Exploring the Chinese Distribution Strategy for Gallo

According to China Research and Intelligence (2010), distribution channels are still the key factor to success. Since the Chinese and Hong Kong markets show a slight preference for on-trade channels, especially concerning exclusive products such as wine, E&J Gallo Rose concentrates on them (China Research and Intelligence, 2010). According to Hollensen (2011), given that Gallo Rose is a high quality product selective distribution would be the appropriate form of distribution as Gallo Rose would be targeting a specific market. Gallo would depend on Chinese and Hong Kong wholesalers to distribute the wine to hotels and supermarkets, preferably those whom the competitors are not currently using. Therefore, a range of intermediaries has to be chosen carefully: mid to high price restaurants offering Western food, international pubs and lounges build a trading base. Once the wine is established, cooperation with high class Chinese and Hong Kong establishments could be considered. However, a presence in high segment supermarkets will be obligatory to make the product accessible. Jenster and Cheng (2008) stress the rise of other off-trade channels, such as specialty wine stores and online wine-sites. The former is particularly important for new Chinese wine drinkers. The latter will be a part of Gallo’s distribution chain as soon as it reaches a higher market share. As outlined by Bretherton and Carswell (2001), the Chinese distribution system is improving slowly. To set up in Hong Kong and coastal areas of China is relatively easy, as the infrastructure is excellent. Direct exports with the support of an executive office are sufficient. Nonetheless, further expansion will conflict with trade barriers and local protectionism. Areas have to be treated separately and high transaction costs are necessary to build own distribution channels. However, the advantages of higher reliance and lower control costs are obvious. Import taxes in China are lowered according to WTO agreements (9), but still 14% (Yu and Sun et al, 2009) plus value-added and consumption tax. On the other hand, Hong Kong tries to create a wine trading hub with the exemption of import taxes since 2008 (Winechina. com, 2010).

My Favorite Movie: Avatar Essay

Avatar, the epic movie by James Cameron, the director behind Titanic, is a project that has caused pop-culture ripples. James Cameron conceived the idea of Avatar back when he was working on Titanic. But the technology was not available then to bring his vision to life in the big screen. So instead of making the movie with sub-quality effects, he basically threw it in the drawer and it was not until 2005 that he decided to bring his masterpiece to life. In 2005, Cameron, along with Vince Pace, invented new ways of capturing the performances of the actors. Their team developed a brand-new image-based facial performance capture system which utilizes a head-rig camera and is able to record even the tiniest of facial movements. Avatar was filmed in stereoscopic 3-D using the brand new Fusion Camera System, which took seven years for Cameron and Pace to create, and is now the most advanced system of its kind. That is the reason why the actions of the natives looked so life-like and realistic, and that is because these parts were played by the actors, and the bodies of the Avatars were built around this motion, making each performance different, and making the Avatars more like the actor than any animated character would be. see more:my favourite movie essay Hence, Avatar was very much a live action film, not an animated film. The story took place on the planet Pandora, which, according to 20th Century Fox’s production notes, is â€Å"a moon with an Earth-like environment that orbits a gas-giant planet called Polyphemus in the Alpha Centauri. At 4.5 light years away, Alpha Centauri is our nearest stellar neighbor. And when it is discovered that Pandora is rich in a rare-earth mineral called Unobtainium, the race is on to mine the new world’s resources.† In the movie, Sam Worthington who starred as the film’s hero, Jake Sully, a disabled ex-marine, was called to help the humans convince the Na’vis give up their home tree. But as Jake Sully lived the life of Na’vis through his Avatar, he has learned to love the ways of life and beliefs of of the Na’vis. Sully, having realized what his fellow humans would cause to Pandora and the lives of the natives, eventually turned his back from the orders given to him, and helped the natives fight for their home. The film became a huge hit. It has reached the Five Hundred Million US Dollar mark in 32 days and became the highest-grossing film on January 26th,  2010, with a final worldwide gross of Two point Eight Billion US Dollars, beating Titanic, the previous record-holder and was also written and directed by Cameron, with a worldwide gross of One point Nine Billion Dollars. Sources: Avatar Production and Facts Wikia.com Imdb.com

My Genre-ation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

My Genre-ation - Essay Example He grew up in Vienna in a family of fourteen kids, him being the twelfth born. His interest and skills in music became apparent as early as when he was eleven years of age. Because of this extraordinary gift, Franz was allowed to join Chapel Royal Choir. During his early life, he received his education at the Imperial Seminary, gaining vast experience in practical music. His liking for music saw him achieve great strides by completing six symphonies by the time he was 22 years. Other achievements that he made were twelve piano sonatas, eleven string quartets, and the Trout Quintet. In general, Franz grew up to compose an estimated six hundred and forty songs. Most of his symphony pieces are in C major. Like other orchestral pieces, his works were also overwhelming with what was perceived to be technical difficulties (Clive, 9). The pieces are introduced with an unaccompanied unison theme that proceeds all the way to the 8th bar. It is a predominantly horn theme. Its purpose is that it acts to unify other subsequent themes and harmonize them at later stages to complement one another. This actually what brings forth the real feeling and function of the symphony. Later in the 8th bar, we find that the strings enter with a moving rhythmic triplet figure. This rhythm represents the feature of the first movement. From here, the next rhythm we progress to is a straight away lyrical episode, which takes in to consideration the initial 8 bars. These first bars are sustained with a solo woodwind. From here, the symphony then proceeds with some variants at fist. Staccato strings come in here to bring up the theme. Some scholars have interpreted the early use of staccato here to be a pace setter for a later melancholic mood given these variants. The next thing is that the theme then moves to lower strings as the Andante carries on. The purpose of having adante here is to explore the themes as well as the assembled rhythmic material.

If Gold Prices Are The Same Everywhere, Then Why Arn't House Prices Essay

If Gold Prices Are The Same Everywhere, Then Why Arn't House Prices - Essay Example Using the basic economic supply and demand curve, it is easier for us to examine how prices and available supply affects the existing market behavior. To enable us to understand the major factor that make the prices of gold remains the same over time but not the housing prices, the history of the global trading system will first be tackled. Using the theories of microeconomics, significant changes within the domestic markets that contributes to the changes in the market value of houses will be thoroughly discussed. Between the years 1879 to 1934, trading of goods between two countries occurred using of the gold standard which enabled traders to pay goods and services in exchange with the quantity of gold (McConnell & Brue, 2004: p. 478). Since the value of gold remains the same in each country, there was officially a fixed exchange rate all over the world. Eventually, the use of fixed exchange rate resulted to a negative international demand shock since the prices goods from one country to another remains the same (Eichengreen, 1996). The global economic depression that happened back in 1930s changes the concept of having fixed exchange rate. (McConnell & Brue, 2004: p. 479) In order to promote free competition within the domestic and global trading markets, some nations have considered making the cost of exportation cheaper by devaluating their currency against the real value of gold. As part of strengthening the adjustable-peg system which was introduced under the Bretton Woods System1, each country agreed to accept gold and the US dollar as the benchmark for international reserves since the US was able to accumulate the biggest supply of gold as compared with other countries (McConnell & Brue, 2004: p. 480). As a result, the agreed equivalent of gold in terms of the US dollar is US$35 per ounce (Bougrine & Seccareccia, 2004). Aiming to avoid economic bias

A Profitable Business Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

A Profitable Business - Research Paper Example After adding up these costs, the value of unsold goods (closing stock) is deducted to give the cost of goods sold. When the COGS is deducted from total revenues from sales, the gross profit is achieved. Gross profit is also known as operating profit because it is a measure of the manufacturing operations of the business. Net profit is calculated after deducting general, selling and administrative expenses from the gross profit. These expenses include items like electricity expenses, depreciation, salaries of office staff, and other expenses related to the day to day running of the business (Pride, Hughes, and Kapoor 513). Sometimes, other income such as interest on loans, etc. is added to the gross profit. The net profit is a measure of the profitability of the business as it represents the amount that would be shared among the shareholders. For this reason, investors use net profit to determine the earnings per share (EPS) by dividing the net profit by the number of outstanding shar es. This tells investors how much return each share of the business earns for shareholders. 2. Misconceptions about Revenues and Expenses A common misconception new business owners have about revenues is that they are the same as profit. Revenues measure what a business received by selling its products. Profit is calculated after deducting expenses from revenues. ... Secondly, when accounting for business operations, the amount of revenue and expenses reported may differ. Under the cash-based accounting method, revenues and expenditures are identified when cash is collected or paid. But under the accrual accounting system, revenues and expenditures are identified when the right to receive or duty to pay has been established. The cash may be received at a later time. New business owners also sometimes fail to distinguish expenses from costs. For accounting purposes, cost is usually used to mean the price of a long-term benefit such as a fixed asset. On the other hand, expenses such as electricity payments and office stationery are payments in the course of the normal running of the business. Some new business owners also hold a misconception that all expenses involve payment of cash. In some cases, such as depreciation expense, there may be no payment of cash. Depreciation and amortization expenses simply involve the spreading of a cost over the p eriod during which the benefits of the cost are realized by the business. 3. Business Management Software InFlow is one of the most popular inventory management software for small and medium-sized businesses. Launched in 2007, it allows for products to be organized into categories with picture and price identification. Furthermore, the system also allows items to be tracked at the aisle and bin level. It supports bar code scanning for efficient point of sale operations. Users can have real-time access to the updated data. The system also produces invoices, purchase orders and other documentation. Customized sales, profit and cost reports can also be produced. The company offers a free edition of the software that has a capacity of storing up to 100 products (InFlow, 2013). QuickBooks is

