Homeschool vs. Public School

Final Essay Home Schooling: From Home to Harvard We're all familiar with the popular images of homeschoolers in America: Extreme fundamentalist families shutting out all other points of view. These stereotypes are touted freely by the popular media and conventional schooling experts alike. But they have little to do with the realities of homeschooling for most families today, and are rarely backed by factual data. The average home-schooled student scored â€Å"81 points higher on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) than did the general population in 2000†. Winters) At the National Spelling Bee in 2000, the top three winners were home-schooled. Studies show that, â€Å"home-schooled children also tend to score higher on basic skills testing than do public school children†. (Winters) According to the Wall Street Journal, â€Å"Evidence is mounting that homeschooling, once confined to the political and religious fringe, has achieved results not only on par with public educ ation, but in some ways surpassing it. † (Reider) However, one subject continues to surface whenever the issue of home schooling arises. Public school administrators, teachers, and parents are all concerned about whether home schooling can be considered a good process of education. Therefore, I intend to prove that home-schooled children are properly socialized, fully educated and college admissions increasing acceptance rates of home schooled applicants prove that they’re prepared for the next level of education. Supporters of public schools maintain that public school students learn to work well with others, including those of differing backgrounds, and that they can achieve greater independence by attending public school. Negotiating the communal spaces of schoolyard, classroom, athletic field, and laboratory prepares them for â€Å"real world† experiences, they contend. Critics of home schooling believe that home-schooled children miss out on these important opportunities. Without the chance to interact with those of diverse backgrounds, critics are concerned that home-schooled students will fail to appreciate and understand one of the core values of American life: to tolerate and appreciate the differences between cultures or groups and among individuals. They fear that isolation breeds intolerance, prejudice, and even fanaticism. In response to such criticism, proponents of home schooling answer that home-schooled children have plenty of social opportunities. The National Home Education Research Institute conducted a study and found that â€Å"an average home-schooled child participates in 5. 2 activities per week outside the home†. (Dr. Brian Ray) These children are involved in music, dance, drama, and art classes, visit museums and zoos, and join home-schooling groups or local churches. They form athletic teams and compete in home-school tournaments. They participate in book and foreign language clubs, scout groups, and have pen pals. In fact, home school participants believe that, because â€Å"the average time spent â€Å"in class† can often be compressed to about half a day, home-school students have more time available to them than do students in public school to pursue special interests†. (Golden) These activities may include practicing the piano, learning lines for a play, or studying ballet. Being a home-schooling student opens up many hours in a day do be able to do specific things they would not have been able to do if they had attended public school. Advocates of home schooling maintain that in the process of participating in outside activities, home-schooled children benefit by socializing with people of all ages, not just those of their peer group (Stevens 35). They note that the world does not consist of people who are all the same age and that students are at a disadvantage if they spend their day with their peers. One home-schooling researcher claims that home schooling â€Å"reduces that degree to which children find themselves constantly and obsessively being compared to, and comparing themselves with, other children their age. (Gaither) A home-schooled child’s days, he believes, are more like the â€Å"real world† than that of students in public school. Research conducted on the socialization of home-schooled children lends support to the arguments of home-schooling advocates. Home schooled children are found to be as well adjusted as public school students when measuring â€Å"aggression, reliance on othe rs, perception of support from others, perceptions of limits to be followed, and interpersonal relations among family members. † (Lines) Another study indicated that home-schooled children had less behavioral problems than children attending public school. Supporters of home schooling will often â€Å"turn the tables on their critics, pointing to the negative influences present in public schools†. (Kranzow) In particular, a sizable percentage of home-schooling parents worry about the â€Å"wrong kind† of socialization found in public schools and keep their kids at home primarily for that reason. They believe the prevalence of illicit drugs, alcohol, smoking, and premarital sex undermines the moral principles taught at home. They fear the negative influences of peer pressure and want to protect their children from American pop culture. As a result of the recent growth of homeschooling in the US, colleges and universities have received an increasing number of applications from home-schooled students. Admissions offices have found it necessary to assess whether and how their admissions requirements should be modified to allow fair review of the credentials submitted by homeschooled students. It is estimated that â€Å"50% of homeschooled children attend college, the same percentage as children educated in public schools†. (Klicka) But are these students skilled enough to compete successfully with conventionally-schooled students in the college setting? Klicka concludes that homeschoolers and traditionally educated students demonstrate similar academic preparedness for college and academic achievement. Through my research on the homeschooling process, I have discovered that home schooled children’s test score and their home school â€Å"portfolios† have impressed many colleges, most of them prominent or ivy league. Each year  Harvard University  takes up to 10 applicants who have been homeschooled. â€Å"In general, those kids do just fine,’ says David Illingsworth, senior admissions officer at Harvard University. He adds that the number of applications and inquiries from homeschoolers is ‘definitely increasing. ’†(Klicka) The students' average scores were typicality in the â€Å"70th to 80th percentile, with 25% of homeschooled students enrolled one or more grades above their age-level peers in public and private schools†. (Klicka) Peer groups have less influence on this population than they generally have in lives of those who are educated more traditionally, while faculty members looked to play a critical role in the transition to college process, above and beyond the role they play in the lives of more traditionally educated students. One might contest that, whether at a public school or in a homeschooled environment, grasping the learning material can be difficult for a child due to teaching style and their coordination with learning. Much of this is due to teaching style and its coordination with learning style. Because it’s extremely difficult to teach in a way that best fits each student, a child may be â€Å"left in the dust† due to the lecturing of the teacher according to the majority of the students learning style. Homeschooling, on the other hand, allows flexibility to define a curriculum that still meets the requirements, yet takes into account the best learning style for the child. Generally, educational success tends to measured in academic achievement. If this standard alone were applied to home schooling, most people would agree that home schooling can be a successful alternative to public school. In terms of academics, sociability and the higher level of education, the home schooling process has indicated through test-scores evidence and increasing acceptance rates by college admissions to be a highly effective method of education. Alyssa Statham Professor Clifford EH 102; MW 930 December 8, 2011 Work Cited Page Kranzow, Jeannine M. â€Å"Taking a different path: The college experience of homeschooled† Diss. Indiana University, 2005. Pro Quest Winters, Rebecca. â€Å"Home Schoolers: From Home to Harvard† Time, 156, 11 September 2000, 55. Cogan, Michael F. â€Å"Exploring Academic Outcomes of Homeschooled Students† Journal of College Admission. 208. Dec. 2010 p. 18 Gaither, Milton â€Å"Home schooling goes mainstream† Education Next. 9. 1 2009. P. 10 Stevens, Mitchell L. â€Å"Kingdom of Children: Culture and Controversy in the Homeschooling Movement† Princeton University Press. Sep 2001 Jones, Erika M. L. â€Å"Transition from Home Education to Higher Education: Academic and Social Issues† , Volume 25, Number 3, 2010, p. 1-9. Reider, John , Stanford's senior associate director of admissions, as quoted by Daniel Golden,  The Wall Street Journal, Feb 11, 2000, pg. 1 Daniel Golden,  The Wall Street Journal, Feb 11, 2000, pg. 1 Klicka, Christopher J. â€Å"Homeschooled Students Excel in College† Esq. Senior Counsel for Home School Legal Defense Association Ray, Brian Dr. â€Å"U. S. Homeschool Population Size and Growth† NHERI December 23, 2008

Jim Poss Case Study Analysis

The main growth strategy that Jim counted on really was based over the potential upcoming increase in demands for clean and cost cutting energy solutions. The newspaper reminded him that as energy prices will soar. Logistics for cost saving could be the origin of birth of a new and ever growing sector, and and that if he got on it early on (as he did), This could prove to be a lucrative idea. BigBelly wasn't only a device for saving Money. t could've been marketed for the green-image portrayed by its presence in public spaces and how this could help improve the eco-friendly image of the companies that uses them. in the early 2000's large corporation were already massively funding various Corporate social Responsibility[CSR] projects, mainly for their public image and thus profit, this would've been an ideal marketing niche as Devices such as Jim's serves those exact needs, Yes I would have taken the order.Jim's decision to accept the order from the Ski resort was a smart one, risky b ut smart, this was a truly exceptional and perhaps irreplaceable opportunity,lets put it that way: the fact that a business(in trouble) was willing to invest in a device (electric or not) without even being able to test it beforehand is an accomplishment on its own, but the fact that its developer wasn't even sure how to actually build it, was an even greater one, sure Jim had constructed and sold a prototype before, but as long as Vail is concerned the devices they're Purchasing (3 at first) didn't even exist yet.Finally I believe that if it wasn't for the deadline and by being under time constrain, Jim and his team would have taken much longer to figure out the ins-&-outs of the manufacturing process of BigBelly, and thus perhaps lose future opportunities

