Coach Inc Essay

1) 1. What are the defining characteristics of the luxury goods industry? What is the industry like? A luxury brand may have profound influence on an overall product strategy since its position may determine how the company is going to make its next step. A luxury brand like Coach epitomizes elegance and combines classic beauty with modern design. According to John E. Gamble, not only has Coach become one of the most respected and known brand names in the ladies’ handbags and leather accessories luxury brand industry, it is also one of the most best-selling luxury brand companies in the world, with net sales reaching 2.1 billion in 2006 (Gamble). When a company like Coach decides to set up a product strategy for the next season, the manager will need to take the brand’s established style into account, since their incoming products must fit with the existing brand. When a manager, such as Lew Frankfort, chairman and CEO of Coach, Inc., aims to build a luxury brand like Coach, he invests millions of dollars in setting up a series of business strategies, including advertising on television, organizing fashion shows, and gaining the approval of fashion designers. These actions are decided based on how a luxury brand is built; essentially, the brand will guide the future steps of the company to a certain degree. Coach, Inc. is different from other more expensive luxury brands, such as Hermes, Prada, Fendi, and Louis Vuitton in the sense that Coach focuses more on middle-income consumers who want to purchase their hand bags from a price range of $200 to $500. Coach is the alternative to these competing companies, matching their key luxury products on quality and styling, while beating them on price by 50% or more (Gamble). 2) 2. What is competition like in the luxury goods industry? What competitive forces seem to have the greatest effect on industry attractiveness? The Luxury branding decision will influence an organization’s pricing decisions because its position is related to the product’s price. Take Coca Cola, for example. It is the most valuable brand in the world. The brand makers intend to compel everyone to drink Coca and provide a feeling of happiness. Thus, the price of the product will be cheap, since the brand is aimed at inducing the public’s joy. If the company sets the prices high, people may not be able to afford Coca Cola. Since the brand targets consumers of all backgrounds and income levels, it aims to market itself as a cheap beverage that tastes remarkable. This is how the brand is related to the pricing. Similarly, Coach, Inc. succeeds in maintaining a balance between affordable price and luxurious design. Coach is a less expensive luxury brand compared to its more expensive Italian and French counterparts. The type of brand will directly influence an organization’s distribution system, especially if it is a luxury brand, since the brand may tell people where the product is distributed. According to the website (americanessays.com) â€Å"Coca Cola has its own distribution channel including direct and indirect selling.† By using this strategy, Coca Cola is able to provide Coke all over the world. Coach, Inc. keyed into â€Å"accessible† luxury ladies’ handbags and leather accessories. The brand will influence a company’s promotion decision because of its nature. For a brand like Louis Vuitton, customers barely receive any discounts or find any promotions since it is a very well-known brand with French elegance. The company may not perform any promotions since it may hurt the brand. In contrast, a brand like Best Buy frequently holds promotions, usually every season or every month since this brand is meant to be economic. Thus, the company will execute promotions quite often. Coach, Inc. created its business model, which has different kinds of stores, including full-price stores, factory stores, wholesale department stores, and internet sales stores. Full-price stores sell the newest designer hand bags, leather accessories, fragrances, and women’s knitwear collections. Factory stores sell slightly out-of-season products. Coach, Inc. selects the highest quality materials to produce its products in order to maintain its reputation of exceptional quality. Under the manager’s marketing team, Coach launches new collections every month to attract customers to return and browse its product selection. On the other hand, customers can find their favorite handbags and accessories in factory stores at discounted prices. Coach has become the best-selling brand of women’s luxury handbags and leather accessories in the United States, with a 25% market share. Moreover, Coach is the second best-selling brand of those products in Japan, with an 8% market share. With its successful global business strategy, Coach, Inc. has rapidly grown in the last six years after its initial IPO in 2000 (Paul. 283). It attracts mostly middle-income consumers, who purchase its products rather than those of other name brands on the same price level. The growing desire for luxury goods in middleclass consumers is thought to be a result of a wide range of factors, including effective advertising and TV programming that glorifies conspicuous consumption. On the other hand, the demanding daily rigor of two-income households is thought to be another suggested factor. Additional factor are the rising sales of luxury goods and the growth of big box discounters, such as Wal-Mart and Target (Gamble). Therefore, in the contemporary market environment, should the company want to build its business successfully, the key points are great design, high quality, and luxury styling in an acceptable price range. If the company doesn’t adhere to those key points, it will lead itself to loss of its market share or bankruptcy. 3) 3. How is the market for luxury handbags and leather accessories changing? What are the underlying drivers of change and how might those driving forces change the industry? In the current luxury handbags and leather accessories market, any competing company faces two sets of challenges in continuing the development of its business and succeeding in growing its market share. First, when Coach, Inc. was founded in 1941, it was a small family-owned handbag business in New York City. After 44 years of family management with a steadily set price 50% lower than more luxurious brands, Coach was sold to Sara Lee. Coach continued to grow rapidly until the mid-1990s. Then, in an abrupt change of events, consumers quit purchasing Coach’s handbags in order to focus on French and Italian brands, such as Gucci, Prada, and Louis Vuitton. The company’s market share fell from 40% to a tragic 5%. Reed Krakoff, the top Tommy Hilfiger designer, was hired by Sara Lee to save the business that had more than half a century’s worth of history. In the beginning, Reed did the extensive consumer surveys and held focus groups to get the information of styling, comfort, and functionality preferences. After doing consumer surveys, Reed found that customers wanted handbags with edgier styling, softer leather, and leather-trimmed fabric. After six months, Coach launched redesigned, brand-new handbags to the market. Furthermore, Reed improved the appearance from dark, wood-paneled interiors design to a bring and air ambiance design. Reed planned to launch new collections every month instead of twice a year. Reed introduced the test models and the discontinued models sold at discounted price. After innovation, Coach sales continued to grow from $500 million in 1999 to more than $2.1 billion in 2006 (John E. Gamble). In addition, luxury brand name products face counterfeit goods, which threatened their market sales in current years. In 2006, more than $500 billion worth of counterfeit goods were sold all over the world. As a result, it seriously threatened the profit of name brand companies. Combating counterfeit goods requires the government to take a step to combat and convict intellectual property rights crimes. 4) 6. What are the resource strengths and weaknesses of Coach Inc.? What competencies and capabilities does it have that its chief rivals don’t have? What new market opportunities does Coach have? What threats do you see to the company’s future well-being? Coach, Inc. is the well known luxury brand of handbags and leather accessories which that originated in the United States. It should be more popular and widely-accepted by Americans since it is an American luxury brand. Furthermore, Coach, Inc. continues to attract consumers by launching new collections every month, marking up full-priced new products and over-seasonal products’ low price level. Those business characteristics hardly occur in its chief rivals, such as Hermes, Ralph Lauren, Prada, and Louis Vuitton. Therefore, it creates a long-term relationship with its customers. In recent years, Coach, Inc. has continued to expand and develop its business all over the world. For example, it builds more flagship stores in different countries. Moreover, Coach, Inc. tries to diversity its business. For example, Coach, Inc. now launches women’s knitwear collections, and ladies’ footwear. To the contrary, Coach, Inc. sets up too many stores in the nearby areas, which will hurt the luxury brand name’s reputation. If one can buy Coach’s products anywhere, will one still find Coach to be luxurious? The economy is now getting better and better. Companies will compensate their employees well, and grant them more buying powerful to purchase Coach’s products. However, the challenge of Coach, Inc. is to compete with other luxury French and Italian brand goods and to combat the threat of counterfeit goods (John E. Gamble). 5) 7. What recommendations would you make to Lew Frankfort to improve the company’s competitive position in the industry and its financial and market performance? In conclusion, Coach, Inc. is one of the most successful luxury brands of women’s handbags and leather accessories. Its products match key luxury rivals on quality and styling with pricing level focus on middle-income consumers (John E. Gamble). In the company’s future development, I would recommend that Lew Frankfort focus on market situations and customers’ perpetually-changing desires. It would be to his benefit to do market surveys prior to a new product’s creation. The company should set up stores only in locations where expansion is profitable. The company should follow current business models, such as different price levels, launch new collections every month, continue with high quality production, and provide excellent customer service, which can develop and reach higher level returns on shareholders’ equities. References: 1) Case 5. John E. Gamble. Page 238-97 2) Marketing Management (J. Paul Peter/James H. Donnelly, JR.) 3)http://www.americanessays.com/study-aids/free-essays/education/the-coca-cola-enterprises.php

Choose a Favorite Food, and Write a How-to Essay Explaining

In this project I learn that Alfredo sauce can be used for a verity of recipes and meals. Alfredo sauce can be used in pasta, chicken, and maybe you can mix some vinegar into Alfredo and make a dressing out of it for salads. I also learned how to cook pasta with Alfredo and chicken and make my own things with Alfredo. I definitely can say that I can cook with Alfredo. You know if you think of it cooking with Alfredo is not that hard to make. You can cook some chicken and put Alfredo on it. You can boil pasta and put some Alfredo on it. Also you can make a pizza or enchiladas and put some Alfredo on it.Has you can see Alfredo can be has a dressing for a whole much of things. In this project I also had to make myself a resume. That was the first time I made myself one and I did it by myself it wasn’t made. So I can make me a resume anytime for future needs. Making my resume meant I had to know all of my skills and objective and things like that. For me that was really good to kn ow how to do it at my age. So I can do it in the future when a job I want to do wants a resume. In the first part of the project we had to actually cook our chosen recipes.That was some experiment for me because I got the chance to cook something for my family instead of eggs and pancakes or something like that. So that was really fun for me. In the second part we just had to pick random recipes. When I was doing that I saw, like I said in the beginning, a lot of meals with Alfredo sauce in it. So that was something to know about, seeing a lot of recipes I didn’t even know Alfredo can be used for. Like one recipe it was like chicken wrap in with ham and cheese and Alfredo on top of it. That meal I had the chance of doing it and tasting it.SO when I decided to make it I thought it was weird. I never thought that could be thought of to make and the taste was really good that I still do it today sometimes when I cook for my family. Well the way I did it was good. I followed the directions but the taste might have been different then mine, but mine was still good and sometimes I add a little things to it and make it better. Well that recipe was good and one I never would of that Alfredo would be in it. This is probably the things I learned during the time I did the project.

