Junk Food in Schools Essay Example for Free

Junk Food in Schools Essay The school bell rings, signaling the start of the lunch hour and the kids all head out to the same direction: the cafeteria. After hours of sitting through class after class, their minds get weary from having to cram all that information into their heads. Consequently, the need for sustenance is almost always overpowering. Lining up towards the food counter, the children load up their trays with goodies of their own pickings. A can of Coke, a cheeseburger or tater torts, a bag of Cheetos and a candy bar and they’re on their way to devouring their savory spread. Thousands of schools across the globe are now being seen to serve an array of food that is high in calories and have elevated salt and fat content, not to mention the amount of preservatives in them. Cheeseburgers, fries, pizza, chips, sodas and candy bars have become largely available in today’s cafeterias, providing an unhealthy alternative to the traditional cooked meals. â€Å"Junk food†, as is appropriately coined for food that has low nutritional value, has largely become a favorite on our average youngster’s menu. As such, profit-seeking companies have targeted schools to market such products. Not only are they being promoted in high schools but they have now infiltrated the middle schools as well, knowing that most of these children are probably eating the same amount of junk food in their homes too. Although major cola companies are denying several harmful effects of their products, colas are causing children to be caffeine dependent. Crisps and other snacks may be attractive to [Insert Last name 2] kids in that they taste good but the consumption of these â€Å"empty† calories is the leading cause of obesity in youngsters and obese children could end up having chronic heart problems. Thousands of parents have voiced out their concerns and a lot of people are aware of the threat that this issue poses on the children’s health. Some areas actually pass laws prohibiting schools from turning on vending machines during lunch hours. This measure has proven to be ineffective. Such failure is the culmination of years and years of neglect upon the dietary needs of the children. If adults were more vigilant in supervising such an integral part of their growth, this health issue would not be an issue at all. As a result, what adults can do is to wean these kids from this unhealthy inclination and provide them with a well-balanced, highly nutritious yet equally satisfying fare. Regulations in preparing meals should also be implemented with respect to the children’s vitamin and mineral requirements. Fried products should be kept at a minimum as they are high in fat content, having been fried in oil. Burgers, sausages and other types of â€Å"mechanically recovered meat† should be banned from the cafeteria as well as sweets like candy bars, toffees, mints, chewing gum and savory snacks such as crisps, salted nuts and tortilla chips. These food items contain large amounts of sugar, salt, food additives such as monosodium glutamate and polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats. The school is a place where the youth, who are to become tomorrow’s adults, go in order to gain knowledge of all the worldly things that they would need in the future. It is a place where they feed their minds but what they are feeding their bodies in a place of learning might someday lead to unseen health problems unless, the serving of highly nutritious and substantial meals can be strictly enforced in the educational system and that the adults who run the schools keep in mind that the children’s health should in no way be compromised. [Insert Last Name 3] Works Cited â€Å"Junk Food Banned in School Meals†. 19 May 2006. BBC News. 11 April 2008. http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/4995268. stm â€Å"Junk Foods†. 2008. Ask the Dietician. 11 April 2008. http://www. dietitian. com/junkfood. html

Resource Based View Of Firms Competitive Advantage

Resource Based View Of Firms Competitive Advantage The nature of competition constitutes the basis of a firm s success or failure. Quality today no longer constitutes a competitive weapon. Organisations long term success in a market is determined by its ability to expand and maintain a large number of loyal customer bases. Innovation has always been at the focus of competitiveness. Innovation often occurs in sudden dynamic shifts. It is these sudden competitive changing innovations that open up and close out vast areas of businesses. A firm s core competences is dependent on its capacity to creatively combine core skills (Prahalad, 1993), from both within and out side the organisation. However, what matters is the creative bundling of a firm s core competency (Prahalad, 1993) and thus, the need for a focus on the factors that signal value to the customers. Firms are required not only to improve, but to innovate products and services and anticipate customer needs on a continuous basis. In order to maintain a long-term relationship with the customer, firms need to demonstrate their ability to think for the customer, and to conceive and implement new ways to serve them better. Table of contents Executive Summary 1 1.0 Introduction An Overview of the Resource-Based View (RBV) 2.0 Competitive Advantage and Innovation 3-7 3.0 International Business Machines Corporation IBM 4.0 SONY 8 5.0 Procter Gamble 11 6.0 Conclusion 14 References 15-18 Bibliography and Appendices 19-21 1.0 Introduction An Overview of the Resource-Based View (RBV) RBV is a strategic theory for understanding why some firms outperform others. It is a widely adopted analytical tool of assessing a firm s internal strengths and weaknesses and a business management tool used to determine the strategic resources available to a firm. The fundamental principle of the RBV is that the basis for a competitive advantage of a firm lies primarily in the application of the bundle of valuable resources at the firms disposal (Wernerfelt, 1984, p172). It provides an explanation of competitive heterogeneity between firms. To transform a short-run competitive advantage into a sustained competitive advantage requires that these resources are heterogeneous in nature and not perfectly mobile (Peteraf, 1993, p180). Classical RBV theory was contributed by Penrose (1959) almost half a