Photo Assignments

1. Create at least three aâ‚ ¬? stock images. aâ‚ ¬? You may wish to browse a stock site online to see the types of images that are popular. For example, you might take a picture of a person cooking or a picture of a food item. 2. Early photographers took portraits of people. Practice taking portraits of someone. Submit at least two portrait photographs of the person. 3. The ability to create a color photograph was an important point in the history of photography. Practice taking some color photographs. Submit three of your favorite color photographs. 1.Practice taking some nighttime photographs using what you learned in the unit. Submit two of the photographs that you took. 2. Find a scene or object that youaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d like to photograph. Take the photograph using three different modes on your camera (even ones that wouldnaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t be ideal for the photograph, such as a landscape mode for a macro shot). Identify which modes you used when you submit the photographs. 3. Take several photographs of the same scene, but change the aperture setting for each photograph. Submit three photographs with different aperture settings. Be sure to note which settings you used. ) 4. Take several photographs of the same moving object, but change the shutter speed setting for each photograph (the object could be players on a soccer field, a waterfall, a pet, etc. ). Submit three photographs with different shutter speed settings. Be sure to note which shutter speed settings you used. 5. Choose one camera mode and practice taking photographs that the mode is best used for. Submit three photographs that you took using the particular mode. The photographs do not need to be of the same subject. 1.Practice using the Rule of Thirds to compose some photographs. Submit three of the photographs that you think best illustrate the Rule of Thirds. 2. Practice using the guideline of filling the frame. Submit three photographs that you think best illustrate this guideline. 3. Practice taking pictures of lines. Compose photographs that contain at least one horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line. Use the guidelines to help you compose a good photograph with the lines. Submit three of the photographs that you feel best use lines. 4. Practice taking some photographs from new perspectives.Submit three photographs that you feel best illustrate this guideline. 5. Instead of following the various composition guidelines, deliberately break them. Take two pictures of the same scene: one in which you follow the rules of composition and one in which you deliberately break the rule. Submit at least two sets of photographs (four photos total of two different scenes). 1. Choose one scene or object to photograph. Take at least three photographs of this scene at three different times of day. Be sure to note the times of day that you choose.Write a brief response about how the light changed in the photograph. 2. Take photographs of someone using frontlighting, backlighti ng, and sidelighting. You can use the sun or other lighting. 3. Practice taking photographs on a cloudy or rainy day. Turn in three of your favorites from that practice. 4. Take some portrait photographs using a reflector. (Remember that white paper, poster board, sheets, or a wall can all act a reflector. ) Practice moving the subject in different positions relative to the reflector. Turn in three of your favorite photographs. . Practice taking photographs in different lighting conditions (indoors and outdoors, different times of day, different weather, and so on) to help you better understand the impact of light on your photographs. Turn in three of your favorite photographs from your practice sessions. 1. Practice taking some photographs for conversion to black and white. When youaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve finished, use photo editing software to convert the images from color to black and white. Submit three of your favorite images. 2. Choose three different scenes or objects to photograph .When youaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve finished, save each color image and create a copy that you will convert to black and white. Submit the three sets of photographs (one color and one black and white) of each scene. Indicate which photograph of the pair (color or black and white) that you prefer. 3. Take at least five photographs and use photo editing software to apply at least one different filter to each photograph. Submit the five photographs that youaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve applied a filter to. 4. Take at least ten photographs as you would if you were creating a panoramic shot.If you have editing software that will stitch the images together, you can try it with the photographs that youaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve taken. Submit all of the photographs that you took for the project, showing the tips discussed in the unit. 5. Practice using a tripod or other stable foundation (rock, table, etc. ) to take photographs from. Turn in three photographs that you took using the tripod or stable foundation. 1. Pract ice taking portraits of people. Turn in three of your favorite portraits from your practice. 2. Take photographs of a child. (Be sure to obtain permission from the childaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s parent(s) to do so. Turn in three of your favorite photographs of the child. 3. Take some photographs of a group (with three or more people). The group might be a family or a group of friends. Experiment with some different arrangements. Turn in two pictures that show a different arrangement of the people in the photographs. 4. Practice taking some posed photographs of someone. Experiment with different props and portrait looks. Turn in three photographs that you feel are the best. 5. Practice taking some candid shots of someone. Experiment with having the person engage in different activities.Turn in three photographs from your practice. 1. Practice taking landscape photographs of different scenes. Submit three of your favorite landscape photographs from your practice. 2. Practice taking photographs from each of the three types of landscape photographs. Submit one example of each type of landscape photograph. 3. Chose one of the landscapes discussed in the unit and spend some time photographing in one of these location types. Submit three photographs from your practice that illustrate some of the tips for photographing in that type of landscape. 4.Chose one location to photograph in. Photograph the scene from different angles and in different lighting. Submit five of your favorite photographs that illustrate some of these differences. 5. Practice taking landscape photographs in which you use different focal points. Submit three of your favorite photographs that use a strong focal point. 1. Practice taking macro photographs of everyday objects that you find. Submit three of your favorite photographs from your practice. 2. Choose one larger subject to photograph (this could be an animal, person, clock, or any other item).Take macro photographs of different elements of the subjec t and take photographs from different perspectives. Submit three of your favorite photographs from this activity. 3. Take macro photographs of flowers, plants, or trees. If you can, try taking photographs of different species, different colors, and different forms. Submit three of your favorite photographs from this activity. 4. Practice taking macro photographs of insects, spiders, or other small creatures. If you can, try taking photographs of different species and from different perspectives.Submit three of your favorite photographs from this activity. 5. Practice taking macro photographs of people. If you can, try to work with several different age groups/individuals. Submit three of your favorite photographs from this activity. 1. Practice taking photographs of moving subjects (people, animals, cars, etc. ) using the information from the unit to help you. Submit three of your favorite photographs. 2. Practice taking photographs of individuals playing sports (running, soccer, sk iing, etc. ). If you can, try photographing several sports.Submit three of your favorite photographs from your practice. 3. Practice panning in photographs with a moving subject using the information from the unit. Submit three photographs from your practice (Note: your moving subject may not be perfectly in focus. The important thing is to practice the technique. ) 4. Photograph some animals, either pets or wildlife. Submit three of your favorite photographs of animals. 5. Practice documentary photography. You might photograph a party, street scene, event, etc. Submit three of your favorite photographs.

How effectively did governments in pre-revolutionary societies deal with social and political unrest?

Governments in pre-revolutionary societies, such as the Autocratic governments of Russia and China obviously did not deal with social and political unrest very effectively if they were unable to stop the impending revolutions in their respective countries. In each case the majority of the population were looking for changes in the way their governments were ruling their country, but in each case their ideas for a better country were not heard by their governments which subsequently resulted in vast social and political unrest. Such unrest eventually led to the downfall of each government system due to their inability to subdue the situation. In Russia as with China under an autocratic rule, the vast majority of the population, the peasants and proletariat, were unhappy with the way their governments were treating them. The peasantry in both countries were severely poor and often starved. This was not helped by the fact that both countries had very poor weather conditions in the winter months that brought food production to a virtual stand still. Peasants often did not own any land and were forced to work for landlords, who paid very little. Peasants were not happy with the current situation and wanted land reforms so they could own land for themselves. Unfortunately these pleas went unheard and so led to much discontent and unrest amongst the lower classes in these societies. The Tsar of Russia and the Empress of China were seen by the common person as a god-like deity selected by right of birth to rule the country as they see fit. It was their divine right, and as such this placed the Tsar and Empress in a social status all of their own, way above anyone else. This could be a reason why they did not even care about the peasants, to them they were nothing. They were too interested in their own problems to worry about the affairs of state. Only when their power was threatened did they listen, in Russia it was when the effects of ‘Bloody Sunday' threatened the image of the Tsar and in China when constant attack from westerners threatened to make people believe that the empress was losing the Mandate of Heaven. In both cases, the resulting reforms put in place by each ruler was a case of too little too late. The effects of their incompetence were too deep rooted by now to be disguised by such minor and insignificant reforms. The Tsar and the Empress were very similar in the fact that they were both stuck in their old ways. The Tsar of Russia was often more concerned with family affairs than the affairs of state and wished to keep the government system the way it was so that he could pass it on to his son Alexei. What he didn't realise was that by not concerning himself with the affairs of state, he was in effect sealing the fate of autocracy in Russia by causing great discontent in the failing incompetent government system. Similarly in China, the Empress resisted western ideas and wished to keep the current system of government. By letting western ideas influence the people, they might have realised how ineffective their current government was and wish to change it. This would mean a complete lifestyle change for the Empress which of course she was not interested in. So in both cases the government's inability to accept change brought about great unrest as the people wanted to modernise, as conditions in other modernised countries were a lot better than their own. The effects of war played a major role in creating unrest in both Russia and China. In Russia, the Tsar had a choice whether or not to continue the wars in which Russia participated but in each case he chose to continue the wars, even though it was obvious that Russia lacked the capability to maintain and supply an army away from home. The choices that he made only created more unrest, which the Tsar did not need. Obviously, if the Tsar simply avoided creating this unrest he wouldn't have had to deal with it, so basically by not creating this unrest is a very effective way of dealing with it, pity the Tsar did not see it this way. Unfortunately in China there was no choice as to what wars could be participated in, they were all in defence. But these wars could have been avoided, especially those with Britain over trade. China's unwillingness to change or modernise was a major factor in causing these wars, if it had been more open to western ideas not only could China have avoided war with Britain, it could have been better prepared for wars later on with Japan. Of course this did not happen and Britain defeat China in many ‘Opium' wars. Ports were opened up for trade and opium and cheap goods flooded in creating unrest amongst the merchants and peasants. China's response was to build up it's military and try to modernise by sending scholars abroad to learn western ideas. This was like shooting themselves in the foot, many of the scholars became accustomed to western ideas and philosophy and concluded that it was more efficient and that for modernisation to occur the whole system of government must be changed. So this was not the best way to deal with unrest, because now there were more educated people with western ideas trying to gain support to change the government. The Tsar's half-hearted attempt to solve the problems the arose after ‘Bloody Sunday' could be credited for pushing the people that bit further into listening to revolutionary ideas that were floating around at the time. The Tsar let the people have a Duma, so that they could have a say in how the country would be run, but he disbanded two Dumas in the first two weeks of their operation simply because they opposed him. Obviously the people did not truly have a say on anything because as soon as they wanted something that the Tsar did not like he simply disregarded it. Going back on his word was perhaps the most stupid thing the Tsar ever did, because now the people realised more than ever that the Tsar did not care about anything they had to say, so movements to oust the Tsar grew in popularity. In both Russia and China, the governments trying to come to terms with political and social unrest did not do a very good job. In most cases they actually contributed to the creation of even more unrest than what was originally being tried to subdue. By trying to control unrest in their respective countries, the Tsar and Empress helped bring about their own demise, so effectively they did not deal with unrest at all.

