BIO Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 6

BIO - Essay Example In particular, I led a group of officers to survey and install security application. In that accord, I completed a site survey for a new secure yard for FSR and STSs. Using my technical expertise, I was able to restore a malfunctioning Pick to Light (PLT) System. Specifically, the system had lost its audio, and I was able to detect the defect through troubleshooting using a particular program and restore it to its previous functionality. In the absence of a video for the TOC users, I relied on my knowledge and skills to replace four Video Matroxs to restore the videos, and the TOC operators used them. My efforts and expertise has not gone unnoticed since I received a TOC coin and awarded for excellence work performance. Specifically, this happened while working as a TDY to Basrah where I successfully cleared 35 alarms in the TR room within two minutes of customer calls. In addition, I installed four TV monitors in the TOC for better security coverage of the embassy compound for customers. In short, this illustrates my incredible knowledge, expertise, and experience in the technology-enhanced security

Tennessee Williams Essay Example for Free

Tennessee Williams Essay The American theatre public first took notice of The Glass Menagerie by Mississippi-born Tennessee Williams when it was presented in Chicago in December 1944. Opening in New York on March 31, 1945, it ran for more that 500 performances and won both popular and critical acclaim. It is now considered one of the most delicate plays of the twentieth century.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Much of the play is drawn from the writer’s own life and perhaps because of this, he invests it with extraordinary realism and poetry. Though the lives of his characters are blighted by frustration and misery, he paints them with the softness of illusion, the patina of tenderness (Krutch, 424). And no wonder: Tom is Tennessee, Amanda is his mother, and Laura is his sister Rose. Williams calls The Glass Menagerie a memory play. Tom, the son, narrates in seven emotionally-charged scenes the events that happened to him, his mother, Amanda Wingfield, and his sister Laura before he deserted them to become a merchant sailor. Extremely unhappy as a shoe-factory worker, Tom, the poet-dreamer, frequently escapes to poetry-writing or the movies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Because Amanda loves her son, she nags him so that he would be more serious about improving himself. Amanda also notes that her delicate, sensitive, helpless Laura will never be able to cope with the realities of making a living. So Amanda asks Tom to invite an eligible bachelor to dinner for his sister. Tom invites Jim O’Connor, a fellow employee at the shoe-factory. Good-natured Jim gradually makes Laura warm up to him, but before the evening is through, he reveals that he is engaged to be married. Shortly after, Tom breaks away from the two women to join the merchant marine.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   All three are yearning to get out of the coffin of their lives. Tom pines for romance and adventure, which, however, cannot blow the candles of memory out. Amanda escapes from present by retreating to her memories, but for her children she decides quite realistically that the practical, not the romantic, way is the path to an easy life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An interesting feature of the play is the application of William’s theory of expressionism. Because it is a memory play, much leeway is given to â€Å"atmospheric touches and subtleties of direction. In the romantic spirit of expressionism (Young, 506), Williams contends that the truth, life, or reality is an organic thing, which the   poetic imagination can represent or suggest, in essence only those through transformation, through changing into other forms than those which were merely present in appearance. The use of symbols is inline with the expressionistic theory. For instance, the delicate glass unicorn is a symbol for the fragile loner that Laura is. The blue roses, the apartment in the tenement, the fire escape, the alleys, and the dance-hall are all symbolic. Williams experiment with more open forums, and colloquial styles also contributed to the mode of expressionism. Creating stellar roles for actors, especially women, Williams brought a passionate lyricism and a tragic Southern vision.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Besides using the symbols, the author recommends that the use of magic-lantern slides to show titles or images which could stress certain values or the most important phrases. These slides are considered redundant by some critics (Tischler, 232) because the play is self-sufficient—and eloquently so.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Our unconventional or non realistic techniques are the use of the narrator and special lighting to express changes in mood. The stage is kept poetically dim, in keeping the mood of memory while shafts of light draw attention to certain areas or actors. An effective literary accent in the play is provided by the repetition of haunting tune that expresses â€Å"the surface vivacity of life and the underlying strain of immutable and inexpressible sorrow† (Bloomfield, 233).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Finally, not the least of the reasons for the powerfully moving quality of The Glass Menagerie is the dialogue. Williams has accurately recorded every nuance and beat of American speech, giving the language a poetic touch to boot. The language lives, the characters live. As the characters play out their lives before us, our hearts vibrate unfailingly to the play’s humanity and beauty or the beauty of its humanity. Everything in the play contributes to pure theatre magic, the secret of which lies deep in the heart—and the art—of Tennessee Williams. Works Cited Bloomfield, Morton and Eliot, Robert., eds. Great Plays: Sophocles to Brecht. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1966. Krutch, Joseph Wood. â€Å"Drama†. The Nation, CLX (April 14, 1945). Tishler, Nancy. Tennessee Williams: Rebellious Puritan. New York: The Citadel Press, 1961. Young, Stark. â€Å"The Glass Menagerie†. The New Rpublic, CXII (April 6, 1945).

The Structure in Hamlet :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

The Structure in Hamlet      Ã‚  Ã‚   William Shakespeare’s tragic drama Hamlet invites various interpretations of the structure because of the play’s complexity. Let us in this essay analyze various interpretations of structure.    Mark Rose, in â€Å"Reforming the Role,† highlights the â€Å"double plot† structure within Hamlet and another tragedy:    Hamlet and Lear are the only two of Shakespeare’s tragedies with double plots. [. . .] The story of Polonius’s family works analogously in Hamlet. Each member of the family is a fairly ordinary person who serves as a foil to some aspect of Hamlet’s extraordinary cunning and discipline. Polonius imagines himself a regular Machiavel, an expert at using indirections to find directions out, but compared to Hamlet he is what the prince calls him, a great baby. Ophelia, unable to control her grief, lapses into madness and a muddy death, reminding us that it is one of Hamlet’s achievements that he does not go mad but only plays at insanity to disguise his true strength. And Laertes, of course, goes mad in a different fashion and becomes the model of the kind of revenger that Hamlet so disdains. (125)    A.C. Bradley in Shakespearean Tragedy analyzes the structure of Shakespearean tragedy:    As a Shakespearean tragedy represents a conflict which terminates in a catastrophe, any such tragedy may roughly be divided into three parts. The first of these sets forth or expounds the situation, or state of affairs, out of which the conflict arises; and it may, therefore, be called the Exposition. The second deals with the definite beginning, the growth and the vicissitudes of the conflict. It forms accordingly the bulk of the play, comprising the Second, Third and Fourth Acts, and usually a part of the First and a part of the Fifth. The final section of the tragedy shows the issue of the conflict in a catastrophe. (52)    Thus the first step of the structure of Hamlet involves the presentation of a conflict-generating situation. Marchette Chute in â€Å"The Story Told in Hamlet† describes the beginning of the Exposition of the drama: The story opens in the cold and dark of a winter night in Denmark, while the guard is being changed on the battlements of the royal castle of Elsinore. For two nights in succession, just as the bell strikes the hour of one, a ghost has appeared on the battlements, a figure dressed in complete armor and with a face like that of the dead king of Denmark, Hamlet’s father.

The Disney Difference

Guyette Luster MGT 301 17 March, 2013 Module 2: Case Application â€Å"Managing the Magic† Assignment Page 121 (1-4) 1. What is the Disney Difference and how will it affect the company’s corporate, competitive, and functional strategies? Answer: The â€Å"Disney Difference† is Disney’s marketing strategy that has basically kept the brand afloat throughout the recession years. Disney has been able to market well by staying with a large amount of products and services to add value to the brand.The Disney Difference will affect the corporate strategy (Coulter, DeCenzo, & Robbins, 2011) since they are expanding into Hong Kong and have already organized an amount of funding they will need to finish the project. The Disney Difference will affect the competitive strategy (Coulter, DeCenzo, & Robbins, 2011) by staying with the times. Disney was once viewed as just a child-loved place. With the future ventures that Disney has decided to invest in, the company shoul d do very well in its category and stay very competitive in nature.The Disney Difference will affect the functional strategy (Coulter, DeCenzo, & Robbins, 2011) by the amount of marketing and research they have invested in as well. Customer service will also be researched. Surveys and customer reviews could play a role in the functional strategy. 2. What challenges do you think Disney might face in doing business in Russia? How could Iger and his top management team use planning to best prepare for those challenges? Answer: Expanding into Russia is a very uncertain challenge.The brand has done very little with Russia but the management team has already used planning to delve right in. They have planned to start with televised Disney programming (Coulter, DeCenzo, & Robbins, 2011), a planning strategy that is very specific, but flexible. Television programming can be pulled if they do not do as well as planned so they really are not starting out huge. Another way Disney can plan with their management team is to start planning phase two in Russia with a time frame of televising and marketing.Maybe put Disney products in local malls if not already doing so. Marketing and research are two very important roles in a successful brand. 3. With the announced expansion of Disney’s Hong Kong Disneyland, what goals might the company set? What type of planning will be necessary? Answer: Time frame will be an important goal for this specific project. The money has been evaluated and the length of time has possibly already been calculated. All organization departments need to be putting together individual goals that should be approved by top management.Open communication is also very important for a project this size to be successful. Specific directional planning should be in use for this project. Every department must be given a specific goal and plan to develop in such a large investment. 4. How might Iger and his top management team use the strategic management p rocess to â€Å"keep the magic coming† in the current economic climate? Answer: Planning and analysis are the first two ways to â€Å"keep the magic coming† (Coulter, DeCenzo, & Robbins, 2011).After, the management needs to formulate a plan and adhere to their short-term/long-term goals (Coulter, DeCenzo, & Robbins, 2011). Implementing those strategies and goals are the next step (Coulter, DeCenzo, & Robbins, 2011). Evaluating the results and researching the customer reviews or the marketing strategies (Coulter, DeCenzo, & Robbins, 2011). This is to ensure that the company is making the profit necessary to stay on top. References Coulter, M. , DeCenzo, D. , & Robbins, S. (2011). Pearson Custom Business Resources. Boston, MA: Pearson Learning Solutions.

