The Dynamic Changing Nature Of Business Environment Marketing Essay

The Dynamic Changing Nature Of Business Environment Marketing Essay The dynamic changing nature of business environment has necessitated the continuous development and refinement of an organisational strategy encompassing its product or services, operational activities and most significantly the marketing communications. Marketing orientation (the customer oriented business philosophy) has set customer needs and satisfaction as the utmost priority of an organisation. Organisations now sought to seek a competitive edge by establishing superior brand image. According to Asia Market Research (2003), it is due to the proposition that consumers buy not only a product (commodity), but also the image associated with the product, such as power, wealth, sophistication, and most importantly identification and association with other users of the brand. A companys inability to maintain its desired differentiation or meeting basic expectations of performance standards, lapses in technical quality, culpable accidents affecting the safety of individuals, poor servi ce potential or unethical conduct, etc. cause negative publicity of its brand which leads to an adverse impact on its brand image. Although, a negative publicity influences consumer purchasing behaviour, an adequate reaction to such crisis can prevent the negative brand reputation kept to a minimum. An inadequate reaction may result in much negative publicity, whereby consumers will never or hardly ever buy the respective branded article again (Riezebos, 2002). In order to recover the brand from a colossal damage caused by such a crisis and prevent forming further rumour, a reliable, unambiguous and comprehensive message should be communicated to the public. The message should express the organisations concern regarding the crisis and should contain information on its efforts to recover from that crisis. However, most popular forms of communication mix such as advertising, personal selling, direct marketing, sales promotion, etc. have loosen publics confidence because of their superfluous exploitation and therefore can not be relied on to attain greater attention of the targeted audience in such a sophisticated brand crisis communication. Moreover, the extent of information supplied through these mediums is not adequate for changing public opinions. In this context, public relations (PR) is the sole medium which is perceived to be relatively unbiased and effective in establishing direct communication with the mass. During a brand crisis, PR assists an organisation to present a matter in its own point of view and creates a platform to apology to the public for any mistake. Apart from that, properly planned PR initiatives extend the ground for communicating with target audience of an organisation and thus reduce the risk of adverse impact on its brand reputation. This provides the cont ext for an increased importance and emphasis given by brand managers on exploiting the deliberate potential of public relations to assist in protecting, differentiating and upholding an organisations brand image. Rationale for the Chosen Topic There have been a limited number of researches carried out into the role of public relations in brand image crisis management. Although, some researchers have put emphasis on the effectiveness of public relations in brand image crisis communications, most of them have considered it as a secondary function in line with other areas of marketing communications. In a literature, Grunig et al. (2002) tried to establish PR as an independent corporate communication function and claimed its attitudinal superiority over other areas of marketing communications. Kotler and Armstrong (1996) have also acknowledged the significance of public relations over other communications mix in crisis management by stating that consumers are five times more likely to be influenced by editorial coverage than by advertising. (p. 617). However, none of these researchers has attempted to provide considerable evidence to support the credibility of PR in brand image crisis management. Therefore, this study is vital to fill up this substantive research gap. The study will evaluate the significance of PR campaigns in upholding a brands reputation during image crisis. The research findings will aid the decision making of managers who are responsible for corporate communications, marketing or branding. Besides, this will provide them with the guidance to determine the appropriate actions to be taken when a crisis hits the brand image. Most importantly, the study will direct an organisation to allocate PR budget within its communications expenditure. Moreover, this will help managers to identify suitable PR programs or techniques for different nature of image crisis. Last but not least, the study will provide implications of best practice between in-house PR practice and hiring a PR consultancy. Statement of the Problem The principal intent of this study is to establish that organisations now a day prefer to undertake public relations campaigns than other marketing communications mix whenever a crisis hits their brand image. The motive behind such preference might be that, people (i.e. the targeted audience of a PR campaign) perceive the medias and techniques used in a PR campaign to be relatively unbiased source of information than other widely used communications mix such as advertising, sales promotion, personal selling, direct and interactive marketing, etc. So, the information delivered through PR programs is positively accepted by public. Therefore, an organisation can easily achieve its crisis communications objective i.e. restoring the brand image through addressing negative issues in positive manner or apologizing to the public if necessary. However, among a variety of PR programs and techniques, the most persuasive one need to be identified and consequences of both in-house PR practice and hiring a PR consultancy should be addressed. Research Questions Answers to the following questions are desirable in order to accomplish the research goal: Is there any shift in the preference and usage of public relations in brand image crisis communications? If such a shift has taken place, how much increase has there been in various organisations public relations budget? Is public relations credible in defending negative publicity during brand image crisis? To what extent is it effective than other channels of marketing communications in influencing public opinion and restoring a brand? Which specific type of PR program or technique is considered most persuasive for changing consumers perception? What are the underlying reasons for such consideration? Which one does an organisation regard as best practice for crisis communications? Holding an in-house department for PR practice? Or hiring an external PR consultancy? What dominates its choice of best practice? Research Aims Objectives The significance of the proposed study rest on the following five issues: To analyse the degree of preference given to PR as a brand image crisis communications function in different organisations; To determine the level of shift in various organisations PR budget; To evaluate the credibility of public relations in defending negative publicity during brand image crisis and to compare its effectiveness with other channels of marketing communications in influencing public opinion; To identify the most persuasive PR program or technique among various practices for changing consumers perception. To establish the best practice between holding an in-house department for PR practice and hiring an external PR consultancy; Structure of the Dissertation Chapter 2 Literature Review Provides a review of the relevant previous research, literature and assumptions primarily consisting of various models, theories, analysis, organisational practices and practitioners remark regarding public relations, brand image crisis, etc. In a whole, this chapter provides a conceptual framework of the study. Chapter 3 Methodology Discusses chosen research method to achieve research aims and objectives (i.e. research design, sampling method, data collection procedure, analytical techniques, ethics, reliability, validity and the pattern of presentation of gathered data). Chapter 4 Findings, Analysis Discussion Present the gathered data with relevant analysis. Provides a comparison between the findings and the emerged frame of reference of this study and summaries research findings in light of research questions. Chapter 5 Conclusions Recommendations Includes summary, comment, recommendations and implications for organisations, limitations of the study and scope for future research. Chapter 2 Literature Review This chapter provides a critical review of the previous research, literature, assumptions and organisational implications which are relevant to this research. In light of related theoretical models, issues, concepts, analysis, organisational practices and practitioners remark, it presents a conceptual framework of the study. The literature review is divided into seven major sections: Marketing Communications Mix Public Relations (PR) Brand Brand Image Crisis Its Impact Role of Public Relations in Brand Image Crisis Communications Ethical Issues in Public Relations Summary Marketing Communications Mix Marketing communications mix refers to the various channels used to communicate a promotional message of a companys offerings to the target customers. According to Rowley (2006), an appropriate marketing communications mix is fundamental to achieve the objectives of any given promotion strategy. Lancaster, Massingham and Ashford (2002) states that, the basic purpose of different communication modes is to communicate with customers in order to persuade them to buy the companys products. Among various modes of marketing communications Kotler and Armstrong (1996) defines five major channels as following: Advertising: Any paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods, or services by an identified sponsor. Sales Promotion: A variety of short-term incentives to encourage trail or purchase of a product or service. Public Relations Publicity: A variety of programs designed to promote or protect a companys image or its individual products. Personal Selling: Face -to-face interaction with one or more prospective purchaser for the purpose of making presentations, answering questions and procuring orders. Direct Interactive Marketing: Use of mail, telephone, fax, e-mail or internet to communicate directly with or solicit response or dialogue from specific customers and prospects. Public Relations (PR) Defination Public relations practitioners and scholars hold different assumptions in terms of defining and describing the purpose and effects of public relations. According to the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (2008), Public relations is the discipline which looks after reputation, with the aim of earning understanding and support and influencing opinion and behaviour. It is the planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain goodwill and mutual understanding between an organisation and its publics. This