Crossing the Wire Essay

I will recommend this book to my friends because it is full of excitement and tough challenges. Back Description of Major Characters Victor Flores- a 15 year old boy living in central Mexico full of perseverance and determination to cross the Mexican – American border to find work in the united states to support his family. Rico- Victor’s best friend who must cross the border to support his parents living in central Mexico. Miguel- a wise young father of four Victor met in his journey. Victor tags along with Miguel as they cross the border until they run into border patrol and get split up. Julio- a street wise kid who earns pocket money with Victor in a cramped border town until he decides to move on and cross the border through a drainage tunnel that ends up in the U.S. when it rains. Summary This book starts out in central Mexico but when 15 year old Victor Flores’ family needs money victor has to cross the border to find work in the states. On Victor’s journey he meets a man named Miguel and together they try to cross the border into the states. On their journey the run into the border patrol and get split up. Later on victor meets Julio and together they work on the streets trying to put together their plan to cross the border. One day it started raining and Julio knew that it was the perfect opportunity to float through the drainage tunnel that ends on the other side of the border. Victor decides not to go. A few weeks later Victor notices an old friend standing in line at the soup kitchen. It was Rico! Victor couldn’t believe it he’d thought that Rico had already crossed the border. So they spent a few days catching up and planning their journey across the border. They set off a few days later as mules with a few other people. During their trip as mules they heard that they were going to be killed at the end so they had to escape. They made it all the way to the highway and then they hitched a ride to Tucson where Rico’s brother lived. When they got to Rico’s brother’s house they went to the front door and rang the doorbell but they discovered that his brother had left. Now they didn’t know what to do. They decided to go to La Perra Flaca to look for work in the onion fields. There wasn’t any work left there so they were sent to Washington to work in asparagus fields and finally there was work. About a month later they got there first paychecks and they sent them home alas. Rico wasn’t a very good field worker and he wanted to go home and go to school. So a few days later he went home but Victor stayed for work.

My Philosophy of Life Essay

Nowadays, in the XXIst century people are living life of the constant pursuit for money, successful career, what is making impression that only those values are important. Than they have to stop for a while and contemplate about their life goals, their life philosophy. This essay will present my philosophy of life. First of all, the most important thing for me is my family. According to my rules, they are always on the first place, and can count on me, just the same like I can count on them. I was raised by my parents to be a good man who tries to be always kind and helpful for the other people and live in harmony with commandments of my religion. The next thing about my philosophy of life is a proper attitude what means that I have a lot of faith in myself and I am taking challenges with believing in final success. Optimism is very important in man’s life and we cannot forget about it, because it helps in bearing up with difficulties. Having friends is also important; however, the point is to choose wisely and surround yourself with well-wishing and loyal people which won’t stab you in the back when you will need help. My philosophy of life tells that I always have to be myself and listen to my heart as much as I listen to my mind and to play along with the voice of my conscience. I believe, that man should develop himself, every time try to experience something new and always use an opportunity to increase his knowledge in order to be conscious and intelligent. Summing up, I am convinced that the best way to achieve happiness is to be loyal to your family and friends man who has optimistic view on future, as my philosophy of life says.

Information Systems in Business Essay

List of the databases in which data about you exists †¢Flat- file data bases. The flat file databases are used to store small amounts of data that is required to be edited by the hand. They are made up of files strings that combine one or more files and they are effective in storing simple data lists but they become complex if the data structures are replicated. Flat file databases require a simple approach to the methods of storing data, therefore if complex data types are stored, the file become unreadable for the individual using the data bases. Many companies use the flat file data bases in storing their data since they are easily assessed and edited (Matthias, 2003). †¢Server databases The server databases uses the Internet and it is easily accessed by the clients at any time, for instance, 24 hours, one week. The clients are able to access the websites in order to retrieve the data. Server databases are applicable to many companies that require to make applications and communications on data issues anywhere in the world. Server databases have a special feature that allows the clients to provide specific data requests from the database and then it is the responsibility of the database to perform the function (Matthias, 2003). †¢Relational databases An example of a rational database includes the SQL server databases. These types of databases uses a logical formulation in the processes that they store data. For instance presentation of tables in data storing where by each field is described by a certain character. The realtions in the databases are described when the characters are linked with one another. many companies uses the relational data,bases since they are effective when they are designed propely and therfre resulting to clear data analysis without any duplication (Bing, 2011). ii): Make a list of the databases in which data about you exists. How is the data in each database captured, updated and how often? What data privacy concerns do you have? Explain briefly. Data sources are defined by their portability mechanisms and the independent approaches that enhances the connection of the databases. There are different types of data sources and they are introduced to define a certain database. An application can be used to define different types of database by changing the components of the data source. There are three different types of data sources, managed data sources,native data source and operational data sources (Pang,2001). †¢Managed data sources Managed data sources define the approaches used in error handling mechanisms, connections pooling as well as global transaction management. Since they are applicable on global transactions they are usually updated on daily basis. A managed data source in a data warehouse provides all the implementation mechanisms and interfaces that are issued in the data source. The warehouse can be able to use the managed data source in the participation of global transactions (Pang,2001). †¢Native data sources Native data sources are significant in the warehouse interface and are provided by the vendor’s sich as oracle. The native data source are different from the managed data source since the connections cannot be retrieved in global transaction. They are updated with several approaches depending on the information to be retrieved. Operational data sources All operational data sources applicable in a warehouse are used in the management of data in different sectors. The data sources are retrieved through the application of connections that enhance the operational process of data retrieving and enhancement effective. In a datawarehouse basis, information of data is retrieved from more than one ideal source therefore the application of the operational data source defines different strategies of connection to effectively define a certain data. ii): Using your company of choice example from above, explain the type of decision support that thecompany can benefit from implementation of a data warehouse. Within this context, what would bethe role of data mining? Decision support systems are important computerized information that enhances the strategies that are used in decision making (Power, 2002). The decision makers are able to use the networking communication technology, data information and other models to enhance the approach of decision making. Decision support systems are significant in the company since they provide information on graphical approaches and include expertise application on artificial intelligence (Power, 2002). BLM Company is entitled to use the communication driven decision support system that has a responsibility in targeting internal patterns. The importance of the communication driven decision support system is to enhance individual collaboration. The technology that is applied in this type of decision support system includes the client services for instance, instant messaging. Role of data mining †¢analyzing Data mining softwares are important in analyzing data from different perspectives (Bing, 2011). It analyses, categories,summaries and indicates the relationship that occurs in a given data. Data mining procedures are effective since they analyses the total components that the user wants prefers effectively. †¢Determination of valuable information Data mining is defined as the processes that are used by data software to analyses, summaries useful content. Data mining provides all the knowledge that is required to uncover certain figures related with information retrieval for several applications. In such cases, cross tabulation information, decision trees applications can assist in the retrieving of certain valuable information. QUESTION 2: Enterprise Content Management (ECM) helps companies to capture, organize and analyze particularly unstructured content to deliver better business. ECM technologies cover a broad set of capabilities. With the help of examples name and briefly explain three of such capabilities. †¢Document management capability Every department in an organization is conversant with document management capabilities. The role of ECM In most of the organization is to assist the organization on the approaches associated with document management through the introduction of policies that requires documentation cycle. ECM applies centralized methods repositories that enhance the mechanisms of discovering the information effectively and therefore the set policies enable tracking of information in the organization through the application of bar codes and labels(Handy, 2009). The centralized mechanisms have ensured that storage and protection of informations against any unauthorized use, hence they offer security on information. Record management capabilities Record management capabilities has been known as a secondary task, strategies that are associated with this capability include, the requirements on clear records assignments within the departments. Record management capabilities ensure that records are well updated in the organization to ensure that the organization maximizes transparency. The record management capabilities provides the managers with an opportunity to set up the records according to the organizations filing plans. †¢Web content management capabilities The development of web content management capabilities ensures that the organization is able to communicate effectively with employees and customers. Web content management capabilities ensures that the organizations is in a position to manage different sectors for instance multilingual Internet sites and mobile services while it ensures that these sectors are effectively updated. Summary of the findings IBM is a worldwide known company that applies the enterprise content management with software application. They provide semantic data management software within the organization. Question 3 Write the lecture summary relating to Week 9 – Topic: Data Warehouse and Data Mining data warehouse Companies are entitled with different sorts of information. The traditional methods of data storage include, invoices, sales and distribution were developed by many companies and it was a hard task that required a lot of computing producing biased and inaccurate information. With the recent innovations of technology and information systems data management and warehousing has become an easy process (Michael, 2009). The effective use of Data warehousing provides an approach of combining all the information that is required by the company. Data warehousing includes the application of all the companies data storage and the retrieving of any information is made easy. Data warehousing is made effectively through the strategies that are associated with the retrieving of information for instance, the selection process of a certain area to retrieve the data, keying of individual as the subject matter and any data information is retrieved and the group team of the organization develops extraction programs. Data warehousing is applicable in coordination of information and copying of data within the organization and outside the organization(Michael, 2009). Trusting data sources. Data warehouse is subjected with different departments with a large number of data sources from the external departments. An organization can lack the control on the quality retrieval of data into the data warehouse, and sometimes it can be a difficult process to access how the data is refreshed. The data sources used by the organization are diverse; therefore there is the need to determine strategies that can be applied in trusting data sources. Tools The tools include the simple reporting query tools which are used to tell us what has happened. On-line analytical processing gives a reason of the happenings †¢executive information system extracts information on the users who want to mess with the data warehouse †¢ data mining processes includes the all the statistical techniques that are advanced with intellectual research properties. Data mining components include, cross z softwares and the IBM . The architecture- centralised or distributed. If the data is termed as centralized then it means that only one database is applicable to a specific hardware for the access of all users. QUESTION 4 Features and tools in face book The features and tools in facebook have different importances on the representation of the companies, public figures, bands. They are the key tools of the entities and they include pages and the profile subscribers. †¢The pages Pages are used to represent company’s public figures, bands. The pages can be applicable to †¢Profiles with subscribe Profiles with subscribe consists of the strategies that an individual uses to subscribe to another person. In this case the profile with subscribes are used by multiple individuals and they include, news feed, find friends Entity attribute value model(EAV) Entity attribute value model is a data model that is used to define entity where by the parameters and properties are used to explain them. The number that is used to describe each entity is relatively modest. This model is also known as the space matrix model. Structure of an EAV table The data that is represented is defined in a spacious approach that is capable of storing the entire space matrix that is composed of occupied values. In the EAV model each parameter and property describes the entire entity and each row that is represented. In EAV model, it stores a single component. The EAV tables are also described as long and skinny in which the long strategies describe a specific number of rows while the skinny description defines the number of the columns (Michael, 2009). Data in EAV table is recorded and retrieved in three columns, entity, the parameters and the values. The entity colum defines the item description and the parameter column defines the attribute characters for instance, name, and ID and the value define the attributes.