Human Trafficking in the Caribbean

The law is not effective in dealing with the problem of human trafficking. Discuss (using relevant International and Domestic law). According to the Trafficking in Persons Protocol, Human Trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by threatening or using force, or any other form of coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability; or giving or receiving payments or benefits to relieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation.Human Trafficking is characterized by 1. The Act (What is done) 2. The Means (How it is done) 3. The Purpose (Why it is done) People may fall victim to Human Trafficking for many purposes. One common purpose is for prostitution. Sexual labour is identified as coerced labour. Other common purposes are for child labour and the sex trade. The Vatican has described Human Trafficking as being worse than slavery and has been describ ed as the â€Å"Silent Crime of the Caribbean†.Regional organizations such as the Association of Caribbean States, CARICOM and the Organization of American States have all expressed their displeasure at the rapid increase of human trafficking cases in the Caribbean. This growing practice impacts many nations across the world and the Caribbean has recently been drawn into what is being called a â€Å"global panic. † In the Caribbean the group causing the most concern in regards to Human Trafficking is Irregular Migrants – this includes the females transported to other locations (countries or regions) as commercial sex workers.The nature of the purpose can, without scholarly or legislative support, indicate that this is a violation of basic human rights. Caribbean governments are being asked to present an annual report to the US government outlining the steps they have taken and will take to challenge unregulated migration and forced labour, which are indicators o f human trafficking. The countries are ranked according to their compliance with US’ wishes and a country that does not rank well or refuses to present a report are threatened with economic sanctions.Jamaica is among some of the countries that have been negatively ranked. However, the US government believes that Jamaica has the will and potential to improve their third tier status. Most victims of human trafficking may find themselves in situations where they fall prey to both physical and emotional abuse. Oftentimes Caribbean women are lured to the US with false promises of employment and are then sold by trafficking gangs, to the highest bidders all over the US and Europe. Caribbean states are eager to remain in good moral standing on an international platform.Hence, concerns about human trafficking in the Caribbean have increased mainly due to the idea of female prostitution and the urgency to rescue and protect a woman’s sexual purity. Makes you think, doesnâ€℠¢t it? Do they actually care about these issues or do they care by extension of their international image? Human trafficking is generally practised in the Caribbean in an effort to supply a demand for cheap, unskilled labour (irregular immigrants) and for sex workers in the tourist industry (irregular migrants).Human trafficking is common in many regions which are overpopulated and have high unemployment and poverty rates. According to the IOM* Legal Review concerning trafficking in the Caribbean statue laws have been put in place for the prosecution of traffickers, the protection of trafficking victims and the prevention of trafficking activities. Outside of the US and Europe, many other countries do not have the resources to put in place extensive legislation to fight human trafficking. However, there are some laws that can offer help to curb trafficking activities.The Caribbean’s inability to compare favourably with the level of the US and Europe’s fight against hum an trafficking is due to many economic, social, and legal factors. Some such factors are * â€Å"Law enforcement including prosecution and sentencing which may also be as a result of often using outdated criminal codes with inadequate penalties, many of which have not been reformed since the countries gained their independence. † (IOM 2005) Most Caribbean nations do have the desire to eradicate human trafficking but the state of their economies paired with their pre-independence law enforcement techniques serve as a deterrent.Of all the countries that have made an effort to combat human trafficking, Guyana has been the most successful by drafting a bill to Parliament which includes life penalties for trafficking persons, and stiff penalties for other trafficking related activities. This bill covers every eventuality concerning human trafficking. Jamaica has also introduced the Child Care and Protection Act which stipulates a penalty of ten years for trafficking children and p rovides protection to child victims. The provision that covers trafficking states that: 10. (1) No person shall sell or participate in the trafficking of any child†24 This leaves the rest of us at the will of traffickers, don’t you think. Unless the victim is a child, there is simply no law to cover such an eventuality. There is no legislation that criminalizes trafficking in women and children; however elements of the crime are upheld in the criminal code. But considering that some instances of human trafficking is likely to be for sexual purposes, sexual offences law can help to prosecute criminals involved.Most Caribbean countries include in their constitutions a guaranteed freedom from forced labour and slavery. This guarantor dictates a fundamental right but does not include how it is to be implemented. This right is only enforceable against the state and not private individuals or entities, which means there is no provision for redress against actual traffickers. There are clearly inadequate provisions for victims of human trafficking, largely due to the limited resources that are available to implement these services.The â€Å"patchwork† criminal approach can continue to be used as a substitute for a better legislative system until concrete provisions are instituted to cover the eventualities of human trafficking. And even then it is recommended that the weak and inconsistent criminal laws are reformed. INTERNATIONAL LAWS AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING 1. United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime 2. United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children 3.United Nations Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea, and Air 4. United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN. GIFT) 5. Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) 6. Coordinated Mekong Ministerial Initiative against Trafficking (COMMIT) * Coordinated by China, Laos, Thaila nd, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam 7. Caribbean Counter-Trafficking Model Legislation 8. Belize – Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2003 9. Guyana – Combatting of Trafficking in Persons Act 2005 Human Trafficking in the Caribbean The law is not effective in dealing with the problem of human trafficking. Discuss (using relevant International and Domestic law). According to the Trafficking in Persons Protocol, Human Trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by threatening or using force, or any other form of coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability; or giving or receiving payments or benefits to relieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation.Human Trafficking is characterized by 1. The Act (What is done) 2. The Means (How it is done) 3. The Purpose (Why it is done) People may fall victim to Human Trafficking for many purposes. One common purpose is for prostitution. Sexual labour is identified as coerced labour. Other common purposes are for child labour and the sex trade. The Vatican has described Human Trafficking as being worse than slavery and has been describ ed as the â€Å"Silent Crime of the Caribbean†.Regional organizations such as the Association of Caribbean States, CARICOM and the Organization of American States have all expressed their displeasure at the rapid increase of human trafficking cases in the Caribbean. This growing practice impacts many nations across the world and the Caribbean has recently been drawn into what is being called a â€Å"global panic. † In the Caribbean the group causing the most concern in regards to Human Trafficking is Irregular Migrants – this includes the females transported to other locations (countries or regions) as commercial sex workers.The nature of the purpose can, without scholarly or legislative support, indicate that this is a violation of basic human rights. Caribbean governments are being asked to present an annual report to the US government outlining the steps they have taken and will take to challenge unregulated migration and forced labour, which are indicators o f human trafficking. The countries are ranked according to their compliance with US’ wishes and a country that does not rank well or refuses to present a report are threatened with economic sanctions.Jamaica is among some of the countries that have been negatively ranked. However, the US government believes that Jamaica has the will and potential to improve their third tier status. Most victims of human trafficking may find themselves in situations where they fall prey to both physical and emotional abuse. Oftentimes Caribbean women are lured to the US with false promises of employment and are then sold by trafficking gangs, to the highest bidders all over the US and Europe. Caribbean states are eager to remain in good moral standing on an international platform.Hence, concerns about human trafficking in the Caribbean have increased mainly due to the idea of female prostitution and the urgency to rescue and protect a woman’s sexual purity. Makes you think, doesnâ€℠¢t it? Do they actually care about these issues or do they care by extension of their international image? Human trafficking is generally practised in the Caribbean in an effort to supply a demand for cheap, unskilled labour (irregular immigrants) and for sex workers in the tourist industry (irregular migrants).Human trafficking is common in many regions which are overpopulated and have high unemployment and poverty rates. According to the IOM* Legal Review concerning trafficking in the Caribbean statue laws have been put in place for the prosecution of traffickers, the protection of trafficking victims and the prevention of trafficking activities. Outside of the US and Europe, many other countries do not have the resources to put in place extensive legislation to fight human trafficking. However, there are some laws that can offer help to curb trafficking activities.The Caribbean’s inability to compare favourably with the level of the US and Europe’s fight against hum an trafficking is due to many economic, social, and legal factors. Some such factors are * â€Å"Law enforcement including prosecution and sentencing which may also be as a result of often using outdated criminal codes with inadequate penalties, many of which have not been reformed since the countries gained their independence. † (IOM 2005) Most Caribbean nations do have the desire to eradicate human trafficking but the state of their economies paired with their pre-independence law enforcement techniques serve as a deterrent.Of all the countries that have made an effort to combat human trafficking, Guyana has been the most successful by drafting a bill to Parliament which includes life penalties for trafficking persons, and stiff penalties for other trafficking related activities. This bill covers every eventuality concerning human trafficking. Jamaica has also introduced the Child Care and Protection Act which stipulates a penalty of ten years for trafficking children and p rovides protection to child victims. The provision that covers trafficking states that: 10. (1) No person shall sell or participate in the trafficking of any child†24 This leaves the rest of us at the will of traffickers, don’t you think. Unless the victim is a child, there is simply no law to cover such an eventuality. There is no legislation that criminalizes trafficking in women and children; however elements of the crime are upheld in the criminal code. But considering that some instances of human trafficking is likely to be for sexual purposes, sexual offences law can help to prosecute criminals involved.Most Caribbean countries include in their constitutions a guaranteed freedom from forced labour and slavery. This guarantor dictates a fundamental right but does not include how it is to be implemented. This right is only enforceable against the state and not private individuals or entities, which means there is no provision for redress against actual traffickers. There are clearly inadequate provisions for victims of human trafficking, largely due to the limited resources that are available to implement these services.The â€Å"patchwork† criminal approach can continue to be used as a substitute for a better legislative system until concrete provisions are instituted to cover the eventualities of human trafficking. And even then it is recommended that the weak and inconsistent criminal laws are reformed. INTERNATIONAL LAWS AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING 1. United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime 2. United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children 3.United Nations Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea, and Air 4. United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN. GIFT) 5. Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) 6. Coordinated Mekong Ministerial Initiative against Trafficking (COMMIT) * Coordinated by China, Laos, Thaila nd, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam 7. Caribbean Counter-Trafficking Model Legislation 8. Belize – Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2003 9. Guyana – Combatting of Trafficking in Persons Act 2005

Critical and Creative Thinking in Society Essays

Critical and Creative Thinking in Society Essays Critical and Creative Thinking in Society Essay Critical and Creative Thinking in Society Essay Essay Topic: Creative Critical Thinking The creative and critical thinking process was not so good with he soccer stadium process. The city did not request any pre-sale of season tickets like the hockey team did. The city of Lass Vegas did not speak with ML leadership as they did with the NIL. The city wasted valuable tax payer dollars and man hours to sign a petition the get the proposal for a stadium added to the ballot to be voted on. The petition was signed and the ballot was authorized, however there was no plans on how the money would be raised to pay for the stadium. This ultimately cost the city a possible ML team as they were informed formally by the ML that they are no longer considering Lass Vegas for possible expansion until at least 2018. Free will is defined as the power of acting without the constraint of necessity of fate. The ability to act at ones own discretion. Truth is defined as the quality of state of being true. That which is true or in accordance with fact or reality. A fact or belief that is accepted as true. Knowledge is defined as facts, information, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education; the theoretical or product of understanding of a subject. Opinion is defined as a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge. The beliefs or views Of a large number or majority Of people about a particular subject. When forming thoughts one has the free fall to think as their own, with no regret to how they feel or think. Free will is an individual act and is like a finger print, everyone is different and this is the great thing about free will. Truth is the ultimate desire, when forming thoughts all individuals are different and may have a different belief of what is true. The truth however must be true with fact no matter who or what the subject is. Knowledge is required when forming thoughts even though everyone has different knowledge levels. If a person does not have sufficient knowledge of a subject then they may not be able to engage with the subject on a meaningful level. Opinion goes with knowledge, all opinions are different. Without proper knowledge of a known subject a person may not have a valid opinion. When assessing situations free will is important as it allows discretion and no constraint. The truth will allow an individual to be confident with their opinion of the situation. The truth may differ from person to person, however an individual must be confident with the truth before making a final decision. Knowledge and opinion go hand in hand, a person just have the knowledge of a given subject to form an educated decision. An individual can still have an opinion, however without sufficient knowledge their opinion may not be valid. Through research it can be determined that there are numerous hindrances to the critical thinking process. The focus for this conversation will be on pride, denial, and wishful thinking. To overcome these hindrances one must swallow their pride in order to resolve a problem. Denial is always a circumstance that individuals will face when they think they are right or have the solution. In these situations the individual is right in their ends no matter what the outcome is. The chance of denial is always a factor amongst peers and co-workers as well as family. Wishful thinking can go hand in hand with denial as this occurs when individuals want or think a solution will solve the problem, however in reality their solution is not even close. Analyzing the information of a problem will help determine if the thought process will work to resolve a situation. A person must have a clear mind and be able to see and achieve the overall good for everyone involved. Critical thinking has no room for any kind of personal wants or gains. Critical thinking s a process used to find solutions to problems without regard to personal gain. An advertising situation where the perceived message was mistaken for the real message is Progressive Insurance. This insurance company provides insurance quotes for themselves as well as four other major insurance companies. Progressive does not always have the best quotes for their customers. Initially it was perceived that Progressive is not always the best insurance company. This perception is partially true, however there is more to the reality of the message being delivered. The reality of the message can be identified in two different ways. The first way shows that Progressive does not always provide the best quotes for customers. The second message shows how progressive will show their customers which company will provide the best quotes, as well as how much money the customer can save. This type of advertising can perceived as losing business, however the reality is Progressive is showing true savings and providing customers with the information to make a well informed and educated decision.