Yoga as an ancient spiritual practice

Abstract- This paper examines yoga as an ancient spiritual practice in India, the medical uses for yoga and the practice of it in the United States. This study reveals how yoga can be used to help those suffering from asthma and other pulmonary diseases; in addition, to alleviate constipation. There are a variety of body stretches and breathing exercises performed in yoga; furthermore, yoga has been used as a relaxation technique for many. There is a misconception in the practice of yoga in the United States. It is practiced as a method to relieve one self of the stresses caused by everyday life and meditation is used to temporarily block thoughts to encourage a deeper sense of temporary relaxation. Traditional yogis have been insulted by the interpretation of yoga in the West. Critics argue that yoga as a ‘pop' fitness trend has taken yoga out of its spiritual context and arranged it in a modern health club setting. Ancient yoga that is conducted in India differs greatly in its practices as compared to Western yoga as a fitness trend. The methods used to obtain information for this topic include: participant observation, three interviews were conducted; one with an American Yoga instructor, two were with American Yoga participants, in addition, extensive library research was conducted on Yoga. Introduction: The history of yoga in Ancient India dates back approximately five thousand years. It has been acknowledged in the United States since the early1960's. The many resources I have used to collect the data for this study gave inconsistent information pertaining to yoga's date of origin; therefore, I calculated an estimate. Its place of origin has been verified as India. â€Å"Yoga is an ancient Sanskrit word meaning union† (Harvard Heath Letter 1998:24). â€Å"When a mans union or existential contact with Being becomes [balanced and complete] he is transformed into a dynamic personality. Yoga may be defined as the art of harmonious and creative living. It stresses the need for the balanced growth of personality†¦it warns against extreme tendencies which mislead people into lopsided development.† (Chaudhuri 1974:37) It continues to describe such â€Å"lopsided† personalities as people who are unbalanced. For example, one who is overly social may be suppressing their own emotions, those who overly exercise the muscles may be under developing the brain, and those who over-exercise the brain may be neglecting the body. Yoga is an everyday concept in Indian culture; moreover, Sanskrit is the language of yoga. Yoga has been a source of religious and philosophical movements throughout history. â€Å"The basic issue of human suffering include moral, religious, and psychological problems, has been traced to one ultimate cause†¦self estrangement, alienation from existence, loss of contact with being, emotional conflicts, social discord, political wars, all of these†¦flow from mans loss of contact with the ground of existence.† (Bose 1996:48) Alienation and depression lead to emotional conflict; consequently, it may produce a feeling of restlessness; moreover, stress. Ancient yoga has called out to alleviate such problems and alleviate the anxiety caused by stress. It taught people how to take care of their minds and bodies; in addition, how to relate to other people. It also taught people what to eat and how to exist in nature. The majority of traditional yogis are vegetarian. Ancient yoga's goal was to emphasize complete spirituality and to be all to your human potential. â€Å"It emphasizes the need for balanced integration of the physical, emotional, intellectual, ethical, and religious aspects of personality† (Chaudhuri 1974:38). In the United States yoga is mainly practiced as relaxation therapy. Relaxation therapy has been used as â€Å"a broad term used to describe a number of techniques that promote stress reduction, the elimination of tension through the body, and a calm and peaceful state of mind† (Martin 2002:1). Stress and tensions experienced through everyday life have been linked to many illnesses including but not limited to: heart disease, high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcers, anxiety disorders, insomnia, and substance abuse. â€Å"Stress can also trigger a number of physical symptoms including nausea, headache, hair loss, fatigue, and muscle pain† (Martin 2002:2). In addition to the benefits of yoga â€Å"it can also be tailored to people of different ages and different fitness levels. An athletic person will likely opt to do more [yoga] postures and hold them for longer than someone who is just beginning [in addition] many people use yoga as a complement to a sport or aerobic activity†¦stretches can [also] be done as a warm up [prior to a work out]† (Harvard Health Letter 1998:3). In reference to biomedical effectiveness â€Å"Yoga has been used to alleviate problems associated with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, migraine headaches, asthma, shallow breathing, backaches, constipation, diabetes, menopause, multiple sclerosis, varicose veins, carpal tunnel syndrome, and many chronic illnesses† (Dupler 2002:2). In this study I chose to focus on asthma and constipation due to the fact, there was more medical evidence established to confirm the practice of yoga assisting those health issues. Methods: The data for this study was obtained by researching the broad topic of yoga. The topic was then broken down into sub-groups including: medical aspects of yoga, ancient history of yoga, American yoga, and yoga for relaxation. In addition, interviews were conducted. One interviewee was an American yoga instructor; two others were American yoga participants. Each interviewee attended the same class. Moreover, I practice yoga and added my opinions and participant observations through the use of it. Paula was the yoga instructor I interviewed. When I asked her the question â€Å"Why did you decided to teach yoga?† she replied â€Å"I like helping people but I don't agree with the practice of biomedicine†. In response to my question â€Å"Why don't you agree with biomedicine?† She replied â€Å"It seems too rigid and rushed, [moreover] people don't seem to get the medical help they really need and most of the help they do receive is only a temporary fix.† Paula was a student at the Iyengar Yoga National Association of the United States for approximately three years. She has been teaching yoga as a certified teacher for approximately two years. To learn more about the Iyengar School of Yoga I looked it up on the internet and learned that the assessment for certification included: demonstrated practice of Asanas, a written exam, and demonstrated teachings. In the demonstrated practice of Asanas (poses) portion the students are expected to show a working knowledge of all of the poses in the syllabus for the assessment level, the written exam asked questions regarding the required reading on the syllabus as well as theoretical questions regarding teaching such as sequencing concepts, medical modifications etc. Their teaching skills in areas such as understanding of the pose and the knowledge of basic instruction, clarity of instruction, pacing, interaction with and manner toward the students, demonstration skills, observation of class and appropriate corrections, are critically evaluated before certification is granted. After passing the assessment all teachers are required to renew their certification bi-annually (http://www. iynaus.org/). Results: Through participant observation I noted that the environment in which American yoga is practiced is usually quiet, dimly lit, comfortable in temperature, and spacious. Floor mats are provided to comfort the participant during the session. Soft music is played in the background and a candle or incense it burned (depending on the instructor). The instructor speaks softly and verbally guides the group through a variety of asanas (poses). The instructor often moves about the room correcting participants' postures when appropriate. Relaxation and meditation is promoted through verbal suggestions and chants of Om. Moreover, each session last for approximately one hour. Linda was one of the participants I interviewed. She is married, has two school aged children, recently moved to the area, and is not employed. When I asked her who she chooses to participate in Yoga she replied â€Å"I don't work and the children are in school all day so yoga and [the other activities she engages in] gives me something to look forward to. I have also met many nice women that I have become friends with. I am not from the area so it has given me more of a sense of community.† Michelle was the final participant I interviewed. Michelle leads a very busy lifestyle. She is married with no children and works 50 hours per week; moreover, commutes one hour each way to work. In response to the question of why she chooses to practice yoga she responded, â€Å"it helps me clear my mind and forget everything that is going on in my life outside of this room, [it also] gives me an energy boost for the rest of the day or if I take an evening class it helps me sleep better.à ¢â‚¬  I also asked Michelle â€Å"How do you know yoga really helps you?† She revealed that â€Å"I used to suffer from anxiety disorders and had difficulty falling to sleep at night because so much was on my mind, after taking yoga classes for a few months I started to relax more and sleep better.† From my personal participant observations I agreed with much of what Michelle had concluded through her practices of yoga. I am a full time student and own and operate a small business. Moreover, there are additional things that life demands of me. I have been practicing yoga for approximately two years. I began practicing yoga because my fitness facility offered it. As I began to practice it weekly I noticed more movement and flexibility in my body. Then, I began to notice my mind that was once overloaded with stress from deadlines that needed to be met, became more relaxed. Moreover, my sleeping pattern became more regular and my mind and body felt more at ease, all of which I a ttribute to overall stress reduction. Yoga in America has been advertised as a means for relaxation and to free the self of stress. It is practiced in health clubs and spas in groups headed by a yoga instructor. There is no formal training an instructor must undergo to teach yoga in the U.S. There are seminars that can be completed from one week to six months; respectively, to obtain certification; nevertheless, one does not need certifications to teach a yoga class. In contrast, Ancient yoga's idea is that â€Å"of freedom in spiritual self expression, yoga does not believe in any standardized path for all to follow† (Chaudhuri 1974:21). Yoga is practiced in private or with a teacher (a yogi, male or yogin, female). â€Å"A yogi [yogin] is one who does not merely talk philosophy but lives philosophy, he does not simply have faith in God but experiences God† (Chaudhuri 1974:19). One becomes a yogi when his/her teacher gives permission to teach. The teacher (guru) guides the student through a spiritual path to self-realization. It is not until then, a student becomes a yogi. The guru's teachings can last for years before a student is ready to teach the yoga philosophy. Energy is said to be passed from the guru to the student or yogi. This process is the natural conversion practiced in India. â€Å"Yoga is not a matter of belief; it is the inner growth of consciousness which results in direct insight into the heart of reality [it is a] progressive realization of the full freedom of the inner spirit† (Chaudhuri 1974:22). The physical exercises and breathing exercises do not belong to the essence of yoga they are the â€Å"bodily preparation entitling one to take up higher phases of yogic practices such as concentration, meditation, and the like (Chaudhuri 1974:21). In conclusion, it appears that yoga practiced in America is in fact a preparation effort; moreover, the first stage in ancient yoga. In the American practices of yoga the physical exercises and breathing exercises are what is emphasized; resulting, in a relaxed state of mind and body. In addition to American yoga being practiced for relaxation and stress reduction, there has been a discovery that it is also used to help treat chronic illnesses that biomedicine has had difficulty managing. In this study I chose to focus on asthma and constipation due to the fact, there was more medical evidence established to confirm the practice of yoga assisting those health issues. Approximately ten-million Americans have asthma. It usually begins in childhood; although, it may also begin to show its signs in adult life (Dupler 2002:1). â€Å"In most cases asthma is caused by inhaling an allergen that sets off the chain of biomedical and tissue changes leading to airway inflammation, broncho- constriction, and wheezing. â€Å"Studies have shown that yoga significantly helps asthma sufferers, with exercises specifically designed to expand the lungs, promote deep breathing, and reduce stress† (Dupler 2002:2). Breathing exercises will strengthen and relax the muscles of the lungs. Controlling the breathing helps the respiratory muscles and lungs to develop and breathe more slowly reducing stress on the airways; consequently, reducing the chance of an asthma attack. Being able to control and focus breathing patterns also aids in the awareness in a change in regular breathing; in short, the onset of asthma attacks. Yoga has also been useful in the alleviation of abdominal gas; moreover, constipation. â€Å"Constipation is an acute or chronic condition in which bowel movements occur less often than usual†¦it is one of the most common medical complaints in the U.S† (Haggerty 2002:1). It can occur to any one at any age, although, it's more common among women. While conducting my interview with Paula, the yoga instructor, I asked her if she was aware of any medical uses for yoga. She informed me of several positions to relieve constipation discomfort. The first position is called a â€Å"knee-chest† position. It involves: * Standing straight with arms at the sides * Lifting the right knee toward the chest * Grasping the right ankle with the left hand * Pulling the legs as close to the chest as possible * Holding the position for about 10 seconds * And repeating those steps with the alternate leg The second position was called â€Å"cobra†. It involves the following steps: * Lying on the stomach with the legs together * Placing the palms just below the shoulders, keeping the elbows close to the body * While inhaling lift the head and chest off of the floor while keeping your face forward, also keep the naval in contact with the floor * The goal is to stretch and look as far upward as possible to elongate the abdomen * The cobra position must be held for about 8 seconds * Exhale as you lower the chest toward the floor In the interview with the yoga instructor, Paula remarked that, â€Å"Too often today when we have a headache we take a pill or something to stop the pain and discomfort. We try killing the pain instead of realizing and coming to an understanding that there's some thing causing the headache. Some people work too hard and try to juggle too much, maybe they ate something wrong for lunch, or are holding in negative emotions. Instead of realizing that stress in life exists we try to numb everything.† In my personal practices with yoga it has assisted me in the following: allowing full concentration, sleeping more soundly, increasing my energy level, and allowing my creativity to flow better. Linda one of the participants revealed that she suffers from asthma and she has tried a variety of medicines and in conjunction with Theophylline, her medication, yoga helps her in controlling her breathing. Her doctor also remarked about how beneficial yoga has been to her condition. Discussion: In terms of the American culture, yoga provides participants with a sense of relaxation that is necessary in such a busy society. Today, people are trying to balance many activities; including but not limited to, work, family, education, and other personal activities. Moreover, yoga helps provide many people with a social system to incorporate within. There is a misconception in the practice of yoga in the United States. It is practiced as a method to relieve one self of the stresses caused by everyday life and meditation is used to temporarily block thoughts to encourage a deeper sense of temporary relaxation. Traditional yogis have been insulted by the interpretation of yoga in the West. Critics argue that yoga as a ‘pop' fitness trend has taken yoga out of its spiritual context and arranged it in a modern health club setting. Ancient yoga that is conducted in India differs greatly in its practices as compared to Western yoga as a fitness trend. Yoga may also be compared with Christian healing groups and metaphysical groups in the following ways: each is practiced within a group setting and there is a call to a higher power. Each believes that â€Å"health and healing come from tapping into a powerful life force†¦this type of healing is based upon a wholly immanent power, fully within the reach of each believer† (McGuire 1998:79). â€Å"They believe that the key to the desired wholeness is mental more than purely spiritual†¦a healthy mind will help you have a healthy body† (McGuire 1998:81). The ancient practices of yoga highlight spirituality. â€Å"A yogi is one who does not merely talk philosophy but lives philosophy, he does not simply have faith in God but experiences God† (Chaudhuri 1974:19). Many Americans think of yoga as a religion and have reacted to it negatively. Some think that if they practice yoga then they would be undermining their personal religious beliefs. â€Å"Instead of undermining their personal faith, Yoga can actually deepen it†¦some yoga instructors are more religious than others, but Yoga itself is a tool for exploring the depth of our human nature†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Feurstein 1996:1).

