Role of Fellowship in Christian Spiritual Healing Dissertation

Role of Fellowship in Christian Spiritual Healing - Dissertation Example PATHOLOGY: Science of bodily diseases including symptoms of a disease. ACCENTUATE: Emphasize SYMBOL: Something regarded by general content as naturally typifying or representing or recalling something by possession of analogous qualities or by association in fact or thought. THERAPY: Medical/treatment of a disease according to Oxford dictionary but in generally understanding refers to all measures taken to attain or restore optimal health of humanity SACRAMENT: Religious ceremony or act regarded as outward and visible sign of inward and spiritual grace. AUTHENTIC: Leadership especially one state. 1 INTRODUCTION Many therapy practices like medical intervention, counseling and prayer have received the attention of researchers. There are subjects on healing and fellowship which are studied by many authors as well, for example, Louw et al (1994); however there seems to be no studies which focus on role of fellowship in healing. Warren 2002:138 has captured the importance of fellowship as he states, â€Å"God intends for us to experience life together†. This concept of togetherness and shared experience is referred to as ‘fellowship’ in the bible. The focus of this research is to explore the role of fellowship in spiritual healing. Though the researcher is not really interested in doing research just for the sake of doing it but because of the personal attachment researcher has with the topic itself. The researcher is prepared and committed to the subject and has a passion in the said area which has made the researcher impatient to see the contribution this study will make to the existing body of literature as well as to the society. Muller (1999:3) rightly says â€Å"to do research is not an easy task...Warren 2002:138 has captured the importance of fellowship as he states, â€Å"God intends for us to experience life together†. This concept of togetherness and shared experience is referred to as ‘fellowship’ in the bible. The focus of this research is to explore the role of fellowship in spiritual healing. Though the researcher is not really interested in doing research just for the sake of doing it but because of the personal attachment researcher has with the topic itself. The researcher is prepared and committed to the subject and has a passion in the said area which has made the researcher impatient to see the contribution this study will make to the existing body of literature as well as to the society. Mà ¼ller (1999:3) rightly says â€Å"to do research is not an easy task because of curiosity I could venture into a world of the â€Å"unknown† where a treasure, surprise, or a shock might be hidden†. By using the narrative approach, this research intends to venture with fellow travelers into their known world which they never knew or seen before. Based on the statement, â€Å"Life is a journey† we journey both separately and collectively, this research aims to venture into the world of exploring the â€Å"Role of Fellowship in Christian Spiritual Healing†.

Analysis of The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao Essay - 1

Analysis of The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao - Essay Example Until he met a lady in Santo Domingo, that alters his destination. To trace back the origin of Oscar, his mother migrated to America to escape from the painful memories of the past. The fuku haunts every family member, which leads to the death of Oscar Wao. This paper aims to analyse the connection of Caribbean history and Dominican identity with the character of Oscar as a nigger. The history of Caribbean is a mixture of different culture that is rooted from the era of colonialism. The first settlers are the native Indians called Taino. Diaz (2007) mentions that Spaniards execute genocide, or the killing of race in the Dominican Republic (p. 212). Taino’s population decreases after the European navigator -- Christopher Columbus, discovered the West Indies when he mistakenly assumed that he reached the west part of Asia. In search for gold, the European occupied the place and abused the naivety of native people. After the reduction of Taino’s population, Spaniards gathered Africans from South Africa to become their slave on the mining industry. The Spaniards shifted to sugar cane plantation due to the obliteration of the gold’s supply. Moreover, the women suffered from sexual assault that results to mestizo children. The culture of Dominican changed after the Spaniards surrendered them to France, which occupied Haiti, but Spain recovered i ts sovereignty to Dominicans in 1861. Fortunately, the Dominican gained its freedom from the Spaniard but later occupied by the United States (Shifflette, 2010, pp. 4-7). Diaz’s novel highlights the reign of Trujillo in the Dominican Republic. Trujillo uses the military forces to coerce the Dominicans to vote him. He became the President that marked the Trujillo era. Although the root of Trujillo came from the Black African, his mindset is similar with the United States and Spain. He ordered for the elimination of black people to whiten the Dominican Republic. Shifflette

Children Learn To Be Strong Children And Young People Essay

Children Learn To Be Strong Children And Young People Essay The main principle of building positive relationships is identified in the Early Years -Development Matters document is that children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships. Every child is a unique individual, a competent learner from birth who can be strong, capable, confident and self-assure. Children learn to be strong and independent from a base of loving and secure relationships with parents and /or keyworkers. Parents are childrens first and most enduring educators. When parents and practitioners work together in Early Years settings, the results have a positive impact on childrens development and learning. Early years practitioners need to consider childrens age and stage of development as a factor when ensuring that the environment is safe and suitable for children. If you are able to build good relationships with parents, this is also a really positive thing, as parents will share information easier and take an interest in what their child is learn ing. The EYFS has as a statutory component the requirement for all children to be allocated a key person. A key person is someone who develops a close and genuine bond with a child, takes additional responsibility for the childs welfare and works closely with parents. A key worker acts as a surrogate attachment figure when the child is separated from parents and carers. This essay will recognise how positive relationships promote childrens well-being. And analyse the importance of a key worker system. It will explain the benefits of building partnership with parents for children learning and development. Describe how to develop positive relationships within the early years setting, making reference to principles of effective communication. The main principle of building positive relationships is identified in the Early Years -Development Matters document is that children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships. Effective communication plays a vital role in the early years settings. When effective communication is established, positive relationships can begin to develop between practitioners and young children. Good health and well-being is central to effective learning. Children are more likely to develop self-confidence, resilience and positive views about themselves when they are involved in a respected, safe and secure environment where their achievements and contributions are values and celebrated. Childrens relationships influence their well-being through development, and learning. Consistent, secure, responsive, and respectful relationships with caring adults are vital to childrens wellbeing. Through trusting relationships with adults, young children learn about their world and their pla ce in it. They learn the world is safe and responsive to their needs. Babies and young children learn to be strong and independent through loving and secure relationships with parents and carers. When children are looked after outside the home they can develop security and independence through having a key person to care for them. A keyworker such as a practitoner provides a reassuring link with home so that the children can cope with being separated from the special people in their lives. Positive relationships with children and young people are important because: à ¢-  When children feel comfortable with us they can separate more easily from their parents à ¢-  Children are more likely to participate in the play and learning activities if they are secure emotionally à ¢-  When children have strong relationships, they are less likely to show unwanted behaviour as we can recognise and meet their needs à ¢-  Childrens language develops more quickly because they feel con ¬Ã‚ dent talking to us à ¢-  Practitioners can plan more accurately as they understand childrens developmental needs and know their interests à ¢-  Practitioners are able to respond to children more e ¬Ã¢â€š ¬ectively because they can recognise their expressions and emotions. Children deserve to feel, and to be respected by all adults and other children. Children want and need positive, loving relationships with the people close to them. The Early Years Foundation stage has a key worker system in operation. Each child will be given a responsible member of staff which we refer to as a key worker. A key worker is a practitioner who is designated to meeting the individual needs of a child, and to build a positive relationship with their parents. The key worker system is essential for children to develop a close relationship and strong bond with a key worker who will be looking after them. A key worker is responsible for the settling in period. The key worker needs to form a bond with the children, especially babies in their care. Babies need to be with the same people each day to develop social relationships. This is why the Early Years standards have put a key worker system into action. A key worker will be nominated as the first point of contact for the child and family. In order for practitioners to understand the childs requirements and enable the child to become secure in their environment practitioners will have to build a relationship with parents in order to discover the childs routine an particular interests and needs the child may have. The keyworker system is especially important for young babies as they are totally dependent upon their careers, they can become anxious when separated from their parents. Erik Erikson devised a theory of psychology development. Erik Erikson believed that the quality of care of children in this age group receive depends on how well they develop trust in their careers. Erikson claimed that in the stage (birth-1year) the child will develop a sense of basic in the world and in his ability to affect events around him. The development of this depends on the consistency of the childs major caregiver. If the care the child receives is consistent, predictable and reliable then the child will develop a sense of trust, and will be able to feel secure even when threatened. However, if the care has been harsh, or inconsistent, unpredictable and unreliable then the child will develop a sense of mistrust and will not build confidence in the world around them. This child will constantly carry mistrust with him to other relationships. McLeod, S. A. (2008).   Successful development of trust will enable the child to feel safe and secure within their environment. Being consistent with childs routine and ensuring their individual needs are met will develop trust. Key workers should allow time for a one to one communication with individual children throughout the day to support their emotional well-being. All Early years settings will meet their own requirements of roles and responsibilities. The role of a key worker is to keep up to date with the childs development within the setting through observation, and sharing this information with the parents and carers. Responsibilities of the key worker include: Assessing the childs individual needs. Sharing information with parents on all aspects of their childs care. Meeting the entire childs need throughout the day in nursery. Physical needs-Nappy changing, skin care and bottle feeding. Emotional needs-Settling the child on arrival each session and comforting when distressed. Developmental needs- Planning learning with the individual child Spend time with individual children promoting their learning and development through play. The Ecological systems theory states that human development is influenced by the different types of environmental systems, Formulated by famous psychologist Urie Bronfenbrenner. The micro systems setting is the direct environment we have in our lives. Your family, friends, classmates, teachers, neighbours and other people who have a direct contact with you are included in your micro system. The micro system is the setting in which we have direct social interactions with these social agents. Sarah Mae Sincero (March14, 2012). In early years setting, a childs microsystem would include their relationship with their key workers, friends, other staff members and the environment. Effective key worker should be committed to their role, by demonstrating to be a good communicator, needs to remain calm and confident throughout the day, able to make time to communicate with the parent and carers. Effective communication with children can develop positive relationships and develop a strong bond, it is therefore important for practitioners to communicate in an appropriate manner. Childrens learning and wellbeing are enhanced when families and childcare professionals work together in partnership to promote the best outcomes for children; quality care occurs when childcare professions understand each childs family, culture, community and when they use this knowledge to provide experiences in ways that are meaningful to the child. When parents and practitioners work together in early years settings, the results have a positive impact on childrens development and learning. Early Years settings work to build parent confidence in what they do already at home and they offer idea to support and enhance this. Most significantly, they exchange information about children regularly or on a weekly bias with parents. They listen to what parents have to say about their own childs capabilities and interests, ad make use of these observations for future planning, encouraging parents to be active in the planning process. Parents and practitioners have a lot to learn from each other this can help them to support and extend childrens learning and development. Parents should review their childrens progress regular and contribute to their childs learning and development record. Parents can be helped to understand more about learning and development record. Young children flourish when the adults caring for them work together. Fa milies know their childs strengths, personality, moods and behaviours very well. When families and staff work together they can exchange information, and can focus on meeting each childs needs and supporting their development. When children see positive communication between their parents and staff, they begin to learn that it is important to build health relationships, for example children who see their parents communicating well and being friendly with staff, children will feel valued and important when in the care of their practitioners. Parents and carers who are positively involved with their children can help reduce mental health difficulties. In partnership, families and staff can share their experiences with each other and their understanding of how their bond is important to a child. For example (x) likes to cuddle on to a special teddy at sleep time at home, this experience should be offered in the care setting. Strong partnerships between early years practitioners, staff and parents are essential in early years settings and are one of the important relationships to develop. But too often, parents and program staff do not effectively communicate with each other, thereby limiting opportunities for developing open, respectful, and trusting relationships. Miscommunication, or limited communication between adults, can lead to situations that adversely affect all of the parties involved. Parents play an important role in the admission of their child to the early years setting. Working in partnerships will help meet the childs individual needs, through identifying information about a childs background to health and wellbeing such as illnesses, disabilities, allergies, likes and dislikes and emergency contact information. There are many way to involve parents within the setting such as arranging open days, an open day is a social opportunity for parents to communicate with other parents and early years staff this will help build parents confidence and self-esteem. Key workers should share their observations and assessments of the child with their parents and encourage parents to try out similar activities at home with their child. Outgoings in an early years settings is a good opportunity for parents to be involved in their childs learning and development, when the early years setting has organised an outgoing this will give parents the opportunity to take part and com e along and meet other children and staff. Parent evenings play a vital. Role in early years they will allow parents and keyworkers to discuss their childrens development progress. Parents should be invited to come to the setting to carry out workshops or activities on particular subjects, all parents are unique and come from different backgrounds, they can get the opportunity to be involved in promoting diversity by carrying out activities such as cooking food or demonstrating different clothing from different backgrounds. There are many barriers to parent involvement which must be recognised and overcome to promote involvement and partnership working. Parents with different languages may find it uncomfortable to communicate so staff members should aim to learn a few works and phrased in home languages to help them feel welcome. If a parent has low self-esteem and confidence they will not feel comfortable in joining in. practitioners should overcome this barrier by welcoming and su pporting parents in becoming involved in the setting. Parents have busy life and will not always have time to communicate with the staff at the setting when they are dropping or picking up their child, so practitioners should arrange times or regular parents evenings for parents to communicate in their available time. Positive relationships with children are important; practitioners act as role models and are effectively teaching children how to have positive relationships with other people as well. A positive relationship for a young child is very important as this increases their confidence and trust in other people. Positive relationships are made by first of all actively listening to the child and finding out their likes, and dislikes. Children at different stages have very different needs and interests and learn in different ways. Communication for children needs to consider different abilities and needs at different ages and this must be child-centred and age appropriate. Communication is a fundamental skill within a learning environment and is the main source of interaction amongst children, practitioners and staff in a learning environment. It is a mean of setting foundations to build positive relationships making children feel safe and to develop their self-esteem (feel good about themselves). In order for communication methods to be effective we need to have knowledge of relationships which is the main concept that drives positive behaviour. Actively listening to children, what they have to say is an example which can promote relationship in a learning environment. The importance of this form of communication is that it tends to help children to build their self-esteem, makes them feel valued and welcomed bec ause their views are being listened to by others. Verbal communication requires verbally encouraging children to respond to open question discussions which can promote positive relationships. Written communication in the form of comments, praise (certificates) highlighting achievements in good work can contribute towards positive relationships. The importance of this form of communication is that it keeps the children interested to take part, increase their concentration. Creates an effective learning environment and stimulates them to strive for success which contributes towards positive relationships in a learning environment. Regardless of the type of setting, the ability to communicate effectively is crucial for developing positive relationships with children, young people and their families. Communicating well involves the following: Giving your full attention- by maintain eye contact. Being aware of your body language use appropriate gestures and facial expressions. Listening- by showing response of nodding and smiles. Taking account of individual needs. Being sensitive to cultural differences in communication.   If the child speaks different language- use of photographs or other visual aids ma help. Hearing impediment- use sign language or visual aids to facilitate communication more effectively. Being confident build confidence in your communication skills by practicing how and what you want to communicate, and role modelling good communication skills. Conclusion Positive relationships are important because it helps a child to develop independence and build their self-esteem, positive relationships will help children feel confident, secure and be able to trust their relationships with adults. A strong connection between families and childcare providers is essential for building positive relationships. A Parents role is to talk with the people who care for your child on a daily basis about eating habits, behaviour, activities, learning of new skills, friends, or other happenings in your childs day. . As a parent you need to strengthen the bond between your child and her keyworker by helping to establish an attitude of trust. Mention the keyworkers name in conversation at home, and show interest in your childs interactions with her/him. As a practitioner, you should know the importance of working with parents and how these relationships can support childrens learning. Practitioners and parents need to develop a good two way communication in ord er to gain good effective positive relationship between the child and a practitioner.