definition provides an idea that public relations is one of the corporate communication functions that focus on establishing a superior brand image of the organisation or its products or services. Kotler and Armstrong (1996, p.616) defines public relations as a variety of programs designed to promote or protect a companys image or its individual products. According to Grunig (1992), some scholars describe public relations as dissemination of information, resolution of conflict or promotion of understanding (p.4). He suggests an academic definition for public relations as the management of communication between an organisation and its publics. McElreath (1996) describes public relations as a management function that uses communications to facilitate relationship and understanding between an organisation and its publics (p.3). Cutlip et al. (2000) defines PR as the management function that establishes and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and the publics on whom its success or failure depends (p. 6). Again, Stanley (1982) states it as a management function that determines the attitudes and opinions of the organisations publics, identifies its policies with the interests of its publics, and formulates and executes a programme of action to earn the understanding and goodwill of its publics (p. 40). However, all these definitions took the organisational point of view in describing public relations function. Johnston and Zawawi (2003) describes PR as the ethical and strategic management of communication and relationships in order to build and develop coalitions and policy, identify and manage issues and create and direct messages to achieve sound outcomes within a socially responsible framework (p.6). Jane, Morgan and Summers (2005) provides a definition stating the role of public relations in management: Public relation is defined as a management function that evaluates public attitudes, identifies the policies and procedures of an organisation with the public interest and executes programs of action (and Communication) to earn public understanding and acceptance (p. 178) Some management educators and professional managers equate communication with techniques such as the writing of reports or letters, interpersonal communication, or publicity and media relations. They eliminate the term Public Relations from their policy and create new titles for the functions such as public affairs, issues management, corporate communications, or external relations(Grunig, L.A., Grunig, J.E and Dozier, D.M., 2002). Definition of Public in a PR Campaign A public relations campaign must not always be targeted at customers. It can be aimed at any individual or group irrespective of age, gender, profession, group, social status, etc. According to Kotler and Armstrong (1996, p.616), A public is any group that has an actual or potential interest in or impact on a companys ability to achieve its objectives. The intended audience for the campaign can be any one from the stakeholder groups. The purpose of public relations campaign is to assist organisations in building relationships with the publics from the several categories of stakeholders (Grunig, L.A., Grunig, J.E and Dozier, D.M., 2002). Lancaster, Massingham and Ashford (2002) describe the following stakeholders as publics targeted at a PR campaign: The Community Employees The Government The Financial Community Distributors Consumers Opinion Leaders Electronic News Media Brand Definition The predominant concept of the brand can be traced back to product marketing where the role of branding and brand management has been primarily to create differentiation and preference for a product or service in the mind of the customer (Riezebos, 2002). The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or a combination of them, intended to identify the goods or services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors (Kotler and Armstrong, 1996, p.418). Branding is an integrated part of Marketing and an essential expertise of a professional marketer is the ability to build, sustain, defend and increase brand image. Another definition goes with the customers perspective: a product or service, which a customer perceives to have distinctive benefits beyond price and functional performance (Knox et al. 2000). The process of developing a brand is called Branding. According to Randall (2000), Branding is a fundamental strategic process that involves all parts of the firm in its delivery. It is about marketing, but is not confined to the marketing department. The brand must always deliver value, and the value must be defined in consumer terms. Mathieson (2005) describes branding as the means by which an organisation builds a compelling consumer experience that distinguish the companys offerings from the competition, generates sales and/ or creates an emotional bond with customers. Kapferer (2004, p.38) symbolizes the term brand to six levels of meaning: Attributes: A brand brings to mind certain attributes. Mercedes suggests expensive, well-built, well-engineered, durable, high-prestige automobiles. Benefits: Attributes must be translated into functional and emotional benefits. The attribute durable could translate into the functional benefit I wont have to buy another car for several years. The attribute expensive translates into the emotional benefit, The car makes me feel important and admired. Values: The brand also says something about the producers values. Mercedes stands for high performance, safety, and prestige. Culture: The brand may present a certain culture. The Mercedes represents German Culture: organised, efficient, high quality. Personality: The brand can project a certain personality. Mercedes may suggest a no-nonsense boss (person), a reigning lion (animal) or an austere palace (object). User: The brand suggests the kind of consumer who buys or uses the product. We would expect to see a 55 year-old top executive behind the wheel of a Mercedes, not a 20-year old secretary. Figure 2.2: Burnett Model of Brand Dimensions Source: Randall, Geoffrey (2000), Branding: A Practical Guide to Planning Your Strategy, 2nd rev edn, Kogan Page Ltd, London, p. 7 Differences Essence Personality/ Image Source What is it? What is to for? What does it do? How is it better? How is it different? What does the company stand for? What is the aim? How do people feel about it? Do they like / respect it? FunctionsBrand Identity Kapferer (2004) presents a comprehensive study of brands and proposes the idea of brand identity. He indicates the most important parts of brands that make up the whole: name, logo, design, packaging, etc. which he describes individually as brand identity. Schultz and Bailey (2000) describe brand identity as the outward manifestation, name and visual appearance of the brand that distinguish customers identification and perception of a product or services. Brand Image The term brand image depicts the perception of the brand in the mind of the consumers. According to ESOMAR (2006), The total impression created in the mind of a potential consumer by a brand and all its functional and emotional associations. The total image can be seen as the sum of several images such as the product, user, occasion, service and personality images. Customers hold a set of brand beliefs which makes a brand stand alone to other. The set of beliefs about a brand make up the brand image (Kotler and Armstrong, 1996, p.206). Yadin (2002) defines brand image as perception of market of the brand identity. However, Mooij (2005) suggests that the brand image is not necessarily the same as the brand characteristics the marketer uses to build the brand identity. He points out that many global brands that desire a consistent brand identity and hope this will result in a consistent brand image end up with different brand image across cultures. According to Rugimbana and Nwankwo (2 003), a companys history, style and dynamism are often the determining factors in creation of a brand image. Kotler and Armstrong (1996) again claim that consumers brand image vary with their experiences as filtered by effects of selective Brand Identity Sender Messages Receiver Signals transmitted: Products People Places Communication Brand Image Other sources of Inspiration: Memory Opportunism Idealism Competition and Noise perception, selective distortion and selective retention. Figure2.3: How Brand Identity Characterize Brand Image by Kapferer, J.-N. (2004) Source: Kapferer, J.-N. (2004), Strategic Brand Management, Kogan Page, London, p.98 Brand Image Crisis Its Impact As stated in the first chapter, a companys inability to maintain its desired differentiation or meeting basic expectations of performance standards, lapses in technical quality, culpable accidents affecting the safety of individuals, poor service potential or unethical conduct cause negative publicity of its brand which leads to an adverse impact on its brand image. Such a crisis can even destroy the most recognized brands. Millar and Heath (2003) describes several incidents which can tarnish the brand image both human-made and natural, such as tampering with a product, discovery of criminal activity, unwanted or hostile takeover, loss of an important customer, environmental accidents, etc. Due to the modernization and increased speed of information dissemination and reception, Millar and Heath (2003) states that, news of a crisis can spread so quickly that it can potentially paralyze the top management before they can effectively control the crisis situation. Negative publicity can slow down the regular function of the organisation. Riezebos (2002), states through the publicity the norms and values and the operating procedure of the organisation are brought under discussion (p.239). He divides the factors that influence the extent to which a brand can be confronted with negative publicity into three areas: market, product and brand related factors. According to Riezebos (2002) when there is fierceness of competition in the market, an incident can and will be more quickly used to wage a negative publicity by competitors. Again a product related crisis can occur when products are not capable of maintaining standards or affect the consumer. Brand related crisis can be negative brand perception or experience. Different Natures of Crisis that Affect Brand Image Crowthers (2007), Baines and Egan (2004) and Aaker (1996) suggest some frequent crisis that organisations usually undergo and which affects its brands: Government investigation Product recall Epidemic of food poisoning caused by companies products Controversial law suit Accusation of discrimination based on race, sexual preference or gender Big disruption in service Lapses in performance standards Serious injury to someone within or outside of the organization Poor technical quality Stakeholders Protest Workers Strike unethical conduct Physical violence between co-workers discovery of criminal activity Insider trading scandal Safety Hazard Usage of Illegal ingredients or means Plummeting stock price Sexual harassment case Dramatic downsizing causing significant job loss in a geographic region Chemical spill Radiation leak A major competitor has a huge crisis, throwing