century ago. She argued that a firm is more than an administrative unit. It is also a collection of productive resources. The disposal of the resources between different users over time is determined by administrative decision. Penrose contributed to our knowledge of the creation of competitive advantage, sustaining competitive advantage, isolating mechanisms, and competitive advantage and economic rents (Kor and Mahoney, 2004). Modern RBV theory of the firm was introduced by Barney (1986, 1991), Dierickx and Cool (1989), and Peteraf (1993). Their works assumed that each firm is a collection of key resources and capabilities that determines a firm s strategy. Above-average returns are earned when the firm uses its core competencies to establish a competitive advantage over its rivals. With the progress in the research on RBV, it has become clear that the RBV extends beyond the assets of an organization and reaches i nto its capabilities which have more relation with process and activities. According to Barney (1991), for a firm to have the potential to generate competitive advantage firm resources must have four attributes. First, the firm must be valuable, in the sense that it exploits opportunities and or neutralizes threats in a firm s environment. Secondly, it must be rare among a firm s current and potential competition. Thirdly, it must be imperfectly imitable. Finally, there cannot be strategically equivalent substitutes for this resource . Identify the firm s potential key resources. Evaluate whether these resources fulfill the following (VRIN) criteria: Valuable A resource must enable a firm to employ a value-creating strategy, by either outperforming its competitors or reduce its own weaknesses (:p99;p36). Relevant in this perspective is that the transaction costs associated with the investment in the resource cannot be higher than the discounted future rents that flow out of the value-creating strategy (Mahoney and Prahalad, 1992, p370; Conner, 1992, p131). Rare To be of value, a resource must be by definition rare. In a perfectly competitive strategic factor market for a resource, the price of the resource will be a reflection of the expected discounted future above-average returns (Barney, 1986a, p1232-1233; Dierickx and Cool, 1989, p1504;[1]:p100). In-imitable If a valuable resource is controlled by only one firm it could be a source of a competitive advantage ([1]:p107). This advantage could be sustainable if competitors are not able to duplicate this strategic asset perfectly (Peteraf, 1993, p183; Barney, 1986b, p658). The term isolating mechanism was introduced by Rumelt (1984, p567) to explain why firms might not be able to imitate a resource to the degree that they are able to compete with the firm having the valuable resource (Peteraf, 1993, p182-183; Mahoney and Pandian, 1992, p371). An important underlying factor of inimitability is causal ambiguity, which occurs if the source from which a firm s competitive advantage stems is unknown (Peteraf, 1993, p182; Lippman and Rumelt, 1982, p420). If the resource in question is knowledge-based or socially complex, causal ambiguity is more likely to occur as these types of resources are more likely to be idiosyncratic to the firm in which it resides (Peteraf, 1993, p183; Mahoney and Pandian, 1992, p365;[1]:p110). Conner and Prahalad go so far as to say knowledge-based resources are the essence of the resource-based perspective (1996, p477). Non-substitutable Even if a resource is rare, potentially value-creating and imperfectly imitable, an equally important aspect is lack of substitutability (Dierickx and Cool, 1989, p1509;[1]:p111). If competitors are able to counter the firm s value-creating strategy with a substitute, prices are driven down to the point that the price equals the discounted future rents (Barney, 1986a, p1233; sheikh, 1991, p137), resulting in zero economic profits. 1.1 Competitive Advantage A firm can attain competitive advantage if the current strategy is value-creating, and not currently being implemented by present or possible future competitors. Competitive advantage has the ability to become sustained, however, this is not necessarily the case always. A competing firm can enter the market with a resource that has the ability to invalidate the prior firms competitive advantage, which results in reduced rents (Barney, 1986b, p658). Sustainability in the context of a sustainable competitive advantage is independent with regards to the time-frame. When the imitative actions have come to an end without disrupting the firm s competitive advantage, the firm s strategy can be called sustainable. This is contrary to other views that a competitive advantage is sustained when it provides above-average returns in the long run. (Porter, 1985). 2.0 Competitive Advantage through Innovation A convenient definition of innovation from an organizational perspective is given by Luecke and Katz (2003), who wrote: Innovation . . . is generally understood as the successful introduction of a new thing or method . . . Innovation is the embodiment, combination, or synthesis of knowledge in original, relevant, valued new products, processes, or services. A content analysis on the term innovation carried out by Baregheh et al. (2009) within the organizational context, defines innovation as: Innovation is the multi-stage process whereby organizations transform ideas into new/improved products, service or processes, in order to advance, compete and differentiate themselves successfully in their marketplace.