Canadian Shield Case Essay

Using the Accenture document on governance presented with the Alcan case, place Canadian Shield in the appropriate quadrant. According to the Accenture document, I would place Canadian Shield within the efficient, predictable operator category. The slow rate of change and need to compete on operational efficiencies characterized by most companies in this quadrant is detailed by the following quote from the case authors. â€Å"Sustainability for Canadian insurance companies greatly depended on investments in projects that increased customer service and improved operational efficiency.† This comment is aligned with the predictable operator company practices and is evidence that in order to gain a competitive advantage in the Canadian insurance industry it is vital that operational efficiencies are realized through better IT solutions at Canadian Shield and its parent company, Assurance Centrale Inc. (AC). In the key decision going forward, is this Seamus’ call? If not, whose decision is it? Who should make the decision? Under what decision area(s) in the Weill & Ross governance model does this decision fall? As the leader of Information Systems at Canadian Shield, one of many subsidiaries of Assurance Centrale, Seamus Reynolds was tasked with piloting a new information system that could potentially replace the IS’s at all of Assurance Centrale’s regional offices. Five years after starting this project he was feeling the weight of the responsibility for a project that could eventually transform the entire enterprise. The executives at Canadian Shield and AC should have put together a team of knowledgeable IT professionals, business unit heads, and executives to make sure that the new IS would be selected, budgeted, and implemented properly. Instead they allowed one IT leader in a Calgary-based subsidiary to essentially determine the course of the entire enterpriseà ¢â‚¬â„¢s information systems. This type of decision making identifies with the IT Monarchy type of governance styles displayed in the Weill & Ross governance model. According to the model the IT Monarchy style allows IT executives to hold the right to make important IT decisions. A more affective mechanism could be put in place by AC in the form of an IT leadership council that includes corporate and business unit CIOs. What do questions 1 & 2 tell us about IT governance at CS? Is it appropriately structured for this kind of decision? As mentioned above, AC  and Canadian Shield both reflect signs of the IT Monarchy style of IT governance. It appears that by letting the same IT manager that helped create the existing problematic information system called ALPHA spearhead the project of finding its replacement was a conflict of interest. In an industry that is heavily dependent on gaining a competitive advantage through operational efficiencies and consistently delivering value added projects to the customer, it is essential for AC and CS to rethink the current corporate governance model. Across almost all of the major IT governance categories, it seems that CS and AC are either lacking elements completely or lagging behind current IT standards significantly. IT principles or high-level statements about how to use technology to create business value is non-existent in the Canadian Shield philosophy statement and hard to identify within the case write-up by the authors. Furthermore, the corporate IT infrastructure and architecture has become so archaic that the functionality of basic business applications is troublesome for end users such as insurance underwriters. Based on the previous analysis I would say that the IT governance in place at both AC and CS are not structured properly to make a potentially enterprise-wide solution decision. Both economic and gaming theories tell us how CS should approach the issue of sunk costs with respect to the â€Å"current† situation with ISS. Does the traditional view of sunk costs apply here? Sunk costs are costs that a company cannot recover no matter what happens financially in the future. In this case it is hard to the think of the million dollars and five years of time and resources as a sunk cost. However, to AC and Seamus that unfortunately is the truth. Since the proximity of the new ISS system being implemented is close and it has taken so long to arrive at this point, taking a traditional view of sunk costs will not be easy for the employees at CS. Despite this sentiment, it is important that executives remain objective when determining the future direction of the company. This project should be treated the same as if were any other business project such as a building and if it no longer viable it should be seen as a sunk cost and a new project should be selected for implantation. A sunk cost is not necessarily considered a loss however, if CS decides to abandon the ISS project that is exactly what it could and in my opinion should be. Here’s your obvious final question- what would you recommend and why†¦ As tough as it will be for Seamus, I believe that he should consider his IS project a failure and consult with the executive council in order to prepare the company for Request for Proposals (RFPs) from outside software vendors like AIS. The current ISS project is now five years old and almost 5 times  over budget and from initial testing end users find it complicated and not user friendly. This could lead to extensive training, ineffective and inefficient workflows, and further extensive development projects. Despite the previously mentioned hurdles to get the ISS off the ground, it is only given a 50 to 70 percent long-term success rate while the AIS was given better odds. In addition, the AIS solution is already proven to be a sustainable IS platform for insurance companies with the promise of successful Canadian market capabilities. It is unfortunate that Seamus will inevitably develop dissention between the IS professionals he works with as well as the potential lay off of many of his team members. However, business is business and if Canadian Shield and the rest of Assurance Centrale’s subsidiaries wish to capture a competitive advantage in the 21st century, an off-the-shelf solution such as AIS should be considered immediately.

Change Management Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Change Management Paper - Essay Example Through the continuous development of technology – an external factor – the conditions in life are likely to be changed constantly. Being depended on situations or things which are expected to be extinguished it is not wise. Moreover, the personal beliefs and attitudes of each person are likely to affect his responses to change; these beliefs, attitudes and skills can be characterized as internal factors intervening in the development of the change process. On the other hand, the leadership skills, also regarded as internal factors, of an individual will affect his decision but also his performance. In this context, the level at which each person will be able to respond to change is difficult to be standardized; rather it is likely to be changed periodically – especially when the changes in the internal or the external factors that intervene in the specific process are significant. The second important thing I realized after reading the specific book is that chan ge process is likely to be developed into four phases; this fact implies that the successful completion of the change process – referring to each individual – is not guaranteed. ... However, a more careful observation of the events of the person’s life could lead to the assumption that changes are likely to appear; b) in the second phase of the change process, the changes in daily life appear; the person starts to feel angry for having to cope with new standards and to face a series of problems which he had not foreseen. At this phase, resistance usually follows the anger for the change; the person denies to follow the new standards and to change his customs/ behavior. The duration of this phase can be differentiated among people in accordance with the personal attitudes and perceptions (again the internal factors influencing the change process, as described earlier, are expected to intervene); c) the stressful phase is expected to follow; in this phase inquiry and discovery are likely to replace the angry and resistance. In the specific phase, a person is likely to seek for solutions, hoping he will manage to respond to the needs of change. In the specif ic phase, experimentation is valuable, leading the person to identify solutions which are feasible, taking into consideration the resources available and the personal skills/ competencies; d) in the fourth phase, the good phase, the person who managed to follow the phases of the change process, as analyzed above, becomes self-confident, a fact that indicates his commitment to the specific effort. The person who manages to reach this phase is ready to face effectively the next change process – which is likely to follow shortly. Another important thing I’ve learned through this book is that effort is always valuable; even if initially the results seem

Famous Person with Disabilities ( BEETHOVEN) Essay

Famous Person with Disabilities ( BEETHOVEN) - Essay Example Beethoven felt that his hearing loss was the most crippling limitation that he could have ever suffered during the height of his career, and was faced with the fear of losing his identity as a master of sound (Owens, 2011). During his battle with deafness, Beethoven proved to the world that you can still be the best at what you do, and just because one has a disability neither means that he/she should give up on life, nor should he/she give up on the pursuit of their dreams and/or professions. Ludwig van Beethoven: A Legend Is Born Ludwig van Beethoven was born in December 16, 1770 in Bonn, Germany. Being born to a family of musicians, it was no surprise that Beethoven himself was musically inclined. He studied first under his own father, Johann, who taught young Beethoven all he knew about music. Johann, at times a â€Å"raging† alcoholic, and was very strict on Beethoven, often forcing him to get out of bed in the middle of the night in order to practice his music. Sometimes for hours on end, Beethoven was forced by his father to play and practice. The practice paid off and at the age of eight, and Beethoven gave his first live performance (History, 2011). Though Beethoven’s family wasn’t rich, his father hoped to make the family rich through Beethoven’s musical talents. Because Beethoven’s family was respected servants of the royal court, Beethoven’s family had both connections and means to help Beethoven further his musical education. As far as formal, traditional educations go; Beethoven, however, dropped out of traditional school at the age of thirteen in order to concentrate more on his musical talents, going on tours and so forth (Buzzle, 2011). After learning all that his own father could teach him, Beethoven then studied under Haydn and Mozart; Beethoven’s father often said he wanted Beethoven to become the next Mozart (History, 2011). During his lifetime, Beethoven composed forty-one pieces of work, ni ne of which were symphonies. Beethoven: A Legend Develops a Life Changing Handicap At age twenty-eight, Beethoven gradually began losing his ability to hear (History, 2011). Still, he continued to compose, play, and publish music. He hid his disability from family, friends and the public for as long as he could, which is normal for many people who develop disabilities (Owens, 2011). Once Beethoven’s disability was no longer deniable, he became deeply depressed and began to confide in others of his handicap and of his contemplations on committing suicide, also a common feeling and reaction for those who develop a handicap (Owens, 2011). John Owens became quadriplegic due to a dirt bike accident in 2006; he says that at the onset of his disability, he also went into deep depression and contemplated suicide as well (Owens, 2011). â€Å"When you go through something that changes your life forever, it becomes a challenge just to wake up in the mornings. Even I contemplated suicid e, feeling that my life was over, knowing that I might never be able to do the things I love the most, which back then was playing football, a sport in which I excelled. I knew I possessed the talent and ability to make football my profession, and I was working toward this very goal before my accident. So, I very much know how Beethoven must have felt being a great musician and losing his

Prison life and strategies (proposal) Research Paper

Prison life and strategies (proposal) - Research Paper Example prisons have long been a fixture of the American criminal justice system, so-called for profit prisons are a relatively new construct that have begun to have a profound affect on the way that the criminal justice system operates. For instance, whereas a state-run prison facility may have very stringent code of ethics with regards to the prison guards that serve it, a for profit prison is likely to have a much more lax interpretation of such statutes and practices. Furthermore, where the state prison is concerning with rehabilitating and re-introducing the prisoner into the civilian population as a means to better society through the correctional action that has been effected, the for profit prison systems have no such interest and actually gain a high degree of revenue through an increased rate of recidivism. As such, the purpose of this brief research paper will be to review the problems associated with the increased levels of for profit prisons within the United States as well as t o offer key insights and solutions that may help to ameliorate these