attention on your company Caught in a lie False advertising accusation Celebrity spokesperson embroiled in personal scandal Closing of a facility Role of Public Relations in Brand Image Crisis Communications Potential Significance Credibility of PR Defending Bad Reputation: The most important role of a PR campaign is to counteract negative publicity surrounding the organisation and its brands (Haig, 2003). Communicating positive information about the organisation through press release, newsletters, press kits, etc. are perceived to be unbiased by the public and thus prevent bad reputation. Jane, Morgan and Summers (2005) defines role of public relations in crisis management as programs of action (and Communication) to earn public understanding and acceptance (p. 178) Considerable Steps in Management of Brand Image Crisis Hubbard (2006) suggestes five steps for properly managing a crisis through PR: Addressing the public without delay following the discovery of the crisis; Maintaining honesty since the community is keener to forgive and forget an honest fault than a calculated lie; The organisation facing crisis ought to be informative since the press as well as the community will generate their own assumptions if sufficient communication does not take place resulting rumours can cause considerably more damage to the organisation than the reality. Showing concern and care for people because public will be more tolerant if they realize that the organisation cares about the victims of the crisis. Maintaining two-way relationships in order to be informed of the status of public opinion. Shift in the Practice of PR in Brand Image Crisis Communications In recent years efforts to control corporate crisis, or crisis management has matured as a public relations function and grown into a specialty area (Millar and Heath, 2003). The underlying reasons behind this development include: the appreci ation of electronic media as primary source of news, the increasing speed of the media to acquire information, improved database management systems, increased number of special interest groups and efficiency of media. The following figure shows aggregate FMCG executives of ten leading firms emphasis given to various communications mix as a crisis communication function. Here, + = increase, - = decrease , #= No Change NC = No Comments Figure 2.6: Perception of Change in Marketing Communications in terms of Emphasis (1980-89) source: Kitchen, P.J. (1993), Public Relations: A Rational for its Development Usage within UK FMCG Firms, European Journal of Marketing, Volume 27(7), p. 59 The figure shows that six of ten companies emphasis on advertising in crisis communication declined, three showed increase and one remained unchanged. The companies which demonstrated movement away from advertising gave reason to increased cost of advertisement. Again nine out of ten firms indicated decrease in personal selling showing reason to concentration of grocery trade leading to centralization of buying activity by multiples. However, nine companies stated increased emphasis on PR and most of these appreciated the effectiveness of PR and blamed the increased advertisement cost behind such shift. Increase in Organisations PR Budget Expenditure There is a significant increase in organisations PR budget in recent years. A study by Paley (2006) revealed that, total PR expenditure of UK organisations in 1991 was only à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤5 billion which increased to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤16 billion in 2005 which shows à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤11 billion increase in 14 years whereas advertisement expenditure increased à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤8 billion. Moreover, point here to be noted that, creative public relations can affect public awareness at a fraction of cost of advertising (Kotler and Armstrong, 1996). The company does not require compensating for the space or time taken in the media. It compensates only for the team or individual who write and pass the story or organise any occasion. Communications Mix Approximate Expenditure (in billions) 1991 1995 2000 2005 Advertising à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤14 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤17 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤20 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤22 Sales Promotion à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤5 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤8.5 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤16 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤16 Public Relations à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤4 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤9 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤17 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤19 Selling à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤7 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤11 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤16 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤17 Direct Marketing à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤5 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤8 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤12 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤11 Table 2.2: Approximate Estimate of Communications Mix Expenditure in UK source: Paley, Norton (2006), The Managers Guide to Competitive Marketing Strategies, Thorogood, London (N.B. Industry Estimates has wide variations) PR Other Areas of Marketing Communications There has been a lot of debate regarding the relationship between public relations and other areas marketing communications mix. Academics, scholars, practitioners or managers present different views in comparing PR and other marketing functions. Many of the arguments are based on the matter of outlining the relevant roles of the two functions. From the marketing point of view, the primary function of a public relations campaign is publicity (Kotler, P. and Armstrong, G., 1996). According to Shimp and Delozier (1986), Public relations provides tactical support for marketing communications. However, this theory contradicts with PR practitioners and academics perception who describes the role of public relations is to manage the relationships between an organisation and those strategically important constituencies (can be any type of stakeholder) within its environment (Cutlip et al., 1994). After a careful study Kotler and Mindak (1978) suggested five models to demonstrate the relationship between an organisations public relations and other areas of marketing communications: separate but equal functions; separate but overlapping functions; marketing as the dominant function; public relations as the dominant function; public relations and marketing as the same function. Kotler and Mindak (1978) claimed that any single model can not demonstrate the relationship between these two. However, they claimed that there is a broader relation between two of these functions i.e. to uphold the brand image. But, Grunig and Hunt (1984) strongly disagree to accept this as relationship. According to them this is mere similarity of outcomes not functions Marketing/PR Image Assessment Media Strategy Corporate Advertising Relationship Marketing Direct Mail Branding Sponsorships Promotions Public Relations Publications Events Lobbying Community relations Media Relations Social Investment Crisis Communications Issues Management Marketing Market Assessment Customer Segmentation Customer Relations Product Development Client Servicing Telemarketing Sales Pont of Sales Promotion Advertising Figure 2.7: Relation between Marketing Public Relations Source: Johnston, Jane and Zawawi, Clara (2003), Public Relations, 2nd edn, Allen Unwin, Australia, p.13 2.5.6 PR Vs Other Areas of Marketing Communications Source: Article Filter [online] (Cited 12 April 2008) Available from A theory of Grunig, J.E and Grunig, L.A. (1992, p.357) tried to distinguish PR from marketing functions claiming that marketing and public relations serve different functions and that public relations can not be excellent if it is subjugated to marketing function. The authors acknowledge the signif

Child Observation Essay

Child Observation Essay Observation of young children allows for a naturalistic insight into child development, which more experimental methods fail to provide. The method of observation also means social workers can develop skills that would usually be difficult to learn, such as observing without taking notes a practice that is applicable in a professional social work role. Trowell and Miles (1996) emphasise the importance of observation as one of the foundational skills developed in social work, relating to the social workers role in making judgements, decisions and juggling the issues of race, gender and sexuality whilst making important decisions regarding peoples welfare. The observation took place across 5 weeks involving 5 different observation sessions, allowing the child to be observed across a variety of different times during the day. The observation study was based upon the Tavistock method emphasising not taking notes, becoming completely absorbed into the observation and placing importance on the observer recognising their own reactions and responses to what behaviours and dynamics may be displayed. The Tavistock model encourages observers to see what there is to be seen and not look for what they think should be there (p. 2, Reid 1999). This encourages the observers use of non-judgemental perception and not creating inferences about situations based on instinct without evidence. Whilst the Tavistock model traditionally uses weekly observation across the first year of a babys birth this observation was across 5 weeks. It would be hugely beneficial from a child development perspective to observe a newborn infant for a year, however I can imagine the process to be very emotional. I found it difficult to complete my goodbyes to the child I was observing, as I had become a relatively constant fixture in the childs life. Also from the process of observation I felt as if I had begun to know the child, as I had watched her intently and picked up upon habits, favourite activities and began to recognise and understand her personality traits. The age of the child being observed was also very different from the Tavistock model, however I feel that observing a child at the age of between 3 and 5 was incredibly useful. Observation of newborn infants can inform social workers of attachment development and the very first milestones. However an older child can start to infor m social workers of the way children interact with other adults, develop speech and how children themselves relate to others and the wider ecological system (Bronfenbrenner 1990) which can help inform practice, especially direct work with children. The use of the Tavistock model also helped me understand the usefulness of not taking notes, and I think it is a skill I have developed and already put into practice when working with children. Due to learning how to