Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Research Methods in Communication

This paper aims to analyze the function of international and intercultural communicating as indispensable constituents in educating and developing library and information staff. Based on a literature reappraisal, the paper discusses the significance and definition of internationalisation, and provides an overview of the chief issues and tendencies in internationalisation of higher instruction. It besides explains how the construct of and attacks to internationalisation hold greatly influenced library and information scientific discipline educational scenes and plans in Europe and the USA. The findings show that schools that already has or programs to supply exchange plans or international surveies should see international pupils and instructors as Windowss to the outside universe and new chances for personal and professional development of their local communities. Cebron, N. , Jablonkai, R. , & A ; Rados, L. ( 2005 ) . The cross-cultural concern communicating undertaking or working ICT to ease ICC. Journal of Intercultural Communication, 9 ( June ) . In this survey, the writers aim to analyze the elevation of intercultural consciousness in schoolroom and particularly pupils response. The analysis is based on a undertaking in which Business English acquisition has been carried out through assorted attacks in a series of practical workshops. 500 pupils, 18 instructors, 16 establishments from 10 different states participated in the web. The findings show that ICC is deriving attending in foreign linguistic communication instruction, and the internet is proved to helpful in actuating pupils and motivating bespoke instruction tools for pupils ‘ demands. It besides finds out that instructors function in civilization instruction should be reevaluated. Cheng, L. ( 2006 ) . On the earlierization of foreign linguistic communication larning. Journal of Linyi Teachers University, 28 ( 4 ) , 134-137 Detecting the fact that Chinese kids begin larning foreign linguistic communications from progressively younger age, the writer analyses the alteration of get downing age and attitudes toward earlieraization of larning foreign linguistic communications through 67 questionnaires from 2 groups of people of different ages. To reflect the position quo and the jobs of English acquisition among kindergartners, informations of English learning resources, textooks and category agreements were collected from 10 kindergartens. By comparing the get downing age of foreign linguistic communication acquisition in China and other states, and mentioning it to the major theories on optimum foreign linguistic communication larning age, the paper concludes that analyzing foreign linguistic communication in early age is neither empiricalyl nor theoretically supported. Cowley, P. , & A ; Hanna, B. E. ( 2005 ) . Cross-cultural accomplishments – Traversing the disciplinary divide. Language and Communication, 25 ( 1 ) , 1-17. The paper examines the differences in comprehending intercultural differences and its relationship to the schoolroom learning in two unites in ICC in Australian universities. It besides raises a figure of issues of relevancy to the instruction of civilization within aa‚ ¬Aâ€Å"language courses.aa‚ ¬A? . The survey includes regular observation of and engagement in the hebdomadal categories in two units of pupils of different degrees and through analysing of the lineations and reading lists provided. The survey suggestes some ways of working available signifiers of cultural difference and some ways such as interdisciplinary attack to develop pupils to see themselves every bit good communicators. Gevorgyan, G. , & A ; Porter, L. V. ( 2008 ) . One size does non suit all: Culture and perceived importance of web design characteristics. Journal of Website Promotion, 3 ( 1-2 ) , 25-38. The survey assumes that harmonizing to Geert Hofstede ‘s theory of cultural dimensions, cyberspace users from different civilizations would value specific web design features otherwise. The hypotheses were tested by a study of American and Chinese college pupils ‘ perceptual experiences and penchant in certain characteristics in web sites. 67 American and 62 Chinese pupils participated in it. The consequences confirm the premise that cultural backgrounds influence perceptual experiences of web planing. On footing of this decision, it is suggested that seting cultural values in to net designing is an of import portion in website publicity. Holmes, P. ( 2005 ) . Cultural Chinese pupils ‘ communicating with cultural others in a New Zealand university. Communication Education, 54 ( 4 ) , 289-311 This interpretative survey explores the cultural Chinese pupils ‘ experiences in a New Zealand university schoolroom context. The survey was supported by realistic enquiry and 13 cultural Chinese pupils in a New Zealand concern school participated in the research. This survey finds that Chinese communicative form is a barrier to analyze in the new civilization and it was necessary for Chinese pupils to retrace and renegociate their communicating so as to accommodate to the new environment. It besides raises of import suggestions for pedagogues to acknowledge the importance of cross-cultural communicating and to seek to internationalising the schoolroom. Huntington, A. , & A ; Sudbery, J. ( 2005 ) . Virtual schoolrooms: Experiences of European collaborative instruction and acquisition. Social Work Education, 24 ( 3 ) , 363-371. In this survey, the writers briefly depict some constituents and characteristics of a ‘virtual schoolroom ‘ , reflecte on staff experience, and highlight some of import issues when utilizing ICT for societal work instruction. The analysis is based on two illustrations: the first one being a compulsory talk for self-selected pupils and coachs, and the 2nd one being a instance survey of four members in a household. The findings show that on the one manus, effectual ICT needs to be used decently to heighten pupil experience and results. On the other manus, to avoid negative impact, the bing structural inequality demands to be taken into consideration. Liao, C. ( 2005 ) . A incompatible survey of the pick of grounds in Chinese and English argumentative essays. Journal of Yunnan Normal University. 3 ( 3 ) , 55-59 In this survey, the writer aims to happen out the differences in the pick of grounds in Chinese and English persuasive Hagiographas and the nexus between the major ideas in both civilizations and the differences. By analyzing the exerts from authoritative plants of both linguistic communications, the survey shows that Chinese persuasive Hagiographas tend to value sentiments of famous persons and well-known beginnings while English authors consider common people ‘s illustrations and factual statistics more forceful, and these differences are significantly influenced by the â€Å" Rule of the Law † in traditional English civilization and â€Å" Rule by Morality † in traditional Chinese civilization. Martinovic, D. , & A ; Dlamini, S. N. ( 2009 ) . Is ‘good ‘ truly good? Researching internationally educated teacher campaigners ‘ verbal descriptions of their in-school experiences. Language Awareness, 18 ( 2 ) , 129-146. In this survey, the writers present an incident that shows teacher campaigners ‘ strategic ways of utilizing words like â€Å" good † and â€Å" all right † , to conceal true feelings in their instruction experience. The treatment is based on sections of informations collected from a seminar, a portion of a teacher instruction programme in a Canadian university. In the decision, the writers point out that associate instructors use this sort of linguistic communication to command instructor campaigners and forestall them from altering established norms and values, and teacher campaigners use them to support themselves against being controlled. Nakane, I. ( 2006 ) . Silence and niceness in intercultural communicating in university seminars. Journal of Pragmatics, 38 ( 11 ) , 1811-1835. This paper aims to explicate the phenomena that Asia pupils remain silence in foreign categories through comparing schoolroom behavior of pupils from Nipponese and Australian backgrounds. By utilizing participant interviews, schoolroom observation and elaborate discourse analysis, the writer suggests that the silence is normally used by Nipponese pupils to salvage face while Australian pupils tend to utilize verbal schemes for the same intent. It besides finds that Nipponese pupils ‘ extended usage of face-saving silences gives the teachers a negative feeling and is considered deficiency of resonance. However, it is besides pointed out that silence may be negotiated when they realize this state of affairs in schoolroom interaction. Ngwainmbi, E. K. ( 2004 ) . Communication in the Chinese schoolroom. Education, 125 ( 1 ) , 63-76. To analyze the correlativity between Chinese scholars and the American professors, who are believed to be incentives and wise mans, the survey uses a participant-observer attack in which a class unfastened to the populace is designed and pupils ‘s public presentation is recorded and analysed. It is found out that Chinese scholars runing in a formal environment have a critical head, and are more willing to interact on interesting subjects and in synergistic instruction manners, but they are likely to be selective when asked to notice on political issues. Tange, H. ( 2010 ) . Caught in the tower of Tower of Babel: University lectors ‘ experiences with internationalization. Language and Intercultural Communication, 10 ( 2 ) , 137-149. The paper shows that higher instruction organisations in Danmark are progressively internationalized presents. By carry oning a sum of 20 qualitative research interviews with lecture and administrative staff at three modules, the analysis emphasizes the necessity of their changing in learning mode and contents, and the challenges for lectors to move and interact in this multicultural acquisition and instruction environment. It is so suggested that establishments should pay more attending to the internationalisation of instruction, do more attempts to better their apprehension of it in order to supply comprehensive cognition and to work more expeditiously and efficaciously in a multicultural environment.. Wei, X. ( 2009 ) . On negative cultural transportation in communicating between Chinese and Americans. Journal of Intercultural Communication, 21 ( Oct ) . In this survey, the writer discusses negative cultural transportation in communicating between Chinese and Americans from two degrees: the negative transportation of surface-structure civilization such as linguistic communication signifiers and address Acts of the Apostless, and the one of deep-structure civilization in values, believing forms, spiritual beliefs and moralss. The writer examines some impressions characterized with cultural specialness and discusses their significances in inside informations. The findings shows the necessity of interrupting apart cultural stereotypes, of organizing sensitiveness to subtle differences in different civilizations, and of toleranting different attitudes toward aliens and certain communicative schemes. Xia, L. ( 2005 ) . Intercultural rhetorical surveies in argumentative discourse: English vs. Chinese. Retrieved from CNKI Academic Resources. This thesis aims to analyze both the similarities and unsimilarities of English and Chinese argumentative discourses. By closely analyzing 120 English and Chinese argumentative essays, this survey shows that Chinese inducer prefer Proverbs, analogies, and inductive logical thinking, as indicated in the preparation of ethical and logical entreaties in modern-day Chinese argumentative discourse. In contrast, Western ways of thought and accent on the values of freedom, democracy and individuality in modern-day American debate. Zeki, C. P. ( 2009 ) . The importance of non-verbal communicating in schoolroom direction. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 1 ( 1 ) , 1443-1449. The purpose of this survey is to analyze studentsaa‚ ¬a„? apprehensions of gestural communicating in schoolroom environment. The research worker enrolled 67 junior university pupils into two schoolroom direction groups who are asked to compose studies harmonizing to the instructors instructions. Contented analysis is used to analyze the qualitative informations collected from the pupils ‘ studies. The findings reveal that non-verbal communicating can significantly actuate pupils, draw and maintain their attending. Therefore, it is recommended that instructors should be cognizant of the importance of gestural communicating and utilize it decently to accomplish a better schoolroom direction. ( Word count: 1765 ) The subject I would wish to discourse is the cultural challenges that international pupils would run into in foreign schoolroom and the suggestions for them and the instructors.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Vale of work hoard

