Black Boy

Midterm Paper The Many Hungers in Black Boy We often find ourselves thinking â€Å"Man I am so hungry! † after going without eating for Just a few hours. If you really think about it we only go without eating for small periods of time. Have we ever really experienced hunger? Real hunger for that matter, hunger like Richard faces in Black Boy. The kind of hunger he experiences are not evident in a society in which we live. Hunger for us is skipping a meal or not finding anything that will please our appetite. This is not even comparable to the days that Richard endures without eating any food.There is not only physical hunger present in the novel Black Boy, Richard suffers from educational and emotional hunger. Richard longs for conversation and love from others and books to read or some sort of education. Most people often take these for granted but it is the only thing that Richard desires. The hunger in the novel Black Boy by Richard Wright serves as a magnet that pulls us t hrough the story of Richard's emotional, physical, and intellectual hunger. Richard is faced at a very early age and for most of his life with experiences of hysical hunger, starvation. Hunger stole upon me slowly that at first I was not aware of what hunger really meant. Hunger had always been more or less at my elbow when I played, but now I began to wake up at night to find hunger standing at my bedside, staring at me gauntly† (16). Richard seemed to starve quite often but after his father left he seemed to have constant starvation. Starvation seems to happen a good deal throughout Richard's life. The type of hunger Richard describes seems to be very painful, a kind of pain that one can't even imagine. Once again I new hunger, biting hunger, hunger that made my body aimlessly restless, hunger that kept me on edge, that made my temper flare, that made my temper flare, hunger that made hate leap out of my heart like the dart of a serpent's tongue, hunger that created in me od d cravings† (119). Since hunger is always present in Richard's lifestyle it seems as if he cannot imagine eating a simple meal every day. To us a simple meal may not seem like such a big deal, but to Richard, and many who suffered like Richard during this time, a simple meal is a miracle.The weakening and ainful piercing hungers are evidence that where the poverty happened in the Jim Crow South. Richard does not only suffer from physical hunger, he also suffers through emotional hunger throughout the text. He desires attention from people, attention from his family. Richard does not receive much attention at home so that impacts his relationship with others. He does not know how to associate with others. This causes a problem for Richard, when he finally leaves home he does not know how to associate with others. He cannot understand the friendly gestures of those around him.Nevertheless, I was so starved for association with people that I allowed myself to be seduced by it all , and for a few months I lived the life of an optimist† (178). Richard grew up in a very hostile nome environment which made him not only yearn for food but for love and affection. Another issue that helped contribute to Richard's emotional hunger is the issue of blacks and whites. Richard does not seem to understand the relationship between the two groups of people. â€Å"l wanted to understand these two sets of people who lived side by side and never touched, it seemed, except in violence† (54).Richard viewed the treatment toward him and the others as wrong, but he dare not go against it. He seemed to have accepted the segregation, but he never let the white people go far in how they treated him. Richard wanted to be able to speak his mind, but he was always told to hush up and he did not want to be treated poorly by the whites. The idea of this was hard for Richard to overcome so he ended up moving to the North. The emotional hunger that Richard faces often led him t o loneliness or grief. The biggest hunger the Richard had to suffer through would be his hunger for ducation.Richard longed for an education. He is a bright boy yet there is no encouragement for him to succeed and learn. There was no encouragement to learn because Negro children of the south did not grow up to be successful. Many of the blacks during that time seemed to settle, settle for ignorance and illiteracy. Richard however, decided to take advantage of the little opportunities that presented themselves. He longed for an education even more after meeting Ella, the school teacher. He stated â€Å"†¦ as much afraid of her as he was attracted to her† (38).The attraction allows him to overcome his fear and ask her about her books, which further awakens the hunger of knowledge. Richard tried to learn and read. â€Å"l hungered for the sharp, frightening, breathtaking, almost painful excitement that the story had given me, and I vowed that as soon as I was old enough I would buy all the novels there were and read them to feed that thirst for violence that was in me, for intrigue, for plotting, for secrecy, for bloody murders† (46). Richard loves to read and write. He is very curious and wants to learn as much as he can.He learns a lot through his experiences rather than a school setting. He gets very excited when he learns new things. â€Å"†¦ l had learned to count to a hundred and I was overjoyed†¦. I would read the newspapers with my mother guiding me and spelling out the words. I soon became a nuisance by asking far too many questions of everybody† (26). The quest for Richard's learning never seemed to be conquered. Richard suffered through many hungers that we may never experience, we are privileged. His emotional, physical, and educational hunger seem to impact him ignificantly.Even with all odds stacked against him, Richard prevails and succeeds against all odds. As an adult living in the North, he conquered the obsta cles and is stronger than most living around him. Richard survives through these hungers with his great endurance. â€Å"Whenever my environment had failed to support or nourish me, I had clutched at books†¦ † It seemed as if Richard would use his hungers against each other in turn making him a stronger person. Richard endures a lot in the text, much that people in our society today could not survive.

Cognitive Theories Essay

Cognition is the process involved in thinking and mental activity. Cognitive theories are not centred on the unconscious mind of the child but emphasized the conscious thoughts. In this essay I will discuss the cognitive theories of Piaget and Vygotsky, who were both influential in forming a more scientific approach to analysing the cognitive development process of the child. I will outline Piaget’s theory of the four stages of cognitive development and Vygotsky’s theory on the sociocultural cognitive theory. I will also discuss how cognitive theories can be applied to the education of the child. Jean Piaget (1896-1980) believed that children are active in the process of their cognitive development. As Bee and Boyd note in The Developing Child â€Å"the child is an active participant in the development of knowledge† (Bee and Boyd, 1939, p.150). Piaget said that children reason and think differently at different stages in their lives. He believed that children process through four stages of cognitive development. Each stage is characterised by an overall structure and a sequence of development. According to Piagetian theory, these structures consist of â€Å"schemes† or â€Å"schemas†, which are a way of organising experience. These schemes adapt through a continuous process of â€Å"assimilation† and â€Å"accommodation†, in an attempt to achieve â€Å"equilibrium†, which is the balance between the two. Assimilation is the process of adapting new experiences to fit into existing schemes. Accommodation is the process of adapting existi ng schemes to fit new experiences. (Piaget’s Theory, www. 6th February 2012). The first of Piaget’s stages of cognitive development is the sensorimotor stage. It occurs from birth to about two years of age. This stage is divided into six sub stages: reflexes, primary circular reactions, secondary circular reactions, coordination of secondary circular reactions, tertiary circular reactions and beginning of representational thought. He believed that this stage is a period of practical discovery, which happens by interacting with the environment through the senses. Infants discover a relationship between their body and the environment. The infant develops independent thinking, a sense of self and the beginning of symbolic thought. This stage promotes that thought is based primarily on action. (Bee and Boyd, 1939). As Santrock says in Child Development â€Å"their main task is to coordinate their sensory impressions with their motor activity† (Santrock, 1982, p.188). The second of Piaget’s stages is the pre-operational stage. It occurs from two to about seven years of age. Piaget believed that at this time children fail to â€Å"conserve†. This is the understanding that things remain constant in terms of number, quantity and volume regardless of changes in appearance. He believed that at this stage children begin to represent the world through symbols e.g. drawing, images and words. This stage is characterized by the development of symbolic thought, representation, egocentrism, centration and intuitive thought. (Bee and Boyd, 1939). The third of Piaget’s theories is the concrete-operations stage. It occurs from seven to about eleven years of age. He believed this stage is characterized by the ability to perform operational tasks such as classification, seriation and reversibility. The child now understands the conservation of mass, length, weight and volume. As it states in Child Development â€Å"Concrete operations allow children to coordinate several characteristics rather than focus on a single property of an object† (Santrock, 1982, p.193). Children can use abstract thinking as long as they can relate back to concrete examples. In the concrete-operations stage, he believed the child is no longer egocentric; they have the ability to de-centre. (Bee and Boyd, 1939). The fourth and last stage of Piaget’s theories is the formal operations stage. It occurs between eleven and about fifteen years of age, although Piaget says that some people may never reach this stage of cognitive development. He believes that in this period individuals are able to think and reason scientifically (Piaget’s Theory, www. 6th February 2012). Children have the capacity to move beyond definite experiences and think in more logical ways. This stage is characterized by abstract thinking, hypothetical deductive reasoning and idealism.(Bee and Boyd, 1939). In contrast to Piaget, Lev Semeonovich Vygotsky (1896-1934) did not believe in distinct stages of development. He saw the development of cognition as a continual process that is determined by the culture and social influences. He believed children are only as cognitively developed as the culture in which they live and that learning in conjunction with social interaction leads to cognitive development. As is says in The Developing Child â€Å"social interaction is required for cognitive development† (Bee and Boyd, 1939, p.163). One of the main ideas proposed by Vygotsky is the Zone of Proximal Development. This refers to the distance between the actual development of a child through individual problem solving and the level of development through problem solving under the guidance of an adult. A child’s actual development level indicates a child’s level of mental development at a particular time. It indicates the functions that have already matured in the child. A child’s zone of proximal development show the functions that have not matured yet, but that are in the process of maturing and developing. (Learning Theories, www. 7th February 2012). Vygotsky also believed that language played an important role in a child’s cognitive development. He believed language and thought develop independently and when the child is about two years of age they come together. Vygotsky describes three stages of development in language. The first stage is social speech or external speech. A child uses external speech to express simple thoughts and emotions such as crying or laughing. The second stage is egocentric speech, it is usually found in children between the ages of three and seven. The child will talk to him/herself during activities. They think out loud in an attempt to guide their own behaviour. The third stage is inner speech. As the child gets older he/she will begin to supress egocentric speech in the form of inner speech, and it is inner speech that becomes the child’s thoughts. Vygotsky proposed that language allows the child a greater freedom of thought and leads to cognitive development. (Santrock, 1982). As it states in Child Development â€Å"Children must use language to communicate with orders before they can focus inward on their own thoughts† (Santrock, 1982, p.202). Both Piaget’s cognitive developmental theory and Vygotsky’s sociocultural cognitive theory have a profound effect on the educational process and can be applied in many ways. Piaget and Vygotsky agree that the child actively takes part in his/her education and therefore require a style of teaching that provides opportunities to be active participants in their own learning. Both theories view the child as individual beings. They both agree with a child centred curriculum and see the role of the teacher as a guide and facilitator rather than a director. Both theories propose that the teacher has to have good observation skills and to have an understanding of the children in the learning environment. (Santrock, 1982). Vygotsky believed that education held a more important role in the child’s cognitive development. He proposed the involvement of the teacher to guide the child through his/her zone of proximal development and that instruction should be based on the child’s potential level. Vygotsky’s theory proposes using peers as tutors in supporting and guiding the child. He believed that thinking depended on language skills and is developed and maintained by social interaction. Learning involves at least two people therefore the probable scope of Zone of Proximal Development is dependent on the skills of both the child and the teacher. (Santrock, 1982). However, Piaget saw education as a method of refinement for the already developing cognitive skills. He believed cognitive development cannot be accelerated through instruction and concepts should not be taught until the child has reached the right stage. Piaget believed children are able to work best when they are active. He saw the child as a lone explorer discovering things for him/herself. He also believed the role of the teacher is a facilitator and guide to provide the correct materials and environment for the child. As it says in Child Development â€Å"Effective teachers listen, watch, and question students, to help them gain better understanding† (Santrock, 1982, p.197). Piaget’s theory suggests that the peers and not the adults in the classroom have a stronger influence on the child’s development. (Santrock, 1982). In this essay I have discussed the cognitive theories of Piaget and Vygotsky and how they can be applied to the education of the child. Piaget and Vygotsky’s impact on children’s cognitive development has been remarkable. Their cognitive theories have contributed to our understanding of the importance of developmental changes in children’s thinking and the cognitive processes. They looked at how children see the world and the influences that impact on the thinking process and saw that the cognitive theories are a positive approach to the child as they are active participants in their own development. For many years teachers have revised their approach in the classroom and applied the cognitive theories to the education of the child.