perceive what is going on around me and what is occurring for the child I have been able to transfer this to listening to children talk about their home life (specifically in wishes and feelings work) whilst being able to observe the childs body language. I have made it a point to not take notes when talking to a child, so that they feel I am fully focused on their story. The observation took place in an early years class, in a Roman Catholic School in a deprived area of Suffolk. The schools mission statement is to educate young people to meet the challenge of life courageously, to use their abilities to the full and to live the values of Christs gospel and there is an emphasis on a Catholic education, including religious iconography in all classrooms, regular prayers and a prayer garden in the school grounds. Children are also encouraged to take their first holy communion and attend mass regularly. The school itself is recognised as good by Ofsted, and whilst its main student population is from the nearby area and would describe themselves as White British, there are a small, but growing, population of ethnic minorities. This includes Philippines, Korean and Polish and due to the high incident of non-English speaking parents the schools website offers a translate service. The Ofsted report also discusses that the school has a higher than average numb er of pupils with special educational needs. The area is predominately working class, with an increasing problem with unemployment and poverty. Whilst it is well evidenced that children growing up in deprived areas are more at risk of health problems (McLeod and Shanahan 1993) and at greater risk of varying types of abuse (Aber, Bennet, Conley and Li 1997) the child for this study is developing within the considered normal boundaries, is not known to social services, and is white British. I fortunately already had links to the school due to previously completing work experience- I was therefore already known by members of staff, and had already gained their trust that I would behave in a professional manner. I approached the school and the school agreed to the observation study. I was then invited to come in and speak to a potential parent as she brought her child in to school. The teacher had chosen this child as she had no developmental concerns, describing her as average, the child, siblings and other family members were also not known to social services and come from a stable family. I approached the mother as she entered school and explained the project to her, she was interested and expressed no worries or issues with her child being the subject of the child observation. I was very surprised at the ease of permission, as there is a negative stereotype regarding social workers (Gibleman 2004), however when I spoke to the parent of the child she said that she unde rstood that everyone needs to learn. This made me feel positive regarding the observation as I wasnt immediately challenged or questioned and the parent did not ask for any feedback on the child development which I was initially concerned may be asked of me. I completed the observations on a Tuesday at a variety of times. Due to starting at the end of September I started my observation at 9am as C (as the observation subject shall henceforth be known) had only just begun school and was not yet attending full time. As time progressed I was able to complete observations during the afternoons. I chose the observation to focus on as C participated in a range of activities that appeared to demonstrate numerous facets of child development, including imaginary play, shared play, scaffolding (Vygotsky 1978) and cognitive development (Piaget 1964). I chose not to use the first observation I completed, as C cried for the most part of the observation and was very unresponsive to any task the class teacher had set and refused to participate in any activities, instead she remained on the lap of a teaching assistant. Whilst this in itself obviously indicated a great deal regarding development of attachment this essay would then primarily be focused of attachment rather than the other aspects of child development. The observation I have focused on was the second observation I completed, and is therefore still relevantly soon after C had started school, I could therefore begin to make inferences related to Cs first relationships with her peers and could observe how these developed across the following observations. Analysis of Observation: This observation was the second observation in the series of five. I chose it as I felt the child demonstrated a range of facets of development, including participating in shared play, imaginative play and I began to understand more about the childs individual personality. Language development: Language and communication development begins very early, with very young infants using eye contact and changes in the infants behavioural state in order to communicate their needs to adults. These responses begin to become more complex and reciprocal between adult and caregiver and the child begins to learn sounds ultimately developing language, an important tool in communicating to adults (Sheridan, Sharma and Cockerill 2008). The observation and school day began with the children asked to practice phonic sounds; in this observation the letter O. C (the child) used gestures as well as sounds to practice the letter, encouraging C to recognise the sound and value of the letters, however by 4 years and 3 months Cs language development was such that she could already construct sentences, engage with other children and instigate games and jokes (Pecceci 2006) This is evidenced with C asking another child to play the row your boat game. C is demonstrating her grasp of complex sentence structure using relative clauses (Clark 2003). Similar evidence of developed language acquisition is Cs ability to ask grammatically correct questions, for example when she asked for milk C demonstrated that she had developed an understanding of auxiliary verbs. Social and emotional development: Play is a central part of a childs social development including solitary play (mastery play, generative play), constructive play, locomotor and sociodramatic play. C participated in a range of play indicative of gender stereotypes for example playing brides with a friend, pretending to be a kitten again with a friend, all examples of imaginative and co-operative play. Piaget (1965) discusses the importance of peer interactions to the childs moral feelings, values and beliefs. In the above examples C is engaging in play where the two children involved are expressing their interests and desires (i.e. interest in animals and the desire to have a pet kitten) when the same interests do not exist, an disequillibrium occurs (DeVries 1997) and dependent on the value of the relationship, the child may try and re-establish equilibrium, which is why Piaget suggests peer friendships, and ultimately peer play is essential to a childs operational and co-operational development. C participated in a game with three boys, which involved building a structure. C had to work with her peers, this game was more structured and therefore more implicit rules which is how Piaget (1965) explains the development of childhood moral values. Alternatively Vygotsky (1978) believed that the life long process of development is dependent on social interactions and this leads to cognitive development, which is also known as the zone of proximal development. C worked with three other students to work together to build using the wooden planks, C resolved the problem of where to put the planks to build the most sound structure independently problem solving. There is also an emphasis on play leading to the development of an imagination. This can be evidenced in C becoming a kitten, and behaving as a kitten would- licking her hands as paws etc. Vygotsky (1966) argues that all play involves the creation of an imaginary situation, liberating the child from realistic situational constraints, ultimately Vygotsky implies that childhood play and the transition to adult imagination are both rule bound, and this first develops through imaginative play as observed in C. Emotional development, self-regulation and containment largely derive from the quality of the childs early attachments (Bowlby 1969). Cs mother bought C into the classroom and C appeared reluctant to leave her mother, but she was comforted by the teacher and waved goodbye and did not appear to be distressed. This observation was completed at an early stage of the child attending school full time, therefore a certain amount of separation anxiety could be expected. However C was easily comforted by the teacher suggesting C had developed a secure attachment to her mother but was able to leave her without being anxious. This has important implications for Cs future adjustment at school. Granot and Mayseless (2001) suggest that those children with secure attachments adjust to school better than those with disorganised, avoidant or ambivalent attachment styles. Intellectual and cognitive development: Piaget (1957) theory of child cognitive development states that the child constructs and understands the world around them by experiencing discrepancies from what they already know and what they begin to discover. There are four stages of development, which Piaget discusses sensorimotor, pre-operational, concrete operational and formal operational. Due to Cs age (4 years 3 months) Piaget (1957) would describe C as being in the pre-operational stage mentally representing objects and engaging in symbolic play (seen throughout the observation). The pre-operational stage also links to Piaget and Inhelders (1948) stages of drawing. C demonstrated that she was in the later stages of the synthetic incapacity stage of drawing C had drawn a circular, closed figure with limbs but these were not in proportion, C has also not grasped a sense of perspective and the human figure did not fit the background feature in Cs case a bathtub. The synthetic incapacity stage of drawing runs parallel to the pre-operational stage hence why the picture was also in 2D, as C could only draw from her perspective replicating a bathtub from her internal mental representation. However Vygotsky (1966) theory of cognitive development varied from Piagets (1957) and he placed a greater importance on the cultural and social environment of the child being a vital part of the construction of knowledge. Learning through interactions with their peers, and the expectations, beliefs and traditions of their own cultures. Vygotksy (1966) also placed an importance of peer collaboration, as well as adult assistance in promoting the zone of proximal development, also known as the scaffolding process (Wood, Bruner, and Ross 1976). Scaffolding is very much used a teaching strategy and can be seen with C and her classmates. The teacher demonstrated the letter O and asked the children to copy both sound and movement, providing encouragement and reward when the task was done well. In this situation the teacher also split the task of recognising O down first explaining to the children, then asking the children to sound the letter out, before