Battle of Lexington :: essays research papers

The American Revolution was a tough time for America and the people who fought it. Many wars were fought and many people died, but throughout the whole events moments of inspiration were evident. One such time was in the Battle of Lexington which took place on April 19th, 1775 and one such poem the truly reflects it is called The Battle of Lexington which was written by Sidney Lanier. The poem reflects the thoughts of this man and Paul Revere during this time. In the first stanza Mr. Lanier tells Paul revere to ride fast and hard to Lexington so he can tell others that the British are coming. It is evident that he has to be in a rush because Lanier says, "While the way is clear". This shows that this option might not be open for a long time so Mr. Revere will have to ride fast. In the next stanza, the British are starting to cross the river and so a man name Deven, is trying to help Paul Revere. As he leaves Deven watches him ride into the night with what I think admiration. Also as he is leaving Deven is watching the British come closer and so I think this is a tragic point for him to accept. As the story goes on it is the next morning, and attention is called to a man named John Parker. At this point the British soldiers along with General Gage were marching toward concord. When this occurred there were also minutemen or the American soldiers waiting there as well to engage in a battle. This is seen in the poem. The man tells John Parker to look outside his windows and to witness independence. He says this because both men believe that the American soldiers will win. It is to say that they have no doubt in there minds that they will win. Continuing on, as the British approached concord and so the American soldiers are told to line up in formation. This man asks for all the men of [President] Lincoln to start getting ready to fight. He mentions that through the wounds of this war liberty will be won, because these men know that some will die in order to win. The poet calls Prescott and Revere in hurry. He tells the other men such as Chelmsford, Littleton, Carlisle, and ot hers to line up in formation.