Integrated Marketing Communications Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Integrated Marketing Communications - Assignment Example The ambiguity centered on the definition of IMC has created complexity in assessing the operational efficiency of the process. There are many levels of integration, which produces problems collectively as well as individually. The ideal execution of IMC calls for the sharing of the entire organization. The purpose of marketing communication is to influence the thinking process of the recipient the communication about a brand, a project, a service etc. This called the conceptualization ion of the idea. The next step is the relationship building. The recipient of the communication and the brand should establish an emotional connection. This activity takes place at the subliminal level. Marketing communication should establish a relationship of trust with the entire clientele, which is comprised of the every day functional user of a product in the wider society as well as the user of a product in a chosen niche of the community. This trust of the recipient would be expressed in sales inquiry or attempt to switch to the new brand. This is the activation of behavioral change in visible forms. Once the activation is discernable, it is to be supported by immediate help by the quick operation of the service sector of the brand in the form of further information by some form of contact. Th is is followed by a product experience, which makes the initial trust with the communicator and the recipient of communication a concrete reality. All of the above dimensions have to be performed in a coordinated manner. An integrated marketing communications program guarantees that every chance to send a message to a customer functions efficiently and smartly. Many needs of the enterprise like increasing membership, ensuring member retention, or increasing non-dues revenue, entry into an impenetrable market etc is achieved by stretching and straining all the sinews and muscles of the enterprise. This can be also called persuasive communication. Chris Fill has observed the complexities that communication involves.  

Ethical Energy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 3

Ethical Energy - Essay Example In that, non-renewable resources are against the rights approach, the justice theory and the obligations to future generations approach used in environmental ethics. Renewable resources, on the other hand, present a clean alternative for energy production. Though the land required may be large, such land is available to the state of Belina. The high costs per unit are justified by the low social cost per unit. Therefore, it is recommended that Belina take up a combination of the wind power and biomass energy bids to supply the needs of its population. Renewable resources are energy sources that come from the natural environment (Renewable Energy and Sustainable Development, 1997). The other options to energy sources include use of fossil fuels and nuclear energy. Fossil fuels are finite, expensive to extract, and cause air, water and soil pollution, and produce greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. Renewable resources are cleaner alternatives to the problems of pollution and the social inequality that the pollution creates. These resources are also renewable – therefore, they will never run out (West, 2008). Some people are of the view that the connection between economic growth and environmental deterioration is inevitable. Hesburgh (1992) recognizes that the connection between human energy needs and environmental deterioration is as old as human civilization. As man used wood for shelter and warmth, it caused harm to the environment. However, Hesburgh (1992) also explains that the ‘primitive societies were so small and fragile in comparison with the forces of nature with which they contended that their impacts were minimal’. Ausubel (2007) argues that renewable resources for the production of energy may be renewable but they are not green and they are almost as destructive or more destructive for the environment than the non-renewable sources of energy.

Free Market Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Free Market - Personal Statement Example ) happy, peaceful and beautiful' The answer is simple and direct. Let your eyes be full of understanding, let your heart be full of love, may you ever remain free from conflicts- this is all that the humanity needs! No conflicts of any types, including social and economic! You IASB committee members have the real task before you to shape the destiny of humanity. Tomorrow's bread must be assured from today's labor to one and all. All economic discrimination, overt and covert, must come to an end. In the olden days, it was the war to conquer territories. Now, it the war to control economic interests! In both these types of warfare, the common man suffers. Therefore, they must stop. What Roman Emperors, Greek Philosophers, Indian Sages, World War I & II heroes could not achieve, the technological revolution and its byproduct internet, have made it possible. Internet has literally conquered the world, without a bullet being fired. The world has no other alternative but to unite and work in the business world and in the economic front. You are compelled to think in terms of universal prosperity, because that provides the lead to your prosperity as well. You must, no doubt, think about wealth creation, but use it for the benefit of the people here, right now.

Mean Variance Analysis - Portfolio Theory and Diversification Assignment

Mean Variance Analysis - Portfolio Theory and Diversification - Assignment Example The most common objective of diversification is â€Å"not to put all eggs in the same basket†. Diversification may have different forms. A well-diversified portfolio is the one in which all the constituents do not have any relationship among each other (Fabozzi et al, 2002). That relationship can be measured by using statistical technique of correlation. Correlation actually measures how much a constituent is associated or linked with the other constituent such that in case if the correlation is equal to or near to 1 among two constituents, then those two constituents would be called as highly associated with each other as having strong relationship between them. On the other hand, if the correlation becomes to 0, it means that there is no relationship between the constituents and they are independent of each other. The third possibility is that the correlation is computed as -1 or near to it which means that the constituents has strong negative relationship among each other a nd they are associated with each other in opposite manner. So according to portfolio theory, the risk of a portfolio can be minimized in case if the portfolio is well-diversified in terms if its constituents such that the constituents either do no have any relationship with each other i.e. correlation = 0 or they have opposite relationship with each other such that correlation = -1 or near to it. ... In case if the constituents do not have any relationship with each other then the constituents would show a unique behavior irrespective of any other constituent. As a result, if the price of any constituent decreases, it will not have any impact on the prices of other constituents and in this way, the overall volatility of the portfolio will remain substantially lower. The negative relationship among the constituents of the portfolio will compensate each other such that if the price of one constituent decreases, than it would be effectively compensated by the other constituent such that its price would be increased, thus it would result in managing the overall risk of the portfolio given that the required return of the portfolio is ensured. This kind of portfolio would be considered as well-diversified and ensure the same return but with the reduced level of risk. The individual return that can be earned on each constituent would be similar to those which are kept in a well-diversif ied portfolio, but the overall risk of the portfolio would be substantially less than every individual constituent. Diversification Principles There are different kinds of diversification strategies which are available for the investors, some of them are discussed as under: Diversification through Different Asset Classes The most famous diversification strategy holds that the constituents of a portfolio must be well spread in different asset class such that investment can be managed in different proportions under stocks, bonds, marketable securities, commodities, property and real estates, currencies etc (Shefrin, 2000). These asset classes provide a large area for diversification and hardly any relationship can be found among these asset classes. Diversification through

MGMT499 U4 DB Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

MGMT499 U4 DB - Research Paper Example Proper management is also essential in enhancing business success (Wright, 2014). Apple Inc. has embraced proper management through teamwork in order to increase their sale capacity. Through their dedicated teamwork, Apple Inc. has become a leading company in the world. Increase in the cost of acquiring new and innovative technology is a major event that could cause a negative impact to the company. Increase in the production cost leads to a decrease in the profit margin. Low-profit margin is a major factor that affects business success (Long, 2014). If there is a negative effect due to the high cost of purchasing innovative technology, the company can respond through increasing the price of their products. Change in leadership is another event that could happen leading to a negative impact to the company. Vertical form of leadership prevents teamwork in the company. In this case, subordinate employees are denied chances to engage in decision-making processes of the company. This approach lowers the capacity of the company to become successful. If there is a negative impact due to lack of teamwork, the company can allow workers to engage in decision-making in order to enhance business success. Teamwork allows the company to change it strategies in order to acquire higher market share. Staff members in the company participate in the production of high-quality product and offering standard services, which boost their success (Long, 2014). Wright, F. (2014). Factors Impacting on Business Success. Retrieved September 17, 2014, from Entrepreneur:

Pompeii Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Pompeii - Essay Example The Greeks defeated the Etruscans in both 524 and 474 BCE and probably proceeded to take control of Pompeii (qtd. from Pompeii before the Romans involvement, 2005).As evidence, the hill near the mouth of the Sarno River or Sarnus River was used as a safe port by Greek and Phoenician sailors (Wikipedia, 2005). This theory is supported by the architecture and art in Pompeii that was influenced by the Greeks, such as the temple to Apollo mentioned earlier. Around 420 BCE the Samnites came to occupy the city of Pompeii (Leppman, 1968). The Samnites seem to have imposed their language, customs, and civic organizations upon Pompeii (qtd. from Pompeii before the Romans involvement, 2005). Rome entered onto the Pompeiian scene following the end of the Second Samnite War (290 BCE). The Romans landed their fleet at the mouth of the Sarno and sacked neighboring Salerno (Leppman, 1968). For almost two hundred years, however, the Roman rule of Pompeii was more a "matter of form than substance" (Leppman, 1968). Pompeii was under Rome's control, however, its inhabitants were practically independent (qtd. from Roman involvement in Pompeii, 2005). Although Pompeii was practically independent, its future was tangled with that of Rome. The Roman success in war over Carthage in the Second Punic War (218-201) and Romes victorious marches into Greece, Asia Minor, and Syria paved the way for an abundant economic enterprise for the Pompeiians (qtd. from Roman involvement in Pompeii, 2005). A colony of Roman veterans was planted in Rome as a punishment for Pompeiis role in the Social War (Carrington, 1994). Scholars have pointed out, however, that the Pompeiians ended up profiting in the whole ordeal, since Pompeii was quick to take advantage of the Roman destruction of neighboring Stabiae. This conflict did, however, mark the end of Pompeii's virtual independence, as Rome became much more active in Pompeii. This shift in power is borne out by the fact that ten years after the Social War, Rome renamed Pompeii Colonia Cornelia Venena Pompeianorum (qtd. from Roman involvement in Pompeii, 2005). Physical description The city of Pompeii has an irregular shape because it was formed by a prehistoric lava flow. Excavations indicate that the southwestern part of the town is the oldest, but scholars do not agree on the stages by which the walls were expanded or on who the builders were. The walls are 2 miles (3 km) in circumference, and they enclose an area of about 163 acres (66 hectares). Seven city gates have been excavated (Description of the remains, 2005).

Deliberate and Emergent Strategies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Deliberate and Emergent Strategies - Essay Example he business, emergent strategies are formed with the inherent belief that things will change in an unexpected manner and therefore, any strategy formed is destined to fail. Comparing the two, emergent strategy is more realistic and conservative compared to the deliberate strategy, which is more optimistic and long-sighted. The fact that emergent strategy provides a relatively pessimistic view of realization of the plans does not mean that planning is inherently purposeless. Instead, emergent strategy encourages the parties involved in strategic planning to prioritize their efforts and focus upon achievement of the short-term goals rather than the long-term goals as the future is uncertain. Emergent strategies might help with a future planning process by identifying milestones in the near future, and working out ways to achieve them. The potential consequences of ignoring emergent strategies would be misuse and wastage of time, efforts, and resources. The strategic plans that took so much time and effort making might never realize and even worse, the short-term plans or intermediate milestones would not be

Theories of rent and urban economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Theories of rent and urban economics - Essay Example The essay further outlines Smith’s rent gap theory and the agricultural land theory. The analysis is followed by an outline of the agent based land market model, and the microeconomic theory. The paper winds up with the central place theory and a conclusive remark on the varied rental patterns in an urban setting. The Collier Map show that there are different rent patterns for urban areas in UK and London in particular. The Western part of London records a mixture of rent patterns with a lower level of 10 pounds, and a higher level of 34pounds. The South East London has a rental pattern that way near similar with the difference between the highest and the lowest; levels being minimal (16-24 pounds). The same scenario applies to the North West and Yorkshire which has one of the lowest/cheapest rental rates. The outskirts of London and the hinterland towns have a low level of rent rates compared with the metropolitan. However, there are some urban areas outside the London Metrop olitan which have higher rental patterns. A good example is Dublin with a high of 35 pounds. Urban economics is the study of economies that are organized as urban areas (Harvey and Jowsey, 2003). It also studies the cities which are the modern centre of culture, innovation and education. It is in the urban centers where major commercial activities takes place hence the aspect of many offices being located in the urban areas (MacDonald & McMillen, 2007). Urban economics is closely related to the field of real estate and rental properties. Rent is the amount paid by a tenant to a landlord on a rented or leased space. Many theories exist in the field of urban economics and real estate. They are outlined below; The Neighborhood Theory The first theory is based on the housing prices, neighborhood characteristics, and racial segregation. This theory stipulates that the price of an office premise is determined by the characteristics of the neighborhood as well as the characteristics of the house. These neighborhood factors directly influences the patterns of office rent in given urban areas. Neighborhood variable affect the pattern of office rent either positively or in a negative way. These two factors combine to determine the pattern of rent in a given section of an urban area. They include; crime rate in an area, property tax rate, economic strength of the neighborhood, air pollution, accessibility from nearest train/ bus stations, extent of traffic on the street as well as quality of education/ number of institutions of learning (McDonald & McMillen, 2007). This explains the different office rent patterns in an area like Cambridge which is an educational centre and Nottingham. There has been an increase in the quality of office buildings in some sections of urban areas. This results in changes in office rent patterns. Areas with good quality buildings have different office rent patterns with areas with low quality office buildings. The same case applies to areas with different races. There is a tendency for rental patterns to be high in areas populated by the whites, as opposed to areas with a mixture of races (King and Mieszkoski, 1973). This theory explains the difference rental patterns in the London Metropolitan. Areas such as Wimbledon (?30) and Heathrow (?28) with good quality houses have higher rental patterns as compared with those with low quality such as Norwich (?15). Natural Evolution Theory Natural evolution theory is a model which was advanced by Mieszkowski and Mills (1993). They argue that the filtering model provides a primary reason for the movement and relocation of offices in the suburbs. The result is the emergence of suburbs which acts as commercial centers, characterize by high and

Children Reading Essay Example for Free

Children Reading Essay â€Å"Children are not reading as much as they should presents danger† As Mr. Russell states, children not reading presents a risk in terms of their learning abilities. I believe Mr. Russell is correct. When children do not read enough, their development of creativity, attention span, imagination and vocabulary are not as developed as they should be. Overall they fail to develop to their full potential because reading comprehension strengthens our brain by making it active. When children’s brains are not at their fullest potential when they get older, it could lead to a lot of problems. They can receive poor grades, have a difficult time when completing assignments, have a low self-esteem and behavior problems, become shy and get easily frustrated. If a whole generation of children grew up to have these issues, it could lead to many problems in society as a whole. â€Å"A book requires that we think, and that is the great adventure to reading.† When we read a book, it forces us to use or brains. It requires us to take every element in the story such as the characters, plot and setting and putting them together to create a theme. Putting together these elements enhances our creativity and forces us to use our intelligence. While reading a book one imagines in their mind what is going on with the story. This visual then enhances our creativity. It also forces us to use our intelligence. The vocabulary and solutions to the problems makes us think. Personally, I think one of the best things about reading something that you enjoy is the adventure that you have while reading. I forget about my everyday issues and enter into a world where my mind can just explore a whole other world that I cannot physically experience myself. The combination of these aspects makes reading an exciting experience.

