Song of the Hummingbird - 1325 Words

Jon Ryan Professor Orona-Cordova Chicano Studies 115 17 September 2012 Expository Essay #1 Throughout the course of his novel Barrio Boy, Ernesto Galarza does a superb job of capturing the many intricacies and emotions that were associated with his culture during the time period in which he lived. Galarza’s story encompasses his own personal experiences as well the condition of his surrounding environments and neighbors. Galarza also goes in depth about the terrain and location of the various cities he traveled to through the duration of his childhood. Although this story is designed to portray the early life of Ernesto Galarza, it also does a tremendous job of capturing the essence of Hispanic culture during his†¦show more content†¦Galarza interacts with Don Catarino, Gustavo, Jose, his mother, and his aunt in an enormously respectful way that was considered widely acceptable at the time. However, in modern times, this level of respect seems to be rarely visible in most parts of our society. Personally, I believe this moral’s inclusion in the book is vital because it demonstrates to youth and adolescent readers the proper way that adults should be treated. While the book does an excellent job of showing the determination and labor of the men of Hispanic households, it particularly does well in showcasing the immense difficulty that women of the time period were faced with. For example, Ernesto’s mother does not have his father to assist in raising him, therefore, she lives with her sister and his husband as a result. This shows the mother’s priorities are aligned because rather than be ashamed of having to seek refuge with a family member, she simply puts her son’s comfort and life above all and swallows her pride. Furthermore, as a woman of the household she helps create multiple meals every day for the entire family. Unfortunately for her, however, women were expected to eat last and as a result, she would have to wait patiently to eat the meal she cooked regardless of how hungry she was. His mother also shows qualities of aShow MoreRelatedSong of the Hummingbird Essay2183 Words   |  9 Pagescivilization that practiced human sacrifice and ritual dances, and then one day that civilization no lo nger exists because another culture decided to conquer them. These people are known to modern society as the Aztecs. In Graciela Limons novel, Song of the Hummingbird, she illustrated how a culture like the Aztecs or Mexica, can quickly diminish when there are people such as the Spanish that have very limited understanding about certain subjects. Some people may say that the Aztecs were slaughtered becauseRead MoreSong of a Hummingbird by Graciela Limon. Chicano Studies novel. Summary and ideas of the book and its relation to the Day of the Dead1512 Words   |  7 PagesSong of a Hummingbird: A Battle of Consciousness Tomorrow we celebrate the Day of the Dead--a ceremony where a society pays homage to those who have passed, and planted their seeds in the lives of others. Our ancestors influence us and the lessons they have passed down throughout generations; however, not all lessons were the same. All were influenced by their time period and personal sense of morality. That influence was then conveyed to their child--or whoever was willing to listen. These storiesRead MoreSong Of A Humming Bird By Graciela Limon1315 Words   |  6 Pages The Novel â€Å"Song of a Humming Bird† by Graciela Limà ³n is an outstanding novel that emphasis on an elderly Indian woman. Who is close to her death and is inclined to come to church for forgiveness for thy â€Å"sins† she has committed. This book is focused how Indian women lived back in the 50’s. It mentions two different opinions from an Indian and a Spaniard. I enjoyed this book a lot it gave me an inside of what happened back i n the 50’s. I will be describing the difference between two main charactersRead MoreThe Club Essay1185 Words   |  5 Pagesintroduce you soon. Are you going to sing that song for me again?† My heart flutters like a hummingbird in my chest, my breath becomes heavy, making me dizzy almost. My eyes flutter closed as I lose myself in this moment with Angelo. All too soon I hear my name being called, freeing me from captivity. I snap my eyes open to see Frankie standing on the stage, holding his hand out towards me. I turn to face Angelo, who gazes at me with sensual eyes. ï » ¿The hummingbird in my chest beats her wings harder, desperatelyRead MoreThe And Out Of The Cradle Endlessly Rocking By Walt Whitman942 Words   |  4 Pagesis the story of a pair of hummingbirds that showed mortality’s nature. The boy was able to feel the strong bond between the lovers (Whitman 31-40). However, the she-bird died (Whitman 45). In the he-bird’s powerful song, he saw images of his loved one in various parts of nature. He saw the shape of his mate outlined in the moon (Whitman 86-89), and in the stars (Whitman 93). Whitman used the heartbreaking break up of lovers, and the sorrowful emotions of the bird’s song to illustrate that mortalityRead MoreAztec Beliefs On Death And The Afterlife1467 Words   |  6 PagesMictecacihuatl: ( Eidt, 2011) Mictecacihuatl, the wife of Lord of Mictlan, Mictlantecuhtli. She is, â€Å"The Lady of the Land of the Dead†. Death was not to be feared nor so much a mystery, but an integral part of life. A part that set the soul free. In a place of song and dance she was a protectress for the souls in the underworld. She danced with a rattle echoing from her skirt, decorated by shells and feathers. Her veneration by the Mexica is common and persists known as Dia de los Muertos. A celebration thatRead MoreThe Journey Of Santa Barbara1667 Words   |  7 PagesAndre Clark Bird Refuge. I read it was created by closing off connection to the ocean. Bobby’s twin points to a rose-throated hummingbird that commonly appears in Massachusetts. I aim to tell him, my brother has a thing for hummingbirds. He had a feeder in his backyard, and kept it chock-full with seeds in the winter. And have to add, it seemed only proper to have a hummingbird carved on his grave marker. Howeve r, my body is sapped and I say nothing. No worries, he appears to know that and more, anywaysRead MoreA Day at the Lake Essay666 Words   |  3 Pagesmaintain the perfect cohesion with the outdoor temple. Vegetation is all along the bank with fruit producing vines in astonishing numbers. Birds are flying making their presence known by beautiful songs. Squirrels are running abroad looking for acorns, and the trees feel nice enough to share. Hummingbirds are hovering consistently over the honeysuckle bushes. Woodpeckers are knocking out a tune in stereo surround sound. A simple toss of nutrients into the water brings groups of fish giving their salutationsRead MoreMy Best Friend Essay1002 Words   |  5 Pagesboisterous, funny, and talented steel pan music composer, the pan school comprised of young children and teenagers. The band played at all sorts of events around the country, serenading audiences with renditions of familiar songs. I remember our introductory and interlude s ong was the musical piece from the movie Mission Impossible and I secretly cringed every time we played it. As the band grew in size, we gained popularity. This allowed us the opportunity to take part in the National Schools JuniorRead MoreA Research Study On Vocal Learning1401 Words   |  6 Pagesa sound (typically units of language called morphemes) and is able to replicate that sound on its own. Dr. Jarvis studies vocal learning in 5 species of mammals (humans, dolphins/whales, bats, elephants, seals) and 3 species of birds (parrots, hummingbirds, songbirds). He gives an example of an elephant that he found in Asia that was able to produce Korean words by placing its trunk in its mouth and moving it up and down. He goes on to explain that vocal learning is closely tied with auditory learning

The Cons of Legalizing Euthanasia Essay - 987 Words

This morning you woke up and looked out the window the start of a new day. Normally we don’t focus on the fact that we are alive and healthy. We probably take our life for granted. But there will be one day where it will be our last day. Many would like this day to peaceful and without suffering. Now is it possible to control this? Many physicians have been debating about legalizing a drug that is used in ending the suffering of a patient. This drug is called euthanasia and its function is to give a â€Å"good† death. Now would this drug really give a better death than we would have naturally? Plus is it not ethically correct for the person to do that to themselves and what problems do you think the physician would have if they†¦show more content†¦Not only that since the pill is new the government will probably give more funding to this pill and how to improve it than to actually improve technology to avoid taking this drug. All the money we spend on trying to make a pill to kill us we could have uses it to improve the quality of life of the patient even with the disease. So instead of advancing in technology to improve the quality of life for the future generation we are killing people. We are making our own natural selection killing the physically weak and the weak minded. Look there are people who can’t even think, speak, or move for themselves how do you know if they are in pain. How do you know if that’s how they want their life to be taken away by a shot or pill? Yes you maybe the person in charge of them but they have the same right to live as all of us. Maybe to you the disease is abnormal and horrible for you if you were that person it would seem sort of normal. Let’s say you are colorblind you wouldn’t really know you saw differently until someone pointed it out since you lived like that your whole life. As well as the people who were born missing an arm or leg or some other abnormality; they lear n to live with it, and they can live a happy life since that’s what they have had since they were little. We can’t determine the pain people have we don’t have a machine that says that how much pain you are having. So, we cannot determine in howShow MoreRelatedEuthanasia1541 Words   |  7 PagesLegalizing Euthanasia 1 Euthanasia is defined as â€Å"the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy†. (Unknown, 2012) Euthanasia ends the individuals’ life by either lethal injection or the suspension of medical treatment. Euthanasia is not legalized in many places. When it comes to the debate of Euthanasia, there are more arguments on why it should be legalized than why it should stay illegal. There’sRead MoreIs Euthanasia A Mercy Killing Or Assisted Suicide?947 Words   |  4 Pagesof which that is most commonly discussed and debated is euthanasia. Also referred to as mercy killing or assisted suicide, euthanasia is defined as the â€Å"act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy†. (Euthanasia) Though such a basic definition is provided, mercy killing can be classified into several different categories. Voluntary euthanasia is performed with the permission and consent of the personRead MoreEuthanasia Essay1221 Words   |  5 PagesEuthanasia PART A: SUMMARY I would like to begin by defining the issue of the article by Patrick Nowell-Smith. The issue of his article is legalizing euthanasia and giving people a right to decide when and how to die. What is euthanasia and why is it such a complex matter that raises all different kinds of opinions? According to the American Dictionary, euthanasia is defined as the act or practice of ending the life of an individual suffering from a terminal illness or an incurableRead MoreA Brief Look at Euthanasia1394 Words   |  6 PagesEuthanasia is the action of terminating the life of a suffering human, with the assistance of a qualified doctor. It ends the life of someone whose quality of life is low, or involves an extreme amount of pain. Therefore euthanasia is halting the suffering in a humane, dignified way. Death is a very private matter and is something dealt with differently among all people. Many aspects go into making a final decision such as finances, morals, religion, law, and family. These aspects can be used asRead MoreEuthanasia: An Ethical Dilema Essay1161 Words   |  5 PagesPhysician assisted suicide, while ensuring all safeguards and last resort options such as palli ative care are met, gives patients an important additional option to their end of life care. Background / Presentation of Ethical Theory: Webster’s defines euthanasia as, â€Å"the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals (as persons or domestic animals) in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy.† According to the principalism theory, principalism usesRead MoreEuthanasi The Act Of Killing Someone Painlessly1251 Words   |  6 PagesLegalizing Euthanasia Euthanasia is defined as â€Å"the act of killing someone painlessly, especially to relieve suffering from an incurable illness.† Euthanasia, or more commonly known by medical professionals as physician assisted death, is something a lot of people associate with quitting. Properly defined by Webster dictionary, quitting is a â€Å"[release] from obligation, change, or penalty.† Physician assisted death is considered death and not suicide due to the fact that a physician is administeringRead MoreEuthanasi An Incurable Form Of Cancer Essay1488 Words   |  6 Pagesclear that the United States had come to the right conclusion benefiting our society and making our country a better place. One of the up and coming policies in the political spotlight is the right to euthanasia. Euthanasia is â€Å"the act of causing death painlessly, so as to end suffering† (â€Å"Euthanasia†). Fully healthy people take for granted their autonomy, privacy, and dignity provided by full functioning bodies. Some people, however, are not so lucky. Chantal Sebire is one of those unlucky peopleRead MoreEuthanasia Essay : Euthanasia And Assisted Suicide910 Words   |  4 PagesBackground about Euthanasia in The Netherlands. Patients Rights Council. Patients Rights Council, n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2015. This website address euthanasia, assisted suicide, advance directive, disability rights, pain control, and more. This article features background information on euthanasia and assisted suicide in the Netherlands. In the Netherlands, for euthanasia or assisted suicide to be legal, â€Å"The patient must be experiencing unbearable pain†¦ must be conscious, The death request must beRead MoreThe Ups And Downs Of Euthanasia1288 Words   |  6 PagesMi’esha Straughn Dr. Willis 12 October 2017 ENG 101/102 Mini Term The Ups and Downs of Euthanasia Losing a loved one is an experience that no one wants to go through. Moms, dads, aunts, uncles, and the like are all an integral part of life. However, what if one of these loved ones were terminally ill and losing strength day by day? Would one want to watch them suffer, clinging on to the last bit of life that they have, or would he want to help end the suffering in a peaceful manner? These are someRead MoreThe Legalization Of Physician Assisted Suicide1265 Words   |  6 Pagesmentally stable enough to make decisions. Euthanasia is an alternative term used to describe the act of putting an end to a life in order to spare the individual’s suffering from an incurable or a painful disease process. It is classified to passive, active, involuntary and voluntary euthanasia. Active euthanasia is an act that is actively done to terminate life, while passive is when treatment is stopped in order to shorten the patient’s life. Involuntary euthanasia refers to a decision that is made by

