Uniform Code of Military Justice

Article 92 is perhaps the most important article in the entire Uniform Code of Military Justice. It lays down the ground law, which is the absolute line that may not be crossed. Everything else in the UCMJ is an explanation of the various forms that disobeying an order can take. Without the support given by Article 92, service members would be free to do whatever they want, whenever they want, and wouldn't be any more accountable than a civilian could in a civilian job. However, service members are held to a higher standard.We are the line that protects this country and we are the defense against the storm. Without us, this country would not exist and could not exist. And for that, I have to follow the orders and instructions given by anyone appointed over me. The fact that I didn’t get to an appointment on time showed lack of accountability on my part, a lack of discipline to follow orders I was given and a lack of respect to those who are appointed over me as a leader. I fai led to be at my place of duty, which costs the Army money for another Soldier who could’ve been at that appointment and been on time.The military can only function if orders, when given, are obeyed. We would like to trust in the honesty and integrity of the Soldiers who made that oath and put their lives on the line for their country. The truth is that there are many out there that, if not given a clear set of rules, will not follow the rules. Will not care about the punishments, will not be productive or efficient members of the military machine. That is why Article 92, and the entire UCMJ, are necessary. They reinforce the behavior of those who do the right thing, promoting it and praising it.They punish those who do not do the right thing, undercutting and stamping out such behaviors. With such a system, the bad eggs, those who are unable to fit into the machine, will be ground up by it and spit out. Broken, incomplete, forever bemoaning the lack of foresight and flexibili ty that would have saved them. Accountability in the Army is paramount to the successful completion of the mission. It is a soldier’s personal responsibility to keep all his or her items accountable at all times. This ensures that the Army mission will be completed and that the soldier will remain prepared at all times.On a daily basis, thousands of Soldiers are seen at appointments varying anywhere from surgery on better eye sight to putting a broken foot into a cast for 6 weeks to heal. Appointments can be located anywhere on or off post depending on the type of appointment or preference of the Soldier. It is every Soldier’s right to choose where they would like to receive health care services. The Army spends Billions of dollars on medical supplies, medications, the latest and newest high tech equipment, and the healthcare facilities and the healthcare providers. When a Soldier misses an appointment, the Army’s money is then wasted.Money that could have been used on something such as new trucks, weapons and equipment. With budget cuts on funds within the ranks, missing an appointment is money the Army could use elsewhere. Of all the complications for military funding due to budget cuts, missing an appointment should not factor into it at all. Budget cuts have influenced the Chain of Command and their decisions on requiring Soldiers to pay out of pocket for their missed appointment. The government was starting to discuss having Soldiers pay out of pocket for their missed appointments.Have the Soldier pay out of pocket for the injuries received in an accident because they neglected their profile restrictions. Whether this has taken effect now or it will in the future, Soldiers will be less likely to miss any kind of appointment. If the responsibility were to fall on the shoulder of each individual Soldier, the Army would more than likely not have to inflict budget cuts and â€Å"Troop Cuts† we have all been reading about in The Arm y Times. If each Soldier were accountable for paying for their appointments, there wouldn’t be another wasted appointment because the Soldier was forgetful.It is every Soldiers responsibility to be healthy and remain in a fit condition. When Soldiers fails to do so however, the consequences can be catastrophic or even fatal in some cases. Best example, a Soldier has a tooth ache but ignores it because he or she thinks it’s a sign of weakness, that tooth ache can develop into something much worse than a cavity filling, the Soldier could end up being hospitalized because they didn’t take care of the issue when it was small. They ignored their MEDPROs warning about being past due for a check in.This action seems small, but when the Soldiers fall out of the ranks because they needed more medical attention such as surgery. That unit needs to replace that Soldier to remain fit and ready to deploy. This can led to issues and financial problems within that unit. Their d own a Soldier, which means they have to file paperwork to request a Soldier to replace him. That leads to more money to have that new Soldier coming in for travel and new training. Everything costs money. From the paper we use to request a Soldier to the training that he or she must receive so they can be ready to deploy on a mission.All of that money spent on the new Soldier could have been completely avoided if the Soldier had not ignored his MEDPROs dental warning. Something so small, like a tooth ache, turned in all new training requirements for a new and unprepared Soldier to keep a unit ready for a mission. If Soldiers were required to pay out of pocket for all of their appointments they made, the Army could spend more money where it is needed most. Such things are better training for Soldiers, Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers, better equipment for deployed units and faster approval on funding.This increase in money in better areas can lead to more successful missions an d fewer fatalities on the battle field because the equipment is more accurate. Soldiers have been trained to the highest level, instead of just the basics for life saver course. The Army can afford to push every Soldier through the advanced kind of training needed to save lives. All of this could happen if every Soldier was held responsible for their actions of missing an appointment. Including, if every Soldier made it to all their appointments on time.If every Soldier was paying out of pocket for their appointments, the bigger picture we see is more saved lives in the combat zone. Every Soldier has the right to be seen for health issues. The well being of every Soldier, whether it’s their mental state or their physical health, is required for the best combat ready Soldier the Army has. That is the reality in today’s forces. The citizens of our country need us at our highest peak in health. So when unexplainable and tragic accident such as 9/11 ever happens again, a f orgotten dental appointment will not hold out any Soldier.The responsibility in accountability is every single individual’s duty for themselves and their team. The rank is not a concern when compared to responsibility. No one is singled out. It is my responsibility and my responsibility alone to maintain my physical and mental health state. I have to maintain myself at the highest level for Soldier readiness. That is my responsibility, no one else’s. However, in the long run, I affect someone else’s life if I neglect that responsibility. A simple phone call to change the time of my appointment could have avoided all of this.Neglecting to call was a failure on my part completely. I do not blame nor will I blame anyone but me. On the next appointment, I will be sure to make my appointment on time with enough reminders that it would be impossible not to forget. This standard for accountability needs to be a high priority of every Soldier who does not know much abou t the Army. Such as young privates coming out of Basic and AIT, can be trained and carry on the standard for responsibility and accountability. So future funds can be focused more for the training and not for missed appointments. Uniform Code of Military Justice Article 92 is perhaps the most important article in the entire Uniform Code of Military Justice. It lays down the ground law, which is the absolute line that may not be crossed. Everything else in the UCMJ is an explanation of the various forms that disobeying an order can take. Without the support given by Article 92, service members would be free to do whatever they want, whenever they want, and wouldn't be any more accountable than a civilian could in a civilian job. However, service members are held to a higher standard.We are the line that protects this country and we are the defense against the storm. Without us, this country would not exist and could not exist. And for that, I have to follow the orders and instructions given by anyone appointed over me. The fact that I didn’t get to an appointment on time showed lack of accountability on my part, a lack of discipline to follow orders I was given and a lack of respect to those who are appointed over me as a leader. I fai led to be at my place of duty, which costs the Army money for another Soldier who could’ve been at that appointment and been on time.The military can only function if orders, when given, are obeyed. We would like to trust in the honesty and integrity of the Soldiers who made that oath and put their lives on the line for their country. The truth is that there are many out there that, if not given a clear set of rules, will not follow the rules. Will not care about the punishments, will not be productive or efficient members of the military machine. That is why Article 92, and the entire UCMJ, are necessary. They reinforce the behavior of those who do the right thing, promoting it and praising it.They punish those who do not do the right thing, undercutting and stamping out such behaviors. With such a system, the bad eggs, those who are unable to fit into the machine, will be ground up by it and spit out. Broken, incomplete, forever bemoaning the lack of foresight and flexibili ty that would have saved them. Accountability in the Army is paramount to the successful completion of the mission. It is a soldier’s personal responsibility to keep all his or her items accountable at all times. This ensures that the Army mission will be completed and that the soldier will remain prepared at all times.On a daily basis, thousands of Soldiers are seen at appointments varying anywhere from surgery on better eye sight to putting a broken foot into a cast for 6 weeks to heal. Appointments can be located anywhere on or off post depending on the type of appointment or preference of the Soldier. It is every Soldier’s right to choose where they would like to receive health care services. The Army spends Billions of dollars on medical supplies, medications, the latest and newest high tech equipment, and the healthcare facilities and the healthcare providers. When a Soldier misses an appointment, the Army’s money is then wasted.Money that could have been used on something such as new trucks, weapons and equipment. With budget cuts on funds within the ranks, missing an appointment is money the Army could use elsewhere. Of all the complications for military funding due to budget cuts, missing an appointment should not factor into it at all. Budget cuts have influenced the Chain of Command and their decisions on requiring Soldiers to pay out of pocket for their missed appointment. The government was starting to discuss having Soldiers pay out of pocket for their missed appointments.Have the Soldier pay out of pocket for the injuries received in an accident because they neglected their profile restrictions. Whether this has taken effect now or it will in the future, Soldiers will be less likely to miss any kind of appointment. If the responsibility were to fall on the shoulder of each individual Soldier, the Army would more than likely not have to inflict budget cuts and â€Å"Troop Cuts† we have all been reading about in The Arm y Times. If each Soldier were accountable for paying for their appointments, there wouldn’t be another wasted appointment because the Soldier was forgetful.It is every Soldiers responsibility to be healthy and remain in a fit condition. When Soldiers fails to do so however, the consequences can be catastrophic or even fatal in some cases. Best example, a Soldier has a tooth ache but ignores it because he or she thinks it’s a sign of weakness, that tooth ache can develop into something much worse than a cavity filling, the Soldier could end up being hospitalized because they didn’t take care of the issue when it was small. They ignored their MEDPROs warning about being past due for a check in.This action seems small, but when the Soldiers fall out of the ranks because they needed more medical attention such as surgery. That unit needs to replace that Soldier to remain fit and ready to deploy. This can led to issues and financial problems within that unit. Their d own a Soldier, which means they have to file paperwork to request a Soldier to replace him. That leads to more money to have that new Soldier coming in for travel and new training. Everything costs money. From the paper we use to request a Soldier to the training that he or she must receive so they can be ready to deploy on a mission.All of that money spent on the new Soldier could have been completely avoided if the Soldier had not ignored his MEDPROs dental warning. Something so small, like a tooth ache, turned in all new training requirements for a new and unprepared Soldier to keep a unit ready for a mission. If Soldiers were required to pay out of pocket for all of their appointments they made, the Army could spend more money where it is needed most. Such things are better training for Soldiers, Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers, better equipment for deployed units and faster approval on funding.This increase in money in better areas can lead to more successful missions an d fewer fatalities on the battle field because the equipment is more accurate. Soldiers have been trained to the highest level, instead of just the basics for life saver course. The Army can afford to push every Soldier through the advanced kind of training needed to save lives. All of this could happen if every Soldier was held responsible for their actions of missing an appointment. Including, if every Soldier made it to all their appointments on time.If every Soldier was paying out of pocket for their appointments, the bigger picture we see is more saved lives in the combat zone. Every Soldier has the right to be seen for health issues. The well being of every Soldier, whether it’s their mental state or their physical health, is required for the best combat ready Soldier the Army has. That is the reality in today’s forces. The citizens of our country need us at our highest peak in health. So when unexplainable and tragic accident such as 9/11 ever happens again, a f orgotten dental appointment will not hold out any Soldier.The responsibility in accountability is every single individual’s duty for themselves and their team. The rank is not a concern when compared to responsibility. No one is singled out. It is my responsibility and my responsibility alone to maintain my physical and mental health state. I have to maintain myself at the highest level for Soldier readiness. That is my responsibility, no one else’s. However, in the long run, I affect someone else’s life if I neglect that responsibility. A simple phone call to change the time of my appointment could have avoided all of this.Neglecting to call was a failure on my part completely. I do not blame nor will I blame anyone but me. On the next appointment, I will be sure to make my appointment on time with enough reminders that it would be impossible not to forget. This standard for accountability needs to be a high priority of every Soldier who does not know much abou t the Army. Such as young privates coming out of Basic and AIT, can be trained and carry on the standard for responsibility and accountability. So future funds can be focused more for the training and not for missed appointments.