Management written assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Management written assignment - Essay Example In the process, it induces people to define their desires and to pursue them with passion. Ultimately, leadership transforms potential into reality. After reading the article ‘Why Should Anyone Be Led By You?’ by Robert Goffee and Gareth Jones, I can honestly say that it would take considerable time and practice for one to be an inspirational leader – but it is definitely possible. The authors identified four qualities of inspirational leaders: having the ability to show their weakness, becoming a sensor, practicing tough empathy and daring to be different. I do not have any qualms about acknowledging my weaknesses as I am aware that in doing so, I would have the means to apply corrective measures to change for the better. Becoming a sensor, though, takes time and professional experience to discern and assess the condition of certain situations and to apply appropriate action. It also acknowledges that assistance and guidance from affiliates are sometimes required. Goffee and Jones emphasized that â€Å"even the most gifted sensor may need to validate his perceptions with a trusted adviser or a member of his inner team.† (Goffee & Jones, 2000, 68) In addition, practicing tough empathy needs a lot of courage and strength in one’s personality. The authors defined tough empathy as â€Å"giving people what they need, not what they want.† For a leader to know the difference between the needs and wants of their people, one must have genuine concern and passion for their team. This trait can be developed over time. Finally and more significantly, I am aware that each and every individual is unique. The unique qualities of each one should be utilized to excel, stand out and capitalize on these qualities to blend and balance those of others to maximize the requirements of a particular scenario. As aptly concluded by Goffee & Jones, â€Å"the challenge facing prospective leaders is for them to be themselves, but with

Amazon case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Amazon case study - Essay Example Since July 1995 when it began, Amazon.com has enjoyed a 30 percent increase in business every month. Industry analysts believe the company is grossing up to $12 million a year. This was in spite of the fact that up until recently Amazon.com was not turning a profit. (Horvitz 1997: 37) Bezos believed the power of the Internet lay in continuous communication and word of mouth, which made branding even more important. As a result he chose to name his site after the world’s largest river, believing Amazon.com would become the biggest bookstore in the world. (Stockport & Ivory 2004: 648) He was somewhat mistaken. Now amazon.com has not only become one of the largest bookstores in the world but it is also one of the largest on-line retailers for just about everything both new and used worldwide. As mentioned previously one of the main driving forces for Amazon.com’s strategic intent in the marketplace was to be the biggest provider of goods and services to the largest amount of customers. This required a great deal of planning and certain focus to bring it all together. A central tenet of Amazon.com’s strategy, therefore, had been the customer-focused innovation designed to improve the convenience of the online shopping experience. This had included offering the world’s biggest collection of goods and services in a vast array of categories (Stockport & Ivory 2004: 648) They achieved this by paying very close attention to the needs of their customers and putting in place the strategic technologies and the support services necessary to do so. They completed this strategy but a great deal more was needed in order to keep up with the technological changes that were happening in leaps and bounds as well as keeping pace with the changing marketplace around them. They experienced ‘first mover’ growth between 1994 and 1997, but the competition was soon piling up, companies such as Barnes & Nobel as well as E-bay

Harrods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Harrods - Essay Example There is no denying the fact that every person is supposed to visit Harrods when in London. Harrods is an integral part of the essentially British culture and taste and has an image for luxury, which would take nothing less than an act passed by parliament or a civil war to change or alter. However, aligning Harrods with tradition and heritage does not mean that the brand is old fashioned in its approach towards business. For Harrods it is all about retaining its traditional associations with luxury, while continually redefining the image in consonance with the latest, the best and the most coveted in fashion and design. It would not be wrong to say that Harrods do qualifies to be labelled as one of the world’s most prestigious luxury store and the store is well aware of the fact that it takes a continual dedication to and cognizance of the needs and aspirations of its high end customers to retain this status. Harrods offers a massive range of brands and designers to its fashi on savvy customers. Thus Harrods is the right place for anyone who is passionate about fashion, who wants everything under one roof and who is not willing to compromise when it comes to comfort and luxury. Harrods places emphasis on the ability of its personnel to get to know the choices and aspirations of its customers. .

Production of a teaching material with accompanying commentary on Essay

Production of a teaching material with accompanying commentary on design principles (equivalent of 3500 words) - Essay Example According to Syatriana et al, (2013, p.11), writing and speaking are termed as the productivity skills while reading and listening are both the receptive skills. Productivity skills are the fruits of receptive skills. Therefore, reading and listening skills within the students will always determine their overall performances. Our instructional material will focus the language skills for grammar improvement to be fully felt. The appendix will show the instructional materials that were used. This model argues that the first stage in the development of teaching materials is for the teachers and learners to identify the current trends in teaching and learning respectively. Every time the material developer should ensure that they always introduce new materials. The next phase will be to identify the area of problem that the language subjects are experiencing since one neither can nor solve a problem that has no roots. Contextualization of the materials is the next stage whereby the locally available materials are used in language skills. Pedagogical realization will involve design of appropriate exercise, activities and assignments that will help the students to gauge what they have leant. Finally, the materials are physically produced in the form of course books inclusive of visual, book size and layout (Syatriana et al., 2013, p.15). I am going to apply the model in designing of the instructional materials. In the two hours lesson, the students are going to improve their grammar skills in usage of articles and comparative and superlative phrases. In conjunction with the intended lesson plan, the students will have a chance to refresh on their past learnt materials and apply them. For example, there will be use of punctuation marks and opposites. The punctuation marks to be used are comma, full stop and question marks. As a teacher, the usage of the articles will first be defined and their appropriate use made in vowels and consonant

Ten Ways to Improve Your Interpersonal Skills Essay Example for Free

Ten Ways to Improve Your Interpersonal Skills Essay Don’t discount the importance of interpersonal skills in the workplace. How you are perceived by your manager and co-workers plays a large role in things as minor as your day-to-day happiness at the office and as major as the future of your career. No matter how hard you work or how many brilliant ideas you may have, if you can’t connect with the people who work around you, your professional life will suffer. The good news is that there are several concrete things that you can do to improve your social skills and become closer to your colleagues. All of these tools will ultimately help you succeed in today’s working world. Try these 10 helpful tips for improving your interpersonal skills: 1- Smile:-Â  Few people want to be around someone who is always down in the dumps. Do your best to be friendly and upbeat with your co workers. Maintain a positive, cheerful attitude about work and about life. Smile often. The positive energy you radiate will draw others to you. 2- Be appreciative:- Find one positive thing about everyone you work with and let them hear it. Be generous with praise and kind words of encouragement. Say thank you when someone helps you. Make colleagues feel welcome when they call or stop by your office. If you let others know that they are appreciated, they’ll want to give you their best. 3- Pay attention to others:- Observe what’s going on in other people’s lives. Acknowledge their happy milestones, and express concern and sympathy for difficult situations such as an illness or death. Make eye contact and address people by their first names. Ask others for their opinions. 4- Practice active listening:- To actively listen is to demonstrate that you intend to hear and understand another’s point of view. It means restating, in your own words, what the other person has said. In this way, you know that you understood their meaning and they know that your responses are more than lip service. Your coworkers will appreciate knowing that you really do listen to what they have to say. 5- People together:- Create an environment that encourages others to work together. Treat everyone equally, and dont play favorites. Avoid talking about others behind their backs. Follow up on other peoples suggestions or requests. When you make a statement or announcement, check to see that you have been understood. If folks see you as someone solid and fair, they will grow to trust you. 6- Resolve conflicts:- Take a step beyond simply bringing people together, and become someone who resolves conflicts when they arise. Learn how to be an effective mediator. If Co workers bicker over personal or professional disagreements, arrange to sit down with both parties and help sort out their differences. By taking on such a leadership role, you will garner respect and admiration from those around you. 7- Communicate clearly:- Pay close attention to both what you say and how you say it. A clear and effective communicator avoids misunderstandings with co workers, collegues, and associates. Verbal eloquence projects an image of intelligence and maturity, no matter what your age. If you tend to blurt out anything that comes to mind, people won’t put much weight on your words or opinions. 8- Humour them:- Don’t be afraid to be funny or clever. Most people are drawn to a person that can make them laugh. Use your sense of humour as an effective tool to lower barriers and gain people’s affection. 9- See it from their side:- Empathy means being able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and understand how they feel. Try to view situations and responses from another person’s perspective. This can be accomplished through staying in touch with your own emotions; those who are cut off from their own feelings are often unable to empathize with others. 10- Dont complain:- There is nothing worse than a chronic complainer or whiner. If you simply have to vent about something, save it for your diary. If you must verbalize your grievances, vent to your personal friends and family, and keep it short. Spare those around you, or else you’ll get a bad reputation.