[3] Innovation typically involves creativity, but is not identical to it: innovation involves acting on the creative ideas to make some specific and tangible difference in the domain in which the innovation occurs. For example, Amabile et al. (1996) propose: All innovation begins with creative ideas . . . We define innovation as the successful implementation of creative ideas within an organization. In this view, creativity by individuals and teams is a starting point for innovation; the first is necessary but not sufficient condition for the second. For innovation to occur, something more than the generation of a creative idea or insight is required: the insight must be put into action to make a genuine difference, resulting for example in new or altered business processes within the organization, or changes in the products and services provided. Innovation, like many business functions, is a management process that requires specific tools, rules, and discipline. Innovation is an instinctive behavior in certain companies. It does not emerge overnight, and will not be developed unless the firm is placed in with the right structure. This means that the firms need to identify and address their weakness, decide upon a strategic direction and determine what type of growth innovation will stimulate. In order for firms to survive intensive competition that exist around the globe, firms must be innovative. It is essential to understand what makes a firm innovative and the kind of resources make a significant contribution to a firm s innovation capabilities. We do know that good technological resources and rich innovation resources result in stronger innovation capabilities. Companies need to introduce architectural or business- model breakthroughs in order to develop new strategies to attack competitors and enter new markets. They must identify the gaps in industrial organisation and go into filling these gaps by finding ways to turn them into profitable markets. They need to find new customers, new products or new ways of promoting, producing or distributing them. Strategic innovation goes beyond just product innovation. It links resources and efforts to an overall business strategy and involves making knowledge creation and innovative action a way of life. It seeks to create and expand markets, rather than to react to customer demand and then redirecting its resources from profitable lines to more potentially profitable lines. According to Abraham and Knight (2001), for those managers who know about the strategic innovation approach, the approach serves as a part of intelligence-gene transplant , enabling them to leverage resources to achieve superior growth or competitive advantage. Innovation remains a management dilemma long-term survival requires a commitment to alteration and change through disrupting growth, but it s a strategy few companies survive. In order to solve the dilemma, leaders must address its inherent conflict. The need to innovate is universally perceived as the key to organizational survival, but it s not enough for companies to merely get better. They need to be more differentiated not just through extensions of existing businesses, but mainly through a commitment to continuous growth. Such transformational innovation is a necessity, not an option Strategic innovation process has become such an essential element due to the speed of change and increased competition. According to Abraham and Knight (2001), The process is based on repetitions of the five phase strategic innovation cycle as illustrated in the diagram below. Source : Abraham, J.L, and Knight, D.J, (2001) Strategic Innovation leveraging creative action for more profitable growth. Strategy Leadership 29, pp 24 Abraham and Knight (2001), states that This cycle helps transform difficult-to-describe tacit knowledge and experiences into more explicit form and enables a leader to deliberately and systematically create results-oriented knowledge and innovative action. Abraham and Knight (2001) identifies the five phases as per of the strategic innovation cycle. It is illustrated in Appendix 1. Abraham and Knight (2001) also identified a strategic innovation cycle In the below diagram, the strategic innovation cycle is recurring, generating an increased knowledge and innovation, spiraling up and across an organization and even reaching outside the organizations boundaries Source : Abraham, J.L, and Knight, D.J, (2001) Strategic Innovation leveraging creative action for more profitable growth. Strategy Leadership 29, pp 24 2.1 Criticism of innovation It is often considered that firms often resist to change, both within and outside the organisation. Virtually every large company that has got into trouble has been criticized for not changing rapidly enough. Many firms fail to anticipate change and its subsequent ramifications renders them unprepared, reactionary and lacking the drive necessary to respond to the market s demands. It has become increasingly important for firms today to introduce innovation and flexibility into their core competence (Peters, 1987). Moreover, in order to influence an organisation s potential resources, Prahalad (1993) argues for the development of a proactive framework in which innovation can be planned and managed. 3.0 Over view of International Business Machines Corporation IBM. The building block of IBM reach back into the mid 1880s, however, the company was officially founded in 1911 by Charles F. Flint, as he engineered the merger of Holleriths Tabulating Machine Company, Computing Scale Company of America and International Time Recording Company. The agreed upon name was Computing- Tabulating- Recording Company or C-T-R. C-T-R soon found itself struggling do to over diversification of its product. In 1914 Thomas J. Watson, Sr. was brought in to help homogenize the company. Throughout the Great Depression IBM was able to continue to grow and innovate even when demand for their products began to drop. In the 1940s IBM completed the first ever Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator, also called the Mark I. In the 1950s IBMs computers became smaller and more practical for business applications such as billing, payroll and inventory control. IBM was the first computing company to sell computers without software bundled into the package, this move generated the multi-billion dollar software industry that exist today, of which IBM is still an industry leader. In the 1970s and 80s IBM worked to get the computer smaller and more convenient for the household format. Floppy disks were introduced to the public market as personal self storage devices. IBM also developed the first Intranet in the mid 80s and created the foundations for what would later become the internet. In the late 1980s and early 90s IBM was struck with turmoil as the PC revolution exploded IBMs long standing relationships with big business saw the company struggling to survive, averaging annual losses of 8 billion. Personal consumers were all the rage not big business consumers. Soon IBM was able to use their intranet experiences of the past and harness the emerging information age using their line of top end servers and integrated business