Business Communication Skills Samples for Students †MyAssignmenthelp.

Question: Discus about the Effective Business Communication Skills. Answer: Introduction Business communication skills are integral to the professional growth and achievement of the organizations objectives. The business communication skills are also essential for the employees as it distinguishes him from others. In the present competitive market and tough market situations, it is important to have communication skills to increase the employability of the organization. In this regard, the communication skills are evaluated with the help of different communication diagnosis test. In the present report, the shortcomings in the communication are examined with the help of Johari Window, self-assertiveness test, communication style test, communication skills test and leadership communication test. These tests are targeted to examine the issues and the weaknesses in the communication system. There are several dimensions which are needed for effective communication. A person should be proactive, assertive, and confident and demonstrate good listening skills to be an effective communicator. Moreover, in professional encounters, it is important that the person should demonstrate effective communication skills for career transition and riding the corporate ladder. The implementation of the communication diagnosis tools is also important for identifying the weaknesses and improving them. Diagnosis and Reflection: Analysis of Self-communication Style The communication skills are essential in expressing effectively and possess leadership skills. In this regard, I have taken several personality tests in order to evaluate my drawbacks and weaknesses in my personality. These tests are Johari Window, self-assertiveness test, communication style test, communication skill test and leadership communication test (Larson Larson, 2012). With the analysis of the test, it can be identified that I lack leadership skills and persuasive skills. I can identify with the test that lack assertiveness. I am very accommodating and take care of the desires and choices of others. In this process, I neglect my own desires and needs. As a result, people often neglect my choice and preference. In business settings and professional meetings also, I become incapable of expressing myself. Although I have a number of ideas and notions related to the business, I am unable to express myself effectively and as a result my seniors do not realize my worth. Another associated weakness is that I am unable to influence the ideas and perception of others. One of the primary qualities of the leaders is that he is capable of influence the ideas of others, dream a vision and motivate others to achieve it. In this regard, the leaders should have strong convincing powers. The leaders should be able to motivate others (Park, 2010). However, my capability to convince other is very limited. I hardly take charge of situations and can get easily directed by others. Although I realize that I am being directed by others, I find it difficult to resist Findings of Communication Test The implementation of communication diagnosis algorithm will assist me in building self-awareness and identifying the strength and weaknesses in the communication skills. In this regard, I participated in different communication test. The Johari Test reveals that I am reflective and have analytical capability. I try to base my decisions on facts and statistical data. The test result also reveals that I lack assertiveness and confidence. I tend to focus a lot on the desires and the needs of other people and in the same regard neglect my needs. On the basis of the assertiveness test, it can be examined that I lack assertiveness capability. I need to focus on presenting my needs and desire to others. The test highlighted that I have critical thinking ability and am intelligent person. I tend to ponder on all the pros and cons before taking a decision and try to take the optimal and the best decision. It is a positive quality; however, it hinders my risk taking capabilities. In addition to it, I become overly skeptical in taking any decision and people often perceive me as confused person. The lack of communication skills also showcase in the leadership capability of a person. I realize that due to the lack of communication skills, my leadership skills are also not very effective. I find it difficult to influence or modify the perception of other people according to my desire. Moreover, the test also suggests that I have not yet taken the full advantage of my potential. It can be perceived that although I have leadership traits, I have not yet utilized them fully. The lack of confidence also becomes apparent in building relationships and motivating my juniors. These are the prerequisites of the leadership skills of an individual. Analysis of Recent Professional Encounters The business communication skills are essential in the professional world. An employee should have sufficient knowledge of both written and verbal communication skills. It includes thee professional etiquettes and the ability to present one effectively. The business communication skills are essential in distinguishing an employee from his peers. It enhances the employability of the individual and assists him in riding the corporate ladder. Therefore, business communication skills are essential in all the professional encounters. In the recent professional encounters, I realized that I was not able to present myself effectively due to lack of business communication skills. In the last month, a get together was organized for all the professionals. T included several senior employees as well as junior employees. It was a great platform to effectively mingle and communicate with my seniors. I also got the opportunity to make a good impression on several senior employees with whom I have little opportunity to interact. However, due to my lack of communication skills, I was not able to communicate with them properly. I only gave responses or answers to my senior employees. I had difficulty in presenting my views confidently to my seniors. Similarly, in another professional encounter of power point presentation, I was unable to make a successful business pitch due to my lack of conviction power. I had a great idea and consulted with the manager. She liked the business idea and arranged for presenting a business pitch for my senior employees. However, due to the lack of confidence and conviction power, I was unable to make a successful pitch. Although the business managers acknowledged that the business idea was great, they remain unconvinced in the fill execution of the idea and its transformation into a successful nosiness model. I realized that my lack of conviction power and confidence resulted in the failure of the business pitch. Literature Review The business communication is critical in the growth of the employees. The employees should have adequate knowledge of the professional communication process which includes both verbal and written communication. The business organization should have need adequate business communication system so that the employees can effectively communicate with each other. The business communication system is important in effective execution of various value chain activities of the organization. Cheruvelil et al (2014) have critiqued that business communication is the key to success in different aspects of a persons life. However, it is very important and crucial in business setting. The success of a business organization relies on its business communication system. Business communication system is integral in maintaining positive relationships with the customers as well as the suppliers. Koprowska (2014) has discussed that the business communication skills are also essential in the professional development of the employees. The business communication skills are considered as a top skill by the employers. The effective communicators are an additional asset to the organization and communication skills are positively related to the promotions of the employees. The communication skills encompasses listening skills, writing skills, verbal skills, interpersonal skills, teamwork skills, presentation skills, negotiation and networking skills. In order to be an effective communicator, a person should also have strong listening skills to become an effective communicator. He should be able to incorporate different views in the conversation. The listening skills also shows that the person value the opinion of others and is ready to embrace other concepts. It signifies that the person perceives the audience as an equal partner and is focused on finding the solution for the greate r good. According to Vangelisti (2016) writing skills are essential in the business communication. In the business setting, the written communication is essential and is involved in several form of conversation such as emails or business newsletters. With the current digitalization and the advent of internet media, the written business communication is also linked with the social media accounts and blogs of the organization. Gimenez (2000) has discussed that today, digital mediums have become integral in communication with the customers and building online reputation of the organization. Therefore, it is important to develop effective written business communication skills. The message transmitted to the customers should be targeted on audience, precise and effective in its message transmission. The employees use digital mediums to build customer base and increase customer satisfaction. However, with the advent of the internet and social media channels, the tone of the business communication has become more informal and personalized. The companies are using informal and personal messages to connect with the customers. The use of informal language has also become apparent in emails and business newsletters. The good written communication skills also require adequate follow-ups and proactive activities on the social media. According to Guffey Loewy (2015) the verbal skills are also essential for the employees to present their thoughts, opinions and ideas in effective manner. The good verbal skills refer to the ability to engage in concise and specific conversation. The employees should also be able to arrive at a mutually agreeable consensus with effective verbal skills. The interpersonal communication skills are an integral to the business communication system in an organization. The interpersonal communication skills refer to the ability of building trust and strong relationships with different stakeholders in the business. The interpersonal skills allow the employees to find a common ground, display empathy and develop relation bonds with one another. The interpersonal communication skills refer to the ability of the employees to connect on a personal level which is more than the professional level. Guffey Loewy (2014) have further discussed that it is also important in developing the teamwork capability of the organization. A business organization comprises of several teams which works toward a common aim. However, several conflicts of thoughts and issues may arise in teams as the employees have different opinion or belong to different cultural backgrounds. In this regard, the communication skills are essential in developing efficient and harmonious teams within the organization. Strong teams can be developed when the team members can effectively communicate with team members who have different opinions and skills. In order to teamwork to be successful, it is important to realize that combined efforts are more than the individual contributions of the employees. According to Locker (2011) the business communication skills are essential for the organization in its internal as well as external processes. The organization should also realize the importance of business communication and implement systems and strategies to develop them within the organization. Several business organizations try to develop the business communication within the organization try to develop the business communication system within the organization by providing training and development facility to the employees. The training is directed towards enhancing the communication and oft skills of the employees. It results in effective transmission of information in the organization which increases the overall efficiency of the organization. In addition to it, the business communication can also be improved by developing policies and procedures. The organization must develop standardized procedures for communication with the customers and supplier. Moreover, standardization i s also important so that there is no blockage of information and there is an easy flow of information in the organization. Means (2009) has stated that effective business communication is also essential in exchange of information, execution of plans, decision-making and development of policies and execution of plans. It is also important in improving the industrial relations and marketing strategy of the organization. It can be critiqued that the business communication skills are one of the most desired skills in the professional world. The business organization accepts a particular level of communication skills in all the employees as it is integral in shaping the organization culture of the business enterprise. The beliefs and values of the employees are important in shaping the culture and work culture of the organization. If the employees do not possess adequate business communication skills, the clients or the customers queries are not handled properly. It will introduce dissatisfaction in organization-customer interaction and reduce the customer base of the organization. Action plan In the above analysis, it is identified that I am struggling with a few shortcomings in my professional communication. The communication skills of a person can never be perfect and requires constant improvement. It is important that to implement several strategies and intervention methods to develop the professional skills of a person. The action plan refers to series of steps or actions which are targeted to improve certain ability (Shi, 2017). In this regard, it has been identified that I am currently struggling with lack of assertiveness and leadership skills. An action plan is formulated to reduce these shortcomings in the period of two months. Objective 1: Increasing Assertiveness Assertiveness refers to the ability of a person to express oneself freely. It is the process of giving equal importance to the needs and the rights of every person whether oneself or audience. The assertiveness is different from aggressiveness as assertiveness emphasizes in expressing oneself whereas aggressiveness emphasizes on winning. Assertiveness is the realization that the needs and desires of everyone are equal (Bishop, 2006). It focuses on achieving the ones aims and objectives will all the possible actions as long as they do not breach the right of another person. There are several ways to increase the assertiveness of a person such as role-playing and practicing it in real-life situations. Other than that, an individual can also participate in group discussions and debates to increase assertiveness. The individual can practice to put forward his viewpoint in an effective manner. Activities Time Period Group discussions and Debates Six months Professional Training Six months Personal Coaching Six months Objective 2: Improving the leadership capabilities Leadership skills refer to the ability of a person to influence others. The leader envisions a dream and motivates others to make collaborative efforts to achieve them. The leadership is important in professional world as it is essential quality of managers. The leadership skills of an employee can be increased by self-actualization and practicing public speaking skills. Moreover, confidence is also an essential component of developing the leadership skills of a person. It is also important to maintain positive attitude and improve communication skills to improve the leadership qualities. Another major trait of the leaders is to continuously educate oneself and learn from their failures (Vogel Robinson, 2017). The leaders maintain a positive attitude in spite of the external circumstances and motivate the employees to achieve their dreams. They learn from their failures and constantly improve themselves. Action Timeline Participating in debates, voluntary work and activities involving public interaction 6 months Reading leadership development books 6 months Conclusion It can be concluded from the report that the business communication is integral and important for the success of a business organization. The business communication system is essential in creating positive and healthy relations with the clients and the customers. The communication tools are also important for developing the organization culture and increasing the collaboration between the team members. The business communication system is important for an individual employee too as it assists it in promotion. In this essence, in the present report, several communication diagnosis tools have been implemented to examine the efficacy and the weaknesses in the communication system. It has been identified that the major weaknesses my communication is lack of assertiveness and leadership capabilities. An action plan has been formulated to address these weaknesses. I have made the action plan to participate in group discussions and debates, participate in personal and professional training and reading self-help books to mitigate these issues. References Cheruvelil, K. S., Soranno, P. A., Weathers, K. C., Hanson, P. C., Goring, S. J., Filstrup, C. T., Read, E. K. (2014). Creating and maintaining high?performing collaborative research teams: the importance of diversity and interpersonal skills.Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment,12(1), 31-38. Koprowska, J. (2014).Communication and interpersonal skills in social work. Learning Matters. Vangelisti, A.L., (2016). On the importance of communication research.Communication Education,65(4), pp.501-504. Gimenez, J.C. (2000). Business e-mail communication: some emerging tendencies in register. English for Specific Purposes 19. Guffey, M. E., Loewy, D. (2015). Essentials of Business Communication. Cengage Learning. Guffey, M. E., Loewy, D. (2014). Business Communication: Process and Product. Cengage Learning. Locker, K.O. (2011). Business Communication: Building. Tata McGraw-Hill Education. Means, T. (2009). Business Communication. Cengage Learning. Vogel, B., robinson, P. (2017). Developing Leaders for Positive Organizing: A 21st Century Repertoire for Leading in Extraordinary Times. Emerald Group Publishing. Larson, E., Larson, R. (2012). The Influencing Formula. Watermark Learning. Park, J. (2010). Interpersonal Relations and Social Patterns in Communication Technologies: Discourse Norms, Language Structures and Cultural Variables: Discourse Norms, Language Structures and Cultural Variables. IGI Global. Shi, Z. (2017). Mind Computation. World Scientific. Bishop, S. (2006). Develop Your Assertiveness. Kogan Page Publishers

