brought Macbeth to his tragic end. The roles that played the biggest part in Macbeth’s deteriorating character would have to be the three witches. â€Å"FIRST WITCH: All hail Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis! SECOND WITCH: All hail Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! THIRD WITCH: All hail Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!\ (1.3.51-53) The witches had no effect on anyone except Macbeth. Macbeth was completely captivated by the witches. If Macbeth had never met the witches or was told his prophecies he would have gone on through a life of no excitement. Due to being told the prophecies his curiosity of how he would be able to become King of Scotland began to grow immensely and the importance he holds for Scotland increases. Macbeth fast-tracked from Thane of Glamis to Thane of Cawdor and eventually reaching what he wanted the most, the title of the almighty King of Scotland. In Act 4, scene 1, the three witches appear to Macbeth again and they conjure three apparitions for him. The first being (appears in 4.1.77) an armed head and told Macbeth to â€Å"Beware Macduff!† (4.1.81). Macbeth’s reaction to the witches after seeing the apparition was simply thank you. However, I already knew to do that. The second apparition (appears in 4.1.88) a bloody child that said to Macbeth that no man born of a woman could ever harm him. After seeing the second apparition Macbeth thought to himself why must I be aware of Macduff? Everyone is born of a woman. The third and final apparition that appeared to Macbeth (appears in 4.1.98) is a crowned child with a tree in his hand which told Macbeth that he must relax and forget about his troubles because â€Å"Macbeth shall never be vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him.† (4.1.105-107). But Macbeth vetoed it off as a possibility because it seemed completely ri diculous and impossible for a forest to be able to move. However, unbeknownst to Macbeth was that Macduff actually had not been born of a woman. The doctors had to slice her open (cesarean birth) to remove the baby. Macbeth had been tricked by the three witches, due to Macbeth being so confident nothing would ever happen to him because of his prophecies he did not take the necessary precautions to protect his well-being and his title as King. Macbeth was a victim of superstition due to his avid imagination. His superstition is what made it so easy for him to not question the promises that the apparitions made. His superstition is what made him strongly cling to his belief in the promises made even when circumstances became strenuous. His imagination is so strong that when it was left to run uncontrolled his â€Å"function/ Is smother’d in surmise.† As seen in the â€Å"dagger† scene and in the panic Macbeth had suffered after Duncan had been murdered. It was also seen in the scene which Macbeth saw Banquo’s ghost at the banquet. Undoubtedly, Macbeth incarnates the attributes of Aristotle\s tragic hero in many ways. He had become very important to his society and dreamed of being the most powerful ruler. His ruin was led by his overcoming ambition, superstition, and moral cowardice. It led to an ocean of problems from which there was no possible solution to and from that came his inevitable doom. Macbeth started as a nobleman who was hailed as the savior of this country, a â€Å"valiant cousin,† a â€Å"worthy gentlemen,† but changed to a man of unending cruelty. There should be no skepticism about this, Macbeth is indeed a tragic hero.

Consumer Behaviour Mobile Marketing Communication Media Essay

Consumer Behaviour Mobile Marketing Communication Media Essay This research, titled; how has new media technologies affected the advertising industry and consumer behavior? Shall focus on new media is and how it has impacted on advertising and consumer behavior. The mass media has always been with us in some form or the other for centuries and over the years technology has evolved to such an extent that the world has virtually shrunk in size before our very eyes, now people can communication with anybody wherever they may be and communication features are embedded in virtually everything produced these days, Game consoles are now internet ready and two people across the world can play the same game together in real time. This research shall look at these technologies and see how they fit into the world of advertising and its implications for the industry and how consumers are reacting to these changes. The research tries to determine how new media technologies have affected the kind of messages created and how people perceive them. I shall make use of Hierarchy of effects theories and technological determinism as the theoretical framework for this research, these theories make some interesting bases for this research. I however want to note that this is a proposal and every concept, theory used in this proposal shall be elaborated upon during the main research and final compilation of findings. Finally, I hope that by the end of this research, I would have made a significant contribution to the field of advertising, business and communications and helped form the basis for more research in this field. INTRODUCTION According to Wikipedia, New media  is a broad term in Media Studies that emerged in the later part of the 20th century to encompass the amalgamation of traditional media such as film, images, music, spoken and written word, with the interactive power of computer and communications technology, computer-enabled consumer devices and most importantly the Internet. New media has also been referred to as technologies of telecommunication and computing, new user devices (e.g., videodisc machines), and their practical applications in office, home, business, health or educational environments. (Williams, Rice, and Rogers, 1988: xi). However for the purpose of this research new media technologies shall be limited to mean any device, instrument or medium through which messages in whatever format can be communicated to mass or limited audience. Virtually everything has an IP address these days, from refrigerators, game consoles even to handheld games like PSPs, Nintendo DS and so on. Today with the emergence of some cutting edge gadgets and accessories everyday life has changed a great deal, people no longer have to leave their houses to get newspapers, buy hard copies of the latest novel from your favorite author, most of them can be downloaded to your Ipad or you kindle or even to your mobile smart phone. This opens up a lot of opportunities for businesses, but poses a problem to advertisers and advertising agencies. Now advertisers are faced with the problem of creating messages that are fast paced and can communicate effectively through the most available and likely most preferred medium the mobile phone and handheld communication devices. Mobile marketing is fast becoming one of the best means of reaching the audience. Anderson supported this claim in his assertion that the effectiveness of traditional, retail, broadcast and other media channels is fast reducing, due to the high level of fragmentation in traditional channels. He went on to say that with the emergence of new media channels other media like, newspaper, magazines, radio and television are rapidly losing their audiences or market (in Becker, 2005) The research shall focus on determining the effect of new media on advertising, taking into consideration the effect these new media are bound to have on the creative aspect of advertising and also the dissemination of the messages. In general there are a lot of books and research on new media technology, but because of the ever changing dynamic world of innovative technology it is important that a research into this field is carried out especially as it is concerned with advertising and consumer behavior. LITERATURE REVIEW Different books and journals shall be sourced and used for this research. The books should give the researcher better insight into progress made in this field and other similar and relevant researches that have been carried out in this field. DEFINITIONS OF NEW MEDIA Lev Manovich (2001:43) defines new media as cultural objects which use digital computer technology for distribution and exhibition. Thus, Internet, Web sites, computer multimedia, computer games, CD-ROMs and DVD, Virtual Reality, and computer-generated special effects all fall under new media. This definition is supported in Webomedia.net which defines new media to mean a generic term for the many different forms of electronic communication that are made possible through the use of computer technology. This clearly shows that new media is electronic and make use of computer technology. Teemu Leinonen (2011) gave a good illustration of new media and even its characteristics all in a single simple diagram, which he titled holy-trinity-new-media The diagram best describes new media and it is based on this summary by Teemu Leinonen that I would attempt a definition of new media that would