Political Ideologies Essay Example for Free

Political Ideologies Essay Ideology is a highly contested phenomenon used in politics, social science and philosophical discourse. Heywood (2003, p12) defines ideology as ‘a more or less coherent set of ideas that provides the basis for organised political action whether this is intended to preserve, modify or overthrow the existing system of power. ’ According to Freeden (2003) we are all ideologists in the sense that we prescribe to certain political views in our environment. He goes on to say that ideologies are competing interpretations of making sense of the worlds we live in. Ideologies look at what society should be like and why the society is the way it is. Leach (2002) states that the term ideology is quite problematic. He also defines ideology as â€Å"interconnected set of ideas which form a perspective on the world† Leach. R. (2002, p. 1) Williams (1998) defines ideology as a system of ideas and beliefs that offer a means of understanding the world. He also adds that these ideas provide a programme to shape the future and seen as a guide to action. From the above, it is clear that there is no agreed definition of what ideology is. My view of ideology is ideas or views attempting to explain how society should be. Political parties may have conflicting ideas on certain issues of society and therefore influence the policies which affect service users. From this perspective, I can suggest that ideology is related to a set or system of beliefs, ideas and values that individuals, groups and organisations hold. Examples of ideologies include communism, socialism, liberalism, conservatism, feminism and fascism. Implications to Social Work Many service users who come in contact with social workers will be experiencing poverty and deprivation. Social workers will be there to advocate and advise service users on how to apply for these benefits. According to Thompson (2005) poverty leads to other problems such as poor mental health and social exclusion. Social workers support these service users by sign posting for counselling, rehabilitation and psychotherapy. Liberalism as an ideology offers an explanation of how social problems are constructed and how families and individuals are conceptualised within this framework. Thompson, (2005) suggested that problems are constructed by society. Adams, (2002) state that as social workers we need to keep up to date with all policy changes so that we can advise service users accordingly. He emphasises that social workers should be proactive by reading informative newspapers and social work journals. Brechnin (2000) cited in Adams (2002) also state that it is vital for practitioners to grasp the policy context of the cases they deal with and thereby improve how they deal with service users complexities. Critical understanding of policies concerning children and families may help social workers improve practice. Social workers need to assess and identify the needs of a service user group for example people with disabilities and find out as much information as they can through research on how they can assist and empower service users. The question for social workers is do we challenge a belief or ideology which we think does not fit in with social work values for example Conservatism. On the other hand, we enter into another debate of social workers as agents of the state so whichever government is in power, social workers as agents of state would have to follow their beliefs. We need to be aware of the current government beliefs, and its influence on policies so that we are equipped to advise service users on services available. To conclude, the practice of social work in modern liberal society rests on liberal principles. By locating the connections between social work and Liberalism ideology, we have seen how practical social knowledge is influenced by liberal philosophical assumptions. These central tenets of Liberalism are liberty, tolerance, and a free-market economy. These core beliefs affect all areas of social life, including social work. The tensions that permeate the practices of liberal governments are present in the field of social work and valuable indicators of the complexity of the issues social workers face. Crucially, they are open to reform. There are deep social problems in liberal society such as poverty, inequality, alienation. What we can learn from these problems is that if Liberalism will succeed in its aspirations it needs to expand its scope to include more social and corporate responsibility, and a greater understanding of community. Bibliography Adams, R. (2002), Social Policy for Social work, Basingstoke: Palgrave Alasdair. D. M. (1981), After Virtue , 2nd edn, London: Duckworth. Bellamy, R. (1992), Liberalism and modern society Cambridge: Polity press. Frazer, E. and Lacey, N. (1993) The Politics of community, Hertfordshire: Harvester Wheatsheaf. Freeden, M. (2003), Ideology: A very short Introduction, Oxford: Oxford University Press Heywood, A. (2007) Political Ideologies an introduction, 4th edn, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Hills, J. and Stewart, K. (2005), A More Equal Society, Bristol: Policy press Hobbes, T. (1985) Leviathan , London: Penguin Classics. Leach, R. (2002), Political Ideology in Britain, Basingstoke: Palgrave Mullaly, B. (2007), The New Structural Social work: Ideology, Theory, Practice, (3rd edn), USA: Oxford University Press Ramsay, M (1997) What’s wrong with Liberalism London: Leicester University Press. Rousseau, J. J. (1968) The Social Contract, London: Penguin books. Rawls, J (1999), A Theory of Justice, Oxford: Open University Press. Thompson, N. (2005), Understanding Social Work: Preparing for practice, (2nd edn), Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan. Williams, A. (1998) UK Government and Politics, Oxford: Heinemann Wilson, K et al, (2008) Social Work: An Introduction to contemporary practice, Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.