Record Keeping free essay sample

Continuous maintenance and regular review of these records is vital to valuate a clients progression and provide positive encouragement and direction. These records provide a means to recognize further learning and development requirements and aid in the structure of assignments which are challenging but achievable accommodating the clients specific learn inning abilities and meeting the clients expectations and aspirations.The continuous maintenance and regular review of client documentation must undoubtedly contribute in sustaining a level of quality and commitment in providing a clear and constructive learning experience for all clients and ensure contractual agreements are met. As collation and recording of data is a regular necessity for a learning centre the data protection act provides assurance to clients by setting out clear and concise guidelines for the processing and storage of an individuals details. Personal data must be adequate, relevant and not excessive in relation to the purpose for which they are to be processed. We will write a custom essay sample on Record Keeping or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page They must be fair and lawful and it must be transparent about how the data is intended to be used. Reviews are an integral part of the process for recording and monitoring academic achievements, progression, behavior, a clients wellbeing and for he evolution of the learning centre and tutors. They are crucial in the delivery and collection of tutor and client feedback and it is therefore, essential reviews are held regularly and command an importance within the learning program impressing on the client the commitment of the learning centre.Reviews must be held in a confidential environment and be transparent as to encourage open and honest communication from both parties when providing feedback, informing the client of their academic progression, encouraging a positive change in behavior and supportive with development programmed. The client must be clear on the tutors expectations and what academic progression is required. Feedback should be given with care and attention to standard s of respect for diversity and equality.The reviewer must facilitate the meeting and in achieving this goal should consider using a variety of methods in the delivery of feedback. This could be achieved by discussing a clients work folder, interests and dislikes, achievements and barriers, discussing previous tasks Set and setting new tasks, creating mind maps, tables for long and short term goals, explanation of performance charts and the clients own self assessment. The alternations of visual reference data provides for both client and tutor an understanding of the feedback being delivered and engages with the client on specific topics.

Marketing- idea of market a new product Essays - Marketing

Segmentation and Targeting Overall market Everyone use cell phone, and a lot of people use cell phone case as well. However, cell phone case and cell phone can be home of bacteria, so this new produce- an anti-bacteria cell phone case is suitable and specially design for people who use cell phone and also care the hygiene of the cell phone and cell phone case. The basis or bases for segmenting the market. Basically, the anti-bacteria cell phone case is suitable for anyone who uses cell phone. So everyone who use cell phone can be include in our market segment. But for more specially, our product will be popular amount people who care hygiene and desire better quality of life. Since its not a normal cell phone case, it has the function of clean up the bacteria, its expensive than normal cell phone case. Our customer also will be the group who willing to spend more. Demographic segmentation, psychographic segmentation and benefit segmentation will be anti-bacteria cell phone case market segment. The specific descriptors or variables you will use to segment the market. Demographic segmentation: income, education, employment. Psychographic segmentation: Personality, life style, value. Benefit segmentation: any benefit that customer can gain from anti- bacteria cell phone case, e.g. cleaner cell. Profile of each market segment VariablesAnti-bacteria cell phone case Income range$50,000 or above EducationCollege grad and above Dominate employeeWhite collar, professional PersonalityOpenness to experience Life styleRead beauty/ health magazines, like to shop, desire better life style ValuesWilling to spend money for better health, better life Evaluate the segments A lot of customer use cell phone and cell phone case as well. But not everyone care about the hygiene of cell phone and cell phone case. Why would people spend more to buy an anti-bacteria cell phone case? Because it helps us to maintain a cleaner cell phone and cell phone case. Image, holding a cell which carries billion of bacteria or even virus, how gross is it. Still, not everyone care about it, so thats why we segment customer on their income, education, employee, personality and values. People with high education and income, have a better job tend to care more about hygiene and willing to spend on those products. Target market(s) Higher education and income people who use cell-phone cases and care about hygiene. Strategy for selecting target market segments Undifferentiated targeting strategy: Even the anti-bacteria cell phone cases market segments are higher income and education people who care hygiene. But since only one item ?V anti-bacteria cell phone case is produced. Assume majority of people who want and need this new product. undifferentiated targeting strategy will be fine. Positioning The competitive set Any cell phone cases Cell phone cleaning product The basis or bases for positioning Attribute: Anti-bacteria cell phone cases are positioned as a functional cell phone case for keeping customers cell phone clean. Price and quality: Anti-bacteria cell phone case base on price and quality. It is an upscale cell phone case offering higher quality and design than normal cell phone case. Product user: Can be anyone who uses cell phone and cell phone cases. But target on high income and education customer who care hygiene. Product class: Anti- bacteria cell phone cases as a functional upscale cell phone cases. Competitor: Anti- bacteria cell phone case positioning as Cell phone cases just keep your cell, dont keep any bacteria or virus. against normal cell phone case. Emotion: Using anti-bacteria cell phone case, no bacteria keep on your cell any more. Positioning statement For ones who care hygiene; Who wants/needs upscale product and desire better product; The anti- bacteria cell phone cases is a functional upscale cell phone case; That provides you a functional cell phone case that will clean up your cell every time you put it back in the case; Unlike the normal cell phone case or other cell phone cleaning product; The anti-bacteria cell phone case use high technology to maintain your cell phone clean, you dont need to do anything, just put it back your cell phone to the cases, and next time, when you take the cell out, its 100% bacteria free.

