A Small And Median Business Enterprise - 1465 Words

This case study will identify an overview theory of power, conflict and legal issues in a Small and Median Business Enterprise (SME) ‘Grove Juice’. It will develop an integrated overview of Grove Juice background and define concepts related to the distribution channel of a Business to Business (B2B) relationship in marketing. Through examining B2B relationships for the Grove Juice company, readers will have a better understanding of power and conflict issues that are associated with the business. It will also explain how the issues in products and pricing can significantly influence the target market and consumer behaviour. It will highlight the positives and negatives of a B2B relationship and the disadvantages of Grove Juice competing†¦show more content†¦This case study will help provide the organisation with a deeper understanding by examining the management issues related to Grove Juice. Through looking at the elements of conflict, power, and the legal issu es in the company, it will determine the weaknesses in the organisation and implications can be made to benefit and improve the business model within the context of its marketing channel. This can be done by using the marketing mix strategy to find about the history of the business, product or service, promotion and distribution, and their pricing strategy. Grove Juice (GJ) Pty Ltd is an independent owned and operated business manufacture that has been located in Mansfield, Brisbane and was founded in 1969 (See Appendix A B for images of the business and more detail). The company structure is currently a proprietary limited legal entity (Pty Ltd) that has been around for approximately 30 years and was registered and owned by an Australian family in 1989 (ASIC, 2015). The Grove Juice company is also known as a brand which sells juice products of five different flavours and unique blends such as, orange, mandarin, apple, passionfruit, lime, strawberry and mixed fruits (Grove Juice, 1969). Grove Juice bases much of its business models on selling fresh good quality natural fibres and organic juices. Extended service of Grove’s products is also available through transport, delivery and pickup. Grove

Essay on Plato on Justice - 988 Words

Plato’s interpretation of justice as seen in ‘The Republic’ is a vastly different one when compared to what we and even the philosophers of his own time are accustomed to. Plato would say justice is the act of carrying out one’s duties as he is fitted with. Moreover, if one’s duties require one to lie or commit something else that is not traditionally viewed along with justice; that too is considered just by Plato’s accounts in ‘The Republic.’ I believe Plato’s account of justice, and his likely defense against objections are both clear and logical, thus I will endeavor to argue his views as best as I can. Plato’s view of justice ties in with his view of a perfect world. In Plato’s ideal world, the society would be a wise one, wise in†¦show more content†¦Plato goes about this by explaining what justice is; justice has to do with doing what is right, and there exists some specific virtue in everything, which enables it to work well. If it is deprived of that nature, in contrast it would suffer. It is much the same with the soul, the soul must also perform its specific virtue. The more virtuous, or ‘just’ a soul is, the happier the soul is. The happier the soul is, the happier the person is. Therefore a just man lives happily and well, whereas an unjust man would not. This argument follows the a=b b=c therefore a=c argument form. Another objection, brought about by a radical and different theory of Justice is brought up by Plato in a conversation between Socrates and Thrasymachus. In this argument Thrasymachus defines justice as in the interest of the stronger. This basically means that justice belongs in the hands of the rulers, and that the rulers are whoever is stronger, therefore getting to a ruling position. Laws are then made, based on the ruling party’s interest, and only theirs. Those who violate such created laws, will get punished for breaking the law and so on and so forth. Socrates completely disagrees with this theory of justice and gives the analogy of a physician who is studying and exercising his power is in fact doing so in the interest of his patients, not himself. InShow MoreRelatedGreek Justice : Plato And Aristotle1085 Words   |  5 PagesPhilosophers and Justice as the Greek World Expands in 400-150 BCE Justice could be the defined as the quality of being fair and reasonable, during the period of 400-150 BCE when the Greek civilization was being formed. Plato and Aristotle are philosphers, who are leading figures of ancient Greek civilization and both discussed justice and established theories about the views of being just. Plato was a student of Socrates, and Aristotle was a student of Plato. Aristotle and Plato had different philosophiesRead MorePlato and Rawls: Justice in Philosophy652 Words   |  3 PagesJustice in philosophy is one of the most important political and moral concepts. The word justice comes from the Latin word jus, which means right or law. English Dictionaries defines it as one who typically does what is morally right as well as offering the word â€Å"fair† as a synonym. But philosophers get beyond etymology and what the dictionary definitions are and look deeper into it. For example, the nature of justice is both a moral virtue of character and a quality needed for political societyRead MoreSocrates, Plato, And The Nature Of Justice1363 Words   |  6 PagesSocrates, Plato, and the Nature of Justice Throughout human history, humans have sought perfection and the ideal most likely to compensate for the unfairness and defectiveness of their day to day lives. The history of human kind has witnessed many in different cultures. The famous Greek philosopher Socrates, who was born 469 BCE and died some forty years later standing for his ideas and ideals in a famous trial as reported by one of his students, Plato (428-347) BCE, is an example that never diesRead MorePlato And Aristotle On Justice And Law1565 Words   |  7 Pages Plato and Aristotle lived in a time where rule of man was the common practice in government. Under the system of the rule of man, citizens are governed by an individual or small group of rulers. On the other hand, the idea of the rule of law is one that proposes that laws should be supreme over each citizen including the ruler(s). In their writings, Plato and Aristotle focused on justice and law, and the reasons they are important in society. Throughout history , many leaders have looked to theseRead MorePlato s View On Justice1261 Words   |  6 PagesWell-structured societies are built on a foundation of justice that brings unity, development, equality and respect between people. Throughout The Republic, Plato defines justice and its significance to the state and its individuals. In Book I, Thrasymachus and Socrates both provide their views on the definition of justice. The discussion takes place in Cephalus’s residence with his son Polymarchus. Through Plato’s dialogue, the definitions on justice by both Thrasymachus and Socrates will be discussedRead MoreJustice in The Republic by Plato Essay480 Words   |  2 PagesJustice in The Republic by Plato In Platos The Republic, justice is depicted as a major part in a perfect society. Justice is said to breed a good society, whereas injustice will breed a bad one. Plato defines justice in dialogue as keeping what is properly ones own and doing ones own job. (Pg. 146) Under the rules set for this perfect society, people are to practice the one profession at which they perform best. This profession also corresponds to a certain social class. Under no circumstancesRead MorePlato s Definition Of Justice1306 Words   |  6 PagesIn this essay, I will argue that Plato s definition of justice in the individual is inadequate since a just individual cannot act unjustly. I will start by defining justice in the individual. Next, I will reexamine Socrates’ refutation of Polemarchus’ second definition. Then, I will show how just individuals (i.e., the philosophy rulers) in the republic act unjustly by using the example of the treatment of people with disability in the republic. Th is creates a contradiction in Socrates definitionRead MorePlato s View On Morality And Justice875 Words   |  4 Pagesconcept could be said to be the analogy between city and soul in Book IV, partially due to his expansive analysis of justice and the role justice plays in an â€Å"ideal city,† which has some key flaws. Despite these flawed assumptions that my essay will point out, Plato’s exposition on ethics is still relevant for scholars and academics to study, due to his interpretive view on morality and justice. 1. Socrates attempts to formulate a definition of the word, â€Å"moderation,† to investigate how the virtue ofRead MoreJustice: Plato vs. Aristotle Essay1024 Words   |  5 PagesPlato and Aristotle, arguably the most important philosophers of their time, both made attempts to define justice. Being that Aristotle was a student of Plato, their ideas share many similarities. Both viewed justice as the harmonious interaction of people in a society. However, Plato defined his ideal of justice with more usage of metaphysics, invoking his Form of the Good, while Aristotle took a more practical approach, speaking in terms of money and balance. Although Aristotles ideal of justiceRead MorePlato s View On Advantage And Justice1212 Words   |  5 PagesPlato in book 1 is not himself, he is potrayed by another character since plato is the author of book 1. The word Advantage throughout book 1 to demonstrate how justice can be an advantage for some and a disadvantage for others. Accordin g to Plato this is what Justice symbolizes, therefore this statement mentioned above is fully justified. To further support this claim, this paper will focus on the following supporting evidence. Firstly, how Plato’s character uses the word advantage to solidify