New Product Launch Marketing Plan Essay Example for Free

New Product Launch Marketing Plan Essay A marketing plan can be defined as a written document that summarizes what the marketer has learned about the marketplace and indicates how a firm expects to reach its marketing objectives. It contains tactical guidelines for the commercialization programs and financial allocations over the planning period (Kotler et al., 2012). This document can be considered one of the most important outputs from the marketing process as it provides direction and focus for a brand, product, or company (Kotler et al., 2012). Typically, the marketing plan includes the following elements: Executive summary, situational analysis, marketing strategy, financial projections, and implementation controls. Executive summary Founded in 2014, Luxury-Pedic is a start-up manufacturer of luxury mattresses offering a product line that is focused on creating a lull the senses into a deep, relaxing, and peaceful nights sleep. With other competitive offerings like Tempur-Pedic, Icomfort, and Sealy Optimum, the Luxury-Pedic product line will focus heavily on being different. By providing a quality product at competitive price levels, excellent warranty, and service experience, Luxury-Pedic will stand out. Luxury-Pedic will realize vital market penetration by utilizing a market challenger strategy and attacking the market leader on the basis of competitive pricing. Additionally, Luxury-Pedic will thrive based on the following operating principles: hiring a top-notch management team with extensive industry experience; a solid business model and long-term planning; and careful evaluation and response to competitive opportunities. Situational analysis Luxury-Pedic is entering into its first year of operation. Thus  far, its products have been well acknowledged with the intention of further and rapider expansion to come based on the marketing efforts soon to be implemented. Luxury-Pedic offers memory foam mattresses in three varieties of firmness and a several varieties of types of memory foam. Market Summary Luxury-Pedic understands the existing market and has done extensive research to understand the common attributes of the target market. This research will be used better to understand the consumers, their needs, and how to communicate best with the market. According to Business Journal for the Sleep Products Industry (2015), the target market for the mattress industry includes the following: Mattress Involved Sleep Sufferers Healthy and Content Brand Selectors Apathetics There is no set geographic target area for mattress sales. By utilizing in-store sales, Internet sales and delivery services, Luxury-Pedic intends to serve both domestic and International customers. The market can also be narrowed down to the adult demographic, ages 18 and up. Behavioral factors will include the working class, the sleep deprived or fatigued population looking for a good nights rest. Market Growth Potential The mattress industry is a steadily growing, altering, and evolving. As the mattress industry has changed, the consumer demographics have changed as well. Baby Boomers no longer are wanting to deal with horrible sleep conditions as it saved money in exchange for a better nights sleep that allows consumers to be more energized and feel younger. This changing of consumer wants to consumer needs has enabled the mattress industry to become more prosperous than ever. There is an unlimited market growth potential as consumers are becoming more educated on the benefits of a better nights sleep as well as more educated on the advantages and disadvantages of the different types of mattress products. According to Wise (2012), The mattress trade group recently revised its estimate and expects the value of mattress shipments to rise 10.5 percent and the number of units to grow 6.5 percent (p. 3). This increased consumer knowledge base has changed the mattress market potential from being a small market with potential immediate rewards into a market where long-term growth and increase opportunity has become to the key to market success. Competitive Analysis The Luxury-Pedic 100% memory foam mattress line will move into a highly competitive space. Outside of the 100% memory foam mattress line, there is the independent wrapped pocketed coil line and the interlocking coil or traditional coil lines of a mattress. These lines are built and designed by mattress companies that have been selling mattresses for 65 to 140 years by brands such as Sterns Foster, Simmons, Sealy, and Hampton Rhodes just to start. When it comes to the 100% memory foam mattresses, Sealy, Tempur-Pedic, Hampton Rhodes, Serta are the most popular companies today. All four of these businesses produce memory foam mattresses that range in price from $698 to $9,000 for a queen set. The none memory foam mattresses range from $198 to $4,800 for a queen mattress set. Competitor Product Price Summary When it comes to the prices of the 100% mattress foam lines, Luxury-Pedic is unable to compete with the prices of Hampton Rhodes and the introductory lines from both Sealy and Serta. The quality differences between the Luxury-Pedic mattress lines and the lower end lines of Sealy, Serta, Hampton Rhodes are the differences between night and day. For their price point, none of their mattresses are 100% memory foam. They contain mostly low-grade heat conductive standard foam that sleep hot by giving back all of the heat put into the mattresses. Additionally, they do not have proper edge support or prevent body impressions. When it comes to the higher priced 100% memory foam mattresses from the other competitive brands, Luxury-Pedic mattresses will stand out due to same high quality of material, temperature regulation, comfort, and edge support at a price point that undercuts all other competing mattresses. Tempur-Pedic mattresses are the only mattresses in the entire industry that are price locked at a that is almost double of what any other memory foam mattress costs. Tempur-Pedic owns SealyTempur-Pedic, and so the focus of the Sealy  100% memory foam mattress line is to be only two steps above the Serta memory foam line. Out of all of the memory foam mattress lines, the Serta collection is the worst at temperature regulation and has no pillow top product offering. Sealy is better at temperature regulation but is the softest of all memory foam mattresses. The prices of these two lines are very similar. They range from $1,299 to $2,499. Segmentation, Target Market, Strategy The Luxury-Pedic mattress lines will focus on three different areas of the consumer market. The first will be focused on consumer medical needs. The medical benefits of the Luxury-Pedic mattress lines range from increased circulation, increased recovery times, decreased: aches, pains, and soreness, and an increase in an overall comfort allowing for a better nights sleep. The second area will focus on consumer comfort. The Luxury-Pedic line will come in 3 different comforts from firm, plush, and pillow top allowing a customer to be able to identify the mattress that best suits their comfort needs. The third and final focus will be on consumer value as the Luxury-Pedic line will be more cost effective than Tempur-Pedic but will provide all of the same advantages and benefits of Tempur-Pedic. According to Perry (2010), The mattress industry must sell dreams if it wants to elevate its image, boost its sale price and give consumers a better shopping experience (p. 34). With the implementation of using these three different market strategies focusing on consumer segmentation and target marketing, Luxury-Pedic will be able to establish a stronghold in the 100% memory foam market. Pricing The Luxury-Pedic line will consist of three different mattresses firmness levels. There will be a firm, plush, and pillow top. When it comes a firm mattress, Tempur-Pedic queen price set is at $4,199, Serta is at $1,699, and Sealy has not actual firm 100% memory foam mattress. The price for a Luxury-Pedic firm mattress will be $1,899 as the Serta mattress has poor temperature regulation and it out prices the Tempur-Pedic significantly. When it comes to a plush mattress, Sealy is priced at $1,799, Serta $1,999, and Tempur-Pedic at $3,499. The Luxury-Pedic mattress will be priced at $2,099. The focus is to build value in the concept of adding