Supermarket Marketing

1) For this assignment I decided to visit the Tom Thumb Supermarket located in Lovers Lane. When I walked into the supermarket the first thing I saw was a stand in the middle of a small-like room in which people get the kart to do their shopping. In this stand there were organic fruits such as apples, peaches, melons, kiwi and a couple of other small fruits. All of them contained the yellow sign of â€Å"every day savings†, meaning that the fruits were on a discount from their regular prices. I think that the retailer strategically puts these items in the entrance since they know fruits are a high demand product for consumers. Once I passed through the doors and into the supermarket, I observed a flower stand with many flowers for sale and many stands containing chips and many soft drinks that came in boxes like coca-cola, sprite, Canada dry and others. I think that the flowers are great location since they attract every consumer that walks into the supermarket independently if he/she is going to buy flowers or not. It also gives a better experience to the consumer as he walks in, since flowers are produce a sense of calm for many. ) As I walked through the supermarket, I reached the pharmacy of the supermarket. As I had seen in many places before such as CVS and Walgreens, this supermarket also had generic brands in many of the medications being sold. These generic brands were found among the most common medications sold daily. Beside Advil, Tylenol, and ZzzQuil, there were the generic products. The generic products had a simpler look from the outside than the national brand names, but contained the exact same ingredients as the national brands, for $2 and up to $3 dollars less in most cases. There were also generic products for well-known brands such as Tums, Mucinex, Aleve, Alka-Seltzer, and even Pepto Bismol. I believe that that these brands are positioned this way so the consumer is able to compare the national brand to a generic product and realize that the only difference between them is the price and a nice looking box. 3) While walking through the aisles I realized that there were products at the end-of-aisle that were not from the same category as the aisle. There was a similarity between all of these products that were located at the end-cap. The majority of these items were snacks or small products for daily use. These items were mostly chips, there were some with water and it was the cheapest one, one contained small toys, wine, and soft drinks. I believe that these items are located at the end-cap since it is something that almost every consumer likes and wants. So it is a strategic location for retailers to place products that have a very high demand. 4) I was not shocked to see an item that was displayed in two different locations since it was one that we usually do not relate to a supermarket. While walking to the pharmacy there was a stand in the middle of the aisle. This stand contained ceramic plates and silverware, there were also a few toys and a lot of hard plastic containers for water or drinks. These items were located in a different area than they usually are. I imagine that these products do not have a lot of demand. So the retailer tries to create this demand by separating the product into two locations and probably attract consumers in different locations such as the pharmacy that could be more interested in the product. ) When I went to the mustard category I realized that the most expensive type of mustard were also among the most famous brands. The most expensive mustard was Heinz, followed by other brands such as Safeway, Guldens, Jack Daniels, and Grey Poupon, which were in the same price range. The cheapest mustard was the French’s brand, which I am almost sure is no different than the Heinz mustard. The differences in prices among the mustards wer e also influenced by the type of mustard not only the brand. The Dijon, Horseradish, Spicy Brown, Sweet and Spicy, and Brown mustards were more expensive than regular plain mustard.

Tinker V. Des Moines

Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School Dist. 393 U. S. 503, 89 S. Ct. 733, 21 L. Ed. 2d. 731 (1969). NATURE OF CASE: Petitioners, three public school pupils, in Des Moines, Iowa were suspended from school for violating a school board (respondents) policy of banning the wearing of armbands. The armbands represented the protest of Government policy in Vietnam. The District Court dismissed the complaint. On appeal, the Eight Circuit Court was equally divided, therefore affirmed the decision of the District Court.Writ of certiorari was granted and reversed and remanded the decision of the Eight Circuit Court. CONSISE RULE OF LAW: Student speech may be regulated when such speech would materially and substantially interfere with the discipline and operation of a school. FACTS: The petitioners decided to wear black armbands to protest the Government policy in Vietnam. The petitioner’s decision to wear black armbands violated a school board policy, which lead to the petitio ner’s suspension from school.The petitioners did not return to school until after the anti-war protest period ended. ISSUE: 1) Does prohibiting public school students against wearing armbands, as a form of symbolic speech, violate the First Amendment of Freedom of Speech? HOLDING AND RATIONALE: 1) Yes, the U. S. Supreme Court found the student’s conduct of symbolic speech is within the protection of the First Amendment of Freedom of Speech. The U.S Supreme court found by wearing armbands the petitioners did not cause any interruption in the classroom and did not impose on the rights of others. The petitioners wore the armbands to express their views on the anti-war protest in Vietnam. The petitioners protested in a quiet and passive manner. The court found the respondents failed to prove that the wearing of armbands substantially interfered with appropriate school discipline. Therefore, the court reversed and remanded the decision of the Eight Circuit Court of Appeals.

Forecasting techniques in tourism demand Essay

This summary is focused on showing the forecasting techniques used to determine the likely demand in tourism and argues that given the importance of the tourism sector to the economy of any tourist country, accurate forecasts of tourist arrivals are of importance for planning by both the private and public sectors. First we should answer the question what tourism is itself. It is obvious that tourism industry is not one company. It combines thousands of products and services. A company sets goals and uses its production, marketing and managerial resources to achieve them through its management process. And in tourism there are too many companies involved and too many goals are set, but almost everything in this industry depends upon the visitor numbers in other words demand. This is the main target of forecasting. It has been pointed out that forecasting is useful in shaping demand and anticipating it to avoid unsold inventories and unfulfilled demand. Moreover since consumer satisfaction depends on complementary services, forecasting can help to anticipate the demand for such services. As well it helps optimizing the use of public funds, in other words save money. It should be mentioned that a fall in demand can bring about decreases in living standards following the rise in unemployment, while increased demand can lead to higher employment, income, output and inflation as well may threaten environmental quality and sustainability. Moreover, tourism firms are confronted by changing revenue and profits and governments experience changing tax revenue and expenditure. Thus, tourism demand effect can be observed in all sectors of economy – households and individuals, public sector and private businesses. For example, decisions on tourist expenditures, the tourism markets structure and decision-making nature between them, cross-country linkages between tourism firms, the contribution of environmental resources and their relevance to policies for sustainable tourism have not been fully investigated and need further economic analysis. Aim. The paper is aiming on showing the existing forecasting techniques, their positive and negative features for better understanding the importance of demand forecasting in tourism, and the necessity of using these or those methods for obtaining the most accurate and precise results. It is obvious that one of the more complex aspects of tourism is the tourism demand. As a rule it is defined and measured in a variety of ways and at a range of scales. Generally, there are economic, psychological and social psychological methods used in forecasting. For example, decision to purchase holidays are often made with friends and family so that consumer demand theory based on individual decision-making must take account of individuals` and groups` social contexts. As well as the analysis of travel patterns and modes has been dominated by geographical analytical frameworks, while the study of demand outside economics tends to be underpinned by psychological or social psychological methods. ‘The many studies of tourism demand in different countries and time periods are reviewed by Archer, Johnson and Ashworth, Sheldon and Sinclair while Witt and Martin examined alternative approaches to tourism demand forecasting. ’ (Sinclair, 1997). The significance of tourism demand provides a strong case for better understanding of the decision-making process nature among tourists. In case of using an inappropriate theoretical framework in empirical studies of demand can result in incorrect specification to estimate tourism demand and biased measures of the responsiveness of demand to changes in its determinants. It should be mentioned that ‘empirical studies help to explain and understand the level and pattern of tourism demand and its sensitivity to changes in the variables it is dependant on. For example, it helps in observing income in origin areas, exchange rates between different destinations and origins as well as relative rates of inflation. This type of information is of importance to public sector policy-making and the private sector. ’ (Sinclair, 1997). But only in case of appropriate theoretical specification of the studying model used the estimates can be accurate and precise. Hence, explicit consideration of the consumer decision-making supporting empirical models is of importance in presenting the provided estimates are neither misleading nor inaccurate in their policy implications. Thus there are two approaches used to model tourism demand. First one is the single equation model and the second is the system of equation model. ‘The first one single equation model has been used in studies of tourism demand for numerous countries and time periods and states that demand is a function of a number of determining variables. ’ (Sinclair, 1997). This technique permits the calculation of the demand sensitivity to changes in these variables. Contrary to the first approach, the system of equations model requires the simultaneous estimation of a tourism demand equations range for the countries or types of tourism expenditure considered. The system of equations methodology tries to explain the sensitivity of the budget shares of tourism demand across a range of origins and destinations (or tourism types) to changes in the underlying determinants. There exists one more forecasting technique which is more recent and can be compared with the single equation approach. It is the Almost Ideal Demand System (AIDS). (Maria De Mello,1999). This model is theoretically better than the mentioned above and offers a range of useful information concerning the sensitivity of tourism demand to changes in relative prices and in tourists` expenditure budget. This approach was used in examining the UK demand for tourism in its geographical neighbor-countries as France, Spain and Portugal. The result of such investigation indicated that ‘the UK demand for tourism in Spain increased more than proportionately with respect to a rise in the UK expenditure budget for tourism in three countries, the demand for tourism in France increased less than proportionately and the demand for tourism in Portugal remained stable. The sensitivity of the UK demand for tourism in Spain to changes in effective prices in Spain is increasing and exceeds the corresponding values of the sensitivities of the demand for tourism in France and Portugal to changes in French and Portuguese prices, respectively. (Maria De Mello,1999). ‘In contrast, the UK demand for tourism in Spain is insensitive with respect to changes in prices in its smaller Portuguese neighbour. The UK demand for Portugal is sensitive to changes in prices in Spain, although the degree of sensitivity appears to be decreasing over time, and the demand for France (Portugal) is insensitive with respect to a change in prices in Portugal (France)’(Maria De Mello,1999). So it is obvious that stability of demand in the face of rising prices may be observed as signals of success, and contrary outcomes mean a possible case for rethinking policy toward tourism demand. Scientists have used a variety of other forecasting techniques during the past decades for tourist industry. Among them are quantitative forecasting methods. They may be classified into two categories: causal methods (regression and structural models) and time series methods (basic, intermediate, and advanced explorative methods). For further explanation we should mention that causal methods represent methodologies for identifying relationships between independent and dependent variables and attempt to incorporate the interdependences of various variables in the real world. However, there is certain difficulty of applying the causal methods. It is identifying the independent variables that affect the forecast variables. So the accurateness and reliability of final forecast outputs made under causal methods depend on the quality of other variables. The second group of methods, time series quantitative methods, offers many advantages. It is pointed out that ‘the use at time t of available observations from a time series to forecast its value at some future time t+1 can provide a basis for (1) economic and business planning, (2) production planning, (3) inventory and production control, and (4) control and optimization of industrial processes’(Chen, 2003). Time series methods offer techniques and concepts facilitating specification, estimation and evaluation. They acquire more precise forecasting results than those yielded by causal quantitative techniques. It should be mentioned as an example that forecasting is complicated by the strong seasonality of most tourism series. It is pointed out that to see seasonality as a form of data contamination is one of typical approaches to the analysis of macroeconomic time series. This was the approach often used in many census and statistical departments. In the case of tourism analysis seasonality is integral to the process and is of high importance for the timing of the issuance of policy measures in addition to studying the long run trend. ‘As significant features of quantitative tourism forecasting (involving the numerical analysis of historical data) we see that while it is particularly useful for existing tourism elements, it is limited in its application to new ones where no previous data exists’. (Smith, 1996). This technique was used in forecasting potential UK demand for space tourism. Appendix 1, 2). (Barrett, 1999). As well univariate forecasting techniques may be used to forecast arrivals. This limited methodology relative to structural models allowing policy makers to determine how changes in particular variables can help to improve the industry. The weak point of the technique is that the models have no explanatory variables so it is difficult to interpret the individual components. Therefore, the forecasting record of many univariate models have considerable forecasting accuracy. Lim and McAleer employed univariate techniques to forecast quarterly tourist arrivals to Australia and to determine their forecasting accuracy using a variety of seasonal filters. Kulendran and King also employed a variety of models to rank forecasting performance of various tourist arrival series using seasonal unit root testing’ (Alleyne, 2002). Conclusions and Recommendations. It should be mentioned that forecasting techniques and forecasting itself have some weak points. Firstly, current forecasting is mostly the domain of policy makers. It is beneficial for three groups: public sector tourism organizations as it helps justify budget allocations; managers of public and private sector tourism projects as they may encourage investors, and the forecasters themselves. There are no actual benefits from forecasting for tourism operators and suppliers because the results are not actionable and unrelated to the real needs of the majority of tourism businesses. The problem with the results may be illustrated by such an example. (March, 1993). ‘The BTR’s â€Å"Australian Tourism Forecasts† report released in April 1990 forecasts 4. 85 million visitors by the year 2000. The BTR’s latest forecast for 2000 is 4. 824 million visitors. And only last month The Australian newspaper (Oct 12 1993:p. 6) reported the results of â€Å"a respected private sector forecaster† who has forecast 5. 33 million by the end of the decade’(March, 1993). So you see numbers keep changing and this is the evidence that sometimes the forecasting results become not actionable. Summarizing all the mentioned above we may say that there is a wide range of techniques used for forecasting demand in tourism. In this paper we mentioned only some of them which to our mind deserve attention and may be used in forecasting the demand. As you may see investigation of tourism demand involves specific problems because it has some special nature attributed to the complexity of the motivational structure concerning decision-making process as well as the limited availability of the necessary data for econometric modeling. Quantitative approach for tourism demand needs the framework of a formal mathematical model providing estimates of sensitivity to changes in the variables the demand depends on. Econometric modelling offers a good basis for accurate forecasting which is of great importance to the public sector making investments in the industry. The single equation model often ignores the dynamic nature of tourism demand, disregarding the possibility that the sensitivity of tourism demand to its determinants may differ between periods of time. The alternative model is the Almost Ideal Demand System. It is originally developed by Deaton and Muellbauer. This model not only permits the estimation of the complete set of relevant elasticities, but also allows for formal tests of the validity of the assumptions about consumer behaviour within the sample set of observations. The AIDS allows to test assumptions and estimate parameters in a way which is not possible with other alternative models. So for now, we may say that there are no completely bad or good techniques used for forecasting tourism demand. But there are preferable models for getting more accurate results. It is better using models based on old theoretical knowledge but with new trends able to cover all the necessary aspects in forecasting tourism demand.