Bio Server Systems - Solution is Just a Click Away

Questions: 1. What would you suggest Stanley and BSS do to improve their assessment process? 2. What initial and substantive assessment methods would you recommend and why? 3. Is there any information BSS should avoid obtaining for legal or EEO reasons? Answers: 1. On the basis of the given scenario, it is observed that, the firm Bio Server Systems (BSS) was doing good in order to provide computer services to the customers. Along with this, it should also be noted down that, BSS was also aware about the security of the system. It is because of BSS developed a special security encryption software protocol to protect the systems as well as from the hackers (Heneman, Judge and Kammeyer-Mueller, 2012). Moreover, as a consequence of these software protocols, hackers would be unable to access the server of the organization. But, BSS faced the security issue at what time one of the customers Lee Rogers (Head of Biotechnology for Mercelle-Poulet) of BSS expressed concern about BSS's security. Lee said that, I have no doubt on software but I am worried about the people those are running sever or software. It is because of one of Mercelle-Poulet researcher has been arrested to sell certain cultures information to an overseas client. BSS became worried after the incident. The major subject of concern for BSS was that its employees are accessing and misusing the personal information of its customers (CTI Reviews. 2016). On the other hand, BSS used different initial assessment methods such as: interviews with Stanley other BSS managers, application blank, and a follow-up with the former employer of applicant to improve the security of its customers. Moreover, according to me, there are a lot of effective strategies that Stanley and BSS must use to improve their assessment process. For case, BSS should mainly focus on its recruitment, hiring and process in order to improve its assessment process. BSS should hire expert and qualified people to maintain the privacy of the organization (Caruth, Caruth and Pane, 2008). On the other hand, BSS should conduct appropriate training program to provide proper training to its employees. Moreover, BSS must tell its employees that they are obliged to follow the rules, regulations, and guidelines of the organizations strictly. The firm should inform them if any of them break the rules regulations and also perform actions or activities that are against the firm the n they will be responsible for the punishment. In addition to this, to improve the assessment process, BSS should cross check all the forms of applicants. BSS must check the background of its employees (Heneman and et al. 2014). Along with this, BSS must ask to provide two to three job references from each applicant; so they can verify that the qualified candidates are not linked to criminal backgrounds. Moreover, if the firm hires experienced people then it must check their records at their pervious jobs. In addition to this, BSS must conduct a personality test of job candidates in order to identify the people who may have a high vulnerability to engage in unethical/illegal behavior on the employment. A professional psychologist test may also be helpful to identify the mental conditions of the candidates in a proper way. Moreover, BSS should inaugurate employee surveillance cameras to monitor all the employees activities and incoming outgoing e-mail transmissions properly (Hayes, Kane and Kotwica, 2013). In this way, according to me, these all the strategies would be beneficial in order to improve the assessment process of the organization in an effective and a more comprehensive manner. 2. Initial and substantive assessments are helpful for the business organizations in order to screen candidates for a job position. Initial assessment is useful to condense the pool of candidates on the basis of the results of some initial assessment methods such as: application blanks, reference background checks, genetic screening, biographical information, initial interview, etc (Edenborough, 2007). Apart from this, substantive assessment is useful to lessen the candidates pool on the basis of the results of some substantive assessment methods such as: ability test, personality test, job knowledge performance test, structured interview and so on. On the other hand, there are some important initial and substantive assessment methods that I would recommend to the organization. For case, the firm must use BFOQ (Bona Fide Occupational Qualification), reference background checks, application blanks and genetic screening methods under the initial assessment method. The main reason be hind it is that these all methods are the subject to legal considerations (Bohne, 2006). In addition to this, initial assessment methods these methods would also be advantageous to expose toxic substances and to reduce the chances of errors in an effective and a more comprehensive manner. Apart from this, emotional intelligence tests, personality tests, situational judgment tests, ability tests, Interest, values preference inventories, performance tests work samples and structured interview are the substantive assessment methods. These methods would be helpful to BCC in order to recruit expert and genuine employees for the success of the business (Leviton, Khan and Dawkins, 2010). In this way, both initial and substantive assessment methods would be helpful to reduce the errors and to improve the organizational efficiency in an effective and a significant manner. 3. Yes, there are some informations that BSS must avoid in order to obtain for legal or EEO (Equal Employment Opportunity) reasons. For example, as per the provision of EEO, the firm cannot demand for the information that are related to the sex, age, height, marital status, national origin, weight, religion, race, genetic, disability of the people. The firm must avoid getting these types of information for legal as well as EEO reasons (Gutman, Koppes and Vodanovich, 2010). On the other hand, if the firm forces to employees in order to provide the information that are related to proceedings filed by the candidates in the past then it would also be illegal and unethical for the organization. Moreover, it would also be illicit for BSS to demand information that are linked to a lawsuit that employees filed in their previous under the unfairness or injustice circumstances. Along with this, the EEO law also prohibits to the firm in order to obtain any information that may create discrimination at the work place. Moreover, according the rules and guidelines of the EEO, BSS is also banned to apply unfair employment practices as well as policies. It is because of these types of practices and policies may have adverse impacts on the race, sex, religion, origin and color of the applicants or workers. Under the legal provision of EEO, BSS is obliged to follow all the rules in an appropriate way. If BSS violates any rules or provision of EEO then it may face numerous issues that would be dangerous for the success of the organization (Heneman, Judge and Kammeyer-Mueller, 2012). In addition to this, under the legal prerequisite of EEO, it is also clear that if BSS does not follow these rules, it means the firm is infringing all the rules of business acts. In addition to this, according to the provisions of EEO, a job test of the company must be related to the employment only. The firm should not judge the employees on the basis of their sex, races, color, origin, religion, and so on. It is because of it may create a situation of conflict and prejudice within the organization. Along with this, in a case of disability of employees, the firm must have a sign language interpreter to provide proper accommodation on the demand of the applicants (Gutman, Koppes and Vodanovich, 2012). In this way, it can be said that, BSS must take care of all the legal rules and regulations in order to operate its business in a legal and an ethical manner. The firm must avoid all the things and information that may create the situations of inequity and conflict to the organization. References Bohne, E. (2006). The Quest for Environmental Regulatory Integration in the European Union: Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control, Environmental Impact Assessment and Major Accident Prevention. USA: Kluwer Law International. Caruth, D.L., Caruth, G.D. and Pane, S.S. (2008). Staffing the Contemporary Organization: A Guide to Planning, Recruiting, and Selecting for Human Resource Professionals, 3rd Edition: A Guide to Planning, Recruiting, and Selecting for Human Resource Professionals Third Edition. Australia: ABC-CLIO. CTI Reviews. (2016). Staffing Organizations: Business, Business (7th ed.). Australia: Cram101 Textbook Reviews. Edenborough, R. (2007). Assessment Methods in Recruitment, Selection Performance: A Manager's Guide to Psychometric Testing, Interviews and Assessment Centres. USA: Kogan Page Publishers. Gutman, A., Koppes, L.L. and Vodanovich, S.J. (2010). EEO Law and Personnel Practices. Australia: Psychology Press. Gutman, A., Koppes, L.L. and Vodanovich, S.J. (2012). EEO Law and Personnel Practices, Third Edition. Australia: Psychology Press. Hayes, B., Kane, G. and Kotwica, K. (2013). Corporate Security Organizational Structure, Cost of Services and Staffing Benchmark: Research Report. USA: Elsevier. Heneman, H. G., and et al. (2014). Staffing Organizations (8th ed.). NY: McGraw-Hill. Heneman, H. G., Judge, T.A., and Kammeyer-Mueller, J.D. (2012). Staffing organizations (7th ed.). NY: McGraw-Hill. Leviton, L.C., Khan, L. K. and Dawkins, N. (2010). The Systematic Screening and Assessment Method: New Directions for Evaluation, Issue 125. USA: John Wiley Sons.

The Big Day Essays - Startup Cult, , Term Papers

The Big Day I really hated the sound of that alarm clock, that piercing, irritating repeated beeping. After a second or two I slowly started realizing that it was not just another day, it was the day. I felt the movement in the bed as she reached for the clock and then the beeping stopped allowing me to slip back towards tranquillity again. "Love you," I whispered. "Excuse me, you were saying?" she said sarcastically. "You heard me," I said a little louder yet trying not to strain my tired voice. "I didn't say I didn't fucking hear you, I asked you what you said. Repeat it, louder. And try opening your eyes this time." After a moment of contemplating the situation I forced myself to make an effort and sat up, looking at her. Everything about her was beautiful even in the morning. The way that curly almost black hair just touched her shoulders. The casual pose she held sitting on the edge of the bed in that worn Lakers T-shirt. I took her hand and pulled her a little closer admiring her mischievous smile. She wanted to say something but she waited for me to speak first. I kissed her hand repeatedly and looking into her dark brown eyes I said slowly overenunciating each word: "I...love...you." Her smile got wider as she replied. "You better. Don't you dare flake on me now." She lay down beside me and kissed me gently wrapping her arms around me. I slid my hands inside her T-shirt running them up and down her back and I said: "We really don't have time for this." "Absolutely not. How about the shower?" And the shower it was, taking far too much of the time we did not have. I stood shaving when she asked from the bedroom: "Denny's or Jack in the box?" "Which one is the most romantic?" "Breakfast in bed!" "OK, you got me. How about Big Bob's in Burbank?" "You call Big Bob's romantic?" "We're not making love there, we're eating." "It's a drive, I'm hungry. I wanna eat now." I looked at my reflection in the mirror, undergoing one of those mini crises wondering if it was really me standing there. Was that really what I looked like, who I was? That was my face, my body, and I would spend the rest of my life confined within it. Even though I was quite familiar with my own image, he seemed a little like a stranger. "Well?" she said, and I suddenly snapped back into the present. "Er, is Jack in the box drive-through fine?" "Perfect." "Perfect," I thought. "Were we perfect together, she and I? Did we have to be perfect together? Was everyone else?" Sometimes she felt like a stranger too. I wondered what that meant, what it implied. Maybe it was because we were not meant to be, maybe it was all wrong and I was just fooling myself. Could it be that I was stupid to even think that the two of us were a good idea in the first place? I had never thought about that before. Not in that way. Not until now. "You got any more stuff to pack?" I heard her say it but I did not think about what she was saying. I was questioning the fact that she was even talking to me. Maybe she was saying it to someone else. "Hey, what are you doing out there? Are you listening to me?" I could not think of a good answer since I had not thought about what she was saying to begin with. But in my mind I knew that I had to produce an answer, because it was the second time she was asking me...something. Out of obligation I automatically answered: "Yeah, sure." "Does that mean you're listening to me or that you've got some more stuff you wanna pack, before we leave? I went in to the bedroom and saw her standing there about to zip up the suitcase and she was as charming as ever. She was certainly no stranger and neither was I. Having cleared that in my mind I felt at ease and I smiled

Dickenson essays

Dickenson essays Right from the outset of the poem, Dickinson compares hope to a bird, Hope is the thing with feathers (1). This first line sets the stage for the rest of the poem, in that from this point on the reader will see just how Dickinson believes hope is like a bird. Following the first line Dickinson describes how hope resides within us, by using certain actions of a bird with an underlying meaning of what she is really trying to say. And sings the tune without the words- And never stops - at all (2-4). As a bird perches on a tree branch, so does hope perch inside each of our souls. However hope does not sing out like a bird in his song, but rather instead burns within us never being able to be put into words. But this hope always lets its presence be known just as a bird always sings its song to let other birds know of its presence. In the next stanza Dickinson describes the hardships throughout life that try to kill the hope inside of each of us. And sweetest in the Gale is heard That kept so many warm (5-8). In line five Dickinson is saying that in the worst hardships of our lives, the Gale, hope is stronger then ever before. A bird sings loudest in these difficult times, just as hope tends to erupt out of our body and take action. But just as in reality there are those times in ones life that are just too hard to deal with. The violent storm is compared to the times in our life when we feel like there is no hope left. ...