Mental Health And Community Care Social Work Essay

Mental Health And Community Care Social Work Essay In this report I will discuss Mental health and community care, I will look at the historical context of community care taking into consideration policies and that stemmed it and competing ideological perspectives that that has impacted on it. I will further look at its benefits and shortfalls since its implementation taking into accounts the impact of the 1990 NHS Community Care Act and current reforms. Finally I will discuss the process of poverty and social exclusion which affects some of these people who have been discharged home as a result. History of Community Care and Objectives Dobson (1998) stated that Care in the community represented the major political change in mental healthcare in the history of the National Health Service (NHS) It was the result both of social changes and political expediency and a movement away from the isolation of the mentally ill in old Victorian asylums towards their integration into the community (Goffman 1961). The aim was to normalise the mentally ill and to remove the stigma of a condition that is said to afflict one in four of the British population at some time in their lives. The main push towards community care as we know it today came in the 1950s and 1960s, an era which saw a sea change in attitude towards the treatment of the mentally ill and a rise in the patients rights movement, tied to civil rights campaigns. The 1959 Mental Health Act abolished the distinction between psychiatric and other hospitals and encouraged the development of community care. According to Goffman, (1961) historically, people who were designated as having a mental illness lived in confined institutional environments for years and had limited expectations for returning to the community. Community care is used to describe the various services available to help individuals manage their physical and mental health problems in the community which is the British policy for deinstitutionalisation. Duane (2003) defined deinstitutionalisation as process of replacing long-stay psychiatric hospitals with less isolated community mental health services for those diagnosed with mental disorder or developmental disability. These services include, for example, nursing or social work support, home help, day centres, counselling and supported accommodation. The Department of Health expresses the need to promote the development of a personal health plan of individuals, based on who they are, what they want and what their circumstances are. According to DoH, Health is linked to the way people live their lives and the opportunities available to choose health in the communities where they live. There have been major improvements in health and life expectancy over the last century and on the most basic measures, people are living longer than ever before (DoH report, 2005). Rogers A and Pilgrim D (2001) stated that the ideological commitment to community care was associated with vague idea of achieving an ideal society, prior to it being effected as a practical reality. Similarly Titmuss in the 1960s suggested that the notion of community care invented a sense of warmth and human kindness, essentially personal and comforting Titmuss (1968). This early positive view emphasised the idea of leaving the disabling environment of the institution behind and ushering in the enabling possibilities of ordinary living. According to Bulmer (1989), the first use of community care was in the part of mental health, as understanding developed of the negative consequences of institutionalizing mental patients in hospitals, and to discharge the ex-patients and mental handicap hospitals, and to discharge the ex-patients into the community, where they would live in hostel-type accommodation or in their own homes and be cared for by a mixture of professional and personal carers, particularly in day centres and by nursing staff on the one hand and by members of their own families on the other. Community care in the past has always been a mixed economy, financed by both the state and by user charges and provided by voluntary sector organization, commercial, for-profit organization, the state and the family. Alan Walker (1982, 1989) and Roy Parker (1990) have specifically addressed the problem of defining community care and have pointed out that it has been very easy for one persons community care to be anothers institutional care. Community care has been a mixture of policies. To the health service any provision outside the NHS equals community care, therefore institution run by local authorities constitute community care. The mixed economy of community care during the 1960s left wing academics, notably Peter Townsend (1962), made moving request for the deinstitutionalization of elderly and mentally ill people, whereas Titmuss (1968) has already sounded a note of caution when he referred to the way in which the term community care conjured up a sense of warmth and human kindness. All this assumed the main provider of community care to be the state. In some ways, the idea of community care in mental health ran counter to the dominate trend within the NHS after 1948, which until recently, was centralised and hospital-dominated. Bulmer (1989) similarly emphasised that in recent years community care has broad meaning including the goal of providing comprehensive outreach, day and residential services and support for ordinary facilities within the locality. In principal at least community care now extends to social inclusion and the promotion of assess to facilities used by other people living in the community and the right and responsibility of participation in local community acitivties. According to Pilgrim (2001) when the Labour government came to power in 1997, it announced the need for rapid reform of mental health services based on the impression or evidence that care in the community has failed. In 1998, the Health Secretary, Frank Dobson, stated that discharging people from institutions has brought benefits to some. But it has left many vulnerable patients to try and cope on their own. Others have been left to become a danger to themselves and a nuisance to others. A small but significant minority have become a danger to the public as well as themselves. Mind, along with many others, disagreed with the statement that community care had failed. These were based on concerns about control of risky behaviour which led to the spokes enquiry following the killing of a social worker (Isablel Shwartz) in 1984 by patient Sharon Campbell in Bexley Hospital. These were some of the limitations of care discovered and led to recommendation about post-discharge case management DHSS (1998). The report similarly noted the lack of any requirement on the part of services to identify vulnerable patients or provide individualised care plans, and for agencies with responsibilities for mental health to work together. The inquiry into the care of Christopher Clunis was also another reason why the community care needed a reform. Rogers and Pilgrim (2001) explained that inquiry examined the manner in which services failed to respond adequately to Christopher Clunis, a young black man With a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia who stabbed a stranger (Jonathan Zito) at Finsbury Park underground station. This highlighted a number of problems why the Labour government called for the reform of the community care policy because of the inadequate support for in the community with severe mental health problems. In 1999 The Government published the  National Service Framework [NSF] for mental health modern standards and service models for England. The NSF spelled out national standards for mental health services, what they aimed to achieve, how they should be developed and delivered, and how performance would be measured in every part of the country.(DoH Community care is the support by informal and formal carers of the elderly, the disabled and the mentally disordered groups in the community who are usually in their own homes rather than in institutions. According to Bulmer(1989)the ideas with which community care came about is due to the mixture of sociological propositions about the nature of modern community life, including personal ties between relative, friends, and neighbours. The Griffiths Report: Community Care: Agenda for Action Margaret Thatcher invited Sir Roy Griffiths to produce a report on the problems of the NHS. This report was influenced by the ideology of managerialism. That is it was influenced by the idea that problems could be solved by management. According to the report, Griffiths firmly believed that many of the problems facing the Welfare State were caused by the lack of strong effective leadership and management. Because of this previous work, which was greatly admired by the Prime Minister, Griffiths was asked to examine the whole system of community care. In 1988 he produced a report or a Green Paper called Community Care: Agenda for Action, also known as The Griffiths Report. Griffiths intended this plan to sort out the mess in no-mans land. That is the grey area between health and social services. This area included the long term or continuing care of dependent groups such as older people, disabled and the mentally ill. Basically he was saying that community care was not working because no one wanted to accept the responsibility for community care. Community Care: Agenda for Action made six key recommendations for action: Minister of State for Community Care to ensure implementation of the policy it required ministerial authority. Local Authorities should have key role in community care. i.e. Social Work / Services departments rather than Health have responsibility for long term and continuing care. Health Boards to have responsibility for primary and acute care. Specific grant from central government to fund development of community care. Specified what Social Service Departments should do: assess care needs of locality, set up mechanisms to assess care needs of individuals, on basis of needs design flexible packages of care to meet these needs Promote the use of the Independent sector: this was to be achieved by social work departments collaborating with and making maximum use of the voluntary and private sector of welfare. Social Services should be responsible for registration and inspection of all residential homes whether run by private organisations or the local authority. The majority of long term care was already being provided by Social Services, but Griffiths idea was to put community nursing staff under the control of local authority rather than Health Boards. This never actually happened. The Griffiths Report on Community Care seemed to back local government whereas, the health board reforms in the same period, actually strengthened central government control. rewor According to the Mind, In 1989 the government published its response to the Griffiths Report in the White Paper Caring for People. It set out a framework for changes to community care, which included a new funding structure for social care. This would mark the beginning of the purchaser/provider split whereby social services departments were encouraged to purchase services provided by the independent sector. The report promoted the development of domiciliary, day care and respite services to enable people to live as independently as possible in their own homes. Other objectives included quality initiatives around assessment of need and case management. Carers needs were addressed by prioritising practical support initiatives for them. The next decade saw a dramatic increase in the number of voluntary and private sector service providers. The impact of the community care reforms The community care reforms outlined in the 1990 Act have been in operation since April 1993 Glennester, (1996).They have been evaluated but no clear conclusions have been reached. A number of authors have been highly critical of the reforms. Hadley and Clough (1996) claim the reforms have created care in chaos (Hadley and Clough 1996) They claim the reforms have been inefficient, unresponsive, offering no choice or equity. Other authors however, are not quite so pessimistic. Means and Smith (1998) claim that the reforms: introduced a system that is no better than the previous more bureaucratic systems of resource allocation were an excellent idea, but received little understanding or commitment from social services as the lead agency in community care the enthusiasm of local authorities was undermined by vested professional interests, or the service legacy of the last forty years health services and social services workers have not worked well together and there have been few multidisciplinary assessments carried out in reality little collaboration took place except at senior management level the reforms have been undermined by chronic underfunding by central government the voluntary sector was the main beneficiary of this attempt to develop a mixed economy of care The Care Programme Approach (CPA ) According to Rogers and Pilgrim (2001) there was a light with the introduction of the Care Programme Approach in 2001. It introduced an attempt to improve and standardise the delivery of community care services. The CPA set out a practice framework for health authorities in England, giving guidance on how they should fulfil their duties as laid out in the National Health Service (NHS) and Community Care Act 1990. The programme contained four key elements namely, Arrangement for assessing the health and social needs of recipients of specialist mental health services, The regular use of care plan that identified which provider was responsible for different aspects of a persons care Key worker who would monitor and co-ordinate care for the individual Regular review and if appropriate changes to the care plan. Through the introduction of the CPA, patients identified at risk have been required to be kept on supervision register (DH, 1995). The idea was that all patients in contact with services would be subject to CPA but that some require greater scrutiny and service input. Pilgrim et al stated that the Labour government inherited this method in 1997 and continued to endorse it as the mainstay of good quality community-based management for people with mental health disorder, despite the concept of community care being problematic by health ministers and controversial cases such as that of Christopher Clunis. Social inclusion Social exclusion occurs when,  marginalised by society, people are not able  play a full and  equal part in their community.  Many people who experience mental distress experience stigma and discrimination, and live in poverty. They may find it hard to find adequate housing or access employment. The net result is that people can become seriously isolated and excluded from social and working life. Following the publication of the Social Exclusion Units (SEU) report into mental health and social exclusion, the National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE) have been charged with implementing the 27 action points listed in the SEU report. NIMHE are working on a number of policy areas including employment, education, social networks, housing and homelessness, direct payments, income and benefits. (DoH 1998)

