Michel et Augustin Essay

In 1978, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield launched Ben & Jerry’s, an ice-cream brand made from milk products and 100% natural ingredients. Two young students, Augustin Paluel-Marmont and Michel de Rovira have decided to take example from this mythical brand (as well as Innocent), and launch their own brand of biscuits: Michel et Augustin! The story of their brand building is truly a successful adventure, which gives by the way a whole meaning and a huge capital of sympathy to their brands, what the two friends are far from hiding, on the contrary†¦ They wanted to recreate the delicious biscuits of their â€Å"grandma† by gathering all the best and natural ingredients. But their positioning is not only about tradition and nostalgia, on the contrary. Admittedly, they use souvenirs as Proust and its famous Madeleines to hit their target – the 18-25 years old living in city – but want to go beyond tradition. Indeed they claim a return of quality, but in a modern, original and more often crazy way! Values & Identity: a new way of defining itself => put joy of life and fun at base corporate value Michel et Augustin have created a new way of claiming values, which contributes totally to their original brand identity, which could seem not really serious at first sight. The brand value corresponds fundamentally to both friends’ values. And no need to try to understand them, if you do not know the story of these two young entrepreneurs. Michel was consultant in strategy and Augustin was in Air France Marketing. The both young men were on tracks to build a great career. But they decided to drop everything to make their dreams come true, to live their own passion! Indeed, they did not recognize themselves in the traditional corporate value. They wanted something more, something different, whit less constraints and more joy of life! Then, they launched in 2004 their own brand of biscuits and milk products, surrounded by those unconventional values, converging to one motto, one mutual dream: â€Å"Make the world smile†. And those values, incarnated in the good mood are far from being only a marketing communication. Beyond their headquarter which is called â€Å"the Bananeraie†, their slogan â€Å"Les trublions du bon gout† and their â€Å"crazy† and unexpected packaging, the atmosphere of the firm is truly defined by this central value. Both co-directors claim the same value, as simplicity, enjoy life, solidarity, sense of the effort, in their communication than in the place of work. Thus, the 31 workers of the â€Å"Bananeraie† form the â€Å"tribu†, Michel is the â€Å"calife†, Augustin â€Å"the Vizir†, and Nicolas, the accounting manager, the â€Å"conteur de bonnes nouvelles†. Good news is announced by ringing the bell in the office†¦ In short, Michel et Augstin advocates new values, based on sincerity and fun, which are totally conveyed within their management. Their website conveys as well their will of differentiation. As example (below), they denounce on their website the usual cliche on food product benefits. Instead of giving these controversial and usual reasons to like their products, they put forward the simplest and most basic reason to like them: because they are good and fun! And all this convivial values are aimed to one objective: build a deep and true relationship with their customer. Make the world smile† is then far easier when the values are supported by the brand and the employees themselves! Events, website and packaging become next the ambassadors of those values among the customers! One question remains, is it possible to claim fun, in communication as well as in workplace while being serious in his job? Indeed, as they are facing an increasing growth, with all responsibilities and issues coming by, it will be more and more complicated to keep such a spirit of work†¦ Packaging => An instrumental way to convey their values They do not play the cart of nostalgia, on the contrary! The brand wants to build a great complicity with its customers, in a fun and simple way, without any hypocrisy. Then, the name â€Å"Michel et Augustin† and the logo (drawn in a caricature style) are made to convey an enthusiastic impression, far away from usual institutional statements. Thus, for more interactivity, they go until giving their email addresses and their phone number on the back pack of products! We can then say, without exaggerating, that the four criteria of a good packaging are fulfilled. Indeed, their packaging is fully: Attractive thanks to its strong originality (story of the brand told in a fun way on the back pack, attractive colors which are well standing out in shelf – with the violet for example – ) * Functional, really easy to open, does not take too much place * Easy to produce and inexpensive * Coherent with the brand value (cf. the phone number, best example of the brand humor and the will of nearness with its customers) Communication => a â€Å"street† Marketing aligned with their spirit The art of the â€Å"story telling† they stress so much is obviously one of their priorities in their marketing strategy. Although this brand counts from now one among strong and solid alimentary firms, it can really not compete with Danone or Nestle from a communication budget point of view. Indeed, it is not possible for this launching brand to dispense large amoung in TV advertising, or huge communication campaign. It has to be clever about it, and find creative and cheap way to become famous. And Michel et Augustin has precisely found the right way to do so, by cultivating this story telling art, mixed with their crazy and bluffing behavior. The both creators acknowledge that their product packaging is their best weapon to reach and target the customers. Yet, they did succeed to create the buzz with unexpected events. For example, they benefited from the huge media retransmission for the â€Å"Entrepreneurs Salon† by putting their yoghourt bottle at the Bill Gates‘ table. Thanks to its initiative, they were exposed in front of the â€Å"whole† world, as the bottle with the cow was filmed with Gates drinking it! Best inexpensive advertising ever!

Mat Rempit

Illegal street racers, or in the well known names, Mat Rempit, is a serious issue that knock our country right now. Known for their kamikaze skills on the road, causing chaos in society, their unmannered attitude and the current is murdering people. Statistics shows that this group causes too many crime and problems. With their enormous amount, they felt like the road is belongs to them and nobody have any rights to punish them. This is why almost everyday we heard and see their actions and news on the media. Their popularity is equal to Mawi and Datuk Siti Nurhaliza until then, the film maker had decided to make film about them.So, as a Malaysian, what is our role in solving this issue? Do we need to blame themselves for all this or it is us who let this things happen? Let us see why this Mat Rempit issues happens and how we should solve it together. As we can see, almost all of Mat Rempit is in the youth group. We should realize that in this stage, their thinking, attitude and acti on were influenced by their peers. They used to follow their friends rather than their own parents and teachers advice. This peer influence is very strong and sometimes dangerous if they follow the wrong path for example the illegal racing. Related article: Causes of Snatch TheftThis is why the amount of Mat Rempit is increasing from time to time. Furthermore, the desire to try something new and challenging is one of the factors that lured them into the illegal racing. They felt that it is very admirable and outstanding if they can win the race or do suicide skills such as riding in the high speed or get away from the police road blocks. They love to break the laws since they think that it is just an amusement for them. So, how we want to solve this problem? How we want to settle down this issue that has been caused many problems to us?The government, politicians and police have done many things to settle this, but it seems like there are no stopping point for the Mat Rempit. We should give a compliment to Pemuda UMNO for their effort to convert this Mat Rempit to â€Å"Mat Cemerlang† by giving them an opportunity to change and UMNO membership. Although this step is like a politics campaign, we should bear in min d that maybe one day they will realize that there are people who concern about them and hoping they will change. Next, schools play an important role in order to solve this problem.I’m not saying parents since I know that some parents didn’t know their son’s attitude very much compared to the teachers and their friends. This is because in school, they used to be with their friends and we can determine their attitude very well by observing with whom they are making friends. Schools should collaborate with the police to identify which students involved in illegal racing and punish them by sending them to the counselor or in the serious case, dismiss them from school. This is very important in order to prevent this student to influence the other students to join him.Although this approach is too drastic and cruel, we should consider that the youth is tending to be influenced by their friends. Furthermore, in my opinion, the National Service Training Program or PLKN should include a module that thought the trainee to avoid and aware the illegal racing. They should be exposed to the danger of illegal race, the punishment that will wait them if involved and how to enjoy their life in the best ways. By implementing this approach, at least, the trainee can think wisely and preventing them to become one of the Mat Rempit candidates.As a conclusion, what I can say is, action speaks louder than words. It is useless if we just babbling around and blaming them for all this problems although some of them caused some serious case. We should cooperate with government, politicians and NGOs to track back how this thing happen and find a solution to solve it. The Mat Rempit should be thankful for the government and society for not treating them like the snatch thief and the homosexual group although they have cause many problems. The government and society still can accept them as long as they want to change.We can see many campaign and approach for them rig ht now. After all, this group is our country’s apprentice that will lead us in the future. If they are still like now and we are just blaming them, the one who are needed to blame is just our self. One of Mat Rempit's favourite ‘Aerodynamic Pose' a. k. a. ‘Superman' seen on the streets of Malaysia. A Mat Rempit is a Malaysian term for ‘an individual who participates in illegal street racing', usually involving underbone motorcycles (colloquially known as Kapcai) orscooters.Not all Mat Rempits are involved in street racing; some of them perform crazy stunts for fun, such as the wheelie, superman (lying flat on the seat), wikang, and scorpion (standing on the seat with one leg during a wheelie). Mat Rempits usually travel in groups and race in bustling city centres on weekend nights. In recent times, Mat Rempits have been linked to gangsterism, gang robbery[1][2], street fighting, assault[3], vandalism, theft and bullying. Most motorcycles used by the Mat Remp its do not meet standard specifications, or have been modified extensively for greater speed, or just to make the exhaust noisier.Additionally, some Mat Rempits do not have valid motorcycle licenses, do not pay road taxes, and ride stolen motorcycles[4][5]. A growing number of housing estates have also been turned into racing tracks[6]. It is estimated that there are about 200,000 Mat Rempits in Malaysia[7]. In some other countries, the term Mat Rempit is also u Etymology The word ‘Rempit' came from the combination of ramp it (ramp the throttle). The definition of ‘Rempit' in Kamus Dewan[2] is menyebat dengan rotan in malay or whipping with cane.An alternative source of the word, ‘Rempit', is derived from the noise made by a 2-stroke motorcycle. ‘Mat' is a malay slang term to call or to refer to a person who usually is of Malay descent but usually used derogatorily. sed, but more to refer to one as a motorcycle lover or rider (Mat Motor), as opposed to an ill egal motorcycle racer. Sometime the terms of Mat Rempit misused to refer any individual who rides an underbone motorcycle. Related to this is the Mat Konvoi, which claim to be the non-racing version of Mat Rempit.