Analysing Premise Upon Which Every Child Matters Social Work Essay Example

Analysing Premise Upon Which Every Child Matters Social Work Essay Example Analysing Premise Upon Which Every Child Matters Social Work Essay Analysing Premise Upon Which Every Child Matters Social Work Essay Before the argument goes any farther in its attempt to construct the remainder of us better parents, possibly it may hold to see at what is traveling on in its ain secret plan. ( Millar, 2006 ) As the disposal launches Care Matters, a betterment programme aimed at transforming the lives of brood in the lovingness system the state of affairs is a rotten parent utter its critics ( DfES, 2006d ; Millar, 2006 ; Sergeant, 2006 ) . For all its denouncements of job parents and anti-social households, this disposal like those before it has a really hapless record when it comes to looking after the kids for which it has parental duty. It is argued that the kids purportedly in its attention, or who are to utilize the official term looked after, are in fact anything but. Care is neglecting on a graduated table that is ruinous , says the author of one scathing study, every bit good as neglecting society and perpetuating an lower class of cocottes, drug nuts and felons ( Sergeant, 2006, p1 ) . Curiously, this is a sentiment echoed by the authorities itself in relation to kids raised in their ain households. But before sing the official discourse about the impact of bad rearing on kids and in bend society ; I want to take a brief expression at the treatment around kids in attention, as it is by respects this bunch that the province s intercessions are usually seen to be most hard. As disparagers of the attention system by no agencies enervate of indicating out, the outcomes for kids are awful. A batch of immature citizens spend their care callings traveling as of one arrangement to another, sometimes traveling between different parts of the state, and as a consequence attend a figure of different schools. This inescapably has an impact on their quality of life and their educational public presentation. Merely 1 in 10 achieves five good GCSEs and many leave devoid of any certificates at all. Care departers are more likely to be excluded from school and to be unemployed when they leave. Few go into post-compulsory instruction, and far fewer ( a figure of 1 % is sometimes quoted ) will travel on to higher instruction. They are more likely to acquire a cautiousness or condemnable strong belief, and history for a big option of immature wrongdoers, grownup captives, and street homeless ( DfES, 2006c ; CSCI, 2006a ; Sergeant, 2006 ; Millar, 2006 ; Goddard, 2003 ; C abinet Office, 2005 ) . On the plus side, the sum of kids in attention in the UK has decreased as of around 7.5 per 1,000 ( 100,000 kids ) in the 1970s, to around 5.5 per 1,000 ( or 70,000 ) kids at nowadays ( Bullock et Al, 2006 ) . But even this is to overrate the figure of kids who spend a drawn-out period in attention. In England, for case, there are around 45,000 ( DfES, 2006c ) kids populating in the attention system for 12 months or more. There has besides been a displacement from a trust on residential judicial admission to a attention system preponderantly made up of Foster attention agreements. There is an increasing accent on utilizing kinship arrangements as opposed to, or as a less riotous mode of, suiting a kid ( Bullock et Al, 2006 ) . In this respect, at least, the state of affairs has arguably improved for looked after kids. The Children Act 1989 represented a displacement from parental rights to parental duties . Harmonizing to critics local governments were guilty of using a minimalist reading of their duties under the Act to kids in the attention system. Harmonizing to one observer at that place has since been an enlargement of the province s direct parenting duties and an effort to retroflex the actions of good parents ( Goddard, 2003, p29 ) . This is instantly evident in Care Matters which says that the State has a particular duty for their well-being. Like any good parent, it should set its ain kids foremost ( DfES, 2006d, p31 ) . However, for some the job of the State as replacement parent is an intrinsic 1. It is argued that as a corporate and many-sided entity tied to the immature individual neither by kinship nor heritage the State has a potentially disruptive influence. The separation of existent attention from formal duty ( Bullock et Al, 2006, p8 ) is ineluctable. A deficiency of security, support and permanency for the looked after kid blight the system ( Ibid, p15 ) . Although ultimate duty rests with cardinal authorities, it is local governments that have a legal and moral responsibility to their several attention populations. It is this responsibility which is normally being referred to when the term corporate parent is used ( Dobson, 1998 ) . Corporate parenting is about the cooperation of local services e.g. wellness, instruction, lodging and societal attention in looking after a kid ( DfES, 2003b ; DoH, 1989 ) . It is about the societal worker co-coordinating the work of each skilled involved by agencies of a peculiar kid ; and supervising the daily attention that the kid receives from their carer ( Jackson, Ajayi and Quigley, 2005 ) . The societal worker like the local councilor sometimes seen as the personification of the corporate parent is an necessarily inconsistent parent ( DfES, 2006d ) given the troubles that local governments have by agencies of employees keeping. However, though each dramas their portion in sabotaging the atten tion experience for immature people, these are proficient statements that do nt get down to undertake the political character of province intercession in the life of kids and households. The Children ( Leaving Care ) Act 2000, for case, gave legal force to the consensus that post-care agreements were unequal ( Grover, Stewart and Broadhurst, 2004 ; Goddard, 2003 ; Bullock et Al, 2006 ) . The decision of research conducted in the 1980s- 90s was that go forthing attention was even more debatable than the attention experience itself ( Goddard, 2003 ) . The statement that [ T ] he province besides has to accept long-run duty for kids into early maturity ( Bullock et Al, 2006, p16 ) was readily accepted. But the extension of post-care support, nevertheless justifiable in practical footings, besides implied the extension of childhood for the care-leaver to at slightest the age of 21 in maintaining with the experience of their stay at place equals populating outside the attention system ( DfES, 2000a ; DfES, 2006d ) . This resonance by agencies of broad cultural tendencies has nevertheless gone unexamined. This matter-of-fact tone of the statement about the weaknesss of kids s societal attention besides means that the wider significance of corporate parenting is mostly disregarded. As stated in the regulation handbill that first made explicit elected members duties, when you were chosen as a local Councilor, you took on important duties for the wellness in add-on to good being of all kids in your country ( Dobson, 1998 ) . Written by Frank Dobson, Minister for Health at the clip, it launched the authorities s Quality Protects enterprise, aimed at bettering the life opportunities of vulnerable kids . It besides made clear that notwithstanding councilors peculiar duties to other children in demand ; they besides had a duty to go to to every kid in their country. The centre on the desperate chances of the 8,000 immature people go forthing the attention system each twelvemonth is apprehensible. However it leaves unexamined the broader deductions of the corporate parenting function at present assumed by the State. Chapter 2 Literature Review 2.1 Introduction In this chapter, assorted positions of corporate parenting have been reviewed as the footing of the farther research. First, the research worker clarifies the general constructs of corporate parenting. Then services and merchandises, and the demand for alteration in schemes, is explained in inside informations. In the modern-day universe where everything whether its personal security, concern and or any other thing one feels in security and uncertainness. Similar is the instance with good parenting and parents do experience threatened by the fact that if they are working category who had to work every bit good as expression after the kids as good, it makes life hard for them as they have got this feeling that are or possibly non that much successful to go goo parents as they have or might neglect in doing their kid a perfect homo and supply him/her whatever he or she needs. This is where authorities comes to play function and authorities organic structures like councils are assigned with this undertaking of covering with this issue of corporate parenting. This survey is an attempt carried out in order to enable one to understand the demand and importance, the challenges, the menaces, the hereafter chances that are or can be faced by this topic of corporate parenting. ( Aldous, J. , Klaus, E. , A ; Klein, D. ( 1985 ) ) The chapter ends with a sum-up of the literature reappraisal. 2.1 What is Corporate Rearing ? Corporate Parenting is the word used to explicate the joint duty that the local authorization and its associate bureaus have for their Looked after Children ( LAC ) and Care Leavers . The Children Act 2004 says that important bureaus including wellness, the constabulary and all phases of local authorities, have a responsibility to co-operate to protect the public assistance of kids. The Government s White Paper, ( 2007: p.20 ) accent that this duty to collaborate underpins the agreements for efficient Corporate Parenting . North East Lincolnshire Council s Children and Family Services offer the mundane attention intended for looked after kids ; this includes guaranting that they all have a annual wellness rating and dental cheque. We will besides measure the consequences of emotional wellness testing for looked after kids and guarantee that suited support is accessible on an single and group beginning. It is ensured that all attention departers are registered with a physician. However, it is critical that the wider local influence sections and spouse bureaus besides contribute to retrieving results for these immature people. ( Aldous, J. , Klaus, E. , A ; Klein, D. ( 1985 ) ) 2.2 Why is Corporate rearing important? Childs who are taken into the concern of the local authorization are several of the by and large vulnerable and deprived kids in our society. Corporate Parents have a shared duty to offer them with the best accomplishable parenting and chances, based upon their single demands. Corporate Parenting Local Advancement: Corporate Parenting Board held its first meeting in October 2007. Meetings are held 6 times a twelvemonth. Membership of the panel is made up of Elected Members and Corporate Directors from all North East Lincolnshire Council ( NELC ) Directorates. Corporate Parenting Working Group alleged its first assemblage in August 2008. The group is made up of Corporate Parenting Champions, who have been selected by their Directorate. The Working Group undertakes undertakings focused by the Corporate Parenting Board. Meetings are scheduled for 6 times a twelvemonth. Care Matters ( 2007 ) needs that each country established a Council for Children in Care ( CfCiC ) and develops a Pledge for their Children in Care. In North East Lincolnshire we have had a little but consistent group of immature people attend our CfCiC. We are soon working with them to widen involvement and advancement attending at the CfCiC. Some of our LAC, including those on the CfCiC, has worked jointly to make a papers sketching what they might desire from a promise. The Corporate Parenting Working Group is soon in the procedure of bring forthing the concluding Pledge papers, in treatment with the immature people. 2.3 Critics positions about corporate parenting: While critics of the corporate parenting system neer seem to b tired of bespeaking the outcomes for such kids are awful. Great Numberss of immature people spend their care calling relocating from one place to another, at times traveling between assorted parts of the state, and as a consequence attend several different schools. Unsurprisingly all this puts an feeling on the status of their life and their academic public presentation. Harmonizing to the survey, merely 1 in 10 gets able to make good plenty to acquire five good GCSEs and tonss of them even leave without any makings at all. It has been observed that bulk of the pupils who are excluded from schools are the attention departers and they are more likely to be remained unemployed when they leave. Few go into post-compulsory instruction, and far fewer ( a figure of 1 % is sometimes quoted ) will travel on to higher instruction. They are more likely to acquire a cautiousness or condemnable strong belief, and history for a big minority of immature wrongdoers, grownup captives, and street homeless ( DfES, 2006c ; CSCI, 2006a ; Sergeant, 2006 ; Millar, 2006 ; Goddard, 2003 ; Cabinet Office, 2005 ) . On the plus side, the sum of kids in attention in the UK has decreased as of about 7.5 Per 1,000, 100,000 kids in the 1970s, to about 5.5 per 1,000 ( or 70,000 ) kids today ( Bullock et Al, 2006 ) . However even this is to misjudge the figure of kids who spend a drawn-out period in attention. In England for case, there are around 45,000 ( DfES, 2006c ) kids populating in the attention system for 12 months or more. There has besides been a move as of a trust on lodging judicial admission to a attention system preponderantly made up of Foster attention agreements. There is an increasing accent on utilizing kinship arrangements as opposed to, or as a less riotous manner of, suiting a kid ( Bullock et Al, 2006 ) . In this respect, at least, the state of affairs has arguably improved for looked after kids. 2. 4 Service-user Engagement Legal A ; policy context: Duties A ; History Meeting immature people requires bipartisan operation to set off societal exclusion. Dissimilar service user experiences of go forthing attention, for case, a cared Leaver a secure Foster arrangement compared with that of a attention Leaver go forthing a local influence tally attention place, looking at the assorted of the arguable issues such as accommodation, Education and preparation and wellness. The nucleus capableness construct appealed imposingly to companies disheartened with variegation, it did non present any practical guidelines for mounting corporate-level scheme. To make full the spread, the writers recommend the parenting construction, by agencies of utensils intended for replying two inquiries: Which trade should a concern own? What rearing progress will acquire the finest presentation as of those trades? To make up ones mind the vigorous affecting a parent every bit good as its trades, concern strategians should stare at four stages: the critical accomplishment issues of the trade, the parenting chances in the trade, the individualisms of the parent, every bit good as the economic radioactive dusts. Subsequently, to set up which trades to maintain asset which to deprive, they should rank them into five groups: those that in form good ; those that fit in a figure of ways ; those that fit nevertheless have been little likely ; those with an chance of deserving annih ilation ; plus those that fit in rearing chances nevertheless non in important success factors. ( Aquilino, W. ( 1997 ) . From stripling to immature grownup ) The overturning aim of corporate parenting is to vouch that the Local Authority and its spouses act jointly as a good parent . A good parent is one who puts their kid foremost, maintain them safe, listens to them, meets their physical, societal, cultural, psychological, wellness, educational and emotional demands ; battles on their behalf ; It develops their full potency and supports them through to independence Every Child Matter, Change for Children ( C4C ) is a national plan of incorporation and service re-modeling, which puts kids at the Centre of service design and bringing. To better meet results for kids Walsall has recognized its ain C4C plan, which seeks to integrate cosmopolitan and targeted services at the head where suitable. Integrate planning and procedure Integrate administration agreements throughout the Walsall kids s Trust Elected members have a cardinal function to play in guaranting the local authorization meets its aims. ( Aquilino, W. ( 1997 ) . From stripling to immature grownup ) 2.5 Rearing scheme Sefton s distinguishes that all parents desire to make the greatest intended for their kids. Not merely is rearing the top occupation, but it is every bit good one of the firmest plants in the Earth. Sefton s parenting policy sets out how Sefton Children s Trust purposes to keep up parents in conveying up kids. It has five cardinal feats. Strategic Annoyed cutting Parenting policy made, which includes a thematic manner to doing the Think a household plan, the no incorrect door attack. The development of a strategic lead for rearing, specifying the nucleus results for the program inside the results for ECM ; The scheme will besides vouch that all practicians working with parents are adept at that ground. 