more material  increases the size of the mattress allowing which causes an increase in the cost of the mattress. There is not a real pillow top in any of the Tempur-Pedic, Serta, or Sealy mattress lines, making Luxury-Pedic a true one of a kind, but in soft equivalences Sealy is priced at $2,099, Serta $2,199, and Tempur-Pedic at $4,999. The Lux ury-Pedic pillow top will be priced at $2,299. The point is to no be cheaper than a low-end mattress, but to be at a lower price than Tempur-Pedic. We will be at a higher price than Sealy and Serta with the benefit of much better quality. Distribution Strategies The distribution strategy for Luxury-Pedic will be following Indirect distribution. Luxury-Pedic Mattresses will initially be built and assembled in two factories in New Mexico and Kentucky to allow for easy mass distribution to wholesalers and mattress retailers. As Luxury-Pedics increase in the success, additional factories will be built to shorten delivery times in order to allow for an increase in mattress sales. The objective of the distribution strategy is to be able to get new mattresses to wholesalers and retailers in less than 72 hours after ordering. Developing clear objectives is vital to a successful marketing plan. There are numerous essential elements to consider when creating effective marketing objective. Its important that the objectives are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-specific or SMART for short. The SMART approach let you how to manage your marketing activities successfully. Luxury Pedic is always evolving. The mattress industry is continuously growing. Key performances indicators are an important part of information used to describe how companies such as Luxury Pedic will progress towards its marketing goal within the next three years. Retailing at competitive rates of $1899-2500 depending on the mattress performance level, Luxury Pedic is priced to achieve increased profit revenue continuously. The key performance indicators are based on legitimate data and business objectives, and they are not always financial but they are necessary for directing management to their full potential. Some other essential performances include new and existing customers’ status, customer segmentation by profitability or demographics, customer referrals, advertisement, and testimonies. Demand forecasting Demand forecasting and estimation gives businesses valuable information about the markets in which they operate and the markets they plan to pursue. The purpose of demand forecasting and estimation is to find a businesss potential demand so managers can make accurate decisions about pricing, business growth and market potential. Managers base pricing on demand trends in the market. Demand forecasting and estimation is critical for inventory management. Businesses buy inventory based upon demand forecasts. Demand forecasting and estimation methods are typically accurate for short-term business planning. Estimating demand for the long-term is difficult because there are many unforeseen factors that influence demand over time. The expansion of the global mattress industry is forecast to reach 3.7% p.a. in the coming years. Between 2007 and 2013 the market increased with an average annual growth of 4.9%. Currently, cellular plastic and rubber mattresses account for 40.9% of the global demand while the remaining market share is divided between other mattresses (41.8%), and mattress supports (17.3%). China, France, Germany, Japan and the United States represent the largest mattress markets while the strongest annual growth is forecast to occur in Tanzania (24.1%), Ethiopia (15.4%), Philippines (15.0%), Rwanda (14.8%) and Bolivia (13.3%). Marketing Objectives Developing clear objectives is vital to a successful marketing plan. There are numerous essential elements to consider when creating effective marketing objective. Its important that the objectives are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-specific or SMART for short. The SMART approach let you how to manage your marketing activities successfully. Luxury Pedic is always evolving, the mattress industry is continuously growing, and key performances indicators is an important part of information used to describe how companies such as Luxury Pedic will progress towards its marketing goal within the next three years. Retailing at competitive rates of $1899-2500 depending on the mattress performance level, Luxury Pedic is priced to achieve increased profit revenue continuously. The key performance indicators are based on legitimate data and business objectives; they are not always financial, but they are necessary for directing management to their full potential. Some other key performances include new and existing customers status, customer  segmentation by profitability or demographics, customer referrals, advertisement, and testimonies. Implementation Milestones As a new company, setting milestones in a marketing plan allows your company to track the progress of company goals; allowing the business to determine if it can reach the task by a particular date and if there is enough data to move to the next activity. Luxury Pedic will identify their tasks, the start date, and the scheduled completion date, each event will continue until every task is finished. Creating a milestone table for your business sets the plan in concrete terms with real budgets and deadlines. Luxury pedic started by identifying each milestone, assigning a due date, allocating a budget, and designating a responsible person or group for each task, this is how a plan is implemented. Control Metrics It is important to set the rules of engagement within Luxury-Pedic. In order to measure success, we must be able to have a way to create company goals and establish the way to control what needs to be done in order to achieve the objectives set forth. We must be able to have a rule to measure current success, as well. We must be able to deliver efficiently on four types of marketing control. Those types are Annual Plan Control, Profitability Control, Efficiency Control, and Strategic Control. Annual Plan Control provides us with the ability to see if the results the company is looking for are being reached. Profitability Control shows us where we are making money and, even, where we are losing money. If it is found that money is being lost, we can adjust what is being done to produce a positive gain in revenue. Depending on the money that is lost, the product or idea will go directly to the end of life cycle to save cost in that area. Efficiency control gives us the opportunity to see how our marketing dollars are being spent in relation to the impact that our marketing strategy is having on our consumer base. Strategic control will give us a roadmap letting us know if the company is going down the right path in product offerings and how we are going about to make these offers available to the public. With the proper control measures put in place, we can see a complete picture of how the company is doing at any particular time. We will be able to identify problem areas quickly and create contingency plans when needed adequately to address  any needs or areas of concern. Its falls on management to steer the company in the right direction. Creating a culture of success is vital. Frontline employees must be on board with the direction the company is moving. If it is determined that there are issue in that area by way in bad performance results, for example, it is up to management to find the right path to correct those performance issues. All parts of the business must work well together in order to serve our consumer base actually. Contingency Planning Marketers must be ready to update and adapt marketing plans at any time (Kotler Keller, 2011, p. 55). There are many variables that can affect daily, monthly, and quarterly numbers in terms of production and revenue. We must be ready to address any and all areas of concerns promptly. The introduction of a new mattress company can affect the way we market and advertize to our consumer base. Competition in a marketplace can have several adverse effects. One thing we must be prepared to adapt to is the effect competition can have on pricing and promotions. Too much competition can drive prices down which mean Luxury-Pedic must change to be successful. We may need to invest in