To Kill A Mockingbird - Scouts Maturity :: To Kill a Mockingbird Essays

As people grow in life, they mature and change. In the novel , To Kill a Mockingbird ,by Harper Lee, Scout, the main character, matures as the book continues. Slowly but surely, Scout learns to control her explosive temper, to refrain from fistfights, and to respect Calpurnia, their maid, and to really learn her value to the family. Scout simply changes because she matures, and she also changes because Atticus, her father, asks her to. In the early chapters of the book, Scout picks fights at the slightest provocation. One example of this is when Scout beats up Walter Cunningham, one of her classmates, for â€Å"not having his lunch†, which isn’t a very good reason at all. â€Å"Catching Walter Cunningham in the schoolyard gave me some pleasure, but when I was rubbing his nose in the dirt Jem came by and told me to stop. ‘You’re bigger’n he is,’ he said †¦ ‘He made me start off on the wrong foot.’ †¦ ‘Let him go Scout. Why?’ ‘He didn’t have any lunch,’ I said, and explained my involvement in Walter’s dietary affairs† (27). Scout is also very mischievous and has a devious mentality towards Calpurnia. She describes Calpurnia as a tyrannical presence, and she does everything she can to get her out of the house. One time Scout does this is when Walter comes over to her house to eat dinner. Scout criticizes Walt er for drowning his food in molasses, and Calpurnia scolds Scout. After Walter leaves, Scout asks Atticus to fire Calpurnia, which of course he doesn’t do. â€Å"Jem said suddenly grinned at him. ‘Come on home to dinner with us, Walter,’ he said. †¦ Walter stood where he was, biting his lip. Jem and I gave up, and we were nearly to the Radley Place when Walter called, ‘Hey, I’m comin’!’ While Walter piled food on his plate, he and Atticus talked together like to men, to the wonderment of Jem and me. Atticus was expounding on farm problems when Walter interrupted to ask if there was any molasses in the house†¦ Walter poured syrup on his vegetables and meat with a generous hand. He would probably have poured it into his milk glass had I not asked what the sam hill he was doing†¦ It was then that Calpurnia quested my presence in the kitchen†¦ She was furious, and when she was furious Calpurnia’s grammar became erratic†¦ â€Å"There’s some folks who don’t eat like us,† she whispered fiercely†¦ Jem and Walter returned to school ahead of me: staying behind to advise Atticus of Calpurnia’s iniquities was worth a solitary sprint past the Radley Place.

Joy Luck Club :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club brings forth many characteristics of new world and old world traditions into the reader’s sight. Old world traditions are the customs and beliefs practiced in one’s native country. The novel introduces the reader to the hardships that one encounters when the environment and the neighbors change. The American customs, or new world traditions, seem to prevail in the thoughts of the Chinese-American daughters; thus, encouraging the mothers to stress the old world traditions onto their children. The mothers also try to bring the best of both worlds to their children to make their children’s lives better. As the children mature, they realize the true worth of their Chinese heritage and try to retain to the Chinese characteristics that they have. In The Joy Luck Club, old world and new world traits are gained and lost by the characters in the novel to benefit themselves and make their strength of mind stronger.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The children in The Joy Luck Club gain many characteristics of the old world and the new world that compose new people. The novel introduces us to characters that have lost their inner soul spirits that contain their Chinese heritage. The mothers know that their Chinese traditions and language are a necessary factor in dealing with their everyday life. The mothers also know that the new American traditions are needed to succeed in their new home. The mothers encourage English speaking, but also want to preserve their Chinese language. The major new thought that is gained by the children, and the mothers is the â€Å"American Dream.† They believe that anything is possible in America, and their dreams can be fulfilled trough their children. â€Å"My mother believed you could be anything you wanted in America†¦You could be instantly famous.†(Tan 141). The children gain pride for their native country also; raising their self-esteem and bringing abou t new strength in them. People cannot be accepted in society without accepting themselves. One has to accept their heritage and have pride for their heritage for other people to respect them. The mothers in the novel try to teach this lesson to their children. The minute our train leaves the Hong Kong border and enters Shenzhen, China, I feel different. I can feel the skin on my forehead tingling, my blood rushing through a new course, my bones aching with familiar old pain. And I think, My mother was right.

Mine Boy by Peter Abrhams

Mine Boy by Peter Abrhams certainly demonstrates the effects of imposing imperialism, and capitalism on a particular society. In this novel Xuma the protagonists has somewhat of an awakening. He goes from being an ignorant and innocent boy to a radical and brave man, once he realizes the impact of the foreign influence on his fellow citizens. South Africans were being oppressed and forced to live a life in which there were little to no choices. Many of them accommodated this influence by integrating themselves with their oppressors to be accepted. Some led a life of self destruction by becoming alcoholics or even engaging in illicit activity. Some like Xuma became angry radicals. Abraham shows the characters frustrations with the capitalist system that was enforced on them. There were few job opportunities, therefore leaving them with almost no options. Working in the mine was not a desired job and neither were most of the other occupations available, which led them to pursue alternative paths for income. The paths many characters took were paths that led to ultimate destruction and chaos, however these were the unfortunate consequences of imperialism and imposed systems. There is also significant mental destruction on the characters that is a direct result of the apartheid and imperialism which takes place. For example Eliza, she struggles with a sense of identity. This is a typical result of being oppressed. The oppressed begin to believe what their oppressors claim they are and proclaim about them. The oppressed in this case Eliza, begin to identify both with their oppressors as well as the others in her own group. This causes a great deal of conflict and confusion within the individual and socially as well.

The Sister Brothers

Peter DeWitt novel â€Å"The Sister Brothers† is set in western frontiers of America in 1850’s. Eli and Charlie Sisters are notorious professional killers, are on their way to California to kill a man named Hermann Kermit Warm. Charlie makes money and kills anyone who stands in his way. While Eli on the other hand has doubts about what they do for a living and falls in love easily. In â€Å"The Prince† by Niccolo Machiavelli he says the best way to manipulate people and gain power is through Intelligence, fear and emotion.In the novel â€Å"The Sister Brothers† Charlie the eldest brother employs all of these tactics to control his brother and those around him. â€Å"The wise man does at once what the fool does finally†- Niccolo Machiavelli Charlie uses his intelligence to trick others into thinking that he is a gunslinger that plays by the rules. In one instance, Charlie and Eli are cornered by a group of trappers. The trappers plan to kill the brot hers to gain fame and fortune. So Charlie proposes the idea of a fair duel between him and the leader.As Eli counts to three Charlie turns around and shoots all the trappers in the head killing all of them. Charlie was able to dominate the situation and live by using intellect. â€Å"It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both†- Niccolo Machiavell Charlie though has the best of both worlds. His brother loves him devotedly while others around him fear him. Charlie has killed so many men that he has become infamous and when people hear his name they tremble with fear. For example when Charlie and Eli trap Hermann he lays his gun down and gives up without a second thought.He knows that they could kill him before he even moved to pull the trigger. â€Å"A wise prince should establish himself on that which is in his own control and not in that of others† â€Å"I was not an efficient killer. I was not and had never been and would never be. Charlie had been a ble to make use of my temper was all; he had manipulated me, exploited my personality†-Eli Sister. During their days as assassin Charlie had tempered Eli into a killer through his personality. All Eli wanted to do was protect his brother from those who wished to hurt him.Charlie understood this and used his brothers protective emotions to advance himself in criminal underworld. In all of the violent situations that occur in the novel Charlie and Eli always come out on top through intelligence, fear and emotion. Niccolo Machiavelli would call Charlie â€Å"The Perfect Prince†. Charlie has used all of the techniques that Niccolo would advise someone to gain and maintain power in their lives. So by using the techniques the Machiavelli suggest isn't it possible for anyone to gain and maintain power?