Viking objects; found near Harrogate, Yorkshire On the surface, everything is idyllic †¦ imagine a broad green field in Yorkshire. In the distance rolling hills, woods and a light morning mist – it's the epitome of a peaceful, unchanging England. But scratch this surface – or more appropriately, wave a metal detector over it – and a very different England emerges, a land of violence and panic, not at all secure behind its defending sea, but terrifyingly vulnerable to invasion.And it was in a field like this, 1,100 years ago, that a frightened man buried great collection of silver, Jewellery and coins, that linked this part of England to what would then have seemed unimaginably distant parts of the world – to Russia, the Middle East and Asia. The man was a Viking, and this was his treasure. â€Å"Suddenly, a metal detector in a field in Harrogate uncovers this extraordinary treasure†¦ † (Michael Wood) â€Å"l crouched down in the soil and you could see the edge of a few coins sticking out of the top of it†¦ (Andrew Whelan) â€Å"There, packed in, are these hundreds of coins and these arm-rings, these pieces of silver. † (MW) put it in a sandwich box, wrapped it all up, and took it home. † (AW) â€Å"You're right there with this material, that can take you back to that tremendous moment in English history, when the kingdom of England was first created. † (MW) things you dream of, but you dont actually expect to happen. † (AW) This week we're sweeping across the vast expanse of Europe and Asia between the ninth and the thirteenth centuries.And once again we're not going to be focussed on the Mediterranean: we're dealing with two great arcs of trade – one that begins in Iraq and Afghanistan, ises north into Russia and ends here in Britain, and another in the south, spanning the Indian Ocean from Indonesia to Africa. The week's objects range from today's precious Viking treasure from Yorkshire to a few pottery fragments from a beach in Africa. Between them, they bring to life the travellers, the traders and the raiders who helped to shape this world.When you use the words â€Å"traders and raiders†, one group of people above all springs to mind: the Vikings. Vikings have always excited the European imagination and their reputation has fluctuated violently. In the ineteenth century, the British saw them as savage bad guys horn-helmeted rapers and looters. For the Scandinavians, of course, it was different: the Vikings there were the all-conquering heroes of Nordic legend. The Vikings then went through a stage of being seen by historians as rather civilised – more tradesmen and travellers than pillagers – in fact they became almost cuddly.This recent discovery of the Vale of York Hoard makes them seem a bit less cuddly and looks set to revive the aggressive Vikings of popular tradition, but now with a dash of cosmopolitan glamour. And the tru th, I think, is that that's what the Vikings have always been about: glitz with violence. The England ot the early was divided between territories occupied by the Vikings – most of the north and the east – while the south and the west were controlled by the great AngloSaxon kingdom of Wessex.The re-conquest of the Viking territories by the Anglo-Saxons was the great event of tenth-century Britain, and our treasure both pinpoints one tiny part of this national epic, and connects it to the immense world of Viking trade. The hoard was found in the winter of 2007. Here's ather and son, David and Andrew Whelan, who were metal-detecting in a field to the south of Harrogate, in north Yorkshire. â€Å"It was a typical dreary January day, in a muddy rough ploughed field.It was a field that we wouldn't normally go in because we're never really found anything good in there, we tend to find dozens of Victorian buttons, but it was either that or go home, so†¦ † (Andrew Whelan) â€Å"This time we were there about ten minutes and that's when I got my signal – the big one! I started finding lead at first. I dug down a bit more, and I kept going, and I get more lead, ore lead, and all of a sudden, this round thing fell into the bottom of the hole – came out from the side, so I'd actually Just missed it.It fell into the bottom of the hole and I thought, ‘Oh dear, I've found an old ball cock, I've got a lead cistern with an old ball cock'. So I picked this round thing up, and put it on top of the ploughed land, I put my glasses on, and I looked at it, and I could see all these animals on the cup, and all these bits of silver in the top. † (Dave Whelan) â€Å"l crouched down in the soil, and you could see the edge of a few coins sticking out of he top of it†¦ and there was a coin of Edward the Elder, I think†¦ on top. (Andrew Whelan) The hoard that David and Andrew Whelan had found was contained in this beautifully w orked silver bowl, about the size of a small melon. Astonishingly, it contained over 600 coins, all silver, and roughly the same size as a modern pound coin, but wafer thin. They're mostly from Anglo-Saxon territory, but there are also some Viking coins produced in York, as well as exotic imports from western Europe and Central Asia. Along with the coins was Jewellery: arm-rings – one gold and five silver ones.And then, there's the ingredient that makes it absolutely certain that this is not an Anglo-Saxon but a Viking hoard; there's what we call hack silver – chopped- up fragments of silver brooches and rings and thin silver bars, mostly about an inch (2. 5 cm) long, that the Vikings used as currency. The hoard pitches us into a key moment in the history of England, when an Anglo-Saxon King – Athelstan – at last defeated the Viking invaders and built the beginnings of the kingdom of England. Above all, it shows us the range of contacts enjoyed by the Vik ings while they were running northern England.These Scandinavians were tremendously well connected, as the historian Michael Wood makes clear: â€Å"There's a Viking arm-ring from Ireland, there's coins minted as far away as Samarkand and Afghanistan and Baghdad. And this gives you a sense of the reach of the age; these Viking kings and their agents and their trade routes spread across western Europe, Ireland, Scandinavia. You read Arab accounts of Viking slave dealers on the banks of the Caspian Sea; Gull the Russian – so-called because of his Russian hat, and he was Irish this guy, you know! dealing in slaves out there on the Caspian, nd those kind of trade routes; the river routes down to the Black Sea – through Novgorod and Kiev and these kind of places; you can see how in a very short time, coins mint ed in Samarkand, say, in 915, could end up in Yorks 2 hire in The Vale of York hoard makes it clear that Viking England did indeed operate on a transcontinental sca le. Here is a dirham from Samarkand, and there are other Islamic coins from central Asia. Like York, Kiev was a great Viking city, and there merchants from Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan traded their goods via Russia and the Baltic to the hole of northern Europe.In the process, the people around Kiev became very rich. An Arab merchant of the time describes them making neck-rings for their wives by melting down the gold and silver coins they'd amassed from trade: â€Å"Round her neck she wears gold or silver rings; when a man amasses 10,000 dirhams, he makes his wife one ring; when he has 20,000 he makes two†¦ and often a woman has many of these rings. † And, indeed, there's a fragment of one of these Russian rings in the hoard. Although Kiev and York were both Viking cities, contact between them would only very rarely ave been direct.Normally the trade route would be constructed through a series of relays, with spices and silver coins and Jewellery moving north, as amber and fur moved in the other direction, and at every stage there would be a profit. But this trade route also carried the dark side of the Vikings' reputation. All through eastern Europe, the Vikings captured people to sell as slaves in the great market of Kiev – which explains why in so many European languages the words for slave and Slav are to this day still so closely connected.But this hoard also tells us a great deal of what as happening back in York. There, the Vikings were becoming Christian but, as so often, the new converts were reluctant to abandon the symbols of their old religion – the Norse gods were not entirely dead. And so, on one coin minted at York around 920, we find the sword and name of the Christian St Peter, but intriguingly the ‘i' of Petri – Peter – is in the shape ofa hammer, the emblem of the old Norse god, Thor. It's a coin that shows us that the new faith uses the weapons of the old.We can be pretty certain that this treasur e was buried soon after 927. In that year, the AngloSaxon Athelstan, King of Wessex, finally defeated the Vikings, conquered York, and received the homage of rulers from Scotland and Wales. It was the biggest political event in Britain since the departure of the Romans. And the hoard contains one of the silver coins that Athelstan issued to celebrate it. On it, he gives himself a totally new title, never used before by any ruler: ‘Athelstan Rex totius Britanniae' – Athelstan, King of all Britain. The modern idea of a united Britain starts here.Here's Michael Wood again: â€Å"The wonderful thing about the treasure is that it hones in on the very oment that England was created as a kingdom and as a state. The early tenth century is the moment when these, what we might call ‘national identities', start to be used for the first time. And that's why all the later kings of the English, whether it was Normans or Plantagenets or Tudors, looked back to Athelstan as the f ounder of their kingdom. And in one sense you could say they go back to that moment in 927. † But it was a pretty messy moment, and the hoard demonstrates that the struggle between Viking and Anglo-Saxon wasn't yet over.The treasure certainly belonged to a ich and powerful Viking, but he must have stayed on in Yorkshire under the new regime, because some of the coins in his hoard were minted by Athelstan in York in 927 Something must then nave gone wrong tor our Viking, which led him to bury the hoard – but he did it so carefully that he must have intended to return. Was he killed in the ongoing skirmish between Vikings and Anglo-Saxons? Did he go back to Scandinavia, or on to Ireland? Whatever happened to 3 the treasure-owner, most of the Vikings in England stayed on and, in due course, were assimilated.In north-east England today, places with names ending in â€Å"by† and â€Å"thorpe† – like Grimsby and Cleethorpes – are living survivals t hat still speak of the long Viking presence. And the Vale of York Hoard reminds us that these places were also the end – or the beginning – of a huge trade route that around 900 stretched from Scunthorpe to Samarkand. In the next programme, we'll be on a different trade route, but one that also links the Middle East and northern Europe. We'll be in Poland, with a Christian saint and a miraculous glass†¦ that turned water into wine.