serve as its meaning throughout this research. From the various definitions from different scholars, new media are media that combines the features of various electronic media such as internet, computers and traditional media that allows for instant communication and feedback and also gives the user a significant amount of control. DEFINITIONS OF MOBILE MARKETING Different scholars have defined mobile marketing differently, some scholars call it Wireless digital advertising, permission-based mobile advertising, Mobile or wireless advertising, etc the implication is that in most cases these terms are used inter changeably, though they might not necessarily mean the exact same thing when looked in broader and more detailed terms. Barnes (in Bruner II and Kumar, 2002) describes mobile marketing to be a permission-based mobile advertising that is a flexible, tactical medium suitable for short, time-based communication. Bulander et al (2005: 285) describes it simply as advertising that uses mobile terminals as its target platform. Yuan Tsao ( in Jaana Tahtinen, 2006) defines mobile marketing communications as, as a contextualized advertising that makes use of a medium to disseminate customized campaigns targeting users according to where they are, their needs at the moment and the devices they are using. Scharl et al. (2004) define mobile marketing as the use of a wireless medium to provide customers with individualized information about products, services, and ideas at any time and locations, which benefit all stakeholders. In the same vein, according to Advertising age (2006: 20) mobile marketing is defined as the use of wireless media as an integrated content delivery and direct-response vehicle within a cro ss-media marketing communications program. Leppaniemi (2008: 9) gave a very detailed list of what qualifies as mobile advertising or mobile marketing; he suggested five categories which mobile advertising can be classified into; web category which includes mobile internet, Broadcast category, narrow cast category, physical browsing category which includes divergent methods such as touching, pointing and scanning that can be used to distribute information to mobile phones and lastly a category which he labeled other that covers advertising formats that did not fit well into any of the other four categories listed. From these definitions, it is clear that mobile marketing is basically communication of marketing/advertising messages directly to the target audience through mobile devices over Bluetooth, mobile internet or GSM coverage/WIFI. Any kind of advertising that makes use of mobile phones, PDAs, Ipads or any mobile communications device to communicate the message qualifies as Mobile marketing, examples are; proximity marketing, sms marketing/advertising, Bluetooth advertising etc. The researcher therefore wants to find out how this increasingly popular medium is affecting the way advertisers create and communicate their messages and its impact on consumer behavior. CHARACRTERISTICS OF NEW MEDIA From the forgoing; we know new media is electronic, interactive, uses computer technology amongst other things. The researcher however wants to find out the distinguishing features of new media, what makes them unique and why they are called new. Martin Lister, et al (2003:13-27), in their book titled; New Media; a critical introduction, gave the characteristics of new media as; digital, interactive, allows for registrational interactivity which they described to mean the opportunities new media texts affords their users to write back into the text; that is to say to add text by registering their own messages, new media allows for Interactive communications. This is supported by Henry Jenkins (2006), when he asserted that new media, virtually removes the problem of geographical separation, it is Ubiquitous, new media is digital, it is space binding and Distance Insensitivity; new media is personalized implying that these systems can be instructed to customize, individualize information for each user. He went on to say that new media is interactive, it is convergent denoting that formally separated technologies are blending together with a digital common denominator, an example is Intercast; a blend of web pages and TV. From the characteristics of new media suggested by different scholars it is clear that communications technology has evolved and there is now a convergence or overlapping of different media to create new media. The realities of these changes are not farfetched and we experience them every day. Our mobile phones have combined features of calling, texting, typing, photo editing, surfing the internet, video calling, voice sms, social networking, e-book readers, camera, and recording sound, amongst other features. All these features used to be exclusive of one another, but todays technological advancements have seen a convergence in all these media into one media-mobile phone. HISTORY OF NEW MEDIA Media simply means communication channels through which news, entertainment, education, data or promotional messages are disseminated. It includes every broadcast or narrowcasting medium such as newspapers, magazines, TV, radio, billboards, direct mail, telephone, fax and internet. If this is true then the media has always been with us for years, centuries even; ancient African kings had town criers and roman empires of old had scribes, they all tried to pass messages to a target audience. Until the 1980s  media  relied primarily upon print and  analog  broadcast  models, such as television  and  radio. And since then it has been one innovation to the next; the internet was invented, computer games were created, books were written and sold without it ever being printed in hard copies; The last twenty-five years have seen the rapid transformation into media which are predicated upon the use of digital computers. Andrea Botero and Teemu Leinonen (2011) in their attempt to create a timeline for the evolution of new media suggested that there has been a convergence of communication and technology since as early as 1844, when the Morses communication innovation used electronic impulses, a key and a special code that sequences the impulses to letters of the alphabet, they trace this evolution from then till recent times when telephones using satellite signals were invented. Manovich (2001) explained the evolution of new media from 1800 when J.M. Jacquard invented a loom which was automatically controlled by punched paper cards, which later inspired Babbage in his work on the Analytical engine used for numerical calculations. He traced the history on to 1839, when Daguerre launched the new reproduction process in Paris. He continued tracing the history to the point when motion picture was invented in the 1890s. then in 1936 the universal Turing machine was invented which was capable of only four operations. Also in the same year Konrad Zuse invented the first working digital computer. In a nutshell Manovich considered the evolution and creation of new media as the meeting or overlapping of Daguerres daguerreotype and Babbagess Analytical Engine, the Lumieres cinematography and Holleriths tabulator-merging into one. From here on, new media became a combination of all this features. Today technology has evolved so much that it is almost impossible to separate everyday activities from them. Virtually everything we do uses some sort of fantastic technology, even switching on the bulb is not as straight forward as it was; it can be made much easier; just clap!!! NEW MEDIA, ADVERTISING AND CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR Consumer behavior in simple terms is the study of when, why, how, and where people do or do not buy a  product. Certain factors affect all the variables listed in the definition. It is clear that the way we perceive and get information has changed or is changing; people are no longer controlled by the media; now you can record live programs and watch it when you have the time! When, where and how we buy items have changed; virtually anything can be bought online these days. This position is supported by Lauren Maynard (2011) when she asserted that, television experience has changed in the past decade since we no longer into appointment TV; we no longer have to sit down at a specific hour to watch a specific show. She went on to state that, today, two significant behavioral changes in consumers are redefining the entertainment landscape. These changes require television networks and advertisers to evolve rapidly to keep their shows, content, and ad buys relevant to a demanding consumer set. People now consume television via time-shifted DVR, online (legally), online (illegally), mobile device, Internet streaming to TV, and a wide variety of other methods. Viewers now consume multiple forms of media at the same time, such as watching TV on a television while checking Face book on a computer. This is commonly referred to as two-, three- or multi-screen viewing. Because people are changing the way