Democracy and Jim Crow

The United States of America is proud to be known as the land of the free. Its representative democracy Is supposed to hold the consent of all American colleens and make sure the constitution and equality Is upheld; however, Its state of government has been actively partaking In actively and rulings that do not benefit the whole of America. In fact, many of the state's decisions have been working against specific racial minorities and creating a criminal justice system that almost mirrors the racist statues implemented after the Civil War, called the Jim Crow laws.This New Jim Crow unfairly targets minority races, sentences them harsher in court, and leaves them and their families to deal with the immense consequences. These consequences not only trap them in a cycle of poverty and immobility, but take away many of the rights that are supposed to be granted to every citizen of the United States. These policies are pushing the U. S. Democracy back toward pre-Call War mentalities, maki ng African-Americans' (and other minority groups') voices Irrelevant and unheard. Power and authority rest In the state.While these two words seem honeymoons, they hold two very different meanings. Power Is the ability to make someone do something they would not normally do through the use of force and authority is the justifiable right to exercise that power. Only legitimate authorities have the consent of the people, while illegitimate authorities simply hold power over the governed, regardless to how the people feel. The united States of America claims to be a democracy, a state that has consent of the governed peoples.However, is that truly the case? By questioning the idea of democracy in the United States, one must look who olds the power in this country and whether or not we can consider the state working toward the overall benefit and happiness of country at large. The state Is defined as â€Å"a human community that (successfully) claims the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory† (Dobra, Walden, and Bezel 2012:37).While many people would recognize the government as a legitimate authority, that can and should be allowed to use force, the government may not exactly be using their power in a way that is equally beneficial and fair to all its citizens. Power is seen as any â€Å"individual, group or structural capacity to achieve intended effects as a result of force, influences, or authority† (Dobra, Walden, and Bezel 2012:3). The government and its officials hold the power; however, are they using that power democratically, with the consent of all the citizens in the ASSAI?In a democracy everyone should be granted the opportunity to participate in decisions of the political state once you are considered an adult citizen of that state (Dobra, Walden, and Bezel 2012:47) whether it be by voting or simply having the right to participate as much or as little as you want. In the United States' democracy, It Is thought that we have the ability to vote and have equal opportunity In all political decisions. In reality, the democratic freedoms and rights that the united States Is known for can be taken away or be made unavailable all too easily.Democracies, for their country, through voting or participating in a Jury, among other things. Yet, our â€Å"democracy' has somehow managed to covertly bring race and racist practices back into government. Many different aspects of the state help to create and enforce practices that work against the core values of democracy. The criminal Justice system, including police officers, courts, and Jails/prisons, encompass institutional racism, putting some racial groups at a disadvantage, but not through overtly discriminatory mechanisms.Ingrained stereotypical images of minority groups, heavy focus on impoverished areas, and leniency on drugs and/or crimes that are more associated with white people, cause this institutional racism. While individuals work ing for the state may not have these factors in mind, the system and our society have been shaped to be more aware of and give harsher punishments to people of color Alexander, 2012). Throughout history America's government has used race as a determinate factor on one's social standing and level of capability.In the late sass's Jim Crow laws were enacted in order to establish a â€Å"separate but equal† status for African Americans. In 1868, Amendment XIV gave black men full citizenship and promised them equal protection under the law. The northern victory in the Civil War and this amendment allowed blacks to vote, run for and win elected office positions, and serve on Juries. However, 10 years later when federal troops withdrew from the South, returning it to local white rule, this equal protection slowly disintegrated. In the twenty years after the fourteenth amendment was formed, blacks would lose almost all that they had gained.The freedoms and rights they had previously thought were guaranteed were being denied to them. This denial was made legal by Jim Crow laws, a series of racist statutes. These laws were implemented in order to appease white southerners and take back the rights that were granted to former slaves. While the fourteenth amendment granted citizenship to everyone born in the United States, including blacks, and protected individual's rights of citizenship, the Jim Crow laws specifically worked to destroy that. Citizenship allows one to vote.Therefore, Jim Crow laws could not necessarily take the right to vote completely away, however they implemented restrictions on registering to vote in order to assure that blacks would not be able to have a say. Through literacy tests and other prerequisites, the amount of blacks that were eligible to vote diminished rapidly. These were originally found to be constitutional because they did not specifically attack one group of people due to heir race, ethnicity, or background. However, these laws targeted the black community by aiming at their weaknesses.Since the majority of southern blacks were former slaves, they did not have wealth, a prestigious line of ancestry, or the necessary skills or network to seek employment out of servitude. The requirements to register to vote became nearly impossible for a black man to achieve. Some states required a literacy test knowing that former slaves were banned from learning how to read and write. If the slaves did become literate, there were many other stipulations that stood in the way of them registering to vote.There was a restriction on lineage, requiring that a grandparent had to have been a voter in order for you to become a voter. This was quite impossible for the majority of blacks, for the obvious reason that their grandparents were slaves themselves or had not been born in the United States so they were not voting citizens. Jim Crow laws took advantage of any government and hopefully be reduced back down to slavery or clos e to it. Implementing poll taxes and requirements to own property targeted blacks lack of monetary funds (Alexander 2012).As former slaves, they did not have a lot of money ND they definitely did not have extra money to waste on poll taxes. Even if they were granted land to purchase and had the money, most property owners would not sell to a black man. Last but not least, the â€Å"good character† clause was enacted. This is seemingly a last resort. If a black man met all the former stipulations, the poll workers could simply give a reason as to why they question his character and deny him the ability to register. The â€Å"good character† rule is purely based on opinion.Along with restrictions on voting registration, Jim Crow laws were also enacted to include restrictions on marriage, housing, public institutions and even times of day one could be outside. These were created to ensure that blacks were segregated as much as possible from the white community, being â₠¬Å"separate but equal. † In Please vs†¦ Ferguson, the Supreme Court found this idea constitutional; however, while restrooms, schools, train cars, and even neighborhoods became separate, they were rarely ever equal.Laws were even established that segregated blacks from living in white neighborhoods through making it illegal to live on a block in which the majority of residents were people that you could not marry. Laws banning interracial marriage were established before this. This ensured that blacks and whites would not live together, forcing blacks into parts of the town that were more impoverished. To further belittle former slaves, most buildings, restrooms and drinking fountains were separated with â€Å"whites only' and â€Å"blacks only' signs, showing an unwillingness to even share water with a different race.These â€Å"separate but equal† practices were highly discriminatory and not constitutional; however, the government was oblivious to this fact or chose to ignore it for quite a while. Brown vs†¦ Board of Education was one of the first cases to point out the flaws in the â€Å"separate but equal† practices. In that hearing, the Supreme Court decided that it was unconstitutional and detrimental to minority children to have separate public schools (Alexander 2012: 36). This court case was the first to rule that â€Å"separate but equal† was unconstitutional. This began the unraveling of Jim Crow.Separate public schools for white and black children were deemed unconstitutional and a violation of the 14th amendment, leading the way towards complete integration and more victories for the civil rights movement. After the first victory in court, African-American's continued their pursuit of civil rights and liberties, leading to the establishment of more equal practices. The Civil Rights Act of 1964, outlawed many forms of discrimination against racial, ethnic and religious minorities and women. It ended the abilit y to create unequal requirements in order to register to vote.Furthermore, it desegregated the school system completely, along with the workplace and public accommodations (Alexander 2012: 39). This eliminated Jim Crow laws, but it could not change the minds of those who supported them. The Voting Rights Act (1965) and Fair Housing Act (1968) outlawed discriminatory voting practices and provided for equal housing opportunities regardless of race or national origin; two things that had been responsible for the widespread the fifteenth amendment, making sure that no requirement or prerequisite was present in order to vote or to register.This way no citizen was denied the right to vote, no matter what race or ethnic background. The Housing Act also prohibits discrimination due to race, color, religion, or national origin. One cannot refuse to sell or rent a dwelling to any person because of those particular traits. However, landlords are not required to rent to anyone that applies, the y may deny someone based off of other criteria, like the applicant's suspected ability to pay rent.While the civil rights movement desegregated American and won back the black population's rights as citizens, this victory did not last long. These Acts seemed to have given the African-American population equality; however, there were many loopholes in which inequality still thrived; the biggest one being the 13th amendment's exception on slavery, allowing it only as a form of punishment for a crime (Alexander 2012:31). The 20th century changes in voter laws gave blacks the ability to change the political landscape and thus challenge white male corporate power.Yet, in the 40 years since the Civil Rights Movement, corporations (and the politicians that serve them) have been taking that power back by systematically attempting to deny African Americans the right to vote. This is where the birth of the New Jim Crow grew from. The New Jim Crow laws are more implicit and do not include over t racial language, however they are Just as bad. While they do not include specific details that are unique to one group of people, they create practices that unfairly attack minority groups through focusing on more impoverished communities and creating unequal punishments for crimes associated more with minorities.The War on Drugs is the main contributor to these New Jim Crow laws. This â€Å"war† gave America a reason to view racial minorities as the bad guys. Through the establishment of certain laws, such as establishing a 100 to 1 sentencing disparity for the possession or trafficking of crack, compared to penalties for trafficking of powder cocaine (Alexander 2012), there is a heavier focus on minority groups and larger criticism of their drug use due to increased arrested.The minimum mandatory sentence for small amounts of drugs associated with minorities, like crack, are equivalent to large amounts of drugs that are commonly used by white people, like powder cocaine. Furthermore, minority groups that get arrested for drug charges are more likely to receive a harsher punishment than if someone white were to be arrested. With the combination of severe and unbalanced drug possession laws along with the rates of conviction in terms of race, the Judicial system has created a huge racial disparity.Due to the belief that culture is responsible for black poverty, the government abstinently erased their role in fostering this poverty, â€Å"forgotten are the failed schools, the malign welfare programs, the desolate neighborhoods, [and] the wasted years† (Alexander 2012:53). This war on drugs and the huge push for â€Å"law and order† practices in inner cities or poor, black neighborhoods have caused lastly economic effects. The state is responsible for the negative effects that the black population is dealing with today.The war on drugs was supposed to be a crack down on drug users and sellers; however, it disproportionately targeted racial minorities and the hat focused on these inner cities and racial profiled community members to be targets of â€Å"stop and frisks. † In accordance with police officers increased amounts of arrests, courts were sentencing people of racial minorities longer prison terms than their white counterparts. To fit the influx of prisoners, more state institutions needed to be built.From the streets to incarceration, the criminal Justice system and state institutions have been flawed and seemingly corrupt. These actions only hinder the groups of people targeted and lead to an endless cycle of poverty and immobility. In the drug war, police have discretion regarding who to target (which individuals), as well as where to target (which neighborhoods or communities)† (Alexander 2012:123), enforcing strict policing in impoverished urban areas in which the majority of residents are of a racial minority.These police departments are bribed with monetary incentives in order to make drug-l aw enforcement top priority and step away from violent crimes to focus on inner city drug crimes. This is the state, the federal government, using resources to create inequality and put a target on areas where racial minorities are most common. Our society has established a stereotypical image of a criminal that includes darker skin color. This way of thinking is not only detrimental to certain ethnic groups, but establishes and enhances racial profiling.Police departments not only partake in racial profiling, they are taught to do so. The training program known as â€Å"Operation Pipeline† teaches officers how to â€Å"use perceptual traffic stops and consent searches on a large scale for drug interdiction† (Alexander 2012:70). This is enforcing the idea to make bias Judgments on civilians, stopping people who fit the profile of a rug user or criminal even if they are doing nothing wrong and there is no probable cause to stop or search them. Along with racial profilin g comes another unconstitutional practice implemented by our government agencies: the stop and frisk rule.This rule allows police officers to stop anyone they wish to and question or frisk them, as long as they have â€Å"reasonable articulate suspicion† (Alexander 2012: 63). People of color in impoverished neighbors grow accustom to stopping and spreading their arms up and onto the nearest wall whenever a police officer comes into view. This shows Just how common they are targeted. No matter if they are in a car, taking the bus, or simply walking down the street, racial minorities are aware that they unequally hold police attention, based solely on their appearances.Along with the unequal amounts of police attention, people of color also get unequal sentencing and conviction ratings. While the mandatory sentence for a large amount of cocaine, associated with the white population, is five years; the mandatory minimum sentence for small amounts of crack, associated with urban poor, is also five years (Alexander 2012). These longer felony sentences are unfair and lead to huge repercussions that a small drug offense should not create. Many people question why it seems like black fathers are always out of the picture.This may be due to the fact that a large percent of the black male population is under some form of incarceration and cannot be present for his family. The higher and unequal incarceration of colored males leaves many women alone and forces them to become a single parent. While nothing is wrong with being a single parent, it stifles their consequences that being in Jail produces psychologically, prisoners face tons of active reinforcement when they are released from prison, as if being locked up was not punishment enough.Since a majority of impoverished black men are targeted for searches and questioning, a large number of convicts come from poor areas. When they are released with no money, no Job, and no way of getting end meats; they are forc ed to straight back to the neighborhood that caused their problems and will most likely get involved in some form of illegal activity to earn a few bucks. Ex-convicts resort to illegal activities because the black mark on their record hinders them of getting any respectable Job. Being a felon is seen extremely negatively.Along with Job discrimination, felons lose their right to vote, their ability to receive welfare or student loans, and live in subsidized housing. Revoking all of these things leaves many felons, homeless, Jobless and on the road back to imprisonment. Our government does not have the consent of all it governs because a large portion of â€Å"the land of the free† is behind bars and without a voice. Racial minorities are unfairly targeted, imprisoned and revoked of their rights. This is pushing America backwards, toward slavery, a time when only white males had to right to an opinion.

Marketing the public libraries

This website bases its maps from the surveys conducted by the 2005 American community survey (http://www. nkca. ucla. edu). It explains what the survey is about which is to collect housing, demographic and socioeconomic data. This is done from the US households. The website highlights the fact that the American Community Survey (ACS) replaced the decennial census. It also points out that the ACS is more advantageous than the decennial census because it is conducted every year instead of every ten years (http://www. nkca. ucla. edu).The website also makes known the year that ACS was implemented which is 2005. It goes ahead to name those who were involved in the pilot project that involved special tabulations of geographies. It also notes that the center for neighborhood knowledge ensures that the knowledge is availed to the public. It also highlights the uses of the data gotten by the ACS and this includes developing as well as refining policies and also programs, supplement the data gotten from other sources and also to help in identifying the needs of the community and also prioritizing these needs.ACS has a vision of working with the Bureau of the Census to annually update their information. Albright K. S. May/June 2004 ENVIROMENTAL SCANNING RADAR FOR SUCCESS Information Management Journal Summary In this journal, the writer starts off by noting the importance of success in any organization. Albright goes ahead to explain what environmental scanning is and why it is done. She identifies the relationship that is found among the environment, markets and strategic planning in an organization.Once an organization has looked into its internal environment, it then looks at the external environment. The writer goes ahead and gives the reasons for this environmental scanning which are to â€Å"focus on customers, suppliers and competitors and their intricate relationships†(Albright K. S. 2004). There is an explanation of how environmental scanning works. It co nducts a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis. This helps the organization in analyzing the community, which is the environment, and also helps it know how to advertise their services.The writer ends by identifying any barriers to effective environmental scanning. Marketing Plan 1. Kassel, A. 1999. How to Write a Marketing Plan (Vol. 13 no. 5). Retrieved on 13th Sept 2007 from http://infotoday. com/mls/jun99/how-to. htm Summary In this volume, Kassel identifies why the libraries have been forced to go for marketing in the effort to increase their amount of money they make and also their client base. This is because their biggest competitor is the Internet, which is deemed more convenient by students and researchers.The writer goes ahead to identify and outline seven steps that are necessary in the creation of a marketing plan. She outlines them in the following sequence: â€Å"prepare a mission statement, list and describe target or niche markets, descri be your services, spell out marketing and promotional strategies, identify and understand the competition, establish marketing goals that are quantifiable and finally monitor your results carefully†(http://infotoday. com).She goes ahead to give some tips and hints to those who are new to marketing. She urges them to concentrate on getting long-term customers, know why customers come back, to be focused on their targets and not waste their efforts with non-targets, to be persistent and prepared and finally to be never afraid of failure as it is bound to happen and when it does, the strategy used needs to be changed. The writer ends by assuming that this outline is actually a success plan. 2. Summey T.P If You Build it Will They Come? Creating a Marketing Plan for Distance Learning Library Services- 2004. The Haworth Press Inc. In this volume, Summey acknowledges the importance of people especially the distant students and also the â€Å"brand identity† which refers to a lot including services provided by the library in the expansion of library services people’s importance in the success of library services expansion (Summey, 2004). The writer goes ahead to explain what is a marketing plan and how it is created.The writer also identifies the objective of a marketing plan as being identification of marketing issues, development of goals and finally how to measure progress. The budget is also included in the plan; the plan is to consist of â€Å"the mission statement, library or community analysis, goals and objectives, marketing strategy and methods to evaluate results† (Summey, 2004). The plan is to begin with an executive summary, the table of content, a SEDT analysis, a description of the market, mission and vision, goals and objectives, implementation and finally assessment and evaluation.