Teletech Corporation 1996

Teletech Corporation 1996 Teletech Corporations has headquartered in Dallas, Texas, defined itself as a â€Å"provider of integrated information movement and management. The firm had two main business segments: The Telecommunication Services and the manufacture of computing and telecommunications equipment named, Product and Systems. Margareth Weston, a Teletech chief financial officer, learned of Yosarrian's letter in January 1996. Margareth organized a team immediately of lawyers and finance staff to assess the threat.Maxwell Harper, the firm's CEO, scheduled a teleconference meeting of the firm's board of directors the next day. Harper and Weston agreed that before the meeting they need to fashion a response to Yossarian's assertions about the firm's returns. It is in connection with the article published that reclusive billionaire Victor Yossarian has acquired a 10 percent stake in Teletech Corporation and has demanded two seats on the firm's board of directors. The purchase was revealed upon filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission and separately a letter to Teletech's CEO, Maxwell Harper.It is stated that the firm is misusing its resources and not earning an adequate return and the company should abandon its misguided entry into computers and sell the Product and System Segment. Also, the management must focus on creating value for shareholders and Teletech must issued a brief statement emphasizing the virtues of a link between computer technology and telecommunications. Ironically, returns had been the subject of debate within the firm's circle of senior managers in recent month.A number of issues had been raised about the hurdle rate used by the company in evaluating performance and in setting the annual capital budget. Since the company was expected to invest nearly $2 billion in capital in 1996, gaining closure and consensus on these issues had become an important priority for Margareth Weston. Now, Yossarian's letter lent urgency to the di scussion. In the short run Margaret needed to respond to Yossarian. In a long run, she needed to assess the competing viewpoints and recommended new policies as necessary.

World Hunger and Poverty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

World Hunger and Poverty - Essay Example Despite the wealth of that exists in the developed countries there are many parts of the world in which people live in poverty and often suffer from hunger and malnutrition due to a lack of food. There are approximately 156 emerging economies in the world. An emerging economy is a country that has a gross domestic product per capita below $9,000. The majority of the poverty in the world is located in these nations. It is estimated that over 3 billion people across the world are living on $2.50 or less a day of income (Globalissues). Extreme poverty is directly correlated with hunger. When people lack the economic resources or income necessary to cover for living expenses families often suffer from hunger. Hunger can be defined as the uneasy or painful sensation caused by want of food; craving appetite (Worldhunger). A related health problem associated with hunger is malnutrition. Malnutrition refers to a lack of the proper diet in which the person does not receive the nutrients necessary for human health. In 2010 there were 925 million people that suffered from hunger. The majority of those people were located in Asia & Pacific and in the Sub-Sahara African region. The increase in world hunger is due to three factors: 1. Neglect of agriculture relevant in areas where very poor people live by government and international agencies 2. The current worldwide economic crisis which started in 2008 3. Food price inflation (Worldhunger). The rise in food prices is a major problem that is hurting the quality of life of po or people in America and billions of humans living in poverty in the world. The total inflation in the United States since 2000 is 31.5% (Usinflationcalculator). Inflation lowers the purchasing power of a person. Inflation has a greater detrimental effect in people that have very low income since it lowers their purchasing power. The amount of hungry people in the world represents over 13% of the world’s population. The problem cannot be ignored any longer and solutions must be found soon. The innocent victims of poverty and hunger are the children. There are over one billion children living in poverty in the world. Children due to their weaker immune system are not able to survive with insufficient food as many days as adults. â€Å"Children who are poorly nourished suffer up to 160 days of illness each year† (Worldhunger). Many of these children simply cannot survive these inhumane conditions and as a consequence millions of kids are dying every year. Over 5 million children died last year of malnutrition. There are non-profit organizations such as Feed The Children

Reformation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reformation - Research Paper Example Luther, along with some other like-minded churchgoers, had become increasingly distraught about systematic corruption in the form of indulgences and simony (selling and buying clerical seats) that had apparently become rampant within the Roman Catholic Church. Luther observed these offenses in person during a previous trip to Rome. These concerns were compounded by disagreements about doctrine, the sacraments, celibacy, and the power of the Pope. At the same time as Luther’s uprising, a similar movement was forming in Switzerland led by Huldrych Zwingli. The two would not join forces however, as some disagreements kept them apart. The Reformation was condemned by the papacy and Luther was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church. Following these events, Protestant groups throughout Europe would find common ground in the writings of John Calvin, and the movement would soon gain ground from the Roman Catholics. Major Beliefs and Practices Protestant is a broad term that app lies to Churches that protest the ways of the Roman Catholic Church (though some reject the label, such as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). While there are many different denominations of Protestantism, some beliefs do apply to virtually all of them. The doctrine of Sola Scriptura holds that the Bible itself, rather than traditions or interpretations, is the ultimate source of Christian authority. The doctrine of Sola Fide reserves salvation for the act of faith in Jesus, rather than as a result of personal actions or good deeds. Solus Christus refers to the holiness of Jesus and denounces the power of men assuming a similar position (such as the Pope), Sola Gratia argues that salvation cannot be gained by work, and Soli Deo Gloria, the belief that humans are not worthy of glory. Additionally, Reformed Churches typically have less elaborate periods of worship when compared to the Roman Catholic tradition, though exceptions do exist, and a concept known as the univer sal brotherhood imbues the duty to read the Bible regularly and to take part in all Church processes. This approach places all members on equal ground and opposes the hierarchy found in Roman Catholic systems. Categories and Demographics There are several categories that have been used to describe the many denominations of Protestantism. The â€Å"Mainline† Protestant group consists of churches that identify with Lutheranism, Calvinism, or Anglicanism. Churches in this group typically adhere to the original doctrines that came from the Reformation. Baptist Churches are identified by the lack of infant baptism rituals, but involve the regular baptism of adults. Also, Anabaptist worshipers are categorized based on the re-baptizing of converts. Denominations that fall in each of these categories can differ in any number of ways, including their belief in the nature of Christ’s presence at the Last Supper. Today, participation in Protestant religions is large throughout ma ny countries. A 2008 article by Michael Paulson states that over half of all Americans are members of Protestant religions. Other countries with a large number of Protestants include the United Kingdom, Nigeria, Germany, South Africa, Brazil, and China (Central Intelligence Agency, 2008). Additionally, Protestantism practically dominates religious practices throughout the Nordic countries (Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland). Membership in the mainline sector of Protestantism has

St Augustine and The Stoics Philosophy comparison and analysis Research Paper

St Augustine and The Stoics Philosophy comparison and analysis - Research Paper Example Augustine’s philosophy and its influence on our todays lives. However, philosophy has a number of unresolved questions, termed as philosophical problems. Among the problematics, moral knowledge, philosophy of language, questions on philosophy of mathematics, philosophy of mind, questions on philosophy of science and finally Metaphysics. Additionally, the question problem include, does mathematics and science applied by the philosophers apply in today’s world? Did the philosophers deal with the mind problems? The paper also gives the comparisons on the two philosophies and broadly analyses the philosophies. Eventually, a summary of the impacts of the philosophies on today’s world is clearly highlighted. Philosophy is a topic that can never be underestimated. Augustine is a fourth-century philosopher whose ground-breaking philosophy infiltrated Christian doctrines with Neo-Platonism to a wider extent. Broadly, Neoplatonism refers to a school of philosophy based on teachings of Plato and subsequently and subsequently Plotinus. It was the foundation of paganism. Augustine being the founder of western Christianity got lot of recognition not only in Rome but also across the vast Europe1. Moreover, the philosopher got the fame from being an inimitable Catholic theologian and his adverse contributions to Western philosophy. The philosopher was the first ecclesiastical author the whole course of whose development can be clearly traced, as well as the first of whose case researcher can determine the exact period covered by his career till today. Augustine argued sceptics have no basis for claiming to know that there is no knowledge. Evidently in one of Augustine’s letter, he states, â€Å"even if I am mistaken, I am.† Additionally, Augustine was the first philosopher to promote what has come to be called, â€Å"the argument by analogy† against solipsism. To a wider extent, solipsism refers to the theory that the self is all that exists or that can be proven

