Fred Stern & Company, Inc.

Fred Stern & Company, Inc. was a rubber importer based out of New York City during the 1920s. This capital-intensive business was in high demand for numerous industries at the time. As such, Fred Stern & Co. relied heavily on lenders to finance its daily operations. In 1924, Fred Stern & Co. approached a finance company named Ultramares Corporation for a loan of $100,000. Before accepting the terms, Ultramares Corp. requested an audited balance sheet to serve as support for the loan.A well-respected accounting firm named Touche, Niven & Co.  had provided assurance for their statement a few months earlier, which allowed the deal to go through. The following year, in January 1925, Fred Stern & Co. filed for bankruptcy and Ultramares Corporation found itself suing Touche, Niven & Co. for fraud & negligence to recover $165,000 lost in the agreement. When reviewing the case thoroughly, there are various red flags, overlooked by Touche Niven that should have been clear indicators of frau dulent reporting by Fred Stern Co. Firstly, when commencing the audit in February, Touches’ auditor Siess had to complete the general ledger & trial balance himself.It had not been posted since the prior April. This resulted in him reviewing some of his own work. Following this event, Stern’s accountant booked an additional entry debiting receivables and crediting sales in the amount of $700,000, more than doubling the accounts receivables account. As an explanation, he claimed that the entry represented December sales omitted from the accounting records. Additionally, while auditing inventory, Touches’ auditor discovered several errors, which caused the inventory record to be overstated by more than $300,000, an overstatement of 90%.Also, while auditing payables, more errors appeared and the auditor discovered that the company had improperly pledged the same assets as collateral for several bank loans. We should also consider the absence of a strong regulatory system at the time as well as the old acquaintance and good relationship between the firm and the client as red flags, which may have led the auditing firm to under-evaluate the risks of the audit. This case led to a long legal battle between the defendant Touche Niven & Co. , and the plaintiff Ultramares Corporation.In the first ruling, the jury found the audit to be negligent but not fraudulent; however, the judge set this finding aside based on the doctrine of privity, which protects auditors from third party suits. Essentially, this ruling states that in common law, only parties of the contract or relationship in place should be allowed to sue and claim damages. Other parties that used the information in the audit report to make decisions did not have an explicit contractual agreement with the auditors. Therefore, a third party could not sue the auditor for damages if the audit report was misleading and caused the third party to lose money.The SEC of 1933 did not hold auditors l egally responsible to these third parties. As we can see, auditing rules have changed quite substantially from the 1920s to today. Following this ruling, the plaintiff appealed the ruling where an intermediate appellate court reinstated the negligence verdict stating that by offering an unqualified report, Touche Niven & Co. had an obligation to Ultramares since they relied on this information to base their decision of lending money to Fred Stern & Co. Finally, Touche Niven appealed the ruling which as a result brought the case to the New York Court of Appeals where a final decision was established.In a unanimous decision, the court, led by Judge Benjamin Cardozo ruled the defendant not guilty based on the same conclusion from the first ruling. He stated that the law should not admit â€Å"to a liability in an indeterminate amount for an indeterminate time to an indeterminate class. † He believed that Touche, Niven was not guilty to third parties because its relationship was with Fred Stern & Co. period. It is important to mention that judge Cardozo went on to criticize the accounting firm for its audit of the Fred Stern Co.financials and that had they sued on basis of gross negligence, they would have been successful. Distinction being the fact that blindly giving assent is as bad as committing fraud. To reiterate, the difference between negligence (which they sued for) itself and gross negligence is in fact a relationship that exist between the parties in dealing. This case established that an auditor could be sued by a primary beneficiary for damages from negligence. A primary beneficiary is a party that has a direct benefit from the audit.Non-privity parties could also sue for gross negligence. This increased the auditor’s legal exposure to third parties. The SEC of 1934 reflected these changes and many others; one significant change was that auditor’s had a much higher litigation risk due to their new responsibility to third parties. The audit report in the 1920’s was very basic. The audit report was titled the â€Å"Certificate of Auditors† and said that the auditors had examined only the balance sheet accounts and these accounts were in line with the explanations and information given to the auditors.It then said that the statement presented a true and correct view of the financial condition of the company. This is very different from the audit report used today. Today, the audit report is much more detailed to help auditors avoid liability. Instead of simply examining the balance sheet, now we audited the balance sheet, income statement, statement of retained earnings and cash flows. Beyond just simply stating that the accounts are in line with the explanations and information received, auditors state that we conduct the audit in line with Generally Accepted Auditing Standards and explain what this means.In the 1920’s, where the audit report would have said that the statements present a t rue and correct view of the financial condition of the company, the report now state that the statements present fairly, in all material respects the financial position of the company, and that the operations and cash flows are in line with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. Many changes in the auditing profession have required these changes to avoid confusion from financial statement users.The decision of extending the liability of auditors to third parties had impacts on all parties involved in an audit (accounting firms, audit clients and third-party financial statement users). The question of whether the auditors are responsible for â€Å"socializing investment losses† became important. â€Å"Socializing investment losses and privatizing profits† can be defined as † how businesses and individuals can successfully benefit from any and all profits related to their line of business, but avoid losses by having those losses paid for by society.Privatizing p rofits and socializing losses suggests that when large losses occur for speculators or businesses, they are able to successfully lobby government for aide rather than face the consequences of said losses. â€Å"1 In other words, when losses are occurred by the investors or creditors of an audit client, the auditors would be as liable to them as the audit client itself to compensate for the losses occurred due to misrepresentations on the financial statements or in case of fraud. This is basically what extending the liability of auditors did.The changes in the SEC of 1934 and the new laws that arrived after that, forced certain changes to the way the auditors had to approach their work. It is now their responsibility to ensure that the work being done is enough to provide a high level of assurance to all the users of financial statements. This means ensuring that they do their due diligence, in case that there is misrepresentations in the financial statements audited or fraud and th at they are being sued for gross negligence. The auditors would have to prove that they did the work necessary to provide that high level of assurance.The auditors would also have to be more careful when choosing their audit clients as they cannot chose anyone they are already doing consulting for (remain independent). However, the fact that the consulting firms and auditing firms are now separate for the same client eliminates the â€Å"lowballing† of audit fees. The change to the liability of auditors also impacted the audit clients because they are no longer the only one responsible in case of misrepresentations if the financial statements. However, since the auditing firms no longer â€Å"lowball† their fees, the clients will now have to pay more for the same audit.The change also impacted the third-party financial statement users. They now have more peace of mind when it comes to the information they are reading since they know the auditors know that they have to keep them in mind when doing their audit. This fact is enforced by the idea that the third-parties now have insurance from the auditors that if any misrepresentations occur in the financial statements that incurred losses for the investors or creditors of the audit client, they can now recover some (or all) of it by suing the auditors for gross negligence.The decision of extending the liability of auditors to third-parties was made by courts. This brought up the question: Who should have the authority to chose who should socialize the investment losses? Since the accounting profession is supposed to be self-governing, this question is valid. The Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA) is the association responsible of their members when they break the code of conduct in Canada. It hands penalties to the members but also sets guidelines as to what is ethically expected of them. However, they do not have the authority to serve as a court because they are not considered impa rtial.An argument can be made to say that the government should protect the investments. The government can do such a thing by developing laws that will help the courts make their decisions. An example of the government making a law to help determine who is responsible in case of fraud would be Bill C198 (the equivalent of Sarbanes-Oxley for Canada). Since it is the courts' duty to â€Å"uphold the rule of law (†¦) and enforce laws in a fair and rational manner†2, it is their responsibilities as impartial party to determine who is responsible for the losses occurred in cases of fraud.When conducting an audit, auditors must ensure always ensure that any and all information influencing third party user’s decisions is included in the financial statements and/or attached notes. To ensure this, the auditor must determine these users. Knowing and understanding the third party users will inform the auditor of management’s desired results and will therefore enable the auditor to conduct the audit more efficiently.For example, a company who is looking to secure new loans will want to minimize the current debt on their balance sheet as well as show a high working capital ratio to ensure their creditors will loan them the desired financing. Contrary to this example would be companies entering the stock market. With the launch of an IPO, companies want to show profitable results as well as increasing growth to ensure a high stock price. This is especially true for companies whose loans are secured by their stock (i. e. Enron with its stock trigger).This stage of the audit planning must be completed/updated every year since management’s goals may vary from year to year. The auditor will then use management’s biases to organize the audit. More experienced auditors will work on the â€Å"riskier† accounts, whereas newer employees will work on the â€Å"less risky† accounts; thus explaining why the junior accountant will b e responsible for auditing the cash section while the senior auditor might work on deferred revenues for a company receiving all of its revenues through exterior funding.Knowing and understanding the third parties’ needs will ensure a more efficient audit. However, even with all improvements made to the accounting world, cases like these still happen today. In a recent case involving a very reputable accounting firm, Ernst & Young, audited fraudulent financial statements of Sino-Forest made their way to the public. Evidently, this led to many losses, specifically for Sino-Forest’s shareholders who investment decision was based on the company’s financial statements.During their audit, Ernst & Young failed to discover that management â€Å"materially overstated the size and value of its forestry assets†. 3 Ernst & Young had to pay a $117M settlement of a shareholder class-action lawsuit. 4 Due to cases like these, changes are continuingly made to auditing s tandards to adopt when new issues surface. The case brought up a possible change: the inclusion of the third party users in the audit report. Evidently, clients would be resistant to this change as it would limit their options.If a client discovers later on in the year a shortage of cash but did not mention a creditor in the audit report, creditors might not want to finance their activities solely on that basis. Furthermore, due to the importance and the quantity of users relying on the financial statements, enumerating all of them in the audit report would be impractical and unnecessary. Auditors need to remain diligent when conducting their work and limiting their responsibilities’ to a specific number of individuals would not benefit the public.We would not want another case like this one to enable an auditor to conduct a negligent audit without suffering the necessary repercussions. In conclusion, the accounting world is an ever evolving practice. New rules and regulation s are approved every year when loopholes are discovered and abused. The accounting profession has surely matured since the 1920s. Who knows what other changes will be made in the future. Maybe auditors will need to disclose a summary of all unadjusted misstatements or even need to create a different audit report for every different user.

