Monday, September 30, 2019

Marketing research proposal of Lion Ice Beer

Lion ice is a beer brewed in New Zealand by lion breweries. It has been one of the leading brands in premium beers in New Zealand but over the recent past there has been a substantial decline in sales volumes. The beer is specifically brewed for a certain social class (urban New Zealand males aged 26-39) who have incomes ranging from $35,000-$65,000. According the lion ice brand manager, the beer is within its latter stages of the brands product cycle and he feels there is need to re-engineer the brand afresh. Thus this research proposal aims at looking at some of the root causes for the products loss of market share as well as looking at ways that could restore the brands market share. The brand manager assumes that the reason for the decline in popularity is due to the introduction in the market of new brands of imported premium beers. Background: Lion Breweries Company launched the lion ice brand in 1993. The aim of its introduction was to compete with other brands in the ice-brewed segment of the market such as Carlton cold from Carlton breweries. This was in addition to the fact that ice-brewed beers were presumed to be a premium style of beer. Literature review: Marketing research proposals, just like many other types of research proposals need to be undertaken carefully. In writing this research proposal I have tried to emulate the laid down procedures for research proposals. Thus, I have used ideas from such scholars as Paul T. P. Wong, as well as David S. Walonick. These scholars have carefully described the art of proposal writing to its fullest both in qualitative and quantitative analysis. Methodology: In carrying out this research I have taken much emphasis in examining the best methodologies to use and I have come up with the following methodology. Firstly I have chosen the use of questionnaires that will supposedly be filled in by wholesalers and distributors. This is because these middle men have first hand information on what types and quantities of beer that retailers ask for. The questionnaires will help to determine the present demand as well as the supply available for the lion ice brand. In addition to this the questionnaires will also address the issue of pricing since it could also be a reason why people are avoiding the lion ice brand. In addition to these questionnaires there will be another set of questionnaires that retailers will be given by their distributors for them to be filled in by the consumers. This second set of questionnaires will target people’s tastes and preferences. This set will be geared towards the attainment of necessary information that will help to re brand the lion ice brand. This information will include issues of the alcoholic content, poster or logo image, bottle type amongst other factors. Since the New Zealand market is very large and given the time limitation I have decided to use snowball sampling technique. In so doing I will interview one major distributor of premium beers of selected cities. Once I have interviewed the distributor I will leave the questionnaires with him for them to be circulated by retailers. Once the forms are filled they will be returned back to the distributor as retailers replenish their stocks. The study will involve a lot of travelling as well as the use of telephone conversations from time to time. Due to time limitation I have chosen snowball sampling technique since it is easier under the circumstances. Since the research is supposed to take at most two months I have planned to spend the first three weeks randomly selecting distributors nationally who will be my primary subjects or participants. Within this period I will also issue the questionnaires for distribution. Once this is done I am hoping to use the fourth week contacting the distributors and knowing the degree of feedback. If this goes as planned I hope to spend the fifth and sixth week collecting the questionnaires as well as clarifying any disparities in the feedbacks. The seventh and eighth weeks I hope to analyze and compile my research findings and come up with the final recommendations. Results: After conducting the research and administering the questionnaires I will be looking forward to getting answers to the following questions. Firstly I will be able to know the current levels of demand and supply, I will also be able to know the best pricing strategy, the current tastes and preferences will also be known among others. Discussion: By undertaking this research I am positive that I will be able to come up with concrete answers necessary for the re-introduction of the brand into the market. However, due to time limitations the research will not be as conclusive as I would have wanted it to be. This may cause the results to deviate slightly from the actual case but the deviation will be minimal and negligible I believe. References: Edward F. McQuarrie. 2005. The Market Research Toolbox: A Concise Guide for Beginners. London: Sage Publications. Ian, Chaston; 1999. New Marketing Strategies: Evolving Flexible Processes to Fit Market Circumstance. London: Sage Publications The official lion brand website: www.lion-nathan.co.nz. Sunny, Crouch; &Matthew, Housden.2003. Marketing Research for Managers. Amsterdam: Elsevier. Â  

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Plastic Bags Should Be Banned Essay

Plastic bags are one of the most dangerous substances to our environment. It seems silly that plastic bags could do so much harm. You never would have guessed, right? Well, believe it or not, these bags contribute to environmental issues in several ways. For one, plastic bags litter the environment. Forests, rivers, lakes, and oceans are littered all over the world. Wind carries these bags everywhere. We are destroying our own planet and most people don’t even realize the harmful effects of these bags. They also overfill landfills, taking up room that can be used by other trash. Americans use over 380 billion plastic bags a year. For two, these bags kill our wildlife. They kill not only marine animals, but also animals on land. Many species are already becoming endangered as it is. These bags are adding to the death toll of animals, and it could increase their chances of being endangered, or even extinct. About one million mammals and sea birds die per year due to ingesting plastic bags. They are mistaken as food. The animals die a slow and painful death, usually by choking. 100,000 marine mammals die per year by eating these plastic bags. Lastly, these bags are made out of a substance that is called polyethylene. Polyethylene is a type of petroleum. Petroleum is a major source of our energy, such as heating, electricity, lighting, etc. About four to five trillion plastic bags are manufactured each year. We’re wasting all of this petroleum on plastic bags when it could be used for more important things, like automobile gas. The sad thing is, out of 100 trillion plastic bags, only 1% are recycled. It takes 1,000 years for plastic bags to break down, making them non-biodegradable. Burning these bags will not help either; it will only make things worse. When these bags are burned, it releases toxic fumes into the soil and the air. You may be asking, â€Å"What can I do to help?† Try switching to paper bags instead of plastic ones when you go grocery shopping. Paper bags are much better for the environment, and can be recycled more easily. If you are an animal lover, these actions that you could be taking would be saving animals around the world. Surprisingly, plastic bags have been one of the most lethal inventions of mankind. They have a major negative impact on humanity, animals, and our environment. We only have one world to live in, so more precautions should be enforced in taking care of it.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

