Information Systems in Global Business Today Essay

1. Why is it important to understand the difference between computer literacy and information literacy? Answer: Computer literacy – When you are computer literate, you have a general working knowledge of computers. You understand what they can be used for. Most people know that they can type a paper, create a power point and if you have internet access, you may e-mail and search the World Wide Web for information. Information literacy- When you are information literate, you understand and are able to gather, analyze and use information gathered from the various types of technological medians – especially the internet. This person may access the internet, for instance on their cell phone, iPod, lab tops, and a multitude of medians, some which may have not yet been realized. -It is important to understand the difference of this two literacy because A literate person cannot be expected to know how to operate a computer. In essence, a person can be literate but not computer literate. But the opposite seems difficult to be true. A computer literate is often always a literate. 2. Discu ss the three elements of an information system (hardware, software and persware) that managers must consider. Which of the three do you consider the most important? Answer: Hardware- Hardware, in the computer world, refers to the physical components that make up a computer system. Software- is any set of machine-readable instructions (most often in the form of a computer program) that directs a computer’s processor to perform specific operations. Persware- that is short for ‘personware’ or ‘peopleware’, a terribly inpersonal way of referring to people as a resource, like hardware or software. – I consider being the most important element if information system is the Persware because without this persware the hardware and the software will be useless. 3. What are some of the new roles information systems are playing in organizations? * The Widening Scope of Information Systems * The Network Revolution and the Internet * New Options for Organizational Design: The Networked Enterprise * Flattening Organizations * Separating work from location * Reorganizing work flows * Increasing flexibility of organizations * The changing management process * Redefining organizational boundaries * Electronic Commerce and Electronic Business 4. Discuss the changes in the business environment brought about by technology in the last three years. Use your own personal experiences to formulate your answer. Answer: There are many changes in the business environment brought by the technology in the last three years. I believe that one of the most important changes (affecting accounting practice) that has taken place in my experience is the changed relationship between the company and its investors. There is an explosion of required disclosures, and a huge increase in the interest the investment community has in those disclosures. And the internet is the largest changes because every year there is changes on it. Many programs are approaching that every people in the society can learn many things about those programs brought by the technology.. 5. Draw your conclusions about the article â€Å"IT Doesn’t Matter† by Nicholas Carr by accessing the given url: [http://www.nicholasgcarr.com/articles/matter.html#readings]. Answer: The article explained the dilemmas that the IT industry and the end users are currently experiencing. IT used to be a way for companies to gain a competitive advantage, but nowadays IT has fused into another tool to conduct business. IT products are becoming cheaper and cheaper while yielding more power. This trend in the long run will destroy the economic incentive for IT manufacturers to continue doing business. On the other hand cheaper is better for companies implementing this technology. The author made it clear that avoiding brand new IT products and opting for slightly older IT products would save money. In addition, slightly older products have all the â€Å"kinks ironed out† yielding a more reliable system. Buying slightly older IT products is not a fail safe way of obtaining efficiency and initial cost savings.

Mental Illness in “A Beautiful Mind”

Ron Howard’s movie â€Å"A Beautiful Mind† starring Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly portrays the journey and the man behind the mental illness that Nobel Prize winner and Princeton intellectual John Nash develops late in his adulthood. The plight of the mentally ill is very well developed in this movie. The movie develops not only the struggle of the victim to overcome the shocking world of abstract and impending doom brought on by the illness, but focuses on the effects that the family of the victim suffer as well.Through Nash’s relationship with his wife, viewers see how spouses desperately try to help their mates face reality, but the illness seems to be more overpowering than even the strongest most patient love. Nash’s wife was the ultimate support system, but even she had a breaking point; when Nash almost fatally injures his baby, his wife could no longer endure the illnesses’ debilitating effects. Having a strong support system is essent ial for someone suffering from a mental illness, and often, victims will find themselves alone or institutionalized because the illness is more than the sane can deal with.They can’t stand to see the person they love changed so dramatically that reality is so obscured. It is hard for anyone to put themselves in the place of the victim and be empathetic or sympathetic, especially when the disease gets so destructive that there is little left of the person who once occupied that body and mind. This movie did an excellent job at illustrating what supportive family and friends can do for a person suffering from mental illness, but does not mask the severity or the complexity of the disease or the complicity in dealing with it and helping a victim survive mental illness.

Coaching, a customized learning approach Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Coaching, a customized learning approach - Essay Example This can however change if those offering lessons, whether in an academic set-up or a workplace setup, can view themselves as coaches as opposed to just being teachers or trainers. According to Tankersley (2007), educators and trainers should act like sport coaches, whereby, instead of giving their students pens and papers to identify what they can and cannot do, they should place students in a practical environment from where they would be able to judge the skill level of each student. From the results, the teacher would then be able to guide the students in improving their weak areas. Coaching is a term mainly associated with sports, whereby it is defines as the instructional way of issuing new skills, refining old skills and building collegial relationships (Rush and Shelden, 2005). There is no clear definition of what coaching in learning or working environment is. However, different authors have offered different meaning of the term. According to Rush& Shelden (2005), coaching is a help-giving practice, which can be used within a capacity-building model to develop new skills and attain preferred life circumstances. Wilkins (2000) on the other hand defines coaching as a transformative purposeful process that focuses on equipping learners with knowledge, change, achievements and development. Flaherty (2005) reckons that coaching goes beyond having an accountability partner who supports and guides one's actions towards defines goals. Despite the different definitions, it is apparent that coaching discourages the one "size fits all" analogy and instead supports a learning environment where each learning professional is offered guidance according to his/her skill levels, deficiencies and strong areas. Coaching has three main objectives (Moran 2007). The first intends to establish a culture that recognizes teamwork as a workplace asset. This is especially so because learning is often done in a social setting and therefore requires social engagement and regeneration. The second objective seeks to develop group and individual capacity in engaging in self-reflection and creative ways of solving problems. As a result, the learners would learn to respond to challenges rather than react to the same. The third objective seeks to provide a continuum where individuals can acquire and share specific knowledge, proficiencies and strategies. The development and Evolution of Coaching The 1990s marked a time when coaching exploded into the business world. In the previous decade, the idea to create a process that would increase an individual's ability to assume effective leadership as opposed to the one-time training offered in most workplaces became an important way of learning on the job (Goldsmith & Lyons, 2005). The idea however gained popularity in the 1990's. However, coaching has always been a part of human history. The art of helping people discover their potential can be traced back to theorists such as Alfred Adler and Carl Jung (Williams, 2005). Adler encouraged people under his guardianship to set goals, plan and invent a future that they desired. Jung on the other hand, believed that people could create their futures by envisioning the same and leading a purposeful life. In 1951, Carl Rogers published the book "Client Centered Therapy", which not

Non-financial audit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Non-financial audit - Essay Example Additionally, an assessment of that particular business system is also provided during the auditing process. In this regard, generally accepted standards should be adhered by such systems that are governed by specific bodies, which are responsible for the regulation of businesses in their sector. However, the technique of random sampling is used during the auditing process. Therefore, it is not assured by the auditors that their results are perfect and free from errors regarding those specific financial statements. One of the primary objectives of an auditor is to assure external users and third parties that the company’s financial conditions are fairly present in such statements. In this regard, quality control certifications are also provided and issued by various auditors, such as, ISO 9000, etc. As we have tried to understand the definition and purpose of performing the auditing process, it is important to know that Audit has been divided into two different sectors, as per their objectives, processes, and results. These areas are Financial Audits and Non-Financial Audits. The financial audit is an important type of audit. Financial statements are determined through the designing of financial audits that assure the fairness of these statements as per the International Financial Reporting Standards, also known as IFRS. GAAP, that is, Generally Accepted Accounting Principles are also considered by the auditors and accountants during the process and evaluation of financial statements through the financial audit process. In the United States, all publicly registered companies require the financial audits on semi-annual or annual basis. In addition, private companies, public entities, registered charities, and governmental bodies may get the financial audits for proving the fairness of their operations and results. Typically, financial audits are requested by the

The Problem with Satisfying a Demanding Audience Essay

The Problem with Satisfying a Demanding Audience - Essay Example Originality in itself presents a problem. Before something completely original is understood, it needs to gain acceptance by an audience. By the time audiences understand and embrace a concept, it is not new anymore. Various bandwagons are therefore evident in the world of literature, music, and entertainment in general. Some of the most famous examples of a platform from which various spin-offs were created are Shakespeare’s plays Hamlet and Othello. In fact, the themes, premises, and scenarios of most of Shakespeare’s plays are to be found in other intellectual creations since they were written, and continue to be promulgated to this day. Everybody is aware, for example, that West Side Story is a re-hash of the Romeo and Juliet story. Yet it is not paradoxical to say that the two are original. "Just as Tony and Maria, our Romeo and Juliet, set themselves apart from the other kids by their love, so we have tried to set them even further apart by their language, their songs, their movement. Wherever possible in the show, we have tried to heighten emotion or to articulate inarticulate adolescence through music, song or dance," Arthur Laurents said about the development of characters in West Side Story. (New York Herald Tribune, August 4, 1957) The statement is possibly as far removed from William Shakespeare’s original idea for a play as it is likely to be. The concept of adolescence as a pressure group did not exist in Shakespeare’s time: people were adults and ‘marriageable’ as soon as they reached puberty. The ideas are similar, but the audience ‘readings’ are necessarily totally different. This kind of work, that so clearly takes on the themes and premises of another, is called derivative.  