Cultural Determinants of Terrorism Essay

Orchestrated objectives within well-organized terrorist groups suggest that principles of organizational psychology apply to terrorist organizations, under the cultural influence of each one (Borum, 2004). There is much cause for optimism in understanding terrorist organizations, for as Alder and Gunderson (2008) write, â€Å"Luckily, we have learned that global complexity is neither unpredictable nor random† (p. v). The call for research has never been more pressing. Introduction â€Å"Terrorism is an elusive subject, evading precise political, jurisprudential, and cultural definition† (Oliveri, 2008, p. 49). It depends upon the definition of ‘terrorism’. â€Å"With over 100 definitions, this is not an easy task; there is no common understanding of what constitutes ‘terrorism’; no clear and universally acknowledged definition actually exists† (Franks, 2007, p. 2). The definition Munger (2006) proposes that is used for this paper is, â⠂¬Å"Culture is defined as the set of ‘inherited’ beliefs, attitudes, and moral strictures that a people use to distinguish outsiders, to understand themselves and to communicate with each other† (p. 131). The distinguishing characteristic of ‘them’ and ‘us’ is perhaps the fundamental belief generated within cultures that makes terrorism towards others possible. Whether viewed in terms of extremist Muslim culture or right-wing American culture, cultural identity supports the conflict of ideologies. Ward (2008) says, â€Å"Terrorism has taken the academic world by storm† (p. 248). The Psychology of Terrorism only became a legitimate academic study in 1982; â€Å"terrorism is far from a new phenomenon, traceable to the French Revolution and the Nihilists of 19th Century Russia† (Franks, 2007, p. ). Undoubtedly, it goes much further into the annals of history than the 19th Century, â€Å"the concept of terrorism had no meaning in history until the modern era† (Bratkowski, 2005, p. 764). Prior to modernity, terrorism was so much a part of daily culture it was normal behavior, without a specific word for it. In fact, for most of Christendom, â €Å"humankind has always provided a justification for killing and instilling terror in fellow humans† (p. 764). It is only recently that most cultures have placed a label of immorality on selective murder to achieve political or cultural ends. Our species has a protracted history and prehistory of terrorism. One might wonder why terrorism has â€Å"taken the academic world by storm†. Insights from Psychology â€Å"Terrorist violence most often is deliberate (not impulsive), strategic, and instrumental; it is linked to and justified by ideological (e. g. , political, religious) objectives and usually involves a group or multiple actors/supporters (Borum, 2004, p. 17). Since terrorist objectives originate within multinational organizations, principles of organizational psychology apply to all terrorist organizations, under the cultural milieu of the organization in question. What is now certain is that terrorism is not a psychopathological aberration, as was originally thought in psychoanalytical circles (Crenshaw, 1992). Terrorist organizations are composed of clear-headed individuals, often with advanced university degrees. Merari (1991) collected empirical data on suicide bombers, and found that psychopathology is almost never a factor in a terrorist’s profile. In fact, â€Å"prevalence of mental illness among samples of incarcerated terrorists is as low as or lower than in the general population† (Borum, 2004, p. 34). This is a clear indicator that we are dealing with psychologies of organization, and not groups of crazed sociopaths. Survival of the organization, a tenet of organizational psychology, has clear implications for the terrorist mindset (Post, 1989), even though â€Å"research on the psychology of terrorism largely lacks substance and rigor. While cultural factors are important, much study remains. â€Å"Future research should be operationally-informed; maintain a behavior based focus; and derive interpretations from analyses of incident-related behaviors† (Borum, 2004, p. 3). The main problem with such a venture might be that terrorists are not giving interviews or taking surveys. Borum points out that â€Å"there is a broad spectrum of terrorist groups and organizations, each of which has a different psychology, motivation and decision making structure† (p. 5). This further underscores the need to be on guard against the ‘stereotypical terrorist organization’: there is none. In a terrorist organization, â€Å"two key narcissistic dynamics are a grandiose sense of self and ‘idealized parental imago’. If one can’t be perfect, at least one can be in a relationship with something perfect† (Borum, 2004, p. 9). Association with a world figure such as Bin Laden satisfies this need; this can lead us back to US culture: promulgation and amplifying worldwide terrorism, via the news media. Bin Laden often makes the evening news, and every time he does, his ‘world stature’ is elevated, especially in the min ds of his followers. It the name Bin Laden was unknown, how much less effective would al-Qaeda become? Media has some degree of culpability, if not complicity in promulgating terrorism worldwide by providing free publicity to organizations and their cause. According to Paul Marsden (CPM, 2001, p. 1), â€Å"the amount of media coverage devoted to these events, by television networks and newspapers, correlates positively with the rise in subsequent `copycat’ events. This is darkly consistent with the substantial body of evidence for suicide contagion – the idea that suicides beget suicide. † If distraught teenagers copy Columbine style shootings, how much more are suicide attacks from terrorist cells encouraged by watching the evening news? Unintentionally but effectively eulogizing angry teens and terrorists alike hold moral implications for the major news media, which need addressing by society. Organizational Psychology provides some insight: if a culture perceives it is losing its ability to contribute its share to the world stage, conflict will result (Rahim, 1986; Katz ; Kahn, 1978). Considering that entire cultures may feel they are losing their ability to contribute because of intervention of external cultures upon their own culture is likely one requisite to the creation of worldwide terror organization formation. Cultural factors of extremist Muslim society While many in the West view extremist Muslim terrorism as irrational behavior by deranged individuals, â€Å"it is perfectly possible to understand terrorism as a rational decision problem, if we accept the premise that culture matters† (Munger, 2006, p. 132). â€Å"Islamic societies, not exclusively, but perhaps to a greater extent than most other nations, are committed to an idea of the perfectibility of humans in societies, through moral education and imposition and enforcement of moral law (Sharia) based on the Quran† (p. 142). This religious adherence adds a great deal of resistance to compromise from outside cultures, and bolsters the extremist elements within Islamic society. Much of the cultural foundation of extremist Muslim culture is their unique interpretation of the Quran: â€Å"The contemporary terrorist mentality and culture, which are rooted in absolutist, either-or, good-and-evil world views, resist efforts to negotiate. Accommodation, bargaining, and mutually acceptable compromise are not envisioned as possibilities within many terrorists’ mental framework† (Smelser ; Mitchell, 2002, p. 1). It appears that once a terrorist organization is established, the only ways to eliminate it is either when they accomplish their objectives, to destroy them, or to take away their reason to exist, which will allow Skinnerian extinction to follow over time. The ‘destroy’ method is problematic and costly: how does one destroy an ideology? Islamic terrorists are well-connected using technology; their geographic locality is literally everywhere and nowhere. Culturally-attuned uses of information technology† are a major source of cross-cultural influences in the creation and sustaining of terrorist organizations (Bailey ; Grimaila, 2006, p. 534). Terrorist organizations are expert in spreading and sustaining their ideology around the world. Once indoctrinated into a group, people will generally follow orders, no matter how extreme or violent, as long as the individual perceives that the order was issued from the appropriate authority (Milgram, 1965). Cultural influences caused normal students at Stanford to transform into ‘merciless prison guards’; once given the role and the authority, al-Qaeda recruits mold easily to orders from Bin Laden. Not only do they have a physical authority, which relieves their individual conscience from objecting, but also they further believe that Allah Himself sanctions Bin Laden and themselves in their efforts to establish Sharia law throughout the world (Bailey ; Grimaila, 2006). There is substantial agreement that the psychology of terrorism cannot be considered apart from political, historical, familial, group dynamic, organic, and even purely accidental, coincidental factors† (Borum, 2004, p. 22). Borum also states, â€Å"Significant differences [exist] both in, 1) the nature and level of aggression in different cultures, and 2) aggression can be environmentally manipulated; both findings that argue against a universal human instinct [of violence]† (p. 12). Diamond (20 04) argues that environmental influences are paramount in understanding why cultures are the way they are. The Fertile Crescent, once the cornerstone of agriculture, became radically altered once all the forests were clear-cut, leaving mostly a barren desert environment. It is interesting to note that the foundation cultures which harbored the seeds of al-Qaeda all come from this former environmental paradise. Therefore, while culture probably has the most influence on the creation of terrorist organizations in the short term today, environment certainly has a large degree of impact over the long term, and might have a large impact in the short term via militaristic or political manipulation. For many critics, global or ‘hyper’ terrorism has become an ultimate expression of acutely depressed geopolitical chaos† (Ward, 2008, p. 252). Geopolitical chaos produces environments ripe with opportunity for recruiters toward the cause of terrorism. Without addressing and rectifying the chaotic areas of the world, it is highly doubtful, that global terrorism will end. Cultures th at feel oppressed or depraved on the world stage may rise in rebellion against the oppressing culture(s), with or without religious dictate. Muslim