2.6 part plus conference A part / conference policy urbanized in association by agencies of parents plus practicians, making suited chances for them to be concerned in planning, development, administration and appraisal of all applicable services and policies ; 2.7 Information Precise, available and up-to-date information sing parent support services is gettable for parents, prospective parents and practicians. 2.8 Commissioning Working together to acknowledge spreads and precedences for nucleus widespread and targeted services, in line with by and large commissioning construction for parent support and wider kids s services ; 2.9 Safeguarding In emanation with the Think Family method, all relevant staff can measure and acknowledge Safeguarding demands of kids inside susceptible households and act appropriately following LSCB processs. These actions will be efficient every six months and the present action program will be presented here. ( Aquilino, W. ( 1997 ) . Sefton recognizes that Parents have a main influence on the felicity of their kids, prospect informative accomplishment and shared behaviours. There are many dissimilar ways of conveying kids up good, and a batch of dissimilar types of households. Bing a parent is non everlastingly easily, every bit good as the bulks parents require to hold several upholds every bit good as advice at some stage in their kids s lives. Parent support is a wide word, and can be interpreted in dissimilar ways. At its bosom is the gratitude that parents have the most considerable control on a kid s societal, physical and emotional felicity. Meeting parents desires for support, as early and expeditiously as likely, is accordingly, critical if kids are to carry through their potency in life and experience good results, both as kids, and subsequently as grownups and parents themselves. Parent support services are defined as: ( Aquilino, W. ( 1997 ) . Any activity or installation aimed at supplying information, advice and support to parents to assist them in conveying up their kids. Parents have dissimilar degrees of require sing their parenting function, which consecutive require the suited degree and type of support. Parent support services can be viewed on a assortment from turning away and ill-timed invasion through to more authorization and thorough services, numbering those that have an extent of enforcement attached to them. Degrees of demand may alter at dissimilar times in the lives both of kids and parents. ( Aquilino, W. ( 1997 ) . Sefton s Parenting Apparition Parents to obtain high quality receptive services, which meet their demands. Parents to acknowledge their rights and duties Parents are listened to and their visions used to organize future services. Parents recognize sing and hold entree to information refering services, which are gettable for them and their households. Servicess work jointly to back up the full household. 2.9.1 What unsimilarity will present the scheme do? Gaps in rearing support are identified and are addressed. Positions of parents will hold been used to organize possible services. Parents in susceptible fortunes will hold used rearing support more quickly. Practitioners will hold expected to develop to present high quality rearing support plans. Parents better acknowledge the effects and benefits of helpful drama and relaxation clip with their kids. Easier entree to information refering rearing support. Staff trained and supported to work expeditiously in partnership with parents. It does non count where a parent goes to for support but that will obtain the aid and support that they need. The Strategy looks for to: Provide attention in plain scenes and entryway to Education, Leisure activities, adjustment and other public services to which all kids are entitled harmonizing to their demands. Supply appropriate attention, construction and way to back up the kid s development and be a tolerant, reliable and supportive spouse in the adult/child relationship. Support productive and suited friendly relationships. Celebrate and administer our kids s accomplishments. Distinguish and esteem their enlargement to independency by being charitable and supportive. Offer dependable support and be gettable through offer advice and practical aid when needed. Advocate and trouble-shoot on their behalf. Be determined for them and carry and back up their attempts to accomplish their possible, through instruction, preparation or employment. Celebrate birthdays and festivals inside the single kid s faith and civilization. Encourage and facilitate suited contact with household members where it is in the kid s best involvements to make so. Carry them to feel portion of the local Community through contact with local organisations Make certain admittance to suited wellness services 2.9.2 Every Looked After kid and immature individual has the right to: High category arrangements A choice of arrangement to run into their demands Well skilled and experient staff and cared. Timely determinations, forceful programs and usual reappraisals Not to be treated in a different manner, since they are looked after. Entree to first-class quality instruction Entree to employment chances Entree to happen quality room when they leave attention. High quality support once they leave attention for given that they need admittance to feature, leisure and cultural activities. For their shared parent to hold aspirations for them To hold their accomplishments renowned and rewarded. To be unafraid To be cherished 2.9.3 Bettering corporate parenting Underneath summarizes the systems and processes that require being in a place to help a local influence meet its duties as a corporate parent. Corporate parenting may be delivered throughout dissimilar systems and constructions in different governments. On the other manus, in all instances kids and immature people in attention should be given a strong influence, every bit good as those most at danger of nationalisation, for case, handicapped kids and those with communicating troubles. Directors of Children s Services and Lead Members should obtain the usher in guaranting that they are listened to both independently and jointly and that their demands are met. In each country, the constituents outlined below should be in topographic point, irrespective of the local corporate parenting construction. Strong corporate parenting agreements are critical to bettering all services for kids and immature people in attention. 2.9.4 Components of effectual corporate parenting Whatsoever constructions subsist in a kids s services influence, there are convinced cardinal elements of corporate parenting that require being in a place. The Director of Children s Services and Lead Member have in general answerability for taking corporate parenting agreements both across the influence and with its spouses in the kids s trust. Governments may besides delegate a group of senior functionaries with answerability for the shared parenting of kids in attention. The answerability and authorization agreements of these groups must be clear. Whatsoever constructions exist in a kids s services influence, kids s part is an of import portion of the process. We suppose every local influence to establish Children in Care Council to vouch that every kid has the juncture to aerate their positions. In doing these agreements, the local influence should see as in peculiar the demands of handicapped kids and really immature kids, and of those kids who are non members of the council themselves. During the Children in Care Council, kids and immature people should be capable of put their experiences of the attention system unswervingly to those accountable for corporate parenting including the DCS and Lead Member, who should demo how they will continue contact with kids and immature people in attention. In exerting their maps, those accountable for organizing corporate rearing need efficient direction information. This information should cover up fifty quantitative informations, such as instruction and wellness results for looked subsequent to kids, and fifty qualitative informations, for case, the positions of consumers of services sing the high quality and suitableness of the services to piece their demands and achieve good results. Strategic planning, policies, protocols and partnerships should back up and inform the work of the group. Children s religion agreements, underpinned by the duty to collaborate ( Children Act 2004 ) and the schools duty to promote good being, offer the context for developing better corporate parenting. Children and Young People s Plans should put out how the kids s trust will cover with the demands of looked after kids and care-leavers. Passage to grownup services, in add-on to the status of grownup services for parents and cared, should be integrated within this strategic program to warrant coordinated services that meet the assessed demands of the kid. Other arguments that can be of critical usage is the inquiry that ever pops up in one s head as whether the corporate parenting is necessary or non, whether it s merely an action or corporate attempt both by the parent and local governments of the modern age where they merely execute this or speak about this merely for the interest of mentioning because it s at that place in the system. The reply to that after a twosome of studies would decidedly be no. It s non merely at that place because it non needed and it at that place for the interest of a formality, it s at that place because of the important function that it can play or has played in the yesteryear to day of the month. Corporate parenting where parents and local governments perform jointly in order to procure the hereafter of immature and approaching coevalss is a really positive and good attack. UK is one of the luckiest states, which has got this system and is followed with all due to duties were other states are missing. It is really realistic and reasonable to hold the construct of corporate parenting in the system and doing certain that it s working decently as this non merely merely enables the parents to a great extent to take a suspiration of alleviation as they have got this local authorization playing a spouse function in doing their child future secure, but at the same clip it besides enables the authorities organic structures to guarantee that child and kids are all in safe custodies. As this will merely guarantee a better and safer hereafter for everyone with fewer ratios of offense and other wretchednesss that can go on to a society if kids are non in safe and good custodies, if their instruction and expression after is at kink. Chapter 3 Research Methodology 3. 1 Research Methodology 3.1.1 Research Doctrine Research doctrine depends on the manner that the research worker thinks about the development of cognition. There are two positions about the research procedure Positivism and phenomenology. They are different, but both have an of import portion to play in corporate parenting. It would be easy to fall into the trap of believing that one research doctrine is better than another. This would lose the point. They are better at making different things. As ever, which is better depending on the research inquiries the research worker is seeking to reply. The intent of this research is to understand how to better the industry image and the sweetening, the growing and besides to understand why should at that place be extended in corporate parenting construct more and more? How can these services be extended and managed? What are the effects? Products and services are extremely intangible assets and, as a consequence, are non easy measured. 3.1.2 Research Approach The research undertaking will affect the usage of theory. That theory may or may non be explicit in the design of the research. The context to which the research worker is clear about the theory at the beginning of the research undertaking, this is whether the research worker should utilize the deductive attack or the inductive attack. The inductive attack is applied in conformity with the research doctrine. The research worker does non put up hypothesis in this research. The research worker understands why some services are successful and what the effects of good corporate parenting image are. The purpose is non to deconcentrate the out semen of the survey, because the findings show the sentiment of a smaller figure of public or parents that the research worker would run into. The little sample informations does non stand for the population of all British parents. The research worker physically meets the parents and asks inquiries in individual utilizing the interviewer administrated questionnaires. Although the questionnaire is connected to quantitative informations and a deductive attack, the inductive attack is still the most appropriate. 3.1.3 Research scheme The intent of the research is to derive an penetration into the merchandises and services extension in the corporate parenting The research worker chooses afield that is corporate parenting every bit good as it offers great potency for analyzing the issues related to a corporation from the parents side, kid s hereafter, instruction, commanding offense and with all these accomplishments with a positive image, in possibly the best known illustration of successful unrelated variegation ; if it is true that all of their services are extended successfully through their alone corporate parenting schemes ; what do the populace think about the corporate parenting and the information and merchandises i.e. instruction provided to them? To acquire a basic apprehension of these ; The research worker seeks to happen out what the parents think about the parenting constructs and the assorted images about them. The chief resource for this research is a study ; the study method is a popular and common scheme in concern and direction research or any other industry. It allows the aggregation of a big sum of informations from a ample population in a extremely economical manner. A study is frequently based on a questionnaire with standardised inquiries, which are good for comparings. Consequently, the result of a study is easy to understand and presents a just overview of what participants think. 3.2 Method of Information Collection 3.2.1 Primary Research The Primary information is collected by a study method. The research uses a standardised questionnaire to happen out the parents or local governments, attitude towards the corporate parenting. Prior to utilizing the questionnaire to roll up informations, the research worker undertook a pilot provi