Mystery City Report

Princess Elisabeth Research station (Belgium), Antarctica 71*57’ S-23*20’E. That is exactly where mystery city #7 is located. One of the clues the website journeynorth. com gave us was â€Å"We are located on a continent that is one of the coldest places on Earth. It is also one of the driest, considered to be mostly desert; but don’t expect to see sand. † This clue really helped because it pretty much told us our city was in Antarctica, but now we had to find out where in Antarctica. And clue number 2 kind of helped us with that. â€Å"We are located on part of a nunatak, almost 200 km from the coastline. We see petrels and skuas from time to time. Sorry we can't be more specific about the country we're located in — there are no countries here (or states, or cities)! † This clue really just told us that it was pretty close to the shore. But clue number 3 told us where in Antarctica our city was. â€Å"Down here our location isn't in a state or province, but Norway might say our location is within the boundaries of land which it claimed on this continent many decades ago. † We looked online at Norway claimed Antarctica and then knew where our city was around. The last Clue number 4 was the one that really helped. The clue was â€Å"Our place looks like a spaceship floating in a sea of white. We operate on renewable energy like wind and solar, so we are also green. † And a picture was involved. The picture helped us out so much because what we did was take our guesses and put it in Google images and if the picture matched the we knew we had it. And we did, we found it on our 3rd try. That’s how we found out our mystery city. Our photoperiod for mystery city number 7 increased by 14 hrs and 31 min! And our photoperiod compared to Franklin was actually almost around the same even though our city was in Antarctica. Our city is way far south from Franklin because we know it’s in Antarctica and Massachusetts is in the USA. So you can also tell that our city is in the southern hemisphere because of the latitude and longitude. We knew right away its was going to be somewhere cold because our first data we got was crazy which kind of gave us a general idea of where it was. All in all we have found out the our city is Princess Elisabeth Research station (Belgium), Antarctica and its absolute location is 71*57’ S-23*20’E.

WRITE A REPORT in which you investigate the planning and control Essay

WRITE A REPORT in which you investigate the planning and control processes, and evaluate the supply chains including MRP and JIT systems in relation to Morrison - Essay Example The main purpose of supply chain management is to enhance quality and pace of all activities throughout the supply chain, so that products and services are supplied in the right quantity, to the right location, at the right time. Actually it is the series of links and shared processes between suppliers and customers. The links and processes cover all the activities from the purchasing raw materials to the delivery of final product. The whole process of supply chain as depicted above is controlled by a chain of command to facilitate best and profitable end product. The importance of planning and control of supply chain can not be denied. It plays a vital role in effective management of mass production factory. The complications allied with manufacturing systems value chains have not been resolved yet. It is because of the fact that the value chain may consist of many suppliers located in various areas. There are certain methods used by supervisor on plant floor to coordinate the processes in supply chain. One person dominated supervision: In this method one person takes direct responsibility of whole floor and control and monitors every move on the floor. This method is not considered very effective as it has its own pitfalls. Interdependent Supervision: In this method many person are involved in supervising and monitoring process by openly communicating and advising each other on a floor of plant. This method is considered more flexible and adaptable. Systemization: In this method a sophisticated system is evolved and every worker is assigned the job individually or in-group. Although this is a good method but it is only useful in automated plants. There are various other methods used to control the day to day performance on the floor of plant. But the methods mentioned above are more common. Traditionally most manufacturing control was done using reorder-point/reorder-quantity methods

Thomas Paine's theory (in Common Sense) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Thomas Paine's theory (in Common Sense) - Essay Example Conversely, the government refers to an institution with a sole purpose of protecting the people from their own vices. The originality of the government can be traced to man’s evil. In this case, government is a needed evil to man. Apparently, the sole purpose of the government is the protection of life, property and liberty. Therefore, the judgment to a government should be based on its ability to fulfill this goal (Wilensky, 2010). Paine uses several imageries to pass his point. He considers a scenario in which some people are isolated in some island from where they are very detached from the rest of the rest of the society. With time with people will have to develop relations with one another and make laws that govern them. According to Paine, when persons are allowed to make their own laws, they will become much better off. This is because they pride of assuming responsibilities for the creation of their laws. He sees this as the best way for the American colonists to use. Therefore, the British reign over America and the whole system of government of Britain is a total flaw. The system used by the British to run their government is full of complexities and contradictions. Although, it claims to provide a reason system of the government, the British system is impractically wrong (Paine, 1995). Paine is also concerned with hereditary succession and monarchy notions. Naturally, man was born as equals and therefore such distinctions that occur between a king and a subject are unnatural. Although the world was created without kings, the ancient Jews insisted to have a king. Paine argues that God did not approve to this but just allowed them to have kings. Later on, God descended his wrath on the Jews because of their insistence on having a king. Paine therefore opines that monarchy as an institution has its origin from sin that is condemned by both the Bible and God. He goes ahead to condemn hereditary succession by arguing that even with the decision of having a king, the child of the king has no legitimate authority of becoming a future ruler. Hereditary progression has been a source of many evils like civil war, incompetent kings and corruption. Theoretically, America has thrived under the British rule. This makes them mandated to be under the rule of a king. However, the practical reality is that America has since evolved and no longer needs help from the British. Therefore, the claim that Britain protected America and should automatically seek allegiance is false since its mission is majorly to protect its economic interests. In most of Britain’s colonies, the British have been carrying out several attacks. Consequently, they do not deserve any loyalty from America. These attacks leave so little gains to the colonies. According to Paine, America or any other British colony can better do commerce with other countries in the rest of Europe. However, this will require that America first becomes independent. Past problems c annot be solved if colonies continue with their attachments to Britain. The only solution now for America and other British colonies is to seek independence. Otherwise, their problems will continue to persist (Paine & Slaughter, Common Sense and Related Writings, 2001). As a solution to this kind of mess, Paine offered to provide the form of government that can be adapted by

Reaction Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Reaction - Movie Review Example The training video covers array of issues including effective communication. Effective communication is an important factor in the development of powerful and effective groups. Communication within the groups is vital because it facilitates the development of harmony and understanding. Several factors affect communication within the groups by affecting the characters and behaviors of the team. The understanding of the problems affecting cross cultural communication and working towards overcoming the problems will ensure successful group development. Language use is important for the development of effective group. The language variation in the various conversations that took place is significant. The age, relationship and nature of conversation changes the language used. For official conversation, the use of a higher degree of politeness and well-structured sentences is vital. The conversation between friends such as the Facebook chat has a level simple and casual language use. The degree on for gestures use in the conversation on the street is high due to the age and the desire for need of emphasis by the use of gestures. The effective nature of training will be reflected on the way employees communicate. Training on issues of communication and development of implementation plan will facilitate faster growth of the organization. The coverage of the movies is accurate and effective because it addresses the various challenges in human resource field. In fact, it covers up-to implementation of training schedules with the focus be ing on the various training models, which include; - on-job training, lectures, programmed learning, audiovisual, simulated and distance training. The implementation of the set training modules depends on the ability of the HR to understand the needs of the organization. In addition, the challenge of training is presented in the video effectively through sequenced presentation in the video. The video presents ideas using

History Final Scholarship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

History Final - Scholarship Essay Example Nativism typically means "opposition to immigration" or efforts to lower the political or legal status of specific ethnic or cultural groups because they are considered hostile and alien. It marked politics in the mid-19th century United States because of the large inflows of immigrants from cultures that were markedly different from the pre-existing American culture. These efforts were based on fears that the immigrants will distort or spoil existing cultural values. Nativistic movements can allow cultural survival in situations where immigrants greatly outnumber the original inhabitants of a certain place. The Emancipation Proclamation was issued by Abraham Lincoln declaring the freedom of all slaves in any state of the Confederate States of America that did not return to Union control by January 1, 1863 (issued September 22, 1862), in the ten states that was named in the second order that was issued on January 1, 1863. The Proclamation provided the legal framework for the emancipation of nearly all four million slaves as the Union armies advanced, and committed the Union to ending slavery. However, the Proclamation did not make slavery illegal. Nevertheless, several slave states passed legislation prohibiting slavery, yet slavery continued to be legal in a few sates until December 18, 1865, when the Third Amendment was enacted. The Proclamation ended slavery and paved the way for the legislation of a law that prohibits slavery in all states. The Seneca Falls Convention The Seneca Falls Convention was an early and influential women's rights convention held in Seneca Falls, New York from July 19 to July 20, 1948. It was a single step in the continuing efforts by women to gain for themselves a greater proportion of social, civil and moral rights. The push for women's suffrage first gained national prominence at this moment. By 1851, at the second National Women's Rights Convention in Worcester, Massachusetts, the issue of women's right to vote had become a central tenet of the women's rights movement. John Brown John Brown, born on May 9, 1800, was an American abolitionist and folk hero who advocated and practiced armed insurrection as a means to end all slavery. He led the Pottawatomie Massacre in 1856 in Bleeding Kansas and made his name in the unsuccessful raid at Harper's Ferry in 1859. His attempt at Harper's Ferry to start a liberation movement among enslaved African Americans electrified the nation. He was tried for treason against the state of Virginia, the murder of five proslavery Southerners, and inciting a slave insurrection and was subsequently hanged. Southerners alleged that his rebellion was the tip of the abolitionist iceberg and represented the wishes of the Republican Party. Historians agree that the Harper's Ferry raid escalated tensions and that a year later led to secession and the American Civil War. What were the major consequences of the Mexican War' How did it affect the politics in the United States in the long term' Mexico was forced to give up a vast territory, now the present-day states of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico, to the United States. The original settlers of the ceased land were left without a home; families were split in half; livelihoods