The Importance of Understanding Price Elasticity Essay - 1

The Importance of Understanding Price Elasticity - Essay Example This elasticity is used to measure how responsive the quantity demanded is or how willing the consumers are to buy the firm’s product if there is a given change in price. Inelastic products, meaning products whose quantity demanded would not be significantly affected by a change in price, include cigarettes and food items. Whereas elastic products, meaning products whose quantity demanded would be significantly affected by a change in its price, include iPod, MP3, television and other such consumer items considered a luxury or a want. Firms can use information about their product’s elasticity of demand to determine their price structure and their competition policy in the market. This information is extremely valuable for the firm’s marketing department as it allows them to determine if the people will continue buying their product if the price is increased or will there be a dramatic decline in the sales. For example if the demand is inelastic for a cigarette company then its marketing department will know that there won’t be a significant decrease in the quantity demanded by the customers to an increase in price. Hence they can afford to charge a higher price without losing too many customers. One thing that needs to be noted here is that when the price of a product is relatively inelastic, a firm’s revenue would rise because of the fact that an increase in price which not reduce quantity demanded significantly thus their revenues would rise. On the other hand, had the demand for tha t product been elastic, they would be losing revenue because quantity demanded would fall. Here, cigarettes are considered to be a relatively inelastic, hence the marketing and the finance department would be aware of the fact that they can increase potential revenue by an increase in the level of prices depending on the degree of elasticity. If the value of elasticity is closer to zero, then they can increase the

The literature of exile and imaginary homelands in salmon rushdie, Essay

The literature of exile and imaginary homelands in salmon rushdie, bharati mukherjee, and v. s. naipaul - Essay Example es. Salman Rushdie, Bharati Mukherjee, and V.S. Naipaul can all, in different ways, be considered writers in exile. They have all traveled across the sea, all have come to a new, "foreign" land, and each one interacts with the English language as both "a home" for words and an alien tongue. In addition, within these three writers' works, we can see the operations of exile, how the thesethbiographical and linguistic exile of these writers come to be processed and represented, reflected and distorted, and the effect that the concept of exile (that resounds throughout their works) has on the literary and historical contexts that are their new "homes." These novelist's treat exile not simply as a condition of the post-colonial world, but as a central means to understand the self. Rather than labeling them proponents of any post-colonial literature, therefore, we should perhaps call these three novelists the most important artists of a new genre: a literature of exile. Salman Rushdie is an... d Mumbai) on 19 June 1947-the year of Indian independence and the year that acquires so much importance in his most critically acclaimed novel, Midnight's Children (1981). However, while still a child, he moved to England and was schooled at two of the pillars of the British establishment: Rugby and Cambridge. Consequently, his homeland was necessarily doubled, between the Indian subcontinent (where he later lived again, in Pakistan, with his family) and the British Isles to which he returned a second time to work in an advertising agency before beginning his career as a novelist. It is precisely this double identity that informs a great deal of Rushdie's literature-from his first novel, Grimus (1975), to his most recent non-fiction and travel-writing works, such as Step Across the Line: Collected Nonfiction 1992-2002 (2002) and "The East is Blue" (2004). He is able to write about both the culture of his parents and his newly adopted culture from the position of a partial outsider to both, and is able to understand both sides of a sometimes (often violently) opposed set of cultural constructions. This is not to say that Rushdie's writing career has been one in which he feigns a transcendental stance, a distanced style, that sets him above both cultures as an objective and unbiased third party. The case is quite the reverse. His writing is very much "at ground level": it locates itself within the heady back and forth of cultural interchange. Like a geneticist he splices (and inextricably interweaves) a double helix from the quite separate societies of which he has been a part. Rushdie crosses English literary references with Quoranic exegesis and mixes Indian folklore with modern American slang. It is precisely within this interweaving that is born the exciting

Refute paper Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Refute paper - Article Example It bears emphasis that the title of the piece as well as the timing in which it has come to light is of key importance to the understanding and analysis of the motives behind it. For those that are unfamiliar, Michelle Malkin is a conservative pundit that represents the extreme far right of the Republican Party. As an Asian American woman, she seeks to give a distinct ethnic flavor to a party that has previously been viewed as male, pale, and Yale. As a partisan critic, Malkin makes her money on being a polemic. Regardless of the virtue of the Democratic stance on a particular issue or the honest nature in which the current president makes a decision, Malkin’s readership have come to expect negativity on such topics as this is what helps her to pay the bills and provides such a rabid fan base as she enjoys among extreme elements of the conservative right in the United States. With this in mind, Malkin’s article begins with a snarky headline and image that depicts Presid ent Obama in the attire of the grim reaper. Furthermore, the headline makes a strong allusion to the flap that had earlier enraptured extreme elements of the conservative party regarding Obama’s religious nature. The article is entitled â€Å"Obama’s Layoff Bomb†. ... e will be an imminent layoff bubble which will burst very soon after the election (not surprisingly especially if Barak Obama were to be elected for a second term). Although the article itself expresses the claim of objectivity in the research, it is clear from even a cursory review that no such objectivity is included. Malkin’s rubric centers around the following flawed perceptions of the economy, BLS information, and the strong/innate belief that the Democratic party and liberalism specifically is responsible for nearly all of the ills of current society (Malkin 1). Firstly, with respect to Malkin’s use of BLS data to prove a point, the unfortunate fact of the matter is that the economy of the United States has been and a marked improvement since the second quarter of 2008 in nearly every imaginable financial metric and indicator. This has been proven by increase in new home sales, low inflation rates, the positive affects that QE1,2 have had on economic growth, and t he general decrease in unemployment figures. Although the economy is still decidedly weak, it is shortsighted and narrow-minded to offer up a view that merely because a slight decrease over the past month in the number of job cuts in firms precipitates a coming avalanche of job cuts if/when Barak Obama is re-elected to the office of President of the United States. Furthermore, such an approach does not factor in the cyclical nature of the employment sector within the United States economy. Although figures rise and fall on a host of global, domestic, and regional factors, there remain significant and measurable trends with relation to overall employment and layoff statistics that transcend the presidential election. Although this is no doubt a factor to a certain subset of employers, who wins the

Structured Sentencing in North Carolina Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Structured Sentencing in North Carolina - Essay Example Less severe crimes that do not involve victim body injury or threat to body injury is assigned lowest classes while crimes involving victim injury is assigned highest classes. Misdemeanor crimes are classified in to four categories (Class AI, Class I, Class 2 and Class 3). Class AI is the most serious while Class 3 is the least serious misdemeanor crime (Tonry 86). Structured sentencing is based on several core principles. One of the principles is rationality of the sentence. The sentencing should consider the severity of the offense as indicated by the harm suffered by the victim and also the criminal record of the offender. Another principle is truthfulness. Early parole releases should be avoided since the jail term should be closed related to the sentence imposed by the courts. Another principle of structured sentencing is consistency. The sentence received by offenders with similar prior criminal record and convicted for the same offense should be the same. The last principle is resource prioritization (North Carolina Sentencing and Policy Advisory Commission 3). The sentencing should be accompanied by adequate prison and community-based resources. Prisons and jail terms should take priority for violent crimes or repeat offenders while community-based rehabilitation programs should first be utilized for the non-violent crimes, and for offenders with no prior criminal record (Tonry 86). Felon offenses are classified in to six prior record levels starting from Level I for offenders with no prior criminal conviction to Level VI for severe felonies involving violence and numerous prior criminal records, and convictions (Tonry 89). Structured sentencing in North Carolina has three sentencing levels. The levels include the active sentencing that involve jail terms, intermediate sentencing that involve supervised probation and community sentencing that may involve community service, restitution and fines. Active sentencing is done for high offense classes and fel onies with numerous prior records. Judges may impose active, community punishment or intermediate punishment for convictions of Class AI misdemeanors regardless of the past criminal record. Class 1, 2 and 3 misdemeanors, the Judge may impose a community punishment regardless of the prior criminal history (North Carolina Sentencing and Policy Advisory Commission 8). Offenders serving a jail term of more than 90 days are incarcerated at the State prison system while those serving less than 90 days of jail term, are incarcerated in County jail system (Tonry 73). Intermediate punishment requires the offenders to undergo supervised probation. The first type of intermediate punishment is the split sentence, whereby the convict will serve a jail term followed and later undergo supervised probation (Tonry 85). Another type is the Electronic house arrest whereby the convicted offender will be confined in one area and monitored through the use of computer technology. The third type is intensi ve supervision where the convicted offender is closely supervised and monitored. The fourth type is the residential center, which is a highly structured program requiring overnight residence of the convicted offender. Another type of intermediate punishment is the Day reporting center, this involve a highly structured and close supervision program during the day and in