Brand management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Brand management - Assignment Example Some of the aspects of BIG are not fully satiating. That one has to spend points with Air Asia only whereas other airliners such as the Qantas are flexible enough to allow one to choose from a myriad of brands undercuts BIG’s policy. BIG also does not factor the use of AUD in money conversion points and this is a minus. The relevance of information presented is relative. This is because one of the chief points of concern was student-friendlier air prices, yet Air Asia zeroed in on matters such as comfort and the introduction of online shopping events and stores and entertainment events and accommodation services. Reconsidering BIG remains a tenable option, given its student-friendly rates, compared to other options. This also means that should there be another company offering cheaper airfare, personally, it will be considered beside the offer being put forth by BIG. BIG’s reward system fall short of fully exciting, sincerely, given that it is largely unfair to those wh o are not regular travelers like me. Secondly, BIG’s package and offer makes the assumption that every client is a sole decision maker, yet that is not the case with me. Like my peers, I travel with my parents since I am still 18. BIG also in its advertisement claims that its services are cheapest, yet this is clearly an artifice to retaining customers. This is because, the rates are subsidised only to those who have punctiliously followed up the stipulations of the loyalty programme. Some of the areas of improvement include the systematic arrangement and presentation of information, especially information which is significant to students’ interests, proper advertising that specifically aims at students who are hard to market target due to their strict budget, and the need to utilise the use of Facebook to market Air Asia, since scholars such as Alloyce and Forte (2011, 22), Franc (2012, 34) and Bedeyore (2005, 75) have already acknowledged the place of online social n etworks in business success. I am a moderately satisfied customer since the specific item (student-friendlier air prices) that I was interested in was not available. The failure to organise information in a manner that would make information easily retrievable and the failure to use Facebook are some of the factors that served as a letdown. However, the presence of online shopping events and stores and entertainment events and accommodation services abated the degree of a possible backlash that students would extend towards it. It is not mandatory that I become part of the loyalty programme in order to become a loyal customer. All that is needed is the consideration of students-friendlier rates of air ticket, since this will auger well with my strict budget. Even Miranda (2009, 45) and Ortiz (2012, 13) postulate that the use Facebook and the organisation of information in a manner that would make it easily retrievable and accessible will also help convert me into a loyal client. Ind eed, being part of the loyalty programme may have the potency to change my behavioural predisposition since the move will be instrumental in inculcating in me, the sense that the airline company acknowledges and appreciates me and I am therefore not taken for granted. Considering some of the aspects likeable about the experience Some of the aspects that are likeable about the

Classroom management plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Classroom management plan - Essay Example With the help of an effective class room management, teachers can plan the activities in a class room and achieve the objectives of teaching and learning. An analysis of researches undertaken in various parts of the world reveals â€Å"that effective classroom management increases student engagement, decreases disruptive behaviors, and makes good use of instructional time† (Kaliska, 2002). A recent survey study also reveals the same result that classroom management as the most important factor influencing student learning (Jones & Jones, 2004). Class room management has many interpretations by eminent authors and researchers. However, the definition put forward by Colville-Hall seems to be a comprehensive one. He defines class room management as â€Å"a broad set of teaching behaviors through which the teacher shapes and maintains learning conditions that facilitate effective and efficient instruction resulting in a learning community. Effective classroom management is an ong oing, maintenance-oriented process. It involves motivating students to learn, providing appropriate instruction and feedback, and managing student work. Efforts of the effective classroom teacher are proactive, responsive, and supportive† (Colville-Hall, 2000). The purpose of this report/plan is to explore and determine the most effective classroom management plan that best fits the need of the hour. The plan covers the comprehensive activities and procedures that one must schedule and implement to achieve the teaching and learning objectives as desired. The plan is prepared in line with my class room experience and interaction with my class mates. Classroom management means and includes all the efforts by teachers along with the students in a class to achieve their teaching and learning objectives. â€Å"It includes the preparation of plans and materials, structuring of activities into time blocks, direct teaching of skills and subject matter,

Zimbardo Prison Experiment. The Dynamics of Attitude and Behaviour Essay

Zimbardo Prison Experiment. The Dynamics of Attitude and Behaviour - Essay Example (Rothman-Marshall, 6 Jan 99) However, when a person performs an action contradictary to a strongly held belief or opinion, there is a jarring feeling that distresses, which psychologist Leon Festinger describes as that uncomfortable feeling one gets when one "finds oneself doing something that doesn't fit with what one knows." This chafing sensation, known as cognitive dissonance, is glaringly visible in the Zimbardo Prison Experiment. For the two-week experiment, a group of students were paid to participate in a simulated situation where half the randomly chosen students were 'prisoners' and the other half, 'guards'. The students took to the roles they were acting, and soon the life-like 'prison' was a scene of realistic baton-wielding tyrannical uniformed guards subjugating and abusing the hapless, helpless prisoners to such an extent that few even suffered from severe trauma, and had to be replaced. During the experiment, it was noted that decent, (presumably) law-abiding boys behaved in a manner totally contradictory to their normal attitudes. The 'guards' often abusing and manipulating the 'prisoners' who, stripped of their identity, debased and dehumanised, acted out the part of the oppressed 'prisoner'.

PERFORMANCE ASSIGNMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

PERFORMANCE ASSIGNMENT - Essay Example Intel Company is a technological company that deals mainly with electronic appliances supplying to customers in different countries. Economically, the company contributes towards the country’s revenue through the sale of its products and also through the provision of the energy-saving and cost-saving products. This helps in improving the economy and also to improve the standards of living for the citizens. Socially, Intel Company is involved in various activities that are aimed at rewarding the customers and the community at large. Sustainability performance reporting refers to the evaluation of a company’s performance based on the economic, social and environmental factors that affect the business on its day to day operations. A report on sustainability of a company also provides the core values that govern its operations and also its corporate social responsibility. Sustainability performance reporting is a very crucial aspect in any organization due to the fact that it assists in change management with an aim of achieving a sustainable economy one that encompasses the profitability aspect with the ethical, social and environmental aspects. Financial performance reporting on the other hand, refers to the determination of various financial aspects: assets, liabilities and the equity capital. These factors are vital in financial reporting. When reporting the financial performance of a company various financial statements are considered, an income statement reports on the gains or losses made in a given year. A balance sheet also known as the statement of financial position shows the company’s assets and debts and it also shows the ability of the company to use its assets in settling its liabilities. Another financial statement is the statement of cash flows which report the company’s cash inflows and outflows. Sustainability and financial performance reporting are both useful in analyzing how