A Study of Trends in Indian Partition Literature Essay

The Partition of India was the geographical division of colonial India into two bordering nation states of India and Pakistan based on religious demographics.1 It was proposed as an unsavoury but necessary accompaniment to the Independence of India from the British Empire. However, it was not only a diplomatic and administrative exercise but rather had a long-lasting psychological impact on the human population of these areas. Though Bapu2 was firmly against this idea, it was reluctantly accepted by Nehru and Jinnah as the only solution to the growing communal divide between the Muslim and Hindu communities. 3 However, what the political class had never predicted was the unprecedented amount of bloodshed, violence and widespread civil unrest that followed in its wake. Even years after this event, the perpetrators and the victims are still baffled as to the cause of this â€Å"madness†4 that gripped civilized society. In the aftermath, historians pretended to ignore it terming it unfortunate but somewhat inevitable while literature tried to come to terms with its bestiality and future implications. The authorial response of the first generation was severely limited however due to a level of emotional attachment and involvement in the subject matter. They lacked perspective and varied in two ways: either they were very brief and lacked empathy or tended to be voyeuristic in nature. The official responses attempted to historicise Partition through statistics, facts and figures while literature, to the contrary attempted to give voice to subaltern perspectives personalising victim narratives. Despite such a movement, it was not until the 70’s that it was realised that hardly any attention was paid to the experiences of women during Partition. There was a deep reluctance to address the gender atrocities committed during Partition and it manifested itself through the invisibilisation of women voices. Although it had been clear from the start that the worst sufferers of Partition violence had been women5, a stoic silence upon the tragic reality had been maintained. Many of these women had led forgotten lives and their trauma suppressed in an attempt to forget the onslaught upon their bodies and minds. Therefore, renewed efforts began to document and portray the forgotten stories of such women. But it was a complex problem in many ways. Partition had had a multifaceted impact on the women of India and Pakistan that not only defined their coming lives but also impacted the future generations as psycho-somatic memories and construction of familial structures post-Partition.6 Literature took the initiative of this task: there were two major strains of women oriented Partition narratives that emerged in the period thus. One school of thought dealt with Partition as a backdrop to the â€Å"larger narrative†. In such stories, the lives of the main characters were highlighted and their lives were allegorised to represent the trauma of the nation itself. The stories of their existence were represented dually: as human beings involved in personal dramas and as social creatures part of a larger mainframe. Their places within the higher superstructure and as creatures dominated by the larger contexts were analysed by writers. A startling example of this was â€Å"The Clear Light Of Day† by Anita Desai which never referred to Partition in specific incidents but rather subtle, broken reflections into the people whose day-to-day lives were affected by the growing communal tension and changing socio-political equations. It refers to the ties of family, friendship, kinship and love that were abruptly ruptured by the literal division of the nation. There were novels such as â€Å"Ice-Candy Man† by Bapsi Sidhwa that looks at Partition from the ‘outside’. The narrator Lenny is imbued with unique qualities that were highly unconventional for the times. She was a child, hence she had a limited worldview, a Parsee, hence not religiously biased and neither a participant, physically disabled, therefore able to sympathise with the suffering of others and, a girl therefore her narration is unapologetically gender-conscious. What she learns, is all by association. The story is a sharp attack on official discourses that denied the suffering of millions of people. Lenny’s story is not only her own but a mirroring of girl-children everywhere that were faced with questions with identity, sexuality, community and nation as a whole and how they shaped individual lives. A child is brutally honest and spares nobody and nothing. She has no inbuilt prejudices so she can speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. As a result of such experimental tales, women felt ready to finally speak up. But, their attempts were met with more resistance than expected. They were themselves reluctant to speak about they went through; it was too painful but combined with societal pressures, their mouths had been almost sealed shut from fear. For daring to break this unspoken taboo, some of them faced severe consequences and were even disowned by their own families for besmirching the family name. But such actions often took a huge toll on their mental and physical health and though they had survived, they hadn’t healed. As a result of mass migration, women were abruptly uprooted from their homes to move to a strange and unfamiliar place. They had to build their lives and homes anew, sometimes with no support system. Many of these women were so bereaved at losing their home and hearth, that they could never recover from this sense of loss. Women in traditional society had since ancient days been tasked with looking after the home. Since they were not allowed to venture outside their domain7, the home had been almost personified for them. It was a living breathing space. The only place which they could rightfully stake claim to and which was a source of comfort and solace for them. They were so tangibly attached to their land that family was synonymous with home and her identity came to be defined by her place in the home. Hence when forced to migrate, their sense of unsettlement and upheaval was immense. They could never return to their past lives and change was not so easy for these women who had never been given the opportunity to trespass their comfort zones. Some stories that movingly illustrated the dilemmas of such women are â€Å"Jadein† by Ismat Chughtai, â€Å"Sikka Badal Gaya† by Krishna Sobti Sahni and â€Å"The Thirst Of Rivers† by Joginder Paul . These women had to undergo the process of relocating their selves. Many women like Bebe from â€Å"The Thirst†¦Ã¢â‚¬  refused to leave their homes assured of its protection from evils outside. However, their families were broken up with some members choosing to stay back and some leaving for a new land. Due to differences in opinion, family members become estranged and refused to talk to each other or had problems meeting each other due to large geographical distances. Often, migrants did not have enough money to travel back and forth and permits were hard to come by. Due to mutual hostilities, communication across borders was sketchy at best. Hence, many a times, a natural void between families occurred. All the while, the matriarch of the family remained a silent witness to events. The family ties that she had spent all her life building up and nurturing were breaking up right before her eyes and she was helpless, unable to act or intervene. Who would listen to her? Partition had served to further communal tension and hardening religious identities than perhaps any event in the history of India or Pakistan. People who had lived together for several millennia with tranquillity were suddenly made conscious of their differences from each other. They who had been friends earlier were suddenly staunch enemies and women bore the brunt of these realizations. In â€Å"Peshawar Express†8, one such incident is narrated when at Wazirabad station, where Muslim, Hindu and Sikh communities had celebrated Baisakhi together for ages becomes a site of base humiliation and gruesome celebration; the women of the Hindu and Sikhs communities were paraded around naked as if they were nothing but objects of gratification for the general public. These women had become mere shells, their souls long dead. In Kamleshwar’s â€Å"Kitne Pakistan†, the author ruminates upon the fruitlessness of Partition and the breaking of bonds of families, love and friendships due to its occurrence. It is the story of a Muslim girl, Bano who falls in love with a Hindu boy, Mangal but is not able to marry him because of religious dogmas. She is told that she will cause communal riots. There is a hidden implication in this viewpoint that seems to say that the cause of every mishappening must be a woman somehow. Rules for men and women in traditional dogmatic societies are different It is ironic that men are not chastised for forcibly marrying a man of the other religion but they will not allow their daughters to choose her spouse on her own and he may never belong to another religion. There is rampant hypocrisy and hollowness in societal mores regarding women. Bano is married off to Muneer who unable to provide for his family with his own hard work resorts to selling his own wife’s body to earn money. The shamefulness of this situation is beyond imagination. These are not falsifications as advocated by fundamental religious leaders but a retelling of many women’s lives. Another kind of psychological trauma that many women underwent was the loss of a child. Many women were forced to leave their children by their husband and children during flight. Children became a burden during this time. They had to be cared for especially with crucial funds required by the family going for their supplies. Also, escapees with children were more vulnerable to attacks by rioters since they not only had to look after themselves but look after their child as well. There are real life cases documented by Urvashi Bhutalia in her book, â€Å"The Other Side Of Silence† wherein women of Muslim as well as Hindu communities were forced to desert their infants that could raise an alarm in the rioters by making noise. Sikh men told tales of killing their children, asking the author, if they should be saving themselves or their daughters? Clearly, man’s inherent selfishness had come to the fore where no one mattered more than the self. Many children were abducted during the widespread chaos to be sold off as domestic help or prostituted in the streets. Women who lost their children during this time were incessantly plagued by guilt and grief. One such woman was Kulsum from â€Å"Pali†9 who lost her child and along with him, her mental balance as well. She was blanketed completely by her grief and only the return of her child restored her sanity. But meanwhile, Zenab who had taken care of her son, Dilip when she found him lost had developed a motherly bond with him and cannot bear parting with him. She knows that she has no biological claim over him but what the mind knows, the heart does not. Eventually, she has to reconcile herself with the reality of her situation. But her life will forever be shadowed by this sadness. Women who were forced by circumstances to give up their child were forever haunted by their own actions and decisions. They were always in search of redemption and peace and could not reconcile themselves to the loss of their offspring. One example of this can be seen in â€Å"The Abandoned Child†10. Infant as well as toddler girls were left by the roadside or killed by their families to avoid making them a target. The life story of one such girl is narrated in â€Å"Where Did She Belong† by Suraiya Quasim wherein the protagonist Munni is not sure of her religious or national identity. She is pushed into prostitution by her so-called ‘saviour’11 , who only wants to use her for economic gain. She is deceived by two of her customers who pretend to love her, but leave her bereft when Partition happens. Nobody asks for her or enquires as to her whereabouts. She is deceived by everyone in her life, ultimately. There were also cases of women who were injured and deceived by members of their own community. People who had been their well-wishers and whom they trusted implicitly, took advantage of their vulnerability and preyed on their bodies. Ayesha’s12 story is the ultimate tragedy of such a ‘lady’13. In guise of protecting her and reuniting Ayesha with her daughter, Nurul takes her with him to Pakistan but betrays her trust by prostituting her instead. She is cursed to a life of assault, on her body and her mind. Her saviour turns out to her destructor. She dies a life of desolation, her own brethren refusing to come to her aid and never seeing her child again. Afroz too in â€Å"I Am Game†14 falls weak due to her instincts of providing and caring for daughter. Seeing no option left for herself and her child, she agrees to prostitution. This depicts to us the sad state of affairs during Partition, when uncertainty and insecurity reigned supreme. Man, woman or children, all had to protect themselves on their own and women for the sake of their families were forced into professions of exploitation to earn their keep. Besides these atrocities, women were also subjected to particularly vulgar sexual attacks. Writers like Ashis Nandy, Veena Das, and Mushirul Hasan describe the bizarre and horrific nature of sexual violence afflicted on women. It was pornographic in its varied forms. Their bodies were mutilated, disfigured, slogans15 branded on them like they were animals, their wombs sliced open and their foetuses savagely butchered. Women were reduced to spoils of war who were never allowed to unburden themselves or be free. They were reduced to a part of the multitude, just one of many. Many victims had been traumatised to an extent that they lost themselves to insanity. They could not cope with their reality. Many underwent derealisation16 wherein after the superficial wounds had mended, they started to deny that anything had ever happened to them. It became something of a nightmare, horrific but fantastical. Literature becomes a cathartic medium for many such women, a chance to narrate their tale. Such memoirs also provided a base for Partition scholars to analyse the feminine subject in social and historical contexts of that time period. Partition has often been termed as the dark underbelly17 of Independence but what it really exposed was the base attitudes of patriarchal Indian society, be it any religion. It revealed how women were equated with the community they belonged to. Though the violence was inter-religious in nature, the modes of inflicting violence were one and the same. All ethics were forgotten in the frenzy of religious vendetta. Revenge was used as an excuse to inflict wounds. They were