Group Work Example

Group Work Example Group Work – Coursework Example Group work Group May 21, Group work Deviance involves contrary behaviors of attitudes to social norms. Positive deviance, whilecontrary to norms, has beneficial effects. Altruism is an example of positive deviance and illustrates Self-Control theory. It defines the belief or action that is selfless to the actor and aims at benefiting another person. Even though social norms expect loyalty among people, this is achieved after considering individual’s fundamental interest. A party that is loyal to another considers interest of the other party and tries to correct selfless initiative for mutual benefits. Under altruism, however, a person deviates from this norm and risks personal interest in order to benefit another. A risky rescue mission illustrates this and is positive because despite the involved risk, the result is preserved life. Cooperation is another example of positive deviance and is contrary to the norm of participation. Under participation, every party is expected to execute individual responsibility that can then be accumulated to group responsibility. Cooperation, especially understood in the concept of helping people or responding to people’s requests, explains a deviation from the expected individual responsibility in group-work to a team work set up. A cooperative person may therefore sacrifice and assume additional responsibilities for overall success of a group (Spencer, 2014).Only instantaneous and progressive cultural, economic, and political issues should be taken into consideration because positive deviance operates against norms. Some past or existing cultural, economic, and social issues may therefore be contrary to a positive deviance. Poverty, as an economic need, and political crisis are examples of the issues that can be considered into positive deviance. ReferenceSpencer, J. (2014). Contexts of deviance: Statuses, institutions, and interactions. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

Barack Obamas 2007 Border Protection Paper

Barack Obamas 2007 Border Protection Paper Free Online Research Papers One of the purposes of the United States’ border policy is to protect the citizens of this great country from non-citizens who intend to harm or acts of violence against those within its borders. The main goal of this policy is to know, at all times, who is inside the massive national borders that stretch all the way from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean, covering thousands of miles of land. About one million immigrants arrive in the United States legally every year. Yet every year there are also an estimated 800,000 people who enter this country illegally, or illegally overstay their visa (â€Å"Immigration and the Border† par. 4). This means that nearly one out of every two immigrants that are in the United States is here illegally. There is basically no record of where they are and what they doing here. This could potentially have a tremendously negative effect on what the United States is so proudly known for: a strong economy, a safe home for its citizens, fair and equal employment, and a free people. With so many illegal aliens within our borde rs, it is unclear how safe the American people really are since it is unclear what these alien’s intentions are in the United States. The United States currently has a very poor immigration policy that is in desperate need of a change. Particularly, The United States needs to reform its border protection policy under the plan of presidential candidate Barck Obama in order to create safer borders for its citizens. There are many problems with how the United States is currently protecting its borders. One major problem is a very poor surveillance system along its boundary line, especially along the southern border. A critical network of cameras and sensors installed for the U.S. Border Patrol along the Mexican and Canadian borders has been hobbled for years by defective equipment that was poorly installed (â€Å"GSA sees problems in border monitors† par. 1). This is a huge problem which United States officials call crucial to defending the country against terrorist infiltrators, which are often illegal aliens (â€Å"GSA sees problems in border monitors† par. 2). As part of a sweeping intelligence bill passed in December (2005), Congress suggested to nearly double the size of the Border Patrol by adding 10,000 agents over five years. The agency has about 11,000 agents; 90% work along the southern border with Mexico (â€Å"2,000 new border agents arent part of the budget, Ridg e says† par. 3). But without the proper surveillance, is becomes extremely difficult, no matter how many border agents there are, to monitor the almost 2,000 miles of United States-Mexican border. This does not include the almost 2,000 miles of coastal borders and 4,000 miles of Canadian borders, which also have similar, yet less troublesome, surveillance issues. There is simply too much land to cover by manpower alone. The United States Customs and Border Protection Agency is in desperate need of new technology and more patrol agents. President George Bush’s administration announced a plan to reform current immigration and border policies on August 10, 2007. His administration made known their plan to have a series of reforms to address current immigration and border problems, such as the abundance of illegal aliens in the United States. One of President Bush’s plans in the announcement was to add 370 miles of fencing to the currently 86 miles along the borders of the United States (â€Å"Comprehensive Immigration Reform† par 3). This is simply not enough fencing to adequately protect the American citizens. In fact, adding 370 miles of fence will still leave almost 1500 miles of the United States-Mexican border unfenced, and thousands more unfenced along the United States-Canadian border. This nation cannot take the risk of having so much of the northern border unprotected by the fence. There needs to be sufficient fencing around all borders of the United States, no matter which country the border is shared with. Another one of President Bush’s border control plans announced in August 2007 was to increase the number of border agents to 18,500 by the end of 2008 (â€Å"Comprehensive Immigration Reform† par 3. The idea of adding more border agents seems good at first, but in reality is not. Adding almost 6,000 more border agents to the current ones in about one year’s time will only give the United States 6,000 more ways to waste money. It takes a great deal of time to train border agents. Border agents undergo a rigorous application and hiring process that includes drug screenings, fitness tests, and on-the-job instruction. Rushing to interview, hire, train, and employ 6,000 agents in a year will only make things more complicated because the new border agents will not fully understand the tasks and duties of their job. President Bush’s administration should take another look at what truly needs to be done to protect the American people. Since their August 20 07 announcement, there have been few changes or proposals by President George Bush for the reform of current immigration and border policies. In fact, President Bush’s primary website, www.whitehouse.gov, has not seen an update in the immigration portion since the day he announced a plan for amending the current border control situation. There needs to be a change in the leadership of our country. Barack Obama is the man that will steer the United States back on the right track of a safe home for all its citizens. In an online article published by Senator Christopher Bond on October 18, 2001, he writes, â€Å"While nine of the 19 suspected (September 11th) terrorists apparently came to this country legally, three others stayed here beyond their visa deadlines. Six other terrorists somehow entered this country without leaving any records behind them† (â€Å"Safer Borders† par. 2). People are getting into the United States too easily. Almost half of September 11, 2001, terrorists were illegal aliens. It seems impossible that out of 19 immigrants coming into this country, nine were here illegally. And of those nine illegal aliens, our government has no idea how six of them entered the United States. These illegal aliens later went on to deploy the largest terrorist attack ever on American soil. If the United States had a better immigration policy that included a plan for safe and protected borders, thousands of Americans might still be alive today. Senator Barack Obama plans to run for United States President in 2008 with a primary goal of reforming the outdated and insecure immigration and border policy. The national borders are less secure than ever. More than a million illegal immigrants have slipped into the United States in the past few years, raising the total in the country to 7 million (â€Å"INS: 7 million illegal immigrants in the United States† par. 1). Illegal aliens create uneasiness in the back of American’s minds after the September 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center in New York City. This is because American people wonder why, exactly, are immigrants here illegally in the first place. Besides the law-abiding aliens that simply overstay their visa, why exactly would one want to enter this country illegally if one was only here for perfectly legal actions? It is this feeling of being unsure that worries Americans. Barack Obama is exactly what the American people need right now. He is a strong leader with a plan in mind to secure our national borders and prevent an unsafe country. His plan includes adding additional personnel, infrastructure, and technology on the border, as well as having additional Customs and Border Protection agents equipped with better technology and real-time intelligence (â€Å"Immigration and the Border† par. 2). His plan will restore the United States to the safe and secure nation it once was. In a speech given by Barack Obama to the Senate on May 23, 2007, he says, â€Å"To fix the (immigration) system in a way that does not require us to revisit the same problem in twenty years, I continue to believe that we need stronger enforcement on the border and at the workplace.† (â€Å"Senator Obama’s Senate Speech on the Immigration Reform Bill† par. 8). Barack Obama’s plan for improvement along the border is one that will be long-term and beneficial for many years to come. As mentioned, he does not want to visit the same immigration and border control problems twenty years from now. Hiring and putting to work 6,000 border control agents in one year is exactly the type of situation Barack Obama is trying to avoid. If the United States does attempt to interview, hire, train, and employ 6,000 border control agents in that time as President Bush wants, they can expect to be revisiting the same border problems many years down the line because the empl oyees will not be adequately trained or have enough field experience to understand how to fully protect the borders. Barack Obama knows that rushing to get border control situation fixed is not the best way to do things. Fixing major problems like border protection takes time. He knows that using careful planning and strategic ideas in regards to the border will give the citizens of the United States what they want and need: stronger national security. In fact, increasing enforcement along the border is just one of Barack Obama’s many ways of improving national security. Another way Barack Obama is going to improve national security is by adding additional infrastructure along the borders of the United States. He plans to add additional fencing along the nation’s boundaries, but in a way that suffices the immediate needs of the American people, unlike President Bush’s plan. One of Barack Obama’s key plans to improve border control, if elected president, is to take immediate action on the United State’s first line of defense: its protective fencing. While in the Senate, he voted to construct a 700-mile fence along the United States-Mexican border and continues to suggest more fencing along other areas. Barack Obama understands that fencing is the first line of offense against any unwanted illegal aliens that could possibly want to enter the United States and cause harm to the American people. Protective fencing keeps people from simply walking across the border into this nation and doing whatever they please. It, inst ead, forces people to go through Customs and legally cross borders. United States Customs does not allow the transfer of guns and drugs across borders, furthermore protecting its citizens. As the single unified border agency of the United States, the Customs and Border Patrol mission is vitally important to the protection of America and the American people (â€Å"Mission† par. 2). Without adequate protective fencing, the ease of entrance into the United States notably increases. Yet another part of presidential candidate Barack Obama’s plan to improve border safety is to increase how technology is used in protecting the United States. As mentioned previously, there are many problems with outdated technology that border patrol is using. The surveillance cameras are often defective or poorly installed. If under our current border safety practices we do not have enough agents patrolling the national borders, or long enough fencing, the only thing that could help the protect the American people from illegal intruders into the United States in technology, such as surveillance cameras and motion sensors. So what is the last line of defense? There is none. Simply put, technology is one of the greatest weapons against unwanted illegal aliens entering this country. Technology can do things human beings cannot. Such as operating twenty-four hours a day seven days a week and see in the dark during the blackness of night. Barack Obama will increase push for advancements in technology to be used by border patrol agents (â€Å"Immigration and the Border† par. 2). Under his plan, technology will be one of the primary defenses against illegal aliens. For example, surveillance cameras will inform border patrol agents of any suspicious activity and motion sensors will surface any attempts for an illegal underground border cross. However, there is much room to improve on since the current technology system is so poor and has become obsolete under President Bush. Barack Obama has a solid plan for reforming the current border protection plan. He understands it will take time, patience, money, and support of all the American people. However, he is clear and concise about how he will improve the United State’s borders. He is a strong leader with a great plan in mind to secure our national borders and prevent an unsafe country from becoming even more dangerous. His ideas of adding additional personnel, infrastructure, and technology on the border, as well as having additional Customs and Border Protection agents equipped with better technology and real-time intelligence is precisely what needs to be done to improve on the safety of Americans. The citizens of the United States are scared about who is coming and going from their country because they know that the attack on America September 11, 2001, could have been prevented with stronger border protection policies. Since that tragic day, few things have changed. There are still almo st 800,000 immigrants illegally entering this country every year. New leadership is needed. A nation as strong as the United States should not have citizens living with fear for their own safety. This is why having an uncompromising, yet personable and compassionate leader like Barack Obama will only do good things. His plan is long-term, smart, and obtainable. There are many things the current border protection policy needs to have changed. The wellbeing of the United States is at risk, and Barack Obama should be leading it to a safer, more protected society with his border protection reform plan, starting the fall of 2008. Research Papers on Barack Obama's 2007 Border Protection PaperAmnesty For Illegal Immigrants Yes or No?Obama vs. McCain History EssayThe Obama Presidency EssayMr. Obama and IranMy Air force EssayCombating Human TraffickingGovernment Funding EssayThe Rise and Fall of Napoleon BonaparteHistory of American Policing EssayThe Equal Rights Amendment