Monday, July 29, 2019

Public Sector Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Public Sector Accounting - Essay Example The financial information is presents the comparative past informations and budgets expectation for future years in available form hence a foundation for budgeting. The ability to separately present the financial information of donor and those of the municipality enhances the decision making of those who provide funds to review the operations involved and how their funds were utilized thereby providing them with better information for decision making. Those charged with governance of Yorba Linda are not only responsible for the inflow and outflow of cash, but also the resources and obligations to which they are in charge of. In accrual accounting, the information obtained provides a better measure for evaluating performance as it enables those charged with governance to evaluate their performance of service against the full costs of providing such services. This improves accountability as compared to fund accounting in which those charge with governance are only accountable to those which the government requires. For example, assets administered by the municipal on behalf of the central government may not appear in the federal accounts. Yorba Linda municipality has significant assets and liabilities under which they manage and through accrual accounting which requires disclosure of material financial information which enhances fiscal transparency and accountability (JONES, 2011). Compared to fund accounting that segregates the funds into different categories, accrual accounting requires full financial statements that are interrelated to one another. This provides an integrated view of the municipality and provides better information for decision making. Accrual accounting will include information of non-cash transactions of the municipality such as creation and settlement of liabilities including payments due thus show the true

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Consumer behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 2

Consumer behaviour - Essay Example Consumers generally do not have access to information for distinguishing a company like Primark whether it is ethical or unethical. The limitations of this research paper are that the findings derived from this research paper contradict the previous researches that are conducted on consumer behaviour. It is required to determine the demographical features for identifying the ethical buying behaviour of the consumers. The main analysis of this research is focussed on the concept of ethical consumerism. The research is focused towards understanding of consumer ethics and the purchasing behaviour or intention of the consumers that is associated with it. The author Brinkman, in his study has referred that the consumers are considering the ethical factor while purchasing of the product. The author has also explained that ethics influences the purchasing intention or buying behaviour of the consumers. The suppliers of the Primark are also aware of the intention of the consumers. Therefore they are committed towards their responsibility of providing quality products to its consumers. The increase in the consumer awareness towards the ethical issues and also the increase in the disposable income of the consumers have provided an opportunity to the consumers in exercising their ethical conscience. The author has also focused on the ethical shopping of the consumers which explains that the ethical shopping plays an important role in the modern era. The experience and the buying behaviour of the consumers are focused towards ethics. Ethical consumerism is attempting towards widening the moral dimension of the consumer preference by emphasi zing a relation between the production and consumption (Brinkmann, 2004). Contradicting the view of the author Brinkmann, the researcher Fisher has emphasized on the fact that the distinction

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Role of Accounting Practices in Managing Contemporary Organizations Essay

Role of Accounting Practices in Managing Contemporary Organizations - Essay Example Management accounting is one such emerging function of accounting where accounting is geared towards management function. Management accounting is having a major role in the overall success of the business environment away from bookkeeping activities. The new changing role of accounting, practice in organizations includes management accounting function in supply chain management and management support for the adoption of new technology in firms. Accounting initially had no role to play in these activities as their role was confined to the bookkeeping activities; the changes in management accounting have turned around the role of management accounting making it an important factor in every organization. Both the private and public sector are becoming reliant on the new role of management accounting in business. However, change has never been easily adopted in organizations. Resistance to change is common thus the changing role of management accounting is not being received with open arms. Several barriers to change are cropping up delaying the implementation of management accounting practice in organizations. This research paper is aimed at looking at the various changes in the functional unit of management accounting based on case studies by various scholars. The role of management accounting practice in various organizations will be looked into. The barriers to change in an organization preventing implementation of management accounting practice are also of interest in this research. Traditionally, buy or make decisions were made based on the cost of production.

Friday, July 26, 2019

Operation Fine Girl Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Operation Fine Girl - Essay Example lt my stomach turn, I wanted to throw up as I sat listening to the accounts of how parents were killed or made to watch as their daughters were raped. As the video stated, Sierra Leone is classified as the poorest country in the world and it shows in the way that they treat their women and the way that a majority of the country obviously lives in abject poverty. I feel that the United Nations Human Rights Commission should step into this situation and put an end to the atrocities and sexual abuse against women. The women of Sierra Leone need to be saved and shown that they actually have a future even though they are rape victims. They need to be taught that the rape was not the end of they are. Rather, it is only the beginning of their lives. They are not the enemy of their country but its backbone. They are not sex slaves, but women who deserve all the respect that should be accorded to them as the givers of life. They do not deserve to be raped, held hostage for years on end, and then discarded like a piece of

California Proposition 32 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

California Proposition 32 - Essay Example Against: From the votes cast on the 8th of November 2012, we understand that a lot of people were opposed to the enactment of the proposition 32. Some of those against the proposition include league of Women voters in California, rights groups and politicians. They argue that Proposition 32 will lead to the exemption of big businesses based in Wall Street and therefore this will not contribute to equal political reforms (Castro 2012). Some argue that it tends to shield PACs have no restrictions in raising funds for their political motives and therefore it would be unfair to prevent unions and other interest groups from raising funds. Beneficiaries: In case Proposition 32 had passed, the major beneficiaries would have been business people who would have relied on the law for the purposes of controlling their employees. Since the power of unions would have been diminished in the process of influencing political decisions (Laffer 109). It is not only the unions that would have been disa dvantaged but also interest groups who represent a bulk of workers and voters. This is because rich people who have the power of influencing politics through the use of super PACs and other means. Since the proposition failed, it is these business people and other interest groups that will feel the impact since they will still have to contend with unions and special interest groups in politics. Gains: The unions and special interest groups will the groups that were the winners of the defeat of Proposition 32.... Some argue that it tends to shield PACs have no restrictions in raising funds for their political motives and therefore it would be unfair to prevent unions and other interest groups from raising funds. Beneficiaries: In case proposition 32 had passed, the major beneficiaries would have been business people who would have relied on the law for the purposes of controlling their employees. Since, the power of unions would have been diminished in the process of influencing political decisions (Laffer 109). It is not only the unions that would have been disadvantaged but also interest groups who represent a bulk of workers and voters. This is because rich people who have power of influencing politics through use of super PACs and other means (Resmovits 2012). Since the proposition failed, it is these business people and other interest groups that will feel the impact since they will still have to contend with unions and special interest groups in politics. Gains: The unions and special i nterest groups will the groups that were the winners of the defeat of proposition 32. This is because they still showed all other groups that they are in control of the politics in California. Workers will benefit from the defeat of the proposition since employers will not have control over minimum wages and other issues. The main gainers will be the workers, unions, special interest groups and some politicians such as Democrats who have the support of the unions (Castro 2012). As at 3rd some $ 60.5 million had been pumped into the support for proposition 32 while another $ 73.3 million had been used to oppose the proposition. Loopholes: There

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Film analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Film analysis - Essay Example Plan 9 from Outer Space operates as almost a compendium of what not to do in film-making, and should be viewed by any film maker to see how disastrous horrific film-making decisions can truly become. One of the biggest issues with Plan 9 was simply the fact that it did not have the budget to realize the film-maker’s vision to actually look†¦ tolerable. Sets in this film were terrible. Many of them simply consisted of a blank background lit differently: in one scene with a soldier it is lit brightly to supposedly look like sky, in another with detectives it is lit very little to make it look like a black night. At other times a set simply consists of a series of curtains put up around a room. Either way, however, the effect is the same: it looks like a set, it looks like a backdrop, and it completely breaks any suspension of disbelief the audience had been able to muster. At other times the sets are clearly blank walls with fake ladders made of small rungs of wood installe d on them to make them look more â€Å"space-like† Makeup was also overdone, and costumes were often incongruous and re-used from other films. At other points the lighting is completely mis-used, casting multiple shadows on a set (which would indicate artificial lighting when it should not be present in the world of the movie) or in another case accidentally casting a shadow of a boom mic onto the wall of the set. Overall, there was no cohesion, and the film looked supremely amateurish. All of this might have been bearable if the acting and dialogue could do anything to save the film. Unfortunately, however, the acting and dialogue were, if possible, weaker than the set design and lighting. At best everything was incredibly corny, at worst it made absolutely no sense and had many continuity problems. The issues with the dialogue might be best expressed from actual snippets from the film. The opening sequence, for instance, which should intrigue and audience, get them into the world of the movie and make them want to see more, fails horribly, making the audience mostly remark on the poor quality of the film rather than acquire any interest in what the film might eventually be like. These opening lines constantly refer to the audience as â€Å"my friends,† which is vaguely creepy (unintentionally) and incredibly jarring for an audience, especially given that the actor does not seem warm, but rather somewhat disconnected. He then goes on to remind the audience that they should pay close attention to the film, because it depicts things that happen in the future, and â€Å"future events such as these will affect you in the future,† which would have been humorous if not for the fact that it was completely devoid of recognition of how humorous it was. The acting and dialogue served only to drag this already awful movie further into the depths of its own failure. Finally, we come to what might be the worst offenders of all, special affects and pos t-processing. The special effects were bad, even for the era. They seemed like what they were: cheap models and roto-scoping that was done without enough time to actually do them well. The worst aspect of the post production, however, was the director’s choice to integrate clips from a completely different film about a vampire into the movie. While any clip from a film other than this would undoubtedly be expected to raise the overall quality of the film, given that nothing could be as bad as Plan 9, the jarring inclusion of this