Carbon Forestry in the Gola Rainforest in Sierra Leone Essay

Carbon Forestry in the Gola Rainforest in Sierra Leone - Essay Example WE will also examine drivers of deforestation and degradation in the Gola forest. Qualitative study using maps was used in Sierra Leone on developments of the REDD+ mechanism in helping address deforestation. While REDD+ carries potential benefits, the prospects for its successful implementation in a developing country like Sierra Leone faces multiple challenges to meeting both its objectives and opportunities to improve livelihood of the local communities. Global forests, particularly tropical rainforests, play a key role in climate regulation. They provide a range of other benefits such as rainfall for agriculture, flood prevention and biodiversity. However, human activities have significant impacts on forests which in turn affect climate and wider ecosystem services. Deforestation is a major contribution to climatic changes, deforestation alone has contributed to about 20 percent of global greenhouse gases (Gullison et al., 2007). In West Africa, the moist and semi deciduous forests that stretch across Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, Cote D Ivoire and Ghana have attracted attention as the assumed remainder of a once Upper Guinea forest ecosystem has progressively reduced due to deforestation and degradation. In various ways, international climate change negotiations have created opportunities and attention to the task of how to effectively slow down deforestation in developing countries. It would not only reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but would also provide additional benefits to the climate system including preserving the net carbon sink that may be present in old growth tropical forests and protect the environment. The basic goal is to preserve trees that would otherwise be cut down and thus release carbon dioxide, the most commonly emitted greenhouse gas. The REDD document specifically encourages parties to explore a range of actions, identify options,

I'll attach it Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

I'll attach it - Essay Example The postal services industry was big and booming. Nevertheless, with the materialization of the internet, as well as, related technologies such as email and social media, things have changed significantly. Presently, it is easier to send an email or an instant message via social media than sending handwritten letters. The email and the instant message will be delivered to the intended recipient immediately while the letter may take hours or days to reach the destination depending on the distance between the sender and the recipient. This is just an illustration of the principal alteration of information technology. This paper focuses on the impact of information technology on the healthcare profession. The paper argues that information technology has had a major impact on healthcare as a profession including the nature of healthcare practice, relationship with customers, and management of healthcare information/records. The paper is organized into different sections. The first part gives an introduction into the main topic and the thesis. The second section provides the main discussion. It is organized into different subsections that focus on specific areas. The final section will be the conclusion. The conclusion will restate the thesis and highlight the main points emerging from the main discussion. It will also provide appropriate recommendations. Information technology is a growing field that focuses on computer and telecommunication systems that are used in information management. Information technologies, therefore, include computers, computer systems, telecommunication systems, and other information systems. Apart from computers, other typical information technologies include smartphone, enterprise resource planning systems, Tablets, internet, email, social media, and cloud computing among others. The information technology field is much broader. While these examples of IT (information technology) are used

Critical Analysis of published research paper Essay

Critical Analysis of published research paper - Essay Example MEs, indeed, comprise one of the negative issues overwhelming the medical world today. It is not new anymore but is still uncontrollably happening—which had urged and is continually urging many to uncover some facts that surround it through research. Such researches have heralded attention not only from the people engaged in the provision of care but also from its recipients and from the rest of the world to see whether proposed actions by the researchers can be efficiently applied and make used of. The research paper done by Bohomol, Ramos, and D’Innocenzo (2009) entitled â€Å"Medication errors in an intensive care unit† is one of those researches focused in the subject of medication errors in a specialized unit—the intensive care unit (ICU). In this paper, their research will be subjected to fair evaluation to enable analysis of its applicability and practicability to the medical field and work. Specifically, the paper will assess the research’s effectiveness based on its research design, data collection, validity, reliability, data analysis, certain ethical considerations and other important matters that will give rise to its importance or worthlessness. With due respect to the researchers’ capability to conduct thorough research process, this paper will also try review the research’s outcome competency in relation to the goals that the researchers have formulated. As reported by Creswell (2003), the purpose statement of a research â€Å"establishes the direction for the research† (p. 87). Hence, it is from the purpose statement that researchers formulate key points that must be considered throughout the study. Bohomol et al. (2009) clearly iterated their research rationale by simply stating that the research was done to investigate the â€Å"incidence types and causes of medication errors and the consequences for patients† (p. 1259). It was straightforward and direct to the point; it

Were the liberal thinkers of the interwar period wrong to believe that Essay

Were the liberal thinkers of the interwar period wrong to believe that peace can be secured through international law and institutions - Essay Example With the atrocities of World War I (WWI) still fresh in the memory of most politicians, and with world anarchy a realistic proposition, the only viable interwar option available in the war vs. non-war dichotomy appeared to be the â€Å"Balance of Power† strategy championed by some of the days’ great thinkers (Sylvest, 24). Strained international relations made â€Å"balancing† power in an equitable, mutually agreeable manner a lofty, but urgent, goal. Realistically, an international institution with multiple stakeholders, representing all major world powers seemed to be the way forward – considering the immense toll (human and economic) the war had taken (Sylvest, 28, Ranney, 4). From the outset, however, there was significant philosophical disagreement about the ultimate roles and goals of such an institution, both between and within governments. The British Labour Party maintained an internationalist (not dissimilar to the concept of idealism in many way s) perspective, having fought the war along nationalist lines. Specifically, the party maintained that world progress, the ultimate target, could only be achieved by way of global democracy and world law. In this way, the party, and the internationalists as a group, argued that a) the conditions of international politics were malleable and that b) deliberate reform was necessary to enact democratic conditions (Sylvest, 20). As with many burgeoning ideologies, some of the internationalist philosophies were divisive: a liberal faction of the party held that the state could not impinge on the inalienable rights of individuals, and a socialist internationalist faction, in Marxist style, argued that â€Å"working men have no state (Goldmann, 56).†Although the internationalist perspective became popular and gained momentum, it did not fully represent either of the dominant views of the day: idealism and realism. The realists maintained, (some would argue as a reaction to interwar i dealism), that the conditions of international politics could not be changed, a nation’s main duty was to isolate and protect itself, nation states were primary actors in international politics, that the international system reached a dynamic but peaceful equilibrium via natural struggles for power (as opposed to a central governing body), and that nations must help themselves – as opposed to relying on assistance from others (Schmidt, 435). Conversely, the retroactively labeled †idealists† of the time, bolstered and transformed by Woodrow Wilson’s commitment to American Exceptionalism and belief in the power of democracy (embodied and communicated through his â€Å"Fourteen points† speech), promoted an ideological that aimed to transcend the left-right divide and establish peace through ongoing commitment to moral and ethical concerns – even at the potential cost of negatively impacting the nation state. To many, the idealists’ belief in democratic peace theory - the concept that similarly democratic nations do not fight each other, was especially appealing (Hoogenboom, 190). Though much space and attention has been devoted in textbooks to the dichotomization of the realist and idealist viewpoints of the day, and the idea of a peacekeeping international institution is often synonymous with Woodrow Wilson, in truth, the origins of these ideologies and potential resolution strategies span back much further. Two centuries prior to WWI and Wilson, Kant’s (1972) Perpetual Peace posits that the natural position of governments towards counterparts is war – which creates problems because conflicts between humans are unethical and â€Å"inconsistent with the rights of humanity.† Kant argued that war could essentially be institutionalized and regulated in order to

SLP2 599 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

SLP2 599 - Coursework Example Review of Joe Schome’s Strategies Joe did not change prices and research and development allocations for the products for a period of over six years. The strategy adopted was effective in that the company did not make losses. Products X5 and X6 registered profits for all the years. Product X7 made losses for the first three years. However, it improved in performance as the years progressed. Nonetheless, the strategy could not move the company to the next level as expected by Sally Smothers. Moreover, the sales, revenues earned and profits made by the products declined after two years. On the other hand, prices and total costs were maintained for all the years. This means that from the beginning, the profits and sales increased at declining rates. The price for X5 was maintained at $285 and there existed approximately six million customers. Additionally, market saturation was only 15%. However, performance declined and as competition increased, the profitability of X5 declined. By 2015, competition was stiff and market saturation was 94% (Mahajan, Yoram and Eitan 99). The profitability of X5 was only 17%. The price of X6 was also maintained at $430 for all the years. However, X6 also faced stiff competition and by 2015, market saturation was 93%. ... Moreover, it has a lower production cost when compared to the X5 and X6. It also improved in profitability. However, its improvement in performance was at a slow rate. Joe should have encouraged vigorous product development so that the company specializes in production of X7. Generally, Joe’s strategy did not consider the value of customer retention. Hence, first time customers for all the products are high yet repeat sales are low. This also shows that the research and development strategy was not very effective. Proposed Strategies For the first year, the price for X5 should be maintained at $ 285. The research and development allocation should also be maintained at 33%. This would enable the company to make a profit of 16%. In the second year, the company can maintain the price and X5 can be 30% profitable. In 2013, the company can reduce the price as competitors enter the market. This would assist the company to increase sales. The assumption is that the competitors also c harge $285 for X5. The company can charge $280 with the hope of increasing sales from 2,145,622 to 2,500,000. In 2014 and 2015, the company can reduce the price of X5 with the hope of increasing sales. It can also reduce the research and development allocation as it seems to be ineffective. The production of X5 should be discontinued in case customers do not respond positively to the reduction in prices by the end of 2015. This is because there would be stiff competition in 2016 and the number of customers would not be adequate to ensure recovery of production costs. Furthermore, X5 has a very short life cycle. The price of X6 should also be maintained at $430 in 2011and 2012. This would ensure

