Being Raise In Poverty - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 2050 Downloads: 9 Date added: 2019/04/07 Category Society Essay Level High school Tags: Poverty Essay Did you like this example? Ideally, giving birth to a child should be beneficial to the parents life as well as society; however, financially underprivileged teenagers are becoming pregnant without the benefit of marriage or completed education. Many of these women can either, not afford or are unwilling to purchase contraceptives; their children suffer the consequences. Organizations like Planned Parenthood help by contributing free contraceptives to minors, but few are capable of getting to a location to receive that help. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Being Raise In Poverty" essay for you Create order The majority of these women are finding themselves and their children existing in a vicious cycle of poverty. A plentitude of financially-handicapped women end up, essentially, on their own due to lack of commitment from the childs father or support of ones family and are totally responsible for the burden of parenthood. Twin Cities Urban Coalition stated, In the 80s, one in nine children were growing up in a single parent family. [Then], in the 90s one in six children lives in a single parent home, usually the mothers. Poor single parents and their children face many adversities in society, and solutions need to be explored and put into action. Many complications arise when poor women, without a primary group, have no means to pay for proper prenatal care. [A] primary group is usually fairly small and is made up of individuals who generally engage face-to-face in long-term emotional ways, (Openstax 118). This support would be there to help them take precautionary steps allow the way of pregnancy, due to the emotional nature it has on the individual. Proper prenatal care is essential to the health and well being of the mother and child. Without this care, the mother and child both run the risk of future complications. The 1990 United States Census, Kids Count data concluded, Babies born to mothers that were poor during pregnancy are more likely to have birth weights of less than five pounds, suffer mental disabilities, be physically disabled, and even death. In many situations, the poor womans ignorance of her own body leaves her unaware that she has become pregnant. In cases such as those, many women unknowingly disobey th e norms usually followed by expectant women and continue to use drugs, drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, and continue with an unhealthy lifestyle, while the developing embryo lies helpless in the womb, subject to their mothers unawareness. A large number of children begin their lives with the variable of being poor, having many physical and mental obstacles to overcome. A study done at Guam University provides evidence that growing up poor in the United States causes the development of a theoretical perspective: Low birth weights of infants indicate that poverty generally has a negative effect on children physically, and in addition, affects the childrens emotional and intellectual development. The study also states, Children living in poverty are most at risk of being abused, and that most often the abusers are poor, young women that have been in trouble with the law. The study concluded, Income was a better predictor than status of I.Q. among the children. In many cases, children who experience the many possible adversities that are associated with being poor find, as they age, obstacles continually manifest. As many of these children grow older, they find themselves having confused ideologies because the family unit they are part of is much different than the stereotypical family. The childrens lives have no real stability, the constant changes create anomie. Therefore, single parenthood, job changes, poor living conditions, school absences, drug abuse, violence, alcoholism, ridicule, labeling, and physical and verbal abuse become common occurrences in their lives. Kim Pemberton, an author from the Vancouver Sun, Vancouver, B.C., interviewed Dr. Margaret Norman, a pathologist at B.C.s Childrens Hospital. Norman states, [In 1995] 665 abused children were taken to B.C.s Childrens Hospital, and that children in poverty situations are the most at risk of being abused. She found that, The number of abused children seen by child-abuse teams have quadrupled since 1982. Many of these children came from homes that were below the poverty level. Dr. Norman added, Physicians, psychiatrists, and hospitals are seeing rises in the amount of child abuse cases. She continues, These abused children, upon arriv al at the medical center, are examined and evaluated. The medical team uses its resources in its endeavor to eliminate return visits to the medical center in a worsened state of abuse. Abuse is only one of the instabilities that poor children all too often must endure; there are usually several- and they have a direct correlation to their future development. Many children who grow up in poverty end up education-system-dropouts with poor social skills, and they often feel a sense of defeat at an early age which affects their lives in several negative ways. These children observe, first hand, the hardships of a life of poverty and are sometimes forced to leave the educational system to basically fight for their survival in the streets. Dr. Elizabeth M. Timbelake, during an empirical study, evaluated two hundred six-to-twelve-year-old homeless children. Her study revealed, Destitute children exhibited significant variations in their psychosocial interaction in classrooms, individual interpretation of homeless, coping mechanisms, and academic achievement. Timbelake added, Few children adapted to their destitution and recorded limited academic success, limited psychosocial strengths in the classroom, and did not consider themselves helpless while facing uncertainties. In this situation the children become a self-fulfilling prophecy. [The] con cept is defined by sociologist Robert K. Merton as a self-fulfilling prophecy. Merton explains that with a self-fulfilling prophecy, even a false idea can become true if it is acted upon, (Openstax 85). Many of these children strive to get out of the situation they are in, make better for themselves and those to come after them; yet, from their predispositions, it is far too harrowing for them and they revert back to where they started or even farther lost. The deep-seated feelings of inadequacy these children feel often compels them to a life in the street where they find security and acceptance in the regime of a street gang. Violence and gang activities have become a way of life for an always increasing number of low-income American children who substitute gang members for family members. A productive life for these children is not only limited, but the knowledge of the overwhelming effects on them and society is often overlooked and ignored. How can society expect to bring up intelligent children with respect for others and responsible behaviors if these children have no respect for themselves? The social structure that these children are born into and then raised in is a structure filled with disappointments, hardships and instability. Being poor produces problems from the moment the woman is impregnated. Moreover, growing up poor takes an incredible tool on the children in several different aspects of life. Children who grow up in poverty are more likely to be abused both physically and mentally, continue the welfare cycles, drop out of school, and be educated. This class of children are at higher risk than all other classes to be involved with alcohol, drugs, and violence. In fact, the violence could range from simple peer pressure to being gunned down because they happen to be standing on the wrong street corner or wearing the wrong color. These growing children fight for their lives on a daily basis, and they must d o this without being educated in social skills, managing stress, or being responsible. Is it any wonder that these children continue with the cycle of poverty? Their behavior is formed and dictated by the information they piece together from the observations that are made from their social environments. There are several contributing factors in the surge of poverty in the United States. To begin with, there is the decline in real wages; people who are working full time jobs are not making a large enough wage to bring themselves above the poverty level. Sociologist David Ellwood, in his book Sociology in a Changing World stated, Among two parent families who are poor, 44 percent had at least on parent working full time. Elwood states, Work does not always guarantee a route out of poverty. In many cases, divorce, death of a spouse, or being unwed leads to single parent families with the primary caregiver being female. Elwood added, Female-headed families sometimes become financially impaired because in the United States society it is more difficult for a woman to support a family on her own than it is for a man. Another influence on poverty is unpaid child support. In many poverty cases the parent who is separated from the family is ordered by the legal system to pay a percentage of his/her income into child support to subsidize the familys income. But, the lack of funds, or plain disobedience of the law, inhibits payment. In effect, the familys income drops below poverty level. Other factors that contribute to poverty and is hard on the economy are: teenage pregnancy, the failing welfare system, and young families with HIV. People who are living in poverty need help from governmental agencies and the general public and, in turn, the assistance that is rendered to the poor will improve their situation and society as a whole. It is unethical and portends ill for the United States future to stand by and allow a growing portion of its population to continue slipping deeper into unacceptable, unhealthy, and unproductive living conditions. If everyone worked together to improve the condition of poverty-stricken Americans to achieve a self-sufficient lifestyle, the United States could rejuvenate itself and become a more productive country. Ultimately, through public awareness and self-reliance, crime could be lowered, abused children could be handled in a more efficient manner, and the standard of living could improve for all people. In fact, the U.S. can achieve these goals through education, self-help, stress management, and social programs. For example, social programs could be initiated in the public schoo l system that relayed positive values, support systems, and social counseling. Also, volunteer supervision after school programs could tutor problem students. The program would help the children manage his/her stress by getting them off the streets. Plus, the parents would be able to work more hours because their children would be cared for. Real solutions to Americas poverty problem needs to be considered, understood, and put into action to create upward mobility for our under-privileged. Upward mobility is defined as an increase †or upward shift† in social class, (Openstax 199). Class is defined by factors of wealth, income, race, education, and power. A good base for social reform would be a more realistic minimum wage. Minimum wage in the U.S is $7.85 an hour, working a 40 hour week with fifteen percent taxes (being a generous low) taken out leaves you with approximately $1,050 coming to you every month. It is believed that without rent, the average cost of living for a single person in the U.S. is $13,200 annually, making minimum wage significantly below what is necessary for basic living expenses. Offering the poor real forms of housing instead of shelters can be beneficially. Putting them in a proper home environment to raise their families can help their children grow and develop with a better sense o f home life and structure in the home environment. Active youth programs can allow children outside influences that can build character and sense of self. Outreach programs can help get children from the streets and into a sheltered environment for just a few extra hours a day. Counseling for children and adults should be available to all groups of Americans that need public assistance. There are many difficulties faced by the poor that go unaddressed and are very traumatic, allowing them a way to express what they have experienced and get constructive help would allow them to grow in character and, in ways, power. In conclusion, the American Government, together with its people, should focus resources toward helping the poor and, in turn, the results will benefit us all. In addition, every United States citizen, now and in future generations, deserve the hope, dignity, and the opportunity for an acceptable, successful and productive lifestyle. Conditions one is born into should n ot set them back. The United States as a society needs to open its mind and heart to find ways to help.