Lucent Technology Case

Lucent Technologies Case Yulissa T. Ortiz Salgado March 30, 2013 Financial Reporting: Peeking Under the Financial Hood Mrs. Darcie Sargent The Lucent Technologies is a company that helps creating new revenue generating opportunities for customers through the communication service. We all know how useful and important communication services have become throughout the years. Lucent Technologies is compounded of three organizations around the products and they are: Integrated Network Solutions, Mobility Solutions and Lucent Worldwide Services.Integrated Network Solutions also known as â€Å"INS† provides a service related to voice networking like voice messages, data and network management. Mobility offers software and wireless equipment to support radio like we do it on a car, and other electronic devices; however, all these equipment requires money to keep it running and to maintain it, so economy plays a very important place on this company like in every other. It is mentioned in the reading that throughout the years the economy was affected and the revenues or earnings as well.In 2003, the balance sheet shows a balance of total assets of 15,911. Also, it shows a debt of 19,282. We see that there is no earning but a loss in the balance sheet. On 2003 the loss shown is 4,239. Besides the economy downs and cons we can see that one year after, on 2004 things started to get better financially talking. It is not a big difference, but we can see it is helping the company to hang in there. The asset’s balance shows a 16,963, 1,052 more than the year before. The liabilities went down from 19,282 to 18,342.Also, the loss has decrease, by going up from (4,239) to (1,379). For this company would be hard to find investors because of the financial deficit they are confronting. The liabilities are way bigger than the earnings, because there are no earnings at all. If I were an investor, I would not put my money on a company that I see it’s not generating any money. It is true that the liabilities are decreasing, but in a real slowly way. Possibly if the liability was the same, but the earnings were about the same amount would be different.If I were an investor, I would also like to look at the Statement of Cash flows of the company to see where the money is exactly being spent on and were the money is also coming from. When a company is showing this kind of deficit it is very important as an investor to be able to determine why this is happening. The financial statements definitely provide the complete information needed to find out that information. Going deeper into the loans and the liabilities information would also help to determine how we could lower the debt to help the company run in a better way.Finally, I think I would just like to see all financial statements to determine how could my investment help in a positive way the company and also the company help me financially with the time. Usually we do not expect a company t o generate lots of money right away, but we do expect to live from it after a while. Therefore, it is needed to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the company and financial statements are the perfect tools to find all that information. Reference: Understanding Financial Statements, Eight Edition, by Lyn M. Fraser and Aileen Omiston. Published by Prentice Hall, 2007.

Superstition in a Taiwanese Family

Final Writing Assignment: Superstitions in my family Talking about superstitions is a common fact in my family, and in ours modern societies. Even the more reasonable person at least once in his life had been superstitious. Even if we are not extreme in this belief; whom had never crossed their fingers or ran away if we see a black cat. We all even unconsciously believe in fate, good or bad luck. Some people are really extreme in their belief of superstitions but I tend to think that is a way for them more easily to accept some facts whenever the science can not explain it.Superstitions are not limited to a particular part of the globe, people, or community. All superstitions exist, in one form or another, and get different degrees of implication. Superstitions are passed on from one generation to another, through habits or religious practices. No doubt that less educated people are more sensitive to these believes because their understanding of the world and sciences are limited. I am however a rational and educated person. I tend to believe more in reason than feeling but I also happen to be superstitious.My superstitions are those ones my family has, and more precisely my mother conveyed to me. Also my country, Taiwan, where I have grown up is full of superstitious beliefs. Superstitions are a real part of the Asian culture. I totally experience it everyday in my proper family. Some examples of common superstitions of my culture are: you have to knock the door when you enter a room in a hotel in order to tell the ghosts that they have to leave. Or do not use your finger to point the moon or you take the risk to get your ears cut.Another, the most common in all over the world as well as in my country is the belief is link to a number for us the number four which pronunciation in Chinese is really close to the word, die. The another is that a black cat crossing your path can affect your luck, something bad will happen to you soon or later. Firstly, I think it is important to know what a superstition is: According to The Oxford Dictionary, superstition is â€Å"excessively credulous belief in and reverence for the supernatural.A widely held but irrational belief in supernatural influences, especially as leading to good or bad luck, or a practice based on such a belief. † Now for the really scientific mind this belief can seem totally stupid or wrong. But I tend to think that there is no real rational explanation to this belief, we just follow those superstitions because we may be unconsciously afraid of the consequences in next second if we do not follow. For example, my mother used to tell me since I am a kid that do not whistle during night because hypothetically some ghost could be attract by the sound and follow me home.The elder generation really keeps and respects this kind of belief and we grow up with. Lots of people in Taiwan respect those believe that most of foreigners who do not know it and make the mistake are rapidly warned. Maybe this superstition could seem preposterous but most of people here believe in it, so you tend to believe too. For other example, in my family everybody believes that during the Ghosts month, it is inauspicious to travel, to marry, to swim, or stay late outside at night because they believe that all the ghosts of the universe walk on the earth during that month.So, that is why my mother asks me not to stay out at night because she wants to prevent any possibility that I meet any of this â€Å"unknown but possibly dangerous ghosts. † My country may be full of superstitions but many of them can be mock through scientific experimentation. For example, my mother believes that a woman during her pregnancy cannot use any sharp tool or glue without take the risk that her baby gets some bad after-effects. So does it mean that during all her pregnancy, she cannot use a knife so she cannot eat meat by herself.If we think more reasonably I do not see which does not enter the body can get the baby any consequences. This superstition must have evolved with the science but still in Taiwan that lots of family believe in it and really pay attention to pregnant woman. I ignore from where this superstition comes from but we still scare of the unknown and invisible things. In conclusion, the superstitions had been through centuries brought down from our ancestors. All these superstitions affect people’s life and have been kept and brought forward until now.In Taiwan superstitions are a real part of our customs and traditions. I really think that my family is really affected by these beliefs and divided between tradition and modernity. Eventually though I am a realistic person, I sometime get caught up in my mother's superstitions. I do not believe in superstition but unconsciously, I put myself into these through my youth. These superstitions are more than only simple beliefs they are my culture, and my identity. I would love to know how people of my ge neration and other countries live their proper superstitions.

The Effects of Bullying on Middle School Students Attendance Dissertation

The Effects of Bullying on Middle School Students Attendance - Dissertation Example according to Smith and Sharp (1994, p.64), when successful interventions and policies are designed to counter school bullying, it improves â€Å"pupil achievement and attendance over time.† Samdal et al. (1997) studied how the middle school students’ judgment and perception of school affected their academic performance, attendance and school satisfaction. They found that middle school students were always less satisfied with their school environment as compared to younger or primary school students. According to them, â€Å"The most important predictors of students' satisfaction with school are students' feeling that they are treated fairly, that they feel safe and that they believe that teachers are supportive† (p.383). They concluded that unfair treatment like bullying decreased student satisfaction and eventually their attendance. They stated that the need is to give more attention to peer-to-peer and student-teacher relationship rather than focusing more on c ompleting the curricular requirements. Doing so would help in putting a barrier to bullying, school violence, and nonattendance. Smith et al. (2004) studied the behavioral patterns shown by 406 different middle school victimized students of bullying and concluded that continuing victims â€Å"more often missed school† (p.565) than escaped victims. Newsome (2004) studied group interventions to reduce middle school students’ academic underachievement and school non-attendance resulting from bully. 26 students were given the treatment and 26 were not. He found that although those students who were given treatment improved their grades, however there was no difference or improvement in non-attendance in both the groups. This showed that bully had serious effects on students’ psychology which made them turn away... This essay declares that bullying students are normally very sociable and bold without any idea of shame or guilt; whereas, the bullied ones are already very shy and unsure which makes the overall idea of going to school and attending classes disagreeable. This paper makes a conclsuion that unfair treatment like bullying decreased student satisfaction and eventually their attendance. They stated that the need is to give more attention to peer-to-peer and student-teacher relationship rather than focusing more on completing the curricular requirements. Doing so would help in putting a barrier to bullying, school violence, and nonattendance. Smith et al. studied the behavioral patterns shown by 406 different middle school victimized students of bullying and concluded that continuing victims â€Å"more often missed school† than escaped victims. Glew et al. studied how students experienced bullying and what effects bullying had on their attendance record. The research was a cross-sectional study using school data from 2001 to 2002, in West Coast public school district. He found that attendance was the primary predictor of a child being bullied and that there was a dire need for anti-bullying implementable strategies. A similar resear ch has been conducted by Benbenishty et al. who examined the effects of bullying on school attendance in middle school Jewish and Arab students. Rigby also asserts that boys, when bullied, tend to detach themselves from social gatherings and become reserved.

