How Technology Enhances Teaching and Learning Essay

Students at the Owen School’s Strategy in the New Economy seminar enter a classroom that looks like any other, except that a projection system and video screen have been installed. Their professor announces that today they will be joined by a guest lecturer, a senior VP from a Fortune 500 corporation. What makes this guest lecture unique is that the students are sitting in a Nashville classroom but the guest lecturer is speaking from his home office in Estonia, via video technology. This is an example of one of the creative ways faculty members at Vanderbilt are using technology to enhance their students’ learning. In the scene described above, Owen Professor David Owens, along with Professor Bart Victor, use video conferencing to bring an international guest speaker to their organization studies seminar. Across the University, faculty are using technology to help students master subjects from elementary and secondary school instruction to bioengineering to structural equation modeling. They are developing their own skills while making students comfortable with the technology that will help them be successful after leaving Vanderbilt. As they introduce more and more technology into the classroom, faculty are finding it raises the quality of class discussion and involves students much more deeply in their own education. The employers of today are looking for the very best employees to fill positions in their organizations. The desired traits of an employee used to be centered on experience. The more experienced an applicant was, the more likely they were to get the job for which they applied. Today, employers are not only looking for experience, they are also looking for a person that has a degree in the field. Employers have begun to realize the importance of strategic thinking and leadership skills that an education affords. Because of this shift in desired qualifications, modern adults have been unable to adequately compete in the job market. The aforementioned time and responsibility constraints, as well as the fact that they have been focused on building the experience that was previously desired has put adults at a disadvantage. Being able to obtain a college degree via technology-based education methods has greatly reduced that disadvantage. It has also had an impact on their ability to execu te the functions of the position when the  job is obtained. For this issue of the Teaching Forum, we spoke to four Vanderbilt faculty members, each of whom is using technology to enhance their students’ learning. Owen Management Professor David Owens uses videoconference links to bring in guest speakers and incorporates video and audio technology into most of his lectures. Psychology Professor Andy Tomarken teaches methods and statistics courses in a computer lab, allowing him to integrate traditional lecture with demonstration projects using the methods he is teaching. Peabody Professor Margaret Smithey guides her students in the preparation of multi-media classroom presentations including clips from the Internet, video, audio, and news archive footage. She has opened an e-conference for interns from her courses who want to stay in touch with their fellow students and professors, and she maintains a library of digitized video clips, taken from live and simulated classroom settings. Department of Biomedical Engineering Chair Tom Harris directs a new NSF-funded center focused on developing technology-based bioengineering teaching materials and curriculum. He is collaborating with several partners, including Peabody Professor John Bransford. What Technology Brings to the Classroom What these faculty members have in common, and what they share with many others across the campus, is a commitment to exploring the opportunities technology offers for improving the quality of classroom instruction. Professor Margaret Smithey describes how technology allows her to capitalize on unexpected turns in class discussion. â€Å"Yesterday afternoon my students had specific questions about classroom management, so at that point I said ‘let’s look at these scenarios that I have on a CD.’ The CD brought to life  their questions. I think seeing actual classroom scenarios related to their questions makes learning come alive for my students better than if I gave my opinion or told a story.† Professor Tomarken, who teaches advanced statistics and methods classes, says incorporating computers into class discussion can also make extremely difficult courses much easier for students to grasp. One of the challenges of teaching advanced statistics to students who often lack a strong math background is â€Å"translating theoretical stuff into a workable set of concrete analysis, â€Å"Tomarken says. â€Å"I find that it’s really important to talk about different types of models from the point of view of specific problems and that’s really where the ability in class to have stuff be on the projection system is critical.† Access to a computer-equipped classroom can also be important. â€Å"I like to get students interacting with software in the class, â€Å"Tomarken says. â€Å"I find if you just send them home to do it on their own, they run into real problems. When they follow me, typing in on their own computers, that facilitates their learning.† Last semester, Tomarken also faced another problem – the lack of a good textbook for teaching structural equation modeling to social science students – that he solved using technology. â€Å"There is no book that is perfect, that really is appropriate, for this class. There are either books that tend to be too easy or too hard or just not broad enough in scope.† Tomarken solved this problem using the Prometheus system, by placing his lecture notes on the web. This not only replaced the textbook, it allowed students to spend more time focused on the lecture and less time copying formulas from the board. â€Å"I told them, you don’t have to write anything, it’s all on the web, just listen.† Technology Changes Teaching, Not Teachers While all the faculty members interviewed for this article believe technology has great power to influence their teaching, no one feels it fundamentally changes them as teachers.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"I’ve always wanted a very interactive classroom,† Smithey says. â€Å"I want it to be very theoretically based and I know exactly what I want my students to learn. I think technology has improved the quality of what we can access.† Smithey also emphasizes the importance of technology being used for a clear purpose. â€Å"I never want to use technology just for technology’s sake but to support my students’ learning.† Professor Tomarken feels that integrating statistical software and visual models into his courses means he comes into class â€Å"better prepared† but doesn’t think it changes him as a teacher. â€Å"I usually am pretty interactive with the class.† He does, however, credit the accessibility of computers with reducing the â€Å"passivity factor† in his classes. â€Å"They have to type things in, they have to click on the mouse. I think it’s pretty lively in a lot of ways.† How Technology Enhances Learning Professor Owens, Smithey, and Tomarken all feel they can see technology enhancing their students’ learning, particularly when students use the technology directly. David Owens requires his students to do at least one group project entirely over the Internet. â€Å"They’re not allowed to do it face to face,† Owens says. â€Å"They aren’t allowed to say, â€Å"I’ll call you tonight.’ They have to do everything virtually. In this project, they have a lot to figure out about group process, what things are done best face to face, what things are done best asynchronously, what things are done best in an anonymous chat room. And they figure it out. It’s†¦so much more powerful than my sitting up there saying â€Å"the group process models show†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Professor Smithey requires her students to complete a series of computer assignments from a course CD that she has developed. Smithey values these pre-class assignments because they save classroom time and improve the quality of class discussion. â€Å"When the students complete their CD assignments, they come to class with a common context. We are able then to discuss particular class dilemmas or teaching dilemmas that everyone has watched, analyzed and reflected upon. So, we can start there and go with our class discussion rather than having to take 20 or 30 minutes of class  showing the video and asking the specific questions. They’ve done all that in the computer lab.† Technology can also improve the dynamics between teachers and students, often leading to enhanced learning. â€Å"Students can see you’re doing a lot of work to further their education and I think that there’s an appreciation factor that ultimately contributes to their own motivation,† Tomarken says. Students who may question how much their professors care about teaching can also see evidence of the time and trouble taken to prepare for class. â€Å"I think sometimes graduate students, or possibly even undergraduate students, go in with the mindset that this teachers doesn’t really give a darn about teaching and I think using technology is a real way of communicating ‘yes I do,’† Tomarken adds. Technology Brings Challenges Introducing technology into the classroom can also bring a set of challenges. First among them is finding the time needed to incorporate new technology into courses. Professor Smithey not only uses the technology herself but also requires her student to produces multi-media projects during the semester. â€Å"If you’re going to ask the students to do such a challenging project, you have to be available to them. You have to have support. There has to be some relief time to learn about the technology. You don’t have to know the details of technology but you have to understand it well enough that you can envision what your students need to know about using it.† The technology itself can fail, leaving an instructor to resort to back up. Technology also changes rapidly and it takes time to keep up with technical changes that influence how equipment and software perform in the classroom. Professor Owens points to a digitized news show he purchased from CBS: â€Å"I have the CD in here and one of my fears is that someday I’ll pop it in the classroom and it won’t work. It’s a constant upkeep.† Professors Tomarken and Owens also note that having computers in the classroom can distract students from the class itself. Teaching in a  classroom equipped with computers â€Å"actually introduces the potential for students to be doing something on the computer that doesn’t have anything to do with the class,† Tomarken says. â€Å"I occasionally go parading around and check out what people are up to,† Owens says. Some people take notes on the computer, some people try to get the lecture slides up on their screen so they can see them up close, some people do e-mail, surf the net, do whatever.† He agrees with Tomarken that students’ personal use of computers in class is an issue that needs to be examined, â€Å"through whether that’s worse than day dreaming I don’t know.† Need for University Support Support by the University for the use of technology is also critical. Bringing technology into the classroom uses resources ranging from computers to classrooms to graduate assistants, and university wide coordination is essential for ensuring an effective learning environment for students. â€Å"One element that is essential is support in the form of graduate students to help students with technology,† Smithey says. â€Å"It is impossible for one faculty member to support an entire class of students in creating innovative ways to use technology. You can continue to use CDs that you have in your own library, you can continue to connect to the Internet from the classroom, but additional faculty support is necessary to take technology use to the next level of requiring our students to use technology in a way that prepares them for using it in the future classrooms.† Physical facilities are also important. Keeping the technology in working order is crucial but so are other issues such as ensuring a classroom’s physical design supports the best possible use of the technology. â€Å"You have a very real problem if you have big nice screens and nice projectors but the screen is in front of the white board; if you want to write and have slides at the same time, it’s difficult if not impossible,† Owens says. Moving Forward with Technology As the University moves towards an increasingly coordinated approach to the use of technology, several efforts  are underway at Vanderbilt to determine just how technology can be used to most effectively enhance learning. One effort is the VaNTH Center in Bioengineering Educational Technologies, a joint effort between Vanderbilt, Harvard University, University of Texas, and Northwestern. Among is several priorities is research into the value of technology, such as web-based education for teaching bioengineering. The research team is collaborating with specialists from the Learning Technology Center at Peabody and with the Institute for Software Integrated Systems (ISIS). â€Å"It’s recognized that bioengineering teaching materials are not very well developed and there is not a broad consensus on bioengineering curricula,† says Thomas R. Harris, chair of Vanderbilt’s Department of Biomedical Engineering. â€Å"We need a new way to look at bioengineering education. Why not use the modern methods that we’ve been developing in the learning sciences and learning technology, and really take a look at this from an entirely new point of view?† The result is a $10 million NSF grant for Vanderbilt and its academic partners to develop a new curriculum in bioengineering, one that utilizes fundamental principles of learning science and â€Å"is driven by technology, web based technology, simulations, slides, interactive systems, and tutoring and homework systems,† Harris says. Although the grant focuses on the development of bioengineering, the collaboration between Peabody’s Learning Technology Center and the Department of Biomedical Engineering has the potential to benefit students and faculty in all areas of the university because part of the research involves determining exactly which technological tools best enhance learning. â€Å"One of the things of concern is that in higher education a lot of people are very critical of technology as being just a waste of time and money and so forth. Well, is that right or not?† Harris asks. â€Å"If a particular piece of learning technology is no good, we’re going to be happy to identify it as such. We’d like to be able to guide the decision of  educators and administrators about what is effective and what is not. And if you can begin to show major advances for some of this, then the justification for the additional investment is there.† Another potential benefit this research offers is the opportunity to develop a much better understanding of the kinds of resources required for faculty to use technology in ways that consistently enhance student learning. â€Å"There could be a small investment that could dramatically increase our effectiveness if we do it right,† Harris says. â€Å"That’s the key. We have to know how to do it and what to do. So if we get in and do research in this center and we find out some of the mistakes and things you ought to avoid, I think that you could tailor a system that could dramatically increase effectiveness and make faculty more effective.† Harris believes that effective use of technology has the potential to transform the student-teacher relationship at the undergraduate level. â€Å"I think we’re going to see a revolution in the interaction between students and teachers,† he says. â€Å"I think the relationship to undergraduates is going to become more like the relationship to graduate students in the sense of more direct personal interaction. By using technology we’re going to be able to use the power of the person, who they are and what they are. The teacher’s inspirational role is going to become much greater.† Like Harris, Professors Owens, Smithey and Tomarken also see new opportunities to use technology in the classroom. David Owens wants to pursue his interest in virtual teams by developing a course run exclusively on the Internet. Andy Tomarken plans to continue integrating computer interaction with more traditional classroom activities. Margaret Smithey would like to use videoconference links to allow her students to observe a live classroom setting and then interview the teacher afterward, all via video. In each case, these faculty members, like many others across the University, will continue to use technology to challenge both themselves and their students.