Dunkin donuts corporation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Dunkin donuts corporation - Assignment Example Dunkin’ Donuts competes with Starbucks in coffee sales and Krispy Kreme in donut sales. This paper takes a closer look at Dunkin’ Donuts with regards to its competitors, strategic group map and its position in the market. The list of restaurants in the coffee and donut industry is incredibly long. According to hoovers, a D&B Company reports, the top competitors of Dunkin’ Donuts are Starbucks Corporation in coffee, Krispy Kremeand Dairy Queen in donuts and ice cream and McDonald in limited-service restaurant. In 2005 Starbuck had a 43% market share in gourmet coffee while Dunkin’ Donut had 27% followed by Krispy Kreme with 5% share (Dunkin’ Donuts, 7). In the same report, Dunkin’ Donuts was ranked the leading Donut and ice cream chain with a market share of 28.5% followed by Tim Horton’s with 27% and Dairy Queen with a 20.2% market share. Although Dunkin’ Donuts deals in donuts and other baked products, the product that brings the company a relatively bigger profit is the varieties of coffee drinks they serve. It sells approximately 1 billion cups of coffee in a year (Dunkin’ Brands Corporation, n.pg).This credits Dunkin’ donutsas one of the three java giants the other two being Starbucks and McDonald. Dunkin’ Donuts has the number one share of coffee beverages, donut, bagel, and muffin servings. In addition, it managed to have the second share in breakfast and quick service restaurants and is recognized as first in customer loyalty in the coffee category for the last eight years in business. Furthermore, it was ranked tenth in 2012 franchise 500 in fast food survey of quick refreshment chains. Strategic group map mechanism has enabled Dunkin’ Donuts to understand its competitors and look for its position in the market. There are a number of strategies that have been introduced by Strategic group map mechanism. The first strategy was coming up with friendly prices of its products. Its products are affordable and cheaper

Islamic Fundamentalism Essay Example for Free

Islamic Fundamentalism Essay 20 March 2007 Introduction On September 11, 2001, the United States of America experienced the worst act of terrorism ever perpetrated on American soil, as major targets in New York, Washington DC, and Pennsylvania were the scenes of the massive slaughter of innocent civilians. From the moment that the first act commenced, the rumor mill flew into overdrive, conveniently blaming the terrorism on â€Å"militant Islamic† people, and implying that this movement had suddenly sprung up out of obscurity to strike at the heart of America like a thief in the night. The reality is much more complex, for fundamentalist Islam has a much longer history, and the threat it continues to pose to Western Democracy, even today, had been growing and mutating for generations prior to 9/11. In this paper, the very definition of fundamentalism at its beginning will be presented, as well as the perversion of it that has led to the challenges and threats the West now has come to bear. Roots of Fundamentalism. To begin, one needs to understand two very different and specific terms: followers of Islam and Islamic Fundamentalists, as the two groups are vastly different, yet both claim legitimacy under the same doctrine. In its purest form, Islam is based upon the ancient teachings of the prophet Muhammad, who was said to have been given the Quran, or holy book of Islam, by God himself, with Muhammad as the messenger and deliverer of the Quran and its teachings to the masses (Davidson). If one were to follow the teachings of Islam in a more traditional sense, as Muhammad is said to have received the word from God, they would be peaceful, obedient servants of God, and Muhammad, thereby enriching their lives, raising solid families and leaving the world a better place than what is was when they were born into it. Eventually, however, political turmoil distorted this message and gave rise to a strain of Islam that is known as Fundamentalism or Extremism, depending upon the source of the material. This interpretation of Islam and the Quran takes the inflexible view that those who do not believe in Islam, and follow the Quran, are characterized as â€Å"Infidels†, and the price of their infidelity to Islam is death. Of course, the Christian ideals of the West make America a convenient target of this sort of massive hatred, but this hatred has also been fueled over the years by America’s defense of other enemies of the fundamentalists/extremists such as the people of Turkey and Israel (Mustikhan). Eventually, the rage of these Islamics would erupt against the US on a large scale, beginning in the 1970s. The Islamic Terrorist is Born It is generally agreed that those who are today termed â€Å"Islamic Terrorists† were first given that moniker by the West in 1979, when the United States Embassy in Tehran, Iran was seized by terrorists, taking hundreds of American diplomats and their support staffs hostage in a siege that ultimately lasted 444 days, and brought the United States to the brink of war with Iran. The group of Iranians and assorted others who were in essence the foot soldiers who undertook the plot, led by the extremist leader Ayatollah Khomeini, came to be called Islamic Terrorists (Hoveyda). From there, the stereotype of what a terrorist is, and their potential to wreak havoc on innocent people, began to grow in the minds of the world community. Threats to Western Democracy Due to the widespread presence of Islamic Extremists/Militants, the threat to Western Democracy has become very real, and of course has manifested itself in such tragedies as the Iran Hostage Crisis and 9/11. Given the humble beginnings and admirable teachings that are found in the Quran, and were exhibited by Muhammad and carried down by his disciples, it is a wonderment as to exactly how/why Islam eventually spawned a militant faction which goes against the foundations of the faith itself. In a word, the violent offshoot is the byproduct of fanaticism. Fanatics are those members of the Islamic community who have taken the position that any government, or religion (in their mind, they should be one in the same) that does not practice the teachings of the Quran are the equivalent of parasites that must be eradicated for the good of the human race. The defense of this attitude, and the resultant violence which comes out of the attitude, is due to misinterpretation of the Quran, hence making these individuals worthy of the extremist label. Because the Islamic Extremists have convinced themselves that they are doing the will of God, as laid out in their creative interpretation of the Quran, there quite literally is nothing stopping them from continuing to launch attacks against the Western Democracies, as well as other â€Å"infidels† who hold views and practice lifestyles which are contrary to theirs. One particularly chilling reality of the threat against Western Democracy is the fact that Islamic Extremists, while found in large numbers in some nations more commonly than others, really do not have a nation with borders, do not fly an identifiable flag, or wear a uniform that indicates that they are Islamic Extremists, despite what the leadership of the United States may choose to claim in the present day. Rather, the Extremists have the ability to move freely about the globe and do not have a set territory where organized armies can pursue and battle them. This sort of an invisible threat, not centered in a geographic location but highly organized and well financed as well as armed to the hilt, holds the potential to destroy their enemies, such as the Western Democracies, which are somewhat restrained by physical borders and the need to engage in conventional warfare. Because of this, the paradox is clear- how can an enemy be fought if it cannot be readily seen or tracked? Also, the inability to negotiate with Islamic Extremists closes another avenue of resolving differences and stopping the bloodshed. Conclusion- What is the Future Threat? This paper has shown that Fundamental Islam has the means, mindset, and determination to bring Western Democracy to its knees, as well as the point of annihilation. What this will mean for the future is anyone’s guess but one thing is for sure- without some sort of decisive action against Islamic Fundamentalists, many more innocent lives may be lost, and hard lessons may be learned too late and at too high of a price. Works Cited Davidson, Lawrence. Islamic Fundamentalism. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1998. Hoveyda, Fereydoun. The Broken Crescent: The Threat of Militant Islamic Fundamentalism. Westport, CT: Praeger, 1998. Marin-Guzman, Roberto. Fanaticism: A Major Obstacle in the Muslim Christian Dialogue. the Case of Twentieth Century Islamic Fundamentalism. Arab Studies Quarterly (ASQ) 25. 3 (2003): 63+. Mustikhan, Ahmar. The Roots of Islamic Extremism. World and I July 1999: 74.