Choose a pathogen Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Choose a pathogen - Assignment Example The disease burden caused by rotavirus is so huge that intervention needs to be taken. Each year rotavirus causes 114 million episodes of gastroenteritis patients, necessitating primary health care and hospitalization. Studies done recently indicative that 41 % of diarrhea in children is mostly caused by rotavirus. If it is controlled, then a bigger portion of hospitalization cases on diarrhea will be reduced drastically, and subsequent deaths cabbed. To this effect, studies have been done on how the virus can be put into control in causing all this epidemiological diseases. The vaccines that were introduced have played an integral role in handling the havoc and the capability of this virus to human population diseases. Rotavirus vaccine has been one of the major breakthroughs in the field of medicine especially pediatric medicine (Bhojwani, 2009). The microscopy of rotavirus is usually done under electron microscope staining procedure. The integrity and the result largely depend on the type, pH and the time of the stain. The three aspects must be put into perspective for the positive finding during observation. Prior to microscopy, the virus must first be isolated, cultured and stained before it can be viewed on the electron microscope. The cultivation of the virus sound technical but also interesting in doing it. The isolation of the virus is done on the stool taken from the human being who is suffering or suspected to have the virus. For example, avian rotavirus strain, CH2, is cultivated in embryonated eggs. It can be done on the yolk sac, amniotic, allantois in combination with membrane of inoculation. After cultivation, the virus will multiply in huge numbers given the multiplying capability. It is from this inoculated culture of the chicken rotavirus virus that a sample undergoes examination via the electron microscope (Parashar et al., 2009). The virus appears as a wheel where the spikes seen are the virulence factors that the virus uses to

Evidence based practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 3

Evidence based practice - Essay Example A careful review of the available literature exposes some of the difficulties discovered in finding an answer to this question. Intake of omega n-3 (VLCn3 PUFAs) could be associated to construction and functional development of cognitive, sensory, perceptual, and motor neural systems. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega n-3, is crucial for the growth and functional development of the brain in infants. DHA is also required for preservation of the normal brain function in adults. The addition of rich DHA in the diet can improve the individual’s learning capability, while insufficient DHA is linked with insufficiency in learning. DHA is drawn into the brain in preference to other fatty acids and the speed at which DHA is assimilated in the brain is exceptionally fast, therefore requiring constant replenishment. In addition, the visual perception of healthy, full-term, formula-fed infants is amplified when their formula contains DHA. Throughout the last 50 years, infants have been given formula diets that are deficient in DHA and other omega-3 fatty acids. DHA deficiencies are associated with foetal alco hol syndrome, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, cystic fibrosis, phenylketonuria, unipolar depression, aggressive hostility, and adrenoleukodystrophy. Low levels of DHA in the brain are connected with cognitive decline during aging and with onset of sporadic Alzheimer disease (Martinez 1996). Reports have been generated over the last few years, regarding supplements of omega n-3 fish oil, and the effects that it may have on children of school age to improve their behaviour, mental capacity and studying performance amid concerns of poor diet amongst the younger generation (Poulter, 2006). This subject has evoked a lot of interest in the media from ministers to health care professionals, parents and school authorities (Poulter 2006). The vast amount of research by the scientific community is still argumentative as to whether chemical pollution

Michle Bear and Mark D. Cannon Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Michle Bear and Mark D. Cannon - Article Example he article explains the assumption made to analyze each situation considering the authors find that there had been no research done to justify the decision process for PFP plans by the management. The article state that the managers found that the cost of the PFP plans was greater than its benefits. The managerial thought effective leadership, clear objective, coaching and training to be better investment. The authors have done a research on the implementation of PFP and the context in which the system was implemented. The article suggest that cost and benefit analysis has led to the elimination of PFP system. That authors state that the study allowed them to understand the reason why the managerial did not implement PFP programs. Their challenges in making decision regarding PFP system was studied through experiment. The study included organization of United States and workers were blue – collar employees. In study, Beer and Cannon understood that the PFP program of Hewlett Packard was eliminated in three years of its implementing. The article explains about the five case example of experiment project of HP at different sites in America as San Diego site, Boise printer formatter shop, PRCO Loveland, Colorado Memory System, The workstation group. The PFP programs included bonus packages on completing of project also stock awards were given to the employees for quality of product and customer service. The trial projected only lasted for 6 months and the employees felt there was no benefit out of this PFP program and some did thing it was a successful attempt. However the experimental projects were dropped as the HP management felt such a motivation was not necessary for a positive outcome. They found that the current pay system is sufficient to support the work team environment. The authors tell that HP management has gained information from this experiment and this has given an insight about the decision making process of the management. The management of the

New York Times Newspaper Paywall Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 33

New York Times Newspaper Paywall - Case Study Example New York Times used a device-specific and metered system that allowed the readers to access up to 20 articles a month for free, but readers would be charged to access more articles except for the front page that was free all the times for all the users. The number of free articles was made to ensure active readers remain engaged and promote the social buzz generated by the articles. The strategy entailed differentiated pricing strategy that entailed three tiers depending on the device used by the reader to access the content and introductory offers and discounts for the customers. The digital pricing was cheaper than print home delivery, but the price was higher than that charged by other newspaper companies’ digital content. The distinctive pricing is essential in order to cater for the unique needs and amount of content accessed by the user (Kumar, Anand, Gupta and Oberholzer-Gee 7). The ‘leaky wall’ design accommodated users from social networks and search engi nes. Readers from Google search were restricted to five-articles per day limit over and above the 20 monthly free articles (Kumar, Anand, Gupta and Oberholzer-Gee 6). In addition, readers who came in from social media sites like Twitter and Facebook faced no links if the articles were linked directly from those social media sites. The paywall is a complement of the print newspaper since it provides the additional revenue stream and enhances the audience. Some readers will prefer the print newspapers especially advertisement companies. The newspaper industry is in trouble due to decline in the overall circulation and decline I the traditional sources of revenues such as subscription, classified advertising, and retail. Accordingly, the nature of the industry makes it difficult to reduce editorial staff, production and distribution costs since they are fixed.

Child labor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Child labor - Essay Example Child labor is such an epidemic that has taken its toll in almost every society of the world with varying degrees of severity and figures. 2. Child Labor International Trade Union Confederation defined child labor as any work that hinders in the development of the true potential, acquisition of dignity and that may obscure the physical and mental growth of a child (1). There exist many types of child labors across the world; agricultural work, industrial work, lifting goods etc. International Labor Office Geneva provided the figures that around 211 million children were known to be employed in full time child labor jobs in the year 2000. According to International Trade Union Confederation, every individual under the age of 18 is considered to be a child, however the age bracket of the children included in this statistic were from 5 to 14 years of age (1). This figure does not even include the children who might be working on shifts basis for lesser durations in a day. This appalling figure serves to make one realize the severity of this situation. 3. Causes and Solutions of Child Labor According to this publication by International Labor Office Geneva, the presence of child labor is lesser in developed countries as compared to the developing ones since developed countries have been recorded to have 2% of child labor and developing nations possess as much as 30% of child labor. One factor that can explain the extensive differentiation between these figures is poverty. Udry agrees with this factor and stated that many economists believe that poverty is a major aspect that compels the parents to send their children to participate in earning for the household (2). However, the eradication of poverty cannot simple be the solution of child labor; it must be accompanied with the creation of awareness of the hazardous causes of undermining the value of education and development of mental growth of the child. It is often witnessed that uneducated parents do not conside r child labor as any wrong conduct and impose the decision of work upon their children. It seems as a natural process in their lives since their ancestors have been following the same direction since ages. This causes the poor children to grow up to be uneducated and poor adults who cannot break the vicious cycle and earn a better place and respect in the society. Vandenberg stated that the cost of education tends to become a hindrance in its acquisition and ends up making the children resort to child labor as the choice other than education (15). He also provided a useful figure that pointed out that Kenya took a positive step against the eradication of child labor in 2003 and abolished the fees from primary schools (18). This step proved to get 1.5 million children off from the streets and their work and starting acquiring education. Free education is a good approach to reduce child labor but the shortage of earnings in a family may prove to incline the parents to send the childre n in the world to earn again. A good strategy to avoid such relapses of poverty can be to regulate effective implementation of the minimal wages to ensure that every adult is able to afford a comfortable living without depending on his children to participate in making ends meet. The people or organizations that promote and encourage child labor often