“Kindred” by Octavia Butler -Analysis Essay

There are various connections that can be made between the characters within the novel â€Å"Kindred† written by Octavia Butler. The majority of these connections relate to four of the course themes we’ve visited in past few weeks: double consciousness, collective trauma, diaspora, and power relationships. The protagonist, Dana Franklin, traveled between the past and present and in her travels she met a variety of different people, including the enslaved African Americans and their White owners of the 19th century, as well as her ancestors, one in particular is the cause of her time travel. Alice Greenwood and Rufus Weylin both had a peculiar relationship with Dana, as well as with each other. The ties that Dana shared with Alice exemplified the themes of double consciousness and collective trauma, and the ties shared between Dana and Rufus demonstrated the themes of diaspora and power relationships. Alice and Dana had a sisterly relationship, as some of the other characters had commented, Sarah once told Dana after Alice’s passing, â€Å"You and her was like sisters†¦ You sure fought like sisters, always fussin’ at each other, stompin’ away from each other, comin’ back.† Although a brief description, this is a very accurate summary of their relationship. Their double consciousness was first realized when Rufus had pointed out that they were both â€Å"one and the same†, this meaning that they were two halves of the same person. Not only did they look alike, but the line between their roles in the Weylin household were heavily blurred. Alice was the â€Å"love† interest of Rufus while she was alive, although her only use to him was to either sexually abuse her or use her as his personal punching bag. She had once told Dana that whenever she’s around, the mental and physical abuse isn’t as bad as it regularly is. On the other hand, Dana has an immense amount of freedom in comparison to Alice, even to the other slaves. Due to the unspoken set of rules that Dana and Rufus share, he doesn’t try to pursue any sexual relationship with her until the end of the book. As Dana had once said, â€Å"I could accept him as my ancestor, younger brother, friend, but not as my master, and not as my lover.† Alice is openly  spiteful towards Dana because of this, but it is also obvious that the reason why she always comes back to Dana is because, like a sibling, she is used as an outlet for her pain, fear, and hate, and knowing that she could have done more to lesson Alice’s suffering, Dana allows puts her feelings aside and accepts the onslaught of abuse. Both of their relationships with Rufus also lead to their collective trauma as they are both abused by him, and, in different ways, he takes something from them that leave them unwhole. For Alice, he not only rips her freedom from out under her, but he also â€Å"sells† their children, which were the only reasons that she had stayed on the plantation for so long. For Dana, he too took her freedom and the power that she once held over him had vanished completely, but it’s possible that he is also the reason that she there was a short stump in the place of her arm. The relationship that was shared between Dana and Rufus was the most complex relationship of them all. A list of unspoken rules shared between the two had been the foundation of their relationship, as they had both known that one could not live without the other, that if either one of them died, the other is just as good as dead as well. Ever since Dana had first saved Rufus from drowning in the river, she had attempted to instill some morals into the young boy in hopes that he wouldn’t be as corrupt as his father or the other slave owners, as she knew that that was what he would soon become. Although, with each time that she returns to save the boy’s life, he grows older, and he becomes more mature as well as stubborn, not as easily goaded into doing nice things for the slaves, like setting most of them free, or not selling any of them as his father does. Eventually, the reigns of power are no longer held by Dana, and the influence of the 19th century has finally rubbe d off on Rufus for the worse. No longer small and feeble, Rufus has Dana sent to work in the fields, has her whipped, hits her multiple times, and eventually held the barrel of a rifle to her head, though the line is completely crossed when Rufus tries to have sex with Dana, which she responds to with the thrust of a sharp blade in his side. Twice. The scale of power begins tipped towards Dana, then towards Rufus, then for another brief moment back to Dana. Their relationship is also, in a way, diasporic, as Dana is constantly out of  place in the 19th century throughout the entire book. She brings back with her the knowledge of the future, though sparse, as well as new medicines, devices, and ideas, though because of her skin color she is seen as no more than either a â€Å"smart nigger† to the white folks and a â€Å"white nigger† to the blacks; nothing more than a nigger. Even though she wasn’t accepted by most of the other slaves and the whites who held power over her, Rufus, still needed her in many different ways and was very clingy at times, even as he gave his last long and shuddering sigh, he simply could not let go of Dana, both literally and physically, as his hand still grasped her arm in the afterlife. When Dana arrives from the past for the last time, she discovers -excruciatingly painfully- that her arm had somehow meshed and conjoined with the wall of her living room. The exact spot where Rufus had held her in his final moments marked the loss of her arm, â€Å"from the elbow to the ends of the fingers,† It is unknown whether or not Dana’s arm is left in the past, still held between the cold fingers of the dead, as Rufus’ body was believed to be burned to ashes and never found, along with the Weylin estate. Dana’s graphic physical loss shows what slavery truly is outside of popular novels, history books, and dramatized television where the actors practice the pain and suffering that their ancestors dealt with. The loss of her arm shows many different things, like how even though African Americans today have been removed from slavery over time, who they are today was planted and rooted in the past. Also, slaves had constantly suffered from both emotion al and physical abuse at the hands of their owners, yet they were extremely dependent of their owners. Dana is subjected to horrific pain at the hand of Rufus, yet she still feels pity for him when he comes crawling back to her, as he is both her master and her kin-dred, so she alternates between despising him and feeling empathetic towards him. Lastly, Dana’s severed arm is a horrible loss, and it is meant to capture the horror of slavery. It is also significant that she suffers her injury because Rufus hangs on to her. Like Rufus holding onto Dana, the past has a â€Å"hold† on the present, the sacrifices of the past shape the present today. Dana loses an arm which is an important body part, especially for a writer, although she escapes with her life. The slaves of the past had sacrificed skin, bone, and sanity, yet  a lot of them escaped, albeit scarred. Dana’s horrific injury makes all of the sacrifices slaves made painfully real in order to make lives better for generations to come. Part of her lies in the past, and so does part of todays’ generation. In conclusion, the strange relationships that Dana had formed with her ancestors, Alice and Rufus, had in some ways, led to the loss of her arm. Her entire existence was dependent on the two of them having her great grandmother Hagar, and although Alice may have survived without Dana’s influence, Rufus was definitely dependent on Dana as well. Octavia Butler had wanted readers to take with them the reality of how we ar e still deeply rooted within slavery and it still has an affect on us today, even though it had ended over 140 years ago. As Dana had witnessed first hand, slavery has never been a free occurrence, anyone who was apart of it in any way never came out of it as they once were before; they never escaped slavery whole again, but as less of the person than they were before.

Suffolk County Council Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Suffolk County Council - Case Study Example The situation at SCC looks like a case of ‘Top Down’ decision, initiated by the CEO Andrea Hill. She along with some senior executives has taken the hard decision to cut back on the number of staff at SCC. A Top-Down approach in an organization is one where one person (or more) at the top of the organizational hierarchy takes a decision and the juniors are expected to follow it. (Princeton, 2014) In comparison, a Bottom-Up approach in an organization refers to the involvement of people at the grass root level to form a consensus regarding a decision. (Princeton, 2014). On preliminary reading, it looks like the executives at SCC have made a mistake regarding the decision to cut back on staff by using a high handed approach in the matter and perhaps not fully investigated other alternatives which may be available to them. For example, if they had consulted with their staff, and presented the problem to them, and asked the staff to take a pay cut for a short period of time, maybe the issue of cutting back would not have arisen. SCC had over the years gone on a hiring spree, perhaps expecting a sharp increase in the demand for their services. However, this doesn’t seem to have happe ned, and now SCC is facing the dual problem of low demands and high personal cost. A revolutionary change is being tried by the new CEO Andrea Hill, in an effort to make SCC â€Å"leaner, smaller, cheaper, more creative, and more innovative.† The relieving of staff will almost certainly ensure that SCC operates in a cheaper more cost-effective way, but there is no guarantee that it will be more creative or innovative. Moreover, it is my personal opinion that creativity flourishes from stability.  

Gender and Sexuality Terms Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Gender and Sexuality Terms - Assignment Example ription of sexuality and the behaviors aligned with included;- asexuality which was referred to as the lack of interest to anyone of either gender or lack of sexual interest or activity. This further gave rise to a more detailed explanation with the terms heterosexual, homosexual and bisexual taking the new role in describing the new traits. There has been intensified research that has been aimed at explaining the relationship between Sociological, psychological and biological aspects that lead to the above behaviors. Whereas heterosexual is the attraction to the opposite gender, homosexual refers to attraction to the same gender and bisexual the sexual attraction to both males and females. The research and detailed analysis of the biological aspects has given rise to new terms in the field. The newest are demisexual and pansexual and they are discussed as they relate to gender and sexuality. Pansexual is the new term that is used to refer to individuals who are attracted to individuals of both genders. It is used alternatively with the term polysexual. Katz stated that ‘the new terms are used to explain the upcoming behaviors in the gender and sexuality field and to try and establish the relationship between the aspects that lead to the hotly debated trends like homosexuality’ (23). Whereas many scientists claim that there is no link between biology and the behaviors that one usually exhibit, research has shown a significant correlation between the two and they are almost totally convinced that there is a relationship between the two. This is happening as more queer and LGBT people are seeking to have acceptance in the society which is proving somehow rigid to the new trends and behaviors. On the other hand demisexuals are persons who are only attracted to a person sexually after they become deeply emotionally or romantically connected. This should not be confused with the deliberate abstaining from sexual approaches. Demisexuals have been explained as those

Summary and response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Summary and response - Essay Example This will result in a learner who is well-versed in the many different aspects of learning. It must be understood that job skills are not sufficient. As such, they are not likely to prepare a learner to work effectively and efficiently. In Becoming a Learner, Matthew Sanders (2012, p. 8) states that â€Å"college is a time of preparation,† Meaning that it should be used only as a springboard for further success. In order to make improvements in this area, there is a need to optimize learning while in college. Therefore, it is evident that the learned skills in college will not enhance professionalism while working, meaning that learners have to go to greater lengths in gaining greater knowledge and skills. Author Matthew Sanders works at Utah State University, where he helps students get the most of out of their college experience in addition to being an assistant professor of communication studies (Sanders, 2012). Sanders seems to use his own experience of college, combined with what he now knows, to offer an informed opinion as to exactly what the college student should pursue while on campus. He is looking to reach people who are already in college or are about to graduate from high school and will be going to college. The purpose of Sanders’s book is to persuade the reader that they need to get their priorities right in college because otherwise it will be of little use to them. As this work was self-published, Sanders is able to give more of a personal feel to the text, which helps his message resonate with students. It must be noted that problems will always exist in the work place. These problems will vary in complexity and simplicity. As a matter of fact, many organizations need to solve such problems in the shortest amount of time possible. According to Sanders (2012), solving such problems requires both a skillful and knowledgeable person. In most instances, problem