culture is producing the lion’s share of high-visibility terrorists in the world today (Borum, 2004). One way to understand Muslim culture as it relates to the creation of terrorism is to look at Hofstede’s dimensions. Generally, Islamic countries have large inequalities of status, forming a small ruling group, and a large ruled group with limited power. Hofstede (2001) shows, those Arab cultures have large Power Distance (PDI) (80) and Uncertainty Avoidance (UAI) (68). When these two Dimensions are combined, it creates a situation where leaders have virtually ultimate power and authority. It is not unusual for new leadership to arise from armed insurrection – the ultimate power, rather than from diplomatic or democratic change† (Borum, 2004, p. 44). Virtually the only method available for the downtrodden in Arab society to express their need for change is by armed insurrection. This is a valuable insight into the cultural creation of Arab-based terr orism, possibly the most important one. Naturally, from the ‘terrorists’ point of view they are not terrorists at all but â€Å"freedom fighters†, fighting with their only available means to enact positive change. Does this mean efforts at establishing democracy in Muslim states are likely to fail? Cultural roots run deep, and are resistant to change by outside cultures (Weiten, 2004), so the question of democracy introduced and established by Westerners is a highly speculative venture. Finally, take the case of a female suicide bomber. It was originally assumed that the young woman who committed this act was â€Å"innocent, ignorant, and of questionable morality† (Brunner, 2007, p. 961). It is difficult for Westerners to imagine otherwise. Subsequent interviews revealed that she was educated, showed no signs of emotional disturbance, and was â€Å"as highly intelligent and more independent than other girls in her society, but still fully within the range of normal† (p. 961). The key point is that she was â€Å"fully within the range of normal†, according to the culture that she grew up within. By not understanding her culture, Western culture had labeled her â€Å"innocent, ignorant, and immoral†, overlooking key factors with which to fully understand why a mentally stable young woman would commit such an act, and more importantly, to be able to deal realistically with the rise of extremist terrorism through a lack of cultural understanding. Cultural factors of the United States There is a cultural precedence of powerful nations to label other nations as ‘evil’: a threat to ‘civilization’ (Ivie, 2005). In the U. S. , â€Å"this is a very old cultural theme, deeply ingrained into the political psyche† (p. 56). This cross-cultural mindset of powerful nations is one part in the creation of terrorists in weaker cultures, a type of self-fulfilling prophecy: the call to destroy the ‘barbarians that threaten democracy’ is an ancient one; Greece and Rome had similar ongoing open-ended campaigns against terrorists, as does the U. S. today (p. 55). The main trouble with an open-ended campaign is that it never ends†¦ another cultural perception that needs adjustment on the world stage in order to arrive at peace in the world. Looking at the cultural history of the US, the ‘savage’ has always been the object of distain and genocide, in order to ‘make way for civilization’ (Ivie, 2005). The genocide of indigenous peoples of the North American continent is well documented, even using biological terrorist tactics of germ warfare; giving ‘gifts’ of small-pox laden blankets to Indians without acquired immunity against devastating disease (Diamond, 1997). Oliverio (2008) writes, â€Å"It was also a matter of common sense that the Aryan race was superior. This taken-for-granted reality of Aryan superiority led to the extermination of millions of American Indians, millions of African slaves bound for America, and countless indigenous cultures throughout the world† (p. 21). Powerful cultures that label weaker cultures as savages are a powerful impetus to the creation of terrorism. It is a recent habit of the American Right to wage war against abstractions (Comaroff, 2007, p. 381). The line between metaphorical and real war, blurred beyond recognition, gives rise to such cultural terms as ‘the war against drugs’, ‘the war against poverty’, ‘the war against illegal immigration’ (Sherry, 1995), and has become the standard of cultural mind-set in America today. Again, the US has a â€Å"militarized world-view extended to declaring metaphorical wars on disease, crime, engaging in ‘trade wars’ with foreign competitors, and fighting ‘culture wars’ with one another† (p. 58). â€Å"Culture wars† is the main point in question: how can peace ever prevail if acts of war against culture prevail? Even the Olympic Games that followed 9/11 became a forum for the core Bush Doctrine (Falcous ; Silk, 2005). How does the reduction of civil liberties fare with the response to terrorism? â€Å"Not allowing college professors to speak out against governmental policies associated with the war on terror† (Crowson ; DeBacker, 2008, p. 296) is one form of right-wing authoritarianism that many Americans think needs implementation. A disturbing trend of loss of personal freedoms that some associate with fascism. Taken as a whole, US domestic and foreign policy regarding oil consumption, and support for oppressive regimes, is set aside in deference to critical scrutiny of individual behavior and the forms of ‘moral lassitude’ associated with a culture of dependency† (Hay ; Andrejevic, 2006, p. 344). So at least part of the U. S. cultural mindset is about securing its own economic interests at the expense of decency and fairness on the world stage. Many people think that the U. S. would never have bothered with Iraq if they had no strategic oil supplies, especially in the Middle East and Europe. This belief can only inflame world tensions further. Understanding cross-cultural inter-dependencies A surprising interdependency, regards the Bush Administration itself. According to Kellner (2004), not only Jihadists are responsible for ‘spectacular acts of terror’, but also both Bush administrations. They deployed â€Å"Manichean discourses of good and evil which themselves fit into dominant media codes of popular culture; that both deploy fundamentalist and absolutist discourses† (p. 41). This is extremely similar to the â€Å"contemporary terrorist mentality and culture, which are rooted in absolutist, either-or, good-and-evil world views, resist efforts to negotiate† (Smelser ; Mitchell, 2002, p. 1). The Bush administration openly declares its refusal to communicate with terrorist organizations or states, which is absolutist. We know that incentives flourish within such organizations (Munger, 2006). Incentives usually take two forms: 1) recruit members that are prone to obey and please within a cultural setting (e. g. collectivist rather than individualist cultures), and 2) â€Å"Create a set of incentives that reward loyalty, by giving access to excludable near-public (â€Å"club†) goods† (p. 131). Mohammed Atta reportedly was â€Å"at a strip club spending a lot of money, shouting anti-American slogans, and left a copy of the Quran before he left† (USA TODAY, 2001, p. 1). This incident seems to have fallen under ‘club goods’ instead of operational funds, because it was the night before the hijackings, and such excessive cash was no longer needed. This says nothing of the influence U. S. culture had on Atta, a devout Muslim going to a strip club, one day before he â€Å"meets Allah†. There is no such thing as a ‘terrorist state’, in the absolute sense. Triandis, Bontempo, Villareal, Asai, and Lucca (1988) have shown that national cultures never equate to individual or subgroup cultures, so while a totalitarian governing body may indeed be a terrorist organization, the general populace can in no way be held accountable for the actions of a few. It is a stereotypical mistake to label an entire country as terrorist. It is important to realize that â€Å"both differences and similarities in behavior occur across and within cultures; psychological processes are characterized by both cultural variance and invariance† (Weiten, 2006, p24). Regrettably, â€Å"quite a few nations are culturally reasonably homogeneous† (Hofstede, 1998, p180), and this may mean that a few nations may be mostly extremist in their outlook. Discourses from the Bush administrations paralleled closely to speeches given by Hitler, Pope Urban II, and others: â€Å"an appeal to a legitimate power source external to the speaker; an appeal to the importance of the national culture under attack; the construction of an evil enemy; and an appeal for unification† (Graham, Keenan, ; Dowd, 2004, p. 213). Kellner (2004) feels that â€Å"the disparity between the vast amount of information freely available to all through multimedia sources, and the narrow vision presented on the major news media via television is a travesty†, and a major cultural factor responsible for the deployments of the Bush administrations’ controlled mass media (p. 61). While arguments that ‘freely available news sources from uncontrolled sources’ might suggest this no longer to be a cultural factor, culture by nature takes time to change, and most Americans probably place more credence in the evening news than the newer Internet sources (Kellner, 2003). Another example of how cross-cultural misunderstandings regularly occur between nations: â€Å"when one cultural message sender transmits information to another culture, chances of accurate transmission are reduced† (Alder ; Gunderson, 2008, p. 72), and when nations or organizations refuse to send information between cultures as both the Bush administration and the al-Qaeda organization currently do, virtually no chance of accurate transmission occurs. Stalemate results and wars go on, indefinitely; clear contributors to terrorism. Perhaps nowhere is the question of terrorism more complex than in the European Union: â€Å"European counterterrorism culture is a difficult concept due to the fact that the regional level of analysis encapsulates a range of different national cultures. Europe has always been a rich mixture of various cultures, and ‘terrorism’ is a culturally charged term† (Rees, 2007, p. 220), hence the difficulty in consensus. Conversely, in China, we could expect to find a unified definition of terrorism under the centralized government (Diamond, 1997). While China is suspect of â€Å"using the post-9/11 discourse of counterterrorism to cloak their own domestic priorities† (Rees, 2007, p. 224), most of their counterterrorism efforts are likely to gain support with the Chinese public as being in the accord