Law - Corporate Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Law - Corporate Law - Essay Example The partners wish to bring in more funding into the proposed entity. Consequently, they want the resources injected be recognized as capital. Additionally, they want the business to bear responsibility for any debt pertaining to it. Considering the conditions set by the three partners Tinky, Lola and Daphne the best form of business is a Private limited company (PLC). This form of an organization is better than a sole proprietorship. The proposed business form has a distinct identity from its founders. As such, they would bear no liability for the entity’s transactions2. Additionally, such an entity can own property and take legal action against another party. The proposed business form will incur less tax than a sole proprietorship3. The law treats the incomes of a sole proprietorship as those of the founders of the organization. A private limited company (PLC) fits the description of the business form they are seeking. A PLC is accountable for its own tax burden. This assert s that the organization is a legal personality contrary to a sole proprietorship4. Individuals that subscribe for shares in a PLC are the owners since a share denotes the basic unit of ownership in any a PLC5. Shareholders do not administer the company openly. Nonetheless, they appoint directors who run the entity6. This allows a PLC to inject professionalism in its management since they appoint qualified individuals into such posts. Conversely, the sole proprietor governs his entity based on his knowledge. Therefore, the business may suffer due to his incompetence7. Nonetheless, decision-making is easier since no consultation are held. Overall, a PLC is a better business form than a sole proprietor based on the above reasons. The company act governs all the undertakings of all incorporated bodies. The act provides stringent statues on the way that a PLC should undertake its activities8. Conversely, they are negligible rules that direct the operations of a sole proprietorship. The d irectors in a PLC are answerable to the members while the sole proprietor is liable to himself9. A limited liability partnership (LLP) is a very attractive form since Tinky, Lola and Daphne are already in such similar business. Thus, a LLP will only limit their liability, but the entity will continue to incur relatively enormous taxes since the tax authorities charge it alongside the other incomes of the partners10. This implies that a LLP has no legal personality. A LLP is better that ordinary partnership since the members’ liability is limited. This denotes its major variation from other partnerships. However, it is imperative to note that the accountability of members in such an entity may vary. As such, some partners might have restricted liability11. In such a scenario, the partners with unlimited responsibility would meet the partnership’s debt during liquidation12. Nonetheless, in a PLC no member takes responsibility for the entity’s loans since the organ ization is separate from its founders and its members. The three partners should consider this pro13. Partners may run the business simultaneously by sharing duties. Alternatively, they may appoint one of the members to govern the organization. Governing such an entity is tricky since decision-making requires consultation. This makes decision-making challenging14. The partners share

Cloud based computing security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Cloud based computing security - Essay Example ability) , discusses the security challenges that currently face the enterprise when storing data in its own local severs or deploying it the cloud and introduces available solution for these issues . Security is simply protecting data against improper disclosures, modification or destruction; whether these are intentionally or accidentally caused. That is to say, a complete solution to data security issues should meet three basic requirements: confidentiality, integrity and availability. Confidentiality requires that data should be protected from unauthorized individuals or systems . Integrity refers to an assurance in the accuracy of the data. This means preventing of unauthorized or improper data modification or deletions must be engaged. Availability refers to keeping timely access to data and resources by authorized person. It also refers to the protection from malicious data denials making the system no longer available; or the recovery from hardware and software errors. The importance assigned to these requirements significantly depends on the considered environment. For example, in military environments, most attention devoted to the confidently, while integrity is the mo st relevant aspect of commercial environment. In public institutions, such as hospitals and airline companies and credit institutions in which data correction is essential in addition to the privacy constraints, a combination of integrity and confidentiality are needed. Developments in networking technology and an increase in the need of computing resources have encouraged many enterprises to outsource their storage and computing needs. This new model of computing is commonly referred to as â€Å"cloud computing†. Cloud computing is computing which leverages computer resource through the internet. It is defined by the national institute of standards and technology (NIST) as: â€Å"A model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to shared pool of configurable computing resource

