Responsive writing: “A Lesson Before Dying”

The movie â€Å"A Lesson Before Dying,† a prize winning novel by Ernest Gaines, is a story about racial injustice against African-Americans. Set in the south, in the late 1940's, this story is another example of how oppression against a race of people leads to psychological defects, inferiority complexes, and feelings of self degradation. Jefferson, played by Mekhi Phifer, finds himself the witness of a murderous crime between the owner of a liquor store and two black men. Hearing the shots, local residents enter the store while Jefferson is stealing money from the register. He's assumed to be the shooter and is apprehended and put on trial by a racist society of white people. His own lawyer tells the jury that Jefferson didn't have enough sense to know better, and that executing him would be the same as killing a hog. Nevertheless, Jefferson is sentenced to be executed. Miss Emma, Jefferson's mother, is angry by the lawyer's comments. She contacts a African-American teacher; Grant Wiggins, to go to the jail cell and convince Jefferson that he isn't a dumb hog, but that he's a man. Reluctantly, Grant visits Jefferson daily, and the two men build a bond and new sense of self identity. Reverend Ambrose, played by Brent Jennings; wants Jefferson to trust in Jesus, but he's unable to get through to him, so he asks Grant Wiggins to speak to Jefferson. Grant is already struggling with his own belief in God. Whether it's Miss Emma, Jefferson's aunt, or Reverend Ambrose, Grant resists everyone's attempt to remind him of Jesus. Ultimately, Grant and Jefferson find some understanding about religion within themselves. Jefferson prepares himself to die with a new sense of dignity. One of the most heart felt scenes is when the school children take a trip to the jail to say goodbye to Jefferson. Each child gives Jefferson a gift as they say goodbye to him. With tears in his eyes, and a new sense of appreciation for the people that care about him, Jefferson says â€Å"thank you.† In addition, Lisa Arrindell Anderson; playing the part of Vivian Baptiste, delivers a magnificent performance. Lighting up the screen with her beauty, and strong conviction, she becomes the support mechanism for Grant Wiggins. Grant is in love with Vivian and intends to marry her, therefore, he confides in her about his struggles with Jefferson, as well as, the pressure everyone is putting on him. As a result, they strengthen their relationship with each other, and find new direction in their lives. In the end, this story reminds us that; despite the insurmountable odds that we face in life, we can overcome self degradation; due to the oppression of others, with self dignity, spirituality, and an appreciation for the people who love us.

Abnormal psychology/depression Essay

Serotonin – A neurotransmitter involved in mood, sleep, appetite, and impulsive and aggressive behaviour. Definitions taken from www. allpsyc. com/dictionary If a person’s serotonin is too low it then results in depression. All three neurotransmitters must work together on an even level in order for the brain to function properly. It has been proven through autopsy results that low serotonin is apparent in a depressed person. However, this does not prove weather depression causes the serotonin level to drop or if low serotonin causes depression. Sigmund Freud described depression as a human response to loss. The psychodynamic approach to depression explains that the feelings of an adult reflect on the experiences of a child. If for example a child suffers the loss of their mother during childhood, this results in adult depression. Freud also argued that depression relates to early relationships with parents. Hostile feelings towards the parents are redirected towards the self resulting in hatred of the self. Feelings of depression can arise from lack of affection and love during childhood. Trauma of a child re-emerges in adulthood in the form of depression. According to Freud, the conscious and unconscious parts of the mind can come into conflict with one another, producing phenomena called repression (a state where you are unaware of having certain troubling motives, wishes or desires but they influence you negatively just the same). In general, psychodynamic theories suggest that a person must successfully resolve early developmental conflict in order to overcome repression and achieve mental health. Mental illness, on the other hand, is a failure to resolve these conflicts. Abraham in 1911 suggested that depression was the result of the anger felt towards a rejected loved one. The psychodynamic approach to depression is supported by the point that childhood loss predicts later vulnerability to depression. A cognitive approach to depression, suggest that depression is a state of mind. A person becomes depressed because of the way they think and feel. Cognitive – behaviour theory is different to that of Seligman and Abramson’s ‘hopelessness theory’ which suggests that people learn from childhood that they are powerless to control what becomes of them, as a result adults become passive and helpless. Beck in 1991 developed the cognitive – behavioural theory of depression. He argued that depression stems from negative thinking. â€Å"Depressed people suffer from a cognitive triad of negative beliefs about themselves, their future and their past experiences. † Giles B (2002:108) A cognitive triad of negative thinking: A negative view of the self A negative view of the world A negative view of the future Beck suggested that people who are prone to depression have developed a ‘self-critical’ and negative way of thinking and feeling towards themselves. Beck believes that negative thinking starts in childhood and is a result of been brought up by critical negative parents with whom the child identifies. Beck suggested that as a result of these early experiences the child develops into adulthood with a negative self schema. Both cognitive and psychodynamic approaches to depression suggest the childhood experience is the route of depression. Freud’s theory suggests that depression is a result of the loss of a mother or perhaps a negative upbringing, Beck suggested almost the same as he suggested that a negative family encourages a person to become depressed. Both theories’ hold the majority of responsibility on the upbringing of a child. However, if this as the case, all children in negative households would then become depressed. Freud’s research on depression was limited due to the year of study. At the time in history it was the norm for a family to be cared for by the mother. This is not always the case in today’s society, given this would children having suffered the loss of a father also suffer depression in adulthood. Biological theories do appear to have an influence on depression. Twin studies and family studies do demonstrate likelihood that depression is genetic. However, genes alone do not cause depression; if this was the case then every child born into a depressive family would there for become depressed. This suggests that depression does have a link with genetics but it also needs other aspects to initiate depression. Beck’s theory of depression has it’s strengths as it is supported by a large amount of research indicating that depression is in fact influenced by negative thinking. However, is negative thinking the cause of depression or is it depression that causes a person to think negatively? If depression causes a person to think negatively is it then that depression is a result of chemical conflict? Serotonin levels must remain on an even level to enable a person’s mood to stay stable. Serotonin levels drop in that of a depressed person. Yet it is unknown whether a low serotonin level causes depression or weather depression causes a low serotonin level. It remains unknown weather depression is in fact a result of biological factors or psychological factors. Each person suffers from depression in their own way. There is evidence to suggest that depression runs in families, but a family free from depression can have a depressed person amongst them. A happy family home, with two loving parents can also have a depressed child. In conclusion to this assignment, what causes depression? Given the research , evidence and the limitations of the theories surrounding depression it becomes fair to say that depression holds many reasons and is not only influenced by one factor and can in fact be a result of many. BIBLOGRAPHY M Birchwood & C Jackson (2001) CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY modular course schizophrenia East Sussex Psychology Press M Cardwell et al (2001) PSYCHOLOGY for A2 Level Hammersmith HarperCollins Publishers Limited J Cullberg (2006) PSYCHOSES An integrated perspective London Routledge C Frith & E Johnstone (2003) SCHIZOPHRENIA a very short introduction London Oxford University Press B Giles (2002) ABNORMAL PSYCHOLGY Rochester Grange Books plc R Gross (2001) PSYCHOLOGY The science of mind and behaviour London Hodder and Stoughton. S Moore (2002) SOCIAL WELFARE ALIVE third edition Cheltenham Nelson Thornes Ltd www. abnormalpsy. org/disorderlinks/depression 20/03/2008 www. bbc. co. uk/health/conditions/depression1. shtml 20/03/2008 www. bupa. co. uk/ 20/03/2008 www. clinical-depression. co. uk 22/03/2008 www. depressionalliance. org 22/03/2008 www. depression-therapist. co. uk 20/03/2008 www. fightingdepression. co. uk 20/03/2008 www. mind. org. uk 22/03/2008 www. mentalhealth. org. uk 22/03/2008 www. mentalhealthproject. com/ 20/03/2008 www.nhsdirect. nhs. uk/article 20/03/2008 www. overcomedepression. co. uk 22/03/2008. REFERENCE M Cardwell et al (2001) PSYCHOLOGY for A2 Level Hammersmith HarperCollins Publishers Limited J Cullberg (2006) PSYCHOSES An integrated perspective London Routledge B Giles (2002) ABNORMAL PSYCHOLGY Rochester Grange Books plc www. abnormalpsy. org/disorderlinks/depression 20/03/2008 www. bbc. co. uk/health/conditions/depression1. shtml 20/03/2008 www. fightingdepression. co. uk 20/03/2008 www. nhsdirect. nhs. uk/article 20/03/2008.

Liturgy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Liturgy - Essay Example The homily is always on the gospel of the day.† Considering the current universal trends and developments in worship, this statement is being tested for validity in the light of the Church of England’s Sunday Lectionary and Calendar of Common Worship. A lectionary is simply a list of Bible passages assigned to be read in designated days of the year. Although the Church of England does not prescribe which Bible translation to be used, the Common Worship Lectionary, which has a two-strand approach, is being adopted: one strand for special days and seasons and another strand for ordinary time (Horton et al, 2001). The church calendar being observed by the Anglican church is the same calendar being used by the traditional Christian churches. The calendar begins with the season of Advent in preparation for Christmas, followed by Christmas itself, then the Epiphany, then Lent with its conclusion at Pentecost (Common Worship, 2000). The Common Worship was the result of the incorporation of the improvements in the Alternative Service Book of the Church of England and was done to achieve overall uniformity in worship down to the local congregation (Horton et al, 2001). Latest improvements pertained specifically to providing flexibility in the substance and form of worship at the local service level. The question that invites contemplation and deep analysis is: In the light of this flexibility, how does it affect the homily? Must the homily always be on the gospel of the day, following the guidance of the Lectionary and the Calendar? The homily is delivered by the presiding priest or pastor right after the proclamation of the assigned Scripture reading, usually a gospel passage, during a worship ceremony as in the sacrifice of the mass. Being characteristically subjective in form and substance, the homily can have the tendency to veer away from its original intention, depending on the frame of mind and emotional state of the preacher. In a number of instances, the