of the countries best interest: China being a collectivistic nation. â€Å"Terrorists focus their recruitment where sentiments about perceived deprivation are deepest and most pervasive† (Borum, 2004). This helps us to understand why American involvement in Iraq actually helps create recruitment opportunities for al-Qaeda. Destroyed economies, infrastructure, and family support (via killed family members), create extreme deprivation, desperation to right cultural wrongs, and enrage cultural dictates for retribution (Borum, 2004). It even gives insight into where al-Qaeda might be concentrating recruitment efforts in America. For youth torn between two cultures in a foreign land, identity crisis may result from exposure to the foreign culture, and the chiasm between their parent’s cultures: â€Å"radicalism offers simple answers to the big questions they are grappling with† (Ongering, 2007, p. ). The human tendency to stereotype will easily adapt to simple answers rather than grapple with difficult questions (Weiten, 2004). Extrapolated, it may be easier to recruit a terrorist, than to prevent a person from taking up the cause in the first place. Does cultural pressure on a subgroup help to create violent extremists? Muslim communities in America, â€Å"Not only had their religion being p resented incorrectly, but its adherents were being equated with terrorists† (Baker, 2006, p. 302). Considering the degree that Muslim communities in the Western world are subject to intensified scrutiny, and even unwarranted acts of violence against them by US citizenry (Ward, 2008), a good assumption is that many young Muslims will adapt an extremist ideology in response to cultural threat (Sirin ; Fine, 2007), and some of those extremists will turn terrorist. It seems to be a never-ending spiral escalation of one cultural assault upon the other: the ‘Crusades’ continue†¦ It is a real ‘Which came first, the chicken or the egg? ’ question. Which side began this milieu of cultural attack and counterattack? Perceptions run the gamut: â€Å"The terrorist presents a story of heroism and necessary sacrifice. The counter-terrorist presents a counter-narrative of defiance and vengeance, replacing the image of the martyr with that of inhumanity, even bestiality† (Ward, 2008, p. 254). We reminded again of weaker cultures as ‘savage’, and as we have come to see, cross-culturally, nothing could be further from the truth from both extreme perspectives. Another cultural misunderstanding that may have helped to escalate tensions is the perception that the Muslim community in America did not stand up in unison and denounce the acts of 9/11 as atrocious. This initial silent response interpreted by many Americans as tantamount to condoning such acts of terrorism (Munro, 2006). Paradoxically, this lack of public outcry may have been the result of Muslim culture itself, with the majority of Muslims feeling that it was obvious that they had nothing to do with the attacks, and therefore no reason to take a public stand (Munro, 2006). A form of ‘vigilante counter-terrorism’ develops in American culture, which gives rise to anti-Muslim sentiment and acts of violence (Johnson, 2003). One probable contributing factor is termed: â€Å"Sudden Jihad Syndrome† (Pipes, 2006). The perpetrator, â€Å"for all outward appearances, a young Muslim man, well adjusted to Western society, considered friendly; one day, without warning, he acted out an independent Jihad, which injured nine students† (Pipes, 2006). Such unforeseeable and unpredictable behavior influences non-Muslims to stereotype many Muslims as having the same potential toward â€Å"Sudden Jihad Syndrome†. This of course creates an atmosphere of suspicion and mistrust between cultures: how can you tell who the enemy is just by looking at them? Discussion There is no cultural ‘quick fix’ to this pervasive problem confronting the modern world. â€Å"The general policy approach has to be adaptive, opportunistic, and multisided. The conventional problem-solving logic so attractive in American culture—find a problem and then fix it—is of limited utility, and a longer term, more contextualized approach is necessary† (Smelser et al. , 2002, p. 4). For instance, the Global War on Terror (GWOT) as espoused by the Bush Doctrine includes toppling ‘rogue nations’ as part of the effort to thwart terrorism (Borum, 2004). Focusing on ‘nation rebuilding’ of states, that are otherwise subject to deterrent, rather than on organizations that transcend geographic localities and are not subject to deterrent, is a lack of proper cultural understanding of the issues, and will lead to further cultural misunderstandings. It makes sense that if powerful cultures do not make accusations against weaker cultures not understood, or interfere in the sovereign rights of weaker nations, that a large amount of terrorism will fail to manifest by lack of unwanted cultural impetus from foreign powers. One of the biggest troubles seems to be, that powerful countries can arouse their masses which are â€Å"easily pressed into service to rally the nation, quell dissent and effectively inoculate the public against any alternative perspective† (Ivie, 2005, p. 56), the main point being to limit any alternative cultural perspectives as being legitimate relative to one’s own ‘superior’ cultural perspective. This is error. â€Å"An increasingly militarized culture of fear† (p. 9), such as is dominant in the US today, and which has been developing over many decades, cannot reduce the threat of terrorism in the world. Indeed, Muslim culture dictates that retribution be demanded when a family member is taken. Each errant US bomb inevitably creates more ‘terrorists’ (Borum, 2004), cultural ‘deviants’ are created that never would have existed otherwise. Rumors and hundreds of websites have sprung up claiming that FEMA has erected hundr eds of internment camps on American soil is a disturbing part of the changing culture in America today. A Google search of ‘American internment camps’ will pull up hundreds of unsubstantiated claims of such camps, including specific locations; further highlighting the cultural atmosphere of increasing paranoia. Finally, what can help prevent Muslim youth in the U. S. from taking a violent path? According to Sirin and Fine (2007)â€Å"Research that the successful integration of both one’s own culture and the dominant culture, leads to more positive developmental outcomes†¦whereas marginalization, that is disengagement from both cultures, is associated with mental health problems for immigrant youth† (p. 52). Society certainly would do well to address issues of marginalization, in order to help prevent future â€Å"Sudden Jihad Syndrome† (Pipes, 2006). Conclusion While this paper has focused mainly on US and Muslim extremist involvement, state and non-state respectively, it is important to remember that many other states and organizations exist whic h perpetrate terror. Terror is a two way street, with few exceptions. Perhaps the ultimate defense against terrorism is to understand the cultural and cross-cultural causes of it, and with proper knowledge, address the issues at hand. We must avoid stereotypes at all costs, because â€Å"Nearly all terrorists are extremists, but most extremists are not terrorists† (Borum, 2004). â€Å"Long-term orientation versus short-term orientation† (Franke, Hofstede, ; Bond, 1991) may provide insights into which culture holds greater strength in the GWOT. U. S. culture demands immediate results, and has little tolerance for long term strategies, while extremist Islamic culture is bond by the vision of Mohammed, and is prepared to sacrifice for centuries if need be (Borum, 2004). Fortunately, unnecessary warring between cultures may diminish substantially as one of the biggest single benefits of cross-cultural understanding and application of organizational psychological research (Brislan, 1983). â€Å"It is argued that we now live in an age of ‘hyperterrorism,’ where the nature and scale of terrorism has reached a new level, and that the question of ‘How to deal with international terrorism is quickly becoming the defining issue of our age’† (Ward, 2008, p. 248). It is imperative that we make every effort to understand the cross-cultural determinants of terrorism, regardless of cost. Additionally, â€Å"terrorism is a discourse that affects all our lives, and the collateral argument that terrorism somehow validates the occasional abrogation of so many of our most cherished legal principles, is something that should concern all of us† (p. 249). Hogan (2006) offers: â€Å"Due to the logistical and analytical challenges of cross-national comparisons, studies to date have concentrated largely on single nations† (p. 64). While much work remains, understanding the vast scope of cultural interdependencies that help create terrorism is an extremely complex task yet must be undertaken if we are to come to terms with global terrorism. As Hostede (1998) states, â€Å"constructs are products of the mind with which we attempt to understand and predict human behavior in an infinitely complex world†, and all constructs are flawed to some degree. In an infinitely complex world, we will never entirely eradicate terrorism in its many manifestations. Our best hope to eradicate the bulk of organized terrorism is through scientific understanding and conscientious application of rational solutions, freed from cultural bias. â€Å"Culture lies entirely on the â€Å"nurture† side of the ledger, as against â€Å"nature†, or truly nherited traits† (Munger, 2006, p. 134). Solutions to the specter of terrorism will manifest through understanding and responding to such cultural nurture. This paper has posited that understanding other cultures can help to reduce tensions between cultures, which give rise to terrorism and counterterrorism conflicts. As Munger (2006) points out, â€Å"a shared understanding of something that identifies insiders, and excludes outsiders because they do not share this understanding† (p. 133), is perhaps the fundamental commonality between conflicting sides. If we can short-circuit this exclusionary identity concept, by education and promulgate understanding by either, or both sides, and act upon it with responsible communication between parties, then perhaps modern terrorism as we know it will eventually end. It may take many years, because established terrorist organizations are not open to compromise (Smelser ; Mitchell, 2002), but such efforts may play a large part in helping to prevent future recruitment, and help eliminate the need for terrorist organizations within the cultures that originally spawned them; losing their luster they slowly fade from existence.