Safe guarding adults Essay Example for Free

Safe guarding adults Essay Abuse is the violation of an individuals human and civil rights by any other person or persons. The harm may be physical, psychological or emotional or may be directed at exploiting the vulnerability of the victim in a more subtle way. There are many different types of abuse such as physical, sexual, emotional, neglect, exploitation, discriminatory, institutional, bullying, self-harm and domestic abuse. Institutional abuse is the maltreatment of a person (often children or older adults) from a system of power. This can range from acts similar to home-based child abuse, such as neglect, physical and sexual abuse, and hunger, to the effects of assistance programs working below acceptable service standards, or relying on harsh or unfair ways to modify behavior. Institutional abuse can typically occur in a care home, nursing home, acute hospital or in-patient setting and can be any of the following discriminatory abuse financial abuse neglect physical abuse psychological and emotional abuse sexual abuse verbal abuse1 Exploitation is the fact or action of treating someone unfairly in order to benefit from their work. The main type of exploitation in health and social care is financial exploitation. Financial abuse can take many forms. For instance, title to the older persons home or other assets is transferred to the abuser and then sold. Funds from checking, savings, and investment accounts are withdrawn without authorization. Wills are changed through intimidation. Loans are taken out and the funds given to the abuser. Checks are signed over to the abuser, who cashes them. Even outright theft of property may occur.2 It’s also about abuse of power, where carers use their role with vulnerable adults for their own gain. Eg.Sexual gain, financial gain Residential Care: A suspicious care giver might misuse an elder’s personal checks, credit cards, or accounts, forge the elders signature or steal cash, income checks, or household goods. This can occur in the residential care home because the PWUS is vulnerable to trusting their health care practitioner as they seem reliable.3 Domestic violence and abuse Any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling or threatening behavior, violence or abuse. The abuse can be: psychological physical sexual financial emotional Signs and symptoms Here are some signs to watch for: †¢Bruises or injuries that look like they came from choking, punching, or being thrown down. Black eyes, red or purple marks at the neck, and sprained wrists are common injuries in violent relationships. †¢Attempting to hide bruises with makeup or clothing †¢ Making excuses like tripping or being accident-prone or clumsy. Often the seriousness of the injury does not match up with the explanation. Example 2 A nurse comes to visit a couple in domiciliary care, after couple of visits nurse notices bruising on the women when doing personal care and notices she is more withdrawn then usual and becomes defensive when the nurse asks about the bruising. Also the husband has to stay in the room when his wife’s personal care takes place and only a woman is allowed to care for his wife, else he gets aggressive towards the women Discriminatory Abuse Examples of discriminatory abuse Discriminatory abuse is mistreatment on the grounds of a person having a  particular characteristic such as a differing; ethnicity; gender; age; disability; sexuality; health status; religion. Denying one individual or group the same rights as another individual or group.4 For example, someone could be assaulted due to the colour of their skin. 1 A carer looking after a person in domiciliary care, and not respecting their privacy due to them being a certain gender or race. For example, the carer going through draws/taking belongings due to a presumption about their ethnicity. Signs and Symptom Discriminatory abuse can include:   unequal treatment due to race, gender, religion, age, sexuality or disability verbal abuse, inappropriate language, slurs, harassment and deliberate exclusion denial of basic human and civil rights e.g. allowing people to follow their own spiritual or cultural beliefs or choice about their own sexuality Indicators of discriminatory abuse may include: lack of choice lack of privacy and dignity lack of personal belongings use of punishment withholding food and drink Physical Abuse Physical abuse is defined as the use of physical force that may result in bodily injury, physical pain, or impairment. Physical abuse may include hitting, beating, pushing, shoving, shaking, slapping, kicking, pinching, and burning. Also, inappropriate use of drugs and physical restraints, force-feeding, and physical punishment of any kind also are examples of physical abuse. Signs and symptoms bruises, black eyes, welts, lacerations, and rope marks bone fractures, broken bones, and skull fractures open wounds, cuts, punctures, untreated injuries in various stages of healing sprains, dislocations, and internal injuries/bleeding broken eyeglasses/frames, physical signs of being subjected to punishment, and signs of being restrained Sexual Abuse Sexual abuse is defined as sexual contact of any kind with a person. Sexual contact with any person incapable of giving consent is also considered sexual abuse. It includes unwanted touching, all types of sexual assault or battery, such as rape, sodomy, coerced nudity, and sexually explicit photographing.5 Signs and symptoms bruises around the breasts or genital area; unexplained venereal disease or genital infections; unexplained vaginal or anal bleeding; torn, stained, or bloody underclothing; and An elders report of being sexually assaulted or raped. Emotional or Psychological Abuse Emotional or psychological abuse is defined as the infliction of pain or distress through verbal or nonverbal acts. Emotional/psychological abuse includes verbal assaults, insults, threats, intimidation, humiliation, and harassment. In addition, treating an older person like an infant; isolating an elderly person from his/her family, friends, or regular activities; giving an older person the silent treatment; and enforced social isolation are examples of emotional/psychological abuse. Signs and symptoms being emotionally upset or agitated; being extremely withdrawn and non-communicative or non-responsive; Neglect Neglect is defined as the refusal or failure to fulfil any part of a persons obligations or duties. Neglect may also include failure of a person who has fiduciary responsibilities to provide care for a vulnerable adult. For example an elder (e.g., pay for necessary home care services) or the failure on the part of an in-home service provider to provide necessary care. For example, failure to provide an elderly person with such life necessities as food, water, clothing, shelter, personal hygiene, medicine, comfort, personal safety, and other essentials included in an implied or agreed-upon responsibility to an elder. Signs and symptoms dehydration, malnutrition, untreated bed sores, and poor personal hygiene; unattended or untreated health problems;  hazardous or unsafe living condition/arrangements (e.g., improper wiring, no heat, or no running water); unsanitary and unclean living conditions (e.g. dirt, fleas, lice on person, soiled bedding, urine smell, inadequate clothing); and An elders report of being mistreated. Bullying To bully someone is where an individual uses their superior strength to intimidate or influence someone to do something that they want them to do. E.g. Bully a person with a mental illness to move or eat something if they do not want to.6 Signs and symptoms Depending on the extent of the bullying, the signs and symptoms can be a range of physical and emotional ones. These can include The victim becoming withdrawn and quiet Repeated injuries which can’t be explained such as bruises, burns or cuts The victim showing signs of losing focus and becoming unable to concentrate Signs of compulsive behaviour An example of bullying in an old peoples home for dementia and Alzheimer’s: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-12125575 Self-Harm Self-harm is an indicator of abuse. As a carer you should pick up on self-harm and put the appropriate/care in place to deal with issues. Legal responsibility safeguard-‘duty of care’ Deliberate injury to oneself, typically as a manifestation of a psychological or psychiatric disorder Signs and symptoms Unexplained cuts, bruises, burns etc. usually on wrists, arms, thighs and chest Keeping fully covered all the time, even in hot weather Depressed nature: low mood, tearfulness, lack of motivation and interest in anything Withdrawing from others P2: Detailed descriptions of the indicators of abuse and self-harm: Disclosure This is where the PWUS voluntarily tells you or through discussion or  counselling says that they have been abused. This is an obvious indicator because it is coming directly from the person who has been abused. After the PWUS has told this information to a carer it would then be their duty to pass it on and for an investigation to take place. As a carer you have legal responsibility to report this. The incident should be further investigated because the PWUS may have a mental disability and may not understand what abuse is, therefore they may say they have been abused when in fact they haven’t. For example a person with dementia might think they are being abused but really they may just be confused. On the other hand someone may reveal they have been abused but may not reveal the full extent of the abuse. An example of where disclosure may occur is in domiciliary care where self-harm is taking place in the PWUS own home. When the carer comes to the PWUS home they may reveal to them that they are self-harming. Changes in behaviour This can include many different things such as confusion, trouble with sleeping, loss of confidence and expressions of anger/frustration. Changes in behaviour can easily go unnoticed because in care settings the staff are usually quite busy catering for everyone’s needs whilst trying to follow up procedures. This means staff may not notice such a change in PWUS behaviour. Some changes may be more obvious than others, for example, if there is a person who is usually quite loud, bubbly, chatty or out-going and then they become quiet, reserved, start isolation themselves and submissive then this is quite an obvious change in behaviour. An example of changes in behaviour may be in a care home where one PWUS starts to avoid a certain carer and shows fear when they are around, this may be due to this carer being abusive in the past. Difficulties with finance This may be easier to notice as it would be quite easy to notice if someone had taken a lump sum of money from an account however it may be hard to link it with abuse straight away. Especially if a person has given someone their trust with their finances, you may not want to believe they are abusing that trust. The indicator may be more obvious if it is a sudden change from having plenty of money to struggling with finances. This is likely to be noticed by someone who is around the PWUS when they spend their money or  someone who deals with their finances. An example for this indicator may be where a PWUS is being taken out for the day through community care and they are unable to afford their lunch even though they had plenty of money to last a couple of weeks only days before. They may go to get the money from their purse and then have nothing in there. It may also be hard to detect whether someone is being abused financially as if it’s an elderly person with dementia they may have just misplaced their money or forgotten where they have put someone. However if this happens on a regular occurrence then it might have to be put into investigation. Stress which triggers health problems This may be harder to link to abuse as stress can come from many different experiences and events in person’s life which can happen at any stage. Mental health problems may be depression, anxiety, dementia etc. In this situation if mental health problems are spotted there should be an investigation to make sure the real cause of this is found. This may be likely to occur in an elderly people’s home where abuse leads to stress which then makes a PWUS dementia worse. A person with dementia is already likely to be stressed as they forget things (even things like forgetting where they are) and they get confused so it would be important to look deeper into stress in case there is any unknown or undiscovered cause to the stress. Unexplained injuries Bruises and scars are signs of abuse. These are the more obvious indicators as they are visible. A PWUS might try to hide these signs because they feel embarrassed or they might feel it’s their fault. The abuser might blame them and say that it’s their fault and make the PWUS feel shameful. For example in a care home a carer might be abusing an elderly with dementia by grabbing theirs wrists and pulling them around or hurting them and then saying to the PWUS that it’s their fault. They might say ‘no one will believe them if you tell because you’re crazy, you have dementia. They won’t believe you; you make me do this to you’. So as you can see this would be enough to make a PWUS feel too scared to talk of their physical abuse and they may feel too embarrassed or like no one will believe them. So unexplained injuries could be a sign of abuse so if you see this it’s important to look into what  caused the injury. Poor Hygiene Poor hygiene can be a sign of abuse as it could be a sign of neglect. Hygiene could be they’re own personal hygiene like not looking and smelling clean. Or it could be their environment for example if it’s someone who is living at home but has a carer come to look after them or help them. A sign of neglect could be the house is not clean, or their duvet smells dirty and their clothes to. However it may also be where a PWUS has more difficult needs and the practitioner leaves them out to avoid catering to their difficult needs. Physical indicators: -scars -hygiene -malnourishment -cancers -heart disease -panic attacks -mouth ulcers Behavioural indicators: -not trusting other people -low mood -low self-esteem -becoming passive or complaint -poor attendance at school or to social activities -attention seeking -mood swings -withdrawn -aggressive behaviour towards others -not expressing wishes or choices -difficulty sleeping -social isolation Both: -Difficulty to pay bills -depression -break down in relationships -unemployment -poverty P3: Explanations of factors that may lead to abusive situations Vulnerable adults may include: Learning disabilities: They don’t fully understand how to look after themselves and people may get frustrated because they do not understand certain things. They may have a lack of social awareness that they are being abused or treated unfairly e.g. Down syndrome goes to cinema and pays and isn’t aware of how much change they should get. Physical disabilities: They physically can’t do some things for themselves, can’t fight back when being abused. They are reliant on others for personal care, if care isn’t provided they can become neglected which may lead to infection, dehydration, malnourishment etc. Dementia: Unable to remember things which means people can take advantage of them. Memory confusion may mean the PWUS doesn’t realise they are being abused, this may tend to be financial abuse because they ae unable to keep track of their money so won’t notice if any goes missing. Mental health needs: They are unaware of what is normal and what isn’t therefore they may think abuse is normal and they shouldn’t tell anyone about it. Due to mental distress there may be confusion or lack of understanding over the abuse taking place. Aphasia: This is similar to dementia and the memory problem may cause confusion and someone may take advantage of this. A sensory impairment: For example blind/deaf. Blind people can’t see you taking money (can’t see abuse taking place). Deaf people can’t hear verbal abuse taking place. Ill health: (cancer, diabetes) People with ill health need personal care, and they may not know how to get the help that they need. They might be open to poor quality services as desperation means they will try anything. Someone may take advantage of this desperation by charging lots of money for something that won’t work. (Practitioners making false claims) Older people: Tend to require or be reliant for person al care and managing finances therefore someone may take advantage of managing their finances by taking money for themselves. They also may be forgetful so may not notice the abuse taking place. Environments where abuse may take place: day care centres; community care; day care; independent living residential care; hospitals; home; health services, e.g. GP surgeries, dental surgeries, physiotherapy Contexts of abuse: Adults who feel shame or fear of reporting; this may affect anyone as they may be scared of any repercussions that may happen as a result of reporting abuse. Discriminatory practice; this may affect anyone because everyone could be a victim of being discriminated against. This would occur if the person has a protected characteristic of which they are being discriminated against. People who are dependent on others for personal care, for example physical disabilities. This may lead to abuse as the PWUS may be rough handled and/or neglected. Adults who do not have the social awareness that abuse has taken place: this may include PWUS with dementia or a learning difficulty. Financial abuse may be likely to take place as the PWUS will be unaware that their money is missing. Communication difficulties; this could affect a PWUS who is an aphasiac, has a sensory impairment or has autism. They may not be able to fight back or stick up for themselves. They also may not understand the abuse as well as struggle to report it. Social isolation; this is likely to occur with older people in their own homes or people with a mental illness because they may live alone and not go out and see friends meaning they are going without any social contact. People with a mental illness may socially isolate themselves on purpose because they do not want to be around other people. Bullying within care services; this could also affect anyone and it is where a carer may exert their power over a PWUS to show that they are above the PWUS. It may also happen between PWUS where verbal or physical abuse is taking place. Invasion of privacy; this could  also affect any of the groups and may be where a PWUS is not given privacy to get undressed or go to the bathroom etc. Relationships involving power; any of the groups Lack of mental capacity to consent to sexual relationships: This may include people with learning difficulties and mental illness and because they can’t consent this is where sexual abuse may take place and the health or care professional may take advantage of this. Examples of people who may abuse: Health or care professionals, those working in health or care environments, other people using services, partners, carers, relatives, friends, strangers and volunteers. Reasons why these people may abuse: The abuse may be due to a historical cycle of abuse where ‘the abused becomes the abuser’. Being abused in the past may lead someone to think that it is okay to abuse others. People with depression/anger management issues may use their power over others to abuse. Those with anger management may be unable to control their actions in a fit of rage. Reduced mental capacity maybe due to learning difficulty or mental illness may mean they do not understand that what they are doing is abusive. They may feel as though what they are doing is not wrong as they do not know the boundaries of what is right and wrong. Poor safeguarding procedures may mean practitioners may not fully understand their role in protecting PWUS’. This means the abuse may be accidental because they are not following certain procedures correctly. Cultural differences/first language not being English may lead to frustration and misunderstanding between a practitioner and PWUS. Poor role model in a senior member of staff may mean that any new members of staff think its common practice and that it’s okay for them to abuse the PWUS. First hand experiences of violence may lead to imitation of behaviour. Poor care from the health care professionals may be due to long hours, bringing in personal issues to work and taking it out on service users. Also being in a low paid job and being short staffed can all be contributing factors to poor care. Short staffing may mean that there is not enough time to care for all the PWUS properly. M1: Short term effects of abuse Physical abuse/exploitation Physical abuse can have many effects (short-term and long-term) on a PWUS and these can be physical, intellectual, emotional and social; Physical health and wellbeing is the positive functioning of body systems and the absence of illness or disease. It is getting the right amount of nutrients, activity and rest needed to function. The potential short term effects of physical abuse on physical health and wellbeing include dehydration and malnourishment from not getting enough food and water. Also injuries such as bruising, cuts, finger print marks, whiplash, friction burns. There may also be long term effects for these injuries, for example if a PWUS gets a cut during personal care and this is not dealt with then it could get infected which could, in severe cases, lead to something like blood poisoning. Long term effects of head injuries may include something such as epilepsy which is very serious and could affect the PWUS in many different aspects of their life, for example they woul dn’t be able to watch films with flashing lights or go places like carnival or fair which usually have flashing flights which could prevent them spending special days out with their families. The potential short term effects of sexual exploitation may be injuries caused to the genital area as well as STI’s being passed on during sexual abuse which may take place in community care. PWUS with learning difficulties may be sexually abused as they would not understand what is happening and/or if it is abuse or if it is normal .This is because they don’t always know the difference between right and wrong and if the abuser is telling them its okay and normal they might not think any different as the abuser is meant to be the person caring for them. Financial exploitation could lead to the PWUS having to go without food and basic necessities as they are short of money therefore they may become malnourished. Financial abuse may take place in care from home where the carer has a responsibility to deal with their money and finances and they slowly and sneakily transfer money into their own account or they may take cash which is lying around and then make out the PWUS is just forgetting where they have put it and take advantage. This could go easily unnoticed as there would only be one carer and its in the comfort of the elderly PWUS home so not as many people would be there to become suspicious or realise. Intellectual health and wellbeing involves positive learning experiences which lead to skills and language being developed throughout life. Getting support to be able to learn and being mentally stimulated and challenged. The short term effects of physical abuse may include a head injury caused by the PWUS being shaken which may cause problems with cognitive processes and may cause the PWUS to become confused as well as have trouble with memory. If abusive practice is extensive enough that standard activity to stimulate intellect cannot be done by the PWUS because they may be unable to concentrate. This may lead to a fall in attendance at school/work. The short term effects of exploitation may include a PWUS being unable to focus on certain tasks due to thinking about being sexually taken advantage of. Also with financial exploitation the PWUS may have money worries due to their money being taken from them without their permission, this may then lead to them not taking part in activities that could stimulate the brain. If a PWUS is having money taken from them in their home during domiciliary care then they may feel very confused. Also a PWUS may be exploited by not being able to be involved in certain activities as a result of the carer leaving them out, maybe because their needs are more difficult than some of the other PWUS. This may lead to them not being intellectually stimulated and stumping their development in different skills and language. Emotional health and wellbeing includes being able to express yourself and if emotional support is required, being able to find and use this support. It is also being happy and secure in yourself as well as being in good mental health. Many emotions can arise when physical abuse and exploitation takes place and they tend to be very negative and can have negative effects on the person. Feelings of fear of the abuser are likely to occur, as a result of physical abuse. They may fear they may be abused again. If the abuse took home in a care home they may feel to scared to ever go into a care home again through the fear of being abused again. If it was sexual abuse they may feel upset and embarrassed/humiliated about the abuse. The abuser may also make the person feel as though the abuse is their fault therefore they may feel guilty and start to get a low mood which is the beginning of depression. The person being abused may become angry about the abuse as  well as becoming anxious abo ut it happening again. This could also lead to panic attacks. Exploitation such as a PWUS being treated unfairly by being left out/not interacted with as much as other PWUS may lead to them becoming upset and lower their self-confidence. They may start to make less of an effort and become withdrawn as they will feel excluded. Financial exploitation can lead to confusion as to where money is going and upset over not having enough money for certain things. Also if the PWUS becomes aware of the financial exploitation they may feel very taken advantage of and maybe helpless that they can’t do anything about it. They may feel no one will believe them or they may feel to scared to report it as they may fear abuse afterwards. Or they may feel maybe they are just being confused because that’s whats the carer has told them so they believe it. Social health and wellbeing is where a person has a social network of friends and family and is able to keep and form meaningful relationships. Also going out with these friends and families and enjoying yourself by taking part in different activities. Short term effects of physical abuse and exploitation on social health and wellbeing may include becoming withdrawn and not wanting to see friends and family. A PWUS, for example in a residential home, may stop wanting to participate in the activities provided and may stop interacting with other residents. The person may stop interacting with others as well as stop making choices for themselves and allowing others to make their choices for them. This will make them loose their independency which could result in them later being taken advantage of. Also the PWUS may begin to imitate unacceptable behaviour as they have poor role models around them. Exploitation could lead to a PWUS not wanting to interact with others if they have been left out in the past or have been taken advantage of. This could lead to social isolation as they would push people away and may lose social contacts. Strengths of spotting signs and symptoms early The indicators or warning signs of abuse are clues that something is happening in the life of the person that should be looked into. Some indicators are obvious signs of abuse. Other indicators are subtle, requiring careful observation. In some situations abuse may not be occurring  at all. It is important to think about the person and any health or behavioural issues they have. Some people may get injured more easily due to health reasons or aging. For example, some medications and some health problems like hemophilia (where the blood clots slowly) can cause easy bruising. Some people may engage in self-injurious behaviours that cause injuries that look like abuse. Even if you discover that a person has a health or behavioural issue that might be the cause of the injury, it is still important to investigate to rule out abuse as the cause. It is important to put aside any biases that you might have that care providers would not abuse a person with a disability that they support.