Balanced Scorecard Essay Example for Free

Balanced Scorecard Essay Rivalry amongst competing firms – Apple is in the unique situation that it has its own proprietary operating system and only used by Apple. So although the competition is fierce for customers, it is a different type of battle for Apple than for others such as Samsung, Google or Microsoft. Apple does face stiff competition but it is in the battle for use-case preference. The Android or Windows OS is different than the Apple iOS and consumers make a choice as to which road they are going to go down. Apple is competing for winning this important thought process and decision-making process. They are not competing on hardware alone because Apple alone produces their products with their OS. The competition will continue for easily the foreseeable future, 10 years and beyond, as the world becomes more digitized. Force: Moderate Potential Entry of New Competitors – The barriers to entry in this industry are steep. Cost of production is very high for new entrants until significant economies of scale are reached. Over the next 10 years there will be many new entrants into the industry though either brand new, or companies already in similar technology markets that will branch out into markets that compete with Apple. Again, that would be a competition for OS preference, not hardware per se. There is always the possibility of an entirely new and 4th, or more, operating systems being developed as technology advances. Moore’s Law tells us this is likely but difficult to ascertain from where it will come, whether it will be significantly better than any existing, and if it will gain wide user acceptance. Force: Weak to Moderate Potential Development of substitute products – Again, since Apple has its own exclusive OS, substitute products are only a threat as being other choices of entirely different OS’s from Microsoft or Android producers, or any other possible future OS development. But Apple does not have any substitute for its own products. Force: Weak Bargaining Power of Buyers – Apple users tend to stay Apple users. Their loyalty is strong and they love Apple products. Apple charges a premium for its products but the image and allure of Apple products and their perceived high quality keep unit sales strong. Although technology economies of scale have certainly been reached in Apple production, they have continued to keep their products priced higher that competing products. Buyer choice based on price alone should affect growth amongst some new customer segments, but will have little effect on the current loyal Apple user base. Unless their products begin to lose some of their luster and appeal and effectiveness, they should remain strong for the future. Force: Weak Bargaining Power of Suppliers – With Apple’s exclusive product line and OS and the relatively small number of products, they are not threatened by supplier power. Apple can easily find factories more than willing to be a part of the Apple supply chain. As their products gain more market share and production increases, Apple is in an ideal situation to manage their suppliers effectively.