more cost friendly products that can deliver the same quality and comfort to cut cost, but will allow us to still deliver on our promise to our customer base with more affordable pricing. Major geological events can have an immediate impact on demand of our products. Floods, tornados, and hurricanes can create mass devastation that can leave our consumer base in need to rebuild. Adjustments in our offerings and promotion to assist in helping rebuild our community will increase our overall customer satisfaction. Community service events and product donations would be a way for us to stand out above the rest of our competition to show that we care about our customers and our community. During such a period, the company could see a short term dip in revenue. With the establishment of community service projects in the time of need, we can predict that we will reap positive long term success from that. Luxury-Pedic must be flexible in our approach and delivery of our products to our customer in order to achieve high success. In conclusion, a successful firm starts with a marketing plan within its first fiscal year. A marketing plan is a highly detailed and written document that summarizes how  a firm plans to reach its marketing objectives. Luxury-Pedic has outlined its marketing plans and detailed tasks to reach these elements, executive summary, situational analysis, marketing strategy, financial projections, and implementation controls will be discussed among other elements. This paper has defined the following objectives that Luxury-Pedic will implement to achieve this successful marketing plan. References BedTimes. (2012). Research Finds 5 Key Mattress Consumer Segments. Retrieved from http://bedtimesmagazine.com/2009/01/research-finds-5-key-mattress-consumer-segments/ Kotler, P., Keller, K. L. (2011). Marketing Management (14th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. Perry, D. (2010). Mattress industry should sell dreams. Furniture Today, 34(37), 33. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.contentproxy.phoenix.edu/docview/346182942?pq-origsite=summonhttp://search.proquest.com?accountid=35812 Wise, W. L. (2012). Going to the mattress. The Post and Courier Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.contentproxy.phoenix.edu/docview/1115405056?pq-origsite=summonaccountid=35812

Choosing Appropriate Quantitative Research Design

Choosing Appropriate Quantitative Research Design Quantitative research is designed to provide quantitative (numerical) data that answers questions related to trends, attitudes, opinions, or the impact of treatment on a population. Before quantitative research begins, it is necessary to identify the purpose of the study, the population to be studied, the variables involved in the study, and the type of data that would be most useful as an end product. After identifying these components, researchers can next hone in on the design of the research, the design of the research collection tool, sampling procedures, the survey or measurement instrument, data collection methods, and data analyses methods (data organization, data interpretation, scaling, etc.) and issues (validity, reliability, threats to validity, etc.).The research is based on theory or hypotheses and is usually tests for the impact of an intervention on a population. The impact of an intervention or treatment may be measured using traditional experimental methods and proc esses or by survey methods. Survey methods include personal interviews, telephone interviews, mailed questionnaires, group administered questionnaires, or dropped-off household surveys (Trochim, 2006). Though the process is presented in simple terms in this paper, the actual design process is a very complex set of decisions related to the methodologies and procedures of quantitative research. This paper seeks to outline the strengths and limitations of the most widely used research design models to determine the appropriate research design for quantitatively researching the use of technology web 2.0 innovations to determine its effect on learning and test performance in the elementary classroom. The quantitative study of the social science is especially challenging because of the fact that the independent variables cannot be manipulated and that the research must often be performed in real time in a natural setting. The research is characterized by the manipulation of a variable but extreme care must be taken not to harm the study participants in any way throughout the study. Research is usually centered around the determination of a property-disposition relationship (attitude-focused) or a stimulus-response relationship (behaviorally-focused). Quantitative researchers must determine which type of relationship is best suited for their specific study. The following are critical factors in making this critical determination: Time Interval: the period of time between introduction of the independent variable and the response to the variable Degree of specificity: isolation of the independent variable to determine its effect Nature of comparison groups: comparison of before/after groups or experimental/control groups for statistical analysis Time sequence of events: determining the timeline for the relationship between cause and effect These elements of quantitative research drive the decisions regarding research methodologies and procedures related to choosing an appropriate research design. The following is a brief overview of the research designs used in social sciences. Quantitative Research Design Comparison Experimental Design Experimental design is usually associated with the life and physical sciences where independent variables are easily manipulated. Experimental design compares the results of an experimental group (that receives exposure to an independent variable) with a control group (that does not receive exposure to an independent variable). This design often uses a pretest and posttest measurement to analyze the differences between groups. The advantages of this type of research design for studying social science include the ability of the researchers to introduce and control extrinsic and intrinsic (independent) variables as well as the easy identification of causal inferences that strengthen the validity of the research. Disadvantages of experimental design for social science includes the inability to replicate the experiment in a real-life social setting resulting in weak external validity and the reliance on volunteers or self-selected participants who may not represent the actual population. As a result, generalizability is decreased due to the small sample of participants selected for the study. Cross-Sectional and Quasi-Experimental Designs Cross-sectional design is recognized by its utilization of surveys to determine study participants backgrounds, past experiences, and attitude to determine the relationship between research variables. This type of research is not conducive to experimental design because of the difficulties in manipulating the independent variable during the study. Cross-sectional design relies on statistical analysis to approximate the relationship between variables and may not produce accurate causal inferences. Internal validity is weak as a result. Quasi-experimental design is identified by random selection of study participants without the requirement of random selection of participants to a comparison group, study of more than one population sample, and studies conducted over time. It is difficult to disaggregate the data produced by this type of study since the population sample will consist of a mixture of subjects with various traits and characteristics. Causal inferences are difficult to determine with this design. Performing the study over time and the analysis of data by (similar) categoric or contrasted (different) groups are strategies used to increase the validity of this design for social science research. Planned variation design, panels, time-series designs, and control-series designs are alternative quasi-experimental social science research designs that attempt to increase internal and external validity by controlling stimuli introduction, research methods, cause-and-effect identification, and causal inference determination respectively. Combined designs employ two or more of the designs mentioned above in effort to assess the