Causeway - Ancient Man-Made Ritual and Functional Roads

Causeway - Ancient Man-Made Ritual and Functional Roads A causeway is a human-constructed functional and/or ceremonial roadway or a set of roadway fragments. In ancient history they are made of earthen or rock structures that typically- but not always- bridged a waterway. Causeways may have been constructed to cross defensive structures, such as moats; irrigation structures, such as canals; or natural wetlands, such as marshes or fens. They often have a ceremonial element to them and their ritual significance can include symbolic passages between the mundane and the sacred, between life and death. Key Takeaways: Causeways Causeways are early types of human-made roads which have practical and ritual functions.The oldest causeways are about 5,500 years old, built to cross ditches and provide access to peat bogs.The Maya people created causeways up to 65 miles in length, crossing miles of forests in a nearly straight line. Causeways are remarkably different in function. Some (like those of the classic Maya) were almost certainly used for parades for diplomatic visits between communities; others such as the 14th-century Swahili coast were used as shipping lanes and ownership markers; or, in the European Neolithic, as trackways assisting navigation through uncertain landscapes. Some causeways are elaborate structures, elevated several feet about the ground such as at Angkor civilization; others are built of planks that bridge peat bogs, those of the Irish bronze age. But all of them are human-constructed roadways  and have some foundation in the history of transportation networks. Earliest Causeways The earliest known causeways are Neolithic bridges, constructed in Europe and dated between 3700 and 3000 BCE. Many Neolithic enclosed settlements had defensive elements, and some had concentric ditches or moats, generally with one or two at most bridges with which to cross. In some special cases, more causeways were built across the ditches then seems necessary, usually at the four cardinal points, allowing people to cross into the interiors from several directions at once. Since such configurations would not be easily defended, enclosed settlements with multiple causeway entrances are considered likely to have had a ceremonial or at least a shared communal aspect. Sarup, a Funnel Beaker site in Denmark occupied between 3400–3200 BC, had a ditch that encircled an area of about 21 acres (8.5 hectares), with several causeways which allow people to cross the ditches. Bronze Age Causeways Bronze Age causeways in Ireland (called tochar, dochair, or togher) are trackways which were built to allow access across and into peat bogs where peat might be cut for fuel. They varied in size and construction material- some were built as a line of planks laid end to end, flanked on each side by two round timbers; others were made of flat stones and gravel laid on a foundation of brushwood. The earliest of these date to about 3400 BCE. Early Dynastic and Old Kingdom pyramids in Egypt often were constructed with causeways connecting the various temples. These causeways were explicitly symbolic- there was no obstacle to be crossed- representing a route that people could use to travel from the Black Land (the land of the living and a place of order) to the Red Land (a place of chaos and the realm of the dead). Beginning in the Old Kingdoms 5th Dynasty, pyramids were built with an orientation following the daily course of the sun across the sky. The oldest causeway at Saqqara was paved with black basalt; by the time of Khufus rule, causeways were roofed and the internal walls were decorated in fine relief, frescos that depicted pyramid construction, agricultural scenes, craftsmen at work and themes of battles between Egyptians and their foreign enemies, and the pharaoh in the presence of gods. Classic Period Maya (600–900 CE) The sacbe (white lane) that leads to the Palacio, Labna, Puuc, Yucatan, Mexico. Mayan civilisation, 7th-10th century. De Agostini / Archivio J. Lange / Getty Causeways were a particularly important form of connection in lowland areas in North America such as those settled by the Maya civilization. There, causeways (known as sacbeob, singular sacbe, connected Maya cities for distances up to about 63 miles (100 kilometers) such as the Late Classic Yaxuna-Coba sacbe. Maya causeways were sometimes built from the bedrock up and can rise as high as 10 feet (3 meters; their widths range from 8 to 40 ft (2.5 to 12 m ), and they connect major Maya city-states. Others are barely above ground level; some cross wetlands and have bridges constructed to cross streams, but others are clearly only ceremonial. Medieval Period: Angkor and the Swahili Coast Short round pillars support the causeway leading to the Baphuon, in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Jeremy Villasis, Philippines / Moment / Getty Images At several sites of the Angkor civilization (9th–13th centuries CE), elevated causeways were constructed as later additions to the immense temples by king Jayavarman VIII (1243–1395). These causeways, perched above the ground atop a series of short columns, provided walkways connecting the major buildings of the temple complexes. They represent only one part of the enormous Khmer road system, a network of canals, pathways and roads which kept the Angkor capital cities in communication. During the height of the Swahili coast trading communities on the east coast of Africa (13th–15th centuries CE), numerous causeways were constructed out of blocks of reef and fossil corals along 75 mi (120 km) of coastline. These causeways were pathways, elevated just above sea level, that extended out perpendicularly from the coast into lagoons at Kilwa Kisiwani Harbor, ending in circular platforms at the seaward side. The fishermen today call them Arab Roads, which is a reference to the oral history which credits the founding of Kilwa to the Arabs, but like Kilwa itself the causeways are known to have been African constructions, built as navigational aids for ships plying the trade route in the 14th-15th centuries and complementing the Swahili urban architecture. These causeways are built of cemented and uncemented reef coral, up to 650 ft (200 m) long, 23–40 ft (7–12 m) wide and built up above the seafloor up to 2.6 ft. (8 m) high. Selected Sources Abdallatif, T., et al. Discovery of the Causeway and the Mortuary Temple of the Pyramid of Amenemhat Ii Using near-Surface Magnetic Investigation, Dahshour, Giza, Egypt. Geophysical Prospecting 58.2 (2010): 307-20. Print.Abramiuk, Marc A. The Discovery of an Ancient Maya Causeway System in the Southern Maya Mountains of Belize. Antiquity 91.357 (2017): e9. Print.Chase, Arlen F., and Diane Z. Chase. The Ancient Maya City: Anthropogenic Landscapes, Settlement Archaeology, and Caracol, Belize. Belize: Institute of Archaeology, NICH, 2016. Print.Chinchilla Mazariegos, Oswaldo Technologies of Urbanism in Mesoamerica: The Pre-Columbian Bridges of Cotzumalhuapa, Guatemala. Antiquity 92.362 (2018): 456-71. Print.Pollard, Edward. Safeguarding Swahili Trade in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries: A Unique Navigational Complex in South-East Tanzania. World Archaeology 43.3 (2011): 458-77. Print.Uchida, E., et al. A Reconsideration of the Construction Period of the Cruciform Terraces and the Elevated Causeways in the Angkor Monuments, Based on the Magnetic Susceptibility of the Sandstone Blocks. Archaeometry 55.6 (2013): 1034-47. Print.

Module 01 and module 02 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Module 01 and module 02 - Essay Example From the exercise, I learned that success in online environments in related directly with structured approached towards time management in which one can give proper time to each course. In my typical day, school fits at the place of most important value. The fact that I have learned about my future career within school is that students need positive attention from teachers. If they do not receive it, their focus can shift away from studies forever. Teachers need to handle each student individually during early childhood education to make the students feel valued and gain confidence. I chose multimedia technology because of my interest in this field. Studying multimedia will not only help me get a deep understanding of different technologies and the way they work but also it will help me gain success in online environment because use of multimedia technologies is the backbone of online mode of study. Everyone wants to do something exceptional in life. I have planned to use my multimedia education in research and teaching areas. I have focused my attention not only towards creating new multimedia technologies to assist students and teachers communicate and study in online environments but also towards using such technologies as my professional teaching

International Financial Risk and Control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

International Financial Risk and Control - Essay Example It is imperative for transnational business organizations to recognize the determinants of exchange rates and whether the exchange rate variations can be forecasted. International parity conditions refer to the economic theories that connect exchange rates, level of prices as well as the interest rates. In this study, we would attempt to see whether the international parity conditions are effective in forecasting the variations in the exchange rates in the real world. In doing so, we would consider the bilateral exchange rate movements of Euro/Dollar over the past twelve months and observe whether the variations were consistent with one or more of the International Parity Conditions. Subsequently, we would conclude the study by discussing the extent of effectiveness of the International Parity Conditions as a forecasting tool (Eiteman et al., 2007, p.170). In this section of the study, we would assess the relative exchange rate movement of Euro expressed in terms of United States Dol lar. For the convenience of the study, the Euro versus Dollar exchange rate fluctuations for the period of last twelve months were considered. However, to analyze the latest trend of the Euro/USD exchange rate, we would initially focus on the last 120 days movement of the currency. During this period, the highest value for Euro was 1.3788 USD (as recorded on November 8, 2011) while the lowest value of Euro during the same period was 1.2669 (as recorded on January 16, 2012). The latest value of 1 Euro (as on April 20, 2012) was observed to be 1.3192 USD (Source: X-Rates, 2012). The graph above represents the exchange rate movements EUR/USD for the period starting from May 2011 and ending at April 2012. A closer look at the exchange rate chart reveals that the value of Euro in terms of USD during the specified time frame had fluctuated from 1.45 to around 1.3 USD approximately.  