Understand Different Approaches To Management And Leadership Commerce Essay

Understand Different Approaches To Management And Leadership Commerce Essay steve Ballmer, Microsoft.   Without a doubt, Mr. Ballmer is the worst CEO of a large publicly traded American company today.   Not only has he singlehandedly steered Microsoft out of some of the fastest growing and most lucrative tech markets (mobile music, handsets and tablets) but in the process he has sacrificed the growth and profits of not only his company but ecosystem companies such as Dell, Hewlett Packard and even Nokia.   The reach of his bad leadership has extended far beyond Microsoft when it comes to destroying shareholder value and jobs. Microsoft peaked at $60/share in 2000, just as Mr. Ballmer took the reins.   By 2002 it had fallen into the $20s, and has only rarely made it back to its current low $30s value.   And no wonder, since execution of new rollouts were constantly delayed, and ended up with products so lacking in any enhanced value that they left customers scrambling to find ways to avoid upgrades.   By Mr. Ballmers own admission Vista had over 200 man-years too much cost, and its launch, years late, met users avoiding upgrades.   Windows 7 and Office 2010 did nothing to excite tech users, in corporations or at home, as Apple took the leadership position in personal technology. So today Microsoft, after dumping Zune, dumping its tablet, dumping Windows CE and other mobile products, is still the same company Mr. Ballmer took control over a decade ago.   Microsoft is   PC company, nothing more, as demand for PCs shifts to mobile.   Years late to market, he has bet the company on Windows 8 as well as the future of Dell, HP, Nokia and others.   An insane bet for any CEO and one that would have been avoided entirely had the Microsoft Board replaced Mr. Ballmer years ago with a CEO that understands the fast pace of technology shifts and would have kept Microsoft current with market trends. Although hes #19 on Forbes list of billionaires, Mr. Ballmer should not be allowed to take such incredible risks with investor money and employee jobs.   Best he be retired to enjoy his fortune rather than deprive investors and employees of building theirs. There were a lot of notable CEO departures in 2012.   Research in Motion, Best Buy and American Airlines are just three examples.   But the 5 CEOs in this column are well on the way to leading their companies into the kind of problems those 3 have already discovered.   Hopefully the Boards will start to pay closer attention, and take action before things worsen. Some say that Steve Sinofsky, credited with bringing order to the sometimes-chaotic software development process at Microsoft partly by cutting layers of management, should be the man to replace Steve Ballmer. Meetings with Sinofsky can be tough, colleagues say, but he doesnt swear like Gates or scream like Ballmer. Sinofsky has blogged at length about his management ideas, and even taught a management class at Harvard Business School. Some of his best blogs were used as the basis for a book called One Strategy: Organization, Planning, and Decision Making, published by Wiley in 2010, which he co-authored with a Harvard academic. Sinofsky writes in his blog about cutting the number of managers between him and the lowest rung of the Windows unit to three or four from seven previously. This streamlining, along with rigorous planning, has become his signature at Microsoft, but has ruffled some feathers at the company because it has reduced the number of general manager positions, where people got to use a wide variety of skills, and focused instead on the core functions of making software: developing, testing and managing specific programs. But few dispute the results. For sure it flattens the organization, it definitely eliminates fiefdoms, said the former Windows executive. Bill Gates had the most amazing mind Ive ever encountered. You could show him a PowerPoint slide and he would ask why it was different from the one you showed him three years ago, said another former Microsoft executive. Steve Ballmer is the most intuitively mathematical person Ive ever worked with. Steve (Sinofsky) is neither of those things. Sources: http://www.forbes.com/sites/adamhartung/2012/05/12/oops-5-ceos-that-should-have-already-been-fired-cisco-ge-walmart-sears-microsoft/3/ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46556568/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/t/microsofts-next-steve-windows-boss-faces-biggest-test/#.UAVLf_Wqnm4 Role An executive in the committee tasked to adviseMicrosoft CEO Steve Ballmer has just assigned you to conduct an investigation into how a sample of organisations, including Microsoft and one other company of your choosing, approach the management of their activities. Your analysis will extend into an examination of organisation structure and culture, as well as management style. Tasks: Using the facts of the company presented in the case above and that of another company of your choosing, compare and contrast different organisational structures and cultures (1.1) Explain how the relationship between an organisations structure and culture can impact on the performance of the business (1.2) Discuss the factors which influence individual behaviour at work (1.3) Compare the effectiveness of different leadership styles in different organisations (2.1) Explain how organisational theory is the foundation for the practice of management (2.2) Evaluate the different approaches to management used by different organisation (2.3) GRADING Pass is achieved by meeting all the requirements defined in the assessment criteria. Merit Identify and apply strategies to find appropriate solutions (M1) Characteristics / Possible Evidence Use of comparative chart that is sufficiently detailed to show that an effective approach to study and research has been applied to both organizations. Select and apply appropriate methods/techniques (M2) Characteristics / Possible Evidence Appropriate methods have been applied in organizational structure, culture and approaches to management related to given organizations as well as sources are justified. Distinction Use critical reflection to evaluate own work and justify valid conclusions (D1) Characteristics / Possible Evidence creativity has been used to generate and justify valid comments on approaches to management and styles of leadership. Take responsibility for managing and organizing activities (D2) Characteristics / Possible Evidence independence demonstrated and substantial activities have been planned, managed, and organised related to the practice of management and leadership. A REPORT ON MICROSOFT AND FEDEXS ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURES AND CULTURES Prepared for: Mr. John Andre (Lecturer) Organizations and Behavior Banking Academy, Hanoi BTEC HND in Business (Finance) Prepared by: TRAN MAI TRANG AMY Registration No.: ITP F05-229 (F05A) Submit Day: 21st November, 2012 Table of Contents INTRODUCTION The assignment is about six outcomes of Organizations and Behavior subject. The scenario company is Microsoft, founded in 1975, which is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential (Microsoft, n.d.).The other company to compare with Microsoft is Federal Express Corporation (FedEx Express), the largest company in providing a portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services under the FedEx brand. FedEx Express is an express transportation company, offering time-certain delivery within one to three business days and serving markets. FedEx Ground Package System, Inc. (FedEx Ground) is a provider of small-package ground delivery service. FedEx Freight Inc (FedEx Freight) is a provider of less-than-truckload (LTL) freight services. FedEx Corporate Services, Inc. (FedEx Services) provides the Companys other companies with sales, marketing, information technology, communications and back-office support (Fe dEx, n.d.). This assignment is going to explain and compare the organizational structures, cultures, leadership styles and performance of these two companies to find out about the organizational theories that underpin the practice of management. 1.1 Compare and contrast different organizational structures and culture 1.1.1 Microsofts structure and culture Microsofts Organizational Chart (The Official Board, 2012) According to the chart above, Microsoft has a flat structure. We can see that Microsoft has five product groups are Windows Live Windows Group, Server Software, Online Services, Microsoft Business and Entertainment and Devices. Each product group, which focuses on a specific line of goods and services, has one executive reports directly to the CEO. Each group has its own RD, sales, and customer service staff (Daft, 2009). This structure allows larger spans of control. Microsoft also has a matrix structure which works alongside the flat structure. The  matrix structure is a structure where project teams are made up of workers with various specialisms from different functions of a business (BPP, 2004). The legal structure of Microsoft is Limited Liability Company because the company went public on March 13, 1986 (Time, n.d.). Microsoft has a task culture because it is a huge company with 94,420 employees around the world, just 56,934 in USA only (Microsoft, n.d.). It is impossible to manage a firm of that huge amount of workers with a person culture or a power culture. A two-time award-winning journalist Kurt Eichenwald described Microsofts work culture as the cannibalistic culture; a management system known as stack-ranking a program that forces every unit to declare a certain percentage of employees as top performers, good performers, average, and poor effectively crippled Microsofts ability to innovate, leading employees to compete with each other rather than competing with other companies (Vanity Fair, 2012). 1.1.2 FedExs structure and culture FedExs Organizational Chart (The Official Board, 2012) FedEx Corporation FedEx, introduced express delivery to the world in 1973, and is the worlds top express delivery service. The organizational structure of FedEx is flat. According to Organizational Behavior A Strategic Approach, FedEx Corporation should change their structure, because it adopted a multi-divisional structure (Hitt, Miller Colella, 2005). The corporation gives significant authorities to the subsidiaries. Operating independently, each subsidiary manages its own specialized network of services. FedEx employed over 280,000 employees worldwide (FedEx, n.d.), so obviously they have a task culture. The culture of FedEx is also market driven culture. All they care about is the customers; their culture center on the customer. They possess a strong customer-service organizational culture (McNeal, 2011). In short, both Microsoft and FedEx Corp. have a new style of management which is flat structure and task culture. However, FedEx is flatter than Microsoft in organizational structure. To look deeper, we can see differences in their culture as one cares about money, the other one cares about the customer. 1.2 Explain how the relationship between an organizations structure and culture can impact on the performance of the business 1.2.1 Microsoft Microsoft has a flat organizational structure and a task culture which is consider the new method of management. It is believed to be the right way to manage a company. This seems to works well when Microsofts 2011 revenue reached $69 billion (Microsoft, 2011). They make a very huge amount of money. The flat structure creates a lower hierarchy of power in Microsoft. It also allows CEOs direct involvement to make decision process quicker and less time consuming. Microsoft was topped ranking of the worlds 25 best multinational workplaces released by The Great Place to Work Institute (Industry Week, 2011). It is noticeable that employees satisfy their working environment in Microsoft. However, the stack ranking program can kill Microsofts creativity. The destructive management technique can be seen the key problem in Microsoft its management system (Frederick Allen, 2012). It can lead to risk of losing big amount of money. 1.2.2 FedEx FedEx increased revenue 12% in the February-to-May quarter and 13% in the fiscal year that ended May 31, reporting total annual revenue of $39.3 billion (William Cassidy, 2011). It is a large amount of money. The culture of FedEx influences its employees to work more effectively. It encourages them not only work hard but also work smart. FedExs managers also make right decisions, catching up with market trends and changing business needs. 1.3 Discuss the factors which influence individual behaviour at work The factors which influence individual behavior at work are: personality, perception, attitude, ability and aptitude, conflict, stress, and change. For the people of Microsoft, their personality is highly competitive. As discussed above, it is obviously that Microsoft has the culture of competition so the people who are working in a competitive culture will become competitive. If they are not yet competitive, the culture will itself make them competitive. Because they are competitive, they know how to get the money from customers and they will do it so well. Microsoft had always been characterized by a culture that was extremely competitive. When the company introduced new products then rocketing sales, the people responsible for the products did not meet to celebrate. Instead, they found what could have been done better instantly. Therefore, the company had always been a leading competitor, and Gates often sent out memos to remind employees about the competitive threats ahead. Gates truly drove a culture of innovation and vision (Microsoft People Problems, 2003). Thus, people were promoted to strive for the highest standards. However, when Gates left, Steve Ballmer has been a new CEO. Steve has been driving a culture of production rather than innovation (Kurt Eichenwald, 2012). For example, two ex-employees reviewd on Glassdor (Glassdoor is a website that collects information about workplaces and companies) that stack ranking made Microsoft be a less desirable place to work and higher stress workplace (Julie Bort, 2012). One more thing is that, Microsoft has discrimination between black and white workers of the corporation. In 2001, a group of current and former employees accused Microsoft of racism. The seven African American people required $5 billion in compensation, claiming they were paid less than their fellow employees and repeatedly passed over for promotions given to less-qualified white workers. The workers also claimed to have been subjected to racial harassment and retaliation when they complained. According to Willie Gary, who is a lawyer, pointed to 1999, government statistics that showed only 2.6% of Microsofts 21,429 employees, and only 1.6% of the companys 5,155 managers, were black (BBC, 2001). 2.1 Compare the effectiveness of different leadership style in different organizations 2.1.1 Microsoft Bill Gatess leadership styles are participative style and authoritative style. The reason is that, Gates involved his subordinates in decision making so they were good at delegating. He is a flexible person and he recognized his role was to be visionary of the company. Whenever needed, he brought professional managers for managing. Gates is a strong and energizing person. His enthusiasm, hard working nature and judgment skills reflect his personality. His motivating power and involving his friends to working with him became the success of Microsoft (Dip Kumar Dey,n.d.). Besides, Gates paid special attention to recruit and retain the best talent. He believed that the recruitment of talented software engineers was one of the most critical elements in the software industry. Gates looked for recruits who included the capacity to grasp new knowledge quickly and deep familiarity with programming structures. Despite a great number of potential recruits applied for jobs at Microsoft, Gates a ssumed that the best talent would never apply directly. Consequently, Microsofts HR managers had to hunt for the best talent and offer them a job. Giving autonomy to his managers, Gates delegated authorities to managers to run their independent departments. Gates involved a little in autocratic style, because control is basic to his nature and his management practice. He had an obsession with detail and with checking up. He tried to monopolize the World Wide Web software market and had legal problems with the department of justice. Also he did not like complaints (Dhananjay Kumar, n.d.). Microsoft used these styles of leadership very well as the company has great performance with net income of $14.569 billion (2009). 2.1.2 FedEx FedEx has a complex leadership style. The leadership style is combined between affiliative style, participative style and democratic style. Because FedEx has a flat structure; the managers give their subordinates authorities so they are good at delegating. Also, to be able to give subordinates authorities, they must trust their workers. Workers at FedEx are smart people so they do not want to be told what and how to do things. FedEx Corp. under the guidance of CEO Fred Smith has been named the Top  Corporation of the Decade by Fortune magazine (Dumain, 2004). Smith  was determined to make employees an integral part of the decision-making  process, due to his belief that when people are placed first they will provide the highest possible service and profits will follow (FedEx, n.d.). Microsoft and FedEx have different leadership styles so they apply it differently to create different working environment for their workers. However, they both earn a huge amount of profit and manage their company so well. FedEx seems to have the right way to apply its leadership style on its employees than Microsoft. 2.2 Explain how organisational theory underpins the practice of management 2.2.1 Theory X and Y It can be easily seen that Microsoft and FedEx use the Y theory. Because both companies care about how their employees feel. Furthermore, workers at Microsoft and FedEx are smart people so they do not want to be told things. Workers at Microsoft and FedEx are very ambitious, passionate and committed to their work. Because the work load at Microsoft is very pressure but there are still many people wish to work at Microsoft. Because the salary they pay is high, $87,965 for normal employees and much higher for managers, engineers or directors. They all have a regular salary over $100,000 each person (Salary List, 2011). Theory Y is about trust. Both Microsoft and FedEx have flat structure; authorities are given through the chain. Therefore, they must trust the workers. It creates not only the trust of managers in workers, but also the trust of workers in managers. This theory helps to build a strong relationship among workers and managers and then it leads to a strong organization. It i s obviously that Microsoft and FedEx are both strong in structure, culture and financial. 2.2.2 Scientific management FedEx doesnt apply this theory in its management. Because based on the theory, the application of this approach was to break each job down into its smallest and simplest component parts or motions (BPP, 2004). Although the theory improves productivity, it creates de-humanity in the organization. Moreover, everyone at FedEx is smart and talented. Therefore, it is wastes to hire smart people to tell them just do the same job day by day. Scientific management doesnt work in an organization that needs innovation and ideas like FedEx. 2.2.3 Bureaucracy Under the dominated decade of CEO Steve Ballmer, Microsoft applied this theory in its management. For this reason, Microsoft was complained that toxic environment and bad managers for anyone who want to join the corporation. Current and former employees in Microsoft were affected seriously by bureaucracy and management of the company for years (Matt Rosoff, 2011). According an article, employees in Microsoft were more concerned with impressing bosses than creating things (Rebecca Greenfield, 2012). They have no incentive to innovate. Nothing has changed at all since the departure of former CEO Bill Gates. It seems to be Steve Ballmer applied an inefficient management system. All things have not worked out. 2.3 Evaluate the different approaches to management used by different organisations 2.3.1 Human relation approach Both Microsoft and FedEx use this management approach to manage their organization. As analyzed above, Microsoft cares about its employees in a wrong way. Steve Ballmer applied a management system which damage peoples creativity, making them to be bored with their work. Now the dominant tech company belongs to Apple. For FedEx, they care about their employees in a different way. They give employees passion and convenient facilities that allows workers to be more develop. Both Microsoft and FedEx know that how workers feel affects how well they work. However, this method is about what workers think, doesnt matter how the leader thinks about the workers. It is matter that the leader can create an image in the workers mind that they are what the leader wants them to believe they are. 2.3.2 The contingency approach It all depends is what we can define this theory. Managers of both Microsoft and FedEx have find out what is the suitable way to manage, not to find out what is the one right way to manage. This is considered the new management way. Microsoft and FedEx are the new organizations: everything is international, everything is new, everything is faster and everything is turbulent (BPP, 2004). This managing method fits these two organizations because organizations change all the time. This method worked very well for FedEx as the leader of FedEx lead the company through the economic crisis in 2008 to survive (The New York Times, 2012) In total, contingency approach is the correct choice for their management. CONCLUSION How an organization achieves its goals and become successful is the managers and leaders concern. Therefore, leaders and managers should build good relationship with their subordinates as well as good organizational structure, culture and good leadership style.