Brief History of the Declaration of Independence

Brief History of the Declaration of Independence Since April 1775, loosely organized groups of American colonists had been fighting British soldiers in an attempt to secure their rights as loyal British subjects. By the summer of 1776, however, a majority of Americans were pushing – and fighting for full independence from Britain. In reality, the Revolutionary War had already begun with the Battles of Lexington and Concord  and the Siege of Boston  in 1775.  The American Continental Congress turned a five-man committee including Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin to pen a formal statement of the colonists’ expectation and demands to be sent to King George III. In Philadelphia on July 4, 1776, Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. The Declaration of Independence. The following is a brief chronicle of events leading up to the official adoption of the Declaration of Independence. May 1775 The Second Continental Congress convenes in Philadelphia. A petition for redress of grievances, sent to King George III of England by the First Continental Congress in 1774, remains unanswered. June - July 1775 Congress establishes the Continental Army, a first national monetary currency and a post office to serve the United Colonies. August 1775 King George declares his American subjects to be engaged in open and avowed rebellion against the Crown. The English Parliament passes the American Prohibitory Act, declaring all American sea-going vessels and their cargo the property of England. January 1776 Colonists by the thousands buy copies of Thomas Paines Common Sense, stating the cause of American independence. March 1776 Congress passes the Privateering (piracy) Resolution, allowing colonists to arm vessels in order to cruize [sic] on the enemies of these United Colonies. April 6, 1776 American seaports were opened to trade and cargo from other nations for the first time. May 1776 Germany, through a treaty negotiated with King George, agrees to hire mercenary soldiers to help put down any potential uprising by American colonists. May 10, 1776 Congress passes the Resolution for the Formation of Local Governments, allowing colonists to establish their own local governments. Eight colonies agreed to support American independence. May 15, 1776 The Virginia Convention passes a resolution that the delegates appointed to represent this colony in General Congress be instructed to propose to that respectable body to declare the United Colonies free and independent states. June 7, 1776 Richard Henry Lee, Virginias delegate to the Continental Congress, presents the Lee Resolution reading in part: Resolved: That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved. June 11, 1776 Congress postpones consideration of the Lee Resolution and appoints the Committee of Five to draft a final statement declaring the case for Americas independence. The Committee of Five is composed of: John Adams of Massachusetts, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Robert R. Livingston of New York and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia. July 2, 1776 By the votes of 12 of the 13 colonies, with New York not voting, Congress adopts the Lee Resolutions and begins consideration of the Declaration of Independence, written by the Committee of Five. July 4, 1776 Late in the afternoon, church bells ring out over Philadelphia heralding the final adoption of the Declaration of Independence. August 2, 1776 The delegates of the Continental Congress sign the clearly printed or engrossed version of the Declaration. Today Faded but still legible, the Declaration of Independence, along with the Constitution and Bill of Rights, is enshrined for public display in the rotunda of the National Archives and Records Building in Washington, D.C. The priceless documents are stored in an underground vault at night and are constantly monitored for any degradation in their condition.

Music Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Music - Research Paper Example In particular, the paper explores sweet home Alabama (SHA) that was produced with strong massage to ensure eradication of racism and slavery in various states. It recognized the imperativeness of building coherent societies, which embraces quality values in life. Similarly, lynard skynard provides sufficient information towards drug abuse eradication, which threatened to paralyze economic performance and social cohesion in various states including southern states. Various individuals who assert its relevance in building vibrant societies with superior ethical values have accepted its noble ideals. Consequently, the paper also gives an analysis of southern man Alabama song, which similarly communicated appropriate massage on racism with an aim of ensuring its eradication. Comparative and contrasting elements of the songs have also been discussed together with the songs significance to southerners. Introduction Music is a critical element in human life, which provides educative, entert ainment and social messages. Critically, it has played a crucial role in developing human behaviors in various facets of life towards building sustainable and cohesive societies. There are various categories and types of music, which are produced to convey definite and intended information to various individuals. Ideally, there is gospel music, love music that conveys love massages, hip-hop music and pop culture music which relays deep-rooted information towards shaping up cultural practices among societies. Most leaders and scholars affirm that music especially pop culture music has facilitated drastic transformation in human behavior. They assert that such informative songs have the capacity to transform ancient cultural practices and beliefs to conform to modern life practices. Variably, music provides basic ways of nurturing noble human character through systematic communication of information. Various songs take diverse dimensions and themes, which is majorly determined by defi nite information to be communicated. Songwriters and producers consider moral influences of their songs towards transformation of individual’s lifestyle which vital towards modernity. This paper explores musical pieces sang and produced by various pop artists and how they have influenced various individuals lifestyle in the southern state. Song analysis This section provides detailed analysis of three pop culture songs which includes sweet home Alabama (SHA), Lynard skynard and southern man" and "alabama which were profoundly sung by various artists with acute determination to instill admirable human practices for effective cohesion. It also highlights the songs comparativeness and basic elements applied in their production1. The songs have widely been accepted by various individuals due to their educative and entertaining nature, which is critical towards ensuring achievement of their purposes2. Critically, the songs adopted various themes with sweet home Alabama adopting un iversal theme that sought to eradicate racism and slavery in various societies including southern states. Lynard skynard adopted drug liberation, which is asocial theme with a strong focus to fight drug addiction, which has become a prevalent aspect influencing performance in various societies. Its mission has been received well with most individuals embracing its drug free concept as a pillar that ensures mutual coexistence and performance in various areas, in humanity3. Consequently, southern man" and "alabama song also adopted social and economic theme, which relays sufficient information with requisite capacity to advance social and economic settings in humanity. The songs out rightly provides quality information based on life ideals and attitude

Contemporary Issues In Business And Management Essay - 1

Contemporary Issues In Business And Management - Essay Example Recently, major proportion of the population shares their personal information through online. Data like medical records, credit card purchases and other important materials are recorded in several significant powerful databases. A contemporary issue can be defined as the issue that has a specific relevance to the present time. It can lead to several management problems and challenges, such as ethical issues, corporate and social responsibility issues that can affect the business performance of the organization (Rosenfield, 2006, p.43). The leading firms around the globe are trying to capitalize on the opportunities that have been established and reformed due to globalization and advanced modern information technology. Now-a-days, the business organizations are trying to bring innovation in their business process in order to achieve competitive advantages within the competitive global market. Facebook is the largest global social networking site. Over 500 million global people are co nnected with each other through this social networking site. ... However, the study will reveal Facebook’s several contemporary issues associated with the business ethics and social responsibility management. Analysis of Several Contemporary Issues The organization argues that there is no wrong in the social media promotional strategy. According to the organization, they already have recommended on their site to check in security settings before liking any page or status. The Facebook users are aware of the Facebook advertising activities (Mullerat, 2011, p.149). Since the year 2004, the organization has made numerous controversial moves related to privacy. The study will discuss and analyze several trends and prominent privacy incidents that have occurred over the organization’s lifetime. Permissive Defaults The organization used to select certain default privacy settings for the new initial sign ups. These settings are generally customizable, but several users of Facebook never bother to adjust the privacy settings. At the initial stages, the website has default privacy settings. At that point of time only college students were allowed to register as the website users. The organization has been able to increase its customer base in global market by implementing several unique business strategies (Poynter, 2010, p.253). A complaint was raised against Facebook that the organization is trying to sell the personal information and data of its users to other marketing organizations against money. The Advertising Standards authority has disclosed a code of advertising that has included the social responsibility clause. It aims to restrict the advertisers not to break the spirit of the rules. Initially, the organizations around the globe were posting free advertisements.