Infant Observation Essay

For my assignment, I observed at the daycare program housed inside my church called Gateway To Learning (2930 Rayford Rd., Spring, TX 77386), a Christian childcare provider for ages 6-weeks to fourth grade (after school). There are currently 185 children enrolled in the GTL program, including after-schoolers. GTL employs approximately 50 people, not including substitute teachers. The teacher:student ratios are as follows: ages 6 weeks to 12 months – 4:1, 12 to 18 months – 5:1, 18 to 24 months – 9:1, 2 year olds – 11:1, 3 year olds – 15:1, and four year olds – 18:1. All of the teachers must be CPR certified, First Aid certified, and trained in SIDS, shaken baby syndrome, infant brain development, and child abuse. I was placed in the infant room with babies 6-weeks to one year. The room was set up well. There were eight cribs and/or pack-and-plays aligned around the walls of the room with allowed for easy movement of teachers and crawlers. In t he center of the room was a bright, primary color plat mat that the little ones loved rolling around on. There were also bouncers and jumper play toys for the kids to hop inside and have fun with. In one corner of the room was the changing table, kitchenette for warming milk and mixing baby cereal, and refrigerator for storage. There was ample storage space in the kitchenette and the entrances were blocked with childproof gates. Each child has a cubby to put their diaper bags in as well as extra toys, blankets, etc. I think that the room was just the right size for the amount of children in the class, and I think that it was set up in a user-friendly way so getting around was simple. The infant room was on a schedule, but the babies are tiny and all on their own schedules at home, so it was difficult for the teachers to get all of the children doing the same thing at the same time. For instance, when it was time for lunch, some babies had just fallen asleep. The schedule was fairly straightforward: arrive, breakfast, nap, play, lesson, lunch, nap, play, leave. But like I mentioned, some babies were doing their own thing, napping when they could have been playing or playing when they were supposed to be eating. Upon asking the teachers about the schedule, they all agreed that if everyone is happy, then the schedule comes second. I think I would agree with their opinions. Although the infant room wasn’t strict on scheduling, all of the babies were happy during my observation. None of the children in the infant room were talking much. There was only one baby (11 months) that could make actual words. He could say â€Å"Mama† and â€Å"Dada.† Pretty basic. The other babies were verbal, definitely able to let you know if they were hungry, wet or tired, just not producing identifiable words. At one point during my time, one baby was in a jumper talking with another baby across the room. They were chatting back and forth and laughing with each other. I wish I could have understood what they were saying, because it was so cute. My favorite age in the infant room were 6-9 months because they were so bright-eyed and ready for anything. All of the teachers spoke with cheerful voices and kept their tones light. When they would talk directly to a baby, they wouldn’t use baby-talk and instead focused on using the same words over and over again to teach the baby to remember select words or phrases. For example, when one baby was hungry and started crying, the teacher that fed him kept saying, â€Å"Letâ⠂¬â„¢s get your milk.† I asked if the babies tended to remember the short words or phrases and she responded that half of the time there was success. When it came to diapering, the changing table was sanitized after each diaper change and new wax paper is laid on the cushion before the next baby is changed. Employees must wear gloves when changing diapers and wash their hands after finishing. Every few hours, the toys in the infant room are sanitized. The floor mat is sanitized three times a day, once in the morning, once at lunch, and once in the afternoon. To prevent bad health/hygiene, employees are required to wash their hands before handling personal baby items such as food, clothes, pacifiers, etc. If one child has a runny nose and the teacher uses a tissue, she will then have to wash her hands even though her skin never touched the baby’s runny nose. The teachers in the infant room were constantly washing their hands, just to be safe. When the babies were ready to be fed, the teacher would wash her hands, warm the milk/mix the baby cereal, and either sit in a rocking chair or place the baby in a freshly sanitized high chair to feed them. After the baby was finished, the teacher would wash out the bottles/bowls and sanitize the high chair. Then she would wash her hands again. Each baby was on their own feeding schedule, so running water was a noise I heard constantly throughout the day. When the babies were ready to go to bed, they were placed in a crib designated for them. Each baby was given a blanket provided by the parents during nap time and a pacifier if provided by the parent as well. Some babies slept in 20 minute intervals while others slept for an hour depending on their age. Like I mentioned, it is hard to get all of the babies to sleep at the same time, but I was surprised that the ones who would fall asleep stayed asleep while their classmates fussed when hungry or wet. There were a variety of toys for the babies to play with. From dogs that sang songs to maracas for them to shake, each baby had plenty of options. The favorite toys in the room were the ones where the baby could lay down while playing with them, so mobiles and jumpers were the most popular. There were also electric swings to lay the babies in if they weren’t happy sleeping in their cribs as well as pack-and-plays. When it came to communication between teachers and parents, there were quite a few ways of transferring information. Each baby had a clipboard with their name on it with papers that were sent home with the parents at the end of each day. The slips had time slots when diapers were changed, bottles were drunk, and naps were taken. I liked how easy it was to organize the information and still keep the parents happy. Notes were often sent in diaper bags for specific inquiries like â€Å"Can you please send an extra onesie tomorrow?† and of the sort. Overall I think the communication process is very organized and is easy for everyone. My overall opinion of GTL is very high. I had a great time observing and learning about how my church provides care for kids that don’t always come on Sundays. The atmosphere of GTL was very positive and everyone seemed genuinely happy to be working there. All of the teachers were friendly with the kids, even when they had to punish them or take something away, and did everything with a kind heart. The room was very clean and the babies were all happy (most of the time). I liked how each baby had their own crib and cubby, and how everyone was so personable. There were a lot of people stopping by the door just to say â€Å"hi† to another teacher, and I liked knowing that all of the employees seemed to get along with each other without too many issues. The director was pleasant and inviting, as well as knowledgeable when it came to procedures, trainings, and employing new team members. I really enjoyed my time at GTL and will definitely go back when I need to gather more information for my Pre-School observatio n.

Boeing Company

The fundamental analysis consists of describing the competitive forces in the industry including the company’s relative advantages and disadvantages to its competitors and a discussion on ROE as the basis for growth. Based on the technical analysis, we find that Boeing’s stock is overpriced. Its intrinsic value is $13. 39 in 2011, which is substantially less than its current price. But, our fundamental analysis shows that Boeing Company has not only greater earnings growth but also little more ability to grow than its competitor Lockheed Marin Corporation.The Boeing Company also has strong prospect for earnings growth in coming years. Based on the technical and fundamental analysis, we recommend hold. Background Boeing is the world’s leading aerospace company and the largest manufacturer of commercial jetliners and military aircraft combined. Additionally, Boeing designs and manufactures rotorcraft, electronic and defense systems, missiles, satellites, launch vehicles and advanced information and communication systems. As a major service provider to NASA, Boeing operates the Space Shuttle and International Space Station. The company also provides numerous military and commercial airline support services. Boeing has customers in more than 90 countries around the world and is one of the largest U. S. exporters in terms of sales. Headquartered in Chicago, Boeing employs more than 158,000 people across the United States and in 70 countries (Boeing, 2011, p. 1). Early History of Boeing Commercial Aircraft Boeing started its career in the second half of 1920’s by selling training aircraft to the U. S. Navy.This conglomerate, known as United, was the essence of vertical integration, controlling almost all aspects of the aerospace business. By 1931 United Airlines had a fleet of 120 planes that flew 32,000 miles a day (Sgouridis, 2007, p. 90). A continuing expansionist drive for market domination fueled the conglomerate. United created demand for aircraft and the manufactures profits are used of designing bigger and better planes that would in turn attract more passengers generating more profit for both division (Sgouridis, 2007, p. 90).