Similarities Between Sweetness And Desirees Baby

Within the realm of imagination meets reality, in these stories â€Å"Sweetness† by Toni Morrison, and â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† by Kate Chopin, in each story it s shown that both authors had the father in each story leave for the same reason. The children’s skin color happens to come out black in skin color and the fathers’ see this as the worst thing possible, not only do they leave the kids but they disconnected from their partner. From the information that is given from the stories above, we can conclude as readers that the authors’ apply stereotypes about men being â€Å"useless to the family† and shameful on the mothers for creating dark skinned babies. In all of history, we understand that women were treated as if they were 2nd class citizens. Not†¦show more content†¦Sweetness’ daughter is not only successful, but sends money to her mother every month because Sweetness as a good heart and still cares about her mothe r. Although, having a terrible and outrageous mother, her daughter turned out to be a proud black independent woman. Even though, the father had left and having a terrible mom, she surpassed the suppressions that had been placed onto her. Although, the daughter has made herself successful, the father is still out of the picture. Which isn’t unusual because the stereotype that all men leave the women as the kid comes to existence is shown in this book as well as â€Å"Desiree’s Baby†. In the beginning of the story of â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† by Kate Chopin, we understand that the baby had been left by her parents near a big stone pillar. Madame Valmondà © is the mother who had found the baby. Desiree’s Mother happens to stop by to see the baby, â€Å"Madame Valmondà © bent her portly figure over Dà ©sirà ©e and kissed her, holding her an instant tenderly in her arms. Then she turned to the child. â€Å"This is not the baby!† she exc laimed, in startled tones. French was the language spoken at Valmondà © in those days.†(Desiree s baby) Valmondà © is a mother that is shocked and is blatantly disrespectful, assuming just because the babies color is different doesn’t make it not yours. â€Å"Madame Valmondà © had never removed her eyes from the child. She lifted it and walked with it over to the window that was lightest. She

Physics Relevance Essay Example For Students

Physics Relevance Essay By emailprotectedOne aspect of physics in my life is gravity. Whenever I loose my balance, whether I’m on a bike, walking, or trying to stand on one leg, I willfall down. This is because every mass is attracted to every other mass, so my body is attracted to the earth, and the earth is attracted tomy body, only not as much, because my body has a much smaller mass than the earth. This is also why when I drop something; it fallsdown, instead of just floating there like it would in space. This is very important in my life, because if I am not careful or if I start ignoringthis aspect of physics I will fall, and end up with a bunch of bruises. This is also why when picking something up, or carrying something, Ihave to be careful not to drop it or break it. There is also a chance that gravity will cause something to fall on top of me, and that wouldhurt. This all may sound like a bad thing, but actually gravity has many good uses to, like with out gravity it would be very hard to f ind anything,because everything would just float away. It would also be a lot harder for people to get around, because cars wouldn’t be able to ride onthe ground. And we also wouldn’t be able to walk, we would have to bounce from one place to another, and there would probably be a lotof midair collisions because people would not be able to control themselves. But if you think about it, these problems would not even exist if there was no gravity, because that would be nothing holding earth aroundthe sun, so we would all freeze to death. The earth would also have no atmosphere, so we would not be able to breathe anything, and wewould all suffocate.

Tyranny by Julian Casablancas free essay sample

Julian Casablancas doesn’t play by the rules anymore. Upon first listen, his new album â€Å"Tyranny† may sound like a mad scientist’s creation. It’s a bizarre, mysterious, outside-the-box barrage of sounds that mix together to form an album like no other. Traditional song structures and smooth production are abandoned in favor of a raw release. Vocals melt behind powerful riffs and blasts of cacophony. â€Å"Tyranny† is truly an adventure into no man’s land and, as Casablancas puts it, a protest record against mainstream society. Casablancas, now 36, has always had a nostalgic side. This is evident from his classic rock ’n’ roll days with The Strokes and his ’80s-influenced solo album â€Å"Phrazes for the Young.† In â€Å"Tyranny,† he finally steps outside of his comfort zone and fully releases his creativity. Acting as backing band are The Voidz, an assemblage of musicians who have fully bought into Casablancas’ new style. We will write a custom essay sample on Tyranny by Julian Casablancas or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The use of unconventional sounds brings tremendous flavor to the album. Numerous cultural influences, including sounds of Arabia and Latin America, come together well with catchy guitar and electronic vibes. Ambitious guitar riffs, however, are what truly fuel the album. They are especially strong in â€Å"Dare I Care† and â€Å"Johan Von Bronx.† Casablancas also shows off the extensive power and range of his vocals, with high-pitched falsettos and deep growls, and has taken strides lyrically as well. Every track brings something different to the table. With the spacey, Daft Punk-influenced â€Å"Take Me in Your Army,† the tropical vibe of â€Å"Father Electricity,† the sounds of revolution in â€Å"Mutually Assured Destruction,† and the gently pulsing â€Å"Xerox,† it’s a pleasantly diverse album. Tyranny’s finest track may be â€Å"Human Sadness,† an 11-minute collage of emotions and melodies. Only the not-so-grand-finale, â€Å"Off to War,† disappoints. It can be said that â€Å"Tyranny† is a masterpiece for the rebels. It’s far beyond the comprehension of mainstream pop. In fact, the music finds itself in a â€Å"void,† but Julian Casablancas and the Voidz have found life and energy in this unknown. If this truly is the sound of the future, we are in for one heck of a ride.

A Bird in The House essays

A Bird in The House essays 1) Meaning of the chapter: -Connects back to Piquette's life -"loons" used as a metaphor to describe the lack of attention and belonging e.g. Piquette did not go to school and stayed home at all times 2) Major Event: - Piquette going forth to the Connors cottage - first time Piquette showed that she can relate 3) Major Conflict: -Piquette does not fit in with the Connor family e.g. Mother thought that Piquette had lice; Grandmother McLeod refused to go to the cottage with her and Vanessa's father orders her to get along with Piquette. Vanessa also only "uses" Piquette as an 4) Explain what we learned about the family: Grandmother McLeod is prejudice against people of lower class. - Beth is the typical mother in response to thinking that Piquette would be a bad influence on her child BUT once Beth got to know stay -Ewen Connor is considerate, kind, and showed compassion to Piquette. - Vanessa tried to be friends with Piquette 5) Functions of the Characters outside of the family: -Piquette shows that some people go through life not really 6) Explain what and how Vanessa learns about life: Vanessa learns that not all people are not as lucky as she is to have a family, home, -Vanessa finds it hard to cope with the change of having one of her fathers patience's as an acquaintance. - Vanessa learns that sharing intimate moments with another will bring them closer together in spirit. - Vanessa learns a great deal about the nature and life. 7) Explain the significance of the last sentence of the chapter: Piquette can relate to the loons better than anyone else because both loons and her have no sense of belonging nor hope ...

Problems in Law Enforcement essays

Problems in Law Enforcement essays Throughout the centuries people in law enforcement have encountered common problems. People created rules and regulations (laws) to act as guidelines on how to conduct oneself in a manner which the majority of the population considers normal behavior. Since the first law was written, the law enforcement community, local as well as federal, is confronted with a litany of allegations that officers have violated the public's trust, engaged in criminal acts, abused their authority, violated citizens' civil rights, used excessive force, been disrespectful and arrogant, "doctored" evidence and generally lost credibility with the communities they serve. Over the years, police acts of corruption, violence, robbery and other predatory misconduct have in fact been perpetrated by members of the police community; however, investigation further indicates that such corruption is not systemic but rather is confined to small groups of officers (pockets) or to individuals. It should be noted, with due care and respect, that these investigations have shown that the vast majority of police officers are honest and perform their duties conscientiously a finding that is often overlooked in the midst of media and political "hype." The latter observation does point out that on occasion, law enforcement conduct do reflect some lack of supervision and integrity training, as well as some lack of oversight in departmental internal affairs activities. Moreover, many departments lack mechanisms that would refer early-detected indicators, and proactive models for preventing misconduct and analyzing risk factors are almost nonexistent. In many communities the public perception of police integrity is poor and schisms have arisen between the police and segments of the population. This perception must be repaired if the police community is to gain the cooperation of the citizens. Police image is a vital ingredient in obtaining the public trust. It ...