they get information, advertisers need to ensure that they create adverts for different communication platforms that would effectively communicate with the target audience. Technologies are changing consumer behavior, which in turn changes the type of message and medium that would appeal to the consumer, hence forcing advertisers to accept these changes and provide adverts to suit these new needs. Christina Spurgeon (2005: 1), argues that Debate about how new media will impact on advertising in the medium- to long-term future has focused extensively on the new technological capabilities that enable consumers to avoid advertising. the implication for advertisers is that they now have to come up with ways to ensure that their adverts are viewed by the target audience ( it can no longer be taken for granted that everybody watching the 7pm news would see the advert during the news break), Christina (2005) highlighted some ways advertisers are trying to cope with the new media trend, she posited that, Branded content, conversational interaction with consumers are some of the ways advertisers are trying to circumvent the problem of people intentionally not seeing the advert messages because of emergence of technologies that makes this possible. It is clear that in the very near future consumers would control the type of advert messages they are exposed to. In fact Our present technologies already allow consumers to provide information to retailers and manufacturers, voice their preferences, and communicate with other consumers, salespeople, and producers (Pavlou and Stewart 2000). Marketers are able to use the information provided by consumers to segment the market, generate ideas for future products or services, and personalize their advertising messages. Thus ads can therefore be targeted not only to a demographic or psychographic group, but also to a specific individuals wants and needs It is against this backdrop that I have decided to engage in this research. New media has created new ways for consumers to get information and of course this in turn has changed the way adverts are created and how they are communicated to the consumers. It is therefore imperative to determine how new innovative technologies in communication has impacted on advertising in terms of creativity, communication, market/product reach amongst other things and how the media and also the message has affected or changed consumer behavior and to what extent. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK I shall draw ideas and build around the following theories; Lavidge Steiners hierarchy of effects theory Technological determinism. Diffusion of innovations theory Barry and Howard (in Lapointe, 2006) assert that the Hierarchy-of-effects model is created to show the process, or steps, that an advertiser assumes that customers pass through in the actual purchase process. The model is based on seven steps. According to the Pat Lapointe (2006), The Hierarchy of Effects (HOE), was founded upon the assumption of a three-stage process underlying consumer purchase behavior: Cognition à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º Affect à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º Behavior Lavidge and Steiner (1961) write that the steps have to be completed in a linear way, but a potential purchaser sometimes may move up several steps simultaneously. The steps consumers go through before arriving at a buying decision are: 1. Close to purchasing, but still a long way from the cash register, are those who are merely aware of its existence. 2. Up a step are prospects who know what the product has to offer. 3. Still closer to purchasing are those who have favorable attitudes toward the product; those who like the product. 4. Those whose favorable attitudes have developed to the point of preference over all other possibilities are up still another step. 5. Even closer to purchasing are customers who couple preference with a desire to buy and the conviction that the purchase would be wise. 6. Finally, of course, is the step which translates this attitude into actual purchase. (Lavidge Steiner, 1961, p. 59) In short the stages are; unawareness, awareness, knowledge, liking, preference, conviction, and purchase. Using this theory, the researcher hopes to identify what has changed in consumers buying pattern since the emergence of certain technologies. Technological  determinism  is a  reductionist  theory that presumes that a societys technology drives the development of its social structure and cultural values. The term is believed to have been coined by  Thorstein Veblen, an American sociologist. Winston (in Chandler, 1994) defines it as the idea that the technology is the primary force that controls how individuals and society change. Chandler in an article written for The UK Technology Education Centre posits that Indeed, technological determinism, effectively the opposite of  social determinism, is a theory which points to technology as being  the  force which shapes society. He explained that Technological determinists hold that: Like the weather, technology is autonomous It causes social change By determining how new media has impacted on advertising and consumer behaviour, one can easily relate this theory to this research, since technological determinism focuses on how technology shapes society. Advertising has been a major routine in our life, every day we are bombarded by it; advertising in turn influences our buying patterns or decisions to a large extent. So it is the hope of the researcher to find out how new media has helped shape our society into what it is today. Diffusion research centers on the conditions which increase or decrease the likelihood that a new idea, product, or practice will be adopted by members of a given culture. Diffusion of innovation theory predicts that media as well as interpersonal contacts provide information and influence opinion and judgment. Studying how innovation occurs, E.M. Rogers (1995) argued that it consists of four stages: invention, diffusion (or communication) through the social system, time and consequences. The information flows through networks. The nature of networks and the roles opinion leaders play in them determine the likelihood that the innovation will be adopted. Innovation diffusion research has attempted to explain the variables that influence how and why users adopt a new information medium, such as the Internet. Opinion leaders exert influence on audience behavior via their personal contact, but additional intermediaries called change agents and gatekeepers are also included in the process of diffusion. Five adopter categories are: (1) innovators, (2) early adopters, (3) early majority, (4) late majority, and (5) laggards. These categories follow a standard deviation-curve, very little innovators adopt the innovation in the beginning (2,5%), early adopters making up for 13,5% a short time later, the early majority 34%, the late majority 34% and after some time finally the laggards make up for 16%. It is on the basis of these great works of very admirable scholars that the researcher as decided to focus his research. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The emergence of new technologies to enhance communication and simple everyday activities has seen an explosion of chatter and communication. Everybody is talking to somebody all of the time. So many gadgets and social networking sites are available and all trying to outshine themselves with some having as many as 500,000,000 (Five Hundred Million) members. This new community or country produced by technology has created a very rare opportunity for advertising and the advertising industry at large. It has however produced another problem for advertisers; now advertisers now have to redefine who their audiences are and how has their demographics changed, advertisers now have to create messages/adverts that communicate effectively through the various media available. Who exactly are our audiences? How best do we communicate with them? Which medium or combination of media should be used? What time should the advert be up? Where are our audiences? These are some of the questions advertisers would be trying to answer for a very long time. It is therefore the aim of this research to discover how the emergence of some unique media has affected advertising and what consumers responses are. SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY The findings of this study should help advertisers, scholars and practitioners in the field appreciate some of the innovative revolutionary technologies in the field of advertising and their influence on advertising and the advertising industry and also how they influence consumer behavior. Also it should help marketers and advertisers when planning their marketing campaign and strategies, as they would now have available empirical research to back up their proposals if the campaign would involve new media (which most campaigns would anyway). This research shall draw from the