Alternative management accounting (AMAR)

Alternative management accounting (AMAR) In this paper, the emergence of alternative management accounting (AMAR) will be discussed followed by the contributions it has brought to the field of knowledge. After which, reasons why alternative management accounting research s tools and techniques has not successfully displaced the use of traditional accounting research s and techniques in organizations will be discussed. The importance of addressing this issue is to justify if this alternative direction is right within management accounting academia, and whether it should be continued. The emergence of alternative management accounting research occurred in the late 1980s partly due to the shortfalls of the traditional management accounting approaches. Traditional management accounting research (TMAR) is objectivist-orientated, with a focus upon unifying characteristics. These assumptions have limitations and hence are unable to provide broader insights into the nature of management accounting. TMAR makes no distinctions between the perspective of the organization and its managers (Puxty, 1993). In general, this approach encouraged a financial accounting mentality and also encouraged a focus on external financial reporting requirements (Johnson Kaplan, 1987). It was widely believed that all management accounting research existed to inform rational decisions to achieve organizational goals which essentially refers to achieving shareholder wealth maximisation. TMAR also has an implied assumption that the manager is isolated from other decision makers when making decisions (Scapens, 1991). Group decision makings were either ignored or considered to be non-existent in TMAR. Traditional approaches are problem motivated and are aimed towards bettering and refining tools and techniques to inform rational decisions in order to achieve given organizational goals (Covaleski, Dirsmith Samuel, 1996). As a result, it provides narrow insights as focus was not brought into the broad er social, political and economic settings (Macintosh, 1985). Traditional management accounting thoughts was greatly influence by neoclassical economic analysis (Scapens, 1994). According to Otley (1984), though management accounting centres on the provision of information, the core theoretical approach derives from economics in which the rational model dominates. The utilization of power, group considerations, choices and purposes are disregarded or excluded from neoclassical analysis. Such factors are assumed to minimally impact individuals (Spechler, 1990).Individuals live and interact within society, but are not altered or affected by these social interactions (Ulman, 1998). Neoclassical economics has no intention to explain behaviours if managers within the organization (Scapens, 1994) and hence cannot adequately study social phenomena since it does not consider the political, social and organizational factors that affect individuals. Ryan and Scapens (2002) state that management accounting research based upon positivist theories; may be useful for predicting general trends, but they will not be helpful in explaining individual behaviour; nor are they likely to be useful as guides to individual managers or firms about their own economic behaviour . Traditional management accounting researches offers a narrow insight to the world, which limits individuals abilities to create and analyze interesting propositions and develop meaningful stories about MA in its social, organizational and behavioural contexts (Hopper, Storey Willmott, 1987). Rational designs also limit one s abilities to develop critical positions and impends the ability of MA research community to carry out significant scientific conversation and achieve progress. The limitedness recognised in the rational designs approach of traditional management accounting has ignited the interest of a core group of alternative management accounting researchers from Europe who had strong sense and beliefs that management accounting was much more beyond the very simplistic positivist technical view. They believed that there was a lot of new and important insights that AMAR could bring to the field of knowledge and began to emphasise the need to study management accounting in the contemporary world from a broader political, cultural and social perspective (Baxter Chua, 2003). Critique of Means-Ends reasoning Traditional MA tools and techniques are developed from rational design theories (Hewege, 2012) but it was never questioned if the tools and techniques are practical or useful for the organization. They might be unintended and unrelated to achieving unclear organizational goals. Even when organizational goals are not achieved, managers choose to learn from the failures and improve on the tools and techniques used. Therefore AMAR promotes rethinking and restructuring traditional practices. The organization should question if better finances automatically denote benefits for the company and consider if the reputation or social responsibilities might have greater impacts on a companies long-term growth. Critique of the real Information can be easily manipulated which means that information presented might not portray an objective view. Hence, the importance of MA tools and techniques are subject to the reader s interpretation due to differing reactions that people have towards the information they have. Every organization is different which means tried-and-tested concepts is not adequate to capture the performance of the whole organization. It is crucial for managers to accept the fact that there is no one ideal solution. Mouritsen s study (1999) suggests that due to the current technological advancements, non-human actant can be relied on to aid in the interpretation of information. Management accountants can have more time to focus on other important things such as improving the performance of the company from social, or cultural aspects. Critique of accounting s impotence The apolitical imagery of TMAR is challenged by AMAR. AMAR enables us to understand the ability of management accounting practices to achieve or bring about a certain result. Baxter and Chua draws an example of this from the politicised budgetary process of a Swedish local government (Jonsson, 1982). Although technologies such as budgeting systems were thought to be useful in influencing important decisions, it might in fact be detrimental for the organization if they are invented for use by the personally motivated. They may mobilise political power to set policies and rules and as a result, influence management accounting practices which might not contribute to achieving organizational goals. AMAR states that it is these technologies that contribute to the overt clashes of interests in organizations and society, and the oppression of others (Chua, 1995). Critique of accounting change The rational designs approach provides sparse empirical evidence that an enlightened, well-engineered and progressive path characterises the development of management accounting technologies (Baxter Chua, 2003). Some researchers demonstrated the roadblocks that particular organizations faced in attaining a fit between management accounting control systems and appropriately modifying environments contexts when using the rational design approach (Ezzamel Bourn, 1990). AMAR has increased understanding of accounting change by conveying distinct insights. For example, attributing changing of sociocultural, political and economic conditions to a plethora of changes within MAP in the 20th Century including the emergence of value-added accounting (Burchell, Clubb Hopwood, 1985). AMAR recognises that accounting changes are not predictable, not controllable, exclusively technical or well-behaved. Memorably, many of these perspective would not be covered in the mainstream approach. Critique of bodiless forms of MA practice. Baxter Chua (2003), discussed the ways in which management accounting is both inhibited and assisted by the inherent attitudes of its proponents. This alternative research highlighted the importance of interactions between the management and the organizational participants. Management accounting is not just about the techniques that inform, maximise, and optimise decisions- it also focuses on the people who uses them, and who continually interact to understand their needs and habits. For example, emphasising the need to motivate companies employees. This is supported by Preston s (1986) research, which set an anchor between an organization s processes and an individuals involvement within them. So what practical contributions has AMAR made? Alternative management accounting researchers have been challenged to face important contemporary topics which includes but not limited to globalisation, hybridity and the network society (Baxter Chua, 2003). Globalisation brings about high exposure of information, increasing trade and competition. And in these contexts, it is not enough for companies to remain competitive just by using financial measure. As testified to by Kaplan and Norton, who stated that financial measures tell stories of historical events, which are appropriate for industrial age companies whereby customer relationships and long term investment capabilities were not critical for success. However, these financial measures are inadequate for guiding and evaluating the journey that information age companies must make to create future value through investment in customers, suppliers, employees, processes, technology, and innovation.† Globalisation causes the global dissemination of technology, popular culture, workers, financial capital, knowledge, and goods and services. Though globalisation uproots MA practices from their context and diffuses it to other remote locations, knowledge of how technologies travel and the issues that result from it are very limited (Vaivio, 2008). AMAR sees management accounting as a set of practices implicated within complex processes of societal and organizational interpenetration which requires implementation of expert systems that interconnects time and spaces. AMAR has helped developed tools and techniques like Economic Value Added (EVA) and the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) to help companies gain competitive advantage in this environment. The balanced scorecard is a tactical planning and management system that is used in business and industry, government, and non-profit organizations worldwide. The purpose of the BSC is to improve internal and external communications, align business activities to the stratagem and vision of the organization, and monitor organization performance against planned goals. It is a performance measurement framework that considers both strategic non-financial performance measures and financial metrics to give managers a more holistic view of the performance of the organization (Kaplan Norton, 1996). Hybridity suggests the examination of the functioning of management accounting in conditions with both traditional and new elements such as the local and the global, private and public. For example, the university in which Baxter and Chua worked in an educational institution that was widely viewed to be a public institution. However, reducing government funds and increasing fee paying students dominated the budget of the faculty. Hence the university is in a way, no longer considered to be a public institution but is not a private one either. This creates contradictions, but accounting inscriptions are central to the ongoing function of this hybridity by conveying economic differences between public and private entities and traversing this differences to enable the university to function. AMAR contribute insights to the hybrid roles of management accountants. Instead of their traditional score keeping controller role, their new accounting role is focused on consulting and helping the organizational participants implement and adapt to the new accounting change. This is supported in Pharmaceutical, which is a UK Based manufacturing branch of an international pharmaceutical product producer, where hybrid accountants assist day managers with day to day decisions as well as advising performance measurement product stream leaders on strategic issues (Hopper, Northcott Scapens, 2007). A change in the image of accountants was observed by looking at how they were portrayed in software advertisements. It was seen that the image of accountants has changed from being dependable and logical to a more self-indulgent person from the 1970s to the 1990s (Baldvinsdottir, Burns, Noreklit Scapens, 2009).This reflects changes in wider social practice from a modern way of thinking to a h yper modern way of thinking. Finally, it has been suggested by Baxter and Chua (2003) that we are living in the network society. This basically meant a digitized, technologically advanced surveillance society, where management accounting can cause any type of action to become visible. Through qualitative analysis, we can ask whether management accounting is taken on-board in the creation of a super panopticon, an open space where personal privacy is exposed (Baxter and Chua, 2003). Latourian researchers are known to be the most suitable out of the other approaches to take on such modern-day alternative research, in view of the close attention this point of view lends to the interaction between networks of individuals and non-human objects, such as computers (Baxter Chua, 2003). AMAR has brought insights to show how management accountants have been influenced by external factors. It was identified in a study that social advertisement has encouraged management accountants to hand over control to systems which are able to do everything while the accountants themselves should follow instructions (Baldvinsdottir, Burns, NÃÆ' ¸rreklit Scapens, 2010). AMAR has also contributed to the growth of new management accounting techniques including technology road mapping to help organization fit in the new technological advanced environment. Technology roadmapping is a flexible technique prevalent within industries to balance long-term strategic issues alongside short-term financial performance. The approach provides an organized way to explore and communicate relationships between evolving and developing markets, products and technologies over time. It is suggested that the roadmapping technique can boost companies chances in stormy environments by providing them a focus during environment scans, and a means of tracking the performance of individual, including potentially counterproductive, technologies (Phaal, Farrukh Probert, 2004). Whilst Miller and O Leary recorded widespread use of technology roadmaps in their case study of Intel corporation, its use in capital decision making practice is still in its infancy. Also, despite its recognised potential for supporting strategic investment decision-making, this strategic analysis tool has yet to make its way into mainstream capital investment academic materials. (Hopper, Northcott Scapens, 2007) Despite the advances of knowledge through AMAR over the last 30 years, AMAR has not completely displaced the traditional approaches. Organizations outside Europe still uses the traditional approaches to determine the performance of the company. This is because changes are often time-consuming and expensive, considerably impacting an organization s overall success. Another reason on why organizations refuse to change is due to a form of mimetic isomorphism (Baxter Chua, 2003). This is with a mind-set that since other organizations are still going on well using the traditional, rational approaches, so must we. Also, according to the theory of structural inertia, organizations are hesitant towards change because they are reluctant to take unnecessary risk. They prefer replicable behaviours as constancy is rewarded. Change not only disrupts current business but also can lead to disaster. As a result, organizations continue with past procedures, even when it seems irrational to do so (Hansen, 2012). Though TMAR have their own limitations, they should not be replaced by AMAR. A blend of usage of tools and techniques developed from the two areas of research should be considered by organizations. For example, using TMAR techniques to influence financial measures and using AMAR techniques to focus on non-financial measures which help organizations grow substantially and maintain sustainability in both short-term and long-term aspects. In conclusion, AMAR emerged mainly due to limitations identified in the traditional rational approach and increased interests. AMAR has contributed significantly in helping organizations operate and gain competitive advantage in the contemporary environment. The direction to explore into AMAR is right because in doing so, regression will not occur within the MA academia (Lukka Mouritsen, 2002). However it is important for AMAR to not lose sight of its public responsibility, and for it to persist in providing insights that protect individuals against impersonal, entrenched forces that are not in their interests. Qualitative research needs to investigate the social, societal and political facets of management accounting, and remind us of the larger picture containing the beliefs and motivations that lie beneath the surface of modern practice.