Wolf v. Colorado & Terry v. Ohio Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Wolf v. Colorado & Terry v. Ohio - Case Study Example tate policing policies,sometimes declaring them unconstitutional while other times oddly using them as a definitive source in the scope of Federal protection (Schulhofer,2012). Fact.Thus the doctrine of incorporation is when a court selectively and extensively incorporates the Bill of Rights by its construction of the Due process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment,by so declaring that federal procedural safeguards applies to state’s criminal proceedings. Issue.In wolf,the Court applied the Fourth Amendment to the states,as opposed to the federal exclusionary rule in which case barring the government from using illegally seized evidence in its case in chief to prove guilt. The issues in this case involved incorporation of the Fourth Amendment and the lack of the need for a rule of exclusion. Reasoning.The decision of the Court in Wolf and Colorado in 1949 held that the Fourth Amendment applied to the states, and the exclusionary rule did not. By declaring that the Fourth Amendment applied to the states,relied on the incorporation standard articulated in Palko V. Connecticut,a standard likewise cited in the modern Court to decide whether the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment protects a newly asserted liberty (Schulhofer,2012). Case significance.The Wolf’s Court strongly defined the Fourth Amendment’s fundamentals as protecting a person’s â€Å"privacy against intrusion by police,† a basic right of free society.Unanimously it held that the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment incorporated the Fourth Amendment. Brief Case Summary.The Petitioner,John W. Terry was stopped by a police officer after the officer observed that the petitioner was ‘ causing’ a store for potential robbery. The petitioner was approached by the officer for questioning and the officer decided to search him first.Acceptably according to the rule of law; a police officer may perform a search for weapons without a warrant,without a probable cause when the

Eradicating malaria in subafrican countries Essay

Eradicating malaria in subafrican countries - Essay Example The boy William (2009) truly understood how the process of harnessing windmill energy can bring better life for his family and to his community. His constant efforts to build a small but effective device could bring the sustenance and better life. In the same way, an effective malaria eradication program can increase productive man hours and increase the output in industrial and agricultural produce. It is needed to understand the root cause of malaria in Africa first and then devise a full-fledged program, which overtime can eliminate this widespread disease. The severity of malaria in Subafrican region is due to climate and ecology. It is correct to state that malaria affected regions are mostly poor and bound by low economic growth. There are indeed some of the success stories of malaria eradication in the world in the countries such as Italy, Greece, and Spain between 1930 and 1950. Greece had a major suffering in the beginning of 1900s with the spread of malaria. WHO run Malaria eradication campaign had a major effect in Greece in 1946. Infected cases reduced to only 5000 in 1951 from 1-2 million cases per year found in the early 1930s. Unfortunately, it is hard to find much success stories in developing countries sparing the islands of Taiwan and Jamaica. Malaria was eradicated from Jamaica and Taiwan in the year 1958 and 1961 respectively and since then they were in higher growth trajectories. (Gallup & Sachs, 1998) William’s story inspires us about the innovativeness of a small boy that can transform his small town amid adversity. Malawi is a town falling under sub-African region where diseases such as tuberculosis and malaria are quite wide spread. It will be appropriate to see what the measures are taken to eliminate the disease in Malawi. Malawi's the entire population of 1.39 million is at risk of contracting the disease. Every year, almost 4 million cases are registered in health care facilities annually. Malaria is said to have almost accou nted for 40% of inpatient visits. Almost 18% deaths in hospital are accounted to this dreaded disease. Malawi is the first country who relinquished the use of chloroquine in favor of more effective drug. There are many challenges to the issue such as lack of human resources, parasite resistance to the first-line treatment, poverty and a lack of proper monitoring system. To mitigate the weak monitoring system, the World Bank spearheaded a project called Health Sector Support Project through additional funding. The project was also supported by other agencies such as U.S President's Malaria Initiative (PMI) –proposing approximately $186 million in malaria control. Malawi has stopped proposing chloroquine due to resistance developed by malarial parasites and instead implemented a change known as artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTS). World Bank's investment in evaluation and monitoring system will help assess the effect of change in treatment system. Through this system of monitoring, it will be possible to have improved result-based decision making. The additional grant with further strengthen the efforts to eradicate the malaria from Malawi. Finally, it will have multiple goals to fulfill reducing child mortality, reducing poverty and protecting the poorest from the

Lacrosse Sport Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Lacrosse Sport - Assignment Example The game could engage teams of over hundred to thousand players in a field covering more than 500 yards or even half a mile. Players were expected to move a small ball, made of animal skin, past the opponent’s goal post using three or four foot long sticks with a net at the end. The game lasted for two to three days consecutively from sunup to sundown. The transformation of Baggataway to today’s Lacrosse begun in 1637 with the French missionaries who observed the Indians play and introduced it in France. This was followed by a match between the French and Indians at Montreal’s Olympic club in 1844. The France missionaries are also recognized as the founders of the name Lacrosse from their generic term â€Å"Crosse† referring to stick and ball games. The sport was then introduced in Canada where George Beers, the father to modern Lacrosse sport, revised the game rules and founded National Lacrosse Association of Canada. The Association modified the game and reduced the number of team players to twelve. The game's popularity grew not only in Canada but also across other countries such as England, United States, Ireland, and Australia (Massie, 1997). There are three main reasons that qualify Lacrosse to be included in the next, 2014, winter Olympics. The first one is that Lacrosse is both a summer and winter game. This is possible because, currently there are four kinds of Lacrosse games that include Mini lacrosse, Box or indoor, Men’s field, and women’s field Lacrosse (Aveni, 2012). Mini lacrosse and Box or indoor Lacrosse can be played during the winters since they are not played in the open. Mini lacrosse is a modification of Lacrosse that emphases on the skills which are usually taught in the gym. It is also easy to hold a Box Lacrosse match in a room since it consists of 12 players, 6 from each team. Moreover, during the summers all the four sports are viable to be played.