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

What Are the Effects on a Person When He Moves to a New Country Personal Statement

What Are the Effects on a Person When He Moves to a New Country - Personal Statement Example This article takes many accounts of both 1.5 Generation members, as well as those, have interacted with them to describe how immigrant youth are transformed as a result of transnational migration and multicultural development. Many were described as lacking a sense of belonging, but not completely. In general, they often reported feeling that they were somewhat in-between, although as one youth puts it, â€Å"I don’t see that as a negative thing.† These youth receive the full benefits of public education in New Zealand and find that many of their friends are native-born Kiwis. They integrate with this cultural not only through shared education but also in shared hobbies, such as Shane Lin of Taiwan who saw skateboarding as a bridge to develop friendships with Kiwis. The article describes the increasing presence of Generation 1.5 members on university campuses and in internet cafes. They bring with them the Asian trends of quirkier fashion, interest in the latest technol ogy, as well as Japanese-style manga. This popular culture is transmitted to local Kiwis and forms another shared interest among all New Zealand youth (Janes). This article takes many accounts of both 1.5 Generation members, as well as those, have interacted with them to describe how immigrant youth are transformed as a result of transnational migration and multicultural development. Many were described as lacking a sense of belonging, but not completely. In general, they often reported feeling that they were somewhat in-between, although as one youth puts it, â€Å"I don’t see that as a negative thing.† These youth receive the full benefits of public education in New Zealand and find that many of their friends are native-born Kiwis. They integrate with this cultural not only through shared education but also in shared hobbies, such as Shane Lin of Taiwan who saw skateboarding as a bridge to develop friendships with Kiwis. The article describes the increasing presence of Generation 1.5 members on university campuses and in internet cafes. They bring with them the Asian trends of quirkier fashion, interest in the latest technology, as well as Japanese-style manga. This popular culture is transmitted to local Kiwis and forms another shared interest among all New Zealand youth (Janes). Moving to New Zealand or other countries as a young child is much different than being fully raised abroad or fully raised in a new culture. As the book the 1.5 Generations puts it, there are five different characteristics of this adaptation. The first is an understanding of their parents’ culture, whether it be Korean, Japanese, or Chinese, and what it means to have that background while living in their host society.  

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Movie review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 13

Movie review - Essay Example The two characters, Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis give a distinguished performance as maids and rack the entire audience sympathy. Since this is a feminist tale, all the male actors are invisible. Most of the women are on the right side of arguments displaying bravery and boldness while those on the wrong side are poor, timid and deluded bastards. Allison Janey plays Skeeter’s mother, the only three-dimensional character in this play, a core part of the redemption story and a truly confused figure. The movie gives a glance at the treatment African-Americans received back in the 1960’s when their rights had no value in the American Society. This film is in tandem with the US’s current state of affairs in the political arena. The fight between the right and wrong, Obama as the first black president and the same Southern fundamentalists’ racism today respectively, are vivid truths to the viewers. Unlike the 1960’s audience, it invites the today’s audience to support the right course and shun racism. Despite the few flaws in the movie, it is a true inspiration for blacks and whites living in the USA to rise above the pettiness of skin colour and condemn racism. As directed by Steve McQueen, the film offers an insight into the mistreatment that the slaves received. Chiwetel Ejiofor deserves Oscar award for his stunning performance in 12 Years a Slave, a fascinating, engrossing movie about the era of slavery in America. The movie is a realistic reflection and engaging throughout. One of the clear depictions of slavery, Ejiofor, and Lupita, have demonstrated phenomenon and sterling performances with Michael Fassbender distinctly standing out. Excellence and amazing cinematography from Sean Bobbit and a thrilling script by John Ridley greatly marries the modern orchestrated work with contemporary tunes underscoring the emotions. The film gives a deeper reflection of inhumane slave treatment. It

Monday, July 22, 2019

Air Force community Essay Example for Free

Air Force community Essay America is a country with diverse population groups that continue to increase every year. The medical community must keep up with the changing times and adapt their treatment practices to meet the demand of providing overall quality health care. There are many facets in which cultural differences come into play and especially during the patient provider relationship. It is important for the medical community and staff members to be prepared. In this paper, a discussion of the results from the assignment entitled the quality and culture quiz will be accomplished along with exploring and expanding on the answers that were incorrect. In areas that were answered incorrectly, responses will be proposed with situations that could improve the patient outcome in the future. (MSH, n. d. ). . The quality and culture quiz was taken twice, with an initial score of 14 and the second time was a 16 out of a total of 23 questions. Both times taking this quiz I felt I scored lower than expected. The quiz was taken twice because the initial score was so low. I was sure I could score better the second time, but the outcome was about the same before reading the correct answers. Even though I have been a medical assistant and an emergency medical technician for over 20 years it seemed to not have much of an impact when taking this quiz. In the Air Force community and further more in the medical community, diversity is touched upon but is not emphasized very much. In the clinic, we have patient rights and pamphlets available in Spanish but that is about it. I know we also have an interpreter listing for the base in case one is needed. I attribute my low score to not being exposed to many patients with diverse backgrounds and cultures and not having the training that so important in today’s society. As health care workers in the military, I believe we are sheltered to the outside happenings because we do not see or hear about community events outside of the base in our everyday work environment. (MSH, n. d. ). The areas that I did well in were: understanding that there could be cross-cultural confusion when explaining various medical information and procedures by the patient, patient’s may not report adequate health information because they cannot communicate well or the provider may misunderstand the particular symptom, as a provider being aware of personal biases and giving the proper treatment for the condition, ask direct and open-ended questions from the patient, practice creating a nonjudgmental atmosphere where the patient feels comfortable to try the medical advice of the provider, being aware that there could be underlying circumstances when not adhering to suggest medical treatment, and knowing that utilizing designated interpreters during patient encounters is ideal as compared to involving the family members because they can be often times they are too emotionally involved to tell an accurate story. (MSH, n. d. ). The areas where I need improvement and further comprehension are the impact of cultural competency on clinical outcomes, communicating and working with an interpreter, including the patient’s family during medical visits, being aware that some patient’s will seek customary healing measures before giving in to Western medicine and being aware of mannerisms from different culture groups. (MSH, n. d. ). Maintaining cultural competence in the positive and negative areas is a constant work in progress. There are changes every day that we as future health educators must work towards. It is a matter of continuing to read, research and apply what we have learned to every patient encounter and to always treat the patient as a loved one would want to be treated. It can only result in a positive result for all involved. (MSH, n. d. MSH, 2009) References: Airhihenbuwa, C. O. (1995). Health and culture: Beyond the Western Paradigm. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc. Retrieved on March 15, 2010. Management Sciences for Health. (n. d. ). The Providers Guide to Quality and Culture. Retrieved on March 15, 2010 from http://erc. msh. org/mainpage. cfm? file=1. 0. htmmodule=providerlanguage=Englishggroup=mgroup= Management Sciences for Health. (2009). Stronger health systems. Greater health impact. Retrieved March 15, 2010 from http://www. msh. org/.