experiences of companies that have used some form of new media; proximity marketing, 3D projection, etc to provide recommendations on how to run an effective campaign new media. From this research, Business owners and advertisers can accurately predict the response of their audiences to their advert message and the medium through which the messages are delivered. This would help them develop messages that would appeal to the audiences and also ensure they communicate same message through the right medium. Finally, it is the hope of the researcher that this research shall serve as appoint of reference for other scholars pursuing research or knowledge in the same or similar field. SCOPE OF STUDY This research shall restrict its definition of new media to mean the following; web based advertising, handheld communication gadgets, 3D projection and Bluetooth proximity marketing. It is the aim of the researcher to categorize new media into sub groups and determine who their target markets are and how individual new innovative medium has affected the advertising industry and consumer behavior. The researcher shall geographically limit his research to the UK and Nigeria as they represent two very different economies, ways of life and general standard of living. METHODOLOGY AND DATA COLLECTION The research is aimed at finding out the effect of new media technologies on advertising and consumer behavior. Researcher shall therefore make use of a combination of the qualitative and the quantitative research methods, which shall include in-depth interviews and survey methods. 1,000 (One Thousand) questionnaire would be distributed to people through random selection around Wales and its surroundings, also an online questionnaire would be set up to give the researcher a global perspective of the issues researched. The researcher shall interview distributors and resellers of Bluetooth marketing devices and other new media, critics and professional analyst of some of these new technologies, in UK and Nigeria, also companies that use these technologies for their promotional and marketing activities shall be interviewed to get their opinion on the effectiveness of the medium they use or have used and the effect it has had on their organization as a means of passing across information and advertising. Also a recall test shall be conducted; volunteers shall be exposed to advertising messages on different platforms and their level of recall for each medium is tested and analyzed. This would help give the researcher an insight into which medium is most effective based on how easily people remember adverts viewed or listened to via the medium. In analyzing the findings found during the interviews the researcher has chosen to record the interviews to make it easier to go back and go through them again later on. The findings of the questionnaires distributed shall be analyzed using the frequency distributing table. RESEARCH QUESTIONS The research findings would try to answer the following questions; Are new media technologies generally more effective than conventional stand alone media like TV, radio and newspapers? Can new media help increase sales volume? How has these new medium affected the buying pattern of individuals generally? Has it increased consumers awareness and knowledge of what they buy? What are the limiting factors of this medium? What are the advantages of this medium over other conventional media like, TV, Radio and Newspaper? How do we determine whether or not a medium is effective? Who are the target audience of new media and why? AIMS AND OBJECTIVE OF THE RESEARCH The aim of this research is to determine the following: To provide empirical evidence as to the effectiveness of certain new media as advertising and publicity medium To determine the factors and attributes that makes these media effective or not To determine how new media has affected consumer behavior To contribute to knowledge in the field of integrated marketing communications. DEFINITION OF TERMS Below is a list of some terms that frequently occur throughout this dissertation and their definition from the context of this particular research; New Media: the term new media for the purpose of this research shall be restricted to mean any communication medium that uses internet, Bluetooth or new innovations in technology that can effectively communicate with a mass or targeted audience. Advertising: It is a collective term for public announcements designed to promote the sale of specific commodities or services. Advertising is a form of mass selling, employed when the use of direct, person-to-person selling is impractical, impossible, or simply inefficient. It is to be distinguished from other activities intended to persuade the public, such as propaganda, publicity, and public relations. Proximity marketing: Proximity marketing is the localized wireless distribution of advertising content associated with a particular place. Transmissions can be received by individuals in that location who wish to receive them and have the necessary equipment to do so. Consumer behavior: it  is the study of when, why, how, and where people do or do not buy a  product. TIMESCALES S/N ACTIVITY COMPLETION PERIOD REMARKS 1 Introductions, chapter one 6 weeks 2 Literature review 3 months 3 Core research: 3 trips to Nigeria to collate data and distribute questionnaires 3-5 months 4 Data collation and interpretation 3 months 5 Chapter 5 3 weeks 6 Cross checking for errors and editing 2 months 7 Binding and submission 1 month 8 Total period for project 15-17 months

Economic Advantages and Disadvantages of a One Global Currency

Economic Advantages and Disadvantages of a One Global Currency Introduction The recent history of currency exchange rates includes 3 huge changes starting from the end of the XIX to the end of the XX century. Pure gold standard has been the basis for trading between nations during 1879 and 1914 (Abdel-Monem, n.d.). At the beginning of World War I, this standard ceased to exist and in 1920 countries permitted greater exchange rate flexibility (Jereissati, 1999), which however, did not last long and after the end of the World War II the Bretton-Woods system has been implemented. This standard has been created as a result of numerous meetings between the World War II winning states with the final conference taking place at the Hotel in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. The standard took the name of this last conferences venue (Grabbe, 1996, as cited in Tucker, 2008). In August 15, 1971 Richard Nixon in his speech announced that the price of dollar will be no longer fixed against gold. This has put an end to the Bretton-Woods system and has set-off a new era in international monetary system. The main feature of this new system is that it is neither a pure gold standard nor a pure exchange rate float, but rather a system in between these two extremes (Meese, 1990). This standard exists until today and has been strongly undermined during the latest financial crisis. In this respect, the idea of having a single global currency is widely discussed as an alternative monetary system. This literature review outlines advantages and disadvantages of a single global currency. The Single Global Currency The Concept of a Single Global Currency Single global currency, as one can see from the example of Euro, signifies that countries, where this currency would be implemented, should be the members of a monetary union with one central bank, common currency, a coherent and binding financial policy. Scandinavian Currency Union (SCU), which included Denmark, Norway and Sweden, established a common currency unit, although central banks in each of those countries retained control over monetary policy and did not experience significant loss of independence (Bergman, 1999). The single global currency is a much more complicated issue. History recognizes a lot of monetary unions of different size, both formal and informal. However the most successful example came from the European Union, which is the Economic Monetary Union (EMU). There are also two proposed single currencies, which potentially may come near the Euro. They are the GCC monetary union currency and the Asian Monetary Unit. Economic Advantages of a Single Global Currency The advantages of a global currency are as follows. First of all, single currency will eliminate transaction costs, which are linked to international financial operations. This will affect both: ordinary citizens who plan to spend money abroad and multinational corporations undertaking international transactions. Different currencies create a lot of inconveniences and barriers. Exchanging one currency for another always involves currency exchange fees, as banks, which provide such currency exchanges, require commissions for their services. In the scale of countries or even monetary unions such expenditures on currency exchange fees may reach high amounts. By eliminating the need for currency exchange the monetary unions may save resources (Buiter, 1999, as cited in Bonpasse, 2008). For instance, the European Commission (EC) has estimated that due to a single currency across the European Union 13 to 20 billion of Euro were saved per year (Grauwe, 2007). Moreover the difference between the currencies exchange rates becomes an obstacle for a free flow of trade. As the barrier of different currencies will disappear, the number of international transactions will increase. Bordo and James (2006) said that neighboring countries, which are members of a common monetary union, tend to trade more frequently with each other. In a study conducted by Micco, Stein, and Ordonez (2003) they found out that trade between EU members increased by 8 to 16%, after EMU was created (as cited in Lane, 2006) Currency risks nowadays are one of the major disadvantages of the modern international financial system. Everything, ranged from a natural disaster to terroristic attack, may affect the value of the currency and as a result cause loss. Foreign investors, as well as stock holders, have to hedge their risk, which also demands additional expenditures. Implementation of the single global currency will eliminate the risk of loss, due to currency fluctuations. Moreover Bonpasse (n.d.) points out that the adoption of a single global currency will save 400 billion of US dollars annually in foreign exchange transaction costs, which come from trading 3.8 trillion US dollars every trading day. Currency misalignment is a process when central bank increases or decreases the value of its currency against another for different purposes. The most known cases of currency manipulation are the cases of China and Japan. Both countries artificially undervalued their currencies, which made their exports more competitive. As the value of Yen and Yuan decreases, the prices on Japanese and Chinese products will consequently fall. This has created a great advantage for Japanese and Chinese products in the market. Today the low value of these currencies, which has nothing to do with the real situation, has created huge difficulties for the economies of Europe and USA. Japan and China, based on all criteria related to the IMF definition, have been persistently manipulating their currencies to gain an unfair competitive advantage (Preeg, n.d.). Obviously with a single global currency, currency manipulation by individual countries would be impossible. Moreover there will be no need of such k inds of unfair methods. It is easy to perceive that problems of contemporary monetary system are currency rate fluctuations. As most of the currencies are free and are not fixed to any value, there is a huge possibility for currency speculations. For instance, speculative opportunities of FOREX market may have a great impact on economics of countries and their financial situation. The speculative attack on the Swedish Krona in 1992 is a perfect example. The Central Bank of Sweden had to raise the interest rate of its currency which caused devaluation of the Krona. Receiving income from currency speculations is getting money out of nothing. The next benefit from implementing a single global currency will be the elimination of currency speculations existence. The single global currency will present a different choice for speculators: if they wish to speculate, they will need to choose another commodity, as the money of the people will no longer be for sale (Bonpasse, 2006). Another problem of todays financial system is international reserves or foreign exchange reserves. As the possibility of a currency crash is high, due to currency risks and currency speculations, every country holds assets in various foreign currencies, which are considered as reserve currencies. Mainly it is the US dollar, not so often it is the Euro or the UK pound. However after implementing the single global currency, this hedging method will be unnecessary. As the central bank will abandon the foreign exchange reserves, it will save a considerable amount of money. In 1992 the European Commission estimated that the future Eurozone members might be able to reduce their total international reserves by one-half or $200 billion (Bonapasse, 2008). Disadvantages of a Single Global Currency Turning to disadvantages of a Global Currency, the most negative side of it is that countries will lose the ability to control their financial policy. Today every country is able to determine their monetary policy independently. In order to have an influence on the economy, nowadays central banks of every country through influencing exchange rates and adjusting interest rates, may increase or decrease economic activity. However in case of a single global currency, changes in a local countrys finances, will demand changes in the global scale. So with the Global Currency countries will lose flexibility in their monetary policy. A uniform policy template to provide macroeconomic stability, will constrain a countrys ability to make independent interest rates and exchange rate policy (Bonpasse, as cited in Wenzel, 2007, p17). Another significant disadvantage of having a Global Currency is connected with the difference in economies of different countries. While there are only a few developed states with strong economies, the rest of the countries of the world have rather weak economies, for instance the majority of African countries or some South American countries. In the world with a common currency, the weak economies shall pull down the rest, more well off countries. If one of the members will face a crisis, the others will have to spend their resources in order to stabilize the situation. A perfect example could be the debt crisis, which recently has occurred in Greece. While the EU/IMF bailout package wasnt enough, Germany had to loan about 110 billion Euros in order to save the country from bankruptcy. In addition the crisis had a chance to spread to other countries, as it reduced confidence in the economies of other EU members. Conclusion: Is The Single Global Currency Implementable? Global Currency as a financial system has been first mentioned back in the end of XIX century. The reasons why this system still has not been implemented are rather social and political, than economical. The first obstacle is national identity. Most of the nations consider their currencies as a national symbol, equal to the flag and the anthem. Obviously people will hardly discard their own national symbol, their source of pride. Some people are tempted to view such symbols as they do their flags and national constitutional documents, and the loss of such symbols can be considered as a national loss (Bonpasse, 2008). Just imagine how hard it will be for Americans to abandon dollar and accept a currency with absolutely neutral name and with neutral images and signs. In case of a Global Currency it should be absolutely neutral, as Euro is. Political barriers also should be taken in to account. In the conditions where political tensions between two countries are possible, implementing a single currency is a huge problem. For instance, it is difficult to imagine how USA, Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea and Iran, countries which have experienced significant political tensions, would negotiate in order to accept a single currency. Or it is difficult to say how it is going to work between countries which are in state of war like North and South Korea. In addition, due to political discords, such issues as supply and printing of the Global Currency would be problematic. As an independent central bank is demanded, the first dispute within the countries would be about the location of the central bank. Every member of the global monetary union would try to pull the blanket over. It is hard to believe that after gaining membership to the global monetary union, countries would not start attempting to gain greater influence o n the central bank and hence the monetary policy. Though the process of globalization seems to be unstoppable, we are still far away from being even close to a Global Currency. In my point of view, implementation of the single global currency can be compared to the legends about Eldorado or dreams of Utopia. There is no doubt that Global Currency has more benefits than costs. The loss of control of the monetary policy is a really low price for the other advantages of this idea. Throughout the history mankind tried to give birth to a global government. League of Nations and UN could serve as examples. Esperanto as a worldwide language also has been a great proposal, which could simplify the understanding between nations. But both concepts were not successful up to this time. Unfortunately the single global currency is an idea of such type. Although globalization and the Internet did bring people around the world closer to each other, maybe we are still to different to buy food with the same money. Maybe social and cultural difference s play much bigger role in our life, than we think. USSR made an effort of erasing these differences, but where is the USSR now?