Brazil report Structure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Brazil report Structure - Essay Example Continuous success of the National Foods is supported due to the company's commitment to strong brand, many of which are category leaders, such as PURA Milk, Australia’s number 1 milk brand, Dairy Farmers, Berri, Yoplait, Dare, Big M and Farmers Union (National Foods Website, n.d.). However, the company is seeking alternative ways for its business expansion and is going to target Brazilian consumers. The basic idea is to produce dairy products at the territory of Australia, and then to export final goods directly to Brazil. The aim of the organization is to evaluate its business idea from few different perspectives and to understand the viability of this idea. The purpose of the report is to conduct a comprehensive research and analysis, aimed to provide timely and accurate information, relying upon which will enable the company to make a right decision, regarding to the Brazilian market. Thus, the report will analyze the political, legal, economic, socio-cultural, technologic al environment in Brazil and provide SWOT analysis for the National Foods. Clear understanding of both external and internal environments, National Foods will be enabled to make a right business decision and to develop appropriate entry/development strategy. 2.0 Political Environment 2.1 Government stability Brazil has a stable democratic political system (Ball, 2009). Political structure of Brazil is defined as the Federal Republic, which is currently ruled by a coalition (EDC, 2011). There are difficult relations between the legislature and the executive, between state and federal governments (EDC, 2011). In 2011, Dilma Rousseff took the President’s post in Brazil. Newly elect government will likely seek to differentiate its administration regarding the general policy. Even though there is still no clear understanding of what will be changed, it is unlikely to be investment and trade policy (EDC, 2011). 2.2 Government and contribution Former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Si lva has been promoting policies aimed at strengthening of the investment environment. Considering the issues of political stability, Brazil is very attractive country for the investment: it has no political enemies; there is no threat of terrorism or civil unrest (Ball, 2009). Both international and domestic markets have confidence in Brazil’s political system, due to the activity of Brazil’s democratic institutions (Ball, 2009). 2.3 Analysis Brazil and Australia are the countries that cooperate multilaterally on issues of mutual interest, including agricultural trade reform in the World Trade Organization (Australian Government, 2011). In 2001, there was established a Council on Australia Latin America Relations (COALAR); COALAR has been active in promoting Latin America as a market for Australian exporters (Australian Government, 2011). Additionally, Brazilian and Australian foreign and trade policy interests coincide in several significant areas. This friendly relat ionship between two countries and cooperation in agricultural sector can favourably impact the National Foods business development in Brazil. 3.0 Legal Environment 3.1 Regulatory framework Brazil has a commercial legal system, which consists of the Commercial Code. By the Commercial Code there are governed the majority of aspects of commercial association (FDI, n.d.). However, this does not relate to professional services category, which is governed by the Civil Code (FDI, n.d.). 3.2 Business laws Brazil has import restrictions on

Personal Statement Adjust(including) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Personal Statement Adjust(including) - Essay Example At that moment, it dawned on me that the most effective way to capture anyone’s attention is via proper communication. My brother had limited vocabulary and did not comprehend much verbal communication but he was able to relate with the show because it spoke his ‘language’. The various presentations of communication caught my interest and have become my passion from then on. The development of communication is a process. I know that to improve my understanding of the process, I have to get involved with different activities that would improve my communication skills. Therefore, I read numerous books, watched many TV shows and enrolled in public speaking courses. During one of my classes at Foothill College, I had my first public speaking experience in front of fifty people which was very memorable. Although I felt nervous about everything, I did my best to focus on my speech. When I saw that my audiences were paying full attention to me, I felt confident and perha ps delivered my speech well because I received a hearty applause when I finished. Going back to Sharma, he said in his book, â€Å"The Monk who sold His Ferrari† that â€Å"the tragedy of life is not death but what we let die in us while we live†. ... As a Christian, I saw it was a great chance for me to serve God by delivering His message through the character I portrayed in the play. The experience further caused a great impact on my understanding about communication and caused a stronger passion for it. Moreover, I landed the position of secretary of the college’s Environment Club. With the extensive communication the job required of me, I learned to associate with different cultures and people from all walks of life. Communication is important but it should not be limited to simply expressing one’s self. People should learn to effectively communicate to highly benefit from the process. However, there are a lot of people who are communicating but not well enough in order to truly understand each other. There are many aspects of communication that need to be researched on and I believe that it should be a continuing process. With the technological advancements, other manners of communication are constantly being di scovered therefore, there is really a need to do more studies about the subject matter. In line with this and my interests, I look forward to being trained by the University of California. Accomplishments are both challenging and fulfilling. They bring hardships that may seem to burden people through the process but the difficulties serve as the very molds that shape a person. From experience, I learned things the hard way but I treasure them because the difficulties I have been through are what made me stronger and better. When I was in high school, I was honored to be selected by the principal to lead a team participating in the 2011 Hong Kong Drama Festival. I was also an actor, director and screenwriter. When I was informed about my role, I was hesitant to

Healthcare System Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Healthcare System - Research Paper Example The earliest ones only offered coverage against accidents related from travel by rail or steamboat. The plans did, however, pave way for more comprehensive plans covering all illnesses and injuries. The first group policy giving comprehensive benefits was offered by Massachusetts Health Insurance of Boston in 1847. Insurance companies issued the first individual disability and illness policies in about 1890 (www.neurosurgical.com). What we recognize as modern medicine, Cohn writes, began in the 1920s, wherein doctors and hospitals, having only during the previous decade learned enough about disease that they could be reliably helpful in treating sick people, began charging more than most individuals could easily pay (qtd. in Noah). This demand on expensive medical and hospital assistance paved way for the first modern group health insurance plan in 1929. A group of teachers in Dallas, Texas, contracted with Baylor Hospital for room, board, and medical services in exchange for a monthly fee (www.neurosurgical.com). This was well known as the Blue Cross. The Blues were essentially non-profit health insurers who served local community organizations. In exchange for a tax break, Blue Cross organizations kept premiums reasonably low (Noah). As the modernization continued so did the sophistication of medical knowledge and technology. This led to healthcare assistance to cost more and for private insurers to be interested in the business of healthcare insurance. The competition between several insurers broke down the non-profit advantage of the Blues. Private insurers went to a direction where they go for healthier, less risk customers resulting to difficulty for people much in need of the services to afford getting healthcare insurance. There have been many attempts to solve the problems on the cost of healthcare assistance. One of which was the Committee on the Cost of Medical Care or the CMCC. Karen Palmer stated that the committee

CV edit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

CV edit - Essay Example I obtained valuable teamwork and planning skills. Particularly in the course of writing my dissertation, I handled software applications in different financial areas. These include STATA, VBA, and Excel. In the course of developing research skills, I have conducted questionnaire based surveys with the help of my team and have interviewed 20 students. Understanding of the microeconomic and macroeconomic theories, corporate management, and knowledge of the basic theory and practice in stock company operations (through internship in Dong Xing Stock Company) Responsibilities included planning, implementing and supervising financial policies; planning and implementing financial projects related to the city’s infrastructure; managing cash resources; meeting financial bodies; allotment audit; project budgeting; variance analysis & credit approval; management of bank balances and long-term money management. This was also a part time engagement which provided me with valuable experience on teaching and training. I conducted and managed classes on part time basis that called for time management, scheduling, mentoring and monitoring skills. I am fluent in English and Mandarin. I enjoy playing piano, singing, swimming, and dancing (Modern and Latin). I also love drawing and short writing. I think I am a sensible person who treats everything carefully and has a strong sense of

Bretton Woods Institutions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Bretton Woods Institutions - Essay Example Many people regard these post-colonial institutions to help the developing countries. According to Anghie (2002), these institutions define the ‘unique’ relationship, which exists between international organizations and the Third World. These institutions have been developed, in order for technological advancement of different countries from the developing world, and to refine, reinforce, reproduce and manage the statehood of countries from the Third World (Tan, pp. 31, 2011). Although, established with the aim of reconstructing Europe, the World Bank has taken part in many development projects that have occurred in the Third World. World Bank has also provided different loans to these countries, in order for them to establish themselves properly (Chebucto, n.p, n.d). Although these organizations have been created under the UN charter; in practice, they are largely autonomous (Willis, pp. 36, 2005). These institutions, developed some 60 years ago were developed to put an end to the depression, caused by economic problems, as well as the war, and were a beacon of light for many, especially for the development countries. For this purpose, the paper seeks to examine the ways that the institutions have helped the poor countries (Daly, Farley, pp. 318, 2004). However, since there is large criticism surrounding these Bretton Woods Institutions, it is also imperative to discuss the extent that these organizations have been pro-poor over the years. Nonetheless, it is important to discuss the roles of these two sister organizations, before judging their actions. Although, they had been developed for different purposes, their roles have changed dramatically over the ensuing years. The World Bank seeks to provide development assistance. On the other hand, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) promotes monetary cooperation on an international level through surveying the countries, and lends to those countries, which have a negative position in Balance of Payme nts (BOP). However, their roles often overlap with each other, since they both seek to provide financial assistance, through one way or the other. For example, considering the actions of World Bank and IMF after the economic crisis in Latin America, one would notice that both these organizations help each other in their respective goals (Weiss, Daws, pp. 1, 2006). One can recognize that they have been active in working for the development for the poor through the ways that they have rapidly changed their roles. Aside from maintaining a fixed exchange rate system, which helped poor countries develop economically, the IMF also gave loans to countries, which had balance of payments problems. Most of these problems are experienced by countries, belonging to the Third World, and the repercussions of negative balance of payments are quite magnificent. Hence, in order to correct this situation, short-term loans were provided, during the 1950s. The World Bank sought to develop different cou ntries, by encouraging private investment to flow into the Third World, so that more development could occur in these countries (Weiss, Dawas, pp.5, 2006). Throughout the years, they kept adding more problems to their agenda, so that these problems could be solved. In 1988, the Multilateral Investment