Analysis of Situational Leadership Theory

Analysis of Situational Leadership Theory The situational theory of leadership is becoming increasingly popular in the context of modern organizational leadership. This is evident from the manner in which it is surfacing in academic literature such as books, journals and research reports. A leadership style refers to the pattern of behavior; including both action and words as exhibited by a leader or as perceived by followers. Situational leadership revolves around job-related maturity. According to Mark, et al (2009) job maturity refers to an individuals ability in performing a job and this is a key factor determining a leaders behavior. The situational leadership model puts it that effective leadership is dependent on both the acts of management and leadership and that these enhance an organizations match to current global trends. The model emerged from the realization and understanding that not all individuals within a group or community being led compare in terms of maturity level and that the need for a leadership style differ with situations. Thus the model is based on situational variables as it relies on day-to-day perceptions of a leader as well as the environmental observations rather than research data. Current research shows that effectiveness in the light of this model involves a leaders assessment of the development level (maturity) of their followers as well as the situation at hand to adjust their leadership approach accordingly (Norris Vecchio, 2000; GEN Dennis, 1999). Situational leadership entails first understanding ones predominant leadership approach and the level of the followers development process. Situational leadership is particularly becoming an effective strategy among Army leaders given the current rates of technological advancement and combat techniques. Situational leadership is thus very vital in challenging the ambiguous and complex nature of the modern military environment. Background of the Situational Leadership Model The situational leadership theory was developed by Hersey and Blanchard in the 1960s basing on Reddins 3-D framework of leadership (Hersey Blanchard, 1996). The developmental process of the model focused on three key categories: consideration; initiation of structure; and leader behavior. In situational leadership, the subordinates job-relevant maturity (both psychological and job maturity) is the primary situational factor determining a leaders behavior. Maturity is regarded to be a product of the education level and/ or experience. Psychological maturity is an important aspect of job maturity and it reflects a persons state of motivation, that is, their confidence and self-esteem levels; which are highly influenced by ethical practices in a firm. Hersey and Blanchard identified that physiological maturity is associated with an individuals orientation towards achievement as well as the ability and willingness to assume responsibility. Hersey and Blanchard thus concluded that perfor mance is basically a behavioral manifestation of job relevant maturity (Hersey Blanchard, 1996). Proponents of this model hold the notion that each situation demands a different leadership style and thus the best course of action is dependent on the situation at hand, that is, effectiveness in leadership is dependent on the adaptability to adapt to situations. It is also imperative to note that the leader-follower relationship determines the outcome of any particular task. Lee-Kelley (2002) points out that situational leadership is based on both versatility and effectiveness. Four leadership approaches apply under the situational leadership model and are dependent on followers job-related maturity. The major notion under this model is that flexibility and adaptability determine which of the diverse styles would apply in the context of varied situations, followers or tasks. The Four Leadership Approaches/Styles Applied in Situational Leadership S1: Directing (high task, low relationship behavior) Leaders take the responsibility of determining the roles and tasks for their followers. They thus are involved in close supervision of the follower activities as well as taking and announcing all the decisions. In this regard, the leaders are more concerned with the challenge of meeting goals and accomplishing tasks than on building strong relationships with their subordinates (Norris Vecchio, 2000). Communication in this style is usually one way since leadership autocratically categorizes employees duties. S2: Coaching (high task, high relationship behavior) Although the leader has the power of making decisions, he/she usually involves the suggestions of the followers while maintaining a good relationship with them. Although communication is two-way, final decisions on ideas are usually made by the leader rather than their authors (Mark, et al. 2009). Leaders are thus focused on selling their ideas to the followers to have them understand the importance of their tasks and the various organizational processes. S3: Participative (high relationships, low task behavior) This style is usually very motivating to subordinates as it involves a shared decision making process and a two-way communication channel (Hersey Blanchard, 1996). Followers are usually included in all job-related duties as well as in determining how tasks and responsibilities are to be accomplished. The leader often relies on the followers contribution in organizing the day-to-day responsibilities such as tasks and processes allocation. S4: Delegating (low relationship, high task behavior) In certain situations, leaders are compelled to entrust their followers with much of the decision making process. The leaders task thus entails monitoring progress although he/she is not extensively involved in the process of making decisions. However, the leader is more focused on problem solving and taking decisions but grants the followers the authority to determine the final decision. Followers decide when it is appropriate to involve the leader. There are four major follower maturity levels that determine the necessity for a leadership style (Hersey Blanchard, 1996). Follower Development Process/Maturity Levels The first maturity level (M1) encompasses followers who usually have no confidence, knowledge or skills necessary for them to work independently. Such individuals usually require supervision and direction before they can be entrusted with tasks. In such a situation, effective leadership would entail applying the directing approach of leadership (Peter, et al. 2008). The second level (M2) of maturity involves followers who generally have the will to do a task but they lack the capacity to do so independently. This means that leading such a group would necessitate that the leader employ an approach that can coach the followers at their duties. The third maturity level (M3) includes individuals who are usually highly experienced and can attend to the task in question satisfactorily. Participative leadership is best suited to lead such followers. However, these followers lack the confidence to assume sole responsibility of seeing a task to accomplishment. The fourth maturity level (M4) i ncludes those individuals who are not only experienced but are also confident and able to take on the task (Mark, et al. 2009; Fernandez Vecchio, 1997). They are not only willing and able but are also confident that they can successfully fulfill accomplishments independently. In the event of M4, leaders usually assume the delegating leadership style. It is essential to note that differentiated leadership is only possible under the situational leadership approach since different followers with varying levels of needs, abilities and maturity levels are led. The situational model is based on the perception that real leadership revolves around people management in a manner that is fair for the sake of being mutually rewarding as well as providing productive objectives; which are usually free of any manipulation. According to Hersey and Blanchard, the process of controlling, influencing and motivating followers towards attainment of stated accomplishments relies on three key leadership skills: (i) prediction of future behavior; (ii) understanding the behavior of the past; and (iii) the changing, controlling as well directing behaviors (Lee-Kelley 2002). In this regard, research shows that effective situational leaders are usually engaged in a number of behavioral manifestations: relationship and task behaviors, which are important in driving creativity and innovation among followers. Applying Situational Leadership in the Military Services Overview The increasingly complex military environment demands for an effective approach to leadership, one that is adaptive to the different followers situations. The US Army Field Manual (FM) 22-100 emphasizes on the ability of any military leader to adjust to the particular situation or individuals being led (US Army Field Manual (FM) 22-100, 1999). Use of the model is evident among successful military leaders. Military leaders such as combat leaders are usually not confined to any one leadership style in any given situation, not with the dramatically changing nature of the battle field now and in the future. It is increasingly becoming mandatory that military leaders be adaptive (flexible) enough to engage styles that will enhance the success of the soldiers. Situational leadership in military would be important especially in enabling military leaders to take advantage of techniques from the four styles of situational leadership for the sake of motivating soldiers towards accomplishing mi ssions successfully. Ability to make use of cultural awareness, sound judgment, self control, and intelligence is the key to effective situational leadership. As a Military Leader According to Lau (1998), the concept of situational leadership became of particular importance in the military following the formation of the continental army. It is also based on the recent view that control, teamwork, discipline, and organization are deficient within the forces (GEN Dennis, 1999). In this regard, military psychology has been developing situational leadership frameworks for the last 100 years to promote effective military behavior based on the view that particular behavior among military individuals would inevitably facilitate better outcomes. While using this model, it is necessary to make use of the studies and facts about military figures and units encountered during my service to avoid repetition of past mistakes over an over. This way, one would be able to learn from these past histories and focus on key concerns that address soldiers simultaneously in regards to mission accomplishment tasks. This would help in focusing on the task and social aspects of duty as one adapts his/her leadership style to match followers needs and abilities. Studies reveal that this training has had more emphasis on the managerial training rather than the tactical approaches (COL Kent LTC David, 2001); this would be a challenge and an opportunity to apply the various leadership approaches within the constraints of the situational model of leadership to get the best from the soldiers. Studies have shown that difficulties associated with compromises on the gratification level, solution seeking and perfectness due to autocratic rules can be effectively solved through the situational leadership approach, whereby combat leaders take advantage of the opportunity for adjusting communication flow through adapting to leadership styles that are situationally appropriate (GEN Dennis, 1999). Military leadership tasks revolve around being both a social specialist and a task specialist, that is, ones primary goal is to accomplish the groups main challenge of defeating enemies in combat. Such a role requires being more informed, active and intelligent than the followers. As a social specialist, ones challenge would encompass building and maintaining a close relationship with the group, keeping the group together, and providing morale (Peter, et al. 2008). As a military leader, being able to situationally adapt to the social needs of the followers would help in mitigating issues concerned with low morale such as desertion, crime, malingering and absenteeism. Thus, the social specialist role helps one to be able to improve a teams cohesiveness. An ideal military, situational-based leader is one who is able to excellently and concurrently apply both the task of a specialist and an equal competency as a social leader (COL Kent LTC David, 2001). Social situational adaptability is especially important for effective and successful leadership among leaders at the lower levels than it is for the higher levels. It is imperative that one be conversant with the dynamics of the rules in the army to achieve untried solutions and meet challenges with this model. For effectiveness, one has to continuously look for situations in which they can apply new alternatives. More particularly lower ranks require that one be less sensitive on rank differences and have more foresight and initiative regarding what is right or who is right; this is an example of ideal situational adaptive ability in which they would be dependent on information to tackle challenges (Lau, 1998). Still on situations, using technical expertise while at the same time focusing on the groups cohesiveness, especially because of the stressing nature of the military environment, would be the perfect thing to do. This implies that ones adaptability and flexibility has to be impressive as military work usually involves surprises which would necessitate this. Therefore, a flexible leadership model such as situational leadership is most applicable in the military situation due to the necessity to successfully handle unanticipated events. Being an adaptive leader is paramount to conceive the importance of creating an environment for enabling followers as well as junior leaders to expand their rational risk-taking. It enables them to enhance their development, training and coaching levels (Lee-Kelley 2002; Lau, 1998). This is particularly so in the face of the increasing sophistication of the hardware, techniques and tactics applied in the military today. Situational approach in military leadership involves training the subordinate officers to tackle more complicated tasks with use of fewer resources. John Blair and James Hunt describe the various elements that influence the situational approach of leadership within the military. They sought to enhance the understanding of the major characteristics defining leadership in future battle fields as well as the extent of their influence on commanders, soldiers and the army in general (COL Kent LTC David, 2001). James and John emphasize on the organizational and environment al factors (macrocontigency factors) and the microcontigency factors encompassing the situational factors that are particular to tasks, individuals or unit. Most current military services derive from the situational leadership model. Situation leadership training in the military began as early as the 1970s but only limited studies have been on the same in the military context. Recent research on the air assault battalion of US National Army Guard shows that this model works effectively within the military (Mark, et al. 2009). A military leaders major accomplishment under this model would be to facilitate the development of the job-related maturity of the soldiers. According to the guidelines outlined in FM 22100, the effectiveness of a combat leader relies on the ability to demonstrate flexibility in terms of the leadership approach while leading other soldiers (Lau, 1998). This is because the military is characterized by different behaviors with some responding best to suggestions, coaxing, gentle prodding or directions. An example of one approach involves applying the S2 (coaching) style for the subordinates in maturity level 3 to improve their motivation, commitment, and ownership of decisions. Thus, being situational implies that one has the ability to shift from using an overly directive approach to suing one that allows the subordinates to be self sufficient; this is the basis for leadership and subordinate development in the army. FM 22100 indicates that the most important competency of any military leader is being able to identify the needs of the subordinates as well as their abilities so as to figure out the best approach to bring ou t their best (US Army Field Manual (FM) 22-100, 1999). Effectiveness and success is thus enhanced by the ability to use a combination of the features of all the four situational leadership styles to fit with individuals, place and task involved; since it is usually difficult to lead in battle fields that require different techniques while based on a single approach. Studies in military leadership have identified that unit outcomes are improved by integration of transactional and transformational competencies into the various situational leadership approaches (GEN Dennis, 1999). Shortcomings of the Situational Leadership Model Studies by the Air University Leadership and Management Program Advisory Group identified that the situational leadership model has some limitations that are worth noting (COL Kent LTC David, 2001). While the model is effective in outlining the appropriate style of leadership based on job-maturity it fails to take care of other important considerations within the military. For instance, the model does not address the extent to which leadership is practiced, the different styles essential in the event of specific combat action, staff versus operations leadership or the various styles that may be appropriate in the vent of combined, joint, or even service leadership. This is because leaders may not be able to identify situations where the various leadership styles apply more appropriately or that they lack the capacity or expertise to employ the appropriate behaviors whenever the telling or the directing styles are most appropriate. It is difficult to assess the readiness level of the followers since this model involves a multifaceted approach (Fernandez Vecchio, 1997). Conclusion The situational leadership theory is becoming increasingly popular in modern organizational leadership especially in the military set up. Leadership is an important aspect of combat power and thus the reason for situational model popularity. The most important task in combat situational leadership is being able to motivate the soldiers through morale factors enhanced by unit cohesion. A leaders adaptability is the key necessity for the success of the situational leadership model. Communication is one way to improve task motivation and leadership outcome in the context of this model. Communication is also two in an effort to improve morale and participation. However, the S1 and S4 styles usually involve more situational concerns than just the subordinates readiness. The appropriateness of a leadership style changes with change in the leadership environment. The model emphasizes on using more than one style of leadership especially when developing followers. According to this model, th ere is a no best leadership style since the key determinants of leadership is the adaptation to the job maturity and the skill level of the subordinates. As proven Situational leadership is thus very vital in challenging the ambiguous and complex nature of the modern military environment.