Marketing Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 6

Marketing Management - Essay Example Exchange relationships are commonly utilised as marketing strategies with the aim of ensuring that a business establishes viable links and contacts with customers, rather than focusing on making on-the-spot sale. The use of this form of relations in marketing commonly results in relationship marketing as a business strategy, whose success is based on the fulfilment of the promises made to customers. A business must maintain commitment to the promises made to customers as a way of satisfying their needs, while still keeping their promises. The role of customer service representatives in this marketing strategy is critical to its successful application. A business must maintain a continuous relationship with the client as a way of retaining the customers by gaining their trust. Organisations commonly focus on delivering value to customers as a way of nurturing the existing relationship between them and the business. This approach of marketing is basically focused on attracting retaining and extending good and services to the desired customers. Marketing metrics refer to elements that can be used to measure the effectiveness of the marketing strategies employed by an organization in achieving desired marketing objectives. A sales manager might consider reporting the following two metrics to ABC Services; This can be defined as the cost incurred in convincing a customer to purchase services and products from a company. The costs considered include the product costs and the various costs involved in research and marketing before reaching the customer. This metric could be relevant to the company as it can be able to determine the markets in which to venture. While the market analysis might be critical, other factors like the value of customers to the company can also be established. This is essential in determining the amount of resources that a business can use to gain customers. This is a metric

Gender and International development, Research proposal Essay

Gender and International development, Research proposal - Essay Example Based on the research, their a strong evidence for the relationship when looking at the attitudes surrounding the preference of sons. However, there is a weak relationshop and less pervasive when focusing at some of the behaviors that are motivate by the preference of sons. Expression of behavior as a result of son preference are subjected to situational contingencies that are not related to the bias that girls receive. It is therefore imperative to maintain the difference between the behavioral discrimination and the attitude prejudice when evaluating the theories surrounding the preference of sons. The paper will therefore, research on the problems and manifestation that arises as a result of son preference. For instance, the sex ratio in India is declining at a fast rate and if the same continues, then the girl child may be declared instinct. The paper equally makes an attempt to understand the fate of the girl0child who is lucky enough to survive through infancy. The paper has id entified ten sources for the research. A brief summary of the findings of these sources has been outlined below The author of this article demonstrates the prevalence of high sex ratios of male to female children. It is indicated that selective sex abortions are always on the rise so as to maintain the cultural as well as parental preference of male to female children. Despite the government efforts to introduce policies aimed at curbing this vice, the same policies have proved over and over again to be unsuccessful. This is mainly due to the societal encouragement and preference of sons to daughters. Das Gupta, M., Zhenghua, J., Bohua, L., Zhenming, X., Chung, W., & Hwa-Ok, B. Why is Son preference so persistent in East and South Asia? a cross-country study of China, India and the Republic of Korea. Journal Of Development Studies, 40(2), (2003).:153-187. According to the article, the author articulates that son preference has persisted in East and

Dose family structure affect education more than income Essay

Dose family structure affect education more than income - Essay Example Comparative to income, the structure of the family has more influence on the way an individual performs academically. The structure of the family from which a child comes matters a lot to their performance in school. That is because of the various strains and stress levels present in the different family structures. Some of the family structures that may be under consideration include traditional nuclear families where both parents are present, single mother families, single father families and families headed by grandparents. All these family types impact academic performance differently depending on the issues the children face at home. Research shows that children from traditional nuclear families perform better academically as compared to those from the other family structures. That may be because their parents are more involved in their academic activities and expect more from them (Ginther and Pollak 3). The children from such families experience lower levels of stress, if any and the parents allocate more time and financial support to them (Pong and Thompson 683). They also provide parental guidance and direction thus boosting their academic performance. Single parent families bring about several challenges to children growing up in those families. Some of the problems facing such children include lack of attention, lack of motivation and assurance as well as appreciation, which may cause stress to them. That affects their academic achievements. A comparison to children from stable, traditional nuclear families shows that these children from single parent families tend to have lower educational attainment (Ginther and Pollak 6). The different classifications of single parent families also show different levels of academic achievement among children. Children from female-headed single parent families tend to record better

Gender and International development, Research proposal Essay

Gender and International development, Research proposal - Essay Example Based on the research, their a strong evidence for the relationship when looking at the attitudes surrounding the preference of sons. However, there is a weak relationshop and less pervasive when focusing at some of the behaviors that are motivate by the preference of sons. Expression of behavior as a result of son preference are subjected to situational contingencies that are not related to the bias that girls receive. It is therefore imperative to maintain the difference between the behavioral discrimination and the attitude prejudice when evaluating the theories surrounding the preference of sons. The paper will therefore, research on the problems and manifestation that arises as a result of son preference. For instance, the sex ratio in India is declining at a fast rate and if the same continues, then the girl child may be declared instinct. The paper equally makes an attempt to understand the fate of the girl0child who is lucky enough to survive through infancy. The paper has id entified ten sources for the research. A brief summary of the findings of these sources has been outlined below The author of this article demonstrates the prevalence of high sex ratios of male to female children. It is indicated that selective sex abortions are always on the rise so as to maintain the cultural as well as parental preference of male to female children. Despite the government efforts to introduce policies aimed at curbing this vice, the same policies have proved over and over again to be unsuccessful. This is mainly due to the societal encouragement and preference of sons to daughters. Das Gupta, M., Zhenghua, J., Bohua, L., Zhenming, X., Chung, W., & Hwa-Ok, B. Why is Son preference so persistent in East and South Asia? a cross-country study of China, India and the Republic of Korea. Journal Of Development Studies, 40(2), (2003).:153-187. According to the article, the author articulates that son preference has persisted in East and

The wholesale clothing Industry in the US Essay

The wholesale clothing Industry in the US - Essay Example But as the century approached its midpoint, more and more respectable Americans started to buy their clothes off the rack. This was especially true of men whose clothes were loosely fitted and not subject to the volatility of fashion as that of women (Soyer, 2005). During the 1830s, the textile industry became more established in America and machine-made clothes were made available to average households. The ready-made garment industry marked its beginning in America history in the early eighteenth century. The first clothing factory was established in 1831 in New York City. Ready-made clothing, however, remained a small part of the American garment production which was still dominated by home-made clothing. New York rapidly became the center for ready-made garment trade because of its regular shipping connections with southern states. The Civil War brought in demand for soldier's uniforms and this increased production and led to the introduction of standardized sizes. This period also marked a substantial technical change in the mode of manufacture of garments. Sewing machines were introduced into the manufacturing sector and the shift moved from manual to machine labor. This important technical innovation also paved way for mass production of clothing in the industry. Between 1880 and 1920, over 2 million Jews migrated to America to escape persecution in their home countries and to take advantage of the economic opportunities in America. Their skills as artisans and factory laborers became important assets in their adopted homeland. The sheer concentration of Jewish immigrants within the industry helped shape the American garment industry, especially in New York. From the middle of the nineteenth century to the end of the twentieth, the garment industry was the largest manufacturing industry in New York City. By 1900, Eastern European Jews constituted a majority of both workers and employers within the industry. One of the many accomplishments of the Jewish contractors was the priority given to ethnic ties in the industry, as they hired mostly members from their own community. The Jewish immigrants built the New York based garment business into a billion dollar industry. By 1900, ready-made clothing was within reach of the average working family as well. Distribution was handled through a network of department stores and shops across the country. The stores offered a wide range of goods that catered to a broad spectrum of customers. Special sales, newspaper advertisements and window displays worked to entice customers. Mail order catalogues were introduced to reach customers in small towns (yumuseum.org). Followed closely behind the Jews, in flooding the garment industry, were Italians, especially Italian women. On the one hand, they worked in large, modern shirtwaist factories and on the other, they made up approximately 98 percent of the home workers within the industry (Soyer, 2005). The garment industry also played a crucial role in shaping the American labor movement. Many of the rights taken for granted by workers today were fought for by the garment unions. Concepts of such significance today, such as arbitration and collective bargaining, emerged out of the struggles of the then garment unions (yumuseum.org). By the second decade of the twentieth century, workers formed unions that became powerful forces within the indus

Programme Schedule Essay Example for Free

Programme Schedule Essay It should be noted that although I have used Sky One as an example of a typical evenings viewing on Sky, this ignores the other channels available through the satellite broadcaster. But in doing so I am illustrating the channels provision in terms of target audience, rejection of a public service ethos (to educate, inform and entertain), and its ability to house hour after hour of populist programming on one channel (complimenting Sky One is a mass of channels providing a wide range of programming (see Sky World and Family Pack, appendix 2)). What is obvious from this comparison is that the public service broadcasters are providing a schedule which caters for the widest possible audience, within the structure of two channels (BBC1/BBC2/RTE1/N2). There is the argument that, instead of attempting to provide an output representative of the whole of its audience, which on the face of it seems impossible, it should specialise into more defined areas. Some complain that money being spent on paying comedians for programmes such as `Have I Got News For You` (Friday 21:00, BBC), could be better spent on this specialisation, however those arguments often come down to ones particular taste, rather than any informed argument. What is it that public service broadcasters provide, which are deemed in the `public interest`, that those without such a remit fail to provide? It can surely not, as outlined previously be choice. Diversity, a term often associated with public service broadcasters, is no longer solely applicable to the latter as diverseness is arguably a product of greater choice. It could be argued however that the choice and diversity available from terrestrial public service broadcasters is of a higher quality and is therefore of greater value to an interested audience. The pluralistic nature of public service broadcasting requires that they take into account the sociocultural segmentation of society, but this is often difficult because of the limited terrestrial channel space available. However, what it does do is provide a common domain, arguably important in the context of social interaction. The ability of the audience to discuss for example, the previous nights episode of Eastenders (BBC1) in the playground or at work should not be underestimated. It could be argued that a wider range of viewing could bring a greater level of social ideas and concepts, yet this ignores the `information rich/information poor` argument, and the resulting divide which has yet to be addressed. The digression by both RTE and the BBC into digital media does not, in the current climate, resolve the problem of catering for such a large audience on a limited broadcasting frequency, simply because digital television is not widespread enough at this time. The conundrum for both organisations therefore, is that in order that they become both more diverse and competitive, their energies must go into the creation and promotion of their digital services so as to have a foothold in the future of digital broadcasting. And here lies the rub, At the moment there does not exist a platform solely intended for the broadcast of the BBCs digital programmes. It is available through NTL, Sky and ITV Digital, and therefore, the BBC is indirectly promoting the formats that have reduced their audience share and contributed to calls for its privatisation. The argument hinges on how the PSBs intend to supply their digital services in the future. They may provide a set-top box through which their channels can be received, or fund their place on the current EPG (Electronic Programme Guide), available through SkyDigital. RTE will begin broadcasting on the SkyDigital platform from April 2002, which has emphasised its intention to fulfil its public service remit by extending its audience reach to as many parts of Ireland as possible. However both NTL and Chorus, (cable companies operating in Ireland) have complained that RTE paid a reported i 6 million for its inclusion on the SkyGuide EPG (Electronic Programme Guide), whereas RTE is hosted for free, and importantly, compulsorily by the two cable operators. If Chorus Digital were to pull the plug on RTE, the low subscription rate would not cause significant damage to the public service broadcaster. However, NTL, who have a much higher subscription, and therefore attract more advertising, offers a greater problem. If NTL removed RTE from its output, advertising revenues would fall dramatically, indeed, it has already fallen in 2001 by i 12 million; 15. 5 million less than projected for 2002 and RTE would inevitably become bankrupt. But in doing so, NTL would almost certainly have its licence revoked, which it would appear, provides the greatest chance of survival for RTE. As I have discussed earlier, the introduction of satellite broadcasting into the UK and Ireland has had a detrimental impact upon the public service broadcasters viewing figures. The information below illustrates the year-on-year increase and uptake of cable and satellite subscription, paralleled with a year-on-year decrease in the BBCs viewing figures. RTE has been grouped in the same category as cable and satellite, however RTE would represent only a fraction of the increase. (NB. Shares before 1996 have been rounded to nearest whole number)