Zara Case report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

Zara Case report - Essay Example Porter’s Five Force analysis emphasizes that market trends of apparel and fashion industry are comparable to certain other industries and going to be more challenging in near future. The report critically explains the supply chain research as one of the strongest point of Zara; because it’s flexible structure entertains the primary activities to be executed smoothly. Primary supporting activities like human resource management, procurement, and research and development departments play a key role in formulating business and corporate level strategies. This case study highlights that Zara’s success is based on its low cost and product differentiation strategy. It further suggests that hybrid strategy could be more effectual for the company as it reduces the production cost of high quality products. The report also explains the two sad incidents which took place in recent years and have left a negative mark on the reputation of Zara. At the end of the case study, f ew suggestions are briefly presented for the further growth or expansion of the company. The reports also elaborates few techniques i.e. how to implement the internationalization strategy of Zara. In the context of Zara’s global expansion, few steps of corporate level strategy are discussed. By adopting these techniques, Zara can make maximize its speedy growth with respect to different regions. Table of Contents Contents Page No EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 02 1. INTRODUCTION 05 Question – 1: MACRO LEVEL ANALYSIS 06 2.1 PESTEL Analysis 06 2.1.1 Political Factors 06 2.1.2 Economic Factors 06 2.1.3 Social Factors 07 2.1.4 Technological Factors 08 2.1.5 Environmental Factors 08 2.1.6 Legal Factors 08 2.2 Porter's Five Forces Analysis 08 2.2.1 Bargaining Power of Suppliers: Moderate 09 2.2.2 Bargaining Power of Consumers: Moderate 09 2.2.3 Competition among Existing Rivals: High 09 2.2.4 Threat of New Entrants: Low 10 2.2.5 Threat of Substitutes: Low 10 Question – 2: ZARA VAL UE CHAIN 11 3.1 Primary Activities 11 3.1.1 Design 11 3.1.2 Production 12 3.1.3 Logistics 12 3.1.4 Marketing 12 3.1.5 Store Operations 12 3.2 Supporting Activities 12 3.2.1 Company infrastructure 12 3.2.2 Human Resource Management 13 3.2.3 Technology / Research and Development 13 3.2.4 Procurement 14 3.2.5 Cost Factor 14 Question – 3: ANALYSIS OF PR CRISIS 15 4.1 Sweatshops 15 4.2 Shop-staff Abused 16 Question – 4: STRATEGIC ANALYSIS 17 5.1 Zara Business Strategies 17 5.1.1 Low Cost Strategy 17 5.1.2 Product Differentiation Strategy 18 5.2 Zara Corporate Strategy 18 5.2.1 Market Growth 18 5.2.2 Diversification 19 5.2.3 Vertical Integration 19 5.2.4 Product and Market Development 19 5.3 Recommendations for Future Strategies 20 5.3.1 Hybrid Strategy 20 5.3.2 Growth Strategy 20 5.3.3 Online Retailing 21 5.4 Techniques to Implement Recommended 21 Strategies 5.4.1 Owned Subsidiary 21 5.4.2 Joint Venture 22 5.4.3 Franchising 22 CONCLUSION 23 BIBLIOGRAPHY 24 1. INTRODUCTION Z ara is one of the leading apparel and fashion retail companies which is based at Artexio, Galicia in Spain. It was established in 1975 by Amancio Ortega and Roselia Mera. The company is characterized by its massive infrastructure (almost 1750 stores in more than 90 countries) and flexible internal environment. Zara is beautifully decorated with vertical integration system within the organization which is helpful in designing, manufacturing, transportation, and distribution of the products to the markets. The system has enabled the company to be less dependent on

American Cancer Society Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

American Cancer Society - Term Paper Example own of these today is the American Cancer Society, which has been around for almost 100 years, and which today has over 900 offices not only in the US, but in Puerto Rico as well (ACS, 2012; Charity Navigator, 2012). The society, which started out as the American Society for the Control of Cancer (ASCC), was founded in 1913 by 13 of New York City’s most well-known physicians and business leaders. This was no small feat, as should be apparent from how the Society has been operating even up till the present day, but its importance was even greater then, considering how people had lived in fear and denial of the killer disease, despite it claiming thousands of Americans a year. This being the case, the founders thought it best not only to establish the Society, but to further raise awareness through research and recruitment. Going by the Society’s nearly 100 years of service, it would be safe to say that it succeeded in that goal, at least, and on a major, major scale. It is known to be a nationwide, community-based voluntary organization aimed at the elimination of health problems arising from cancer, which it does through research, education, advocacy and service – all of which should be common knowledge by now. Not only that, it also works with other organizations with similar goals and objectives, an example of which would be the Commission on Cancer (American College of Surgeons, 2008). As a matter of fact, the Society is also known for designing and supporting educational programs aimed not only at medical professionals, but at the general public as well. And aside from this, it has also been known for bankrolling cancer research efforts. Examples of such studies include that of Burns et al (1972) and of Calle et al (2002), as well as a more recent one conducted by Krewski et al (2009). And on a more personal level, it assists cancer patients by way of emotional support and treatment. All these can be traced back to Marjorie G. Ollig, who in 1936

In what specific ways do you plan to think or live differently or to Essay

In what specific ways do you plan to think or live differently or to carry out your personal or professional roles differently a - Essay Example But these are also the lessons that are learnt from anthropology. Anthropology is the science of mankind. Anthropology can be considered a consequential effect of age of exploration. In the 17th century it started developing when the Europeans started interacting with the natives of their colonies. In the beginning this was used to understand and manipulate the natives so that they can become submissive slaves. It was also used to trace their descent. However, in the 18th century, Renaissance brought an enlightening phase for anthropology. Thinkers started talking of equality. Anthropology evolved for the better and became perhaps the most important discipline. Since Renaissance, anthropology has been trying to establish how despite apparent differences, all human beings are the same. It helps people see beyond these differences and also in tackling problems that arise from these differences. So whenever people are coexisting with differences, anthropology is needed. That is why it w as a need of age of exploration. This is what it is happening even now and will continue to happen. It helps in interaction when there is diversity by avoiding friction due to lack of understanding of others. Even today, humans are dependent on it even though it has been said that we are living in a time when the world has acquired an almost common culture. It remains important because each individual is very different from the other one. Even identical twins are different. They learn how to interact with the members of the society and even with each other gradually. They are aided in this by their mother or other mature people. The guidelines that she is giving are some of the lessons we learn from anthropology. So it is safe to say that anthropology makes bridges and is needed by everyone. In addition to that, it also teaches you how to cross that bridge. It does this not by burdening you with weighty theories or laws. Instead it tells you what you should expect. It makes you matu re. You become intellectually independent when you are able to think of possibilities. In simple words, it means that anthropology has made the initiation and the process of socialization very smooth and easy. There is no cost of it for example the person does not have to think critically or repetitively. Instead, anthropology has done something opposite and comes with a fringe benefit. It has granted freedom by maturing people. They do not have to be studious or calculating but just a bit considerate. Anthropology can judged to be superior to all social sciences. Social sciences include sociology, psychology, politics, economics, history, geography and cultural studies. All these subjects try to explain aspects of human nature or behavior using one frame only. They are not deep at all. Anthropology is better than all these because it has a thorough and holistic approach. It seeks to study, understand and explain a phenomenon with respect to all the aspects. Out of all these aspects , there is special emphasis on culture. It is because nothing is contained in a vacuum. However all the social sciences ignore this crucial aspect. They have a narrow base. They just have rigid theories which are only applicable in utopia. Utopia does not

From washington's farewell address warning against getting involved in Essay

From washington's farewell address warning against getting involved in foreign entanglements to the Monroe Doctrine to Theod - Essay Example They were not the only presidents to do this. In later times, at least three Cold War era presidents also followed this course, including Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy. Nor did it end with the conclusion of the Cold War. Barack Obama himself has embraced this policy of implied force as a central theme of his policy. As will be seen, this overriding theme of implied force is the definitive common denominator of all presidential decision-making in foreign policy. Five sources were consulted in the preparation of this paper, and all proved invaluable in the development of one’s understanding of this topic. Harry Ammon provided a critical background for the analysis of James Monroe’s famous doctrine of 1823 as a major departure point for American external policies. Harlow Giles Unger took a somewhat dissenting view from the conventional view that the Europeans had a distinct advantage over the fledgling American republic, and notes that the Ameri cans were stronger at that time than usually given credit for, a surprising position indeed! Former senator Cary Hart of Colorado has the unique insider’s perspective as a practicing politician in the halls of power for many years. Although a seasoned practitioner, Hart is no intellectual lightweight. He holds a doctorate and has lectured at Yale, Oxford and other hallowed institutions. Aida Donald offers keen insights into the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, and helps to elevate Roosevelt in historical stature. Louis Auchincloss, an authoritative Roosevelt biographer, establishes the basic thread of continuity between Monroe and Roosevelt, the two presidents emphasized here. James Monroe seemed marked out by destiny to be a diplomat. A protege of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, fellow Virginians and his immediate forerunners as presidents, Monroe apprenticed himself as a minister to foreign powers. What bothered him from an early date, however, was the comple te lack of respect he encountered toward American diplomats and his beloved country. He felt that America should be taken more seriously as an emerging power in its own right, and he was determined to gain that respect. When he became president, Monroe continued to be influenced by Jefferson and Madison. Britain, Spain and Russia proved particularly worrisome to him. Jefferson had cautioned him against entanglements with European powers—echoing Washington—but Monroe had some ideas of his own about diplomacy. Apparently, as early as March 1822, Monroe was disturbed by European expansion into Latin America (Ammon 476-481). He was already toying with the notion of an â€Å"American system† by that date, so it was not surprising that he went before Congress in December 1823 with the address that would come to be known as the â€Å"Monroe Doctrine†, but only after 1850. This policy, now so familiar to posterity, was only part of Monroe’s unique position in American history. He may be credited with being America’s first â€Å"national security president† (Hart 114). He had already fortified America’s northern border with Canada and taken other measures deemed appropriate for security purposes, so it was but a small leap for him to