Collective Bargaining in Wisconsin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Collective Bargaining in Wisconsin - Essay Example uments on the constitutionality of a 2011 law that eliminated collective bargaining for most public employees after the legislation led to huge protests across the nation (Yaccin, 2013). The policy of collective bargaining sought to give most public workers collective bargaining rights through union membership. This paper explores federalism and collective bargaining in Wisconsin Legislation. It will demonstrate how this policy raises issues of federalism that stretches across state and local government to the federal government level and even the Supreme Court. The collective bargaining in Wisconsin Legislation has been drawing fundamental national attention since Wisconsin’s Republican-majority legislature passed it into law during Mr. Walker’s first year in office. The law sparked major protests in Capitol building and many Senate Democrats left the state to delay a vote on the bill. The policy limited collective bargaining for teachers and most local government workers where they would only bargain for their wages and no other matters concerning their welfare (Yaccin, 2013). These matters were earlier subject to collective bargaining agreements. The policy also barred municipal employers from deducting union dues from employee paychecks. The policy raised issues of federalism where it divided the state into partisan lines for two years as the Republicans and Democrats took opposing sides. It also threatened the Republican administration as hundreds of thousands citizens appended their signatures seeking to remove Mr. Walke r from power where he survived with 53 percent of the vote (Yaccin, 2013). Moreover, about seven public unions have been challenging this policy since its enactment. Indeed, a teachers union in Madison and a labor group representing employees of the city of Milwaukee challenged this policy claiming that it violates freedom of association and the right to equal protection of the law by subjecting unionized public employees to burdens not

Offenses of burglary Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Offenses of burglary - Research Proposal Example While in the past, the retributive or punitive aspect has been a foremost element of burglary sentences, in recent times, this has been slowly evolving into a kind of restorative justice, or sentencing, aimed primarily at reparation of economic status of the victims, or seeking to put them in a position, had the felony not taken place. This is apparently aimed at providing material succor to the victims for the property lost or destroyed, due to the felonious act. Current studies show that, imparting from the charge of leniency in burglary pronouncements, the restorative and reparation part of sentencing practices of courts are gaining more currency, especially with regard to public attitudes and outlooks towards burglary crimes in United States of America. It is also being increasingly seen that punishment for felony needs to commensurate with levels of actual felony the culprit has indulged in. This proposal seeks to examine public opinion and beliefs towards sentencing practices by Judges and juries and how these have impacted felony cases. It needs to be appreciated that there are many influences that impact upon opinions. Impressions drawn from media coverage and how the general public view felony crimes and its final sentencing results also determines the formulation of opinions. The changing trends in legal pronouncement are also important since they would, to a large extent, set precedents for future trials and sentencing of defendants in burglary cases. Summary and evaluation of seven designs and methods used in previous research with similar objectives Summary: 1. Questionnaires presented to Senate Court Judges on cases of felony. 2. Interviews conducted with executive functionaries of correctional schools 3. Public surveys with selected respondents and responsible private citizens. 4. Interviews with prison wardens and jailers of juvenile homes 5. Conducting studies in prison settings housing criminals with recidivist occurrences of burglary, larceny and similar crimes 6. Information gathered from State police troopers and law enforcement departments. 7. Internet information gathered from US Department of Justice (DoJ) websites 1. Coming to the involvement of senate court judges, it transpires that the members of these juries are responsible for hearing trials and passing verdicts on crimes relating to burglary offences. Their wide ranging knowledge and experience would be important aspects for a study of this kind. 2. It is seen that in cases of burglary crimes committed by juveniles and young people, the courts would sentence them to detention or incarceration, in correctional or reformatory schools, depending upon the severity of the offence. Although forming a minority for the purpose of this survey, this would be useful for the purpose of this survey. 3. Since the public opinion or benefits are a significant part of this research study, it is but natural that this aspect needs to be considered. Therefore, a survey in the line of public research through online questionnaire, or video conferencing

Aristarchus and Ptolemy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Aristarchus and Ptolemy - Essay Example Ptolemy happened to be a citizen of Egypt, between 90AD and 168AD, during the Roman times and was of Greek Origins (University of Oregon, 2012). Ptolemy was known to be a versatile personality, who happened to be a mathematician, astrologer, geographer and astronomer. Aristarchus was the first astronomer to propound the theory of heliocentricity, which regarded the sun to be a stationary star around which the earth revolved (V Archive, 2012). It was Aristarchus who calculated the diameter of the sun and estimated the volume of the sun on the basis of its diameter (V Archive, 2012). Many astronomers and physicists do believe that it was Aristarchus’ estimation of the superior volume of the sun as compared to the earth that led Aristarchus to conclude that the Sun constituted the center around which the earth revolved (V Archive, 2012). Though Aristarchus’ original treatise in which he noted down his discovery did not survive, references to his heliocentric theory do occur in the works of Archimedes (V Archive, 2012). It was Aristarchus who first proposed that the sun remained fixed and unmoved and the earth revolved around it in a circular orbit. In the history of astronomy, Ptolemy is attributed the honor of developing a comprehensive arithmetical model for accurately calculating celestial motions and astronomical phenomena (University of Oregon, 2012). Ptolemy also propounded his geocentric theory, which the astronomers popularly refer to as Ptolemaic system. Ptolemy extended varied arguments to establish the fact that the earth constituted the center of the universe, and other heavenly bodies revolved around it (University of Oregon, 2012). It was primarily owing to the Ptolemaic system that the geocentric theory gained strong grounds in the Christendom for a long time, until it was eventually replaced by the heliocentric theory propounded by Copernicus (University of Oregon, 2012)). Ptolemy is also credited