drawing on the whiteboard and asking the children to copy the writing action. C was then asked to draw the letter on a piece of paper, using the technique previously used by the teacher. C did this task well, suggesting the success of the scaffolding technique. In this observation C also began to demonstrate the beginnings of the development of theory of mind. Perner, Lang and Kloo (1999) suggest an intellectual and developmental shift in a child of around 4 years of age, including the acquisition of theory of mind and self-control. In this observation C and another child hid from a boy, they hid behind the shed, and therefore developed the understanding that if they hide from another that he will not know where they are. However Perner Lang, and Kloo (1999) also suggest a link between acquisition of theory of mind and self-control, but in the hide-and-seek game the two girls called the childs name and giggled, suggesting their executive control has not yet fully developed Moral and spiritual development: As previously described the school is a Roman Catholic school, and there is religious iconography in the classroom, including a picture of Mary and Jesus on the wall. The children are expected to pray three times a day as well as attend mass, collective worship and religious assemblies. There is also a greater emphasis on religious education starting from the early years class. Whilst the childs family are not religious, it is important to consider the impact that such a religious education may have on the childs concept of self and their moral, religious and spiritual development. Eriksson (1964) drew attention to the importance of religion and spirituality, emphasising that if successfully resolved at an early stage it can bring about the virtue of hope, transferring over time to mature faith and the ability to believe without evidence that the universe is trustworthy (Roehlkepartain, Benson, King and Wagener 2006). Eriksson (1964) also asserted that religion could provide a transcendent worldview, moral beliefs and behavioural norms. Cs religious development can be witnessed through her joining in the prayer at the end of the lesson time. C knew the words to the prayer and actively demonstrated the actions that accompanied the prayer. Whilst I only witnessed 5 sessions, if following the true Tavistock method, there may be more evidence of how C develops religiously, and whether attending a religious school affects her later outcomes in life as it has previously been suggested that religious schools have better discipline, school harmony and less racial discrimination (Jeynes 2002). Cs moral development was also demonstrated several times during this observation. On several occasions C helped out adults, as well as listening to the teacher and following instructions when asked. C did not demonstrate any behaviour that may have been construed as mean or selfish. The fact that C tidied up when asked would suggest that C has reached the pre-conventional level of moral development (Kohlberg 1971). C is responsive to the rules of the classroom and aware of the consequence of not following instructions. It could also be argued that Cs willingness to help at milk time could be seen as evidence of Kohlbergs stage 3 (1971), with C beginning to participate in good behaviour, to please and be approved by others. However Kohlbergs (1971) theory is considered to be gender biased with females typically scoring lower than males, Gilligan (1982) argues that females and males have differences in moral development. Without doing further observations it is not clear how C may cont inue to develop morally and how she would react to Kohlbergs moral questions. Concept of self: School is an incredibly important arena for a child developing its own concept of self, for it is the first time the child begins to identify itself in relation to a number of characteristics such as gender roles and racial identity. C is beginning to develop an internal model comprising of personality, self-esteem, stability and self-efficacy (Markus and Kitayama 1991). C is marking the beginning of her concept of self, by already demonstrating preferences for the type of play, peer relationships and her interests. She showed an interest in artistic activities such as painting and drawing (also seen in future observations) and mainly playing games with girls, however she did also participate in a game of construction with boys. However many children in early childhood cannot express their concept of self instead seeing the mind, self and free will as physical body parts (Damon and Hart 1982). This lies with children believing that animals, plants and some inanimate objects also possess a mind, whilst this did not occur in this observation; C clearly demonstrated this belief in a future observation believing a soft toy had feelings and thoughts of its own. How the child experiences their world: I felt that during the observation that C had a positive experience. Whilst she was initially reluctant to leave her mother, as soon as the teacher had led her into the classroom C appeared to forget about her separation anxiety and immediately became involved with the class. C appeared to do well at the educational task, and when she was given free time to choose a task she participated in several activities including playing with other children but also drawing on her own. She was very giggly appeared happy during the observation running around and playing. However as Piaget and Vonà ¨che (1929) reveal the difficulties in using the observation method to understand how the child experiences the setting and the culture within the school, as C does not spontaneously communicate her thoughts and feelings about her experience, and rather it is the observer who makes these judgements. Analysis of the observation as a series: Language development: C was the age of 4 years and 3 months when completing the observation, she has therefore begun to manage the concept of language and was beginning to experiment with more complex sentence structure and asking more complex questions. As would be expected of a child between the ages of 4-5 C was also developing her receptive skills and demonstrated an understanding of spatial concepts (McLaughlin 2006). For example the teacher asked C to retrieve the box of beads, which was behind the curtain and next to the green box of letter shapes and C was able to do this. She demonstrated that she could follow step-by-step complex instructions as well as the spatial concepts of behind and next to. However whilst C is developing what would be considered normally she also still has difficulty in pronouncing slightly longer words. For example C was playing a pretend game of hospitals with one child being ill and C playing the nurse, however C had difficulties in pronouncing the word hospital and instead pronounced it hopital. Children between the age of 4 and 5 are still developing their linguistic skills and word distortions do occur, and it is expected that in time C with encouragement from parents and teachers will be able to progress (Owens 2005). Cs continued behaviour continued to be much along the same level as the first observation and I was not surprised at her occasional mistakes, as she is not yet linguistically competent and neither would she be expected to be at the age of 4. Social and emotional development: As already discussed, the quality and nature of Cs early social interactions with her primary caregivers gives a template for future social relationships and is also integral to their general social and emotional development (Fabes, Gaertner and Popp 2006). During this observation and the other observations C appeared to have a very good temperament, disregarding the first observation C remained friendly and happy to be interacting with other children. During the 4th observation C was observed to share her own personal toy she had bought in for show and tell because another child had forgotten theirs, thus suggesting C is becoming socially competent and the beginnings of empathy. Sanson and Hemphill (2004) suggest that temperament has the potential to influence several behaviours including how children interact with peers and adults. This in turn suggests that C is able to self-regulate her own emotions. As Eisenberg Cumberland, Spinrad, Fabes, Shepard, Reiser (2001) suggests, those children who are able to self-regulate are more likely to seek out peer relationships and therefore are recognised as more socially competent. This was evidenced in Cs relationships with the other children in the class. C was observed to share her toys without pressure from adults, and she demonstrated an emergence of the understanding of others wishes and beliefs. Fabes, Gaertner and Popp (2006) also suggest that the development of social competence in school age children can be evidenced through the reciprocal relationships between peers, with positive interactions and the maintenance of social contact. Again during the observations I did not observe a negative interaction between C and another child. However I was only in the classroom for an hour a week, it is very likely that C had not completely developed socially, and is likely to have had negative experiences with some of her classmates. There may also have been the added effect of investigator bias, with the children realising that I was observing and therefore modifying their behaviour. Intellectual and cognitive development: Three of my observations were completed first session of the morning and included the routine of the register and phonics and learning to link the letters with the sounds of the letter and introducing an action to help the children represent this therefore using all aspects of learning (visual, auditory and kinetic). During one of my observations I arrived after lunchtime and before the children were again allowed to choose an activity. The class teacher had planned a numeracy session, with the children sitting on the carpet. The teacher would use an abacus and ask the children to count the beads along with her. I observed C and she participated in the task, and was able to count the beads. The teacher then moved three beads across and asked C how many beads were left to which she was able to respond 7. This is concurrent with Piagets (1980) pre-operational stage described previously. This is also suggested by Gelman and Gellistel (1978) who identified two types of numerical knowledge. The first being numerical reasoning and the second being numerical abstraction. Numerical abstraction ability is the process by which the child can abstract and represent numerical value. I observed C doing this when she was asked to move two beads on the abacus and work out how many were left, again an activity she was able to complete, indicating the development of counting principles and basic numerical abilities. As C was in the very early stages of her school life, there is very much an emphasis on play rather than academic activities, as this begins to be introduced later in the school year, therefore much of the evidence of Cs intellectual and cognitive development arose from the occasional structures activities and her interactions with peers and