Pip’s emotion Essay

Remembering this, the adult Pip says â€Å"I believe they were fat, though at the time I was undersized for my years and not string† This begins to give the reader an image of Pips physical appearance. The fact that he is undersized and weak could be because due to the lack of money in his family he is underfed. This creates sympathy for Pip because the reader can see this poor defenceless little child in this awful situation and as he seems so defenceless the readers are interested to know how or if he will get himself out of this situation. This also helps Dickens to project his reasons for writing great expectations to the reader as he is unhappy with the conditions that Pip and other children in this time period are living in. The fact that Pip is criticizing himself could reflect the way he is treated by other people and is unhappy with himself (which becomes clear later in the story with his longing to become a gentleman). This Quote also shows that this is the voice of the adult Pip as looking back on this scene he is very concerned about his appearance as a boy. This could make the reader wonder if Pop is not poor any longer because as a gentleman appearance would be very important. Yet again Pip’s tone is quite light which helps to give the impression that Pip does get out of this situation safely and that maybe the convict isn’t as bad as he seems. This gives makes it seem that Pip is keeping something from the reader which makes the reader interested and wanting to find out what they don’t know. Pip continues to say â€Å"I earnestly expressed my hope that he wouldn’t and held tighter to the tombstone on which he had put me partly to keep myself upon it and partly to keep myself from crying. † By the explanation it is clear to the reader that this is a past event because it sounds like the words of an adult who is now well educated not those of a young boy who is close to tears. This also shows that the convicts has no consideration for Pips feelings and no respect for him either as he places him on top of a gravestone which could be that of his parents. This lack of care and respect for children is what Dickens is trying to put across and wants changed. This also gives the impression that in contrast to his previous defencelessness appearance pip as a character is quite brave as he is trying to stay calm and not show that he is upset while most children would be in tears. This could be trying to show the audience that you should not judge people by class or appearance which is relevant later on in the story as the convict turns out to be a nice person of lower class while Estella is cruel and snobby because she thinks she is better than Pip because of the class she believes she belongs to. However although the adult Pip seems to be thinking he was brave the first phrase sounds quite light as if pip doesn’t want the reader to think he was weak and is making the tone less serious. This still creates sympathy for Pip because so many terrible things are happening to him. The convict wants to scare Pip into doing what he wants † A boy may lock his door may be warm in bed, may tuck himself up, may draw the clothes over his head, may think himself comfortable and safe, but that young man will softly creep and creep his way to him and tear him open. â€Å"At this point Magwitch is being very manipulative and is scaring Pip into thinking that someone he cant see or hear can see and hear him. His description is so vivid that it may also make the reader feel uneasy as if they too are being watched. Dickens creates tension with the steady build up of short actions that result in him suddenly being killed. He lists every possible thing that Pip may try to do to escape and explaining how they won’t work and that Pip is unable to escape which will leave Pip feeling completely helpless. The fact that he uses Pip’s home as the setting for this grim death which is the one place Pip should feel safe will make Pip feel trapped and that he is in danger wherever he goes. The convict is looking into the mind of a child and has picked the scenario most children fear. This is very cruel which shows how desperate he is but could also show that magwitch has had contact with children as he knows what they fear. This concept is very disturbing and as was evident from previous descriptions Pip’s imagination is already going wild. The length of the detail could be because magwitch has done what he is describing or has seen someone else do it whilst in prison. Pip’s imagination and descriptions create more images of the convict † he looked into my young eyes as if he were eluding the hands of the dead people, stretching up cautiously out of their graves to get a twist upon his ankle and pull him in. † This is pips imagination exaggerating what he sees but still makes the reader picture magwitch as something out of a horror style text. It could be that the look on his face is like he is attempting to escape from the dead and recreates Pips earlier ideas of him coming for the graves. His appearance gives a feel of how much he has been through in the fact that he is covered in mud and starving to death. However the fact that he is not being pulled into the graves proves that he is strong and either not ready or refusing to die making the reader wonder if he has an important part to play later in the story, which he does. Dickens uses sentence structures to show distance â€Å"ours was the marsh country, down by the river, with as the river wound twenty miles from the sea† This creates an instant impression that his home is very far away. The word â€Å"wound† creates the image of distance and the repetition of river creates the feeling of length. Each comma between the descriptions could resemble a new twist or turn to the river. The fact that he is so far away from his home (and society) and the sea, makes him seem very isolated and alone. Not only is he trapped in the graveyard but his home seems to be in the middle of nowhere with no place to escape to this adds to the overall feeling of helplessness that the chapter creates around Pip. The commas themselves make the sentence more difficult to understand which symbolises the feeling of Pip being lost and trapped in this place completely separate from the rest of the world. Dickens uses sentence structures to show Pip’s emotions. Pip tells the reader † at such a time I found out for certain, that this bleak place overgrown with nettles was the churchyard, and that Philip pirrip late of this parish, and also georgianna wife of the above were dead and buried and that Alexander, Bartholomew, Abraham, Tobias and roger, infant children of the aforesaid, were also dead and buried, and that the dark flat wilderness beyond the churchyard intersected with dykes and mounds and gates with scattered cattle feeding on it, was the marshes and that the low leaden line beyond was the river; and that the distant savage lair from which the wind was rushing, was the sea; and the small bundle of shivers growing afraid of it all and beginning to cry was Pip. Here Dickens successfully; by use of sentence structure, captures the voice of the young Pip. † This sentence shows that Pip is getting increasingly upset with everything he is seeing. He is thinking about the deaths of his parents and brothers and beginning to realise how alone he is in the graveyard and in the world because almost his entire family is â€Å"dead and buried†. He seems to be looking around and taking in more and more at once which is shown by the fact that he keeps adding more and more descriptions to the sentence. He repeats the words â€Å"and that† after every semi-colon which effectively shows the voice of the young child as he is using limited vocabulary and making it sound like a list. This quote also how small and insignificant Pip is in his surroundings because it is such a long description until all that is left is pip. He is beginning to scare himself because he uses a metaphor describing the sea as a lair as the wind is rushing from it with such force like a wild animal waiting to attack him. This also shows a Childs imagination and fears and makes the reader want to protect Pip as he is a frightened innocent child. The sentence is extended with commas and semi-colons and everything is listed very quickly which makes Pip sound very panicky and this feeling is mirrored by the fact that the reader gets out of breath when reading it aloud. It shows a build up of all of his emotions and when the sentence ends the reader may get a sense of relief which is like the relief Pip feels when he begins to cry. Everything is described very negatively and Pip begins with the focus on the deaths of his family which shows what a depressing setting this is and makes the reader want to help Pip escape from it all. Dickens uses a long sentence to describe the convict. † A man who had been soaked in water and smothered in mud and lamed by stones, and cut by flints, and stung by nettles and torn by briars, who limped and shivered and glared and growled; and who’s teeth chattered in his head as he seized me by the chin. † Here Pip is getting panicked again which is shown by the fast pace of the list describing magwich’s appearance. This also captures the sense of a young boy through the adult pip because although this also sounds like the speech of a child with the repetition of the word â€Å"and† at the time pip was unlikely to have noticed everything about the convict. Therefore dickens writes as the adult Pip so as to give an effective description of the convict. It also emphasises how much the convict has been through and proves that he must be strong to have survived everything Pip describes and also that he must have a purpose in his life and in the story otherwise why put himself through so much. The alliteration focuses the reader’s attention on the words â€Å"glared and growled† giving an impression that the convict is some kind of wild animal which fits well with the metaphor â€Å"distant savage lair†.

Monopoly & monopolistic Essay

There are plenty of companies in America today that are controlled by a monopolistic market. Although there may be a few that are controlled as a monopoly market, while there are a few that are out there such as the Gas and Electric Company, SDG&E and the USPS. It can be difficult when you are going from a monopolistic firm to a monopoly only because the market is completely different from one another. When it comes to Wonks, there are plenty of beneficiaries when we analyze the differences of going from one to another. It is uncommon that a firm will go to a monopoly after being a monopolistic company. But as we dig deeper there can be some advantages as with anything there are disadvantages to the government, companies and society. As stated in our text the definition of the monopolistic is as follows, â€Å"A common form of industry (market) structure in the United States, characterized by a large number of firms, no barriers to entry, and product differentiation† (Case, pg. 304). When we look at a monopolistic company indicates that there are multiple types of the same type or similar companies that create the same product(s). This tends to be a common theme here in America. Wonks changed to a monopoly firm which resulted in â€Å"â€Å"An industry with a single firm that produces a product for which there are no close substitutes and in which significant barriers to entry prevent other firms from entering the industry to compete for profits† (Case, pg. 262). In a monopoly firm there is one main firm that manufactures the product and nobody else can replicate the product. Looking on the brighter side, there are plenty of advantages to having a monopoly company that could be beneficial for the government, other companies as well as customers. The government usually looks at a firm that is considered a monopoly and they are the ones who allow the sense of control over the company. They are able to come in the market as a monopoly with in fact this will allow for them to regulate the competition. For a company there are benefits as well to being a monopoly company. It requires for the company to have a huge amount of products on hand to make sure that they are meeting the customer’s needs. For a company to do that they would need to provide a bigger amount of capital in the production. This is because production cost takes a plunge simple fact that you are now producing in larger amounts. This may be a huge asset for a firm because it will now be lower in cost for the product to be produced. When we analyze price, the firm may have an option to increase or decrease the price depending on the situation. Since Wonk is the only company like itself, the customers have to pay the price that the company puts forth, or they have the choice of not purchasing their products. Lastly, for the customer’s standpoint, they have some advantages as well. A firm that tends to be as the monopoly firm can lower prices to get people in the door. Not always will the prices be low either. Now this is an advantage for one because now the consumer is getting the product at cheaper prices. When it comes to Wonks being a monopoly the government, companies as well as the customers can all benefit from it in one way or another. When looking at the two, a monopolistic and a monopoly firm the pricing and the producing for both are different. In this case the monopoly firms prices tend to be higher because they are the only company that manufactures the item or product. At any given time the company can increase and or decrease the prices when they want and the customers either can purchase the product or not at all. In a monopolistic company, their prices can differ from time to time given that there are many more companies with similar products. One thing to pay attention to is that not just one firm can change the prices because the customers can just simply go to another place to get a similar product at a cheaper price. For a monopoly company when it comes to producing product, it can be different to how prices are determined. For example, if the prices are lower, then more production is needed in order to keep up with consumer demands. We could also consider that the production may not change a whole lot in a monopoly because they are usually the only firm with that particular product. In this case if a customer wanted the item or product then they will pay whatever the manufacturer priced it out as. For a monopolistic company, production can change depending on the prices. If the companies prices happens to be high, consumers will not want to purchase items from this company. Customers do have a choice to shop around and go to another company. Some companies have particular market and target a certain group of individuals. This can be more beneficial to these types more than others. In my opinion, Wonks can benefit more from a monopoly. Considering my research, it appears that there are more opportunities for Wonks as a monopoly as oppose to a monopolistic firm. When a firm is part of a monopoly, they are able to control more of the sales to provide the necessary items for their consumers. A change with Wonks going from a monopolistic firm to a monopoly has many benefits. The government can benefit from Wonks by this firm being a monopoly simply because they are controlling the market. The company benefits and also they are able to reduce the amount of productivity cost because things are being produced in mass quantities. As for as the customers, they are able to get the product they need at a reasonably cheap price. A monopoly company can have some advantages when it comes to the economy if they have the put the consumers needs to make them happy customers. Reference: 1) Case, K. , Fair, R. , Oster, S. , (2009). Principles of Microeconomics, 9th Edition. Person Learning Solutions. Upper Saddle River, NJ.

Summary for the freedom writers movie Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Summary for the freedom writers movie - Essay Example There are students who are not of ethical or acceptable moral conduct and some even belong to gangs. Initially they are not willing to share information or personal things with her. However, with time Erin figures out ways in which she can engage them. She directs them to write regular journals and in this way they start sharing some information and personal experiences with her. â€Å"As Erin tries harder and harder to have resources provided to teach properly (which often results in her needing to pay for them herself through working second and third jobs), she seems to face greater resistance, especially from her colleagues, such as Margaret Campbell, her section head, who lives by regulations and sees such resources as a waste, and Brian Gelford, who will protect his "priviledged" position of teaching the senior honors classes at all cost. Erin also finds that her teaching job is placing a strain on her marriage to Scott Casey, a man who seems to have lost his own idealistic way in life.†