the contested sites between two opposing factions and were devoid of any agency. One example may be an incident in â€Å"The City Of Sorrow†18 , where a man is forced to strip his sister naked by someone of the other religion. When given a chance to retaliate, he forces his tormentor to strip his own wife naked. Hence, the revenge is complete but ironically, in both cases, the women were the innocent parties who became the medium of exacting justice. They were expected to uphold familial and communal honour and were sacrificed at the altar of â€Å"izzat†19 if they were in danger of being captured by the enemy. The concept of honour was internalised20 hence any stain on it was beyond tolerance by patriarchal society. Therefore, to insult and hurt communal sentiments, it was natural that in order to debase the enemy and shed him of his honour, women of his community were targeted systematically. There were also women who had been indoctrinated to such an extent by religious propaganda that they committed suicide, misled into thinking that they were fulfilling their duty as women. This tradition dates back to the time of ancient Rajputs whose women committed Johar21 to sustain their honour. Hence, it has been a concept propagated throughout the history of religions, Hinduism especially. Bhishma Sahni in â€Å"Tamas† and Jyotirmoyee in â€Å"The River Churning† present such incidents where women of Hindu and Sikh communities drown themselves in wells in order to â€Å"save†22 themselves. Women of the family were the most precious possessions and were to be protected at all costs. However, when they presented an obstacle in the escape of their family, they were brutally â€Å"martyred†23 without compunctions by the family itself. The men of the family did it all in order to save themselves first and to prevent dealing with the hassle of looking after these women. Such people had no conscience in them. This is demonstrated in Shauna Singh Baldwin’s novel â€Å"What The Body Remembers† where the daughter-in-law of a Sikh family, Kusum is mercilessly killed by her father-in-law and furthermore chopped into pieces to prevent her from being â€Å"contaminated†24 by Muslims. Her womb is also removed as a symbolic gesture to signify her being pure25. We can therefore read into the implied fear and repulsion of a child born of an inter-religious union. Hence, Kusum is a victim of her own family’s moral code. Such incidents are not hyperbolic in nature but rather fictionalized accounts of reality. Women who were misfortunate enough to fall into the hands of the â€Å"other†26 and raped by them could never again return to their roots. They were dirtied and treated as untouchable because they had lost their chastity to the enemy. In â€Å"The River Churning†, the protagonist, Sutara is treated as a lower caste untouchable would be27. Though never raped, even staying in a Muslim household had damned her. She had become polluted like Sita. Like Sita, she became a victim of â€Å"social morality†.28 If women had become pregnant somehow, it was even worse for them. They were miscarried forcibly and if the child was born somehow, he or she was never accepted as a part of the family. Women themselves had to come to terms with their reality. They had to learn to let go of their self-loathing which often took root in their minds. They had to live with a child who was a constant reminder of their suffering. Yet, women learned to let go and forgive but their families could not move past this situation. The woman was given the choice of either abandoning her children or her family. Therefore, she was kept trapped in overlapping identities of woman, mother and daughter. There was no time to consider the interests of the self. The children of such women were often physically, mentally and verbally abused all throughout their lives. They were the victims of religious hatred. It left deep scars on their psyche that could never be repaired. They were often castigated for having lived and their mothers looked at with contempt for not having died in order to preserve themselves. Women often started hating their own selves when faced with a constant stream of disgust and repulsion. It is said that â€Å"Rape is the only crime where the victim is held guilty† and these women were the prime examples of this adage. They were made to feel guilty, demeaned and dehumanized to such an extent that they often felt that dying would perhaps have been a better option. Women were at the highest risk of being abducted during migration across borders. These women stranded on the wrong side were forcibly converted and married off to their abductors. They were raped repeatedly or sold off as entertainment. Women were objectified as commodities and their bodies became alien to their own selves. They were not their own persons but mere belongings. Anis Kidwai in her novel, â€Å"Azaadi Ki Chaon Mein† writes starkly about these girls who were nothing but stuff to be shared among the men who were, but slaves of their lust. In his short story, Open It!, Saadat Hasan Manto further elaborates upon the savagery doled out to these women. The main protagonist, Sakina had been ravaged to such an extent that she had lost her personality and her sanity. She was alive only physically, but emotionally and mentally dead. She knew nothing but what she had been forced to go through again and again. Her senses had been so wrecked that she only expects men to want one thing from her i.e. her body. This story presents a horrifying picture to the reader who is compelled to question if Sakina will ever recover from her trauma. Other women were forcibly married off to their abductors and underwent alienation of the self. They were conflicted as to their identities. On one hand, they felt abhorrence for their abductors. On the other hand, such marriages often bore children which caused these women to war with their motherly instincts. Ultimately losing all hope of rescue or restoration, these women had resigned to their life but, again, they were expected to return at the behest of the respective governments of the two countries. Women had become mere tools of diplomatic manoeuvring between the hostile governments who were under immense political pressure to retrieve the population of women that had been left behind or abducted during Partition. One such woman’s tale is narrated in â€Å"Exile†29 where the woman narrator is forcibly married to her abductor, Gurpal, a man who regards her as nothing more than a maid that he brought to serve his mother (Badi Ma). What is even more poignant is the fact that Badi Ma, a woman herself is not able to empathise with her Bahu30 or show kindness towards her. She is merely there to serve their needs, like a tool. Ironically, Gurpal who is clearly devoted towards his mother evidently has no guilt about ill-treating a woman of another community. We can see here the oppressive influence of patriarchal society that does not allow for women to exercise an opinion of their own. The narrator has never been able to accept Gurpal as her husband. In nine years she has never able to understand why her brother, whom she dearly loves has not come to rescue her. She feels lonely and abandoned by her loved ones. She longs for her home and wants her life to end at last so she can be at peace. When the soldiers arrive to rescue her, she knows that she cannot return since she will not be accepted back as a ‘mother’. And she cannot leave her children. Hence she hides from the soldiers. Her apprehension of the other option can be justified by reading â€Å"Lajwanti†31 whose tragedy is shrouded by complete silence. She was treated abominably by her husband, Sunderlal who asserts his domination over her body and mind by beating her like an animal. She bore it all as part of her wifely duties clearly adhering to traditional norms of domesticity. But when she is abducted during Partition chaos, her husband, perhaps, feeling remorse for how he had treated her, became a campaigner for the rights of abductee women. He advocates their rehabilitation and reacceptance into society but when his wife, Lajo is restored to him, he distances himself from her and sets her on the pedestal of a goddess. She feels alienated, lonely and longs for her old life where she could at least interact with her husband. In the present, her husband wants her to forget her sufferings and not to speak of them. But can the past really be forgotten as easily as he wanted it to be? Many women who had built new lives for themselves post-Partition often came face to face with their pasts when their lost loved ones returned back to them. In this situation, what was the woman to do? Should she abandon her present life to return to her past happiness? This is obviously a problem to which there is no clear-cut solution. But it was often expected of women to move on from their pasts and not look back but even they are living, breathing human beings with feelings and emotions. These may be unwanted but cannot be so easily banished from the mind. Women end up feeling conflicted all throughout their lives. One text that accurately depicts one such situation is â€Å"A Visitor From Pakistan†32 where the protagonist Saraswati is trapped between her first husband, Baldev whom she had thought dead; and her husband at present, Sunderdas who had saved her and her parents during the riots. Her own mother chastises her for even talking to Baldev so then who will understand her predicament? She is blamed for something that she is not even responsible for. Partition left a long-lasting impact on the women who witnessed and suffered through it. They passed on the lessons they learned to their daughters hoping for a better future for them. It is an important part of women’s history and it should be analysed carefully to change the conservative thought processes of Indian society to avoid women from becoming subjects of patriarchal oppression and break the repetitive patterns of history. END NOTES : 1. India and Pakistan were divided along the Radcliffe Line with Muslim majority areas seceded to Pakistan and Hindu-Sikh majority areas to India. 2. Mahatma Gandhi was deemed the â€Å"Father Of The Nation† and hence affectionately called Bapu by the general populace. 3. J.L. Nehru and M.A. Jinnah were leaders of the Congress party and Muslim League respectively. They were not agreeable to sharing power in the united govt. of sovereign India and hence the only option was to divide the country with both parties ruling over their majority vote areas. 4. The metaphor of madness was used by many Partition writers like Saadat Hasan Manto in â€Å"Toba Tek Singh† to describe the religious hatred that changed normal people into rioters, rapists and murderers. 5. J.L. Nehru stated this in The International Women’s Conference in 1947 alluding to the extreme violence perpetrated upon women in North India. 6. Ideas postulated by Carl Jung and supported by Freudian theories. 7. Women were kept under purdah and not allowed to meet with people outside the family. Women lived in separate quarters of the house called the ‘antahpur’ which was solely in their control. 8. written by Krishan Chander 9. written by Bhishma Sahni 10. written by Gurmukh Singh Musafir 11. Ironic since Munni’s saviour is herself a victim of circumstances and Munni is just a way to earn more money. 12. â€Å"A Grave Turned Inside Out† by Ibrahim Jalees 13. Ayesha was the lady of a noble family but debased to the level of a common prostitute. Shows that societal hierarchies were suspended during Partition. 14. written by Sultan Jamil Nasim 15. The slogans Hindustan Zindabad and Pakistan Zindabad were carved onto their bodies as validating gestures of the victimiser’s own national identity. 16. Derealisation is a psychological condition where the subject deludes himself/herself into thinking that their present reality is illusory and unreal and that reality is different. 17. Independence was achieved after a long struggle, so there was jubilation among the people but at the same time, this happiness was marred by the grief of Partition and its aftermath. 18. written by Intizar Hussain 19. Izzat is one of the basic concepts of Hindu womanhood where a woman’s honour is defined by her chastity and any outrage of her modesty stains her honour as well as her family’s. The family’s honour is an extension of the woman’s honour. 20. Internalisation is the process of integration of certain values as part of the self-identification. It becomes a part of one’s self-image. 21. Johar is the ancient Rajput tradition of women jumping into huge fire-pits to save their honour from the enemy’s army if defeat seemed imminent. 22. Women jumped into wells to protect themselves from rape and mutilation. Dying chaste was preferred to living a life of humiliation. Hence, they were saved in the eyes of society. 23. Women who committed suicide were venerated because they were believed to have died for a noble cause. Hence, their deaths received social sanction and appreciation. 24. If women were raped, their bodies no longer remained solely of their religion. And, hence, inter-religious taboos were applied to such women. Hence chopping of the bodies signified that no one of the other side had had sex with her or would be able to. 25. The womb was removed to signify that it did not carry a Muslim bastard child and her ability to do so is removed from her. 26. During conflict, the opposing faction is alienated and presented as someone strange and unfamiliar to the minds of the mob. This requires dehumanization of the people from the other side so that they do not evoke emotions of sympathy. 27. The taboos associated with untouchability are not allowing them to eat and drink from the same vessels and prevent from touching them. 28. Sita was banished from Ayodhya because even though she was pure, the people of Ram’s kingdom did not believe her. Doubts were cast on her character since she had lived in Ravana’s Lanka for a long time. 29. Written by Jamila Hashmi 30. When a bahu arrives in her marital household, she is bedecked with jewels, dressed in finery and serenaded by shehnai. She is full of happiness and hope. Here, the narrator is exactly opposed to this situation and yet, ironically she has become the bahu of a family. 31. written by Rajinder Singh Bedi 32. written by Ramlal BIBLIOGRAPHY: 1. â€Å"Partition In Fiction: Gendered Perspectives†, Isabella Bruschi, New Delhi, Atlantic Publishers & Distributors (P) Ltd.,2010 2. In The Heat Of Fratricide: The Literature Of India’s Partition Burning Freshly (A Review Article)†,Jason Francisco 3. â€Å"Stories About The Partition Of India†, Vol. 1.,Ed. By Alok Bhalla, Delhi,Harper Collins, 1994 4. Re-Membering Woman: Partition,Gender And Reorientations, â€Å"Narrating Partition:Texts, Interpretations And Ideas†, Sukrita Paul Kumar, Indialog Publications,2004