The Concept of Death Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Concept of Death - Essay Example Death relates to the end of an individual’s life. It defines a permanent and irreversible end of all fundamental functions like breathing. Death leads to a condition of being dead. Ideally, various definitions of death depend on distinct factors like religion, culture, age, and academic field. The paper addresses various definitions of the concept of death. It also defines the different perspectives adopted by children and adults about the concept of death. The paper equally defines the concept of death with respect to culture especially the Chinese culture. Ultimately, the paper draws my opinion on the definitions of the concept of death.  Legally, we can define death as a legal declaration by a person in authority that there is no need to continue offering medical assistance to a patient and that the patient is dead under the law. Furthermore, under medical terms we can define the concept of death as the end and cessation of all important body functions like breathing, thi nking, and thumping. We also have a Biblical meaning of the concept of death. Indeed, the Bible refers to the concept of death as a separation of two things (Elliott 1). The Bible refers to the concept of physical death as a separation between the body and the soul (Elliott 1). On the other hand, it refers to the concept of spiritual death as human separation from God (Elliott 1). Regardless of these definitions, it is clear that humans do not adore death and barely want to think about it. However, it is true that the concept of death is universal since everybody must experience at some point in life. As such, there is need to seek more understanding on the concept of death.  The understanding and perspective of the concept of death differ between children and adults. Indeed, the understanding of death changes as children grows and approach maturity. Adults always struggle to explain the concept of death to children (Speece 57-60). As such, adults should beware of how a child unde rstands death at different stages of child development.

Organizational Changes at PayPal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Organizational Changes at PayPal - Essay Example The rapid growth enjoyed by this company has been as a result of changing its strategy to suit the needs of the customers and at the same time ensure maximum safety for online transactions. Being a leader in online payments, PayPal was finding it challenging to address all the needs of the millions of customers they served. There were a number of challenges the company was facing that drove it to change its business model. These challenges were as a result of the growing customer numbers, stiff competition, regulatory issues and safety concerns. First, PayPal operates in a highly sensitive and competitive market segment. The threat from other companies offering more or less similar services has been a major concern for the company. Since its inception, PayPal has had to deal with the threat of competitors. For example, two years after its establishment, PayPal faced competition from Citibank, who introduced the c2it service. Citibank partnered with Microsoft and AOL, and the c2it presented a significant threat to the growth of PayPal. In another example, Google introduced the Google’s Checkout system, which allowed customers to retrieve their financial information and give it to merchants whenever it needed. With such a system, PayPal was facing the risk of being thrown out of the online payment market. An even bigger threat came from mobile service providers. For example, companies like Verizon and ATT were facilitating P2P payments, services that allow customers to send and receive money using their mobile phones.

Death of Stressman Essay Example for Free

Death of Stressman Essay One of the factors that results in the rise of Hitler is the death of a capable leader that brought stability and prosperity back to Germany. This capable leader is known as Gustav Stressman . Stressman died of a heart attack on 3rd October 1929. On behalf of the Weimar government, Stressman had negotiated the Dawes and Young Plans for more time to pay reparations to the Allies. In 1925, he also helped to end the Ruhr occupation by French and Belgian troops which had begun in 1923 and signed the 1925 Locarno Pact with France and Britain, promising to respect Germany’s Western borders. Thus, Germany’s relations with her former enemies improved and Germany was even allowed to be a member of the League of Nations. Therefore the years between 1924 and 1929 is considered as a golden age for Germany. Since then, Germany’s economic recovery depended on US loans. This made Germany vulnerable as it depended on America’s ability to keep lending. Therefore when Stressman died and The Great depression started in 1929, thousands of business closed and millions of Americans were thrown out of work. It also affected economies around the world. The loans from the United States of America on which Germany depended dried up. This resulted in the massive unemployment of many Germans which brought poverty to them. However, the Weimar government was helpless in solving the economic crisis without the leadership of Stressman which resulted in the German people to lose confidence in both the Weimar government and democracy. Therefore, the Germans started to search for any people or group that could help them . Hence ,due to the loss of confidence in the Weimar government, Hitler began to gain support from the Germans as they wanted a change of government and support Nazism which lead to the rise of Hitler.