causal effects of variables using a multi-method, multi-design approach to studying social science. The advantages offered by these designs include increased internal and external validity as a result of the ability to perform research in real-life, natural settings with a representative population. Since there is no assignment of participants to treatment or comparison groups, researchers are able to perform studies that could be considered unethical or impossible using traditional experimental designs. The disadvantages associated with these designs include difficulty determining causal inferences (due to a wide variety of differences inherent in the study population) and the inability of researchers to manipulate the independent variable. Pre-Experimental Design Pre-experimental design is appropriate when no other design is able to study a population due to limitations in time, population, or a specified event. If there is a single event that occurs at a specified time for a specified group of people, there is only one opportunity to study the impact of a treatment. For this reason, pre-experimental design is considered to be the weakest type of research design with a high risk of causal inference error. There is usually not an assignment of subjects to an experimental or control group and this design usually does not include a comparison group. A one-shot case study is often used with this type of design and does not offer high validity due to the limited ability to generalize study results to a wider population. An advantage of this design includes allowing researchers the ability to scientifically show that more research is needed to explore a particular hypothesis. Weak internal and external validity and the inability to make causal infe rences are considered to be disadvantages for this research design. Determining Which Design is Most Appropriate My research problem studies the relationship between the use of web 2.0 innovative technologies (such as Skype, Second Life, etc.) and depth of research, test performance, and self- motivated learning for grade 3 through 8 students. Important factors that are necessary to consider are the identification of the independent variable, identification of dependent variables, availability of a control or contrast group, ethical implications of this study, and availability of the study (treatment) population. The independent variable in the study is the use of web 2.0 technologies for research. Dependent variables are research depth, test performance, and student self-motivation to learn. The grade 3 through 8 students for the control group and experimental group are available at my current place of employment. Since the treatment involves using technology to learn, there is no presumed risk or ethical issue since using technology is an ordinary part of the students day of learning. The tre atment of using technology for communication over the Internet is a manipulation of the use of technology in the classroom. Special care will be taken to ensure that students adhere to Internet safety rules during communication sessions. Experimental design is the most appropriate research design for this study for the following reasons: Availability and randomization of control and experimental groups Variables can be easily manipulated Pre-test and post-test measurements are possible Causal inferences will be easily identified Johnson and Christensen (2007) state that quantitative research is appropriate for describing what is seen and generating new hypotheses and theories. Since the measurements of the dependent variables reflect behavioral rather than cognitive outcomes, the tools used to measure the study outcomes will not include surveys but rather observational logs. This further supports the use of the experimental design for this study. Other Considerations Other research designs are not considered appropriate and are detailed for the following reasons. Cross-sectional design is not appropriate for this study because surveys are not necessary to determine the participants backgrounds, past experiences, or attitudes. Also, since the independent variable can be manipulated, statistical analysis will not be necessary to approximate causal inferences. Quasi-experimental design should not be employed since the assignment of participants to a control or comparison group is possible and there is no need for an extended period of time for this study. Also, there is no need to systematically introduce stimuli, use panels, or take measurements over a number of time periods. Data is not expected to change for individuals due to history, maturation, or test-retest effects. Furthermore, there are no ethical considerations present in the experimental design for the study. Lastly, the pre-experimental design is not appropriate for this study since thi s is not an event-based or time-sensitive study.

Big Brothers Essay -- essays research papers

Becoming a mentor can have a tremendous impact on the life of a youngster. Children need someone to look up to that doesn’t necessarily need be a part of their immediate family. Sometimes they have no siblings, or maybe their siblings or parents are busy. Perhaps they have no grandparents to do things with. These children are the ones that spend their afternoons in crowded after school programs where they may not get the attention the crave. This may lead to isolation and oppositely over hyperactive children starved for attention. In other cases, some children who are not so fortunate as to be offered after-school programs are subject to the world outside all on their own. In too many cases, these are the children that become statistics. These are the children who turn to drugs or crime, be it out of fear, or simply to feel accepted. Accepted in the wrong crowds still may comfort a lonely child. One of the most renowned mentoring agencies is a non-profit organization called big brothers/ big sisters of America. A man who saw a young boy sifting through the trash for food created this establishment over 90 years ago. He took the boy home, fed him, and then met his poverty-stricken family. From that point on, he became a mentor to the little boy, and this inspired him to form the organization for other boys, and in following years, a group of Christian women created a program for little girls. The soon joined forces and became the big brothers and big sisters of America. I...

Analysis of Kurt Vonneguts Slaughterhouse-Five :: Slaughterhouse-Five Essays

Analysis of Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five Section One- Introduction Slaughterhouse-Five, written by Kurt Vonnegut Junior, was published in 1968 after twenty-three years of internal anguish. The novel was a "progressive work" after Vonnegut returned from World War II. Why did it take twenty-three years for Kurt Vonnegut to write this novel? The answer lies within the book and within the man himself. Kurt Vonnegut served in the Armed Forces during World War II and was captured during The Battle of the Bulge. He and a group of American Prisoners of War were taken to Dresden to take part in a prisoner work camp. Vonnegut and his fellow soldiers were housed in an underground facility when Dresden became history as the most loss of human life at one time. On the night of February 13, 1945, when the Americans were underground, Dresden was firebombed by the Allied Air Force. The entire city was annihilated while 135,000 people were killed. The number of casualties is greater than those of Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined. The bombing of Dresden, Germany is why it took Kurt Vonnegut so long to write this book. The human pain and suffering is still fresh in the mind of the author twenty-three years later. One can only imagine the intense emotional scarring that one would suffer after exiting an underground shelter with a dozen other men to find a city destroyed and its people dead, corpses laying all around. These feelings are what prompted Kurt Vonnegut to write Slaughterhouse-Five as he did. The main character of this novel mirrors the author in many ways, but the striking similarity is their inability to deal with the events of Dresden on the night of February 13, 1945. Section Two- Critical Commentaries Kurt Vonnegut's work is nothing new to critics, but Slaughterhouse-Five is considered to be his best work.