Concept Application Project Essay Example for Free

Concept Application Project Essay Throughout the semester I have explored many topics in sociology. While exploring these topics, three main theoretical perspectives were used. I will briefly illustrate each of the main theoretical perspectives of functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic Interactionism. During this semester I have watched two films, Food Incorporated and The Vernon Johns Story. I will describe how a theoretical perspective is used in each of these examples. Then I will provide my own two examples where concepts and theoretical perspectives can be illustrated. My First example is the Boston Marathon Bombings and the second is the Mass Media’s coverage of the Boston Bombings. The Functionalist Perspective is a sociological perspective that emphasizes each part of society contributing to the survival of that society. In Sociology in Modules, they define the functionalists perspective as, â€Å"A sociological approach that emphasizes the way in which the parts of a society are structured to maintain its stability (Schaefer 15). Read more:  Conflict Perspective on Social Media † The functionalist perspective can be compared to the human body model. Each part of the body performs specific tasks. For example, our legs allow us to walk or run and our lungs allow us to breathe. Without each and every body part, one simply cannot perform to the maximum potential. Now when a functionalist is looking at a society, they may see different social groups that contribute to a larger population. The Conflict Perspective is a sociological perspective that views the world as a constant struggle. In our textbook, Sociology in Modules, they define the conflict perspective as, â€Å"A sociological approach that assumes that social behavior is best understood in terms of tension between groups over power or the allocation of resources, including housing, money, access to services, and political representation (Schaefer 15). † There are many areas where conflict can arise in today’s society. Religious groups, political parties, and different social classes, may all have conflicting views with other or opposite groups. Examples of the conflict perspective include means of production versus labor and the concentration of wealth. In recent history, the conflict perspective is becoming more popular. With, â€Å"The widespread social unrest resulting from battles over civil rights, bitter divisions over the war in Vietnam, the rise of the feminist and gay liberation movements, the Watergate political scandal, urban riots, and confrontations at abortion clinics have offered support for the conflict approach (Schaefer 16). † Groups in society with different viewpoints often pose a great threat to conflicting parties. The Interactionist Perspective is the third main sociological perspective where the traditional way of thinking comes from typical human interaction between groups. Sociology in Modules defines the interactionist perspective as, â€Å"generalizations about everyday forms of social interaction in order to explain society as a whole (Schaefer 17). † The interactionist perspective is also know as symbolic interactionism. I believe it is much easier to look at it from a symbolic interactionism perspective because symbols are easier to understand. From a symbolic interactionist perspective, one may see the world we live in as full of objects. These objects can come on the form of people, places, things, thoughts, feelings, or symbols. Symbolic interactionism looks at these symbols to characterize groups by their symbol. Each symbol may be different. For example, a symbol could be the type of color of car you drive, what you wear to work or school everyday, or even tattoos. Groups in society are often characterized by their symbols. These symbols allow people with similar symbols to communicate with ease. Food Incorporated is a documentary film that portrays the corporate farming industry in the United States as unhealthy, harmful, abusive, and inhumane. Food Inc. the movie really gave me something to think about, it only reinforced my beliefs to eat healthy and support organic and free-range grass fed meats. The most meaningful thing to me was when one of the contributors said the corporate farming industry only wants to grow their products â€Å"bigger, fatter, cheaper, faster†. This agribusiness in only in it for the sake of business and they don’t see the other side. On the other side there are these products that are being mass-produced in factory farms. This seemingly only affects the lower class Americans who can only afford the cheapest of food products at the super market. From a financial standpoint, it only makes sense that people are forced to consume such low quality products at their demise. As the conflict theory would describe it, this is a constant struggle between the producer and the consumer. The producers are producing animal products in close quarter factory farms and feeding them corn, which is not a naturally occurring meal. Specifically cattle and chickens are given hormone shots to make them grown bigger, fatter, and faster. These farms do not treat the animals well at all. The animals live in horrible conditions, often times in their own manure. This causes disease to reach to food that eventually people eat. There are cases that come up all the time where products need to be pulled from the shelves in stores because of contaminated foods. The Vernon John’s story is a true story turned into a movie that portrays a Minister, Vernon John, who leads the African Americans in the fight for civil rights. This film demonstrated the development of social change in the south. First, the blacks do not measure up to the whites in social class. They often held position in social that were not important of looked down upon. For example, the position that Vernon John holds is viewed as a conflict by white law enforcement officials. During the early 1900s, Black Americans were being segregated from society. Secondly, During this time, African Americans were not recognized by society as having any value other than slavery. Race and ethnicity played a large role in society during this time. African American Racial groups formed and they were discriminated against. Vernon John is a leader of social change. He stepped up and faced the danger in speaking his views. The movie illustrates two great examples of hate crime in the 1920s. The first is when Vernon John was driving in his car late at night to bring a girl who had been raped to the hospital. The white policemen pulled Vernon John over and just antagonized him for no reason. Another example is when part of Vernon John’s church was set on fire. This was obviously planned by the white Americans out of hatred for Vernon Johns following and community. The blacks were heavily being discriminated against. Third, the government used force and power to exercise their will against Vernon John and the Black Americans. The movie demonstrates a great example of what goes on in society today. Although the United States may not be going through the exact same situation of discrimination as the 1900s, we are still facing sorts of discrimination and hate crimes today. Which leads me into my next example, the recent Boston Marathon bombings. The Boston Marathon bombings is an alleged terrorist attack that happened during the finish of the 2013 Boston Marathon. On April 15th, 2013, two Muslim brothers from Massachusetts detonated two explosives near the finish line of the Marathon, killing three people and injuring more than 200 people. The 2013 Boston Marathon Bombings display the conflict some people have with society. I am not in the head of the bombers or the investigators so I am only speaking from an outside perspective. With that being said, I cannot imagine what they were thinking when setting off these two explosions in front of thousands of people. From the suspects point of view, they must have seen the world from a conflict perspective. They must have believed that they didn’t fit into society. In a Wall Street Journal article, one suspect claims â€Å"he and his brother were angry about the U. S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the killing of Muslims there† (Authorities Say Bomb Suspects Planned NYC Attack). My only guess is that their hatred for the United States is so fierce that they concluded in carrying out these horrible acts. It appears that other groups from over seas heavily influenced the suspects. This is just one example of how government, religion, and cultural differences can become conflicting in society. The mass media can influence the coverage of any story by the time it reaches the public. The mass media is defined by Sociology in Modules as, â€Å"print and electronic means of communication that carries messages to widespread audiences† (Schaefer 153). The leverage they have is huge in what information/sources they have and what they release. In the coverage of the Boston Bombings, the media helped the public understand of what precautions they should take around the threatened area. The media also helped people from across the country understand what was happening in Boston. In this case, I believe the media did a good job in providing accurate information to the public. However, this is not always the case. The conflict view states that gatekeeping can control what information reaches the public. For example the media can choose on which pieces of news to report on, leaving out specifics that could totally twist the story. They can also choose which sources they want to use which may also have an affect on the outcome of the story. Not all social classes have access to certain news sources. Many sources are behind a pay wall, which prohibits some potential viewers from accessing the information. The functionalist view would say that the mass media plays a role in society that keeps it moving forward. Sociology in Modules says, â€Å"the mass media is to occupy our leisure time—from newspaper comics and crossword puzzles to the latest music releases on the Internet. While that is true, the media have other important functions. They also socialize us, enforce social norms, confer status, and promote consumption† (Schaefer 154). This is all very true and it reinforces our viewpoints of the media. Overall, multiple theoretical perspectives can portray the mass media. Indeed, concepts and theoretical perspectives learned in class are used to illustrate events in society today. First, the example of the Vernon John’s story gives one the ability to see the upbringing of social change through the civil rights movement. The second example of the Food Inc. production is one that produces for profit without taking into consideration all the ethical and health needs of American citizens. Third, my example of the Boston Marathon Bombings illustrates conflict and hates crimes in our culture today. Lastly. The mass media acts as an agent between information and the public through print and electronic versions. The conflict and functionalists theoretical perspectives can be used to analyze the mass media. Therefore, social concepts and theoretical perspectives are used throughout the society we live in today. ? Works Cited Authorities Say Bomb Suspects Planned NYC Attack. WSJ. com. Associated Press, 26 Apr. 2013. Web. 26 Apr. 2013. Food, Inc. Dir. Robert Kenner. Movie One, 2008. DVD. Schaefer, Richard T. Sociology In Modules. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. McGrawHills Connect. Web. 4 Apr. 2013. The Vernon Johns Story. Dir. Kenneth Fink. 1994. DVD.