solutions. Today, IBM is a world leading research organisation boasting a track record for breakthrough developments that many other envy and we can match. IBM has an impressive inventory of ideas due to their reliance on in-house expertise. The company has been forging closer links with a range of external technology developers due to changing market demands. To IBM, technology equals participation and interaction, whose prime motive is how it can be more widely applied. IBM employs a breakthrough tool to enhance the team creation process. IBMs future looks strong as they are the underlying producers of servers and business solutions for the e-business industry, which is growing at an incredible rate. 4.0 Procter and Gamble Procter Gamble is a company with more than 100 years on business, and is a clear example of a successful company. Procter and Gamble was founded in 1837 and incorporated in Ohio on May 5, 1905. It began as a small family operated soap and candle company, and now provides products and services of greater quality and value to consumers in over 180 countries. Procter Gamble has one of the largest and strongest portfolios of trusted brands. Procter and Gamble is the producer of products in nearly 50 categories. Because of this, they have been able to bond technologies within the categories in various astonishing ways. Over the years, Procter Gamble s Research and Development team has revolutionized home care. Many breakthroughs originate in the Procter Gamble s laboratories. Procter Gamble operates in more than 80 countries worldwide, which makes for one of the largest global companies around. Procter Gamble s strategy is mostly focused on innovation. They use this strategy to approach consumers more easily, and to obtain the most effective results towards the market share in the industry. Procter Gamble is also strongly committed to the concept of sustainable development, and continues to lead its industry in that regard. The company views sustainability as an opportunity to innovate products that improve the lives of the worlds consumers. Procter Gamble centers its sustainability efforts largely on its core activities. In particular, two key themes are significant to a number of Procter Gambles businesses: water purification technology products and sanitation hygiene. In that context, Procter Gamble emphasizes on innovation in products that serve basic needs of consumers in the least developed countries. The companys high scores in the criteria of product impact and strategies for emerging economies is a reflection of that fact. In developed markets, Procter Gamble focuses on environmental excellence, innovating in products such as cold-water cleaning technologies that provide good performance as well as energy savings and eco-efficiency Procter and Gamble s Innovation strategy is called Connect + Develop. This strategy is seeking to build a global innovation network. Through Connect + Develop relationships, the company continually searches for products, packaging, technologies and commercial opportunities that can be reapplied to brands and rapidly introduced to better meet consumers diverse needs. This strategy seeks to leverage the ideas, talents and innovation assets of individuals, institutes and companies around the world. Innovation Examples: Ready-to-go Technologies: Procter Gamble introduced Bounce, the worlds first dryer added softener, after acquiring the product technology from the independent inventor who developed the innovative fabric-care solution. Ready-to-go Products: In this instance, the deal was struck when Procter Gamble acquired Dr. Johns Spin brush business and added the Crest brand name to the innovation. Ready-to-go Packaging: Several of the Olay Skin Care products now utilize new consumer-preferred pump dispensers originally developed by a European packaging products company. Commercial Partnerships: Procter Gamble found the perfect complement to the Swiffer brand in a hand-held duster developed by a Japanese competitor. The VRIO analysis provides a deep look into Procter Gamble which helps to analyze what makes or does not make this company so unique. Procter and Gamble s physical resources are valuable but not rare, and are costly to imitate. The Procter Gamble Company has over 138,000 employees. Managing this many employees is not an easy task. Training these masses alone is an unprecedented task. Having all these employees work in conjunction is something that is not easy to imitate. Procter Gamble s research team is made up of 7,500 Ph.D.s and researchers. Within Research and Development, there is a strong commitment to find the best researchers, and retain them with a culture designed to reward success, stimulate learning, challenge complacency, and nurture innovation. It is this common goal, which in instilled in those who work in the department, that the company gets its extra vigor and motivation. Criticism Procter Gamble could focus more on the Research and Development department, which has the task of analyzing and preparing potential products for such a complex market. It is also important to mention that India and China are the fastest growing economies, and so this factor represents an opportunity for growth. In the marketing aspect, Procter Gamble has to focus more on demographics and how to target effectively the Asian market. Procter Gamble is a very strong competitive company within the markets that it resides. This company will most likely continue to prosper for some time but always has the possibility of a down fall. As long as Procter Gamble continues to implement their strategies and effectively revise them along with the changes in the markets Procter Gamble will continue to have a prosperous outlook. 