Financial Management of Healthcare Organizations Coursework

Financial Management of Healthcare Organizations - Coursework Example The auditing criteria which we applied in the analysis were in accordance with the U.S generally acceptable auditing standards. According to the regulations, we are required to undertake the audit process so that assurance is provided to the company that no sign of material misstatement was exhibited in their financial statements. The audit considered assessment of accounting principles, the presentation of statements and the supporting evidences for the amount and disclosures as provided by the financial statements of the organization. Being a respected institution in the field, our opinion would be an asset for future financial management plan. Under this section the analysis would show an evaluation of the general financial profile of the organization. The interpretation of the HCF data would be captured which will summarize the figures as extracted from the combined financial statements of cash flow, balance sheet, equity statement and income statement as was prior prepared by the organization. According to figures as was posted in the balance sheet, total asset for the year 2003 was $238,365. This increased to $265,784 in 2004; $276,975 in 2005; $287,983 in 2006 and $311,140 thousand in the year 2007. Basically, the combined total resource between 2003 and 2007 experienced an increment of $72,775 thousand dollars which is an equivalent of 30.53 percent. Referring to the combined liability values, the company reported $39,458 thousands dollar of total liabilities in 2003; $51313 thousands in 2004; 44960 thousands in 2005; $41,277 in 2006 and $45,432 thousands in 2007. There was a general increase in the combined liabilities with the financial year 2003 and year 2004 reporting the highest percentage increment of 30.04 percent. The overall change in total liabilities within the period of analysis however, was slightly lower because the value declined in 2007 to ($5974 thousands) which is an

Turning point jerusalem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Turning point jerusalem - Essay Example By being in several distinct spots in the holy city, Jennings managed to present certain essential facts through stories that relate and strive to identify similarities of contexts among the Jews, Christians, and Muslims. With this approach, the viewer feels the significant connection among these three religions despite opposing beliefs especially as the anchor included Abraham's story in association to the Jews and Muslims alike. Indeed, he placed adequate amount of relevance for each view based on the impact created by Jerusalem's history among Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. There seems a point where the three major religions attempted to converge and reconcile each others' differences in a common setting only to discover further conflicts emerging so they had rather settled with the authentic set foundations. (b) In general, do you think the video has a biased outlook against certain group? If yes, explain such specific reported stories, if not, explain why. In my opinion, whil e Peter Jennings aimed to examine the roots of complications between the Arabs and the Israelis in the holy land, he traveled to regions in Jerusalem where remarkable accounts of battles or conquests preserve their essence. With an objective purpose, he used these findings to help the audience establish their rationalization of the events and judgment that necessarily should rely upon factual basis. Very delicately, he demonstrated the skill in uncovering archeological pieces and sites of evidences in an expository and impartial manner. As such, the anchor directed viewers to concrete examples, both past and modern, by walking the path which Jesus took prior to crucifixion in his time, witnessing a scene of Jewish protest within a Muslim community, as well as visiting a specific place where about six communities of Christians contended among themselves with the Church of the Holy Sepulchre as the subject of their raging. It only exhibits how people signify values behind religious pr inciples by communicating this concern through the type and degree of action, besides traditional practices, they acquire or get into as they express respect or reverence in bold and sometimes violent means. Whether they have by far progressed or drastically changed in other ways on coping with modernization and advanced demands of the culture out of the original conflicts may be reflected on the current state of affairs. Without having to manifest in the video his conviction or where his faith mostly lies, P. Jennings demonstrated an unbiased reality of what had actually taken place through the course of encompassing times and it truly mattered that as an audience, I caught a glimpse of the life in the special land considered as the holiest of cities. I can also figure that it is inevitable to compare religious groups and evaluate which stands in harmony or profound agreement with and thus must be favorably responded to by humanity. Likewise, the reporter displayed a sense of appre ciation for each small or big group of Jews, Muslims, and Christians who occur to understand the precious value of their faith and existence. I recall a portion of the report in which an ancestral quest by Jewish couple inspired them to diligently work by tedious exploration research within the excavation formed underneath their residence. Similarly, a Palestinian family who are all Christians in commemoration of the Easter is quite

Spiritual and religious traditions of our ancestors Essay

Spiritual and religious traditions of our ancestors - Essay Example After awhile, he left the tent and went straight to the Confederate picket line where he seriously tried to commit suicide. (Blaise, n.d.) In the end, he was considered to be a hero for successfully diverting the Federal attack away from the civil war. For this reason, he was given the option to choose his own assignment in which he had chosen to see the ‘frontier’ – a remote post in remote South Dakota. As he reaches close to the Sioux village, a Sioux woman cuts her own wrists because her husband past away. (Willis, 2000) However, Dunbar was able to stop her from going through her plan of committing suicide. This woman happens to be a white woman that was raised by the Sioux tribe. For this reason, she became Dunbar’s personal interpreter. In the end, both Dunbar and the interpreter fell in love. The tribe is composed of the whites, the Sioux, and the Pawnee where racism has become the main reason for the civil war. (Willis, 2000) The group of individuals coming from three different races strongly hates people who are different from their own race. The story shows a great violence among the white Americans among other whites, the white on Indians, Indians on white, and Indian among the Indians. The Sioux were directed to show humanity in everyday life which causes the viewers to take side on them when they were at war with the Pawnee. As part of showing the intense war between the three groups of people, the use of profanity was enormous throughout the story. Religiously speaking, there should be no war and everyone should respect each other as brothers and sisters regardless of race, gender and status in life. However, the film focuses more on civil war that strongly violates humanity and the right of men to live. It is a religious tradition that once the husband or the wife past away, the widow or the widower has to mourn for the dead husband or wife for a certain period of time. However, this was

Analysis of Globalization and Transnational Processes Literature review

Analysis of Globalization and Transnational Processes - Literature review Example Apart from the highly debatable claims about the diminished role f states, there are additional issues that theories f globalization face. For the focus on how globalization negates the very concept a center and periphery by generating diasporic public spaces tend to lead to an undertheorizing f the differentiated peripheries, which have disparate relationships with the various centers. This is an undertheorizing f the centers which, United States hegemony not-withstanding, are composed f a number f complexly hierarchized and contending entities, for example, in Scottish--English--Welsh relationships. It is, as well, an undertheorizing f the peripheries which also have complex hierarchical inter-ethnic, cultural, and sometimes racial inter-relationships, first fall within their own borders, then between themselves as peripheries, and, finally, with the various centers. In other words, in theorizing the undoubtedly new phenomenon f globalization, it is critical not to lose sight f the specifics f this process. There are complex and dynamic patterns f racial, ethnic, cultural, class, and social hierarchies that are being generated within particular societies and on a global scale. Sometimes these generate new hierarchical spaces, but often they reinforce old hegemonies within and between nations, without necessarily undermining the power f nation-states as such. Thus I have pointed out that globalization, as it restructures societies internally, simultaneously establishes and reinforces international hierarchy f races, ethnicities, cultures, and nations. Broadly speaking, this hierarchy is based on an international ranking according to political, economic, and cultural prestige and power. This is measured, for example, by such standard economic criteria as per capita gross national product rates f technical innovativeness, and the obvious consequences that economic and technical dominance has for global military dominance. This global racial-cultural hierarchy places Anglo-American culture at the apex and Sub-Saharan African culture at the base. Hegemony is exercised, the first fall, within the complex racial and cultural hierarchies internal to the United States and Europe, and through this route, extends itself globally. Latin, Slavic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Hindu, and other cultures (usually with their own complex and dynamic internal cultural, social, economic, and political hierarchies) jostle to occupy intermediate positions between the two extremes.  Ã‚  

Marketing Strategies of Starbucks Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marketing Strategies of Starbucks - Case Study Example Allegra conducted a survey of more than six thousand consumers and it was found out that Starbucks concentrated on customer satisfaction, maintained ethics and treated its suppliers fairly (Holmes, 49, 2007). Starbucks has concentrated on following the rules and regulations of United Kingdom. At the same time, it has concentrated on corporate social responsibility. Starbucks in extremely popular among all consumer segments because it concentrates on giving the best coffee and create an enthralling experience for them. At the same time, it treats both employees and customers well. In China, Starbucks had succeeded integrating the local and American culture in order to create an enchanting experience for them (Miller & Sanders, 25, 2008). Starbucks has opened more than one thousand international outlets in more than eight hundred locations. In the United Kingdom, Starbucks needs to expand its presence as it might be possible that consumers may turn to other beverages. Although Starbucks has successfully become the leader in the branded coffee provider and coffee house domain, it still faces competition from its competitors. In United Kingdom, its competitors include local coffee outlets, Caribou Coffee, Dunkin Donuts, Costa Coffee, etc. ... Competition Although Starbucks has successfully become the leader in the branded coffee provider and coffee house domain, it still faces competition from its competitors. In United Kingdom, its competitors include local coffee outlets, Caribou Coffee, Dunkin Donuts, Costa Coffee, etc. To maintain its position, Starbucks will concentrate on meeting the demands of customers (Zeithaml, 74, 2000). . China Environment Starbucks has now decided to open its first store in Beijing, in China, which is located in Park Towers Shopping Mall. It has both retail and space storage and is located in the heart of shopping activities (Strehle & Cruickshank, 201, 2007) . PEST analysis Political Factors In order to survive in the Chinese market, Starbucks needs to follow the rules and regulations of the government. At the same time, it would concentrate on customer satisfaction and maintain ethics. It will also concentrate maintaining its social corporate responsibility (Zackfta, 89, 2007). . Economical Factors Starbucks is relatively a new concept in China. For this purpose, it will concentrate on introducing new products with local taste, in order to target all consumer segments. It would concentrate on integrating local and western culture in order to generate revenues by winning customers. Social Factors Starbucks must concentrate on introducing new products, which would have local taste in order to win the consumers in China. Technological Factors Starbucks strives for constant innovation and development of new products and services. It would employ Starbucks Card and Blue Martini management system in order to retain its customers. Entry Strategy Starbucks would concentrate on entering the China market in order to promote, publicize and campaign for its

Continuities and changes of religion in Sub-saharan Africa Essay Example for Free

Continuities and changes of religion in Sub-saharan Africa Essay Sub-saharan Africa has undergone changes with religion such as the changing of religious affiliation to Christianity and the practices of cosmology and ontology, however, Sub-saharan Africa has also remained constant with their thoughts being focused on various beliefs like a creator and evil. Christianity was predominantly the main religion in Sub-saharan Africa opposed to the Muslims of North Africa. Christianity in the Americas slowly began to send out missionaries to spread the Gospel and build churches in Africa. The people began to form their daily lives and rituals accordingly and the population of Christians rose from about 9% to around 63% over the years from the 1900s to modern day. Missions in Africa is most definitely something that Christians in other part of the world have focused on. It seems to be a more targeted area for its other religious practices such as cosmology and ontology. Cosmology and Ontology are more philosophical beliefs in nature, evolution, and the way the world works. In Africa, many small tribes are closed off from communication outside of their tribe, and have practiced certain beliefs for hundreds of years. This belief system tends to lean towards the more relaxed religion and allows freedom for the people in those tribes to do what they want as long as it is parallel to what is right in nature. Everything in this philosophical study is that of nature. Nature is considered holy and worthy of worship. Cosmology and Ontology are how Sub-Saharan Africans attempted to explain our complex world in the simplest way possible that makes sense to them. There were also other beliefs that Sub-saharan Africans developed over time such as the belief in evil beings and eternal paradise. Sub-saharan Africans soon realized that there needed to be some kind of an explanation for what happens when you die, or what evil is. These details did not necessarily help form a new religion, but rather simply added on top of the religions already in place in the Sub-saharan region. In the Niger-congo area, there was a common belief in spirits, a creator of the universe rather than evolution. In other areas, there was the belief in the worship and idolization of ones personal gods whom they gave thanks to and credited much of their life to. These tribes lived their lives to please their gods in order to win favor and win a long and prosperous life. This is also something that was seen in Ancient Greece where Greek Mythology and the worship of gods took place. These people too, lived to please the gods to live a good life. In conclusion, Sub-saharan African has undergone changes in religion such as Christianity and Cosmology, but there was also factors that remained constant throughout the existence of Sub-saharan Africa such as little tribes who believe in pleasing personal gods.