Tourism during olympic games

Tourism during olympic games Acknowledgements I would like to thank my dissertation supervisor, Dr Denise Ball, for all the help, advice and encouragement over the duration of this study. Her assistance has been much appreciated in successfully completing this paper. In addition I would also like to thank my family and friends for the support they have bestowed upon me throughout the whole project. The reason for choosing this topic is more of a personal interest of seeing further developments taking place in London as being a resident myself. It would be a privilege to add my dissertation piece to current literature available on Sporting events and furthermore critically conduct my secondary research and analysis of the findings. Chapter One: Introduction Sporting events like the Olympics are endeavours that create and develop growth of tourism and awareness of the host city or country. The earliest documented example of sport and tourism is that of the Olympic Games which date from 776 BC (Zauhar in Weed, 2004). The tourism aspect of the games was emphasized by political aims. It was often advocated that both sport and tourism would bring different people and cultures closer together and the key aim of the ancient games was to bring a strong sense of cultural unity to a politically divided country (Davis, 1997). As London won the bid for hosting the Olympic Games in 2012 over Madrid, Moscow, New York, Paris and Singapore, the Queen herself congratulated the London Olympics committee for working hard in preparing and executing the bid. Prime Minister Tony Blair along with the Londoners in Trafalgar square and East End called the win a momentous day for Britain. He further went onto say that many reckon [that London] is the greatest Ci ty in the world and the Olympics [would] help it keep it that way (BBC, 2005). This research will explore the ways in which the London Olympics committee can learn from the successes and failures of previous host countries in managing the tourism around the event. The questions arise in to whether London can become the City of the world and whether the Olympics can help in reaching that goal. The Prime Minister Tony Blair, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell and London 2012 Chairman Lord Coe met with the leaders of major tourism and leisure groups at Downing Street (BBC, 2005). The meeting discussed raising the standards of accommodation, access for disabled visitors and to make sure that the workers who looked after the tourists would be adequately trained (ibid). Leaders from the Hilton group, Center Parcs and others were told quick action could lead to a 25% growth in tourism. In the past host countries have experienced growth tourism in years before the Olympic Games and also after the Games. Ms Jowell said: It can grow to  £100bn by 2012 with action on skills, quality and investment. But [it] must start now (BBC, 2005). Since the historic games in Athens, it was only during the three decade that the Olympics have transformed into a profit making endeavour. The first privately owned Olympic Games were held in Los Angeles which made a profit of $215 million (Millar, 1992). This was the first game since 1986 that did not utilize the publics money. The 1984 games openly embraced corporate donors and sold everything and anything. The LAOOC (Los Angeles Olympics Organising Committee) sold the games to Coca Cola, Anheuser-Butch as well as thirty other firms for a combination of $216 million, surpassing the projected $116 million which consultants estimated the Games would fetch (ibid). Revenue from the Olympics has always been a motivator for countries to continuously rival other countries for the desire to be the host country. However other than the money, a sense of strong image is immediately portrayed to the world. The Olympics as an image maker for the host country gives free media coverage of the hosts tourism. The questions asked to the next host London is that can they learn from previous Olympic mistakes and successes to make London the best city in the world? Aims and Objectives the Olympic games celebrate universal human ideals and demonstrate a commitment to culture, education and the environment-providing sponsors with powerful opportunities to reach consumers in a multitude of ways (IOC, 2004). This study aims to explore through current literature the way by which London can become successful in hosting the Olympics 2012 by examining examples of best practice. It aims to analyse the successes and failures of Olympic host destinations in reference with their positive impacts upon the tourism industry. The research aims to pinpoint recommendations into how London can become the greatest city in the world and how the branding of being the host of 2012 Olympics can help portray that image. To answer the research question the following research objectives will be considered: To examine the impacts of hosting the Olympics on the destination image To identify the specific market segments that the Olympics will attract and propose recommendations for promoting London 2012. To see what the development agencies promotion plans are for the Olympics image. To analyse successful Olympic methods used to promote the destination image through the Olympics. To identify best practice in leveraging the Olympics for tourism. Methodology Case Studies This method was chosen to help analyse how London 2012 could learn from the successes and failures of the previous Olympic host case studies. Although the case studies will have their limitations and approaches, the research will need to utilise its strengths and where there are weaknesses in the cases, make sure that they do not affect this research. The research will gather important, critical and analytical references on the Olympics, destination marketing, image development and branding. From these basic references, these elements will be compared and contrasted to the Olympics in general and particularly focusing on the London 2012. Hopefully through the methodology a list of strengths and weaknesses of hosting the Olympics should surface. Furthermore, should weaknesses appear an explanation of how the Olympics can benefit London as a major tourist destination will help contribute in maximising Londons opportunity cost. This dissertation will provide an overview on the current literature of the Olympics, destination branding, marketing and image marketing. The methodology will only use secondary research in reviewing case studies on previous destinations that hosted the Olympics. Structure The main body of this research will consist of six chapters. Chapter one will take a look at the overall research, mentioning what the research will consist of, putting the research into context and explaining method that could be used. The second chapter, the literature review will provide an overview of authors in the areas of events management, marketing with the emphasis on destination branding and events. Chapter three will analyse the case studies which will identify the successes and failures of previous destinations which will hopefully identify a gap in the market to what London could provide and capitalise on. Chapter four will examine to what London is doing now for hosting the Olympics and what they could do with the help of the case studies analysis. Chapter five will focus on the recommendations in how London can become the greatest city in the world with the help from hosting the Olympics. Finally, chapter six, the conclusion, will re-examine the objectives and how the y have been met, and suggest further areas for future research. Chapter Two: Literature Review The purpose of a literature review, as name suggests, explains or briefly describes the academic work that has been reported about the field of research. The purpose of the review is to look at how the Olympic 2012 could benefit Londons image as a major tourist destination. The main focus of this review will be based on the influence of sporting events on destinations. Branding Brand is vital to success. It is an asset of differentiating promise that links a product to its consumers (Anres). When people think of brands they think of Coca Cola, Nokia, Sony, Odeon and Starbucks etc. Brands represent a strong and enduring asset which boosts the companies success (Kotler, 2006). A brand is a promise which is supported by key brand management principles which are positioning, communicating and operations. Positioning determines what the brand promises such as Red Bull gives you the promise of more energy. Communicating is also about creating the promise into the customers mind while operations spell out how that promise will be delivered. The Olympics itself is a brand. The Olympics spirit has timelessly communicated sportsmanship, friendship, competition, or just simply Going for Gold. Olympics are the most single major sport event that can lead an ever increasing awareness and participation of a range of different sports at any one time. The logo for London 2012 according to Lord Coe (BBC, 2007) is not a logo but a brand that is said to take London forward. The challenge with brands is that it could be difficult to put the overall message the brand is trying to depict. Lord Coe mentioned that the reason why the logo is designed in that way is what was tried to be shown in Singapore, a way to reach out and engage young people. Not only is the brand for the 2012 Olympics there to engage people in sport but also there to be inspired and make a positive change in [Londoners] lives (Blair, 2007). Aspects of Branding Image Among the many fundamentals that brand projects towards the public is image. The study of destination imaging is a relatively recent addition to the field of tourism research. Several studies have illustrated that destination image; do indeed influence tourist behaviour (Hunt, 1975; Pearce 1982). In essence, destinations with strong positive images are more likely to be considered or chosen in the travel decision process (Goodrich, 1978; Woodside Lysonski, 1989). The formation of image has been described by Renolds (1965) as the development of mental construct based upon a few impressions chosen from a flood of information. The information available to the consumer includes promotional literature (travel brochures, posters), the opinion of others (family, friends, travel agent) and the general media (newspapers, magazines, radio, television, books, movies etc). Moreover, Gunn (1988) has used these various sources of information and used the role it has on destination image formation in his model of seven phases of travel experience. These are: Accumulation of mental images about the vacation, Modification of those images by further information Decision to take a vacation trip To travel to that destination Participation at that destination Return home Modification of the images based on the vacation experience Gunn labels the destination formed in phase one as organic image. This is due to the information which is sourced from non-touristic and non commercial sources such as the general media (newspapers), education and opinions of family and friends. It is only after phase two where information sources such as travel brochures, guides and agents are used. The organic image therefore is altered by the additional information. From a broad field of resources and information is the destination image portrayed. The World Tourism Organisation (1980) and Kotler (1987) both view that this is due to the link between a countrys tourist image and its national image. The process of the destination image formation highlights two important points. Firstly it suggests individuals can have an image of a destination even when they have never visited it or even been exposed to more commercial forms of information. Secondly, since there are changes in the destination image before and after the visitation, it is desirable to separate those images of those individuals who have already visited the destination and those who have not visited. Destination Branding With the importance of image formation in reference to how image helps branding, it is important to note how a certain destination is created to become a destination brand. Destination branding is a competitive sport amongst different destinations who adopt brand techniques in effort to craft and differentiate an identity which emphasises the uniqueness of their product. Destination branding looks at developing an emotional relationship with the consumer through highly focused communication campaigns (Pritchard, 1998). The World Tourism Organisation (WTO) suggests that the twenty-first century will see the emergence of tourism destinations as fashion accessories. Indeed as style symbols, destinations can offer similar consumer benefits to highly branded lifestyles. The choice of holiday destination is a significant life style indicator for todays inspirational consumers and the places where they choose to spend their hard earned income increasingly having to have an emotional appeal, highly conversational capital and even celebrity value (Morgan et al, 2002). A special event like the Olympics that provides the consumer with the leisure and social opportunity beyond everyday experience and often reasons to attract tourists which help to raise the profile, image or awareness of a region (Jago Shaw, 1998). Brand Positioning Brand positioning is imperative as this projects how a destination will satisfy consumer needs. A destination brand manifests as an image in the mind of the consumer, which may be quite different to the self-image intended in the brand identity (Ashworth Goodall 1990). The images of the destination understood by consumers play a significant role in their travel purchase decisions. As a result, an understanding of the images held of the destination by consumers is important, to determine whether there is similarity between the desired brand image and that which resides in the minds of consumers. The concepts of brand identity, brand positioning and brand image are distinctive components of the construction of a brand. These are presented in Figure 1. A brand position is the part of the brand identity and value proposition that is to be actively communicated to the target audience and that demonstrates an advantage over competing brands (Aaker, 1996). Communication in this case is very important and for a country holding the Olympics it is very important that a number of communication campaigns are done as this would be the key to differentiate the country. The Olympics is a sport that creates an emotional relationship of a destination to potential visitors through the way the destination is marketed. One such destination is Australia. The Sydney Olympic Games in sporting, marketing, operations management, facility management with the combination of the ongoing aggressive marketing branding of the country as a whole, has created Australia to be known symbolizing to Australias economy (Morse, 2001; Tibbott, 2001). The use of the Sydney Olympics as a marketing tool has helped Australia estimate that with the hosting of the Games the acceleration of Australias marketing has accelerated by ten years providing an extra A$6.1 billion in foreign exchange earnings between 1997 and 2004 (Haynes, 2001). More information on the Sydney Olympics will be given in the next chapter. Destination Marketing Branding is possibly the most powerful marketing tool available to destination marketers who, are faced with increasing product parity, substitutability and competition (Morgan Pritchard 2002). Uniqueness