Reading Comprehension Worksheet 2

Reading Comprehension Worksheet 2 Reading comprehension is like anything; to get good at it, you need to practice. Luckily, you can do that, here, with this Reading Comprehension Worksheet 2 – The End of Overeating. Directions: The passage below is followed by questions based on its content; answer the questions on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage. Printable PDFs: The End of Overeating Reading Comprehension Worksheet | The End of Overeating Reading Comprehension Worksheet Answer Key From The End of Overeating by David Kessler. Copyright  © 2009 by David Kessler. Years of research had educated me about how sugar, fat, and salt change the brain. I understood some of the parallels between hyperpalatable foods and drugs of abuse, and about the links among sensory stimulation, cues, and memory. Id met enough people like Claudia and Maria to understand how even the thought of food could cause them to lose control. But I wasnt fully prepared for the discoveries I made about irresistibility and whoosh, the Monster Thickburger and Baked! Cheetos Flamin Hot, about indulgence and purple cows. Without necessarily understanding the underlying science, the food industry has discovered what sells. I was sitting at Chilis Grill Bar in Chicagos OHare Airport waiting for a late-night flight. At a nearby table a couple in their early forties was deep into a meal. The woman was overweight, with about 180 pounds on her five-foot-four-inch frame. The Southwestern Eggrolls she had ordered were listed as a starter course, but the enormous platter in front of her had been heaped with food. The dish was described on the menu as smoked chicken, black beans, corn, jalapeà ±o Jack cheese, red peppers, and spinach wrapped inside a crispy flour tortilla, and it was served with a creamy avocado-ranch dipping sauce. Despite its name, the dish looked more like a burrito than an egg roll, an only-in-America fusion approach. I watched as the woman attacked her food with vigor and speed. She held the egg roll in one hand, dunked it into the sauce, and brought it to her mouth while using the fork in her other hand to scoop up more sauce. Occasionally she reached over and speared some of her companions french fries. The woman ate steadily, working her way around the plate with scant pause for conversation or rest. When she finally paused, only a little lettuce was left. Had she known someone was watching her, Im sure she would have eaten differently. Had she been asked to describe what she had just eaten, she probably would have substantially underestimated her consumption. And she would probably have been surprised to learn what the ingredients in her meal really were. The woman might have been interested in how my industry source, who had called sugar, fat, and salt the three points of the compass, described her entree. Deep-frying the tortilla drives down its water content from 40 percent to about 5 percent and replaces the rest with fat. The tortilla is really going to absorb a lot of fat, he said. It looks like an egg roll is supposed to look, which is crispy and brown on the outside. The food consultant read through other ingredients on the label, keeping up a running commentary as he did. Cooked white meat chicken, binder added, smoke flavor. People like smoky flavor - its the caveman in them. Theres green stuff in there, he said, noting the spinach. That makes me feel like Im eating something healthy. Shredded Monterey Jack cheese.... The increase in per-capita consumption of cheese is off the chart. The hot peppers, he said, add a little spice, but not too much to kill everything else off. He believed the chicken had been chopped and formed much like a meat loaf, with binders added, which makes those calories easy to swallow. Ingredients that hold moisture, including autolyzed yeast extract, sodium phosphate, and soy protein concentrate, further soften the food. I noticed that salt appeared eight times on the label and that sweeteners were there five times, in the form of corn-syrup solids, molasses, honey, brown sugar, and sugar. This is highly processed? I asked. Absolutely, yes. All of this has been processed such that you can wolf it down fast...chopped up and made ultrapalatable.... Very appealing looking, very high pleasure in the food, very high caloric density. Rules out all that stuff you have to chew. By eliminating the need to chew, modern food processing techniques allow us to eat faster. When youre eating these things, youve had 500, 600, 800, 900 calories before you know it, said the consultant. Literally before you know it. Refined food simply melts in the mouth. Reading Comprehension Worksheet Questions 1. It can be inferred from the authors description of the woman eating in paragraph four that(A) The woman prefers to eat at Chilis vs. other restaurants.(B) The woman truly enjoys the foods that she chooses to eat.(C) The womans efficiency at cleaning her plate adds to her dining experience.(D) The author is disgusted by the womans consumption.(E) The author believes the woman should take a course in healthy eating. 2. According to the passage, the main reason people overeat is(A) because salt and sweeteners, like corn-syrup solids and brown sugar, are added to the food.(B) because we dont have to chew our food very much.(C) because people like smoky flavor.(D) because sugar, fat and salt change the brain.(E) because we are used to eating quickly in this modern society. 3. The following are all ingredients in the egg rolls, EXCEPT(A) salt(B) binders(C) honey(D) spinach(E) dark meat chicken 4. Which of the following statements best describes the main idea of the passage? (A) If you eat too much food too quickly, youll gain weight and become unhealthy.(B) Because refined food is irresistible and easy to eat, it masks how unhealthy it is, leaving people unaware of the poor food choices theyre making.(C) Chilis is one of the restaurants in the U.S. serving unhealthy food to consumers today.(D) Food consultants and authors are making Americans aware of their unhealthy eating habits, thus, creating healthier generations for years to come.(E) Refined foods, with salt, sugar, and fat hidden inside, are less nutritious and more damaging than whole foods. 5. In the first sentence of paragraph four, the word vigor most nearly means(A) pleasure(B) flamboyance(C) lethargy(D) energy(E) craftiness Answer and Explanation More Reading Comprehension Practice

Term assigement Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Term assigement - Case Study Example 2. Assume the Qatari government is pursuing an expansionary fiscal policy by increasing government purchases. Show the short run and long run impact of this policy on the macroeconomic equilibrium point using AD and AS model (assume that Qatar’s economy initially operates at the potential level of GDP). You need to draw a graph and briefly explain the short run and long run impact of this expansionary fiscal policy. Pursuing an expansionary fiscal policy through the increase of government purchases will increase budget deficit or smaller budget surplus. The Qatari fiscal budget will be affected by the policy through its spending and taxes. It will also address the business cycle instability that gives rise to unemployment. This is called closing the recessionary gap. The aggregate market illustrates the recessionary gap as well as the short run and the long run effects of this policy. SRAS is the short run aggregate supply curve. Equilibrium in the short run occurs when price level and real production corresponds to the intersection of the SRAS and the aggregate demand curve. Short run real production is therefore less than full employment production and their difference is the recessionary gap. The recessionary gap is what the increase in purchases or expansionary fiscal policy is designed to close. This happens when there is a rightward shift of the demand curve. It will therefore increase demand and employment in the short run but not necessary in the long run. This is shown below. 3.In December 2014, the international price of oil has dropped to almost half of its level in June 2014. What do you think the expected impact of this drop on the US economy using the AD and AS model? Hint: Think of the impact on aggregate supply in the US and assume that the US economy initially operates at the potential GDP level. If the prices of oil drop by half, oil producers will decrease production in

Why do firm operate in high-risk countries Give specific examples Essay

Why do firm operate in high-risk countries Give specific examples - Essay Example The term high risk implies that a certain country’s economy has a higher inclination towards risk. This risk may exist because of some social and political problems that the country might face. Because of a social and political turmoil in the country, government policies regarding the foreign direct investment may not be very friendly and so may not be very attractive for the investors. Also there is likelihood that the security situations in such countries also may affect the foreign businesses. For example many firms have suffered in countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan where the security situation does not permit a healthy business environment. The products of the firms that operate in high risk countries may not provide the value they once did, as Penn (2003) points out. Also according to Penn (2003), the overall productivity of the firms and companies might fall because the revenues earned would be less than those that were earned previously. As a consequence, the cost s incurred by the investors might rise too. The firms would be increasingly burdened in such situations with unnecessary costs and the benefits expected may also be dwindling. Also the interest rate in the high risk countries is generally less which means that the foreign direct inflows are also gravely affected. This is true for all the foreign direct investors that operate in high risk countries. However, it is interesting to note that recently there has been a trend of companies working in the high risk countries when they actually should have found exits. Of course there might be some benefits in doing so, that encourages the investors to work in such situations. The paper discusses some of the advantages that a firm might have while investing in countries that are in state of recessions. Most of the economists like Rothgeb (1986) believe

Electronic commerce Essay Example for Free

Electronic commerce Essay TroniXkart is component amp; development tools sourcing division of Hogst Innovative Solutions Pvt. Ltd. With its international tie up with global companies like Sparkfun, Seeedstudio etc, items with international standards is being sold in TroniXkart. Also local items, with Indian standards suitable for Indian work environment is sold after careful testing and benchmarking the reliability. We focus and help the creative minds to come up with an innovative idea, for the completion of their dream projects. Beat it robotics, wireless sensors, digital storage devices, anything can be bought through the site. It has got so many features which gives an edge over upon the competitors. The reviews of products by past customer play an important role in selecting the right equipment. TroniXkart updates the reviews, new arrivals, competitive products reviews, which help the customers to grab the product without making much ambiguity. Another feature of TroniXkart is the shipping amp; returns policy, which makes it available the right products ordered at the right time and at the right place. Bangalore based office unit and warehouse takes care of the delivery and after sale service of TroniXkart. Another attractive feature of TroniXkart is the gift coupons given to the loyal customers. This makes sure that the customers are served properly even after the post purchase stage. Gift coupons provide the chance of getting the products less than the market price without letting down the quality. Its categorised display of products helps to get to know about recent developments in the electronic area. So in this fast moving e-commerce era, where you can order cakes, flowers and even dresses, shoes, TroniXkart provides the electronic components which globally accepted.