GCSE in Mathematics Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

GCSE in Mathematics - Literature review Example Factually there is no doubt that some subjects are more difficult than others, mathematics is one such subject. Mathematics is hard to some students because of the fear factor arising from inferiority feeling. The students feel that they are not smart enough. Mathematics is likened to sports where practice gives better results and understanding of terms used in Mathematics is quite challenging to some students. Mathematics is sequential subject just like science or engineering where the right answer can be gotten in different ways and concepts build from a previous one. In most cases the math courses move at a fast pace. All these factors may determine if a whether students hate or love mathematics. Graham (2004) defines web applications as programs that run on Web servers and use Web pages as the user interface. He notes this new kind of software will be cheaper and more powerful than the regular software for desktops. He further remarks that early computer users have already long d iscovered the benefits of moving applications from the hard disk and starting to use Web-based applications which can be accessed from any computer connected to the Internet. Ackermann (2007) asserts that the internet and the World Wide Web have had a profound effect on the way people find information and do research. He attributes this to the astounding increase in the amount of information resources available and the tools available for finding information. BENEFITS OF WEB SYSTEMS Db net solutions (2007) explain a number of benefits of web systems. Web Cross platform compatibility is one of them. Most web based applications are far more cross platform compatible than traditional installed software. The minimum system requirements would be web browsers that are available for a multitude of operating systems and run the web application. Web applications are also more manageable; web based systems need only be installed on the server placing minimal requirements on the end user works tation. The maintenance and update of the system is much simpler as usually it can all be done on the server. Updates are normally done via the web server with relative ease. Due to the manageability and cross platform support deploying web applications to the end user is far easier. Web based applications are ideal in bandwidth limited networks and the system and data is remote. You simply need to send the user a website address to log in to and provide them with internet access. This means that web applications are highly deployable. In web based systems the systems and processes can often be consolidated reducing the need of moving data. This type of applications also provides an added layer of security by removing the need for the user to have access to the data and back end servers. Web based applications are far less costly due to reduced support and lower end user system requirements and simplified architecture. Paul Stanley software (2013) also has a good literature on the b enefits of interactive web applications and hold that they are highly advantageous in that no special configuration or changes  are needed on  user's PCs. It was argued that they have lower costs compared to standalone or desktop applications and that Web applications centralize data which makes the data secure and easy to backup. Updates can be made quickly and information is accessible to a wide audience anywhere in the world available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Web applications also have the advantage that everybody has a browser. The familiar interface of the browsers encourages use of web systems and applications.Learning exercises can be done at user's own time and pace

Not sure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Not sure - Essay Example However, although rituals were important to Confucius, he had a very strict sense of duty. Confucius viewed rituals as one of the duties an individual must always do, and emphasized this particularly when he would be appointed by a duke or a king as an advisor. In analyzing the Confucian analects, Slingerland (67) states that â€Å"Confucius felt the rituals (even if they were being enacted by someone else), and remained profoundly affected by the emotions they evoked.† In the contemporary Chinese society, there were different powerful countries and tribes who wished to identify themselves distinctly from each other. Rituals thus became means to assert one’s identity and sometimes, they were very elaborate and strict. However, these elaborate and sometimes, magnificent rituals would be observed superficially. People might ignore the inner meaning and zest of the rituals they practiced. Confucius was not one among them. Likewise, he instructed his followers to practice the traditional rituals with not only extravagance but sincerity too. Therefore, in his lifetime, Confucius remained a source of inspiration and information for those who wished to follow the different contemporary rituals correctly and sincerely. Translating the Book Seventeen from the Analects of Confucius, Slingerland (209) notes that in one of the accounts from the Record of Rituals, Confucius used to give ritual instructions to guide his disciples and emphasize the antiquity of Chinese culture. There were different kinds of rituals in the Chinese society about which the researchers obtain considerable information from Confucius’s teachings. For example, there were certain funerary rituals. Some rituals were supposed to mark certain life events like reaching adulthood. Other rituals included strict methods for doing worship, making sacrifices, going to warfare, etc. However, Confucius did not pressurize his contemporaries to accept his doctrine of sincere and if necessary extravagant

No topic Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 12

No topic - Assignment Example The linear regression equation helps in forecasting the value of sales in the next year. This will be done as follows; sales for the seventh year = (1109.1*7) + 1408 = 2517.1. The predicted sales for the seventh year is $ 2,517. The above prediction is too general to provide enough information for the production planning. The data that is divided into the different seasons in the year is more informative to the production planning especially for the Riverside Corporation that deals in highly seasonal products (Anderson, 677). Anderson adds that time series help in showing the overall trend of data for specified time intervals (692). Similar scatter diagrams help in predicting the sales for the next year per every two months as follows; The above analysis shows that the initial value of predicted sales was $ 2517 and was based on the annual total sales of the year. When data has been broken down into two months each year, the prediction takes a different direction (Anderson, 2012). For the next year i.e. seventh year, the predicted sales for the first two months is $ 2815. Sales for the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth two months are $ 1659, $1240, 701, 797 and 1960 respectively. This information is more useful for production planning than the prediction made using the annual totals. This is because the product in question is seasonal and therefore its demand varies depending on different seasons of the year. Time series analysis is used in predicting the future values of a variable by the use of response history (Anderson, 682). This is referred to as autoregressive dynamics (Anderson, 680). The basic application is in the application of the linear regression models used above. The models give an equation where values are substituted to obtain the intended prediction. According to Anderson, â€Å"time series captures the various trends that given data assume over a certain period of time† (662).

A paper about a short story Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A paper about a short story - Essay Example the story where he points out that Matman happens to be a voodoo practitioner, he then described some of the rituals that she sometimes performs that cause her to sometimes fall down to the ground and start rolling about under the glowing moon (DeSanto 2013). After conducting these bizarre ritual, Matman would then proceed to walk back to the house to eat. An analysis of this incidence seems to suggest to the reader that to Matman and her family, that the occurrence of such an event is a normal everyday event, this is despite of the fact that such actions would generally be regarded by the larger society as being quite bizarre. DeSanto also undertakes to try and normalize some gruesome incidents in the story and describes how after Lord Invader had attacked and bit the ear of one of the neighborhood boys while he was busy playing a game of basketball, Dà ©dà © had proceeded to beat him out there in the street before leading the dog home. When the boy’s father had turned up at the house, he had insisted on having the dog killed and on his threatening the Dà ©dà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s family, Dà ©dà © had agreed to kill the dog. Dà ©dà © had then slit the dog’s throat during a brief ceremony that had begun with Matman whispering a Haitian death song that quickly turned into howls. After slitting the dog’s throat Dà ©dà © had proceeded to give it a brief eulogy by whispering â€Å"Lawd Invadar. I lahved you† (DeSanto 2012). By the delivery of the rather ordinary eulogy after Dà ©dà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s character had conducted a bizarre ceremony in which he killed his dog, DeSanto is seen to engage in an attempt where he tries to normalize a gruesome event in which a dog is butchered in a bizarre ceremony. The normalization of the bizarre is also seen to be used by DeSanto in his narration of how John took off all his clothes and ran around the neighborhood while only wearing a bone necklace and then proceeded to dig up the remain of Lord Invader in the rain (DeSanto 2012). The humming of a normal tune is

Business Plan Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Plan - Term Paper Example With clear targeted clienteles, market analysis is likewise done to have a clearer picture of the organization’s strength, weakness, opportunities and threats (SWOT). The company has a P10 million initial capital and its targets to gain comfortable and reasonable return or profit for sustainability. The business plan is its map to attain success in this business venture. Executive Summary This is a business plan of Ameritech Corporation. This business concept is developed as a start up plan and thus details business plan and its operations. Experts viewed that a business plan is a fundamental necessity in starting a venture. The plan consists of a narrative and research to ensure that company will be able to open and operate systematically with concrete understanding and context of the market. Details below discuss the nature of the company, its products and services; its targeted market; its financial plan and an initial SWOT analysis conducted as first step in scanning the m arket. AmeriTech company will be venturing on marketing information technology. Below is the proposed organizational structure of the company: The CEO will do all the executive functions, lead the planning and implementation and conduct the regular monitoring of the human resources. The SEO does the market analysis. The finance department will be in-charge for the financial disposition, disbursement of salary, payment of purchases and for regular reporting of financial status. It will also be liable for accounting. The marketing department will be composed of human resources, preferably those who have earned a degree in information technology course and has background on business management. They will deal with the customers on regular basis and ensure their satisfaction. The operations department will be responsible for the transportation of purchases from infotech producer and will be accountable for the quality of these products. The support technology engineer on the other hand, will ensure that they will be able to produce online or personal support to customers who suffer some problems in the utilization if the communication gadgets. These are human resources that are trained and capable of fine tuning the equipments and in repairing them in case of defects. Or, in case the gadgets are irreparable, they are those who are knowledgeable to advise customers on the best option to undertake. Company overview AmeriTech Corporation is a company dedicated in selling or marketing information technology facilities. These infotechnologies include computers, laptops, computer accessories, camera, cellular phones with accessories, telephone and fax machines. Softwares related thereto will also be sold. It is located at the heart of San Francisco, California. The company’s vision is to become a business leader in marketing quality infotechnology and other related communication products/services to improve lives, virtually bridge distances between peoples, insti tutions and companies. The company’s mission is to provide infotech consumers with reasonable way of enjoying quality business services, to boost its profit, and to advance the use of technology. Products and Services The company sells information technology such as computers, laptops, cellular phones, telephones, fax machines and their related accessories. It will also sell internet facilities such as

Managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Managment - Essay Example Managers also need to draft a comprehensive time schedule over which the project implementation process will strictly follow. This will ensure that activities are all executed within the specified periods. This will also ensure that the project is completed within the set time schedule. Proper allocation of resources is also required, in planning, to ensure that workers are not pushed around departments in search for resources (Pinto 57). Proper allocation of resources, in a different department, will also ensure that different departments exist independently, but co-exist with other departments for mutual benefits. In addition, constant rewarding of workers is a necessity in improving their efficiency and performance. A functional organization, planning to transform into a supportive and interactive culture from adversarial culture, needs to consider a number of factors. In the first place, the organization should begin by setting up a corporate wide vision, which aims at motivating and uniting workers (Pinto 58). Secondly, they have to establish a punishment or reward system that is in accordance with their vision. Lastly, such firms need to formulate unambiguous policies that are in line with communication and authority (Pinto 59). This is significant in making fast and efficient