in this day and age is the claim from most destinations if not all who state they have superb hotels, resorts and attractions down to the friendliest people and customer focused tourism industry and service. It is very difficult to differentiate destinations as most destinations offer the similar products such as the destinations that just offer the sun, sea and sand factor. Uniqueness from a destination comes from differentiating from the competitors. According to Macrae, Parkinson and Sheerman (1995) branding in marketing terms symbolises a combination of product characteristics and added values, both functional and non functional which is linked to brand awareness. As branding touches the emotional realm of consumers, they begin to make lifestyle statements as they are not only buying a brand but the emotional relationship (Sheth, Mittal and Newman, 1999; Urdde, 1999). Emotion and loyalty is one of the key differentiators that marketers try and portray for the appeal of brands (Westwood et al., 1999). It is the consumers perceptions, [their] beliefs, [their] feelings [that make] brands important (Lury, 1998) on the other hand, Hallberg (1995) disagrees that emotion is not enough, the answer is in the developing of a strong brand which holds some unique associations for the consumer. Branding Tools There are many brand tools/elements which are useful for destinations to have while promoting their destination, especially during ths2e Olympic Games. These brand elements are: Brand names Logos and symbols Characters or mascots Slogan and jingle Packaging and signage It takes many years to establish a brand image, name recognition and develop strong awareness of a destination or product (Curtis, 2001). The Olympics is a recognised brand just like the World Cup. Mega events such as sports are simple marketing tools which a destination can use to promote their destination. As brands create awareness, the private and public sectors take advantage in maximising the benefits. Brand Australia was created when the Sydney was chosen to host the Olympics in 2000. It was declared the best ever by the IOCs president, Juan Antonio Samaranch and Australias tourism strategy [was] described as a role model for future host cities. Brand logos are a graphic design used to identify a destination. They are recognisable, meaningful and positive. They are a part of a destinations sign system communicating identity (Hem Iversen, 2004). Brands have helped differentiate different destinations, the logo for Australia 2000, a Kangaroo, the countrys most recognised symbol, set against a red sun and blue waves created a unique recognition of Australia for many years. 1998 saw the launch of the three year brand advertising campaign. Morse (1998) commented that [the] campaign [gave]the opportunity to use the extraordinary interest in Australia surround the 2000 Olympic Games to build awareness and add depth and dimension to the destinations image. The use of Logos and Symbols creates an awareness of the destination which people can recall upon in the future, such as the Olympic rings which us versatile and transferable across cultures. The success of a brand is whether different cultures can recognise where the brand is fr om and what it represents. One way in which the Olympics and the host community have done this is through using characters or Mascots for the events and to promote the events. The mascot would portray the destination and the culture of the destination such as Australias mascots were three animals and birds that could be only found in Australia. These were the kookaburra, platypus and echidna symbolising the event, host city and the new millennium. Another element of branding is the use of slogans. Slogans are used to create a memorable event. The Olympics in general has always been known to have the slogan going for gold. This slogan gives the Olympics an advantage of creating awareness of not only the Olympics but the host destinations as well. Australias slogan fun and games was a way to encourage people to travel to Australia during and after the games (ATC, 2001). Branding is vital to success. As you can see from the examples given, the elements of branding and different aspects of branding have increased the awareness of the host destination. Marketing the destination Brand Once a destination has been developed as a brand, marketing the destination as a brand needs to be done. Advertising is one of the main activities of the marketing therefore advertising the brands needs to be accomplishing important objectives. Destination advertising continues to grow in budget and importance. Australia spent $6.7 million Australian dollars on promoting the whole country over a four year period before the Olympic Games (ATC, 2001). The most successful brands will last and be remembered for years even after an event. Brands only work if their image can be retained in cognitive and affective parts of the audience for long periods of time. Some brands retained successfully that audiences become instant word of mouth advertisers for the brand. A study realised that older adult tourism markets will continue to grow in both size and importance. The study tired to compare whether older people since they are more aged, had less memory retention then younger adults that are visually stimulated. Unexpectedly, with education and destination familiarity statistically controlled, results using text indicated age differences in favour of younger adults for the number of features recalled but not for elaborations. No memory differences were found using framed picture formats, suggesting that younger and older adults process information from pictures similarly. Follow-up analyses revealed that advertising format is a determinant of elaborative memory, while age is not.(MacKay, 2006) Marketing a destination brand needs to make advertising the destination brand effectively and efficiently. Advertising uses both written language and pictures as information to promote the destination along with their destination brand. The fact that aging differences poses no difference in elaborate memory, this helps advertisers strategise their plans to better recall their marketing objectives. A study further suggests that if formatting is one in the focus verses the age of the audience, the advertisement decision will lie between using text or framed pictures. Using text will bring more ideas which can be detailed via a beginning, middle and end sequence. However, elaborative processing of the information will not occur spontaneously, more experimental while reaching far and wide age differences. Mackay (2006) goes onto further state that destination marketers, on the practical side find this of interest. There is sufficient evidence that information plays a certain role in inspiring destination choice, and/or modifying motivations, expectations and activities. The contribution of pictures invokes tourists destination image and expectations. No matter what the age, pictures focus on evoking types of amplification and impressions that is often seen in image advertising. Content of advertisements remain as a mix of both text and visuals. Even though advertisers are currently exploring the new media of the web, in addition to traditional destination promotion avenues, advertisers at the end of the day will have to reckon and strike and effective balance between visuals and text. Advertising needs to address issues such as age, format and memory for tourism advertising. Olympics as a Marketing Vehicle The Olympic Games as an event has transformed into a vehicle for marketing a destination brand. Rather than an end in itself, when the games come to an end and the gold medals are awarded, the destination brand is still selling itself. Hosting the Olympics has not always bought in profit. Munich in 1972 lost  £178 million. The Montreal Olympics made an even bigger loss of  £692 million in 1976 (Preuss, 2004). However on a positive note and turning point for the Olympics, Los Angeles 1984 made a profit of  £215 million while in 1992 Barcelona made 358 million pesetas from the Olympics. The Atlanta Olympics in 1996 was able to help the Georgia economy when they profited with $5.1 billion. The Olympics has now evolved into a venue to market destinations. The Olympics committee is most secretive organisation tasked to vote and choose host bidder, years before the actual games. A press release from CBC (2006) commented, Even after a century of modern Olympic Games, the international Olympics committee is still very much a mystery. The IOC has been called by a reporter of being, the most autocratic, aristocratic, organisation in the world. The strict way of choosing the host is through the enormity of profitability that the Olympics games can achieve. To host the games gives a prestigious achievement to the chosen country. Not only opportunities for economic profit arise, but the chance of media coverage and urban regeneration. The Olympics in this way helps the destination become globally recognised. There is no loss in for the host country even through there is evidence of financial loss in the past. Success cannot be plainly measured on profit and loss. To increase the awareness of the sports events is included in a broader aim to raise the city of host country. Sport has always been an unbiased area that can benefit people in cross cultures. However economic impact is arguably one of the most important indicators of the success of a major sporting event and often one of the main incentives for attending to host the event initially (Brown Massy, 2001). In Britain economic impact importance if hosting the sports events became evident after the Euro 96 football championships, which attracted 280,000 overseas supporters who spent approximately  £120 million in the eight host cities (Dobson et al, 1997). The tournament itself made  £69 million for UEFA and although FA made an operating loss of  £1.7 million, a  £2.5 million surplus was made after taking into account Englands prize money for getting into the semi-finals (Kozak, 2002). The marketing platform that is offered by the Olympic Games is unrivalled. The marketing activities build and the unmatched competitive advantage is able let the host destination maximise the Olympic image. Sponsoring the Olympics is an advantage for both the local and global business entities (IOC, 2005). The breadth of Olympic sponsorship rights, benefits and opportunities provides partners with great flexibility and range in integrating the Olympic association throughout the corporate philosophy and into all aspects of corporate strategy (Olympic.org, 2006). Leveraging the Sporting events and the Olympics for tourism Leveraging sporting events is very important to a destination as the benefits for the host destinations are huge. According to Hall (1997) Mega-Events are associated with large-scale public [and private] expenditure and fast tracking of building projects. These enable the destination to start on the construction of facilities and infrastructure, erection of landmark structures, redevelopment and revitalisation of areas and transform urban space for example mega events in old industrial cities. There are many more advantages for leveraging sports for the host destination such as the construction of new attractions and landmarks and the construction of accommodation such as the Olympic villages. Sporting events creates a type of phase of beautification where plazas, streets, parks, community centres etc are refurbished not only for the pleasure of the tourists but for the local communities as well for the event and years after the event (ibid.) Leveraging the Sydney Olympics for Tourism According to Mr Ripoli (2000) an Australian MP (House of Representatives), the Sydney Olympics would create new initiatives for the Australian citizens such as an increase in jobs. He furthermore went on to state that for every ten percent increase in visitors to Australia, about 30,000 jobs would be created. A concern for what the Olympics will leave in terms of a legacy is pondered over by Olympics organisers. There is a major investment in the Games, during the ten years leading up to the Games (Chalip, 2000). When the investment of the Sydney Olympics was so high (0.6% of GDP), it was natural to ask what the return is on the investment. The number one return which is noticeable straight after the Games is the new sports facilities that remain after the Games. On the other hand, such a big venue would be hard to operate especially when events do not need such a big venue. For example in Barcelona, the Olympic diving facility and the Olympic baseball stadium are no longer in operation. Sydney has made improvements to the infrastructure to the host city. In Sydney, the city government made an investment of millions of dollars (AUS$115 million in 1998 1999 alone) to beautify the city. As an Olympic city is well known of having millions of tourists, Sydney from the time of the bid won to the Game opening, had increased their hotel room capacity by twenty-five percent. With an advantage of leveraging the Olympics a form of disadvantage always follows. According to Chalip (2000) the two Olympic stadia built require 200 events per year to break even and they are not even obtaining half that amount. A legacy is like a brand, the brand that is left after the event. In the next chapter a construction of how Sydney have managed their destination brand, before, during and after the Games. Case Study of the Olympics: Sydney 2000 Tourism destination branding is a new concept that has branched out from the popular of branding products and services. To narrowly define, it is the sum of what the market thinks when they hear the brand name. To effectively employ this marketing strategy, destination branding goes through all the touch spots, including but not limited to the physical environment, entry and exit points, signage, marketing, residents attitudes, transportation venues (airports, motorways), events, internet, visitor services and leadership. A specific case destination branding is found in the success of the 2000 Sydney Olympics. The Sydney Olympics has been noticed as the most successful Olympics ever held. In this case, its success was a result of several destination branding factors including: Geographical areas The display of Olympic spirit The partnership of the ruling body in the Olympics Sydney is widely known for its landmarks such as the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. Banking on the existing destination branding that the tourist spots have made in the past, it helped project Sydney towards better branding strategies. These places contributed to the success of the Olympic Games in 2000, but the most important aspects to be noted in terms of geographical area are the improvements made in Sydneys transportation infrastructure and its capability to supply the needs of the Olympic games (with only population of 3.9million, Sydney already has 50m pools compared to 7+ million people in London with just one pool). The success of the Sydney Olympics could also be attributed to the high spirits displayed in the event. Volunteerism displayed in the Olympic Games of 2000 was defined as something to be treasured and kept by Aussie volunteers (both athletes and spectators). The people of the city had high level of involvement in day-to-day activities and expressed their connection with the spirit of the Games in unexpected and informal ways. Informality and spontaneity were therefore central to the creative spirit of the Sydney Games. The peo