13 Ways to Screw Up Your College Interview

'13 Ways to Screw Up Your College Interview' 13 Ways to Screw Up Your College Interview is a short, ensemble-driven, one-act play written for student actors. Two college interviewers are tasked with finding just one more suitable applicant to admit for the fall semester. Faced with a deadline, they open up the dreaded â€Å"waitlisted† application folder and subsequently meet with a magician, a practicing vampire, a stoner, an aspiring reality TV star, what may be a time-traveling serial killer, and  more. Whats Great About  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹Ã¢â‚¬â€¹13 Ways to Screw Up Your College Interview An ensemble production like 13 Ways to Screw Up Your College Interview offers a great opportunity for many student actors to have sizable roles. This play also provides ample chances for casts to work on acting skills: Reacting in the moment. The interviewers must listen and demonstrate appropriate reactions within the confines of the situation, no matter how absurd it is.Raising the stakes. The play opens with a clear and defined mission. These two interviewers must find an acceptable applicant for the fall semester or they will both be fired.Committing. The applicants are strong characters that cannot be served by actors who shrink into the background. The student actors need to have strong emotions and make big choices to pull these characters off.Concentration. The actors cast as applicants are tasked with some truly crazy antics. They will need strong concentration to play their scenes without breaking character. Minimal sets, ​costumes and props are needed for this one act play. The focus of the production should be placed on the actors and their character development. There are negligible content issues. About the Cast and Characters Cast Size: This play can accommodate 16 actors. Male Characters: 6 Female Characters: 7 Characters that could be played by either males or females: 3 (Note: The playwright and the publisher are flexible on allowing the gender of characters to be changed to accommodate your cast.) Roles Interviewer 1Interviewer 2Harold has a chronaquestimixidous disease - a condition that renders a person unable to hear a question correctly. As a result, he answers the question he thinks he heard instead of the question he is actually asked.Kimberly is an up-and-coming reality TV star. Even though she is a perfectly normal girl and would be an excellent applicant for the college, her aspirations make her behave otherwise.The Producer is there to film Kimberly’s college interview and coach her to appear as obnoxious as possible.Maria is extraordinarily sick and nervous. Hopefully, Interviewer 1 has a strong stomach.Brett is a very busy man. He is overconfident and believes the world revolves around him and his life.Lily is emotionally scarred by minor events in her life. She almost saw someone drown, she almost had a fight with her friend, and she almost had therapy once.Melvin can play the song â€Å"Wipeout† on his stomach.Kelly believes that no GPA, no SAT scores, an d a recommendation from a hand-drawn cat will get her into school. Jeff aspires to be in a coma one day.Eve has brought two songs and a few monologues to audition. She is loud and proud of her performances.Elizabeth plays volleyball, soccer, and basketball, volunteers at a soup kitchen, teaches sailing and is a practicing vampire.Ben may be a time-traveling serial killer. He knows far too much about the upcoming interviews and is far too insistent about being admitted to this college.Jason is a fledgling magician.Emily is perfect for the college until that Ivy League school calls and offers a full ride. 13 Ways to Screw Up Your College Interview is licensed by Playscripts, Inc. It also appears in the book Random Acts of Comedy: 15 Hit One Act Plays for Student Actors. Playwright Ian McWethy has also written 14 More Ways to Screw Up Your College Interview as a sequel that may be used to add additional scenes to 13 More Ways to Screw Up Your College Interview and increase the cast size. Directors may swap scenes between the two plays or perform them together for a longer, even more outrageous theatrical experience. Source Pizzarello, Jason (Editor). Random Acts of Comedy: 15 Hit One-Act Plays for Student Actors. First Edition edition, Playscripts, Inc., August 23, 2011.

Introduction to 'Rent-seeking behavior Assignment

Introduction to 'Rent-seeking behavior - Assignment Example The elderly, for instance, look for higher social security payments. Unluckily, where rights over property are weakened as well as where someone’s ownership of goods or wealth becomes debatable, other individuals could acquire more through attempts to appropriate such wealth than through manufacturing themselves. Such behavior is known as rent seeking (Forbes, 2013). There is no good reason as to why economists use this term â€Å"rent†. It means payments to a production factor in excess of the amount needed to keep the factor within its current use. The word is used to illustrate government lobbying by individuals in order to achieve special privileges. It can be called privilege seeking (Dutton, 2014). Other examples of rent seeking include: the limitation of access to profitable occupations as in modern certifications as well as licensures. Taxi licensing happens to be referenced as a rent seeking instance. Licenses issuing limits the overall tax services supply (instead of making sure of equality or competence) threatening rivalry in livery vehicles, illegal taxes or unregulated taxes causes the taxi service transactions a compulsory transfer of a fraction of the payment from consumers to operators of taxi business. The rent seeking concept may as well apply to bureaucrats’ corruption in their splitting as well as extracting rent/bribe for their application of legal, however, optional for awarding the illegitimate or legitimate benefits to their clients. Tax officials may happen to receive bribes for having reduced tax payers’ tax burden for instance (Dutton, 2014). It has been well known that individuals lobby the government for some privileges. The insight of Tullock was that privilege lobbying expenditures are high and they dissipate gains to the recipients and lead to inefficiency. For instance, a firm that deals with steel

Communication Research Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Communication Research - Assignment Example This research process begins with specific observations and gradually moving on to making broader generalizations and developing of theories based on observed facts. The process follows and develops a specific pattern based on which a tentative hypothesis is formed followed by theories. This process entails a high degree of uncertainty as compared to the deductive research process. Most of inductive research is qualitative in nature while deductive research is quantitative. This is because in most cases the inductive approach is of particular significance for qualitative content analysis while a deductive approach is more appropriate for a quantitative analysis. However at times the inductive approach allows for a strictly qualitative analysis the deductive approach on the other hand allows for either a qualitative or quantitative analysis or a combination of the two (Keyton, 2011). 2. ... e surveyed is 30 then in the absence of any specific preference it would naturally be expected that 10 of them would prefer soft drinks, 10 would prefer hot drinks, and the rest of them i.e. 10 would prefer health drinks. The use of chi square helps in comparing our observations i.e. actual fact, with what we originally expected i.e. our assumption. If on the contrary the sample selected indicated that only 2 preferred health drinks, 18 preferred hot drinks and 10 preferred soft drinks then it can be confidently stated that more students preferred hot drinks in a cafeteria, thus indicating that hot drinks are the general preference among students. However if the selected sample indicated that 9 preferred hot drinks, 11 preferred health drinks and the remaining 10 preferred soft drinks then we might be able to confidently state that hot drinks are generally preferred by students (Keyton, 2011). †¢ Independent samples t-test Research question: Do older people rely less on technolo gical gadgets as compared to younger people? Hypothesis testing helps in gaining knowledge about the sample population. Independent t-test is applied where there are two independent samples and the researcher intends to compare these two groups of individuals while the parameters are unknown. For instance if there are two groups of students who were taught using two different methods and the researcher wants to find the difference between these two independent groups then t-test can be most helpful in ascertaining the difference by evaluating the mean difference whereby samples from each population can be taken and compared on the basis of a given variable (Keyton, 2011). In the above question, there are two distinct groups i.e. samples - older people and younger people. 'Age' is an independent

Quality Management as a Global Issue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 8500 words

Quality Management as a Global Issue - Essay Example Such issues require an organizational change initiative and have mostly been undertaken by the private sector, or at least research suggests so. However, not much research is available on the extent that public institutions have implemented quality management. The health-care sector in Saudi Arabia is a very vital sector where quality is a critical issue. Quality health care is a basic human right and based on this principle, Saudi hospitals to have joined the movements towards quality management. They expect that such a strategy would help to overcome organizational deficiencies amidst shrinking budgets (Al-ahmadi & Roland, 2005). Total quality management (TQM) is one such management practice that can help improve health organizational performance. There is no universally accepted definition of TQM and varies across researchers and philosophers and quality experts. Nevertheless, it has been considered as a philosophy for managing organizations (Hill and Wilkinson, 1995; Dean and Bowen, 1994) and most agree on certain core TQM concepts (Waldman, 1993). These core concepts include: 4. Involvement, support and guidance of senior management demonstrating their commitment towards TQM along with the importance of leadership necessary to achieve successful TQM (Johnson, 1990; Juran 1989; Waldman, 1993); Ho and Shih (1999) conducted a review of the works of quality proponents. This study revealed shared principles and certain assumptions of TQM commonly shared by all. The authors surmised that a customer-centric approach is essential to achieve TQM. This implies that both the products and the services should be customized to meet the customer needs and expectations. To meet the long-term objectives of organizational success, a customer-focused approach is essential. The authors also found that process improvement should be an ongoing process in the organization. This principle is based on  the two-fold argument: a) ongoing quality and process improvement lead to customer satisfaction and b) in the long run high-quality products and services have proven to be cost-effective as the resources required are less than for an inferior quality product.  