AIG turism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

AIG turism - Essay Example However, because the portions of the securities which AIG had guaranteed were judged to be almost risk free, there was not much thought that had been given to the scenario. At the end of the year 2007, through the different swaps, AIG had covered around $61 billion in securities with exposure to the different subprime mortgages. There are several prominent people that were involved in the fall of AIG, the most prominent was Martin J. Sullivan who at the time was the CEO of the company. Sullivan was blamed on taking on tens of millions of risk that was associated with the mortgages. Sullivan did not purchase any reinsurance on the risk as it was the norm Robert Willumstad, the chairperson of AIG Board of directors was also another prominent person involved in the fall of AIG. Joseph Cassano who was the AIG financial production division was accused of insuring to more than $441 billion value of securities that were in the first place rated AAA. Several companies were associated with the fall of 2008, they included the European Investment bank referred to as Goldman Sachs. Morgan Stanley and Merrill were also involved in the mess that came with the fall of AIG. AIG credit default swaps were insurance contracts that were unregulated, therefore, AIG did not put anything any capital as collateral and consequently it maintained what can be described as an AAA credit rating. Further, the company did not build any capital to back the insurance that they had sold and the profits it booked in any way never materialized. The default rates that were on mortgage securities were underwritten in the year 2006, and the year 2007. The underwritten securities increased in their worth and the by the last part of the year 2007, the securities that were in the banks which they claimed were AAA rated ended up being worth around $0.15 on the dollar. In the year 2008, there was the collapse of the credit default swap market which also meant that most investment

Customer Relationship Management and Technology Essay

Customer Relationship Management and Technology - Essay Example In the same manner, they were also able to develop good relationships with their customers through the establishment of friendships and interactions. As a result, the retail industry revolves around the customer more than any other industry. Due to this, it is not enough to simply interact with the customers. Rather, they are expected to know them better These all changed, however with the growing chains and building malls and the continuous promotion of self-service. With these changes, more and more retailers have lost their contact with their customers. As a result, they are also simply losing the loyalty that the customers once entrusted upon them. Hence, more and more retailers are now trying to regain the loyalty they lost as they begin to value of their customers through programs incorporated within the idea of customer relationship management. Customer Relationship Management: An Overview Customer relationship management (CRM) can be defined as â€Å"a set of practices that provide a consolidated, integrated view of customers across all business areas to ensure that each customer receives the highest level of service† (Aryan Hellas Ltd. 2005). ... According to them, CRM involves the integration of marketing, sales, customer service, and the supply-chain functions of the organization to achieve greater efficiencies and effectiveness in delivering customer value. These definitions emphasise that CRM is a comprehensive set of strategies for managing relationships with customers that relate to the overall process of marketing, sales, service, and support within the organisation. The following are the important players who are essential to customer relationship management within the organization: 1. Customer Facing Operations – The people and the technology support of processes that significantly affects the experiences of the customers and the organization. These may include different kinds of media such as phone, IM, chat, email, web and even face to face interactions. 2. Internal Collaborative Functional Operations – these are the people and technology support of the processes at the back office. Their activities u sually affect the activities of those at the Customer Facing Operations which influence the establishment and maintenance of customer relationships. This usually includes: IT, billing, invoicing, maintenance, planning, marketing, advertising, finance, services planning and manufacturing. 3. External Collaboration Functions – These are the people and technology support of processes supporting a particular organization together with the enhancement of customer relationships which is then in turn, are affected by the organization’s relationship with their suppliers and/or vendors as well as other retailers outlets and/or distributors. This is considered the external network which supports the internal operations and customer facing operations. 4. Customer Advocates and

Global Investement Strategies Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Global Investement Strategies - Research Paper Example Globalization has been defined comprehensively by the IMF as a historical process that is the result of human innovation and technological process and encompasses the increasing integration of economies around the globe especially through trade and financial flows (IMF, 2000). The phenomenon of globalization has touched markets, nation states, corporations, businesses and individuals alike. There are advantages and disadvantages that have resulted from this change to all involved stakeholders (Friedman, 1999) but this change has affected businesses like never before. On the positive side businesses have been able to access more markets than ever before as markets are becoming more and more integrated. This has allowed businesses to reach greater audiences and this in turn has increased their revenues to newer levels. Market integration has also meant that businesses can now distribute their functions to around the globe depending on specialties. For example it is common for electroni c businesses to have manufacturing facilities located in China, to have marketing facilities in North America and Western Europe and to have operational offices and retail centers all across the globe. This kind of market integration has meant that businesses have been able to lower their operational costs as each specific business function is handled by the most economically feasible option. Lower costs of labor and other inputs have meant that relocating manufacturing facilities to developing nations would reduce base costs. This reduction in base costs has enabled businesses to lower overall production costs which in turn are encouraging businesses to expose their products to larger audiences. The lowered costs have in turn allowed consumers all over the world to purchase goods and services from manufacturers and service providers which has meant increasing revenues for business around the globe. This can simply be seen as the creation of a singular world market which is the ulti mate object of the globalization regime (Shirakawa et al., 2000). While on the one hand these changes have allowed businesses to reap the wide benefits of integrated markets but difficulties in financial transactions have intensified as a result. Although the entire globe is more connected than ever before but the movement of capital has become far more intricate given the large number of interfaces involved to make these transactions possible. The financial markets around the globe have been integrated using modern electronic communication but this has represented a new constraint on the already developed systems. It is essential for a business to increase its workforce to encompass people with requisite IT skills and expertise to support the system required to carry out such financial transactions. The use of these systems has also exposed businesses to new menaces such as online attacks and chances at fraud. It is not uncommon for internationally integrated businesses to become v ictims of DOS (denial of service) attacks as well as being victims of unethical hacking activity. In turn the consumers of these businesses have also been victim to such actions and certain nations have been blacklisted for transactions in order to protect both consumers and businesses.

Land Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Land Law - Essay Example Therefore, it is important to now that Under (Law of Property Act 1925 s 199(1)(ii)(a)), the occupant(s) of the property have major interests ‘since it is implicit in Williams & Glyn’s Bank v Boland [1981] AC 487, Midland Bank v Dobson [1986] 1 FLR 171 and Lloyds Bank v Rosset [1991] 1 AC 107 that the beneficial interest (of the third parties) under this trust precedes the court order’ (Milney, 1997). It is an important consideration that belief involved in proprietary estoppel cases can be in any rights in and over the property. Tom, another third party, through a properly executed deed, was given exclusive possession over a cottage in the property for a period of six years. In simpler words, the said cottage was given on lease to Tom by the sole registered owner, Simon. The deed is a legal contact between the two parties with specified terms and conditions. The contractual obligations are legally binding on the two parties. When the property is transferred or sold to another person, the liabilities and other encumbrances, unless discounted, are also carried forward, without affecting the rights of the people, especially those who are leased part of the property through proper legal deals. According to LRA 2002(c.9) Section 12(8), ‘registration with possessory title has the same effect as registration with absolute title, except that it does not affect the enforcement of any estate, right or interest adverse to, or in derogation of, the proprietor’s title subsisting at the time of registration or then capable of arising’ (www.opsi.gov.uk). Simon had also given right of way over his driveway to his neighbour Nora, for ‘as long as you live’. This law of easement primarily provides a right to use a piece of land by the neighbours for performing specific functions. The most popular easement is ‘right to

Extensive strategic research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Extensive strategic research - Essay Example What the company selling interactive educational and instructional instruments must do is to put premium to the marketing research department or group. Then, based from the gathered data both from marketing research and latest technological trends, it should coordinate with the production department of the company to design its product so that it would be more user-friendly, interactive, and conducive for learning. This will serve as the life-saver of the company whenever competitors are threatening to dominate the market share of the industry. The outbound marketing division should consist of public and media relations group responsible for promoting the product to the target market. It should also made up of promotions and advertising that notifies the public that this kind of product exists. But since this is a highly specialized product for a particular segment of the market, it should be promoted to publications and other media outfits intended especially for this market. The selling and distribution channel should be concentrated on direct selling and specialty stores on gadgets, bookstores, and learning materials. Direct and indirect competition is the main threat of this kind of industry. Information age has made knowledge accessible and cheaper to acquire with the help of the Internet. The continuous influx of technological breakthroughs that could make websites and other information centers and other sophisticated gadgets and information tools that could provide learning solutions for free is the immediate primary threat. The company should be in a constant research for the most feasible and cheapest possible way to extend its service to online and mobile users. Aside from online and offline software development, the company should prepare for the decline phase of its product life cycle. In the fast changing technological industry such as instructional materials, introduction of innovations easily outlive the existing products. Hence, it should always be on the lookout for technological breakthroughs and opportunities to extend or to shift its target market. The company should also consider expanding its market reach even to children who beliong to the 8-12 year old bracket. One possible way to improve the business performance of a company is to tap new markets. The more matured and more active children is another possible lucrative market. Additional promotional avenues With a product that caters to a definite market, one key problem is the limited number of customers. This problem can be solved by using additional and innovative ways on how to publicize and promote the product such as presenting the product to schools and other preschool learning institutions. The company could suggest that this product should be included in the school curriculum. It could also establish its presence by using pediatricians as referral agents. An information campaign on how to improve the brain and intellectual as well as emotional faculties of both the child and the mother is one way of promoting the product. Interactive learning with progress monitoring is very contributory in developing the overall well-being of the child. With this equipment, marketers can ask pediatricians and child psychologists as their additional sales