Impact of Government Curriculum on Teaching and Learning

Impact of Government Curriculum on Teaching and Learning Governmental Control Over Curriculum and the Impact on Teachers as Skilled  Professionals Introduction Caldwell and Hayward (1998) state that the need for reform in England’s school system was realized in 1976 (p. 1). Yet, it was not until 1988 with the Education Reform Act instituted under Margaret Thatcher that a â€Å"national curriculum, national tests† and control of the schools by the government began to become a reality (Caldwell Hayward 1998, p. 1). Murnane and Steele (2007) contend that national involvement in the public schools was intended to support the learners, as well as the teachers (p. 15). However, because of the continued awareness by governments that Western educational institutions were lagging behind the accomplishments of Eastern schools, continued changes in the area of education and government’s control over it have completely altered the educational landscape (Murnane Steele 2007, p. 15). This is because of an adopted neo-liberalist policy approach that has favored markets over learners and policies over teacher effectiveness (Apple 200 1, p. 182). As a result teachers are becoming â€Å"deskilled† and incapable of maintaining their own control over their effectiveness in the classroom (Hall 2004, p. 3). As this control subsides, therefore, teachers are leaving the profession due to frustration and an inability to maintain their professional capabilities in the schools. This knowledge provides evidence that the neo-liberalist policies that have been adopted in the United Kingdom are not achieving the end results as once forecast and that there is perhaps a need to reconsider these policies in order to ensure that teachers that are the foundation of education retain the skills and knowledge that is necessary to instruct society’s children. Neo-Liberalism Apple (2001) indicates that there was once a â€Å"classical liberalism† that existed in relation to the schools and those policies related to education that impacted teachers and students (p. 182). However, Apple (2001) states that as time has progressed the classical liberalism of the state policies has been altered toward a â€Å"neo-liberalism approach† (p. 182). According to Apple (2001), it is important to understand the differences between these two types of views of education because these differences are at the core of the educational issues that schools in many countries face today (p. 182). Olssen (1996) defines classical liberalism in the schools as a method of â€Å"freeing those within the schools from state control† (p. 337). Olssen (1996), on the other hand, specifies that neo-liberalism supports the state’s role in controlling education by â€Å"creating a market†¦[that involves] the conditions, laws and institutions necessary for its operation† (p. 337). Apple (2001) argues that when an education â€Å"market† is, therefore, created it is a market that seems to suggest â€Å"individualization† (p. 182). However, the individualization of the market is subjected to the controls of the government and the policies that force parents, teachers and students to act in a certain manner, leading to the end results that the state intended from the start (Apple 2001, p. 182). This is because the actions of the entities connected to education are restrained by the boundaries set forth in the policies of the government and as those boun daries become more tightly fixed the actions of the parties are more predictable. Choice and Influence on Teachers Apple (2001) expands on this notion by examining the middle class in society (p. 182). Apple (2001) stipulates that when parents of different nations in the middle class are given the opportunity of school choice the government knows that those parents will naturally begin placing their own criteria and/or expectations on schools (p. 182). Consequently when parents are unhappy with the curriculum at one school the teachers at the school are forced to alter that curriculum in order to meet the demands of the parents or they will loose the students within that school (Apple 2001, p. 182). The loss of students within a school means the loss of government funding, the loss of jobs, the lack of teacher’s ability to provide resources and ultimately the loss of the school itself in the community. Therefore, as Apple (2001) indicates, the government policies may be suggesting that people have a greater choice; yet, what is actually occurring is a more significant control of schools th rough the ability of parents to actively use choice to influence curriculum in relation to the schools (p. 182). As parents influence how the curriculum is created, consequently, teachers are placed under greater scrutiny and are forced to expand their offerings in the classroom – even if these offerings include learning that the teacher is not knowledgeable or skilled in. Brooker (2003) contends that the manner in which parents and private entities are capable of influencing the education of students is evident in the United Kingdom with the inclusion of computer technologies in the elementary classroom (p. 261). Over the past decade there has been such a significant increase in the demand for computer technology training of young students. Yet, those schools that do not conform to this expectation are loosing students (Brooker 2003, p. 261). In general this is because parents, manufacturers and the government insists that if children are not trained in the use of computers at an early age they will not be capable of competing with their peers or those in the outside world later on (Brooker 2003, p. 261). Yet, Brooker (2003) argues that technologies in the classroom has impacted teachers negatively due to the fact that many of today’s teachers are not skilled in the use of computers and they are not capable of acquiring the knowledge needed to instruct their students adequately (p. 261). This is because, in general, many schools fail to provide teachers with new training that will support the increase in the instructional scope and teachers do not have the ability to seek outside skill training and maintain their work schedule at the same time. New Teacher Training The concept of choice and control offered by the government is also being reflected in proposals by government entities associated with initial teacher training (Apple 2000, p. 1). Apple (2000) specifies that in the current educational climate what is being considered is the â€Å"deregulation† of teacher training as a means of promoting competition among institutions of higher learning (p. 1). Essentially what this causes to occur is that colleges and universities are freely allowed to choose their own approaches to teaching and teachers have the choice of training institutions that they prefer. However, as time progresses it becomes apparent to schools and the communities that support them which teachers are trained effectively and which are not (Apple 2001, p. 182). This occurs when standardized test scores are revealed from students, reflecting directly back on the teacher’s abilities to educate (Apple 2001, p. 182). As a result, when enough teachers from a particul ar institution are incapable of developing learners that can pass standardized tests that institution begins to realize a decline in enrollment (Apple 2001, p. 182). Although teachers in training are given the choice of schools to attend and colleges are given freedom in determining how those teachers are training, ultimately it is the governmental control of policies that impacts whether or not the institution of higher learning will survive and what curriculum will be used to teach teachers in society. In the neo-liberalist approach to education there is evidence that the freedoms that are being given to colleges and universities are instead tools that negatively impact teachers entering the profession, often with the new teachers being unaware that they are ultimately slated for failure before they even begin their careers. Able Students Ball, Bowe and Gewirtz (1994) stipulate that governmental control over education further impacts teachers and curriculum due to the fact that teachers and schools begin to attempt to avoid students with special needs and â€Å"seek out able children† (p. 19). This is because special needs students require a greater amount of teacher time, teacher expertise and teacher interaction with students that takes away from the teacher instructing â€Å"able† students who do not have special needs (Ball, Bowe Gewitz 1994, p. 19). In England, Ball, Bowe and Gewitz (1994) state that this intent to encourage able students enrolling in schools by teachers and administrators is directly related to the â€Å"publication of performance indicators such as examination league tables† because schools find it difficult to explain that test scores may be low due to an abundance of special needs students (Ball, Bowe Gewitz 1994, p. 19). Yet, Gerwitz, Ball and Bowe (1995) further argue that control of the curriculum and teacher performance is also related to the students of different cultures (p. 6). For example, in England it is known that African American students traditionally have difficulties in the schools because of the large segment of this population that is impoverished (p. 6). Poverty is correlated to the abilities of the students, with those in the impoverished classes historically performing less successfully on standardized tests (Gerwitz, Ball Bowe 1995, p. 6). Apple (2001), therefore, states that this causes teachers to develop curriculum that targets students who are more capable of learning and ignores those students that standardized testing was intended to support in the first place (p. 182). Fragmentation Allen and Ainley (2007) contend that as time progresses the governmental control over the curriculum in the schools is continuing to expand, impacting how teachers not only teach, but changing what is taught to students, causing a fragmentation of teacher control over their own labor (p. 1). An example of this exists within English schools as education reform is focused on vocational education for students beginning at age 14 (Allen Ainley 2007, p. 1). According to Allen and Ainley (2007) the government came to the conclusion that there was a decline in students graduating from schools with marketable skills and this impacted their success after public schooling (p. 1). The issue, therefore, became less concentrated on a student’s ability to read, write and perform simple math and more on specifically training students to function in specific jobs once they have left academia (Allen Ainley, 2007, p. 1). Allen and Ainley (2007) indicate that this brings about two specific issues. First, while teachers in the United Kingdom have indicated that they do not support this policy, teacher organizations throughout the country have ignored teacher protests and called on educators to ensure that the policies are successful (Allen Ainley 2007, p 1). Second, programs for vocational training are being largely created in schools that instruct low income or impoverished students, with those students in high performing schools working with a traditional curriculum (Allen Ainley 2007, p. 1). What this means is that while governmental policies are once again suggesting that there is choice in relation to education, the policies are ensuring that only those choices that support what the government deems appropriate for education will be made (Allen Ainley 2007, p. 1; Chitty 2004, p. 160). Furthermore, Murnane and Steele (2007) state that this causes teachers to be inundated with having to cope with a curriculum that is ever-changing and that they believe they no longer have control over (p. 15). As a result teachers are leaving the teaching profession in vast numbers and this is creating a greater shortage in the teacher workforce than ever before (Murnane Steele 2007, p. 15). Conclusion Duggan and Pole (1996) suggest that the dissatisfaction in the teacher workforce began to be ever apparent in the 1990s (p. 139). Hall (2004) states that this is an issue that has increased over time because of policies such as â€Å"the Literacy and Numeracy Strategies in primary school and the Key Stage 3 Strategy in secondary schools†, as well as the inclusion of technologies and standardized testing that â€Å"constricts teachers† and their capabilities throughout the curriculum (p. 3). According to Hall (2004) the types of control connected to the schools and the deskilling of teachers are endless (p. 8; Appendix 1). Consequently there is an increased teacher workload, decreased teacher satisfaction and a reduction in the number of teachers that want to or are capable of instructing students in the manner in which government and/or society demands. For the future of education in the Western world this could mean that the attempt by government to regulate education and create more successful outcomes for students in England has the opposite effect, as is indicated by Hall (2004, p. 3). The research indicates that the original intent of education to create students that were capable of being productive citizens after their educational careers ended became extremely complex when it was realized that Western students did not achieve at the same rate as Eastern students. Therefore, a neo-liberalist policy toward education by the government was adopted, suggesting that choice was available to parents, teachers and students and that a greater freedom in education would exist. Yet, the research also demonstrates that the idea of choice was restricted by the policies related to education that were adopted by the government and that these policies minimalized the choices that actually existed. Moreover, these neo-liberalist policies became so intricately woven within education that the choices made by those connected to education could be predicted and manipulated with ease. For teachers this has meant that they are overworked, under-trained and unprepared for the demands o f the modern educational system and given few options as to how they can overcome these issues. This knowledge provides serious implications for the educational system because as teachers continue to become frustrated due to their increasing deskilled status they are leaving the teaching workforce. This knowledge provides evidence that the neo-liberalist policies that have been adopted in the United Kingdom are not achieving the end results as once forecast and that there is perhaps a need to reconsider these policies in order to ensure that teachers that are the foundation of education retain the skills and knowledge that is necessary to instruct society’s children. Appendix 1 (Hall 2004, p. 8). 1. Regulated market control: metaphors of the market and consumer demand are imposed upon schools; success and profits go to those who best meet consumer demand. Teachers’ work is evaluated in terms of measured outputs set against cost. Competition is the key element in relations between schools. (Ball, 1994) 2. Technical control: this is embodied in structures rather than people – in, for example, notionally ‘teacher proof’ teaching materials and text books, and in specified competences (Apple, 1988, 1996) 3. Bureaucratic control: hierarchical power is embedded in the social and organisational structure of institutions – jobs are differently divided and defined, have different salaries, and supervision, evaluation and promotion arrangements. The potential for establishing a career operates as a control mechanism. 4. Corporate control: the focus of the institution is on economic rather than social good. A competitive ethos prevails. Managers focus on economic goals. The head teacher is perceived more as a line manager than as a first among professional equals. 5. Ideological control: hegemonic beliefs – for example, that a good teacher has certain characteristics – become part of the dominant ideology within schools. These ideas and beliefs are reinforced in pre-service and in-service training. Certain conceptions of teachers’ work become naturalised – for example, a move away from child-centred discourse to market based discourse. 6. Disciplinary power: Foucault (1977) shows how, by means of the technologies of power – hierarchical observation, normalising judgment and examination –individuals are ‘disciplined’ into ways of understanding their work. Minor procedures and routines are specified (times, dress, expected responses) in ways that become anonymous and functional within a school; teachers and others within the school regulate their own behaviours to meet these expectations. Smyth describes this as a ‘triumph of technique over questions of purpose’ Bibliography Allen, M. and Ainley, P. (2007) Education make you fick, innit? London: Tufnell Press. Apple, M. (2000). Power, meaning, and identity. New York: Peter Lang. Apple, M. (2001). Markets, standards, teaching and teacher education. Journal of  Teacher Education. 52(3): 182-207. Ball, S., Bowe, R., Gewirtz, S. (1994). Market forces and parental choice. In S. Tomlinson (Ed.), Educational reform and its consequences (pp. 13-25). London: IPPR/Rivers Oram Press. Brooker, L. (2003). Integrating new technologies in the UK classroom. Childhood  Education. 79(5): 261-289. Caldwell, B., and Hayward, D. (1998). The future of schools: Lessons from the reform  of public education. London: Falmer Press. Chitty, C. (2004). Education policy in Britain. London: Palgrave. Duggan, R., and Pole, C. (1996). Reshaping education in the 1990s. New York:  Routledge. Gewirtz, S., Ball, S., Bowe, R. (1995). Markets, choice, and equity in education.  Philadelphia: Open University Press. Hall. C. (2004). Theorizing changes in teacher’s work. Canadian Journal of Education  Administration and Policy. Retrieved January 1, 2009, from http://www.umanitoba.ca/publications/cjeap/pdf_files/hall.pdf Murnane, R., and Steele, J. (2007). What is the problem? The challenge of providing  effective teacher for all children. The Future of Children. 17(1): 15-35. Olssen, M. (1996). In defense of the welfare state and of publicly provided education.  Journal of Education Policy. 11: 337-362.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Branding Strategies Of Asda Marketing Essay