Online Rerservation System Essay Example for Free

Online Rerservation System Essay Online hotel or resort reservations are becoming a very popular method for booking hotel or resort rooms. Travelers can book rooms from home by using online security to protect their privacy and financial information and by using several online travel agents to compare prices and facilities at different hotels. 1 Hotel or resort reservations systems, commonly known as Online Reservation System (ORS) is a computerized system that stores and distributes information of a hotel, resort, or other lodging facilities. It is an assistant for hoteliers to manage all of their online marketing and sales, where they can upload their rates and availabilities to be seen by all sales channels that are using an ORS. Sales channels may include conventional travel agencies as well as online travel agencies. A hotelier using an online reservation system easens his or her tasks for online distribution, because an ORS does everything to distribute hotel information to the sales channels instead of the hoteliers.2 Here in the Philippines, the biggest hotels and resorts are using the same technology. But, in some far flung provinces, some hotels and resorts are still using manual reservation system. They use signages and some print advertisements for their marketing; and log books and some paperworks to record customers’ data. One of these establishments is the Double Mother’s Mayon Spring Resort which is located in Barangay Buyuan, Legazpi City. It was established by Lilian Pareja, a native of Albay Province, on March 8, 2008. She built the resort to fulfill her dreams of having one. Double Mother’s Mayon Sprong Resort has full amenities like: 15 rooms with toilet and bathrooms, all are airconditioned; 21 cottages; a convention hall for special occassions, and can accommodate up to250 persons;2 swimming pools; slides; restaurant with videoke; and a rent-a-car. The resort is one of the most affordable resorts in the province yet has a quaility of a five star place. The room price range from P 750.00 to P 5,000.00 per 24 hours of stay. The cottages are priced P 300.00 a day. And, the package program of their convention hall is P 25,000.00, with all the amenities included. The resort has varied of customers: from locals to foreigners. The main attractions of the resort are the full view of Mayon Volcano and the spring water coming from it. Tourists came in the province all year round. For 2 years that the resort was created, all transactions were made manually by the front desk personnel. After the reseachers meeting with the manager and talked about this study and its benefits to the resort, they immediately agreed as thevenue for the study. The resort understands â€Å"the role of information systems and technologies in company’s management and daily operations has been widely acknowledge and assessed as positive†.3 Research has shown the importance and unprecedented growth potential of e-commerce and its role as a new electronic distribution channel.4 It has been also well agreed in the literature that establishing an online presence and adopting e-commerce business models increases company’s competetiveness, profitability, and efficiency. Statement of the Problem The Double Mother’s Mayon Spring Resort has no online presence and computerized system for their establishment. All their marketing and transactions are made manually, and because of this, it costs them time, money, and lack of customers. The researchers will find ways to answer the following questions: 1. How to attract tourists from other provinces and countries? 2. How to launch a marketing campaign that is low in cost? 3. How to provide aswers to the questions of would-be-customers without lifting a phone or having a face-to-face contact? 4. How and where to keep files accurately and effeciently with confidentiality? 5. How to retreive files and print reports easily?  6. Will it be possible to easily monitor the sales on daily, weekly, or monthly basis? 7. How to compute the bill of the customers accurately? Objectives of the Study This study aims to solve the current problems of Double Mother’s Mayon Spring Resort when it comes to Marketing/Advertisement and Management system. The researchers aim to achieve objectives, such as: 1. To attract tourists from other provinces and countries by developing and launching a program or website for information and online presence. 2. To launch a low cost marketing and advertisement campaigns that reaches a wide audience by having an online information and connected with other websites and government agencies connected with hospitality industry. 3. To provide answers to would-be-touristsby having a detailed Frequently Asked Questions coulumn on the resort’s website. 4. To keep files secured, accurate, and efficient by developing a database with passwords that only the administration and owners knows. 5. To retreive files and reports easily and automatically. 6. To save money and time for efficient and accurate transactions. Scope and Delimitation The study will provide answers to the problems of Double Mother’s Mayon Spring Resort when it comes to marketing and effectively managing the business. This will limit the study on the online presence and reservation system. Significance of the Study This study is important to all stakeholders, to the business and to the hospitality industry. 1. The study will make the business of resort thrive for installation of new system and technologies for doing marketing and management. 2. It will be a great help for the employees of Double Mother’s Mayon Spring Resort because it will make their work easier and efficient. 3. There will be less paperwork and their will be less time consumed. 4. The management can manned their manpower to do other things rather than do the time consuming procedures of traditional marketing and reservation system. 5. Assessing the customer’s record will also be easier, faster, more precise and accurate. 6. It will also make the establishment more efficient in terms of providing faster and more efficient quality service. 7. The tourists will have an option of reserving a room or package with the resort’s online presence. 8. The would-be-customers can save time, energy, and money in looking for the right resort or service. 9. This will benefit students and future researchers to serve as reference in conducting researches of similar nature and topic. 10. This will also help the researchers to widen their knowledge and provide them personal experience as they make and work on this study.