Seagull steal chips Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Seagull steal chips - Essay Example He has become famous due to his tricks hence earning a nickname, Sam. Surprisingly, there are customers who enjoy his tactics thereby offering to pay for the bags of crisps he steals. This is to enable him continue taking the crisps so that he may always have something to eat (Gunzenhauser and Countryman 33). The shop attendant says that the bird prefers only a specific kind of crisps which he has perfected his arts on taking. His act amazes both staff and customers hence he has become a celebrated seagull as compared to the others. This paper is a discussion on a superhero like the seagull, Sam. A superhero is a courageous person who portrays a strong ability and willingness to face the fears of life. Superheroes withstand injustices and take risks for the sake of others. They can rise even after being beaten down. Sam, the crafty seagull, overwhelmed with hunger, just courageously leaped into the shop one day. He successfully managed to pounce on a bag of chips without being caught by the shop manager. This act has become a habitual thing hence has got used to picking crisps from the store every time he gets in (Coan, Kroll and Petersen 35). A superhero portrays the quality of selflessness thereby putting more emphasis on the interests of than theirs. Sam is so popular for picking crisps from the store on a daily basis. After risking helping himself on the crisps, he is joined by other seagulls in enjoying the nice and favorite meal. He does not struggle to send them away for playing no role in getting it from the shop. In fact, after having his fill, he leaves the remaining crisps and waits for the next time to fulfill his routine duty. Superheroes are opportunistic; that is, they wait for a chance to manifest and immediately take advantage of it. Sam, the seagull-cum-shoplifter, regularly steals a bag of chips from the shop on a daily basis. He waits for the opening of the shop, ensures the shop attendant is behind the counter or has his

The Business Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Business Report - Essay Example The selection of simple accounting software may yield losses because of high chances of misplacing information. Besides, some of these strategies have limited capacities to enable smooth integration of all facets of business, as well as the centralization of the data sources. Therefore, a start-up IT company will begin with Excel software because it is the cheapest. However, with increasing demands, growing customer base and the complexity of financial, sales, logistics, and other operations, such companies will be forced to seek alternative packages that match with the robustness of the work. Therefore, the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) would be the most appropriate solution. However, ERP services are provided by different vendors, the most genuine and global leader being SAP. Packages from SAP exist in four categories, which depend on the size of the company and the cost available for investment. SAP packages are most robust approach because they synchronize and integrates dat a from the customers with the data from the sales of product and other related items. For this reason, the system makes it possible to store huge data and connect the various items and access them when needed or update the information when needed as opposed to excel. Selection of appropriate SAP package is necessary for the IT firm along its growth process. It minimizes the cost of operation and increase the output because of the efficient coordination of the business and the ability to run multiple items simultaneously. The startup companies lack enough resources to invest in purchasing and implementing the ERP packages. Such companies would need to use the cheapest available packages like Excel. The spreadsheet is the most appropriate package for recording and storing information on purchasing, sales, storage, customer information, and finances. The package

The Computer Vision Syndrome Essay Example for Free

The Computer Vision Syndrome Essay Close to 150 million people sit in front of a computer monitor each day. Many of them spend more than two hours at a time, focusing on screens as they complete work projects, blog, or just surf the web. If a significant portion of your day involves computer time, you may be at the risk of CVS-Computer Vision Syndrome too. What is Computer Vision Syndrome? According to the American Optometric Association, CVS is a set of symptoms that are all related to working with a computer. These symptoms can affect both the eyes and musculoskeletal parts of the body. Very simply, CVS occurs when an individual overburden the human eye by asking it to perform in prolonged situations that it was not designed to do. Studies have found that the majority of video display workers experience some eye or vision symptoms. A national survey of doctors of optometry found that more than 14% of their patients present with eye or vision-related symptoms resulting from this type of work. The most common symptoms are: †¢ Blurred Vision when looking into the distance †¢ Double Vision †¢ Stinging of the eyes †¢ Excessive tearing of the eyes †¢ Headaches †¢ Neck or shoulder pain. (Keep in the mind that these symptoms are generally experienced after prolonged periods of computer work or, over time, due to progressive eye strain associated with CVS). What Causes CVS? Unlike printed matter, a computer screen displays words and images through the use of pixels which are multi-dimensional and vary in contrast. The eye is always working extra hard to accommodate as it focuses and refocuses on the graded areas of these combined pixels. The eye lens must work harder to support the function of sight. Eventually, the eye tires and becomes lazy. This explains why vision blurs occur and why it is difficult to look away from the monitor and see distant objects clearly. One of the most significant environmental factors affecting work with displays is lighting. Bright lights in the peripheral field of view may cause discomfort glare. An acceptable lighting level may require a compromise between the amount of light needed to enhance VDT screen visibility and reduce reflections and glare and that needed to perform other office reading and work tasks. The brightness of the screen and the surrounding room should be balanced. For dark background screens this often requires using lower light levels. The brightness and contrast should be adjusted to provide balance with room lighting and maximum visibility. Stinging of the eyes and eye irritation can be caused by the dry atmosphere, and starring at the screen. It decreased number of blinking and increased rate of tear evaporation, which effect the dry eyes. The presence of even minor vision problems can often significantly affect the worker comfort and performance. Uncorrected farsightedness, astigmatism, and binocular vision (eye coordination and eye focusing) problems can be major contributing factors to VDT related eye stress. What can I do if I think I might be suffering from eye problems associated with CVS? At first you have to think about limiting the time you spend front of the computer. It is often unaccomplishable, but there are several other methods too: †¢ Seeing an ophthalmologist is a good first step in to determine whether you have a problem like Computer Vision Syndrome. †¢ Eyeglasses or contact lenses prescribed for general use may not be adequate for computer work. Special lens designs, lens power or lens tints or coatings may help to maximize visual abilities and comfort, and helps you minimize eye strain, and get optimal eye performance. †¢ You have to set up your computer’s place properly. The screen must have an optimal height and distance from your eyes. †¢ The colour of screen characters may also affect visibility. The colour of the characters can affect how the eyes focus on the screen. Monochrome, or single colour displays often provide more optimal images for word processing. Dark letters on a light background or invert could generally provide a more readable image than green, yellow-orange, blue or red characters. †¢ You may to set the proper contrast and brightness setting on your monitor too, to make it more viewable.

Douglas Stuart and Gordon Essay Example for Free

Douglas Stuart and Gordon Essay People may believe that they do not need any hermeneutical training, but a general reading of the book How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Fee and Stuart is essential for Christians who have any inclination towards scripture. The guidelines and rules outlined in the book are very good and some of them are very well developed from the point of view of interpreting and understanding scripture. For the Bible student and the inquiry seekers, the book is an excellent tool for teaching. Douglas Stuart and Gordon Fee have displayed their competencies in making the interpretation of the principles of the Bible available to present day readers. While Gordon Fee is an Old Testament scholar, Douglas Stuart is a student of the New Testament and they have covered in the book matters relating to translations, the legendry genres of poetry, parable, narratives and epistles and the meanings conveyed in the writings that were presented to their original audiences. The authors have shown how the right interpretations require different ways of exegesis as per the literary texts being studied in terms of Wisdom, Apocalypse, law and Wisdom. When considering New Testament Epistles, it is realized upon reading the book that the authors have given excellent advices in saying that the book should be treated as letters. This implies that individuals must read the book several times just as they would read letters from their close ones and then try to understand the meaning conveyed in them. It is very important to understand that the text aims at revealing the concept that the book was written to address a specific audience in order to make them understand the intricacies of Christianity. It is not possible for a reader to be extra subjective in trying to apply the different passages from the scripture to his or her own life particularly when a specific passage does not connote the meaning as believed by the reader. The book has lot of positive components and attributes that make it an excellent piece of reading. It effectively describes the complication and difficulty faced in translation and provides general principles and rules of effective interpretation. It endorses the consideration of the cultural and historical perspective and observes the writing styles and genres used in the books, and also suggests being cautious against any kind of misinterpretations. The authors have presented an easy to understand style which brings forth the art of biblical interpretations within the reach of the normal human being in a way that make the study of the Bible very rewarding and interesting. The book provides recommendation for the use of bible translations, concordances and dictionaries as facilitation to the studies. The back cover has clearly explained about the book, In clear, simple language, it helps you accurately understand the different parts of the Bible—their meaning for ancient audiences and their implications for you today—so you can uncover the inexhaustible worth that is in God’s Word. The authors have exhibited certain negative attributes especially in regard to some specific viewpoints which every reader may not agree with. For example, the material available in Acts and the Epistles was more relevant during the days when the texts were written and is considered a much lesser positive aspect in the viewpoint of King James and New King James Bible. The present day international version of the Bible is known to be much influenced by feminism while the translation versions of the Bible, especially the English Standard Version, are not much influenced by feminism. This is considered as being more sought after as the Dynamic Equivalence way of translation. Some scholars have come to believe that all hermeneutic theories have not been adequately dealt with by the authors. Since one of the authors is said to be an associate of the Assemblies of God Church, he has made some critics to point that the hermeneutics have been presented in his style. There have been several allegations of the flow of content being difficult while the style of writing has not been up to the mark. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth guides the reader in a way that he or she can handle the Scripture in a better way, and teaches how misinterpretations can be avoided by using the context properly. The entire book emphasizes the importance of holistic reading of passages as per the over all substance of Scripture. Quirky doctrines and bad exegesis are the result of instances when passage and biblical statements are taken out from the theological, historical or cultural contexts and focused on aspects that are away from the whole of the revelation. In this context the introduction in the books has aptly explained that, The aim of good interpretation is not uniqueness; one is not trying to discover what no one else has ever seen before. Interpretation that aims at, or thrives on, uniqueness can usually be attributed to pride (an attempt to ‘out clever’ the rest of the world), a false understanding of spirituality (wherein the Bible is full of deeply buried truths waiting to be mined by the spiritually sensitive person with special insight), or vested interests (the need to support a theological bias, especially dealing with texts that seem to go against that bias). It is realized that the authors have made powerful points when one tries to understand the historic tests of the Old and New Testaments. They firstly make a case in favour of reading these books in order to see the activities of God in the matters pertaining to His Church and Israel. Hence these books are better understood if they are divided into separate sections that should be read as a successive account of deliverance history. Additionally the authors have warned that the passages should not be decontextualized and allegorized since such actions become tempting while reading historical narratives which do not appear to have much spiritual and theological importance. Significant points have been made by the authors in enhancing the awareness of the gospels. It is initially affirmed that some knowledge of the historical texts is important and crucial and that one is at a disadvantage if he or she is not conversant with Mediterranean culture of the 1st century. Secondly, it helps to read accounts of similar gospels and understand the minor differences which can enhance the understanding in regard to the audiences that the gospels intend to address and the kind of message that the authors are aiming to convey in those instances. It is established in the entire book that, as a rule, one must think and read in paragraph form to make the best and most meaningful use of the books. The treatment of the legal books of Hebrews is very impressive. The authors make a strong point that the given laws were specified for Israel in order to make them get benefits by understanding and applying them to the Israeli people. This point is considered valid by the authors but they also point out that there needs to be a precise way of teaching that the law did not emphasize upon. Moreover, the New Testament is no longer binding on the people today and is not considered by the authors as a strong argument. The laws that condemned rape, incest, homosexuality and bestiality were not specifically stated by Jesus, but they are believed to be true and applicable today also. The book is concluded in dealing with revelation, wisdom literature and psalms. However there is nothing new or revolutionary in these narrations which include strong and sound advice in regard to some negligible points of contention. Although the book cannot be considered exhaustive as a guide it is undoubtedly the best in enabling the understanding and reading of the Scripture. In essence, the book has aptly demonstrated how the Bible should be read theologically through the eyes of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ instead of the overtly idealistic and literalistic methods. Bible reading is revealed as being not only informative but also resulting in the positive transformation of human beings. Bibliography Fee Gordon D and Stuart Douglas, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth, 2003, Zondervan