Evaluate Bodyshop company Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Evaluate Bodyshop company - Coursework Example Sesame oil and marula oil are the most common natural ingredients utilized by the company in making its products. Marula oil is obtained from kernels and some of its traditional use entailed body moistening as a lotion and massage treatment purposes. Sesame oil also acts as skin moisturizer and skin massage oil (Nitzsch & Rose, 2011, p. 23). Body shop obtains its ingredients via Community Fair Trade. The products fall under various categories depending on their use. The first category is fragrances that include varied products for men and women. Body butters include Meringa, strawberry, Shea, Satsuma, olive coconut and mango products. Skin care products contain a wide range of minerals including vitamin c, tea tree, seaweed and Aloe Vera. Under this category, Body shop has lotions approved by pediatricians for babies. Maca root and White musk are skin products for men. Make ups include eye shadow, lipstick, mineral make up and mascara. For hair care, they have banana conditioner and banana shampoo. The last category is bathing products that include soaps and gels. Antiperspirants are the latest products by Body Shop (Body Shop Business, 2011, p. 1). Market entry Initially, Body Shop was an environmental friendly single-store shop specializing in natural cosmetic products in Berkeley, California. Anita Roddick visited the shop as a customer. It inspired her to start her own shop of similar products. She opened a shop in 1976, UK and began producing the naturally scented products. In 1987, she bought naming rights for her shop consequently labeling it Body Shop (Haile, 2004, p. 24). It expanded at a steady rate of 50% quickly spreading to other countries. Initial investment and ownership Anita needed 4,000 sterling pounds to start her investment. She obtained the money from a bank as an investment loan for her first shop. Following success, she wanted to open another shop but funds remained a challenge. The bank refused to loan her the money. She obtained 4,000 s terling pounds for her second shop from a friend of one of the girls assisting at the first shop. However, the person demanded a 50% share in the shop she was to set up. Further funding for expansion was through informal arrangements with various businesspersons and businesses (Haile, 2004, p. 22). Body Shop offered its first public offing on April 1984. Anita Roddick and her husband Gordon Roddick owned the company for 30 years from the date of establishment until 2006, when L’Oreal corporate team purchased the company (Body Shop Business, 2011, p. 1). Body Shop’s Unique Selling Preposition Anita Roddick advocated for environmental friendly products to conserve the environment and maintain healthy bodies. As Gordon Brown, the English Prime Minister, acknowledge that after Anita Roddick’s death in 2007, she and her company campaigned for green issues long before it became a popular topic in the world (Assenmacher, 2012, p. 24). She is a pioneer in instilling the globe’s environmental concerns in people. This ultimately convinced people to use Body Shop products. Apart from environmental issues, Body Shop campaigned for other social issues that included enhancing self-esteem in women. In this campaign, the company contradicted the popular media concepts of women that depicted women as stereotype (Dutta, 2007). Body shop also engaged in community activities in which it funded various environmentalist and social groups. Consequently, it familiarized their products with interest topics

Final Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Final - Essay Example When studying the position of Abraham Lincoln on slavery, and the reasons and effects of his Emancipation Proclamation, therefore, it is important to take into consideration these control measures and to lay a background to the nature of events occurring at that time. The crux of the matter lies in the American Civil War that single-handedly spearheaded the antislavery movement and resulted in the Emancipation Proclamation. It was a contention between the northern free states and the bordering slave states known as the United States of America or the Union (Wikipedia 2008), and the southern states known as the Confederate States of America, where slavery was well established, hence, also known as the slave states. The southern states were led by Jefferson Davis, and the Union was led by Abraham Lincoln and the Republican Party (Wikipedia 2008). His one quote can fully illuminate Lincoln’s position regarding slavery before the Civil War, when he said "My paramount object in this struggle, is to save the Union and it is not either to save or destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it..." (Race, Racism and the Law 1998). Lincoln was a man of law, and upholding the Constitution was paramount to him in all matters of politics. He would not, or rather, could not, take any steps that went beyond the parameters of the Constitution. So when it came to freeing the slaves, he was just as much concerned about the issue as was permitted by the red tapes of law, and which was crucial for the survival of the Union. Abraham Lincoln was always against slavery, and always expressed his views against it on moral grounds (Slavery

Organzion and behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Organzion and behaviour - Essay Example s, the management relies on motivation to acquire the objectives, but adapts to the most appropriate motivational approach, which coheres to the factors prevailing circumstances and the nature of activities performed therein. Therefore, a survey on the most appropriate motivational theory to apply on the three organizations integrates to the mode of conducting business among the organizations and the goals pursued (Griffin, and Gregory 33). The Microsoft international, Dubai municipality, and Rinac India Pvt ltd, are the organizations to consider. The three organizations conduct profitable approaches to enhance the value and development in the endeavor to accrue the set plans. For instance, the Microsoft Company ensures a continuous development of software programs, computers, and other technologically advanced electronic devices with an aim of enhancing communication and making relevant profits, with a desired degree competence than the competitors (French, 34). On the other hand, Dubai Municipal, under the leadership of His Highness Hamdan Bin Maktoum emphasizes on continued projects to ensure positive development. The city is acknowledged as the world’s leading trading center, which further incorporates tourists’ attraction sites. With the desire to uphold the superiority, the authorities fin d it a necessity to ensure that all projects are innovative and aim at development. Thirdly, Rinac India Ltd, a producer of cold rooms and refrigerators based in India, remains vulnerable to competition and other organizational threats (Griffin, and Gregory 35). Therefore the company’s management ensures that all the internal factors of production cohesively perform goal oriented activities. The three organizations focus on success and competence against their competitors in their specific fields of delivering value to society. With the increased need of development and sustainability, the organizations find the necessity to establish a motivational factor. A review

Financial analysis for Performance management Research Paper

Financial analysis for Performance management - Research Paper Example After the merger, there is a substantial increase in the companys capital as well as a decrease in the liabilities. It shows that the company position to meet its financial obligation has improved after the merger. The equity multiplier calculated for the period before the merger shows that the company had funded a huge share of its assets using debts. After the merger, the company gets the additional capital that boosts its books, but still ratio remains relatively high. The interest cover ratio for the period the merger shows the company was not in a position to pay it interests obligation, the company made a loss. In the period after the merger, the period ended 26 July 2014, the company is in a better position to cater for its interest obligations though there are more interest obligations as results of the increase in debts. The gross margin shows the portion of the total sales that is left out after accounting for the direct costs related to the production of the goods and services. The gross margin ratio is within an acceptable range. There is increased in sales revenue in the period ended revenue in the financial year ended 26 July 2014 and point to a more efficient selling capacity. The fixed asset turnover ratio calculated is seen to increase over the period. The higher ratio in the period after the merger shows that the efficiency in utilising the fixed asset to generate sales has improved. During the period that ended 27 July 2013, the company was in a very poor position to meet its financial obligation. The company made a loss. After the merger, that is, the period that ended 27 July 2013, the company made a profit and can then be able to meet its financial obligations as and when they become due for payment. Therefore, the lender can now confidently trust to lend the firm without risking default. To the company management, I recommend they ensure the profitability trend is

What does this book reveal about the American religious experience Essay - 2

What does this book reveal about the American religious experience - Essay Example The first story of the novel largely mimes the story of the Monkey King. It would not be an exaggeration to point out that the author deliberately chose this figure since in the original text the Monkey King also was a victim of ethnic discrimination. Indeed, being a monkey for no particular reason he was refused to join the gathering of other deities. Later he is explained that his entrance was denied because he is a monkey and no match to deities. No matter how absurd it may see, but in the fairytales there is also a hierarchy of the spices which may not be properly justified, just like in a real life society. Another interesting point that should be noted is the rejection from the group of gods actually served as an important impulse for the Monkey King to explore his abilities and live his life to its fullest. One might suggest that just like him, those people who were not able to incorporate in the society because of racial prejudices end up to be much more developed individuals than they could have been if they did not turn their attention to their identity. Quite ironically, throughout the story the Monkey King is the person who develops the most accurate understanding of his identity as well the state of affair in the society, featuring the perception of the world which is not distorted by any biases – something that the majority of the population both in the book or in the real life is not able to boast. The next story, the implications of which should be explored in order to prove the thesis deals with life of Jin Wang. Thus, it is quite important since it presents a rather peculiar description of the most hostile environment for the people of a different race that one can image: the white suburb of a town. It is quite obvious that the author deliberately made his Chinese character to move them in order

Perceptions of Female Student Pilots Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Perceptions of Female Student Pilots - Article Example According to the research findings, it can, therefore, be said that the lack of sufficient female pilots is a very vital concern that the aviation industry must study and research. A good starting point for the lack of female pilots can be by having academic programs of flight in which future pilots are introduced to the industry of aviation. Since these programs are considered a starting place for pilots in the aviation industry, environmental surroundings must be taken into account as to the low ratio of representation of female pilots. The purpose here is to now carry out a national research of the perceptions of female student pilots in the aviation industry. If these academic flight programs have the potential to improve the enrollment of female flight students, this program then would create a ripple effect in the industry and would help increase female pilots in the aviation industry. This study can be considered as a quantitative study. The author is trying to find out why th ere is a shortage of female pilots. With the usage of study methodologies, this case is researchable, and the author feels that it offers vital information. This study’s limitations were centered on sensitization of the program. The author has provided a five-chapter layout. This review literature is fairly comprehensive. The author gives the main outlines as well as elaborating on the research and literature findings where need be. The aviation industry historically has not been a career for women. All through history, women have been turned away while male pilots have sabotaged those that succeeded. Despite these constraints, a number of brave women have broken through the barriers with personal determination and passion in their quest to fly.