The Theme of Darkness in Conrads Heart of Darkness Essays -- Heart Da

The Theme of Darkness in Conrad's Heart of Darkness Works Cited Not Included It has been said that although Conrad may not have been 'the greatest novelist, he was certainly the greatest artist every to write a novel';. I feel that this is an apt description of Conrad's writing style in Heart of Darkness (1902), as he paints many verbal pictures by using expressive words and many figurative descriptions of places and people. An extensive use of words relating to colour, is evident throughout the novella. The idea of darkness (and light) is emphasized from the title of the novella, and continues to play an important role throughout in the story . My opinion is that Conrad felt that using 'darkness'; as a recurring theme throughout the story would be an effective tool because of the many connotations of darkness. Darkness can, for example, represents evil, the unknown, mystery, sadness or fear. Also important is the way darkness and light can be used to represent two opposite emotions or concepts. Light vs. dark can, for example, represent good vs. evil, the civilized vs. the uncivilized, illusion vs. reality or assumption vs. fact. We know from the start of the novella that the darkness that Conrad refers to is symbolic, because, while the silent narrator aboard The Nellie comments on the many lights emanating from the shore, the lighthouse, the other boats and the setting sun, Marlowe comments that they themselves are in 'one of the dark places of the earth';. Therefore we know that Marlowe has his own opinion and explanation of what the darkness is, and if we assume that this story is autobiographical, and Marlowe is a mouthpiece for Conrad, then this explanation actually indicates Conrad's personal views on what the darkness is. Nigerian novelist, Chinua Achebe attacked Heart of Darkness as racist. He felt that Conrad used the darkness to symbolise the negative character of Africa, and objected to the novel as a manifestation of 'white racism over Africa'; (Achebe, 1975). I do not agree with this view of the novella as a purely racist piece of literature. I feel that, although Conrad did live in a time when some forms of racial prejudice were so commonplace that they seemed almost natural, he wrote the novella essentially as 'an expose of imperialist rapacity and violence'; (Cedric Watts). Several times throughout the novella he refers to co... ...ces to light when describing her appearance indicates that her civilisation is part of her. As the room grows darker, they delve deeper and deeper into the truth. Eventually, Marlowe lies to her about Kurtz's last words because he feels that she would never have been able to deal with the truth, that 'it would have been too dark, too dark altogether';. Conrad wrote the novella Heart of Darkness because through his story he shows how two sides of the world could be as different as white and black. Africa was dark ? much more natural and closer to the moment of creation than the West, which had tried to progress by creating it's own light ? religion, social beliefs and technology. Marlowe's journey led him to Kurtz, who existed at the very heart of darkness because he had succumbed to it's conquering power, and, in Western terms, regressed to the level of the natives in the land. He shows his belief in the triumph of darkness over light by using the word 'darkness'; it in the title of the book. This shows that he believes that the way the Western World existed in the time of the writing of the novella was very unstable, and would only sink further into darkness as time passed.

The History and Rules of Tennis :: Tennis Sports Athletics Essays

The History and Rules of Tennis March, 1913 An international conference is held between 12 nations in Paris, and, from this, the International Lawn Tennis Federation (as it is first known) evolves. March, 1923 The Annual General Meeting in Paris draws up the official ILTF Rules of Tennis which are implemented from 1 January, 1924. The United States joins the ILTF, making the organisation truly international. March, 1923 The Annual General Meeting in Paris draws up the official ILTF Rules of Tennis which are implemented from 1 January, 1924. The United States joins the ILTF, making the organisation truly international. 1977 The ILTF drops the word 'lawn' to take on its present name, the International Tennis Federation. 1988 After diligent work by ITF President, Philippe Chatrier, and General Secretary, David Gray, tennis becomes a full medal sport at the Olympic Games in Seoul. 1996 The ITF grows to incorporate 196 National Tennis Association Members including 126 Full Members and 70 Associate Members - a far cry from the original number of 12 founding nations. The Rules of Tennis [These rules to conform to the USTA's 1995 Rules of Tennis.] Index Explanatory Note The Singles Game Rule 1 - The Court Rule 2 - Permanent Fixtures Rule 3 - The Ball Rule 4 - The Racket Rule 5 - Server and Receiver Rule 6 - Choice of Ends and Service Rule 7 - The Service Rule 8 - Foot Fault Rule 9 - Delivery of Service Rule 10 - Service Fault Rule 11 - Second Service Rule 12 - When to Serve Rule 13 - The Let Rule 14 - The "Let" in Service Rule 15 - Order of Service Rule 16 - When Players Change Ends Rule 17 - The Ball in Play Rule 18 - Server Wins Point Rule 19 - Receiver Wins Point Rule 20 - Player Loses Point Rule 21 - Player Hinders Opponent Rule 22 - Ball Falls on Line Rule 23 - Ball Touches Permanent Fixtures Rule 24 - A Good Return Rule 25 - Hindrance of a Player Rule 26 - Score in a Game Rule 27 - Score in a Set Rule 28 - Maximum Number of Sets Rule 29 - Role of Court Officials Rule 30 - Continuous Play and Rest Periods Rule 31 - Coaching Rule 32 - Changing Balls The Doubles Game Rule 33 Rule 34 - The Doubles Court Rule 35 - Order of Service in Doubles Rule 36 - Order of Receiving in Doubles Rule 37 - Service Out of Turn in Doubles Rule 38 - Error in Order of Receiving in Doubles Rule 39 - Service Fault in Doubles Rule 40 - Playing the Ball in Doubles Appendix I - Regulations for Making Tests Specified in Rule 3

Financial aid Essay