Concepts Of Effective Communication Management Essay

Concepts Of Effective Communication Management Essay Chapter 2 LITERATURE REVIEW In the literature review section, the opening part will be about the concepts of communication and effective communication in an organisation along with a brief overview about the principles of effective communication. Next are the models of communication which will be elaborated with the help of various authors and from academic journals. Following that, the main theories of the types of communication, communication channels and communications systems will be discussed and compared with reference to the local authority. Furthermore, the purpose of communication in an organisation will be disseminated. In addition, the benefits of effective communication will be discussed along with the different costs encountered in communicating through the different levels. The literature review will help to formulate the research questions as well as to establish a relevant methodology to carry out the research. 2.1 Definition of Communication Work needs communication. Communication in every organisation is the way people get their work done and get recognised for their contributions. As such, people at BRDC will communicate to plan services, coordinate manufacturing and delivery, hire, train, motivate employees and so on. According to Tyson and Jackson (1997), The problem is in the definition of the word communication. It covers a great deal and includes not only the actual words used, but, also, the tone of voice, pitch situation in which it takes place and so on. Despites these difficulties, some ideas that convey a fairly good picture of what communication is all about are proposed by different authors. Communication is a process in which people who occupy differing environments exchange messages in a specific context via one or more channels and often respond to each others messages through verbal and nonverbal feedback. (Alder, R.B., Elmhorst, J.M., 1996) Similarly, Baskin and Aronoff (1980) have defined communication as the exchange of messages between people to achieve shared meanings. According to Carell et al, (1995), Communication is the glue that binds various elements, coordinates activities, allows people to work together and produces results. Cole (1993), on the other hand, defines communication as the process of creating, transmitting and interpreting ideas, facts, opinions and feelings. It is a process that is essentially a sharing one an interchange between two or more persons. As defined by the authors, by using different means of communication, information and meaning can be transferred between senders and receivers. Communication in organisation is therefore a study of the exchange of words and meanings as the people within and outside these establishments work towards achieving organisational objectives. 2.2 Effective Communication According to Roberts, J. (2009), effective communication is the passing of the right message or information to the right person, in the right way, at the right time, and with the right effect, impact and outcome. Effective communication is a two-way process sending the right message, which is also being correctly received and understood by the other person/s. Effective communication is the key factor to successful management. The principles of effective communication can be reviewed using two approaches namely, the ABC approach and the Seven Cs. 2.2.1 The ABC approach Accuracy This implies that the information conveyed must be as accurate as possible since people can interpret it in different ways. It is important to set communication in some form to allow for variations of information. However, being accurate is not always easy and recipient needs to be aware of its limitations. Brevity This means being concise and therefore the message can be identified and understood. This helps the recipient as arguments do not get lost in a clutter of unnecessary words. However, one must stick to the point as wander off in other areas may cause confusion. Clarity This is achieved through the use of the right language. The audience needs to be considered carefully. Locker, O.K and Kaczmarek, S.K (2007), believes that audiences pay attention to messages only if they seem important, relevant and interesting. However, this includes what language, explanations and examples will make sense to the audience. 2.2.2 The Seven Cs Clear Meaningful language is needed to avoid ambiguity and the messages must be communicated in a way which can be easily understood by the audience. Therefore, words and phrases need to be chosen with care. Concise Brevity, compatible with the complexity of the information to be conveyed and the necessary style and tone, is of the essence. Messages should be free from all elaboration and superfluous detail. Correct The information has to be correct. However, staff at BRDC should check for errors, especially in figures, names and addresses. Courteous In any form of communication, it pays to consider it as a personal address to the recipients. Employees should be polite and use friendly language rather than formal officialese which is a barrier to communication. Complete The communication should fully convey the message, leaving as far as possible nothing out. Audience will be aware that they have everything they need. Consistent The flow of language is considerably helped by consistency of use, such as standardising the person and tense, and sticking to a particular style and tone throughout. Convincing Employees should show confidence and commitment in what they communicate, even though there may be times when they do not actually feel them in what they do at work. The Seven Cs considers a wider range of points and is more developed than the ABC approach. 2.3 Communication Theory Framework 1 Mechanistic communication is simply the transmission of information from the first party to the second party. The first party being the sender and the second party being the receiver. Psychological communication is actually the thoughts, feelings of the sender which he tries to share with the recepients. It also includes the reactions, feelings of the receiver after he decodes the information. Social communication is considered as a result of interaction between the sender and the receiver. Communication is directly dependent on the content of the speech. Systemic Communication is actually a new and a different message which is created when various individuals interpret it in their own way and then reinterpret it and draw their own conclusion. Critical Communication is simply a way with the help of which an individual expresses his power and authority among other individuals. To sum up the communication theory suggests that to survive, every living entity, needs to communicate with others and also among themselves. 1 http://www.managementstudyguide.com/communication-theory.htm 2.4 Communication Models There are five most recognised and accepted models of communication. 2.4.1 Aristoles Model of communication Aristotle was the first to take an initiative and design the communication model. Figure 1 Source: Scribd.com models-of-communication According to this model, the speaker plays a key role in communication. The sender first prepares content where he put his thoughts in words with a view to influence the recipients, who would then respond in the senders desired way. The model demonstrates that the speaker communicates in such a way that the listeners get influenced and respond accordingly. 2.4.2 Shannon-Weaver Mathematical Model Shannon designed the most popular of all early communication models. He wanted to guide the efforts of engineers in finding an economical way of transmitting electrical signals between locations. http://www.shkaminski.com/Classes/images/Shannon-Weaver%20Model.gif Figure 2 Source: The Mathematical Theory of Communication (Shannon, C. and Weaver, W., 1949) Compared to the Aristotles model, the Shannon-Weaver model is a common communication model used. It is seen as a resemblance of the human communication process. However, it is not analogous to human communication. Mortensen, C.D (1972), believes that the model is only formal, that is, does not account for content. Moreover, he is of the opinion that the Shannon-Weaver communications system is static and also linear. It conceives of a linear and literal transmission of information between locations. 2.4.3 Berlos Model of communication While the Aristotle model of communication puts the speaker in the central position, the Berlos model of communication takes into consideration the emotional aspect of the message. It is an adaptation of the Shannon-Weaver model. Berlos model of communication operates on the SMCR model. In the SMCR model S Source M Message C Channel R Receiver Berlos model of communication Figure 3 Source: The Process of Communication (Berlo, D.K, 1960) This model shows that source is flexible as it includes oral, written, electronic and any other forms of communication. Message was made the central element. Furthermore, it stress that receivers are the targets. The encoding and decoding notion translate thoughts into words and decrypt words of others into terms one can understand. However, it implies that human communication and machine communication are similar and there is manipulation of the message. People misunderstand each other even with the right symbols. With reference to the berlos model of communication, the speaker and the listener must be on a common ground for smooth conversion but this is sometimes not practical in the reality. 2.4.4 Schramms Interactive Model Wilbur Schramm (1954) was the first to modify the mathematical model of Shannon and Weaver. He emphasises that communication is incomplete until the sender receives a feedback from the recipient. Schramm believed that communication is actually a two way process between the first party and the second party. mhtml:file://F:VANDANAHcommunicationsCommunication%20Models.mht!http://www.shkaminski.com/Classes/images/Schramms%20Model%202.gif Figure 4 Source: The Process and Effects of Communication (Schramm, W., 1954) Schramm provided additional notion of a field of experience. It includes feedback, context, culture and so on. However, this model accounts for only mutal communication between two parties. This model does not account for multiple levels of communication between several sources. According to Schramm model of communication when a sender passes on the information to the receiver, the latter must interpret it in the desired form and give him the feedback or respond accordingly. The communication is not complete and thus ineffective if the sender does not get the feedback. 2.4.5 Dances Helical Spiral Another important model of communication is the Helical Model of communication which was proposed by Frank Dance in 1967 to throw some more light on communication process. This model understands communication in a birds eye perspective and considers almost all the activities of an individual. mhtml:file://F:VANDANAHcommunicationsCommunication%20Models.mht!http://www.shkaminski.com/Classes/images/Helical%20Model.gif Figure 5 Source: www.shkaminski.com- communication model Mortensen: As a heuristic device, the helix is interesting not so much for what it says as for what it permits to be said. Chapanis (1961), on the other hand, called sophisticated play: The helix signals that communication is continuous unrepeatable, additive, and accumulative. In short, the helix emphasises the integrated aspects of human communication as an evolving process. However, helical model of communication may not be a model at all as there are too few variables. The model leaves unanswered questions. 2.4.6 Westley and MacLeans Conceptual Model Unlike Frank Dance, Westley and MacLean believed that communication does not start from day one but begins when the speaker receives signals from his external surroundings. This model pertains to a strong relation between the signals from the surroundings and the communication process. The process of communication begins with receiving messages rather than sending messages. Events may sometimes unintentionally occur and signals is received accidentally. (Receives message)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Environment-Sender-then sends message (Communication starts)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Figure 6 Source: www.managementstudyguide.com/westley-maclean-model-of-communication The model accounts for feedback, a sensory field, non-binary interactions and different modes. Westley and MacLeans model describes more variables in the communication interaction. However, it is still two-dimensional. It can therefore be concluded that the six models of communication are all initiatives by great scholars to simplify and help in better understanding of the communication process. 2.5 Types of Communications No one would talk much in society if they knew how often they misunderstood others. Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe. Organisations have recourse to two types of communication namely, Verbal Non-verbal communication. 