Pilot Fatigue in Aviation Essay Example for Free

Pilot Fatigue in Aviation Essay Aviation transport is said to be the safest transportation method by man but is challenged by incidents and accidents that resulted to tragic loss of lives and damage to properties. One very important reason that is being looked upon by aviation and concerned authorities like the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is of man’s physiological limitation which is fatigue. Pilot fatigue is highly blamed in most aviation accidents over the years. The risk of accident is said to be high if the pilot is deprived of sleep. Sleep is a vital physiological function, and obtaining even one hour less than required can increase waking sleepiness (Air Line Pilot, November 1994, page 22). Sleep loss can be acute and if continued over time may result in a cumulative sleep debt. Cumulative sleep loss and disruption of 24-hour biological, or circadian rhythms can lead to decreased waking alertness, impaired performance, and altered mood. Fatigue is the symptom often reported to characterize the sum of these negative experiences. Sleep-deprived personnel lose approximately 25% to 30% of their ability to perform useful mental work with each 24-hour period of sleep loss (Johnston III, S. L. , 2005). In fact, a 2003 study on the impact of fatigue on F-117 pilots revealed that 27-33 hours of sleep deprivation (1 night of sleep loss) degrade basic piloting skills by more than 40% below normal (Johnston III, S. L, 2005). For this reason, NASA and FAA has collaborated to do research programs on this safety concern. The NASA Ames Fatigue/Jet Lag Program (now the Fatigue Countermeasures Program) was jointly funded by the FAAs Human Factors Research Program for many years (Mann, M. B. , www. hq. nasa. gov). The results of its research have determined that fatigue is really needed to be addressed to maintain the safety of aviation personnel to prevent loss of lives and properties. How to address then fatigue as a safety concern? It is unfortunate that there is no one simple solution because fatigue has multitudes of causes. For NASA’s Fatigue Countermeasures Program, the approach is said to be multi-faceted and comprehensive yet must be an integrated approach. Accordingly, it should have at least the following components: education and training, hours of service, sound scheduling practices, effective countermeasures, incorporation of appropriate design and technologies, and research (Mann, M. B. , www. hq. nasa. gov). Education and Training. Education establishes the knowledge base for the successful acceptance of all other activities. In 1994, NASA has developed an education and training module on alertness management in flight operation. This module was in use by already at least 149 organizations reaching more than 116,000 crewmembers in 1998 (Mann, M. B. , www. hq. nasa. gov). Hours of Service. Principles and guidelines for duty and rest scheduling must be developed. The latest scientific research on fatigue must be incorporated and reflected to these guidelines and principles as needed. Sound Scheduling Practices. Sound scheduling practices should include scientific information about sleep, fatigue, and circadian rhythms, in addition to other factors, in creating and evaluating flight crew schedules. Countermeasures. An integrated approach calls for making full use of personal, corporate, and even regulatory countermeasure strategies. These strategies can be implemented preventively, using them before duty and on layovers to reduce the effects of fatigue, sleep loss, and circadian disruption during flight operations. As per study by the Fatigue Countermeasures Program, Flight crews receiving brief hourly activity breaks (involving mild physical activity and social interaction) showed improved physiological alertness for at least 15 minutes relative to a control group, while reporting significantly greater alertness for up to 25 minutes post-break. Design and Technology. The aviation industry must tap advances in design and technology to address this safety concern of fatigue. It is said that technology has changed or evolved dramatically over the past decades but man’s need for sleep did not. Good system design incorporates information about human physiology, its limitations and strengths, early in the process. Technological approaches that use this information can take many forms, including flight crew scheduling algorithms (i. e. , the methodology of choosing flight crews) and alertness monitoring/management systems (Mann, M. B. , www. hq. nasa. gov). . Research. Continues research on this area of concern must be done. More research is needed to fully understand the capabilities and limitations of the human sleep and circadian systems. With the advent of technological devices claiming to detect fatigue, a focused research is needed to ascertain the sensitivity, the reliability and the validity of these devices. Continued research is also essential to address regulatory, scheduling, and countermeasure questions. It has been said that decision making and policy is guided by a valid and empirical data obtained through research (Mann, M. B. , www. hq. nasa. gov). Pilot fatigue then in aviation, if not completely eliminated, is greatly reduced to obtain peak performance of pilots by integrating the above suggested components. With peak performance of pilots, safety in aviation is greatly improved. . References Air Line Pilot, November 1994, Fatigue in Aviation, page 22, by the Flight Management and Human Factors Division, NASA Ames Research Center. Retrieved June 9, 2009, http://cf. alpa. org/internet/projects/ftdt/alpmag/FATIGUE. html Johnston III, S. L. Societal and Workplace Consequences of Insomnia, Sleepiness, and Fatigue. (Sept. 29, 2005). Retrieved June 9, 2009. http://cme. medscape. com/viewarticle/513572_print Mann, M. B. , â€Å"Hearing on Pilot Fatigue†. Retrieved June 9, 2009 http://www. hq. nasa. gov/office/legaff/mann8-3. html