WEEK 8 DISCUSSION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

WEEK 8 DISCUSSION - Essay Example From the onset, one can acknowledge the fact that the content in the seminar articles do have a strong correlation to the doctoral study it delves on international finance, the current market trends in a dynamic global world, the capital markets of various economies, and the financial dynamics of running international businesses (MacCarthy, & Atthirawong, 2003). As clearly stipulated in the journal articles, the doctoral study also follow a rather similar approach in that it identifies the need for continual change in business technology and marketing strategies in order to meet the demands of the diverse global market (MacCarthy, & Atthirawong, 2003). The journal articles identify stringent international policies and unwillingness by concerned government authorities to cooperate with international companies as major hindrances to international trade. This is particularly so in Asia where cultural and environmental restraints determine the nature of business in Asian countries especi ally India. This is commensurate with the doctoral study topic in that the two identify as far as aspects of international trade are concerned. Some of the research methods posed in the seminar articles such as quantitative methods are essential in the doctoral study in that the seminar articles add more information to the case study due to the proximity of the two cases of study (Sinkovics, Penz, & Ghauri, 2008). The Asian perspective will help in answering the research question concerning the socio-cultural and environmental factors that influence the business behavior of Indian corporates with respect to international companies (MacCarthy, & Atthirawong, 2003). It is evident from the peer-reviewed journals that both the quantitative and qualitative methods of research design are viable in conducting research on international business perspectives.