2.5.1 Verbal Communication Anderson, H. et al (2004) states verbal communication implies that information has been transmitted through speech. In verbal communication words are involved. According to Boolaky, M. and Gokhool, D., (2006) verbal communication is further divided into: Oral Communication Written Communication Oral Communication In the communication process, oral communication refers to spoken words. It can either be a conversation over the phone or face-to-face communication or on the voice chat on the Internet. At the BRDC, oral communication is vital as it is easier to get feedback by observing facial expressions and asking questions and provides more opportunity to get attention and keeping interest. However, Desmonds W. Evans (1990) argued that Oral communication is volatile, that is, major decisions cannot be recorded and thus cannot be saved for future reference. Written Communication In contrary, written communication can be either via emails, letters, faxes, reports, memos and so on. The advantages are that highly technical topics can be presented using words and diagrams and provides a permanent record that can be referred to from time to time or passed on to others. However, Kushal, S.J and Ahuja, S., (2010) argues that written communication is unfit for uneducated person, it is a wastage of time, delays feedback and no clue about real intentions and emotions. They further discuss that to ensure effectiveness of written communication, it should be short and simple, complete, avoid jargons and so on. 2.5.2 Non Verbal Communication Actions speak louder than words. Kaye, M. (1994) Fromkin and Rodman (1983) suggest that up to 90 per cent of the communication process takes place non-verbally. Courtland, L.B, et al (2010) defined non-verbal communication as the interpersonal process of sending and receiving information, both intentionally and unintentionally, without using written or verbal message. He further stress that non-verbal communication is vital as it helps to strengthen a verbal message. In contrast to verbal communication, non- verbal communication includes overall body language of the person who is speaking, which will include the body posture, the hand gestures, and overall body movements. It can also be in the form of pictorial representations, signboards, or even photographs, sketches and paintings. Kushal, S.J and Ahuja, S., (2010) states that non-verbal communication are reliable, efficient, helps establish credibility and leadership potential, accurate understanding of attitudes. However, they argues that there is lack of secrecy, useful for small pieces of information, gestures can be misunderstood, it is necessary for both parties to face each other, lack of written proof, more difficult to study and fails to discuss past events and ideas. Verbal and Non- verbal communication are important in an organization. BRDC must ensure the effectiveness of the types of communication as there are both advantages and drawbacks. 2.6 Communication Channels Communication is now done through variety of channels ranging from nonverbal signals to very sophisticated communication media and technology. The communication that takes place in the organisation can be categorised as formal and informal. Formal communication can take place in two ways: Vertical Horizontal 2.6.1 Vertical Communication It moves between individuals at different levels in an organisation (Taylor, 2005). Vertical communication in classical management hierarchy can be: Upward Downward Upward Communication It refers to information flow from the lower levels of a hierarchy to the upper levels. Employees use this channel to communicate suggestions, grievances and progress of work (Boolaky and Gokhool, 2006). In addition, Courtland, L.B, et al (2010) pointed that executives can solve problems and make intelligent decisions. It is good to taking feedback on policies and takes corrective action. However, it does not transfer realistic message. Downward Communication Information flows from a higher level to a lower level in a hierarchy. Management uses this channel to inform employees about policies, plans, job instructions and feedback (Boolaky Gokhool, 2006). The advantages of downward communication are that it is appropriate for giving instructions and ensures that everyone is working towards goals and objectives. On the other side of the coin, information can be distorted as it goes down and there is lack of openness between managers and employees 2.6.2 Horizontal Communication Horizontal communication is both task related and informal and occurs between people on equal footing in the hierarchy (Postmes, 2003). Further, Taylor, S. (2005) stress the need of employees to corporate and share. It can take various forms like meetings, face to face exchange, group discussions and telephone conversations. Its objectives are coordination, cooperation and integration. Informal communication as defined by Courtland, L.B, et al (2010) is referred to as the grapevine that encompasses all communication that takes place outside the formal network. Similarly, in the words of Thill and Bovee, The informal communication network carries information along the organisations unofficial lines of activity and power. Kushal, S.J and Ahuja, S., (2010) proposes some advantages of formal communication such as it is dynamic, speedy communication as no formal line of communication exist, multi-dimension as topic of communication varies and it is supplementary to formal channels. The authors however debated that informal communication results in distortion of communication as it carries half-truths and rumours. There is also the existence of erratic message. It can be deduced that the channels of communication in an organization will depends on the structure of the organization. 2.7 Communication Systems Communication systems can be divided into those using an intranet, those using the written word such as newsletters, circulars, and notice-boards, memo, fax, and those using oral methods such as meetings, briefing groups and, telephone amongst others. (Armstrong, 2006) Communications through an intranet system Organisations are increasingly relying on an internal e-mail system (the intranet) to communicate information, especially in workplaces where all or most of the employees have direct or indirect access to a computer. The advantage of intranet communications is that they can be transmitted swiftly to a wide audience and thus saves a lot of time. Fax messages Similarly to the intranet system, a fax machine is relatively inexpensive. Fax transmits and receives any kind of message- handwritten, printed, diagrams, photographs. It takes only seconds to transmit a fax message, depending on the length of the document. Due to its versatility and speed, it is often used between divisions or branches of the same company instead of telephone or memos. Circular letters A Circular letter is one that is sent out to many people at the same time. The letter may be prepared once and then duplicated. It is sent for the following reasons: Inform staff of new policy matters Announce opening of a new office/branch Notice-boards Notice-boards are used to bring special items to the attention of all staff. It is an obvious but frequently misused medium for communications. The biggest danger is allowing boards to be cluttered up with uninteresting or out-of-date material. Its advantage is that a written record of the message is kept. Memos It is a written communication from one person to another or a group of people within the same organization. Its purpose is to remind someone of action required, request decisions actions and provide information of any kind. Telephone Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to one another. In any organisation the person on the phone represents the company and gives an impression of the company to the outside world. Meetings Meetings enable face to face contact of a number of people at the same time. They provide a useful opportunity for sharing information, making suggestions and proposals, taking decision and obtaining instant feedback. 2.8 Purposes of Communication The main purposes of communication in organisation are as follows: Organisational Communication Express feelings and emotions Achieve coordinated action Share information Organisation goals Task directive Results of efforts Decision making Source: adapted from Moorhead and Griffin (1992) 2.9 Benefits of Effective Communication Taylor (2005) argues that if organisations want to be successful in todays world, good communication at all levels is essential. The benefits that can be achieved are: Stronger decision-making and problem solving Upturn in productivity Convincing and compelling corporate materials Clearer, more streamlined workflow Enhanced professional image Sound business relationships Successful response ensured In addition, Courtland, L.B, et al (2010) found that effective communication strengthens the connection between a company and all those groups affected in some way by the companys actions. 2.10 Barriers to effective communication Maini Morrel-Samuels (2006, p.38) establish that most large organizations are plagued by serious communication problem, the difficulties are especially prominent in large organisations where precise collaboration is critical. Robbins (1998) identifies the following barriers to effective communication: Filtering, selective perception, defensiveness and language. Filtering Filtering refers to sender manipulating information so that the receiver will see it more favourably. Filtering also takes place between the supervisor and the manager, and in fact, from one level to the next. Selective perception Selective perception takes place when the receivers in the communication process selectively see and hear based on their needs, motivation, experience, background, and other personal characteristics. Receivers of information also associate their interests and expectations into communication as they decode them. Defensiveness Defensiveness occurs when people try to defend their position because of certain threats. They have a tendency to engage in such behaviours as verbally attacking others, making sarcastic remarks, being overly judgmental, and questioning others motives. Therefore, when individuals interpret anothers message as threatening they often respond in ways that blur effective communication. Language Words and term means different thing to different people. Age, education and cultural background are three of the more obvious variables that influence the language a person uses and the definition he or she gives to words. In an organisation, employees usually come from different backgrounds and therefore have different patterns of speech. In addition to Robbins, Taylor (2005) suggests the following barriers to communication: Emotional responses Communication cannot succeed if a person is highly emotional about the topic concerned. Problems may arise from insecurity, fear, anger. If emotions are high on the part of the sender or recipient, then it would be better to wait for a while before trying to put the message. Systems In any organizations there should be prescribed procedures for getting messages to the people who need them. Without such systems there can be no effective communication. Courtland, L.B, et al (2010), on the other hand, point out the following: Competing messages One must compete with other messages that are trying to reach the audience at the same time. It is essential to come up with messages that the audience will care about as any messages that are more compelling can pull the audiences attention away. 2.11 Trends in communication Todays world has developed rapidly from an industrial age to an information age. Owing to technological advancement, methods of working and composition of groups are affected. In the words of Courtland, L.B, et al (2010), todays business rely heavily on technology to facilitate the communication process. However, they argued that the benefits of technology are not automatic. Inappropriate used technology can hinder communication. Traditionally, communications in business were hierarchical with messages being passed up and down the chain, often with secretaries acting as a filter between managers and staff (Taylor, 2005). Network has now replaced the hierarchical model with email, every member of staff is able to communicate directly with everyone else. Information can therefore be distributed more efficiently around the organisation. It can be deduced that changes in organisational forms have made communication increasingly important to overall functioning of the organisation. However, technology is not a replacement but only a tool to help communication to take place effectively. 2.12 Ethical Communication According to Werner David Management is in essence the act of communication, for management processes are linked to the receipt of information and its valid interpretation which results in effective decision making. A perception of ethical foundation is essential for those employed in communication. A variety of theories exist that link organisation communication with its ethical underpinning. Courtland, L.B, et al (2010) is of the opinion that to ensure ethical communication, three elements are required namely, ethical company leadership, ethical individuals and policies and structures to support employees to make ethical choices. Moreover, they pointed out that these three elements need to work in harmony. The authors further argued that unethical communication can manipulate audiences in ways such as plagiarism, omitting essential information, selective misquoting, misrepresenting numbers, distorting visuals, failing to respect privacy. Ethical communication is true in every sense. Many organisation establish ethics policy by providing a written code of ethics to help employees determine what is acceptable. For example, at BRDC, employers establish clear ethical guidelines and detailed code of conduct addressing areas like health and safety, protection of the organisations assets and information, conflicts of interest and so on. 2.13 Contemporary issue in communication 2.13.1 Cross-Cultural communication Courtland, L.B, et al (2010) defined cross-cultural communication as the process of sending and receiving messages between people whose cultural backgrounds could lead them to interpret verbal and non-verbal signs differently. Munter (1993) come forward with the difficulties in cross-cultural communication like barriers caused by semanties, connotations, tone differences, differences among perceptions. Adler (1991), on the other hand, as reported by Robbins (1998), provides the following recommendations; assume differences until similarity proven, emphasis description rather than interpretation, practice empathy and treat interpretation as a working hypothesis. In every organisation, culture influences the sending and receiving of messages. Therefore, to communicate effectively, BRDC need to grasp cultural differences and handle them to open up opportunities throughout the world. Moreover, BDRC will be able to maximize the contributions of staff in a diverse workforce.