Self Reflection Analysis In The Social Work Sector Social Work Essay

Self Reflection Analysis In The Social Work Sector Social Work Essay Social work practice can be seen as a very complex process as it seeks to promote social change, social justice, equality, anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive practices and also social inclusion. It is therefore significant that as social workers, we reflect and evaluate our practice in order that the values we stand for are promoted and adhered to. Reflective practice is therefore a way of making social work professionals more accountable through an ongoing scrutiny of the principles upon which the profession is based (Fook, 2002). However, Ixer (1999) criticizes that reflective practice has simply become uncritical and orthodox mainly because it can be applied in many ways and across many professions. None the less, Donald Schà ¶n (1983) a key theorist of reflective practice, saw reflective practice as a way forward for professionals to bridge the gap between the theoretical and practical aspect of their work by unearthing the actual theory which is embedded in what they do, r ather than what they say they do. He made it clear that by being reflect practitioner, one is aware of the theories or assumptions underlining your practice and what actions to take in improving your practice or providing better services for the service user. To me reflective practice is therefore like a looking glass or mirror where you as a practitioner have the opportunity to correct or redirect your course of action. For the purpose of this assignment, I am going to use a case study from my previous practice placement to illustrate my reflection and evaluation of my own practice, how the use of self, my beliefs and values might have influenced my actions, how I have developed new meaning and understanding through peer supervision/feedback and the unit lectures and how theories underpinning reflective practice may help in improving my practice as a social worker. Case study I e-mailed the learning mentor at N. Middle School concerning a boy named J (for confidentiality purposes). A 12-year old, of White- British background, who was referred to my previous placement agency for having behavioural problems (such as fighting with his peers, being disruptive during lessons, disrespecting his teacher and general misconduct) at school. J from an early age of about 6 had witnessed Domestic Violence in his family. My concern was that J had revealed very confidential information to me regarding his mum and her ex-boyfriend (his mums ex-boyfriend was violent toward his mum and he witness it as well). J was worried that this might happen again since his mums ex-boyfriend was back into his mums life and sleeps over sometimes at the family home. I informed the school about this revelation since it was a school referral and also because J had mentioned that any time his mums ex sleeps over it affects him and his behaviour at school becomes disruptive due to the worrie s he has. When I passed this information to the school authorities, the school also informed Js mum about it which I felt was not appropriate due to the fact that Js mum had been very wary as to what information or issues J would reveal to professionals. In my email I also pointed out the fact that the trust and confidence J had towards me could be undermined since his mum got informed about this although it was suppose to be confidential among professionals. Reflection and Evaluation of my practice In this case study, I felt that the school authorities should have acted more professionally. They should have contacted me first before informing Js mum but this was not the case. I only got to know that they had informed Js mum when she asked me questions or tried to clarify the issues that J had revealed to me. Although, this situation didnt mar my professional relationship with the school authorities at the time, it has made me wary of how much information I can share with other professionals and how that particular information should be treated (if very confidential). I felt that I had eroded the trust and confidence between J and I because his mum got to know about what J had revealed to me although he did not want her knowing. Order to maintain the trust and confidence we had, I should have sought Js consent first. Also the school should have contacted me first before informing Js mum so that my trust and confidence in the school could be maintained as well. I also felt that this broken trust and confidence might extend to other professions who might be working with J in future. This experience could therefore distance J from other professionals (including myself). He might view all professionals as untrustworthy and as enemies rather helpers. This therefore meant that I did uphold public trust and confidence in social care services as enshrined in the code of practice for social workers (TOPPS, 2004) I felt that J was very opened and honest to me. He had trust and confidence in me as well. I listened to him as a friend in a professional capacity which I feel he needed. However, I felt I let him down in this situation because he was not made aware that his mum would be informed (issue of consent). This issue of confidentiality posed as a big ethical dilemma for me, in that I questioned myself whether it was right for the school to have informed Js mum about his revelation? Have I broken Js trust and confidence by informing the school about this? And am I right to question the school authorities why they shared the information with Js mum even though the referral was made by the school. These were ethical dilemmas I was faced with before emailing the Learning mentor. I was therefore aware of these ethical dilemmas and conflict of interest and the implication to my practice (social work value A). However, not sharing the information could also mean that I would be held responsible for my actions if something went wrong. Furthermore, I felt this could have been an issue of potential discrimination, in that the school had overlooked the effect on J, and also the relationship between mother and son, this could have potentially estranged Js relationship with his mum, the school and even me. If this happened, he would be reluctant in dealing with professionals and this may pose as a barrier to him accessing the needed support he may require. Theories used in case study In this case study, the gathering and use of information was the main focus. Establishing service user confidentiality is as important as providing the need/service for him/her. However, though the issue of confidentiality is usually negotiated and established during the agreement meeting with the service user, there are lots of ethical dilemmas surrounding this (as to whom you can share the information with and how much of that information can be shared. Seden (2005) mentioned clearly that in working with Children services it is particularly difficult to have total confidentiality because a child may reveal something or an issue in confidence which may be a child protection issue. And as a professional you would have to share this information with others so that prompt action can be taken. It highlights the fact that in child protection issues, safeguarding and promoting the childs welfare is paramount (Children Act 1989) rather than confidentiality. Yet the Data protection Act 1998 and my previous placement agencys policy on confidentiality also informed me of my practice. In accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998, it entreats all agencies that have access to peoples personal information to keep it safe and must only use the information solely for the purpose for which the information was sought. It also means that if personal information about people fall into the wrong hands it can be used maliciously and our right to private and family life (Human Rights Act 1998) could be contravened. Personal data can further be use to enforce discriminatory and oppressive practice by using it to categorise people in terms of service delivery. Another important theory in this case study was multi-disciplinary and multi-agency working. The Working together document (DOH, 2006) highlights the importance of multidisciplinary and inter agency working in children work force. This document was put together by Department Of Health, Department for Education and Employment and the Home Office. It serves as a guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children as well. In my first placement setting, it was good practice to liaise with the lead professional/organisation that carried out the assessment and referred the case to my agency. All relevant information and process of the intervention were shared with the other agencies involved. In this way I was working according to my agency policy of liaising with other agencies, following the legal requirement of the working together document and meeting unit 17 of the National Occupational Standards (TOPPS 2004). In doing so I was able to communicate effective ly with other professionals and this also facilitated information sharing between professionals. Theories of Reflection Using the case study as a reference point, I realised that most of the reflection I did took place after the event. This is what Schà ¶n (1998) referred to as reflection-on-action. According to Schà ¶n (1998), reflection-on-action therefore means that as a professional, I only sit back after I have undertaken the intervention to think about what I did, how I did and whether there were any ethical considerations I took for granted. In doing so I am able to analyse and critical evaluate my actions and practice and improve on my shortcoming. For example, in the case study scenario, I realised that the trust and confidence J had in me was eroded once his mum was informed about his revelation to me. Had I reflected before the event or during my meeting with J (reflection-in-action), I would have made him aware that his mum would hear about it and hence J and I could have come to an amicable agreement as to how to inform his mum. This might have provided a more positive outcome rather th an the presented outcome in the case study. This same model of reflection-on-action can be related to Gibbs model of reflection. In Gibbs (1988) model, he identified six key stages of reflection; Stage 1: Description of the event A detailed description of the event you are reflecting on. Stage 2: Feelings and Thoughts (Self awareness) Recalling and exploring those things that were going on inside your head. Stage 3: Evaluation- making a judgment about what has happened. Consider what was good about the experience and what was bad about the experience or what did or didnt go so well Stage 4: Analysis- Breaking the event down into its component parts so they can be explored separately. Stage 5: Conclusion (Synthesis) -Here you have explored the issue from different angles and have a lot of information to base your judgement. It is here that you are likely to develop insight into you own and other peoples behaviour in terms of how they contributed to the outcome of the event. The purpose of reflection at this stage is to learn from the experience. Stage 6: Action Plan-During this stage you should think forward into encountering the event again and to plan what you would do would you act differently or would you likely to do the same? These six stages of Gibbs model serve as aiding tools to help professionals critically reflect on their experiences. For instance, through detail description in my case study I am able reflect on my feelings and thoughts towards the school authorities and how my actions may have affected the welfare of J. I have also been able to identify that I did not promote the social work code of practice (upholding public trust and confidence in social services). When faced with a similar situation like this in future or in practice, I believe I would think critically and reflect critically before passing information to other professionals with the view that the information will be used solely for the intended purpose. However, another reflective model is that developed by David Kolb (1984) on experiential learning. Kolb (1984) created his famous model out of four elements: concrete experience, observation and reflection, the formation of abstract concepts and testing in new situations. These entire four elements are connected in a circular way. Kolb (1984) argued that the experiential learning cycle can begin at any one of the four points and that it should really be consider as a continuous and unending process. Meaning, the learning process often begins with a person carrying out a particular action and then seeing the effect of the action in the given event or intervention. Following this, the second stage is reached in which the professional/learner understands these effects in the event or intervention so that if the same action was taken in the same circumstances it would be possible to anticipate what would follow from the action. With this understanding, the third stage is to understand th e general principle under which the particular instance happens. Generalising may involve actions over a range of situations/events for the professional or learner to gain experience beyond the particular instance and suggest the general principle. Understanding the general principle does not imply, in this sequence, an ability to express the principle in a symbolic medium but rather implies only the ability to see a connection between the actions and effects over a range of circumstances. When the general principle is understood, the last stage is the application through action in a new circumstance within the range of generalisations. Thus the action is taking place in a different set of circumstances and the learner is now able to anticipate the possible effects of the action. Two aspects can be seen as especially noteworthy: the use of concrete, here-and-now experience to test ideas; and use of feedback to change practices and theories (Kolb 1984: 21-22). Relating Kolb model to my case study, I felt that by emailing my concerns to the school mentor about how the information was treated seemed a more professional way of dealing with the issue. As the school authorities later apologised to me about their actions. I do believe that if I am faced with a similar situation with other professionals I would elegantly challenge their actions in a similar manner as I have done before and if it works I might generalise that this approach works well. This would therefore give me new meaning and a new perspective as to how to work with other professional collaborative in achieving the desired outcomes for service users. Feedback from my peers. During the learning sets meetings, I presented his case study to my peers and one the learning points from them was that I had assumed that the school authorities would not inform Js mum about the revelation and because of that I hadnt insisted on them keeping the information as confidential as possible until such a time when consent had been sought from J. I in my view this is what Brookfield (1988) called assumption analysis in critical reflection. To him, Assumption analysis describes the activity adults engage in to bring to awareness beliefs, values, cultural practices, and social structures regulating behaviour and to assess their impact on our dad to day activities. Assumptions may therefore be paradigmatic, prescriptive, or causal (Brookfield 1995). He stresses that assumptions structure our way of seeing reality, govern our behavior, and describe how relationships should be ordered. Assumption analysis as a first step in the critical reflection process makes explicit our tak enà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœforà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœgranted notions of reality. Members of the learning set also raised my awareness to the fact that the underlying assumption I had about the case could possibly being derived from my own beliefs, value base, cultural and social background, agency policies, my gender and race. Brookfield (1995) highlighted this by noting that a contextual awareness is achieved when adult learners come to realise that their assumptions are socially and personally created in a specific historical and cultural context. I should therefore have been self aware of the influences my personal, cultural and social (Thompson, 2006) may have had in the given case study. Also, the learning sets helped me to unearthing or understand more about the power imbalances that exist between service users and professionals. One of my group members made it clear that possibly the school authorities acted the way they did because they had the power to do so and as a way of proving to his mum that the boys problem was generated from home rather at school because the mum blames the school authorities constantly for her sons behaviour. According to Mandell (2008), power affects the experience and behaviour of both the practitioner and service user and so the practitioner needs to ask, or be asked, where does power lie in his/her relationship, how does it operate and who is defining the character and direction of whats taking place. Therefore, to be a critical reflective practitioner I need to acknowledge the power imbalances in my practice before making decisions or embarking on a course of action. Its also important for me to consider all the angles and checks out all the details before taking the plunge (Payne, 2002, p124) so that a more opened, honest, fair, just, anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive practice can be achieved in my service delivery. The case study analysis with my peers provided me yet with another very important learning point. Thus, in sharing the information with the school authorities, I was focusing more on the theory (the Every Child Matters and working together agenda) for off the peg solution (Thompson, 2005, p146) or what Schà ¶n (1998) calls technical rationality, the belief that well developed theory can provide solutions for professionals. Rather, I should have used both my theoretical background and past experiences to help inform me of my practice. This would have had a more balancing effect or less impact on J. With this now, I am confident that my decisions and actions in future placements would be drawn from my theoretical or formal knowledge and that of my past experiences or informal knowledge. Conclusion Summing up, I feel that this unit has provided me with greater insight about how my actions or decisions are influenced by my belief system, culture, values, gender, religion, assumptions, political and social orientation. It have also learnt that drawing from the views of others, I would be able to see the issue or problem from a different perspective and this might help me develop a new meaning of the event. Mezirow (2000) called the process of developing this new meaning of the event as perspective transformation. I now also understand that as a social worker, t would have draw on knowledge from all sources (theoretical and non-theoretical) in order to address the messy complexities of real-life situations and to consider each individual situation or event unique (Yelloly Henkel, 1995). Therefore, the way forward for me as a social worker is to critical reflect on the use of self, the awareness of power imbalances (deconstruction) and the development of new meaning/ perspective( re-construction) illustrated by Howe (2008).