adults. Moral and spiritual development: Piaget (1965) suggested that moral development was a gradual process, running parallel to the stages of intelligence with each stage characterized by a different process (i.e. the pre-operational stage already discussed). He suggested that children go through a heteronomous stage guided by societies rules and boundaries which can be seen as very much enforced by school. As the child matures this becomes more autonomous as these rules and values become an ingrained part of the child. C is learning the rules of the classroom, and these eventually become fairly implicit (though occasionally children need reminding of the basics). Often I observed the class teacher telling the children to sit still, be quiet and to raise their hand when answering a question. Considering the age of C she did not break rules frequently. Occasionally I observed the teacher warn C if she was giggling and talking to a child sat next to her (not unusual behaviour for a 4-5 year old child) and C would stop the behaviour. There were children in the class who did not respond to verbal warnings and they were either asked to sit on their own in a corner, or as a more severe punishment sent to another class. C was therefore able to see the consequences of other childrens behaviour and realise that this could be applied to herself if she did not follow the rules. Bandura and McDonald (1963) also evidenced the influence of social reinforcement upon a childs moral development. They found childrens moral judgements could be altered using reinforcements and social modelling, much the same as teachers use during lesson time. Concept of self: C continued to display a marked preference for playing with children of the same sex. Whilst she would occasionally join in with boy games such as playing with cars and construction games she demonstrated an overall preference for playing dress-up (she participated in a dress up game in two other observations, including dressing up in an apron and playing out a cooking scene) and taking an interest in animals- expressed through enactment, picking a story about a tiger and through drawing (I observed C drawing a picture of herself walking 3 dogs.) As I found out when observing C, with the exception of her dad, she comes from a predominately female family. She has two older sisters who have also previously been at the school who are twins. Due to the predominately female environment that C has grown up in, it may be her preferences for gendered stereotyped activities may be learned behaviour, with children often learning perceived sex roles from parents and older siblings (Fauls and Smith 1956). Again it is difficult to discuss Cs concept of self, as it is largely based upon my observations. Whilst these observations were largely free of judgements it was difficult for me not to say how C appears to be developing in her concept of self. She appears happy and content during her time at school (excluding the first observation) as she could be quiet she had begun to establish good relationships with other children and appeared to be developing healthy self-esteem and positive self-concept. I felt this was due to her close and supportive relationship with her mother and class teacher both of whom appeared to take an interest in her work, encouraging C when she had done something well. How the child experiences their world: Only during the first observation did I feel that perhaps C might not be enjoying her school experience. During the first observation, conducted in very early September starting at 09:00 C was what could only be described as very distressed when her mum dropped her off in the morning. She clung to her mums skirt and was crying refusing to let go. The teacher took her had and led her in to the classroom and then arranged for her to be sat with a teaching assistant, who had the child on her lap. When C was encouraged to sit with her classmates she refused and began to cry again. This suggested that C was displaying separation anxiety (Bowlby 1973). However as Bowlby (1973) discusses this reaction will largely be due to a new and strange setting, considering it was one of Cs first days at school C was finding herself surrounded my new people without the knowledge that her primary caregiver was there so she could explore whilst having a secure base to which to return. However as I progressed through the observation series C began to settle into her surroundings and the new routine of school life. I observed two more sessions at the beginning of the day and C gradually became less distressed, though she still said goodbye and gave her mother a cuddle, suggesting a continuation of the secure attachment. Process of observing: Experience of being an observer: I initially felt very nervous of the whole project, though I felt this was largely down to the difficulties in securing not only a place to observe but also approaching a parent of a child who was going to be comfortable enough to allow a student social worker to observe. It is widely known that many people, especially parents of small children, have developed judgements of social workers largely due to the portrayal in popular media (Gibelman 2004). Fortunately I have very good links to the school I chose to complete my observations in having already completed work experience a few years ago, therefore there were no problems in securing a placement as they already knew and had built up a level of trust. The early years teacher introduced me to a parent, and I was expecting the mother to ask me lots of questions regarding the observation, whether they would be allowed a copy of my observations etcetera but the mother simply stated that it would be fine and that another of her children in the school had also been previously been involved in a study similar. I must have accidentally expressed my surprise at the ease of getting consent (I also thought that due to the age of the children many parents wou

Badrs A Balcony over the Fakihani, Pillars of Salt, by Fadia Faqir, and Al-Atrashs A Woman of Five Seasons :: Badr Fakihani Faqir Pillars Five Seasons Essays

Badr's A Balcony over the Fakihani, Pillars of Salt, by Fadia Faqir, and Al-Atrash's A Woman of Five Seasons Struggles for independence from foreign conquerors, civil tyrants, and the hands of the oppressive have long been the backdrop for life in the Arab World. This struggle is compounded for Arab women, who have the added worries of societal and cultural constraints. The 20th century was a notably gory one, particularly in the Middle East. There have been numerous, almost continuous aggressive confrontations in the region since the dawn of the 20th century, beginning with Ibn Saud?s campaign against the Ottoman Empire (Diller 384) and concluding with the suicide bombings of contemporary daily news. Typically, the actors of this violence have been predominantly men, yet such far reaching, and pervading circumstances of violence have inevitably had an impact on the daily lives and consciousness of countless generations of Arab women. This impact has also saturated the minds of many Arab women writers, and the depth of this effect comes across very well in the works of Liyana Badr, Leila Al -Atrash, and Fadia Faqir. The political and historical contexts of each novel are extremely telling. This ever-present aggressive backdrop influences settings and personal storylines of characters in Badr?s A Balcony over the Fakihani, Faqir?s Pillars of Salt, and Al-Atrash?s A Woman of Five Seasons overwhelmingly. Pillars of Salt, which is set in the early 20s in Jordan, has the earliest setting of all three novels and happens to be one of the more violent. In 1920, Transjordan was p! laced under British mandate. The British left in May of 1923, and then Emir Abdullah attempted to appease and unite various Bedouin groups and form a unit of men able to protect the land from invaders (Diller 261). It is with this historical context that we happen upon the story of Maha and her struggle for survival and independence. The novel begins with the storyteller?s muddy mixture of fact and fable. The storyteller recounts his first encounter with the English, and describes the way ?their cars exhaled black smoke into the clear blue sky? (Faqir 3). The storyteller is somewhat removed from the political context because he is ?half-Arab? (Faqir 3), yet it is still evident that there is some ill feeling towards the English. Later on, we are presented with another political opinion of the storyteller. He describes the story of the Balfour Declaration, and portrays it in a very negative manner, calling i! t the result of Lord Balfour?

The Running Mate :: essays research papers

The Running Mate, Joe Klein’s political novel, contained a fictional candidate named Charlie Martin. In this book, Charlie Martin is democratic candidate for the U. S. Senate. Martin was a Vietnam veteran, who became a politician because of his mother who was Martin’s hometown Mayor. Four years earlier, Mr. Martin ran for President. He was defeated in the primary election by the current fictional President, Democrat Jack Stanton and at the end of novel has aspirations to run for Governor. Charlie Martin has several strengths and weakness as a political candidate. Some of his strengths are that he is a good speaker, as demonstrated in the debates, a Vietnam veteran, and has experience. His major weakness was that his mind was not on the campaign, but on a woman. Also, in this novel, there were the Lords. These characters served were Charlie Martin’s Vietnam buddies. They were his friends and some were his advisors, like Gidian Reese, who was the National Security Advisor. His role as a Senator was like that of any other Senator. He votes on bills, like the bills that were proposed by President Jack Stanton, proposes bills, and accepts illegal money from outside sources. The President, media, interest groups, committees, congressional staff and money all influence on who is appointed to office. All of these people/groups influence by giving money, influencing of a persons’ background, or on who is an important person. Policy for appointing someone to office is that, if you scratch my back I’ll scratch yours. Meaning, that if someone gives you a large amount of money, then the candidate usually returns the favor by appointed him or her to a selected office.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During Charlie Martin’s campaign to become U. S. Senator, his advantage over his opponent was that Martin was the incumbent. The term â€Å"folk-poking† generally refers to shaking hands, meeting people, and making public appearances. Elected officials use this tactic because it helps the official appear to be â€Å"of the people.† Also, it may help a potential official get his name out. Martin’s opponent, the Muffler Man, Lee Butler has several advantages over Martin. Some of these advantages are that Butler is a newcomer to politics, has his own radio show, the bible biker tour, is a well-known celebrity, and is very wealthy. The significance of family plays an important factor in Martin’s campaign. When running for an elected office the candidate’s family will be under much scrutiny.