Human Nature as Viewed by Thomas Hobbes and David Hume Essay -- Philos

Human Nature as Viewed by Thomas Hobbes and David Hume Thomas Hobbes in Chapter 13 of Leviathan, and David Hume in Section 3 of An Enquiry Concerning the Princples of Morals, give views of human nature. Hobbes’ view captures survivalism as significant in our nature but cannot account for altruism. We cover Hobbes’ theory with a theory of Varied Levels of Survivalism, explaining a larger body of behavior with the foundation Hobbes gives. Hume gives a scenario which does not directly prove fruitful, but he does capture selfless behavior. We will give Hobbes’ view of human nature as he describes it in Chapter 13 of Leviathan. We will then give an argument for placing a clarifying layer above the Hobbesian view in order to account for acts of altruism. Hobbes views human nature as the war of each man against each man. For Hobbes, the essence of human nature can be found when we consider how man acts apart from any government or order. Hobbes describes the world as â€Å"a time of war, where every man is enemy to every man.† (Hobbes mp. 186) In such a world, there are â€Å"no arts; no letters; no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear, and danger of violent death; and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.† (Hobbes mp. 186) Hobbes believes that laws are what regulate us from acting in the same way now. He evidences that our nature is this way by citing that we continue to lock our doors for fear of theft or harm. Hobbes gives a good argument which is in line with what we know of survivalism, and evidences his claim well. Hobbes claims that man is never happy in having company, unless that company is utterly dominated. He says, â€Å"men have no pleasure, (but on the contrary a great dea... ...vivalist instinct that involves self-preservation. Hobbes, however, is unable to explain altruism, thus we developed the Varied Levels of Survivalism as a layer above his theory. This modification allows for varying motives based on circumstances, all based on survival. Hume takes note of this altruistic tendency but he gives a scenario that is either inapplicable or he does not filter survivalism from humanity. Utilizing Hobbes’ survivalism, Hume’s generosity when capable, and the Varied Levels of Survivalism, we arrive at a viable theory of human nature and explanation of human behavior. Works Cited Hobbes, Thomas. (2001, October 30) "Leviathan" (1651). Available at: http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/thomas_hobbes/leviathan.html Hume, David, 1772 (reprinted in 2004) An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (New York, Barnes and Noble)

American Homefront During World War II Essay -- American History

The American home front during World War II is recalled warmly in popular memory and cultural myth as a time of unprecedented national unity, years in which Americans stuck together in common cause. World War II brought many new ideas and changes to American life. Even though World War II brought no physical destruction to the United States mainland, it did affect American society. Every aspect of American life was altered by U.S. involvement in the war including demographics, the labor force, economics and cultural trends. During the Great Depression, the American birth rate had fallen to an all-time low due to delayed marriages and parenthood. In the 1940's, there was a population growth of 19 million, which doubled the rise of the 1930's. However, in 1957, America experienced a "baby boom", and by 1957 the population increased by 29 million. "The rising birthrate was the dominant factor affecting population growth" (text, 847). Along with the escalated birth rate was an upsurge of divorces due to problems with separation and infidelity. "In 1945, more than half a million marriages were dissolved" (Bailey, 147). The death rate was on the decline and life expectancy rose during this period. New medical developments were made with the federal funding of medical research in which penicillin and streptomycin were developed. These advancements in medicine cured many bacterial infections and severe illnesses. Later, in 1952, Jonas Salk introduced a polio vaccine. There was a vast migratory pattern of many Americans during this time period. During the 1940's, millions of African-Americans moved from the South to the North in search of industrial opportunities. As a result of this migration, a third of all black Amer... ...ing legend of the Good War" (Adams, 2). While the war changed the lives of every American, the most notable changes were that in demographics, the labor force, economic prosperity and cultural trends. Adams, Michael C.C. "The Best War Ever America and World War II" Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD 1994 Bailey, Ronald H. The Home Front, U.S.A. Time-Life Publishing, Chicago, IL. 1978 Bard, Mitchell G. The Complete Idiot's Guide to world War II, Macmillan Publishing, New York, New York, 1999 Duis, Perry 0 The War in American Culture, The University of Chicago Press, 1994 Schultz, Stanley K. American History 102 Civil War to the Present Copyright 1999 Board of regents of the University of Wisconsin http://us.history.wisc.edu/hist102/lectures/lecture21.html

English As The Official United States Language Essay -- English Langua

America is a country that, from its very founding, has a distinguishing quality that no other country in the world shares. This quality was the willingness to accept people of all different cultures as citizens of the country. This acceptance drew nearly every imaginable kind of person to the country, a country with just one primary language, English. With all this diversity came hundreds of new languages spoken by the immigrants. To this day there are still pockets of isolated ethnic groups that cannot speak English, the most prevalent language used in America. Every citizen of the United States should be able to speak English because it provides a medium by which people of all different cultures can communicate, interact, and thus co-exist peacefully. If English was spoken by all the citizens of this country it would allow differences to be set aside and would give everyone the opportunity to feel like they belong. This is not to say that English should be the only language spoken in the United States. It is very important for people to speak their original language, but communication among all citizens would allow Americans to unite. For many immigrants that now live in America, the most challenging aspect of the move was fitting into the new environment. For immigrants that cannot speak English this transition from old to new is often very difficult because they feel socially isolated. For a Mexican immigrant named Richard Rodriguez, assimilation into the American society was unachievable without learning to speak English. At first, Rodriguez resisted to learn English because it was uncomfortable, unfamiliar, and he felt that he would loose part of his family bond. At the same time, Richard was separated from ... ...ndence, of Washington’s Farewell address, of Lincoln’s Gettysburg speech and second inaugural.† (p.457) These feelings are very drastic and are though of by many people as beliefs that belong to insecure and even racist people. In a country where difference and ethnicity are welcomed there is no way that a belief such as Roosevelt’s could ever be made a rule. A common form of communication such as the English language is a very valuable and often a necessary attribute for a country to have. This is even more magnified in America where there are over 300 different languages spoken. Without a common language that everyone speaks many simple day-to-day situations would become extremely complicated and frustrating. If every citizen of the United States spoke English then everyone could have their own individuality and many conflicts could be avoided.