British and Iraq, history :: essays research papers

The "Sovereign" Iraqi Monarchy and British Colonialism In 1932, the League of Nations admitted Iraq as a sovereign state fully aware that British influence continued in Iraqi political, economic and military areas through a new 25-year treaty. Britain's aim was for indirect control of Iraq through advisors, military bases and access to Iraq's tax collections. In this way, it avoided the high cost of large troop deployment on foreign soil. Yet, the fiction of indirect control failed to convince Iraqis. As boundaries became fixed for this new nation, internal power struggles flared up between the different religious factions, pitting one ethnic group against another. Further, the new borders resulted in frequent border disputes with Iraq's mainly new neighbors in addition to widespread ethnic and economic dislocation. While trying to strike a balance between nationalist and British influences, King Faisal's Hashemite monarchy struggled to mold a political community under these overwhelming pressures. Rebellion among the ethnic groups was a constant problem, particularly from the Kurds and Assyrians. Although previously bestowing favor on one or the other, Britain now employed the brutal force of the Iraqi military to suppress dissent. These actions forebode future patterns for Iraq where dissent provoked heavy handed military repression. Into this arena came General Bakr Sidqi, an ambitious and powerful Kurdish commander, who had not only military but growing political aspirations. In September 1933, when King Faisal died, Iraq lost the main stabilizing force in Iraqi politics. Despite the challenges to the monarchy's legitimacy, the King alone was able to unite the various political personalities in support of Iraqi nationalism. His 21-year old son, Ghazi, was western educated and knew little of Iraqi tribal society when he became monarch. During his reign, Iraqi politics degenerated into strife between urban elites and tribal sheikhs that further undermined the newly established political institutions and constitution. General Bakr Sidqi led a coup d'etat in 1936, the first military coup that the modern Arab world was to experience. The British did not intervene as their policy of indirect control was yielding results and the coup threatened only the parliament. However, Sidqi was to last only one year. There was yet a second coup in 1937 by other military officers, called "the Circle of Seven", who managed to rule Iraq with King Ghazi as figurehead until 1941. This group dealt with dissent harshly, imposing martial law, press censorship and establishing a detention camp.

First Year Experience

English 1301 Professor Terri Craig 20th March 2018Registration DayWelcome to Lonestar Cy fair for the spring semester of 2018 all new and incoming first year college students. We here at Lonestar wish nothing but the best for you in your academic careers; while pursing your degree, in whatever that may be. Today will be your first introduction into the Lonestar college and registration system. The registration process may seem overwhelming at first but that is simply because you have never had an experience like it before. Once you understand how everything operates around here, you will realize how simple and easy registration really is. I will be going over deciding your major, choosing your classes, and setting up financial aid. Everything will be explained in detail so that there will not be any confusion along the process. First things first, you all want to have a major so that you all do not waste your time. Everyone is not expected to know exactly what they would like to major in, so having an idea is also fine. To anyone who is unsure on their major you can meet up with any of our advisors here at the school free of charge Monday through Friday. They will dig into your personality a bit, asking you various questions such as are you more of an introvert or extrovert, also your preferences to point you in the right direction of what to major in. The advisors will also help students decide on which classes to take to reach the ultimate goal of graduating. Deciding on a major is important for two reasons when first starting off college. Reason one being that you all do not want to waste your time chasing a career path that does not suit you or you do not enjoy. Secondly, in order to pick your classes accordingly, you have to have a major. Having a major brings me into my second topic, which is picking your classes.Picking your classes will be the easiest task you have on registration day. You all will choose your classes in the enrolment lab; the Enrollment Lab is a computer lab located on the first floor and is available to students who need assistance. During this process you will be able to decide on the days, time, and types of classes you wish to take. Do you want to have class in a classroom or online? Or do you want to have a mixture of both? Are you a morning person who can function or do you prefer to sleep in and have class later in the day? You have the option to pick and decide how you want to approach your classes. If you would like to know more about your potential professor, you can look up the different reviews they have to decide if they best match your learning style. Once you have decided on your classes, all you have to do is register and you are good to go. Its best to pick classes that day because they will often fill up quickly. Now that you all have decided on your major and which classes to go along with that, you need to check in with financial aid.Financial aid is not a requirement for everyone who attends college, but for most it is a major help. If you are interested in financial aid, save yourself the hassle and have everything you need prepared before you go, to save yourself a bit of time. Financial aid is funding available to students to assist with the completion of academic programs if you qualify for it. This includes student loans, scholarships, and work study programs just to name a few. It is best to go early to the financial aid office because it is often the busiest on registration day. Registration day is always confusing for any new comer into any college system. However, as you can tell the, registration process is not that difficult at all. Once you decide on a major, the other steps just come naturally. I hope you all find it simple and easy to navigate around the school on registration day.

My Life as a Superhero Essay

I just want originality, I want to be different from the people around me. The conventional life – go to school, go to college, be a nurse like the other cousins, get married, be a good Catholic wife with three children and be completely conformative – never once appealed to me. The ability to become superhuman, to be able to go down in history for making a difference, that’s the kind of life I want. Whether it be by musical impact or donating six billion Euro to charities, I want to be different, I want to be me – but in superhuman form, I’d have all my little quirks and mannerisms but with another side, a side that inspires people, that would make people want to be better. Lately I’ve been pondering the subject of superheroes. Everyone has their favourite – mine is caught between Batman and Thor – and I think everyone at some time has fantasized about being one. I know I have, and so often do. Of course, unlike Batman, who uses cunning, strength, battle experience and a strangely cool mental make-up to his advantage, or uses his ‘mind over matter attitude’, if you prefer. I’m thinking that having superpowers might be one of the requirements of the job. Unfortunately, most of the powers that are of interest to me, especially the ability to bend space, stop time and invisibility, have been taken. What’s a fledging superhero to do? I flirted with shape shifting or the ability to manipulate the weather. I thought about being able to communicate with animals, but other than being very Dr. Doolittle-ish, how would that come in handy when trying to save the world? It wouldn’t. No, it would have to something formidable, something to strike fear through the veins of my enemies. So, after much thought, I’ve decided that I want to be able to transform myself into any element, wind, rain, fire, the Periodic Table, whatever, which I think would really come in handy as a superhero. It could also cause some problems, which is perfectly fine, because most superheroes are flawed  in some way and their powers can often be a curse to them. I don’t want to be any exception, a perfect life would be too boring for me. Being able to change into any element would not only be a cool power to show off, but it would be extremely practical too. If someone is shooting at me, I can turn myself to iron and not only dodge the bullets being shot my way, but bounce them back. If I’m being chased I can quite conveniently turn to steam and drift away. The same practicality applies if I want to sneak into a room. I’d just turn to smoke and go through the keyhole. And if I need to escape a sticky situation I can stand above a sewer grate and turn to water, reconstituting when I hit the pool below. There are no limits to how useful a tool this could be. Being able to transform myself like this makes me almost invincible†¦ †¦Which could be a problem. It may be too perfect. My powers would have to have a flaw. For instance, maybe I can only retain my transformation for a certain amount of time, say five minutes. Maybe I frequently find that messy circumstances only get messier because she can’t retain her powers, who knows, I could probably end up utterly unable to use them at all! I would eventually learn that, like the Force of Star Wars fame, my powers could grow through time, practice and training. Like any dedicated student, I would constantly be working at skills she doesn’t quite understand. Maybe I would find a Yoda-like mentor to help me control and strengthen my powers. I also need to take into consideration just how many elements I could transform into. It may be interesting to be able to run the Gambit (The most epic X-Man there is!) of the metals; it could be fun to turn into titanium, although the consequence could easily be that I only live a half-life or something like that, which sounds problematic. But it would certainly add to the fabric of my life. I may never have to turn to anything but myself, but I could change if I wanted to. Practicality states that it would have to be a solid element and nothing colourless, odourless or tasteless; what good is it to become hydrogen? At first glance you might also think there would be no practical reason to transform into halogens or any of the Noble Gasses. But, come to think of it, if I wanted to light up a dark alleyway I could just turn to neon. Of course, I don’t actually turn to neon. Maybe my body just starts to glow brightly. Of course, I would have to have a back story. I would have to explain how I discover my powers. You just don’t wake up one day made of superhero-material. Perhaps I’m a physicist. Maybe it’s night and I’m working in the lab alone. Maybe there’s an accident and an explosion sends a white-hot fireball right towards me. Unable to move in time I instinctively turn to iron, saving me from the flames rushing harmlessly by. In the aftermath I lie on the floor, gazing in amazement and disbelief at my metallic body. This is interesting, I think before I quickly return to my human form. But I’m shook at what just happened, not comprehending whether it actually really happened. Later, when realizing that I actually had turned to metal, I decide to test my newfound powers, perhaps by thinking of helium. Curiously, my body doesn’t inflate like a balloon, but begins to levitate, gently lifting me excitingly skyward until I am level with the ceiling. Then the powers suddenly vanish and I crash to the floor below. Hmmm, maybe I’m on to something here†¦ My mam and I have discussed this theory at length, coming up with stupid names like ‘Elementary’ and such but we never really came to a final decision, I suppose I’d have to just let the people decide what to call me. Honestly, I can’t help but fantasise over this topic all day long but in the end I always come back to the same statement: â€Å"If it’s meant to be, wait. It will happen.† So I suppose I’ll just keep on waiting!