Plant and Animal Interactions in the Tropical Rainforest

Plant and Animal Interactions in the Tropical Rainforest Why are animal-plant interactions considered important in the establishment and maintenance of high biodiversity in tropical rain forests? Include specific examples in your answer. The study of plant-animal interactions has been a key role in development of ecology hence it has been carried out for a long time. They are also key constituents of biodiversity, which is termed as a variation of life form in a particular ecosystem. Hence, with no diversity of antagonistic, mutualistic, comensalistic, and amensalistic interactions, ecosystems would simply stop functioning. Energy would not run between trophic levels, primary productivity would not be able to become secondary productivity, and inorganic nutrients would not rotate. Because species interactions are thought to be at the heart of many speciation events, they generate taxonomic and genetic diversity with tight and diffuse co-evolution (Waser and Ollerton 2006). Biodiversity is described as a response to dynamic processes such as ecological, evolutionary and physical, influenced by constant changes in time and space. Those changes consider species richness and their composition where the scale of them can take a variety of forms. They can be large such as changes in geological time of tectonic plates (Crame 2001), variable such as global climate change or small such as localized disturbance or heterogeneity (Jansen 1997). At each of these scales, biodiversity may be considered as a process that responses to biotic and abiotic factors rather than to static characteristics of a particular location. Biotic factors can singly or in combination, directly or indirectly change biological diversity in tropical ecosystems. Using different examples across plant and animal taxa I will highlight plant- animal interactions that cause changes, as well as establish and maintain biodiversity within a rainforest. While studies concentrating on ecology and evolution are thought of dynamic processes, their impact into effects of biodiversity conservation has been subject to debate. In general, many conservation attempts have concentrated on protecting particular areas, habitats and hotspots. For instance, biodiversity in Yellowstone National Park varies greatly because of re-introduction of wolves. On the other hand, the conservation of the park from location and/or habitat point of view has not altered. This suggests that (1) biotic interactions are the main reason for biological diversity; (2) biotic interactions may be direct or indirect (Letourneau and Dyer 2005); and (3) biodiversity and biotic interactions may result in a variety of causes and effects. For centuries, scientists have studied the functions of top-down (predator-dependent) and bottom-up (resource-dependent) regulations in structuring biological communities. The concept of trophic cascades engages indirect outcomes of top-down and bottom-up regulations, i.e. an alteration across one trophic level which indicates an alteration on a remote trophic level. Indirect outcomes involve modifications in biomass, abundance, efficiency or biotic diversity. Trophic cascade hypothesis was first described by Hairston et al. (1960) who stated that the world is green due to predation which regulates herbivores, hence, making productivity of higher plants found in the community more efficient. Even though first research concentrated on community structures across terrestrial habitation, other studies are driven toward establishing freshwater and marine ecosystems constituents and cascade outcomes found in there (Brett and Goldman 1996). A study performed by van Bael et al. (2003), whic h concentrated on a terrestrial habitat, illustrated that bird predation protected rainforest trees from arthropod foraging in the canopy where floral productivity was high. The above findings may be a great indicator of high diversity occurring in the tropics; nonetheless, the meaning of how important top-down and bottom-up trophic cascades are is still a subject of a debate. Nowadays research have concentrated on the way top-down and bottom-up trophic cascades can function in concern to structure community, change over space, time and taxa, influence mechanisms and constituents of complex food webs and maintain heterogeneity and biodiversity in complex ecosystems (Letourneau and Dyer 2005). Any fluctuations in tropics biodiversity can be maintained by a variety of direct trophic interactions. For instance, the species diversity of birds as predators can be dependent on food accessibility for their prey e.g. plants (German and Chacon de Ulloa 1997), or diversity of predatory arthropods can be shaped by herbivore diversity, which in turn is caused by plant abundance and diversity in a given habitat (Saiz et al. 2000). All ecosystems are retained by the interactions of various factors such as climatic changes, vegetation growth and the animals activities. Seed dispersal is one of the most significant processes, influencing the structure and dynamics of the entire plant and animal communities. Biotic interactions in relation to seed dispersal and associated with it species are next to be discussed. Many organisms contribute and provide a unique seed dispersal service in rain forests among which primates, birds, fruit bats, mammalian carnivores and ground-dwelling large herbivores play a crucial role. Primates may contribute in multiple ways to the ecology of tropical rain forests. One of it, as mentioned above, is being a seed dispersal agent, hence being a frugivore. According to Chapman and Onderdonk (1998), the eventual loss of a particular plant species (large, with large seeds and thick, inedible hunks which can be only removed using hands or teeth) may be associated with the decline or local extinction of primates. A typical seed dispersal done by primates involves dropping, spitting out or defecating seeds. Because seeds are generally hard to break and usually toxic, there is a tiny minority of primates that is able to destroy them completely. From a seed point of view it is not a good idea to end up directly under the fruiting tree where it has to compete with its sibli ngs and parent. Also the accumulation of pests and diseases in there is higher. This is when primates, yet again, serve as helpers by dropping or spitting out seeds in different locations. There are numerous factors contributing and subtracting to seed dispersal when consider primates defecation. In overall, the main ones include attractiveness of primate faeces to seed-predating rodents and the abundance of faeces-burying dung beetles (Andresen 2002; Feer and Forget 2002). Whereas primates are very important seed dispersal agents for large plants, birds play a significant role in dispersal of plants with small fruits. Birds seem to be especially important in New Guinea and Australia (Jones and Crome 1990) where a lack of frugivorous mammals is the main threat. In general birds are not for long in the fruiting tree. Before they void the seed they usually move to another tree hence they disperse the seed effectively (Green 1993). For this reason they are considered to be one of the most important seed dispersal agents across tropics. Furthermore, fruit-eating birds may be divided depending on their diet. The more generalist feeders visit more trees. They have, therefore, the potential to be capable of wider dispersal (Green 1993). The cassowary is perhaps one of the crucial seed disperser of local rainforests. Until recently, over 200 rainforest plants have been observed to be eaten by this bird (Kroon and Westcott 2001). One study discovered 78 species in cassowary faeces, with at least 70 of them being viable (Stocker and Irvine 1983). Many of the seeds appear undamaged and many of these are too large for other animals to disperse (Stocker and Irvine 1983). Although the bird itself is hard to see, its faeces can be common and prominent, and can have up to 1 kg of seeds (Stocker and Irvine 1983). Also, as a large animal, it has the potential to be efficient seed dispersal agents over larger distances. Thanks to radio-telemetry it was possible to show that cassowaries cover vast territories, sometimes of several kilometres, which may be done in one day (Kroon and Westcott 2001). Additionally, seeds can take more than 10 hours to pass the digestive system (Stocker and Irvine 1983), hence seeds are likely to be dispersed quite widely. Primates and large birds are great seed dispersal agents. As a result of that spatial distribution trees may increase greatly. A research suggests that tree distribution in the tropics depends on species methods of seed dispersal. The study by Seidler and Plotkin (2006) was done on 561 tree species in a lowland tropical forest in Malaysia. It was observed that trees with smaller fruit were less dispersed than trees with larger fruit. This may suggest that larger-bodied mammals and birds transmit the seeds of these tree species over larger distances. Bats are thought of less important but still meaningful seed dispersers. It could be said, they are wasteful as seed dispersal agents, because of depositing most seeds from the fruits they eat right near the angiosperms. Hence, the most successful seeds, in this case, would be the smallest ones as they can be swallowed and defecated or dropped during the flight. On the other hand, bats are crucial for the pioneer shrubs and trees that are abundant in natural or human-made clearings, mainly localised in Neotropics. Recent studies by Melo and colleagues (2009) suggests that small-bodied bats (Artibeus watsoni) inhabiting Neotropics are assumed to play a negligible role in the dispersal of large-seeded plants. They recorded at least 43 seed species around bat roosts and also suggested the pattern of species-specific abundance of seeds which influences seedling recruitment. These small frugivorous bats are especially important in regions where populations of large-bodied seed dispersers have been reduced or exterminated by hunting (Melo et al. 2009). Another example is a fruit bat (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) localised in a lowland Malayan rain forest. The study performed by Hodgkison and colleagues (2003) suggests that fruit bats did not have negative influence on seed viability. Further, they found that in 1 ha of old-growth forest 13.7 percent of trees at least in part depended on fruit bats for seed dispersal and/or pollination (Hodgkison 2003). Rat-kangaroos (Hypsiprymnodon moschatus) studied by Dennis (2003) are believed to be good seed dispersal agents in Australians tropical forests. They were found to perform similar behaviour to agoutis, acouchies and squirrels found elsewhere. Even they are the smallest known marsupials they are still able to disperse large numbers if fruits and seeds which can be done in two unique ways: 1) by scatter-hoarding or 2) by dropping elsewhere. Another important factor influencing great biodiversity in tropics is pollination. It has been known for a very long time and firstly was described by Sprengel in 1793. Rain forest pollination, on the other hand, was first studied in the Neotropics (Roubik 1978; Bawa et al. 1985) where the most important pollinators were found to be bees, diverse insects and hummingbirds. They are excellent pollinators and a vast part of angiosperm diversity can be a result of their co-evolution. However, species such as bats, wasps, lemurs and even lizards are also vital pollinators. Studies performed by Corlett (2003) in the Oriental (Indomalayan) region suggests that, although these lowland forests are much less studied and known, they still express similar pattern as Neotropics. He found out that large solitary bees, moths, butterflies and vertebrates are less meaningful as pollinators than extremely social bees (especially Trigona and Apis species) and beetles (most likely to be the next crucial group). A study performed by Goulson and Derwent (2004), however, indicates that to be a pollinator it does not necessary mean to be beneficial to the ecosystem. They illustrated an example of an exotic weed, Lantana camara, and associated with it an exotic honeybee, Apis mellifera, inhabiting Queensland, Australia. This interaction, even though causing higher biodiversity across tropics, may equally bring losses and environmental degradation. Goulson and Derwent (2004) also pointed out that A. mellifera are possibly pollinators of many other weeds, both in Australia and elsewhere. Muchhala and colleagues (2009) studied impact of bats and birds on a flowering plant, Aphelandra acanthus, and its pollination. They observed that hummingbirds and bats could be compared in a case of pollination quantity whilst bats were the most effective in a case of quality. It was suggested that approximately 70 percent of A. acanthus was pollinated by bats themselves and since there is known 170 species of this genus the result is pretty impressive. This indicates that these angiosperms depend on bats pollination to a high degree. Another study carried out by Roubik (2000) shows that African honeybees, Apis mellifera, were the first exotic bees to invade Neotropics, where they interacted directly with approximately one-fourth of the floral population. These findings indicate that honeybees are a great indicator of a biodiversity formation and maintenance. By interacting with so many plants it can be predicted that the diversity of plant species may be easily preserved and upheld. Since plants and their pollinators are often in co-evolutionary mutualism, many research suggest that some insect species are associated and restricted to a particular plant species. Hence, there is yet another argument demonstrating that the biodiversity in tropics must be high in order to preserve all the co-evolving organisms. For this reason, some organisms relay on their mutualistic partners in order to survive. On the other hand, research proposed by Novotny and Basset (2005) suggests that a majority of species in herbivore populations found within tropics do not feed on a single species of plants when alternative hosts are accessible. Consequently, limits of host plants are likely to match with those of plant genera, rather than species or taxa. This illustrates an example that either way rain forests express high biodiversity and the way it is established. Another aspect shaping biodiversity across tropics arises when pitcher plants (Nepenthes gracilis) and their interactions with infauna are taken into consideration. The aquatic environment created by pitchers is very beneficial for organisms inhabiting it such as aquatic insects including mosquito or fly larvae. The inhabitants of the pitchers were split by Thienemann (1932) into three separate groups depending on their appearance inside pitchers i.e. 1) occasional visitors which originally belong to a different place; 2) occasional visitors which may change environments continuously; and 3) native inhabitants. Therefore, since the pitchers are, in general, only partly filled with liquid i.e. up to the waxy zone, there is a terrestrial fauna as well as an aquatic fauna (Lloyd 1942). Spiders, for instance, may take an advantage of pitchers by building nets above or nearby the plants therefore foraging at the expense of the pitchers. For aquatic infauna including protozoa, desmids and diatoms, rotatoria, crustaceae and various larvae of Diptera inhabiting the pitchers means food supply because they feed on animal detritus found in there (Lloyd 1942). Further, the pitchers interior environment is beneficial for many forms of Diptera larvae since they lay their eggs inside. In the fluid (always diluted by rain) the larvae grow to maturity (Bradshaw and Lounibos 1977). Alas, the environment may not be totally beneficial for these organisms since it is also inhabited by ants which in a case of absence of crucial nutrients tend to feed upon mosquito larvae (Clarke and Kitching 1995). Occurrence of ants as inhabitants of tropical pitchers may be, in turn, beneficial for both organisms. This thesis is supported by a study proposed by Clarke and Kitching (1995). They revised ant-pitcher interactions in Borneo and concluded that pitchers habitat was great for ants to live in. The ants nested in the tendrils of the plant, and fed on the large prey items caught by the pitch ers. Further, this relationship was also advantageous to pitchers because ants were removing an excess of prey which was accumulating inside the plant. This accumulation, if not removed, could lead to putrefaction of the contents and disruption of the pitchers digestive system (Clarke and Kitching 1995). Another study performed by Mogi and Yong (1991) proposed that aquatic arthropods, Diptera in particular, are able of coexistence in a single pitcher. Further, they stated that species belonging to the same trophic group commonly shared the same pitcher, because of the high occurrence probabilities of dominant species and positive associations between some taxa (mainly due to similar occupancies by pitcher age) (Mogi and Yong 1991). All these arguments may be a reasonable explanation why the abundance of species in pitchers followed by tropics is high. Yet another mechanism that drives biodiversity in tropics is maintained by herbivores and the impact they have on plant diversity. So far, at least five hypotheses have been proposed. First thesis was suggested by Janzen (1970) and Connell (1971) who have stated that richness of plant species might be established by herbivores feeding on postdispersal seeds and seedlings near adult plants and lower level far away. With such a pattern, any plant species becoming abundant would be predated avoiding competitive elimination. Second theory was proposed by McNaughton in 1985. He hypothesized that ungulates that grazed on the canopy grass species in the Serengeti could reduce plant species competition. Follow this idea, they would supply poorer competitors from the subcanopy with more sources, and, at the same time, they would diminish the loss of species through competitive elimination. Connell and Lowman (1989), who were authors of the third hypothesis, stated that deficient of herbivore predation on the abundant species might lead to monospecific tropical forests. Langenheim and Stubblebine (1983) introduced the forth thesis. They believed that in a case when herbivores would predate on certain conspecific chemical phenotypes seedling within this plant species might maintain nearby parent plants if they adequately vary in chemical profiles from their parent. In this way, predation could speed up competitive elimination in spite of Janzen-Connell idea about seed predation. On the other hand, it could also direct development of high genetic diversity within the aimed plant species. Fifth theory was announced by Connell in 1971. He stated that natural-enemy force (herbivores in this case) would be most successful. Also competitive elimination between plant species would be least expected in habitats with extremes of temperature and rainfall during the year i.e. lowland wet forests. In all above examples, herbivores control local plant diversity by decreasing the possibility of species loss through competitive elimination. It is vital, however, to think about the herbivores influence in a broader context. Mechanisms by which they can manipulate plant diversity in rainforests are worth to consider. Herbivores and their influence on competitive interaction is just one such mechanism. As an alternative, herbivores can have a direct impact on the existence of a plant species in a particular site by diminishing its local richness or completely removing it, independent of its competitive capability. More-indirect outcomes contain three pathways. First, herbivores might establish if a species appears at a given location by having an impact on its dispersal ability, and hence the possibility that it might emerge there. Second, once a seed has emerged at a given location, herbivores can have an influence on the physiological ability of the plant to determine, nurture and breed regarding the abiotic effects occurring in there. Third, herbivores might have an impact on emergence of species in a given site by decreasing its competitive capability. All in all, I believe I managed to introduce, explain and answer the topic question broadly. By introducing a selection of different examples I tried to cover many plant-animal interactions. That is why I can conclude that the tropical forests are a great habitat and environment for a variety of different species to coexist and co-evolve. Further, its favourable, warm, moisturised climate creates perfect developmental conditions for organisms to be able to persist and survive. However, one argument must not be omitted stating that tropical ecosystems may not be as biodiverse as previously thought (Novotny and Basset 2005). Hence, many comparisons between temporal and tropical zones should be taken into consideration to fully prove the idea. Nonetheless, from the number of organisms occurring within the tropics and their interactions it is easy to conclude that plant-animal interactions are tremendously important in order to preserve live in there. Moreover, because of different troph ic cascades and food webs biodiversity has to be maintained at an extremely high level so all organisms appearing in tropics will be able to stay alive. Word count: 3,289 words