Erik Erikson Essay Example for Free

Erik Erikson Essay

The Violation Of Animal Rights

The Violation Of Animal Rights Every country is facing the environmental problems these days. It includes ozone depletion, global warming and loss of natural resources such as water, air, and other materials, and it also include the wildlife. Wildlife and forests are the very important part of every country, because it provides clean and fresh air. Everyone has same rights regardless human or non-human. I am raising the environmental issue which is on animal abuse, the violation of animal rights. It includes the abuse of drug testing, experiments, killing animals for food, and clothing. I am totally against the animal abuse, because it avoids the environmental ethics. We should have to be solving this problem in a unity. I want to write in the favour of animal rights. Drug testing and experiments on animals Every field of technology is growing very fast and for the sake of advancement they do hundreds of tests every month; it includes the field of architecture, engineering, manufacturing industry, and medical science. Ninety- four percent of animal testing is done to determine the safety of cosmetics and household products leaving only 6% for medical research. When scientists try to make advancements in the medical field, first of all they try on the animals which kill or harm different types of animals. For example, when doctors make new type of eye lens they try these lenses on the eyes of rabbit, because the eye retina of rabbit and human are same. If those lenses doesnt effect on the eyes of rabbit then they launch in the market, but imagine when that experiment fails on the rabbits eyes it make him blind which ruins the life of that rabbit and also violates the animal rights. The blinding of rabbits to have a new kind of mascara is yet to be justified. In most of the medicines scie ntists include the bones powder of animals. Death during the experiments and testing considered unnecessary and are morally not different from murder. Animal dissection is regarded as misleading. Killing of animals for food and religion celebration People abuse the animals by eating and hunting them. I am totally against the non-vegetarians, and prefer to be a vegetarian. Thousands of animals killed every day to eat and for fun; it includes cow, chicken, goat, fish, deer etc. Its like too selfish to kill someone and serve as a food for others. Animals have also emotions such as love, affection toward their families. Some studies prove that they also have same feelings like humans. Animals also suffer through pain, feelings, like physically or mentally. I saw many situations when people dont show any mercy towards animals. For example, I watched a video clip where people cut the chicken legs and beak for their selfishness because they can`t walk and fed by siting on one place. Chicken grows faster as compare to normal situation. People kills different kinds of animals for special occasion such as parties, marriage ceremony that shows the cruelty of human and also speciesism Peter Singer argues on speciesism that animals do not d eserve for rights or moral consideration simply because they are non-human, it is like similar as racism and sexism. I also want to say that every religion oppose the animal killing, but I saw on many religious occasions people killed animals and eat them and enjoy that day. To instance in Muslim culture, they kill animals for religious purpose which is against the animal rights. It is ridiculous for people when they killed someone and enjoy the day. All people who eat meat are murderers, because they pay money someone to kill them. Usage of animals for wearable products and entertainment People kill animals and use their skin for clothing or other wearable accessories. It is important to know which species are raised and killed on fur farms. Of the 31 million animals killed on fur ranches each year, about twenty-six million are mink and 4.5 million are fox. In addition, 250,000 chinchillas, 150,000 sable, 100,000 Fitch, 100,000 raccoon dogs (a separate species from the American raccoon), and a small number of lynx, bobcat, and nutria are fur farmed. Mink are very solitary creatures that spend a substantial portion of their day swimming in the water. This is an active species and does not adapt well to life in a cage. Hundreds of millions animal are skinning worldwide, and tortured to make the different type of products, like clothing, boots, etc. In every part of the world millions of cows killed to use as resources to produce leather products such as clothes, shoes or sofas. There are not only cows are used as to make clothing products, there are also some other spe cies who skinned alive. For example, ducks and geese are also used to produce down and feathers, which are pulled off from their bodies. Many other animals are also used as a raw material for humans. They killed in the slaughter house. Crocodiles and snakes are also killed to make boots, handbags and jackets. If we think about the value of someones life it cannot be just a pair of boot or coat. Finally, animals are also abused for entertainment. Hundreds of people say that Circuses are the good way to entertain them. But that people dont know the truth that how animals are tortured during their training session. Animals are not well trained to entertain people by their birth; they are tortured by many nasty ways to learn the tricks which are used to entertain people. When they torture to the animals they use electric rods which give them electric shocks, they also use fire torches to burn the hairs from their skin. Actually when people are laughing on animals or on their tricks that they do in the circus show, animals are not enjoying at that time they just scared from people and their operators. Could you imagine this horrible position when someone trap to you and then he torture to you to do the tricks, and other people laugh on you. How ashamed animal feel when we laugh on them. It abuses the animals and violates the human rights. A possible objection on my point of view is that to get advancements in the medical field, doctors have to do experiments on animals. Doctors are able to cure many diseases these days only because of those experiments they did on animals. If they stopped doing research on animals then we would not be able to find the medicines for new diseases, which can kill thousands of people too. When military people go on their operations, they have to kill animals to alive due to the shortage of food. Animals are a good source of energy. If anyone requires energy quickly then doctors suggest them to eat meat. Some people live high in the mountains, where they cannot plant crops. So, they have no option to live without meat. Clothing is also very important for those who lived in cold areas; they wear the fur of animals and prevent themselves from the winter season. So, they kill animals and make their suitable clothes. They mostly use the skins of animals. Circuses should be fine if trainer trai ned the animals without any torture. They should use or have to find the other ways to train them. These are the responses on my objections; There should be some acts in every country to protect animal rights, for example according to United Kingdom animal act 1986 requires experiments to be regulated by three licences: a project licence for the scientist in charge of the project, which details the numbers and types of animals to be used, the experiments to be performed, and the purpose of them; a certificate for the institution to ensure it has adequate facilities and staff; and a personal licence for each scientist or technician who carries out any procedure. if doctors want to do the drug test on animals; they should keep in mind that these tests dont affect animals. These tests should not kill or ruin the life of animal, if they affect it should be on minor stage which can cure after the test. Doctors should have to find the other minerals which can be used in medicines regarding the bones of animals. People should have to change their taste from non-vegetarian to become veget arian. People who eat meat just for taste or for fun, they should have to stop eat meat. I can understand the condition of military people and they eat meat because of their situation, but not for fun or for taste. Clothing is also the same situation; people who live at high places and need fur to wear it should be fine for them, but people who can live without wearing furry clothes, they should oppose these clothes. Conclusion God has created this earth and gives the equal rights to everyone to live with freedom and it does not matter that he is human or non-human. But these days conditions to live on earth are becoming worse as compare to older time. As the population is increasing, forests are falling down to get the more space for humans so wildlife and animals are in danger. For example Indias agricultural land and forest are about to finish because of the population, so vegetables price is rising day by day and people are becoming non vegetarian. Animal killing for food is also against the animal rights, people should have to be vegetarian and they have to show mercy for animals. The use of animals for drug testing should be limited or should be in the favour of animals, means drug test should not harm animals in any way. People also have to oppose the leather material and reject to wear it. The training session of animals to do the tricks for circuses is very abusive and tortured. It should be banned in every country. Finally, I would like to say that all are born with equal rights on this earth, so show mercy and oppose the abuse of animals.