A summary of Amazon’s business Essay Example for Free

A summary of Amazon’s business Essay I’ve used Amazon in my books for over 10 years now since many companies, from startups and small businesses to large international businesses, can learn from their focus on the customer and the approach of using technology and analysis to improve results. It consistently outperforms other companies in its ACSI customer satisfaction rating too. I aim to keep the case study up-to-date for readers of the books and Smart Insights readers who may be interested. In it we look at Amazon’s background, revenue model and sources for the latest business results. I recommend anyone studying Amazon checks the latest Amazon revenue and business strategies from their SEC filings / Investor relations. The annual filings to give a great summary of eBay business and revenue models. A good summary of the latest business model initiatives is available in this Amazon annual report summary for 2011. For Q4, 2010: North America segment sales, representing the Company’s U.S. and Canadian sites, were $7.21 billion, up 45% from fourth quarter 2009. International segment sales, representing the Company’s U.K., German, Japanese, French, Chinese and new Italian sites, were $5.74 billion, up 26% from fourth quarter 2009. Excluding the unfavorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the quarter, sales grew 29%. Amazon has come a long way since it launched in 1995: From: and it’s offices†¦ to it’s current Seattle headquarters: Amazon performs exceptionally efficiently measured against revenue per visitor, which is one of the key measures for any commercial website, whether it’s a media site, search engine, social network or a transactional retailer or offers travel or financial services. Of course profit per user would be quite different due to the significantly lower costs of other .coms like Facebook and Google. Note: SEC is the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) which is a government agency for which companies have to submit an open evaluation of their business models and marketplace conditions. Further Amazon case information This case study created by FaberNovel â€Å"Amazon.com: The Hidden Empire† one of five â€Å"Most Favorited† slideshows and one of the five â€Å"Most Popular Technology Presentations† of 2011. Recommended: Amazon Case Study Context Why a case study on Amazon? Surely everyone knows about who Amazon are and what they do? Yes, well that’s maybe true, but this case goes beyond the surface toreview some of the ‘insider secrets’ of Amazon’s success. Like eBay, Amazon.com was born in 1995. The name reflected the vision of Jeff Bezos, to produce a large scale phenomenon like the Amazon river. This ambition has proved justified since just 8 years later, Amazon passed the $5 billion sales mark – it took Wal-Mart 20 years to achieve this. By 2008 Amazon was a global brand with other 76 million active customers accounts and order fulfillment to more than 200 countries. Despite this volume of sales, at December 31, 2007 Amazon employed approximately 17,000 full-time and part-time employees. In September 2007, it launched Amazon MP3, a la carte DRM-free MP3 music downloads, which now includes over 3.1 million songs from more than 270,000 artists. Amazon Vision strategy In their 2008 SEC filing, Amazon describe the vision of their business as to: â€Å"Relentlessly focus on customer experience by offering our customers low prices, convenience, and a wide selection of merchandise.† The vision is still to offer â€Å"Earth’s biggest selection and to be Earth’s most customer-centric company. Consider how these core marketing messages summarising the Amazon online value proposition are communicated both on-site and through offline communications. Of course, achieving customer loyalty and repeat purchases has been key to Amazon’s success. Many dot-coms failed because they succeeded in achieving awareness, but not loyalty. Amazon achieved both. In their SEC filing they stress how they seek to achieve this. They say: â€Å"We work to earn repeat purchases by providing easy-to-use functionality, fast and reliable fulfillment, timely customer service, feature rich content, and a trusted transaction environment. Key features of our websites include editorial and customer reviews;  manufacturer product information; Web pages tailored to individual preferences, such as recommendations and notifications; 1-Click ® technology; secure payment systems; image uploads; searching on our websites as well as the Internet; browsing; and the ability to view selected interior pages and citations, and search the entire contents of many of the books we offer with our â€Å"Look Inside the Book† and â€Å"Search Inside the Book† features. Our community of online customers also creates feature-rich content, including product reviews, online recommendation lists, wish lists, buying guides, and wedding and baby registries.† In practice, as is the practice for many online retailers, the lowest prices are for the most popular products, with less popular products commanding higher prices and a greater margin for Amazon. Free shipping offers are used to encourage increase in basket size since customers have to spend over a certain amount to receive free shipping. The level at which free-shipping is set is critical to profitability and Amazon has changed it as competition has changed and for promotional reasons. Amazon communicate the fulfillment promise in several ways including presentation of latest inventory availability information, delivery date estimates, and options for expedited delivery, as well as delivery shipment notifications and update facilities. This focus on customer has translated to excellence in service with the 2004 American Customer Satisfaction Index giving Amazon.com a score of 88 which was at the time, the highest customer satisfaction score ever recorded in any service industry, online or offline. Round (2004) notes that Amazon focuses on customer satisfaction metrics. Each site is closely monitored with standard service availability monitoring (for example, using Keynote or Mercury Interactive) site availability and download speed. Interestingly it also monitors per minute site revenue upper/lower bounds – Round describes an alarm system rather like a power plant where if revenue on a site falls below $10,000 per minute, alarms go off! There are also internal performance service-level-agreements for web services where T% of the time, different pages must return in X seconds. 2011 update on vision and importance of technology According to founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos, technology is very important to supporting this focus on the customer. In their 2010 Annual Report (Amazon,  2011) he said: â€Å"Look inside a current textbook on software architecture, and you’ll find few patterns that we don’t apply at Amazon. We use high-performance transactions systems, complex rendering and object caching, workflow and queuing systems, business intelligence and data analytics, machine learning and pattern recognition, neural networks and probabilistic decision making, and a wide variety of other techniques.And while many of our systems are based on the latest in computer science research, this often hasn’t been sufficient: our architects and engineers have had to advance research in directions that no academic had yet taken. Many of the problems we face have no textbook solutions, and so we — happily — invent new approaches†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ All the effort we put into technology might not matter that much if we kept technology off to the side in some sort of RD department, but we don’t take that approach. Technology infuses all of our teams, all of our processes, our decision-making, and our approach to innovation in each of our businesses. It is deeply integrated into everything we do†. The quote shows how applying new technologies is used to give Amazon a competitive edge. A good recent example of this is providing the infrastructure to deliver the Kindle â€Å"Whispersync† update to ebook readers. Amazon reported in 2011 that Amazon.com is now selling more Kindle books than paperback books. For every 100 paperback books Amazon has sold, the Company sold 115 Kindle books. Kindle apps are now available on Apple iOS, Android devices and on PCs as part of a â€Å"Buy Once, Read Anywhere† proposition which Amazon has developed. Amazon Customers Amazon defines what it refers to as three consumer sets customers, seller customers and developer customers. There are over 76 million customer accounts, but just 1.3 million active seller customers in it’s marketplaces and Amazon is seeking to increase this. Amazon is unusual for a retailer in that it identifies â€Å"developer customers† who use its Amazon Web Services, which provides access to technology infrastructure such as hosting that developers can use to develop their own web services. Members are also encouraged to join a loyalty programme, Amazon Prime, a fee-based membership program in which members receive free or discounted express shipping, in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan. Competition In its SEC (2005) filing Amazon describes the environment for our products and services as ‘intensely competitive’. It views its main current and potential competitors as: 1) physical-world retailers, catalog retailers, publishers, vendors, distributors and manufacturers of our products, many of which possess significant brand awareness, sales volume, and customer bases, and some of which currently sell, or may sell, products or services through the Internet, mail order, or direct marketing; (2) Other online E-commerce sites; (3) A number of indirect competitors, including media companies, Web portals, comparison shopping websites, and Web search engines, either directly or in collaboration with other retailers; and (4) Companies that provide e-commerce services, including website development; third-party fulfillment and customer-service. It believes the main competitive factors in its market segments include â€Å"selection, price, availability, convenience, information, discovery, brand recognition, personalized services, accessibility, customer service, reliability, speed of fulfillment, ease of use, and ability to adapt to changing conditions, as well as our customers’ overall experience and trust in transactions with us and facilitated by us on behalf of third-party sellers†. For services offered to business and individual sellers, additional competitive factors include the quality of our services and tools, their ability to generate sales for third parties we serve, and the speed of pe rformance for our services. From Auctions to marketplaces Amazon auctions (known as zShops) were launched in March 1999, in large part as a response to the success of eBay. They were promoted heavily from the home page, category pages and individual product pages. Despite this, a year after its launch it had only achieved a 3.2% share of the online auction compared to 58% for eBay and it only declined from this point. Today, competitive prices of products are available through third-party sellers in the ‘Amazon Marketplace’ which are integrated within the standard product listings. The strategy to offer such an auction facility was initially driven by the need to compete with eBay, but now the strategy has been adjusted such that Amazon describe it as part of the approach of low-pricing. Although it might be thought that Amazon would lose out on  enabling its merchants to sell products at lower prices, in fact Amazon makes greater margin on these sales since merchants are charged a commission on each sale and it is the merchant who bears the cost of storing inventory and fulfilling the product to customers. As with eBay, Amazon is just facilitating the exchange of bits and bytes between buyers and sellers without the need to distribute physical products. Amazon Media sales You may have noticed that unlike some retailers, Amazon displays relevant Google text ads and banner ads from brands. This seems in conflict with the strategy of focus on experience since it leads to a more cluttered store. However in 2011 Amazon revealed that worldwide media sales accounted for approximately 17% of revenue! Amazon marketing Amazon does not reveal much about its marketing approach in its annual reports, but there seems to be a focus on online marketing channels. Amazon (2011) states â€Å"we direct customers to our websites primarily through a number of targeted online marketing channels, such as our Associates program, sponsored search, portal advertising, email marketing campaigns, and other initiatives†. These other initiatives may include outdoor and TV advertising, but they are not mentioned specifically. In this statement they also highlight the importance of customer loyalty tools. They say: â€Å"while costs associated with free shipping are not included in marketing expense, we view free shipping offers and Amazon Prime as effective worldwide marketing tools, and intend to continue offering them indefinitely†. How ‘The Culture of Metrics’ started A common theme in Amazon’s development is the drive to use a measured approach to all aspects of the business, beyond the finance. Marcus (2004) describes an occasion at a corporate ‘boot-camp’ in January 1997 when Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos ‘saw the light’. ‘At Amazon, we will have a Culture of Metrics’, he said while addressing his senior staff. He went on to explain how web-based business gave Amazon an ‘amazing window into human behaviour’. Marcus says: ‘Gone were the fuzzy approximations of focus groups, the anecdotal fudging and smoke blowing from the marketing department. A company  like Amazon could (and did) record every move a visitor made, every last click and twitch of the mouse. As the data piled up into virtual heaps, hummocks and mountain ranges, you could draw all sorts of conclusions about their chimerical nature, the consumer. In this sense, Amazon was not merely a store, but an immense repository of fact s. All we needed were the right equations to plug into them’. James Marcus then goes on to give a fascinating insight into a breakout group discussion of how Amazon could better use measures to improve its performance. Marcus was in the Bezos group, brainstorming customer-centric metrics. Marcus (2004) summarises the dialogue, led by Bezos: â€Å"First, we figure out which things we’d like to measure on the site†, he said. â€Å"For example, let’s say we want a metric for customer enjoyment. How could we calculate that?† â€Å"There was silence. Then somebody ventured: â€Å"How much time each customer spends on the site?† â€Å"Not specific enough†, Jeff said. â€Å"How about the average number of minutes each customer spends on the site per session† someone else suggested. â€Å"If that goes up, they’re having a blast†. â€Å"But how do we factor in purchase?† I [Marcus] said feeling proud of myself. â€Å"Is that a measure of enjoyment†? â€Å"I think we need to consider frequency of visits, too†, said a dark-haired woman I didn’t recognise. â€Å"Lot of folks are still accessing the web with those creepy-crawly modems. Four short visits from them might be just as good as one visit from a guy with a T-1. Maybe better’. â€Å"Good point†, Jeff said. â€Å"And anyway, enjoyment is just the start. In the end, we should be measuring customer ecstasy† It is interesting that Amazon was having this debate in about the elements of RFM analysis (described in Chapter 6 of Internet Marketing), 1997, after already having achieved $16 million of revenue in the previous year. Of course, this is a miniscule amount compared with today’s billions of dollar turnover. The important point was that this was the start of a focus on metrics which can be seen through the description of Matt Pounds work later in this case study. From human to software-based recommendations Amazon has developed internal tools to support this ‘Culture of Metrics’.  Marcus (2004) describes how the ‘Creator Metrics’ tool shows content creators how well their product listings and product copy are working. For each content editor such as Marcus, it retrieves all recently posted documents including articles, interviews, booklists and features. For each one it then gives a conversion rate to sale plus the number of page views, adds (added to basket) and repels (content requested, but the back button then used). In time, the work of editorial reviewers such as Marcus was marginalised since Amazon found that the majority of visitors used the search tools rather than read editorial and they responded to the personalised recommendations as the matching technology improved (Marcus likens early recommendations techniques to ‘going shopping with the village idiot’). Experimentation and testing at Amazon The ‘Culture of Metrics’ also led to a test-driven approach to improving results at Amazon. Matt Round, speaking at E-metrics 2004 when he was director of personalisation at Amazon describes the philosophy as ‘Data Trumps Intuitions’. He explained how Amazon used to have a lot of arguments about which content and promotion should go on the all important home page or category pages. He described how every category VP wanted top-center and how the Friday meetings about placements for next week were getting ‘too long, too loud, and lacked performance data’. But today ‘automation replaces intuitions’ and real-time experimentation tests are always run to answer these questions since actual consumer behaviour is the best way to decide upon tactics. Marcus (2004) also notes that Amazon has a culture of experiments of which A/B tests are key components. Examples where A/B tests are used include new home page design, moving features around the page, different algorithms for recommendations, changing search relevance rankings. These involve testing a new treatment against a previous control for a limited time of a few days or a week. The system will randomly show one or more treatments to visitors and measure a range of parameters such as units sold and revenue by category (and total), session time, session length, etc. The new features will usually be launched if the desired metrics are statistically significantly better. Statistical tests are a challenge though as distributions are not normal (they have a large mass at zero for example of no purchase) There are other challenges since multiple  A/B tests are running every day and A/B tests may overlap and so conflict. There are also longer-term effects where some features are ‘cool’ for the first two weeks and the opposite effect where changing navigation may degrade performance temporarily. Amazon also finds that as its users evolve in their online experience the way they act online has changed. This means that Amazon has to constantly test and evolve its features. Amazon.com Technology It follows that the Amazon technology infrastructure must readily support this culture of experimentation and this can be difficult to achieved with standardised content management. Amazon has achieved its competitive advantage through developing its technology internally and with a significant investment in this which may not be available to other organisations without the right focus on the online channels. As Amazon explains in SEC (2005) ‘using primarily our own proprietary technologies, as well as technology licensed from third parties, we have implemented numerous features and functionality that simplify and improve the customer shopping experience, enable third parties to sell on our platform, and facilitate our fulfillment and customer service operations. Our current strategy is to focus our development efforts on continuous innovation by creating and enhancing the specialized, proprietary software that is unique to our business, and to license or acquire commercially-developed technology for other applications where available and appropriate. We continually invest in several areas of technology, including our seller platform; A9.com, our wholly-owned subsidiary focused on search technology on www.A9.com and other Amazon sites; web services; and digital initiatives.’ Round (2004) describes the technology approach as ‘distributed development and deployment’. Pages such as the home page have a number of content ‘pods’ or ‘slots’ which call web services for features. This makes it relatively easy to change the content in these pods and even change the location of the pods on-screen. Amazon uses a flowable or fluid page design unlike many sites which enables it to make the most of real-estate on-screen. Technology also supports more standard e-retail facilities. SEC (2005) states: ‘We use a set of applications for accepting and validating customer orders, placing and tracking orders with suppliers, managing and assigning inventory to customer  orders, and ensuring proper shipment of products to customers. Our transaction-processing systems handle millions of items, a number of different status inquiries, multiple shipping addresses, gift-wrapping requests, and multiple shipment methods. These systems allow the customer to choose whether to receive single or several shipments based on availability and to track the progress of each order. These applications also manage the process of accepting, authorizing, and charging customer credit cards.’ Data Driven Automation Round (2004) said that ‘Data is king at Amazon’. He gave many examples of data driven automation including customer channel preferences; managing the way content is displayed to different user types such as new releases and top-sellers, merchandising and recommendation (showing related products and promotions) and also advertising through paid search (automatic ad generation and bidding). The automated search advertising and bidding system for paid search has had a big impact at Amazon. Sponsored links initially done by humans, but this was unsustainable due to range of products at Amazon. The automated programme generates keywords, writes ad creative, determines best landing page, manages bids, measure conversion rates, profit per converted visitor and updates bids. Again the problem of volume is there, Matt Round described how the book ‘How to Make Love Like a Porn Star’ by Jenna Jameson received tens of thousands of clicks from pornography-related searches, but few actually purchased the book. So the update cycle must be quick to avoid large losses. There is also an automated email measurement and optimization system. The campaign calendar used to be manually managed with relatively weak measurement and it was costly to schedule and use. A new system: Automatically optimizes content to improve customer experience Avoids sending an e-mail campaign that has low clickthrough or high unsubscribe rate Includes inbox management (avoid sending multiple emails/week) Has growing library of automated email programs covering new releases and recommendations But there are challenges if promotions are too successful if inventory isn’t available. Your Recommendations Customers Who Bought X†¦, also bought Y is Amazon’s signature feature. Round  (2004) describes how Amazon relies on acquiring and then crunching a massive amount of data. Every purchase, every page viewed and every search is recorded. So there are now to new version, customers who shopped for X also shopped for†¦ and Customers who searched for X also bought†¦ They also have a system codenamed ‘Goldbox’ which is a cross-sell and awareness raising tool. Items are discounted to encourage purchases in new categories! I have a more detailed article on Amazon personalisation / recommendation system He also describes the challenge of techniques for sifting patterns from noise (sensitivity filtering) and clothing and toy catalogues change frequently so recommendations become out of date. The main challenges though are the massive data size arising from millions of customers, millions of items and recommendations made in real time. Amazon Partnership strategy As Amazon grew, its share price growth enabled partnership or acquisition with a range of companies in different sectors. Marcus (2004) describes how Amazon partnered with Drugstore.com (pharmacy), Living.com (furniture), Pets.com (pet supplies), Wineshopper.com (wines), HomeGrocer.com (groceries), Sothebys.com (auctions) and Kozmo.com (urban home delivery). In most cases, Amazon purchased an equity stake in these partners, so that it would share in their prosperity. It also charged them fees for placements on the Amazon site to promote and drive traffic to their sites. Similarly, Amazon charged publishers for prime-position to promote books on its site which caused an initial hue-and-cry, but this abated when it was realised that paying for prominent placements was widespread in traditional booksellers and supermarkets. Many of these new online companies failed in 1999 and 2000, but Amazon had covered the potential for growth and was not pulled down by these partners, even though for some such as Pets.com it had an investment of 50%. Analysts sometimes refer to ‘Amazoning a sector’ meaning that one company becomes dominant in an online sector such as book retail such that it becomes very difficult for others to achieve market share. In addition to developing, communicating and delivering a very strong proposition, Amazon has been able to consolidate its strength in different sectors through its partnership arrangements and through using technology to facilitate product promotion and distribution via these partnerships. The Amazon retail platform enables other retailers to sell products online using  the Amazon user interface and infrastructure through their ‘Syndicated Stores’ programme. For example, in the UK, Waterstones (www.waterstones.co.uk) is one of the largest traditional bookstores. It found competition with online so expensive and challenging, that eventually it entered a partnership arrangement where Amazon markets and distributes its books online in return for a commission online. Similarly, in the US, Borders a large book retailer uses the Amazon merchant platform for distributing its products. Toy retailer Toys R’ Us have a similar arrangement. Such partnerships help Amazon extends its reach into the customer-base of other suppliers, and of course, customers who buy in one category such as books can be encouraged to purchase into other areas such as clothing or electronics. Another form of partnership referred to above is the Amazon Marketplace which enables Amazon customers and other retailers to sell their new and used books and other goods alongside the regular retail listings. A similar partnership approach is the Amazon ‘[emailprotected]’ program which enables third party merchants (typically larger than those who sell via the Amazon Marketplace) to sell their products via Amazon. Amazon earn fees either through fixed fees or sales commissions per-unit. This arrangement can help customers who get a wider choice of products from a range of suppliers with the convenience of purchasing them through a single checkout process. Finally, Amazon has also facilitated formation of partnerships with smaller companies through its affiliates programme. Internet legend records that Jeff Bezos, the creator of Amazon was chatting to someone at a cocktail party who wanted to sell books about divorce via her web site. Subsequently, Amazon.com launched its Associates Program in July 1996 and it is still going strong. Googling http://www.google.com/search?q=www.amazon.com+-site%3Awww.amazon.com for sites that link to the US site, shows over 4 million pages, many of which will be affiliates. Amazon does not use an affiliate network which would take commissions from sale, but thanks to the strength of its brand has developed its own affiliate programme. Amazon has created a tiered performance-based incentives to encourage affiliates to sell more Amazon products. Amazon Marketing communications In their SEC filings Amazon state that the aims of their communications  strategy are (unsurprisingly) to: Increase customer traffic to our websites Create awareness of our products and services Promote repeat purchases Develop incremental product and service revenue opportunities Strengthen and broaden the Amazon.com brand name. Amazon also believe that their most effective marketing communications are a consequence of their focus on continuously improving the customer experience. This then creates word-of-mouth promotion which is effective in acquiring new customers and may also encourage repeat customer visits. As well as this Marcus (2004) describes how Amazon used the personalisation enabled through technology to reach out to a difficult to reach market which Bezos originally called ‘the hard middle’. Bezos’s view was that it was easy to reach 10 people (you called them on the phone) or the ten million people who bought the most popular products (you placed a superbowl ad), but more difficult to reach those in between. The search facilities in the search engine and on the Amazon site, together with its product recommendation features meant that Amazon could connect its products with the interests of these people. Online advertising techniques include paid search marketing, interactive ads on portals, e-mail campaigns and search engine optimisation. These are automated as far as possible as described earlier in the case study. As previously mentioned, the affiliate programme is also important in driving visitors to Amazon and Amazon offers a wide range of methods of linking to its site to help improve conversion. For example, affiliates can use straight text links leading direct to a product page and they also offer a range of dynamic banners which feature different content such as books about Internet marketing or a search box.Amazon also use cooperative advertising arrangements, better known as ‘contra-deals’ with some vendors and other third parties. For example, a print advertisement in 2005 for a particular product such as a wireless router with a free wireless laptop card promotion will feature a specific Amazon URL in the ad. In product fulfilment packs, Amazon may include a leaflet for a non-competing online company such as Figleaves.com (lingerie) or Expedia (travel). In return, Amazon leaflets may be included in customer communications from the partner brands. Our Associates program directs customers to our websites by enabling independent websites to make millions of products available to their  audiences with fulfillment performed by us or third parties. We pay commissions to hundreds of thousands of participants in our Associates program when their customer referrals result in product sales. In addition, we offer everyday free shipping options worldwide and recently announced Amazon.com Prime in the U.S., our first membership program in which members receive free two-day shipping and discounted overnight shipping. Although marketing expenses do not include the costs of our free shipping or promotional offers, we view such offers as effective marketing tools. Marcus, J. (2004) Amazonia. Five years at the epicentre of the dot-com juggernaut, The New Press, New York, NY. Round, M. (2004) Presentation to E-metrics, London, May 2005. www.emetrics.org.