Hephaistos: The Obscure Greek God :: Greek Mythology

Hephaistos: The Obscure Greek God Greeks are known for many things. We know them for their poetry, for their philosophy, their politics--and also we have come to know them for their childish, petty, lustful, little gods. These gods, vengeful in the extreme, have been a source of much literature. However, not all the gods have the same publicity agent, and have suffered in obscurity for much too long. One of these gods, one of the Twelve Olympians, has been obscure in the least. He is different in most ways from the other gods, and I am here to illuminate him further to you. His name? Hephaistos. This god will surprise you. He actually seems to have a crude sense of humor. He doesn’t seem to be vindictive, or very interested in the lives of mortals. He was simple, and he was ugly. It was as basic as that. Well, he has some interesting heritage, lets find out. Firstly, there is an interesting set of facts about the first moments of life for Hephaistos. One day, Zeus made Hera a bit jealous (as brothers and sisters in Kentucky can be) when Zeus was sleeping around with this and that female as various wild animals. Well, Hera was enraged so much, that she spontaneously conceived a child. I would LOVE to see something like that. She conceived and when Zeus noticed that Hera was pregnant, he was very angry himself. Moments later, she gave birth to Hephaistos. However, he was so very ugly and had a bad leg, that Hera tossed him to earth and disavowed his birth. It must be noted that there does seem to be a discrepancy. Some texts imply that Zeus tossed him to earth instead of Hera. He landed on the island of Lemnos (Seltman 99). That is why the people of Lemnos were his favorites and that was why he always headed there to relax and recuperate. Well, after being tossed into the ocean, Thetis picked him up and took care of him. Thetis is the same goddess who was mother of Achilles. Anyway, she took care of him, and he started making nice jewelry for her to wear. One day, she headed to court with the other gods, and all the women noticed the pretty baubles that were adorning Thetis. After they found out that it was long-lost Hephaistos, Hera went and asked him to come to Olympus.

limitations of first amendment

The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America speaks of certain guaranteed freedoms of the citizens. Said freedoms, are of paramount importance, and having been guaranteed by the supreme law of the land, it means that intrusions into said rights can not be countenanced. The First Amendment states that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. It appears that the First Amendment speaks mainly of three fundamental rights of the citizens namely, the right to freely exercise one’s religion; freedom of speech and of the press; and the right to peaceably assemble. By virtue of the Constitution, intrusions respecting said rights cannot be allowed. It bears to stress that the First Amendment serves as a reminder that the branches of the government, in exercising their powers, must not step or intrude into said guaranteed rights. However, it must be borne in mind that the freedom granted to the citizens under the First Amendment is not absolute in character. There are certain limitations to the exercise of First Amendment rights wherein reasonable intrusion by the State is permitted in order to prevent dissension among the citizens and to avoid causing undue injury. In formulating laws, the primordial concern of the lawmakers is the furtherance and protection of the interests of the public in general. Hence, the laws, most especially the Constitution, cannot be used as a shield in justifying one’s act of injuring another. As will be discussed, law and jurisprudence have laid down the guidelines in exercising the freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment. So also, the limitations as to the exercise of First Amendment rights have been affirmed as necessary in order to regulate the conduct of citizens within the State. The first right mentioned under the First Amendment is the freedom of religion. The free exercise clause proscribes the State from sponsoring a certain form of religion. The State must be impartial as regards the different forms of religion within the State.   But more importantly, this clause grants to the citizens the freedom to be respected in their choice of belief. A citizen cannot be compelled by the State to choose and to practice a certain type of religion. A citizen is free to choose his own religion and is free to do acts in accordance with his or her belief. The limitation imposed upon the free exercise clause is aptly stated by the Court in the case of Cantwell vs. Connecticut thus, Freedom of conscience and freedom to adhere to such religious organization or form of worship as the individual may choose cannot be restricted by law. On the other hand, it safeguards the free exercise of the chosen form of religion. Thus, the amendment embraces two concepts—freedom to believe and freedom to act. The first is absolute, but in the nature of things, the second cannot be (310 US 296 (1940)). Hence, it appears that while an individual is granted by the Constitution the freedom to believe and to act in accordance to one’s belief, the exercise of said right cannot be limitless. The acts of an individual must be regulated by the State, even if the same be done as a way of professing his belief, if the same is already detrimental or prejudicial the interests of the public in general. If an individual does an act which is in contravention with a prohibitive law, he cannot use his religion as a defense. Infringement of said freedom is permitted when the unreasonable exercise of said right can cause danger and harm to the public interest. Although his freedom to believe is guaranteed by the Constitution, the same law cannot permit prejudice and injustice to prevail to spring from said freedom. An individual shall not be excused from complying with a law by reason of his religious belief, especially if the object of the law is a legitimate purpose, and if the same is not an attack against religion. It must always be borne in mind that the paramount concern of our laws is to promote and serve public interest. Hence, if a certain action on the part of a citizen can be characterized as a frustration of the interest of the public in general, it cannot be considered as protected by the First Amendment. The second part of the First Amendment speaks of the freedom of speech. Under this clause, one is free to express his own views and opinions. This clause indeed strengthens the State’s belief in the concept of democracy as the opinion of citizens is given weight and importance. Under the Constitution, an individual cannot be restrained when it comes to airing out his opinions and views either orally, in print, or through other mediums of communication. It is noteworthy, however, that this right is also limited in operation in the sense that not every form or speech or communication is protected by the law. It is settled that â€Å"there are certain well-defined and narrowly limited classes of speech, the prevention and punishment of which has never been thought to raise any Constitutional problems† (Chaplinsky vs. New Hapshire, 315 US 568 (1942)). It thus appears that not every utterance enjoys the freedom granted by the First Amendment. Examples of said unprotected speeches are libel and obscenity. Libelous words and statements cannot be countenanced under the law. The First Amendment cannot be used, for instance, as a justification for violating the right of another to privacy and to be free from undue vexations. It must not be forgotten that the freedom of speech is granted in order to recognize the value of the voice and views of the citizens. There can be no value as regards speech that are damaging to other parties. As the same already inflicts injury to another person, the perpetrator is not permitted to seek shelter under the First Amendment. The same can be said about obscene publications, being in contravention and offensive to the concept of chastity and decency. It is because of the grave injury caused by said utterances to the public in general that made them fall outside the ambit of the First Amendment protection. Lastly, the First Amendment speaks of the right of the people to peaceably assemble and to petition the government for the redress of their grievances. This is a fundamental right as the citizens are not restricted from gathering themselves in order for them to air out their opinions and bring their concerns to the government. In a number of cases, it has been settled that this right is connected to the freedom of expression since assembling and petitioning the government for redress is a form of expression. Hence, it can be said that the same limits imposed on the freedom of expression clause in the First Amendment can be applied to the freedom to peaceably assemble and petition the government. In the exercise of this right, the assembly must not be tainted with any form of violence which could bring undue injury to the public. So also, in petitioning the government for redress of their grievances, the same must be for valid grounds and must not amount to seditious acts. Otherwise, the same shall fall outside the scope of the First Amendment and will not merit any protection under the law. In the last analysis, it appears that the fundamental rights of religion, speech and peaceful assembly, although guaranteed by the First Amendment, cannot be exercised without limits. Said rights, while promoting the democratic character of our nation, must necessarily be regulated in order to avoid dissension among the citizens and in order to prevent undue injury. A certain level of restriction is necessary for the purpose of making sure that the exercise of said rights is done in furtherance of the objectives of the Constitution—promote peace, order and unity in the society, and not to create conflict and injustice within the State. If said freedoms are accorded without any form of regulation, abuse cannot be avoided, and hence, the very instruments formulated to further public interest can even cause the frustration of said interests.