Leadership Strategy Of KFC

Leadership Strategy Of KFC KFC was first introduced by Colonel Sanders. His first franchise was in year 1952. Under new management, the first sale was for $2 Million. In 1980, there were more profit and expansion of KFC was carried out. Within 50 years, the profit went up to $ 7 Billion. In 1952, Col. Sanders started franchising his recipe door to door financed by his $105.00. Col Sanders had more than 600 franchised outlets in the US and Canada by year 1964. He sold his interest in his company for $2 million to a group of investors. In 1966, KFC went public. KFC was listed on the NYSE in 1969. Current Market Cap value on the NYSE is 7.2 Billion. A competitive marketing strategy in the international market focused on the Latin American countries is the reason why KFC can maintain a market leadership in the global fast-food industry. Key to continued growth was to find, motivate, and retain hard-working and entrepreneurial managers and franchisees around the globe .In addition to short term profits, store managers were also responsible for building local public relations, maintaining employee morale, developing customer good-will, keeping tab on the competing chains and creating a legacy of special chicken cooking recipe. KFC had a refocused international strategy to grow its company and franchise restaurant base all over the world. Their Competitive marketing strategy: was to developed three types of chicken, original recipe (pressure cooked) ,extra crispy (fried)and also tender roast (roasted) .Sweeping changes into the culture was initiated by the new management- this brings about demoralization to old KFC employees and even franchisees. Several restructurings led to layoffs throughout KFC, replacement of KFC managers with PepsiCo managers .Conflicts between KFC and PepsiCo cultures- this is manifested with PepsiCos stronger emphasis on performance rather than loyalty expressed by Col. Sanders to KFC employees over the years. According to SWOT ANALYSIS, the weaknesses of KFC are as follows.KFC finds difficulty in entering the German market (culture incompatibility) .KFC sales stagnated. There was widespread discontent among the franchisees, some of whom felt the new owners did not understand the chicken business and were not providing leadership expected from a franchisor. Company stores floundered and become underperforming the franchised operations, further convincing franchisees that the company did not know its own business. (KFC HQ acquired them to company-owned) .Overseas expansion with the rapid economic growth and trend toward two-income families that had fuelled the growth of fast-food industry in the 1950s and 1960s were appearing in the late 1960s in the other country.  [1]   Primary objective is to take advantage of the potential growth in other countries, to establish a strong position and to develop their image. Key Success Factors are ever continuing cost savings through RD, innovations and use of new technology to work efficiently. These success techniques will lower costs and increase profits in the industry. KFC uses an integrated low cost/differentiation leadership, since it can count on its brand name and original taste and recipes to be unique while at the same time compete on price using the benefits of cost savings from economies of scale. Based on the analysis, we can conclude that they should start by solving their internal issues such as management and restaurant menu before thinking about expanding. They should work on the management issues to create a good atmosphere where employees are happy to work in. I certainly do not believe that by treating employees poorly, a company can be successful. They also need to make sure that their restaurants offer a diversified menu, provide their customers with quality food, excellent service and restaurant cleanliness. KFC should always listen to their customers and try to follow the new trends on the market in order to fully satisfy their customers. Otherwise, competitors will satisfy them and will eventually outperform you as Boston did with its grilled chicken. Even though, KFC seems to have an emotional attachment to their original recipe that made their success, they definitely need to move on and develop new products that customers want in order to increase their financial performance and value. We have seen that Boston and Popeyes are stealing customers away from KFC because they understood what customers wanted and started offering healthier items. KFC should certainly do the same and enhance their menu.  [2]   On the other hand, it is time to talk about another local business success story and how can we talk about successful organizations without talking about Al-Baik. It is next to impossible that you are living in Jeddah or ever visited it without being to Al-Baik. The local fast food chain has been around since 1974. After 35 years by now, the restaurant is mainly operating in Jeddah with minimum number of branches in Makkah, Madinah, Yanbu and Taif. Arguably, Al-Baik possesses the highest market share and customer loyalty amongst its competitors especially in Jeddah; noting that when I say competitors, I mean international multibillion brands like McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut etc. For those of you familiar with the debate surrounding Porters Generic strategies, Al-Baik is a living proof that you could follow a strategy that combines both differentiation and cost leadership. Although there are a lot of restaurants serving fried chicken, the quality and taste of Al-Baik are certainly unique and its prices are way below the average. Al-Baik has very strong brand equity whether we are measuring it by evaluating the restaurants products or by studying its brand impact on customers. Al-Baik brand communicates strong messages of quality, fast service, trust, affordability, convenience, and social responsibility. Its management has been very smart emphasizing these values into the brand using different methods of advertisements, public relations, or even by spreading stories about the brand. The entrepreneurial story of its founder and how he struggled to raise his community awareness about eating outside the home which was strange back then and how he has been working alone in the restaurant preparing the food, serving it, and then cleaning the small shop are all meant to build some kind of connection with its customers. Also, some suspense and mystery would not hurt either; the secret chicken formula that is only known by few individuals is one of the most preferred stories amongst such food and beverages organizat ions. Whether we are talking about fast service, servicescape design, or cleanness of the restaurants environment; Al-Baik is providing exemplary services in all of that. Even more, Al-Baik is one of the few restaurants that introduced items to the menu based solely on customers suggestions. Al-Baik marketers are masters in choosing locations for their restaurants. One has never seen a branch of Al-Baik without it being packed with customers. The huge expansions they carried out in Jeddah have been built on population distribution analysis. That is why wherever you live in Jeddah now; there must be Al-Baik branch within your easy reach. Al-Baik has always been known for its socially related campaigns. They have a regular presence in Hajj seasons providing free meals to pilgrims and they are periodically campaigning for environmentally related causes like banning smoking in their restaurants or preserving the city clean image. Furthermore, their active participation in the aftermath of Jeddah floods by providing free meals to those devastated by the catastrophe is one shiny example of how organizations could be interacting with its society. Nevertheless, staying on the top is not an easy job. Al-Baik management has to deal with many issues to facilitate its growth. One of these important issues is on the mind of every fan who happen to live outside Jeddah; how much should they expand? Should they consider opening new branches in other cities at the Kingdom? What about being multinational or even global? Moreover, how Al-Baik should respond to the growing concerns raised by healthy and organic foods advocates. And most importantly, how its managers are going to maintain its competitive advantages and how are they going to nurture its sustainability strategy.  [3]   As conclusion, the best selling food in my view is KFC. People nowadays has less time to eat since they are busy working. Therefore, they would choose fast food restaurants as their choice. Thus, the managers of these restaurants need o ensure on cost leadership and make sure they can get the best way to keep the price reduced. This is a marketing strategy in a way to attract customers. More customers make the business more powerful and expand fast. (1505 WORDS)

Auctioning Personal Property :: essays research papers

The sale at public auction of personal property in the United States has a rich history and has been successfully used for three centuries. Auctions are one of the best businesses and are ranked in the top ten businesses in the world to sell personal property. Auctions are the best way to liquidate your property, sell your personal property and to get cash in your pocket.First of all, auctions can help you liquidate or downsize personal property, such as furniture, clothes, automobile and jewelry. Instead of throwing unwanted goods away call an auction house to sell it for you. You never know what you might be throwing away that can be turn into cash. Another good reason to auction is personal property will bring the highest market price at the auction through competitive bidding. This is when two or more persons who want the same item and keeps bidding the price up until it reaches a fair market value. By law you most have a least two persons present to conduct an auction. Then the highest bidder buys it for the final bided price.In advertisement for auction houses that catches must people eyes is to get fast cash selling personal property. The advertisement means just that you can get money within fourteen days or less after the auction house sells your personal property.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The auction business has been around for a long time with a good track record for selling anything that has a price or doesn't have a price. Through statistics, the price of all property is set from a fair market value in which auctions control sixty five percent of today's prices on all property. So why not get the most out of personal property by selling it at the auction? An individual has to read the contract that the auction house writes because it could read that they might not get paid until the last item of their personal property gets sold. Some auctioneers are known for keeping back one of two items from an individuals personal property back until they have their next sale. This way an auction doesn't have to pay the individual until the following sale or when the last piece off property was sold. Make sure in the contract that it has a date that all personal property will be sold by.

George Orwell Essay -- essays research papers fc

George Orwell Many writers use satire techinques to attack areas of life they didn't agree with. Satire is a cunning way to express their opinions. Some of these works today are considered masterpieces and works of art. One writer who was a genius at incorporating beliefs in his writings was George Orwell. Commonly known by his pen name, George Orwell was an English novelist and social critic (Wadsworth 866). Orwell was born in Begal, India and was later educated in Eton, England. He was the son of Richard Blair an opium agent and his "much younger wife" Ida. Relations between Orwell and his father wre non-existent for the first eight years of his life ("Orwell," The Oxford Companion 516). Orwell was considered to be "another public school boy," who alwys seemed to the with an "akward squad" (George Orwell," The Oxford Illustrated Hisory 442). In 1990-4, Orwell, his mother, and his older sister moved to England leaving Orwell's father on his own in India until he retired in 1911. Orwell continued his education at "St. Cyprian's Preparatory School under the regime of Mr. and Mrs. Wilkes," which he later brutally portrayed in his novel Such, Such Were the Joys" ("Orwell," The Oxford Companiion 516). After leaving schoo l, he joined the "Imperial Indian Police," and after five years in Burma, resigned in 1928 ("George Orwell," The Oxford Anthology 2140). Burma left him with a "lifelo...