Video recording act 1984 :: essays papers

Video recording act 1984 History As more and more people in the UK started to rent and buy videos for home use, it was thought that some kind of act should be passed that protected the public’s intrest. The video recordings act was brought in to prevent people from making videos of offensive nature (to some people) and then selling that footage to people who are deemed not suitable to see the footage (under aged) or people who are unaware of the nature of the video. In 1984 the act was passed through parliament and the BBFC (British Board Of Film Censorship) was designated to make sure that videos that are offered for sale or hire in the UK have the correct certificate. It was felt that videos needed to have a stricter rating system than cinema films as they could easily be obtained by under aged persons. The act does not really concentrate on the welfare of animals, but does stop films being made which depict scenes of cruelty, sexual (human/animal) intercourse/activities and mutilation. This act does work in relation with other acts that does protect animals, such as the Protection Of Animals Act 1911, Criminal Justice & Public Order and The Performing Animals (regulation) Act 192 5. Act Requirements & Aims: The act affects anyone who wishes to sell or hire videos for home, public use. The act may also effects people who have unlicensed videos for home use (extreme cases) The video recordings act states that: 1) Videos must be classified by designated authority (The president or vice president of the BBFC). That the certificate must reflect the video's suitability for home use. 2) Videos Must Not Contain Graphic Footage of – Â · Torture to humans or animals. Â · Explicit sexual acts between humans or human/animal. Â · Cruelty of animals (as stated in the Protection of Animals Act 1911). Â · Extreme violence to animals or people (particularly children and women). Â · Enjoyment from sexual assaults (human or animal). Â · Scenes that would cause great distress to Animals. These are the main points that effect animals, the rest of the act talks about the classification of the videos and footage in relation to people. 3) That it is an offence to sell such videos to any one under the certificate age. Videos are still allowed to show mild cruelty (depending in what context), for example when they hurl the cow out of the castle in Monty pythons quest for the Holy Grail (15 cert).

What Makes You What You Are

Personality: What makes you the way you are? – Science News – The Independent At some point in your life, you've probably filled in a personality questionnaire (â€Å"Do you see yourself as†¦.? â€Å"), and wondered as you ticked the boxes if there can really be any validity to such a simplistic way of assessing people. Surely the scores just reflect your mood on the day, or what you want the investigator to think. Surely everyone gives the same answer, which is â€Å"it depends†.Or even if the scores measure something, surely it is how the person sees themselves, rather than how they actually are. In a new book, I examine what the extent of the science underlying personality psychology really is. The answer is: more than you would think. While it has always been popular in business and pop psychology, and within academic psychology, personality research has been a poor relation to the parts of the discipline with experiments and hard objective measures. H owever, this is changing fast.The field of personality is undergoing a renaissance. The reasons for the renaissance are several. Academics now have some really good long-term studies of the same individuals, and it turns out that those brief, simplistic, pencil-and-paper questionnaires have surprisingly useful properties. They produce a wide range of selfdescriptions. The responses are fairly repeatable over intervals of many years. They also correlate quite well with ratings of the person given by their spouse, friends or colleagues.Much more importantly, though, the responses turn out to predict objective events. For example, in a famous cohort of gifted Californian children recruited in the 1920s, and who are elderly or deceased now, personality â€Å"scores† – numerical representations of answers to questions – are significant predictors of life expectancy. In another long-term study, this time of American married couples, the quality and duration of the mar riage is predicted by the personality scores of both parties prior to marriage.There are many other examples, with personality scores predicting substance addiction, problem gambling, and the onset of psychological illnesses. Of course the prediction is a statistical one – you can assign odds, not make oracular pronouncements – but this is how it always is in psychology. Humans are such complex systems that you are happy to explain a portion of the variation in outcomes, and never expect to explain it all. In recent years there has been renewed interest in personality assessment. This has been greatly aided by the fact that there is now a consensus on what the key variables are.Its early development, the field was greatly hampered by every investigator having his or her own scales, often using different names and measures for what turned out to be the same thing, or indeed the same names for what turned out to be different things. But over the last 20 years, many studi es in several different cultures have shown that much of the systematic variation in personality can be reduced to scores along five dimensions (the â€Å"Big Five†): Extraversion, Neuroticism, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, and Openness. It's important to stress that these are all continuous dimensions.That is, there are no discrete important to stress that these are all continuous dimensions. That is, there are no discrete â€Å"types† of person. Personality dimensions are like height or weight, which vary continuously, not like being a left- or a right-hand writer. Your score on one dimension is independent of your scores on all the others, so there is an almost infinite diversity of different overall profiles possible. If developments within psychology have facilitated the renaissance of personality studies, it is at the interface with biology where the exciting developments are beginning to come.Neuroscientists have shown, mainly using the increasingly sophisti cated brain imaging techniques that are now available, that those simple pencil-and-paper personality scores correlate significantly with the size or neurophysiological reactivity of specific regions of the brain. Moreover, these turn out to be the very regions that other types of evidence (evidence from brain damage, for example) would lead us to expect would be involved in that particular area of psychological function. Geneticists, too, are getting involved in personality research.It has recently become apparent that more of the human genome differs from individual to individual, even within our rather genetically homogenous species, than was previously thought. We know this inter alia from the complete sequence of Dr Craig Venter's genome, which was published earlier this month. About 0. 5 per cent of the genetic information in his maternallyinherited genome is different from his paternally-inherited one. Variant sequences affect nearly half his genes, and it is likely that in m any cases those variants will have some functional effect on body, brain or behaviour.In a few cases, we even know which genetic variants have effects on personality. There is a gene that encodes a receptor molecule for the neurotransmitter dopamine, and which contains a repeating sequence whose length varies from person to person. A number of studies have found that the length of this sequence correlates with self-reported extraversion and reward-seeking behaviour. In another gene, the serotonin transporter, individuals with one variant are more likely to develop depressive symptoms in response to stressful life events than bearers of the other version.In a few years, we may be in the position of actually understanding the molecular bases of the differences in nature that we observe between healthy humans. (But note that genetic effects will not turn out to be the whole story; only around half of the variation in personality looks like being heritable, with the rest probably shaped by early environmental exposures and other developmental processes. ) The other group of researchers getting interested in personality is evolutionists. Personalitylike variation has been found in organisms as diverse as fish, mammals and birds.Indeed, Darwin's whole theory of evolution rests on the observation that individuals vary from one another. Without such variation there can be no natural selection and no evolutionary change. The question for evolutionists is why you would find variation persisting in populations, when selection always reduces diversity in favour of the optimal type. In fact, it turns out that there are often multiple optima, even within a single habitat, with individuals of one type doing well under certain conditions, while faring less well than their competitors under others. Thus, nder certain conditions, while faring less well than their competitors under others. Thus, selection rarely narrows the population to uniformity because individuals with diffe rent qualities flourish in different contexts. I rather like this as a guiding framework for thinking about personality in modern humans. Rather than imagining that there is some personality profile that is uniformly good to have, let's assume that all have their strengths and all have their pitfalls. Indeed, the failure of any one profile to dominate the human population attests to their roughly equal fitness in the long run.So, whatever your score on the Big Five, the point is not to try to change it, or fight it. The point is to establish which niche within the complex ecology that is modern society will be a good one for you to ply your trade in, and which of the diverse dangers (social isolation, addiction, depression†¦ ) that lurk in our both beneficent and hazardous habitat are the ones against which you should be most vigilant. This is where self-knowledge comes in, and taking the personality test overleaf can be part of that. Scoring your personality won't tell you any thing you don't know.It's based on how you see yourself, so logically it couldn't. But it can reveal to you how you compare to other people, and can also tap you into a wealth of accumulated psychological knowledge about the strengths and liabilities that other people similar to you have experienced. This is what the questionnaire and the interpretation overleaf are designed to do. Daniel Nettle is the author of Personality: What Makes You the Way You Are (? 12. 99), published by Oxford University Press. To order a copy for the special price of ? 11. 69 (with free P) call Independent Books Direct on 0870 079 8897, or visit www. ndependentbooksdirect. co. uk What kind of personality are you? Take this test to discover the truth Introducing the big five Once you have completed the questionnaire and added up your scores, you should have an indication of whether you score low, medium-low, medium-high, or high on each of the Big Five dimensions of human personality. But what do these sco res mean? Here, I explore the Big Five to examine their effects on our lives. Extraversion This is a familiar concept. High-scorers are fun-seeking and cheerful, but they are not necessarily immediate hedonists; they are often ambitious and hard-working.They are also sexually adventurous and love to be the centre of attention. Low-scorers are not necessarily shy so much as aloof; they can take or leave success, praise and pleasure. The best way to think about this dimension is in terms of response to reward. Society offers certain incentives; money, power, fame, attention, sex, thrills, and so on, and some people certain incentives; money, power, fame, attention, sex, thrills, and so on, and some people pursue them full-out, while others have a more muted response and thus won't work so hard to capture them.The strengths of high-scorers: energy, charisma, drive, the ability to make things happen. The weaknesses: a tendency to get bored, restlessness, infidelity, risky decisions. Str engths of lowscorers: detachment, pursuit of intrinsic goals, prudence, fidelity. The weaknesses: not thrusting themselves forward, not having fun, a flat emotional tone. There is no value-judgement about which of these is better from the point of view of a potential employer or spouse, but is certainly worth being aware of the likely pitfalls and most suitable habitats for your particular level of Extraversion.Conscientiousness Conscientiousness measures how good people are at setting themselves goals and sticking to them. High-scorers are disciplined, efficient and systematic. They can resist temptation and stick to priorities they have set themselves. In most modern occupations, and particularly those where you have to manage your own time and priorities, fairly high Conscientiousness is advantageous. Low-scorers are more likely to get distracted from tasks, renege on plans, and succumb to weaknesses of the will. Indeed, low Conscientiousness is a risk factor for developing addic tions of all kinds.Being high in Conscientiousness is not always an unalloyed benefit, though. Sometimes it is indeed important to stick to plans. But at other times it is important to be able to change them on a sixpence. Very high scorers are perceived as grim, pedantic, unspontaneous, even miserly. There is even a name for excessive Conscientiousness – obsessive-compulsive personality disorder – and this is a very socially disabling condition. There are many human activities, including, crucially, social relationships, where it is essential to be able to respond in the moment to your environment as it changes.Highly conscientious people are rigid, often sticking to tasks and plans even when the point of them has been overtaken by events, or when the needs of others around them require spontaneous reorganising of priorities. Thus, if you are very low in Conscientiousness, for the sake of your career, your health, and your wellbeing, you may need to work effortfully a t seeing your plans through, and being selfdisciplined. If you are a very high scorer, you may need to learn to be more spontaneous and intuitive, again for the benefits that this will bring in terms of flexibility and improved social relationships.Neuroticism I would like to dispel the notion that Neuroticism is always a bad thing, a kind of pathology, and that the best level of Neuroticism to have is a very low one. The evidence for the prosecution: yes, high-scorers live their lives under the Damoclean swords of depression, anxiety, stress, and disappointment. Whatever the world says about them, they are often uncomfortable in their inner lives, and go through life either with bouts of difficult times, or with a constant vague feeling that something is not quite right.However, if we think logically, negative emotions, such as worry, are always going to be there for a reason. One would not want to be entirely without worry. It would be as damaging to life decisions as the inabilit y to feel physical pain is to peripheral physiology. High Neuroticism scorers can bring to bear enormous powers of deep thought, detailed analysis, novel insight. They care about the details that others can't be bothered to follow up. Under some circumstances they do well academically. If you are a high-scorer, you may well be a member of a thinking profession such as an academic or a writer.High Neuroticism scorers, then, have hidden advantages. The challenge for them is to find ways to deal with the negative sequels of their personality. Some people respond well to cognitivebehavioural therapy, some to meditation, many to exercise. Low-scorers, too, have disadvantages. You probably don't suffer much in life, which is good, but maybe you are not thoughtful enough. Maybe you let details go, and don't think deeply enough about future drawbacks or problems. Maybe you are too carefree or rose-spectacled to see every potentiality. Agreeableness Agreeableness is a dimension of empathy to wards others.High-scorers are often found in caring professions such as nursing and counselling.. They have larger-than-average social networks, and their relationships with others are harmonious. They don't get into fights and are generally slow to anger. By contrast, the very lowest-scorers are sociopaths; they callously use others for their own ends. So far so good. It is better to be well-liked than to be a sociopath. However, in many fields, high Agreeableness reduces occupational attainment. Nice guys really do finish last, and moreover, plenty of our leaders have something of the sociopath about them.Successful artists and executives, though, tend to be rather low in Agreeableness. This means that the high Agreeableness scorer may not be prepared to be hard-headed. You may stay in relationships that do you no good out of empathy for the others involved. Agreeableness is the most sexually-patterned of the Big Five, with – no prizes for guessing – women scoring mo re highly on average than men. This adds an interesting new perspective on the paucity of women in positions of power. Many of them find it difficult to be callous enough.Should we be encouraging them to be more callous, or trying to change what we reward? Openness Openness is a dimension of imagination. High-scorers make mental associations that go beyond what is given to the senses, or what is logically deducible. They are keen on poetry and the arts, and often have metaphysical or esoteric ideas. Nobody wants to be called unimaginative, but when you stop and think about it, it is not evident Nobody wants to be called unimaginative, but when you stop and think about it, it is not evident that being imaginative in this sense is necessarily useful in life.Low-scorers can be very intelligent and capable, though they will be oriented towards the practical and the soluble. High-scorers will be more able and willing to venture into the domains of the aesthetic. However, they can also de velop eccentric, paranormal or even delusional beliefs, and fail to solve simply resolvable practical problems. Neither a high nor a low score is inherently desirable; it is simple a matter of harnessing the strengths that you have. www. independent. co. uk ht:/w. needn. ou/essinepro tp/wwidpnetc. knw/cec/es nlt-htmksyutewyyuae426. tl aiywa-ae-o-h-a-o-r-069hm ht:/o. lfg tp/gog/fS