Security and Privacy Essay Example for Free

Security and Privacy Essay Introduction Identity theft is becoming very easy due to technological advancements. Protecting patient information must include all efforts from medical facilities, employees, and consumers. Society has the right to be protected from any misuse of personal data. An effective protective program starts with front-end preventive safeguards and ends with follow-through that reaches wherever incorrect information has flowed Identity theft has become a very popular topic for the past decade or so, the number of complaints has increased and is costing more than anyone wants to be spending on that issue. The Federal Trade commission estimates that as many as nine million Americans have their identity stolen each year, resulting in over 50 billion dollars of financial loss (Mercuri, 2006). Very common on Television to hear news and commercials warning about identity theft or some company trying to sell their services, helping in the fight to prevent it. In this paper, there will be discussions on the disadvantages of the break in privacy dealing with identity theft and on possible action plan to prevent the incident. What are your Reactions? Identity theft is a fraud that occurs when one identity is taken away and used in order to gain services or something usually of financial nature. Criminal identity theft occurs when a victim’s name, address, and mostly social security number is used by a different individual other than the actual owner. Oftentimes, the imposter would obtain that information from someone with access to a data bank where personal information is stored; it may be a hospital, social security department, company that collects data for the purpose of providing financial services. The information may be sold and used to open accounts, gain access to services fraudulently, which the actual owner, a victim of the theft will be charged for. Though many have tried to find ways to prevent and fight that kind of invasion of privacy, it  remains an issue and a very expensive one. Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in United States; it affects 13 persons per minute, 799 per hour, or 19,178 per da y (Mercuri, 2006). When it comes to personal identity theft, elaborate steps must be taken to repair identity, all creditors and banks must be contacted in order to freeze accounts and limit the damages. Any financial activities that were not approved should be reversed and investigated and any opened accounts closed. New identification cards should be provided, depending on the extent of the situation legal counseling may be necessary. Whichever way it happens, identity theft remains a burden for all not only individuals, but also for companies who carry the burden of screening employees in order to protect their customers from such occurrence. No one would welcome such calamity, not only the loss of privacy, the financial burden, but more so the trauma of not being able to prevent it completely. What are the Disadvantages of the Break in Privacy? The disadvantages of the break in privacy are for the hospital as well as the victims. Big corporations are kept accountable for all data collected from their clients and are liable for any misuse of that information no matter the use. Personal information are trusted to be used for an individual benefits in the process securing a service; it should not be sold or used without consent for others benefits. Once information has been compromised, it is the duty of the corporation which allows the break to occur to remedy the problem. Remediation can be very costly, the company is liable for the break, cause analysis is necessary to find the leak and establish preventive measures. Which involves retraining personnel and maybe adding more doing the hiring, better screening process; make every one accountable for work involvement. It is a costly process but necessary. It is a federal offense and as an HIPAA violation all perpetrators will be fined, it is a mandate. Victims of identity fra ud bear the burden of regaining their identity and find any measure to prevent future occurrence. Such fraud creates a financial burden, all major federal instutions such as social security department, internal revenue services, banks and creditors must be informed of the fraudulent act before identity can be restored. All activities under the victim name must be verified and investigated, that will require to work with the fraud departments of all banks where accounts  was opened or compromised. It can be very costly not only to restore identity, but also mostly once the damages are discovered it will take a lot of time and money to correct the wrong done. The federal trade commission must be contacted; they collect information that is shared with law enforcement agency investigating identity fraud. Consumer Credit reporting agencies must be informed and a credit reports requested to investigate whether the victim history has been compromised. The motor vehicle and passport agency must be contacted as well, in such a case all possible areas must investigated for possible damages. It takes time and resources to correct break in privacy. Medical identity theft may be very difficult to discover, an individual my not have any idea that he or she has been the victim until late and the damages result in a mounts of debts and loss of revenue for providers and insurers. One victim hired an attorney to sort out the damage to her records. She avoided the hospital where the identity thief was treated, because of the inaccuracies in her health record as a result of the medical identity theft (AHIMA, 2008). What are the Possible Actions Plans to prevent the Incident? Preventing any incident requires individuals as well as corporations to be very diligent in safeguarding personal data. It requires a team effort on the part of all parties, corporations must be willing to put in place the necessary resources in the respect, although the first line of defense rest with the individuals seeking services. Some of the preventive measures include, but not limited to: Share personal and health insurance information only with trusted providers. * Monitor the explanation of benefits received from insurers and obtaining a summary of all the benefits paid in the patient’s or guarantor’s name. * Question â€Å"free† medical services or treatments. Individuals should always question what is being offered and who is paying the cost. If not satisfied with the answers, they should decline the offer. * Protect health insurance information. Individuals should safeguard insurance cards, explanation of benefits, and health plan correspondence in th e same way they would safeguard credit cards. * Obtain and maintaining personal health records that include copies of significant health information from each healthcare provider (O’Brien, 2008). Furthermore it is very important that every hospitals or any  corporations having access to individuals personal data, to empower every consumer to be very diligent about personal data. It is necessary educate the public about the threat of identity theft. Increase awareness of the consequences and prevention measures. Institute sophisticated security monitoring measures and implement a broadly accepted, executive-supported information security charter for effective security policy and governance (American Health Management Association, [AHIMA], 2008). HIPAA rules require that a risk analysis of any system be conducted that would address administrative, technical and physical safeguards. HIPAA security rule does not focus on technology but administration (American Health Management Association, [AHIMA], AHIMA, 2008). It requires that any data collected of consumers be protected according to its security rule. Corporations must develop guidelines that protect consumers, but also that would minimize employee’s incidents of mismanagement of data. The process should start from hiring, to training and setting up steps that would raise red flags with any questionable occurrence. Conclusion Medical identity theft is becoming very complex and must involve the effort of all consumers, providers and insurers to battle and prevent occurrences. Consumer involvement is very important and necessary, they must be made aware of the threat to their privacy and educate on ways to prevent any occurrence. The public deserves to be protected from any mismanagement of personal data, it incumbents on every corporation to put in place process that safeguards all data collected. An effective protective program starts with front-end preventive safeguards and ends with follow-through that reaches wherever incorrect information has flowed (American Health Management Association, [AHIMA], 2008). References American Health Management Association, [AHIMA]. â€Å"Online, On Message, On Duty: Privacy Experts Share Their Challenges.† April 2008. Available online in the FORE Library: HIM Body of Knowledge at www.ahima.org. American Health Management Association, [AHIMA] e-HIM Work Group on Regional Health Information Organizations (RHIOs). â€Å"Using the SSN as a Patient Identifier.† Journal of AHIMA 77, no. 3 (Mar. 2006): 56A–D. Retrieved from www.ahima.org Mercuri, R. T. (2006, June). Security Watch: Scoping identity theft. Communications of the ACM, Retrieved from: www.citeseerx.ist.psu.edu O’Brien, Jenny. â€Å"Responding to Identity Theft: One Organization’s Effort to Turn a Negative Event into a Positive Result.† Journal of AHIMA 79, no. 4 (Apr. 2008): 40–41. Retrieved from www.ahima.org