Janet Fitch Essay

Over the years, Janet Fitch has enjoyed wider and more diverse audience. Her works were appreciated by critics, regular readers and even by celebrities. One of the popular followers of Janet Fitch is the celebrity television show host and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey who â€Å"fell in love† with Janet Fitch’s works particularly White Oleander, a story which, according to Oprah herself, is something that moved her (Oprah Talks to Janet Fitch 2). But the power of Fitch’s works is appreciated even by ordinary individuals. One of the very good examples illustrating this fact is the numerous comments among readers and prospective readers found in the Amazon. com section for Paint It Black. The readers/bloggers also pointed to the fact that the stories depict a certain high degree of realism in comparison of real life and the story. It was enveloped in a wide range of emotions (Hughes 4), a sense of closeness to real life that others describe as stories told by characters, the story and the characters both ring with authenticity (West 2); While other critics believe that the talent of Fitch involves the creation of characters which possess distinct and believable characteristics typical of an ordinary human individual (Ginsberg 4). Janet Fitch’s works is considered as praiseworthy and notable by many critics. One of the reasons why this is the case is because of how Janet Fitch’s works transcend the literary realm and impact real life. The lessons and realizations derived from her works are constructed in a design that maximizes and optimizes the ability of the works to touch the senses of the readers through Fitch’s discussion of life, death and finding life’s paths (not before losing the sense of direction first) in her works, particularly in the White Oleander and Paint It Black. An essential approach that Janet Fitch takes in tackling the issues of real human life, that makes her works and stories appreciated by the readers and touches the emotions of the readers, is her use of contemporary setting (or close to contemporary setting) and tackling about issues that almost every individual is vulnerable to suffer or is constantly suffering. The readers are more attached to the stories that Fitch paint. There are many cases that the aspect of life as tackled by Fitch through her character are issues that are seldom addressed by society and issues that many individuals are easily vulnerable to, wrapping it up around a very emotional life not just for the protagonist but also exposing the depth of the serious emotional vein found in other major and minor casts in her stories. For example, the â€Å"White Oleander† is a work that breaks off from the traditional feel good reading that gives readers an escape. Through the White Oleander, Fitch does not provide escape from reality as fairy tales do, but instead, remind the readers of the social problems and real life as reflected in White Oleander and its characters, a story described by Laura Miller as something that is â€Å"no fairytale (Miller 1). † The impact of the stories Janet Fitch wrote is centered largely on realizations which readers often can relate to, particularly during the realizations happening in the end or close to the end of the story. It is an aspect of Janet Fitch’s writing style and design which is considered by some readers as one of Fitch’s strengths as an effective writer (West 1). One of the prevailing realizations about life is how the characters eventually end up getting enough courage to face the past and the present. This was the case of Astrid in White Oleander and the case of Josie in Paint It Black (Hughes 3). But the lessons and realizations is not just facilitated by the aspects of life, of being alive and living. The instances of death also often touch a raw nerve among the readers who are affected by the works. Death, especially the death of someone special or important to one’s life, is something that everyone experienced or will soon experience. Fitch has effectively painted the emotions engulfing the person during the time of death, like the anguish Astrid felt after the death of Claire Richards in White Oleander. Depiction of death-related emotions in Paint It Black involving the suicide of Michael and the impact it has on the state of emotional and mental stability of Josie immediately after the tragedy. It is an analogy of powerful emotions including anger and dislocation something considered as beautifully described by Fitch (Campbell 3). There are also other subplots and aspects of the stories Fitch creates that are constantly present like drug addiction and sex, issues that face many individuals today. It can be one of the linchpins that allows readers to relate to the story and to the main characters, like Astrid in White Oleander and Josie in Paint it Black, who tried to cope with emotional problems through alcohol and drugs (Boulter 1). It is the same predicament of Astrid and the same predicament of many individuals in today’s life. The greatest source of emotional impact that readers can easily detect and relate to is the presence of significant mother-daughter relations as well as problems (Oktay 256) and the strong role of family in the stories written by Fitch, and with focus as well to the narcissistic tendencies of mothers both in White Oleander and in Paint it Black (Valby 1). It was revealed in the musings of the lead characters like when Astrid noted how her mother â€Å"was not herself in the time of the Santa Anas (Fitch 1),† noting the central role of the mother in the daughter’s life, not just in White Oleander but also in Paint It Black. In White Oleander, the struggle of Astrid in her emotionally unstable relationship with her mother Ingrid, who she still loved in the end, despite how Ingrid treated her when she was young, provides many instances that many mother-daughter relationships experience. Astrid’s journey around several foster homes and the perpetual need to be loved, accepted and taken care of is also a perennial emotional issue many individuals struggle with openly or in their own private recluse. A more distorted or more complex mother-daughter relationship is found in Paint It Black (Campbell 4). In these two stories, several roles of the mother and the daughter and several different situations allow readers to pick points wherein they can relate to, allowing Fitch’s fanbase to grow because of this sense of attachment to the characters/story/predicament presented in Fitch’s works. In a way, it makes Fitch a catalyst or even a channel for individuals to find someone (even fictional) that they can relate to and share similar experiences with, in the hope that the later realizations can assist the readers towards certain realizations and closures in their own personal lives and in their own personal struggles, challenges and problems. There is no doubt that in the analysis of what critics, observers, analysts and even the ordinary individual reader, Janet Fitch is a writer above average. This is because of what she wrote, how she wrote it, how she developed characters, and how these characters and stories have the power to influence the emotions of the readers as it reflected real life, real death-related issues and the process and journey towards self discovery and the unfolding of the path for the individual despite what the characters have undergone in the story, despite Josie â€Å"couldn’t settle anywhere (Fitch 8). † It is, in its own way, inspiring the readers and empowering them towards inward personal values that can make them better individuals and cope better with their own personal challenges like how the characters of Fitch did in the stories, doing in a manner considered as masterful storytelling. Boulter describes Paint It Black as â€Å"well written† (Boutler 4). Ginsberg believed that Fitch was able to make an â€Å"indelible literary mark† because of her opus White Oleander (Gindsberg 1). Farr discussed in the book about the personal connections the reader has on the different aspects of White Oleander like story and characters and how these affected them and how they reacted to it (Farr 105). Works Cited Boulter, Maryann. â€Å"Paint It Black – Janet Fitch. † Nightsandweekends. com. 2006. 16 May 2009 . Campbell, Karen. â€Å"’Paint It Black’ is a compelling tale of suicide, memory, and perception. Boston Globe. † Globe Newspaper Company. 18 September 2006. 16 May 2009 . De Turenne, Veronique. â€Å"’White Oleander’ Author Returns with ‘Paint It Black’. † NPR. 4 October 2006. 16 May 2009

Humanities Paper Essay

Humanities is a topic that has so many wide-ranged meaning in regards to historical literature and arts. After conducting much needed research on the topic at hand, the author will discuss their informational findings in a research paper. In this paper, the author will define the meaning of humanities, discuss a cultural event that has been experienced such as music, dance, theater, art, literature, etc. The author will then elaborate on how a particular event was an expression of what he/she knew about the humanities, art, style, genius, and culture of the time  period it represents. Finally the author will explain how the selected form of cultural expression compares with other forms he/she know about from the same time period. Hopefully after reading this paper, the audience will have a better knowledge about Humanities in the Past, Present, and Future. Humanities Humanities can be very abroad, but one of the meanings of humanities, according to the American Heritage Dictionary, is â€Å"Those branches of knowledge, such as philosophy, literature, and art, that are concerned with human thought and culture; the liberal arts† (American  Dictionary, 2000). Culture is a big part of humanities. These patterns, traits, and products are considered as the expressions of a particular period, class, community, or population (American heritage dictionary, 2000). Humanities has really helped paved the way for future endeavors such as the way we think, conduct ourselves, and the way we observe things. Select a cultural event you have experienced, such as music, dance, theater, art, literature, or others. 3 Defining the Humanities Paper Growing up in Louisiana, I have had the honor and pleasure of experiencing many  cultural events, but I must say my favorite cultural experience would have to be music. Music is one of the many ways I could escape from the turmoil in the world. In high school I was in the choir and my favorite instrument at the time was the piano. I use to lead the choir and sometimes, I was able to perform a solo piece while playing my piano. This was a great experience for me because I had an outlet to express myself without even speaking. My high school choir had the honor of performing at a nursing home in St. Francisville where there were a lot of singers,  ex-musicians, and dancers who were in the choir and performed around Louisiana just like my school. They really enjoyed our performance and they shared great stories about the times when they were in high school in the choir, and how music has changed since their days of playing music. Explain how your selected event was an expression of what you know about the humanities, art, style, genius, and culture of the time period it represents. I learned so much about the expression of humanities just by listening to the older  individuals talk about their experiences and the different ways they made music. They did not have the use of different instruments like we have now back in their day. These individuals made music with whatever they had and enjoyed every minute of it. They also expressed their concerns about the schools eliminating the music programs, they feel that they are taking â€Å"art† and â€Å"freedom of expression† away from our youth in the schools. Discuss how your selected form of cultural expression compares with other forms  you know about from the same time period. 4 Defining the Humanities Paper By listening to the elderly individuals at the nursing home it really gave me some insight on the cultural expression I chose which was â€Å"Music†. It showed me just by listening to each of them that music was relevant just as much then as it is now. They just had a different way of making music and expressing themselves while doing so. They made music with cups, buckets, washboards, keys, and anything that made some kind of noise. In today’s society, we now have  advanced technology which allows each one of us to have access to different instruments, such as the piano, guitar, drums, etc. Although the elderly individuals did not have access to the instruments we have today, they still appreciated what they had. Conclusion In conclusion, after conducting research on the topic at hand, the author discussed their informational findings. The author defined the meaning of humanities, discussed a cultural event that was experienced such as music, dance, theater, art, literature, etc. The author then elaborated on how a particular event was an expression of what he/she knew about the humanities, art, style, genius, and culture of the time period it represents. Finally the author explained how the selected form of cultural expression compares with other forms that he/she knew about from the same time period. Hopefully after reading this paper, the audience now have a better knowledge about Humanities in the Past, Present, and Future. 5 Defining the Humanities Paper Reference www. ahdictionary. com/.