Friday, September 27, 2019

When Harry Met Sally and Mark Knapp's 10 Stages of Relational Movie Review

When Harry Met Sally and Mark Knapp's 10 Stages of Relational Development - Movie Review Example This research will begin with the statement that a relationship between two individual always passes through different phases. Rob Reiner's romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally  is a movie which gives an idea about how a relationship can grow between two strangers, what are the different phases their relationship can pass through and what are the common characteristics that a relationship can have. When Harry Met Sally is a romantic movie directed by Rob Reiner, released in 1989. The main two characters of the movie Harry and Sally were played by  Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan. The movie begins with two unfamiliar persons Harry and Sally, newly graduated from the University of Chicago jointly travel in a car from Chicago to New York, a place where they would find their living. In this movie, for a period of 11 years, during the basic stage of their relationship, both Harry and Sally debated about a common fact and that was can a man and women be a non-sexual friend or not. If we ana lyze both the characters, Harry give the impression of carefree attitude, but is doubtful enough to â€Å"read the last page of a book first†; in case he dies, he says, â€Å"at least he'll know how it ends. And know-it-all Sally insists that Ingrid Bergman really wanted to leave Humphrey Bogart. From the dialogue of Sally, ''I don't want to spend the rest of my life in Casablanca with a guy who owns a bar† her attitude towards life becomes very clear and also clearly represents who she is at that point of time. It presents the story of ten years down the line when Sally had a break up with her boyfriend and Harry’s wife left him and they again become best friends. Mark Knapp's 10 stages of Relational Development and the movie Harry Met Sally: To analyze the relationship development, Mark Knapp discussed10 different stages associated with it. Adler and Rodman in their book discussed all these stages. Although it is not an interpersonal theory still according to his concept the ten stages of an interpersonal relationship are â€Å"Initiating, Experimenting, Intensifying, Integrating, Bonding, Differentiating, Circumscribing, Stagnating, Avoiding, and finally Terminating†. If one analyzes the movie When Harry Met Sally, it is very clear that relationship development not always follow Knapp’s 10 stage of development. If we analyze the movie then it is clear that out of first five stage of relationship development initiating was started when they first meet, then they were trying to find out whether a friendship among boys and girl can happen without any sexual relation, that is the experimenting phase. Later on, their friendship intensifies but it was split asunder after a spur-of-the-moment night of passion when she was upset about an ex-marrying someone else. The flow of the movie also resembles the way Adler and Rodman mentioned in their book about the flow of stages of relationship development among them. Their relationships have the stages of initiation, then integration of their thought process, and then they slowly started to like each other as their bonding grew. The main thought process which they were thinking about was related to whether friendship only related to sex or not. As they started to get involved in own personal life, slowly their interaction decreases, as mentioned by Adler and Rodman, it was the circumscribing stage. This was followed by avoiding. But when in their own life both of them separated from their partners they meet again, and during that time they do not have the necessity to start the relationship from the first stage again. Another key point associated with this movie is the self-disclosure. Self-disclosure is a key part of the integrating stage of the relationship development. When any couple reaches the integrating stage they are already very close to one another.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

MidTerm Two Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

MidTerm Two - Term Paper Example Plato on the other side argues that the best rational political order leads to harmony and unity in a society. He says that behaviors of people determine the outcomes of any political endeavor. If dialogue is initiated, then there is the belief that there would be some political order (Kennedy 152). Plato insists that justice is the best character that leads to a political order. Plato’s argument seems to be best since it urges people to prepare and ensure that everything is in order before politics is initiated. On the other hand, Aristotle argues that only the happy and virtuous people can participate in politics. For both ideas of Aristotle and Machiavelli, there is belief in a spectrum of some diverse categories for exercising social development and organization. Both believe that social organization can function as an on-going negotiation of time among the individuals with desperate aims. It can also function as a partnership that aims at persuading common goals (Gross et al.

Why Individuals Find Change Difficult to Achieve Case Study - 1

Why Individuals Find Change Difficult to Achieve - Case Study Example As the discussion outlines, people accomplish personal change when they are willing to give up comfortable ways of thinking and acting. Change is ‘hardwired’ if an individual is attempted to it through training, efforts and some practical works. ‘Hardwired’, a term normally used in neuroscience, means that qualities are fixed and are in place when people are born; and these qualities are ready to be activated or triggered by their genetics or in response to their concerned environment. More specifically, people are hardwired if they do not serve willingness to a specific change, but they are ready to change due to special training or hard working on it. It is how change becomes difficult for some people. In attempting to change, often people need to use more information and intense energy in processing new materials. This in turn requires the brain to work hard. People use intense energy if they are less skilled or having less preference. This is also anothe r reason why individuals feel change a difficult attempt. The article stressed that change is always possible, but it needs efforts. Personal change is motivated by pleasure and avoidance of pain. Change is not hardwired when the individual has an aspiration toward a specific role and it requires greater influence. Avoidance of pain is a motivator as an individual is prompted to become compassionate or promoted and thus he tries to change. Personal change occurs only when an individual move through four steps; awareness, analysis, alternative and attack. First, the individual realizes that something is not working, and then reflects on what something needs to change. Next, the individual seeks alternative options for change and then he decides on a course of action. It is well documented from the research findings that individuals and organisations usually resist changes.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 46

Essay Example Thesis statement: Frankenstein, the novel by Mary Shelley represents the emotional problems faced by the monster and these problems originate from isolation or alienation and a sense of not belonging faced by it in the mainstream society. The problem of isolation/alienation faced by the monster in the mainstream society is interconnected with Victor Frankenstein’s (say, the creator of the monster) deep interest in outdated theories and experimentation. To be specific, Frankenstein developed the technique of filling life to dead bodies and it eventually led to the creation of the monster. Besides, he collected bones to create the monster. But Frankenstein failed to create a beautiful human being. Instead, his creation was a monster with yellowish skin and ghost like appearance. This failed experimentation is the grass root level reason behind the isolation/alienation faced by the monster in the mainstream society. From a different angle of view, Frankenstein expected a beautiful human being. But his failure to create a human being horrified him and he totally ignored the monster. Besides, he tried to escape from his responsibility to help the monster to lead a normal life like others. So, one can easily identify that Frankenstein’s attempt to save himself from his responsibility and duty to help his creation eventually led to his untimely death in the end. In the novel Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein made clear that â€Å"A new species would bless me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me† (89). Moreover, Frankenstein tries to destroy his creation but his attempt did not help him to save his family from it. The monster tries its level best to communicate with its creator, but for vain. So, one can see that Frankenstein’s irresponsible attitude eventually led the monster to be the victim of isolation/ alienation in the soc iety. When the monster faced the sense of not

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Communicating with a Diverse Audience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Communicating with a Diverse Audience - Essay Example By diversity we are not only referring to ethnic differences but also other demographic factors such as age, gender, social class and religious beliefs. Therefore in our firm, we never use language that seems to target any particular group nor do we allow jokes that might accidentally offend someone's religious or cultural beliefs. Communicating with our employees and other stakeholders is however extremely important and critical to company's success. Over the years, we have learned that the more the communication, the better the understanding people have and the less confusion and conflict we face. Communication is regular done in form of both internal and external messages. We have an intranet that allows horizontal as well as vertical communication. The company website has a bulletin board where important messages are placed and there is a forum that allows for comments on new happenings. Change is the essence of business success today but it is change that generates most resistance. In our organization, we know that whenever any change is being introduced, people refuse to accept it readily at first if they fail to understand its significance. Thus, we have developed a culture of communicating about change before it is brought into the organization. To communicate after change has been introduced can often backfire. It is important to prepare the employees and others for change when it is being anticipated. This helps in reducing resistance, which can make the change process easier. We realize that whenever change is to be introduced, people must be taken into confidence not only so they can be informed but also to tell me how they can benefit from this change. Audience benefits are very critical to success of communication and thus we keep that in mind every time our organization is planning change. One key example of our organization's commitment to its employees is the time when we were planning to introduce robotic technology in our production unit. Organization understood that this was a big change and could result in serious resistance. But it also meant improving productivity by 65%, which could lead to lower costs in the long run. The firm however refused to let this change affect employees in a negative manner. We were more concerned about our employees' welfare than anything else. We knew that we had to improve productivity and our plan for introduction of robots could bring in serious improvements but we didn't want this to affect our employees. The organization first identified the way in which this change could affect our people. We realize that some people in the production department will have to be moved. We also knew that many people might not know how to adopt the new technology so training had to be arranged. Third, we had to find way to convince the audience of the benefits of adopting this new technology. But these benefits had to be audience benefits not organizational benefits. This was a critical task and failure to communicate properly could produce negative consequences. The first important step we took was identifying the ways in which we could accommodate the surplus staff. We didn't want them to leave but some of them had to be moved to other departments. We looked at the strengths and weaknesses of our staff and then decided what would the next most suitable position for them.