Describe the physical and economic factors Essay Example for Free

Describe the physical and economic factors Essay Bournemouth is Dorsets largest city. It has grown in size since the early 1800s to a population over 160,000 today. There are various reasons why Bournemouth is desirable and has attracted so many people. Bournemouth seems to have a certain charm that other British characteristics that many other seaside towns fail to offer. Physical: Bournemouth is situated on a Jurassic world heritage coastline meaning that it offers a beauty that other coastlines lack and people are aware of its beauty. Many new families are drawn to the area as they believe that it is a good area to raise a family, and that it holds good and secure prospects. Although not the vital factor when families relocate, people like to feel safe and have nice surroundings. Bournemouth has these; the city is approximately 21 miles away from the New Forest. The middle class families that choose towns such as Bournemouth like the fact that they are so close to beautiful pastures and cycle paths through the forests, as Cities such as London and Manchester do not offer such environmental diversity. Bournemouth is keen on keeping the building of new buildings as low as possible, encouraging developments to take place on unused brownfield sites to try and worsen the costal squeeze. Bournemouth wants to keep its rare assortment of coast, countryside and city developments. However, there are some new developments in the town; the Bournemouth Pavilion Gardens is a i 59 million project that will see a nine screen cinema, 15 restaurants and over 30+ shops using unused land to create the development. Economic: Unlike many other costal towns, Bournemouth has been fortunate enough to see an economic boom take place. The service sector in Bournemouth has taken off; more residents have seen employment in banking, finance and tourism/ leisure. JP Morgan, a large and well respected American ban has chosen Bournemouth to have a large office on the edge of the city, employing over 4000 people. With the likes of JP Morgan setting up offices here, it means that other banks such as Barclays and Abbey Life have chosen to have offices in Bournemouth. These companies also find Bournemouth desirable due to the university, with graduates finding well paid jobs in these footloose industries. This has some affect on stopping a brain drain that other seaside towns have experienced, with Bournemouth having a surprisingly bottom-heavy population for a British seaside town. Transport in and out of the city has greatly improved since the 1980s, in the late 80s the rail links were improved shortening the length of journeys to London to just 2 hours. This could mean people decide to commute from Bournemouth to London. However, the airport has helped Bournemouth economically develop, with links to cities all over Europe it will continue the cycle that JP Morgan by setting up office in the town, due to its proximity to London and links to Europe. Being the 3rd best airport in the world by The Telegraph newspaper will give it some extra prestige too. Although the tourist trade in Bournemouth is not what it once would have been; now a lot more day-trippers are visiting the town. People might be staying the New Forest and visit Bournemouth for a day. Alternatively, people are using the train links from London to Bournemouth to visit for the day too, leaving early in the morning and returning in the evening. They are not spending as much as people who would have once holidayed here for the week, but are still contributing to the upkeep of Bournemouths economy. In conclusion, Bournemouth is a crowded coast due to having career prospects that entice the young to stay in the town. There is not as big a case of a brain-drain that other coastal towns may experience. With over 62% of the population being under the age of 49 it means the town is not just a retirement town that other costal towns such as Walton- on- the Naze have experienced. People inwardly migrate here due to the towns environmental diversity. Some middle class families find that raising children in a town such as Bournemouth is a safer environment than a city. Bournemouth is only 2 hours from London, offering cheaper house prices, a sluggish but achievable commute to London and its proximity to the national park the New Forest have all contributed to Bournemouth being a crowded coast in the 21st century.