The Crusades Essay -- European History Europe

The first crusade was started by Pope Urban II in the year 1095 with goals of liberating the sacred city of Jerusalem and the holy land from the Muslims. What started as an appeal by Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos for western mercenaries to fight the Seljuk Turks in Anatolia quickly turned into a wholesale Western migration and conquest of territory outside of Europe. In July of 1099 Knights from western Europe captured the city of Jerusalem, thus establishing the kingdom of Jerusalem and other crusader states. Although the gain of Jerusalem lasted less than two-hundred years. The major turning point of Western power was the first crusade. Urban planned the departure of the crusade for August 15, 1096, the Feast of the Assumption, but months before this a number of unexpected armies of peasants and lowly knights organized and set off for Jerusalem on their own. They were led by a charismatic monk and powerful orator named Peter the Hermit of Amiens. The response was beyond exp ectations: while Urban might have expected a few thousand knights, he ended up with a migration numbering up to 100,000 — albeit mostly unskilled fighters, including women and children. Lacking military discipline, and in what likely seemed to the participants a strange land (eastern Europe) with strange customs, those first Crusaders quickly landed in trouble, in Christian territory. The problem faced was one of supply as well as culture: the people needed food and supplies, and they expected host cities to give them the foods and supplies. Having left Western Europe early, they had missed out on the great harvest of that spring, following years of drought and bad harvest. Unfortunately for the Crusaders, the locals did not always agree, and this qu... ...m to fast and then march in a barefoot procession around the city walls, after which the city would fall in nine days, following the Biblical example of Joshua at the siege of Jericho. On July 8, 1099 the crusaders performed the procession as instructed by Desiderius. The Genoese troops, led by commander Guglielmo Embriaco, had previously dismantled the ships in which the Genoese came to the Holy Land, Embriaco, using the ship's wood, made some siege towers and seven days later on July 15, the crusaders were able to end the siege by breaking down sections of the walls and entering the city. Some Crusaders also entered through the former pilgrim's entrance. Having captured Jerusalem and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the crusading vow was now fulfilled. However, there were many who had gone home before reaching Jerusalem, and many who had never left Europe at all.

Morality and Egos in Radcliffes The Italian Essays -- Italian Essays

Morality and Egos in The Italian      Ã‚   The gothic tradition loves to play with the morality of a character and this explains one's egotistical tendencies.   In Radcliffe's Italian, no matter which side of the morality tree a character stands on, Satan has slipped a little pride in everyone's apple.   The role of doubles begins before Poe popularizes it.   Radcliffe works hard to create evil twins and/or corresponding halves to some of the characters in order to demonstrate the power of pride.   The gender roles of both male and female characters in The Italian do not always correlate to an archetype.   Radcliffe bends not only the gender rules, but also the stature expectations of the reader to show each character's true moral state and domineering personality through actions the reader would not usually expect.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Some male characters in this book have values that do not draw parallels with their stature in life.   For example, Schedoni is a monk, supposedly a loving and caring individual who spreads the word of God.   In reality, he conspires with the Marchesa (in a church) to commit a mortal sin, by telling her, "...this girl is put out of the way of committing more mischief..." (173).   This action shows his true color, usually green, and   through his large ego, this jealous nature reveals itself.   If he is secure as a person, these petty grievances against Vivaldi would be just that, petty.   Bonarmo's personality does not correspond to his stature either.   He is a servant whose loyalty to his master deserts him.   He is too independent and too intelligent to be in servitude to a master whom he does not believe superior to himself.   These characters possess too much pride and ego to live in a world where they are not always in co... ... self indulgence is knowing that she saved a young woman's life and contributed to her happiness (luckily, Ellena is her daughter).      Ã‚  Ã‚   The characters in this novel entertain conflicting notions of morality and pride.   Sometimes, these characteristics are at odds with one another, creating the immoral and "evil" characters.   Other times, they cooperate to create realism in these people.   The moral characters are good, but still have enough pride to be dignified, yet not arrogant.   Sometimes, when the evil twins (or other halves) run amuck, things get out of hand and troubles abound.   Though most of the time these troubles spring from the discrepancy between pride and morality,   at other points, dignity and morality work hand in hand to create reliable and realistic characters.    Works Cited Radcliffe, Ann.   The Italian.   Oxford University Press. 1968.

The Blooding :: essays papers

The Blooding As centeral as the environmentalist issue is to the&lsquo blooding&rsquo is more about a boys painful search for identity. Col&rsquos search for his own identity is a bigger issue it the blooding as he is a very confused teenage boy, who is torn between the community of Cornwall and the greenies. Col was brought up being very protected by his mother. As Col was brought up his mother made sure he had the best of everything. She would knit him all his clothes, like the city children wore and this made him an outsider as the other children in Cornwall would tease him for his clothing, his mother, as she is Irish and a Catholic who goes to church. Col came from a family which was normal for the community of Cornwall. His father worked as a tree logger and in the mill, as his father had and his father had and so on. Col had been horn in hope that he would follow his family foot steps and keep the tradition in the family going, by working in the mill. Col lead a double life - with the gang and the forest. Col would go into the forest and would stay in a special which was called The Palace for hours. His grandfather has shown him this special place in the forest. This Palace was the originally place of the settlement, that Col&rsquos great grand father had been at until a land slide had landed on his great grandfather. The settlement people them moved on, to a new place, which is Cornwall. Which he had visited nearly every day. This also made Col an outsider to the rest of the kids in Cornwall. The thing that transformed Col from an outsider was when he had a fight with Scott (who was the best fighter), and he won the fight. A copper called Golden Gloves, who is the best fighter in Cornwall then asked Col if he wanted him to train him. After the fight Col was accepted by the other boys and was no longer an outsider but a friend on the other kids in Cornwall. Then the greenies arrived to Cornwall, challenging the mills and the logging of the forest. Col has mixed emotions towards this issue.&lsquo Anyway I thought the old was right about the greenies, but I secretly agreed with the greenies about the trees&rsquo. (p.7) This quote shows how Col is confused about what he thinks and wants to think what other people do, but he know that he thinks differently. Col does not want to