Abstract Benefits Of Corporate Social Responsibility Commerce Essay

Abstract Benefits Of Corporate Social Responsibility Commerce Essay Corporate Social Responsibility is a term that has been very popular recently. It represents the obligation of an individual, or in this case an entity, to benefit to society. There is no longer consideration for profit only. Today society demands from companies to take care of them and the environment in which they operate. In simple words, Corporate Social Responsibility is a way of doing business by combining economic benefit with sustainability of the environment. Companies may contribute to environment in many ways among which there are: protection of the environment, by investment in social, educational or cultural programs or by getting the return on employed human resources. This paper analyzes the concept of CSR and it explains benefits that company may get if it pursues Social Corporate Responsibility. Key words: business, company, corporate social responsibility, corporate strategy, environment, profit, society. CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a part of business ethics. Ethics represent the process of doing things that are morally correct. By CSR, companies are trying to maximize their positive impact on society and to minimize the bad one. CSR is very important to consumers all over the world. Increase in pursuing the products with green characteristics is one fact that proves it. Previously, in time of communism (social economy), social responsibility and increase of living standards were basically the government issues. By accepting the open (market) economy and privatization of the companies, this also became the issue of those who operate in the market. Another reason is that people demands are much higher nowadays and government cannot deal with all of it. Companies also saw their chance of being different by pursuing certain so called socially responsible policies. Today, CSR represents a way of differentiation, a way of gaining competitive advantage in the market. Two main q uestions for the companies that apply corporate social responsibility are the quality of the management and the degree of impact of their operations on the society. The general social belief is that companies are the ones who created environmental and social problems by their tenure of people and nature through the centuries. This is the reason why they are perceived as those who are responsible for these issues. Francois-Marie Arouet known as Voltaire (1832) was a writer, and according to certain evidences, he was the first one that used well known phrase with the great power comes great responsibility. Later on, many artists, politicians and other people used this phrase in their speeches and it became a normal phrase for responsibility. In modern economy companies have the power so they should be responsible behavior toward the society in which they operate. CSR may be seen as topic that is a new one, but this concept was developing through many years. After the Second World War, people started to put attention on the issues of environment and social situation. From several influences, companies also started to think about this concept. Through the years, this concept became important not just for people in society, but also for the companies. Today, they see it as way of diversification on the market. It is become a tool to attract and retain the customers. Being socially responsible also gives trust to investors, and more of them are willing to invest in corporation with ethical principles. In the near future, it is expected for this tool to become a separate strategy by which corporations will be guided. 1.1 Objectives of the study The CSR is a very important topic and issue in today world. Many conferences are done on these issues in order to raise awareness and to make programs and mechanisms to deal with it. For the wellbeing of not just certain societies, but also for the whole planet, it is out of essential importance that companies start to use the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility in order to make the environment sustainable. The core of this paper is to reach several objectives. First one is define concept of CSR and those related with it. The paper will provide the information about development of this concept and what does it mean to today business world. Second objective is to analyze benefits that company gets by having social responsibility towards its community. Furthermore, it shows the potential threats when applying the CSR and it show negative the consequences that may come from avoiding social responsibility. Final objective of the paper is to show the challenges that societies and corporation are facing in the modern economy. 1.2 Significance of the paper The main significance of this paper is that it shows the reasons why to apply CSR and why it is important to the consumers. Further, this paper provides several real examples related to the concept. It represents a quality literature on the topic and may be used for other researches in the future. The main findings and information that are provided may be useful for students, academic staff and businesses. 1.3 Structure of the paper The paper is constructed out of nine chapters. First chapter, which is introduction, explains the topic, reasons and purpose of the paper. Chapter 2 deals with previous literature on the topic. Literature is based on definitions of CSR and relationship between CSR and business performance. In chapter 3, historical data has shown. By this chapter, paper provides information on how development process of CSR was done, which events have influenced people to start thinking about it and what obstacles it faced in its way toward the concept that is known today. Information about the approaches, principles and types of modern CSR are provided in chapter 4. Chapter 5 shows how CSR can be implemented as a strategy and additionally this concept shows the corporate manager tasks. Comparative assessments about potential benefits and costs of this CSR are provided in Chapter 6. In chapter 7, paper shows the main reasons why companies decide to implement CSR and how do they act in the market. Chap ter 8 deals with new challenges that are present in the market. Here, it may be seen how globally powerful company may use weak economies in order to gain benefits for themselves. Conclusions about the topic are given in the final chapter. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Definitions on CSR Even if concept of CSR is a modern one that started to create a real shape few decades ago, some initial literature and papers that were including parts of this concept are dating from an earlier period. Barnard (1938) defined this concept as analysis of five aspects of environment: economic, legal, moral, social and physical. According to Carroll (1983) profitability and obedience to the law are foremost conditions when discussing the firms ethics and the extent to which it supports the society in which it exists with contributions of money, time and talent. He assumes that corporate responsibility goes far beyond the pure profit and that therefore it should take into consideration other aspects, mainly the social ones. Because it includes corporate citizenship, corporate sustainability, business ethics, shareholders management, environmental management, and corporate social performance, Visser (2005) defined CSR as an umbrella concept. According to Waldman (2006), company that practices CSR is the one that invests in employee development and empowerment. It is a company that shares information with its employees in order to give them better knowledge, so they could progress at the work. Guthey, Langer, Morsing, (2006) called CSR as latest management fad, which is referred to the fact that this concept should be developed even more in the future. 2.2 Relationship between CSR and business performance As a time passed, and concept has been developing and started to be used the relationship among the CSR and business performance has been changing. Previously, due to different economic regimes in the world, it was hard to find the evidence on relationship among these concepts. Even in certain cases, there was a negative relationship meaning that the money that company invests does not give returns. However with open economy and open competition positive relationship is the one that researches find mostly. Nicholas Overton (2009) in his dissertation wrote the following: even though some studies postulated a negative relationship (e.g., Vance 1975) or no relationship (Aupperle et al, 1985) between the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and business performance, more recent studies provided the empirical evidence that there is a positive relationship between those two constructs (Abratt and Sacks 1988, Russo and Fouts 1997, Waddock and Graves 1997). Miles and Munilla (2005) explained the reasons of using CSR model through the table which holded Van Marrewijk (2003) framework and Carroll (1991) pyramid. There are many benefits that can be obtained from applying the concept of CSR. Detailed information are provided in the main part of the paper. CHAPTER 3 DEVELOPMENT OF CSR Corporate Social Responsibility is often interchangeable with corporate ethics, corporate accountability or corporate responsibility. 3.1 Historical facts on CSR History of CSR is closely related to the history of the companies. Some specialists in the field of social responsibility, link the origins of concept of CSR with an ancient times. According to them, countries that were dealing with trade such as ancient China or Egypt, were putting importance on wider public interests. Through the time, this concept was evolving and while companies were establishing themselves as market driving forces, importance on social responsibility was slightly growing. Through the years many slaves were used. Children, women and men were all working for many hours in order to produce resources that owners needed. Many people died and got injured on their work places, while others were tortured. Among the first biggest events that showed that CSR is important is related to the end of 18th century and British riot against British West Indian Sugar Company. The reason was the slave trade and more than 400.000 of people signed petition against it. The first legislative body that made decision about ending the slave treatment was British Common House in 1792. Certain advance in the field of CSR was started in 19th century, simultaneously with Industrial Revolution. This was a time when many people started to work and being paid for it. This period may be described as the one of transition in people life; both in working and demographic conditions. However, CSR still was not represented as it should. In this time, the leaders of corporations were the leaders of societies. Most of them were using Social Darwinism as a policy to rule. This policy is related to selection and survival of the strongest. That was the way how companies acquired workforce. People were used up to the limits and certain social giving were done by subjective beliefs or will of the owners. From this, it can be concluded that approach to the society was not the company ones, but rather the individual. With the new (20th) century, the situation was starting to change. Many riots were happening and mostly the reason was dissatisfaction with working conditions. Large corporations were perceived as exploitative ones. These riots were resulting in new laws that were aimed to protect workers, societies and consumers. These were the first significant facts that were indicating to the future CSR model. In the following period, companies strategies were changing from purely profitable one to the strategies that were now looking to society and taking into consideration some other responsibilities toward the environment in which they were operating. The mid of the century was characterized by civil right movements throughout the world. The results were not the same in each country, but what is common for all is that these actions lead to certain improvements in laws. The focuses of people dissatisfaction in that period were once again the large corporations. From them, it was demanded to be more socially responsible. This was mostly related to the two facts; that corporations were mostly the cause of societal problems and that they had the possibility to entail themselves in solving those problems. People were demanding equal job opportunity and safety for environment, products and workers. All these initiatives are representing the large part of today phenomena known as Corporate Social Responsibility. In this period the line between traditional and modern approach to CSR started to be drawn. From traditional approach, that was representing the interests of the owners and stockholders, CSR started to represent wider public interests such as stakeholder (workers, consumers, inhabitants, and environment. 3.2 Sustainable Development The important thing that happened in the following period, and is hugely important today is Sustainable Development. In 1987, UN committee defined sustainable development  as a pattern of growth in which  resources  use aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment  in the way that these needs can be met not only for current situation, but also for generations to come (UN, 2012). It represents holding the balance among consumption, savings and regeneration of all our resources because not only current but also coming generations will be dependable on them. Sustainable development is a process of change and it has to start from each individual and it continues by transmitting it to each area of our lives. International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD, 2012), states that all definitions on sustainable development require that we see the world as system a system that connects space; and system that connects time. According to this institute, process of SD is constructed around two key concepts. First one represents the needs of poor part of the world, low budget people and those who live in regions where there is no or very little life resources. In year 1970, World leading countries made an agreement to allocate 0.7% of their total gross national income in order to help those countries which were struggling. Second concept represents ability of planet to meet future generations needs. Sustainable development represents a system of interrelated global issues that in future could threat to total collapse of the planet if people do not act in the present. On this definition, all international polices related to protection of environment are built. Since 1992 and a conference in Rio de Janeiro sustainable development became a leading term in field of politics about environment. From this point there is much clearer relationship among environmental, economic and social problems. Sustainable development implies: Consolidated use of resources Consolidated investments Consolidated technical development Consolidated institutional changes During the process the understanding of sustainable development has been spread to two more fields: economic and social. All three are making so called magic triangle of the process. From the figure above, it can be seen that only in a case when all three dimensions are satisfied, or that problems are being solved at the same time, country can reach sustainability. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is an issue that is working its way into many policy debates and corporate agendas. CSR is an evolution in the approach towards sustainable development; while the 1992 Rio Earth Summit focused on environmental management, the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) focused on a broader set of issues, including poverty reduction and social development. (IISD, 2012). Here, it may be seen how issue become important for the countries and how much importance is given to the topic. Now, people are aware of potential threats to the earth and they are trying to develop programs that may help in sustainable development of the world. CHAPTER 4 CONCEPT OF CSR 4.1 Approaches to CSR There are several perspectives from which people, organizations and governments look at CSR. According to Marrewijk (2003), there are three basic approaches to the CSR that were developed through the time. Shareholder approach refers to the one that is based on economic reasons. Main idea behind this approach is to maximize profit and to prong benefits to those who own the company. The centre of the approach is the company and its future. Those who manage should focus on well being of the company, to strength it and to find the way for improvement and expansion. Stakeholder approach refers to the approach that includes certain others parts of the company that are also important. This approach does not see its owners as the only ones that are important, but also puts importance on other stakeholders such as employees, customers, partners and others. It is taught that each actions of the company does not affect just the company itself, but also other entities that are connected to it. Societal approach refers to the wider approach of all. It puts importance of companys responsibility toward the society, because without society approval company could not operate. This modern approach shoes that company is fundamental part of the society so they should support and invest in it. When summing all, it can be distinguished that Shareholder approach is the oldest and the strongest one. If there is no will for profit neither of the other two approaches may be used. So, company should apply all of three approaches in order to satisfy each side that is affected by its actions. 4.2 Principles of CSR CSR is among top issues in the current corporate world. As already stated there are two sides of public view regarding this concept; one side is the one which supports it and the other one is against it. In order to evaluate CSR activities, in most cases, three principles are used. Sustainability as a principle deals with the effects that current actions have on future. Resources should be used in a way that they satisfy the current needs and that they will be there in a future. The best way to explain this principle is the example of forestry. For each action of cutting trees there should be an action of planting the new ones, in order to have those resources in the future. The big issue with this principle is related to the resources that cannot be planted such as coal, silver and others. Sustainability dictates that those resources should be used carefully and that programs should be developed in order to find substitutes that could be used in the future, when there are no more supplies of certain resource. Companies that do not care about sustainability will not survive in the future. If company represents the vital part of current economic system, it therefore should use the resources in the amounts that can be generated. Accountability refers to the principle by which company shows that they are aware of the effects that their actions may cause in internal and external environment. The most appropriate way of using this principle is to give knowledge to the parties which are part of environment (both internal and external) about the possible consequences of companys actions. Further, this principle may be described as a system of evaluating and reporting of measures taken regarding the actions done in the environment. In any case, benefits that are gained from those actions must be above the costs, for the company and society. Report should be understandable and available to all parties included and they should represent the situation as it is (information should be correct). Information should include quantitative and qualitative data and it should be explained in a way that ordinary citizen may understand it. Transparency refers to the process of providing the information to the society about companys business, results and others. This is especially important for the actions that affect the society. This principle may be described as the one that follows the previous two principles. It represents the process of societys familiarization with business of the company. If company uses transparent policies and ways of reporting, it is easy for people to get knowledge about sustainability and accountability of the company. As already stated, all principles are taken from CSR framework and that is why there is importance on corporate governance. 4.3 Types of CSR As the companies see CSR as diversification tool, they engage in many different areas by which they try to get more benefits. Carroll (1979) argued that companies have to look outside of their core responsibilities (economic and legal). In his work from 1991, he added two more responsibilities that each of the company has to take into consideration. Based on this, and further discussions, today Corporate Social Responsibilities is constructed out of four main responsibilities. 4.3.1 Economic area Through the history, the main responsibility of each company was to maximize the profit which means that they must reach their financial goals. This responsibility is called economic or financial one. It represents the most important responsibility of the company. Everything is dependent on this process (produce and sell). In order to be able to fulfill any other of the responsibilities, this one has to be satisfied, either company faces crisis, which may results in many negative events in the society. Based on everything stated, economic responsibility is at the bottom of the pyramid, since business which does not gain profit, does not stay in the business for long. 4.3.2 Legal responsibilities Economic responsibilities have to be reached in accordance to the law and regulations of the society in which company operates. So, corporations are operating in accordance to the rules imposed by the governments. Those companies who gain economic benefits with obeying laws are perceived as socially responsible. Customers perceive those companies responsible in the way that they believe that those companies use quality materials and production processes that pass minimum legal requirements and that their final goods are safe and will not harm the environment. 4.3.3 Ethical area of responsibility Those companies who are believed to be ethical are expected to do the right things for the society. Society expects them to reach their financial goals by doing it in a right way. Companies should avoid the actions that are against the society norms even if they are not forbidden by law. If we take an example of less developed countries that have not strict laws about environment protection, it is still not good for the companies to use it and harm society. 4.3.4 Philanthropic responsibility This area of responsibility represents the one where investments are made in society in which company operates. Philanthropic responsibility gives big credibility to the company. Society expects from those successful companies to invest the money in projects that brings benefits to them. Most investments are done in educational and scholarship programs, cultural programs, renovation of certain institutions, green fields, parks, sport centers and clubs and others. Based on these types it may be assumed that there are two forces that drives social responsibility: company and society. Economic and legal responsibility are more important for the company, while on the other side, society perceives ethical and philanthropic responsibility as the important ones. However, all of them combined make one important part of the society and each should contribute to the other. CHAPTER 5 CSR AND MODERN BUSINESS Strategy is a Greek word that has meaning of command or generalship. This term is known from ancient times, where battles between empires were done. This is mainly known as military strategy that is even used today. On the other hand, strategy is used in any other part of life. Corporate strategy is referred to the overall  scope  and  direction  of a  corporation  and the way in which  its  various  business operations  work  together to  achieve  particular  goals. (Business dictionary, 2012) Those who are charged for implementing of these types of strategies are managers of the corporations. Drucker (1986), sometimes called as a father of manager, defined the management as independent of ownership, rank, or power. It is objective function and ought to be grounded in the responsibility for performance. It is profession; management is a function, a discipline, a task to be done; and managers are the professionals who practice this discipline, carry out the functions, and discharge these tasks. 5.1 Principles of business process Drucker (1954), in his book Practice of Management, defined five main principles of management that are widely used today. According to him, manager or group of managers as leaders in implementation of a corporate strategy should deal with following five tasks. Set objectives This refers to responsibility of manager to identify what are the objectives of the company. Then, manager determines goals as a part of objectives, it opts for the ways by which those objectives should be accomplished and it introduces the people (workers) that will be part of implementation process with the objectives in order to have efficient work. By this, manager reduces possibility of future misunderstands of employees. Organize This part is related to the analysis of the decisions and activities related to purpose of the company. Further, manager divides work into activities and assigns people for each job. Through classification, these jobs become a part of organizational structure. Good organization prevents time consuming, saves money, makes more relaxed atmosphere and it gives more time to managers that can be used in the implementation process, which at the end demands the most commitment. Motivate and communicate This refers to the most difficult part of implementation process. Manager needs to be the one that starts the engine, the one that puts fuel in it. Team of people that were chosen for the job must be motivated. This is done through several ways such as pay, placement and promotion. The important part here is continuous communication with upper and lower levels of the company. Through this, manager gathers information and slightly directs people in a way that he desires. In modern organization, motivation is playing a big role. It is believed that through motivation several benefits can be obtained such as increased efficiency, easier way to reach objectives or better relationship among employees. Measure This is a part through which manager follows the process of achieving the goals and objectives. Two main part of process are evaluated: the process itself (is it a good one) and employee assigned for the task (are they perform well). So, manager analyzes progress and writes reports that are submitted to the parties involved in the process (superiors, subordinates and others). Also, good monitoring process give possibility to managers to react and prevent further damages, in cases when process goes in the wrong way. Develop people Since, especially today, people represent one of the most important part of the company their development is important. Modern, knowledge economy demands from people to upgrade their knowledge and skills each day and that they follow the current trends. This applies to the employees at all companys levels, including managers. Tomorrow, when company needs people for certain position it is much easier and safer to choose from its own pool than to bring someone from outside. The traditional way of management (business) planning is constructed in a very similar way. From the figure above we may see two additional circles to Drucker theory. While FIVE of his principles are sorted in four circles, there are two other steps that are included at the start and at the end of a cycle. First one is to gather information which is mostly related external information (market, law, competition). This step helps managers to assign better and more feasible objectives and goals for the company. On the other hand, evaluation plan refers to the step of having feedback, which is used in order to stop or modify the initial planning process. 5.2 Business as corporate strategy Today, CSR is referred as an integral part of corporate strategy. In the future, it is believed that it will be a separate strategy that may be ruled by independent department. To be profitable each part of business must be carefully measured. CSR gives certain direction, or maybe it is better to say that it gives certain performance indicators which create standards for the business. There are many examples of corporations that integrated CSR as a strategy into their business. Some of them are supporting educational programs, some of them cultural some of them are related to the environment. Nestle Company, from Switzerland, deals with production of healthy and nutritional products. Founded in 1866, today this company reports the highest revenues in the world. Among the most known products are Nesquik, Nescafe and KitKat. According to them, they incorporate CSR in order to get best ingredients for their products. It is done through continuous work with their supply chain throughout the world. They try to use the best technologies and practices which give them results of high quality products, loyalty of their suppliers and sustainability. Ethical behavior of top management is very important since it reflects the ethical culture of the company. According to Business Case Studies (2012) ethical behavior may: attract customers to the firms products, thereby boosting sales and profits make employees want to stay with the business, reduce labor turnover and therefore increase productivity attract more employees wanting to work for the business, reduce recruitment costs and enable the company to get the most talented employees attract investors and keep the companys share price high, thereby protecting the business from takeover. Managers represent the company and they behavior reflect companys image and reputation. Those who avoid this behavior, sooner or later, will face consequences of it such as customer disloyalty or sales and profits decreases. Case provided below shows how corporate unethical behavior can damage the business. From the case above, it may be seen how business ethics should not be applied. Because of this, Enron Corporation went to bankruptcy and if we take the example that somehow they survived this scandal, their reputation would be destroyed, providing them very low possibilities to continue the business (with customers and partners). Similar case, we have with so called Greek crisis, where government officials used so called creative accounting in order to cover bad countries financial situation. Such frauds and collapses of the some biggest corporations in the world have put even more importance on CSR framework. So, each manager should put attention on his behavior in the business. As ethical behavior is to do what is morally right, every individual in the business should try to maximize its efforts to do it like that. This is not just pure theory, but certain researches have shown positive rela