American Apparel Case Analysis Essay

Key Facts of the Case (no analysis) -Who is the decision maker? (Remember: in analyzing a case you have to put yourself in the position of the decision maker and try to figure out what YOU would do in his/her position). -maximum 5 key facts that summarize the case. Key Decision Maker Board of Directors (AA is a publicly traded company) Key Facts American Apparel minimized their use of outsourced labour. They localized their manufacturing activities and were known for their anti-sweatshop practices The company was also praised for their environmentally friendly practices such as using organic and recycled materials in several of their products, and participating in charitable causes Their advertising campaigns stirred up a lot of controversy for the company, as some consumers believed them to be too sexual and borderline pornographic Charney (CEO) took the ad pictures himself using women he found on the streets or his own employees. As a hiring practice, employees were required to provide full length self-portraits to him Charney brought heat to the company via sexual harassment lawsuits and by creating a hostile working environment (using foul language, walking around in his underwear, flirting with employees, etc.) Problem(s) Statement -What is the main problem(s) or opportunity(s) that you (as decision maker) must deal with? -How urgent and how important is this issue and why? Main Problem The main problem presented for American Apparel is that there are discrepancies between their controversial advertisements and workplace practices and their positive business initiatives, which has resulted in a loss of sales for the company. They must determine how they are going to move forward and inspire a turnaround. Urgency Moderately urgent The company forecast a turnaround by 2015 (3 years to the future) Problem(s) Analysis -What is the background that has led to the problem(s)? -What are the key points that the decision maker must consider when figuring out a solution? (eg. constraints that limit the possible solutions or opportunities that could arise) -If a financial analysis is required, outline that in this section. -Perhaps a different format for analysis is more appropriate? (eg. SWOT, PEST, Porter’s Five Forces). Background American Apparel strived to promote raw natural beauty. To do this, they used real, non-photo-shopped, airbrush-free models in their advertising campaigns Their signature advertisements featured women in racy outfits and poses Charney took the pictures himself and either found women on the streets or used his own employees Charney said it was the company’s way of marketing to millennials, targeting contemporary adults who desired sexual freedom, and fighting against the pressures on women to achieve perfection Charney’s strange and inappropriate workplace behaviours made some employees feel uncomfortable SWOT Strengths Pro-labor practices Anti-sweatshop Made in USA label Pay their employees nearly double minimum wage Provide job security and good benefits for employees Environmentally friendly practices Use of organic and recycled materials Strong international presence – 253+ retail stores in 20 different countries Reasonably priced and good quality products Weaknesses Provocative advertisements Store environment makes some customers feel uncomfortable – â€Å"reeked of sexual sin† CEO Dov Charney’s workplace behaviour and practices which have led to complaints and lawsuits The company’s cost of production is likely higher than their competitors because of their â€Å"made in USA† policy High labour costs $120 million in debt Opportunities The company has the opportunity to tame their provocative advertising campaigns They can also steer the focus back onto their positive business initiatives Ethical buying habits are on the rise – consumers are becoming more conscious of the environment Expand online and catalog business sectors – Focus product lines – eliminate those that aren’t as successful and profitable – Reform advertising campaign – focus more on AA’s  positive political activism and â€Å"homegrown† products – Restructure corporate-executive-suite and construct a more positive public image Expand online and catalog business sectors – Focus product lines – eliminate those that aren’t as successful and profitable – Reform advertising campaign – focus more on AA’s  positive political activism and â€Å"homegrown† products – Restructure corporate-executive-suite and construct a more positive public image Threats Their competition who offer similar products at equal or lower price points, and have cheaper production costs Threats of lawsuits against Charney which create a negative public image Threats of consumers shopping elsewhere due to dissatisfaction with AA’s sexual advertisements SWOT Findings: The SWOT analysis shows that American Apparel needs to bring the focus back onto the strengths of the company. They need to remind consumers of the ethics the company was built on and their goodwill and valuable contributions. Their weaknesses primarily revolve around being too overtly provocative, whether this is towards consumers or within the workplace itself. The company clearly cannot continue with this controversy, as they risk overshadowing the positive aspects of their business. Decision Criteria for Solutions -What goals or objectives must be achieved by any potential solution to the problem? (eg. Must maximize market share) -What constraints limit the range of solutions (eg. Can’t cost more than $1 Million) Goals and Objectives The goal is to save the company’s reputation which will in turn stop their money-losing streak Constraints Must not incur further debt 10 Identification of Realistic & Practical Alternatives available to the Decision Maker – In most situations there will be at least 3 alternatives, one of which can be status quo. One or two short sentences to describe each. – Each alternative MUST be a stand alone solution to your problem(s). Alternative 1: American Apparel should fire their current CEO, Dov Charney,  and elect a replacement. Alternative 2: American Apparel should change their advertising strategy by toning down their sexual nature and focusing on their business strengths to create positive publicity. Alternative 3: American Apparel should continue with their current advertising strategies. Pros and Cons of each Alternative Alternative 1 Pros Charney’s provocative vision and proneness to scandal will leave the company with him It shows that AA will not stand for sexual harassment and inappropriate workplace behaviours The company can bring in a new vision and have a fresh start Cons The company may lose customers who supported Charney and his vision The replacement CEO may not be any better than Charney at running the business Alternative 2 Pros It helps AA to fix the disconnect between their ethical and unethical practices It reminds consumers of the company’s positive values Cons Charney may not go for the new vision; he may push back It doesn’t solve the issue of unethical workplace incidents The company may lose customers who support the provocative and â€Å"natural† ads Alternative 3 Pros No changes will need to be made, therefore employees will not need to be trained or guided through any change The controversy surrounding the company may actually bring in customers Cons Discrepancies of the company’s business practices will not be solved Consumers who do not like the provocativeness of the company may continue or  start to avoid it Recommendation & Implementation Plan – You must have a sentence that says, â€Å"I recommend alternative†¦Ã¢â‚¬  – Do not combine alternatives. Pick just one. – Defend your choice of alternative. Explain WHY it is better than the others. – If applicable, explain how the alternative will be implemented. (who, what, where, when, how) Recommendation I recommend alternative 1 – firing Dov Charney. I do not believe alternative 3 is an option because the unethical advertisements and workplace practices would likely catch up with the company and really affect their performance in the long run. The reputation of American Apparel would just continue to deteriorate if nothing is changed, which would deter consumers from shopping there. Alternative 1 is a better path to take than alternative 2 because it really gets at the root cause of all the issues – Dov Charney. The provocative and controversial advertisements were largely inspired by the CEO himself. Simply changing the company’s advertising campaigns is good and well, but there is no guarantee that Charney will even go for that. And what’s to say he wouldn’t go back to his old ways in the future? Also, alternative 2 doesn’t fix the issue of employee complaints and sexual harassment lawsuits that have given the company a bad image. Alternative 1 has the potential to resolve both the advertising strategies and the inappropriate workplace incidents. Implementation Who Board of Directors What Fire Dov Charney Where At a board meeting When As soon as possible How Gather all documentation of Charney’s inappropriate behaviours Review the termination agreement that was made at the time of hiring Charney Review the company’s succession plan for the CEO – determine who may be able to take Charney’s place in the interim Seek counsel from the company’s lawyers on the best method to fire Charney Overall Quality (logical consistency & readability)