Qualitative Characteristics of Financial Information Essay

Qualitative Characteristics of Financial Information - Essay Example The information is not just useful for the capital providers but also to the other user groups such as government, regulatory bodies etc. The next level of conceptual framework is the fundamental concepts i.e. qualitative characteristics of financial information and elements of financial statements. The third level is the implementation level, which contains recognition, disclosure and measurement concepts through principles, assumptions and constraints (Appendix 1). The qualitative characteristics of financial information are an important part of the total conceptual framework because they act as a bridge between the first level and third level of the framework. However, the definition of quality threshold of materiality and the conflicts between prudence and neutrality, and relevance and reliability has always been debated. In addition to the discussion of these constraints, this essay presents the Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting 2010 provided by IASB as to how the new framework has placed these characteristics. ... The Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting 2010 or commonly referred to as Framework 2010 states the objective of financial reporting that is to provide the financial information related to the reporting entity that can be helpful to investors and creditors in making appropriate decisions (McConnell, 2011). Therefore, in order for the financial information to be useful, it must possess some characteristics such as materiality, prudence, neutrality, relevance and reliability. An information is considered material if its misstatement, modification or omission can influence the economic decisions of the users, taken on the basis of that information. Materiality depends on the magnitude of the error in circumstances when the misstatement or omission has taken place. The financial statements are prepared in an uncertain environment due to many events such as useful life of fixed assets, collectability of doubtful receivables, and warranty claims. These uncertainties are recognized b y exercising prudence while preparing the financial statements. Prudence means making careful judgement in making estimates in the uncertain conditions, so that the income or assets are not overstated and expenses or liabilities are not understated (IASC Foundation and IASB, 2008, p.25). Neutrality means that the financial information should be free from any bias and does not influence decision making in order to achieve predetermined outcome. Financial information is useful if it has the quality of influencing decisions by helping the users in evaluation of past, future and present events related to the reporting entity. The past information regarding the financial position and performance is frequently used for predicting the future performance and position. Information is

Juvenile Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Juvenile Justice - Essay Example Harris County Youth Village: Is a residential facility located near Clear Lake. It houses a capacity of 170 males between the ages of 10 and 17. The facility offers educational, therapeutic services, drug education, and medical attention services. It has a student led government and partners with the San Jacinto College System Central Campus (Harris county juvenile probation 1). Nebraska Correctional Youth Facility: This facility sprung up in 1994, but did not take its first inmates until 1998. Juveniles housed here are between the ages of 10 and 21 years of age. Inmates are allowed to apply to community custody programs like education release and work detail. Lives are situated on per diem with wages, clothing, cleaning supplies, food and food supplies. The units operate on custody and unit management guidelines that can result in loss of privileges to higher level security placements (Nebraska department of correctional 1). Southern Youth Correctional Reception Center and Clinic: This facility is located in Norwalk, CA. as an institute for male youths. The center offers special education courses and high school education. Inmates are given assessments to determine needs and treatment plans. The facilities offer sex offender programs, public services, and mental health treatment services (Southern youth correctional reception 1). Southern youth correctional reception center and clinic. (2010). California department of corrections and rehabilitation: division of juvenile justice. Retrieved from http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/Juvenile_Justice/Facility_Locations/Reception_Centers_and_Cli nics/sycrcc.html. (11 April

Pharmacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Pharmacy - Essay Example Of course, there are many other formulations that I could become as a drug: powder, gel capsules, even nasal spray. But the most common types are the tablet and suspension forms. All of the equipment I come into contact with between now and when I am ingested by a patient must be clean and sterile. I must be sealed away from outside contact, so that I do not become contaminated with debris, bacteria, or other microscopic particles. Every canister, tank, mixer, pipe, hose, and bottle has to be sterilized completely. Many of the items I will come in contact with have been steam-sterilized, because using clean steam prevents me from being contaminated by the cleaning products themselves. I am pumped from a delivery vehicle into a tank to be stored at the manufacturing site. The tank I am in is only one of many in the tank farm at this pharmaceutical plant. In order to assure safety, the tanks are sterilized before I am pumped into them through an airtight transfer pump. After a period o f storage, I am then pumped from the storage tanks into a make-up and boot tank, and then from there into a reactor tank to start the manufacturing process. The plant keeps very careful track of the arrival times of all the ingredients for their products, including me, in order to ensure that nothing is stored too long. They also have to keep track of the temperature and humidity of the storage areas, because some ingredients cannot be exposed to temperatures that are too high or too low, and some cannot be exposed to humid air in case they react with the oxygen. Some chemicals must even be kept away from contact with the oxygen in the air, because they will oxidize and change form. At the start of the manufacturing process, I am weighed with great precision, as are the excipients that will make up the tablets or suspension with me. The weights of the various ingredients will depend on batch size and dosage amount, and all of the weights are recorded for quality assurance. Each of t he ingredients are all weighed individually in separate sterile canisters because having the right amounts of each ingredient is vital to the properties of the final product. The reactor mixes us together in the right proportions, according to the size of the batch and the dosage amount of the final product. Depending on my properties and the properties of the other ingredients in my mixture, the next steps will vary. If I and the other active and inactive ingredients are dry powder that can be mixed together smoothly, we can be sent on to the next step of tablet pressing without further processing. If the right mixtures cannot be obtained through simple stirring in the reactor, there are two other possibilities to create the necessary homogeneity of the mixture for the creation of tablets. These possibilities are wet granulation or dry granulation. If I can be mixed with water, the manufacturer will use an aqueous solution, as that will be safer; if, like many pharmacological chemi cals, I cannot come in contact with water without reacting to it and degrading, I will be mixed with a solvent solution. If I go through wet granulation, a liquid binder-adhesive will be added to me in the reactor, where we will be thoroughly mixed together. Using the correct amounts of the liquid binder-adhesive is vital, because if too much of the liquid is added to me, my granules will come out to be too

Juvenile Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Juvenile Justice - Essay Example Harris County Youth Village: Is a residential facility located near Clear Lake. It houses a capacity of 170 males between the ages of 10 and 17. The facility offers educational, therapeutic services, drug education, and medical attention services. It has a student led government and partners with the San Jacinto College System Central Campus (Harris county juvenile probation 1). Nebraska Correctional Youth Facility: This facility sprung up in 1994, but did not take its first inmates until 1998. Juveniles housed here are between the ages of 10 and 21 years of age. Inmates are allowed to apply to community custody programs like education release and work detail. Lives are situated on per diem with wages, clothing, cleaning supplies, food and food supplies. The units operate on custody and unit management guidelines that can result in loss of privileges to higher level security placements (Nebraska department of correctional 1). Southern Youth Correctional Reception Center and Clinic: This facility is located in Norwalk, CA. as an institute for male youths. The center offers special education courses and high school education. Inmates are given assessments to determine needs and treatment plans. The facilities offer sex offender programs, public services, and mental health treatment services (Southern youth correctional reception 1). Southern youth correctional reception center and clinic. (2010). California department of corrections and rehabilitation: division of juvenile justice. Retrieved from http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/Juvenile_Justice/Facility_Locations/Reception_Centers_and_Cli nics/sycrcc.html. (11 April