Race and Crime in America Essay

How do people from different entities in the United States perceive race as it relates to the criminal justice system? This was the question asked to ten different people in different locations of the United States. In additional to this question a different group of participants were asked if they believe that the criminal justice system is racist? In this paper I propose that most people in the United States have a very negative perception about the criminal justice and its promises. I concluded this based on face to face interviews I did with participants and through electronic responses. Regardless of their race, values, beliefs, social class, gender and age all the participants of my research paper agree on that there is a connection between race and crime in America. To some the criminal justice system is not as blind as it is perceived to be. Some of the participants have little understanding of the law system and its different components. Some not fully competent to be subject matter experts to determine if crime and race connect however, they all have the same generalization about the law, law enforcement and law discrimination. The public receives much of their impressions and knowledge of the criminal justice system through the mass media. Top-rated television programs, such as Cable News Network (CNN) are delivering news on crime on an everyday basis. What people actually know, or think they know, about the criminal justice system can sometimes be interpreted as a form of ignorance of what is known to be mandatory knowledge in order to be law-abiding citizens in any society. As nonchalant some things may sound the public relies on the media to feed them the lasted and most accurate news, but this is not always true. In today’s American society, race and crime go hand in hand. Day after day there is news reports about people of various racial backgrounds involved in criminal activities ranging in different p arts of the country. In the world today we face many different problems. Issues that throughout  the years have been improved but never resolved. Throughout the United States crime continues to be one of our increasing problems within the minorities. Many people believe that crime it’s a problem on its own that is now being related to race. In today’s American society, race and crime go hand in hand. Day after day there is news reports about people of various racial backgrounds involved in criminal activities ranging in different parts of the country. As I did my research I chose a specific case that happened in Queens, New York on November 25, 2006. A young man by the name of Sean Bell was out in a strip club with a couple of his friends celebrating that he was getting married. Later that evening Sean Bell and his friends were being shot at by a couple of police detectives who believed they were armed causing the death of Mr. Bell. A similar case had occurred a couple of years back in 1999 with a young man by the name of Amadou Diallo who was fired 41 shots by police. The relevance of these two stories is that both of these men were black and according to the reports were both unarmed. Which leads to the question that many people have why these two young men are no longer here? This is where race plays a role. Looking into statistics there are a higher percent of black, Latino, and Asian crimes as there is whites. I believed these statistics are like this because they way authority figures are handling some situations especially against minorities. According to an article in the New York Times by Heather Mac Donald called â€Å"Distorting the Truth about Crime and Race†. She states that Black and Latinos are nine times more likely to be stopped by a police officer than whites. Attitudes like these are a major part of the unresolved problems we have today. Situations like Mr. Bell and Mr. Diallo are the results to the police aggression and even though authorities may deny that it has nothing to do with race. It has been a major controversy throughout the United States on why these situations still have a one thing in common race. We as a society need to gain a clearer understanding of the vast relationship between law and society. Why is there such a large connection? Why is it that is always one race that is always the target? What changes need to occur so we can change the perception of the law? Are we still a segregated country? Are we trying to change or are we just turning the other cheek? These were some of the additional questions I ask my responders. I conducted the survey through an online blogs and face to face  questionnaires. I based my questions on the location of participants and on the prior knowledge I knew they have with the criminal justice system; own encounters or experiences family members of theirs have had. The group that I targeted was mainly individuals with a higher education level of a High school diploma. I felt this was a better group to target instead of a younger crowd that I think regardless of their faults, mishap in life always look at someone or something else to blame for their current situation. I wanted a group of individuals that would look at crime and race in a three dimensional perspective and not from a tunnel vision view. Not every member in society beliefs that a person is responsible for their own destiny and that is something I am a strong believer in. It was difficult to get more inputs with individuals on the blog rather than it was getting information from individuals face to face. I am not sure why this was such a critical topic but it brought out some significant emotional event that an individual has or had experience or even a family member of theirs. * Andre Ceballos an undergraduate student at Cornell University, Hispanic male 26 years old, born and raised in New York City said â€Å"The population of prisons around the country definitely answers that question, it’s a damn shame†. * Amir Vasquez undergraduate student at Virginia State university, Hispanic male, 30 years old, born in the Dominican Republic raised in New York City Currently living in Colonial Heights, Virginia said â€Å"just take a look at Colonial White, sorry I meant Colonial Heights, where I live schools are great, free after school programs the whole nine yards, then look across the river in the city of Petersburg their high schools are not even certified and some schools missing windows and things†. My point is minorities usually don’t get a fair shake in education which leads to crime† Mr. Vasquez seems to be speaking from a functionalist perspective, he is blaming society for not offering a better education system that whe n is not provided there is not much to look forward to besides doing criminal activity . * Keisha Brown an undergraduate student at South Carolina University, African America female 25 years old, born and raised in Brooklyn, New Yorkbeaten and killed by a group of white men for alledgedly whistling at a white woman†¦ at that time, the color of his skin caused him to be a target for such a violent crime by the ‘white man’ who at those times did anything they could to make sure african americans did not survive  in their â€Å"white-only† society†¦there’s martin luther king, and even abraham lincoln who were all killed because of something to do with racism. even though lincoln was a white republican, he was the one who abolished slavery. his decision set him aside from the rest of his counterparts. yes, if you dig deeper into his history there are claims that he had slaves as servants etc, but the point im trying to make is that he actually put forth the effort to end slavery. Martin luther king was killed bc of the color of his skin and the rights that he fought for†¦ im stating facts from the past but it can be used as an introduction for your paper. oh yeah and to sum up my argument, even though those events were of the past, it has still followed the african american race even to the present day†¦ black and hispanic children in inner city communities have it even worse than any other child in america. Their race is what keeps them oppressed and from recieving the oppropriate education and solid cultural security that a white child gets living in a blue collar upper class suburban area. Therefore, when that black of hispanic child attempts to leave behind that inner city image, they cannot shake it b/c for so long theyve been treated like crimals and the scum of the earth, most of them have no choice but to turn to crime and violence just to get by in america. sry if i talked ur head off mami but i love talkin ab this type of stuff lol said â€Å" To help answer your question there is definitely a connection with race and crime in America. It has been an issue since the days of slavery, civil rights, and segregation. you can even go as far as to mention Emmitt Till who was brutally beaten and killed by a group of white