Monday, September 23, 2019

Developing Cybersecurity Law and Policy Assignment

Developing Cybersecurity Law and Policy - Assignment Example Other sections of the Register include the presidential document, reader aid and federal register xml files. These sections guide the users who are mainly federal agencies on new regulations and prerequisite information to participate in rulemaking (GPO, 2013). The Federal Register is used by the relevant agencies to call for public participation in policy creation (Mead, 2004), as the majority of civil users bring in ideas that may not be available within federal workforce. Citizens are also in a position to keep track of current updates on cyber security laws and regulations. Daily updates ensure continuous information gathering and dissemination since cyber technology is highly dynamic (Cate, 2009). Topic 2: US Cyber Command US Cyber Command is a sub-unit in the US strategic command that was created by the Office of the Secretary of Defense in 2010. It is charged with planning, integrating, coordinating, synchronizing and directing military cyber space operations and managing fede ral information networks. This was an essential step in reinforcing the Department of Defense’s capability to remain in control of its information network reducing vulnerability to cyber warfare (Kenneally, 2001). This is especially the case since intelligence information handled in the network should remain protected for national security (Kenneally, 2001). ... The president appoints a cyber security coordinator commonly referred to as the cyber czar who is a government employee. It is necessary that this position be held by the government to control biased service by private institutions that may manipulate the information systems, hence making it more vulnerable to hackers (Kenneally, 2001). Academia may have its practice based on theoretical information, thus less flexible to the dynamics involved in cyber operations. This handicaps its efficiency in service delivery. An individual who is open-minded is the most appropriate to hold this position since they have a realistic approach to cyber security management (Kenneally, 2001). Topic 3: Renewed Interest in Public-Private Partnerships Several frameworks have been put in place to improve cyber security in both the public and private sectors. Public-private partnership is essential for effective protection of U.S assets, infrastructure and economic interest from attack on cyber activities. This kind of partnership enhances information sharing, minimizing the risks of the use of cyber facilities especially in the era of increased global connectivity. Partnership enables pooling of resources required for effective workforce education and training and investment in cyber security (Guttmann et al., 2003). Both the public and private sectors should be actively involved in policy making and setting cyber law that remains ahead of possible risks and in pace with technological developments. It is of importance to create an enabling environment that respects the privacy and civil liberties of all partners involved while at the same time enhancing optimal collaboration in

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Leadership Profile Essay Example for Free

Leadership Profile Essay When examing what makes a good leader you can ask a very simple question, what I believe to be a very important factor, which is, do they have passion in what they do? Leaders in business today have to have a passion for what they do in order to make a successful and influential leader. The success of any company is only as great as the employees on the forefront make it. Transformational leadership is a form of leadership that occurs when leaders ‘broaden and elevate the interests of their employees, when they generate awareness and acceptance of the purposes and the mission of the group and when they stir their employees to look beyond their own self-interest for the good of the group† (Bass, 1990). Transformational leadership has the ability to generate a higher commitment to the company from its’ employees. I believe that Sam Walton, the Founder of Walmart had this ability. Walmart as we know it today evolved from Sam Walton’s goals for great value and great customer service. â€Å"Mr. Sam,† as he was known, believed in leadership through service. This belief that true leadership depends on willing service was the principle on which Walmart was built, and drove the decisions the company has made for the past 50 years. So much of Walmart’s history is tied to the story of Sam Walton himself, and so much of our future will be rooted in Mr. Sam’s principles† (Walmart, 2012). You can see this principle the moment that you walk in to any Walmart store. There is a greeter there to meet you everytime. Sam Walton made sure that from the time that you walked in the door that you had great customer service experience. Not only will it make the customer feel welcomed, but it will also help repeat business. To obtain this type of customer service level, the leader behind the scenes needs to create â€Å"buy ‘in† from their employees. The employees need to believe in what they are doing and understand the goal of the company. One of the towering strengths of Sam Walton was his unique ability to gain the trust and support of the people around him. He called his customers â€Å"neighbors† or â€Å"guests† and he referred to the managers in his company as ‘coaches’† (Bergdahl). The first Walmart was opened in 1962 and by 1970, the company went public because of how much it had grown. This is a true testament of a good leader having a clear vision of what he wants for his company and what he expect from the employees. His vision alone is what makes him so effective. He believed that offering lower prices and greater customer service can make all the difference to a business. Seeing the success of Walmart proves this theory. Employees easily understand the goal of the company. They too benefit from the lower prices. According to Michael Bergdahl, author of The 10 Rules of Sam Walton, Sam Walton was a man who had a vision, never gave up, and was optimistic. These are just a few of the characteristics of Sam Walton that have affected many people. â€Å"Walton also a leader who close to the employees. Often vanity top executives has led to the collapse of a company. They tend to build a distance (gap) with front-line employees. The bigger of the company, usually the greater the possibility of these leaders have lost contact with the front-line employees. But not so with Sam Walton, he was a leader who humble and modest. Throughout his life, he often visited the front lines of every store. Sam Walton’s leadership style is close to the employee coloring corporate culture of Wal-Mart today† (Bergdahl).

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Characteristics Of A Community Worker