Free

Free education Essay When Thomas Edison set out to create the light bulb, his intention was to reduce the amount of time that people spent sleeping. His idea was that if people had light to work by they could and would work longer hours. In his mind, sleep was something that was not needed and stood opposed to progress (Coren, 1996). â€Å"Anything which tends to slow work down is a waste. We are always hearing people talk about ‘loss of sleep’ as a calamity. They better call it loss of time, vitality, and opportunity. † -Thomas Edison Even great minds, like Edison’s, can be wrong at times. Some researchers argue that had Edison spent more time sleeping it would not have taken him more than 1000 attempts to create his light bulb. Research has shown that lack of sleep can have adverse effects on an individual’s physical health, mental health, and productivity. The information presented in this paper will address the importance of sleep in human health, safety, and productivity. First, some physical issues attributed to sleep deprivation will be discussed. Next, mental problems linked to lack of sleep with be outlined with documented cases. Lastly, examples of errors and disasters that have been tied to sleep deprivation will be presented. There are many physical issues that are linked to sleep deprivation. Cardiovascular problems and greater risk of death have been tied to lack of sleep. The human body requires sleep to restore and repair itself. When the body does not get the rest it requires the consequences can be quite unfortunate. Poor sleep has been shown to increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart failure, stroke, and heart attack. The human liver produces a protein called â€Å"C-reactive protein† that is used by the body to aid in response to inflammation, injury, or infection and is removed by the body when the inflammation, injury, or infection is gone or heals. This protein binds to damaged cells, as well as some bacteria, to aid in removing them from the body. This allows the body to heal. One study showed that over a period of five days during which a subject was denied sleep, the C-reactive protein builds up in blood at a steady and significant rate. Sleeping allows the body time to process and remove these proteins. An increase of these proteins can at times lead to heart attack, stroke, or high blood pressure (Meier-Ewert , Ridker , Rifai, Regan, Price, Dinges Mullington, 2004). The body is able to restore itself and heal when given between six and eight hours of sleep in a 24-hour period. While a person sleeps the immune system is working to restore and revive the body. When the human body is not granted enough sleep, the immune system is not able to fully complete the task of taking care of and healing the body. Lack of sleep can also cause the number of T-cells to decline in the human body. T-cells aid in immunity and assist other cells in their functions. Lower T-cell levels mean that the body is less able to fight off infection, subdue inflammation, or heal an injury (Mann, 2010). When the body is unable to heal itself, there is greater risk of death. Sleep deprivation can also lead to an increase of stress, which has been linked to heart disease, obesity, depression, gastrointestinal issues, as well as mental heath issues. Allowing the body to rest and rejuvenate during sleep helps ensure that many physical issues associated with the lack of sleep can be avoided. Another way that lack of sleep increases the chance of early death is in traffic accidents. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gives a conservative estimate that 100,000 reported crashes per year are a result of a fatigued driver (Facts and stats 2012). Mental illness has also been linked to lack of sleep. Issues ranging from poor concentration, inability to focus, memory loss, the appearance of psychosis, and diagnosed mental disorders have been attributed to sleep deprivation. In the past, researchers believed that poor sleep was caused by psychiatric problems. However, recent research is showing that a lack of sleep is usually the catalyst of mental disorders. When the human body needs to concentrate or focus when it has not had enough sleep, it produces hormones adrenaline and cortisol in an attempt to engage and wake itself up. These hormones give the body a short-term boost in energy and they affect the body in much the same way that caffeine does. Once the boost in energy is finished, the body often â€Å"crashes† and a person returns to feeling tired; unable to concentrate or focus again. These hormones, again like caffeine, often make a person feel jittery of jumpy, which may impede concentration and focus. These hormones have also been directly linked to increase stress in the human body (Hart, 1985). Memory loss can also be a result of sleep deprivation. Memories are captured and recalled in the brain by a three-step process. The first step in creating memories is acquisition; where a person has their first experience with what will become the memory. The next is consolidation; which occurs while a person sleeps. In this step a memory becomes stable in a persons brain. Recall, the final step, is the ability to access the memory in the future. When the brain is denied the opportunity to stabilize a memory during sleep, a person is much less likely to retain the memory (Chang, 2011). Studies have also shown that students who study regularly and get a good night sleep before exams generally do better than students who â€Å"cram† the night before. The information that the student needs is better solidified in the brain and is ready for recall when the student needs to access the information (Sifferlin, Augu). Symptoms of psychosis have also been directly tied to sleep deprivation. In at least two documented cases, persons who went without sleep for extended periods of time showed symptoms similar to psychosis. In 1964 Randy Gardner attempted to gain entry into the Guiness Book of Work Records by staying awake for eleven days (264 hours). Gardner suffered a gamut of symptoms. Days two through five found Gardner unable to concentrate, irritable, unwilling to cooperate with others, and hallucinating. During days six through nine Gardner’s speech slowed, his irritability increased, and he began to have lapses in his memory. He often would begin sentences without finishing them and he had difficulty recalling the names of common objects. Paranoia began to set in on day ten. On day eleven, Gardner’s speech was slurred and without intonation. He seemed expressionless and had to be encouraged to talk or respond to someone talking to him (Ross, 1965). A similar story is told of Peter Tripp, a disk jockey from New York. In an effort to raise money for the March of Dimes, Tripp stayed awake for 200 hours. He showed many of the same symptoms that Gardner did. Tripp’s experience with sleep deprivation ended with him mistaking a doctor for an undertaker. He charged out of the room with doctors following close behind. Tripp’s mind could no longer determine what was real and what was not (Ross, 1965). With the aid of doctors, Randy Gardner was able to recover completely from his psychotic episode. He was monitored while he slept and eventually returned to normal sleep patterns and a normal state of mind. Peter Tripp, however, suffered from his self-inflicted psychotic break. For some time after his sleepless stunt he thought that he was an impostor of himself and complained of headaches and emotional instability. Lack of sleep can also affect how people perform at their jobs. Routine and remedial tasks are often affected by a lack of sleep. Simple errors, such as spelling, grammatical, mathematical, or clerical errors are most often made due to a lack of sleep. These errors can either go unnoticed or can be corrected without significant consequence. More significant errors are also attributed to fatigue. Between 50,000 and 100,000 deaths each year are caused by preventable medical errors. Long shifts for doctors, interns, and nurses deny medical professionals sleep required for them to function a high  levels. The nuclear accident at Three Mile Island, the meltdown at Chernobyl, the grounding of the Exxon Valdez, and the explosion of space shuttle Challenger have all been linked to fatigue (Harris, Horne, 2000). â€Å"Sleep deprivation is bad for your brain when you are trying to do high-level [thinking] tasks. It may have serious consequences both on performance and on the way your brain functions. † -J. Christian Gillin, M. D. (DeNoon, 2000) In research and in experience it has been proven that lack of sleep can have adverse effects on an individual’s physical health, mental health, and productivity. An individuals physical health is affected by sleep deprivation by an increased risk of death, cardiovascular problems, and issues with their immune system. A person’s mental health suffers as well from a lack of sleep. Memory loss, inability to concentrate or focus, and even psychotic episodes have been traced to sleep deprivation. Randy Gardner and Peter Tripp are prime examples of what happens to the brain when it goes without sleep. Poor job performance and errors ranging from insignificant to catastrophic have been linked to a lack of sleep. The amount of sleep needed for each individual is different. Where some people are able to function on very little sleep, others need many hours to fully restore and rejuvenate. References Coren, S. (1996). Sleep thieves : an eye-opening exploration into the mystery and science of sleep. New Yok, NY: Free Press Paperbacks. Hart, A. (1985). Adrenaline and stress. United States: W Publishing Group. Meier-Ewert , H. , Ridker , P. , Rifai, N. , Regan, M. , Price, N. , Dinges, D. , Mullington, M. (2004, February 18). Effect of sleep loss on c-reactive protein, an inflammatory marker of cardiovascular risk.. Retrieved from http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pubmed/14975482. Mann, D. (2010, January 19). Can better sleep mean catching fewer colds?. Retrieved from http://www. webmd. com/sleep-disorders/excessive-sleepiness-10/immune-system-lack-of-sleep Harrison Y, Horne J. 2000. The impact of sleep deprivation on decision making: A review. Retrieved from http://healthysleep. med. harvard. edu/healthy/matters/consequences/sleep-performance-and-public-safety Facts and stats. (2012). Retrieved from http://drowsydriving. org/about/facts-and-stats/ Ross, J. (1965). Neurological findings after prolonged sleep deprivation. Arch Neurol, 12, 399-403. Retrieved from http://www. psychiatrictimes. com/print/article/10168/54471? pageNumber=1printable=true Chang, L. (2011, March 18). Sleep deprivation and memory loss. Retrieved from http://www. webmd. com/sleep-disorders/guide/sleep-deprivation-effects-on-memory? page=2 DeNoon, D. (2000, February 09). Lack of sleep takes toll on brain power. Retrieved from http://www. webmd. com/sleep-disorders/news/20000209/lack-of-sleep-takes-toll-on-brain-power Sifferlin, A. (Augu). Time healthland. Retrieved from http://healthland. time. com/2012/08/21/study-or-sleep-for-better-grades-students-should-go-to-bed-early/ EFFECTS OF SLEEP DEPRIVATION1.