Standing Your Ground: The Life of Joshua L. Chamberlain

Lawrence Joshua Chamberlain was born on September 8, 1828 in Brewer, Maine to Joshua and Sarah Brastow. Perhaps as a portent of things to come, Chamberlain was named after a hero of War of 1812, Captain James Lawrence. Captain Lawrence was known for never giving up the fight, and whose dying words to his men were â€Å"Don't give up the ship!† Chamberlain’s family was a Puritan, and was raised in a household that puts high value on good behavior, good education, hard work, and benevolence.THE DUTIFUL SONLawrence was the eldest of five children and had a strong sense of duty at a very early age, perhaps because he was tasked to look after his younger siblings. A great deal of his childhood was spent outdoors, and he grew up loving and respecting nature. He had a shy and sensitive nature, and was always caring of others. More and more, as Lawrence was growing up, he took to academic studies with great enthusiasm. (Wallace 1995, p. 19) He took to scholarly pursuits even as he worked the farm land to help his father. In the fields, Chamberlain was taught that how much the land gives in harvest depends on how much work one is willing to put into it. The lessons of hard work and industry and relentless determination were values that the land taught him, and one that would carry him through for the rest of his distinguished life. (Cashin 2002, p. 76).When it was time for Chamberlain to set on a course for a lifelong career, his father, a former soldier, wanted his eldest son to follow in his footsteps and serve the country during peacetime. However, while Chamberlain had already been preparing for West Point and a career in the army, Chamberlain’s mother protested because she wanted Lawrence to serve the church and become a minister. In spite her mother’s objection, Lawrence wanted to go to West Point. However, his enthusiasm was dampened by the prospect of holding a military position during a time of relative peace and stability. So in the end, his mother’s desires won, and Chamberlain decided to become a minster in the hopes of getting a commission as a missionary in another country. (Wallace 1995, p. 45)When Chamberlain was nineteen years old, he entered college. For Lawrence, who has been very close to his family, the thought of living away from his family must have been difficult. Thus, he was very shy and stammered during his first years at college at Bowdoin College at Brunswick. Gradually, Chamberlain was able to overcome his shyness and stammering speech and became a champion orator and writer. (Wallace 1995, p. 97) It was also during college that Chamberlain decided to use Joshua for his first name.At college, Chamberlain’s strength of character began showing. He was known for standing firm on his principles, even when he was going against people who had more power and authority than him. He never turned his back on the values that he believed in, and this earned him the respect of the people w ho knew him. This strong sense of honor was a value that stayed with him all his life, even when his life was threatened in the battlefield. Chamberlain also had a great love for music and he turned for it for his relaxation.When not busy with school work, he played the organ for his school chapel, a skill that he learned all on his own. His love for the organ also drew him to Frances Adams, who also played the organ for the Brunswick church choir. Frances was three years older than Chamberlain, but that age difference did not matter to them. Their romance was serious right from the start and they were engaged soon after 1852, just a year after they first met and soon after Chamberlain graduated from college. However the marriage did not happen soon after the engagement. Joshua first pursued both a seminary course and his master's degree. After finishing both, Joshua and Frances became husband and wife, three years after their engagement.THE PROFESSOR BECOMES A SOLDIERHaving disting uished himself as an orator during his college, he became professor of oratory and rhetoric at Bowdoin College a year after earning his master’s degree. Five years after, in 1861, he became the chair of the department of modern languages. Chamberlain’s ascent to chairmanship was well-deserved. He has learned several languages during his seminary course. The languages were taught as part of the preparation for overseas missionary work which was his original intent. Chamberlain was fluent in nine languages namely, Latin, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Spanish, Italian, Arabic, and Syriac.In 1861, at the same year that Chamberlain was elected the position of chair of modern languages, Civil War broke out. The youthful dreams of serving the military and fighting in the battlefield of war were once again rekindled. Or perhaps they never left at all. It may be said that Chamberlain has always been a noble soldier. When Chamberlain was given a sabbatical, supposedly for study in Europe, he immediately went to Governor Washburn for military service. Thus in 1862, Chamberlain left the halls of the academe to fight in the Civil War. His decision was met with dissent at Bowdoin College, but for Chamberlain the need to serve the country took precedence over anything else. By virtue of his education and mastery of languages, he was commissioned as Lieutenant Colonel of the 20th Regiment of Maine Volunteers.While never having actual military training, Chamberlain soon learned the ropes through keen observation. The fact that he was in charge of an actual regiment was enough reason for Chamberlain to learn as he go. All his life, he has always been a self-starter and capable of learning things by himself. Under Commander Adelbert Ames, a recent West Point graduate, Chamberlain, along with about a thousand men transformed and became trained soldiers. (Ritter & Wakelyn 1998, p. 116) Chamberlain’s youngest brother, Thomas, was also part of the same regiment , and the two would soon distinguish themselves as soldiers of the Civil War.The 20th regiment’s first order of battle was to proceed to the battle at Antietam. However, they did not saw any action in that battle. Their first actual engagement was as a reconnaissance unit at Shepherdstown Ford. In October, Chamberlain was tasked to lead another reconnaissance at the South Mountain pass. It was during this time that Chamberlain saw first hand the horrors of war. He saw dead Confederate soldiers barely out of their youth, and such sights stayed with him during the entire course of the war. (Ritter & Wakelyn 1998, p. 64)A few months after, in December 1862, Chamberlain and his men were right in the middle of the Battle of Fredericksburg, a site of overwhelming defeat for the Union. All around, Chamberlain saw dead men, and when the orders to evacuate came down, Chamberlain was tasked to lead his men to safety. The following months were uneventful for the regiment. In May 1863, a n outbreak of small pox among the regiment kept Chamberlain’s men away from participating in the Battle of Chancellorsville. To keep his men in shape and their morale up, Chamberlain constantly asked for duties and engaged the regiment in positive activities. By the end of May, Chamberlain became Colonel of the 20th regiment, after having proven himself as an able soldier and a great leader.A HERO RISESOn July 1863, the 20th regiment received marching orders to go to Gettysburg. The Union forces faced a formidable opponent in the person of Confederate General John Bell Hood. General Hood was bent on cutting down the Union lines and under his command; the Confederate Brigades advanced and went up the hill. During this engagement, a good number of Union officers were killed, leaving Chamberlain in command. Before he died, commanding officer Colonel Vincent instructed Chamberlain to stand ground. Joshua was now in a very difficult decision. He was given orders to stand ground bu t his men’s ammunition were almost spent. (Martin 2006, p. 213). Chamberlain was left to decide the fate of his men and the fate of this battled. He thus gave quick and firm orders. Having the higher ground, Chamberlain told his men to counterattack. The downhill bayonet charge caught the Confederates by surprise, and the Union held their position.   For this heroic stand, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.Soon after that historic stand, Chamberlain became commander of the 3rd Brigade. By this time, Chamberlain has become a seasoned solider who has survived many battlefields. He was regarded with respect and commanded the loyalty of the men who served under his command, particularly the men of the 20th Maine. While an officer, he never considered himself better than his men and he accorded all of them with equal courtesy and respect. He never asked for special quarters and endured the same sacrifices as his men. All these traits endeared him all the more to th e military and the public as well. He treated the dead with respect and never forgot to attend to the sick after the smoke of battle has cleared.By now an acclaimed hero, Chamberlain never stopped throwing himself into the thick of the battle. He was a natural leader and tactician, able to execute strategic commands under exacting pressure. He never feared for his life and engaged in battle with very little regard for personal safety. For him, the safety of his men and winning the ground was most important.   (Martin 2006, p. 27) At one point, he was severely wounded but refused preferential treatment, insisting that there are others whose wounds are more serious than his. For fear of a mortal wound, General Ulysses Grant, in what is believed to be the only case of promotion on the battlefield, immediately conferred the position of general to Chamberlain. Doctors thought that Joshua had very little chances of surviving his wound, but he did. A few months after, Chamberlain reporte d back to duty in spite some physical limitations brought on by his war injury.Chamberlain became commander of a new 1st Brigade, 1st Division, a unit composed of two large regiments of soldiers from Pennsylvania and New York. Not fully recovered from his injury, he was prevented from seeing any military action. However, after a month of sick leave, he returned to service, much to the dismay of his doctors. Chamberlain returned to military action during the last of General Grant's campaign on March 1865. Chamberlain and his brigade were engaged in a bayonet fight while traveling the Quaker Road and Joshua was again injured. He would have been taken prisoner if not for his fast thinking. He eluded capture by donning a Confederate officer uniform and posing as one of the Confederates. His numerous injuries could not keep him from the call of duty. Under his leadership, Chamberlain claimed the strategic and much coveted lodge on the White Oak Road. For this accomplishment in spite of i njury, Joshua was promoted to Major General by President Lincoln. (Ritter & Wakelyn 1998, p. 128).General Chamberlain survived many injuries and lived to see the end of the Civil War and the Union’s victory. When General Grant designated him to receive the first flag of surrender at Appomattox Court House, in a moving demonstration of his noble spirit, Chamberlain received the surrender with graciousness and honor. He asked that his original 20th Maine regiment be with him in this historic event, believing that all of them deserved the honor that was accorded to him. (Martin 2006, p. 87)For saving his men and the Union’s position, Chamberlain was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration in the United States. He was brave under fire, and magnanimous in victory. After the war, Joshua went back to Bowdoin as president of the college. (Ashby 2003, p. 10). During his tenure, he instituted reforms which shook the foundations of the conservati ve school. Nevertheless, his presidency, like his tour of military duty, was marked with strong leadership and honor. He lived to an old age of 84, seeing the fruits of peace wrought by many years of war. In a poetic death, he died of the old war wound that many thought he has recovered from. He still dies in the battle, as a noble soldier.General Joshua Chamberlain stands tall in an age of greatness. His name will go down in history as among the greatest soldiers. It might be said that times make the hero, but in Chamberlain’s case, the choices that he made and his nobility in and out of the battlefield made him a soldier of life. He was a product of his times, and left just in time to plant the seeds of hope for a better and kinder world. May his nobility inspire all that is good and noble in each and every one of us.ReferencesAshby, R. (2003). Extraordinary People. Black Rabbit Book.Cashin, J. (2002). The War was You and Me: Civilians in the American Civil War. Princeton U niversity Press.Martin, I. (2006). The Greatest U.S. Army Stories Ever Told: Unforgettable Stories of Courage. The Lyons Press.Ritter, C & Wakelyn, J (1998). Leaders of the American Civil War: A Biographical and Historiographical Dictionary. Greenwood Publishing Group.Wallace, W. (1995). Soul of the Lion: A Biography of General Joshua L. Chamberlain. Clark Military Books.