5.0 Overview of Sony Corporation; Sony is a company which managed to become an established name in the electronics market. It exists of a mix of businesses ranging from Hollywood studios to high-definition televisions. It is the company which created the forever-famous Walkman, as well as the highly popular Playstation gaming devises. The Sony brand is often seen as cool , hip . It is a company with very high heights, but also very low lows. Not only on the subject of products, but also regarding management and structure. Sony s Play Station video game console is just one of a string of imaginative hit products that include the Trinition colour television and the Walkman personal stereo player. The company s creative, somewhat quirly, eccentric engineer-focussed corporate culture, where ideas and enthusiasm are valued over and above seniority, experience and university degrees, has been the main reason for its success. Consumer electronics industry is changing, competition is becoming intense and product lines are moving closer together. With complacency settting in at Sony, resources became stretched too thinly, managers becamse less demanding and creativity was made over complicated. The case of Sony questions whether efficiency and productivity really go hand in hand with creativity and innovation. Sony is struggling to find a balance between the drive to stay innovative and the cooperate need to not fall behind the competition in key markets. It must decide whether it is leading, following or simply standing still. Criticism Sony could afford to concentrate on product quality and can have a more rigorous project management structure. First mover advantage is active in evolutionary technological transitions which are technological innovations based on previous developments (Kim and Park 2006, p, 45, Cottam et al. 2001, p. 142). Late entrants may comply with the technological innovativeness and increase pressure of competition, hence, seek for a competitive advantage through making the existing competences and resources of early entrants invalid or outdated. In other words innovative technological implications will significantly change the landscape of the industry and the market, making early mover s advantage minimum. However, in a market where technology does not play a dynamic role, early mover advantage may prevail. 6.0 Critiques of Resource Based View. The RBV s lack of clarity regarding its core premise and its lack of any clear boundary impedes fruitful debate. Given the theory s lack of specificity, one can invoke the definition-based or hypothesis-based logic any time. Again, we argue that resources are but one potential source of competitive heterogeneity. Competitive heterogeneity can obtain for reasons other than sticky resources (or capabilities) (Hoopes et al. 2003: 891). Competitive heterogeneity refers to enduring and systematic performance differences among close competitors (Hoopes et al., 2003: 890). The limitations of RBV are mainly in two aspects. First, RBV alone does not capture all the essences of competitive advantage of the firms. RBV provides no perspective on why and how some firms rather than others accumulated valuable and inimitable resources, or indeed what made these resources valuable and inimitable (Lazonick, 2002). In order to explain competitive advantage, the RBV must incorporate the evolution over time of the resources and capabilities that form the basis of competitive advantage (Helfat and Peteraf, 2003). Second, RBV ignores the external elements and focuses on the internal. A complete model of strategic advantage should adopt both the internal dimension which is based on periodic reviews of the fitness of the firm s current resources and the external dimension which is oriented towards an appraisal of the resource endowments of outsiders such as competitors, customers, suppliers and so on. Furthermore, it is also important and relevant to briefly discuss the concept of resource and capability. A firm s resources can be classified into two categories: tangible resources and intangible resources. Tangible resources are assets that can be seen and quantified. Intangible resources are rooted deeply in the firm s history and that have accumulated over time. Barney (1991) and Grant (1991) classified tangible resources into four forms: financial resources, organizational structure, physical resources and technological resources. Grant (1991) and Hall (1992) identified three kinds of intangible resources: human resources, innovation resources and reputation resources. Priem and Butler (2001) made four key criticisms: The RBV is self-verifying. Barney has defined a competitive advantage as a value-creating strategy that is based on resources that are, among other characteristics, valuable (1991, p106). This reasoning is circular and therefore operationally invalid (Priem and Butler, 2001a, p31). Different resource configurations can generate the same value for firms and thus would not be competitive advantage The role of product markets is underdeveloped in the argument The theory has limited prescriptive implications However, Barney (2001) provided counter-arguments to these points of criticism. 7.0 Conclusion In order to maintain a sustainable competitive advantage, firms will have to out-innovate the competition continuously so that it is the customer who constitutes the ultimate beneficiary. All too often firms lose sight of their primary goal their customers needs, wants and values in pursuit of innovations that appear to promise improved efficiency and augmented financial benefits. Thinking for the customer , it is argued, implies that innovation derives from customer orientation: the firm s desire to serve and reward their customers. Furthermore, beyond a firm s technological innovations, what has become increasingly important is the firm s service innovations. Service innovation is the process through which a firm undertakes changes in its philosophy, culture, operations and procedures to add value to the result of the service/product for the benefit of the customer. It requires an understanding of the complex nature of customers needs and the values attributed to combined product and service offerings (service package). Essentially, therefore, service innovation depends on a firm s ability to use this understanding to evolve, collaborate and enter partnerships that effectively fulfil their customers holistic needs and, thereby, increase the opportunities for customer allegiance (relationship). A number of issues have emerged from this study which have important contributions in both innovation as a competitive advantage and how resource based view is applied in the real world . While the above arguments tender theoretical understanding and explanation, it is recommended that future empirical research need to be done to complement this study, particularly in terms of identifying the various analytical tools for understanding and developing competitive advantage.