Purchase intentions for ready to eat products

Purchase intentions for ready to eat products Research Question: The research focuses on determining the consumer preferences and purchase intentions for packaged and ready to eat food products. Moreover, we also look into how and to what extent factors like relationship of social, demographics, psychographic/ lifestyle, personal and external media influences the purchase decision Synthesis and Application Consumer decision- making styles in short, shopping styles like lifestyles, are a prominent area of interest in consumer behaviour studies. Consumer choice processes vary according to the type of product involved, the timing and the people involved (Burns Gentry, 1990:520). Although brand decision-making represents a fair amount of deliberation during consumer decision making, it does not represent the whole consumer decision-making process (Harrel, 1990:739). (Alet C Erasmus, Elizabeth Boshoff and GG Rousseau, 2001) Consumers purchasing decisions take place over a period of time. The overall goal during this decision process is to evaluate various alternatives and choose the product that satisfies the consumer in an optimal way. Consumers get influenced by several major factors while they make their decisions. These factors can be grouped as social, cultural, pscyhological, and personal factors( Kotler Armstrong, 1997: 141). In addition, increase in the number and variety of goods, stores, and shopping malls, and the availability of multicomponent products and electronic purchasing capabilities have broadened the sphere for consumer choice and led to complicated decision making. (Hafstrom et al., 1992). One or more specific shopping styles dimensions may influence consumer-shopping choices, and these influences are relatively enduring (Sproles and Kendall, 1986). Broadly speaking, these are 3 types of approaches in studying consumer decision-making styles: Psychographic/lifestyle approach, which identifies hundreds of characteristics related to consumer behaviour; Consumer typology approach, which classifies consumers into several types; Consumer characteristics approach, which focuses on different cognitive dimensions of consumer decision-making (Fan et al., 1998). Since ready to eat packaged food has met a stiff resistance on health grounds, the decision maker in the family is also an important aspect. Prior research in this area has found that mothers make the purchasing decisions for monthly food expenditures of the family however, fathers carry out the act of purchasing. Promotional activities such as commercials, new product development efforts, packaging, pricing distribution strategies all play a significant role in determining the person that makes the purchasing decision in the family (Elif Akagà ¼n Ergin, Handan ÃÆ'-zdemir, Bà ¼lent ÃÆ'-zsaà §macÄ ±, 2005) Sproles and Kendall (1986) developed a Consumer Style Inventory (CSI) based on the assumption that consumer decision-making behaviour can be explained by eight central decision-making dimensions that influence a consumers decision making behaviour. The eight decision-making style dimensions were: perfectionism/high-quality consciousness, brand consciousness, novelty consciousness, price/value consciousness, impulsive/careless shoppers, recreational and hedonistic shopping consciousness, confused by over-choice shoppers, and habitual and brand/store loyal shoppers. Despite the eight-dimensional structure being confirmed in the original study, there are indications that the eight-factor model does not hold good in real life. Packaged food industry: Consumer behaviour Favorable nutrition information presented on a Nutrition Facts panel also led to more positive attitudes toward the product, nutrition, and purchase intentions and reduced perceived disease risk. The effects of the nutrition information on all dependent variables were more pronounced in the menu context than in the package context, even though the nutrient values were identical. (John C. Kozup, Elizabeth H. Creyer, Scot Burton, 2003). Moreover, that social class is basically inferior to income as a correlate of buying behavior for the consumer packaged goods. Perhaps some types of packaged foods not covered in this study would have shown greater purchasing relationships with social class; e.g., frozen shrimp and other types of cocktail snacks. (Myers, Stanton and Haug, 1971) These products tend to be criticized because:-   They typically are high in fat and calorie contents The reduced time cost and nutritional content associated with these foods is specifically blamed for obesity Sometimes Genetically Modified Foods are used Sometimes an irradiation process is used If heat processing is used the vitamins are lost Preservatives are always used Packaged food: Indian market In developing countries like India, the preferences of the consumers clearly indicate their priority for cleanliness/freshness of food products followed by price, quality, variety, packaging, and non-seasonal availability. The consumers preference of marketplace largely depends on the convenience in purchasing at the marketplace along with the availability of additional services, attraction for children, basic amenities and affordability (Jabir Ali, Sanjeev Kapoor, Janakiraman Moorthy, 2010) Consumer demand for detailed information regarding content and nutrition of packaged food products is likely to increase due to booming organized retail sector in India. There is awareness about different types of information on the food labels displayed on packaged food products, however, usage of such information as one of the criteria while purchasing packaged food product is relatively low. Indian consumers assign very high importance to information about food ingredients and nutritional contents of the food. They also have very strong preference for brand and the taste of the product. This preference makes them purchase a packaged food item even though it may not meet their criteria of healthy food or may contain some harmful ingredients. Most lifestyle products such as breakfast cereals, readymade dressings etc. that would mostly be used by people who have relatively higher levels of income and education would pay more attention to various kinds of label information. Moreover, the awareness regarding label information is dependent on the consumers level of education, income and kind of occupation. (Sushil Kumar and Anuttera Pandit, 2005) Additionally, researchers have also shown that as convenience becomes the goal for households, with an increase in the number of urban population, working women and income levels, RTE has become the fastest growing sub-segment in the packaged food category. However, in India home cooked food is the first choice. At the moment, regional and non-vegetarian cuisines are relatively under-serviced, with concentration on the vegetarian. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The Research Design chosen is: Exploratory Research: Secondary Data Articles, Journals , Depth Interviews, Focus Group Discussions Conclusive Research: Descriptive Survey and Observation Firstly an exploratory research was conducted to gain insights and understanding about consumer buying behavior and customer preferences vis a vis RTE food products. This was done through the review of academic literature and depth interviews of retailers to identify relevant psychographic factors influencing customer purchase decisions. Secondly descriptive research has been undertaken in order to Profile the heavy users( frequent shoppers) of RTE products Quantitatively analyze the specified population exhibiting certain behavior regarding customer preferences Understand the degree of association of marketing variables with respect to packaged food products Make suitable recommendations. Data will be collected through structured questionnaires designed for the consumers. Depth interviews will be conducted for Retailers in Kozhikode. These responses have been analyzed by various statistical methods. Pretesting: Since our questionnaire has a majority of multiple choice questions there was a possibility of encountering order/position bias. This was done away with by having various sample forms filled with orders of questions as well as choices changed and finally the present form was frozen. The wording of certain questions was also changed after some rounds to pretesting making them more effective for understanding. For example Question 9 in the questionnaire has been changed from e.g. Before Pretesting: Q8. What influences your decision for the food products that you consume? After Pretesting:Q8. What influences your (as an individual) decision on choice of food products you purchase? Sampling technique Sampling methods are classified as either  probability  or  non-probability. In probability samples, each member of the population has a known non-zero probability of being selected. Probability methods include random sampling, systematic sampling, and stratified sampling. In non-probability sampling, members are selected from the population in some nonrandom manner. These include convenience sampling, judgment sampling, quota sampling, and snowball sampling Random sampling  is the purest form of probability sampling. Each member of the population has an equal and known chance of being selected. Systematic sampling  is often used instead of random sampling. It is also called an Nth name selection technique. After the required sample size has been calculated, every Nth record is selected from a list of population members. Stratified sampling  is commonly used probability method that is superior to random sampling because it reduces sampling error. A stratum is a subset of the population that share at least one common characteristic. Convenience sampling  is used in exploratory research where the researcher is interested in getting an inexpensive approximation of the truth. Judgment sampling  is a common non-probability method. The researcher selects the sample based on judgment. This is usually an extension of convenience sampling. Quota sampling  is the non-probability equivalent of stratified sampling. Like stratified sampling, the researcher first identifies the stratums and their proportions as they are represented in the population. Then convenience or judgment sampling is used to select the required number of subjects from each stratum. Snowball sampling  is a non-probability method used when the desired sample characteristic is rare. It may be extremely difficult or cost prohibitive to locate respondents in these situations. Snowball sampling relies on referrals from initial subjects to generate additional subjects. Sampling technique that we will use in our research will be the Convenient Sampling. The data will be collected through soliciting responses to the questionnaire designed for the study. The respondents will be contacted either in person or through e-mail. Sampling frame: Sampling frame is the actual set of units from which a sample has been drawn. In the ideal case, the sampling frame should coincide with the population of interest. For our research, the sampling frame that we will use consists of retail shops, groceries stores and malls. This sampling frame will ensure that the respondents chosen for the survey are the actual consumers/customers of the ready to eat food. E-mail will also be used to as a medium of data gathering. Since the people who usually consume the ready to eat food belongs to the relatively younger age group, the use of e-mail to invite the response will make sure that the survey is directed to the right target population. Sample size: The  sample size  of a  statistical sample  is the number of observations that constitute it. A larger sample size leads to increased  precision  in estimates of various properties of the  population. The sample size of 200 has been chosen for the survey. As according to central limit theorem, a sample of size of minimum 30 observations is required to perform statistical analysis. This sample was large enough to provide the data which could be further used for analysis and interpretation. Data Collection: The data will be collected through the questionnaires. The questionnaires will be filled either through soliciting replies through e-mails or contacting respondents personally. Thus the primary source of the data will be used in the analysis. Data Analysis We have designed our questionnaire such that the responses would give us nominal and interval data. We will be using the following techniques to analyze this data Univariate/ Bivariate Analysis Correlation and regression Multivariate Techniques such as cluster analysis, factor analysis (as applicable) ANNEXURE FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION (FGD) Introduction The purpose of the discussion was to conduct evaluative research to determine (in order of priority) Understand the perception of the target audience about Packaged Ready to eat food Identify the main factors that influence a buyer to buy the products Understand the need of getting varieties in the ready to eat food material Identify the consumer preference of ready to eat food products Target Audience As per our understanding, ready to eat food would be generally preferred by Married women who dont get time to cook food Young working professionals and college students who stay in flats as bachelors Working population who travel a lot Focus Group Attributes There were 6 participants and discussion was moderated by a moderator. We selected participants from the PGP13 and PGP14 batches of IIM Kozhikode such that there were 2 female students who got married and were working before joining IIM K shared their past experiences 2 students (1 male and 1 female) who joined as freshers shared their experiences as graduation students and also as MBA students 2 students (both males) shared their experiences while they were working in jobs that involved a lot of travelling, before joining IIM K Seating pattern was as shown in the figure P3 P4 P22 P- Focused Group participants P5 P6 P1 M- Moderator M Beginning the Focus Group Discussion: The moderator welcomed the group with his introduction and facilitated introduction of the group too Moderator gave an overview of the topic This is an attempt to know the preferences regarding Packaged Ready to Eat foods from the young bachelors, from working women as they have to take care of the food at home and manage time also and from college going students who have scarcity of time and also look for variety and different taste in the products Subsequently the moderator set the ground rules. The moderator used predetermined questions and an assistant moderator took careful notes. Topics Discussed in the group Question: If ready to eat products are easily available in the market how many of you would like to purchase? Discussion: The group members had different preferences. Some members were concerned about the variety of products available and the price for the quantity. There was a small discussion around the usage of the pack and time factor. One member talked about how he started buying RTE as he stayed alone and this was very convenient to make and it gets ready in few minutes. It saves a lot of time and energy. Ranking was given to different attributes and the final rankings are as follows Taste Time saving activity Easier availability Increased convenience Food variety Price Question: What kind of options should be present in packaged food that you would plan to purchase? Discussion: Everyone was of the opinion that instant mix and packaged snacks like pasta, vermicelli, noodles and ready to cook Indian curries are essential. The final ranking was as follows: Confectionary (preferred across the group) Instant open and eat (preferred by young population) Instant mix to cook like dosa powder, gulab jamun mix (preferred by female users) Frozen food like peas, sweet corn (used for quick preparation of food by married women) Question: Are you brand loyal or would you be ready to switch to a different brand? Discussion: The group was split between brand-loyal and non brand-loyal customers. Brand loyal customers specified major brands like MTR, Kelloggs, ITC when they went for buying RTE foods. And the non brand- loyal customers switched among products whichever they found the best in taste or always looked for a change or went for trials of new products. However, even the brand loyal customers showed inclination to change brand if variety and better taste is available in novelty products. Question: Are you too particular about the cuisine in RTE foods? Discussion: The group consensually came to a conclusion that it preferred different cuisines depending on the time of the day. 1. Chinese- cup noodles, noodles, soups (evening snacks) 2. Mexican- cornmeal (in the morning hours) 3. Italian- Pasta, Bread 4. Indian- gravy, ready mix (main course) Question: Where do you usually shop for Ready to eat foods? Discussion: People had different options for shopping since RTE foods are easily available in the market. They mentioned the following options available whichever was closer to their residence Retail outlet Shopping malls Kirana stores Confectionary stores Question: What influences your decision on choice of food you purchase? Discussion: The group members were influenced by several factors while making a decision to buy a particular product from the various options available in the market of RTE foods. A list of influential factors which they specified is as follows: Advertisements Prior usage experience Friends/ neighbors Retailer on the shop Question: Do you consider price as a major criterion to choose among the products available? Discussion: Most of the group members said that price was not as important a criterion as taste and quality. Moreover the price range of these kinds of products was within range of Rs 50-100, it didnt play a very big role in buying decision process. Inference From the following inferences of the focus group discussion, we designed our questionnaire People do take cuisine into consideration while purchasing packaged food. Taste was the most important criterion followed by ease in making and time consumed. Time was a major factor too as the target segment was young and working population and for them time is always scarce and critical. Word of mouth also played an important role in considering new products for consumption. Value for money in terms of quality and variety was considered to a certain extent before buying a packaged food product. QUESTIONNAIRE Questionnaire instructions Please answer all the questions Unless specified, please select only one option as a response for each question Questionnaire design Q1. Do you buy ready-to-eat (Packaged) food? 1 = Yes 2 = No Q2. In a typical week, how often do you buy packaged food? 1 = Less than once 2 = 1 to 3 times 3 = 4 to 6 times 4 = More than 6 times Q3. Why do you buy packaged food? (More than one option can be chosen) 1 = Convenience 2 = Taste 3 = Nutrition 4 = Quality 5=Price 6 = any other reason, please specify _______________ Q4. Please indicate your food preference. 1 = Vegetarian 2 = Non-vegetarian 3 = Both Q5. What cuisine do you prefer? (More than one option can be chosen) 1= Indian 2 = Chinese 3 = Italian 4 = Mexican 5 = Others, please specify _______________ Q6. Generally during which phase of week do you consume packaged food? 1=Monday to Friday 2=Saturday to Sunday = All days Q7. From where do you buy processed food? (More than one option can be chosen) 1=Retail outlet 2=Shopping malls 3=Kirana stores 4=Confectionary stores, 5=Others, please specify _______________ Q8. What influences your (as an individual) decision on choice of food products you purchase? (More than one option can be chosen) 1 = Children 2 = Advertisements 3 = Spouse 4 = Friends 5 = Retailer on the shop 6 = Others Q9. What is your age group? 1 = 15 to 25 years 2 = 25 to 35 years 3 = 35 to 45 years 4 = Above 45 years Q10. What is your occupation? 1 = Student 2 = Public Service 3 = Private Service 4 = Self-employed 5 = Homemaker 6 = Other, please specify _______________ Q11. Do you live with your family? 1 = Yes 2 = No Q12. What is your monthly income (in Rs.)? 1 = Below 15000 2 = 15000-25000 3 = 25000-35000 4 = Above 35000 5 = cannot disclose Q13. Usually, where do you consume packaged food? 1 = Home 2 = Workplace 3 = Both 4 = Other Q14. On a scale of 5, how satisfied are you with the packaged food, where 1 is least satisfied and 5 is highly satisfied? 1 2 3 4 5 Q15. On a scale of 5, how likely are you to recommend packaged food to others, where 1 is least likely and 5 is highly likely? 1 2 3 4 5 DEPTH INTERVIEW OF RETAILERS We plan to have depth interviews with 1-2 retails and ask them following questions: Which category of food sells more? Which type of packaged food is preferred? Do you have refrigeration facilities? For how many years you have been in the retail business? How many customers visit your shop every day? Which is the peak hour of your business? What age group of customers visits your shop? Which type of customers prefers packaged food? Has the sales of packaged food changed over the last three years?