College Campus Diversity and Student Development

College Campus Diversity and Student Development We should all be having a conversation about diversity. The subject has been important to me since I was a child, perhaps due to personal experience or simply because I find diversity fascinating and beneficial to our growth in this global society. College campus diversity and its effect on students social development is what I want to research for the purpose of this course. When asked to present an implicit theory related to the Higher Education field, cultural diversity was the first thing that came to mind. The United States is a racially and ethnically diverse country; most countries have international students on their campuses, however the vast majority of students are of the same ethnicity. Due to the diversity of the United States, student bodies across the countrys colleges and universities are made up of students from different racial and ethnic backgrounds, which is why I started thinking how diverse campuses might have a positive effect on the students social development . Initially, the implicit theory I developed was Does a culturally diverse college campus help students become more well-rounded individuals? opinions will vary, that is the purpose of doing research, to understand what information is available on the topic and draw our conclusions; However, before the Naked Presentation we were not allowed to perform any type of research. Not researching the topic beforehand allowed my thinking to flow freely. I came into class with all the reasons why I think a culturally diverse college campus enhances students development. In my opinion, diverse college campuses increase self-awareness and expand our capacity for viewing issues in a different way. For most students, college is the first time they are living without their family and interacting with all kinds of people, which is essential for the understanding of my theory. Engaging in campus activities where diversity is promoted is opening doors to the world, the real world. While I do show my hand with this topic, there are many people who may differ from my idea of personal growth being enhanced by diversity, and this is something I want to explore as well. Does campus diversity prepare students for future career success? My initial question brought up more questions, this was one of them. As I mentioned before, we live in a global society, which means we have to interact with people from different backgrounds, not only in events that promote cultural diversity, but in our day to day lives. Todays workforce is rapidly growing more culturally diverse as more minorities and international students obtain their college degrees. College students graduate and enter the workforce with little to no experience, understanding how to interact with other adults, from any social or cultural background is a skill they want to develop while in college. Gaining the capacity of viewing issues from different perspectives, not just your own, will go a long way not only in their personal lives but also in their professional careers. These were the main ideas I had when I chose this topic and developed my theory. Once in class, I began to notice how my colleagues approached each others questions from different angles. The question I ended up with, once everyone shared their input, was Does a diverse college campus influence students development? and I am comfortable working with this question for my project. What do we view as development? And what aspect of development am I going to explore to further develop my theory? These were questions I asked myself when I sat down and expanded my implicit theory. I also considered whether the campus location made a difference in the students development, the effects of attending a campus located in a city might have, over attending college in a rural area. By going to college in a city, students are more prone to interact with people of all backgrounds; bigger cities, such as New York or San Francisco, tend to be more culturally diverse. Whereas, Students who attend college in a rural setting may not have as much, if any exposure to people of different backgrounds due to the makeup of the population. My theory is still a work in progress as I type this, every time I think of the topic, I come up with more questions and ideas relevant to the theory. However, my main focus will remain the same, campus diversity and its influence on students social development. My implicit theory will be evaluated from different perspectives because when we talk about diversity the subject should be studied from many angles, its the essence of diversity after all. Once I read the scholarly articles and papers written about the topic, I know I will have more information to think about my theory more critically, this will subsequently show me different sides of the spectrum.