The Concept Of Identity And Cultural Identity Media Essay

The Concept Of Identity And Cultural Identity Media Essay This literature review will start by introducing the concept of identity and cultural identity. It will then move to talk about how the British colonialism influenced Hong Kong in the past. It will followed by discussing how cultural imperialism, globalization affected the formation of peoples identity in Hong Kong. The literature review will then end by talking about how states influence affect peoples identity in Hong Kong. Introduction of the concept of identity and cultural identity The word identity is rooted from a Latin idem same which also mean identical (Lawler, 2008: 2). Identity suggests that people share the sameness as human but at the same time people are unique that make them different from others (Lawler, 2008: 2). Richard Jenkins (1996) defined identity as our understanding of who we are and of who other people are, and reciprocally, other peoples understanding of themselves and of others (which includes us) (Jenkins, 1996 cited in Kidd, 2002:25). The individual and collective forms of identity are closely linked with ideas of family, local and national history and tradition; the sense of history and tradition is learnt from the family, through media, school, National anthems, flags, costumes and holidays, state rituals, national sports teams, pageantry museums, heritage centres, buildings and monuments, historical novels, drama, films, documentaries, etc which create and sustain who we are and where we come from (Weeden, 2004:24). Different forms o f identity can be found on a person therefore they should be seen as interactive and dynamic with each other (Lawler, 2008:3). However, there are forms of identity that mutually exclusive from each other. As Stuart Hall argues: Throughout their careers, identities can function as points of identification and attachment only because of their capacity to exclude, to leave out, to render outside, abjected. Every identity has at its margin, an excess, something more. The unity, the internal homogeneity, which the term identity treats as foundational is not a natural, but a constructed form of closure, every identity naming as its necessary, even if silenced and unspoken other, that which it lacksà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦So the unities which identities proclaim are, in fact, constructed within the play of power and exclusion, and are the result, not of a natural and inevitable or primordial totality but of the naturalized, over-determined process of closure'(Hall, 1996: 5, emphasis in original cit ed in Lawler, 2008:3). It demonstrated that identity is not exist naturally or people born with it but constructed by closing and exclusion. Hall (1990) identified two versions of views on cultural identity (Hall, 1990 cited in Barker, 1997:192). The first version of view of cultural identity claiming that cultural identity in terms of one, shared culture, a sort of collective one true self, hiding inside the many other, more superficial or artificially imposed selves, which people with a shared history and ancestry hold in common (Hall, 1990: 223). This reflects the common historical experiences and shared cultural codes which provide us, as one people, with stable, unchanging and continuous frames of reference and meaning, beneath the shifting divisions and vicissitudes of our actual history (Hall, 1990: 223). This version of view of cultural identity is known as essentialism because it assumes that social categories reflect an essential underlying identity (Barker, 1997:192). From the words of Hall, it can be seen that this version of claiming of cultural identity is based on the common history, culture that shared wit hin a particular group from the past, and it looks at cultural identity without changing and flexibility. Halls second version of view of cultural identity claiming that cultural identity is not seen as a reflection of a fixed, natural state of being but as a process of becoming, cultural identity is not an essence but a continually-shifting position, and the points of difference around which cultural identities could form are multiple and proliferating (Barker, 1997:194). Hall argues (following Derrida), meaning is never finished or completed and so identity is a cut or a snap-shot of unfolding meanings; it is a strategic positioning which makes meaning possible (Barker, 1997:194). This second version of view of cultural identity is an anti-essentialist position, which shown the political nature of identity production and to the possibility of multiple and shifting identities (Barker, 1997:194). It can be seen that the second version of looking at cultural identity as much more fle xible, changeable. Stuart Hall (1990) claimed that Identity is not as transparent or unproblematic as we think. Perhaps instead of thinking of identity as an already accomplished fact, which the new cultural practices then represent, we should think, instead, of identity as a production, which is never completeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦, so Identity is in a moving, fluid, dynamic form in Halls view (Hall, 1990 cite in Kidd, 2002:26). The above two versions of viewing cultural identity are very different. It will be interesting to know how people see their cultural identity in reality. The history and influence of Hong Kong under the British colonialism Colonialism refers to the establishment by more developed countries of formal political authority over areas of Asia, Africa, Australasia, and Latin America (Scott Marshall, 2005:88). Britain and The Qing government signed three treaties stating that the Qing government to give up sovereignty of Hong Kong which includes Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and New Territories and Outlying islands (Thomas, 1999:47). Since then, Hong Kong had become a British colony from 1842 to 1997. In this hundred and fifty year time, the people who lived in Hong Kong experienced differently with those in mainland China. Hong Kong has its own history and cultural identity. How does this distinct Hong Kong identity formed? From 1842 to 1997, Hong Kong was under British colonial rule and British colonial government had adopted an economic laissez-faire and social non-interventionist policy that it just treated Hong Kong as a commercial entre-pot (Ma, 1999:23). First, it wanted to avoid conflict with the Chinese government, second, it wanted to maintain a commercial, apolitical place for economic and diplomatic reasons (Ma, 1999:23). In the late 1940s, there were huge amount of newcomers went from mainland to the British colony Hong Kong and these people sought to escape from the civil war, economic crisis, and the ruling of the rigid communist, etc and this brought a large number of labour force and manufacturing base to Hong Kong (Thomas, 1999:79-80). In the late 1940s, among the refugees there were experienced entrepreneurs, who brought capital and technical knowledge with them (Wong, S.L., 1988 cited in Ma, 1999:25). In 1950s, Hong Kong established a solid light industrial sector; in 1960s, it shifted to plastic industry; in 1970s, it transformed to manufacturing industry of clocks, watches, electronic toys; in 1980s, Hong Kong started to develop a tertiary industrial sector, emphasis on financial and human resources sectors, and this created a large group of middle class (Thomas, 1999 :80-81). On the education side, the Anglicised education system had reduced the Chinese identity of the local people in Hong Kong (Ma, 1999:29). The British colonial government was seriously concerning about the content of Chinese studies and it deliberately did not create a sense of national identity to the students (Luk, 1989 cited in Ma, 1999:29). Students didnt learn much about the modern Chinese history and development since the colonial government just emphasized and focus on the economic value of Hong Kong as a middle person between the trade of China and Britain (Lane, 1994; Sweeting, 1992; Tang, 1994 cited in Ma, 1999:29). The colonial government also aimed at making a Hong Kong Chinese who can speak both the languages of China and Britain but at the same time without any strong sense of belonging to either country, as well as local history was ignored to prevent Hong Kong to become independent itself politically (Ma, 1999:29). On the social policy side, the development of the public housing policy carried out by the British colonial government in the 1950s created collective experiences of mobility and resettlement and social memory for the HK people (Ma, 1999:30). The resettlement process was often showed in the mass media: children running along corridors of the government estates; parents coming back from work; residents watching TV together after dinner, and these familiar images on TV dramas and government-produced documentaries formed of a home in HK mentality (Lui, 1988a cited in Ma, 1999:30). These collective memories of the residents indirectly reinforced the sense of belonging to Hong Kong and enhancing the HongKongese identity. As a British colony, Hong Kong was imported a lot of cultural products from the Great Britain and also from other western countries. It can be seen that in post Second World War period, Hong Kong was modernizing by incorporating Western lifestyles; it was attuned to a hyb rid, cosmopolitan cultural environment which was increasingly receptive to imported cultural products like Hollywood movies (Ma, 1999:27). The capitalist ideology of Hong Kong and the communist ideology of Mainland China generated the us vs. them identification between both sides and this assisted that development of the distinct Hong Kong identity with demonstrating the difference between Hong Kong community and Mainland China (Thomas, 1999:83). The above factors leaded to something unique emerged in Hong Kong which is the Hong Kong Man. The Hong Kong Man is go-getting and highly competitive, tough for survival, quick-thinking and flexible, also he wears western clothes, speaks English or expects his children to do so, drinks western alcohol, has sophisticated tastes in cars and household gadgetry, and expects life to provide a constant stream of excitement and new openings, however, he is not British or western, at the same time, he is not Chinese in the same way that the citizens of the Peoples Republic of China are Chinese (Baker, 1983:278 cited in Ma, 1999:32-33). It can be seen that a distinct Hong Kong identity was developed under the British colonial rule. Although the Great Britain adopted a non-interventional attitude for the colony Hong Kong, it surely still had impact on shaping the cultural identity of Hong Kong in the past as colonialism produced new losses and gains, allowed new forms of identity to ascend, and debased or crushed others (Papastergiadis, 2000:180). For instance, the British colonialism brought the western capitalist ideology, the language of English, fashion, etc to Hong Kong. The style of ruling also helped to create the indigenous identity and sense of being HongKongese to the people who lived in Hong Kong. However, how much influence of the British colonialism in shaping the cultural identity of Hong Kong still remains today? Is this still a strong element in shaping cultural identity of Hong Kong now? Or it has already been replaced by other factors? Cultural imperialism, National Identity, Globalisation and Hybrid identity Cultural imperialism may play a part in shaping Hong Kongs cultural identity. Cultural imperialism refers to the domination of one culture over another, most commonly posed in terms of nationality, so cultural imperialism is understood in terms of the imposition of one national culture upon another and the media are seen as central to this process as carriers of cultural meanings which penetrate and dominate the culture of the subordinate nation (Barker, 1997:183). This theory stresses the homogenization of global culture through the spread of capitalist consumerism; also it stresses the loss of cultural diversity and the growth of sameness (Barker, 1997:185). Is this homogenization of culture under the cultural imperialism implying Hong Kongs cultural identity is being more like other countries in the globe which following the American and the West but lost its own distinct characteristic of identity? However, Tomlinson (1991) argues there are problems that related to the cultural a utonomy inherent in the cultural imperialism (Tomlinson, 1991 cited in Barker, 1997:187). He argues that cultures are not bounded entities but consist of changing practices and meanings; one cannot legitimately endow an amorphous set of practices with ontological identity and agency (Tomlinson, 1991 cited in Barker, 1997:187). The above demonstrated the problem of cultural imperialism theory that the nationally-based cultural domination is problematic (Barker, 1997:187). This thesis didnt explain the formation of collective identities in general, and cultural and national identities in particular, also, in this theory a national cultural identity is assumed as a finished product rather than a process which is constantly emerging and changing (Barker, 1997:188). For the development of national identity, as Benedict Anderson (1983) argues that national identity is an imagined and constructed one assembled in relation to a territorial and administrative category taking as its reference symbols and rituals intend by administrative authorities to enlist identification which the nation is an imagined community (Anderson, 1983 cited in Barker, 1997:189). It can be seen that national identity isnt come innately or people born with it but is socially constructed by social action and activities. Both the cultural imperialism thesis and Andersons conception of national identity posit the subject as a whole person and national identity as a unified position so that diversity and difference are subsumed beneath the sign of the nation (Barker, 1997:190). Stuart Hall saw that national identities as potentially in decline and replaced by new hybrid identities (Barker, 1997:191). Globalization is the main factor that leads to the forming of this hybrid identity. Population movement and settlement, during the periods of colonial and post-colonial globalization, and globalization of electronic communications have made the juxtapositioning, meeting, mixing available, therefore, globalization enhanced the production of hybrid identities by providing the range of sources and resources for identity construction (Barker, 1997:191-192). Hybrid identities prevent a person with a fixed or given identity, but let a person to change or choose to adopt different identification according to different circumstances (Barker, 1997:195). For instance, a young Asian woman may have identifications with being Bengali, English, a woman, with youth culture and with rap, an American-Caribbean hybrid, Anglo-Bengali at the same time (Barker, 1997:195). What we c an see from the above example is that this young Asian woman can shift and adopt the different identifications above in different circumstances. Moreover, the above example also demonstrated a hybrid identity by picking and adopting multiplying global resources (Barker, 1997:195) like rap culture from the Caribbean, etc. Pieterse claimed that Introverted cultures, which have been prominent over a long stretch of history and which overshadowed translocal culture, are gradually receding into background, while translocal culture made up of diverse elements is coming to the foreground (Pieterse, 1995:62 cited in Barker, 1997:197). It may imply that the national identity that formed by culture that bounded or tied to place is declining. In contrast, the hybrid identity that formed by culture that learnt trans-locally is enhancing. However, there are limitations of the thesis of hybrid identity. It was claimed by Parker that the hybrid identities are limited by the number of empirical evi dences despite there is theory to support that (Barker, 1997:196-197). So, how about the situation in Hong Kong at the moment? As Hall argued that hybrid identity is replacing the national identity under the globalization process, it seems that the hybrid identity should be winning in Hong Kong. However, there is an opposite view from Gordon Mathews. He argued that Hong Kongs international character in belonging to the global cultural supermarket and its national character in belonging to the Chinese state are presented as opposites, and it seems to be the latter which is winning (Mathews, 2001:308). He also claimed that Hong Kong is one of the few places in the affluent world today in which the market is giving way to the state, and in which international identity is being eroded by national identity (Mathews, 2001:309). So, is the national identity in belonging to the Chinese State winning or the hybrid identities that draw from the global cultural market winning in Hong Kong? The influence of state to Hong Kongs cultural identity: British colonial state and Chinese state The word state refers to the body politic or the political community; it is the major locus of power and authority in every modern society (Thomas, 1999:43). State is a concept that against the global cultural supermarket, by shaping people to believe not that they can pick and choose who they are from all the world, but rather that they belong to a particular culture, whose values and traditions they must uphold (Mathews, 2001:291). Practically state moulds cultural identity by school education and mass media; train their citizens to believe that they must defend their cultural tradition and their way of life (Mathews, 2001:291). The concept of state contradicts to the concept of cultural supermarket since state ask people to treasure and protect their own country and culture; however, global cultural supermarket ask people to pick things that you like around the world (Mathews, 2001:291). Hong Kong has never become a nation-state, not in the period of colony nor after the hand-over (Tse, 2006:55). During the colonial period from 1950s to 1980s, Hong Kongs civil education was a-political and a-nationalistic; students at that time were just being taught as residents or subjects who live in a colonial state, but nothing about nationality and citizenship (Morris 1992b; Tsang 1994, 1998 cited in Tse, 2006:56). From 1984 to 1997 was the transitional period of the civil education in Hong Kong. Since the sense of Hong Kong-centeredness and Hongkongese identity were being established under the different mode of governing by Hong Kong and Mainland China (Lau and Kuan 1988; Choi 1990, 1995a cited in Tse, 2006:57), reform of civil education to foster the national identity and unity were needed for preparing the time after 1997. After 1997, the new Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government focused a lot on the civil education. It aimed to create unquestioning political commitment and strengthen social order through the promotion of a unifying Chinese identity and values to the exclusion of a distinctive Hong Kong cultural identity and individual rights (Tse, 2006:61). The actual measures that being carried out under the HKSAR government included reintroduction of independent civics as a school subject, revisions of school syllabuses, the strengthening of Chinese history as a school subject, textbooks changed to reflect the new political reality, wider use of Putonghua as the medium of instruction, more schools displaying the national flag and singing the national anthem, exchange activities with mainland to boost nationalism and sense of social responsibility, etc (Tse, 2006:62). The above demonstrated that Chinese state has been influencing the Hong Kongs cultural identity by commanding the HKSAR government to use different strategies in civil education in order to reinforce the national identity and Chineseness of Hong Kong people. However, how much influence does the Chinese state itself and its policies play a part in shaping the cultur al identity of the people in Hong Kong actually?