School Shootings in Atlanta: Causes and Solutions

School Shootings in Atlanta: Causes and Solutions Gun violence and gun control have become a highlighted issue within the United States. In recent years there has been a vast increase in young adults engaging in gun violence, or being caught up in such conflict, particularly within schools. The issue of school shootings has become a major problem within the city of Atlanta. However, with more lives being at potential risk, there has been controversy debates over what causes such incidences and what can we do as a society to solve the problem. It is evident that in order to decrease school shootings the law and community need to work together by limiting or monitoring the accessibility of firearms, identifying risks of violence and providing the correct resources to students that are a potential risk. The spread of school shootings within the United States is at an all-time high. Granting they don’t make up a large percentage of youth violence overall, they are traumatic proceedings for society as a whole. Although the first shooting leads back to 1764, the Pontiacs rebellion school massacre, where 11 people were killed at a schoolhouse in Pennsylvania, the rise of statistics within the last 5 years have been drastic and show a growing trend to a problem within the US. Research states ‘‘Since 2013, there have been more than 300 school shootings in America — an average of about one a week’’ (Everytown). However, the appearance of guns alone or threats of violence is even higher. Statistics are only calculated for the recorded gunshots fired on school grounds or fired within a school during school hours. They do not include incidents where guns have been brought into school without being fired or shootings outside of school hours (Patel). With the ongoing rise in school shootings in the United States as a whole, Georgia ranks one of the highest states for such incidences. Gun violence as a whole has become a major issue in the south, particularly Georgia. Judd states that’s ‘’Georgians are more than twice as likely as New Yorkers to be killed in a shooting. The death rate exceeds even that of Illinois.’’ With the 13th highest death rate, most of those deaths occurred in Atlanta (Judd). Since the sandy nook shooting in 2012, when a gunman shot and killed 20 children and 6 adults with a firearm, Georgia has been the second leading state for school/college shootings, behind Texas, with a total of 23 incidents resulting in either deaths or injuries. At least 5 of those incidences were in Atlanta alone (Karishnakumar). The reason for school shootings follows a controversial debate amongst society. However, it can not go unmentioned that easy gun access is one of the most influential causes. Some will argue gun control is the sole factor in school shootings, others will argue its not the gun, but more so the individual that posses it. Americas love for guns dates back to the second amendment, which give the ‘right to bear arms’.   Originally implemented for the militia, the Supreme Court revitalized it allowing guns in homes for self-defense (Cornell law school). With this in mind, there are approx 300 million guns statewide. With a population of just over 300million, that is roughly an equal amount of guns to persons. However, only one-third of the population own guns, meaning that more than one is held in each of those households (BBC). Household gun ownership is high particularly in the south. Studies show that ‘‘Across the South, 38 percent of households have a gun — compared with 35 percent in the Midwest, 34 percent in the West and 27 percent in the Northeast’’ (Simonton). With this high rate, it makes it very easy for young adults to have access to guns, with or without an adults knowledge. Friedman states that ‘‘The American Medical Association reports that between 36 percent and 50 percent of male eleventh graders said they could easily get a gun if they wanted to’’ (90). Further reasearch also states that ‘‘over two-thirds of students who used guns in violent acts at school got those guns from their own home or that of a relative’ (Erwin). This is likely because the gun was not stored away and unloaded, not because the young adult has freely been given it. However, it shows that there are definite links between household gun ownership and gun violence. Besides the fact that guns are easily accessible within homes, there are over 50,000 gun stores in America making a purchase of a gun an easy task. Within Georgia, the purchase of a gun is very simple. You do not need a permit to purchase a firearm, and you do not need to register the firearm once purchased. However, there are some laws on age restrictions. To buy a handgun statewide the consumer must be at least 18 years old, however in Georgia for an unlicensed person to sell a long gun there is no age restriction (Laws). This is a serious issue as it means that children of any age are able to obtain and have access to a gun without any consequences. With these statistics in mind its safe to say that the easy access to guns plays a huge role in gun violence within schools, however, they are not the only factor that contributes to such incidences. With the many school shootings that have taken place over the years, we try to look at all specific causes and whether there are links between the causes. The media plays a huge role in trying to convince society that there is a specific cause of all school shootings. However, there is no specific profile that fits the motivation of a shooter. Often there does seem to be links between school shootings and a specific factor, but this is not in all cases. Friedman states ‘‘ 66% of shooters interviewed after the attack felt they had been bullied or threatened by classmates and said that was their main reason for shooting others’’ (90). However approx. 1 in 5 children report being bullied in a given year, yet show no signs of violence or such crime (De La O). Although bullying may worsen problems for youth, physically and emotionally, there is very little evidence that alone it is the cause of gun violence. Society often singles out an issue like mental health, revenge, the culture of violence, drug and alcohol abuse, as well as various social problems as the cause. However although many of these factors can be associated with a shooter, it is very hard to say that one alone fits that of every shooter. When we look at all these issues we see that many young adults experience at least one of them, yet don’t commit such a crime. On the other hand, a mix of these factors could be a possible cause and its important that society pays close attention to an individual that may encounter several of these issues to prevent anything further happening (Friedman 52). It is important as a community that everyone works together, including the law, public health, schools, peers, parents, and teachers in order to prevent school shootings from happening. Such proactive procedures include watching for warning signs and identifying and reporting them. This will help a student early who is showing potential risk factors. In most cases, it is apparent that previous to a shooting someone is aware or shown signs that a shooter has plans of an attack. Duplechain and Morris states â€Å"In more than 80% of the cases [he studied], at least one person knew the attacker was planning something; two or more people knew in almost 60 percent of the cases† (146). Most shootings are premeditated and at some point, there is a chance that the shooter has either shown attack-related behavior or discussed the event with someone, whether something is said as a joke or said on a serious matter. In previous shootings, this has occurred. In the Columbine school shooting, the shooter prior to the event wrote a paper on a male who was planning a school shooting, as well as writings journals with all their plans in for the shooting (Gumbell). Nobody at the time thought anything of it, yet it was a significant sign as to what was going to be carried out. This being said, it is very important that students, teachers, parents and all listen and watch for signs and act accordingly. Reporting such suspicions could be crucial in preventing an attack. As well as watching for signs a solution to prevent school shootings is to Work together to provide strategies and the correct resources for students. Sometimes for parents it can be hard to come to terms with the fact their child has a mental health issue or behavioral issues, however, it is important that they get their children the help needed. It is also important that schools provide resources. School counselors pay a pivot role in providing counseling groups to provide tools to deal with emotions, anger, grief, and loss as well and mental health problems. They help support a child in making changes in their life addressing the topics that most concern them (Paolini). With the correct support available and the communities willingness to watch and report suspicions, school incidents could be prevented in the future. However with this in mind, the role of the law is also very important. Stricter gun laws are substantial in reducing gun violence. In the state of Georgia, there are very little restrictions on gun laws. As a state, they allow sales of a gun without a permit or without processing through the federal firearms license, Mentally ill individuals are also removed from the database after 5 years without a reassessment from doctors. This meaning that after a person passes the 5-year mark they are then illegible to purchase or sell a gun, even if they have not been assessed by a doctor to say they are now mentally stable (Cook). Unlike other states, Georgia also sticks with the federal age restriction of 18 to buy a gun, whereas many other states have reassessed age restrictions and moved it to 21.   These weak laws make it very easy for a young adult or mentally unstable individual to acquire a gun.   Many will also argue stricter gun laws will not help reduce school shootings, however, research shows otherwise. When comparing the US to other rich countries with stricter gun laws, there is a huge difference in the homicide rate. Statistics show that ‘‘The number of gun murders per capita in the US in 2012 the most recent year for comparable statistics was nearly 30 times that in the UK, at 2.9 per 100,000 compared with just 0.1’’ (BBC). When looking at the US solely, research also shows that those states with stricter gun control have less gun related deaths. After a law passed in Connecticut in 1995 making it more difficult to buy a handgun the number of homicides reduced by 40%. This law included purchasers having to obtain a license from the police in person as well as passing a background check before being accepted for a sale (Lachman).   All of this research shows that stricter gun laws are a solution towards less gun violence and unless Congress and the government make some amendments, then school shootings are going to continue to occur. It is evident that school shootings are a major issue within Atlanta and America as a whole. With a vast and continuous increase over the given years its important that both the law and community work together to help stop such incidents occurring. Research proves that there is no specific profile for a shooter, however, it is important as a community to watch out for any signs of potential risk, report them and provide students with the correct resources. This and stricter gun laws allowing students access to guns more difficult will help decrease gun violence.   References BBC. ‘‘Guns in the US: The statistics behind the violence.’’ BBC News, 2016, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-34996604 Cook, Rhonda. ‘‘Georgia clears way for mentally ill to buy guns.’’ Myajc, 2018, https://www.myajc.com/news/local/georgia-clears-way-for-mentally-ill-buy-guns/agHJKZW8LiqVI4mu1GQmLJ/ Cornell Law School. ‘‘Second Amendment.’’ LLI/Legal information Institute, https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/second_amendment De La O, Maria. ‘‘School shootings are about more than bullying.’’ The Washington post, 2013, https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/wp/2013/10/25/school-shootings-are-about-more-than-bullying/?utm_term=.6be5672995ae Dupllechain, Rosiland, and Robert Morris. ‘‘SCHOOL  VIOLENCE:  REPORTED  SCHOOL  SHOOTINGSAND  MAKING  SCHOOLS  SAFER.’’ Galileo, Vol. 135, no. 2, pp.45-150. Erwin, Nicole. ‘‘In wake of school shootings, a look at how kids get guns.’’ Ohio valley resource, 2018, http://ohiovalleyresource.org/2018/01/24/in-wake-of-school-shooting-a-look-at-how-kids-get-guns/ Everytown. ‘’The long shameful list of school shootings in America. ’’ 2018, https://everytownresearch.org/school-shootings/ Friedman, Lauri. School Shootings. Greenhaven ,2010. Gumbell, Andrew. ‘‘The truth about columbine.’’ The guardian, 2009, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/apr/17/columbine-massacre-gun-crime-us Judd, Alan. ‘‘Youre twice as likely to be shot to death in Georgia than New York (and other gun violence facts).’’ Myajc, 2017, https://www.myajc.com/blog/investigations/you-twice-likely-shot-death-georgia-than-new-york-and-other-gun-violence-facts/Kdk3MXsowc6ASzmd15o2QN/ Krishnakumar, Pray. ‘‘Since Sandy Nook, a gun has been fired on school grounds at least once a week.’’ www.Latimes.com, 2015, http://www.latimes.com/projects/la-na-school-shootings-since-newtown/ Law. ‘‘Minimum age to purchase and possess.’’ Giffords law centre to prevent violence, http://lawcenter.giffords.org/gun-laws/policy-areas/who-can-have-a-gun/minimum-age/#federal Lachman, Samantha. ‘‘Conneticut gun control law sharply reduced gun-related violence, report says.’’ Huffpost UK, 2015, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/12/connecticut-gun-control-_n_7570852.html Paolini, Allison. ‘‘School Shootings and Student Mental Health: Role of the School Counselor in Mitigating Violence.’’ Councelling.org, 2015, https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/vistas/school-shootings-and-student-mental-health.p Patel, Jugal, K. ‘‘After Sandy Hook, More Than 400 People Have Been Shot in Over 200 School Shootings.’’ NYtimes.com, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/02/15/us/school-shootings-sandy-hook-parkland.html Simonton, Stell. ‘‘Guns in school:Georgia has most shootings since Sandy Nook.’’ America.Aljazeera.com, 2015, http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/1/29/gun-lax-georgia-has-most-school-shootings-since-sandy-hook-massacre.html Stages in responding to disasters: Floods Stages in responding to disasters: Floods Responding to Disaster: Floods Effects of Natural and human made disasters are devastating and this calls for competent mental health professionals to provide for disaster relief services to the victims. Victims of flood disasters respond differently depending on their personal experience. In our case, people are warned about the impending danger of flood disaster but some fail to respond at all. Even after the flood disaster, others return to reconstruct their houses and belongings. This means that the type of intervention to be applied should be culture based. The following intervention strategies, marked with stages, would be applied to the victims of the flood disaster. Impact Immediately after the flood strikes, the survivors panic, are confused and cannot think at that moment (Gilliland, James, 2013). Adults are desperately searching everywhere, looking for their missing family members. Victims are exposed to horrors of the aftermath and they are surrounded by death and devastation. It is indeed a time of agony. At this stage, an appropriate intervention would be an emotionally driven Psychological intervention strategy. This strategy helps the individual to recollect themselves and to start focusing on the way forward. Emergence/acute heroic stage After the aftermath, survivors start saving and collecting what they can. It is a â€Å"counting the loss† phase. At this stage, I would recommend for physiological responses as the intervention is focused on physical damage such as loss of property, injuries, geographical displacement, and anger due to the aftermath loss incurred (Gilliland, James, 2013). I will engage in emotionally driven talk with the victims in order to help relief their anxieties surrounding their crisis. I will also provide emotional help on how individuals can recover their property and probably their beloved family members. Inventory stage This is the recovery phase. In this stage, survivors are slowly accepting the realities of life. I will engage in method in which individuals can utilize their abilities in seeking for employment for survival. I will engage in cognitive-behavioral intervention skills and try to convince the survivor on danger of living such vulnerable places (Benedek, Fullerton, Ursano, 2007). The idea to change their perception about the place and make them understand the Government’s warning about the place. Honeymoon stage At this stage, the victims are worried about their financial recovery. This come after one to three months post the flooding disaster. It is a stage of rebuilding. I recommend for cognitive coping strategies in order to help the survivors see the sense of moving from the vulnerable to other places. Coping skills are helpful in enabling the victim change their environment to move on with their normal lives. Avoidance phase At this phase, I will recommend for psycho-social intervention skills. The aftermath effects are coupled with loses, causing psychological disturbance and sometimes lead to Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). With Psycho-social intervention skills a victim can slowly forget about the disaster and start focusing on other things through social life. Adaptation phase Adaptive phase depends on the victim’s resiliency. Resilient people tend to recover faster. In that regard, I will recommend for cognitive-behavioral responses in order strengthen the victims by making them recognize how strong they are. Positive behavioral skills can also influence positive change and hence influence adaptive skills; that the victims can do without their lost ones. Disillusionment phase Disillusion can prevent victims from adapting to their environment. Anything attached to the previously experienced flooding disaster will likely arouse the traumatic experience. To help victims recover from this problem, I will use cognitive coping skills. These skills helps a victim accept the reality, forget about the past and focus on the present. Pathogenic to salutogenic shift At this phase, the victim has not yet fully recovered from the post traumatic stress disorder even after one year after the disaster. It is a critical condition and the victim is always struggling to let go the stress. This may happened to mothers who saw their children drawn by water. Resiliency itself cannot draw the stress away from the victim. A suitable intervention strategy would be the use of the victim’s coherence to overcome the stress. This involves integrating cognitive-behavioral coping skills to enable the victim understand that their problem is manageable. It requires the use of emotional-psychological strategies to convince the victim (Gelbach, 2008). Restabilization/reconstruction This involves the rebuilding of the victim’s emotional and social self. The best way to respond to victims at this stage is by use of psycho-social strategies (Bartley, 2007). This involves encouraging the victim to make new friends and interact with people. Social life interactions allows victims to forget about their past easily and focus on their future. Ethical/ Cultural Consideration Some cultural considerations involve various elements; One, awareness of your world view, two, an understanding of the client’s worldview, and finally, a better understanding of the appropriate intervention to apply on a client depending on the crisis and situation (Goodman, West-Olatunji, 2009). In our case, there is the need for a culture centered disaster response. Bearing that the people were warned about the impending flood disaster and didn’t do anything about it gives us the indication of social cultural factors among the community. Therefore, understanding the existence of social cultural factors among the victims facilitates the conceptualization of the needs of the people, especially in low income communities (Goodman, West-Olatunji, 2009). This also helps in determining the kind of intervention model applicable to a victim. References Bartley, A. G. (2007). Confronting the realities of volunteering for a national disaster. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 29(1), 4-16. Benedek, D. M., Fullerton, C., Ursano, R. J. (2007). First Responders: Mental Health Consequences of Natural and Human-Made Disasters for Public Health and Public Safety Workers*. Annu. Rev. Public Health, 28, 55-68. Gelbach, R. A. (2008). Trauma, research, and EMDR: A disaster responder’s wish list.Journal of EMDR Practice Research,2(2), 146–155.doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1891/1933-3196.2.2.146 Gilliland, B. E., James, R. K. (2013). Crisis intervention strategies. Goodman, R. D., West-Olatunji, C. A. (2009).Applying critical consciousness: Culturally competent disaster response outcomes.Journal of Counseling Development,87(4), 458–465. doi: 10.1002/j.1556-6678.2009.tb00130.x