Genovese and Northup :: American America History

Genovese and Northup Slavery as a global institution tends to have an unreal aura surrounding it. Modern perspectives cannot be empathetic because it is not an institution even partially realized in the last century of American life. This is why even through reading Eugene Genovese's Roll, Jordan, Roll and examining most of the aspects of slave life, slavery still remains a mystery in the personal sense. Solomon Northup's Twelve Years a Slave, in addition to being one of Genovese's own resources, fills this void with its brutally honest personal story of a slave's life. Northup's account enlightens and strengthens Genovese's arguments, specifically those concerning labor, the master-slave relationship, and rebellion, by putting global descriptions in a personal perspective. One of the main advantages of 12 Years a Slave is that Northup is a slave himself, and in that respect does not have to be an apologist for slavery and slaveholders. It is not that Genovese himself is an apologist, but as a modern Caucasian, he must approach the subject of casting any light that might be perceived as positive on slaveholders with trepidation. Although Genovese does his best to present a fair and accurate depiction of slavery, he cannot know the slaves' perceptions of their masters. It is really in this respect that Northup's account is so useful. By portraying slaveholders as people with human faults and sensibilities, he shows how the institution affects everyone involved. Slaveholders can still be good people, and that goodness shines through the peculiar institution. This is a vital piece of the story of slavery that Genovese cannot put in his comprehensive history. Northup's words must be left to stand alone, and draw specifics against a general background. The details of working cotton and sugar cane differ little from Genovese to Northup. Genovese puts the slave gang working grueling hours with specific daily goals, and Northup backs this up with his description. "The hands are required to be in the cotton fields as soon as it is light ... and ... they often times labor till the middle of the night."1 This is a prime example of how Northup is able to lend his personal experience to Genovese's general description of slavery. Northup tells us that even after such long hours, the slaves are still extremely afraid, because the master demands a certain amount of cotton from each slave. Merely meeting that goal is not be enough; if a slave exceeds it, then the expectations for that slave's ability would be raised. Genovese and Northup :: American America History Genovese and Northup Slavery as a global institution tends to have an unreal aura surrounding it. Modern perspectives cannot be empathetic because it is not an institution even partially realized in the last century of American life. This is why even through reading Eugene Genovese's Roll, Jordan, Roll and examining most of the aspects of slave life, slavery still remains a mystery in the personal sense. Solomon Northup's Twelve Years a Slave, in addition to being one of Genovese's own resources, fills this void with its brutally honest personal story of a slave's life. Northup's account enlightens and strengthens Genovese's arguments, specifically those concerning labor, the master-slave relationship, and rebellion, by putting global descriptions in a personal perspective. One of the main advantages of 12 Years a Slave is that Northup is a slave himself, and in that respect does not have to be an apologist for slavery and slaveholders. It is not that Genovese himself is an apologist, but as a modern Caucasian, he must approach the subject of casting any light that might be perceived as positive on slaveholders with trepidation. Although Genovese does his best to present a fair and accurate depiction of slavery, he cannot know the slaves' perceptions of their masters. It is really in this respect that Northup's account is so useful. By portraying slaveholders as people with human faults and sensibilities, he shows how the institution affects everyone involved. Slaveholders can still be good people, and that goodness shines through the peculiar institution. This is a vital piece of the story of slavery that Genovese cannot put in his comprehensive history. Northup's words must be left to stand alone, and draw specifics against a general background. The details of working cotton and sugar cane differ little from Genovese to Northup. Genovese puts the slave gang working grueling hours with specific daily goals, and Northup backs this up with his description. "The hands are required to be in the cotton fields as soon as it is light ... and ... they often times labor till the middle of the night."1 This is a prime example of how Northup is able to lend his personal experience to Genovese's general description of slavery. Northup tells us that even after such long hours, the slaves are still extremely afraid, because the master demands a certain amount of cotton from each slave. Merely meeting that goal is not be enough; if a slave exceeds it, then the expectations for that slave's ability would be raised.

Robert James, My Friend :: Personal Narrative Writing

Robert James, My Friend Robert James was missing his two front teeth. Robert James smelled really bad. Robert James came to school with chicken pox. Robert James did not have any friends. Robert James taught me things I could not believe. Robert James was my friend. I first met Robert when I was in eighth grade. We sat next to each other on the first day of Mrs. Miller's algebra class. He smelled really bad that day, by the looks of it he had not showered in a few weeks. Initially I was quite appalled by this odor, and this gave me a bad first impression of him. Robert was always nice to me though. Robert was not a very popular kid. He would have been placed in the "skanks" group, the group of kids who did not shower and came from lower income families. He moved to Goshen the summer before his eighth grade year, and he did not know anyone. He was made fun of on a daily basis, not only by the "preps," but by the "skanks" as well. It did not seem as if Robert had much going for him in his life. I was a very timid child in middle school. I had friends and people to associate with, but I was not very out going or overly talkative. I had a hard time talking to people I didn't know, and people like Robert intimidated me. This is why when I was assigned to be his math partner I was quite scared. In the first week of school Mrs. Miller assigned everyone in the class a math partner, someone who we would spend the semester working on in-class assignments. When I found out that I would be working with Robert all semester I did not know what to think. I was not particularly skilled in algebra, and I assumed that Robert would not be smart either. This was the first thing way that Robert proved me wrong. I think that Robert knew that I was scared of him. The first time we had to work together, he was overwhelmingly nice to me. He asked me all kinds of questions about myself, and helped me to relax. I nearly forgot who I was talking with, and opened up to him. Robert James, My Friend :: Personal Narrative Writing Robert James, My Friend Robert James was missing his two front teeth. Robert James smelled really bad. Robert James came to school with chicken pox. Robert James did not have any friends. Robert James taught me things I could not believe. Robert James was my friend. I first met Robert when I was in eighth grade. We sat next to each other on the first day of Mrs. Miller's algebra class. He smelled really bad that day, by the looks of it he had not showered in a few weeks. Initially I was quite appalled by this odor, and this gave me a bad first impression of him. Robert was always nice to me though. Robert was not a very popular kid. He would have been placed in the "skanks" group, the group of kids who did not shower and came from lower income families. He moved to Goshen the summer before his eighth grade year, and he did not know anyone. He was made fun of on a daily basis, not only by the "preps," but by the "skanks" as well. It did not seem as if Robert had much going for him in his life. I was a very timid child in middle school. I had friends and people to associate with, but I was not very out going or overly talkative. I had a hard time talking to people I didn't know, and people like Robert intimidated me. This is why when I was assigned to be his math partner I was quite scared. In the first week of school Mrs. Miller assigned everyone in the class a math partner, someone who we would spend the semester working on in-class assignments. When I found out that I would be working with Robert all semester I did not know what to think. I was not particularly skilled in algebra, and I assumed that Robert would not be smart either. This was the first thing way that Robert proved me wrong. I think that Robert knew that I was scared of him. The first time we had to work together, he was overwhelmingly nice to me. He asked me all kinds of questions about myself, and helped me to relax. I nearly forgot who I was talking with, and opened up to him.