HSBC and Foreign Market Strategies

HSBC and Foreign Market Strategies 1. Introduction With assets of US $1,502 billion, HSBC Holdings is one of the largest banking and financial services organisations in the world.1 It provides a comprehensive range of financial services including personal financial services, commercial and corporate banking, investment banking and markets, private banking, and other activities. HSBCs international network comprised over 9,500 offices in 76 countries and territories in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, the America, the Middle East and Africa. 1. 2. Literature Review What determines foreign market entry strategies? To answer this question, most existing literature has focused on the characteristics of the entering firm, in particular its resources and capabilities (Barney, 1991; Anand and Delios, 2002) and its need to minimize transaction costs (Buckley and Casson, 1976; Anderson and Gatignon, 1986; Hill, Hwang, and Kim, 1990). While resources and capabilities are certainly important (Peng, 2001), recent work has suggested that strategies are moderated by the characteristics of the particular context in which firms operate (Hoskisson et al., 2000; In particular, institutions—the ‘rules of the game—in the host economy also significantly shape firm strategies such as foreign market entry (Peng, 2003; Wright et al., 2005). In a broad sense, macro-level institutions affect transaction costs (North, 1990). However, traditional transaction cost research (exemplified by Williamson, 1985) has focused on micro-analytical aspects such a s opportunism and bounded rationality. As a result, questions of how macro-level institutions, such as country-level legal and regulatory frameworks, influence transaction costs have been relatively unexplored, remaining largely as ‘background. However, a new movement in research posits that institutions are far more than ancillary elements, and that institutions directly influence what resources a firm has at its disposal as it strives to develop and launch strategy. Nowhere is this point more clearly borne out than in emerging economies, where institutional frameworks differ greatly from those in developed economies (Khanna, Palepu, and Sindha, 2005; Meyer and Peng, 2005; Wright et al., 2005; Gelbuda, Meyer, and Delios, 2008). Given these institutional differences, how do foreign firms adapt entry strategies when entering emerging economies? Focusing on this key question, it can be argued that (1) institutional development (or underdevelopment) in different emerging economie s directly affects entry strategies, and (2) investors needs for local resources impact entry strategies in different ways in different institutional contexts. In essence, we advocate an integrative perspective calling not only for explicit considerations of institutional effects, but also for their integration with resource-based considerations. An analysis of theory developed specifically out of changes to global markets shows little development of the standard theories of market segmentation, differentiated pricing and appropriate distribution channels which underpinned local and domestic marketing theory. However, the literature over the past five years has shown a particular set of theoretical models specific to global marketing. Hollensen, S (2007) discusses the Upsalla International Model which suggests a sequential pattern of entry into international markets with an increasing â€Å"commitment† to overseas markets as the international experience of the firm grows. He contrasts this with a traditional approach of what is termed as the Penrosian tradition which returns us to the economy of scale and a cost-led approach working from the firms core competencies. Dunning (1998) suggests a similar Ownership-Location-internalisation (OLI) framework identifying an â€Å"ownership advantage† of establishing overs eas production facilities, a locational advantage which builds a logistics network around the overseas production and, finally, an internalisation advantage where it must be economical for a firm to utilise the previous two advantages rather than sell them to a foreign firm. Similar to the development of the standardisation-localisation model emerging to deal with the specific choices related to international market entry the identification of risk mitigation factors salient to international marketing has developed rapidly. Baker, M (1993) recognises the risk mitigation inherent in internationalisation, protecting the firm from adverse fluctuations in the national economic cycle. Hollensen, S (2007) concurs, outlining the ownership, operating and transfer risk in being attached purely to domestic markets. All of the literature, in short, is strong on identifying the risks of domestic-based marketing, however there is scant coverage of the specific risks of internationalisation 2.1 Factors Affecting Market Entry Models Comprehensive models are easily identifiable in the literature and cover diverse entry modes, total product offer, and maturity models, Hollensen, S (2007). Earlier literature is more product-based than market-led, as with Majaro, S (1993) who presents three approaches to entering a product onto the international market: the development of new products, the deletion of weak products and the modification of new products. Hollensen, S more or less deals with market maturity as a key consideration of entry. Two distinct models suggested here are the waterfall approach where the product is disseminated from advanced through developing to less developed countries and the shower approach where all three are simultaneously targeted where early market penetration is a goal. Overall, the literature is consensual on the fact that shorter product lifecycles are the salient feature of internationalised markets. 2.2 Internal Factors With assets of US $1,502 billion, HSBC Holdings is one of the largest banking and financial services organisations in the world.1 HSBC provides a comprehensive range of financial services including personal financial services, commercial and corporate banking, investment banking and markets, private banking, and other activities. HSBCs international network comprised over 9,500 offices in 76 countries and territories in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, the America, the Middle East and Africa. It was a pioneer of modern banking practices in a number of countries. A growth oriented company from its earliest days, in 2000, HSBC decided to launch concrete strategies to attain market leadership in all sectors it operated in. Though the company was amongst the leading players in areas such as consumer finance, personal financial services, commercial and corporate banking, it also wanted to establish its presence in areas such as investment banking, mortgage, insurance and credit card business. To strengthen its product portfolio and geographical reach, the company embarked on an aggressive acquisition strategy. The focus was on areas where HSBC was either weak or did not have a presence. Simultaneously, the company launched an aggressive branding exercise to complement its growth strategy. The geographical reach of the bank could be estimated by its presence in form of the subsidiaries and franchises. It has nearly 200,000 shareholders in some 100 countries and territories. The shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange in the form of American D epositary Receipts. HSBC was also listed on the London, Hong Kong, New York, Paris and Bermuda stock exchanges. In late 1998, the Group adopted the HSBC brand and the hexagon symbol as a unified brand in all the markets where it operated. The bank adopted the tagline ‘Your world of financial services in 1999. With the new tagline, HSBC hoped to acquaint customers with the extent and the range of its financial services. The tagline and the unification of the business under one name emphasised the global reach of the group. In early 2000s, HSBC vigorously worked towards developing its banking and financial services to gain market leadership. In 2002, the HSBC changed the tagline to ‘The worlds local bank, the tagline emphasised the groups experience and understanding of a great variety of markets and cultures. The group chairman said ‘We are committed to making HSBC one of the worlds leading brands for customer experience.1 as part of the ‘Managing For Value Strategy In 1998, HSBC launched the above strategy to set the conditions for future success in a fast-changing market. The company hoped to beat the total shareholder return delivered by competing financial institutions. To do so, it needed to enter areas that promised returns that were higher than the risk-adjusted cost of capital. It decided to offer wealth management services, personal asset management and insurance services to its customers. Its objective was to cross-sell a wide range of products around the globe, including mortgages, insurance, mutual funds, and credit cards. As a first step, the company decided to eliminate bad growth strategies i.e. those which had failed to cover the cost of capital. As a part of its value-based profitability drive, it adopted several measures which targeted higher-value creation at the bank. Managers and staff adopted behavioural practices such as targeting high-net-worth customers through several prestigious credit card schemes, strengthened the sales culture of staff by ways of incentives and promoting client cross-referral across the different business divisions, running more loyalty programmes for customers to capture a greater share of creditworthy customers. Like some other companies, HSBC has also developed international programs with their own incentive and compensation systems, performance metrics, and opportunities to groom managers for global positions (Exhibit 3, on the next page). Such programs, which often provide training focused on tolerance and cultural awareness, aim to produce managers who are well versed in a companys distinctive capabilities but flexible enough to deal successfully with novel situations. These managers learn to distinguish the nonnegotiable aspects of a business model from those that can be modified as necessary. Ranbaxy, whose current CEO is British, is one of the companies working to develop this kind of global cadre. Its country managers move to new locations as soon as they are ready to assume larger challenges. 2. 3. External Factors 3.1 Barriers to market entry 3.1.1 Regulation Firms in regulated industries face a significant strategic dilemma when expanding abroad. On the one hand, established theory and practice recommend following a gradual, staged model of international expansion so as to minimize risks and cope with uncertainty (Johanson and Vahlne, 1977; Chang, 1995; Rivoli and Salorio, 1996; Guill ´en, 2002; Vermeulen and Barkema, 2002), that is, to overcome the so-called liability of foreignness (Hymer, 1976; Zaheer, 1995). On the other, the regulated nature of these industries tends to require a strong commitment of resources anda fast pace of entry into foreign markets. This is the case for three interrelated reasons. First,these industries tend to be highly concentrated, and they often exhibit certain features of the ‘naturalmonopoly.1 Second, entry may be restricted by the government, frequently under a system oflicenses. And third, the government may own significant parts of the industry. Under these circumstances, foreign entrants face strong incentives to commit large amounts of resources and to establish operations quickly, whenever and wherever opportunities arise, and frequently via acquisition as opposed to greenfield investment (Sarkar et al., 1999). Thus, the regulated and oligopolistic nature of these industries generates strong first mover advantages (Doh, 2000; Knickerbocker, 1973). Recent research in strategy argues that firms in regulated industries follow ‘asymmetric strategies in that they seek to defend their home-country position by preventing rivals from competing on a level playing field while pursuing entry into foreign markets as deregulation occurs. Given that deregulation has taken place at different moments in time and to different degrees from country to country, firms in regulated industries tend to follow a multidomestic strategy of foreign expansion, namely, they pick and choose which markets to enter depending on the specific circumstances A natural monopoly emerges when it is possible to exploit economies of scale over a very large range of output. As a result, the optimally efficient scale of production becomes a very high  proportion of the total market demand for the product or service. present in each foreign country, arranging their operations with a local rather than a global logic in mind, and engaging in limited cross-border coordination (Bonardi, 2004). Another distinctive feature of regulated industries is the role of the state as a shareholder. Some of the most active firms in regulated industries expanding abroad are former monopolies in which the state has or has had a controlling stake (Doh, Teegen, and Mudambi, 2004). 3.1.2 Cultural Barriers By September 2000, the Hong Kong operations of HSBC were falling behind in implementing the MfV strategy. The strategy set the goal of the bank doubling shareholder value over a five years through growth in its core businesses in addition to a massive reduction in operating costs. One major cost-saving initiative was the migration of the banks Network Services Centre (NSC) in Hong Kong to its new global processing centre in Guangzhou, a Chinese city on the mainland. Implementing this initiative which involved moving staff and resources to the Guangzhou Data Centre (GZC) came up against major operational and public relations issues. (MB) Technically, there were no major obstacles to the bank following a global trend in financial services; seeking economies of scale by moving back-office operations to lower cost areas. The average salaries of staff in the GZC were only 20% of those in the NSC. From this angle, moving professional positions to GZC and to HSBCs other new Indian global processing centre seemed perfectly in line with MfV objectives. Most duties were highly routine involving few important decision-making duties. Nevertheless, The staff, who were initially offered a choice to move or risk losing their positions, felt betrayed by the bank, since there was an expectation among the workers that dutiful service should be recognised with job security. 4. Market Opportunities available to HSBC 4.1.1. Micro-Financing With significant operations in the emerging markets and expertise in transactional solutions, and supported by our office network, services, processes, capital, and customer relationships, HSBC are well placed to serve the micro finance sector. The banks approach to this sector is based on commercial viability with high social benefit, with the aim of creating self-sustaining, stable financial services to help people out of poverty. HSBC integrate micro-finance activities Global Business and Organizational Excellence DOI: 10.1002/joe January/February 2009 17 with local business capabilities rather than as a separate business line. Following pilot projects in 2005, HSBC has engaged more closely with micro-finance enablers and MFIs on the ground to understand the principal issues facing the sector, and the findings have informed and shaped our priorities. HSBC is currently working with MFIs in Argentina, India, Mexico, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Turkey through our operations in th ose countries. The bank is at the forefront in arranging foreign investments into the country and deals for Indian companies investing overseas, and it is custodian of more than 40 percent of the foreign institutional investments (FIIs) in India, with total assets under management in India that exceed $5 billion. Although HSBC in India has 47 branches and 178 ATMs in 26 cities, it lacks a branch network and accessibility in rural areas, where the majority of Indias empoverished population lives. The rural poor need a diverse range of financial services, including credit and safe and flexible savings services, to run their businesses, build assets, stabilize consumption, and shield themselves against poverty. However, access to quality financial services in rural India is still heavily inadequate. Eighty-one percent of villages in India do not have banks within a distance of 2 km (1.2 miles); 41 percent of the population does not have a bank account; and available credit in rural are as meets just 10 percent of the actual need. Microfinance established a foothold in India during the 1990s, but this decade has seen rapid growth, with a distinct shift away from a â€Å"welfare† model toward a â€Å"business model† for delivering these services.Since it is quite expensive for HSBC in India to provide services directly to the rural poor, it lends funds to microfinance intermediaries, the MFIs that further on-lend the funds to the ultimate clients. HSBC in India established a team for microfinance under its Commercial Banking division in December 2007 and plans to eventually create regional-level teams to facilitate initiatives in their respective parts of the country. 