Article Review of Health Disparities Research

Article Review of Health Disparities Research ARTICLE ONE (1) REVIEW Purpose This paper is a personal subjective review of the article Perspective: Challenges to Using a Business Case for Addressing Health Disparities,[1] further referenced herein as the literature. Definition Health disparity is defined as the difference in health among different populations[2] Discussion In our textbook, McKenzie and Pinger describe differential gaps between individuals as the cause for health disparities. To expand on this, they write[3]: recognized that some individuals lead longer and healthier lives than others, and that often these differences are closely associated with social characteristics such as race, ethnicity, gender, location, and socioeconomic status. These gaps between groups have been referred to as health disparities Health Disparity Problem Whereas our textbook briefly discusses health disparity, it doesnt delve into causes, nor how long it has existed. However, the how long answer can be found in a paper by Cindy Lawler in which she writes that the problem was recognized As early as 1899, W.E.B Dubois (1899) observed the existence of Racial and ethnic Health Disparities (REHDs), and through his social study of Blacks in Philadelphia he interpreted statistical data about their health and drew several conclusions that are similar to today. She also touched upon Dubois working with flawed health data collection in Philadelphia that sacrificed the accuracy of statistical analysis.[4] 80 plus studies, conducted between 1984 and 2004[5], have repeatedly stated similar, if not the same issues and viewpoint all point to the health disparity issues in the United States, but not enough data to identify a fix for the causation(s). So, if this is an age-old problem, why are we still facing this systemic problem after a full century of recommendations have been made? I believe the authors attempted to address this by writing the literature; but, it is my belief, they fell short as the literature only touches the tip of the ice berg. Challenges As written, the literature appears to be solely focused on the many challenges to using a business case for health care organizations. The common challenges that were identified included: lag-time in ROI, and disconnect between investor and the realized beneficiary. In discussing ways to tackle the problem, the literature laid out a litany of challenges faced by health care entities through use of a broad view of both business and social cases. Throughout, it outlined what businesses and health care entities must do to achieve a better ROI, while trying to attain equity, with the ultimate goal of achieving a reduction in health care disparity. The literature also points out that a great many health organizations remain reluctant to help combat the disparity problem. Their reasoning is based on concern for their bottom linethey are unsure about whether they may see a positive ROI return, or not. And, this is not without merit, especially since there is typically a lag between initiation and seeing the ROI. To emphasis this point the authors state it doesnt take much to begin the process. a combination of business and quality improvement principles may still be able to guide health care organizations seeking to reduce disparities. As a starting juncture, they suggest use of Pareto charts and application of the 80-20 rule. In doing so, stakeholders could initiate a process to re-focus their efforts, thus allowing them the ability to turn their energies toward redirecting threatened capital items, such as funds, manpower, and equipment more effectively. To prove their point, the authors referred to an 80/20 rule study which identified a disparity within an unidentified health care setting specifically, care afforded to African Americans. The study found that approximately 80 percent of African Americans were cared for by 20 percent of physicians, in an under-resourced setting, thus subjecting the group to a lessor form of quality care.[6] The literature goes on to identify another avenue to further increase effort effectiveness, and reap further rewards in doing so, and that is though collaboration with other interested parties within the community. By doing so, they hopefully will begin the process of reducing the disparities, one small step at a time. Who is at Risk? Health disparities commonly affect minority, low-income, and rural-based populations. One reason for this, in part, is due to location. Regardless of the setting, in town, low income housing projects, or rural environment, many may have little to no access to a quality care facility, or any type care facility, or provider at all. This forces these groups to travel greater distances, and in tight economic times, such as we are in today, these groups many not be able to afford the travel costs. This creates a socio-economic Access to Care disparity, as well as an inequity issue. Of course, many races and ethnicities are affected by these factors, and the literature explains that the authors believe this is rooted in racial segregation. Conclusion Individual health is the culmination of many factors. However, the most important factors are the social, economic, and environmental conditions in which we are born, live, work, study, and play. Engaging the social elements of health is a critical component of any comprehensive health equality strategy. Successful engagement could ultimately lead to reduced healthcare costs, and improvement in everyones overall health outlook. From a business standpoint, health care entities, stakeholders, and investors need to identify and implement the correct business model, ensure proper policies and procedures in place, and have buy in from everyone (community, workers, senior C levels, and ultimately clients) before they can begin to realize a faster, positive ROI. Furthermore, health care entities and business stake holders, in cooperation with community leaders and governmental agencies (regardless of level), need to realize there is a critical need to identify and improve community health environments and health policies. This can only be achieved though cooperative efforts by all; and, by supporting programs and policies that address the myriad of social and economic determinants of health. In doing so, only then can we ensure the root causes of health disparities, and the associated inequities, are adequately, and effectively addressed and eliminated. [1] Lurie, N., Somers, S. A., Fremont, A., et al., 2008 [2] McKenzie, James F., Pinger, Robert R. 2015. pg. 25, sidebar [3] McKenzie, James F., Pinger, Robert R. 2015, pg. 25, para 5 [4] Lawler, C. (2011), Introduction, pg. 15 [5] Lawler, C. (2011), Introduction, pg. 15, para. 3. [6] Lurie, N., Somers, S. A., Fremont, A., et al., 2008, para 12.