Nigerian Construction Industry Performance

Nigerian Construction Industry Performance Chapter Two of this research comprises a comprehensive review of literature relating to the Nigerian construction industry and its performance, Value Management and its application in the construction industry. It is noted that much of the literature relating to Nigeria is dated, however this can only add to the value and relevance of primary data collected in this research and it provides a background and historic basis from which progress in the industry may be measured. 2.1 THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY The construction industry the world over is often perceived to be the life wire of its respective economy as it cuts across all aspects of human activities (Ayangade, 2009) and the Nigerian construction industry is not an exception to this. Its contribution ranges from enabling the procurement of goods and services to the provision of buildings and other infrastructure, thereby providing employment opportunities to its labour force while contributing immensely to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). According to Ayangade (2009), the contribution of the Nigerian construction industry is yet to measure up to those of the western world like the UK and Australia due to its developing nature among other reasons discussed below. As noted by the same researcher (Ayangade, 2009), whereas the construction industries of other developed countries are responsible for about 22% of their respective GDPs, the Nigerian case is different as it contributes slightly below 16% to its economy. However, this could be said to be complemented by the relatively higher employment (20%) it provides for its whooping 140 million citizens compared to the 12% as in the case of developed countries. Mbamali (2004) attributed this to relatively lower use of mechanization within construction in Nigeria and the high dependency of the Nigerian economy on the oil sector. Obiegbu (2005) noted that the construction industry, unlike other sectors, is a complex one and requires articulate professionals who are ready to live up to its clients expectations. Clients in the construction industry may either be private individuals including corporate bodies or public organisations which include the government. In Nigeria the federal government is often seen to be involved in the most complex projects with about 38.4% of the market (Ayangade, 2005). This is followed by the state government which is responsible for about 19.2% of the projects in the industry, though there is still some form of partnering between different classes of clients. The players in the industry are a disparate group of individuals often assembled into temporary teams and may comprise of quantity surveyors, architects, Engineers, Estate surveyors Valuers, project managers, contractors and sub-contractors, suppliers, labourers and artisans. Activities in the construction industry are carried out on a project basis and could be within an organisation or part of a programme (..reference). The Project Management Institute (PMI) (2004) defined a project as a temporary endeavour undertaken to create a unique product, service or result. The product, in the context of the construction industry, may be a building, services installation or other infrastructural project. Hence the relevant mix of professionals is often assembled together with the aim of achieving this goal. This group of professionals is expected to possess the relevant skills, knowledge, tools and techniques to achieve the project goals. The application of these variables, skills, knowledge, tools and techniques, with the aim achieving the required objective is referred to as project management (PMI, 2004). According to Obiegbu (2005), the contractual procurement strategy, which he defined as a basis for clients action in defining the procedure to be followed fr om the inception of the project to handover, plays an important role in the performance of the industry. Some of the contractual arrangements which are often referred to as procurement routes may include, but are not limited to, the following: Traditional procurement route Design and build Management contracts 2.1.1 Nature and Performance of the Nigerian Construction Industry the economic resources often wasted in cost and time overruns, substandard work and shoddy workmanship, client-contractor-practitioners acrimonious relationships and non-performance of projects as envisaged by clients and end users Olatunje (2009) The above quote highlights the perception of the Nigerian construction industry presented by Olatunje (2009) highlights issues researched by other authors such as cost and time overruns (Aniekwu and Okpala, 1998, Oyedele Tham, 2007, Dlakwa Culpin, 1990), project abandonment (Sonuga et al, 2002, Adams, 1997) and both client and contractor dissatisfaction (Olatunje, 2009). The quote also echoes findings from Egans (1998) research into the UK construction industry. The Egan report has been formative in the UK construction industry but also for the Nigerian industry, which is fashioned after the UKs (Mbamali, et al., 2005, Oyedele Tham, 2007). The Nigerian construction industry has similar contractual arrangements as the industry in Britain which has been found to be more unsuitable for developing industries like Nigeria than it is for its own industry (Edmonds Miles, 1983, Sonuga et al, 2002). The most common procurement route used in the Nigerian construction industry is the traditional route (Ayangade, 2009). This implies that much risk is placed on the Architect to deliver the project as he is left to advise, organise and lead other project consultants to conceive and develop the project design. This procurement route has faced a lot of criticism including the separation of the design stage from actual construction. Wells (1986) found that the divorce of design from construction and the use of competitive tendering, which is based on lowest cost, are noted constraints that affect the performance of the Nigerian construction industry. Aniekwu and Okpala (1988) referred to these as systemic issues in the industry which result from the application of contractual arrangements unsuited to the Nigerian industry. Some of these issues may be accommodated by appropriate conditions of contract but these factors are considered to be withholding the development of the industry. Aniekwu and Okpala (1988) also identified some of the structural issues affecting the industry to include access to finance and lack of proper communication among consultants, contractors and the client at the early stages the project and during construction. Oyodele and Tham (2005) noted that lack of proper communication in the industry, boosted by its high level of fragmentation, has left it awash it with delay, cost and time overruns in addition to the disturbing rate of fluctuation in the prices of materials offered by the economy. The findings of the Building Research Establishment associated more than 50% of the construction defects with mistakes in project drawings and documentation due to inadequate interaction among the proj ect professionals. This is in line with the recommendation of the National Economic Development Office (1987) on the need for more accurate designs in the industry as this is responsible for nearly two-thirds of poor quality work in the industry. 2.1.2 Project Management in the Nigerian Construction Industry Odusemi et al, (2003) found that Project Management is still in its early stages of development in the Nigerian construction industry. The service is offered but only alongside other consultancy services. This is not assisted by the fact that PM is learned experientially and is not represented by established professional bodies, although many consultants are members of the Association of Project Management (APM) and the Project Management Institute (PMI). This has left the industry struggling with the challenges of satisfying the needs of its clients and the public as a whole. As noted by Oyodale and Tham (2005), the complexities presented by the industry can only be tackled by its professionals. Aibinu and Jagboro (2002) concluded that, considering the contribution of the construction industry to its nations economy, improved services in the form of greater efficiency and timeliness would certainly yield a positive impact. The research called on the need for innovative research that will improve management skills and ability, buildability, design quality, integration and communication and client focus so as to deliver value for money. 2.2 VALUE MANAGEMENT 2.2.1 Value Concept Historically, value is viewed from an economic perspective, hence its expression as a ratio of costs to benefits (Kelly et al, 2004). The concept of value is based on the relationship between satisfying needs and the expectations and the resources required to achieve them (British Standard, 2000). The above statement implies that for value to be correctly defined there ought to be some needs that are desired to be satisfied; which are then weighed against the required and available resources to achieve them. This however does not equate reduced cost to enhanced value. For instance, as illustrated in figure 2.1 below, a project manager may decide to commit more resources in the short run (which would obviously increase cost) with an intention of increasing his revenue (improved value) in the long run. Value can thus be increased when the clients satisfaction increases and the cost in terms of resources either diminishes, or increases to a lesser extent (Tassinari (1985, p37). Figure 2.1 showing the relationship between resources and customer satisfaction. (Adapted from British Standard, 2000) A need is that which is desired or necessary to perform a particular function and will differ depending on the nature of the client or the perspective from which it is defined (British Standard, 2000). This explains why value is often seen to be a subjective term (Thiry, 1997). According to Kelly et al (2004) producers and dealers may both view value as the price of a physical object while the consumers or users would see value from its performance perspective which changes with time. McGeorge and Palmer (2002) illustrate this using a modern home which has a little battery operated radio in addition to internet, phone, and television. Of course, the small radio would be perceived to have little or no value until a snow storm cuts the house off from the electric power supply which will render the radio as the only source of communication. The above example by McGeorge and Palmer (2002) shows the effect time and innovation can have on a clients interpretation of value and how it can change given a particular situation. The small battery operated radio was initially of very high value when it was the only available option but diminished with the invention and/or acquisition of internet, phone and television by the household. However its appreciation changed when the situation change. According to Zimmerman and Hart (1982) as cited in Thiry (1997), if a design has not changed in 18 years, the product is either excellent or management has failed to improve it. However one knows that neither of these two conditions mentioned in the above statement is obtainable in the present construction industry due to its highly competitive nature. Most times clients interpretation of value is when it meets or exceeds their expectations. Kelly and Male (2007) described this using the Kanos model as shown in figure 2.3 below. Figure 2.2 Kanos Model, reproduced from Kelly and Male, 2007 As shown on Kanos model above, there are three levels of satisfaction factors; basic, performance and delighter, each having some effects on the quality characteristics including customers satisfaction. According to Kelly and Male (2007), Kanos model (figure 2.2) does not only portray the importance of achieving a clients immediate expectations from a project but also the need to go the extra mile to improve it beyond the clients expectations as this gives them a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"delighter satisfaction. The possible benefit from this is that projects would not become obsolete within a short period of its completion as its performance would still exceed the customers demand, thereby assuring the client of continued good value for his money. Kanos model also creates room for improved projects through innovative services and products as what was once a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"delighter over time goes down to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"basic and forms a baseline below which the client becomes dissatisfied. Acc ording to Harty (2009) one of the driving forces behind the value management concept is that it encourages innovation through research which is in line with the recommendations of Egan (1998) to improve the performance of the construction industry. 2.2.2 Defining the Client Value System Clients in the construction industry have been described as a heterogeneous group made up of private or public organisations operating in different environments with diverse reasons for their existence (Kelly et al 2007). Some of these are multinational organisations competing at the global level who already have reputations to protect while some are small upcoming organisations who are still very much profit driven. Viewed from another perspective, some of these clients are more experienced than others irrespective of their sizes or the sector in which they operate. It then follows that clients are unique in their own ways and have individual, respective requirements which determine their needs and hence what is of value to them. This is referred to as the client value system. Harmonizing and prioritizing these diverse views of stakeholders in a particular project at the project briefing stage sets the clients value system and ensures that value for money (VfM) is achieved, (OGC, 20 07). The client value system is thus seen as a basis for making decisions as to the allocation and use of resources available for a project, thereby addressing the usual mismatch between the clients actual intent and his capability (Thiry, 1996). According to Kelly et al (2004, p157) one of the most important considerations of value management is the recognition of the uniqueness of each clients value system. This creates demand for the construction industry as it is focused on the customers by making explicit what value means to the each individual client. Sequel to this, Kelly et al (2004) identified some measurable criteria which form a typical construction client value system to include time, capital costs, operating cost, environment, exchange, flexibility, esteem, comfort and politics. 2.2.2.1 Time Refers to the period from when the project was conceptualized to the period when it is completed and absorbed into the clients organisation. Often time is assessed on a continuum from when it is of essence to the point where it could be compromised (Kelly et al, 2004). For instance a project to build a sports bar for the 2010 world cup delivered just a day past the commencement of the tournament, may drastically affect its value. Hence it is necessary to determine what time means to the client. 2.2.2.2 Capital expenditure (CAPEX) Are those costs associated with the capital cost of a project, measured on a continuum between the budget being considered tight and not able to be exceeded to there being flexibility in budgeting (Kelly et al 2004). Simply put, CAPEX is what it cost to put a project on ground, from inception to handover. However, Elinwa and Joshua (2001) stated that it is sometimes difficult to separate the capital costs of some projects from its operating costs due the platform on which it was procured. For example a primary health centre to be procured through PFI, it may not be so easy to pin point the capital costs as it forms part of the total lease package. 2.2.2.3 Operating expenditure (OPEX) Spending on construction projects is not one off expenditure as the building requires to be operated, maintained and repaired throughout the life span of the building. According to Kelly et al (2004), OPEX can be defined as those costs associated with operation and maintenance of a completed project as it becomes a part of the clients organization; measured by the extent to which it is minimized to its point of being flexible. This depends on the use to which a building is being put to. For instance where the building is for residential purpose, the operating costs may include utilities, cleaning, repairs, maintenance, caretaker and security. This may be expanded to include photocopying and internet facilities and other office services for a commercial development. 2.2.2.4 Environment This defines how important achieving an environmentally friendly project is to the client. Kelly et al (2004) defined environment as the extent to which the project results in a sympathetic approach to its immediate and extended physical environments in terms of energy consumed in putting it up and in operating it. The yardstick here is the level to which the project complies with the Kyoto Agreement and Agenda 21 issues including other environmental regulations. This explains a clients interest in having a sustainable development which is resources conscious. 2.2.2.5 Exchange or resale This refers to the monetary value of the project were it to be sold, rented or valued as part of an organisations assets. Where the project cannot be traded on the open market value or there is no intention to resell ab initio, this will be indicated in the organisations value system (Kelly et al, 2004). The continuum here is between the returns from the project being of importance to the returns being of not of much or no importance to the client. 2.2.2.6 Flexibility As recommended by Egan (1998), there is a need for construction projects to be at a par with improvements in technology and changes in market demand. Hence flexibility as a value criterion is the extent to which a project parameter has to reflect this ever changing environment at its design stage (Kelly et al 2004). For instance, the nature of the healthcare industry involves constant improvements in technology and hence healthcare facilities must be compatible with the incorporation of these changes. However, flexibility depends on the nature of the project and is measured between being very easy to change its function to being impossible. 2.2.2.7 Esteem This refers to the amount of immediate resources that a client wants to forgo for attributes like prestige, aesthetic and appearance rather than performance (Thiry, 1996). Some projects may not be viable based on other value criteria but of high value to the client on esteem grounds. For instance, some projects undertaken by some countries could be just aimed at creating awareness and putting the countrys name on the map as in the case of the worlds tallest building in Dubai. 2.2.2.8 Comfort In the context of a building this refers to the physical and psychological comfort of the building as a place for working and living with its influence on human performance (Kelly et al 2004). Simply put, it refers to the ease with which the project supports the business carried out in it or other uses to which it is being put. 2.2.2.9 Politics This is external to projects and refers to the level of resources that the client wants to commit to the community, popularity and good neighbour issues which often determines how important they are to him (Kelly and Male, 2007). This is measured by the motive to be popular with the local community or not having any concern with them at all. In a study conducted to determine clients assessment of architects performance in Nigeria in terms of delivering value for money, Lukmon et al (2007), identified a set of 28 similar but correlated criteria which they grouped under quality of project, buildability, client focus and management skills. 2.2.3 Historical Background of Value Management A project is defined as an undertaking aimed at achieving a specific objective usually measured in terms of performance, budget and schedule, (Morris and Hough 1987). Hence project is an investment undertaken to add value to the core business of a client (Kelly et al, 2004). Value Management, as a management technique, offers the most logical approach to delivering VfM to clients (Shen and Liu 2003); Kelly and Male, 2007). Its strength may be attributed to its approach of identifying and/or verifying a clients value system among the relevant stakeholders at an early stage of the project, so that these may be reflected in the project design. According to Thiry (1996) the origins of VM can be traced back to the 1940s in what he described as more for less in the USA manufacturing industry. During World War II Lawrence Miles, an Engineer with General Electric, was faced with some strategic problems in producing some components which were easily produced in the past. As a way around this Miles, who before then has been dissatisfied with the cost of production in the industry, came to realise that most times circumstantial innovations result in better performance and reduced cost. This prompted Miles to ask what function does this component perform and how else can we perform that function (Dallas, 2006). Miles questions gave rise to the concept of function analysis which was aimed at identifying and analysing the intended functions to determine if the materials for the proposed solution can be substituted with less expensive ones. Not long after, people started to adopt the technique of focusing on the intended function not the process which soon developed into what is today referred to as Value Analysis (VA). In many cases people perceived the technique as a cost reduction technique at the expense of improved functionality which is a total misconception of the technique (Kelly and Male, 1993). However, the technique was so successful that in less than 10 years it was adopted in the US Department of Defence to deliver VfM and from then on other industries in the USA have adapted it for application at different phases of their projects. Value Management (VM) as it came to be called, refers to a structured management of the total value equation throughout all stages of the project (Kelly et al; 2004). Figure 2.3 shows different stages and segments of the development of value management. Figure 2.3 The metamorphosis of Value Management, adapted from Dallas (2006) As illustrated in figure 2.3, Miles action in the 1940s was focused on getting alternative materials or components to perform the required function which was the beginning of value management. This was later perceived as a cost cutting technique before the adoption of a holistic structured approach to improving value (Kelly and Male, 1993). Following the development and positive impacts of value management in the US manufacturing sector, the technique was adopted into the US construction industry as a means of delivering VfM to its clients in the 1960s. Fong and Shen (2000) noted that VM was first introduced in the US construction industry in 1968 and its application in the Chinese construction industry is recorded to occur 10 years later (Shen and Liu, 2004). According to Kelly et al (2004), the value management technique was first used in the UK 30 years after it was introduced in the US manufacturing industry at the Xerox headquarters, an American company. From then on VM has grown to become widely accepted in different parts of the world as a logical means to achieve value for money (Fong, 2004; Kelly et al, 2004; Ellis et al, 2004) including in Africa (Bowen et al, 2008). 2.2.4 Benefits of Value management Value management is a proactive, problem solving service, which maximizes the functional value of a project through a structured team which makes explicit the clients value system and weights further decisions against the value system.(Kelly et al, 1998). VM aims to justify the place of a project in a clients organisation at an early stage and develops a strategic plan against which it is built on to deliver value for money. VM is often misconstrued to being a cost reduction exercise, hence seen to be synonymous with value engineering. According to Dallas (2006) cost reduction, which is an obvious output of a value management exercise, cannot after all be seen as its main motive. As illustrated in figure 2.4 below, VM incorporates value engineering and value analysis in its value definition exercise and so could be perceived to be a universal set for the three concepts. Figure 2.4 shows the relationship between Value Management, Value Engineering and Value Analysis, adapted from Connaughton and Green (1996) VM looks at a project from a holistic point of view (time, whole life cost and performance) in the context of its usage which properly fits in the definition of value for money (). Connaughton and Green (1996) identified the following benefits which a properly executed Value Management exercise can yield: The need for the project is made explicit and verified by available data. The project objectives are identified and discussed openly to reach a consensus. Rational, explicit and measurable decisions are guaranteed after alternatives have been considered. Project designs are developed from the agreed framework, which are evaluated on the basis of the agreed performance criteria. There is greater participation from stakeholders which guarantees their buy in. There is improved communication and teamwork spirit throughout the project. Improved innovation with better quality definition in the project. Unnecessary cost is eliminated which may lead to a reduction in cost. Properly executed, value management when employed at the early stages of a project can help eliminate unnecessary cost to the tune of 10% to 25% savings on the proposed capital cost of project (Ellis et al, 2004). This is considered to be reasonable compared to the actual cost of the VM exercise, which is estimated at about 0.5% to 1% of the projects cost (REF). 2.3 APPLICATION OF VALUE MANAGEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY Any construction project should be only commissioned following a careful analysis of needs since failure to think through project requirements will almost certainly cause problems for subsequent design and construction stages. For that reason, the Construction Industry Board recommends that value management be incorporated as an integral part of the construction process (Baldwin 1998). The value management approach may differ between countries depending on the nature of their construction industry or the chosen procurement route in a particular project. However, this does not dispute the fact that the VM technique can be gainfully applied at any stage of a construction project, as clients/contractors are often faced with the challenge of finding an optimum balance between cost, time, quality and performance criteria (Fong 2004). In the UK, the USA, Australia and other countries where the value management technique is well established, VM is applied through a process referred to as the value management study (British Standard, 2000) or value management process (Kelly et al; 1998) via a workshop approach facilitated by value manager or experienced team facilitator. A value management study, as defined in BS12947, involves the application of value management to a particular business case identified within a VM programme. Baldwin (1998, as cited in Kelly et al, 1998) noted that VM is not a question of brainstorming and problem solving, rather it requires a structured methodology in order to have the required outcome. Figure 2.5 overleaf depicts a simple VM study plan developed for the European Value Management standard (British Standard, 2000). Figure 2.5 shows a simple VM study plan, adapted from the British Standard (2000) The VM study plan represents a systematic approach to ensuring that appropriate techniques and skills are utilized in the value study. According to the British Standard (2000), as shown in the VM study plan above, a VM study should aim to achieve the following objectives; Identify the objectives and targets the intended study is set to achieve; as this may differ from the project objectives. Formulate the relevant approach needed to achieve the objectives, including team selection and training (where necessary). Identify the relevant functions which will lead to the achievement of the objectives. Identify some basis for measuring changes in performance and use of resources. Set targets for performance and use of resources for the above identified functions in a way peculiar to the organisations. Identify innovative ways of arriving at the targets through the application of the above methods. Evaluate the proposal for improvement. Implement the proposal which have been chosen by the decision makers Monitor and measure the outcomes in relation to the target. Feedback results for continuous improvement of VM programme. There are different approaches to value management studies in different countries with regards to team compositions and workshop procedure. For instance in the American construction industry, VM studies are typically carried out by an independent workshop team who will have to sell their ideas to the project team later on. This is different from the UK practice where the existing project team is fully involved in the study. In a benchmarking exercise carried by Kelly et al (1998), the use of an existing project team in conducting value management studies appeared to be the preferred approach due to the following advantages accruable to the project; Cost of the study is relatively minimized Time spent project briefing the study participants is reduced Waste of resources on previously considered but failed ideas are eliminated Offers better opportunity for developing project teams during the workshop More opportunity to explore all available options Implementation is more guaranteed as team members have already accepted ideas which they generated as a team, thereby reducing the development period. However, generic VM workshop strives to add value to a project by considering the project on its whole life basis. Kelly et al (1998) who were in support of this view identified the five key value opportunities at which VM technique can be employed to include pre-brief workshop, proper workshop, sketch design workshop, final working design and implementation workshop. 2.3.1 Pre-brief workshop The Value Manager or Facilitator meets with the project sponsor/client to clarify the place of the project in his organisation or programme. This will give the two parties a better understanding of the functional expectations of the project so as to help form a basis for the project briefing workshop and the clients value system. This may yield solution/s to the clients problem, for example, whether a new building is needed or renovation of existing one will achieve the same objectives. 2.3.2 Proper workshop Proceeds from the identified solution in the pre-brief phase and aims to identify the clients value system. This workshop offers an opportunity to facilitate the project team, understand their dynamics and guide them to achieve the desired goal. Though it is expected that the workshop has an agenda, this should not be too detailed, thereby making the timings tight, as this may divert the focus from achieving the objectives of the workshop to exhausting the items on the agenda. The tactical skills of the Facilitator are very much needed at this stage of the workshop if its participants are to be productive and should be as brief and focused as pos