The Significance Of Sociological Work Practices

The Significance Of Sociological Work Practices This essay will examine the significance of sociology and the importance of a good understanding of the society in which we live. This essay will also provide an understanding of what sociology is, and an insight into each perspective in relation to a particular concept and some of the social problems surrounding it. It will identify how an understanding of sociology is useful in helping social workers understand, evaluate and resolve the potential problems faced by their client groups, and will assess the importance of sociology in social work practice. Sociology differs to psychology, in as much as psychology studies the individual and that individuals reactions and involvement within society. Sociology concentrates its approach on a much wider level, looking at the bigger picture. Giddens (1989:18) reports that the study of sociology offers the individual an opportunity to detach oneself from preconceived ideas about social life, however it does pose specific problems, mainly because of the complex problems involved in subjecting our own behaviour to study. It is hard to be objective which you are directly involved in, and later on in the essay, it is apparent how this has influenced, and biased some perspectives. Sociology developed as a science in the late 1700s. It was initially a way of attempting to understand the great changes happening in industry and society around that time, following a period of social and industrial revolutions throughout England and the transition from feudal England, into a more capitalist and industrialised society. Although there are many definitions of sociology, there is no clear cut definition as to what it encompasses. Macionis and Plummer (1997:4) say that the definition of sociology is the systematic study of human society, whilst The study of human social behaviour, especially the study of the origins, organization, institutions, and development of human society is the definition taken from http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=sociology We can therefore deduce that sociology is a study of looking at things from a wider angle. So, what psychologists may view as a personal tragedy to one person, when viewed from the wider angle, can provide an insight into imbalances in the equilibrium of society. For example, C Wright Mills (taken from Macionis and Plummer) wrote famously about the Sociological Imagination, which enables the individual to reflect upon the societal impact of what can be apparently individual events, such as divorce, and unemployment. Whilst divorce is a personal tragedy for the individual, the impact of it nationally becomes a social problem, given that Britain statistically has one of the highest divorce rates in Europe. So, sociology is about learning how to look at things with more than just knowledge or common sense, it is about being able to turn situations around and examine the impact on both the individual and the surrounding society. To do this however, one must be able to identify what society actually is. What does it encompass? How many people does it take to make a society? Even if we assume that a society is, for example, a group of people with self perpetuating rules, living within a particular framework of social relationships, we still have to question to whos rules are they are adhering, and to what extent is the framework of social relationship to be extended? Classical sociologists had no problems in identifying what constitutes a society, as they assumed that society was something that could be investigated or analysed in a laboratory, such as with any other science. Classical sociology was in effect the scientific study of society. Whilst more modernist approaches such as Cree (as quoted in Cree:1997:276), have identified that todays society is a much more mosaic and fragmented society, and realises that much as we all have more than one identity, so we live and move in many different, and at times competing, societies. To enable them to study this, sociologists have identified many different perspectives on different sociological concepts. A concept is an issue that is directly related to sociology or society, and as such includes issues such as the family, crime and deviance, the community, class, status, poverty, race and youth. All these concepts have a direct impact on society and so sociologists are interested in studying them. Each concept is often intrinsically linked to the remaining ones. If we take as a simplistic example, a young black boy who has been caught stealing, he is from an impoverished background and is being brought up by his single parent mother. In this single example, a sociologist could choose to look at this case study from any or all of the above concepts. The family unit has broken down, leading the youth to commit acts of crime and deviance, possibly because the familys standard of living has deteriorated, leading to a lowering in class and status, which in turn could have led to prejudice and isolation from the surrounding community. A perspective however, is the actual viewpoint and theory which surrounds the explanation used to evaluate and identify society and social problems. For example, classical perspectives include Marxism, Interactionism, and Functionalism. In the very simplest of definitions a Marxist perspective would examine a concept with its relativity to social class, and class conflict. Interactionists would be examining the meanings and interpretations of the study matter, and would focus on the individual. A Functionalist perspective, however, would examine the purpose and needs of the social structure surrounding the concept, and would be looking at the social system and sub systems. These classical perspectives originated mainly from Western, heterosexual, middle class men, and highlight one of the many problems sociologists face, and that is distancing oneself from the matter which is being studied. The viewpoints of the classical sociologists appear to be from white, heterosexual men, FOR white, heterosexual men. These early classical attempts to study a society which is in itself a constantly changing and nebulous mass, has meant that new sociologists have had to emerge, bringing with them new, broader perspectives, and these are called contemporary sociologists. Contemporary sociologists include views of society from perspectives such as Feminism, Anti Racism, Disablism, and the Gay Rights lobby, and the perspectives from which they write are fairly self explanatory, but Feminism will be discussed in more detail further on. When examining one concept in detail, such as the family, and viewing it from each different perspective, we are provided with an insight on not only the historical background of the viewpoint from which it was written (eg Marxism and Feminism were established in very different historical episodes), but it also enables us to lay this across different aspects of working practice in social work. Therefore in order to operate in the social work profession efficiently, one needs to be able to look at the bigger picture, and put aside our own values and opinions of the family i.e. all the differing family types etc, as it is hard to be objective about something with which you have direct experience of. We have all had experience of family, and so our expectations of the family life of our client groups will ultimately be influenced by this, much in the same way as sociologists will be influenced by the society in which they are part of, To identify the family from differing perspectives, one must first reach an agreed definition as to what the family is in sociological terms, broadly speaking because if there is no agreed definitive answer as to what the family consists of, then each perspective may be constructing theories about what could fundamentally be very different social groups. As a society we have stereo-typical ideas and ideologies of what a family should consist of and these are perpetuated through the media and advertising with images of the ideal family (i.e. husband, wife, 2 children, dog), and through humour, with television programmes such as 2.4 Children, My Family etc. Macionis and Plummer (1997:438) suggest that the family has been seen as a social institution that unites individuals into co-operative groups that oversee the bearing and raising of children. Cree however, (2000:26) defines the family as a group of people bound together by blood and marriage ties, but not necessarily located in one geographical place. When providing a definition, it has to adequately address the changing nature of family life in Britain throughout the last century. For example, using statistics from Giddens (1989: 181) over 20 per cent of dependent children now live in lone parent households. In addition to the rise in lone parent households, there have also been a significant increase in the emergence of differing family compositions.. It is easy to see that family structure and composition has changed greatly over the last century, and this could be due to the way that society adapts to accommodate social problems, for example, an increased number of lone parents, gay couples and sexual relationships outside of marriage etc. These were social problems during the 1900s and earlier, and were immoral, which in the local communities at that time, could have been punishable by law, but todays society has started to adapt and accept these changes, making something which was originally perceived as deviant into a social norm, and this will lead eventually into this behaviour becoming part of the social mores of our society. It is therefore safe to say, that in order for society to be maintained it has to accept the changing threats to values and adapt around the social problems it encounters. Using statistics from Giddens (1989:176) we can see that the number of couples with dependent children has dropped significantly from 38% in 1961 to only 23% in 1998, whilst this signifies a decline in the amount of young married couples having children, it also highlights the fact that our society is also now increasing in age. This shows that the current population is likely to be comprised of adults without dependent children. In addition to this, the number of lone parents has risen dramatically from 2% in 1961 to 7% in 1998. Using figures from Macionis and Plummer (1997:447) which state that, the numbers in adoption have sharply fallen. 6,000 in England in Wales in 1994, compared with 21,000 in 1971, we can see how society has accommodated the issue of unmarried mothers. The number of one person households has also risen from 11% in 1961 to 28% in 1998, and this is probably due to the rise in divorcees having to find alternative accommodation following the breakdown of a marriag e. So, whilst we have identified what a family is, and an example of the social problems surrounding it, it is useful now to look at how each perspective views the family and its purpose and usefulness in society. Looking at the functionalist perspective, who provide the most positive view of family life, it is essential to understand that functionalists view the family as the basic social unit and the core institution of society (Jorgensen et al:1997:72) The functionalists see one of the integral familial contributions as social integration. They view the familys main function as teaching the family members how to belong within the group (ie: society) around them. This function of the family stems from the fact that functionalists believe the family exists as the primary institution in any society, for the initial socialisation of children. In this respect any institution charged with this responsibility will play a large part in producing and maintaining cultural norms and values. In addition to the socialisation function, they also believe the family plays a part in stabilising society. They believe the family reinforces values such as emotional and sexual stability, economic co-dependence etc. These regulations are an integral part of the society in which we live, and include moral boundaries, for example, such as incest. This is a purely human concept, and we are the only species which impose regulations on sexual interaction between family members. Our own society forbids the act of sexual relations between family members, but limits it to close relatives, such as those included in our extended family. In some societies however, it is permissible for siblings to marry. There are biological reasons why incest is not advised, however, the primary concerns are societal. Macionis and Plummer (1997) suggest that the reasons for this taboo are to minimise sexual competition within the family, it also forces people to marry outside of the family encouraging wider alliances to form, and it also protects kinship from falling into chaos. They suggest that as kinship defines peoples rights and obligations towards each other, forbidding reproduction between close relatives protects the family. Another relevant example of the functionalist perspective is in the institution of marriage. For example, when an individual chooses to marry, they do so within the predetermined constraints of their individual society. In Britain for example, marriage partners are chosen at will, and marriage is based on personal choice and love. But in other societies, such as the Hindu religion, the couple have often not met before the marriage, which will have been arranged by the two families involved and is considered to be a suitable union. So in this respect, the family is itself an institution in charge of maintaining the social equilibrium. Talcott Parsons called these two features of the family Primary socialization and Personality stabilization. As quoted in Giddens (2000:175) Parsons regarded the nuclear family as the unit best equipped to handle the demands of industrial society. In the conventional family one adult can work outside the home, while the second adult cares for the home and children. This has meant that Parsons view of the family is now seen as outdated, and critics have implied that the functionalist perspective reinforces the division of labour between men and women. Giddens (2000) however said this apparently sexist view could be explained primarily given the historical context in which Parsons was writing. He was writing immediately following the Second World War, which saw an immediate return of women to their traditional roles in the household, and men returning to their roles as sole breadwinners. However, I would dispute this, as upon reflection of Parsons quote, he doesnt actually specify gender, in his quote, he just reflects that one adult can work outside the home, therefore whilst he is outdated in his view that there are two parents, it could be perceived as forward thinking for being non gender specific.. The Functionalist perspective also negates the influence of other social institutions such as schools, the government etc and their important roles in the socialisation of children. This perspective does not account for the breakdown of the traditional model of the family, and the fact that more children are now being raised outside of this. There is no real mention either of the incidents of abuse and violence, of which there is strong evidence to suggest that the family is in fact a very dysfunctional place in which to raise children, and this could be due to the fact that the sociologists writing on this perspective at the time were white, middle class me and not looking outside of the society they are a part of. Moving on to the contemporary perspectives, the Feminists bring this to the forefront in their approaches to the family. The feminists believe that unequal power relationships exist within families. Not least importantly then, are the issues of domestic violence, marital rape, incest and sexual abuse. The feminist perspective does not perceive the family as a haven for love and support, but that issues such as incest and domestic violence provide a further opportunity for men to dominate and oppress women. Feminism became influential in the 1970s and 1980s and has continued to grow in strength and followers to this day. Before feminism, sociologists have been criticised for the male bias in their studies of society as a whole. From a feminists sociological viewpoint, women had previously always been viewed as appendages to men. Feminism has been concerned with the analysis of male/female relationships in terms of the relative significance of sex, class and patriarchy ie; Male headed dominance There are several different views within the feminist perspective, with as Lena Dominelli writes a plurality of views, liberal, radical, socialist, anti-racist and post-modernist which can be held by both black and white feminists; for example, white radical feminism, black socialist feminism (1997:97) Neil Thompson (1993:53) writes that whilst there is no such thing as uniformed and consistent feminism, there are common themes and points of argument, they all share a focus on the critique of patriarchy and the need to establish a fairer society in which women are no longer marginalised, alienated and pushed into secondary roles. It also does not account for the fact that when women come out of the home, and enter the employment arena they are still being discriminated against, with low pay, maternity issues etc, which is perpetuating social problems. Marxist feminism portrays the womans role in the family environment to that of the Proletariat, or exploited class, and the mans role as that of the Bourgeoisie or exploiter. Seen from the Marxist feminist viewpoint, the woman is the loser in the inequal marriage partnership. Marxist feminists believe that marriage is perpetuating the capitalist industry by prostituting the domestic services of the woman in return for financial security. What this means essentially is that by staying at home and looking after the children in an unpaid capacity, the woman is not only helping the man to work in the capitalist industry, but providing heirs to perpetuate the class division further. Thus, patriarchy is not simply a matter of biological difference, but is directly related to the economic base and the emphasis on comparing the womans role in the family to the exploitation of the capitalist class over the working class. According to Thompson(1993:56) this is one of the main weaknesses in the theory, as it does not explain how there is still continuation of male dominance in the non-capitalist societies Liberal feminism has been evident since the early eighteenth century, and its main objective was to make it illegal to discriminate against, or use unequal treatment for women, and it was largely based on notions of free choice, empowering women to take control of their own lives. Liberal feminism is primarily concerned with issues of overt discrimination against women in all areas of social life, in particular, work education and the portrayal of women in the media, as well as arguing for legal protection and social rights. It argues that women are not inferior to men and should be allowed to compete equally in all aspects of life, especially education and work. It has been successful so far in using its main weapon (the legal system) in outlawing discriminatory behaviour towards women, and in establishing legislation to protect female workers in the UK and USA, such as equal pay etc. The main criticism of this perspective is that the women involved in the writing were middle class women, therefore the changes implemented were benefiting middle class women. I understand that sociology can assist the social work practitioner in assessing situations from the wider picture and drawing on relevant perspectives in their own merit to help the client group involved in reaching a suitable resolution. I therefore believe that an understanding of sociology can help social workers to develop a mind set which will provide the foundations for the commencement of good practice skills. I think that society modifies itself to accommodate social problems and that sociology itself has adapted to identify these, therefore, as sociology helps us to identify what the social problems are, it can help social workers to help the society in which they work. TOTAL WORD COUNT = 3282