Understanding and Promoting Children’s Development

Understanding and Promoting Children’s Development Sonja Eagle Here is a list of activities and the areas of children’s development involved: Climbing the ladder of a slide – Locomotive Skills- requires full body movements balancing on the ladder and at the top of the slide Gross motor skills- climbing Cognitive skills- how to climb the ladder Playing football in a team – Gross Motor Skills large limb movements. Cognitive skills – memory, problem solving and imagination e.g. playing the game, planning next move Moral development- choices and decisions (thinking of others and playing fairly) being a team player. Locomotive skills- walking, running Communication development- gestures, body language and communication Social and emotional development- acceptable behaviour Using a pencil to write their name and draw a picture- Fine Motor Skills – smaller more precise movements Cognitive development- memory, problem solving. Putting the pencil in the correct hand and knowing how to hold it. Using a knife and fork to eat a meal- Social and Emotional Development- social skills Fine motor skills – holding the fork and knife correctly Communication development- gestures, body language Cognitive skills- memory, problem solving e.g. putting the fork and knife in the correct hand. Expected Stages of Development Age Physical Development Cognitive Development Communication Development Social and Emotional Development Moral Development 0-6 months Simple movements waving arms and legs and rolls side to side and able to control head to follow people and objects. Language skills start to develop baby will begin to ‘babble’ which in fact is their new ability to listen, understand and recognize the names of people and the things around her. Pays more attention to human sounds than any other sounds. Babies will be laughing out loud anytime from two to four months and will giggle and kick her legs when being played with by four months. n/a 6-12 months Places objects into and out of containers Simple responses e.g. to sound, smell movement. Responds to own name. Becomes interested in mirror images. n/a 12-18 months Uses thumb and fore finger to explore objects, turns knobs and dials etc. Enjoys games such as peek -a-boo. Gets excited when sees a familiar face. Begins to show defiant behaviour. n/a 2-3 years Can make own vertical and horizontal and circular strokes with a pen or crayon. Able to match colours, some shapes and pictures. Uses pronounces, I, you ,me etc. Can take turns in games. Testing the boundaries. 3-5 years Becomes primarily left handed or right handed. Enjoys imaginative, co-operative and creative play. Able to follow instructions with more at least two elements. Understands the concept of same and difference. Capable of dressing and undressing themselves. They still expect adults to take charge, but instead of trying to avoid punishment, they follow rules because they want to be viewed as good. 5-7 years Copies triangles, squares and geometric patterns. Has opinions and can see others viewpoints. Speaks in complex sentences. Sometimes demanding and sometimes eagerly cooperative. Children can also feel bad when they are punished, because they can feel that they have upset someone else. This is because her morality is becoming empathy. 7-9 years Able to run and change direction accurately. Experimentation and creative activity. Vocabulary extends from 4000 to 10,000 words. Has needs for possessions and can be possessive. Children of this age have a strong sense of what they should do and what they should not do. 9-11 Years Improving bat and ball skills. Conversations develop, can express views and share ideas. Able to use more complex writing skills, longer sentences with adjectives, punctuation and conveying ideas with clarity. Greater awareness of others, feelings, needs, rights etc. Understand and value fairness, and perceive morality as a social contract in which rules must be obeyed in order to be liked. 11-13 years Facial hair, musculature, etc. and continued loss of milk teeth. Able to concentrate for extended periods of time and dislikes interruptions. Able to adapt language for different occasions, informal and formal. Developing strong opinions or beliefs which may lead to conflicts and arguments, may take longer to forgive and forget. Tries to weigh alternatives and arrive at decisions alone. 13-19 years Faster running and other physical movements such as, swimming ,diving, balancing etc. Develops specific interests and has competitive traits so enjoys showing off developed skills and abilities. Appreciates more sophisticated humour and wordplay. Clearer sense of cause and consequences of own actions. Greater awareness of complex issues that affect others e.g. religion, politics. Understands about rights and wrongs and consequences of actions. Experiences feelings of frustration, anger, sorrow, and isolation. A good overview of the expected patterns of development at different ages. Influences on Development How does foetal alcohol syndrome develop during pregnancy? Foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is caused when a woman drinks alcohol during pregnancy. The alcohol can cause birth and developmental defects to the baby. Alcohol can cross from the mothers blood to the babys blood by the placenta. Even a small amount of alcohol can damage the foetus. It is not known how much alcohol it takes to cause defects. The risk increases with moderate to heavy drinking, even social drinking may pose a danger. Any type of alcohol, including beer and wine, can cause birth defects. What are the signs and symptoms of foetal alcohol syndrome? The signs of foetal alcohol syndrome may include: Distinctive facial features, including small eyes, an exceptionally thin upper lip, a short, upturned nose, and a smooth skin surface between the nose and upper lip Deformities of joints, limbs and fingers Slow physical growth before and after birth Vision difficulties or hearing problems Small head circumference and brain size Poor coordination Mental retardation and delayed development Learning disorders Abnormal behaviour, such as a short attention span, hyperactivity, poor impulse control, extreme nervousness and anxiety Heart defects The classic symptoms of coeliac disease in children include: Failure to thrive Diarrhoea Muscle wasting Poor appetite Abdominal distension Lethargy Change of mood and emotional distress. Sickle cell disease includes: Fatigue Anaemia Swelling and inflammation of the joints Sickling crisis – leads to blood blockage in the spleen or liver. Sickle cell anaemia can also cause damage to the heart, lungs, kidneys and bones. Turner Syndrome occurs more often in girls, including kidney problems, high blood pressure, heart problems, overweight, hearing difficulties, diabetes, and thyroid problems. Some girls with the condition may experience learning difficulties, particularly in maths. Many have difficulty with tasks that require skills such as map reading or visual organization. short stature and lack of sexual development a webbed neck (extra folds of skin extending from the tops of the shoulders to the sides of the neck) a low hairline at the back of the neck drooping of the eyelids differently shaped ears that are set lower on the sides of the head than usual abnormal bone development (especially the bones of the hands and elbows) a larger than usual number of moles on the skin Edema or extra fluid in the hands and feet. Lack of vitamin/mineral Condition it may cause Signs and symptoms Vitamin B-1 Alcoholism Alzheimer’s disease Crohn’s disease Congestive heart failure Depression Epilepsy Fibromyalgia HIV/AIDS Korsakoff’s psychosis Multiple sclerosis Wernicke’s encephalopathy Loss of appetite Pins and needles sensations Feeling of numbness, especially in the legs Muscle tenderness, particularly in the calf muscles Depression Vitamin B-12 Reduced amount of oxygen in the body. Common symptoms include tiredness, lethargy, feeling faint, becoming breathless. Less common symptoms include headaches, a thumping heart (palpitations), altered taste, loss of appetite, and ringing in the ears (tinnitus). You may look pale. Vitamin C Crohn’s disease. Gingivitis Anaemia Bleeding gums Decreased ability to fight infection Decreased wound-healing rate Dry and splitting hair Easy bruising Gingivitis (inflammation of the gums) Nosebleeds Possible weight gain because of slowed metabolism Rough, dry, scaly skin Swollen and painful joints Weakened tooth enamel Vitamin D Rickets. Cancer Increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease. Cognitive impairment in older adults. Severe asthma in children. Vitamin K blood clotting Blood clotting, which means it helps wounds heal properly. Calcium Osteoporosis Hypocalcaemia Rickets Easy bruising, where the skin is thin. Lack of blood clotting may lead to a haemorrhage in an organ of the body which can be fatal in areas like the brain. Weakness of bones/brittle. Potassium Muscle cramps in arms and legs Constipation Muscle weakness Dehydration Fatigue Frequent urination Nausea Vomiting Fainting Magnesium Weakness Tiredness loss of appetite Numbness Tingling Muscle cramps seizures abnormal heart rhythms Sodium seizures muscle fatigue muscle weakness spasms/cramps of muscles Iron Anaemic Tiredness Frequent infections Frequent colds Pale, sickly Tiredness Inability to concentrate Poor achievements in sports Personal factors are within the child such as, their personality, their health and wellbeing, medical needs, learning difficulties, speech and language, sensory impairment, disability etc. Having a disability could affect their development as they may have low self-esteem, may be isolated and have difficultly socialising with others. External factors can have a huge influence on a child’s life; the main contributor to this would be poverty and deprivation, which can limit their social status with friends. An example of this may be no mobile phone or computer to keep in touch with friends out of school. Lack of funds at home could have a huge impact on transport and educational resources, which could mean that the child is delayed in academic achievement. There are a range of external factors these can include a lack of parental skills thus leading to abuse, neglect, and undernourishment. This would impact the child’s development as they do not have the guidance and support of the parent regarding progress through education. A Loss of a parent through divorce, separation and death can lead to a lack of basic nurture, because of depression or grief ruling their family life, due to little family support. The child would not have a strong support network which would hold back their development in education. Children develop at different rates therefore, the sequence of development is more important than the age of development. For example, babbling their first words. Milestones are a rough guide of this, as all children differ in their rates of development e.g. different children will progress at different rates, such as the reading ability in children, this may be different from the expectations of adults. Another example would be that puberty can differ from the age of nine to sixteen years in girls. We need to be aware that there are factors that influence these developmental stages and know how to address their impact. Parents and professionals e.g. health visitors, teachers and support staff etc. Play a key role in providing environments that encourage development, they also help to make the child feel confident and help boost their self-esteem throughout each stage in their development. The rate of development is the speed at which a child attains a particular development aspect. The length of time a child remains at a phase of development might be influenced by the difficulties they face. For example, a child with speech and language difficulties may remain at the stage of speaking in simple phrases. We cannot expect all children to develop at the same rate, we need to be aware that there are factors that influence these developmental stages and know how to address the impact. A key factor is working at an appropriate pace when supporting development. For example, a selective mute means that the child will be delayed in the comprehension of speech and language. Another example would be that a neglected child would have low communication ability and hold back. Children with a learning or physical disability may be exposed to prejudice or discrimination at school because they may be treated differently than the rest of the children. They may be bullied or teased by other students which will affect their self-confidence and in turn affect their learning ability and development. Disabilities are categorised in different forms i.e. learning or physical. Early Intervention is important for children in the long term, so that any delays in development are identified as soon as possible and support can be put in place. Good. Having a Key Worker working closely with the child, means they can identify the child’s needs and can highlight any delays or difficulties within a particular area of their development. Speech, language and communication delays are a good example for this as, this could result in the child being a social recluse and unable to engage with their peers. An example of this is Selective mute, a lack of confidence and less able to manage their thoughts could lead to them experiencing emotional problems. Behavioural issues caused by the inability to communicate could lead to frustration and aggression. Good point. For example; the child will find it hard to form a relationship with other children. A delay to literacy acquisition would lead to poor recognition of vocabulary and production of sounds. This would cause a delay in their development and make it more difficult to keep up with their peers. To identify specialist advice and involvement of parents/carers is paramount so that a structured programme of intervention (e.g. IEP) is put in place as soon as possible, so that all agencies can work together and give appropriate support as early as possible. References Drinkaware.co.uk. (2013). Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). Available: http://www.drinkaware.co.uk/check-the-facts/health-effects-of-alcohol/fertility-and-pregnancy/foetal-alcohol-syndrome. Last accessed 26/01/2014. Parent further. (2013). Ages 6-9: Emotional Development . Available: http://www.parentfurther.com/ages-stages/6-9/emotional-development. Last accessed 26/01/2014. DR Richard Draper. (2012). Turner syndrome. Available: http://www.patient.co.uk/doctor/Turners-Syndrome.htm. Last accessed 26/01/2014. NHS. (2012). Vitamins and minerals. Available: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-minerals/Pages/vitamins-minerals.aspx. Last accessed 26/01/2014. Parenting counts. (2014). Developmental timeline. Available: http://www.parentingcounts.org/information/timeline/. Last accessed 26/01/2014.