Communication system Essay

Use and develop systems that promote communication 1. Be able to address the range of communication requirement in own role 1. 1 Review the range of groups and individuals whose communication needs must be addressed in own job role. Working within Surestart I work with many groups and individuals whose communication needs must be addressed which include 16 staff members, services users to date we have 1700 families registered with Surestart. We would have a lot of communication with Health visitors regarding referrals that they have sent in and also follow up telephone calls if there is any concerns with the family. I would also have contact with social services and be asked to attend case review meetings. I would also be expected to communicate with other agencies to refer our service users on the appropriate agencies for example other children centres, counsellors, women’s Aid and Hidden Harm Social worker, 1. 2 Explain how to support effective communication within own job role Effective communication and interaction play a very important role in the work of everybody that works within Surestart. I feel that how I support effective communication is by setting a good example to staff. With communication been so important for the day to day running of the centre, each staff member would be asked to write in the diary in the main office so people can know where they are (this is for the save guarding of staff if they are out of the office, lone worker policy) There is also a white board in the main office so when staff are in programmes other staff are aware of this and that the parents/baby room are booked. I would also support communication by attending staff meeting ever second week and staff are told that they must attend once a month. There is also an open door policy as sometimes there is information that staff do not want to share in a team meeting as there maybe difficulties within the team and they would like to share information on a one to one basic. 1. 3 Analyse the barriers and challenges to communication within own job role The barriers and challenges that I would face is staff working part time, staff out doing programme and also may be difficult feeling between staff members. The other barriers and challenges that I would face is staff do not take on board what you are saying to them as they feel they are right so they do not even listen to what you are trying to explain. Some people may pick you up wrong on the information you are trying to get across. 1. 4 Implement a strategy to overcome communication barriers Make sure I speak very clear, focus on what information I would like them to take on board. Supervision on a monthly basis, open door policy if anyone has a problem they can talk about it. Staff can ring and send emails at any time. The childcare supervisor meets with the childcare team every morning to make sure that all creches have enough staff and if they have any concerns regarding the children. There is also a referral meeting once a week where we discuss the referral that health visitor/social workers have send in and also to discuss and concerns we would have regarding the parents. I also send rely slips to social worker / health visitor to let them know if a home visit has been completed or if we have been unable to contact the family. Use different means of communication to meet different needs I am aware that each staff member has different learning styles, some staff like sharing information in a group and other staff like to share information in a one to one. It is also very important for me to take this on board as I do not want any member of the team feeling frustrated and ineffective. I want staff to be able to trust me and let them see that I value the work that they do. The different means of communication I use to meet different needs are. Emails are a very effective means of communication as each staff members gets the information at the same time and not second hand. Emails can be sent at any time and also printed out to file or record information that has been sent or received. Team meeting again are a very good as all staff are getting the same information and this is a nice way for other staff to meet and let everyone else know how things are going and if anyone is finding a family or child difficult then there is the support of the whole team for ideas of how to handle a situation. If anyone cannot make it then the team minutes are there to read. Telephone if I am not in the office I can still be reached on my mobile if anyone needs anything. Health visitor/Social worker would also contact me by telephone if they needed an update on a family. Staff diary in the main office this lets staff members know who is in which room and if anyone is on leave or sick or if someone has an appointment. Sign in and out sheet beside the exit door this is for safety reasons as if there was a fire in the building then I would know who is in and out Reply slips are back to the health visitors/social worker as an update for the referral they have send in. Letters to parents this is to invite them along to programmes/events. Thought-out the year I would facilitate information mornings for breastfeeding support, weaning work shop and feeding for under 5’s this would be to share information to welcome new service users to the Surestart. Face to face, my office is open to all staff at any time if they need to talk about anything. CU2941 Use and develop systems that promote communication 2. Be able to improve communication systems and practise support positive outcomes for individuals 2. Monitor the effectiveness of communication systems and practices. The diary in the front office if very effective for staff on home visit as we know where there are for their safety (lone worker policy). white board in the main office is very effective as this is where all staff write down their programmes so if there is any phone calls for staff the secretary knows if they are in the office or in programmes. Emails can be sent at any time and it means that the same information is been told to the staff at the same time and it is also the staffs responsible to pick up their emails. The childcare supervisor meets with the childcare staff each morning I feel that this is very effective as this is in place to make sure that all rooms are covered with their ratio, and most importantly that the needs of the children are met and if there is any problem in any of the setting it can be addressed as needed and that staff do not have to wait 2 weeks for a team meeting to discuss. One to one communication i. e. Supervision and APR, I feel that this is very important within a setting. N-Drive – this is where documents can be saved and all staff can access it. In our office we have a policy of hot desking so documents can accessed at any computer. This is also for Surestart forms and newsletters so all staff can print them out as needed. Reply slips to health visitors/social worker/other agencies – this is where I reply to any referral letter that the project receives, I would reply to the other agencies if this family had received a home visit and services offered, if I was unable to contact the family for different reasons or if the family did not want to avail of Surestart services. Phone – if I cannot be reached at any time then a message can be left for me to return there call. 2. 2 Evaluate the effectiveness of existing communication systems and practice Evaluating the effectiveness of existing communication systems and practice I am going to start with the ones I feels are the most effective. One to One Communication – I feel that this works very well within a team as some staff members do not like to speak in front of other and feel that their ideas might not be good enough. I also feel that face to face communication is very effective as some people can pick up a message wrong and take the wrong tone with an email. Supervision – this is there for staff to talk confidently with their manger I feel that this is very effective means of communication for the manger to tell how well things are going for that member of staff and for the staff member to say how they really feel about how things are going. ( I also feel that you have to have a good relationship with your staff for this to work, you have to be relaxed and friendly and staff members also have to trust you). Supervision is also very effective as this give staff clear boundaries of what is expected of them for the month a head and also make sure they are on target to achieve the targets in their APR. Team meetings – I also think this is effective as this can let everybody know how programmes are going if there is any follows to do with families in any of the programmes. If anyone is having any difficulties if any of the programmes is nice to get other ideas how to deal with it. It is also there for sharing information for the Surestart board and action for children. To let staff know what training is coming up. ARP- I have been working in a Surestart setting for the last 11 years, I feel that this is the first year I have felt that an APR has been effective like the rest of communication systems if it is not done right then it will not be effective. APR is there to set goal and targets for the year ahead, I feel this is very important for staff as they know what is expected of them for the year ahead and then this is monitored at each supervision to make sure that staff in on track with their targets. Childcare meeting every morning – I feel that this is very effective as each member of the childcare team no where they are each day and who is covering in each setting and also if any member of the childcare team is concerned about a child this is discussed each morning. Emails- I feel has pro and con. It is very effective in a way that emails can be sent at any time and is very good for all staff to receive the information at the same time. I also feels that staff can pick the tone of emails up wrong and some information is best said face to face. Reply letter to health visitors/social workers/other agencies – I feel that this is a very effective The diary in the front office – This is effective if everyone plays there part in filling it in. If someone is on training or off on A/L and forgets to fill it in then it is very hard for other staff to know where they are. N-Drive – This is effective as all the Surestart form and standard letters are on it as well as newsletters. It is also that as this is used while hot desking it means that the documents that are placed on this drive can be accessed by the whole team so if I was saving any confidential information I would also password protect it. Phone – I do feel that this is effective as if I am not available by phone or mobile then a message can also be left. 2. 3 Propose improvements to communication systems and practices to address any short comings I feel that communication can always be improved as we are only human and staff do forget to pass on messages, response to emails, and even fill in the diary in the main office. I have proposed that each desk has message pad so that all messages have to written down. I have proposed that the main diary is to be brought to the team meeting so that if anyone has any leave booked, any visits arranged or training then this can go into the diary. I would also remind everybody at team meeting about remembering to fill in the diary I have also propose that the reply slips to the health visitors/social workers be changed as I feel it could be improved. 2. 4 Lead the implementation of revised communication system and practices CU 2941 Use and develop systems that promote communication 3. Be able to improve communication systems to promote partnership working 3. 1 Use communication systems to promote partnership working The systems that we use to promote partnership working is: One to one communications – I meet with the health visitor for breastfeeding once a week. Also any of the health visitors are welcome to call in at any time. Some health visitors like to bring parents that are hard to engage into the centre to meet me to show them around the building and meet the staff. I would also have contact face to face with our families on a daily basis through programmes and also registrations. Phone call – health visitors/social services and other agencies would phone for update and regarding case review meetings. Families would also phone on a daily basis if they needed help with anything or information. Post – we post letters to the agencies if we are unable to reach the families or if they no longer wish to be involved with the service. I would also post letters and newsletter to families. Emails – some agencies like to send email as it is a faster way for them and this is ok with me as long as it is recorded. Referral reply – this is a letter drawing and signed by Surestart parents that we have permission to send it back to the health visitors to say we have been in contact and the Surestart services have been offered. Information events – this is different events for Surestart to promote their services 3. 2 Compare the effectiveness of different communications systems for partnership working I feel within waterside Surestart the systems we use are very effective. One to one communication I feel is very effective as this can reassure service users and colleagues and also outside agencies, you can focus on the goal. I can be supportive and positive to all that need it. I can also assess the services users’ needs and provide them with the support needed and I also feel that this builds trust and relationships. Phone call – I feel that this is a very effective way of communicating as some health visitor/social worker/other agencies need an update ASAP as they may be on their way to a review meeting. All if a member of staff is not on the office this is a good way of communicating. As my role as family support worker I be in contact with families every day on the phone, may it be they have a question or I am inviting the families to programmes or arranging home visits. Emails – This is a very effective way that I communicate in Surestart, supervision notes to be sent 3 says before supervision, team meeting are to be sent and read before the meeting. Agencies are able to send emails / newsletters Referral Response – I feel that this is a very effective way that Surestart communicate. This is send to health visitors/social workers who send in a referral this is to show the agencies that we have made contact with that family or that we have tried to contact the family and after 4 weeks we are unable to reach them. Information events – I feel that this is not really effective as we work on catchment areas and this is very hard to have an event in a general area, it has to be within the area, as we do not like to turn people away that may be interested in the service, as when agencies send in referrals they have a list of streets that is inside the catchment area and only if there is a need then they can be outside the area. Propose to improvements to communications systems for partnership working I do believe that communication within waterside Surestart has got a lot better in the last year, I feel that this has a great deal to do with our new manager, she has gained the trust and respect of the staff and in return it is a pleasure to work with. I feel that I have a great leader to follow and learn a great deal from. The only improvement that could be made is that a leaflet could be drawn up for families that are outside the catchment area so that they leave with something rather than going away with no information (this is in the process on being done). I am also assisting the upgrade of the referral response form so that families sign this form so that we have permission to hold their information and that we are allow to send the form back to the referrer. CU2941 Use and develop systems that promote communications 4. Be able to use systems for effective information management 4. 1 Explain legal and ethical tensions between maintaining confidentiality and sharing information Working with in a Surestart setting for the last 11 years, I know that confidentiality is very important. It’s important for agencies and services users to build a trusting relationship with me. I am very honest with the people I work with, when I am completing a registration form with parents I do tell them that their details will stay in a locked filing cabinet for 7 years, that there information is stored on a database password protected until there child/ren turn 4. I also let the parents know that under the data protection act they are able to see their file at any time. Parents also sign a form that we are able to share information with the health visitor and other agencies involved if we have any concerns regarding the child or parents. When I have taking programmes with parents I also start with group rules. Confidentiality always comes up, I always tell parents that whatever is discussed at the group I do not take it outside of the group, I can only speak for myself but that I would hope that everyone would stand by this too. I also always make it very clear to parents that if anything is discussed or disclosed any information regarding harm or danger or abuse to a child/ren then I will past this information on to my manger and the appropriate authorises. I feel that if I am honest with all the people that I work with then I do believe that you build up a trust and that by law I have to report and record all that is disclosed to me, although I did have a parent in the past that did not understand this, they felt that I was just reporting them to social services and she believed that social services where there to take her child away. This lady did not return to Surestart as what she disclosed I had to discuss with my manger. Analyse the essential features of information sharing agreements within and between organisations Under the data protection act 1998, the purpose of the act is to protect the rights and privacy of individuals and to ensure that data about them are not processed without their knowledge and are processed with their consent whenever possible, this act covers personal data held in electronic formats, manual data and relevant filing systems. Surestart has devised a form that has recently been updated by my colleagues and myself, this form is where we get service users to sign that they agree Surestart is able to keep their details in a secure place for up to seven years, and that if we had any concerns regarding the child that we would contact the appropriate service also that if there is a social worker involved that we are able to update them on any programmes they attend for case review meetings. Health visitors would send in referral form with parent’s consent, what happens is we then phone that family and do a home visit and in that visit we fill out the Surestart forms with the families details on it, the consent for is then signed and sent back to the health visitor to say we have completed a visit this is what programmes they would like to attend, I would also send back a form to the heath visitor if that family did not wish to avail of Surestart services or that I could not reach them. These forms are kept with the registration and filed in a locked cabinet. When I am facilitating a programme within Surestart I always do group rules, parents can put what they like on it, confidentially always comes up, I just remind parents that what happens in the group will stay in the group with me, but I can only speak for myself and not the rest of the group and I do tell them that It would not be nice to hear anyone talking bad about another parent. I do inform the parents that if there anything disclosed within the group that has caused abuse of harm to a child them I am bound by action for children policies and procedures and under the children order act 1995 to past this information on to my manger and the appropriate services, I do tell the parents that I would discuss this with them before I reported what I have heard. Demonstrate use of information management systems that meet legal and ethical requirement Under the data protection act 1998 Surestart need permission to hold data on the families that I work with, how this is done  is that all parents have to sign the registration form and also the consent for their details to be stored according to action for children policies and procedures, which is that their details are stored for up to seven years, in a locked filing cabinet and up to four years on the Surestart database. Under the children’s order 1995 I am bound to report anything that I have heard or seen that my or has caused harm to a child. This would also be discussed with the parent/s what information I would be passing on to my manger. This also gives the parent an opportunity to explain. The information my lead to a referral been made to social services.