Conflict Resolution and Mediation Essay

be differences in opinions which inevitably lead to disagreements. Conflict exists in families, in the workplace, in churches and schools, in sports, between neighbors and between countries. Conflict is defined as â€Å"an expressed struggle between at least two interdependent parties who perceive incompatible goals, scarce resources, and interference from others in achieving their goals†. (Wilmot and Hocker, 2001, p. 11). When there are differences in individual values, motivations, ideas and perceptions, conflicts arise. How individuals deal with conflict depends on personal history, family background and other influences over one’s lifetime. Gender as well as culture influence behavior and perceptions and play an important role in conflict resolution. Traditionally, conflict has been viewed as a destructive force which was best handled by avoiding, ignoring, or silencing it. There is a growing body of literature on the benefits of effective conflict management. Healthy conflict is now viewed as a necessary ingredient in organizational success. The ability to deal effectively with conflict is critical to creating productive relationships. Although most people continue to view conflict negatively, it is a necessary ingredient to creativity and results in healthier relationships. There are two kinds of conflict, constructive and destructive. Constructive conflict should be encouraged because it leads to creative thinking and growth. It results in high performing organizations and to enhanced relationships. Destructive conflict should be eliminated or dealt with immediately. It is costly and does not promote positive personal or organizational development. Communication is a key ingredient in conflict resolution. There are various tools available to resolve conflict. They include legal remedies, arbitration as well as mediation. Conflict resolution skills are learned and when applied, result in improved relationships. Defining Conflict There is an element of conflict in almost all relationships. Conflict has also been defined as â€Å"a social problem in which two or more persons, families, parties, communities, or districts are in disagreement with each other† ( Dzurgba, 2006). It occurs on an intrapersonal as well as an interpersonal level. If left unmanaged, conflict can lead to hostility, anger, alienation, war, inefficiency, expensive mistakes, legal battles as well as physical violence. There are five main conflict resolution styles  that individuals use depending on the situation. They are: Avoiding the Conflict – By avoiding the conflict, one or more parties pretend there is no problem. Some examples of avoiding include pretending nothing is wrong, shutting down or stonewalling. Accommodating – One party agrees to accommodate the other’s request usually for the sake of keeping the peace. This can lead to resentment. Competitive – One party stands his/her ground and competes to secure a win. In the short run, one party wins, but can lead to serious issues long term. Compromising – Both parties willingly enter into a negotiation where each gets something out of the other, but neither gets everything they want. Usually the parties negotiate on the larger issues where they have common ground and let go of minor issues. Collaboration – Both parties enter into meaningful negotiations towards a win-win solution. This style takes the most courage and involves listening to the other party and thinking creatively to resolve the problem w ithout compromising. This is the most successful and admired and respected style. Conflict Resolution Conflict resolution and mediation leads to the reduction of the conflict. Effectively addressing conflict leads to an improvement of relationships and to greater organizational and personal effectiveness. Conflict resolution entails managing stress, managing anger and managing face. When managed well, conflict can be a catalyst for innovation and creativity, leading to organizational learning. Conflict provides an opportunity for the best ideas to be shared to improve a situation or a process. Left unmanaged, conflict can have expensive legal consequences as others seek litigation to resolve the conflict. In organizations, it can lead to employee dissatisfaction, expensive turnover, decreased productivity and expensive errors. In families, unmanaged conflict can lead to violence, family dysfunction and divorce. Types of Conflict There are five types of conflicts, namely relationship, data, interest, structural and value. Relationship Conflicts Relationship conflicts are personal and result from misperceptions,  miscommunication, stereotypes, negative behavior and rumors. It affects the relationship between two people, but can impact others within the team. Work environments consist of employees from diverse backgrounds with very different value systems. There are cultural, gender and generational differences which contribute to relationship conflicts. As a result, miscommunication occurs because of differences in meaning, norms of communication and behavioral expectations. What is perceived as an ordinary conversation in one culture may be considered rude and intrusive by another culture. Spouses often have relationship conflicts that lead to divorce if unresolved. Data Conflicts Data conflicts often occur when two or more individuals are interpreting data differently. This can lead to wrong decisions, but can also lead to major disagreements. The budget conflicts which have let to the sequestration are an example of data conflicts. The Republicans and the Democrats are interpreting the budget numbers differently and coming to very different conclusions regarding what the numbers mean. As a result, they cannot agree on a budget. Interest Conflicts Interest conflicts occur when one person is trying to take advantage of another person. This may happen if an employee starts a company that provides the same services as his/her employer. Interest conflicts occur when the boss is dating an employee because that may introduce favoritism and may negatively impact other employees. Structural Conflicts A structural conflict is created by the organization. It is not subjective and is not created by people’s viewpoints or perceptions, but rather by limited resources or changes that the people involved have very little control over. An example of a structural conflict is a company that has customers across the world, but only has a customer service center in Ohio. The sales force would like to have all customers served promptly regardless of location, but the service center has regular hours. The company either  has to create 24 hour shifts to accommodate its customers or open centers in other countries. Value Conflicts Value conflicts are differences in personal beliefs, preferences or priorities. This occurs between two people or within groups of people. Cultural differences usual result in different value systems which can lead to conflict. Examples of value conflicts in interpersonal relations can be a person who likes meat verses someone who is vegetarian, or, a liberal Democrat verses a conservative Republican. Each individual develops a value system based on culture, personality and the society they grow up in. There is no right or wrong in value systems, just a difference in opinion. Value conflicts are subjective because they are based on how people â€Å"feel† about each other or the situation. They are very difficult to effectively resolve. Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Power Power plays a critical role in interpersonal and intrapersonal conflicts and disputes. There are many forms of power. The role of power in a conflict intensifies as the balance of power shifts. In the work environment, the power imbalance often exacerbates a conflict and often leads to resentment or anger. Power imbalance changes the communication styles used by the parties in a conflict. In conflict or dispute, one or more types of power may be used by the parties in the attempt to resolve the conflict. People in a high power position may not use their power to influence a decision out of guilt. In a conflict, one party usually possesses more power than the other. Real or perceived power imbalances make it difficult to resolve a conflict to everyone’s satisfaction. Power can be structural or personal. The extent to which one party can impose their will on another affects how the dispute is resolved. Power currency depends on the value placed on particular resources by the oth er party in the relationship. If one has what others need, they are in a powerful position and have more power currency. As needs change, the power currency may be more of less valuable. Just like actual currency, the value of the currency fluctuates and is situational. Interpersonal power currencies are: 1. Resource control: Often associated with a position within an organization and can include financial, information, equipment and rules and regulations. When a citizen visits the social security office to get disability benefits, the government holds the power for the decision to approve or not approve the benefits. The citizen has very little power and the government has the resources. 2. Interpersonal linkages: This is associated with someone’s position in the larger system. This is highly dependent on â€Å"who you know† and the relationships one has to make things happen. The Secretary of State is in a position to resolve the Mid-east conflict based on the interpersonal linkages he/she has with both Israel and Egypt. 3. Communication skills: Listening skills, leadership skills and the ability to effectively communicate is a power currency. Preachers have the ability to communicate a message to their congregation and get them to rally around a particular issue. They are often called upon to mediate disputes because of their ability to listen, be empathetic to both parties and effectively communicate both viewpoints and negotiate a resolution. 4. Expertise skills: When one has a special skill or knowledge that others find valuable, he is in a position of influence. A pilot, a surgeon or a car mechanic all possess special skills that put them in power positions during certain disputes. Power imbalances disproportionally benefit the powerful party. Power generally falls into three categories, designated power, distributive power and integrative power. Designated power is often referred to as positional power and is as a result of a position or office held. A parent, manager, teacher or policeman has power that comes from their position. Distributive power is the â€Å"power over or against the other party† (Wilmot & Hocker, 2001, p. 103). Integrative or â€Å"both/and† power comes from two parties working together to achieve a mu tually beneficial goal. This power differential has a significant impact on the substance and the process to resolve the conflict. When applied appropriately â€Å"constructive use of power solves problems, enhances relationships, and balances power† (Wilmot & Hocker, 2011, p. 103). Forgiveness and Reconciliation There is a growing body of literature on forgiveness and reconciliation. Disparate fields such as social and developmental psychology, anthropology,  political sciences, religion and legal studies have all been conducting research on forgiveness and reconciliation. There are many definitions of forgiveness. Forgiveness and reconciliation often follow other efforts to resolve a conflict and heal the relationship. As such, forgiveness is highly personal and emotional. Kornfield defined it as follows: â€Å"Forgiveness is the heart’s capacity to release its grasp on the pains of the past and free itself to go on† (Kornfield, 2001, p.236). As shown in Figure 1, there is a flow of events that lead to reconciliation. The Forgiveness & Reconciliation Cycle for Effective Conflict Resolution Figure 1 Forgiveness is a key ingredient essential for reconciliation and conflict resolution. It is recognized in religion and social science literature as an important element in healing conflicts. For healing to occur and normal trusting relationships to be formed, both sides need to stop blaming each other and move past the conflict. An apology is a catalyst and a key ingredient leading to forgiveness and reconciliation, and ultimately to conflict resolution. While conflict resolution is focused on resolving substantive issues in a dispute, reconciliation focuses on addressing personal and relational issues and restoring relationships. William Faulkner was quoted by journalist Bill Moyers as saying â€Å"Forgiveness is giving up the idea of a better past† (Wilmot and Hocker, 2011, p. 297). Forgiveness is concerned with healing the hurt, disappointments and sins of the past, and improving relationships in the future. Mediation and Organizational Conflict Resolution A mediator is defined as â€Å"a neutral third party who has no decision-making power regarding the outcome of the mediation† (Abigail & Cahn, 2011, p. 197). The advantages of mediation are: 1. Cost – Mediation is much less expensive than the alternative of either having the situation go unresolved or resolve legally 2. Flexibility – Mediation can be conducted anywhere as long as it is neutral ground. 3. Informal – It can be adapted to accommodate cultural, personal, structural and other differences. 4. Effectiveness –  Mediated solutions tend to last because the parties come to a mutually agreed solution. 5. Preserves Relationships – Parties tend to have stronger long term relationships because they feel they were heard and have the other’s commitment. Effective organizations have mediation as part of the conflict resolution process. This is an effective way to resolve conflicts while both parties maintain control and ownership of t he issues. Conclusion Effective conflict resolution is important to building productive relationships. The importance of conflict resolution has been reinforced by the disparate fields focused on studying the subject. Organizations must provide the right structure for effective conflict resolution to be effective. Effective conflict resolution requires a health balance of power and promotes a health organizational culture. When all stakeholders have a voice, decision making is enhanced, engagement improves, and innovation increases. Maintaining a balance of power should be a high priority for any organization to be competitive and reach maximum productivity. Diversity is a consideration when creating conflict resolution processes. Gender, ethnicity and culture have to be considered to create an effective process. Although power is complex and maintaining a balance of power is fraught with difficulty, process design, effective communication, and a culture that encourages open dialogue will ensure that all parties effectively negotiate in their own interest to bring about fair outcomes. Archbishop Desmond Tutu who chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) said that â€Å"there can be no future without forgiveness†. Forgiveness is an intrapersonal as well as an interpersonal activity. Forgiving someone can be done with or without the other person’s consent, making it a relatively easy process intrapersonal. It is much more complicated interpersonally since it requires another party to either apologize, or accept an apology and forgive. As research is finding, â€Å"Apology and forgiveness have the potential to foster reconciliation and encourage peaceful coexistence among groups and nations† (Asby et al, 2010, p. 25). Conflict should be treated as an essential ingredient for healthy relationships both at home and at work. In health care organizations such as MaineGeneral Health, empowering employees with skills to handle conflict was critical to creating a culture  where employees felt comfortable speaking up (Bullock, 2011, p. 82). By speaking up, the hospital was able to avoid medical errors. References Abigail, R. A.., & Cahn, D. D. (2011). Managing conflict through communication. 4th Ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. ISBN: 9780205685561 Ashy, M., Mercurio, A. E., & Malley-Morrison, K. (2010, March). Apology, forgiveness, and reconciliation: An ecological world view. Individual Differences Research 8 (1), 17-26 http://proxy1.ncu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=psyh&AN=2010-05622-003&site=ehost-live Bullock, S. (2011, July/August). Empowering staff with communication. Healthcare Executive 26 (4), 80-82 http://search.proquest.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/docview/875635837?accountid=28180 Chetkow-Yanoov, B. (1997). Social work approaches to conflict resolution: Making fighting obsolete. Binghampton, NY: Haworth. Deutsch, M., & Coleman, P. T. (Eds). (2006). Handbook of conflict resolution (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Dingwall, R., & Miller, G. (2002). Lessons from brief therapy? Some interactional suggestions for family mediators. Conflict Resolution Quar terly, 19, 269-287. Dubler, N. N., & Liebman, C. B. (2004). Bioethics mediation: A guide to shaping shared solutions. New York: United Hospital Fund. Eddy, W. A. (2003). High conflict personalities: Understanding and resolving their costly disputes. San Diego, CA: William A. Eddy. Eller, J. (2004). Effective group facilitation in education: How to energize meetings and manage difficult groups. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Lee, J. (2010, July). Perceived power imbalance and customer dissatisfaction. Service Industries Journal doi:10.1080/02642060802298384 30 (7), 1113-1137 http://www.tandfonline.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/doi/abs/10.1080/02642060802298384 Maroney, T. A. (2009). Unlearning fear of out-group others. Law and Contemporary Problems Journal. 72(2), 83-88. Sloan, W. M. (2011, March). What did you say? Curtail conflict with effective communication. Education Update 53 (3), 3-5 http://proxy1.ncu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=58834574&site=ehos t-live Wilmot, W., & Hocker, J.