The Ethical Concerns with Data Mining Essay example -- Computers

The Ethical Concerns with Data Mining Introduction to Data Mining and Warehousing With the advent of computer technologies that can store large quantities of data, cross reference that data, and compute patterns in the data, benefits abound in many applications. However, with it comes new ethical concerns regarding the privacy and security of the persons or entities in which the information was sourced. While permission may have been received with each bit of information, which may have appeared harmless to divulge, there are issues regarding the data's ownership -- its sharability in US or globally, its combination with other data, its accuracy, its security, and its overall end use [1] -- that could contribute to privacy or security "violations", where some kind of detremental harm could potentially be presented. Many questions exist. Should there be restrictions on what data can be stored? Should permission be required to be up front? How can the data collected be shared? Should there be a mandated set of rules on data collection and use in general for all businesses, governments, to uphold if they want to use data? What are the ethical evaluations of the issues, and would it be correct for a policy to be put in place to monitor the ethical issues? In this paper I will address how some organizations are dealing with the ethical approaches, but first, here is some background on the technology, its uses, benefits, misuses, and issues. What is Data Mining? What are its Uses? Data Mining, Data Warehousing, or Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining(KDDM), are technologies that encorporate computer hardware and software to store large amounts of collected data, usually about people, and then use the infor... .../30/2004 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/03/30/international0553EST0481.DTL 16. ACLU, "Group Calls for Investigation, New Laws to Restrict Data Surveillance", May 27, 2004, http://www.aclu.org/Privacy/Privacy.cfm?ID=15860&c=130 17. Leslie Miller, "EU, U.S. Sign Passenger Data Agreement", Associated Press, May 28, 2004, http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=4&u=/ap/20040528/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/airline_passenger_data 18. Amanda Holt, PR Ethics Resource Center 18. Amanda Holt, PR Ethics Resource Center 19. Utilitarian Ethics, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utilitarian_ethics 20. Colleen McCue, Emily S. Stone, Teresa P. Gooch, "Data mining and value-added analysis", The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, Nov, 2003. http://articles.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2194/is_11_72/ai_111496582

Escalating Professional Athlete Salaries Essay -- Papers Sports Money

Escalating Professional Athlete Salaries Works Cited Not Included In recent years, with the growing popularity of sports, athletes salaries have escalated like that of a superb stock equity. Athletes are taking full advantage of their position, causing the average man to wonder how high will they go. Some feel that athletes are greedy people who have lost care for the true meaning of their salary, the love of the game. Others feel that if a person is able to earn that kind of money, why shouldn't they? Increases in athlete salaries will bring up the question on whether athletes are worth the money by researching the NBA?s new collective bargaining agreement (before and after the approval), by observing the current salaries of top athletes in their respective sports, and by concocting possible solutions. Shaquille O?Neal, formerly of the Orlando Magic, signed almost two years ago with the Los Angeles Lakers for an enormous $120 million over seven seasons.... Alonzo Mourning signed with the Miami Heat for a seven year deal worth about $112 million.... These fat contracts have brought out the question: Are pro athletes worth the millions they are paid? Basketball Hall of Famer David Thompson states, "Players have such a short time to make their money. If you look at others in the entertainment business, you?d think so. Look at Mike Tyson. He made $30 million for the six minutes and 50 seconds i t took for him to knockout Frank Bruno" (Rhodes and Reibstein 44). Zachary M. Jones, an attorney at Howard University in Washington D.C., utters, "Superstar athletes are few in number, so the demand is high, which raises the price for their services significantly" (Saporito 61). Furthermore, Mark Rosen, who has been a spor... ...s worth far more." Certainly a 22 year old kid can live on $126 million quite alright. Before doing an in-depth analysis of pro sports salaries, one ignorant person would conclude that these salaries are way too high. However, sports salaries are "okay" to be enormous. This is because high salaries show that the economy and basketball revenue are up, because that is where the owners get the money to pay the athletes. After Glen Taylor signed upcoming superstar Kevin Garnett, season ticket sales went soaring. Finally, if a player is allowed to make the money, why is it such a bad thing? More power to them. Yet athletes should be satisfied with their current salary status. As you can very well see, salaries have risen to unbearable heights, yet it is inevitable. With the economy as it is who knows when it will begin to level off. All we can do is sit back and watch.

Napoleon’s success in Europe to 1807 Essay

To what extent was Napoleon’s success in Europe to 1807 the consequences of his own military ability? Napoleon’s success in Europe to 1807 could not have been the consequences of a single factor, his own military ability, but rather a combination of linking, interdependent factors, some of which playing a greater role than others, but all helping Napoleon along the road to success. It is undeniable that if fate had given Napoleon an entirely different set of circumstances (if he had not been able to rise through the ranks as easily, if France had not the massive population it did e.t.c) then, no matter how intelligent or able he was, he would not have enjoyed the kind of success he did. Correlli Barnett, in his book Bonaparte, is very critical of Napoleon and his tactics, claiming that it was largely the incompetence and weaknesses of his enemies that enabled him to achieve success. For example, on the Battle of Ulm (October 1805), Barnett talks about what might have happened if Austria had a â€Å"general more active than Mack†, who broke out with a single Austrian corps right across Bonaparte’s communications. The Austrian army had an impressive artillery which could have posed a threat to Napoleon if combined with Russia, but there was no universal language, and with it’s varied ethnic and racial populations this was a huge problem – it slowed communication and often left many in a state of confusion. This also meant that there was no real national identity allowing the kind of patriotism that the French could use to fight with. The Russian army also had huge problems, one of the main ones being the fact that the soldiers did not want to be fighting a war at all. Surrounding the conscript army was a negative, fatalistic view of army life – a darkly amusing fact is that soldiers could often go to their own funeral before they were conscripted away to battle. Apart from the fact that they were treated like criminals, Russian soldiers were also poorly trained, severely lacking in tactical awareness and education. Prussia on the other hand, with its fine tradition, had a very strong army. However, the Prussian skirmishes were poor and the army missed a sense of individuality (instinct or initiative) and instead acted after strategic planning alone. Furthermore, the Prussian artillery could not come close to the French standards, being completely out gunned on some occasions, even when the French had far less numbers. The British army, before 1807, was not much of a force to be reckoned with – it was fairly tiny and was not as strong or quick as the French army. Even though the weaknesses of Napoleon’s enemies were rather considerable before 1807, he would not have been able to profit from these weaknesses if it were not for his military genius and the strength of his army. When he came to power, Napoleon inherited a huge and incredibly strong army to do with whatever he pleased. The French army fought for a cause. They were not as mercenaries, not as men impressed against their will, but as citizens honorably defending their revolution against its threatened destruction by outside forces. People were full of this revolutionary ardour and actively sought battle. This was a wholly new perspective of war and the causes it was fought for. Generally, Napoleon’s enemies fought Wars of maneuvers and not, unlike Napoleon’s army, with the intention of completely annihilating the enemy. They relied on aggressive shock tactics and the momentum of the bayonet charge to bring them success. The French fought with more purpose and feeling than any other nation because they had a war with a strong purpose – a terrorist war. Also, Napoleon’s army was blessed with a variety of talented commanders and officers. The great military theorist, the prussian, Von Clausewitz wrote ‘on war’ in 1832. In this he put forward his view that 1793 marked a turning point in the organization of armies and the conduct of war. He considered that both were changed forever by the creation of the year of the ‘French nation in arms’ (the levee en masse) that transformed limited war into total war. This refers to when the previous man in change of the army, Carnot, introduced a forced conscription to all able civilians. As well as conscription,1793 brought with it the first amalgame – the merging of remnants of the old army with the new. The introduction of veteran soldiers into the new army did much to bring order into its early chaotic organization without destroying its verve, and formed the fighting force which Napoleon used as the basis of his grande armee. The amalgame also brought a great deal of military experience to his army Furthermore, the sheer size of Napoleons inherited army was the largest ever seen in Europe, a million men, and provided him with the ammunition, if you like, to launch devastating attacks on his enemies. He therefore inherited significant developments which had been introduced by the Republic, and which he subsequently built upon. The strength of his army, however, would not have been anywhere near as impressive if he had not the domestic foundations for success or strength of mind to know what to do with it. France had a huge population of around 28 million (the largest population in any single state in Europe) and so simply had a greater number of men to choose from. This also enabled Carnot to introduce the levee en masse which enlisted a massive 80,000 men each year into the army, fueling France’s battles, which could be fought more often, more continuously and on more fronts than any other country. Although the large majority were from poor peasant families, universal conscription brought me from all classes together and created a new sense of unity in France. Also, France had a whole society organized for war. Napoleon had a military dictatorship so could use all the resources of the state and was not held accountable for his failures (e.g leaving armies in Egypt and Russia and losing 50,000 men a year as opposed to Wellington’s 6,000). This greater amount of authority meant that Napoleon could make all of his appointments personally, and not by advisors. e also created a meritocracy within the army, a kind of ‘privileged military caste’. This said that if you do well in the French army, you get rewards or offices of state (giving officers incentives to succeed). Furthermore, Napoleon controlled all press and channels of communication so could have a careful watch over his country and could make sure that all efforts were in favour of driving on the savage French war machine. Although the sheer size of the army enabled Napoleon to create his grande armee and the resources of France could be used to help the war effort, Napoleon’s ability and qualities as a general were absolutely vital in securing his success to 1807. Napoleon was widely known as being able to inspire loyalty. He gave the appearance of knowing everybody in his army and always knowing what was going on. He played on the ideas of military glory, of patriotism and comradeship, while giving at the same time the impression that he had a deep paternal concern for his men. For example, he would single people out and congratulate them by name, very personally. He used theatrical and emotive language in his bulletins and orders of the day to forge bonds between him and his soldiers. For example, in a Bulletin in 1805 he wrote that â€Å"The Emperor is among you†. Despite his generally unprepossessing appearance, when he wished to charm he could quickly win over anyone he met, however initially hostile he might be. This sort of confidence was also shown on the battlefield where Wellington observed that the effect of his presence was worth an additional force of 40,000 men to the French army. He was very charismatic and could play on the soldiers greed by promising loot, a material reward for their toils. He could also rally himself with them, â€Å"Whatever the obstacles we meet, we shall overcome them†. All these factors earned Napoleon the adoration of his soldiers. Whatever point of view one takes, it is a fact that Napoleon possessed a very gifted military mind. Napoleon’s prime tactic was to avoid a slugging match and focusing his strengths on the enemies weaknesses. He picked weakest spots and then blasted huge chunks out of them with his artillery. He had flexibility with his corps (taken from the ideas of Guibert), and would use them to come from unexpected directions and attack weak points. He was known for his pragmatism and opportunism, but there is a great debate over whether Napoleon was a great strategic planner or whether he was a scrambler, good at scrambling and improvising his way to victory. Gunther Rothenburg praises his qualities, but believed he was a ‘Planner’ instead of a scrambler, giving the example of his maneuver on Ulm which he describes as ‘well co-ordinated and swift’. However, historians such as Owen Connolly are critical of the traditional interpretation of Napoleon and says that he was a great improviser with no tactical doctrine who would simply profit from his enemy’s mistakes. Even though both of these historians, and many like them, disagree on this aspect of him, they both say that Napoleon was probably the greatest commander of all time. This shows that, even though he may have been gifted with extraordinary circumstances, Napoleon’s towering genius was the major driving force in his success and it is obvious that no ordinary commander could have gone as far as he did. After looking at various factors in Napoleon’s success in Europe to 1807, it is evident that the scale of Napoleons success was dependent on a number of things; population size, Carnot’s policy of conscription, French resources and the relative weakness of his enemies. Napoleon’s journey to success was paved by a number of these absolutely crucial factors, without which no success would have been possible. Even though his military ability was one of these vital paving stones, one cannot really argue that it was more or less important than other crucial factors because they were all instrumental in allowing the extent of extent of Napoleon’s success to be realized. However, I am positive that if Napoleon did have a less fortunate army given to him when he came to power, his enemies stronger, and the potential opportunity for success had not been so great, he would still have made the best out of what he had and would have made relative success, showing his huge military capabilities.