Financial analysis and comparison of PepsiCo and Coca-Cola The WritePass Journal

Financial analysis and comparison of PepsiCo and Coca-Cola Introduction Financial analysis and comparison of PepsiCo and Coca-Cola IntroductionReferences:Related Introduction Together both PepsiCo and Coca Cola are both companies that are known around the world for their goods. For decades now, these companies have been competitive against each other to â€Å"do better than† the other one, what some would call the â€Å"cola wars†. They individually offer a assortment of soft drinks; regular, diet, caffeine free and many other options for the public to choose from. Both of the companies also have quite a few different entities (or off springs) of their company, such as bottled water, energy drinks, and juices. Individually both PepsiCo and Coca Cola; better known as Pepsi and Coke, have produced goods for every income bracket. Inside this essay we will take a look into the two largest competing companies in the soft drink industry; Coca Cola and PepsiCo. Using financial data provided from 2004 and 2005, we will be able to use financial analysis, both vertical and horizontal, to verify the financial differences between the two companies. We should be able to make proper suggestions and recommendations with the review on both of the individual companies, income statements and balance sheets. The soft drink industry is one of the largest and assorted industries in the world; consumption in the United States alone is rated at 95%. Together Pepsi and Coke have dominated the soft drink industry, staying higher than any other competition for decades. Not only have they dominated the national market, but also have dominated the global market. Pepsi and Coke have triumphed over many obstacles, so that they may produce and distribute products in most countries around the globe. Both employ a strategy called â€Å"the follow up strategy†. When one launches a new product or service, the other is not far behind with a similar product or service. This strategy has been so effective within these two companies that it leaves other would be competitors oblivious to what just happened. Because of global success, both PepsiCo and Coca Cola have paid a price in one way or another regarding legal issues, precedents, and political opinions. Both of these companies are great examples that the power of influence is leadership. Since their influence is so powerful, they easily shut down competitors in the market as well as keep their moral and ethical values at a soaring level. According to the Forbes Super500 list of America’s largest public companies in 2003, both Coke and Pepsi are practically the same size. Pepsi was the 43rd-largest U.S. firm, just barely edging out Coke, which ranked 44th. This comparison was based on ranking sales, profits, market value and assets. Now let’s take a look at a more detailed comparison of these two companies. Within this analysis, the numbers will be represented in millions (100 is equal to 100 million). Beginning with a vertical analysis, used to do the comparison of the asset accounts categories, liability account categories, and the reports on liability accounts against asset accounts on the balance sheet. The principle for calculating a vertical analysis is current assets à · total assets. The starting point lies within the total assets for each company. In 2004, PepsiCo’s total assets were $27,987; in 2005 they totaled $31,727. Coca Cola’s assets were $31,441 for 2004 and $29,427 in 2005.   (Weygandt, Kimmel, Kieso, 2008). Now we must look at statistics on the balance sheets of each corporation. In 2004, Coke’s cost of merchandise sold were $7,674 equaling a ratio percentage of 24.4% of their total assets. In 2005 the cost of merchandise sold were $8,195 equaling 27.8% of the total assets. For Pepsi’s cost of merchandise sold, the totals were $12,674 equaling 45.3% in 2004 and $14,176 equaling 44.7% in 2005. Over a one year span the results of; PepsiCo had an increase of 5%, while Coke had an increase that year of 3.4%.   With this increase, the results do not necessarily mean a positive analysis, since the single figure does not disclose whether the increase is a positive measure.   A higher cost of sales may not be offset by higher revenues matching or exceeding the increased cost. Net income of PepsiCo in 2004 was $4,212 equaling a ratio percentage of 15.1% of total assets. In 2005, their net income was $4,078 equaling a ratio percentage of 13.2% of their total assets. This shows a 1.9% decrease in their net income between 2004 and 2005. Within the same period they also showed a decrease in the cost of sales. Coke on the other hand had a net income of $4,847 in 2004 equaling a ratio percentage of 15.4%. In 2005 their net income was $4,872 equaling a ratio of 16.6% of their total assets. This shows and an increase of 1.2% between 2004 and 2005.   Even though they experienced an increase of 1.2%, the increase of cost of merchandise sold had an increase of 3.4% only nets an additional 1.2%, making this a negative indication for Coca Cola. When comparing current assets and current liabilities to the total assets by taking a closer look at the consolidated balance sheets of these two companies for each year show that Pepsi’s total current assets were $8,639, in 2004, which equals a ratio percentage of 30.9% of total assets (for that year). For 2005, PepsiCo’s total current assets were $10,454 which equals a ratio percentage of 32.9% of total assets. From 2004 to 2005, they had an increase of 2% in their current assets. In contrast Coca Cola’s current assets were $12,281 equaling a ratio percentage of 39.1% for 2004 and $10,250 equaling a ratio percentage of 34.8%, in 2005; this shows a major decrease in their current assets. Although, there was a considerable decrease in their current assets, there was also a decrease in their current liabilities. These decreases in liabilities would be a positive indication for Coke instead of a negative one. In the area of current liabilities, we can see that in 2004 Pepsi’s total was $6,752 equaling 24.1%, and $9,406 equaling 29.9% in 2005. This shows that the increase of 2% within Pepsi’s assets is due to the company taking on more liabilities. Coke however had current liabilities of $11,133 equaling 35.4% in 2004, and $9,836 equaling 33.4% in 2005 which shows a decrease of 1% in their liabilities. This simply states that both companies had a larger percentage of liabilities to assets in 2005, compared to 2004 also taking into account that their current assets dropped 4.3%. To break that down even further, we look at the following figures. Coca Cola had a total liability in 2004 of $15,506 which equals 49.3% and in 2005 their total liabilities were $13,072 which equals 44.4%. That is a decrease in their liabilities of 4.9%. So while their assets dropped by 4.3%, their liabilities dropped even more. Horizontal analysis is the comparison of specific items account for a certain amount of numbers for the accounting period. This helps to determine the increase or decrease that has occurred by a percentage, a numerical change or trends over that time. There are two formulas that can be used to get this analysis. The first formula uses the current year amount and subtracts from that the base year amount, then take the difference and divide it by the base year amount.   The second formula divides the current year amount by the base year amount.   This gives the current yearly figure in a percentage for the given base year. PepsiCo’s total current assets for 2004 were $8,639 and $10,454 in 2005. The first horizontal analysis formula shows Pepsi had an increase of 121.01% of total current assets; over their 2004 base year figure. Coke’s total assets for 2004 were $12,281 and $10,250 for 2005 which shows a considerable loss. With these numbers it produces a loss percenta ge of 16.58% between 2004 (83.46%) and 2005. Moving onto liabilities, Coca Cola had $11,133 in total liabilities for 2004 and $9,836 for 2005, yielding a difference of 88.35% decreasing their liabilities by 11.65% from 2004 to 2005. For PepsiCo, their total liabilities for 2004 were $6,752 and $9,406 in 2005. Following the formula we can see that it shows an increase in their liabilities by 139.3% from 2004 to 2005, so for one year the total is 39.9%. Mutually PepsiCo and Coca Cola have reputations for being the major contenders in the soft drink industry. They have individually created well organized, strong, and profitable companies, but as you can see from the analysis done above that the financial data, shows a bit of a difference between the two financially. I can see adjustments that can be made and areas that can be worked on, and below I have made a few suggestions for the data I found. It can be determined from the information above that the net profits for both companies were less in 2005 than that of 2004. The operating expenses for both companies were higher in 2005 then 2004. Individually Pepsi and Coke should be working to decrease operation expenses and to increase profitability. Within Coca Cola, they suffered a decline in assets (4.3%) and their liabilities reduced by 4.9% from 2004 to 2005. The suggestion that I make for Coca Cola is they continue to reduce their liabilities, and work on raising net profits. This will increase their assets, As for Pepsi, they have a small increase in current assets between 2004 and 2005, but they had a substantial increase in liabilities. With a 5.8% increase in liabilities, there was only an increase of 2% within their assets. A suggestion I can make for PepsiCo is to focus efforts on their assets, to reduce their liabilities, and to not collect new liabilities. This way they can increase profitability. Looking into other years and comparisons, I see that Coca Cola gathers almost 53% of their annual revenue during spring and summer, whereas Pepsi seems to produce 30% more revenue in the later months of the year.   This is likely due to the fact that Pepsi also has snack (chips, etc) operations other than soft drinks, which is the preferred food of the season. There is also the topic of franchise systems. Pepsi has had success in the past with its franchise system; however, in recent years it has become a weakness for the company. The franchises   influence profits and revenues for Pepsi. My solution would be to dismantle the franchise system and replace it with one bottling unit. This will help Pepsi to eliminate competition with any private label companies and keep them on the forefront with Coke. Coca Cola believes in reinvesting into their infrastructure and does not operate a franchise system. When it comes to figures, Pepsi seems to have more advantages (other entities), whereas Coke is getting better figures.   This does not mean either company is better than the other, it shows that there is a tight competition between both companies and both are striving to surpass the other. References: PepsiCo.com. (2009).   Retrieved on: April 15, 2011 pepsico.com/index.html#/flash/pepsico_slide.swf Weygandt, J. J., Kimmel, P. D., Kieso, D. E. (2008). Financial accounting (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. The Coca Cola Company. (2009). Retrieved on: April 15, 2011 thecoca-colacompany.com/