Conflicting Emotions :: Personal Narrative Writing

Conflicting Emotions I want us to do better. I want us to be stewards of our lands and keepers of our brothers'. I want men and women to be peaceful, loving creatures across the board and across the world. I have hope for these things. Yet, I am angry. I am frustrated and overwhelmed by the legacy from which I have come. My ancestors are murderous, violent people who are responsible for such evils as colonialism, slavery and genocide. They ravaged not only countless ethnicities around the world but the natural environment as well. I am the daughter, the granddaughter and the great-great-great granddaughter of the "White Man". The liar, the treaty breaker, the villain; that is who brought me into this world. So what then does that make me? It makes me a confused and conflicted woman. My Mother has always been very open with me about my family heritage. She never hid from me the fact that my family initially made their fortune on cotton and tobacco plantations in South Carolina and Georgia. There are towns in both of these states named after my slave-owning family members. My Mother still has in her possession the slave ledgers which recount the numbers and the prices of the slaves bought and sold by our family. She has always reminded me that we need to be knowledgeable about our history, even if that knowledge is of shameful and painful things. And let me tell you, it is both of these things. I have never really been able to reconcile my own personal beliefs with the cultural heritage that was passed on to me with my DNA. As I have begun to delve deeper into the history, ecology and current state of the Everglades I have begun to reflect on the role that my family has played in the recent history of the Everglades. My great-great-great grandfather Chipley was the man who brought the railroad to Northern Florida. It was his line that Flager built upon and extended into Southern Florida. Countless people made their way into the southern part of this state on the path that my family began. My great-grandfather, who was a biologist, came to southern Florida as an early "pioneer". He subsequently made his fortune off a company called Shark Industries which slaughtered sharks and sold their body parts around the world.

Fire Safety Essay -- essays research papers

Fire Safety Essay   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After a recent fire at Seton Hall University in South Orange, NJ killed three students who did not respond to what they thought was a false alarm, officials at Oswego State University are being especially careful when it comes to the issue of fire safety. This semester there is a new policy regarding the confiscation of items considered being hazardous. The policy states that any items that are found and have the potential to cause a fire, such as candles, incense, and certain appliances like microwaves, and sandwich makers, will be confiscated and not returned to the students they were taken from. Under the old policy students were able to get the items back at the end of the year. Around 200 candles were taken from students in Onondaga Hall alone last year.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to the Oswego Fire Department, the dorms are built compartmentalized, which means that if the door to a room in which there is a fire is shut, the fire will be somewhat contained. This procedure will help the fire from spreading rapidly. The doors to all rooms are fire resistant. Although these safety features help increase students' chances of survival in the case of a tragedy, they cannot be relied on as the only life-saving precaution. In order to guarantee everyone's safety, students need to be aware of their own roles in regard to fire safety regulations. Smoking, possession of candles, and incense are serious causes of fires and students need to obey the rules.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another hazardous practice that most students living in dorm rooms need to pay attention for is plugging several cords into one multi-outlet that allows several cords to be plugged into at once. Modifying this practice will heavily decrease the chances of a fire occurring as a result.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the event of a real fire, the most important thing students can do is to keep the exit doors to stairways and escape routes closed. Although many students believe that keeping the doors open will help others escape, is the worst thing they can do, because it helps the fire spread where if you close the fire-resistant door will help contain it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1998 there five occurrences in which a student pulled the fire alarm as a prank. Students should turn in anyone who, to their knowl... ... using a fire extinguisher. When the alarm is sounded students should put shoes and appropriate clothing and evacuate the building. Then close all windows, check room door, if it is hot call #5555 and tell public safety that you are trapped and cannot leave your room. Another main point is to not use the elevators. Vacate the building using the safest route. Then remain outside until told otherwise.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I understand that I broke the law and broke the Oswego laws of fire safety and I could have been punished much more severe, and I appreciate your lenience towards my actions. When I talked to Mr. Henderson he told me that the rules are in my student handbook and I should read them. So, indeed I did and learned the laws of fire safety. I have learned the laws and how important they are and I will abide and go along with the rules and regulations of Oswego. I have learned my lesson of fire safety and have come to realize how important it is to follow rules with a school the size of Oswego. I have learned my lesson and will do my best to set an example for my fellow students. I am giving my final apology and thank you for guiding me in the right direction.

Free College Essays - Anse as a Vulture in As I Lay Dying :: As I Lay Dying Essays

Anse as a Vulture in As I Lay Dying Human beings are commonly accepted as social creatures. They are considered evolved due to the fact that they were the first animals to develop a written language to help with communication. In the book, As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner compares the characters to less evolved species. The resemblance between the characters and their inanimate counterparts in nature is used in the book to show how inhuman they are in personality. Many birds are carnivorous, that is, they prey upon other animals for food. In this book, Faulkner uses the character of Anse Bundren to personify a vulture. Anse is compared to predatory birds in order to expose the similarities of the nature and behavior, of the human and the animal species. Anse resembles a vulture when Addie first sees him. She describes him as a tall bird hunched in the cold weather (170). Anse is often depicted as having a humped, motionless, and cold silhouette (51-52). While he gazes at Addie lying in bed, he partakes an "owl-like quality of awry-feathered, disgruntled outrage within (49)." Anse is often unshaven, dirty, seeming dark and dreary. He is selfish and continually on the prowl, like a culture, for more money and extravagance. The Latin meaning for the word "vulture" is the basic nature of these birds: breeze scavengers. Rarely flapping their large wings, vultures cruise by on air currents, searching for dead animals to eat. Anse grabs Addie's attention by driving past the school house watching Addie. He drives by, trying to catch a glimpse, almost stalking her, as a vulture would stalk its prey before attacking. Anse is not gentle and loving. He stands, stiff as a scarecrow, silent, and grotesque. His position evokes fear in others and makes them do what he desires. When Addie excepts Anse's proposal to marriage, he takes her from her home and place of birth, and brings her to his farm. Addie's life, from that point on, is harsh and ungratifying. It is when Addie is with Anse, that she realizes that her father's beliefs are true -- the purpose of life is to get ready to be dead. Anse, like a vulture, is cool and calculating. As Addie is lying in bed, Anse sits on the front doorstep of the house waiting for her to die.

Mutual interest discovery

Social skills and social interaction need not be taught explicitly to young students. Instead of discussing social skills theoretically or through an academic discourse headed by the teacher, the mutual interest discovery model introduces a process of structured activities for students. This process aims to increase peer acceptance by having students discover similarities they have with others. The prevalent presumption is that attraction between people increases as known shared similar attributes increases. It is further postulated that the higher level of self-disclosure between two people, the deeper liking there is for one another (Burger, 1981). This model was applied to students with learning disabilities; however, it has been applied to classes where students need not necessarily have such disabilities. To introduce this social skills activity to a class of elementary school students, the procedure was outlined and I shared some of my own interests with the group. The students were then asked to pair up with one other. I thought this activity to be a timely remedy since in this particular group several of the students did not get along well with the others. The activity proved fruitful as I observed that those who had strained or distant relationships prior to the activity were observed to have become more sociable to each another. I consider this activity a greater success with the marked change between one 2nd grade boy and a 4th grade girl. They had been talking and discovered that they both had scars in their chest area from surgeries they had undergone. They were so pleased that they even came up to me saying â€Å"So and so is the same as me! We both have a line.† Now, every time that they see each other in school they hug each other. The older girl has become like an older sister to the smaller boy. I regard not just the activity as a success, but I myself feel fulfilled. Such change effected into the life of pupils was more than I could have hoped for from this interaction activity. It brings a renewed drive to teach and a deeper significance to this most dignified profession. Reference: Burger, Jerry M. Self-Disclosure and Liking During Initial Encounters: An Attributional Approach. Social Behavior and Personality, 1981, 9 (2), 179-183.