Influences on Achievement of Funding Goals

Influences on Achievement of Funding Goals Donna R. Lowe The purpose of the following dissertation, A content analysis of Kickstarter: The influence of framing and rewarding motivations on campaign success (Sauro) was to examine the implications of message framing in determining the success or failure of Kickstarter campaigns. The study also explored to what extent conditional cooperation influences the achievement of funding goals. The study applied framing theory on the decision-making process, which has significant prior research but not in regards to crowdfunding. Sauro (2014) uses a definition used in a previous study by Dr. Inge Sorenson. Crowdfunding is defined as â€Å"the micro-financing of individual projects, and is catered for online by sites like indiegogo.com, sponsume.com, crowdfunder.co.uk, pledgie.com, and kickstarter.com (Sorenson, 2012). Sauro (2014) also uses the term project-based communities â€Å"meaning a unique community of early adopters and investors of a new product or service that hone and gather funding ple dges. One hundred and twenty Kickstarter campaigns were randomly selected and sampled. The key findings were broken down by research questions. The first research question sought to uncover to what extent did the choice of framing methods affect success or failure of the crowdfunding campaigns. The finding was campaigns that used framing had a significantly higher rate of success as opposed to campaigns that used no framing. â€Å"Out of all campaigns that were successful, 83.3% utilized a prescribed framing method, opposed to 40.8% of unsuccessful campaigns that did not† (Sauro, 2014, p. 24). The finding of research question two suggests a strong correlation between successful campaigns and conditional cooperation measures. The study identified a relationship between conditional cooperation and donation levels at the end of set funding periods across all categorical tiers (low, medium, and high). Supplemental data was also provided. Additional factors that had an impact on t he probability of a successful crowdfunding campaign were identified. The findings were factors such as including a self-narrative, stating personal qualifications, and having a lower funding goal had a strong influence on the outcome. Sauro (2014) found â€Å"of the campaigns that were successful, a self-narrative was present 82.0% of the time, as opposed to 62.2% when campaigns were unsuccessful† (p. 29). Suggestions for further research included the need to use a larger sample size from all project categories and continued investigation of personal narratives influence. There was also a suggestion to include research on whether text-based, video-based, or combination-framing messages could be efficiently used to achieve objectives. Sauro (2014) used prospect theory and message framing as drivers for the crowdfunding donor decision-making process. Prospect theory attempts to explain the decision-making process based on the way the material is presented (Sauro, 2014, p. 8). In involves a decision problem, decision maker, and a decision frame. Rational decision-makers â€Å"will opt for the prospect that offers the highest expected utility† (Tversky Kahneman, 1981, p. 453). Prospect theory expresses outcomes as positive or negative deviations (gains and losses) with regards to an S-curve. Message framing is an important concept for crowdfunding and the study by Chun-Tuan Chang and Yu-Kang Lee (2010) was used to support Sauro’s dissertation. Framing is â€Å"the presentation of one of two different but equivalent value outcomes to decision-makers, where one outcome is presented in positive and the other in negative terms† (Chang Lee, 2010, p 197). Compliance is encouraged using framing demon strating gains and losses. Bruno S. Frey and Stephan Meier conducted a field experiment about charitable giving and conditional cooperation in 2004. The experiment supported the theory on conditional cooperation and found that if people know others are making charitable contributions, the likelihood of them making contributions increases but is still linked to previous charitable behaviors (Frey Meier, 2004, p. 1717). People tend to compare themselves socially to others and are inclined to make charitable donations based on those they identify with. These works are extremely important and the foundation for understanding donor behavior while researching crowdfunding. Crowdfunding is a relatively new concept. It involves communications, fundraising, technology, and a social media platform. Sauros (2014) used prospect theory, framing, and conditional cooperation as factors of influence for successful crowdfunding campaigns. Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky (1979) developed the prospect theory. Kahneman and Tversky’s study â€Å"Prospect Theory: An analysis of decision under risk† introduces one of the most quoted theories in economic psychology. Developed in the 1980s, the theory has had considerable impact on understanding how decisions are derived using gains and losses. The theory of framing was introduced by Erving Goffman (1974). Goffman was considered â€Å"the most influential American sociologist of the twentieth century† (Fine Smith, 2000). Goffman wrote several books and fundamentally changed the way we think of social interactions. His work is considered unparalleled and he is extensively cited in behavioral studie s. His greatest contribution to social theory is his study of symbolic interaction, which began in 1959. He studied social order, interactions, stigmas, routine transactions, human behavior, etc. He was not a traditional sociologist and his work was influenced by Durkheim, Freud, Mead, Simmel, and Radcliffe-Brown (Yakkaldevi, 2013, p. 74). Albert Bandura is associated with social learning theory. According to Bandura (1977), Learning would be exceedingly laborious, not to mention hazardous, if people had to rely solely on the effects of their own actions to inform them what to do. Fortunately, most human behavior is learned observationally through modeling: from observing others one forms an idea of how new behaviors are performed, and on later occasions this coded information serves as a guide for action.† Bandura is well known for his famous Bobo doll experiment where children were demonstrated to learn aggression through observations and interactions (Bandura, Ross, Ross, 1961). His work is considered to be part of the cognitive revolution in psychology. References Bandura, A. (1977). Social Learning Theory. New York: General Learning Press. Bandura, A., Ross, D. Ross, S.A. (1961). Transmission of aggression through imitation of aggressive models. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 63, 575-82. Chang, C., Lee, Y. (2010). Effects of message framing, vividness congruency and statistical framing on responses to charity advertising. International Journal of Advertising, 29(2), 195-220. Fine, G. A. Smith, G. W. (2000). SAGE Masters of Modern Social Thought: Erving Goffman (Vols. 1-4). London: SAGE Publications Ltd. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781446261545 Frey, B. S., Meier, S. (2004). Social comparisons and pro-social behavior: Testing conditional cooperation in a field experiment. The American Economic Review, 94(5),1717-1722. Sauro, J. J. (2014). A content analysis of Kickstarter: The influence of framing and rewarding motivations on campaign success (Doctoral dissertation). Available from ProQuest Dissertations and These Database. (UMI No. 1556435) Sorenson, I. E. (2012). Crowdsourcing and outsourcing: The impact of online funding and distribution on the documentary film industry in the UK. Media Culture and Society, 34, 726-743. doi:10.1177/0163443712449499 Tversky, A., Kahneman, D. (1979). Prospect theory: An analysis of decision under risk. Econometrica, 47(2), 263-291. doi: 10.2307/1914185 Tversky, A. Kahneman, D. (1992). Advances in prospect theory: Cumulative representation of uncertainty. Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, 5(4), 297–323. Yakkaldevi, A. S. (2013). Phenomenology and Enthomethodology. India: Laxmi Book Publication.