men for allegedly whistling at a white woman at that time, the color of his skin caused him to be a target for such a violent crime by the ‘white man’ who at those times did anything they could to make sure African Americans did not survive in their â€Å"white-only† society, there’s Martin Luther King, and even Abraham Lincoln who were all killed because of something to do with racism. Even though Lincoln was a white republican, he was the one who abolished slavery. His decision set him aside from the rest of his counterparts. Yes, if we dig deeper into his history there are claims that he had slaves as servants etc., but the point I am trying to make is that he actually put forth the effort to end slavery. Martin Luther king was killed because of the color of his skin and the rights that he fought for. I am stating facts from the past and to sum up my  argument, even though those events were of the past, it has still followed the African American race even to the present day. Black and Hispanic children in inner city communities have it even worse than any other child in America. Their race is what keeps them oppressed and from receiving the appropriate education and solid cultural security that a white child gets living in a blue collar upper class suburban area. Therefore, when that black of Hispanic child attempts to leave behind that inner city image, they c annot shake it because for so long they’ve been treated like criminals and the scum of the earth, most of them have no choice but to turn to crime and violence just to get by in America†. * Terry Powell an African America male, 34 years old born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana currently in college said â€Å"There is not a connection between crime and race because any race can commit a crime and this is clearly seen with white-collar crimes. Crime is seen in different locations high class communities as well as low class communities†. * Christina Bailey an African American female 23 years old, born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana currently in college said â€Å"Yes, there is a connection because we as a society are not focusing on helping one another; we are focus only on helping self. With a mind frame like this the less fortunate will continue to commit crimes just so they can survive in America and needless to say the less fortunate race groups are the African Americans†. * Jacob Weber a white male 26 years old, currently living in Hawaii, in his second year in college said â€Å"Depending on the area that one lives, does crime and race have a connection. There is just a double standard in the system, and not until people that are neutral working in those positions will the system see any changes. The socialization agents play a major role, but regardless whites are more privilege than any other race†. * Miguel Perez a Hispanic male 32 years old, from Texas said â€Å" It depends on the area but minorities are seem to always be the target and because of the racism that is not seen through the naked eye minorities get the least support from the system† * Claudia Perez a Hispanic female 31 years old, from Texas said â€Å"Racism is a significant factor that dictates how America act on a situation for instance our president because of him being biracial, the public wanted him to show proof of his birth certificate, no other president has b een asked to show this document to prove his race or birth location†. * John Pates an  African American male 40 years old, currently living in Hawaii said â€Å"Yes, through history it has been noted that the ratio between black men and white men in prison is not even although blacks and whites are committing the same crimes. * Carrie Williams a white female 30 years old born and raised in Richmond, Virginia currently in college said â€Å"Race and crime have a major connection especially southern states. In southern states you will always find a police officer patrolling neighborhoods of minorities more often than that of a white community. I have asked police officers why are they constantly patrolling my neighborhood and they said â€Å"You never know what these people are planning to do next† to me that was not an answer that a law enforcement should give a citizen. Police officers in the south need more education instead of just being told what benefits they will receive from being a police officer†. Resources that oppose my thesis were not easily accessible and were not of very much accreditation. These sources were more opinionated on the topic rather than stating facts. There are many articles that supported my thesis. It is very clear to me that race and crime is a complex issue to discuss and is very hard to be honest on this topic because of our country’s history and our current statistics. In an article in the Huffington Post the author is aware of the controversy of racism in our legal system but he is also aware of how can it be a debate when the facts are proving other wise and he states 14 examples on how the system is not fair â€Å"Saying the US criminal system is racist may be politically controversial in some circles. But the facts are overwhelming. No real debate about that†. (Quigley, 2010) Race and crime connectivity will be an issue for years to come. As a society we have to understand that not everyone will on a high social class because of many other reasons beside race. A fairness of the legal system is much needed and we need to stop looking at race when punishments are delivered we need to look at the concrete facts of a case. Bibliography Parker, R. (2008 , June 02). ParaPundit. Retrieved November 1, 2010, from ParaPundit.com: http://www.parapundit.com/archives/005242.html#precomments Quigley, B. (2010, July 26). The Huffigton Post . Retrieved November 1, 2010, from

Creating a Positive Classroom Environment

Creating a Positive Classroom Environment A classroom should be one of inquiry and open-mindedness. In order to foster a classroom of students who feel comfortable asking questions and are open to other students’ ideas it is imperative to create a positive, safe environment and learning community. I believe that students should feel like their classroom has high expectations, in how everyone treated each other, and in how learning took place. Creating a classroom environment where all students feel emotionally and physically safe enough to take risks is a real challenge and one that is worthy of the time it requires. The key to an inquiry-based curriculum is a safe, positive learning environment, therefore, it is foundational that the teacher work to provide, establish, and maintain that throughout the year. In the classroom, the teacher should be working on ways to develop a positive learning community by finding out more about my students. For example, each student should fill out a Who Am I questionnaire so that the teacher can get to know their student's personalities, hobbies, likes and dislikes and therefore include them in lectures, discussions and explanations through out the year. The teacher should also engage in differentiated instruction in my classroom so that he/she can tailor specific lessons to fit different viewpoints, and abilities of students. This is also a demonstration of care and respect for students as they see their teacher notice certain aspects about their learning or personalities and tailors their instruction to meet their needs. One of the ways I would engage in differentiated instruction is by walking around the room and constantly being available to assist students. By offering them one-on-one assistance I can better gauge where their personal understanding and misconceptions are and tailor my teaching to them differently than I would to the class as a whole. In order to maintain a positive classroom environment, a teacher must use the ability to make quick decisions and to be flexible in the classroom. The teacher needs to make decisions and adjustments to enhance the student motivation, engagement, and productive work. One way I would make adjustments when there are issues in the classroom hindering the productive learning community is to create a new seating chart. I find that this act is often used enough to nip any potential social problems in the bud and sends a message to students that if they want to sit with their friends, they need to earn the privilege. You would be surprised with how a new seating chart for the class can increase productivity and engagement in core subject content instead of social life information. In a science classroom, experiments and lab work are an important way for students to engage in the content. All students in the class should work on labs at the same time with minimal supervision. The teacher must also be cognizant of how the resources of time, space, activities and attention are allocated to students throughout the short hour that they are in class. However, there are more