An overview of the history issues and laws on runaway children and teens Essay

Runaway Kids When children and teens have to deal with abuse, family, depression, or any other issues for an extensive period of time without getting the help they may run away. When a kid has these problems and they are unable to get help then why would they stick around and wait for dad to come home? The process in which our government finds and helps runaway children is not up to a standard that keeps them from falling into the streets and succumbing to sex, drugs, and violence.    Runaway children and teens who have been recorded for centuries. Whether it is due to controlling parents forcing their kids into arranged marriages or legally disowning them for various reasons. During the Great Depression Era, children of all ages would leave home looking for work or food to provide for their families or themselves. Ever since the government passed the child labor laws, children could not help provide for their families through a job. So their families either kicked them out or sent them out to find better fortune somewhere else. They would travel together, hopping from train to train, therefore they were called the Box Car Kids.    A little later around 1945 to 1963 sterilization laws were passed which allowed institutions to sterilize individuals against their will. Runaway kids would get detained and if a guardian or parent did not pick them up then they would be sterilized. The era this occurred in was called the Eugenic Era, it spawned from the thought of making a utopian society. Drug ridden, crazy, violent, scared children were not fit to reproduce.    Issues for these children usually begin at home, with abuse acting as a major component. When abuse is not noted and solved, or the child isn’t removed from the environment, then the child may feel like it is their responsibility to solve this when no one else will. No kid should have to face this, when they finally realize that they can’t deal with an abusive parent, sibling, or guardian at home then they resort to fleeing the situation. Some kids are brought up in homes that have been broken for generations, ridden with drug or alcohol abusing parents.    Throwaways are children that parents do not want and have kicked out of their homes. This makes things even more difficult when police finally bring the kid back home but the parent does not want them there. This causes mental issues to occur or grow in the child. These problems include diseases such as depression, anxiety, which could branch into self-harm, self-image issues, acting out, drug abuse, underage drinking, along with many other harmful activities. Teens may turn to drugs and or drink at sometimes a very young age to cope with the hardships they face at home, school, or with personal issues. Whether they turn to them before running away and being exposed to the streets or beforehand, there is a high likelihood of it.    The law about runaways differs from that of abductees. This matters because of the effort put into each one, for example, amber alerts, and simply the effort put into finding the child. A private investigator says, â€Å"that since the kids just ran away and do not seem to be abducted it is a lot harder to get help from the law enforcement, or get the word out by using the Amber Alert System.† (Janis, 2) An amber alert is only put out for abductees because the state knows they are in imminent danger and that they know for a fact that they do not have time to waste in finding them.    There should be an alert sent out that is almost as mainstream as an amber alert. Although they are not in the clutches of a specific person or group of people, there is an extremely high possibility of them being in the same situation soon. The NCMEC or National Center for Missing and or Exploited Children is who people are supposed to call to help find their children along with the police. The problem is that this board is not very familiar with, at least not nearly as much as the amber alert system. Another problem is that the police cannot chase these kids across state lines with no leads or jurisdiction. There are far too many missing children alerts in police headquarters for all or even half to be noticed at one time and be helped. If the child gets outside of the county to city limits past state lines, to possibly across the country that is just lessening the chance of them being found. The further away from the last place they were seen the less the state and government can or will do for them. Depending on how much effort the family puts in, the story will fade out and they could be lost for an extended period of time whether the child is attempting to be gone that long or they got hurt, legitimately lost, trapped, or killed.    Children who run away usually attempt during the summer. Due to obvious reasons such as, they are not freezing, they can sleep, can travel outside with more leisure, and stay away from home for a longer amount of time. Whereas in colder temperatures these things are not available, they usually go back home in a matter of days or weeks. Most runaways return home in 48 hours to two weeks generally, warm or cold climate. If a child has run away before he or she is likely to run away again for the same reasons; if they feel trapped or pressured again by something/ someone else as they did before.    On the other side of the spectrum, this is not what happens when the child runs away, the consequence of them coming back home, it is why they felt like they could not live at home anymore. Now sometimes a child will just leave home out of spite, adventure, petty reason or argument. These children will usually return home in a short amount of time, if not the same day. But for the children/young teens that leave home in fear of their own safety, or have gotten kicked out may feel the need to stay away for a longer period of time. A child may have to throw away their own innocence at such a young age and act on their own to take care of themselves, and in so being subjected to a very dangerous environment.    When many runaway kids flock to large cities to hide perhaps find fortune that they lacked at home. There are far too many stories of children running to cities such as Los Angeles. There are cars waiting at mega bus stops to pick up these kids and befriend them then trap them into prostitution, drug trades, or gangs; this frightens kids even more. The streets in these places are totally different at night, and in some areas, you don’t want to be walking around in any period of the day. Being alone and young they are vulnerable to mugging, rape, abduction, etc. At night they may have to stay in an abandoned building because youth shelters will be full or not allow teens under 18 to stay there. They are a liability, they are under their parent’s jurisdiction. If kids go to these shelters then social services will get involved, and they will make them go back home. If the home is not safe then they will find temporary housing until the service gets a court order. But if t he child does not wish to do that they will hide out in abandoned places where other kids, or older homeless people, junkies, or gangs stay. One in three girls is solicited for drugs within the first 72 hours of hitting the streets. The longer they are out there the harder it is to leave. Drugs seem like a place to go for solace when living in the harshness of the streets. Kids and adults use drugs as a way to escape their problems, but in reality, the drugs only decrease their ability to survive and find a job if they are over eighteen. Once these kids get hooked on drugs such as heroin, cocaine, meth, it is hard to get out of the cycle of needing a fix. Another factor that is brought into the child’s life is prostitution. Being dragged into sex trafficking just brings up so many terrible things that happen with this such as disease and rape. â€Å"But run where when there are 30,000 teenagers who have fled their homes in New York and only 400 emergency shelter beds, 13,000 runaways in New Jersey with a safe haven for only 300, and 10,000 in Connecticut with room for just 115? Even if a runaway finds a bed in a crisis center, where does he or she go after reaching the 30 days federal limit for sanctuary in an emergency shelter?† (Gross, 1) It is a sad thing that these are ordinary numbers, that these numbers for runaway children are realistic at all. There are not enough youth shelters, for kids to be able to flee to a haven when their home isn’t safe. Children need a place of solace and safety so they do not feel the need to turn to the streets and drugs. Unfortunately, shelters have run out of space. This has occurred so drastically that some cities have had to start using hotels to house all of these kids. This is a temporary and weak plan with many holes that should not have to happen in the first place. A government should spend more money on building bigger shelters and hiring professionals to turn these children’s lives around. Instead, the state is using hotels with empty space to let children roam as they please, and spiral out of control. Really this is simply giving them an upgrade to living on the streets, it is a drug house. â€Å"The Capri Motel is one of the places child and family services house kids in care. But listen to how one teen, a girl we are calling Katrina, describes the hotel she was placed in for several months (Barghouti, 1).† â€Å"Sometimes there would be other hotel rooms open through johns and hookers and older people, I guess to drink or party (Katrina, 1).† â€Å"That you guys saw (Barghouti, 1).† â€Å"Yeah, a lot of the kids would go hang out with them and do drugs and party with them (Katrina, 1).†    When children do get back home or get placed into a foster care they have a lot of catching up to do with their family and lives. If therapy didn’t cost nearly as much as it does, then maybe the country could be impacted on a really widespread level. People can make a change to alter the mindset of the government to show this growing problem. One of these countries priorities is to keep people off the streets and in jobs, but with diminishing futures, for these kids, that priority is not going to be fulfilled. Treating teenagers like children but trying them as adults need to stop. Children becoming runaways or throwaways has to be prevented and the signs are seen early so that they can get help. Having someone to listen to them and see signs of abuse, and depression; This can save a child’s life from being taken by the streets.                            Work Cited Blanchard, Jayne. â€Å"Cast shines despite ‘Polaroid Stories†. Washington Times, The (DC). Article. 2 August. 2003.    Janis, Linzie. â€Å"REAL-LIFE ROMEO AND JULIET† Good Morning America (ABC.) 5 Sept. 2013. Article. 12 Dec 2014.    Gross, Jane. â€Å"Fleeing Abuse to the Streets; Shelters Can’t Keep Pace With Increase in Runaways.† The New York Times. The New York Times, 17 Dec. 1997. Web. 07 Jan. 2015. .    Moseley, Wendy. â€Å"Teens in CFS care in Winnipeg hotels say they’ve seen prostitution, drugs.† National (CBS Television). Article. Sept. 9, 2011.    â€Å"Teen Runaways- Parenting Teens. â€Å"Teen Runaways- Parenting Teens. N.p., n.d. Web. 30. Dec. 2014 .      