4.1.2 North America Market Entry HSBCs initial motivation for its acquiring retail banks in North America and the UK was to diversify away from its home in Asia. After it acquired Marine Midland Bank and Midland Bank, HSBCs motivation may have changed subtly. It is becoming increasingly difficult for banks that are large relative to their home markets to grow at home. In many developed countries banking has become quite concentrated (Marquez and Molyneux, 2002). In response, policymakers in these countries have started to bar the banks from further domestic mergers and acquisitions. Some recent failed attempts in Canada are a case in point (Tickell, 2000). The only remaining possibility for growth then is cross-border. Interestingly, each of the owners of the largest subsidiaries of foreign banks in the US is disproportionately often the largest bank in its own home country (Tschoegl, 2002 and 2004). Assessing the viability of this strategy is the classic question of how a foreign firm competes against local firms t hat do not face any liability of foreignness (Zaheer, 1995), that is, costs that come from operating in a  foreign environment or at a distance. One issue then is whether having operations in contiguous countries represents a competitive advantage. Tschoegl (1987) and Dufey and Yeung (1993) have argued that where markets are well developed and competitive, there is no reason to expect foreign banks in general to be better than local banks at retail banking. At the same time there is evidence for the existence of a liability of foreignness vis-à  -vis the foreign banks host-country competitors  (Parkhe and Miller, 2002). Of course, there is also evidence that suggests that the liability is minimal (Nachum, 2003) or wanes over time (Zaheer and Moskowitz, 1996). However, these last two studies examine the liability in the context of corporate and wholesale banking markets. The liability may be more salient in the retail markets, where national differences between the home and host market are likely to be more profound.Demirgà ¼Ãƒ §-Kunt and Huizinga (1999) and Claessens et al. (2001) found that foreign banks tend to have higher margins and profits than domestic banks in developing countries, but that the opposite holds in industrial countries. Similarly, Dopico and Wilcox (2002) found that foreign banks have a greater share in under-banked markets and a smaller presence in mature markets. The implication is that one should not expect much in the way of cross-border mergers in commercial banking within developed regions. We can speculate that on the production side, differences in products  across markets and privacy laws appear to be limiting parents ability to consolidate processing. As far as depositors are concerned, there seems to be little value to having an account with a bank that operates in other countries, especially now that travelers can draw cash from networked automated transaction machines (ATMs). HSBC does have a service for wealthy indivi duals-HSBC Premier-that provides for such crossborder advantages as transfer of an individuals credit rating when they relocate, and some other services. However, these facilities are not available to ordinary accounts. The literature on trade flows is instructive here; the evidence on NAFTA has shown that borders have a substantial damping effect on trade flows (McCallum, 1995). In North America HSBC is even poorly positioned to take advantage of the one form of cross-border retail banking that is currently drawing attention: remittance flows from Mexican workers in the US. Although HSBC now has a strong presence in Mexico, it has almost no offices in California or other US states with large populations of Mexican immigrants. By contrast, Bank of America, which is the largest bank in California and is present in many other US states, in 2002, bought a 25 percent stake in Santander-Serfin, Santanders subsidiary, which has amalgamated Mexicos oldest and third largest bank. If there is little reason to believe that HSBC benefits from cross-border demand or production effects, what is left as a source of advantage? One candidate is what Kindleberger (1969) has called â€Å"surplus managerial resources.† When a bank such as HSBC can no longer grow at home, it may find itself with a management team that is underemployed in terms of the demands on its time. The bank may then choose to grow abroad when it can combine these surplus resources with what Berger et al. (2000) call a global advantage. Berger et al. argue that some US banks succeed in the competition with local banks elsewhere in the world simply by being better managed. In their survey of the literature on productivity, Bartelsman and Doms (2000) draw several stylized lessons, among them that firms differ in their productivity and that this difference may persist for years. Obviously, not all US banks necessarily partake of the advantage of better management and by contrast some non-US banks may. HSBC may simply be one of these. As Nachum et al. (2001) point out, the competitiveness of firms depends on the kind of assets that firm s can transfer internally from country to country, but that are difficult to transfer from one firm to another, even within a country. Still, it is, unfortunately, extremely difficult to measure an intangible asset as subtle and hard to define as better management (Denrell, 2004), especially when, as recent events have shown, stock market performance or accounting measures are of doubtful reliability. HSBC began its growth in North America by acquiring failed and weak banks. In effect, shareholders lacking a comparative advantage relative to HSBC, with respect to owning and governing given banks or branches (Lichtenberg and Siegel, 1987), sold them to HSBC. Generally, growth by acquisition is difficult to execute and as a strategy it is vulnerable to problems of over-reach due to managerial hubris (Roll, 1986; Baradwaj et al., 1992; Seth et al., 2000). Peek et al. (1999) found that generally the US subsidiaries of foreign banks have not done well. The poor performance of foreign bank subsidiaries was a result of the foreign banks acquiring poorly performing US banks and being unable to improve their performance sufficiently within the period that the authors examined. (One cannot arrive at strong conclusions from studies of the profitability of subsidiaries. Banks transfer profits across borders (Demirgà ¼Ãƒ §-Kunt and Huizinga, 2001), and foreign banks may prefer to book some bu siness from their headquarters (Peek and Rosengren, 2000).) Still, HSBCs operations in the US and Canada are survivors of a winnowing process that saw other banks from Canada, Japan, the UK and the US sell their Canadian or US subsidiaries, in some cases to HSBC. As Mitchell and Shaver (2003) show with respect to firms in the US medical sector, firms differ in their ability to absorb and manage business on a continuing basis. They use the biological metaphor of predation and their evidence is consistent with the idea that some predators are better able to target desirable prey and better able to overpower the prey they target. HSBC appears to have found that it is one such successful predator. One may surmise that HSBC initially chose to acquire weak banks as much out of necessity as design. For any given size, a profitable bank will cost more than an unprofitable one, and to achieve its goal of diversifying, HSBC needed to acquire large banks. Now that HSBC is one of the worlds lar gest banks, whether one measures by market capitalization or total assets, it has more leeway. Conclusion Assuming that there is a positive relationship between marketing spend and market share, marketing activities, if well-targetted should have a incremental impact on market share. However, this does not always seem to hold true within the â€Å"big four† banks. Barclays and HSBC both developed their market share by 1% between 1995 and 2000, in spite of greatly varied levels of investment in marketing. Lloyds TSB market share fell by 2% although the bank spent significantly more than either Barclays or HSBC while NatWest and RBS have both declined by 4% despite having a collective expenditure of more than double Barclays. This perhaps, at least partly, explains why HSBC has adopted a highly acquisitive strategy, realising that, although the core brand is strong, customer recognition may have saturated, therefore integrating both fresh brands into subsidiaries in tandem with launching new, retail-focussed services, keeps the proposition fresh. Recommendations With the disproportionate focus on retail banking, HSBC has yet not come over as a major player in investment banking. However, with the wave of recent milestone deals during over the last three years, the bank is beginning to emerged as an investment banking brand. HSBC played a central role in two of Europes biggest-ever merger and acquisition deals i.e. Mittal Steels hostile bid for Frances Arcelor and German utility company E.Ons offering for Spanish rival Endesa. However, the development in the direction of investment banking requires some acceleration as the retail ban king sector continues to be heavily impacted by the sub-prime mortgage fallout and credit tightness. The bank has been planning to further enhance its business in the UK by investing  £400m in retail and commercial distribution network and setting up 500 new ATMs, 250 new Express terminals, however this is has not yet materialised and may be badly-timed if implemented within the year. HSBC has considered the Asian region as its major focus area and it can expect a bigger share from the Asia-Pacific region in the future. In early 2007, Asia-Pacific, the Americas (including South America) and Europe each contributed one third in HSBC groups overall bottom line. Bibliography Amel, D., Barnes, C., Panetta, F.,Salleo, C. (2004). â€Å"Consolidation and efficiency in the financial sector: A review of the international evidence,† Journal of Banking and Finance, Vol. 28, No. 10, pp. 2493-2519. Anand J, Delios A. 2002. Absolute and relative resources as determinants of international acquisitions. Strategic Management Journal 23(2): 119-134. Barney JB. 1991. Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management 17: 99-120 Baradwaj, B.G., Dubofsky, D., Fraser, D.R. (1992). â€Å"Bidder Returns in Interstate and Intrastate Bank Acquisitions,† Journal of Financial Services Research, Vol. 5, No. 3, pp. 261-73 Berger, A., DeYoung, R., Genay, H.Udell, G. (2000). â€Å"Globalization of financial institutions: Evidence from cross-border banking performance,† Brookings-Wharton Papers on Financial Service, Vol. 3 Buckley PJ, Casson MC. 1976. The Future of the Multinational Enterprise. Macmillan: London, UK. Buckley PJ, Casson MC. 1998. Analyzing foreign market entry strategies: extending the internalization approach. Journal of International Business Studies 29: 539-562 Demirgà ¼Ãƒ §-Kunt, A.,Huizinga, H. (1999). â€Å"Determinants of Commercial Bank Interest Margins and Profitability: Some International Evidence,† World Bank Economic Review, Vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 379-408 Denrell, J. (2004). â€Å"Random Walks and Sustained Competitive Advantage,† Management Science, Vol. 50, No. 7, pp. 922-934 Dopico, L.G., Wilcox, J.A. (2002). â€Å"Openness, profit opportunities and foreign banking,† Journal of Financial Markets: Institutions and Money, Vol. 12, No. 4-5, pp. 299-320 Dufey, G.,Yeung, B. (1993). â€Å"The Impact of EC 92 on European Banking,† Journal of Financial Management, Vol. 2, No. 3-4, pp. 11-31 Gelbuda M, Meyer KE, Delios A. 2008. International business and institutional development in Central and Eastern Europe. Journal of International Management 14(1): 1-11 Greve, H.R. (2003). â€Å"Why are there so many multiunit organizations?† Strategic Organization, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 109-115 Hackethal, A. (2001). â€Å"Strategic Groups in European Commercial Banking,† German Economic Association of Business Administration DP01-19 Hensel, N.D. (2003). â€Å"Strategic Management of Cost Efficiencies in Networks: Cross-Country Evidence on European Branch Banking† European Financial Management, Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 331-360. Hill CWL, Hwang P, Kim WC. 1990. An eclectic theory of international market entry mode. Strategic Management Journal 11(2): 117-128. Hoskisson RE, Eden L, Lau CM, Wright M. 2000. Strategy in emerging economies. Academy of Management Journal 43: 249-267 Ingram P, Silverman B. 2002. Introduction. In The New Institutionalism in Strategic Management (Advances in Strategic Management) (Vol. 19), Ingram P, Silverman BS (eds). JAI Press: Greenwich, CT; 1-30 Khanna T, Palepu K. 2000. The future of business groups in emerging markets: long run evidence from Chile. Academy of Management Journal 43: 268-285 Lichtenberg F.R.,Siegel, D. (1987). â€Å"Productivity and Changes in Ownership of Manufacturing Plants,† Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Vol. 3, pp. 643-73 McCallum, J. (1995). â€Å"National Borders Matter: Canada-U.S. Regional Trade Patterns,† American Economic Review, Vol. 85, No. 3, pp. 615-623 Meyer KE. 2006. Asian management research needs more self-confidence. Asia Pacific Journal of Management 23: 119-137 Nachum, L. (2003). â€Å"Liability of Foreignness in Global Competition? Financial Service MNEs in the City of London,† Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 24, No. 12, pp. 1187-1208 North D. 1990. Institutions, Institutional Change, and Economic Performance. Norton: New York Peek, J., Rosengren, E.S., Kasirye, F. (1999). â€Å"The poor performance of foreign bank subsidiaries: Were the problems acquired or created?† Journal of Banking and Finance, Vol. 23, pp. 579-604 Roll, R. (1986). â€Å"The Hubris Hypothesis of Corporate Takeovers,† Journal of Business, Vol. 59, No. 2, pp. 197-216 Seth, A., Song, K.P., Pettit, R. (2000). â€Å"Synergy, Managerialism or Hubris? An Empirical Examination of Motives for Foreign Acquisitions of US Firms,† Journal of International Business Studies, Vol. 31, No. 3, pp. 387-405 Tschoegl, A.E. (2001). â€Å"Foreign banks in the United States since World War II: A useful fringe,† in Jones, G., Gà ¡lvez-Muà ±oz, L. (Editors), Managing Foreign Business in the US. London: Routledge, pp. 149-168 Tsui A. 2004. Contributing to global management knowledge: a case for high quality indigenous research. Asia Pacific Journal of Management 21(4):491-513 Williamson OE. 1985. The Economic Institutions of Capitalism. Free Press: New York Wright M, Filatotchev I, Hoskisson RE, Peng MW. 2005. Strategy research in emerging economies: challenging the conventional wisdom. Journal of Management Studies 26: 1-34 Zaheer, S. Mosakowski, E. (1996). â€Å"The Dynamics of the Liability of Foreignness: A Global Study of Survival in Financial Services,† Stra