Branding Strategies Of Asda Marketing Essay Branding is a most important tool for any product or company to gain a long term market share. The aim of this study is to develop an understanding of branding and its implications in the retail market. This will include the concepts and practices of branding that are adopted by different retailers in the UK as well as the new challenges faced by these retailers in UK market. This research will identify the benefits of branding for suppliers, customers and for the retailers. I will identify the strategic approach which retailers in the UK can adopt as a role model to survive in a highly competitive market and this will include the survey of UK food and grocery retail market. I will also investigate how the changes in the market from the early beginning have changed the position of grocery supermarket chains. I will describe the in-depth branding strategies of ASDA, various operations of ASDAs stores and its competition with world-wide and UK retailers. This study will also identify and investigate the competitive position of ASDA amount other key players in UK such as TESCO, Sainsbury and Morrison. INTRODUCTION What is branding? According to the Websters dictionary a brand is defined as a mean of identification and an arbitrarily adapted name that is given by manufacturer to a product to distinguish it and it may be used and protected as trade name.  [1]   A brand is defined as a name, term, design or symbol or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services that identifies and distinguishes a specific sellers product from a competitive product of another seller. It is also defined as a part of a product and services tangible features, the verbal indication that help customers to identify the products they want. It plays a vital role in assessment of a product or service and can add value to them. It is a word which is commonly referred to by advertisers and marketing people. Why it is important? People generally recognize a well-known brand even if they do not know about the company or its products/services. These are usually the name of businesses or the name of a product, although it can be the name of a feature or style of a product too. A good brand delivers the message clearly and motivates the buyers. There are few other terms which have been used to define branding such as brand name, brand mark, trade name or trade mark. Thus branding is very essential for companies and it is beneficial for buyers and customers. INDUSTRY BACKGROUND ASDA was formed in 1965 with a merger of two companies, Associated Dairies and the Asquith Brothers supermarket chain Queen. ASDA Stored Ltd was created a supermarket with its objectives to offer the customers permanently low prices. In 1999 ASDA was acquired by Wal-Mart Stores Inc., and ASDA became part of the worlds biggest and best retailer. Since then, ASDA also became Britains second largest supermarket. ASDA has now over 300 stores across the UK and employ 150,000 staff and its friendly service is as inextricably linked to the ASDA brand as their reputation for quality and service.  [2]   According to a recent survey, as of 1st August 2010 ASDA has 376 locations with operating income of  £638 million and ranking as second largest supermarket chain in the UK. ASDA Group Ltd., operates as one of the largest food retailers in the United Kingdom. The companys stores sell a wide variety of merchandise including food and apparel, along with house wares, music, videos and books. The company once known as a diary conglomerate was acquired by Wal-Mart Inc. in 1999. Under its new parents guidance, ASDA has been adding pharmacies, opticians, jewelry and photo departments to its stores.  [3]   ASDAS BRANDING STRATEGY According to a survey in 2004 which shows the key figures of the UK retail market, states that UK retail sales reached approximately  £246 billion in 2004. This shows that retail industry, generally, continues to show positive signs of growth. The retail industry in any country is generally a very active, fast changing sector. Thus it comprises one of the main sectors in the economy of a country, in terms of transactions and turnover; as a result, it is a highly competitive and sophisticated industry. My research proposal is about the importance of branding in retail market particularly in the UK retail, food and grocery market. I will identify the branding strategy of ASDA and its market share in the UK retail sector. Currently ASDA is using one strategy which is: In September 2010 ASDA announced that it is going to re-launch its mid-tier private label range under the new Chosen by You brand name in a bid to improve perceptions of the quality of its food. This new rang is a part of a  £100m investment which includes 200,000 UK consumers taste testing and benchmarking the products.  [4]   And now ASDA has also decided to launch their new opticians business adopting similar logos and using slogans making indirect references to the chain. ASDA ran a campaign featuring the two slogans: Be a real spec saver at ASDA Spec savings at ASDA  [5]   These strategies are helping and will help ASDA to gain consumers satisfaction. Although ASDA is already getting continuous growth with the diversification and extension of its existing stores but the retail market has become more competitive and having less market share can affect the overall ranking and position of ASDA in the international market. Therefore I will analyse and evaluate the strategic position of ASDA in comparison to other UK retailers and in conclusion there will be future strategic options suggested which aimed to strengthen its position in the highly competitive market and to gain customers satisfaction and loyalty. While using the same brand name, ASDA is also offering financial services to its customers which include: Insurance Credit cards and loans Savings Motor breakdown cover Energy supplying According a recent report at BBC (27 May 2010) ASDA has also announced plans to buy Netto for  £778m. Netto has 193 stores in the UK which will continue to trade under the Netto name for the time being but will come under the ASDA brand by mid-2011.  [6]   ASDA is continuously promoting its brand strategy and has announced that its customers will benefit from low prices on a significantly broader range of quality products, complemented by the wide range of services ASDA offer at all their small stores (ASDA Chief Executive Andy Clarke). ASDA brand George was bought by ASDA in 1995, George was started in 1990 by George Davies and it was the first supermarket clothing brand. Thus George grew and become the largest clothing retailer by volume in the UK today. This brand is also traded internationally by Wal-Mart. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES The core idea of this research to analyze the different strategies ASDA is using for its branding to compete with all the supermarkets within UK to capture a large portion of market share in retail and other relative industries. This research will also throw light on the factors to identify how these branding strategies affect customers behaviour and why they chose ASDA as compare to all other supermarkets in UK. Without an appropriate set of objectives, you can end up not only with a misguided strategy, but with an unrealistic set of goals. Increasing brand awareness for a product that already has a baseline awareness of 99 percent, for example, can be virtually impossible. If you set the wrong objectives, you set yourself up for failure (Graham 2001).  [7]   This research will emphasize the practices of ASDAs brand objectives how ASDA is using its branding to get customers loyalty and trust within the competitive market where its main rivals TESCO, Sainsbury, Morison, Marks Spenser are operating side by side as strong competitor. ASDAs brand objectives are that it is comprised of ASDAs personality, image, core competencies and characteristics. ASDAs basic framework of its brand is to pursue to put an impression on its customers that describe the company to other people. ASDA is following the strategy of its branding to build a strong credibility and have more influence on the market and to motivate customers to shop at ASDAs stores. ASDAs objectives are to be looked as a leader and not as a follower. I will explore and find out that how ASDA is defining its objectives with specific timelines and how it has been developing plans of action to achieve those objectives. RESEARCH QUESTIONS Why branding is important and what ASDA wants from its brand to do? What does ASDA wants others to know and say about its products? How ASDA can retain its top ranking position in the UK retail market? RESEARCH AIMS Identify different retail brands in UK Identify current branding strategy of ASDA Review market share of ASDA in UK retail market Analysis of competitors of ASDA Study of future practices of ASDA Recommend improved strategy for ASDA to retain its top ranking position in the UK retail market. LITERATURE REVIEW The central concern of brand building literature experienced a dramatic shift in the last decade. Branding and the role of brands, as traditionally understood, were subject to constant review and redefinition. A traditional definition of a brand was: the name, associated with one or more items in the product line, which is used to identify the source of character of the item(s) (Kotler 2000, p. 396). A literature review is very important and critical for the justification of the proposed research in order to find out different factors to identify the research area and to clarify questions of the chosen research topic (Saunders, 2007). Aaker and Joachmisthaler (2000) argued the traditional branding model where a brand management team was liable for creating and coordinating the brands management program. In these circumstances, the brand manager was not high in the companys hierarchy; his focus was the short-term financial results of single brands and single products in single markets. The basic objective was the coordination with the manufacturing and sales departments in order to solve any problem concerning sales and market share. With this strategy the responsibility of the brand was solely the concern of the marketing department (Davis 2002). In general, most companies thought that focusing on the latest and greatest advertising campaign meant focusing on the brand (Davis and Dunn 2002). The model itself was tactical and reactive rather than strategic and visionary (Aaker and Joachimsthaler 2000). The brand was always referred to as a series of tactics and never like strategy (Davis and Dunn 2002). Brand is defined as a name, term, symbol, design or any other feature or a combination of any of them. Branding is used to define, or is proposed to identify the goods or services of one seller and distinct it from those of other sellers. Branding helps to differentiate ones service from those of its competitors. It plays vital role in assessment of product and can add value to a product. It is therefore an intimate aspect of product strategy. Therefore In developing a marketing strategy for individual products, the seller has to tackle the issue of branding. According to Peter Doyle; Brands are at the very heart of marketing. When a company creates a strong brand it attracts customers preference and builds a defensive wall against competition. Marketers and sellers make different strategies for their products and most of these are associated with branding. These decisions include how to create brands, how to choose brand names, brand marks, trademarks and trade names. A brand may identify one item, a family of items or all items of that seller. Brand loyalty is an integral part of building a brand, as consumers usually have a choice of products in the same market segment, and so a successful company will use a way to keep consumers re-buying their product or coming back to their stores rather than going to their competitor. These brand loyalty-building efforts may come in the form of coupons and incentives such as many grocery chains use a technique of grocery discount cards or loss leaders, meant to draw consumers into the store, where they will hopefully buy products at discounted fare with a higher profit ratio (Kumar 2010).  [8]   SOURCES TO BE USED FOR DATA I will be using different scholars books written in different countries on branding, why it is important and work of researcher all over the world in this field. As branding is the most important factor of any business, organisation, product or service so there is a lot of information on the internet, journals and newspapers. Proper references from all the sources will be included in my work. I will also be conducting interviews from different Managers of ASDA, TESCO and Sainsbury including some customers in the stores to get much information regarding my subject and a practical experience which will help me writing a good conclusion to my proposed work. Data collection will consist of surveys, interviews and observation with ASDA Managers, employees and customers as well as journal logs from scholars. As suggested by Prof. Francis Knox I am planning to conduct multiple interviews with each participant in order to provide more in-depth data collection and opportunities for follow-up. I will utilize a qualitative evaluation for this research project leveraging subjective methods such as interviews and observations to collect substantive and relevant data. I hope that such a qualitative approach will be valuable here due to the varying experiences of the Managers and customers visiting ASDA. Recent research on subject matter will also be consulted to validate collected data. DATA ANALYSIS Data analysis is an important part of any topic as it gives an outline and understanding of the subject. In the same way I will analyse the collected data by comparing it with all the other competitors of ASDA to find out how ASDA is benefiting from its branding strategies and objectives. I believe that data analysis shows the different things discussed in topic and which one is most suitable and favourable according to the situation. Data can be collected from various sources and its analysis gives understanding and shape to the topic or field of interest. Collect necessary Data to answer questions Analyse Data Creating strategies to use results Reporting out on recommendations and conclusion RESEARCH METHODOLIGIES My research methodology requires gathering relevant data from the scholars books, online journals, newspapers and internet and to compile the databases in order to analyze the material and to arrive at a more complete understanding of the importance of branding of a company or a product. The following chart can best represent how research methodology work: Source: http://www.clientopinions.com/pages/11/Research-Methodology/ My dissertation would be based upon primary and secondary sets of information available on branding within supermarkets and my research work will be based upon both qualitative and quantitative data, for example exploring the work of researcher on branding importance for supermarkets and conducting interviews with relevant employees working as Managers and customers of ASDA supermarket. In this research I will also include the current trends of branding in different countries of the world and especially in the UK. Questionnaires carried out during my research will help me to get the facts how big chains of supermarkets and other organisations are using their brand image to get a large portion of their respective markets. On the basis of all the relevant information available branding evaluation and conclusion will be carried out. The evaluation and conclusion will also include how and why ASDA branding is better comparing to its competitors and how ASDA can better use their branding strategy all over the world. The research approach is also constructive (Jarvinen 1999, Olkkonen 1993). The positivistic approach would have required a quantitative analysis of the system (Takala Helo 2000) which would be very difficult to accomplish without disclosing some confidential business information.  [9]   This nature of research is a process of finding information; analyzing, interpreting information to deal with questions which must have certain characteristics like be controlled, systematic, rigorous, valid and critical. My research will ideally be focused on primary and secondary research on ASDA brand name and image, which will enable me to get adequate knowledge and with the help of this awareness I will work on my dissertation with no trouble. I will be able to investigate the advantages of branding and will find out what can be the problems using a brand name/images in a most competitive market for a company. During this research proposal I found out that there is plenty of information available in the journals, books and on the internet specifically for ASDA and I will use that information in the dissertation to make it more clear and acceptable. With the help of this provided information I would be able to present this in a theoretical form including data chart, comparison diagrams etc, which will help to understand my subject simply. As mentioned earlier that brand is a most important tool for any company, product or service. There are so many products in the market who do not have proper brand name or image and these products disappear from the shelves after sometime. So in my research work I will explore few of those products and will compare the quality and price to ASDAs similar products, as this experiment will discover the importance of branding. EXPECTED OUTCOMES I consider that after having a detail study on brand name/image and its importance in the retail market and research on branding strategy of ASDA and its implementation, it will be helpful for me to suggest how ASDA can improve itself amongst its competitors in the United Kingdom. As we all know that branding is perhaps the most important fact of any business, beyond product, distribution, pricing and location for any company and this build a tangible trust and loyalty amongst the customers. Brand loyalty is an essential part of building a brand name/image as customers usually have a choice of similar products in the same market segment so a successful company like ASDA will come up with a way to keep customers re-buying their products or coming back to their store again and again rather than going to its competitors. During my dissertation while conducting different interviews and surveys I will find out how ASDA is successfully implementing its branding strategy and how it can more effectively improve this with my field work on this specific topic. So I conclude this proposal with acknowledging that if brand name is used properly, ASDA can keep the large share of the market. ASDA brand name is Saving you money every day, so as far ASDA is fulfilling the requirement of its brand name, there is no doubt that this big chain of supermarket will continue enjoying a large portion of the market share in the United Kingdom. During my research proposal I have found out that ASDA has improved its operations and thus it become the second largest supermarket in the United Kingdom and this is only because it has its long term branding strategies which reviewed on regular basis and the market is compared on weekly basis on the prices and quality of the product being sold at the similar stores in the country. SCHEDULE (DAILY TIME TABLE) Dissertation Working Process Start Date Finish Date 1. Introduction and history 01-01-2011 02-01-2011 2. Finalising aims/objectives and questionnaire 04-01-2011 06-01-2011 3. Draft a complete version of Literature review 08-01-2011 11-01-2011 4. Finalise Literature review 13-01-2010 17-01-2011 5. Revisit the methodology Literature 20-01-2011 24-01-2011 6. Finalising the research approach 26-01-2011 30-01-2011 7. Finalising research strategy and method 01-02-2011 03-02-2011 8. Finalising questionnaire and interviews 05-02-2011 08-02-2011 9. Entering and analysing the data 10-02-2011 12-02-2011 10. Update Literature if necessary 14-02-2011 15-02-2011 11. Completing the remaining work 17-02-2011 18-02-2011 12. Revise the draft make amendments format for submission 20-02-2011 22-02-2011 13. Write Reflective Document / add at the end of dissertation 24-02-2011 26-02-2011 14. Submit Dissertation Possible Submission Date: 31-03-2011