Michael Kors

Michael Kors, the website is www. michaelkors. com. The corporate head office is located in New York City 11w 42nd St. , New York NY 10018. The phone number is 1-800-908-1157, FAX 646-354-4730. Michael Kors is a worldwide company. John Idol is the chief executive officer of the Michael Kors company. There isn’t an exact number of employees working at this company for 2013 but for 2012 there was 418,000. The Michael Kors company was founded in 1981. The company’s mission statement is to â€Å"bring our vision of a jet set luxury lifestyle to women and men around the globe†. Michael Kors sells primarily handbags, but also jewellery, clothing and swimwear. It is a luxury business in the fashion industry. Michael Kors has lots of competition, since there are many stores that sell similar products, a couple of these companies are coach, Prada, Gucci, Guess, Marc Jacobs and Louis button. They are competitors because of how similar the merchandise is and how they are all in the fashion luxury sector. Michael Kors has an excellent CSR, they give back in many ways, such as donating too many charities and special causes. Michael Kors has ecently donated 5 million dollars to a non-profit â€Å"god’s love we deliver† the New York based charity organization that provides meals to people living with mental illness. They have also donated 1 million dollar to the hurricane sandy relief fund. Michael kors also has a campaign called â€Å"destination Kors â€Å"which he donates 25$ from every purchase of one of his watches to the national world food program. Some of the charities he is involved in and has worked with are, Aids & HIV, children, conservation, environment, health, hunger, mental challenges and lastly poverty. Michael kors feels very trongly about giving back to his community and helping out the less fortunate, that is a huge aspect in his life, and explains why he is involved with many non-profit organizations looking to help people in need. The current share price for Michael kors is 60. 30. 2012 net income: total sales total revenue 130. 0 billion 636. 8 million 1,302,254,000 2011 net income: total sales: total revenue 72. 51 million 803. 34 803,339,000 2010 net income: total sales: total revenue 39. 25 million 508. 1 million 508,099,000 2009 net income: total sales : total revenue 13. 04 million 397. 7 million 397,074,000 Michael kors is a very popular brand which automatically in my opinion makes it a smart to invest in the company because of how successful and rich the company already is. Knowing what I know Michael kors will only get more successful and is an extremely smart investment The target market for Michael kors would be women starting from early teens on. The hand bags, jewelry and clothing attract many high-class women or men who have high income jobs. Michael kors is a luxury brand and is fairly expensive, so most consumers are upscale wealthy people who an afford the prices for the merchandise. Michael kors has a swimsuit line, a line of jewellery, purses and clothing that is always changing according to the latest trends and the consumers wants. The thing that all these lines have in common is that they all have the signature Michael kors logo the â€Å" MK†. The â€Å"MK† is short for Michael kors and is easily recognized. It stands out from other brands. Michael kors has many runway shows and is well recognized in the Fashion world. He also has some commercials. Once again Michael kors is a Luxury company