Academic article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Academic article - Essay Example a strategic plan may become accidentally successful, but it much more likely to achieve success, and to maintain its profitability, if it has a plan in place. A company with a strategic plan will know how it has got to current success and thus may be able to continue on this path in the future. This essay will consider aspects of good management and planning through the consideration of one of the most successful companies of recent years: McDonald’s Corporation. A company such as McDonalds, involved in planning first needs to be aware of what exactly is happening at the given moment within the business, and then needs to be able to extrapolate possible outcomes based upon that awareness. The first premise of planning is having as much knowledge as possible. The type of planning which is now occurring has changed radically from that envisioned in the traditional business model. As John Byrne puts it, â€Å"gone are the abstraction, sterility, and top-down arrogance of the old model.† (Byrne, 1) Now managers in the most successful corporations (such as McDonalds) are part of a system in which â€Å"today’s gurus of strategy urge companies to democratize the process†, and they do this â€Å"by handing strategic planning over to teams of line and staff managers from different disciplines.† (Byrne, 1) Often young, junior managers who are noted for their creative thinking are teamed with near-retirement, senior managers who essentially have nothing to lose and so can tell it like it is. So from the most junior to the most senior manager there is a role, both for planning within their own specific area of the business, but also for constant consideration of how that may effect longer-term and more far-reaching plans. Planning is perhaps the central role of all managers, because all the other functions flow from it and must always consider their relationship to it. A business without a plan has no future, and so all the other functions will be redundant. Organization

Dividend Payments Impact On Shareholders Wealth Finance Essay

Dividend Payments Impact On Shareholders Wealth Finance Essay Dividend  is a form of payment made to shareholders by an organization; Its a profit which is paid out to the company shareholders. When a profit is earned by the company, the profits are used again to invest for a better growth of the company for its future, or it can also be paid to the company shareholders in the form of dividends. Dividends are also paid to the shareholders in the form of cash or shares. The company must have sufficient funds in order to pay dividends to its shareholders. Dividends are generally paid out by a company only when the company make good profit and its been paid form its earnings. Dividend policy is of great interest n todays financial industries when the joint stock companies came into existences. Dividends can also be defined as a distribution of companys earnings which is decided by the board of directors to a class of its shareholders, dividend is also quoted as a percentage of the current market price. It is also known as dividend per share (DPS). Dividend can also be in a form of cash, stock or property. The level of dividends also depends on the companys dividend policy. Many large companies have a progressive dividend policy. They are usually paid after half year and full year financial results, even though some companies pay quarterly. There are various types of dividends which are as follows: Cash Dividend à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Regular Cash Dividend, Special Cash Dividend, Stock Dividend Stock Repurchase Cash dividend: When a company pays dividend in the form of cash is known as cash dividend, cash dividends are generally paid four times a years to its shareholders. Such as Regular cash dividends and special cash dividends. THEORIES OF DIVIDEND POLICY: DIVIDEND RELEVANCE THEORY DIVIDEND IRRELEVANCE THEORY DIVIDEND RELEVANCE THEORY: This was a theory proposed by  Myron J. Gordon(1959)  and  John Linter(1956). Therefore, Dividend  relevance theory  suggests that investors are taking a risk generally  and would rather have  dividends today rather than share appreciation and dividends tomorrow. Myron J Gordon(1959) and John Lintner (1956) have also suggested that in the early sixties, investors see current dividends as less risky than future dividends and capital gains Dividend relevance theory also states that dividend policy effects the  share price of a company. Therefore, an optimal dividend policy should be determined which will ensure the better wealth of the shareholders. However some market participants state that there is some connection between share price and the dividend policy of a company. DIVIDEND IRRELEVACE THEORY: According to Modigliani and Miller (1961) the dividend policy is irrelevant to the share price of the company. The value of the firm is determined by the earning capacity of a company and not by its dividend decision. Modigliani and Miller (1961) pointed out that the investors who are rational may make the choice but maximise their utility, which are indifferent to receiving capital gains or dividend on their shares. The assumption of this theory states that: There are no transaction cost on the buying and selling of the shares Investors are having sufficient knowledge about the company Taxes are ignored Same interest rate would be available to investors According to the above assumption, the company which has good prospective with a positive NPV will have a good share price in the market. Dividend payment has impact on shareholders wealth: Arguments for and against of a cash dividend payout that would have an impact on the Market value of a company: Arguments in favour of the impact: Signalling effect: If a company pays dividend to its shareholders regularly, it conveys a message to its investors showing the current growth of the company and its future prospectus. Since company pays dividends regularly to its investors, they do not have any agency problem. Clientele Effect: There are two types of shareholders in the industry. One group who are accepting regular income as dividends for eg: Pensioners. The other group are the ones who are not expecting dividends, because they are interested in the future growth of the company by increasing the capital gain. Arguments against the impact: Tax effect: When shareholders receive income from dividends they have to pay tax which will affect their earnings. If the company pay high dividends to the investors, it would affect the earnings of the company. This would also reduce the cash flow of the company if it wants to make investments. Earnings: The market capitalization of the company depends upon the earning per share of the company and not on the dividend policy of the management. Investment: If the company pays all its earnings to the shareholders as dividend, they would not have sufficient reserves for future projects. Therefore the growth of the company is an important decision than the decision of the dividend. Liquidity: A company would not have any liquid cash left if it pays all earnings and profits to its investors. So liquidity is the main factor in a company as it would affect the business. Arguments for and against, whether a cash dividend is paid or not is irrelevant in the context of shareholder wealth maximization Arguments favoring the impact: The Net profit value (NPV) of a company plays a major role when dividends are given to its shareholders. Dividends would not necessarily be paid to its shareholders as destroying shareholders wealth in the real world is replaced with new set of shares. Retained earnings: If the company pays all the income to its shareholders as dividend, then the company would not have sufficient retain earnings to make investment in the profitable projects. If the company needs any funds for the future, it would borrow from sources like equity or debt markets which will increase the cost of the capital because the cost of external funds are comparatively higher than the cost of internal funds. Arguments Against the impact: Information content: If the company does not pay dividend regularly to its investors, shows a sign of negative signal to the capital market and hence the share price would also decrease in the market and would also affect the growth of the company. One of the major problems is the agency cost between the shareholder and the management. The shareholders generally expect a good growth of the company which would in turn give good dividend to the investors. But, the aim of the management is to grow the company in order to maximize the wealth and the power which may not be of interest to the shareholders. Arguments for and against weather dividend payments should be avoided, as they would lead to a decrease in shareholder wealth. Arguments favoring the impact of shareholders wealth: If the company does not pay dividends to its shareholders, the funds can be utilized for the future growth of the company. There would also be a dual benefit both to the company and the shareholder, where the shareholders may not need to pay an tax on dividend and for the company, they do not need to pay any transaction cost. There is also an argument to change the dividend policy from low to high payouts. Policy Formulation: In a company there is an administrative cost that is involved with the dividend policy which would in turn reduce the earnings of the company. Cost of capital: When a dividend payment is reduced, the external financing plays an important role in reducing the cost of capital of the firm. Due to this reduction of cost of capital, the value of the firm has increased because there is an relationship between cost of capital and the value of the firm. Arguments against the impact of shareholders wealth: If a company avoids dividend payment to its investors, shareholders would withdraw their investment that they have invested in the company and thus this would also have an negative impact on the shareholders wealth. Signalling effect: When a dividend payment is avoided there is an signalling effect which effects the growth of the company and will also have an impact on the share price and effect the shareholders wealth. FACTORS AFFECTING THE DIVIDEND POLICY OF A COMPANY: Stability of earnings: Companies which have regular income formulate regular dividend policy than those companies having an uneven flow of income. This can be easily know by the earnings of the company. Liquidity of Cash: The main factor in the dividend decision of a company depends on the cash flow. The higher the funds the company earns is better for the company in order to pay high dividends to the investors. In order to pay dividends the company needs funds and therefore the availability of cash will be the main factor of the dividend policy. Extent of shareholders: A company makes decision against the shareholders for the suspension of the dividend to its investors. On the other hand, a company having lots of shareholders are distributed forming high and low income group. This would also have difficulties in securing the assets, because of higher dividend. Taxation Policy: If a company pays high tax, not the earnings of the company would be affected but also the dividend would be decreased. Tax on dividends is waived by the government only up to a certain limit. This would in turn effect the capital growth of the company. Reduction in tax dividends reduces the value of all the tax payers. The capital gain tax is also likely to be below the shareholders tax rate. Shareholders may also prefer gapital gains to dividends. Directors resolve the conflict between the conflict of interest between the shareholders of a company. Past dividend rates: When the company pays dividend to its shareholders, it has to review the rate of dividend paid to the shareholders in the previous years, The dividend rate should be should be equal or more to the past dividend rate. Ability to Borrow: Only large firms and well established firms can borrow funds from the capital market and other external sources. These companies should have a good payout ratio. And smaller firms who are not well established rely on internal sources, and they would also have to build good reserves by reducing the payout ratio. Legal constraints: There were some constraints in the payment of dividends make by the UK government in the year 1960. There was some control in the payment of dividend. As a government measure, to overcome the anti inflation, but later in 1979, they removed these restrictions so the company must know the legal rules and the government policies before forming the dividend policy. Policy of Control: This is another main factor for the dividends. The control of the company is determined by the ordinary shares of the company. If the company wants to make investment they need funds. These funds should be obtained from equity capital, If they raise the equity capital, the new shareholders will invest in the company so the directors of the company have full control where they would not want to add any new shareholders to the company, and would announce a low dividend rate to its existing shareholders. The directors do not want to add new shareholders because they would not have any control and diversion on the policies of the management. Time for Payment of Dividend: Payment of dividends are planned in such a manner that there is no cash flow at the time of issuing dividends, as during the peak time of the company would require funds for urgent finances. Regularity and stability in Dividend Payment:   Companies maintain dividend equalization fund in order to pay regular dividends to its investors and also have a constant rate of dividends to most of its investors. Investment opportunity: While the board of directors make dividend policy decisions, they should consider if there is any profitable project or not. If there is a project in which they have to invest, then they have to announce a lower dividend to its shareholders. Opportunity to collect funds: The management should think about if there is any source to collect the required funds if needed at a cheaper cost, if not they should not announce more dividends to the shareholders. Growth: A growth of a company is one of the major factor and plays an important role when dividends are issued to its shareholders. Growth can be measured in sales, market share and the profit of a company. Conclusion: Dividend policy is concerned with level of dividends for the shareholders of a company. Thus from the above mentioned two theories, we can conclude the following: As per the opinion of Director A, dividend should be provided to the shareholders for the following reasons: Signalling effect: This conveys a message to its investors showing the current growth of the company and its future prospectus. Clientele Effect: If a company pays higher cash dividend to the shareholders, it gives more sign of chances about its future to its investors and the increase in dividends may lead directly to an increase in the companys share price in the market. As per the opinion of Director B, Dividend payment is irrelevant to shareholder maximization wealth for the following reasons. If the company pays all the income to its shareholders as dividend, then the company would not have sufficient retain earnings. If the company needs any funds for the future, it would borrow from sources like equity or debt markets which will increase the cost of the capital As per the opinion of the Director C, dividend payments should be avoided due to the following reasons. If the company does not pay dividends to its shareholders, the funds can be utilized for the future growth of the company. There would also be a dual benefit both to the company and the shareholder, where the shareholders may not need to pay an tax on dividend and for the company, they do not need to pay any transaction cost. Thus we conclude based on the managements views of a company on dividend payments and the effect on firm value. Because the dividend policy is a natural consequence of dividend theory being applied, the conclusions to this are categorised under the dividend policies, such as the managed dividend policy, and also there is a consequence of the relevant dividend theory and the residual dividend policy, a consequence of the irrelevant dividend theory.