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Ethics and Law in Dental Hygiene: Case Studies 16 and 17 Essay

Case 16 This case presents a very delicate situation that presents many legal and ethical questions. Do you tell your brother his partner has HIV? I would tell my brother, but the how and when, may vary based on circumstance. From a professional ethical standpoint, it would be unethical to disclose the patient’s HIV status without consent. It would violate the patient’s right to confidentiality, as it is the patient’s choice whom information may be shared with (Beemsterboer, 2010, p. 50). It could also be argued that it is a violation of the principle of nonmaleficence. By providing the patient’s HIV status to people unbound by HIPAA, you are putting the patient at risk of discrimination. This could cause mental anguish or psychological issues, therefore, in essence, inflicting harm on the patient. The most valued application of nonmaleficence is, â€Å"One ought to not inflict harm† (Beemsterboer, 2010, p. 42). This would outweigh the ethical argument th at you are also preventing harm to your brother, another less important application of nonmaleficence (Beemsterboer, 2010, p. 42). There is one professional ethical principle that I would argue was being applied. This being the principle of paternalism, stating that healthcare providers should do what they deem best for the patient according to their ability and judgment (Beemsterboer, 2010, p. 47). If the patient had a sexual encounter with the brother, and did not inform him of her HIV status, she may be arrested for reckless endangerment according to Pennsylvania law. A case where an HIV-positive person did not disclose their status to their sexual partner was brought before the Pennsylvania Superior Court. According to Pennsylvania law, â€Å"Disclosure of HIV status is a defense ag... ...w in Dental Hygiene (pp. 39-53). St. Louis, MO: Saunders Elsevier. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania State Board of Dentistry. (2012, September). Section 4.1 Reason for Refusal, Revocation, or Suspension of License or Certificate. In The Dental Law Act of May 1, 1993, P.L. 216, No. 76 Cl. 63. Harrisburg, PA, USA: Pennsylvania Department of State. Hanson, J. R. (n.d.). Fraud or confusion? RDH Magazine, 19(4). Retrieved 3 15, 2014, from http://www.rdhmag.com/articles/print/volume-19/issue-4/feature/fraud-or-confusion.html Smith, A. (2013). How NOT to commit dental insurance fraud! Retrieved from Amy Smith Consulting LL.: http://www.amysmith.biz/tip-of-the-month/2013/6/25/how-not-to-commit-dental-insurance-fraud.html Violations of Public Policy. (2007). Retrieved from Wrongful Termination: http://www.wrongfultermination.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=66