REGISTRATION ?THERE IS A COMPULSORY FIRST YEAR SEMINAR THAT ALL FIRST YEAR STUDENTS MUST ATTEND PRIOR to the date of registration. The first year seminar dates will be communicated to you during November 2014. Failing to attend the first year seminar may lead to your space being allocated to another applicant. ?YOUR DATE OF REGISTRATION WILL BE COMMUNICATED TO YOU DURING NOVEMBER 2014. YOU need to register before or on the specified registration date. If you miss this specific registration date, your study space can no longer be guaranteed as we may then  allocate the space to another applicant. Registration dates can also be found on the UJ website at www. uj. ac. za from December 2014 onwards. NATIONAL BENCHMARK TESTS You are required to complete the National Benchmark Test. For more information please go to http://nbt. ac. za or contact the NBT Call Centre at 021 650 3523. FEES Information on tuition and other fees due for 2015 will be available during November 2014. Please visit the UJ website at www. uj. ac. za for more information. BURSARIES Academic merit bursaries are awarded on the grounds of exceptional grade 12 results. Please visit the UJ website at www. uj. ac. za for more information. NSFAS (NATIONAL STUDENT FINANCIAL AID SCHEME) The closing date for the NSFAS loan applications is 1 October 2014 and all enquiries in this regard can be made to nsfas@uj. ac. za RESIDENCE Admission to the University does not guarantee admission to the residences. If you applied for admission to a residence, you will receive a separate letter in this regard. AGREEMENT AND INDEMNITY  ?YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO COMPLETE, SIGN AND SUBMIT A FORMAL AGREEMENT (INCLUDING AN exemption and indemnity) with the University when you register. ?IF YOU ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 18, A PARENT OR GUARDIAN MUST SIGN THE REQUIRED FORM. ?YOU WILL BE REGISTERED ON THE STRICT UNDERSTANDING THAT YOU AGREE TO ABIDE BY THE Student Charter rules and the Academic Regulations of the University of Johannesburg and of the faculty. ? YOU UNDERTAKE TO PAY THE PRESCRIBED FEES AND ACCEPT THAT YOU ARE BOUND BY THE provisions of the formal agreement. Sincerely, Student Enrolment Centre 011 559 4555.

Evaluate and Reflect Upon Practice in Early Years Settings in Supporting Children’s Social Development

This rationale get out discuss the issues well-nigh sexual practice and whether or non as p atomic number 18nts, teachers or practitioners we squ atomic number 18 off kidskinren into their sex activity mortality or whether it is congenital at heart our genetic machinateup. I depart be evaluating the complexities of my role as a practitioner in supporting fryrens social set handst and reflecting upon how I could purify and modify my practice. There argon differing views when it get it ons to defining sex. Some practice sexual practice to cogitate on biological differences such(prenominal) as sex, physical differences or hormones (Guarian 2002 20).Others refer to sexuality as the social constructions of masculinity and womanhood (ATL 2004 9 and Francis et al 2005 73) meaning boys and missys behaviours and attitudes, which atomic number 18 not necessarily fixed by their biological launch up. There is because a quest to realise that sex activity throne be a nd a lot is on a regular basis an interchangeable term that usher out be suited to both of these definitions. Kohlberg (1966) in (Harris and Butterworth 2002) arouses that in that respect be one- 3rd gear ups of grammatical sexual urge identity beginning around the age of ii to three days.The source level is sex activity Identity, where sm all(prenominal) fryren become aw ar of sex. A tiddler impart say I am a boy for example bargonly not necessarily know what universe a boy means. The second stage is Gender Stability which happens around the ages of three and a half to four and a half years doddering. In this stage children will develop awareness and misgiving of the durability of their own gender and of others, this is primarily centeringed on the physical instruction and a child whitethorn calculate that a person who dresses in typically resister gender clothing has withal changed sex (Emmerich et al 1977 in Harris and Butterworth 2002).The third of Kohlbergs stages is Gender Consistency. This usually happens around the age of four and a half and upwards and this is when children begin to realise that disregard slight of their appearance people remain staminate or fe manful. When looking at at gender within education, in that respect is a hold to consider what effect it has on a childs effect. The DfES (2007 1) put forwards that on that point is a gender gap within English, maths and Science from Foundation Stage by means of to Key Stage Three, where missys are outperforming boys.The fear on gender and childrens fulfil manpowert has been present both within the media and schools for m all a(prenominal) years. Recently this idiom has been geared towards the under motion of boys. Siraj-Blactchford (2001 72) in (Sharp et al 2006) states Recently we score perceive a good deal in education debates about (working class) boys underachievement. The results from the school league- tables suggest some boys do underachi eve in basic literacy. This is portrayed by the media as failing and suggests that girls are outperforming boys in education.It may not necessarily be that boys crap a low achievement rate, alternatively it could be that they are simply not yet stretchiness their extensive potence (Warrington et al 2006 39). I pure tone accordingly the media has over inflated the idea that boys are underachieving. Instead of focusing on the failure, the wildness on underachievement here should be looking at which boys (or girls) are not reaching their full potential. From my experience I remove look atn that teachers and practitioners too act in ways that maintain and maybe even elicit the gender roles that are taught at home.It seems they often emphasise gender distinction with labelling that promotes gender stereotyping. It seems that boys do get to a greater extent direction than girls, whether it is good or bad, as teachers broadly seem to think that because a girl is quiet they d o not need their attention. Francis et al (2005 92) reiterates the idea that boys underachievement is due to feminisation and egg-producing(prenominal) teachers however within my climb there are five male teachers and two male teaching assistants.I intuitive pure toneing that this has a good impact on some of the children. In todays golf club there is not incessantly a pass on and father within the family surround. There is an increase of fathers being absent-minded within the childs life. Having so many male teachers within my scene has abetd children to see that it is acceptable to get into in what children perceive as stereotypical activities and even enjoy them without being beleaguer by their peers.Stetsenko et al (2000) states that male and female brains differ from each other suggesting that boys largely excel in spatial tasks such as sport and girls are in the main crack academicianally. According to Blum et al, (1989 16) boys brains give birth much corti cal areas dedicated to the spatial mechanistic pastimectioning and they use on bonny merely half the brain that females use for verbal emotive functioning which fundamentally means that females are predominately seen as better talkers and listeners and males are doers.Having worked for n early ten years in childcare and education and being a parent myself I vex likewise realised that boys and girls do support in different ways Mothers and Fathers are responsible for the initial gender socialisation of their children. As suggested by Bowlby (1969) in (Johnston and Nahmad- Williams 2009) family is the first and most primary(prenominal) influence on a childs social development. Many of a childs early family experiences shape their initial motivations, determine and beliefs.Banduras social learning guess (1963) suggests that boys learn how to