Civil War Study Guide :: essays research papers

1. Alexander Hamilton - He was one of the earliest and most active nationalists, believing that the continental congress needed to be strengthened or overthrown in favor a new, more imposing federal government that could legislate within the states, which the continental congress could not do. Hamilton was the spokesman for an active government, stressing the principle of government "Responsibility", against the Jeffersonian/Madisonian principle of public vigilance and suspicion of government power. Recent scholars have argued that these two philosophies form the thesis-antithesis of the post-revolutionary era—Alexander Hamilton being the figurehead of responsible government. 2. Thomas Jefferson - Jefferson's idea for the United States was that of an agricultural nation of yeoman farmers, in contrast to the vision of Alexander Hamilton, who envisioned a nation of commerce and manufacturing. Jefferson was a great believer in the uniqueness and the potential of the United States and is often classified a forefather of American exceptionalism. American exceptionalism is the idea that the United States and the American people hold a special place in the world, by offering opportunity and hope for humanity, derived from a unique balance of public and private interests governed by constitutional ideals that are focused on personal and economic freedom. 3. Henry Clay – Henry Clay was known as â€Å"Mr. Whig† because he was one of the founders of the party. He was a 3 time presidential loser. In 1824, he advocated high duties to relieve the prevailing economic distress, which he pictured in a brilliant and effective speech. Although they were caused by the reactionary effect of a disordered currency and the inflated prices of the War of 1812, he ascribed the problems to the country's dependence on foreign suppliers and markets. He said that the United Kingdom was a shining example of the wisdom of a high tariff; and no nation ever flourished without one. He closed his principal speech on the subject in the House of Representatives with a glowing appeal in behalf of what he called the "American System."Henry Clay's American System was a plan to strengthen the nation's economy by tying the North, South, and West together. It called for: Federal funding of infrastructure improvements (such as the Erie Canal and a series of highways) funded by a raised tariff on imported goods. Using protective tariffs to encourage development of domestic industry, and Reliance on domestic financial resources. Henry Clay was only twenty-two, when, as an opponent of slavery, he vainly urged an emancipation clause for the new constitution of Kentucky. Civil War Study Guide :: essays research papers 1. Alexander Hamilton - He was one of the earliest and most active nationalists, believing that the continental congress needed to be strengthened or overthrown in favor a new, more imposing federal government that could legislate within the states, which the continental congress could not do. Hamilton was the spokesman for an active government, stressing the principle of government "Responsibility", against the Jeffersonian/Madisonian principle of public vigilance and suspicion of government power. Recent scholars have argued that these two philosophies form the thesis-antithesis of the post-revolutionary era—Alexander Hamilton being the figurehead of responsible government. 2. Thomas Jefferson - Jefferson's idea for the United States was that of an agricultural nation of yeoman farmers, in contrast to the vision of Alexander Hamilton, who envisioned a nation of commerce and manufacturing. Jefferson was a great believer in the uniqueness and the potential of the United States and is often classified a forefather of American exceptionalism. American exceptionalism is the idea that the United States and the American people hold a special place in the world, by offering opportunity and hope for humanity, derived from a unique balance of public and private interests governed by constitutional ideals that are focused on personal and economic freedom. 3. Henry Clay – Henry Clay was known as â€Å"Mr. Whig† because he was one of the founders of the party. He was a 3 time presidential loser. In 1824, he advocated high duties to relieve the prevailing economic distress, which he pictured in a brilliant and effective speech. Although they were caused by the reactionary effect of a disordered currency and the inflated prices of the War of 1812, he ascribed the problems to the country's dependence on foreign suppliers and markets. He said that the United Kingdom was a shining example of the wisdom of a high tariff; and no nation ever flourished without one. He closed his principal speech on the subject in the House of Representatives with a glowing appeal in behalf of what he called the "American System."Henry Clay's American System was a plan to strengthen the nation's economy by tying the North, South, and West together. It called for: Federal funding of infrastructure improvements (such as the Erie Canal and a series of highways) funded by a raised tariff on imported goods. Using protective tariffs to encourage development of domestic industry, and Reliance on domestic financial resources. Henry Clay was only twenty-two, when, as an opponent of slavery, he vainly urged an emancipation clause for the new constitution of Kentucky.