Pope Innocent III - Powerful Medieval Pontiff

Pope Innocent III - Powerful Medieval Pontiff Pope Innocent III Was Also Known As Lothair of Segni; in Italian, Lotario di Segni (birth name). Pope Innocent III Was Known For Calling the Fourth Crusade and the Albigensian Crusade, approving the works of Saint Dominic and Saint Francis of Assisi, and convoking the Fourth Lateran Council. One of the most influential pontiffs of the Middle Ages,  Innocent  built the papacy  into a more powerful, prestigious institution than it had ever been before. He  viewed the role of the pope as not merely a spiritual leader but a secular one as well, and while he held the papal office he made that vision a reality. Occupations Crusade SponsorPopeWriter Places of Residence and Influence Italy Important Dates Born:  c. 1160Elevated to Cardinal Deacon: 1190Elected Pope: Jan. 8, 1198Died:  July 16, 1215 About Pope Innocent III Lothairs mother was nobility, and his aristocratic relatives may have made his studies at the Universities of Paris and Bologna possible. Blood ties to Pope Clement III may also be responsible for his elevation to a cardinal deacon in 1190. However, he didnt get very involved in papal politics at this point, and he had time to write on theology, including the works On the Miserable Condition of Man and On the Mysteries of the Mass.​ Almost immediately upon his election as pope, Innocent sought to reassert papal rights in Rome, bringing about peace among the rival aristocratic factions and gaining the respect of the Roman people within a few years. Innocent also took a direct interest in the German succession. He believed that the pope had the right to approve or reject any election that was questionable on the grounds that the German ruler could claim the title of Holy Roman Emperor, a position that affected the spiritual realm. At the same time, Innocent explicitly disclaimed secular power in most of the remainder of Europe; but he still took a direct interest in matters in France and England, and his influence in Germany and Italy alone was enough to bring the papacy to the forefront of medieval politics. Innocent called the Fourth Crusade, which was diverted to Constantinople. The pope excommunicated the Crusaders who attacked Christian cities, but he made no move to halt or overturn their actions because he felt, erroneously, that the Latin presence would bring about a reconciliation between the Eastern and Western Churches. Innocent also ordered a crusade against the Albigenses, which successfully subdued the Cathar heresy in France but at a great cost in life and blood. In 1215 Innocent convoked the  Fourth Lateran Council,  the most successful and well-attended ecumenical council of the Middle Ages. The Council passed several very important decrees, including Canons concerning the dogma of Transubstantiation and reforms of the clergy. Pope Innocent III died suddenly while preparing for a new Crusade. His papacy stands as an impressive political force of the thirteenth century.   The text of this document is copyright  ©2014 Melissa Snell. You may download or print this document for personal or school use, as long as the URL below is included. Permission is  not  granted to reproduce this document on another website.   The URL for this document is:  https://www.thoughtco.com/pope-innocent-iii-1789017

Free Essays on Personality.

, people may be described in terms of likelihood of their behaving, feeling, or thinking in a particular way. For example, the likelihood of their acting outgoing and friendly or feeling nervous and worried. Trait is a basic unit of personality and is biological basis. Human behavior and personality can be organized into a hierarchy that is shown in the works of Hans Eysenck. The concept of trait assumes that behavior follow some patterns, regularity overtime and across situations. Trait approach to understand personalit... Free Essays on Personality. Free Essays on Personality. There are four different approaches to understand personality. They are psychoanalytic and pschodynamic, phenomenological, learning and trait approaches. This paper concentrates on the trait approach. Personality theories The working definition of personality means characteristic of the person that account for consistent patterns of feeling, thinking, and behaving. However, for the trait theorists, their definitions are quite unique. Gordon Allport states that the most important structures of personality are those that permit the description of the person in terms of individual characteristics. Thus, the basic unit of personality is personal dispositions, which he called  ¡Ã‚ ¥trait ¡Ã‚ ¦ and his personality was utilized the concept of personal dispositions. Raymond B. Cattell defined personality as  ¡Ã‚ ¥that which permits a prediction of what a person will do in a given situations ¡Ã‚ ¦. This prediction can be measured and described by the source traits. Hans J. Eysenck states that behavior can be considered in terms of specific responses that some of them are linked together and form more general habits. Groups of habits occur together to form traits. He defined traits as  ¡Ã‚ ¥important semi-permanent personality disposition ¡Ã‚ ¦ (1981,p.3). Concept of trait theory The basic assumption of the trait point of view is that people possess broad predisposition, called traits, to respond in particular ways. In order words, people may be described in terms of likelihood of their behaving, feeling, or thinking in a particular way. For example, the likelihood of their acting outgoing and friendly or feeling nervous and worried. Trait is a basic unit of personality and is biological basis. Human behavior and personality can be organized into a hierarchy that is shown in the works of Hans Eysenck. The concept of trait assumes that behavior follow some patterns, regularity overtime and across situations. Trait approach to understand personalit...