Sociological Theories Of Crime And Youth Criminals Criminology Essay

Sociological Theories Of Crime And Youth Criminals Criminology Essay Sociology, along with certain other multidisciplinary focuses, provides a number of reasons for why young people commit crimes. Chief amongst these is a lack of employment, the breakdown of the family, urban decay, social disenchantment, social alienation, drug abuse, and a host of others. For example, it had been proposed that integration be viewed through patterns of role relationships  [1]  however on the other hand it had been argued that new legal powers essentially comprise an extension of punitiveness underpinned by stigmatising and pathologies constructions of working class families.  [2]  In both cases, separated by a number of years, a number of factors are to blame the state, parents, and so on but little if any answers are proposed. Sociology in its broadest forms offers a prescriptive view of the world and this can leave it lacking when tasked with answering questions that arise out of its interests but which its interests cannot qualify. As a 2006 study on you th crime in nova Scotia put it, youth crime is multifaceted. On the one hand, most youth commit crime, and most typically grow out of crime as they age. Longitudinal studies further suggest there are several risk factors that place certain youth at increased risk of offending. At the same time, there are youth with many risk factors who never participate in offending behaviour while there are youth with few risk factors who have established criminal careers.  [3]  It is here that sociology comes unstuck, unable to handle the sheer multi affectedness of youth crime with an academic outlook that seeks to place youth into easily identifiable boxes. It is here That criminology, psychology, psychiatry, and social policy step in to try and make sense of this multiplicity and advise on policies which can both decrease the number of youths committing crimes, whilst encouraging those already in such a position to leave it behind. According to most commentators, growing out of crime is on the increase. Furthermore, a lot of youth crime is to a certain extent, to be expected, quite aside for reasons of social delinquency. The establishment of the new youth justices system was a reaction to this fact. As sociologists noted that certain levels of delinquency were normal, a new policy entered in the UK that sought to treat all crimes as punishable by a formal criminal justice sanction. The effects of this have been to label a young offender as an offender from an early age. On youths, this has a number of effects. The first is to further entrench criminality into the culprit, whilst the other aims to encourage the youth of the pointlessness of crime , providing punishments that equal the crime, but that also aim to dissuade against further criminal acts. Questions also arise about how to differentiate between males and females. Goldson and Muncie  [4]  note that women tend to grow out of crime earlier than boys. Whilst a sociological approach to this seeks to question why this may be, the criminological approach must make do with knowing that after the age of 18, youth offending begins to fall, particularly self-reported offending. As youths mature, they tend to swap certain crimes for others. Thus shoplifting and burglary decrease whilst fraud and workplace theft increase as they enter the labour market. These are questions best answered by the statistician than the sociologist. Theories that rely on concepts of individual pathology are redundant in the light of sociological developments in criminology. In recent years, there has been a wholesale turning away from concepts of individual pathology in sociology, necessitated by advancements in criminology which place a greater social burden on the reasons for crime. Haines draws a contrast between individualised explanations of criminal behaviour and approaches which seek to place crime in its situational and social context.  [5]  However, the positivist view that Darwinian notions of physiognomy may in some way be responsible for defining characteristics of a criminal are by now very outdated. More modern theories of criminality, derived in part from sociological studies, but also from the dismantling of the Darwinian myth of universal positivism, have led researchers to take the view that criminals are made, rather than born. That means that they are socialized in a society that views criminal behaviour as entirely rational and in keeping with the social and cultural norms of that milieu. Whilst exceptions still abound, particul arly in the case of the clinically, ill, this view informs much policy thinking and policies aimed at reducing youth crime. There are of course exceptions to this, but they remain very much the exception. Individual pathology is so closely linked with the notion of pathology that it is too universal, cutting across all classes, as to be specific enough to the rigours of criminological profiling. Criminology in its current incarnation looks at why crime exists in society and in order to do that, it needs to look at the ills of society. Taking their cues from Marx and Engels, the modern idea of criminology seeks to give answers that look at social questions as much as pathological ones. Accordingly, the individual pathology model is a control oriented ideology which serves to locate the causes of problems in specific individuals and which supplies the relevant knowledge and understanding to develop the appropriate technologies and social policies for controlling deviant members. Crimi nological theorizing thereby becomes a means of providingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦a means of legitimating current policies which become justified as forms of treatment rather than punishment.  [6]  In this argument, the archaic individual pathology view becomes not only outdated, but also unfairly punitive, prescribing a series of judgments upon a larger, unclassifiable group. It strips the moral imperative from those enlisted to uphold it, and takes an awkwardly narrow view of society as a whole.

Graduation Speech: What is Education? :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

My goal tonight is to motivate you and to encourage others to get their diploma. I'll start with a quote: Education is what you have left over after you have forgotten everything you have learned. Let me repeat that. Education is what you have left over after you have forgotten everything you have learned. I think that quote applies to me because I had to forget what I was taught growing up. And, what I was left with is my diploma and education, but more so, wisdom. I'm up here tonight because some people in this community opened up their ears, hearts, and homes to me. I was struggling when I first came to County High. I had failed seventh grade, actually I passed with 'F's" but my mom held me back. I was a very depressed and suicidal kid back then. I spent a lot of time in other people's homes who could provide me with comfort and guidance. County High's staff was patient with me. Susan M. was my middle school teacher at and she recently reminded me of how I used to sit in corners or under desks to do my school work or study. But soon I came out from the shadows and with some positive support, I went on to Lake County High School with A's and B's. I went to another school but I didn't make it there. When you lose your wind, you are ready to give up. You think that there is no point in trying. You don't believe you can do it. But County High is home to me. Bob and Jane are my parents and the students are my brother and sisters. Over the years that I have been at County High my self-esteem has risen. My determination has become stronger and my future has become much brighter. Now I didn't just come to County High a wreck and leave a happy little flower. It's been a process with many stepping stones from caring people in this community. I remember my friend's brother offering to pay for a school sport if I wanted to join. I didn't, but just that offer opened a door. I didn't know I could do that, I thought it was for other kids. Not for people like me. I wasn't aware of many things in my teenage years because I hadn't experienced them with my family.