Professional Learning Communities What They Mean To Teachers Education Essay

Professional Learning Communities What They Mean To Teachers Education Essay Professional learning communities (PLCs) have been described as structures within which professionals-particularly teachers-can refine their skills, renew their spirits, and expand the scope of their knowledge (Fogarty Pete, 2006, p. 49). Even though the benefits are clear, there are numerous challenges involved in creating and managing PLCs. Such challenges have typically been broken down into concerns about: (1) finding time and otherwise overcoming logistical challenges to coaching; (2) designing appropriate coaching interventions; and (3) maximizing coaching effectiveness. This literature review will address each of these concepts by examining specific research directions taken by current theorists in the field of professional development, with the purpose of illustrating the spectrum of activity along which coaching can succeed or fail. After doing so, the literature review will also discuss broader theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of coaching, including a nalyses of the roles of: (1) race and other socioeconomic factors; (2) theories of motivation and (3) theories of organizational development. Defining and Contextualizing PLCs Rigorous definitions of the PLC, and evidence-based guidelines for its functioning, began to appear in the late nineteenth century. In the U.S., the entire project of teacher development took a huge step forward with the appearance of a number of periodicals dedicated to the subject, including The National Teacher, which debuted in 1870. It is highly likely that the professionalization of teaching in the U.S. had a great deal to do with the emergence of a standard method of teacher development, including the creation of formal PLCs. In the third volume of The National Teacher, published in 1873, the following passage appeared: First, then, the prospective teacher should be trained in the handling of illustrative material, apparatus, charts, maps, diagrams, objects, etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.his practice in them should be such as will enable him to bring before the eye what can be very imperfectly addressed to the ear. This should be done, in the first instance, privately, or in the presence of the members of a teaching class, subject to their kind but searching criticismà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦(Mitchell, 1873, p. 367) This passage is one of the first allusions, at least in American sources, to the notion of a professional learning community. It is worth situating the emergence of the PLC into the broader stream of professionalization and scientific reordering of vocations in post-Civil War America. Ellis and Hartley (2004) argued that the Civil War, which had mobilized the nations resources in service of total warfare, had exposed glaring weaknesses in the organization and practice of many professions, starting with the army and extending to nursing, teaching, and manufacturing. According to Ellis and Hartley, nursing was one of the first professions to be thoroughly professionalized in the aftermath of the Civil War, but other professions soon followed (p. 133). It is natural to draw the likely connection between the professionalization of nursing and the professionalization of teaching, both of which were historically feminine practices that, in the wake of the Civil War, were re-aligned with male perceptions of the scientific method and the professionalization of work. The emergence of the learning community can certainly be placed into this context of masculinization. Mitchell (1873) himself made a comparison between (largely female) teaching and (largely male) medicine, to the detriment of teaching (p. 362). In Mitchells opinion, one of the variables that made medicine more scientific than teaching was the fact that medical practitioners constantly mentored, critiqued, assisted, and otherwise engaged with one another, whereas American teaching had not benefited from this kind of inter-vocational interchange. At first, American pedagogical theorists did not suggest that a PLC ought to exist separately from a teaching college. Rather, these theorists thought of the professional learning community as a kind of epiphenomenon of the teaching college. For example, an anonymous writer identified only by a city of origin (New Haven, CT) to the U.S. Bureau of Education in 1885 had the following to say about a professional learning community: A few points, enforced each week and perhaps illustrated with a class, will bring up the teaching powers of those who have not had a professional training, and they will not be wearied out by trying to apply a crude mass of theories.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦The attendance at such meetings should be voluntary. There should be such a tone of interest and enthusiasm in a community as will inspire teachers with an honest and eager desire to know how to workà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦(p. 274) At this point in American pedagogy, instruction was still meted out by superintendents (or pedagogues) to teachers, but there was a recognition that the input of the peer community of teachers was just as important to teacher development as any model of top-down instruction or professionalization. The PLC was at this point defined not as a separate set of development activities, but as a kind of grassroots camaraderie between teachers in formal development settings. Soon, however, the modern definition of the PLC would emerge. It is impossible to state with certainty when the shift from the early, voluntary PLC led by the superintendent began to give way to the more formal, school-managed PLC. It appears that the shift took place over the 1930s and began to cement itself by the 1940s. Otto (1944) offered an explanation of the changing role of the principal, and how it lent itself to closer, school-level management of the PLC. According to Otto (1944), American secondary schools continued to grow in size and complexity until the superintendent was no longer able to manage or own all of the processes for which the role had previously been responsible; thus, for example, The growing need for more and better supervision of classroom instruction suggested the desirability of planning the administrative organization so that this need could be met (p. 197). There were two stages in the hand-off of PLCs from the superintendent to principals; firstly, in the 1930s and early 1940s, office staff associated with the s uperintendent appear to have taken over responsibility for all aspects of vocational teacher development (Otto, 1944, p. 197); however, when Otto (1944) was writing, there was already another hand-off underway from central bureaucrats to the principal. After the Second World War, the principal emerged as the figure most responsible for defining, managing, and otherwise supporting the professional learning community in American schools. Just as the Civil War had introduced ideas of industrial organization to various vocations, the Second World War created manpower and resource shortages that prompted a faster transition from centralized control over teacher development to a more communal, school-level management of the process (Troyer, Allen, and Young, 1946, p. 241). These forces remain very much in effect today. Instructional Coaching and The Four Types of Coaching According to Wilson and Gislason (2009), there are four types of coaching: internal coaching, peer coaching, manager-performed coaching, and external coaching (p. 56). As their names suggest, peer coaching is about coaching that is delivered by colleagues to each other; manager-based coaching is delivered by managers (or, in the educational context, principals, superintendents, and/or other administrators) to teachers; external coaching is typically performed by consultants; and internal coaching, by contrast, includes all the kinds of coaching that are provided in-house. All four kinds of coaching have been employed in the instructional coaching context. Knight (2005) documented a wave of hiring of outside instructional coaches by U.S. public schools in the 1990s and first half of the 2005, driven by the urgency of achieving basic reading and mathematics competency skills tied to federal funding and the perception that schools themselves did not contain the proper instructional resources to achieve this task. According to Clarkson and Taylor (2005, p. 4), one of the problems created by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) initiative was a push to define instructional coaching as the rote memorization of standards rather than an internalization of the pedagogical principles needed to teach up to those standards. Thus, it can be argued that external coaching becomes more popular in times of external stress on teachers to perform to a particular standard, whereas, in ordinary times, genuinely pedagogical (rather than instrumentalist) internal coaching is the more common form of instructional coaching (Matsumara, Sartoris, Bickel, Garnier 2009). In modern theory, peer coaching is praised for its egalitarian values, but theorists are also concerned that teachers lack the specific pedagogical background and expertise to make other teachers better. For example, Buly, Coskie, Robinson, and Egawa (2006) have argued that the external coach is focused on getting teachers to ask why in a structured fashion, whereas teachers are themselves often concerned with teaching other practical and specific strategies. Barriers in PLCs and Instructional Coaching: Logistics One of the major challenges in creating coaching interventions for PLCs is simply finding the time and opportunity to bring together busy professionals for dedicated learning and training. This challenge is a particularly pressing one in the current economic environment, in which so many working professionals are being called upon to do less with more. Thus, as Fogarty and Pete (p. 49) pointed out, an excellent place to begin a discussion of professional learning communities is in the realm of logistics, i.e. how to create the time and space for such communities, which is as much of a problem today as it was when Troyer, Allen, and Young (1946) wrote about the logistical challenges of organizing and managing the PLC in wartime. Abdal-Haqq (1996) argued that, within school settings particularly, PLCs scheduling ought to be built directly into both the workday and the job descriptions of teachers (although this advice applies equally well to other communities of practice). Abdal-Haqq (1996) concludes that the greatest challenge to implementing effective professional development is lack of time (p. 1), so great responsibility falls on the shoulders of leaders and managers who must accommodate PLCs in terms of schedules and job design. Fernandez (2002) made the point that making time and space for PLCs to thrive is itself partly dependent on cultural approaches. She discussed the case of the Japanese educational system, in which a great deal of emphasis is placed on lesson study, in which teachers are given the time and opportunity to reflect on both their practice and that of others (p. 393). There is more pressure on individual professionals to take advantage of existing resources, and to take the lead in overcoming logistical barriers to embed themselves within PLCs. While there is extensive lip service paid to the value of PLCs, professional development is often subject to self-regulation rather than proper top-down guidance, argued Butler, Lauscher, Jarvis-Selinger, and Beckingham (2004). Having surveyed the history of PLC development, it becomes clear that the absence of top-down guidance is itself part of the steady downward transfer of administrative power tracked by Otto (1944). While Japan appears to have retained a centralized and top-down structure for managing and supporting PLCs and other forms of teacher development, in the U.S. such responsibility has devolved down to the principal. For many theorists, the logistics of PLCs are inseparable from school system support for teachers. For example, Lappan (1997) offered the following insight: The local capacity to support change is central to implementing reforms. Teachers, and those who support teachers, need time-time to learnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (p. 207). Of course, in this context, it should be pointed out time is a valuable commodity. There is a powerful tension between the time and resources needed for supporting the local logistics needed for nurturing professional learning communities and the time and resources needed by principals, administrators, and other supporters of development for other tasks. Unfortunately, as Abdal-Haqq (1996, p. 1) also suggests, schools are faced with a zero sum environment, in which to support the PLC is to remove support from some other organizational goal. It is in this context that the logistical difficulties of PLC support should be understood. Moreover, until schools enjoy increase d funding, it is not clear that the logistical problems noted as early as Troyer, Allen, and Young (1946) will simply evaporate. Of course, one way in which the problem could be solved is by employing PLCs themselves to ease the logistical problems faced by schools. To the extent that teachers could train and develop other teachers without extensive time and resource commitments, PLCs could be of great economic benefit; as in the Second World War, the teacher-training-teacher paradigm could yield economic benefits rather than sucking up resources. For PLCs to actually operate in this fashion requires close attention to the variable of coaching design. Barriers in PLCs and Instructional Coaching: Change Management From at least the 1870s onwards, there has been a rich debate on how to best deploy teachers to train and develop other teachers. In the first stage of this debate, from Mitchell (1873) to Arnold (1898), it was assumed that merely talking about pedagogy and other teaching-related issues in a voluntary, informal meeting would assist junior teachers in their development. Over the decades, voluntary meetings gave way to more formal in-school development programs, particularly when the Second World War forced schools to consider more resource-efficient ways to engage in teacher training. In this context, the promise of coaching design is that, if there is a sound system under which to transfer teacher knowledge from senior to junior colleagues, the PLC can save school systems time, money, and administrative commitment. On the other hand, if coaching design is itself weak or unmotivated, then teachers will