Grapes of Wrath Essay -- essays research papers

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck is a novel depicting the struggle and distraught brought towards migrant workers during the Great Depression. The Grapes of Wrath follows one Oklahoma family, the Joads, as they journey down Route 66 towards the earthly paradise of California. While on route to California, the Joads interact with fellow besieged families, non-hospitable farmers, and common struggles due to the Depression. Steinbeck uses these events to show strong brotherhood through biblical allusion, character development, and inter chapters.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Biblical allusion is found extremely often in the pages of The Grapes of Wrath. Through biblical allusion, Steinbeck portrays the brotherhood of the migrant workers. For example, in the Bible, Moses’ mother puts baby Moses in a basket, which takes him down a river. Later, Moses tells his slaves that he will lead them to freedom. In The Grapes of Wrath Rose of Sharon, the Joad’s eldest daughter gives birth to a dead baby because of the starvation and poor conditions of the migrant farmers. The Joad’s do not have enough money to give the baby a proper burial so Ma, the backbone of the Joad family, instructs Uncle John to bury the baby himself. Instead of following Ma’s orders, Uncle John sends the deceased infant down a river in an apple box. He said fiercely, â€Å"Go down an’ tell ‘em. Go down in the street an’ rot an’ tell ‘em that way. That’s the way you can talk. Don’ even know if you was a boy or a gi...

Sorrowful Black Death is Not a Hot Ticket and Seduction and Betrayal Es

Sorrowful Black Death is Not a Hot Ticket and Seduction and Betrayal    Toni Morrison and bell hooks share the same views on how white America envisions blacks.   In bell hooks' essays " Seduction and Betrayal" and " Sorrowful Black Death is Not a Hot Ticket" she focuses in on the portrayal of African Americans on the big screen.   In "Seduction and Betrayal"   hooks uses   Spike Lee's Crooklyn to demonstrate how invaluable the life of a black person is.   In " Sorrowful Black Death Is Not a Hot Ticket" she claims the Bodyguard and The Crying Game illustrate the notion that blacks, especially black females, are inferior to whites. In Toni Morrison's introduction to Birth of a Nation'hood , she suggests these same views by looking at the O.J. Simpson case.   Through the use of these movies and courtcases, hooks and Morrison suggest that blacks are viewed as worthless, violent criminals, who are subordinate to the white race. hooks believes, " The racial politics of Hollywood is such that there can be no serious representation of death and dying when the characters are African-Americans" (99). By stating this, she implies that black life in movies is thought of as useless.   She finds that the majority of black death in movies is done through violence. An example of such a   film is Paris Trout in which a young girl is brutally murdered and her relatives "too cowardly to save or avenge her life, ...willingly show the lawyer who will defend her killer the blood stains left by her dragging body, the bullet holes in the walls.   Her life is worth nothing"( hooks, 100).   Not even the girl's own family could find worth in her life. Her relatives cared so little that they were willing to accept money to show her kil... ...al of black life are the views shared by the majority of Americans.   Their views on this portrayal of blacks in America can be summed up in a quote taken from Melville's Benito Cereno, "We will see what the American...wanted to see: the head of the Negro 'fixed on a pole in the Plaza" (27). Works Cited hooks, bell.   "Seduction and Betrayal." Writing as Re-Vision: A Student's Anthology.   Ed.   Beth Alvarado and Barbara Cully. Needham Heights: Simon & Schuster Custom   Publishing, 1998. 108-111. hooks, bell.   "Sorrowful Black Death Is Not a Hot Ticket." Writing as Re-Vision: A   Student's Anthology.   Ed. Beth Alvarado and Barbara Cully. Needham Heights:   Simon & Schuster Custom Publishing, 1998. 99-107. Morrison, Toni. Introduction. Birth of a Nation'hood. Ed. Toni Morrison and Claudia   Brodsky Lacour.   New York: Pantheon Books, 1997.   7-28.

Comparing Henry Miller and Jack Kerouac Essay -- Authors Writers Big S

Comparing Henry Miller and Jack Kerouac I. Introduction It has never been an uncommon thing for one to retreat to nature in an attempt to ‘find one’s self,’ and somewhat clichà © these days is the retreat to nature to ‘find God.’ Hundreds of books, essays, seminars, and retreats devote themselves to helping one understand how to find enlightenment and healing through connecting with nature. It is a phenomenon that transcends religious boundaries—everyone, from Buddhists to Christian Mystics to Quakers, seems to think that the key (or, at least, one of the keys) to enlightenment lies in nature. As one may suppose, this is not a new concept. Throughout literary history, there is a distinct trend of authors praising the virtues of nature, singing of the peace that it brings and the enlightening attributes of these places away from the noise and clutter of the cities. Shakespeare tells of finding â€Å"tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, [and] sermons in stone†(Shakespeare); William W ordsworth implores us to let nature be our teacher; Goethe claims that there is rest and respite on the mountain top; and George Washington Carver admits that he tries commune with nature everyday. It seems that from Henry David Thoreau right down to contemporary authors, no generation or writing period has been devoid of at least one prolific author who takes to nature in order to find the answers. Two such authors, searching for†¦well, searching for that certain enlightenment and repose that can only be found in nature, were Henry Miller and Jack Kerouac. And despite the fact that Big Sur, California, is the chosen destination for revelation for both authors and that both authors are torn between the introspective qualities of being ‘secluded,’ and the desire for connectedness to society, they were from (moderately) different lifestyles and backgrounds and viewed the revelations that nature bestowed to them individually quite differently. By contrasting the situations and temperaments of the two authors, one can begin to see why their experiences differed so greatly. II. Henry Miller Henry Miller, born in December of 1891, spent the majority of his childhood in Brooklyn (†Henry Miller† 1). He attended high school, but never finished college; instead, he worked a variety of jobs that never lasted long, from driving a cab to working in a library (ibid.). In 1917, he ma... ...city (thus, they are very occupied with what is happening in their community.) This seems to be Miller’s salvation, while at the same time being Kerouac’s downfall. Regardless of why it worked for one and not the other, it is evident that both sought what so many today seek: to connect themselves with God and to find peace by submersing themselves in nature. Bibliography â€Å"Beat Page, The.† Rooknet.com. 4 December 2004. Ferguson, Robert. Henry Miller: A Life. New York: W W Norton & Co Inc, 1993. â€Å"Henry Miller.† 1. Levity.com. 7 December 2004. â€Å"Henry Miller.† 2. Literary Kicks. 7 December 2004. â€Å"Jack Kerouac.† Literary Kicks. 4 December 2004. Kenedi, Aaron and John Miller, eds. â€Å"Henry Miller-Big Sur.† Where Inspiration Lives: Writers, Artists, and Their Creative Places. Navato: New World Library, 2003. Kerouac, Jack. Big Sur. New York: Peguin Books, 1992. Miller, Henry. Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch. New York: New Direction Publishing Corporation, 1957. Shakespeare, William. â€Å"As You Like It.† 1623. Literature Online. Proquest Learning and Information Company. Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, MT., 2 January 2005.