Cyberethics - Ethics in the Age of the Internet :: Internet Online Communication Essays

Cyberethics - Ethics in the Age of the Internet In every society we live, we have to follow the rule of that place. The Internet is growing, growing in the number of users and growing in public perception. The Internet is the new American frontier due to the new technologies is radically transforming almost every aspect of how we communicate and with whom, as well as just about any dimension of our lives. Most Internet users are convinced of its general utility and positive benefits. However behind it, the Internet, as well as its technological offspring’s the World Wide Web has been compared to the Wild West, because no one owns the network and there is no law and regulations. In consequence of the growth of the Internet, there have been increasing calls for its regulation from many sides. NEW MEDIA The new medium of the Internet has begun to create shadow versions of our older media (Crowley 303). William J. Mitchell likens computers as media to a frontier society (Crowley 303). New media technologies beckon more enticingly than ever. More than merely offering an improvement on existing forms of communication, new media technologies are creating what telecommunications scholar Frederick Williams calls a â€Å"virtually new medium of public communication† (Pavlik, 79). The Internet is a form of new media. Exploiting the Internet’s distribution channels will be an important challenge to publishing and other media industries in the next few years. The initial problem is that no one owns the network. The Internet continues to expand both in terms of audience and the range of its information services. Among other benefits, it offers American media companies an important channel for searching both old and new audiences. Until recently, Canada's broadcast and telecommuni cations watchdog is gearing up to tackle a potentially explosive issue -- whether it should try to regulate the Internet. The CRTC (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission) said regulation could be used to promote Canadian culture or protect Canadians -- particularly youngsters -- from obscenities such as pornography and hate propaganda on the Internet (Brehl). However later, the CRTC announced that it will not regulate new media services on the Internet. After conducting an in-depth review under the Broadcasting Act and the Telecommunications Act beginning last July, the CRTC has concluded that the new media on the Internet are achieving the goals of the Broadcasting Act and are vibrant, highly competitive and successful without regulation.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Essay

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is about Harry Potter and his friends at Hogwarts. In the beginning, Dobby went to Harry’s house and told him that he should not go to school this year. It is very dangerous. Harry went to school anyway. A cat and a lot of people got petrified. Some of Harry’s friends think it is him causing the problems. When Harry was playing Quidditch, Dobby made the ball hit him and Harry lost all of the bones in his arm. Then, Professor Lockhart taught the students at Hogwarts how to fight evil. Harry spoke in Parseltongue which is making sounds like a snake. Harry, Hermione, and Ron made a Polyjuice potion to catch Malfoy talking about petrifying all of the people. Then, Harry found a diary that writes back when you write in it. Tom Riddle is the one who wrote to him in the diary and told him that Hagrid opened the Chamber of Secrets. After Hermione is petrified, Dumbledore and Lucius Malfoy took Hagrid away because Lucius thought Hagrid was petrifying everyone. Hagrid told Harry and Ron to follow the spiders. Harry and Ron followed the spiders to the forest and the spiders almost killed them, but they escaped. Then, Voldemort took Ginny to the chamber and Harry, Ron, and Professor Lockhart had to go find her. Professor Lockhart cursed himself and Harry went to the chamber by himself. He found Ginny and Tom Riddle. Tom Riddle is Voldemort when he was a kid. Professor Dumbledore’s phoenix came and poked out the snake’s eyes and the magic hat gave Harry a sword. Then Harry killed the snake and stabbed the diary so Tom Riddle was dead. The best part of the book was when Lucius Malfoy gave Dobby a sock so he is free and doesn’t have to work for him anymore.

Essay on READING AND WORK OF ART ANALYSISEssay Writing Service

Essay on READING AND WORK OF ART ANALYSISEssay Writing Service Essay on READING AND WORK OF ART ANALYSIS Essay on READING AND WORK OF ART ANALYSISIn the article Modernity and the Spaces of Femininity written by Griselda Pollock, there is much important information on the role of women in the construction of modernism. According to the author, â€Å"Modernity is presented as a far more than a sense of being â€Å"up to date.†1 The spaces of femininity take a special place in the representation of modernism in art. Modernity deals both with male and female sexuality, but there is a close relationship between modernism, modernity and sexuality. Griselda Pollock is focused on the analysis of the art pieces, which reflect the use of different spaces to place females for the proper art analysis. There are several important arguments made by the author of the article in relation to the role of the spaces of femininity in modernism and modernity.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   First, the author states that â€Å"sexuality, modernism or modernity cannot function as given ca tegories to which we add women.†2 From the masculine point of view, women are presented as the other because of social difference that plays an important role in gender relations. Artists use different dimensions of space. Mary Cassatt and Berthe Morisot are the most important impressionist female artist of the 19th century. They both use the female perspective to depicted the woman and the female’s life. Therefore from the representation of Mary Cassatt and Berthe Morisot’s work; in most of their painting, they use â€Å"dining rooms, drawing rooms, bedrooms, balconies/verandas, private gardens† to portray the female’s leisure life. From this painting, we are evidently seeing the limitation of the space and location in the female’s life. From the female impressionist artist, the space and location that allowed them to make art are mostly in the domestic space and private area. They do not have the equality as the male artists, the females we re having the lower social status compare to male. Specially in the art practice therefore their home and their private area are immediately becoming the location and the subject matter of the domestic social life from their genre painting. From the later discussion in the article, the appearance of women participated in the public activity. Such as the female’s appear in the theater scene, we are seeing the females are often being sat in the backstage, they do not have the chance to view it in a close distance which same as the male. Therefore in here the issue of the female and male’s unequalled social status still occurred, there are still the difference between female and male in the social class.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Second, the author states that â€Å"femininity is not the natural condition of female persons.† 4 Women are represented as a sign or a confection of fantasies that â€Å"they are positioned as the object of the flaneurà ¢â‚¬â„¢s gaze.†The freedom of the male by looking, they have the freedom by looking at women in any space and any location. For example in the western tradition art, the male artist traditionally use female nudity subject in their painting, to satisfy male’s taste, and gives pleasure to the viewers. The artists use female images to highlight the role of female identity in the assessment of male superiority.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Third, The inequality right for women’s lower social class. There were not protection for women, therefore the dangerous concern of women enter in the public space â€Å"such as the masked ball or the cafe-concert constituted a serious threat to a bourgeois woman’s reputation,etc.† The dangerous position and the lower social class of female in the society, therefore the male is free to do anything they want, to satisfy themselves, where the female’s bodies can be exchange, etc. Here strongly pres ents the lower position of the female and the power of masculine in the society.Also Griselda Pollock argues that â€Å"femininity in its class-specific forms is maintained by the polarity virgin/whore which is mystifying representation of the economic exchanges in the patriarchal kinship system.†5 Therefore the money and property influence human relations, especially marriage relations. As a result, it is necessary to assess femininity as the ideology of female sexuality.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lastly, the author states that the spaces of femininity have a strong impact on women’s lives as they reflect the roles of women, their status and the effects of their sexuality.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the Eva Gonzeles’s paintingâ€Å" A Box at the Italian Theatre†, we are seeing the depiction of a woman sitting in the centre accompanies by a man standing next to her. In this painting, it did not clearly showed the difference and inequality of female and male due to the argument in space from the reading. In here, the woman is being depicted in a public area, in the Italian Theatre; therefore the difference between the women’s domestic life from the reading has been changed. From the viewer’s perspective the female and male are staging in the same space, therefore there are not the inequality of the women between men that they were being placed in the backstage to view the show. This two figures are being depicted in the same horizontal line, but their gaze is different. The female figure are looking straightly at the viewer, but the male is turning his body and looking at the different way. With the provided information in the painting, we notice that the woman is straightly looking at the show but the man is totally looking at other things. In here, the painting clearly examine the â€Å"splitting of private and public with its double freedom for men in the public space, and the preeminence of a detached observing gaze, etc.â⠂¬  With the contrast between the two figure’s facial expression, there are no much facial expression in the female figure, she seems very concentrate by looking at the stage. But with the male figure’s pose, he lays back and his elbow are resting on the velvet. He seems very relaxing by looking at some other things, the difference between women and men in crowd are distinctly presenting in here. The freedom of men in any space, any location and the freedom of male’s gaze. They have the right to look at any things at any time in any space. Unlike the women, â€Å"they were never positioned as the normal occupants of the public realm.† Therefore in this painting, although the female and male figures are being placed in the same position but the existence of unfairly and the inequality’s social status between men and women still occurred in this painting.  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the Pollock’s article of Modernity and the Spaces of Femininity and the E va Gonzales’s painting, both clearly present the unequal treatment, social inequality and the social discrimination between men and women in the 19th century society.