traditional strategy for lab work. The difference comes in how many materials you have for certain labs, how much time it takes for each group of students to complete the experiment, and how tricky the directions are. Deciding which method to employ for a given lab and analyzing the classroom environment to decide which will work best in a given situation. In the Collier County School District it is acceptable to have up to 30 students in each classroom. It is difficult in this type of environment for students to feel that they are an important member of the learning community. I found that it was easy for certain students to disengage from activities and it was hard for the teacher to pick up on their lack of involvement because of the sheer number of other students in the room. Therefore, I thought up of an activity that would give the teacher time to walk around to individual students and check their understanding of the material. This lesson was an ACT preparation lesson where the students would be working on writing organized essays by finding a thesis statement, supporting it and including evidence from newspaper articles. I found that students would initially be hesitant to show their work to the teacher, but when they saw that the teacher would be going around to everyone at their table they became less nervous and more open to share their problems with understanding. When observing a classroom, one student even remarked as the teacher came to her, â€Å"I don’t know what I’m doing. She was a student that has never raised her hand to ask for help, but with the teachers inevitable arrival she was open to telling her teacher she did not understand. This showed me that if the teacher had not gone around to individual students she would not have told her teacher she did not understand. In order for a classroom to become a learning community it is important that it is organized, and meets clear standards of conduct. An environment in which students are assuming responsibility, participating in ecision-making, working collaboratively and independently, and engaging in purposeful learning activities that use higher order thinking skills and are all pieces of smoothly functioning learning communities. The first lesson that I would present to the class in the fall would be attempting to engage students in a purposeful learning activity that asked them to think deeply about the issues of a the subject that they are in class for. The students would first work together as a class and then the students work individually to show understanding. They were active members of the activity so they had a hand in the decision-making and therefore could assume some ownership and responsibility for the success of the activity. A strategy for engaging students in purposeful activities that promote higher order thinking that is often used in classrooms is asking students to work in pairs to create a concept map from a list of content words. By working in pairs students are collaboratively building understanding and taking responsibility for their own learning plus their partner’s. As mentioned above, in order to have a smoothly functioning learning environment, clear standards of conduct must be established and enforced within the classroom. In order for students to feel safe enough to ask questions, engage in inquiry activities and take risks in their learning. They must feel secure and know that their teacher has clear standards of conduct that will be enforced. The first day of school is a very important day for establishing the standards of conduct that all students are expected to follow. It is also important that student behavior is monitored in a preventative way. One way is by asking a student who is very high-energy and can become disruptive to do small tasks during the hour to keep him engaged, such as feeding the class fish, or putting up the class grade sheet. This particular student can be disruptive and cause problems with other classmates, but with the teacher keeping him engaged when she sees him getting off-task, she is signaling to him that she notices him and has her eyes on his actions. This has been a successful strategy in keeping him out of trouble. However, all issues in a classroom cannot be prevented. Things do sometimes happen despite the best efforts of the teacher to create a safe learning environment. For example, say that you, the teacher had an incident in your classroom where two female students got very angry with each other and yelled loudly and violently at each other and refused to stop. This behavior is very upsetting to the teacher and to the class. And to be successful in resolving the situation, you just have to remove the two students from the class and separate them. In this situation it was important to thoroughly pick up the pieces after the incident was over. This is a very helpful way for a teachers peace of mind and further ability to create a safe learning environment. The teacher should also have individual talks with the students that created the problem. One student in particular would most likely have a very changed attitude about the class after the incident. In order to bring her back to being her enthusiastic self, the teacher should have a one-on-one talk with her, which greatly improved her attitude towards the class. One of the things that would help you to act appropriately when the incident happened in the classroom was the established standards of conduct and consequences that occur if students do not follow the standards. One way to foster students’ ability to engage in dialogue and argumentation and develop the language of thinking is to participate in Socratic seminars in class. Socratic seminars offer a tangible, engaging way for students to develop both ethics and critical thinking, actively and cooperatively. A discussion technique that I would use in my classroom would be an ethical discussion based on the merits and problems with new genetic testing that is available. Students engaged in small groups, then in the large session to discuss their opinions about genetic testing, based on a text they had all read. In order to help the discussion remain civil and productive, I used an ethical discussion framework that was very helpful. In a large classroom of 30 students it is often difficult to make time to meet with students individually to discuss their progress, but it is an important part of teaching that time must be allocated for. Therefore, a lesson plan that can allow the teacher to talk with students individually about an essay they had written. Lets just say that while students were in the Library Center working on ACT preparation tests the teacher then would be able to make time to talk with students individually about the strengths and weaknesses of their essays and what specific things to keep in mind when writing their next essay. This lesson shows a good allocation of time and attention so that students could take away concrete information from the lesson about what they need to work on with their writing and they also saw that their teacher cared about their progress enough to plan a special meeting with them. This one-on-one discussion time between teacher and student is something I do not see a lot of in school and I feel it is very important to include meaningful time talking with each student. In a science classroom it is very important that resources be used appropriately to help promote in-depth, inquiry-based understandings of content. I include it here to demonstrate how helpful it is for teachers to keep up-to-date on literature that is being written on the topics they are teaching. Through reading academic literature they can gain new ideas and insights on how to use technology effectively in their classroom in order to enhance learning and the classroom environment. Creating a positive classroom environment is a very important aspect of effective teaching. In a teachers student teaching placement it has been a priority for to establish and maintain a safe and positive environment where all students can grow, inquire, and learn. I feel strongly that a classroom should always be a safe one for students physically. At times there are going to be things said between students that cannot make it emotionally safe, but you, the teacher can always deal with the issues to send a strong message that your classroom is not a place to come down on peers. I do feel I have more to learn about enacting a true inquiry-based classroom, however. And I know that there are going to be times and lessons where I believe students should be actively involved in inquiry-based projects and if so, I would be very proud of them for their efforts. However, I would like to increase the times that this occurs and make my classroom into a place where students know they are going to question, explore and learn, and not just another stop on their school day schedule.