Anglo American Economic Geography Essay -- economics,

Discuss the intellectual history of Anglo American economic geography since the 2nd world war. Economic concepts have often been used as the foundation for geographic theory; showing a relationship between the two. When the field of economics evolves then so too does the field of economic geography. Economic geography is defined as: a field of geography that helps to describe and explain the areas where economic activities are carried out. It is centered around helping to explain the production and distribution of commodities and how resources are to be allocated and the consequences (Barnes 2009). The Second World War ceased in 1945 and after this the economies of both America and the UK changed rapidly. These economies passed through different systems; Keynesian, Marxian, Neoliberalism, and mixed an economy (Bonney 1995). This in turn meant that economic geography passed through different stages too, with the most significant change occurring directly after the war; the start of the quantitative revolution. The way that the field of economic geography changes has implication s on how the field as a whole is viewed. One of the main points is the interconnectivity with the economy; this also shows how the economy is viewed. Each period has a moment of emergence rapid efflorescence and a period of decline. To understand how economic geography has changed over the last fifty years, a brief explanation of the state of the economy should be covered Directly after the war the US economy was in a state of strong economic growth due to consumers demand increasing, this was due to there being few opportunities to consume at a desired level during the war. The US held 95% of the worlds manufacturing helping it to recover more quick... ...mic Geography. In: Leyson, A., Lee, R., Mcdowell, L. and Sunley, P. eds. 2011. The SAGE Handbook of Economic Geography. London: SAGE Publications. Bonney, R. (1995). Economic systems and state finance. Oxford [England]: Clarendon Press. Hardon, J. A. (2003). The Influence of Marxism in the United States Today. [online] Available at: http://www.therealpresence.org/archives/Communism/Communism_002.htm [Accessed: 21 Feb 2014]. Scott, A. J. (2000). Economic geography: the great half-century. Cambridge Journal of Economics, 24 (4), pp. 483 - 504. Trainer, T. (2010). MARXIST THEORY; A brief Introduction. [online] Available at: https://socialsciences.arts.unsw.edu.au/tsw/Marx.html [Accessed: 21 Feb 2014]. WiseGEEK. (2010). What Is Keynesian Economics?. [online] Available at: http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-keynesian-economics.htm [Accessed: 21 Feb 2014].

Mass Media Essay

The mass media are diversified media technologies that are intended to reach a large audience by mass communication. The technologies through which this communication takes place varies. Broadcast media such as radio, recorded music, film and television transmit their information electronically. Print media use a physical object such as anewspaper, book, pamphlet or comics,[1] to distribute their information. Outdoor media is a form of mass media that comprises billboards, signs or placards placed inside and outside of commercial buildings, sports stadiums, shops and buses. Other outdoor media include flying billboards (signs in tow of airplanes), blimps, and skywriting.[2] Public speaking and event organising can also be considered as forms of mass media.[3] The digital media comprises both Internet and mobile mass communication. Internet media provides many mass media services, such as email, websites, blogs, and internet based radio and television. Many other mass media outlets have a presence on the web, by such things as having TV ads that link to a website, or distributing a QR Code in print or outdoor media to direct a mobile user to a website. In this way, they can utilise the easy accessibility that the Internet has, and the outreach that Internet affords, as information can easily be broadcast to many different regions of the world simultaneously and cost-efficiently. The organizations that control these technologies, such as television stations or publishing companies, are also known as the mass media. INTERNET The Internet is a global network connecting millions of computers. More than 100 countries are linked into exchanges of data, news and opinions. According to Internet World Stats, as of December 31, 2011 there was an estimated 2,267,233,742 Internet users worldwide. The number of Internet users represents 32.7 percent of the world’s population. Unlike online services, which are centrally controlled, the Internet is decentralized by design. Each Internet computer, called a host, is independent. Its operators can choose which Internet services to use and which local services to make available to the global Internet community. Remarkably, this anarchy by  design works exceedingly well. There are a variety of ways to access the Internet. Most online services offer access to some Internet services. It is also possible to gain access through a commercial Internet Service Provider (ISP). The Internet has become impossible to ignore in the past two years. Even people who do not own a computer and have no opportunity to â€Å"surf the net† could not have missed the news stories about the Internet, many of which speculate about its effects on the ever-increasing number of people who are on line. Why, then, have communications researchers, historically concerned with exploring the effects of mass media, nearly ignored the Internet? With 25 million people estimated to be communicating on the Internet, should communication researchers now consider this network of networks 1 a mass medium? Until recently, mass communications researchers have overlooked not only the Internet but the entire field of computer-mediated communication, staying instead with the traditional forms of broadcast and print media that fit much more conveniently into models for appropriate research topics and theories of mass communication. However, this paper argues that if mass communications re searchers continue to largely disregard the research potential of the Internet, their theories about communication will become less useful. Not only will the discipline be left behind, it will also miss an opportunity to explore and rethink answers to some of the central questions of mass communications research, questions that go to the heart of the model of source-message-receiver with which the field has struggled. This paper proposes a conceptualization of the Internet as a mass medium, based on revised ideas of what constitutes a mass audience and a mediating technology. The computer as a new communication technology opens a space for scholars to rethink assumptions and categories, and perhaps even to find new insights into traditional communication technologies. This paper looks at the Internet, rather than computer-mediated communication as a whole, in order to place the new medium within the context of other mass media. Mass media researchers have traditionally organized themselves around a specific communications medium. The newspaper, for instance, is a more precisely defined area of interest than printing-pres s-mediated communi- cation, which embraces more specialized areas, such as company brochures or wedding  invitations. Of course, there is far more than a semantic difference between conceptualizing a new communication technology by its communicative form than by the technology itself. The tradition of mass communication research has accepted newspapers, radio, and television as its objects of study for social, political, and economic reasons. As technology changes and media converge, those research categories must become flexible.

Educational Psychology as a Career

Name: John Mc Nevin I. D: 11135166 Course: BSc. Psychology Module Code: PS4032 Title: Investigation in to My Possible Career as an Educational Psychologist. Word Count: 910 Educational Psychology (Part One) Educational Psychologists work with students of any age in education and they work and help with the students’ psychological and educational development. They often observe the student within the educational setting and they can then sometimes intervene and recommend ways in which the students’ learning can be enhanced.This intervention can involve the educational psychologist working with the student on a personal level or by working with parents, teachers or colleagues of the student. Report writing is one task which educational psychologist would do one a regular basis, writing reports on students as they assess them. Ed. Psychologists help students to overcome obstacles which can prevent them from learning. They also evaluate the systems of education where the st udents are learning.They also often work with teachers by alerting them to the social factors which may influence a child’s learning. Educational psychologists may also work with children with learning disabilities and special needs, helping to create better learning conditions for them. They have discussions and meetings with the parents and teachers of the student. When they work with parents and teachers of students, careful discussion and consultation is required as the psychologists’ input and advice needs to be understood and seen as relevant to those who know little about psychology.Educational psychologists usually have a number of children/students in their care and another task which they undertake is to keep up to date records on how the learner is coping or hopefully improving. They are also charged with coming up with intervention plans to help in the learners’ educational development. To become an educational psychologist a person must study for a minimum of about 6 years. Firstly a student must complete a psychology based degree which is accredited by the Psychological Society of Ireland.Post-graduate study is essential. A MA in educational psychology is the next step. UCD offers a 2 year full time course, MA in educational psychology. Educational Psychology is also highly linked with teaching so work experience as a teacher would help greatly in the pursuit of becoming an Ed. Psychologist. Work experience is essential if a person wants to do a doctorate in Ed. Psychology. This is the optimum level of education if a person wants this career. There are many skills needed to be an educational psychologist.Excellent communication and interpersonal skills are vital to interact with the children and students you will be working with. Research and development skills are required. As you would be working with children, patience and sensitivity are essential skills. Good report writing skills are needed along with the ability to sol ve problems. Most of all a person needs to be committed to helping children to overcome barriers to their educational development. In the doctoral training in Ed. Psychology, students gain practical experience working with local councils.Other examples of relevant work experience includes work as a speech and language therapist, as a learning support assistant, an educational social worker, as well as a teacher and as a graduate assistant in an Educational Psychology Service. I found a lot of this information by reading a powerpoint presentation I found on the internet by Dr. Barbara Mc Donnell, Stanmillis University College. The Psychological Society of Ireland is the professional body in charge of regulating the psychology profession in Ireland.The PSI promotes high standards of psychological education and practice and it provides its member with professional networking and promotion. By becoming a student member of the PSI you gain professional recognition and professional accred itation. Students also get a reduced rate to join and membership includes subscription to a monthly magazine which will increase a students’ knowledge of psychology and keeps the members up to date on matters in Irish Psychology. I learned of this by accessing the PSI website. Likely employers of educational psychologists include councils and schools.However in Ireland in the present climate there is little in the way of employment in schools as an Ed. Psychologist so there is then the option to set up a private practice. I was told this when I interviewed an Educational Psychologist named Yvonne Cunningham about Educational Psychology as a career. She gave me a great insight into what it would be like to be a professional educational psychologist and she gave me a lot of the information I gathered for this investigation. Part Two I’ve always enjoyed being educated in school and before choosing to do psychology in college I was seriously considering being a teacher.My mother is also a national school teacher which I believe influenced me to have an interest in education. I also believe that I have very good inter-personal skills and great patience and I thoroughly enjoy working with children. During Transition Year I spent a week on work experience in an Irish speaking National School and I loved this experience of working in education. After researching Educational Psychology as a career I still have a keen interest in it as a potential future career, however I am still undecided.By completing this assignment I have learned a lot about what it is to be an Educational Psychologist and I am a lot more interested in it now after researching it. I am keen to learn more about this area of psychology. References UCD website courses and programmes[accessed 27/02/2012]. Retrieved from http://www. ucd. ie/education/graduateprogrammes/taughtprogrammes/masterofartsineducationpsychologymaep/ Psychological Society of Ireland [accessed 27/02/2012] Retrieved f rom http://www. psychologicalsociety. ie/