Characteristics Of A Community Worker Introduction Human beings have been engaged with a series of occupations from hunting to what we are today. As societies and communities began to exist, several actions were done simply to tackle a common problem or to spread awareness resulting to what we call today as voluntary work. Voluntary work when it relates to the needs of a community, it is referred to as voluntary community work. The professional and voluntary community workers are both motivated by the incessant need to contribute positively to the community. Both types of community work include doing some sort of work that benefits the community. This could be anything from taking care of people in old peoples homes, to working for the children and their families. Community service comes in many different forms, such as belonging to a service organization, making donations to the needy, spending your time contributing towards the betterment of the society. Some community workers may be called upon to perform admirable actions like saving peoples lives, however there are smaller ways that an individual can help his community. (Standard Journal) Professional community service relates to everything that is done for the community for money and for acquiring skills and experience. Professional and voluntary work, are different ways of doing community service. The voluntary service is based on self motivation and the urge to improve the community without any selfish reasons while the major motivator of a professional community worker is his salary. Today the two ways are being combined. Most individuals and companies nowadays actively tackle social issues while taking advantage of personal profit and recognition within the industry. Community Service Community service is about helping others either directly or indirectly in order to improve the condition of the community in which we are living. Community service is different from other institutions as it deals with local problems rather than global problems at large. Community service is based on the idea that it is a good thing someone is doing without expecting anything in return. The real beauty of serving your community is that you get to help others, and in the end, it helps you too to have a better community with happy people and a safer environment. There are many reasons people do community service and there are many different ways in which to contribute, but the main idea is to make the world a better place to live. (communityserviceopportunities.php) There are various reasons why people engage in community service, some are voluntary and some are non voluntary. Some people like to do community service because they feel that it is the best way to improve their community. There is always somebody for whom your help and time can be necessary; this is good reason to work at giving back to the community. Many persons view community service as an important aspect of citizenship or values, while others do it because of their religion. Yet there are people who engage in community service in order to fulfill requirements for certain company, as a need to graduate from an institutions, or even as a mandatory legal punishment given by judges instead of or in addition to jail time or fines. The concept behind this is that the law can find a way to punish criminals or offenders at the advantage of the community and giving law breakers a reminder about what it means to be a good citizen. (communityserviceopportunities.php) Irrespective of the reasons to be a community worker, it is essential to remember that community service itself takes on many forms from cleaning the road monthly to helping children in poverty. There are many ways to make the community a nice place to live. Prevalent forms of community service are beautification efforts such as picking up garbage or ameliorating landscaping work, while many others are focused on education or welfare of children where community workers can improve writing skills of children of making a safe place for them when their parents are away from home. Characteristics of a community worker The community worker must be trained and knowledgeable but this is not all. The persons who need to investigate and assist communities must know and understand themselves. Before one can evaluate what is happening with others, community workers must be centered and above reproach in their own life. The worker must be aware of the code of ethics associated with the job he is doing. Their ability and commitment to act ethically is an essential aspect of the quality of the service offered to those who use community services. (National Code of Ethics, 2012) A community worker needs to be able to put aside his biases and deal with others in a logical and professional. If someone is honest with himself, if he knows his lacking, see his capacities, and is aware or his personal beliefs, he will be more likely capable of putting them on one side to tackle others justly and no prejudices. It is difficult to discuss with a family member who raped his biological daughter of 13 years old like in Mauritius in 2011. (Le Defi, 2011) But, if you are a community worker, you need to have good relationships with that abuser in order to develop trust and ease healing. A community worker must remain neutral and collect facts. A community worker needs to have active listening skills, not to formulate an answer, but hear what is being said. From this data, the worker needs to make quick decisions in difficult situations. Not listening actively may cause unnecessary pain to people who are involved. Each family feels that they are the only one to have come across a tragic experience; however there are many things in common that exist in most of the cases. (Fairbairn, G.J. 2002) The community worker needs to learn how to remove stress. Stress is one of the main causes of heart attacks. The worker needs to know how to remove stress from his life for instance by doing meditation or physical exercises. Dealing with other peoples issues is difficult if you have feelings. The quote is, God does not give anyone more than they can handle, but community workers handle problems that cannot be discussed with other people apart if the case is really complicated like the person wants to harm himself or someone else. To become a successful community worker, one needs to developl maturity as well as experience. One of the most important skills for a community worker is to be able to empathize. Community workers must go beyond sympathy. To succeed as a community worker, one must feel true empathy for people and be able to place yourself in another persons position. (Fairbairn, G.J. 2002) Voluntary community workers Voluntary community workers work on a salary free basis. They perform actions that benefit the community. They dont get money for the work they do. Furthermore, they are not required to be qualified to perform voluntary community work; they just need to be motivated to do good for the community. Voluntary community work is a group of people or a person who is wants to work for the welfare of the community without being paid. They are helping out other needy neighbors without taking any money for it. These workers should not ask money for their contribution. They should work sincerely with dedication. Being voluntary workers, they should not think that they do not need to put all their effort in what they are doing as they will not get any revenue. Professional community worker Professional community workers are required to be trained and qualified for the work they do, such as a doctor or a manager. Professional community workers get a salary like any other employees. Professional community work is most often done by organizations for money. They get money for whatever they are doing. These workers should perform their work loyally but also expect to get paid for it. They work for the community while being paid and have all the requirements necessary to be able to work towards the betterment of the (community. (Community Dev J.1980) Service delivery Service delivery can be defined as the relationship between the community worker and the inhabitants of the community, and those who benefit from the services, it comprises of both the services and the support provided. Community based approaches Community based approaches is defined as a group of approaches, put into practice in community-level programs or as part of local programs. Amount of involvement differ along set of factors from consultation with inhabitants to use of resources, decision making and implementation of the program in the community. Participatory approaches have existed since many years but the amplitude of beneficiary control in development projects differs considerably. (Cliffe et al., 2003) Community-based approaches are becoming very common and are used in many situations in the presence or absence of a capable government. Community-based approaches can be adopted in places where regular help is not available. Advocates of community-based approaches state that their built in adjustability makes it easy to interfere in places where the government is fragile, however those against say that in practice they often miss to be established, or attenuate. (Cliffe et al., 2003) Objectives of community-based approaches Just like service delivery, a set of objectives are associated with community based approaches. Four types of objectives will be discusses further: empowerment, building organizational capacity, improving efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability and strengthening local government. Empowerment of people and communities Community-based projects have the capacity to be more encompassing, to empower communities, and enhance relationships between civil society and the state (Narayan, 1998; Alkire et al, 2004). Some have doubts on whether complicated things such as empowerment can be tackled through participation in community development projects (Mosse, 2001). Sometimes it is viewed as a way to ameliorate problems while in other situations it is seen as a factor having a built in value and is a limitation in itself. Improve efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of interventions There is large consensus that community-based interventions have the capacity to be more acknowledging to the necessities and aims of inhabitants. Furthermore, there are proof that community-based projects are more productive due to lower degree of bureaucracy and excelling information of local costs (McLeod, 2003) .The projects that include mostly resources available locally tend to be more sustainable. (Ribot, 1995). Build organizational capacity at local level Mobilization of communities determines difficulties, plan and manage projects help to empower community ability for group process. Significant questions encompass the term community and the ways in which the necessities of sub-groups and people are depicted, for instance black or poor people. Community-based approaches try to establish social capital but while this is a beneficial idea it is most of the time put into practice uncritically with improper understanding of cultural and political condition and vested concern in the status quo (Harris, 2001). Strengthen local governance Community-driven progress is more and more being advanced as a way of strengthening state-community synergies (Das Gupta et al., 2004). These approaches capacitate communities to order services and provide a means for rebuilding trust and accountability and re-building the social contract between communities and the state. The aims of making more powerful local government and distributing improved services are often confused. Strength to meet short term goods targets often divert the mind from organizational changes required to make service delivery systems sustainable in the long run. Service delivery of a voluntary community worker People have sometimes worked with the idea of wanting to find some way to give back to their community, and help those who cannot help themselves. Some can volunteer and simply talk to people so that they have a good day and making them happy. Others may to hospitals and help the old people, having conversations and listening to them, thus acquiring maturity. These individuals are most of the time more than grateful to have a talk with someone and being listened to. Similarly, volunteers are also able to help children by doing activities like drawing with them. Volunteers are satisfied with the happiness of the people whom the help. (Helping others is good for you, 1998) By volunteering and doing community service, many people get a maturity that they cannot get anywhere else. Volunteers are given the chance to see life from different perspectives, and gain a lot of humility at the end. . (Helping others is good for you, 1998) When volunteering, these people are able to give as much of their time as they want, the commitment becomes theirs. They have no problem in getting involved with the work as it is being done out of their freewill. By doing community work voluntarily, an individual not only makes a difference in his life but also in all the lives of people who will benefit from his service. (Billig S.H. 2002) Those who engage in voluntary community service are motivated by a personal force, they are happy if they are able to make a difference in somebodys life and do not expect anything in return. Volunteers are altruist by nature that is they like to help people without any interest; they have compassion for those who need help. When doing community service voluntarily, the volunteer will not care about timing if he really wants to help the other person; he will not have to respect the organizations working hours to help someone. When working for an organization, the workers will have to abide by the rules and regulations assigned, if they want to help someone they will have to do so only during working hours. (Billig S.H. 2002) Service delivery of a paid community worker To be able to work for an organization and being remunerated, the community worker must be trained, that is he will possess the skills, experience and will understand the importance of the codes of ethics. Thus he will be in a better position to take rapid and effective decisions for the welfare or the community. To get the job, the individual have the necessary qualifications and fulfill the organizations requirements to be considered worthy thus he will b at a good position to take wise and good decisions. (Learning In Deed, 2005) Being a professional worker, the person will have all the resources necessary to be able to help the needy; he will furthermore be able to use all the resources effectively without giving too much or too little. Also the worker will have a good database, the contact details of all the persons who can be of any help. The company will provide back up to the worker in case of accident, he will be covered by insurance unlike voluntary community workers. (Learning In Deed, 2005) Working in an organization only as a means to get a salary can also be problematic as the community workers main objective will not be to help people in the community but rather to earn money. The worker will not have the same motivation to do something good for others as he will anyway get his salary at the end of the month. When working with the elderly and children, the community worker might not feel happy and might also not make an effort to put a smile on other peoples face. His prime objective will not be to make others happy, the worker will not be satisfied by seeing the neighborhood happy unlike with voluntary community worker. The community worker does his work only as a means to get a salary will have no interest to help people or to work for the betterment of the community. If he encounters a case outside his working hours he will not try to help the people needing help as he will not consider it as part of his work. As soon as his working hours are over he will find it of no use to work for this community. (Learning In Deed, 2005) Critical Analysis It is true that while engaging in community service out of free will the individual will feel happy to be able to contribute for the welfare of the community, however the voluntary community worker will face time constraints, he may be doing the work voluntarily as he is not able to do it on a full time basis as he has already some other engagements. Furthermore voluntary community workers will not have enough resources to help those who need help, for instance building a place for children to spend their leisure time when parents are absent require a lot of resources which unpaid workers might not possess. They will also lack the skills that are needed in difficult situations like dealing with delinquent children; they may take the wrong decisions unconsciously and are guided by their emotions instead of being logical. On the other hand, paid community workers may possess the required qualifications, skills, experience, resources and database but if their only motivation is their sa lary, they will not make any effort to solve the problems of the people in the community. Conclusion Hence, as we can see both voluntary and paid community works have their advantages and disadvantages. The best thing that can be done is to merge the two so as to be able to really benefit the community. By merging the two types, the worker will have the resources to help improve the locality, he will be able to take the right decisions with all the skills, qualifications and by respecting the codes of ethics, have time to handle the cases, and he will have a sense of worthiness helping the neighborhood moreover in return he will get a salary to be able to cater for his expenses. The community worker should not however work only as a way to get a salary. The government can empower both professional and voluntary social workers in terms of resources, access to information and technology and provide training, so that they can do their work more efficiently. By merging voluntary and professional community work, not only will the community benefit but the worker will also gain maturity.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Abnormal psychology personality disorder