Empty Promises Essay

The article I chose is called â€Å"Empty Promises, Empty Cradles†. This case involves fake adoptions. A family is promised a child, and when the time comes, there is no child given to the family. Shockingly enough, there were no children to begin with. The women who promised their unborn children to the people, who were interested in adopting, were not even pregnant. At least six couples in the Midwest were victimized by this adoption fraud scheme. For example, in a Florida case a woman contacted over a dozen victims through a forum/ Internet site for people who were looking to adopt a child, and posted that she knew a women who was about to â€Å"give birth†. All she asked of the adopting victims was either small administrative fees or for money to help with the birth mothers expenses. The victims obviously paid money for what they thought was going to go the birth mother, but in reality, there was no birth mother, and the money was pocketed. In another case that took place in Indiana, Victoria Farahan contacted the director of a local adoption ministry and said she could provide newborns from a hospital in Moscow, Russia. She went as far as providing pictures of these babies, but it turns out that the pictures were of her own children. She eventually cheated six couples out of a total of $97,500. The types of white collar crime that was committed was wire fraud and mail fraud. The wire fraud was used to wire the money to the people who were committing the crime, and the mail fraud was used to post the information online and to help find the victims. The victims of this crime were all the women who thought they were going to receive a baby. Not only was it the women, but it was also their families. Some of these women took off work for maternity leave, while others moved into bigger homes in order to give, what they thought was going to be their child, a better and bigger home to live in. It really is a shame, because some of these women were not able to have children due to being infertile. To want a child your entire life, and not be able to have one is very depressing. Adopting a child was the only hope  for the women in this situation. And they were let down yet again, but this time, their money was taken away from them. This article that I found does not talk about the outcome of the case, meaning the charges are not stated. I do believe this is a severe crime. Some of the victims went as far as decorating a nursery and others even bought a new house. That money did not need to spent, so not only are they out of money from the fraud, but on top of that, they are down money for getting prepared for their child. I truly feel for all of the people who were victims of this case. Some people will do anything for money and not completely understand the consequences. I feel as though the money should be returned to every family that supplied the criminal with money, and the criminal should do jail time.

Explain How to Support Children and Young People According to Their Age, Needs and Abilities to Make Personal Choices and Experiences That Have a Positive Impact on Their Lives

CT232 Understand how to support positive outcomes for children and young people In addition to reading page 184 to 207 of your Heinemann level 3 diploma tex book please put together some notes which show you have researched this unit.. Once you have done this please email me your notes so they can be used as evidence. Your notes need to cover the following †¦ 1. 1 Describe the social, economic and cultural factors that will impact on the lives of children and young people They are many issues in our lives that can have an impact on children/young people, this could be Social factors Illness/disability- this can cause a child/children to miss out on a large chuck of the education and struggle to achieve due to them taking frequent visits to the hospital or that they have to stay at home most of the time. It may cause them to miss out on activities such as sports, which could leave them feeling isolated and full of resentment and may cause them to have behavioural problems. It can also cause people to misjudged them as lacking intelligence and therefore given challenge, leading to boredom and perceived disruptive behaviour If the child is the carer of parents with illness/disability this can lead to emotional difficulties, they may struggle to understand the role reversal they are experiencing, view themselves as being more mature than their peers which can result in them struggling to form friendships and may become resentful at missing out on the childhood and present challenging behaviour. They may suffer anxiety whilst away from home and worry about their parents, resulting failure to engage in their education. * Poor parental supervision/neglect- children need routine, guidance, love, boundaries, positive discipline etc†¦ Without these they will be constantly in conflict at school because they do not know or understand acceptable boundaries. They may be unaware of dangers they can face in life. They may have distorted view of their own abilities and may believe they are allowed to do what they want because they were never prevented. They believe they are unloved, unimportant and unvalued and as they grow older this could lead to depression and self harm. Lack of boundaries could result in them becoming involved in crime and anti-social behaviour. Neglect could lead to health problems through malnutrition. They may struggle to form social relationships because of their lack of personal hygiene. Poor clothing could lead to bulling and teasing, causing them to be withdrawn and become isolated. Offending or anti-social behaviour- children who breaks the law may run the risk of being excluded from school or their family being evicted from their social housing accommodation a child could be taken into care for various reasons such as a parent could be imprison, this could cause a child to be emotional stress. The child may perceive the behaviour as normal or acceptable. It may result in them making some bad person choice and would result in them suffering a disruptive education and struggle to form long term stable fr iendships * Addictions- the impact on addictions can be varied. They can suffer health problems. If their mother had a drug or alcohol problem during pregnancy. They may suffer from neglect, abuse /violence. If they have younger siblings they may find themselves responsible for their care and therefore may suffer stress and feel isolated. They may feel scared and find it difficult to speak to people for fear of getting in trouble or going into care. They may ultimately find themselves in care if the addiction results in their parents being unable to care for them. They may become involved in crime to support their family. At school they may be disruptive or withdrawn, have mood swings and outbursts of violence * Bereavement and parent’s separation- this can leave a child feeling very insecure and frightened. They may become quiet and withdrawn. They may become very emotional, clingy and tearful or become violent and abusive. They may feel angry, let down and abandoned. Their work and concentration at school may suffer as a result of any stress and worry they may be feeling. They may suffer poverty as a result of a fall inthe household income and also suffer a dramatic change in lifestyle that leave them confused. Cultural factors * Religious beliefs and customs- children may have to attend a school associated with their religion, and may therefore receive a less balanced education. They may struggle to understand other people‘s religion or lifestyle choices, especially if it goes against what they are taught. They may become confuse or isolated and struggle to interact with the wider community. They may also experience or witness abuse on the grounds of their religious beliefs and customs, leaving them not only confused and isolated but fearful. * Ethnic beliefs and customs- children may have different form of clothing, customs which could lead to them being teased or bullied. Their culture ma view interaction between men and women, women and women or men and men in a different way and the children will struggle to recognise what is acceptable at school as it differs from home. This could cause them to come into conflict with school rules or to be perceived as a trouble maker. Economical factors * Education- children whose parents have had poor education or lack numeracy and literacy skills can or may struggle at school, their parents may show little or no interest in their education and as a result they themselves may also lose interest and starts miss behaving in class or follow in the wrong crowd of friend which will lead to them failing in their education and struggle to get employment as an adult * Poverty- this can result from low income, unemployment, parental separation, illness or disability, addictions, or criminal activities. Children may suffer malnutrition or a poor diet as a result of their parents being unable to afford quality food. This could result in lack of concentration or poor performance at school. They could also suffer other health related issues. They may be the subject of bullying as a result of their clothing or because they do not have the latest ‘must have’ accessories. They will probably miss out on further education due to the costs involved, or as a result of the need to find employment to help support the family. * Poor housing- One of the side effects of poverty is poor housing. People on low income are often dependent on local authority housing. This may result in overcrowding, for example being housed in a bedsit or home with insufficient bedrooms. This means the child has no privacy, or personal space. They may struggle with homework and course work because of the lack of a quiet space in which to complete it. The housing provided may be of a poor quality – suffering damp or be in disrepair. This could have a detrimental effect on the child’s health – causing asthma or frequent colds and coughs. It will probably be in a less desirable area or could be in an area with social disorder problems. This may result in the children becoming isolated, as their parents may be fearful of letting them out to play or they may themselves become involved in anti-social behaviour and criminal activities. Although dealt with separately, many of these factors are interconnected; unemployment or low income can lead to poor housing. Poor housing can lead to health problems, which can lead to frequent school absences. They will not only affect the child’s present lifestyle and health, but also their future, right through to adulthood. This pattern could then continue into the lives of their children. Without support and intervention, they and their families could find themselves trapped in a cycle of disadvantage 1. 2 Explain the importance and impact of poverty on outcomes and life chances for children and young people 1. 3 Explain the role of children and young people? s personal choices and experiences on their outcomes and life chances 2. Identify the positive outcomes for children and young people that practitioners should be striving to achieve 2. 2 Explain the importance of designing services around the needs of children and young people 2. 3 Explain the importance of active participation of children and young people in decisions affecting their lives 2. 4 Explain how to support children and young people according to their age, needs and abilities to make personal choices and experie nces that have a positive impact on their lives 1. Explain the importance and impact of poverty on outcomes and life chances for children and young people 1. 3 Explain the role of children and young people? s personal choices and experiences on their outcomes and life chances 2. 1 Identify the positive outcomes for children and young people that practitioners should be striving to achieve The EYFS states that every child matters and that they should all be given opportunity to achieve the every child matter five learn goals outcome and that practitioners should place emphasises so that they may be able to achieve on every level of the five learning goals. This means that as professionals that we help and encourage the children to be healthy, by giving them healthy meals/snacks at appropriate times. We encourage the children to drink water. Help them to cope with everyday life such as personal stress, help to build their self esteem. Encourage them in the right direction about their physical, mental, emotional, sexual health and to avoid drug taking. The EYFS works within the Every child Matters (children’s Act 2004) and links to the statutory framework: 2. Explain the importance of designing services around the needs of children and young people it is Important to design services around needs because it makes best use of the money we have, it targets the services properly, so doesn't waste time or resources. Putting the child at the centre means, rather than it being about adults and what they want, it is actually about what the child NEEDS. 2. 3 Explain the importance of active participation of children and young people in dec isions affecting their lives it is Important for them to participate actively because that way they feel (awful phrase) ‘ownership', i. . if they feel they ‘own it', they are more likely to respond to it and use it, also it's just basic common sense that they should decide – they know what they need (mostly) after all. 2. 4 Explain how to support children and young people according to their age, needs and abilities to make personal choices and experiences that have a positive impact on their lives 3. 1 Explain the potential impact of disability on the outcomes and life chances of children and young people 3. 2 Explain the importance of positive attitudes towards disability and specific requirements 3. Explain the social and medical models of disability and the impact of each on practice 3. 4 Explain the different types of support that are available for disabled children and young people and those with specific requirements 4. 1 Explain the meaning of equality, div ersity and inclusion in the context of positive outcomes for children and young people 4. 2 Compare, giving examples, ways in which services for children, young people and their carers take account of and promote equality, diversity and inclusion to promote positive outcomes