Community Policing in Extremely Depressed Areas Essay -- Policing Hot

To residents of the suburbs, all economically distressed districts of the city may seem dangerous and threatening, however, to residents of these poor districts, it is just home. The local residents know the truly crime-ridden areas of each district. This essay will refer to these crime-ridden areas within poor communities as "hot spots" or "skid-row". Skid-row is generally an area of the economically distressed community that is plagued with vagrants, criminals, drug abusers and other individuals thought to be of exile from normal society (Bittner, 1967). This is an area where law abiding, poor citizens do not wish to venture (Bittner, 1967). Due to this stigma, skid-row is an area that is patrolled by police, who generally take on the role of a peacekeeper. Their role of peacekeeper is driven by their ability to apply a great deal of discretion in their law enforcement duties, as well as their need to contain the criminal activities specifically found in the skid-row are as. The police are given a great deal of discretion in performing their duties. They make decisions on a daily basis, whether to arrest an individual on more minor offenses, or to give an individual a warning and promise to â€Å"keep an eye† on the person or area in the future (Bittner, 1967). When the officers make such decisions to not effect an arrest for a violation, they are essentially taking on the role of peacekeeper. The officer is trying to influence the actions of individuals, such as those in skid-row areas, to not commit further crimes (Bittner, 1967). The discretion not to arrest for certain crimes is likewise an attempt to contain the criminal activities to a specific area, as to not affect others (Bittner, 1967). Bittner (1967... ...aining crimes to certain areas, has proven effective (Eck and Spellman, 1986). References Bittner, Egon. (1967). The police on skid-row: A study of peace keeping. American Sociological Review, 32 (5): 699-715. Brown, Michael K. (1981). Nonenforcement: Minor violations and disturbances. In Working the Street Chapter 7 (pp. 182-220). New York: Russell Sage Foundation. Eck, John E. and Spelman, William (1987). Who ya gonna call? The police as problem busters. In Crime & Delinquency, 33: 31-52. Fyfe, James J. (1993). Good policing. In Brian Forst (ed.), The Socioeconomics of Crime and Justice Chapter 12 (pp. 269-289). Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe Nowicki, Dennis E. (1998). Mixed messages. In Geoffrey P. Alpert and Alex Piquero (eds.), Community Policing: Contemporary Readings. (pp. 265-274). Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press, Inc.

The Simple Life and the Corruption of Technology :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

The Simple Life and the Corruption of Technology "Let's take it home boys!" Not really paying attention to our altitude, we headed towards base after a flawless mission against an enemy tank. As we reached the jungles edge, anti-aircraft shells began exploding all around us. I ordered the formation to climb as fast as possible. Almost as quickly as I had given the order, my plane was hit. Luckily, the round didn't explode, but had traveled through the center of the fuselage. I realized my plane was fatally crippled, including my ejection seat. As my plane fell into the jungle, I woke up. Though I did not know what had drawn me from the dream, I had an idea it was the splitting pain in my leg. As the pain slowly crept up my leg, I became aware of my surroundings. I could now feel the perspiration on my face and faintly hear mumbled voices; I was not in my bed. As I opened my eyes to blurry vision, I made out dark moving objects among a background of fire. Listening closely, I realized it was people speaking a foreign tongue. Moving my eyes from the dark skinned, scantly clad humans to my leg, I found the source of my pain. Driven through my left leg was a sharp piece of metal from the wreckage that surrounded me. With a swift jerk from one of my assumed rescuers, my leg was free of metal, and I was passed out from the pain. I awoke in a hut made of large leaves, mud, and grasses. The light crackle of the fire outside could be heard over the voices of the people surrounding it. I asked my self, "Where am I? How did I get here?" With my questions I made an astonishing discovery: I could not remember who I was! Feeling myself panic, I did the best to calm down and analyzed the situation. I had been pulled from some type of wreckage, but of what? The people who had saved me were very primitive. They wore little more than a loin cloth of a cheap textile, and they had dressed me the same. They were eating some yellow muck from wooden bowls and again my ears greeted the new language. Trying to sit up, I flexed my leg and a crippling pain powered a scream from the bottom of my lungs. My scream had caught the attention of those who had been talking outside.