Poverty Alleviation and Micro-credit Institutions Essay

Poverty Alleviation and Micro-credit Institutions - Essay Example rse credit and loans to people and institutions who have repayment capability and at the same time, ensure that loans are against securities that can be used to compensate them in case of default in repayment. These criteria become irrelevant for informal sector where people are living below poverty line and have neither job security nor any other kind of financial backing. To improve the living conditions and raise their living standard, non formal mechanisms of micro-credit become essential in the rural areas. The micro credit is designed to promote empowerment through income generating activities. The institutions facilitate easy credit to poor and ensure repayment through innovative schemes and incentives. The problems due to asymmetry in information, screening and enforcement are often overcome through integrated approach and providing inter-linkages to the credit and the commodities. The institutions also promote formation of self help groups and compulsory contribution to the emergency fund that can be utilized by the members in times of emergencies. The micro-financing is one of the key factors of poverty alleviation programs as it helps to provide the poor with the necessary credit to start income generating activity and thereby raise the living standard of the people in the developing countries. The innovative mechanisms and integrated approach help facilitate minimum standard of living and access to medical facilities, food and housing for every human being, irrespective of race, religion, political belief and socio-economic conditions. To encourage more funding through other international aid agencies and private donors, World Bank must facilitate requisite information and updated database of beneficiaries and poverty alleviation programs of under-developed and developing economies. The bank should encourage more proactive participation from the non government agencies and corporate houses to contribute to the socio-economic development and

SOC of Communication Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

SOC of Communication - Research Paper Example Female 1: My family was planning a trip out of town for the next weekend, but I don't know if I'll be able to join them, all this work is piling up. (Interruption) Male 1: Yeah. (Support response) Male 2: Do you have the notes (Continuation of topic) Asian Male: Yeah. Do you need them now (Support response) Female 1: Its getting pretty rainy and wet here I was looking for a chance to get some sun. I hope I can finish up the work before leaving. (Interruption) Male 2: When will you be back we really need to finish this up its due tomorrow. (Change of topic) Female 2: Speaking of work its pretty hectic down that the mall, they're calling me in for two shifts over the weekend. (Interruption) Asian Male: Have you ever been there this time of year before (Support response) Female 1: Yeah we go every year before Christmas my mother's aunt has a house up there. (Continuation of topic) Asian Male: Maybe you can ask for an extension. (Support response) Female 1: Don't think ill get it. (Continuation of topic) Female 2: Any plans for movies after the study session. I heard they are playing "Spread" this weekend; I've been dying to see it. You guys have to come see it with me.(Change of topic) Female 1: I might. Male 1: I wanted to watch "Paranormal Activity". (Shift response) Male 2: Yeah I heard that's pretty good. (Support response) Male 1: What time do you want to meet up (Change of topic) Female 1: I'll be free at seven. (Continuation of topic) Asian Male: Seven is ok. (Continuation of topic) Female 2: What are you planning on covering in that session (Continuation of topic) In his book, "The Pursuit of Attention; power and Ego in Everyday Life" (2000), Charles Derber talks about the emerging attention seeking trends in individuals. According... The conversation took place in an informal setting at restaurant where all the participants had met for lunch. The restaurant was small, casual but busy. The location was packed with other individuals, both alone and accompanied by friends. Most of them belonged to the same age group and social classes as the participants of the conversation. The conversation was informal and among the group of friends there for it did not include formal elements such as social roles or status. The conversation which took place was mostly to discuss assignments and eventually went to discussing local events and personal information. It eventually concluded at the members dispersing and getting back to their work. In his book, "The Pursuit of Attention; power and Ego in Everyday Life" (2000), Charles Derber talks about the emerging attention seeking trends in individuals. According to the author, in their pursuit of attention people have begun to restructure culture, politics and economy. He also states that although we may not all intend for the amount of attentions the celebrities attract, we seek attention at a more private level such as in conversations, when we try to steer the conversation to ourselves or talk about ourselves and not listen to others. These individuals who tend to seek control over the conversation are referred to as "conversational narcissists".

Children in the restaurant observation Research Paper

Children in the restaurant observation - Research Paper Example 1100: Tasha enters through the door and seems to be dragging her mum inside as though she cannot wait to have a taste of the delicacies served in the restaurant. She shouts, â€Å"I want French fries, mum I need those† as she points to one of the customer’s plates that is loaded with nicely plated brown French fries with strands of red ketchup. Just as expected, Tasha and her mum are both served, and they head for their seats. Tasha eats hurriedly while focusing all her attention on her plate and seems to care less about her mum seated right in front of her. Neither does she care about adding ketchup or salt to her food. 1105: Jean gets into the hotel with his mother. He does not seem to be in a hurry and stops at the door to watch the restaurant’s cowboy statue erected at the entrance. It is not until his mum drags him that he finds a seat opposite Tasha’s. He seems to care less about the food. His mum joins him with two plates of French fries, and they begin to eat. 1110: Tasha stretches her left hand to reach for a bottle of ketchup. Her mum mumbles a few words before she goes on picking her chips one after the other. Tasha seems reluctant to add ketchup to her half full plate of French fries. She gazes around aimlessly like though she had not noticed the presence of their customers in the restaurant before she finally squeezes the ketchup on her plate wastefully. Her mum seems irritated and grabs the bottle. 1115: Jean eats slowly but steadily. He is not distracted by the melee caused in the restaurant when a group of rowdy teenagers enter the premise. Jean only lifts his head for a moment as if to confirm his mum’s presence then resumes his slow but steady eating. 1120: Tasha seems a little distracted by the food on her plate and begins to play with the sticks of chips. She rolls her sleeves up and begins to rearrange the food on her plate as if to create some sought of artwork. She

Labour education crisis Essay Example for Free

Labour education crisis Essay The man who promised us, Education, education, education, as the main priority of his government has failed again. Blair along with forever changing line up of education secretaries has again been branded a hazard to our children. The new crisis in hand for our Labour government evolves our youngsters within Primary education. The recent report has revealed that the number of children who can read and write properly has fallen in the last three years, as almost 250,000 seven year olds are not hitting required standards, for the second year running. In English only 75% have reached the required standards, leaving government hopes of 85% English pass rate for 11 year olds by 2002 in tatters. The report has shown three tenths of Primary school children are behind in reading from as young as seven. Four tenths our poor at writing, leading to one quarter of eleven year olds being classed as semi-literate! Chief school inspector Mr David bell has described the situation as disastrous and has said, I dont think we could possibly be happy with what primary schools are achieving. These chilling figures reported by Ofsted are causing concern amongst parents throughout the country. Although Mr Bell is claiming the route of this problem is due to the teachers and Heads of the schools. As it has been suggested that one in ten of our head teachers are weak, thats a figure just over 2,000 that are simply not up to the job. If the leaders of the schools are weak what hope does it hold for our teachers? Although Heads are saying they are being used a scapegoats Mr Bell insists that they are to blame, They lack knowledge and skill. This standard is simply not adequate as the government has admitted. This has left other parties, including the Liberals suggesting an education reform and the Tories claming the situation has reached crisis level. Although PM Tony Blair has barely mentioned the report, and went ahead with a speech on education standards. This new crisis has fallen into the hands of Estelle Morris successor Charles Clarke. The Education Secretary has been told by Ofsted the targets set for 2004 will not be achievable. This will make his job even harder as situations are just being passed on with each new education secretary. Along with Primary education being seen as a shambles Ms Morris has left the problems of AS and A level system with Mr Clarke. After last years mark fixing fiasco new guide lines need to be set to stop this embarrassing situation recurring. That saw up to 4,194 candidates having their A-level grades increased in 2002. As well as the A-level marking situation causing problems it now seems that AS and A-level lecturers are unhappy with the system. They are calling for a return to a system such as the old one qualification of the A-level over two years. Suggesting that its simply too much for students. These measures come just two years after curriculum 2000 was introduced, bringing in the AS and A2 exams. Although now former chief inspector of England schools, Mr Tomlinson, has been asked to make a report suggesting ways of maintaining the A-levels standards and credibility. Universities are unhappy with a possible move to re-secure the A-level as they feel by keeping the name it will cause confusion. The A-level was first introduced in 1951 and has changed dramatically. This in turn effects what people feel constitutes as an A-level in standards they require, which worries the Universities. Who have also been affected by Labours education crisis due to the clearance procedure after the mess-up with A-level marking. The last thing on the agenda for Labour in terms of education is the staffing shortage in Primary and Senior schools. At the start of the academic year many school remained closed due to staffing shortages. And it appears this situation to is getting worse. As a survey for the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teacher suggested that nearly 63% of teachers have considered leaving their jobs within the past 5 years. And in another survey for the National Opinion Poll of 1,007 NASUWT members discovered that 30% felt that no political party had the right education policies. In conclusion it seams that all areas of or education system our in danger and have been effected, all that is left to say is good luck Charles Clarke, who now has the mammoth task of getting things on track. A job that both David Blunkett and Estelle Morris have failed to achieve.