Friday, July 19, 2019

Internet Addiction :: Expository Essays

Internet addiction is a growing problem with more and more people. The internet is much more accessible to people now than it was just a few years ago. The internet provides people with entertainment, loads of information, and an escape from everyday life, but like anything else, too much a good thing can be addictive. This paper will cover what internet addiction is, warning signs of internet addiction, problems caused by internet addiction, who develops internet addiction, preventing and treating internet addiction, and safety guidelines for internet users. In the modern world internet access is a vital part of everyday life. It is important for education, and is a necessary skill for those entering the job markets of today. The internet is highly entertaining and informative. These qualities make the internet an attractive escape from the stress of everyday life. People can enter a different world and make the problems of the real world disappear. Anything is possible on the internet. Internet addiction has the same symptoms as an addition to drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, or caffeine. When someone becomes addicted to the internet they will have increasing tolerance to the amount of time they spend online, withdrawal, mood changes between when online and off, and there will be an interruption of social relationships and activities. People with an addiction will need more time online to be happy. When access to the internet is not available people will show signs of anxiety, depression, irritability, trembling hands, a nd restlessness. There are five types of internet addiction. The first is Net-Gaming. People with this addiction participate in online games, Multi User Dungeon Games (MUDs), will visit virtual casinos, and my become obsessed with e-auctions and online trading and shopping. Another type of internet addiction is Cyber-Relational Addiction. People with this tend to make chat room relationships more important than their relationships with family or friends. They may even try to meet someone personally after meeting him or her online. The third type of internet addiction is Information Overload. People become obsessed with tracking down certain information and organizing it.

Charles Goodyear Essay -- essays research papers

Charles Goodyear was born in New Haven, Connecticut on December 29, 1800 to Amasa and Cynthia Goodyear. Charles’s father was a hardware manufacture and a merchant. Amasa Goodyear built mainly farming tools like hayforks and scythes, which he invented. When Charles was a teenager he wanted to go into the ministry and become a pastor, but his father convinced him that he was a good business man and placed him in the hardware store of the Rogers brothers in Philadelphia at the age of seventeen. He worked there until he was twenty-one years old. At that time he returned to New Haven to join his father’s business, making farm tools. For five years he worked for his father, building up the family business. On August 24, 1824, while he was still working for his father he married Clarissa Beecher who also lived in New Haven, Connecticut. In 1826 Charles Goodyear decided to move to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There he opened a hardware store where he sold the products that his f ather made. Four years after opening this store both Amasa and Charles Goodyear were bankrupt because they would extend credit to customers and the customers would never pay back the money that they owed. Charles’s health started to decline and both father and son owed tens of thousands of dollars. For the next thirty years Charles Goodyear was thrown in prison over ten times because he didn’t pay his debts. In 1834 when he was in New York, on a business trip, the Roxbury India Rubber Company caught his eye. ...

Thursday, July 18, 2019

Historian’s Wizard of Oz Review Essay

the movie `wizard of oz`, the strengths and weaknesses of each document, the major differences between the documents, and feedback on any links to present day political and economic issues. Investigate the authors background. Introduction The Historian’s Wizard Of Oz, first published in 1900, made ripples in the literary world and its writer L. Frank Baum shoot to eminence, and the result was so many of the sequels. When MGM, in 1939, decided to convert this hit into movie version, many of the adaptations of Wizard of Oz had been appeared on stage. Although the film did not cause swell at the box office sales in the beginning, but made waves, as people become conscious to its hidden meaning, years following its initial release. â€Å"Its status as an American classic owes more to television, as The Wizard of Oz became an annual television event in the 1950s and 1960s. The universal quality of the story and the warmth of the film made it appealing to people of all ages. Who would’ve thought that The Wizard of Oz contained hidden meanings†?1 Critics and observers has been interpreted this mega hit in different ways for more than a century now. And it is Henry Littlefield, a high school teacher; presented the most illustrious interpretation of The Wizard of Oz. it is a fact that Baum had been very much involved in active politics in the last decades of 1800s.But, Baum never made claim at any stage that that the story, in its contents, was an allegory for politics. â€Å"Baum’s story corresponded to the issues and figures in American politics at the end of the 19th century. Littlefield found that he could use The Wizard of Oz to teach history to his students, as the story functioned well as an allegory to the Populist movement and the 1896 presidential election†. 2 Populism, the Key Issues of 1896 and Impact on Culture More than 50 translations has been made in various languages of East and West of The Wizard of Oz so far. Even, due to its popularity, different countries adapted in a way to match the corrosponding conditions of the local culture. For instance, â€Å"in some countries where the Hindu religion is practiced, abridged versions of the book were published in which, for religious reasons, the Tin Woodsman was replaced with a snake†. 1 When Henry Littlefield article was published in American Quarterly then people began to realize that The Wizard of Oz was a â€Å"parable on Populism,† a prototype of a rural political awakening in the last decades of 1800. The Populist Party of late 19th century mobilized the Farmers’ Alliances to its advantage. â€Å"Farmers faced considerable economic hardship and they believed that monetary policy was determined by eastern bankers and industrial interests. The Farmers’ Alliances wanted greater government regulation of railroads, tax reform and the free coinage of silver to increase the money supply†. 3 Wizard of the Oz made great impression on American, Russian, and other European countries. â€Å"A mere sampling of the breadth in which it is referenced might include Futurama (which parodied it in an episode), The Cinnamon Bear (a 1938 radio serial), RahXephon (a 2002 Japanese animated television show), Zardoz (a 1974 Sean Connery movie), Wizard and Glass (a 1997 Stephen King fantasy/Western novel), and the science fiction literature of Robert Heinlein†. 4 The Wizard of Oz: the movie: the Ups and Downs Although Baum produced the â€Å"Oz† film series in 1908 and 1914 but the most famous adaptation is the 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz, featuring Judy Garland as Dorothy. Francis MacDonell argues that the movie is an allegory of New Deal, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s program of social welfare to combat the widespread hardship of the Great Depression in the 1930s. The man primarily responsible for injecting this political message into the film was lyricist E.Y. â€Å"Yip† Harburg, who was a socialist and supporter of Roosevelt’s policies. Harburg had written the lyrics to â€Å"Brother Can You Spare a Dime?† which served as an apt anthem for the Great Depression. 5 The movie is magical and creative, its pluses is as MacDonnell described, The Wizard of Oz, †¦is a brightly-colored, visually bold, rapidly paced extravaganza, full of gaudy sets, outlandish costumes, and way-over-the-top acting.6 But, some of the scenes were insipid (the ridiculous conclusion of the poppy field sequence) or misplaced (the Cowardly Lion’s song, which occurs at perhaps the least appropriate moment). 5 A look into Frank Baum’s Life and His Political Ambitions L Frank Baum was born on 15 May 1856 in Chittennnango, New York. His earlier interest in the newspapers and magazines but when he entered in his 20s he started taking interest in theaters and operas. His mother was one of the leading champions of the Women’s Rights Movements. He shoot to eminence when he teamed up with Maxfield Parrish, the illustrator, and wrote his first book Mother Goose in Prose, afterwards he together with illustrator William Wallace he published Father Goose, His Book. Both books had drawn huge attention from the children. Nobody can say with surety that Frank Baum really preplanned to produce a work that was so much critical of the monetary aspects of the 1896 election. â€Å"Yet it is not too much of a stretch to interpret the imagery of the story in this light. Of all the fantasy characters Baum could have created to accompany Dorothy on her journey, he chose characters that evoked so strongly the occupations of ordinary people in the late-19th century—farmers and industrial workers. Lawrence Swaim suggests that Baum â€Å"may not have been conscious of [the political significance of the Oz imagery], which would explain why the political references in Baum’s books pop up in such a surrealistic way.†1 It is surprising none of the Baum biographers identified that if Baum had any political intention to write The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. â€Å"If Baum had been a Populist supporter, the imagery in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz suggests that Baum had lost his zeal for the Populist movement.† 1 Endnotes 1. Ranjit S. Dighe, The Historian’s Wizard of Oz: Reading L. Frank Baum’s Classic as a Political and Monetary Allegory (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2002) 2. Richard Jensen, The Winning of the Midwest: Social and Political Conflict, 1885-1896 (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1971) 3. Martin Gardner and Russell B. Nye, eds., The Wizard of Oz and Who He Was (East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 1994) 4. William Leach, Land of Desire: Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture, (New York: Vintage Books, 1993) 5. Lynette Carpenter, â€Å"‘There’s No Place Like Home’: The Wizard of Oz and American Isolationism,† Film and History 15 (May, 1985), pp. 37-45 6. Francis MacDonnell, â€Å"‘The Emerald City Was the New Deal’: E.Y. Harburg and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,† Journal of American Culture (13 (Winter 1990), pp. 71-75.