US Involvelment in Latin America :: essays research papers

US Involvelment in Latin America During Teddy Roosevelt’s Time US primary concern in Latin America was to maintain political stability in order to protect ourselves as well as our business and trade interests. To accomplish this, the Monroe doctrine was expanded to include the Roosevelt Corollary. The Roosevelt Corollary said that the United States would intervene in the internal affairs of Latin America through Military and Diplomatic actions in order to protect political stability and American interests. This policy was established without input from Latin American countries and put the US into the role of international police to maintain peace and order in the Western Hemisphere. Teddy Roosevelt’s philosophy was to â€Å"speak softly but carry a big stick† We also used â€Å"dollar diplomacy† which was the practice of replacing European loans with American ones in Latin America but then used military force to keep our investments safe. Some examples of â€Å"the big stick in action† are: 1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although Cuba wanted its independence and we had promised they could be, we required the Platt Amendment in their constitution, which said that we could intervene in Cuba anytime to protect life, liberty or property. 2)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After the Spanish American War, we took control of Puerto Rico and ruled it like a territory. 3)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After Haiti had a violent coup in 1915, Wilson sent the Marines occupy it and build roads, hospitals and schools etc. 4)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the Mexican Revolution, we sent troops into Northern Mexico in order to catch Villa. 5)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Teddy Roosevelt wanted to build the Panama Canal, Panama was part of Colombia. Colombia refused to sign a treaty with the US allowing us to build the canal because they wanted more money. Roosevelt encouraged Panamanian leaders to revolt and sent a battleship to help them. Once Panama was separate, they signed a treaty with the US agreeing to let us build the canal. Roosevelt actually created a country. US Involvelment in Latin America :: essays research papers US Involvelment in Latin America During Teddy Roosevelt’s Time US primary concern in Latin America was to maintain political stability in order to protect ourselves as well as our business and trade interests. To accomplish this, the Monroe doctrine was expanded to include the Roosevelt Corollary. The Roosevelt Corollary said that the United States would intervene in the internal affairs of Latin America through Military and Diplomatic actions in order to protect political stability and American interests. This policy was established without input from Latin American countries and put the US into the role of international police to maintain peace and order in the Western Hemisphere. Teddy Roosevelt’s philosophy was to â€Å"speak softly but carry a big stick† We also used â€Å"dollar diplomacy† which was the practice of replacing European loans with American ones in Latin America but then used military force to keep our investments safe. Some examples of â€Å"the big stick in action† are: 1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although Cuba wanted its independence and we had promised they could be, we required the Platt Amendment in their constitution, which said that we could intervene in Cuba anytime to protect life, liberty or property. 2)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After the Spanish American War, we took control of Puerto Rico and ruled it like a territory. 3)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After Haiti had a violent coup in 1915, Wilson sent the Marines occupy it and build roads, hospitals and schools etc. 4)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the Mexican Revolution, we sent troops into Northern Mexico in order to catch Villa. 5)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Teddy Roosevelt wanted to build the Panama Canal, Panama was part of Colombia. Colombia refused to sign a treaty with the US allowing us to build the canal because they wanted more money. Roosevelt encouraged Panamanian leaders to revolt and sent a battleship to help them. Once Panama was separate, they signed a treaty with the US agreeing to let us build the canal. Roosevelt actually created a country.

Coming Home Essay -- Homosexuality

Marriage: n. The uniting of a man and woman as husband and wife (Webster’s Standard Dictionary 178). Up until the 1970‘s, homosexuals were highly looked down upon and could not come out about their sexual feelings for fear of undergoing abuse socially. Presently, same-sex marriage has caused the unity of two people to become a far more complicated, constitutionally and politically questioned issue than once imagined. Same-Sex Marriage: A Brief Background If marriage is defined as the union of a man and a woman, then it becomes severely difficult for a man and another man to marry, or two women. The first state to allow same-sex marriage, Massachusetts, had a large impact on homosexuals in America. Since 2003, a multifold of gay couples have taken the opportunity to legally wed in this unique state (Friedman). Currently, many states are being fought over between supporters and opposers of same-sex marriage; the key states are New Hampshire, Iowa, North Carolina, Minnesota, West Virginia, Indiana and Pennsylvania (Gallagher). The support and opposal of same-sex marriage has drastically changed in the past decade. Seven or eight years ago American opinion polls display that the people opposed gay marriage by a 2-1 margin (Klarman). Furthermore, another poll taken in April 2005 told differently; according to a CNN/USA Today, Gallup poll, 68% of Americans felt that same-sex marriage should not be recognized as valid; 28% felt they should be valid, and 4% had no opinion. However, current opinion polls have presented that a slender majority of Americans support gay marriage (Klarman). Beside the fact that not everyone supports same-sex marriage, more homosexuals have come out to the people in their lives. â€Å"The number of Americans ... ...Gay Marriage, Empathy Is A Two- Way Street.† Dallas Morning News (Dallas, TX). 10 Nov 2009: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 13 Apr 2012. Friedman, Laurie S.. Gay Marriage: An Opposing Viewpoints Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Gallagher, Maggie. â€Å"Gay Marriage: New York’s GOP Let’s Down the Base.† Wall Street Journal. 30 Jun 2011: A. 15. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 13 Apr 2012. Jacobs, Deborah. "It's time to stop fighting about same-sex marriage." Forbes.com. N.p., 2011. Web. 27 Apr 2012. . Klarman, Michael. â€Å"Why Gay Marriage Is Inevitable.† Los Angeles Times. 12 Feb 2012: A. 27. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 12 Apr 2012. Olson, Walter. â€Å"Gay Marriage: An Amen for Albany.† Wall Street Journal. 30 Jun 2011: A. 15. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 13 Apr 2012. Coming Home Essay -- Homosexuality Marriage: n. The uniting of a man and woman as husband and wife (Webster’s Standard Dictionary 178). Up until the 1970‘s, homosexuals were highly looked down upon and could not come out about their sexual feelings for fear of undergoing abuse socially. Presently, same-sex marriage has caused the unity of two people to become a far more complicated, constitutionally and politically questioned issue than once imagined. Same-Sex Marriage: A Brief Background If marriage is defined as the union of a man and a woman, then it becomes severely difficult for a man and another man to marry, or two women. The first state to allow same-sex marriage, Massachusetts, had a large impact on homosexuals in America. Since 2003, a multifold of gay couples have taken the opportunity to legally wed in this unique state (Friedman). Currently, many states are being fought over between supporters and opposers of same-sex marriage; the key states are New Hampshire, Iowa, North Carolina, Minnesota, West Virginia, Indiana and Pennsylvania (Gallagher). The support and opposal of same-sex marriage has drastically changed in the past decade. Seven or eight years ago American opinion polls display that the people opposed gay marriage by a 2-1 margin (Klarman). Furthermore, another poll taken in April 2005 told differently; according to a CNN/USA Today, Gallup poll, 68% of Americans felt that same-sex marriage should not be recognized as valid; 28% felt they should be valid, and 4% had no opinion. However, current opinion polls have presented that a slender majority of Americans support gay marriage (Klarman). Beside the fact that not everyone supports same-sex marriage, more homosexuals have come out to the people in their lives. â€Å"The number of Americans ... ...Gay Marriage, Empathy Is A Two- Way Street.† Dallas Morning News (Dallas, TX). 10 Nov 2009: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 13 Apr 2012. Friedman, Laurie S.. Gay Marriage: An Opposing Viewpoints Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Gallagher, Maggie. â€Å"Gay Marriage: New York’s GOP Let’s Down the Base.† Wall Street Journal. 30 Jun 2011: A. 15. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 13 Apr 2012. Jacobs, Deborah. "It's time to stop fighting about same-sex marriage." Forbes.com. N.p., 2011. Web. 27 Apr 2012. . Klarman, Michael. â€Å"Why Gay Marriage Is Inevitable.† Los Angeles Times. 12 Feb 2012: A. 27. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 12 Apr 2012. Olson, Walter. â€Å"Gay Marriage: An Amen for Albany.† Wall Street Journal. 30 Jun 2011: A. 15. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 13 Apr 2012.

Death Penalty Essay -- essays research papers

Death Penalty: Barbaric or Justice?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Julian Ptachin was only 14 years old in October 1997 when a drunk driver smashed into his parents van. His Dad, a physician, had to hold Julian while he died on the side of the road. The drunk driver was a three-timed convicted, repeat offender. He was convicted of second-degree murder and was ordered to serve eight years in jail. Doesn’t something seem wrong with this picture? Repeat crime convicts are running down the streets rapid: endangering our children, our loved ones, and even us.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What can us, as citizens, do to stop these heinous crimes? The Death Penalty. The Death Penalty has been around for several hundred years. One of the first people to first use the death penalty was the Babylonians who would use the system of â€Å"an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.†(Matthew 5:38, KJV) Throughout this reign the Babylonians were very successful and were considered very strong when it came to war tactics. In ancient times there was no repeat offenders, no repeated crimes, and everybody knew what they had to do to stay alive.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Today repeat offenders are walking our streets that we walk on everyday. Many newspapers put out names of sexual offenders who are let out on bail, but yet receive lots of negative feedback for the use of privacy. The American people should have a right to know who the sex offenders are and where i...