Crime Of Passion By Barbara Hu :: Barbara Hu Crime Of Passion

The essay â€Å"A Crime of Compassion† was written by Barbara Huttmann. A story of love, dedication, moral values, and a nurse who loved her job and her patients very dearly. One of her patients was a young police officer who had been diagnosed with lung cancer. Within six months time, he had lost his youth, two of his five senses and his ability to do anything for himself. He had stopped breathing numerous times, and each time he was resuscitated. Eventually the pain became unbearable and he begged for God to take him. Being resuscitated wasn’t what he wanted anymore, he wanted to die. This nurse with so much love and so much knowledge relieved him of his pain and let him die. The public and the hospital then scolded her. She was labeled a murderer. The author’s use of description was very detailed and very real. Reading this essay was like watching it on television. Every sentence was described with so much depth; there was no need to imagine the scenery or the excitement of the hospital. The healthy police officer was described as a young, witty macho cop with thirty-two pounds of attack equipment. When reading this, the vision of a man in a blue uniform with his gun and walkie-talkie enters the mind. When the man had been diagnosed with lung cancer he was described as a sixty pound skeleton being kept alive by liquid food poured down a tube. The code blues were described horrifically. He stopped breathing two to three times a day, and every time he stopped he was resuscitated. â€Å"The nurses stayed to wipe away the saliva that drooled from his mouth, irrigate the big craters of bedsores that covered his hips, suction the lung fluids that threatened to drown him, clean the feces that burned his skin†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He was going through an agonizing ordeal, and he was being kept alive unnaturally. The pain he was enduring was far too much for any human or any animal to sustain.

English Language Learners Essay

In this paper we will explain the theory behind English language learners, and give the benefits Of the program. One will show how important it is to practice and or adopt this program as a teacher. In the scenario the teacher was caught off guard he know nothing about using, programs to help him teach the new student. When the student first came into school there should have been an assessment as to how much the child knew. As the child came into the classroom the environment should have made her feel comfortable and safe to explore. The teacher stated that he was frustrated because he did not understand the student native language. As after five months he didn’t know if the student was learning anything. The child would only nod her head or look at him to let him know she understood. The teacher needs to know the stages of oral language development which are the following and the descriptions: 1. The silent period- The student may smile, make hand gestures, point at what they want and not say a word. This stage could last 10 hours, up to six months. 2. The early production stage- This stage could last up to another six months and what also could be expected is simple yes or no answer. At this stage one is not looking for complete conversation. 3. Speech emergences stage- This stage may last up to another year. In the stage the students are able to answer question in complete sentences however, they may make grammatical errors. 4. Intermediate stage- the student is able to make statements and answer in complete sentences. They are also able to give their own opinion, if they don’t understand they will make sure they understand what you are asking and or saying. 5. Advance stage- This student is able to speak in full sentences and write without making grammatical errors. This student can speak as well as an English speaking person. Reading the scenario I was concerned with Mikhail, he had been in the United States for two years and have not yet learned the grammar on his grade level. The teacher states that Mikhail is very well liked and can understand English very well but has poor writing skills. The teacher has no idea what to do next. ACTION PLAN The action plan will be a plan set for all levels of ELLS learners. It will help new students that have not been in an English language learner’s class. It will also help student that have been in the United States for over two years. The first action plan that we are going to do to reduce the effective filtering (anxiety level) the reason for this is to make the students feel comfortable. The more at ease the student is the more the student will learn. The students that are first time comers need to know that the teacher is there for them and they don’t have to second guess. Scaffolding would be one of the activities to help with effective filtering. SHOW AND TELL- This activity is a great example of scaffolding. The teacher would go first so that the students would know how it is to be done. One could show them how to speak clear so that every student understands what they’re saying, it creates a great deal of vocabulary. In doing the show and tell it will allow you to get background on your students. This will allow you to develop a successful lesson plan. Lesson Plan K-12 VOCABULARY/WRITING Fish in a bowl Materials Fish Bowl Pens OBJECT The object of this lesson is to have the students listening, reading and writing. HOW TO PLAY Each student will write a question on paper and put it into the fish bowl. Each student has to put in two question each. One would have to take a paper out of the fish bowl, and read the question and read it in front of the class during this time every one is quite. There are 6 to 10 students sitting in a circle. Once all of the question are pulled and answered, they are put into a smaller group to talk amongst themselves to see how it feels to answer the questions. This activity will give the students listening, writing, reading and speaking activity. In this paper one has shown the importance of English Language Learners. One have shown that this program can be used by every level of English language learner. Reference Chrome.google.com/webstore/category/extensions?hl=en-US&utm_source=chrome-ntp-launcher http://www.edutopia.org/blog/scaffolding-lessons-six-strategies-rebecca-alber Syrja, R.C. (2011). How to reach and teach English language learners: Practical strategies to ensure success. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-B0B0KWqGMI

Advertising encourages a desire for products which people do not actually need