behave from observing and imitating masculine behaviours especially from their fathers and girls learn from imitating their mothers. W hen children imitate identical sex behaviours they are rewarded but imitating the opposite sex may result in threat or even penalty (Bandura 1963). This behaviour is mainly dis piece of cakeed by fathers when they come to pick up their sons and find them acting dress up or pushing a pram.This is a barrier that is unchanging on- loss within my conniption but totally with the fathers. Mothers do not seem to have a problem with this type of behaviour. I explain that the boys are only expressing themselves and broadly not acting in a stereotypical way but having fun with the situation whereas when a girl dresses up she tends to pretend to be a mother figure. What the fathers do not tend to see is that although the boy is defrauding with the pram he is using it in a way that would not usually be displayed by a female.Even before a child is born and when parents know the sex of their child there is a tendency to demoralize and receive toys and clothes in each tap for a girl or blue for a boy. This is reinforced when the child is born and the hospital attaches each a blue or a pink wristband depending on the sex of the child. interrogation shows differences in the ways that boys and girls are do by by caregivers from the moment of birth. According to archer and Lloyd (1982) baby boys are handled less quietly by their caregivers being bounced and roughhoused, whereas baby girls are generally talked and sung to.It is suggested by Gervai et al (1995) and Woods et al (2001) that fathers more than than mothers encourage gender-appropriate behaviour, and they place more pressure to achieve on sons than on daughters. In the early years parents are more believably to undertake activities such as drawing, schooling books and singing with girls than boys (Siraj-Blatchford and Sammons 2004). I tactile property that only having a son I cannot make a fully informed discretion on this statement however I do have that within my aspect I allow girls to engage i n rough and tumble play as much as the boys do.I feel that this is an important part of their social development. I in addition encourage all children to participate in more creative activities such as painting, cooking and making things. Through the increase process of a child, the toys that are give to them begin to define whether or not they are going to be typically and strongly masculine or feminine. Girls will generally play with dolls while boys choose cars and trucks (Kanazawa 2008) which suggests that maybe boys and girls toy gustatory modalitys may have a biological origin.Studies with Vervet monkeys in 2002 showed the similar sex typical preference as humans yet there was no influence from humans and they had not seen the toys before. What was even more remarkable was that the monkeys knew how to play with the toys in the same way a child would. Kanazawa (2008) states It is becoming less and less probable that gender socialisation is the case why boys and girls pre fer different toys, and more and more likely that there are some genetic, hormonal, and other biological reasons for the spy sex differences in toy preference.The media as well as plays a role in gender socialisation and impacts on childrens play from an early age (Burke 2006). Parents of a girl would be more likely to put on programmes such as My minuscule Pony and Dora the Explorer, whereas parents of a boy might show their child wharfage the Builder or Postman fondle. When a child is sitting in front of the television, they often see commercials with ladies either cooking or shopping and men working, driving or lifting. I feel that this portrays a universal image of what society thinks is right for males and females to do.Discussions with children have led me to recollect that within their family environment it seems to be that mothers are now working longer hours than was the norm and fathers are spending more and more time taking care of their children and also carrying out tasks typically known as female roles by preparing food and going shopping. Through observation in my mountain this seems to be the case. Sweden is unique in the note value it places on gender equality (Berk 2006).They state that both genders are equal in the workforce, childcare and the home environment and men and women have the same rights including paternity bring out and pay. According to several indicators the Swedish family cast is very successful (Berk 2006). I feel that the United Kingdom is working towards the same model but because of all the old traditions that man has continued over the decades in the U. K. I feel that as a society we are less likely to let go and that it is up to the individual to form their own gender identity.Experience with children, wider teaching and lectures in college have led me to develop the opinion that there are legion(predicate) influences on children regarding their gender identity and that there is a need for staff to be approp riately trained to enable them to partake the needs of both boys and girls. I feel that practitioners can be gender slanting and may be likely to make general assumptions regarding gender issues. These assumptions would be stereotypes in themselves even though they are essential to treat each child as an individual (Bignold 2006).Having this knowledge has helped me to develop my setting by having exciting resources which engage and egg on both individuals and gender groups. I feel this can have a verificatory impact on what children choose to take part in and help children tempo away from what they have been told is right for boys and girls. The devise and layout of my setting is very important. It creates an environment where children can decide what and who they wish to play with by offering complete freedom of filling as far as toys and activities are concerned.This encourages a non-stereotypical environment in which boys and girls can interact comfortably and self-assure dly. It seems that nurseries, schools and the media are lay one gender against the other when it comes to academic levels. This has only highlighted an equality issue with regards to the differing achievement between genders. I feel that this emphasis needs to move away from analyse achievements according to gender but to focus on which children are underachieving in terms of both attainment and reaching their full potential.I feel that in order for me as a practitioner to achieve gender equality within my setting I need to make myself and my colleagues aware of any preconceptions I or they may hold. It is also vital that I create an environment and ethos where gender is not an issue. Children regardless of their gender are to be viewed and treated as individuals and given equal opportunities and experiences. Where the opportunities to access all areas of the curriculum are the same and gender stereotypes are challenged and deconstructed, it will become realistic to move away fr om comparing gender gaps and focus on individual achievements instead. .