Right And Wrongs Of Animal Rights And Experimentation Philosophy Essay

Right And Wrongs Of Animal Rights And Experimentation Philosophy Essay Animal experimentation is a controversial issue that has been debated for thrity-five years. In early 1970, a group of students of Oxford academics shared their opinions about animal rights by writing an article for the Sunday Times. One member of the group, Richard Ryder, wrote three articles in the Daily Telegraph stating his views concerning the wrongness of animal rights and scientific experimentation. After doing so, Ryder wrote a pamphlet titled Animals, Men and Morals: An Inquiry to the Maltreatment of Non-Humans, and in response to Ryders pamphlet, an Australian philosopher, Peter Singer, put forth his beliefs about animal rights. After Singer responded, he published a piece called Animal Liberation: A New Ethics for our Treatment of Animals in 1975. This portion of work noted the beginning of the Animal Rights Movement, also known as Animal Liberation Movement. Many animal-rights activists, professionals, and philosophers argue that testing is morally wrong, while scientists , who test new products on our furry, little friends, argue that there is nothing wrong with it. This paper will explain the outlooks of those who are against animal experimentation and believe animals deserve the same rights as humans, those who are moderate, feeling that a middle ground should be established, and one who conducts the experiments and is for animal experimentation. Animal Rights uses each chapter to explain a persons beliefs concerning animal rights. The introduction begins by mentioning Peter Singer and explaining his arguments for animal rights. In Animal Liberation, Singer states People hold animals in a state of tyranny. This tyranny has caused and today is still causing an amount of pain and suffering that can only be compared with that which resulted from the centuries of tyranny by white humans over black humans (7). He argues that animals should be treated with the same rights as humans. He asks for humans to really question animal treatment and to give animals the same consideration as any other species, including humans (7). Four basic principles were outlined as a result of the animal rights movement beginning in 1975. First: Pain is bad, no matter whose pain it might beà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦This does not mean that pain is the only thing that is bad, or that inflicting pain is always wrong. Sometimes it may be necessary to inflict pain and suffering on oneself or othersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.But this is justified because it will lead to less suffering in the long run; the pain is still in itself a bad thing. Second: Humans are not the only beings capable of feeling pain or sufferingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.Of course, the nature of the beings will affect how much pain they suffer in any given situation. Third: When we consider how serious it is to take a life, we should look, not at race, sex, or species to which that being belongs, but at characteristics of the one being killed, for example, its own desire about continuing to live, or the kind of life it is capable of leading. Forth: We are responsible not only for what we do but also for what we could have preventedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. We should consider the consequences both of what we do and of what we decide not to do (7, 8.). However, some animal-rights activists and organizations believe that Singers views were not enough. He opposed most experimentation if it was not for the benef it of science, when the argument should have been all experimentation. An individual introduced after Singer in Animal Rights, Steven M. Wise, is an author and a law professor who generally shares the beliefs of Singer, but he is one that agrees that the controversy that all animal experimentation is unacceptable. Wise argues that animals deserve legal rights just as the human race does, because, although many dont believe him, he thinks that animals are just as dependent as humans. Many humans believe that because animals are, most of the time, dependent on humans to take care of them, they dont deserve the basic legal rights, but Wise counters this argument by stating, Human babies, for example, do not act autonomously, yet they have rights (64.). He also counters the particular argument that animals lack the ability to think rationally, make decisions, and understand emotions such as the human brain and therefore dont deserve rights, with the growing evidence that some animals, particularly nonhuman primates, have extraordinary mental capabilities (6 4.) He continues to fight for and teach others about animal rights and experimentation. Contradicting the proposals of Singer and Wise, is the philosophy that animals lack souls and the ability to reason, justifying the use of animals for experimentation (122.) Animal Experimentation is used mainly in the Cosmetics Industry but also in the Drug, Food Additives, Supplements, Household Products, Pesticides, and Industrial Chemical Industries, and is still conducted in the United Kingdom and possibly in Universities, medical schools, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and military defense establishments. Animal experimentation has been proven in many cases to improve medicine and science, and this is the viewpoint in which Professor Carl Cohen bases his beliefs that animal experimentation is necessary. Cohen argues that experiments on animals are necessary in order to safeguard and improve human health and well-being (128.) In saying this, he implies that without experimentation on animals, vaccines for malaria and polio would have never been invented. He feels th at none of the above industries could have advanced today without animals to experiment on. Frank Gannon is an individual who has quite a different opinion than Singer, Wise, and Cohen. Animal testing can be both beneficial and non-beneficial, and Gannon feels that a middle ground must be reached. Gannon published a journal article in EMBO Reports stating, The debate over whether and how scientists should use animal models has been inflammatory, and the opposing viewpoints are difficult to reconcile (519.) Animal-rights protesters argue that the use of animals for experimentation should be completely abolished. According to Gannon, Many scientists insist that some experiments require the use of animals and want to minimize regulation, arguing that it would impede their research, but most scientists try to limit experiments on animals. Gannon believes that society must find the middle ground-avoiding the cruel and unnecessary abuse of animals in research while accepting and allowing their use if it benefits society. He feels that in order for our society to flourish and beco me more medically advanced, its necessary to test on animals as long as its not flagrant abuse. New products have to be tested in order to be proven effective. William Hamblin, author of another online journal article, takes Gannons belief to the next step. Hamblin mainly supports animal experimentation by stating Animal testing is used in several areas of research. The three main areas are pure research, drug testing, and the testing of cosmetics, and many good things have come from experiments in these areas. Animal testing has played a very important role in medical advancement. Hes for it, because less than ten percent of house pets are used for experimentation. He speaks against the ethical argument pointing out that even though humans know animals experience pain, non-human subject suffer less due to their incapability to remember and anticipate pain. Hamblin supports animal testing, because so many advancements as an outcome outweigh all of the rodents that die, because most of the animals used in testing today are, in fact, lab rats and mice. An interesting viewpoint pertaining to animal experimentation, using Hamblins beliefs as a basis, comes from Tipu Aziz, a neurosurgeon in Oxford who is pro-animal testing and speaks publicly about using animals to test cosmetics products. Aziz disagrees with the host of writers in Animal Rights. Aziz said, People talk about cosmetics being the ultimate evil, but beautifying one has been going on since we were cavemen. If its not proven to reduce suffering through animal tests, its not wrong to use them. Aziz uses monkeys in his research in order to research improvements towards Parkinsons disease. Primates are very similar to humans, especially on the intellectual level. He isnt afraid to be a vocal supporter, according to interviewer for The Guardian, Jane Marshall, and would like to inform others that animal testing is necessary for medical and scientific advancement. After all, hes doing it for the benefits of the human race. His justifications for animal experimentation, along wi th those of Gannon and Hamblin, are that this is how we humans advance in industries, especially medical and scientific which are needed for our society to develop. He reasons that its not a fact that animals suffer from testing, and until proven, its acceptable to improve our civilization through testing. Testing helps researchers develop cures for diseases and save human life. The only way to learn about something is to test it, and as long as animals dont suffer, theres nothing wrong with it. After researching and reading various beliefs of professors and philosophers who are for animal rights and against experimentation, journal authors who believe in a compromise, and scientists who see no wrong in experimenting on animals, my argument for animal rights and against experimentation has slightly changed. I still feel that animals should have legal rights, just as humans, and experimentation is unethical, but I agree with Gannon and Hamblin on the fact that society must find the middle ground. As long as the testing that occurs isnt abusive, its important for our society to become more medically and scientifically advanced. The animal-rights activists need to accept within all reality that in the labs, its not proven that scientists are abusing animals. Scientists test new products on rats and mice for the improvement of human life. As long as animals arent being hurt and we are finding cures for diseases, there needs to be a compromise and the controversy should end.

Gender and the Internet Essays -- Technology Computers Web Essays

Gender and the Internet The internet can be a very good source of information, but it can also altar information enough to make it unreal. Feminist sites are no exception to this. Many sites in fact use virtual rendering to altar images in addition to text. There are various topics dealing with feminism and issues involving females, some are well approached and others are not. Women do not tend to have the same type of relationship with their automobiles as men do. In Virginia Scharff’s article, â€Å"Femininity and the Electric car†, this relationship between women and cars is explained in depth. Two websites that show how women look at automobiles are, www.womanmotorist.com and www.cybergrrl.com/fun/womenandcars/. www.womanmotorist.com differs in many ways from Scharff’s article, but is a very good website. This site does not directly say that women drive only certain types of cars. Instead it talks about things such as women and professional racing and even has a section on performance cars. In Scharff’s article it mentions that â€Å"It can be roundly stated without fear of contradiction that the times a woman wants to run an electric 30 miles an hour, are few and far between†¦.It is an unnecessarily fast speed for pleasure driving†¦.If the car you select has a maximum speed of 25 miles on the level, it goes quite fast enough.†(Scharff pg 81) On the website the views are different and show how much things have changed from the article. When addressing the female market, automakers are beginning to admit that "women" are not a single, homogeneous market. Until just a few years ago, all women were categorized as "mothers." Now they are seen as generation X-ers, college students, sports car intenders, 8-5ers, baby boom... ....plasticsurgery4u.com/ http://www.ienhance.com/gallery/default.asp http://www.malepregnancy.com http://www.ivf.com Bad Websites: www.cybergrrl.com/fun/womenandcars www.plastic-surgery.net http://www.advancedfertility.com/ivf.htm http://www.ivf.org http://www.ifi.uio.no/~thomas/po/cryobortion.html Morgan, Kathy Pauly. â€Å"Women and the Knife† Sex/Machine. Indiana University Press, 1998 Overall, Christine. â€Å"New Reproductive Technology: Some Implications for the Abortion Issue.† Sex/Machine. Indiana University Press, 1998 Scharff, Virginia. â€Å"Femininity and the Electric Car† Sex/Machine. Indiana University Press, 1998 Stone, Allucquere Rosanne. â€Å"In Novel Conditions† Sex/Machine. Indiana University Press, 1998 Terisi, Dick and McAuliffe, Kathleen. â€Å"Male Pregnancy† Sex/Machine. Indiana University Press, 1998

juveniles and the death penalty :: essays research papers

The American Revolution: Revolutionary or Not? In determining whether or not the American Revolution was a true revolution, one must clearly define the term ?revolution?. Historians believe that for a war to be deemed a revolution it must encompass social, religious, economic, and intellectual dimensions as well as political change. I believe that the American Revolution conclusively exhibited all of these dimensions. Socially, America began with modern values unlike those of their British ancestry. The moral of equality was the foundation on which our nation began. When the tension grew between the colonies and England, the new ideology spread and began to widen to include almost all people. First, people began to realize that they did not necessarily live in a way which modeled their belief in equality. This, in itself shows the beginnings of a true revolution in that the people begin to see the need for change even within their own families, social groups, and lifestyles. After recognizing changes were needed, transformations began to occur in the colonies. For instance, a new position for women as upright citizens and leaders of the society emerged, and most states granted women equality of inheritance. Also, social distinctions such as status-seating at church and membership to private social clubs were attacked and diminished. People began referring to themselves as Mr. or Mrs., terms that illustrated the equality of all people, regardless of class or prestige. In addition, because most men were allowed a vote, education of the population became a priority. Nationalism spread as the people of America came to understand their common goals and needs. The concept of constituent power allowed for social changes also, as the people came to believe that the power rested in the will of the people, which caused them to gain self trust and esteem. People focused so much on equality and the rights of all people that in the south, several states passed laws which repressed the importation of slaves and made it easier to free slaves; in the north, slavery was outlawed in most states, and abolitionist groups arose. During the Revolution, the American people also formed new intellectual standpoints. The most respected thinkers of the time began to shift their focus to concentrate on creating political change. Men such as Ben Franklin, and other inventors theologists, and philosophers began to focus on concerns such as economic growth, constitutional revision, and westward expansion, rather than philosophy and theology.

Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks

Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks both have their own unique flavors of coffee. â€Å"More than 100 million people in the U. S. alone drink coffee every day. † (Information taken from The National Coffee Drinking Trends Study, 2004 ) Each of these people do have a preference to which chain of coffee makers they chose. It can almost be broken up into a red state blue state debate. These two are divided in coffee bean choice, style and even price. They both define our culture in a unique fashion. It all began with the simple invention of the donut.â€Å"Captain Hanson Crockett Gregory was the inventor of the donut with a hole in the middle. William Rosenberg, the food-franchising pioneer founded the Dunkin' Donuts chain. Rosenberg opened his first coffee and doughnut shop, called the Open Kettle, in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1948. The name was changed to Dunkin' Donuts in 1950. According to â€Å"Donuts and the Salvation Army† – While The Army may not have invented the f irst donut, it can certainly take credit for [helping] the popularity of donuts today. June 4-5 marks the 61st anniversary of Salvation Army ‘Donut Day† In Chicago.The tag day was established in 1938 to honor the work of World War I Salvation Army †¢'lassies' who prepared donuts for thousands of soldiers in World War I. † www. http://inventors. about. com/library/inventors/bldonut. htm The donut made way for a company based on the donut and of course their coffee. The first company to be started based on their coffee was Dunkin Donuts. â€Å"It all started in 1946 when Mr. William Rosenberg founded Industrial Luncheon Services, a company that delivered meals and coffee break snacks to customers in the outskirts of Boston, Massachusetts.The success of Industrial Luncheon Services led Rosenberg to open his first coffee and donut shop, the â€Å"Open Kettle†. Then, in 1950, Rosenberg opened the first store known as Dunkin' Donuts in Quincy, Massachusetts. † (www. dunkindonuts. com) Massachusetts started it all. The branch grew from their little by little. Starbucks later opened their doors with their own unique take of Dunkin Donuts. â€Å"The story began in 1971 when the first Starbucks opened at Pike Place Market, which is Seattle's and the Nation's oldest Farmer's Market (opened August 17, 1907).But at this time the company was a local coffee roasting facility. That remained their core business until 1982 when Howard Schulz joined the company. He was the new marketing executive and began right away to convince more and more local cafes, upscale restaurants, and hotels to buy Starbucks coffee. The turning point for the company and the begin of writing coffee history should be one year later when Schulz traveled through Italy. He got inspired by the old Italian coffee bar tradition to serve fresh brewed Espressi and Cappuccini.He convinced the Starbucks founders to give his idea a chance and in 1985 he opened the first coffe e bar in Seattle and gave it the Italian touch by naming it ‘Il Giornale'.† (Credit: Starbucks Corporation; magazineUSA. com) Just like Dunkin Donuts the demand for more Starbucks arose. Dunkin Donuts known for its simplicity and unique colored orange and red cups. Starbucks however is known for many different qualities. â€Å"Without even paying for the publicity, the name Starbucks had become synonymous with fine coffee, hip hangouts, and upscale image.(Pendergrast 368) But the uniqueness of flavors is one of the most important things, when it comes down to who will by who. Dunkin Donuts just recently trying to keep up with Starbucks launched a new line of flavored drinks. â€Å"The fresh new flavors include Blueberry, Coconut, Raspberry, Marshmallow, Caramel, Toasted Almond and Cinnamon. Iced coffee enthusiasts will be given the opportunity to sample Dunkin' Donuts latest flavors in participating stores, and also when the Ice Lounge sampling van tour stops by severa l cities and towns in America. †(www. dunkindonuts.com)These flavors can be added or combined with various items such as Original Blend Coffee, Dunkin' Decaf, Iced Coffee , Iced Lattes, Hot Cappuccinos and Lattes, Hot Chocolate, and their Coolattas. This adds a lot of different variety to these drinks. Making everyone feel like an individual, having their own individual flavor and drink. Coolattas have become a growing trend among people as well. More and more people are trying iced coffee as a quick afternoon pick-me-up. According to the National Coffee Association, more than 41 million Americans switch to iced coffee during the spring and summer months.And millions of these iced coffee lovers turn to Dunkin' Donuts because they recognize the quality of their iced coffee stands apart from the competition, made with the same high quality Arabica beans used to make hot coffee. Although these are becoming a fast hit the most popular flavors sold at Dunkin Donuts are Original Ble nd, Hazelnut, French Vanilla, Cafe Blend and their Dunkin Decaf. Discovering your favorite Starbucks coffee begins with an understanding of where they are grown. They have a special roasted blend of coffee from a different section of the world.Examples, Latin America, Africa, and Asia. The other uniqueness of Starbucks is that they take their unique flavors and sell them outside their stores. They sell iced drinks to ice cream in their flavors. They also have a unique blend and selection in their teas. Something Dunkin Donuts has not take advantage of. â€Å"Hot Teas (Filterbags and Full Leaf) Whether you are looking to soothe your psyche or revive your spirit, Tazo has a black, green or herbal tea to suit you. Bottled Iced and Juiced Teas These crisp and refreshing bottled beverages are a delightful departure from traditional teas.Artfully blended and freshly-brewed in the Tazo tradition, these bottled beverages are so invigorating, anytime becomes a good time for tea. Tea Lattes Tazo Tea Lattes expand the notion of what tea can be. Drawing from cultures, these exotic, full-flavored teas are lightly sweetened and served with other milk, and are delicious hot or cold. † (www. star bucks. com) Also Starbucks has its own special brand of liquor, which comes in coffee and in cream. Though both make coffee, they receive their beans from uniquely different places.â€Å"Dunkin' Donuts uses 100-percent Arabica coffee beans and has its own coffee specifications, which are recognized by the industry as a superior grade of coffee. Based on Dunkin' Donuts Quality (DDQ) specifications, coffee is milled and processed specifically for the company. † (www. dunkindonuts. com) In a slightly different area and less known about is Starbucks. â€Å"Because coffee grows in many different environments around the world, there is no one best way to grow coffee. But there is general agreement that utilizing shade trees for growing coffee can help sustain a healthier eco system and promote biodiversity.Starbucks on-going support for farmers who produce Shade Grown Mexico is a great example of helping farmers while preserving our natural environment. † (www. Starbuck. com) Starbucks always known for its environmental friendly attitude has made the growing of coffee beans into a cause. Besides the difference of beans, the number of stores and locations are also unique. Dunkin Donuts attaching itself to Baskin-Robbins and Togo, uses the different companies as an advantage to set up shop in various places.â€Å"Based in Canton, Massachusetts, Dunkin' Brands Inc. is part of U. K. -based Allied Domecq PLC and is responsible for the worldwide development and marketing of quick service restaurant brands including Dunkin' Donuts, Baskin-Robbins and Togo's. With the combined retail units of these three brands, Dunkin' Brands is one of the world's largest quick service restaurant companies, represented by more than 12,000 worldwide points of distributio n, including approximately 7,600 units in the United States and 4,400 units in 46 countries around the world. † (www. Dunkindonuts. com) Starbucks also has an impressive amount of stores open also.â€Å"Starbucks operates and licenses more than 8,500 coffee shops in more than 30 countries. The shops offer coffee drinks and food items, as well as beans, coffee accessories, teas, and CDs. Starbucks operates more than 5,200 of its shops in five countries (mostly in the US), while licensees operate more than 2,800 units (primarily in shopping centers and airports). The company also owns and franchises the Seattle's Best Coffee and Torrefazione Italia chains in the US (more than 100 shops). In addition, Starbucks markets its coffee through grocery stores and licenses its brand for other food and beverage products.†http://www. hoovers. com/starbucks-corporation/–ID__15745–/free-co-factsheet. xhtml Both impressive in numbers. Dunkin donuts and Starbucks each make sure that they have stores everyone for the customers satisfaction. Their customers are their number one priority beside of course their profits. Each store gathers in large amounts of money for their business. Both have amazingly strong stocks and profits for being a coffee shop. Business Magazine says that Dunkin Donuts is the â€Å"largest coffee and donut shop chin in the world† (www. business.com) The brand itself has made a huge profit. â€Å"Dunkin’ Donuts delivered an 11% growth in global system-wide sales driven by a 5. 2% increase in US same store sales and a 7% increase in global distribution points. The strong growth in same store sales growth which continues to outpace the overall QSR industry has been driven by product innovation and effective marketing. The innovation program has successfully launched a new range of coffee offerings, which include latte, cappuccino and espresso products, in 1,800 stores in the New England and Mid Atlantic areas.The lau nch has been supported by the introduction of new high speed coffee machines which maintain Dunkin’ Donuts reputation for speed, quality and value for money. In addition, a new limited time offer hot apple pie product has been very well received and helped to extend Dunkin’ Donuts sales into the traditionally quieter afternoon period. Marketing campaigns have focused around the new coffee offerings and highly successful regional program with Curt Schilling, the Boston Red Sox All-Star baseball player.. (King) Just as well the Starbucks company has made a name of itself and benefits of its brand name also.â€Å"As anyone who bought stock in Starbucks in the last decade knows, business has been good. Starbucks’ share price has risen almost tenfold in 10 years, and the company has steadily raised retail prices while wholesale prices fell. Fair trade coffee was initially plagued by complaints about bad quality, yet producers have made great strides in improving the quality of the brew and it has found a comfortable niche in the specialty coffee market, alongside organic coffee and other similar labels, such as â€Å"sustainable coffee.†After years of public pressure from activists who singled it out because of its high visibility and yuppie clientele, Starbucks now sells fair trade coffee in all its stores and has given it prominent play in university markets. Rice, whose organization gets paid 10 cents a pound by Starbucks to certify its fair trade coffee, thinks it’s time that activists turn their pressure elsewhere. But when it comes down to it statistically and other wise Dunkin Donuts wins. â€Å"For years, the product lines of the major U. S. brewed coffee sellers have been well defined. On the high end there is Starbucks Corp., with 5,439 locations in the U. S. During the past decade, the chain has made its expensive cappuccinos, frappuccinos, espressos and lattes part of the regular lexicon. On the other end, there is D unkin' Donuts, which has 4,100 stores. Although concentrated in the Northeast, Dunkin' Donuts is the nation's largest seller of regular, nonflavored brewed coffee through fast-food outlets, with a 17% market share, compared with 15% for McDonald's Corp. and 6% for Starbucks, according to market-research organization NPD Group. † (Ball) Statistically Starbucks looks like it is much behind Dunkin Donuts.This maybe why it has become more abundant and more commercial over the years. Cost could be the big factor why Dunkin Donuts is the number one coffee brewery in the country. â€Å"On average, the new Dunkin' Donut drinks cost at least 20% less than Starbucks's offerings — and an espresso shot is just 99 cents, compared with $1. 45 at Starbucks. â€Å" (Ball) Dunkin Donuts keeps its prices low and offers a high quality product. It gives the people what they want at a price everyone can afford. But the uniqueness of flavor and the uniqueness of product is a huge factor. T he conclusion is the flavor you are craving is the on you are going to chose.Questions1. Does quality or cost matter more to you?2. Regular coffee or a fancy drink like a cappuccino or espresso?3. Which company do you prefer?BibliographyBellis, Mary, Inventor of the Donut, http://inventors. about. com/library/inventors/bldonut. htm, 2005.Business. com,Restaurants & Foodservice > Dunkin' Donuts, Inc http://www. business. com/, 2001-2005.Dunkin' Donuts Incorporated, https://www. dunkindonuts. com/aboutus/ , 2005.Jeffrey, Paul, Depressed Coffee Prices Yield Suffering in Poor Countries, http://www. globalpolicy. org/globaliz/econ/2003/0207coff. htm, February 7, 2003.Magazine USA, Starbucks History, http://www. magazineusa. com/us/info/show. aspx? unit=originals&doc=33, 2000 – 2005.Murray, Barbara, Starbucks Corporation, http://www. hoovers. com/starbucks-corporation/–ID__15745–/free-co- factsheet. xhtml , 2005.Pendergrast, Mark, UNCOMMON GROUNDS The History of Coffe e and How It Transformed Our World, Perseus Books Group, 1999.Starbucks Coffee Company, http://www. starbucks. co. jp/en/company_history. htm, 2003 Starbucks Corporation Company Profile, http://biz. yahoo. com/ic/15/15745. html, 2005.Starbucks European History, www. starbucksjapan. com/history, 2003.