Abnormal psychology personality disorder Introduction Abnormal psychology refers to psychology branch that examines unusual behavioral patterns, emotions and thoughts that affects ones family, social, and work life. Personality disorder arises when ones personality becomes inflexible and extreme. Most of the disorders takes effect immediately after birth and later develops into a full blown one in adulthood. Clusters of Personality disorders   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are three clusters of personality disorders i.e. Cluster A, Cluster B and Clusters C. Cluster A refers to those personality disorders that are considered as eccentric or odd. Disorders experienced under this cluster involve paranoid, schizoid and Schizotypal disorders. Each of the condition under cluster A possesses different traits. For example, traits portrayed under paranoid include unwillingness to trust other people, having many baseless doubts about something and holding of grudges more often. Cluster B are those personality disorders that are related to erratic or emotional disorders and include antisocial, histrionic, borderline and narcissistic disorders. Cluster C are those disorders that are fearful or anxious. Disorders under this include the dependent and the avoidant disorders. Each of the cluster disorder bears different traits (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Diathesis-Stress model   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Diathesis-Stress model refers to a psychology theory that tries to explain behavior as a result of both genetic and biological factors i.e. Interaction between nature and nurture. This model usually assumes a certain disposition towards a given disorder may occur due to a combination of a persons early learning and genetics. According to diathesis-stress model, the predisposition together with some form of environmental stress gives rise to an abnormal behavior. (University of Michigan, 1987)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to this model, different behaviors inherent in different people are prompted by the interaction that exists between genetic susceptibility and happenings in life or the environment. Rahe and Holmes developed a theory which shows an inverse relationship between vulnerability and stress. Thus, more stress is required to create a disorder when the level of vulnerability is low whereas a higher level of vulnerability requires little stress to trigger a disorder. The theory explains further that the two factors, that is, stress and diathesis must be there for one to ever develop a disorder. Lastly, Rahe and Holmes found out that the more life encounters one had, the higher the level of stress. Schizotypical Personality disorder in cluster B Personality disorders can be said to be unrelenting behavioral patterns that originate from different rules of certain cultures. Such disorders may be brought about by factors that are oppressing or stressors. One form of personality disorder in cluster B is the Schizotypical personality disorder which is also referred to as antisocial personality disorder. This behavior is usually marked with some sort of pervasive interpersonal behavior whereby the person feels that he or she is uncomfortable in social settings. The person also experiences reduced capacity in case of close relationships. Their perception and thinking power tends to be distorted and exhibits eccentric form of behaviors (The University of Michigan, 1987). Characteristics of Antisocial personality disorder The disorder is usually associated with persons over the age of eighteen but conduct disorder starts to show up before the very age of fifteen. The person has a disregard for the laws and often behaves in a reckless, deceitful, impulsive and aggressive manner. There is also lack of remorse and failure to work consistently. Males with this form of personality disorder usually have a tendency to consume alcohol excessively as a result of failure to deal with the problem of self-gratification and also the inhibition of impulses (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Definition of borderline personality disorder Borderline personality disorder refers to a prolonged psychiatric disorder. It is characterized by rapid change of mood in the patient and feelings of committing suicide that may cause difficulties to doctors while attending to the affected patients. The root cause of the disorder is not quite known but most of the affected seem to show signs of improvement as time goes by. Causes of Schizotypical personality disorder Personality disorders are usually long-term and they interfere with ones life for many years. The cause of the antisocial disorder is unknown but child abuse and genetic factors are believed to be the main reasons that contribute to the condition. Those people that have alcoholic or antisocial parent are at high risk and more men as compared to women are affected. (Moore Jefferson, 2004). Treatment of Schizotypical personality disorder Behavioral limits should be set when needed and a streetwise approach should be portrayed without being too much punitive. Medication is not always necessary but the most important thing is to differentiate pure mood disorders from the personality disorders as those patients suffering from mood disorders will gain the benefit of medication especially the selective serotonin inhibitors whole on the other hand, those patients with personality disorders require close medical check up as far as initiation and subsequent following of the medication therapy is concerned. (Moore Jefferson, 2004). Controlling Schizotypical personality disorder Most theories usually attribute the development of obsessive compulsory personality disorder to early life challenges and experiences that includes lack warm parental relationship, rigidity and over control and the presence of few rewards for the spontaneous expression of emotions.However,there is little work that has been done over the years in identifying the preventive strategies.(American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Psychopathology Psychopathology refers to the study of mental distress, mental illness, maladaptive and abnormal behavior. Psychopathology thus addresses scientists who usually work in clinical contexts on descriptive psychopathology or for classification and validation of diagnosis or on the conceptual framing of the psychopathology findings. They may thus include an interdisciplinary approach to biological and medical fields or to other humanities. Besides inviting reports concerning medical research, Psychopathology also addresses the psychologists who refer to work in clinics or pathological phenomena. Psychopathology normally accepts papers on such sections as Original paper, Review paper, Case Report and the Letter to the Editor. Reviews may consist of meta-analysis, overviews and conceptual papers which are based on a given literature overview. Original papers may contain data that is generated by authors. Case Reports on the other hand is accepted only if they stimulate the functional insigh ts of the novel or the classificatory concepts whereas the Letters to the Editor are also confined to specific scientist debate issues. (Moore Jefferson, 2004). The Nature of Psychopathology Psychopathology usually consists of typologies of psychopathology which is presumed. The focus is mainly on the diagnostic and descriptive criteria and the resultant usefulness of the categories for research, treatment planning, bureaucratic record keeping e.t.c.What is mostly common to the two approaches is that the psychopathology is the way the categories are proposed as mere potential dysfunctionality with no regard to the nature of their dysfunctionalities and in regard no attention is directed towards the issue of what makes the dysfunctrionalities pathological. Psychopathology is usually considered as rigid i.e. the act of equating dysfunctional and psychopathology is like equating the psychopathology ignorance and error (The University of Michigan, 1987). Child Psychopathology Child psychopathology as a Psychopathology refers to physical disorders that manifests in adolescents and children. Examples of child psychopathology disorder include opposition defiant, pervasive development, attention deficit hyperactivity among others. Social workers, counselors, psychiatrists and psychologists who usually work with children who are mentally ill are informed in developmental psychology, clinical child psychology, family status and development psychopathology by the research. Child health care ought not to be overlooked and so it is important to note the dramatic changes that take place (Journal of Child and Family studies, 1992). Parental stress nowadays are associated with child psychopathology especially conduct problems, aggression and hyperactivity. Both boys and girls are quite similar as far as the nature of their psychopathology is concerned and there is no variation in the range of parenting stress concerning their care (Journal of Child and Family studies, 1992). Works Cited American Psychiatric Association, (2000).Diagnostic and Statistical manual of mental disorders. American Psychiatric Association Journal of Child and Family studies. (1992).Child psychopathology and deviant family hierarchies.Springer, Netherlands. Moore, D Jefferson. (2004).Antisocial personality disorder. Handbook of Medical Psychiatry. Philadelphia. The University of Michigan,(1987)Harrisons principles of internal medicine. the University of Michigan. Turner. (1989).Child psychopathology: a social perspective. the University of Michigan

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Capital Punishment :: essays research papers

Capital Punishment - History Capital Punishment - History There have been many controversies in the history of the United States, ranging from abortion, gun control, but capital punishment has been one of the most contested issues in recent decades. Capital punishment is the legal infliction of the death penalty on persons convicted of a crime. It is not intended to inflict any physical pain or any torture; it is only another form of punishment. It is irrevocable because it removes those punished from society forever, instead of temporarily imprisoning them. The usual alternative to the death penalty is life-imprisonment. Capital punishment is a method of punishment as old as civilization itself. The death penalty has been imposed throughout history for many crimes, ranging from treason to petty theft and murder. Many ancient societies accepted the idea that certain crimes deserved capital punishment. Ancient Roman and Mosaic law endorsed the notion of retaliation; they believed in the rule of "an eye for an eye." Similarly, the ancient Egyptians all executed citizens for a variety of crimes. The most famous people to be executed is Jesus. Only in England, during the reign of William the Conqueror was the death penalty not used, although the results of interrogation and torture were often fatal. Later, Britain reinstated the death penalty and brought it to its American colonies. Although the death was widely accepted throughout the early United States, not everyone approved of it. In the late-eighteen century, opposition to the death penalty gathered enough strength to lead to important restrictions on the use of the death penalty in several northern states, while in the United States, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Rhode Island abandoned the practice of it altogether. In 1794, Pennsylvan ia adopted a law to show the different degrees of murder and only used the death penalty for premeditated first-degree murder. Another reform took place in 1846 in Louisiana. This state abolished the mandatory death penalty and authorized the option of sentencing a capital offender to life imprisonment rather than to death. After the 1830s, public executions ceased to be demonstrated but did not completely stop until after 1936. Throughout history, governments have been extremely inventive in making ways to execute people. Executions inflicted in the past are now regarded today as ghastly, barbaric, and unthinkable and are forbidden by law almost everywhere. Common historical methods of execution included: stoning, crucifixion, burning, breaking on the wheel, garroting, beheading or decapitation, shooting and hanging .

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Addressing Safety in Home Care Essay -- Health Care, Registered Nurses

A universal aspiration for all Registered Nurses (RN) and workplace environments is to create a safe atmosphere for both the client and employees. The RN has an obligation to ensure, â€Å"a culture of safety by using established occupational health and safety practices, and other safety measures to protect client, self and colleagues from injury or potentially abusive situations† (Saskatchewan Registered Nurses’ Association, 2007, p. 11). This competency guides RN’s to provide and advocate safe practice environments. Thus, the issue this paper will discuss is Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S). The population being focused on is home care, which is, â€Å"care provided to patients in their homes to restore their functional capacity, to allow them to manage their care independently, and to enable them to remain safely in the community† (Panasci, 2009, p.190). The writer received consent from the Home Support Team Manager from the Prince Albert Park land Health Region (PAPHR) who will be referred to as O.S. By conducting an interview in conjunction with O.S, the writer gained insight into the manager’s role, challenges, and ensuring OH&S practices. For the all-inclusive interview refer to Appendix A. This paper will depict the essence of OH&S, the manager and writer’s approaches and strategies to resolving the challenges. Management Challenge The challenge that was the focus of the interview was OH&S in a home care environment and the difficulties associated with the implementation of minimizing occupational hazards. OH&S prevents and protects employees from workplace hazards (Chadwick & Doyle, 2008). The six types of health and safety hazards are biological, chemical, ergonomic, physical, psychosocial, and safety (Chadwick &... ...hem and if they decide not to use them, the manager could give a verbal warning for the first incident and for the second incident, give a written warning. The manager could also use this tactic with rock salt or kitty litter (Fox, 2011). Conclusion The goal of maintaining a safe environment for both the workers and clients in home care is key. This goal is a constant issue in home care; with the most significant hazards indentified are violence and environmental hazards that were addressed. O.S’s management philosophy was par with what literature was explaining. The writer explains how having a constant evaluatory tool may help with maintaining a safe environment for both client and staff. Most importantly, one of the nursing values and ethical responsibilities is, â€Å"providing safe, compassionate, competent and ethical care† (Code of Ethics, 2008, p. 8).

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Leonardo Fibonacci Biography

Leonardo Fibonacci was born around 1170 A. D. , and died around 1250 A. D. He was born in Pisa, Italy and died there too. Leonardo’s mom was Alessandra, and she died when he was nine. His father was Guglielmo Bonacci, who directed a trading post Bugia, Barbary. As a young boy, Leonardo traveled there to help him, and that’s where he learned about the Hindu-Arabic numeral system. He recognized that arithmetic with Hindu-Arabic numerals is simpler and more efficient that with Roman numerals and so he traveled throughout the Mediterranean world to study under the leading Arab mathematicians of the time. Leonardo returned from his travels around 1200 and in 1202, age 32, he published Liber Abaci. Through the Liber Abaci he introduced Hindu-Arabic numerals to Europe. Liber Abaci is a book that Leonardo Fibonacci wrote in 1202. In it Fibonacci introduces the so-called modus Indorum (method of the Indians), today known as the Arabic numerals. It shows the practical importance of the new numeral system, using lattice multiplication and Egyptian fractions, by applying it to commercial bookkeeping, conversion of weights and measures, the calculation of interest, money-changing, and other applications. Liber Abaci also posed, and solved, a problem involving the growth of a hypothetical population of rabbits based on idealized assumptions. The solution, generation by generation, was a sequence of numbers later known as the Fibonacci numbers. In the Fibonacci sequence of numbers, each number after the first two, is the sum of the previous two numbers. The sequence is 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, etc. The higher the sequence, the closer two consecutive numbers of the sequence divided by each other will approach the golden ratio ( approximately 1 : 1. 618 or 0. 618 : 1). Leonardo became a guest of the Emperor Frederick II, who enjoyed mathematicians and science. In 1240 the Republic of Pisa honored Leonardo by granting him a salary. In the 19th century, a statue of Fibonacci was constructed and erected in Pisa. Today it is located in the western gallery of the Camposanto, which is a cemetery on the Piazza dei Miracoli.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Defining the Concepts of Class, Race, Gender Essay