Brain research and full day kindergarten

Education is an important aspect of the human life and society. Today, it is quite noticeable how the society has institutionalized education and the educational system. Today, individuals start schooling as early as four or five years of age. The common entry point for schooling is kindergarten. All around the world, many parents send their children to schools for kindergarten, with many different expectations, but mostly in the belief that this is a solid starting point that can help the child be ready for the next step in his or her education.Over the years, kindergarten has become increasingly important, especially during the time when researchers have found out the connection on dendrite growth and academic stimulation. This made them believe that if individuals are submitted to academic stimulation in the earliest time possible, this can impact significantly his mental faculty and capacity. Brain development has been responsible for the new perspective and approach to kindergar ten leading the change and shift from half day to full day.However, it appears that in analysis, even with the merit of this model hypothetically, unanimous approval and appreciation for this scheme is still to be achieved considering how sectors of the society are reacting differently and in varied fashion regarding this issue. This is an important aspect of discussion and exploration regarding full day kindergarten scheme and the brain development premise. History Kindergarten Kindergarten came to America from Germany, the term meaning children's garden.Friedrich Froebel and Margethe Meyer Schurz are two of the leading personalities who began the practice of kindergarten (Persky, Golubchick, 1991, p. 263). As the name implies, it refers to a system and a place wherein children are brought together and is being prepared for formal schooling. Kindergarten, as a form of preparatory stage, at first, was focused on making children possess sufficient social skills to allow them to inter act correctly with other individuals during formal schooling.Kindergarten education prepares them by teaching basic things which they will need in formal schooling and will serve as foundation of what they will learn and how they will learn in formal schooling. Kindergarten eventually spread all around the world. Educators working in kindergarten follow learning models as well as educational theories that make the kindergarten experience useful and constructive for the child. Kindergarten originally was just a half day session, with educators thinking that half a day is enough schooling for individuals this age (Persky, Golubchick, 1991, p.263). This was changed when scientists put forward the discovery involving the brain and its development (Eden, 2008, p. 214). During this stage and age, the role of intervention and the resulting conclusion that if this was the case, then it is important that the child is correctly and sufficiently prepared, therefore the shift from half day to a ll-day or full day or whole day kindergarten scheme. Half day to full day kindergartenFrom purely being half-day sessions, changes and developments and new perspectives regarding kindergarten education surfaced and resulted in the change from half day to all-day or whole day sessions. There were two important factors that led to the shift from half day to whole day or all-day kindergarten – the scientific basis and the practical basis. No one knows for sure which came first. Is the practical need for all-day kindergarten inspired researchers to look at any possible scientific credence this option might possess?Or was it the other way around and was a case of scientific intuition among professionals leading to the discovery of the scientific basis for all day kindergarten? This, in turn, made parents realize that besides the scientific basis, this option also has practical significance for them and the children that support and popularity for all-day kindergarten grew especial ly across America, as well as in other parts of the world. Regardless of this chicken-and-egg condition, it is nonetheless important to discuss both aspects affecting the creation of and the shaping of all-day kindergarten as it is known to day.a. Scientific basis – The main artery of the shift from half day to all day or whole day kindergarten is based on the discovery on the brain, in particular, the development that is happening in the brain when it is being subjected to academic stimulation at an early age. Professionals who were involved in this scientific study explain that dendrites grew when under academic stimulation. Dendrites are found in the brain. They are important in the learning ability and processes of the human beings. Their development is important in the mental faculty of an individual.In layman's terms, the growth and branching out of dendrites indicate active mental practices and exercises which in turn allows for improved processes of the mental faculty or thinking. Professionals as well as neuroscientists have already connected the growth and branching out of dendrites when under academic stimulation. This is proof that when the brain is exposed to academic stimulation or learning process especially in the early formative years, the physiological make up of the individual, particularly the brain develops and adjusts depending on what it is being subjected to.Therefore the child’s mind is subjected to longer academic stimulation that can be an important factor for mental growth and capability in the future. This is the main premise of the scientific basis of the full day kindergarten scheme. Professionals argue that it is important that â€Å"we must look at our children's entry point into education (Miller, Gore, 2007, p. 140). † â€Å"New research into brain development demonstrates that the first three years of a child's life are extremely critical for her emotional and intellectual growth (Miller, Gore, 2007, p. 140)† which necessitated the need for â€Å"all day kindergarten programs (Miller, Gore, 2007, p.140). † People involved in it – Educators, psychologists, neuroscientists and different professionals have been involved in the studies leading to this particular discovery and in the creation of a new perspective in kindergarten. â€Å"Today's early childhood educators recognize children as active learners, not jugs waiting to be filled or blank slates waiting to be written upon (Handelman, Auerbach 2000, p. 4). † Individuals like David Sousa as well as many other professionals came forward in support of this new notion regarding brain development and the need for a whole day kindergarten schedule and the merits of this kind of scheme.Professionals explain that it is understandable why such discovery was only made today because of many important considerations, one of which is the ethical as well as technological considerations on the ability of the human to understand the brain. In the past and without the technology for non-invasive and ethical brain study procedures, scientists are left with the one and only option available for them – to study brains from dead people. This option left them with very limited areas of research and study, and no prospect at all at studying the human brain while it is still alive and in motion.However, because of the current technology and scientific processes and abilities available to scientists today, the brain is now accessible for exploration in such a way that it is not unethical, immoral and non-invasive. This led the scientists to what they recently discovered about dendrite activity and its connection with academic stimulation. b. Practical basis – Besides the scientific basis, there is also the practical basis that was used by parents and educators in approving the full day scheme.This has something to do with the current family and parent socio-economic and socio-cultural condit ions. Economy has made it a necessity for both parents to work at the same time. This allows the parents money to send their children to good schools which they hope can look after their children while they are at work. Parents believe that full day kindergarten is like hitting two birds with one stone. First, their child is exposed to extended periods of studying and education and has limited time for other things that are harmful to the child in the long run like watching television, for example.At the same time, parents are more assured of their child's safety and well being since they are at school, attended by teachers who are trained to handle children. While this does not fully eliminate the use of nanny or a household helper, parents believe that besides the children, parents are also benefited in particular, specific ways through this scheme (Lerner, Jacobs, Wertlieb, 2003, p. 202). â€Å"Full day kindergarten was introduced to speak to the needs of the growing number of w orking parents who wanted their children to be looked after for the whole day (Lerner, Jacobs, Wertlieb, 2003, p. 202). † Full day kindergarten todayToday, many schools all around the United States, as well as in many other different countries that feature kindergarten in their school and education system, use the all-day or whole day kindergarten scheme. It adheres to the idea presented by scientists, psychologists and educators who believe that exposing children to longer educational experiences at school can help improve the mind and improve the capacity of the individual for learning and mental processes in the future. The full day kindergarten scheme has attracted many supporters who called for the institutionalization of full day kindergarten schemes.Organizations, groups and institutions, such as the Education Commission of the States or simply the ECS (Neal, 2006, p. 117), support the full day kindergarten. The shift from half day to all-day or whole day kindergarten s ession is not just merely an extension of time, nor was it a quantum leap in the learning experience for the kindergarten. Part of the change in session was the realization that teaching style, educational approach and learning perspectives should also change. It should focus more on the newfound consciousness regarding the learning ability of a child and the importance of maximizing it in the earliest possible time.Because of this, kindergarten changed. From focusing in learning through play in the past, the learning structure of kindergarten became more oriented in structured academic learning. This means that part of the learning experience included learning languages and mathematics as well as other things like color and shape cognition and identification, memorization skills, interpersonal skills, play, even good morals and conduct and religion in other kindergarten schools and institutions (Persky, Golubchick, 1991, p.263). â€Å"These early kindergarten programs focused on t he basic concept that child's play was significant and that when it was intelligently directed gave impetus to cognitive development (Persky, Golubchick, 1991, p. 263). † From this point, the perspective changed and focused more on academic learning. This move towards change was hinged on the scientific discovery regarding the brain of the child and how in that stage the brain should begin the experience of being harnessed.When the individual grows up and matures, he or she will possess the mental capacity for competitive and capable learning and is suitable for more advanced learning in the future. Today's full day kindergarten, despite its admirable background and history, is nonetheless facing many different problems as well as criticisms. Professionals involved in this field undertake many different studies to be able to find answers to these problems and to address the different criticisms hurled at the practice of full-day kindergarten.a. Studies regarding all day kinder garten – Authors like Cryan (1992) and Elicker and Mathur (1997) provide the people with materials they can read and refer to when considering full day kindergarten scheme and their opinion about it (Cryan, 1992, p. 187; Elicker and Marthur 1997, p. 459). These authors as well as many other authors have come up with results of studies, research and analysis tackling this matter both in books as well as in peer reviewed journals.Psychologists and educators appear to have undertaken intensive study and research efforts regarding the different aspects of all-day kindergarten so that they can discover new information regarding this practice that can help in determining what new course of action to take with regards to the full-day kindergarten scheme. There are currently numerous published works as well as books and even internet articles about the results of studies and research efforts focused on full day kindergarten. In general, the content of these materials stand in two pol ar regions.There are those that attest to the positive impact of this scheme; while on the other hand, there are those who present criticisms as well as new areas of investigation which they believe is important. These realms that they identified remain unexplored. This means that full day kindergarten scheme cannot be considered to be fully ideal and suitable, not until all areas of inquiry and possible sources of problem are identified, studied and resolved. b. Criticisms and problems – The full day kindergarten scheme was not without criticisms as well as its own set of problems.Parents are one of the most important groups that can strengthen or derail the progress and practice of full day kindergarten. They also became sources of important criticisms and arguments regarding full day kindergarten scheme. One of the most basic areas of standoff resulting to criticisms of this scheme is the resulting tug of war between parents who want two different things for their children – those who want to keep kindergarten at half day while those who wanted schools to shift to whole day or full day kindergarten (Lerner, Jacobs, Wertlieb, 2003, p. 202).â€Å"The introduction of full day kindergarten more than a decade ago has brought to a head an ongoing controversy between parents who want half day program and those who want the full day program (Lerner, Jacobs, Wertlieb, 2003, p. 202). † Some parents point out that despite what scientific research claims as the ideal learning time and opportunity, a child is presented and should be exposed to at that age. Parents argue and reason that scientific research, on the other hand, has not fully answered the query regarding the effect to the children of being removed from their biological parents for that long period of time.They still could not explain the effects as well as possible problems that can arise when children are constantly under the care of someone they do not know and does not know the child , even with the fact that they are certified professional and capable educators (Lerner, Jacobs, Wertlieb, 2003, p. 202). â€Å"Parents†¦ look at kindergarten in the traditional way and regard full day away from home as too much time for a 5-year old to spend in the care of a non parental adult (Lerner, Jacobs, Wertlieb, 2003, p.202). † There are also those who pointed out that full day kindergarten does not automatically mean dramatic change in learning and development. The main supporting ideas for the establishment of this kind of approach to kindergarten education is about the scientific claims on improved and increased brain development via academic stimulation. Part of the equation (and an important part) is curriculum, teaching styles and methods as well as other equally important factors like teacher competency, environment.Eden (2008) pointed out in a book that â€Å"providing a full day program for four year olds, for example, has much merit, but not if what i s provided is simply watered-down first-grade curriculum (Eden, 2008, p. 214). † Conclusion The work of the forerunners of the concept of kindergarten has come a long way. Today, it is something that appears to have evolved significantly over time, with many different important changes. This includes the change happening during the 90s – the shift from half day to full day kindergarten school time.Like many complex issues in the society, the debate over which between half day and full day kindergarten scheme is better. There is also a debate if full day kindergarten schedule by itself and outside of comparison is ideal for children and their welfare is a topic that is not easily answerable by a yes or a no. There are many gray areas and dark areas that are yet to be discovered and explored so that more answers are available for people to use in this particular decision and position.Nonetheless, the brain development and its connection to education in early childhood is an important breakthrough that can impact education for years. As for kindergarten, the newfound scientific perspective has made it clear that even the humble and previously seemingly non-bearing educational experience which is kindergarten appears to be, after all, something that holds a significant importance in the mental development of the individual. This is something that professionals should look on and design carefully in the future, for the benefit of the child above anyone else.References Cryan, J. (1992). Success outcomes of full day kindergarten: More positive behavior and increased achievement in the years after. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 2, 187-203. Eden, S. T. (2008). Play Works: Helping Children Learn Through Play. Indiana: Author House. Elicker, J. and Mathur, S. (1997). What do they do all they? Comprehensive evaluation of a full-day kindergarten. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 4, 459-480. Handelman, M. S. and Auerbach, J. J. (2000). Jewish Every Day : The Complete Handbook for Early Childhood Teachers.Colorado: Behrman House, Inc. Lerner, R. M. , Jacobs, F. and Wertlieb, D. (2003). Handbook of applied developmental science: promoting positive child, adolescent, and family development through research, policies, and programs, Volume 1. California: SAGE. Miller, J. and Gore, A. (2007). The Compassionate Community: Ten Values to Unite America. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Neal, R. G. (2006). The Deserved Collapse of Public Schools. Indiana: Author House. Persky, B. and Goubchick, L. , H. (1991). Early Childhood education. Maryland: University Press of America.