Critical Opinions Essay -- Essays Papers

Critical Opinions Oliver Goldsmith, author of The Deserted Village, spent years as a hack writer, turning out books and articles on all sorts of subjects for London booksellers. Eventually, Goldsmith used his fluent pen to write himself out of obscurity and become one on the most characteristic and best English writers of the late 1700s, with his works The Vicar of Wakefield, The Traveller, and The Deserted Village. The Deserted Village is one of Goldsmith's acknowledged masterpieces, and probably the most distinguished long poem by an Irishman. Despite the popularity of The Deserted Village it became the focus of criticism from Goldsmith's contemporaries. Not all criticism, however, was negative. Literary criticism refers to a balanced analysis; even when literary critics supplement, they generally discuss the merits as well as faults of a work in order to arrive at a sound, deliberate assessment (Murfin 64). Most criticism of Goldsmith's The Deserted Village tended to be positive. Nevertheless, some contemporaries ranked The Deserted Village below The Traveller. For instance, according to Sir Samual Edgerton, The Deserted Village is a poem far inferior to The Traveller, though it contains many beautiful passages. Its inferiority to its predecessor [The Traveller] arises from its comparative want of compression, as well as of force and novelty of imagery. Its tone of melancholy is more sickly, and some of the descriptions which have been most praised are marked by all the poverty and flatness, and indeed are peopled with the sort of comic and grotesque figures, of Flemish landscape (Moulton 630). Irish literary nationalists believe that the village of Auburn in The Deserted Village is the Irish village of Lissoy. ... ...ened by touches of pathos; if sorrow disturb the heart, it is more than half consoled by the thought, that gentle or happy natures will find or make for themselves such simple and unexacting pleasures, wherever their lot may cast (Moulton 681). Oliver Goldsmith continued to write regardless of the different critical views from his contemporaries on the The Deserted Village. While doing my research I came across a very poignant quote by Goldsmith, "Write how you want, the critic shall show the world you could have written better." Works Cited Moulton, Charles Wells, ed. The Library of Literary Criticism. Gloucester, Mass: The Moulton Publishing Company. 1959. Murfin, Ross and Supryia M. Ray. The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms. New York: Bedford Books. 1997. Swarbick, Andrew, ed. The Art of Oliver Goldsmith. London: Vision Press. 1984. Critical Opinions Essay -- Essays Papers Critical Opinions Oliver Goldsmith, author of The Deserted Village, spent years as a hack writer, turning out books and articles on all sorts of subjects for London booksellers. Eventually, Goldsmith used his fluent pen to write himself out of obscurity and become one on the most characteristic and best English writers of the late 1700s, with his works The Vicar of Wakefield, The Traveller, and The Deserted Village. The Deserted Village is one of Goldsmith's acknowledged masterpieces, and probably the most distinguished long poem by an Irishman. Despite the popularity of The Deserted Village it became the focus of criticism from Goldsmith's contemporaries. Not all criticism, however, was negative. Literary criticism refers to a balanced analysis; even when literary critics supplement, they generally discuss the merits as well as faults of a work in order to arrive at a sound, deliberate assessment (Murfin 64). Most criticism of Goldsmith's The Deserted Village tended to be positive. Nevertheless, some contemporaries ranked The Deserted Village below The Traveller. For instance, according to Sir Samual Edgerton, The Deserted Village is a poem far inferior to The Traveller, though it contains many beautiful passages. Its inferiority to its predecessor [The Traveller] arises from its comparative want of compression, as well as of force and novelty of imagery. Its tone of melancholy is more sickly, and some of the descriptions which have been most praised are marked by all the poverty and flatness, and indeed are peopled with the sort of comic and grotesque figures, of Flemish landscape (Moulton 630). Irish literary nationalists believe that the village of Auburn in The Deserted Village is the Irish village of Lissoy. ... ...ened by touches of pathos; if sorrow disturb the heart, it is more than half consoled by the thought, that gentle or happy natures will find or make for themselves such simple and unexacting pleasures, wherever their lot may cast (Moulton 681). Oliver Goldsmith continued to write regardless of the different critical views from his contemporaries on the The Deserted Village. While doing my research I came across a very poignant quote by Goldsmith, "Write how you want, the critic shall show the world you could have written better." Works Cited Moulton, Charles Wells, ed. The Library of Literary Criticism. Gloucester, Mass: The Moulton Publishing Company. 1959. Murfin, Ross and Supryia M. Ray. The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms. New York: Bedford Books. 1997. Swarbick, Andrew, ed. The Art of Oliver Goldsmith. London: Vision Press. 1984.

The Health of College Students Essay -- college meal plans

Rob Geis, a current college student, explains, â€Å"A student is not at fault for unwanted weight gain. It is the college meal plans that cause the gain in weight. Many colleges require incoming freshmen to be on a meal plan† (Geis). Parents like the meal plans because they know their child is getting meals every day, but the plan does have its downsides. Geis believes that many students do not eat three meals every day. â€Å"If we don’t eat every meal we are given, we are wasting our money which was used to buy the meal plan. So, it is either gain weight or waste money† (Geis). This may cause the family of the student to get upset. The parents may reduce the student’s meal plan for the next year, which would make the student eat less. The student may then be at an unhealthy weight. This could cause tension between the student and his or her family. Students face physical and mental problems, and they need strategies to optimize their health. A student’s overall health in college involves many aspects. The physical health of a student plays a major role in his or her health. First, according to Malinauskas et al., â€Å"The ‘Freshman Fifteen’ could be considered an epidemic†. In a recent study conducted by Jung et al. and Whyshak explain that 90% of college students have heard of the â€Å"Freshman Fifteen† (qtd. in Carithers-Thomas et al.). A student can keep a healthy weight if he or she knows that knowledge. Also, a student may help his or her friends in keeping a healthy weight; eventually, lowering the average weight gained in college. In another study conducted by Graham and Jones, they report 59% of college freshman gain weight in his or her first year of college (qtd. in Carithers-Thomas et al.). This could lead a student to ... ...g/ehost/detail?sid=5fa0dcd2-8360-492c-9f47-06bd2115521b%40sessionmgr112&vid=1&hid=121&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=51456646>. Merianos, Ashley, et al. "The Impact of Self-Esteem and Social Support on College Students' Mental Health." American Journal of Health Studies. EBSCOhost, Oct. 2013. Web. 19 Mar. 2014. . Dineley, Johnson. "College Health 101: How to Stay Healthy on Campus." Nation's Health. EBSCOhost, n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2014. . Orender, Michael. Instant messenger interview. 23 Apr. 2014.