They are everywhere. Banners, billboards, Internet Websites, newspapers, radio spots, television commercials, magazines, logos on clothing, cars and even cutlery. Advertising has so permeated everyday life that at last count, individuals can expect to be bombarded by approximately 1200 messages everyday, telling them what to eat, wear, do and believe in. The ubiquity of advertising is a phenomenon of our modern world akin to and sometimes elevated to an art form, a consequence of the much touted ethos of free trade and capitalistic consumerism. But not all are lured by the siren song of the commercial jingle.Cynics lambast advertisers for convincing people to spend money they do not have, for something that they do not need. Malcolm Muggeridge, prominent British journalist and thinker direfully prophesied that history will remember advertising as â€Å"one of the evils of our time†, wrongfully stimulating people to â€Å"constantly want things, want this, want that†. Cr itics like John Arbuthnot Fischer see the corrupt connection between society’s deteriorating values and the hidden agenda that advertising subtly (or not so subtly) champions: that youth equals popularity, popularity equals success, success equals happiness.How does advertising weave such a hypnotic influence? The ultimate objective of advertising is to sell products, services and ideas persuasively and creatively. To that end, advertisers and copy writers resort to all manner of strategy to arrest the attention of consumers long enough to create awareness and perhaps, even desire for the product, service or idea. The variety of methods to entice both existing and potential clientele range from the obvious to the subtle, from the staid to the subliminal (incidentally outlawed in many countries).Whatever the methods used, professional advertisers all agree that good advertising is not just about circulating information; it is about penetrating the public mind with desires and belief. In fact, advertising guru Leo Burnett once said that the secret of effective and original commercials is not the creation of new and tricky words and pictures, but one of putting familiar words and pictures into new relationships. Such perception altering strategies are what may induce consumers to desire and eventually buy the superfluous and the frivolous.Consider for instance De Beers diamonds. Before its advertisements for diamonds were launched, the gemstone was merely another sparkling jewel, fit for royalty, not so much for the commoners. By equating diamonds with love, De Beers successfully created a hitherto non-existent appetite for the stones (albeit really lovely ones). If a girl does not get a diamond engagement ring, the husband-to-be had better be prepared for trouble. Take a closer look also at the latest range of Louis Vuitton advertisements which capitalize on big-name appeal.The very public figures of Mikhail Gorbachev (former premier of the Russia, no les s), Sean Connery (of James Bond 007 fame), even queen of pop and controversy Madonna, who have fronted these advertisements convey more than just a sense of the luxury that the brand is famous for. These iconic figures, exuding power, history and a touch of legend, are whom a successful generation has grown up with and therefore feel a connection. You may not need a Louis Vuitton bag, but being able to buy one becomes a subtle statement that you have arrived, putting you in the same league as the celebrities who endorse the brand.Yet, while it is true that advertising can generate awareness of people’s desire of things that they now know to exist, it is equally true that advertising cannot create a need that did not previously exist. Jeff I Richards points out that advertising will only die when â€Å"people everywhere are satisfied with their weight, their hair, their skin, their wardrobes and their aroma†. Certainly, advertising brings to the fore feelings of inadequ acy, lack and perhaps deep underlying insecurities that may be alleviated to some extent via purchasing a product or service.Scarcity is the fear that you may miss an opportunity to purchase a product. Thus â€Å"one day sales† and phrases such as, â€Å"for a limited time only† or â€Å"limited supply† are commonly employed to increase sales and promote the idea that you can supply a lack. Advertisements about health often capitalise on fear to get the audiences’ attention. Once this is accomplished they hope to â€Å"scare† the audience enough to produce an attitude change, be it buying their product or changing your lifestyle.Alcohol and cigarette advertisements appeal to peoples’ desires for pleasure Models and actors are portrayed as having a good time, leading to the belief that if you purchase these products you too will have a good time. Of course, many advertisements employ more than one technique in attempting to persuade the audie nce. Plastic surgery ads, for instance, work well by appealing to people's love of beauty via exposing their fear of aging as well as their vanity and egotism.Fear, love, pleasure, and vanity are thus powerful motivators of behaviour that can supposedly be eradicated or fulfilled through some product, service or action, at least in the mind of the consumer. Without them, advertising messages are simply messages. Moreover, while it is true that some deep-seated desires rule human nature and behaviour, almost everyone exercises a choice as to when and how such desires are met. To some extent, the consciousness-raising power of advertisements puts the onus of action on the consumer and provides some options for exercising that initiative.Yet, advertisements cannot make one do anything that one is not willing or able to undertake in the first place. Campaigns and posters (a type of advertising) warning against the evils of smoking are visibly mounted, but have not really produced a sign ificant reduction in the numbers of smokers in Singapore despite the fact that cigarette advertising is banned here! Health promotion advisories across the world promote healthy eating plans and options, but that does not stop one from chomping on that artery-clogging hamburger or carcinogenic char kway teow.In fact, not all advertising is focused on inducing consumers to purchase the unnecessary. To believe that would be to limit the many useful functions it fulfils. There are genuine needs that require the consciousness-raising and educational function of advertising to fulfil. Look at the countless advertisements for domestic, office and personal needs. Consider also the innovations that advertising brings to one’s awareness. Take into account that advertisements can serve as reminders to consumers, particularly when a consumer has a specific need or desire that can be associated with a product or service.At the end of the day, what must be remembered is that in a free-mar ket society where a plethora of goods and services is available, consumers ultimately exercise the responsibility that accompanies the freedom of choice. Advertisers will continue to market their wares strategically, but consumers are not helpless victims held enthralled in a life-or-death struggle. If they were, advertisers would not have to wrack their brains to conjure up creative ways to entice customers. To think otherwise is to sorely underestimate the strength of the human mind and spirit.