How to decide if college is the right choice for you

How to decide if college is the right choice for you Get your degree if you want to succeed. This is pretty common advice for students who are trying to figure out what comes next in their lives. And education is always a good solution if you want to build knowledge and skills. Plus, a degree is usually a baseline requirement for more and more jobs out there, as many people find when they hit the job market with a high school diploma (or equivalent certificate) in hand. But a college degree is also a significant investment of time, money, and personal resources, so it’s more important than ever to make sure it’s the right choice for your own life. Is it worthwhile for everyone? And more importantly, is it worthwhile for you? Let’s look at the most important factors to consider as you decide whether or not to go for that college degree.Consider the debt†¦Any conversation about college these days has to involve the specter of staggering debt. Per CollegeData.com, the average price tag for a college education is $25,290 per year for a state college or university, and $50,900 for a private college or university. And tuition isn’t the only cost to consider: housing, books, and living expenses all factor in as well.Many students are able to make these ends meet with scholarships, grants, or working while they also attend colleges. But increasingly, students and their families are turning to student loans to cover college expenses. As of 2017, student loan debt is the second-highest consumer debt category, trailing only mortgage debt, per Forbes. The average student now carries $37,172 in student loan debt as they graduate and prepare to enter the workforce. Given that the average grad makes less than $50,000 per year to start, this can be a significant financial burden at the start of a career. And the default rate for student loans is 11.2%, suggesting that grads are not always able to cope with this debt as they move on after college.†¦but also consider the earning potential  W hile student load debt is becoming a significant national burden, it’s also seen as a kind of necessary evil when you look at how much college grads make vs. their counterparts who have a high school diploma or an incomplete college degree.According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, college grads experience significantly lower unemployment the more advanced their degrees become. College grads also earn more, on average: the median weekly earnings for someone with a high school diploma jumps from $692 to $1,156 if the person has a bachelor’s degree. To put it in even more concrete terms, according to the National Center for Educational Statistics, a bachelor’s degree (or higher) adds $15,000 per year in income.So is college worth it?If we’re going by the stats, then, frankly, yes. On paper, college graduates are likely to make more and experience a lower unemployment rate. But life is rarely so straightforward and easy checked off by â€Å"yes† or â€Å"no,† so let’s look at questions you need to ask yourself before you take this step.What are my goals?If you dream of becoming an accountant or a computer programmer, then these are fields that require specific expertise and academic credentials. If your ultimate goal is to work in retail management, then that’s a field where experience can trump an education credential on a resume. The first step in any â€Å"is college for me?† debate is figuring out what your ideal future holds.Can I achieve those goals in a non-traditional way?Here’s where alternative education programs become a crucial part of the dialogue. It may be that your target profession has specific education and certification programs that require less time and investment than a traditional college program, where you may be taking courses and meeting requirements that have nothing to do with your eventual profession. Allied health professions are a great example of this- man y healthcare positions require a degree (like registered nursing or anesthesiologist), but there are plenty of jobs in the field that do not (like optician or surgical technologists) and instead require a job-specific certification and on-the-job training.Trade schools can be a valid alternative to a four-year program, providing exactly the knowledge and expertise you’ll need for your career goals, and often for a more affordable price than you’d see at a traditional four-year school.What’s my financial plan?If you can afford to pay for college straight up, that’s fantastic! If you can’t, then you need to have a plan. Whether it’s Harvard or a trade school, you’ll have to account for the costs of your future educational path. Based on your eventual job goals, how much will you be able to afford to pay on the average starting salary for that job? Sites like Salary.com and PayScale.com are great for helping you play around with that kin d of math and determining what people are realistically making in your potential field.Can I find a less expensive way to build your college degree?Many students opt to start off their college career at a community college, taking core classes and then transferring to a four-year college to finish the degree. This has a couple of benefits: it’s less expensive than four years at a traditional college or university, may cut down on extra expenses like room and board if you can live at home, and also gives you time to decide whether you’re on the right path, education-wise. If you get to the end of a four-year program only to discover that you’ve made a huge mistake in your major or concentration, then you’ve wasted both your time and (likely) a lot of money. If you take the community college route to study phlebotomy and discover in the process that maybe you’re not destined to be a doctor because you can’t stand the sight of blood after all, you’ve saved yourself a very expensive revelation later on.The bottom line is that college is an asset for the average person, but it might not be worthwhile for you, the non-average person. It’s important to consider what your individual career goals are and whether you truly need the expertise and credentials that a four-year school can provide. You shouldn’t feel roped into getting an expensive degree just because everyone is telling you that you should. Instead, it should be a decision based on careful thought about what the college degree would mean for your professional life, your future finances, and your ability to commit to that four-year degree. After all, you’re unique, and your path to achieving your professional ambitions should be one that works for yourself- not anyone else.

Economic Impacts of the Multi Fibre Agreement expiration in the EU Essay

Economic Impacts of the Multi Fibre Agreement expiration in the EU Countries - Essay Example The essay focuses on the economic side of the MFA expiration, while examining the importance of international trade and the use of protectionist policies in a globalized world. The concept of aggregate demand and supply is used to measure the impact of the changes on products and factors in the textile market. The essay also considers European protectionist measures that can be taken in the nearest future. The essay presents different cases, where other forms of protectionism have been created in developed countries especially in the European Union and the gap between beneficiary and non beneficiary developing countries of the opening of the international textile market. The WTO admitted that the MFA was a special regime outside the GATT rules and that WTO members have committed to remove those quotas by 1st January 2005. Nevertheless, the MFA was not negative for all countries. The US, for example, imposed no restrictions on imports from the poorest countries like Bangladesh, benefiting to a massive expansion of the textile industry there. Since the end of the quotas, the gap between developed and developing countries is not very clear. When some could believe that the dismantling of the MFA could have been a relief and a real opportunity for Southern countries, it appears that the situation is much more complex. There is one main reason for the difficulties facing the textile market within developing countries: competition. Each of developing countries wants to be part of this profitable business. ... ist policies and we will use the concept of aggregate demand and supply to measure the impact of the changes on products and factors in the textile market. I. The consequences of the end of the MFA. 1. Among developing countries. Since the end of the quotas, the gap between developed and developing countries is not very clear. When some could believe that the dismantling of the MFA could have been a relief and a real opportunity for Southern countries, it appears that the situation is much more complex. There is one main reason for the difficulties facing the textile market within developing countries: competition. As the international market is now wide open, each developing countries wants to be part of this profitable business. However, not all of them can compete with giants like China. According to apublication from the OECD "A New World Map in Textiles and Clothing" when the MFA was still in place, smaller developing countries took advantage of the quotas because this system penalised the more competitive suppliers. When the quotas from a country like China was reached, importers turned to less competitive suppliers located in countries that had spare export quotas and whose only advantage was low wage. Today, the less competitive developing countries re not called as back up because countries willing to import textile can only be supplied by one and only exporter, the most competitive: China. As we stated before, the main issue here is competition. What separates China from other developing countries id not only the competitive advantages of low wages. In "China Shows the Way in a Quota-Free Market", Linda Lim presents six competitive advantages that China has over the other developing countries: First, Chinese workers are much more productive, probably

Managing Transsexual Transition in the Workplace Essay - 1

Managing Transsexual Transition in the Workplace - Essay Example f the human resource department who is broadly concerned with issues like recruiting, training, remuneration and firing of employees and who also have to keep in mind the local laws governing employment issues, such as health and safety laws, equal opportunity regulations, laws against discrimination on the basis of age, sex, race and religion, laws regarding minimum wage etc. Hampshire County Council (HCC) is one such example of an organization. It benefits 1.2 million people residing in the County while employing around a thirty thousand employees. The Human Resources is managed by the Employment Practice Centre in Winchester where the head office of the Council is also located. It is about providing community leadership. The 21st century, mainly because of the growing influence of media and globalization has seen a rise in a lot of employment issues. Moreover, organizations before never paid heed to employee’s concerns as their importance were not very much in the picture. It has only recently been realized that the issues like improving the motivation and communication between employees should be contemplated upon as it affects the success of the business. Many serious concerns have also been raised and one of them is the issue of managing transsexual transition in an organization. However, transsexual people, whose gender identity is different from assigned sex and who live, or wants to live, as a member of the other sex, form only a small percentage in the total population so it might be very rare for an organization to deal with their issues. In earlier days, when transsexual people were not protected by any law or regulation, they had to suffer from violence at the hands of other employees. Also, the management did not know how to deal with them, so they were usually fired and had to start from scratch. Even the hard-working, efficient and regular people were asked to leave just because they were going through a transsexual transition. Increased

What are the challenges posed in researching media audiences and how Essay

What are the challenges posed in researching media audiences and how have media and cultural studies researchers addressed them - Essay Example is considered as valuable by authors Morley and Barker who want the contribution of audience research to extend beyond what they term mere â€Å"stories† (Press, 2007: 95). Audience Research: Research on users of information systems, and the World Wide Web environment which combines the features of an information system with many potentially entertaining visuals should be studied using the gratification theory. When there are a variety of different channels to choose from, our understanding of individual’s selection as well as use behaviour may be enhanced, according to Iyer (1998: 14). It is an accepted fact that television presents a distorted view of reality (Bryant; Zillmann, 2002: 69). Researchers, media critics, television executives, and the general public are interested in knowing whether the distortion has any effect on people, and if so, why and to what extent. Over the past few decades there have been two persistent criticisms against media effects research: one is that the evidence accumulated till date show very little indication of media effects on people’s psyche, behaviour, etc, in spite of the myth of â€Å"massive media impact†. The second criticism of media effects research is that it has for the most part lacked any focus on Barker (2007: 128) states that researchers felt the need for a fully elaborate audience research paradigm, and responded to it by developing the Uses and Gratifications Tradition. The virtues of this essay which has not yet been published, and the research that lay behind it, are the attempt to combine in a mutually informative way, a theoretical framework, working concepts, methods of enquiry, research implements and paradigmatic studies. Audience research in the United Kingdom, and consequently in the rest of Europe was conceived and constructed under Stuart Hall’s encoding-decoding model (Hall, Stuart, 1992: 31 as quoted in Barker (2007: 128). This model created a conceptualization of text-audience relations