Parents Should Use Physical Force to Discipline Children Essay

Introduction                     Discipline is a set instructions laid down for correction and training. It can be in form of punishment, physical activity, exercise or training aimed at changing and/or improving the behavior of the person being corrected. Discipline has always been seen as forceful correction, thus bringing negativity in its perception (Foucault, 1977). Generally, for any parent, a child should grow in a manner that pleases the parent and the community. The use of force has always been associated with the phrase â€Å"to discipline†. Physical force when used by a parent in disciplining a child, may leave a mark on the body of the child that will always serve as a reminder to the child whenever the child goes wrong. But it’s the way to child abuse. Schwan (2011) states the mark will serve as reminder thus bring self-control in any child whom is a victim, thus the willpower that will drive the child what is right. With self-control, comes motivation that is the steering to propel a victim. Physically inflicting pain brings training and control. Training is a routine as well as control therefore calling the parent to come out strongly and be ready to bring back the child to the desired direction any time the child goes wrong. Force can be quick and effective because not all children react to other forms that parent use to discipline them, this is true for children with hearing impairment as a disability, under this situation parents are left with no option but to use force to make the child grow in accordance to the ways that pleases not only the parents but the society to which the child belong. References Shaver, P. R., & Mikulincer, M. (2011).  Human aggression and violence: Causes, manifestations, and consequences. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Fairchild, J. H. (1892).  Moral science: Or, The philosophy of obligation. New York: Sheldon & Co. Crosser, S. (2005).  What do we know about early childhood education?: Research based practice. Clifton Park, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning. Films on Demand., & Films Media Group. (2010).  Breaking the Cycle of Abuse. Lawrenceville, NJ: Films Media Group. Source document

Holden’s Passive and Unwillingness Essay

Holden is the protagonist in the novel, Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (1945). Holden is a character who tries to seek for dignity, but he has some flaws holding him back. Holden is passive and unwilling to examine himself and seek his own dignity. Three reasons for his tragic flaw are: his craziness, his immaturity, and his phoniness and madman stuff. The first reason for Holden’s flaw is his craziness. He acts this way because he is not normal like others. Something that he repeats constantly throughout the novel is, â€Å"He is the biggest phony.† This quote shows how Holden thinks and acts towards others. Holden acts this way because who falls in love too quickly with Jane and Sally. He also thinks this way because Jane and Sally equal perfection and he isn’t perfect like them or anybody else. Finally his thoughts are what can he do to be perfect like everyone else because he seems to be the only that is crazy. Therefore, Holden acts and thinks differently from everyone else because he is insane. The second reason for Holden’s flaw is his immaturity. He acts this way because Holden is always alone and have no family to support him except his younger sister, Phoebe. Something that is repeated constantly throughout the novel is, â€Å"Jane keeping her kings in the back row.† This symbol shows that Holden cannot separate the past from the present time. Holden thinks this way because he was always necking with Jane when they were young. He also thinks this way because of his immaturity of always wanting to have sex and always wanting to be a kid instead of growing up to is an adult. Finally his thoughts always want to be with Jane, but because of his immaturity Jane doesn’t choose him. Therefore, Holden acts immature towards others because he has been expelled from four different schools and no one is there to teach him his manners and to discipline him. The third reason for Holden’s flaw is his phoniness and his madman stuff. He acts this way because he doesn’t want to get help. Something that Holden repeats constantly in the novel is, â€Å"I’m a madman.† This quote shows that he has some personal issues going on with him, but he doesn’t want to get help. He thinks this way because his other lover, Jane is going out with others, but not him because he is a jealous person. He also thinks like this because it shows his low-self esteem and his view towards women. Finally his thoughts are I’m a madman because he is inexperienced with women. Therefore, Holden is a madman because of his jealousy toward women and never did have a real relationship with any women before. In conclusion, Holden is passive and unwilling to examine himself and seek his own dignity. Three reasons for his tragic flaws are that he is crazy, he is immature, and his phoniness and his madman things. Holden acts crazy because he is not normal like others and isn’t perfect at everything. He acts immature because no one is there to teach him his manners and no one is there to also teach him his respect and manners. Holden also acts like a madman because he is jealous of Jane and Sally. He also acts like this because he doesn’t like the private schools that he goes to. Therefore, I think that Holden needs to go get some serious help to become a good and a better person.

The Unique Film-making of Tim Burton

Tim Burton uses diegetic sounds, lighting, and high angles to express his creative cinematic style. He uses these various techniques to show how he differs from other directors styles. His choice of using these techniques relates back to his childhood, Burton was a reclusive child and very different while growing up. In the movies Edward Scissorhands and The Corpse Bride, he applies these various techniques. In the movie Edward Scissorhands, Burton uses diegetic sounds to foreshadow upcoming events in the movie.He uses the snip of the scissors when Peg, the Avon lady, was in the what seemed deserted mansion to foreshadow what/who Edward was relating to the scissors. Also in Edward Scissorhands, he used the diegetic chopping of the lettuce to accompany a flashback of Edwards past. This helped us understand more about Edward and how he became to be. In The Corpse Bride, Burton uses the diegetic sounds of Victor’s vows to also foreshadow the upcoming events with the corpse bride. Later on in that scene he used the cracking sound of the hand of Emily to show that she was now â€Å"alive†.The â€Å"I do† of Emily was included to show that Victor was now â€Å"married† to Emily. Tim Burton used a series of various types of lighting in the movies Edward Scissorhands, and The Corpse Bride. In Edward Scissorhands, he used a lot of high key lighting in the town, which had very bright pastel colors. He also used high key in the jail during the conversation between Edward and Peg. He used this so we, as the audience, could focus on the scene playing out. In Corpse Bride,

Strengthening the effectiveness of curriculum Assignment

Strengthening the effectiveness of curriculum - Assignment Example Notably, due to the rapidly dynamic world which can be described as changing always, it is important to review the curriculum in education sector in order to ensure that it conforms with the changes in the world and society as a whole. On the contrary, this paper majorly focuses on way in which the curriculum can be strengthened effectiveness of the curriculum in Indiana. In addition to that, we are also to reflect on the relevance of state testing the content in the curriculum basing our reference in a bid to ensure that the students potential are adequately tapped to facilitate there success(Masters, 1997). On that note, the subsequent sections of this paper will be aimed at answering three important questions pertaining to this area in the educational sector. Evidently, in our district the curriculum in English is well document in the educational act in our state. Apparently, the standards set for the English curriculum are founded of some core fundamental principles which are: reading, writing, speaking and listening, language, media and technology(English, 2008). These goals are aimed at ensuring that the students are prepared adequately for the career and college literate as they clear their high school. First and foremost, reading entails, as the student increases in grade the complexity of the same increase. On that note, the comprehension in the reading is also expected in the curriculum on the part of the student(Masters, 1997). Notably, the policy of our district postulates that in the grade ten level of the student should have advanced reading skills and therefore, appropriate literature of adequate complexity should be used for teaching purposes(Ferlazzo, 2010). In addition to that, the laws also go ahead to even specify the re quired books for the teaching in schools.Evidently, the choice of these books is done by professionals and is drawn on the basis of improving the language skills of the student while at the same time is to be tested in form of