resist it and the PLC will fail to fulfill its promise. These issues are at the heart of the modern debate on coaching design. In contemporary times, there is much more urgency around the subject of coaching design thanks to the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2002, which has directly tied student performance to federal funding and accreditation. Killion (2005) is one of many theorists who has pointed out that one response to NCLB is the implementation of instructional coaching to improve instruction and student achievement. Instructional coaching is a relatively new phenomenon, at the core of which is a conviction that professional learning improves teaching practices and teaching practices improve student achievement (Knight, 2007; Killion Harrison, 2006; Knowal Steiner, 2007). Instructional design is not easy to implement because, as Knight (2007) has pointed out, teachers are not innately resistant to change will tend to resist poorly-designed agendas of change. As such, it is of the utmost importance to arrive at an understanding of the best practices of coaching design. In an organizational context, instructional coaching provides motivation to mentees, which in turn is intended to improve the productivity and morale of mentees. When instructional coaches work with students, their sole purpose is to demonstrate and model best teaching practices to teachers in order to improve student teaching (Knight, 2007). Motivation is the key to understanding the role that good coaching should play within a professional learning community (Bransford, 2000). Coaching design principles vary widely depending on the specific kind of professional development that is being pursued. Fortunately, however, there appears to be some consensus on best practices for coaching design. Bransfords (2000) seminal book, How People Learn, argued that coaching design should have four centrisms; i.e., it should be learner-centered, knowledge-centered, assessment-centered, and community-centered (p. 188). There are many different interpretations of how these four foci can be best captured in a PLC. For example, Beyerbach, Weber, Swift, and Gooding (1996) emphasized that the knowledge focus of PLC design ought to have a practical component, so that members of the community understand the practical applications of what they are being taught (pp. 101-102). For teachers, this practical component can be satisfied by understanding why, in the context of real-world problem solving, it is necessary for them to develop a new skill or refine an existing one. Another recent emphasis in coaching design for community-centered learning is the utilization of collaborative software, particularly blogs and wikis, which have the potential to span each of Bransfords focus areas for coaching design. Higdon and Topaz (2009) stated that blogs and wikis had an important role in creating a more centered learning environment, There is wide consensus in the academic literature about the usefulness of instructional coaching within professional learning communities. Within a professional learning community, the qualities of good teaching for students should also be evident in professional learning for teachers (DuFour Eaker,1998; Bransford, 2000). However, there are also a number of obstacles to the implementation or the success of instructional coaching, including logistical factors (such as potential coaches lack of time), institutional factors (such as a lack of managerial support for coaching), and professional factors (such as coaches lack of relevant skills). Leaving aside these barriers, good coaching design may not be so much a matter of pedagogical design as it is a matter of change management. Bransford (2000) and other researchers have already explained the evidence for best practices in specific aspects of coaching design; the issue is not so much the content of coaching design as it is the necessity of convincing teachers to go along with coaching. In this regard, there are some helpful theoretical contributions from business literature, which has long struggled with the question of optimal change management in organizations. Jensen and Kerr (1994, p. 408), based on a case study of change at Pepsi, argued that the following five questions had to be satisfactorily answered before constituents bought into a change agenda: Why must we change, and why is this change important? What do you want me to do? What are the measures/consequences of change/no change? What tools and support and available to me? Whats in it for me? These questions of change management emerge at the point of implementation: i.e., as soon as it becomes necessary to transition from a theory of the professional learning community to an actual implementation, requiring intellectual and emotional buy-in from teachers. But change management is an issue that is better tackled not by coaching designers, whose responsibility is to transfer principles such as those of Bransford (2000) to local pedagogical contexts, but at the level of what can be called effectiveness maximization of the PLC. Effectiveness Maximization and Theoretical Approaches There is wide-ranging agreement on the importance of PLCs, and even on the operational and conceptual details that PLC must satisfy in terms of coaching design. The crux of the problem lies not necessarily in those details but more in the question of how to maximize the effectiveness of PLCs. First, there is the logistical question. If there is little institutional time, resources, and guidance put into PLC program creation and management, then coaching programs are unlikely to be effective. However, even organizations that have hurdled over the logistical challenge and implemented some form of PLC must still solve the question of how to maximize their coaching programs effectiveness, including the considerations of change management as highlighted by Jensen and Kerr (1994). There are some convincing arguments that PLCs resist straightforward methods of evaluation and improvement, which creates a fundamental challenge at the level of effectiveness maximization. Revans (1979), the pioneer of the action research concept, saw the creation and functioning of a PLC as a holistic process, one that cannot be dissected and improved on a part-by-part level. To Revans (1979), a functional PLC is something that both managers and participants can recognize only by taking part in it. This dynamic has something of a chicken-and-egg quality to it, as an effective PLC requires planning, but the proper inputs of planning may only become apparent after a PLC has been launched. Even with this limitation in mind, it is still possible to both measure and improve the effectiveness of a coaching component of a PLC by surveying participants about how they are benefiting from the specific coaching program, and employing these insights to structure the back-end processes that feed into the PLC. Borko (2004) argued that it is certainly possible to measure factors such as teacher (or, for that matter, any other form of professional) learning and satisfaction; moreover, teacher performance in classrooms can also be measured by such standards as student evaluations and standardized test scores. The point is that, when a PLC is working properly, its results will show themselves in a number of domains. It is incumbent on managers or others who oversee these programs to collect baseline data in order to measure the programs achievements, and also to identify the areas that need renewed attention and resources. Maximizing the effectiveness of PLCs thus comes down to both measurement and targeted action (Dufour, Dufour, Eaker Karhanek, 2004; Saphier West, 2010; and Knight 2009), whose basis can be the experience of mentees. It is necessary, at this point, to consult some theories of motivation and organizational development in order to consider how to best maximize the effectiveness of PLCs. Much of the literature on PLCs takes it for granted that teachers are motivated to buy into the program; however, it need not be the case that teachers are motivated, or that PLCs are constituted so as to maximize the strengths of the organization. Fortunately, theoretical literature has made it easier to understand the overlap between PLCs, motivation, and organizational development. Herzberg (1966) argued that: someone who is motivated is truly a sight to behold, as they put all of their heart and soul into an activity. Love of work is certainly the strongest motivator of people (p. 141). Coaches exist partly to instill mentees with love of work, via a number of mechanisms, including that of instrumentality, or making sure that people have the tools that they need to accomplish a work task. Note that instrumentality was also part of Jensen and Kerrs (1994) framework for appropriate change management. If people lack the tools to achieve what is asked for them, they will not only resist change but also lose motivation. As such, administrators should bear in mind that every tool (including time) put in the hands of PLC members effects the motivation of individual members, and therefore the overall success of the PLC. According to the theoretical foundation provided by organizational psychologists such as Herzberg, Vroom (1964), and Maslow (1993), instructional coaching should have a salutary effect on mentees in so far as coaching instills mentees with instrumentality and motivation. One part of this dissertations purpose is to measure the impact of good coaching, as reported by mentees, and also to assess the impact of bad or nonexistent coaching. Doing so is an exercise in the measurement of organizational motivation and morale as conceptualized by a number of influential theorists in the field. For example, Banduras (1997) social learning theory is sometimes cited in the coaching literature and explains human behavior in terms of continuous reciprocal interaction between cognitive, behavioral, and environmental influences. The central aspect of Banduras (1977) theory is the claim that humans learn by watching others model behavior. Thus, psychological theory now provides firm support for the i dea of coaching as a transfer of desirable behavior from senior to junior members of a community. Clearly, then, theory has a great deal to tell us about the scientific basis for PLCs, and also about how best to maximize their effectiveness. Some of the theories surveyed in this section, for example, have emphasized the importance of motivation and instrumentality in the PLC. One final theory that ought to be considered is that of so-called toxic mentorship. It will be recalled that, as early as Arnold (1898), there is an assumption that, when teachers come together for purposes of development, mutual reinforcement and learning will inevitably take place. It is taken for granted, both by Arnold (1898) and by Mitchell (1873), that senior teachers have the best interests of the profession, and of their junior colleagues, in mind. This assumption, however, might be naÃÆ' ¯ve. There is now a great deal of research on dimensions of coaching and mentorship that fail due to the attitudes of senior teachers. Webb and Shakespeare (2008), Atkin and Wilmington (2007), and Grossman (2007) have all discussed so-called toxic mentorship as one of the ways in which coaching goes wrong, for example when coaches are burned out, unhelpful, scornful of their own profession, unethical, or not involved enough or knowledge to provide adequate feedback. The aforementioned res earchers have called attention to toxic mentorship in the nursing field, in which there has been more of an attempt of late to critique bad coaching. However, educational literature in general has not yet grappled as extensively with the concept of the toxic mentor, which is another reason why it is timely and relevant to ask mentees about this concept, as part of a more general data-gathering project on the measurable impact of mentorship on productivity and morale. Conclusion This literature review has covered a great deal of ground in attempting to illuminate the concept of the professional learning community, all the way from the seventeenth century to the present day. The conclusion is reserved for discussing an important lacuna in the research, and employing this lacuna to lend context to the research carried out by this dissertation. It will be noted that, for all of its history, teacher development in general and the PLC in particular have been defined by people other than the constituents. At first, superintendents had the greatest input into the process; later, principals took on this mantle. Throughout the process, senior teachers exercised a great deal of influence, as they had the prized knowledge that was to be passed on and passed down to junior colleagues. In the century of literature surveyed here, it is interesting to note that very few, if any, researchers have focused on the ability of mentees to provide important feedback about the nature of coaching within the PLC. It is almost invariably assumed that some outside authority, whether the superintendent or principal, is the owner of the process, while senior teachers are the drivers of the process. This attitude may be about to change because, in PLCs as in business communities, there is a move to recognize the centrality of the so-called customer. In this case, the customer of coaching is the mentee, the recipient of coaching. In both private business and public policy contexts, the customer has increasingly become both the owner and the driver of certain processes. Businesses conduct surveys of customers in order to determine what to produce. Public sector organizations, similarly, turn to the citizen-stakeholder as the ultimate owner of a process, and try to orient processes accordingly. It may be that, in coaching, the focus is about to shift from the top of the pyramid to the base: That is, from the traditional owners of coaching to its customers, namely teachers. It is possible that teachers will, in future, play an enhanced role in guiding the direction of coaching, specifically by providing input as to what kind of coaching works and what kind does not. Of course, this kind of input does not constitute the sum total of what is needed to create an effective PLC, but it is also unthinkable that learning communities can long thrive or survive without being driven by the interests and predilections of their own customers. It should also be noted collegiality has been a foundational value of the PLC. Indeed, the functioning of PLCs from the nineteenth century onwards has required a spirit of collegiality in that members of such communities must be open to critique, generous with help of others, and committed to coexistence and mutual advancement.