Symbols and Symbolism in Conrads Heart of Darkness Essay -- Heart Dar

Use of Symbolism in Heart of Darkness       Joseph Conrad played a major role in the development of the twentieth-century novel.   Many devices that Conrad applied for the first time to his novels gained wide usage in the literary period he helped to create.   Perhaps the most effective of his pioneering techniques was his application of symbolism in his novels.   In Heart of Darkness, Conrad's symbolism plays a dominant role in the advancement of themes in the novel.   These themes are revealed not through plot, but instead through the symbolic characters and elements present in the narrative.   Joseph Conrad's use of symbolism in his portrayal of the Africans, the Company, and Kurtz in Heart of Darkness illustrates the value of had work and self-restraint.      Ã‚  Ã‚   The format of Heart of Darkness is a narrative of the ship captain Charlie Marlow's experiences in the Congo Free State, told to companions on a ship moored at the mouth of the Thames River, southeast of London.   As the vast majority of the text is the story told by Marlow, the reader is intimately acquainted with Marlow‚s opinions and judgments throughout his first-person account.   Thus the relationships between Marlow and other characters in the novel are of greater importance than the characters themselves.   The actions that Marlow takes notice of are used chiefly to serve a symbolic purpose rather than to advance the plot.   The flow of the novel itself is rough and illogical at times, as Marlow's chain of thought is not entirely chronological.   This is one stylistic technique that other authors of the twentieth century, particularly James Joyce and William Faulkner, would make greater use of in their literature (Jericho 23).      Ã‚  Ã‚   The first of the ma... ...ction is not as important as the effects of that action, a world that would be exploited in the years to come.    Works Cited: Conrad, Joseph Heart of Darkness and The Secret Sharer, 1902. Signet Classic, New York 1997. Jericho, Jeremy, Tessa Krailing Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness Barron's 1985.    Works Consulted: Adelman, Gary. Heart of Darkness: Search for the Unconscious. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1987. Fothergill, Anthony. Open Guides to Literature: Heart of Darkness. Philadelphia: Open University Press, 1989. Glassman, Peter J. Language and Being: Joseph Conrad and the Literature of the Personality. New York and London: Columbia: University Press, 1976. Tindall, W.Y. "The Duty of Marlow." In Conrad's Heart of Darkness and the Critics. Ed. Bruce Harkness. Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing Company Inc., 1968.

Laws of Migration Essay

Mr. E.G. Ravenstein established a theory of human migration in the 1880s that still forms the basis for modern migration theory. He called it the â€Å"Laws of Migration†, which the books have divided them into three general categories: characteristics of migrants, patterns of migration, and volume of migration. I believe people move for a variety of reasons, but his philosophies were basic on census results over time which makes it very creditable to me and these tendencies of migration still show currently. I will discuss, in the next few paragraphs, my reasoning of why I agree with Mr. Ravenstein â€Å"laws of migration†, and how those laws still apply today. The first general category is characteristic of migrants, which is described by the book as â€Å"selective†. I understand this category as the people that want to or the people that are forces to leave their homeland because of a major circumstance, not everyone wants to leave their homes. Religious or political reasons appear to be at the top of the list. For example, Cuba has a communist government that forces people to agree with the government. Where people do not agree with the government’s views or decisions they are not allowed to express their opinion. People from Cuba are force to leave the island if the government finds that they are looking for options to leave or trying to take action against the government. On the other hand, there are people in Cuba that are happy with the government. They do not have any decider to leave the island. They also like the rules in place for the community and believed that everyone should follow them. Another general category that the book describes is patters of immigration. I see this category as the pull factor describes on page 17 as â€Å"to those attractive forces emanating from the migrants’ goal that draws migrants†. I see the pull factor as the idea of people to emerge from poverty or the inabili ty to use acquired professional skills. This concept still happens today, my own experience is a clear example of it. In the years 1999 to 2006 Argentina reached an economic crisis, the patters at the time was to come to the United States because the better future was here. My mother and I came to the United States back in 2000 from Argentina. One of the reasons that my mother decided to come to the United State was for a better future for me. I attended Miami Beach Senior High school, where I found a group of kids that were from Argentina. Their parents had decided to come to the U.S. for their better future. There were many people in Argentina with professional degrees but not many with good jobs. My mother and those kids parents were persuade by the idea that having a degree in the United States was more valued that a degree from my country. The last general category is volume of migration which I can relate to the availability of affordable transportation and other advantages related to globalization and advances in technology, many recent immigrants are not forced to sever ties with the families they leave behind. People consider the advantages and disadvantages of staying versus moving, as well as factors such as distance, travel costs, travel time, modes of transportation, terrain, and cultural barriers before moving. For example, the volume of migrants that comes from Mexico every day to make money or to achieve a better standard of leaving. They still provide for their families in Mexico but they believed working in the U.S. is far more effective, easier, and produce way more money in a short period of time. In conclusion, I agree with Mr. Ravenstein â€Å"laws of migration† because I can relate his philosophy to today’s world and still see the same reasoning. Cuba, Argentina and Mexico are a clear example of his migration point of view.

Police Shooting Essay

The claim that the NYPD is becoming trigger-happy cannot really be said conclusively without comparing it to other large metropolitan areas in the United States and when doing so it seems that the answer is, at the present time, no.   In 1999, 11 people died at the hand of an officer in New York, in 2000 it was 41.   1993 had 23 people killed by police that was the same year that David Dinkins was mayor. Now if you compare this to Chicago last year, 2001, 13 people were killed by police with only 10 in 2000. LAPD was the only U.S. city to have the death rates from police shootings fall lower than New York, down from 39 to 6 in between 2000-2001.   But LAPD’s crime reduction still did not match New York, which was drastically lower.   Even with demonstrations and poor poll rating, the number of civilian complaints about the police fell to 4,903 in 1999, the lowest since 1994.   Even though the NYPD is not perfect the trend still predicts that improvement is still happening.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Some attribute the decline to economics such as lower unemployment or demographics, fewer criminal youths.   No one wants to believe that it could possibly be tougher policing.   A new computerized system that maps the criminality in the city has been given credit by most.   Along with this system and weekly brainstorming meetings among senior police and precinct captains NYPD has been able to predict and locate new outbreaks of crime quickly and find better ways of cracking down on them. Some point to the focus on quality of life crimes like littering and graffiti painting.   Enforcing these types of crime has shown the community that law will be enforced and this has given a clear message.   The changing of how police officers are rewarded for performance has also made a really huge difference.   It switched from rewards for number of arrests to rewards for lower reported crimes. Only until an incident with Patrick Dorismond, who was shot by police in March of 2000 by the street crimes unit, did the NYPD gain a more critical look into if they are trigger-happy.   The unit is a plain clothed police squad that can be sent anytime anywhere.   At the time they were investigating an outbreak of cab drivers who were being murdered.   Another function of this unit is to find illegal weapons.   In New York City it is quite frequent that individuals can become stopped and frisked, but many residents do not like this fact.   It seems that this activity focuses on many blacks and Hispanics. Dorismond was approached by officers from the street crimes unit but because they were in street clothing Dorismond did not realize they were officers and a scuffle began with the result of Dorismond’s fatal shooting.   He was unarmed and the family is searching for answers.   What really hurt the department was when the mayor’s office decided to make public Dorismond’s juvenile record, trying to portray the man as â€Å"no Altar boy† did not go over well with the community and became nationwide news giving the police as being very insensitive. Racial Profiling seems to be at the heart of this problem, the mayor points to studies that the disproportionate number of people accused of crimes come from ethnic minorities and that is the reason why more of those minorities get stopped.   A recent study by Timothy Lynch of the Cato Institute points to the tactics of this policing unit as the problem.   They point out that it is unconstitutional and makes shooting like Dorismond’s a predictable result.   It gives the police â€Å"the mind-set of a soldier† training the unit as soldiers.   Some have said that legalizing guns for citizens and legalizing some drugs could be a solution to eliminate the need for this unit. As you can see there are many openings for improvement in the NYPD and while researching this topic I have found that it is obvious that improvements have been made, but they are slow in coming and in implementing.   Media has played a very important role in keeping this in the public arena, where it needs to be.   It was difficult when the changing of the way departmental review of rewards, such as being rewarded for reduction in crime reports, was implemented and there was much debate on if this would really work.   But now since it has been implemented it has shown great improvement in community safety. Now a focus on racism should be examined closely to fix what is really, in my opinion, at the heart of this controversy.   I think if officers of tomorrow were educated in multicultural terms racism will fade away, like time.   America has had many dark moments in history and hopefully racism will become just a dark moment in the past.   I don’t think that we can actually say that NYPD is trigger-happy, but I do think that acts of racism could be behind the shootings that have happen between the NYPD and its citizens. Reference: Anonymous (2000, May 6).   â€Å"United States: The Thin Blue Line†.   The Economist,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   London Ed. Vol. 355, Issue 8169, pg.32.