Interview for Gloria Aparicio Blackwell Research Paper

Interview for Gloria Aparicio Blackwell - Research Paper Example 1. Have you already witnessed or seen examples of vandalism in the University of Maryland campus? If yes, please describe what it is/they are and when and where you saw it/them. Some examples are glass breakage, graffiti, and general property destruction. 2. What is the worst kind of vandalism that you have witnessed or seen in campus and why do you think it is the worst kind? How did this vandalism make you feel? 3. How much do you think is vandalism costing the University every year? 4. What do you think are the offender-centered (i.e. personal motivations) causes of vandalism? Some examples are anger, boredom, revenge, frustration, ideological goals, and stealing property. 5. Please think of an example of vandalism in campus and consider its environmental characteristics. What do you think are the environmental factors that contribute to vandalism in school (i.e. poor lighting, covered areas with few passers-by et al., not enough people, other factors)? 6. What have the University and campus police done to prevent vandalism in campus that you are aware of? Are these actions effective? Why? Why not? 7. Does the Office of Community Engagement have any related activities that tackle or prevent campus vandalism? What are they? Do you think that these activities work in preventing vandalism? Why/Why not? 8. What do you think should the University and campus police focus on when addressing vandalism?

The Membership of the European Union and Employment in the UK Essay

The Membership of the European Union and Employment in the UK - Essay Example However in late Britain tends to understand and respect its long-standing membership with such a potential body like the European Union (Euromove, 2011). In the current era, United Kingdom is thus making every endeavor to help resolve conflicts pertaining to ideologies through holding open discussion forums with the members of the European Union (Perth and Hope, 2011). The employment relation policies followed in the European Union can be understood as follows. Firstly the European Union requires the employer bodies in the different member states to encourage its members to actively participate in the formation of trade unions. In that, the employees are rendered the right to collectively bargain for their right in cases where they are deprived of such and also can hold strikes as a sign to protest against the decisions of the employer body. Secondly, the employment relation policies followed by the European Union also require the employers to form collective agreements with the employees or representative bodies of the employees in regards to issues on compensation systems, leave policies and working hours and conditions in the concern. These policies of the European Union are found to be active whether in regards to a single employer or a group of employers in regards to a specific business or diversified business categories (Business Link, n.d.) . In the third case, the European Union body also requires the different employers belonging to the companies in the member nations to openly consult and share potential information with the different employees or employee groups. This policy tends to enhance the level of transparency in regards to the employer-employee relationships in the member countries. Fourthly the employer bodies pertaining to the member nations are strictly required to have a word with the representative bodies of the employees in the light of working out a redundancy plan. Herein, the employer bodies are required to effectively state as to how many numbers of people they require to be made redundant with also stating the need for planning of such action. Further, the employer bodies are also required to state plans through which the company would tend to reemploy the redundant employees or help them gain a suitable position in the future.   The employers are also required to state in what manner they have calculated and arrived at the number of employees they require to be turned off and therein must also reflect on the pattern taken to effectively compensate such people. Similarly, in the fifth case, the European Union body also requires the employer bodies pertaining to the companies operating in the member countries to rightly inform the staff in cases of any change or transfer of ownership into new hands. Sixthly the European Union also requires the employer or the management team of the companies operating inside its member countries and possessing an employee base of around 20 to continually inform them about the economic and employment status of the concern. In that, the employers are also required to inform the internal people about any substantial changes that the employers consider to bring about in the near future.   However, the general legislation brought about by the European Union in regards to employment relations must also be effectively dealt with country or regi on-specific circumstances to help enhance its due efficacy.

Religion and Violence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Religion and Violence - Essay Example It primarily aims to discipline people and encourage them to cohabit harmoniously within the framework of certain codes of social conduct. Besides, throughout human history, it has remained a major influence in determining the social and political structure of nations across the world. Religions, in general, seek the well being of humans and spread the messages of universal brotherhood and love, peace and harmony. Prophets in every cult have emphasized the need of spirituality and implored their followers to have sympathy for fellow beings. However, throughout human history, one comes across wars among different sects of people in the name of religion. In the modern world, in which humans have become a sophisticated species, bloodshed in the name of religion still prevails obviously due to misconceptions about religion. The instances of violence, in the name of religion, that characterize everyday life in the modern society, rather tend to substantiate the hypothesis that religion do es cause violence. The Jihad, which the Muslim radicals consider as a Holy War against nonbelievers, has become an excuse for some members of that community to indulge in terrorist activities against the US and other non-Muslim nations. According to them, their war is for justice that they have to wage against the nonbelievers to adhere to Allah’s wish. ... The reason, according to Osama Bin Laden, was to warn America of the support it extends to the Jewish community which has resulted in the oppression of their Muslim brethren in Israel. He has further threatened that the war would continue until justice is restored to the Muslim community, which is being â€Å"tortured and assaulted† by the Jews. (Motives for 9/11 Terrorist Attacks). The bombings in London on July 7, 2005, which claimed â€Å"52 lives and injured 700 people† is yet another instance of violence perpetrated by the Al Qaeda, in the name of religion (London Bombers Staged ‘Dummy Run’). The motive behind this mission, according to Osama, has been to â€Å"take revenge against the British Zionist Crusader Government† for the atrocities committed by them in Iraq and Afghanistan (Quinn par. 5). The problem of violence in the name of religion does not confine to the West alone. In the Orient, the strained relationship between India and Pakista n, apart from border controversies, can also be attributed to the difference in the major religious faiths in both countries. There have been many instances of terrorist attacks in India and in most cases, the allegations indicate the involvement of Pakistani citizens or the radical Muslim outfits based in or operating out of Pakistan. The most significant of such episodes is the terrorist attack in Mumbai, which lasted for almost four days from November 26 to November 29, 2008. An Indian author, B. Raman, in his book titled â€Å"Mumbai 26/11: A Day of Infamy,† suggests that the Indian Mujahidin tout their attack on India as the â€Å"war of civilization between the Muslims and the infidels† (Raman 17). This

Toumin Essay-Baseball players using steroids should be banned Essay

Toumin -Baseball players using steroids should be banned - Essay Example One of the fundamental lessons and guidelines that kids are taught include saying no to drugs. However, in various sports publications and reports, the public has been made aware that the role models, Major League Baseball (MLB) players were reported to violate rules by using steroids that can damage the game and themselves repeatedly. In this regard, one contends that professional baseball players who use steroids should be banned from the game. MLB has faced and dealt with many issues in regards to players violating rules and policies resulting in suspension. However, players have been banned from baseball for serious offenses. For example, Pete Rose, former manager of the Cincinnati Reds and the all-time Major League leader in hits, was banned from baseball for gambling; and ultimately banned from the Hall of Fame (PETE ROSE STILL BANNED FROM HALL OF FAME). Marge Scott, former owner of Cincinnati Reds, was banned from baseball for saying racist slurs about African Americans and homosexual comments. Ferguson Jenkins, former Texas Rangers player, was banned for having possession of drugs trying to clear U.S. Customs. If these individuals mention were banned, the use of steroids, which is a greater offense, would ultimately be prevented through eliminating all players proven to have used it in the game. In an article written by Sari (2010), sports players are predominantly identified to manifest prolific use of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS), noted to have been synthetically obtained from testosterone, â€Å"the sex hormone that stimulates development of male sex characteristics and growth of muscles and bones† (68). Steroids were also reported to include performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) which likewise encompass human growth hormone (HGH) (Schmotzer, Kilgo and Switchenko). The reasons for using non-therapeutic

Death of a saleman-producer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Death of a saleman-producer - Essay Example This includes the actors who will be performing on stage. The production crew can be the music producers, character analysts, cast managers and many more. In the production roles and responsibilities in the play, the production crew who are the board of directors, producers and the artists are given their individual roles to play on. The board of directors maintains the budgets of the finances and they also select the production. They also select the artistic director and the producer. They are the active producers who approve and set the budget and adjust any casting and production. The producer develops the budget to be used for performances, theater labor and other important budgets. They also deal with the security matters where by they are responsible for assigning the security team. He also secures the space needed for the production. The artistic directors deal with the artistic decisions on who to take responsibilities in the play. They also block the scenes needed in the play and block the rehearsals in the play. Working at the theatre as a collaborative team is another big issue in that not all the members in the board will agree on the procedures to be followed. This gives a challenge when the team is organizing for the best in the play. The most challenge in theater is lack of enough money to fund the production. This is majorly a problem when none of the board member has capital for the production play. As a producer you are supposed to gather all the board members and assign them the required tasks and always ensure that they are united when producing the play on stage. Learn to make decision that are always right and consult quite a number of leaders in the same field before coming to the decision. Looking for the right character to play on stage is another major problem. Deciding on the best actors to take up the characters is quite a critical decision. The actor must be captive and convince the audience who are the entertainers. He is