Person centred reviews in adult services

Person centred reviews in adult services The underlying principles for this assignment are to critically evaluate my professional development in a practice placement setting and record reflections for future learning. Within this essay, I will include my reflections on the social work process of assessment, planning, intervention and review, and will critically analyse what I feel was successful and unsuccessful in each process, with efforts to identify what could be changed to enhance future practice. I will also include my knowledge, skills and values incorporated into my practice with two service users and my group work, while explaining my efforts to promote anti-oppressive practice. Throughout my assignment I will endeavour to portray my learning journey from the beginning to the end of my placement and conclude with future learning needs, to enhance my practice as a social worker. Introduction: The practice placement I acquired was a Court Childrens Officer (CCO), based at the Belfast Family Proceedings Court. It forms part of the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust. My role as a CCO, formerly known as a Child Welfare Officer, was to use my training and experience to ascertain the wishes and feelings of children and their families in private law matters. The role falls within family and child care services and determines that the childs interests remain paramount in court proceedings. As a CCO my role was to deal with cases where assistance was needed to help parties focus on the needs of their children, as opposed to continuing the incriminations as to who was responsible for the breakdown of their relationship. As a CCO I was then asked to present the information to court in oral or written report format. The CCO is used if other efforts to get the parties to reach a decision in the interests of their children have failed. This is to prevent the court process itself cont ributing to a lengthy breach in contact before it reaches a decision. As a CCO I was also responsible to act as liaison officer between the court and HSS Trusts, or other agencies (e.g. NSPCC etc) in respect of the courts decisions. Although employed by the Trust, I was responsible to the court. Before commencement of this placement I had limited understanding of the court process, and the legislation involved in private law cases. I was excited about the prospect of the experience I would gain having undertaken law and court modules, and attended court for certain flexible learning days, but I was also anxious about identifying the social work role within such a specific placement. I feel nervous and uncomfortable. Im finding the role intimidating being surrounded by legal professionals and legislation (being just a student). Im worried about having to provide oral and written evidence to the court, and perhaps having to disagree with the legal representatives views in court. I feel deskilled and anxious (PPDW: 21/01/10). After this initial anxious stage I began researching private law and knowledge, and used my practice teacher and on site supervisor to ask questions. Having completed a practice placement last year I already knew of the benefits of using reflection as a crucial aspect of my practice and learning. Thompson (2005) explains that it is important that practitioners use not only established theories, but use their own knowledge and experience to meet the needs of service users. He claims that reflective practice should help us to acknowledge the important links between theory and practice and to appreciate the dangers of treating the two elements as if they were separate domains (Thompson, 2005: 147). I was anxious to identify the social work process within my placement, as it was not evident on commencement. I was already familiar with the process of assessing, planning, intervention and review having had a previous placement with adults with learning disabilities. Within a court, however, this was very different, as a direction of the court determined my involvement with service users. Schà ¶n (1987) identifies that more than a process is needed with service users practitioners need to incorporate experience, skills and intuition for outcomes to be successful. The knowledge and skills that I identified, within my Individual learning plan, were skills in working with children, assertiveness skills, report writing and presenting skills, organisational skills, and group facilitation skills. I also wanted to enhance my value base as my previous placement helped me challenge issues around learning disabilities and the current placement is a very different setting. I wanted to devel op my values around childrens feelings about parental separation, and also working in partnership with children to ascertain their wishes and feelings about contact issues. I have outlined below the three cases I intend to use that will help identify my professional development within my placement setting. I will use these to provide an analysis of how my knowledge, skills and values have been developed through the social work process. Family C: Polish origin Child C (Age 7) currently resides with her father. The parental relationship lasted for seven years. Mother (Ms C) moved out of the family home to gain alternative accommodation when the relationship broke down. Ms C and the childs contact have been very sporadic since. Contact has not taken place since December 2009. Mr C is concerned with Ms Cs new accommodation being unsuitable for the childs safety staying overnight claiming alcohol misuse and the child coming home smelling of smoke. Ms C requires an interpreter and is seeking a Contact Order. As directed by the court I carried out an assessment of Ms Cs home, and also used mediation and counselling when meeting with the parties to focus on the childs best interests. The childs wishes and feelings were also ascertained. Family E: Child E (14) currently resides with his father (Mr E). Mother (Ms E) is seeking a Residence Order. Father currently resides with the child in a family hostel provided by the Belfast Housing Executive, which Ms E is concerned about. Court direction stipulated me to ascertain the childs wishes and feelings about residence with his father and contact with his mother. In addition to this I used mediation as an intervention to try to help the parties reach agreement about the child. I concluded my work with the family using a Person Centred Review with Child E to determine if the plans implemented earlier in my practice were working, and what he would like to change when his case was due for review in court. Group Work: My group work consisted of working with teenage girls at a high school in North Belfast; they were aged 14/15. I worked alongside the Health for Youth through Peer Education (HYPE) team who regularly visit schools to promote sexual health awareness. I co-facilitated this group and worked to educate the group about sexual health and relationships. This was to promote the need for the provision of accurate information to prevent teenage pregnancies and STIs, which have been highlighted as statistically higher in this area of Northern Ireland. Preparation of placement As indicated above, to prepare for this placement, I began by developing my knowledge base around the court setting and private law, so that I could be accountable to the court and the Trust for my actions. Trevithick (2000:162) claims to be accountable denotes professionalism by using knowledge, skills and qualifications, and adhering to values and ethics when serving a client. I began to tune in to the placement setting using knowledge, skills and values, with legislation such as The Children (NI) Order 1995, The Family Law Act (NI) 2001 and The Human Rights Act 1998. I tuned into the court setting and the rights of the service users who used it. Article 3 of the Children (NI) Order 1995 claims that the court should act in the best interests of the child, and I was interested in seeing if this occurred or if parental interests were considered higher. I tuned into the effects that divorce and separation have on children, and focused on gaining knowledge on how to minimize the negative impact this may have on children. The issue of contact in private law proceedings is a complex subject which raises questions of rights, responsibilities and ownership of children (Kroll, 2000: 217). I was initially interested in researching if children knowing both parents were in their best interests, and why. Having had a placement with adults and learning disabilities last year I had reflected on the medical model versus the social model of disability, this placement was very different in that it would be the a legal context versus the social work role. I found this initially difficult as the legal obligations of the court over-shadowed the social work process. Court directions dictated the aspects of work to be done, which I found difficult as service user needs were not necessarily established and met. Assessment: Ms Cs assessment required me to meet with her, discuss issues regarding contact with her child, and investigate her living environment to determine if it was suitable for the child to have contact in. Prior to Ms Cs assessment it was necessary for me to tune in to contact disputes between parents. I recognised that there is significant animosity with both parties, but that having contact with both parents is in the childs best interests to promote for attachment, identity and positive relationships. To initiate Ms Cs assessment I had received court directions, a referral and met with her legal advisor. I was at this time I was informed that Ms C was Polish and required an interpreter. The Human Rights Act 1998 and the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000 both stipulate that an interpreter should be provided for health services to promote anti-discriminative practice and equal opportunities. I was then required to make a referral to the Trust interpreting service, and they informed me that they would make initial contact with Ms C. I found this unnerving, as the interpreter would be making first contact with the service user, and I would have liked the opportunity to explain my role. Having carried out previous assessments, I knew that communication was essential for the assessment and central to the process of gathering information and empowering service users (Watson and West, 2006), therefore to not be able to make initial contact with a service user I found to be restrictive and stressful. On initial contact with Ms C (and the interpreter) communication was difficult to establish. I found that by communicating through an interpreter I was limited in gathering information. I found it difficult to concentrate on Ms C, especially observing body language and tone of voice; instead I focused on the interpreter and actively listening to her. Ms C came across as frustrated and disengaged, showing signs of closed body language. I felt empathetic to Ms C because of the court process she was involved in, and the fact that she had to go to court to gain contact with her child. I felt the initial meeting with Ms C was not as successful as I had hoped, I was not able to discuss the issues affecting her, and unable to establish an effective working relationship due to the barrier on an interpreter. I left the meeting feeling deskilled and questioning my practice. On reflection, I should have provided more time to Ms C due to the language obstacle and gathered more information on her issues. I should have focused on Ms C and not the interpreter, and used the interpreter more effectively to establish a relationship. For future learning I will endeavour to use these reflections. The next part of Ms Cs assessment was her home assessment. I was initially reluctant to carry out a home assessment, as I had no previous experience, and did not know what was classed as an unsafe environment for children. I began tuning in and identified that a home assessment required strong observational skills for child protection concerns. I also discussed the home assessment with my practice teacher and on site supervisor for aspects I should be concerned about within the home. It was indicated that a safe environment for a child did not have to be overly clean, just safe considering where the child sleeps, fire hazards, is there evidence of drug or alcohol use, or smelling of smoke (as Mr C alleges). On entering Ms Cs home, as the interpreter had not arrived yet, I was reluctant to try and converse with Ms C. Ms C spoke limited English, and I did not want to confuse or alarm her by trying to discuss the case issues. However, I did try to use body language and facial expressions to reach for feelings and try to build a rapport by asking general questions about weather and work etc. I feel this helped our relationship, and helped me empathise about how difficult it must be to not be able to communicate effectively. By the time the interpreter had arrived I felt more at ease with Ms C, and addressed her (as opposed to the interpreter) with non-verbal cues such as nodding and body language. I felt more comfortable talking with Ms C, I felt more able to understand her frustrations at the court process, her ex-partner and his allegations. Prior to the assessment of the home I had gained stereotypical perceptions about Ms Cs home. I thought that the house, as it was in a working class area, would be unclean and neglected. However, the assessment of the home, using observational skills, indicated no child protection concerns, a clean environment for a child, and Mr Cs allegations unfounded. On reflection of my perceptions I feel I was oppressive to Ms C having been so judgemental, and I felt guilty about my opinions having been class discriminatory. Throughout the assessment with Ms C I found that by using an interpreter Ms C was able to stay informed and in control over her situation (Watson