Every society known to man has used either race, class, ethnicity, gender or all of the above to determine placement in civilization. Sometimes one or more of these categories comingle and we characterize this as: intersectionality. Finding the words, however, to define class, race, gender, or intersectionality is not an easy feat. Throughout the past few weeks we have read many articles that allowed us many clear descriptions. Prior to this course I would have described class as being a way in which society groups individuals based on economic positions or social status. In my opinion, sometimes political beliefs can attribute towards class placement as well. However, since reading the required texts and watching films based on class, we now know that there are other factors associated with class divisions. For example, we read in Brenda J. Allen’s â€Å"Social Class Matters† article that not only are these two viewpoints large contributors (economic & political allian ces) towards classes, but also geographic locations. This can be seen when visiting a typical trailer park, where many of its residents are presumably called â€Å"white trash†, or as depicted with lower income families who live in the projects or ghetto. Their locale most likely reflects their social status or class. Moreover, we have learned that these factors also define what class is to the general public: education, occupational position, and power. â€Å"Women without class† by Julie Bettie examines class theory by understanding the ways in which class identity is constructed. It has many illustrations of social class by way of education and occupational positions. The upper crust students of Waretown were typically children of white collar employees. The preps generally outperformed the las chicas, hard living, and often settled living students of this documentary, as exemplified in the titles placed on the over and under achievers. For example, â€Å"preps† is an abbreviation for â€Å"college preparatoryà ¢â‚¬  which was the type of advanced class the children of white collar workers of Waretown enrolled in to prepare for life after high school. While these courses allowed some students endless opportunities, other students in the exact same school attended seminars with lowered educational expectations. Instead these students were encouraged to attend expensive certification courses that upon graduation held them captive in low paying positions with debt remaining after completion. â€Å"The Death of the Social Class† by Pakulsky and Waters believes social class is no longer relevant in the United States. A principal reason for this message states that because slavery is now obsolete, we have the legal upholding of the United States Constitution, and we expect education to be attained by all races. As a result resources have become more prevalent among all races. Race, in the past, was a word that I identified as being someone’s skin color, however as I matured (both mentally and physically) and met individuals from other cultures I soon realized that race is a culmination of many things. Culture and ethnicity are quite influential in determining a person’s race as well. For example, not everyone with dark skin is African American, just as not ever fair skinned person is Caucasian. As exhibited in Cruz-Janzen’s For example in the article Racial formation in the United States written by Michael Omi and Howard Winant, we learn of the Louisiana law that states that if a person has 1/32nd â€Å"Negro blood, they are automatically considered Black or African American. Although Susie Guillory Phipps tells us she is majority Caucasian this law still classifies her as being Black and she unsuccessfully attempted to sue the state to change her vital records. There are many reasons why the government still requires race on legal paperwork. Some argue that some sort of racial classification system is required. One reason may be the government funded subsidies some companies receive as a result of employing a minimum amount of minorities. From a personal viewpoint, race matters because it is a way that people identify culturally with one another. Another reason may be from a biological perspective some diseases and/or illnesses may be common amongst certain races, therefore it would be beneficial medically to be aware of such traits. Women Without Class (Bettie) also identifies various races for the sake of case studies that were researched by the author. The female students identified culturally with one another but sometimes overlapped identities to interact with one another. As in the example of the student Starr who was from a working class background, however she identified with the cultures of the Mexican American â€Å"cholas† after moving to Waretown. This is an example of an extreme case in which the person felt the need to choose one particular group to socialize with because she did not feel as though she had much in common with the other non-Hispanic working class students she chose to interact with this social hierarchy. She gave in to conformity from her past actions to better fit the desires and social realities of her newly acquired friends. Gender is another social aspect that many people use to classify each other. It has been said that had it not been for ourselves questioning or labeling gender, it would not exist at all. â€Å"The Social Construction of Gender† written by Judith Lorber argues gender construction begins being cataloged after viewing the child’s genitals after delivery. Upon birth babies are treated differently based on sex and/or gender. An unintentional yet major classification occurs as soon as the baby is placed in his or her incubator. Nurses and other medical staff wrap the tiny babies in one of two colors – pink or blue. It has even been researched that our speech and tone changes according to the babies sex as well. If we see a baby boy, for example, we quickly begin to daydream of tossing the old pigskin around in the yard or rough housing the baby. For the baby girl, however, we speak in softer high pitched tones and fantasize about planning make believe tea parties with baby dolls as guests. In essence, Lorber believes that gender behavior is learned and is being taught – not necessarily an expression of how we see ourselves. Another gender specific study was examined in R.W. Connell’s â€Å"Gender Relations†. In this article we learned of 2 separate studies conducted. Barry Thorne’s research in which teaching roles in American elementary schools were mostly comprised of females and playgrounds were divided based on gender. The second study was performed by Dunbar Moodies, who researched South African mines that were, not surprisingly, dominated by the male workforce. Another theory learned in Connell’s article was that of trailblazing British feminist – Juliet Mitchell- who taught that there were four elements of gender that subjugate women. Those four facets were believed to be: production, reproduction, socialization, and sexuality. It is also demonstrated in more current literary findings unrelated to gender. For example, Black Picket Fences addresses racial stereotypes, but it also depicts women’s roles separately from male gender roles. Each story that is told from first person shares a journey that taken either from reformed bad boys or girls that have strayed along the beaten path and hooked up with the guy from the wrong side of the track. The males were sometimes peer pressured into joining gangs from lack of responsible male figures and as a result may have performed illegal acts. This clearly represents gender assignments. Intersectionality involves both social and cultural relationships that overlap between race, class, and gender. Perhaps the most obvious portrayal of this theme is Section 2: Biology and Families In Conley’s article â€Å"The Starting Gate† regarding the correlation between low birth weight babies and race it was determined that social standings in society is not based solely on genetics and biology. Instead we learn that other factors may influence our place in society as well. Things like our educational backgrounds and what occupations we choose to support ourselves combine with aspects that are outside of our control, like birth order and race, to decide the social class we will inherent. Women Without Class discusses the concept of some students becoming â€Å"upwardly mobile†. This concept is important because it shows how race and parental occupations sometimes do not decide what social class a person will be invited into. The â€Å"upwardly mobile† students were not necessarily white, and had parents who were blue collar workers as opposed to being a lawyer, doctor, etc†¦yet despite all of this; they were still able to join the social cliques of the elite. These girls were also able to develop a strong sense of class awareness. In fact, Lareau’s â€Å"Invisible Inequality† even states that race has very little to do with class social standings. The data collected from this investigation examines parenting styles all socioeconomic backgrounds from either Black or White families perspective. The researchers were able to map the connections between parent’s resources and their children’s daily activities. Middle class families, regardless of race, tended to take a more traditional approach to child rearing in comparison with lower class families who relied heavily on outside play and extended families for activities. Middle class parents also stressed language development and use of reasoning skills. These parents enroll their children in various age appropriate organized activities that govern family life and create massive effort for mothers. The parents view these activities as passing on important life skil ls to children. They asked leading open-ended questions that required insight and thought provoking answers. Whereas, working class and poor families believe that if they give a child love, food, and a safe environment they will grow to become responsible adults. They also participate in little organized sports or other activities and have much more free time. Working-class and poor parents issue many more directives to their children and some place a great deal of stress on physical punishment. A great example of this is the research of Harold McAllister, a 10 year old from a lower class black family. Harold’s mother asks very little questions of authority figures (such as the family doctor) and does not encourage Harold to be cognizant of his body and any health related questions he may have. He plays outdoors with his older cousins and occasionally attends church. For the most part â€Å"Invisible Inequality† is full of descriptions of race versus class status. However, with regard to birth order and geographic locations determining social status, it is also briefly mentioned in â€Å"Invisible Inequality†. For instance, when we are introduced to another research subject’s family, upper middle class black family – Alexander Williams, we learn that both of Alex’s parents are from small Southern towns and come from large families. This slight mention is yet another example of intersectionality as well. A more extreme example, genetically speaking Ms Phipps (mentioned previously) was considered legally Black; however her social status did not classify her by her race. Phipps identifies with the White race. The case illustrated the inadequacies that claim that race is merely skin color. We have all witnessed or been aware of racial conditioning at one point or another. We make assumptions based on race and classify a person’s race immediately according to their physical appearance. Biologically speaking, there are many factors that influential in determining a persons birth weight. Low income families have less medical care and are exposed to certain agents that prohibit normal growth of the fetus. Also contact with second hand smoke and lead based paints, etc. have been attributed towards low birth weight. Another factor involving biology is the responsibility many women from different racial backgrounds face. White women, for example, have long been expected to remain wholesome and keep the family bloodlines pure. Pressure to remain a virgin until marriage and pre-marital sex were heavily stressed among white women. This forced racial conformity as a means of biological deterioration for the white race. In conclusion, all of the articles and readings discussed previously support Conley’s summation that both genetic and biological starting points do not fully determine our social standings in class. Rather, they work cohesively with other reasons to establish these relationships. Section 3: Working Class & Middle Class Identities Although class is especially important I would agree that other issues are becoming increasingly just as important if not more. Factors such as race and or gender influence personal outcomes. Both Women Without Class and Black Picket Fences provided various examples to support this theory.