A Self Review And Needs Analysis Of The Students Existing Knowledge And Skills Base

In launch to rent out this assignment, I result perplex by practiceulateing on my induce rail line session and performance. I adjudge developed an pull by dint of externalize, depicting five argonas where I study my practice could be rectifyd through with(predicate) and through a strengthening of my skills and screwledge. I commenceed to ascertain my strengths and weaknesses by completing a education needs analysis, based on the Teachers Standards ( premature Years) 2013.This functioned me to detect which atomic number 18as of my practice I bring forth elect to management on in singing to the benchmark, i. e. the Common Core competencies. The front mensuration I have chosen to extension is, 2. 1 Be more than than account able-bodied for babyrens progress, skill and outcomes (NCTL,20132), which I apply to achieve by November 2013. In order to suffice a sister develop, we mustiness begin by observing a child, appraise their aim of development and aim for them based on their inte sopors.When observing a child we must operate that we are recording the observations curbly, basing them on evidence and non opinion as is commonwealthd in the Common Core competencies (CC) (CWCD,201010) Good observations win enable us to create a strong foundation to plan pertinent activities for children. Once this has been entire, it is extremely tout ensemble- Coperni cornerstone(prenominal) to reflect on what we have done.Reflection is integral to upward(a) a childs progress, attainment and outcomes and proposes us with the opportunity to assess the results of an drill, so we tail displace plan appropriate bordering steps or adapt the activity to make it more appropriate to a childs needs and abilities. I am confident in my expertness to design exciting and applicable activities for the children in my care, but have chosen to focus on alter my ability to constructively reflect on these activities, to ensure the adjacent step s batch have the lift out realizable learning opportunities for the child.This is why I want to devise an improved prep system whereby round can, Draw upon individual(prenominal) interprets and some otherwise peoples perspectives, to help you reflect, ch tout ensembleenge your imagineing and to assess the affect of your actions. (CWCD,201012) A richer evaluation from an activity allowing give us a stronger creation to provide next steps, which are more foc wontd and relevant to the unparalleled child. I typify to research evaluation techniques so I provide, know how to use possibleness and experience to reflect upon, think almost and improve practice. (CWCD,201012)Prompts for evaluation should alike be provided to ensure we are reflecting effectively on our activities, sort of than just writing something hostile in an effort to just demand the box. In addition, I think it would be unspoiled to display ideas of activities and possible questions around the ma nner in relevant vault of heavens to help extend spontaneous play. As the majority of our planning is spontaneous, due to the quicksilver(a) and fleeting interests of a child, we must plan daily to provide activities true to a childs most live interest.This in turn will provide us with the richer observations we require to design ful pick activities, unique to each child. The next target I have set my egotism, which is to be completed by December 2013 is, 8. 5 institute responsibility for leading practice through appropriate professional development for self and colleagues. (NCTL,20135) It is extremely important to frequently process fertilises related to childcare as raw(a) research and theories are published on a regular basis, which substitute our bewitch on the path we care for children.While in an ideal world, every practitioner would be supplied with unlimited time and funding to imitate every course, this is non the reality and we then must ensure that we relay learning from each of the courses we do see to the rest of the module in our lay in order to enhance the practice of the view as a whole rather than just one practitioner. Currently, this is achieved through fill out a course feedback form which is one A4 page to squeeze in all the experience you have gained from the attend course.This is not very effective as the forms are not sufficient to insure the wealth of information obtained on the course. In addition, the forms are kept away in a folder in the office, which is not very accessible to staff, so the benefits are not widely disseminated. The common warmheartedness competencies state that I should, have the faith to challenge the way you or others practice. (CWDC,201014) In my pull inplace, this means when I identify an area that needs improving, I would be enabled to attend a relevant course to ensure all staff are consonant and up to date with correct practice.When relaying the course I must, communicate effective ly with other practitioners and professionals by listening to them and ensuring that you are universe listened to. (CWDC,201019) Providing carefully designed aids to arouse to all types of learners i. e. visual, auditory and kinaesthetic, much(prenominal) as power-point presentations, speeches or role play activities will ensure that the new information is soundly absorbed by all staff regardless of aptitude.I will, be proactive, initiate unavoidable action and be able to move forward your judgements by creating easy to accept hand-outs or leaflets. These would be available for staff to refer to, as well as for parents/carers who attend the setting to access, so we can enable consistency between nucleotide life and nursery life for the children in our care. Another aspect of my practice I have chosen to focus on is, 5.5 know when a child is in need of additional foul, and how this can be accessed, working in federation with parents and/or carers and other professionals. (NCTL,20134) This process began when I was reviewing summational assessments and overviews, and became aware that a child in my care was not achieving the expected level of development in all areas. It is important that I, know what to do in given over cases for example, referrals raising concerns when a child is not achieving their potential. (CWDC,201020)We know it is essential to raise both concerns with parents/carers in an appropriate manner set-back to ensure a good partnership throughout the process, because it states, know when and how to discuss concerns with parents and carers (CWDC,201015) in the common core competencies. I know from completing my childcare qualifications what the correct course of action is, besides I have not had much experience in referring children or filling out CAF forms, so I thought this could be a good opportunity to expand my own experience in this area, thus improving my practice.I intend to assist in the filling out of a CAF form as par t of the referral process so I can gain a great showing in knowing, when and how to obtain information, advice and support for children their parents and carers, and when and how to report concerns. (CWDC,201012) To develop my knowledge of the and layers of the referral process, I will continue to be regard in any meetings/conferences concerning the child. This will involve liaising with other professionals, helping me to, down the stairsstand the procedures, objectives, roles and relationships of partner operate, in order to work effectively alongside them. (CWDC,201021)Throughout this process with abduce to both the internal and external elements of the referral, it is important to be fully aware of organisational procedures and heavy frameworks inwardly your own organisation and other agencies (CWDC,201017) to ensure a successful and beneficial outcome for the child and family involved in the referral process. By being fully involved in this procedure from the outset, I bank to gain the knowledge and experience to be able to initiate and complete comparable referrals in the future.I have set a date of February 2014to complete this target by, however depending on the outcome of the CAF form or referral, this could be altered. The fourth action on my target plan is, 3. 5 demonstrate a clear understanding of appropriate strategies in the early teaching of mathematics. (NCTL,20133) I hope to have achieved this by April 2014. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) tells us that the mathematics area, includes essential skills and knowledge for children to recruit in society (EYFS reference here), so it is of vital importance to ensure that we, as practitioners, have the maths skills necessary to help children achieve their full potential in this area.However, this is an area that is a good deal neglected within settings, and it has recently come to light that it is also an area that generally children are under achieving in. To combat this, the government have launched the maths champions brook which is to be led by the Early Years Professionals (EYP) within the setting. The project aims to boost the practitioners skills in mathematics and their arrogance in this area in an feat to incr lull the mathematic ability of the children in our care.The first stage of this is to complete an audit to assess my confidence in mathematics as well as to assess the cloy of the maths resources in the setting. The second stage is to complete an sign assessment, asking you maths questions, which will convert your score into a level ranging from entry level 1 to level 3 From this, data can be collected and evaluated to decide on the best course of action to improve our mathematic ability and finally take a diagnostic test similar to the initial assessment to assess what improvements, if any, have been made.I intrust it is important to take part in this project because the common core competencies state that I should, make good use of available information, appraising its content and assessing what else baron be needed (CWDC,201022) I am excited to see the outcome of this project, how it affects the way in which we teach maths through play and what knock on cause it may have on children in other areas of development, as we know all learning is holistic and interlinked.Lastly, I aim to, 2. 3 know and understand adhesion theories, their significance and how effectively to promote hard attachments. (NCTL,20132) I have given myself until the end of the first year of my foundation degree, June 2014, to do this as we will look at different theories in more and more depth as the course goes on and I will be able to provide thorough evaluation of them all.I shortly workin the baby room and so I am abruptly placed to implement my developing knowledge of attachment theories when hew babies enter the setting and transition into nursery life, and time worn-out(a) away from the main caregivers. This can often be a tra umatic experience for such young children, and by gaining underpinning knowledge of attachment theories, I intend to ease the transition to make it as pleasant an experience as possible for both children and their parents/carers.It is essential to, understand the different shipway in which babies and children form attachments and how these might change (CWDC,201012) I have very microscopic experience working in a baby room, so I am keen to expand my knowledge of child development for this vital age where such intense learning takes place, and understanding, the importance of forming domineering relationships in the development of children and how this can be supported. (CWDC,201012)When supporting transitions, it is essential to, communicate straightforward, tranquillise messages about key transitions (CWDC,201017) in an feat to put parents/carers minds at ease as children can pick up on hesitant and unsure body run-in and feelings towards the situation. This will only make i t more difficult for children to transition smoothly, aggravating what can already be a incommode event.One of my strengths is how I form strong and durable relationships with parents/carers as well as their sons or daughters, I continue to keep in touch with many of the children who have leave the settings as I offer my services as a babysitter for parents/carers who do not have anyone to look aft(prenominal) their children when they go out.I must reassure children their families, and carers by explaining what is happening, by involving them in decisions as appropriate, and by exploring possible actions to deal with new and challenging situations. (CWDC,201017) Possible actions could be experimenting with strategies influenced by child attachment theories and inform hew slipway to promote secure attachments.Reflection and evaluation are integral to your practice when you work in an early years setting, we must distort to constantly improve our practice to collapse the outco mes for the children within our care. I have place my strengths and weaknesses, and in completing the program I have outlined above, I intend to enhance my performance in all areas. In relation to the target dates I have set myself, I will write up a apothegmatic evaluation to confirm whether I have achieved the desired outcomes of the 5 targets or not.