Hock

Hock Studies Set 2 Study #1 Reading 14: Just How are you intelligent? Garder, H. (1983) Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences. Main focus or purpose: Howard Garder introduced to the world this new view of multiple intelligences. â€Å"Just how are you intelligent? † is unrelated to amount of overall intelligence and asks instead about the nature of your particular type of intelligence. Primary Research Methods: Gardner developed a set of either indicators or â€Å"signs† that define intelligence.Any intellectual ability, or set of abilities, must map onto most of these criteria, if it is to be considered a separate, autonomous intelligence. Main Results Reported: Each different type of intelligence varied in results. The following were tested Linguistic intelligence- able to use words that are more skillful. Musical Intelligence- gifted abilities involving sound, especially pitch, timbre and rhythm. Logical-mathematical intelligence- analyzes and computes various relationships among abstract objects, concepts, and ideas.Spatial intelligence- skilled in creating, visualizing, and manipulating mental images. Intrapersonal intelligence- able to understand who you are. Weaknesses or Critique: Some concerns based on learning disabilities—how they would test differently. Some argue that not all intelligence was properly tested by Garder—â€Å"sexual intelligence, digital intelligence† Importance/Value: As human beings its important for us to understand which part of our brain is strongest. It can help one find a well fitting job later on. People want to practice what they are naturally good at—so testing this is important.Study #2 Reading 25- Are you the master of your fate? Rotter, J. B. (1966) Generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement. Psychological Monographs, 80, 1-28 Main focus or purpose: Are the consequences of your behavior under your personal control or are they det ermined by forces outside of yourself? Rotter wanted to study differences among people on this dimension and, rather then simply asking them, e developed a test that measured a person’s locus of control. Primary Research Methods: Rotter designed a scale containing a series of many pairs of statements.Each pair consisted of on statement reflecting an internal locus of control and one reflecting an external locus of control. Those taking the test were told to select the one statement of each pair, which you more strongly believe to be the case. This is a measure of personal belief. Rotter called his test to I-E scale. Main Results Reported: Gambling- individuals identified as internals by the I-E scale tended to prefer betting on sure things. Persuasion- internals were found to be more successful than externals in altering the attitudes of others.Achievement motivation-plans to attend college, amt of time spent on hw—more likely to be found in those students who demonstr ated an internal locus of control. Rotter hypothesized that those with an internal locus of control are more likely then externals to gain information from situations, take the initiative to make change, place greater value on inner skill and achievement goals, and are more able to resisted manipulation by others. Weaknesses or Critique: There are not any right or wrong answers in this study. Everything is just based on one individual, which is time consuming for the ones doing the studies.Importance/Value: After being tested—easier to be placed in a fitting environment. It’s important for us to know control. Study #3 Reading 30; You’re getting defensive again Freud, A. (1946). The ego and the mechanisms of defense. New York: International Universities Press. Main focus or purpose: Sigmund Freuds discovery of ego defense mechanisms occurred gradually over 30 or more years as his experiences in dealing with psychological problems grew. Primary Research Methods: F reud claimed to have discovered the defense mechanisms gradually over many years of clinical interactions with his patients.Main Results Reported: Anna Freud identified 10 defense mechanisms that had been described by her father. Five of the original mechanisms that are commonly used and widely recognized today are discussed repression, regression, projection, reaction, formation, and sublimation. Weaknesses or Critique: researchers question some of Anna freuds theories. Do defense mechanisms really exist? Do they actually function unconsciously? Importance/Value: People now have a much better understanding of mechanisms. Study #4 Reading 31: Learning to be depressed Seigman, M. E. P. , &maier, S. F (1967). Failure to escape traumatic shock.Main focus or purpose: Martin Seligman (psychologist), proposed that our perceptions of power and control are learned from experience. Martin believes that a persons efforts at controlling certain life events fail repeatedly, the person may stop attempting to exercise control all together. Primary Research Methods: Subjects for this experiment were 24 â€Å"mongrel dogs†, 15 to 19 inches high at the shoulder and weighing between 25-29 pounds. The dogs were divided into 2 groups of 8. One group was the escape group and the other was the non-escape group. They were individually harnessed and but not completely unable to move.A series of shocks were given to the dogs to see which ones tried to escape. Main Results Reported: In the escape group the time it took for the dogs to press the shock panel quickly decreased over the 64 shocks. In the no escape group, panel pressing completely stopped after 30 tries. Weaknesses or Critique: It’s hard for some to read about animals being used for testing. It’s important for researchers to use them for answers but no abuse should ever take place. Importance/Value: We understand that individuals are more likely to become depressed if they lack control of of situational experience.Study #5 Reading 35: Projections of who you are Rorschach, H. (1942) Psychodiagnostics: A diagnostic test based on perception. New York: Grune & Stratton Main focus or purpose: Roschach’s showed that in the course of interpreting random inkblot, attention would be drawn away from the persons so that his or her usual psychological defenses would be weakened. Primary Research Methods: Roschach form of interpretation test is administered simply by handing a person each figure, one at a time and asking, â€Å"What might this be? Participants were free to turn the card in ant direction and hold it as close to or as far from their eyes as they wish. Main Results Reported: He found that subjects generally gave a total of 5 to 30 totally responses to the 10 figures. Depressed individuals gave less answers, those that were happy gave more, and among the mentally ill answers varied. Weaknesses or Critique: Weather or not what Rorschach claimed to measure was accurate. Othe r researches suggest that there are better ways to test this. Importance/Value: Rorschach’s research will help studies that are done on the same concepts.Study #6 It’s Not Just About Salivating Dogs! Pavlov, I. P. (1927). Conditioned Reflexes. London: Oxford University Press. Main Focus or Purpose: In this study, Pavlov wanted to use physiological research involving the use of dogs as subjects to test the role of salvation on digestion. Test how, when, and why an animal would salivate, what could cause it†¦Unconditional reflex or conditioned reflexes? Primary Research Methods To test this, they would introduce various types of food or nonfood substances into a dogs mouth and observe the rate and amount of salvation.Then they would associate a sound or smell that would occur before that dog gets introduced to the food. Then after noticing that the bell leads to food the dog would therefore begin to salivate by just hearing the noise. Main Results Reported Pavlov th eorized that the dogs had learned from experience in the lab to expect food following certain signals. Although these certain signals do not naturally produce salivation, the dogs came to associate them with the food and salivating with the expectancy of the foods arrival. Weaknesses or CritiqueThere were no true weaknesses or critiques to this research and work. Importance/Value: This experiment and intense observation was very important because it is now universally accepted and has remained virtually unchanged since its conception. His theories of classical conditioning explain a major proportion of human behavior and helped launch psychology as a true science. Study #7 Little Emotional Albert Watson, J. B. , & Rayner, R. (1920). Conditoned emotional Responses. Journal of Expiermental Pyschology, 3, 1-14. Main Focus or Purpose:The main purpose of this study was to test if our human behavior is based on that idea that we are motivated by unconscious instincts and repressed conflic ts from early childhood. Primary Research Methods: The methods for this particular study were simple; they took 9 month old Albert from a hospital where he had been raised as an orphan since birth. They then wanted to see if Albert was naturally afraid of certain stimuli, they placed a white rat, a rabbit, a monkey, a dog and masks in front of him, and he naturally grabbed for most of the objects since they didn’t produce any fear (neutral stimuli).They then paired a loud frightening noise (unconditioned stimuli) with the presentation of each animal and he then cried every time, even just with the sight of the animal because he associated it with that same fear. Main Results Reported Albert was not originally afraid of the rats prior to the conditioning, but then after the conditioning he instantly feared the rat and even the Santa Clause mask that had a similar white appearance. Weaknesses or Critique: Study like this would not be acceptable now days.It is very questionable to ethical reasoning; to take a child at an early age and purposely frighten it is just not right. Importance/Value: This study succeeded to a large extent in convincing many in the psychological community that the emotional behavior could be conditioned through simple stimulus response techniques. Also proved that human behavior is based on that idea that we are motivated by unconscious instincts and repressed conflicts from early childhood. Study #8 Knock Wood! Skinner, B. F. (1948). Superstition in the pigeon. Journal of Expiermental Psychology, 38, 168-172Main Focus or Purpose: Skinnier wanted to test if the reason people do superstitious acts (like knocking on wood for example), do this because they believe or presume a connection exists between the superstitious behavior in a certain setting and a reinforcing consequence exists. Primary Research Methods: The researchers used a empty cage or box that only had an empty dish or tray in which food is dispensed. This allows the res earchers to have control over when the animal receives reinforcement, such as pellets of food. The early conditioning had a lever, which if pushed, would cause food to be dispensed.They then put pigeons into experimental cage for a few minutes each day, and then food reinforcement was delivered automatically every 15 seconds. Main Results Reported: In 6 out of 8 cases the resulting response were so clearly defined that two observers could agree perfectly in counting instances. Eventually, the pigeons behaved as if a certain behavior would produce the food, they became superstitious. Weaknesses or Critique: On the specific issue of superstitions, however, there appears to be less controversy and a rather wide acceptance of the learning process involved in their formation.Importance/Value: This was important because none of these behaviors had been observed in the birds prior to the condition procedure. Study #9 See Aggression†¦ Do Aggression! Bandura, A. , Ross, D. , & Ross, S. A. (1961). Transmission of aggression through imitation of aggressive models. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 63, 575-582. Main Focus or Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine how children may learn to be aggressive. If they learn by observation and imitation or any other influential factors. Primary Research Methods:The researchers exposed children to adult models who behave either aggressively or non-aggressively. The children would then be tested in a new situation without the model present to determine to what extent they would imitate the acts of aggression they had observed in the adult. Main Results Reported: The children who were exposed to the violent models tended to imitate the exact violent behaviors they observed. Weaknesses or Critique: The results were so inconsistent in relation to the aggression-inhibiting effect of nonaggressive models that they were inconclusive. Importance/Value:This research formed the foundation for hundreds of studies o ver the past 45 years on the effects on children of viewing violence in person or in the media. Study #10 Just How Are You Intelligent? Gardner, H. (1938) Frames of Mind: The theory of multiple intelligences. New Yorkk: Basic Books. Main Focus or Purpose: In this study, Garden wanted to test if there were multiple different types of intelligences rather than just one general intelligence that can be tested by an IQ test. He also wanted to further extend the theory of brain specialization, to see if different parts of the brain are responsible for different intelligences.Primary Research Methods: Gardner developed a set of eight indicators or â€Å"signs† that define an intelligence. Any intellectual ability, or set of abilities, will then be mapped onto these criterias. He separated the intelligences into 9 main ones: linguistic, musical, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalist, and existential and then performed test to det ermine what category or categories one might fall under. Main Results Reported: This study showed and proved that people are intelligent in many more ways than just â€Å"book smart†.It gave us proof that a student can still be very bright even if that student is struggling in math or English. Weaknesses or Critique: Many question, what about the children or adults with learning disabilities? But after these tests, Gardner then changed that into learning differences. Importance/Value: Hundreds of scientific articles and books now rest on Gardner’s theory. His theory has remained unchanged and survived for over two decades now and shows no sign of fading. He changed forever how the world looks at learning, teaching and intelligence.