Papago Woman

Papago Woman, written by Ruth M. Underhill, is an ethnography of the life of a native american woman named Maria Chona, a member of the Southern Arizona Papago people located right outside of Tucson, Arizona on a reservation. Ruth lived among the Papago from 1931 till 1933. She studied the life of the Papago with her main subject an older Papago woman named Chona. She says at one point how she learned amongst these people and Chona, â€Å"I feel, nevertheless, that out of all this flurry there came the story as it had appeared in Chona's mind,† (27). By hearing the life of this Papago woman she learned about life as a Papago.To collect data about the Papago way of life and Chona, Ruth Underhill asked many questions. She was very forward with her questions at first because she had not yet known the Papago way of life, such as asking the name of Chona's dead son and not knowing that the name of the dead are not said out loud. Underhill integrated her life into that of the tribe. In the 3 years she stayed there she learned much through this method. She studied the language and Papago method of breathing by listening to the way they say their words and learned how they pronounce r's as l's and f's as p's.She also used translators along the way. Part one of the Papago woman describes Ruth Underhill's first encounter with the Papago people. Ruth goes to Tuscon, Arizona on a grant from Colombia University, the college she was attending, to live amongst this native american tribe in the southwest. Underhill drives to Arizona and meets a few friends living in Tuscon who tell her about the tribes people . They tell her how a few Papago come to their homes looking for work. They describe them as soft-spoken, brown people. Underhill inquired about any of the english speaking Papago she could meet.She is then introduced to a yardman, Rafeal, or Lapai in the language of his people. Lapai in turn takes her to meet a woman named Chona who lives on a reservation in an un furnished dwelling, similar to that of a cellar. Ruth listens with intent as Chona talks. Lapai translates the conversation for her. Throughout her stories, Ruth notices that Chona talks about how it used to be when she was a child. Ruth asks Chona about her family. She learns that Chona had two sons and a daughter but one son who was a medicine man died, the other is in Mexico, and the daughter got married and moved away.Ruth asks the name of Chona's dead soon and is met with an uncomfortable silence. Lapai tells Ruth that Chona had a sister who married a man named Lillat, whom she calls â€Å"husband-of-my-sister,† but died and Lillat was remarried with children (Underhill 5). They decided to go on a trip to visit Lillat and his family who lived far out on the reservation away from government headquarters. Soon they set out but not before the rest of the people living around Chona tried to all hitch a ride with Ruth to see Lillat. On the way, Ruth learned much about the lan d as the Papago know it.She learns about eating cholla during the dry season, or â€Å"hungry time,† (Underhill 8). Chona points to a white rock and tells Ruth about the kidnapping of the Papago woman by the Apache during the fall when the corn was ripe. Chona also mentions Coyote and I'itoi who are very important people in Papago stories of history. â€Å"Coyote,† she said, â€Å"helped put the world in order. Only he made mistakes,† (Underhill 9). She would not talk further about Coyote because, â€Å"These things about the Beginning are holy. They should not be told in the hot time when the snakes are out. The snakes guard our secrets.If we tell what is forbidden, they bite,† (Underhill 9). A few hours later they arrived at Lilliat's adobe home. In true Papago fashion, they waited to be welcomed. They all stood across from each other smiling. Lapai and Ruth were never introduced but instead were greeted with kind smiles of gratitude. She learned that t he Papago do not believe in sayings superficial things such as thank you but instead being welcomed through hospitality. With news of the guest arrival, the whole village came to eat at Lilliat's house. Before dinner began, the ways of child-rearing were viewed.The youngest son of Lilliat was told to â€Å"Shut the door,† and was not praised but instead allowed to sit on the men's side of the table. As dinner went on Ruth observed more and more of the Papago customs. Strangers were studied very carefully to see their true selves. Bedtime was early and the bed was on the ground. Early rising is custom of Papago because, â€Å"Papagos had learned how to deal with the sun and did not hate or fear it. Those who slept past the dawn light were set down as hopeless drones,† (Underhill 14). The day begin when men went to fill the water tanks.The water was shared and not thrown out with the guest being the first to use it. Women set to work with the meals for the day and basket -making. Later that day, a girl named Vela who could speak a little bit of english visited. She promised to help Ruth with translations. Ruth realized that her persistent questioning had been seen as ignorant and embarrassing to Chona. The women told Ruth about their job to bring the clouds to make rain. She soon discovered they would be taking a trip to gather cactus fruit to prepare wine for the rain festival.They rode to the sahuaro cactus to gather the pear-ish fruit. Ruth again learned about Coyote and I'itoi. â€Å"When I'itoi was furnishing the earth, he thought he would put sahuaro all over. Then everyone could have fruit without too much walking. But Coyote, he doesn't like work,† (Underhill 19). Coyote had not fully planted the seeds given to him by I'itoi to distribute the cacti and instead dropped them on the south hill. Then the cactus only grew on the south hill and not the north. The women gathered the cactus fruit and boiled it for the wine. Then it soon began to rain.Next, the people ventured to Lillat's parent village, Burnt Seeds, to gather for the rain festival. On their third night there the men dressed up for the dancing that would take place that night. They all gathered around a fire and danced and chanted in circles. The women picked the men they wanted and held hands to join in the dancing. They sang the same song continuously, â€Å"On the edge of the mountain, A cloud hangs. And there my heart, my heart, my heart, Hangs with it,† (Underhill 24). The next night when the wine had fermented the village gathered again to drink.This night was when they would drink until the wine was all gone which led to everyone getting drunk. The medicine man prophesied the rains would come after four days. A week from the night, the rains came and raged for a week. Once that ended the villagers once again gathered to sing and do work such a basket weaving. This chapter helps the ethnography by giving an example of Ruth's immersion into t he tribe by experiencing their traditions. In part two, Underhill begins by telling a little background on the Papago people and Chona. The origins of the Papago people are mentioned.They are closely related to the Pima people who live in lush lands near the border of Mexico. It is this reason that the Papago know them as the â€Å"River People† whilst the the Papago call themselves the â€Å"Desert People,† (Underhill 31). The Pima and the Papago were once one group split by the migration of the spanish missionaries. Since the desert had not attracted the church, the Pima, living in greater lands â€Å"adopted American names and American clothing, and by 1871 had an American school,† while the Papago people cherished their ancient way of life (Underhill 32).Ruth witnessed and documented the life of the Papago whilst studying the life of a 90 year old woman named Maria Chona, â€Å"She was the daughter of a prominent leader, Jose Maria, nicknamed Con Quien. â⠂¬  (Underhill 32). She loved her father and therefore â€Å"accepted her culture completely,† (Underhill 33). Ruth was able to write the biography with little fluency in the Papago language and with Chona knowing a small bit of Spanish. What Ruth noticed about the stories of the Papago was there repetitive nature. Small details that are not important to non-Papago natives are confusing.Things such as emotion were summed up in ways such as â€Å"I liked it,† or â€Å"I did not like it,† (Underhill 33). Chona wanted Ruth to write everything exactly as she told it but due to the emphasis on details and repetition, the non-native readers of the story would not be satisfied. Chona, we learn, â€Å"As a woman, she could not take part the ceremonial life,† but, â€Å"Chona accepted her status without stress or rancor,† (Underhill 34). She possessed an interesting background, one where she had two husbands. Her first husband was a shaman. Chona also had a co-wife, since polygamy was a norm amongst her people, whom she resented.She describes her home growing up. She lived at Mesquite Root in a grass house. Her father was the chief there. As a child the girls did not wear tops. Water was scarce and what was there was red in color, â€Å"Oh yes, our water was always red. It made the corn gruel red. I liked that earth taste in my food,† (Underhill 36). The men of the village would go to hunt without water because it was considered womanly to bring water along. Chona's mother would ground seeds to make flour while her father would listen to people problems. Her father also liked to gamble, gaining himself the nickname The Gambler.The men would smoke tobacco often during gambling. When it was time to eat, the dishes were not washed, â€Å"When we had finished we did not wash the dishes. How could we, with no water,† (Underhill 38). Due to water scarcity they were not able to bathe either. When the children would play the bo ys would catch rats and roast them for all to eat. They would also go to the racetrack to run. When they were hungry they would gather food planted by Elder Brother, â€Å"Elder Brother planted those things for us,† (Underhill 39). When it was time for rainy season, Chona would experience the same ritual that Ruth would years later picking the cactus fruit.During the time of menstruation, Chona's mother would enter into the Little House so as not to bring bad luck and death to her father during war. For the men if they were â€Å"Killers† then they would have to be purified (Underhill 41). This meant they were separated from their family for days. Everyone in the family would be cleansed and gain power from the dead enemy. In her family, Chona's grandfather had been a medicine man. Due to this association and her brother behavior it was known that he would be a medicine man. Chona's family was always sick.The medicine man would come to their house constantly to heal th em. He sang songs to cure what ailed them. Singing seemed to be a big part of Chona's life. It was natural to her family and soothing to her. People would dream of owls and then sing in front everyone so that the owls would go away, â€Å"People had to be sent for who had dreamed of owls, because that is how all songs come, by dreaming,† (Underhill 48). At one time an evil medicine man sent a a sickness that covered the whole village. So medicine men begin to walk into each hut waving branches to gather the sickness.Chona did not get as sick as everyone else did. She did begin to have visions. She saw things that no one else did but it was natural to her because of her family background. During summers the corn was planted. It was said that, â€Å"The corn was once a man and he lured a woman away to sleep with him,† (Underhill 52) They would sing about that encounter and plant the corn so that it would grow strong. Summers also made the people happy because it was when the rain would come. Ruth also gathered that from what she heard form Chona was that their was a story for every occurrence.So just like the corn, there was a story for the rain. The story was turned into singing that would help bring the rain along with the cactus festival. Like her father, Chona was hardworking, passionate, and a gambler. She was so good at gambling that she even beat a grown woman. As she got older she went through menses, â€Å"Girls are very dangerous at that time,† (Underhill 57). When girls go through menses they would bring lightning into the village and go to the Little House behind their families homes to prevent these occurrences that happen during menstruation.When her dangerous time came to an end after a month , she was bathed to prevent death to her family and her hair was washed with soapweed fibers, â€Å"That is the way women should always wash their hair and it will never grow gray,† (Underhill 59). During this period the girl would also grow very thin, â€Å"We girls are like strips of yucca fiber after our coming of age is over,† (Underhill 61). At cleansing she was named Cha-veela as is customary during this time. When it was time to marry, Chona did not know her husband. He was a medicine man's son.Her breast had grown large so it was her time marry. Her father told the boy's parents about the marriage and they agreed to it. The boy was told last about the marriage. Her father gave her advice on how to be a good wife, â€Å"That husband of yours, listen to him,† (Underhill 62). For the marriage they had to lie together in her hut with her mother beside her for four nights. This is how Papago are married and she moves in with him after. Her husband has three brothers but one is a man-woman, â€Å"The third brother was called Shining Evening and he was a man-woman,† (Underhill 64).After a while she became dangerous again and goes through menstruation. When she is integrated into the fami ly, the mother tattoos her chin with four black marks. At one point Chona goes with her husband to se a race against the River People. Her people won and received many items from the betting. Chona has her first child and becomes very superstitious as not to harm the child, â€Å"I was kind to the people in our village who looked sick or ugly, and I never laughed at them, so that my baby should have a good body,† (Underhill 66).Soon after, two of her husband's brothers marry. The wives always stayed with Shining Evening when the men were out, â€Å"We girls used to spend all day with that man-woman, Shining Evening,† (Underhill 67). Chona had six children with her husband, five of which were boys and one a girl. The boys all died. She would leave her babies at home sometimes to go help the Mexicans with their harvest. They were always on the lookout for Apaches, the enemy, and were almost killed. They vowed never to go to the Mexicans alone again. Her husband started h aving visions.He was a Coyote-Meeter, â€Å"When he had his medicine man's dreams, it was our comrade, Coyote, who came to him and sang him songs,† (Underhill 71). soon after her husband became a medicine man. After this occurrence her father died and the medicine men could not save him. They buried him with his blanket, pillows, and a few valuables. White men soon came and brought with them whisky. The men of the village would drink this and have visions like a medicine man would, â€Å"Men grew crazy when they drank that whiskey and they had visions,† (Underhill 74).For some time Chona would leave to visit other villages. One time when she was returning, she heard news that her husbands had married again. Chona was heartbroken and left him. She took her child and went to her brother. Her uncle who resided there married her to an old rich man despite her disagreement because women had no say in matters such as these. Her new husband brought her many things. She learne d that her first husband had grown sick and died upon hearing the news. He did not want his second wife and cried when he heard of Chona's marriage, â€Å"I never saw my first husband again.They told me when he heard of my new marriage he cried,† (Underhill 78). Soon after his death Chona caught falling hair sickness, a disease from the white people. A medicine man cured her and taught her how to cure. Chona has two sons from her second husband. One, a medicine man, died young because a wild woman was with him, â€Å"She lay with my son in the house when she should have been at the Little House,† (Underhill 85). Ruth learns that seven years prior to her arrival, Chona's second husband had died. After she was alone in her home she would go to visit her daughters home at Burnt Seeds village.This chapter helps the ethnography by having Ruth hear exactly what she came there to learn. It tells the life of an actual Papago women. Part three briefly talks about child-rearing amongst the Papago. Children are always surrounded, â€Å"The Papago child was born not into a single family but into a group,† (Underhill 89). The child is taught to be apart of the group and never seen as an annoyance. They learn action through observation. One of the most important was not to speak the name of the dead, â€Å"Because if the dead hear they may think you are calling them.And they will come and take you because they are so lonely,† (Underhill 90). Ruth also learns that a woman's place is not with the men. She had realized how separated things were between the sexes. The woman told her they do not fret because, â€Å"Why should we envy men? We made the men,† (Underhill 92). Another thing she noticed was the lack of love stories among the Papago. The woman told her that there were love songs and stories but not many. Woman would also become enamored with the men bringing back scalps and chase after them, â€Å"Some women went crazy and ran after men-but it was the ‘scalps,'† (93).The Papago in the present are also talked about. Ruth says, â€Å"By the time of my visit, the Bureau of Indian Affairs had moved in,† (94) and they were soon introduced to more modern ways. Men joined the army learning english and schools were built. The Papago today vote and have dictionaries in their own language. This chapter helps the ethnography by giving a short insight on the child-rearing, love amongst the Papago, and present day Papago. The most important issues of the ethnographer seemed to be retelling the story in a way that readers could understand.Ruth mentions this in the beginning of chapter two about the way the story was told in traditional indian style which is confusing to outsiders. The most important aspect of interpreting things like this seems to be that the observer must live amongst the people to fully understand their ways and interpret them for others. This is the same for the film â€Å" A Man Calle d Bee† and the Yanomamo text. The perspective of the ethnographer is that the Papago people are so different from the outside world; soft-spoken and tribal in their ways.This colored her analysis through her main focus on an older resident of the tribe who had grown up the Papago way. The ethnographers methods are convincing because she relays a story just like it was told to her and includes her experience amongst the people making the report all the more convincing. Ruth does not necessarily generalize her findings because she tells of the present Papago, interviews, and has older tribe member giving a story on that side of life, and includes the writer's own experience at the rain festival.This ethnography helped me to see how an older people lived. The Papago are ancient in their ways and I see that when I compare their way of life to my own. Ruth reinforced my assumptions about human behavior mostly when she described the ways men and women were separated and seen in diff erent lights, much like today. Works Cited Underhill, R. M. U. (1979). Papago Woman. (Reprint ed. , Vol. 1, p. 98). Prospect Heights, Illinois: Waveland Press, Inc.