and West, 2006). I feel that by working with Ms C has helped my challenge my future practice with individuals who are non-English speakers. It will help me consider the needs of the service user, before judging them solely on language or their country of origin to provide equal opportunities. I now feel interpreters are required for a balance of power between the worker and service user, and promote anti-discriminatory practice. Planning: According to Parker and Bradley (2008: 72) Planning as part of the social work process is a method of continually reviewing and assessing the needs of all individual service users. It is based upon the assessment and identifies what needs to be done and what the outcome may be if it is completed. Prior to the beginning of placement I had limited experience of planning, or group work. It was important for me understand the facilitation and communication skills needed for successful group work, and help to develop my understanding of group dynamics, group control, and peer pressure for this age group. The key purpose of planning the group was to enable the young people to develop their knowledge and skills to be able to make informed decisions and choices about personal relationships and sexual health. I began preparing for the planning stage of the social work process by meeting with the HYPE team and researching their work. I was interested in the sexual health training for young people at school, as my own experience at school showed that the information was often limited, and I was interesting in finding out if it had been challenged. I then began by tuning in to how I wanted to proceed through the planning process, and researching the topics of the different sessions as I considered I had limited knowledge on sexual health awareness. As I had to plan every week separately it was important to tune in to each and use knowledge, such as group work skills to inform my practice. During initial sessions I noted how group members were quiet and withdrawn, this was important to note as the subject of sexual relationships may have been embarrassing for them to discuss. I too felt uncomfortable discussing the material, as I had limited understanding of sexual health, but it was important for the group to overcome these anxieties and work through them together. I identified that ice breaking techniques were required to facilitate trust and partnership. As the sessions progressed, one of the main challenges found was that peer influence was a major issue, with some of the participants controlling other quieter members. I felt it was necessary to include all members and encouraged participation using games. However, it was important not to push individuals when they became uncomfortable, as this could cause them to withdraw and disengage, disempowering them. Another challenge was that despite time management of the sessions, inevitably there had to be flexibility. Some of the group monopolised more time than others and it was necessary to be able to alter the plans according to time restraints. I also needed to be aware of my own values when planning sexual health awareness training, as it is still regarded as a controversial issue, especially in Catholic schools with teenagers (www.famyouth.org.uk). I considered sexual health awareness to be a great benefit in schools, but obviously due to religious considerations many Catholic schools continue simply to teach abstinence as the only form of contraception. This was important to consider as the group was facilitated in a Catholic school and many of the members or their teachers could have had religious views and opinions on the sessions, creating tension or animosity. Reflecting on this parental consent had been provided for the group, but the group itself were required to take part during a free period. I consider this to be an ethical dilemma as the childrens views werent regarded as highly as their parents. If undertaking this group in future, I feel it would be necessary to ask the group if they wish to take part, and gi ve the opportunity to withdraw promoting anti-oppressive practice. Intervention: Prior to this practice placement I had limited experience using intervention methods. My previous placement focused on task centred work with service users, but in the court childrens service this could not be facilitated due to the time restrictions of the court. I had also previously used Rogerian person centred counselling which I found I could use some of the theory and apply it to this setting. After gathering a range of information from the court referral, C1 and other professionals, I began to tune in to Es case. I had been directed by the court to ascertain his wishes and feelings in regards to residence and contact arrangements, and mediate between his parents to find agreement about the childs residence. As Child E is fourteen, I felt it was necessary to research levels of development for this age group and understand, according to psychologists, what level Child E would be at emotionally, physically and psychologically. I found that Child E should be at a level of becoming more independent, having his own values, and being able to make informed choices. One of the most important issues, through mediation, was challenging my own values and becoming aware of my own stereotypical views on adults who have separated, and the effects on their children. I had to challenge the idea that Child E just wanted to reside with his father as he was the less disciplined parent, or that Child E would most likely be playing his parents off against each other to get his own way. However, by challenging these views, and working with the parties through mediation, I came to realise that E had strong views about living with his father and had a stronger attachment to him. By reflecting on my values I realised that it was oppressive to consider the child as manipulating and could have affected my work with him. I found that having to be a neutral third party in mediation was difficult, I found myself having a role as a witness, a referee and a peacekeeper trying to find common ground. Despite this I feel a third side was necessary to help the parties work through issues. I found the most difficult aspect of this role to be impartiality as I found myself empathizing more with the mother (as the child refused to live with her). However, I also understood the childs reasons behind his decision. During mediation, and in court, I also challenged my judgements on gender and the notion that the mother is the nurturer or primary care giver in the home (Posada and Jacobs, 2001). The child clearly stated that he wanted to reside with his father, and when using questioning skills to probe about this, he claimed he had a stronger bond with his father, and that his mother was continually ridiculing him. I found myself having to alter my views about attachment and mother being the primary care giver and focus on what the child wants. As the intervention progressed I used family mediation session to work through issues. I found that effective communication was principal in ascertaining Child Es wishes and feelings, and helping the parties consider his views, as opposed to their own relationship incriminations. This not only empowered E by promoting partnership, but also gave him the knowledge that the court would be considering the information he provided. Within the meeting I felt I could have paced the meeting better and made better use of silences with E, as I dominated the conversation. I consider mediation to be successful as it helped the parties focus on the needs of the child, and helped them realise that they had a childs feelings to consider instead of the adversarial relationship built from court. Review: Prior to the review process I had experience of carrying out person centred reviews (PCR) through my previous practice placement. I had previous training on PCRs and found them to be more effective than traditional reviews, due to the service user involvement. A PCR is an example of a person centred approach and the information from a review can be the foundation of a person centred plan (Bailey et al., 2009). Within the family proceedings court the purpose of reviews are to reassess interim plans, and either change them, or confirm they are working for the child(ren). In Child Es case a review was necessary to indicate if living with his father was working, and to discuss if he wanted to change anything about his interim plans, which were introduced three months earlier. Within the court childrens team a review is fundamental to consider what is in the childs best interests, assess what is working and what is not working, and how to progress (considering the childs wishes and feelings). Child centred preparatory work with Child E was fundamental to the review success as it established what was important to him (Smull and Sanderson, 2005). Reflecting on my person centred work last year; I recognised that it was important to have preparatory work with Child E as it promoted choice and options to explore. I had also recognised that the information gathered from the preparatory work could be the foundations of the review itself, especially if Child E felt embarrassed or shy speaking out in front of his family on the day of the review (Smull and Sanderson, 2005) I conducted the review with Child E and his parents present, but reflecting on this it could also have been useful including his school teacher or other friends to have a holistic approach. Throughout the review I feel I was able to engage the participants successfully using goals to focus on, and we were able to create a person centred plan for Child E. During the preparation for the review Child E had expressed that he felt he was having too much contact with his mother, and would like to limit this, he also expressed that this was an awkward subject to discuss with his mother present. I identified this in the review as child E did not wish to. I used skills such as facilitation and communication to show that Child E felt strongly about this issue, and both parents claimed they understood his view point. The review was also useful in presenting the information in court, as the child could not be present and I could advocate on his behalf. On reflection of Child Es review I feel it was a successful measure to determine what was working and not working since plans were implemented from the last court date. I had confidence in facilitating the review, but I did feel I perhaps dominated the conversation as both parents were hostile towards each other, and Child E was shy and unassertive about expressing his feelings. During future reviews I will endeavour to promote communication between parties, while empowering of the child. I will use better use of silences and encourage active involvement. Conclusion: No matter how skilled, experienced or effective we are, there are, of course, always lessons to be learned, improvements to be made and benefits to be gained from reflecting on our practice (Thompson, 2005: 146) I feel this PLO has provided me with learning opportunities and identified my learning needs. It has encouraged me to reflect on my knowledge, skills and values and ensured that I used my reflections to learn from my practice. At the beginning of placement I was concerned I would oppress the service users by having limited understanding of the court process, and unable to work effectively as a result. However, through training, help from my practice teacher and knowledge, I soon realised that the placement was about providing support, not being an expert. I feel I was able to establish a balance of the legal requirements of court and social work role, which has contributed to my learning experience and future knowledge. As my placement progressed I used tuning in and evaluations to analyse my practice, and use them to learn from. My placement has enabled me to improve my court report writing skills, presentations skills and legislation knowledge, which I consider to be invaluable for the future. In terms of future professional development, I will endeavour to challenge my stereotypical assumptions about service users, I will seek advice and guidance from more experienced members of staff, and I will use knowledge and theory to inform my practice prior to meeting service users. Future learning requires me to continue to develop skills in working with children, to use silence as a skill, as listen actively to what the service user wants. Having an opportunity to work within the court system has been invaluable, but I would also like the opportunity to have more experience working with children to enhance my knowledge, skills and values further. References: Bailey, G., Sanderson, H., Sweeney, C. and Heaney, B. (2008) Person Centred Reviews in Adult Services. Valuing People Support Team. Kroll, B. (2000) Milk Bottle, Messenger, Monitor, Spy: Childrens Experiences of Contact. Child Care in Practice: 6: 3 Parker, J., and Bradley, G. (2003) Social Work Practice: Assessment, Planning, Intervention and Review. Learning Matters Ltd. Posada, G and Jacobs, A. (2001) Child-mother attachment relationships and culture. American Psychologist. 56(10), 821-822. Schà ¶n, D. (1987) Educating the Reflective Practitioner. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Smull, M and Sanderson, H. (2005) Essential Lifestyle Planning for Everyone. The USA: Learning Community Thompson, N. (2005) Understanding Social Work: Preparing for Practice. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan Trevithick, P. (2005) Social Work Skills: A Practice Handbook (2nd Ed). Buckingham: Open University Press. Watson, D and West, J (2006) Social Work Process and Practice: Approaches, Knowledge and Skills. Basingstoke; Palgrave Macmillan Williams, P (2006) Social Work with People with Learning Disabilities. Learning Matters Ltd Webpages: http://www.famyouth.org.uk/pdfs/CondomControversy.pdf accessed 24/4/10