Reflective Journal Assignment

Reflect on your portfolio of professional development in order to demonstrate how your practice has developed across the year. BY PhDKaur Reflective Journal Assignment 3 i) Reflect on your portfolio of professional development in order to demonstrate how your practice has developed across the year. it) Reflect on the GTC research ‘How does collaborative Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for teachers of the 5-16 age range affect teaching and learning? † Reflect on the role of the professional teacher in the light of the GTC professional standards and the National Standards forQualified Teacher Status. You should link this paper to reading on teacher professionalism and opportunities for professional development. Professional Tutor: word count: 2000 Part 1 Introduction The challenge of achieving progression for a group of students, each representing individual learning backgrounds and different levels of ability, has been an area of considerable professional develop ment. If students are expected to make different rates of progress, then their experiences in the classroom must be tailored to their individual learning n pupil learning. Thus, differentiation arguably nas the greatest impact onMy teaching groups represent a diverse range of abilities and needs including English as an additional language (EAL), disabilities, or academic talent. Differentiation is synonymous with the umbrella term ‘personalised strategies for learning' and encompasses Assessment for Learning (AFL) and inclusion. Convery and Coyle (1993) demonstrate the significance of differentiation as the entitlement of every learner to have his/her individual needs and abilities catered for, and the teacher's responsibility to find effective ways of managing those needs matching them to appropriate teaching and learning styles.However within the current education system, individualised learning for all in a class of 30 pupils is compounded by inadequate behaviour for learni ng and constrained resources. Professional development My initial perception of the purposes and strategies of differentiation consisted of an expectation that all learners were expected to achieve the highest levelled learning objective, through a system of differentiated instruction. I struggled to understand what differentiation meant in practice and where it aligned with my personal perspectives of education and classroom values.The lack of clarity around regarding my expectations of differentiation meant that although I planned for progression in lessons, I failed to appreciate its value in learning for the individuals in the class. In practice, differentiating by outcome involved whole-class activities, with prior assessment data determining pupils' individual targets. Pupils expected to achieve the ‘most' learning outcomes did not, as I focused on supporting pupils of lower ability, thus different groups of pupils did not make sufficient progress.The dynamic model of le arning processes (O'Brien and Guiney, 2001) greatly nfluenced my philosophical and professional perspectives of differentiation. This 3D model encompasses a holistic view of the learning process, where pedagogical, emotional and cognitive factors must be synthesised in order to enable the learner to develop autonomy and self-awareness. The model states that differentiation should not be construed for pupils with SEN, nor should it be a purely reactive response, with teachers intervening when learners experience difficulty.I adopted the model as a framework for my planning, a key strength being the goal in achieving autonomy for the learner, as differentiation targets the development of elf-awareness. In practice this meant providing challenge and choice-making opportunities, through problem-solving activities, questioning knowledge as objective truth and reflecting upon the answers that students can or cannot give when confronted by uncertainty.The model suggests that questioning th eir own beliefs is most likely to be achieved through interaction with others, a beneficial approach as the pupils at Highbridge Academy needed to develop social skills such as team work. Shitting my tocus trom a ‘pupil-labour premium' mindset to gauge the success ot learning activities i. e. he pupils were able to achieve the task set, towards an attitude whereby I consciously planned the development of pupils' self-awareness was a crucial step in my professional development.An example of where this belief was put into practice was a lesson developing the concept of density with a Year 7 group. Students were given a list of possible activities they could complete to learn about density. The activities included: using a water table to explore properties of various objects, measuring the volume and mass of objects and calculating their density, reading about density in the textbook and watching a video showing density xperiments. The activities were based on visual, auditory, k inaesthetic, and tactile learning styles.Students had to choose and complete a minimum of two activities, from two different learning styles. These ‘choice boards' were organized so that students chose options focusing on several different skills. Reflecting upon the lesson it was clear that the ‘buzz' created in the classroom was not entirely due to the novelty of the lesson format but due to the structured activities encouraging independence and self-realisation of their own skills. Some pupils, whose prior data indicated they would not achieve the higher level learning bjectives, were able to achieve higher levels than expected.The following lesson, I used a similar format, grouping pupils together and observed that many pupils naturally gravitated towards certain roles (e. g. recording, observing, organising). In order to develop team-work skills and awareness of how teams work it was important that I made pupils aware of these roles, especially those that did not co me naturally to them. The creation of an environment involving mutual support of each other's learning was a turning point in shaping my classroom culture. Upon reflection it is obvious that this insight required me to move onto less didactic ethods of teaching.Schon (1983) values the capacity of teachers to ‘step away and undertake ‘reflection-on-practice', enabling teachers to gain confidence and intuitively respond to needs by reflecting. Following a series of ‘choice board' lessons in the 7K Forces unit I consciously planned activities which encompassed the wider skills, knowledge and understanding of science and pupils' learning experience. Thus my view of differentiation developed to encompass a long-term goal of enabling pupils to become confident, self-aware learners. Conclusion Many views of differentiation are teacher-centric, viewing the process as created by he teacher.My study of Wgotskys zone of proximal development (the gap between the actual develop ment level as determined by independent problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with peers) reinforced the need to plan the teacher-student dialogue in order to focus on emerging skills and abilities and to give students control in shaping their learning experiences. (Ugotsky, 1962). The teacher- student relationship and the pedagogical environment created, shape the quality ot learning experiences for the learner, now and in their future.My experience shows hat responding to learner's needs intuitively is a key component of AFL and differentiation. Differentiation should not be considered a concession to lesson planning, but underpin an entire teaching approach. It is equally the responsibility of the pupil and the teacher, as pupils must be prepared to identify when they need support in their learning to become independent learners. However, in order to contribute to the end of having learners become self-determining members of their community at the levels they a re most capable of achieving, then they require opportunities to exercise choice in their learning choices. art 2 The GTCE's 8 codes of professional practice highlight a series of aims that distinguish the teaching profession' (GTCE professional standards, 2009). Initially, I associated being a professional with a pre-determined product and brand image than with pedagogy. My superficial interpretation of teacher professionalism comprised of adopting behaviours in accordance with a ‘paradigm' of teaching that I assumed was expected from me from my peers and mentors. The QTS standards were a reference guide but provided a purely mechanistic outline of accomplishments validating my aptitude to teach.Current research regarding effective CPD Researching other viewpoints of professionalism and my experiences over the training year has shaped my professional ideologies and perspectives. Fundamentally, teaching centres on the concept of the ‘reflective practitioner'. Schon (1983 ) called it the knowledge acquired through ‘reflection in action', and my experiences have highlighted four essential characteristics: competence, craft, collaboration, and continual reflection.These are reflected within my goals, abilities, standards and the development of the these qualities will directly impact the effectiveness of my teaching, Pratte and Rury (1991, p. 2) defined teaching as ‘a craft profession, built on a conscience of craft, rather than a conventional ideal of professionalism'. They argued that teachers need embodied knowledge to perform their Jobs, ‘something that they learn by doing and that is experientially learned, rather than acquired in a systematic, highly formal fashion'.However, research has shown there should be a personal entitlement to professional development throughout a teacher's career, one that is not link 2005). ed solely to school targets but personalised and structured (Cordingley The use of the term ‘reflective pra ctitioner' logically entails that CPD must also be ooted in extended reflection. However, Schools often rely on ‘one-off workshops to achieve these aims, a shortcoming highlighted in an Ofsted 2009 CPD report. These approaches to CPD appear insufficient to foster learning which fundamentally alters what teachers teach or how they teach (Boyle, Lamprianou and Boyle, 2005).To support effective CPD and to ensure that acquired knowledge and skills are consolidated, implemented and shared with other teachers, research advocates collaborative CPD programmes. Sharing the expertise, knowledge and skills of teachers in the same school, in other schools and using consultants to provide in- chool programmes of support can tackle specific needs (Ofsted, 2009). Levin and Rock (2003) claim that teachers involved in collaborative CPD can become more reflective, critical and analytical when they think about their teaching style in the classroom.Little (1993) lists four categories of professio nal interaction that builds a culture of learning in practice where teachers: Engage in focused discussions about teaching and learning Observe and evaluate the teaching of their colleagues Engage in collaborative planning and design of lessons Actively teach each other and take leadership roles offering workshops This distinguishes a professional culture, where it is the responsibility of the community administrators to assure quality of the teaching staff, from that of a bureaucratic culture where administers are responsible.One of my professional goals is to strive for innovation in my practice. Collaborative CPD has been shown to foster an environment of active risk-taking where teachers try new ways of working, moving beyond the safe and familiar' (Humes 2001). This can often be stressful when confidence is undermined by a lack of experience. Cordingley et al. (2005) suggested collaboration provided ‘moral support to teachers s they work through making difficult changes'. In order to adapt and learn from experience, essential for developing the capacity to bring about purposeful change, higher order thinking is required.Resnick (1987; cited in Land and Jonassen 2008) stresses the importance of the social setting to cultivate the disposition to engage in metacognitive strategies, closely aligned to Wenger's (2007) concept of a ‘community of practice' a notion of teachers' adapting and learning from experiences gained through the actual practice of teaching and their mutual involvement in ‘study groups'. Such study groups would encourage risk- taking and provide an effective locus for learning about and inquiring into the teaching of thinking and related topics (what Shulman and Sherin (2004) refer to as a ‘big idea'). Cordingley et al. ) recommend the use ot research literature as a springboard for experimentation within CPD groups carrying out exploratory lesson planning. This promotes understanding and use of the relationship betw een abstract theoretical knowledge and experiential knowledge gained through direct classroom experience. Crucially, this ‘big idea' connects to the broader professional concerns and rofessional lives of teachers. It provides a platform where teachers can become more knowledgeable about the theory and practice of learning and teaching, motivation, and contemporary issues in education beyond their academic obligations of the PGCE.Additionally, teachers maintain an awareness of educational matters beyond the immediate scope of teaching. In light of this research and my experiences I have identified the following key areas for professional development next year. Firstly, I will develop self-evaluation, observation and peer review skills, professional dialogue and feedback. Secondly I ill dedicate an hour a week to reading professional Journals and texts. This can have very beneficial results, especially if what is read is reflected on in peer discussion.Thirdly I will focus on de veloping resources with colleagues, which should guard against isolation and repetition of ideas and work. I believe researching existing effective practice will help me as an NQT, to keep an eye on the wider world of education. In conclusion, effective CPD requires structured, peer-centric reflection. This does not depend solely on the school's provision but my own efforts in reviewing my progress and targets throughout the formative NQT year.