10 Ways to Blog Your Book to Increase Sales Without Being Pushy or Annoying (Part 1)

10 Ways to Blog Your Book to Increase Sales Without Being Pushy or Annoying (Part 1) A lot of people think that once a book is written, the work is done. Often times, especially if you are a self-published author, the work is just beginning. After the brainstorming and drafting, writing and revising, editing and publishing comes the†¦ selling. There are only so many times you can say, buy my book! But the fact of the matter is, you need to continue placing your book in front of your audience if you have any prayer of selling copies. To help, I’ve come up with a list of ten ways you can blog about your book. I am breaking this article up into two parts, so read on for the first five suggested ways to blog about your book and then check back in next week to learn the second set of ways to increase your book sales through your blog without being pushy or annoying. The Inspiration Every story has to start somewhere. If you write about the inspiration behind the story, you don’t even have to wait until it’s published to engage your audience. Readers will feel like they are getting a behind the scenes sneak peek at your work in progress and endear them to the project right from the start. In this post, I shared all about how I turned my friend’s reality into inspiration for a fiction story. Writing Tips   Another topic you can talk about before you publish are the techniques you are using to write the story. For example, for my most recent book, I wrote about outlining, writing sprints, and using YouTube for research. First Chapter and Cover Reveal   A few weeks before you publish, give your readers a little teaser Music Play Lists   Mark Parsons wrote Road Rash, a â€Å"band-on-the-road† story about growing up- and growing into yourself. There probably isn’t a better scenario on the planet for a novel playlist. Being both a writer and a musician, Mark wrote this article for Huffington Post: 10 Best Road Trip Songs. Your book doesn’t have to be about music though to pull this off. Wisconsin based author Valerie Biel created playlists for her YA historical fantasy novels. Playlists are a great content addition to her website and also an excellent way for readers to create the atmosphere of the book to enhance their reading experience. Book Trailers Another way you can engage readers is â€Å"As authors, we want to give readers as much information as possible about our books so they can decide if it’s worth their precious time and money because let’ face it, this is a busy and expensive world. A book trailer can do this in 60 seconds or less using visuals and music. If a picture says a thousand words, adding tone and music says ten thousand.† – Teri Case, author of the award-winning novel Tiger Drive and forth-coming title, In the Dog House Once the trailer is finished, you can write a post about the creation process, including how you chose the images and music, how you scripted the video and any tips and tricks you’d recommend for other’s looking to give a book trailer a try. Okay! That’s it for today! Be sure to come back next week for the second half of the list!! (Click here for Part 2)

Marketing Red pull Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5750 words

Marketing Red pull - Assignment Example The study has selected UK as target international destination for Red Bull in order to develop marketing plan. In order to develop three-year marketing plan for Red Bull, the study will focus on three key issues. Issue 1- analyze the macro and micro environmental dynamics pertinent to UK and conduct environmental appraisal for Red Bull. Issue 2- on the basis of environmental appraisal; identify two new target segments appropriate to Red Bull in the U.K. market. As part of new target market selection, customer profiling, age group, characteristics of target group and positioning of the brand ‘Red Bull’ will also be discussed. Issue 3- on the basis of new target market selection; develop differentiated marketing mix for each target market identified. In the report, marketing objectives and control mechanism for individual marketing mix projected for particular target group will also be discussed. Red Bull is regarded as most popular energy drink across different countries in the world (Farris, 2010). Although, the Red Bull products were developed by TC Pharmaceutical during early 1980’s but Dietrich Mateschitz rejuvenated the product and established the brand as ‘Red Bull Energy Drink’ in Austria during 1981 (Red Bull, 2014a). From the initial years, market position of Red Bull Energy Drink was strengthened through unique positioning, integrating research and development (R&D) activities with product innovation and customization of marketing activities (Farris, 2010). In the last 26 years, the company has established its distribution channel in more than 55 countries. As of 2012, Red Bull sells more than 5 billion cans annually (Red Bull, 2014b). During 1980s, Red Bull was sold as medicine containing caffeine that can boost energy level upon consumption but the company has successfully repositioned the brand through streamlining

Third One-Page Paper Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Third One-Page Paper - Thesis Example The primary idea in support of Epicureanism is that a wise person will always remain happy even if he is being tortured. Happiness enhances tranquility of the soul at all times. Someone who chooses to swallow a pill that will keep him happy would argue that he will be satisfied with the peace of mind and mental wellbeing brought about by happiness. He would not bother to worry about death because death is a limit of experience; hence death is nothingness and should not be feared. What matters is only happiness. On the other hand, stoicism is a theory of absolute stability which suggests that errors in judgment results in destructive emotions (Mac, 2009). In this case, a person who is morally perfect does not suffer emotional destruction. Someone with a stoic view is concerned with ethical and moral wellbeing of a person. He/she would argue that stoicism enables someone to discern between truth and fallacy. It leads to the distinction between truth and falsehood. In this case, I will swallow a pill that will make me to identify falsehood because falsehood can sometimes cause unhappiness. My main aim in living a good life is to be happy. If someone slams a door on my face and says he wanted to save my life, I would be happy not to know the falsehood in his statement because it would make me unhappy. Even though I will be hurt, I will still be happy as a wise

Osteopetrosis and its Effects on the Elbow Essay

Osteopetrosis and its Effects on the Elbow - Essay Example In disease diagnosis, radiographic images are taken. The radiographic findings in the case of osteopetrosis show symmetrical increase in the mass of bone in the affected region e.g. the elbow (p. 399). This accumulation of bone mass in the affected region leads to disturbance of bone formation processes which include bone growth, bone modelling and bone remodeling. Using radiographic images, the elbow and joint will show accumulated mass of bone and hence joint movement will be hampered (Arun, Rysavy, & Wozniak, 2007). Laboratory tests are also applied to clear and explain the findings after the radiographic analysis. In most cases hypocalcemia is evident due to low levels of calcium in the body culminating from the disease. Rachitic changes in growth plates is seen in cases where hypocalcemia is severe (p. 400). Treatment is complex and may involve bone marrow transplant from human leukocyte antigen identical donors. This is used to avert the situation as the disease could be hereditary. Hormonal and dietary therapy using calcium deficient diet has also been used in treatment of the

Too easy to get a gun in the U.S Essay Example for Free

Too easy to get a gun in the U.S Essay Like vehicle owners in the U.S.A most people in the U.S believe that gun owners should be subjected to at least some safety regulations â€Å"there should be a parallel set of regulations for guns†, (Harvy Lipman, 1997 pg 1). People have differing value attachment to guns from the positive to the negative ones. However about three quarters of the American majority believe that imposing a total ban on gun ownership is not the way. It is estimated that nearly half of American populace think that if they own a gun then they are much safer within their homes. The biggest issue for America, becomes not how to ensure a total ban but then how to put some minimum regulations for every American citizen to own a gun and thereby control their number..   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Majority of some Americans believe that the contemporary laws are so different from one state to another; the message is that the citizens want reasonable gun laws that are not so strict and as such can reasonably be reinforced. One of the possible reasons that have been proposed includes; Attending a gun course: most people within the united states of America believe that if anyone who wants to own a gun was to be subjected to a mandatory gun clinic on how to operate and handle the weapon without endangering themselves or the rest of the society, then the number of people wanting to own a gun would find it cumbersome to attend such clinics. In fact the federal Brady law that requires citizens who wish to buy and own guns to wait for at least five days before that gun is sold to them is supported by nearly 90 percent of Americans (Harvin L, 1997). This they believe would ensure that these individuals who intend to buy the guns have their backgrounds assessed by law enforcers so that when they are issued with the guns they are given a clean bill of health. This according to them would limit the number of guns ending up in the wrong hands. In effect criminals would not find it easy to access guns and as such many problems such as robbery, deaths would be minimized. It al so has the effect of limiting the number of people possessing firearms. Barring Felons and drug users: the theory under this perspective is that, if access to guns for criminals is denied then the number of crimes that would have been committed by these fellows would certainly come down (Kurt F. 1981,pg6, Col. 4). Having uniform gun law across the states: the current gun control law varies from one state to another and some of them are just merely about registration of the original purchase and to the extent of licensing. However with the persistent gun issues, there needs to be an enactment to ensure that the interstate gun flow is controlled. For instance, a state such as New York that has enacted various laws that is restrictive to gun control faces the problem inflow of numerous guns from other states, with less restriction. The numbers of guns that are illegally owned by most Americans even complicates the situation further. These weapons are increasingly being stolen and as such restrictive laws are not enacted and with a major cooperation from gun owners and the rest of the public then not much progress will be done. Guns unlike other consumer products are quite durable. However, the federal law only requires the initial retail sale to be documented. Subsequently, the after sales are not usually monitored, as there is no documentation required by law. This makes it easier for people to sell their guns and criminals and other dangerous people easily obtaining guns. The initial gun owners unwittingly sell guns or giving them away to second parties. The federal government should also put a limit on the number of guns an individual is allowed to own. In effect this would bring down the number of guns that are owned by the public, as it would require those who have more than the maximum number required by the law to surrender the excess. Right now it is possible for a citizen to own as many as ten firearms. Empirical evidence suggests that most oft the countries that have successful gun regulations have very strict laws that punish offenders. It is argued that criminals usually find it hard to commit a crime if it poses a greater risk to them. Criminals would be hesitant to use guns if it would make the kind of crime they are intent on committing more severe. Thus if strict laws are passed to punish offenders most criminals would not engaged in the activities using guns. Gun owners should have their firearms registered with the federal government. This would make them more accountable to the use of the weapons. Within their homes and the society as whole the adults who posses the guns would make it their business to keep track of their firearms so that no one else uses the weapons. This in effect would also isolate criminals as their moves and actions with the guns would be monitored. . Even the ordinary citizens would find it hard to purchase the weapons, since there is the possibility that the gun might end up in the wrong hands making them liable to prosecution. Even though it might be seen to be going against the law and to some extent it might also prove to be costly in implementation, the police should be allowed to finger print every person and record the obtained data in a file. This would make it easier to monitor most criminals. Works Cited Harvy Lipman Rights and regulations; Americans want firearms and federal restrictions, poll finds.   Albany Times Union, 1997 Kurt F. Kluin, Gun Control: Is it a Legal and Effective Means of Controlling Firearms in the United States. 1. N.Y. Times, Mar. 31, 198 1,  § A, at 6, col. 4. Philip J. Cook and Jens Ludwig, guns in America: National survey on private ownership and use of firearms, USA Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice

Children of the Mission :: Babysitting Descriptive Personal Narrative Essays

Children of the Mission A few teenagers are sitting on the ground under a network of slides. There are a few younger children there with them, doing the various things children do at five years old. The mottled sunlight creates exotic patterns across the faces of those under the network of slides, and it plays with the features of the smaller children on their laps. A slight breeze picks up every now and then, but for the first time in a week it's a warm breeze that brings cheer, rather than rain. One toddler finds the camera stowed under a teenager's knee. This is an object of mystery. Another child grabs the hand of an older girl, showing her the round, convex mirror in the shade that shows a distorted image of the entire playground. For some reason, that mirror is the principal image I remember from our day of babysitting. It measured about two feet in diameter, and in its metallic reflection, every one appeared as a colorful blob, or, if a person was lucky, he had eyes and a wide-open mouth. Everything looked backwards and uniform in that mirror, and it fascinated me. The irony in my attraction to it is that just as when I looked into the mirror, when I looked at the playground around me that afternoon, I was blind to what was actually there. The sun, the breeze, and the delightful children all combined in my perception to look like something I thought I knew. It is only now, three and a half months later, that I realize I was not able to comprehend much of anything I saw that day. Our rooftop daycare is located about a half mile from the intersection of Wilson and Wilson in Uptown Chicago. It occupies the roof of the Uptown Mission and Homeless Shelter. The Shelter crouches on a wide, deceptively clean street where the shadows have eyes and the sharp stench of urine permeates the air. Last summer, our youth group came here as missionaries to try to "help" the homeless people. On this particular sunny afternoon, we were to baby-sit their children. However, since there were more babysitters than children, I wonder how effective our effort actually was. As I sat watching the kids run in and out, my mind flooded with memories of my own childhood. I noticed that despite the difference between the adults who'd grown up in upper-middle-class Topeka and those who were homeless in Chicago, there existed many similar characteristics between the children in both conditions.

Youth Gang Prevention

Youth Gang Prevention EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Gang prevention, intervention and suppression for youth at risk and gang members are strategies for addressing the recent increases in youth and gang related problems in the city of Norfolk, Virginia. State and local policymakers as well as citizens are concerned about public safety and want to avoid a continued increase in gang activity and membership. An effective response to the problems of youth must be built on a thorough understanding of the problem. There is an important role for Norfolk State University (NSU) to assist the City of Norfolk in addressing the problem and designing an effective program built on the strategies of prevention, intervention and suppression. This white paper outlines such a program and related strategies, which we believe will be a successful response to youth at risk and gang members. This program is focused in the six communities adjacent and next to the Norfolk State Campus, and is designed to support and enhance community organizations and families in their effort to address youth at risk and reduce violence. The program includes the strategies of prevention, intervention and suppression, and is highlighted by a five point component structure. These five points are as follows: 1)} build a solid community social network of community organizations, churches, government agencies, police units, local businesses, schools, and so forth,. 2) a range of services/workshops/training and educational opportunities offered and available to the residents of the communities identified by key street workers, clergy, parents, police, and other youth. ) the utilization of key family and ex gang members in working directly with youth and gang members with experience in addressing such problems. 4) the creation of an educational ladder designed to provide alternative patterns of behavior and provide opportunities for the youth and the parents. 5) an evaluation plan focused on determining which aspects of the program are most effective and cost beneficial. ADDRESSING THE PROBLEM This program expands on the di scussions held on campus. It builds on the range of services and workshops provided by NSU and other groups working in this area and directly with NSU. This program is intended to include what is currently available and expands the capability of folks within NSU so as to support and strengthen families and youth in their development. It is very much intended to assist in diverting youth into alternative patterns of behavior and to reduce the need and/or preference for violence. FIRST COMPONENT The proposed project has five components. The first is to build a network of social, economic and religious organizations in the six communities adjacent to Norfolk State University. Such a network is critical so that information, brochures and direct contact can be made with community residents and organizational leaders. We will most likely need to meet with them most likely in their habitat so as to explain the intent of the program and what we would have them to contribute to the overall effort. Most important would be for them to help distribute the information we prepare, be able to answer basic questions or connect residents with key personnel in the project. We would very much like for some to consider holding workshops and/or educational programs in their facilities. The type of locales that we are considering would be the public and private schools, the cChurches, recreation and community centers, hair salons and barbershops, and any other places where people gather. The work on our part would be to meet face to face with the managers/ workers/ owners and discuss our effort. We would show them our brochures and other information and leave them with the names of two or three people to call in case they need to contact us, as well as maintaining consistent contact over a period of time so that they will understand the need to address the youth related problems. SECOND COMPONENT The second component would be the somewhat detailed and clearly spelled out range of services/workshops/training/and educational opportunities available through our project. The set of services we intend to use have been provided for several years by the Virginia Gang Prevention Program, which includes God’s X Gangsters. They are familiar with and have provided some services in the areas we intend to serve. NSU has been partnering with them for a little over three years, have been the site of a couple of conferences, and it is where many meetings of the group have been held all within the School of Social Work and NSU’s Brambleton Center of late. more lately its Brambleton Center. In this context we envision developing a peer mentoring program in the community, such as gang prevention for youth, gang intervention for youth, intensive gang intervention services, group/6-week certificate, gang awareness for parentsparents’ in-home/group, intensive in-home services, train the trainers, and certificate training for trainers. These workshops and training programs have already been provided, but we will need to do it in a consistent, systematic and developmental manner, and make certain that we cover a community. Family Systems Inc is another community based agency which serves the youth and their families. It has some interesting programs already being provided to youth such as an entrepenurialentrepreneurial group and a youth skills group. It has a staff well connected to youth, families, courts and police, and would significantly provide additional services to this program. There are also other treatment opportunities for parents and youth when such services are indicated. We are looking at the risk factors that God’s X Gangsters haves learned are associated with gang involved and youth at risk. These risk factors are failure in school, family problems, substance abuse, pattern behaviors and â€Å"conduct† problems, gang membership and gun possession, and incidents of violence. These are important indicators to make others aware of what the program will address and to make certain that these youngsters need special attention. THIRD COMPONENT One of the most important new services we will embrace is the creation of an educational ladder. This ladder would form the basis of creating opportunities and provide a source of hope for parents, teachers, and youth. In this context, we would work with the youth to determine their needs, whether it be learning to read and write, reading comprehension and literacy, assisting in obtaining a GED, moving into learning a trade, going to community college, or coming to NSU. This opportunity ladder would assist providers of service with a chance for growth in addition to the suppression model and the reinforcement of our treatment model so prevalent in addressing such problems. We envision that this type of service would also be made available to family members, so they can be a source of encouragement for the youth and others. The full range of services we are capable of providing include, anger management/conflict resolution, one-on-one social mentoring, social skills training, goal setting, attitude formation, empathy development, problem solving skills, bully prevention/violence reduction and substance abuse awareness and reduction. These courses/workshops would be addressed in weekly modules in addition to the initial six week training module where the overall program is introduced and discussed. FOURTH COMPONENT In this component we want to make it easy and possible for people to sign up for these services and/or workshops. This will likely be accomplished when the information is distributed in the community organizations and commercial operations. There will be a checklist which we will use to contact those who complete them and indicate what they would like us to addressed. It is likely that we might see several services or courses checked off and we would maintain a list of needed service as well as a mailing list of folks for us to contact for over time. We would also have a blank where one would like for the services to be held, and we would go to those locations. It may be that we would hold some classes in barbershops, which would be an excellent resource because we want to address people in their own back yard and then encourage them to go to other locations when they feel comfortable. It is very likely that we will incorporate the interns in social work and in the Psy. D. programs, under supervision of professional faculty and other treatment professionals. The interns would assist in organizing after school educational and recreational programs as well as assisting in the development and implementation of service learning efforts. They would help in distributing the program information and when indicated would co-lead groups. In other situations, they would help with short- term intervention, make referrals and bring attention to youth at potential for trouble. In another context, we have worked with and used Liberty Counseling services and we would likely use them as a case permits. We intend to use the NSU Counseling Center when appropriate and on a case-by-case basis. The services that NSU uses would be based at the Brambleton Center, where it is envisioned that the project would be housed. It will be necessary and important for the NSU security personnel to work closely with the City of Norfolk Police Department in order to coordinate activities. This collaborative effort is key as we are addressing the six communities surrounding NSU. One important feature of this coordinated effort would be to identify youth at risk and gang members for our own work force to make either the first or follow up contact as we seek to reduce violence, rather than seek arrest and adjudication. In these contacts where an assessment of the problem would be made, it is critical that our work force have the service possibilities and the educational opportunities readily available. FIFTH COMPONENT The fifth component would be evaluation. Such an evaluation would be based on a developmental model where we would constantly usinguse the data to enhance the specific courses, etc. We would work with our Assessment unit to develop evaluative feedback information for the programs provided so that we can make well-informed decisions about our overall effort. We would be particularly interested in determining what works, what is most cost-effective, whatere are the favorable locations, and so forth. This information is critical if we are to show success. use money wisely. One last but not least point is that while a very effective project can be developed and implemented we would need a source of funds. This is not easy to note particularly when the economy is so poor and our University and City are in economic turmoil;, however, we will need to explore funding for the project. To date, Prof. Banks has agreed to work with Prof. S. Lowe and Prof. J. Robinson on developing the educational ladder, Interim Director D. Sanderlin and Mr. Turan Smith from the Brambleton Center is are working on identifying key community resources for the network, and Pastor B. Emory is coordinating the service component of the project. These folks have agreed to work as part of a team to design an effective project associated and driven via NSU. Chief Walker, Dr. Coleman and I will work together to coordinate the overall project. CONCLUSION This project incorporates the strategies of prevention, intervention and suppression in a program designed to deal effectively with youth at risk and gang members in the six communities surrounding Norfolk State University. The program is built on a five point component system which is well integrated so that each contributes to and strengthens the others. It is also community based relying on the strengths and resources of these communities, in addition to the resources of NSU and its educational thrust and extensive community and outreach effort. The evaluation effort is intended to provide continuous feedback to the leadership of NSU, the leadership of the City of Norfolk, and others within the communities, as well as contributing to the understanding of addressing the problems of youth at risk.