Cadbury: the Study of Consumer Behaviour

†There's one product that sells in good times and bad – a bar of chocolate†. It has been an axiom of Cadbury Company for generation. Today, the company which was opened in 1842 by John Cadbury, Is the global leader in the chocolate confectionery manufacturer. The beginning of Cadbury journey is when John Cadbury opened up a shop in Birmingham and sold coffee, tea, drinking chocolate and cocoa. In the later stage, John’s brother Benjamin joined the company in 1842 and opened an office in London and received Royal Warrant as manufacturer of chocolate and cocoa to Queen Victoria in 1854. After six years, John got problem about his health and his wife was death so they left their business and company to their sons George and Richard. The brothers was also dissolved their partnership at the same time. George and Richard continued to develop the product line, and by 1864, they were getting an early profit. By this time, Cadbury’s Cocoa Essence which was an all nature product with pure cocoa butter and no starchy was introduced to people. After which, the brothers soon moved their manufacturing operations to a larger facility four miles south of Birmingham and the factory and area was known as Bourneville. With a success in chocolate, George and Richard stopped selling tea in 1873 and master confectioner Frederic Kinchelman was appointed to share his recipe and production secrets with Cadbury workers. Moreover in two years time, the factory employed more than 2,600 people and was incorporated as a limited company. In 1969 Cadbury merged with Schweppes which was a large British brand that supply mineral water and soft drink and the company was know at Cadbury Schweppes. The merged companies would go on to acquire Sunkist, Canada Dry, Typhoo Tea and more. Schweppes Beverages was created, and the manufacture of Cadbury confectionery brands was licensed to Hershey. Today Cadbury Schweppes is the largest confectionery company in the world, employing more than 70,000 employees. In 2006 the company had over $15 billion in overall sales. In March of 2007, Cadbury Schweppes announced that it intends to separate its confectionery and beverage businesses. With almost 200 years in the business, Cadbury Schweppes will continue to prosper in the coming decades. Theories Used The whole paper will discuss about the model of motivation, arousal of motives , hierarchy needs of Maslow’s, ELM (elaboration likelihood model ) and how these theory and model apply to the improvement and expansion of Cadbury company to better understanding about their consumer behavior. First of all, motivation is basically defined as the driving force within individual that impels them to action. According to the model of motivation process (Schiffman et al, 2008), when people need, want and desire are unfulfilled, they tend to feel tension. After that it will drive people to the direct behavior through their thinking process and previous learning until their need is fulfilled (Schiffman et al, 2008). On the other hand, most of people specific needs are dormant much of the time. The arousal of any particular set of needs at a specific point in time may be caused by internal stimuli found in our physiological condition or our emotional or our cognitive process or by external stimuli in environment (Schiffman et al, 2008). One of the well know theory of human motivation was developed by Abraham Maslow which interpret how customer perceive satisfaction about goods and service at different level of needs. According to Maslow, there are five basic level of needs which are physiological needs; safety and security needs; social needs; ego needs; self-actualization. The theory is showed that human seek for the satisfaction from lowest level first (physiological) such as food, water, air, clothing, sex. After the first level of needs is satisfied, people will seek to higher level of needs which is safety and security needs. After they get these needs, they will look for the social needs such as love, affection, belonging and acceptance and then is ego needs and self- actualization. (Schiffman et al, 2008) The elaboration likelihood model proposes the more global view that consumer attitude changed by two distinctly different routes to persuasion: a central route and a peripheral route. When consumer‘s motivation or ability to assess the attitude is high, their learning and attitude change tend to occur via central route with available information about the attitude object. In contrast, when people’ s motivation or assessment skills are low, learning and attitude change tend to occur via the peripheral route without the consumer focusing on information relevant to the attitude object itself. (Schiffman et al, 2008) Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs According to Hassan (2005), Maslow’s hierarchy of needs includes physiological needs, safety and security needs, social needs, ego needs and self-actualization which can help us to understand human behavior and have a right point to motivate customers power purchasing, especially for what Cadbury has been applied for their segmentation strategies and positioning strategies. First of all, as we know that chocolate is belonged physiological needs which means this kind of product is low price and more competitive so that there need have a successful key to become the second largest confectionary market after Marks-Wrigley (Conor Carroll 2009). This is the brand of itself because when customers try whatever product they always concerned about the brand name which not only help the customers identify their needs and satisfy product but also help the marketers to become different from their competitors. For this company which already have a strong brand and strong history from 1824 (Conor Carroll 2009) which is more powerful to get customers trust and remained loyal customers as well. For example, when a person go to the super market and he wants to buy a soft drink immediately he will think about Coke or Pepsi, as like as in this case when he go to the supermarket and he wants to buy a bar chocolate he may think about Cadbury although the price may higher than others brands but because of the high reputation and quality brand so that consumers will pay a higher price for branded product which they believe it provides a higher value. Secondly, although Cadbury is a second largest confectionery company it still made a mistake when they did not concerned a lot about safety and security needs of consumers in 2006. According to Conor Carroll (2009), Cadbury be in scandal of salmonella scare in 2006 and Easter chocolate products scandal in 2007. Because of it, Cadbury reputation and benefits at this time was dropped significantly. However, they had fined by the Food Safety Authorities and need to recall the entire products problem. As a result, Cadbury get over the big two trouble and got it meaning lessons for safety and security products. However, it not only stops by there, they already have an action to get back their reputation from consumers by support more laboratory facilities and scientists to test the product quality and more involve in the social responsibilities. (http://www. cadbury. com/ourresponsibilities/Pages/ourresponsibilities. aspx) Thirdly, for social needs which are more concerned about the environment and social responsibilities than the quality of this product. Cadbury is not only use the campaigns to encourage their customer’s social consideration but also has a special strategy to stimuli their farmers and workers such as give more bonus and benefits to the workers in Ghana and support the people living around. This is meaningful that when consumer try Cadbury chocolate they may think that they already pay a right price which bring the benefits to the workers and also contribute a small part to support the society. As a result, this is the best idea for the marketers because when you want to have a strong brand name inside consumers mind you need to concerned more about the social and environment which are the strong strategy to maintain the product brand name and Cadbury did it. Next, some of the Cadbury products and advertisements emphasis the ego needs which is more specific on self-acceptance and self-esteem such as Cadbury already have targeted this concept to teenagers like Cadbury Perk. For this strategy, Cadbury Perk was targeted to the casual snacking which includes chips and wafers. Moreover, Cadbury Perk contains a message that whenever and wherever teenagers need it always available for their convenient it becomes a new mini snack in this market. Furthermore, for the confectionery market teenagers and children are the majority consumption and the most important of segmenting and positioning. When the teenagers try Cadbury Perk they may feel like this product was born for them and stands for them like young, active and creative life. (Cadbury PLC 2010) Lastly, there is need for self-actualization which is concentrated more on inner thinking such as psychological integration or demand higher level of personal potential. Hassan (2005) states that generatively, social justice and transformative thinking should be cooperate with this orientation. Thinking towards to Cadbury, we can see that they try to satisfy the customer’s needs as much as they can or even though more than what consumers expected like Cadbury celebrations which was aimed to replace the traditional gift options during festival seasons with a pretty box and nice packaging it really suit for gifting. It is different from others category because it is more formal and luxury which extend consumers needs. Moreover, Cadbury also have introduced a product for after dinner sweet which main targeting in India. Because in India people have a habit to have a sweet dessert after their dinner and this product can replace traditional sweet which inconvenient and take more time to repair. For this part, the advertisement more focuses on the adults rather than children. From this point, we can see that Cadbury not only segmenting and positioning their product on children but also expand their segmentation to the adults which called as potential customers. Certainly, in this point their advertisement and packaging are also be different from the product that they target to the children. Model of Motivation Motivation is a theoretical construction from which we can determine the driving force behind human behavior. (Kroeber-Riel and Weinberg 2003, cited in Wohlfeil and Whelan 2006) This, according to Weinberg (1995 cited in Wohlfeil and Whelan 2006), is a combination of both emotional and basic urges to direct behavior and cognitive process to direct the goals and drive to accomplish those goals. These goals differs also as the customer moves along the decision making process, as the needs and motivations changes will affect how the customer perceives any given information. (Mallalleu and Nakamoto 2008) In the case of Cadbury, the motivations of their customers who purchase their brand off the shelves in departmental stores will be different from those who purchase other brands of chocolate, depending on the segmentation, targeting and positioning of the brands, as they focus to fulfilling different groups of customer’s needs, wants and desire. Cadbury fulfills many market segments, ranging from milk chocolate, dark chocolate, chocolate flakes, chocolate powder, chocolate drinks and many more. By targeting many market segments, Cadbury aims to provide a sense of convenience, and variety within the same brand, lending the strength of their overall brand equity to all the brands under Cadbury. This benefits the customers as now they could purchase different products under the same brand, which they can be assured of the quality, packaging and taste, without having to take the risk of try other brands to purchase different chocolate products. Gale 1992; Smith and Park 1992, cited in Morgan and Rego 2009) Higher brand equity allows Cadbury to price their products at a slight premium, despite them competing within the low price segment of the chocolate industry. (Sivakumar and Raj 1997, cited in Morgan and Rego 2009) Cadbury also uses celebrity endorsements, such as Mr. Amitabh Bachchan in India, in order to regain brand equity after worms were discovered in Cadbury chocolates in India. (The Financial Express 2003) Although ultimately, it was later proven that the worms were caused by their retailers bad storage practices in India, their reputation was already tarnished. However with celebrity endorsement, the celebrity acting as a source lends credibility and attractiveness to the product, giving it familiarity in the process. (Sternthal and Craig 1973, cited in Biswas, Biswas and Das 2006) this motivates the customers by giving them the drive to purchase it when their favorite celebrity endorses the product, and through their cognitive process, any perceived notion of risk is significantly reduced. According to Rao and Monroe (1988), consumers are likely to process more information other than price if they are motivated, to determine the quality of a given product. This is important as Cadbury often creates contests and advertisements to build involvement in their products in order to motivate consumers to choose their brand. This involvement however only targets the people with specific personal relevance from which the product has on the person involved. (Coulter et al 2003, cited in Wohlfeil and Whelan 2006) Such event marketing allows marketers to provide interactivity, personal sharing of experience with others, and learning more about the brand in an informal and relax way, while in the meantime, circumventing the natural tendency for consumers to ignore corporate messages that appears elsewhere. Whelan and Wohlfeil 2005; Mc Alexander et al. 2002, cited in Wohlfeil and Whelan 2006) As such, from the motivation perspective, we are able to see how and why Cadbury segmented and targeted multiple segments of the market, used their brand equity to price at a slight premium, and used celebrity endorsement to rebuild brand equity in India, and used contests and advertisements to generate involvement in their brand in an informal and exciting way. Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) Customers can be motivated in many ways, but based on the elaboration likelihood model (ELM), two routes of persuasion are identified – central route and peripheral route (schiffman et al 2009). The concept of this model is to explain the motivation behind consumers purchases and they way to persuade them, as two major type of customers can be found – one with high assessment skills (high involvement) and low assessment skills (Low involvement). However, the success of a company does not come solely through the tampering of marketing elements; it also includes the fostering of a long term relationship between buyer and seller (Ford et al. ited in Zineldin & Philipson 2007). Thus, the next few sections, will describe how Cadbury successfully maneuver its marketing mix, while retaining their customers. But, how does Cadbury appeal to both types of customers mentioned above? Cadbury dairy milk is basically famous among children and teenager, as it is not only affordable, b ut delicious. Children and teenagers are considered to fall under the category of low assessment skills, as the motivation behind buying Cadbury for them is the craving for sweets (schiffman et al 2009).. These target group do not concerns on the information of the product , instead, it is the tangible aspect that is the motivation behind, which is to say, this particular group can be persuade through peripheral route. For instance, Celebrity endorsement, Event and advertisement promoted. In addition, variety of assortments in â€Å"Dairy Milk’ are introduced in the market to meet changing consumer trends and drive further growth of the UK’s favorite chocolate brand. For instance, Cadbury Milk Double Choc, Cadbury Milk Fruit and nut, Cadbury Caramel and 10 other types of Dairy Milk are introduced in UK alone in the time span of 100 years (Times Online 2010). The customers’ preferences for Cadbury ‘Dairy Milk’ are the taste, quality and convenience to get a hand of it. That is why the distribution of the chocolate bars and confectionery are important because of the fact that ‘Dairy Milk’ is becoming more of staple and impulse types of good. In France, the chocolate consumption is one of the highest in the world with average of 5. kg per head in 1995 and with the highly competitive market and wide spread price-cutting, retail prices and margins vary widely according to product and outlet company must be efficient in distributing their goods, as the cost of distribution makes up 40-60% of the product cost (Vrontis & Vignali 2001). The other type of persuasion route is central route, which is used to explain on how to persuade customers that have high assessment skill (high involvement), which fall under the target group of adults (Schiffman et al 2009).. As one grow, they are becoming more conscious of their health and have the perspective that everything that is sweet mean fat and calories. However, the way Cadbury dairy milk appeal to this group is by using the advertisement campaign of 1 ? glass of milk that give a message that one Cadbury bar is contains nutrition and proteins, which is healthy and not healthy deteriorating. In addition, the packaging, design and sizes are being emphasized by the company to accommodate consumers’ demands. For instance the packaging of Cadbury is being refined in terms of image and resolution to create brand identity and also increase in size variety for Cadbury in 140 g and 230g package. Kate Harding, the trade communication manager for Cadbury commented, â€Å"Stores come in all shapes & sizes and we have changed the sizes to suit the needs of our different retailers who can choose a range which will best suit their shopper. † (Talking Retail 2008) Conclusion Cadbury is a well known chocolate brand dealing with a wide array of chocolate products. This with their low pricing allows them to extensively penetrate many chocolate market segments. Through the use of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, model of motivation, and elaboration likelihood model, we are able to see how they are applied to the company in terms of segmentation, targeting and positioning, allowing the company to gain considerable market share, regain lost brand equity through celebrity endorsement, and generate consumer involvement to create better trust and brand familiarity, through informal and exciting approach in teaching the corporate values to their consumers.