Conflict Handling Styles Essay

In a dispute, it’s often easier to describe how others respond then to how we respond. Each of us has a predominant conflict style that we use to meet our own needs. By examining conflict styles and the consequences of those behaviors, we can gain a better understanding of the impact that our personal conflict style has on other people. With a better understanding, you then can make a conscious choice on how to respond to others in a conflict situation to help reduce work conflict and stress. Behavioral scientists Kenneth Thomas and Ralph Kilmann, who developed the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, have identified five styles to responding to conflict—competition, collaboration, compromise, avoidance, and accommodation. No conflict style is inherently right or wrong, but one or more styles could be inappropriate for a given situation and the impact could result in a situation quickly spiraling out of control. 1. Competing Value of own issue/goal: High Value of relationship: Low Goal: I win, you lose People who consistently use a competitive style come across as aggressive, autocratic, confrontational, and intimidating. A competitive style is an attempt to gain power and pressure a change at the other person’s expense. A competitive style of managing conflict can be appropriate when you have to implement an unpopular decision, make a quick decision, the decision is vital in a crisis, or it is important to let others know how important an issue is to you – â€Å"standing up for your right.† The biggest disadvantage of using this style is that relationships can be harmed beyond repair and may encourage other parties to use covert methods to get their needs met because conflict with these people are reduced to – â€Å"if you are not with me, you are against me.† 2. Accommodating Value of own issue/goal: Low Value relationship: High Goal: I lose, you win By accommodating you set aside your own personal needs because you want to please others in order to keep the peace. The emphasis is on preserving the relationship. Smoothing or harmonizing can result in a false solution to a problem and can create feelings in a person that range from anger to pleasure. Accommodators are unassertive and cooperative and may play the role of a martyr, complainer, or saboteur. However, accommodation can be useful when one is wrong or when you want to minimize losses when you are going to lose anyway because it preserves relationships. If you use it all the time it can become competitive – â€Å"I am nicer than you are† – and may result in reduced creativity in conflict situations and increased power imbalances. 3. Avoiding Value of own issue/goal: Low Value of relationship: Low Goal: I lose, you lose Avoidance is characterized by deliberately ignoring or withdrawing from a conflict rather than facing it. This style may be perceived as not caring about your own issue or the issues of others. People who avoid the situation hope the problem will go away, resolve itself without their involvement, or think that others are ready to take the responsibility. There are situations where avoidance is appropriate such as when you need more time to think of how to respond, time constraints demand a delay, confrontation will hurt a working relationship, or there is little chance of satisfying your needs. However, avoidance can be destructive if the other person perceives that you don’t care enough to engage. By not dealing with the conflict, this style allows the conflict to simmer and heat up unnecessarily, resulting in anger or a negative outburst. 4. Compromising Value of own issue/goal: Medium Value of relationship: Medium Goal: I win some, you win some The compromising style demonstrates that you are willing to sacrifice some of your goals while persuading others to give up part of theirs – give a little, get a little. Compromising maintains the relationship and can take less time than collaboration and resolutions might mean splitting the difference or seeking a middle ground position. The downside to compromising is that it can be an easy way out and reduces new creative options. If you constantly split the difference or â€Å"straddle the fence,† game playing can result and the outcome could be less than ideal. 5. Collaborating Value of own issue/goal: High Value of relationship: High Goal: I win, you win The collaborative style views conflicts as problems to be solved and finding creative solutions that satisfy all the parties’ concerns. You don’t give up your self interest; you dig into the issue to identify the underlying concerns, test your own assumptions, and understand the views of others. Collaboration takes time and if the relationship among the parties is not important, then it may not be worth the time and energy to create a win-win solution. However, collaboration fosters respect, trust, and builds relationships. To make an environment more collaborative, address the conflict directly and in a way that expresses willingness for all parties to get what they need. Although all of the approaches have their time and place, you need to ask yourself the basic question, â€Å"Is my preferred conflict handling style the very best I can use to resolve this conflict or solve this problem?† Focus on Interests (Needs), Not Positions (Wants) Understanding people’s interests is not a simple task because we tend to communicate our positions – things that are likely to be concrete and explicit. It is helpful to learn to recognize the difference between person’s positions and interests to assist in creative problem solving. †¢Positions are predetermined solutions or demands that people use to describe what they want – what the person wants to happen on a particular issue. For example: â€Å"I want the report.† †¢Interests define the problem and may be intangible, unexpressed, or not consistent. They are the main reasons why you say what you want – the motivation behind the position. The conflict is usually between each person’s needs, desire, concern, or fear. For example: â€Å"I need to receive the report by Friday, so I can have time to review and edit before the due date next Wednesday.† Remember that figuring out your interests is just as important as figuring out their interests. How to Identify Interests To identify interests of the other person, you need to ask questions to determine what the person believes he or she truly needs. When you ask, be sure to clarify that you are not asking questions for justification of their position, but for a better understanding of their needs, fears, hopes, and desires. Using open-ended questions that encourage a person to â€Å"tell their story† helps you begin to understand their interest. Open ended questions are opposite of closed-ended questions, which require a response of â€Å"yes† or â€Å"no.† To illustrate the difference, consider the following example: †¢Did you have a good relationship with your supervisor? (closed-ended) †¢Tell me about your relationship with your supervisor. (open-ended) Examples of open-ended questions: †¢What’s your basic concern about †¦? †¢Tell me about †¦ †¢What do you think about †¦? †¢How could we fix †¦? †¢What would happen if †¦? †¢How else could you do †¦? †¢What could you tell me about †¦? †¢Then what? †¢Could you help me understand †¦? †¢What do you think you will lose if you †¦? †¢What have you tried before? †¢What do you want to do next? †¢How can I be of help? The most powerful interests for you to consider are the basic human needs for security, economic well-being, sense of belonging to an organization, identify, recognition of contribution or efforts, and autonomy or control over decisions or work. It is not uncommon for you or the other person to have multiple interests and it would be helpful for you to write them down as they occur to help you sort them out. This list may be helpful to think through ideas that may meet these interests. Problem solving on your interests and the other person’s interests leads to more creative and successful resolutions because you meet not only your need but theirs as well. Source: Fisher, Ury, and Patton, Getting to Yes, 1991

The Children’s Health Fund of New York City

The Children’s Health Fund is a national non-profit organization that was founded on providing health care to the nation’s needy and underprivileged children. The CHF began over 25 years ago by reaching out to homeless kids in New York City and delivering health care through a mobile medical clinic (MMC) driven around the city to locations and neighborhoods seeking out children to provide basic health care to.Over the years, the organization has expanded across the country with MMCs in different cities with the CHF offering a full range of programs, from not only children healthcare, but healthcare for needy families, health education and preventative care, to the diagnosis and management of acute and chronic diseases (â€Å"Health Care for Kids† n. d. ). More recently, the CHF and MMCs have expanded their service to include mobile clinics in response following national disasters and crisis events.The CHF and the mobile health care service it provides has had its number of challenges in implementation over the years. With the main challenge of reaching out and expanding coverage to help those of need, there are several other areas that challenge the organization and its operation. The MMCs face the challenge of accommodating the proper amount of space and medical equipment needed to provide high quality healthcare. This challenge is a goal of each MMC to provide a central home for individuals to receive care and come back to for continued treatment.With this concept presents another challenge in that each MMC need of keeping up to date, and secure medical records for those who visit, so that they may continue to come back for care and treatment when the MMC comes back to their neighborhood or area (Brown, DeHayes, Hoffer, Martin, & Perkins, 2012). In order to accomplish the goals of meeting these challenges, the CHF must have network systems that can support the operations of running medical equipment and communications networks needed to o perate a MMC.That is why over the years CHF has been working to continue to upgrade and keep their MMCs up to date with the latest technology and communication that can power these mobile healthcare hubs. According to Healthcare IT news, the CHF has recently partnered with Verizon to create its first telemedicine clinic in providing 4G LTE wireless broadband connections to new mobile sites (Monegain, 2013). The CHF and Verizon plan to continue forward in the coming months and continue to deliver new uses of technology to mobile units across the nation.For the CHF to be able to roll out new technology and software to support their mobile units, the organization naturally needs strong financial support. The CHF is very fortunate to have a number of private individuals and corporate partners who help secure funds for the organization. However, a large quantity of financial aid comes from Congress and other government programs. One such government program is the HITECH stimulus. The sti mulus is for healthcare providers that exhibit having meaningful use of certified electronic health records (â€Å"Healthcare IT Index† n.d. ).With EHRs already a practice of the MMCs, the CHF should be entitled to financial assistance that can continue to facilitate software and technology improvement. A common concern with many organizations is whether or not the implementation of new technology and software will cause a loss workers or staff, or if conditions will emerge that will render parts of their operation obsolete. In dealing with the CHF and doctors offices, this is not believed to be the case.With new software applications, doctor office staffs and MMCs will not become obsolete, but will have their jobs reinforced with easier ways to handle patient information and documents (Brown, DeHayes, Hoffer, Martin, & Perkins, 2012). With help in this area, the staff can shift attention to more important areas such as giving patients the personal care and treatment they nee d. Overall, the CHF is a successful organization that provides valuable services and assistance to many citizens of need in our nation.With its continued focus on quality service, growth, and improvement over the last 26 years, the CHF is a well known entity that many people depend on. With the CHF prepared to continue its legacy and service in years to come, recommendations could be made regarding their future efforts. Continued expansion of their crisis and natural disaster mobile assistance would be desirable action. Just like with the number or under privileged children and their families, natural disaster events will continue to be unfortunately present, and it’s important to help others rebuild and get the necessary assistance when nothing else is available.Also, the CHF as it continues to grow and expand across the US into new cities, the organization needs to continue partnerships with local corporations and medical institutions. These corporations can offer their ser vices and expertise to possibly facilitate the MMCs operations, and working with local medical institutions can help staff MMCs and other locations with med students, nursing students and others in a partnered-learning environment.

Payne v. Tennessee Essay

Facts: After spending a morning and afternoon drinking beer and injecting cocaine, Pervis Tyrone Payne entered the apartment of 28-year-old Charisse Christopher and her two children, Lacie, age two and Nicholas, age three at approximately 3:00 p.m. on June 27th, 1987. Payne made sexual advances toward Charisse Christopher. She resisted, which lead Payne to kill both Charisse and Lacie. Nicholas was found with several severe stab wounds that completely penetrated him front to back, but he managed to survive. Payne was apprehended later that day hiding in the attic of a former girlfriend’s house. Payne was convicted by a jury of two counts of murder. At sentencing, Payne presented the testimony of his mother, father, Bobbie Thomas and a clinical psychologist. These testimonies’ showed Payne was of good character, he attended church and he was of low intelligence and mentally handicapped. The State presented the testimony of Ms. Christopher’s mother, who spoke of the negative impact of the murders on Nicholas. Furthermore, the prosecutor presented argument regarding Nicholas’ experience. The jury sentenced the Payne to death on each count of murder. History: Pervis Tyrone Payne was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder, the jury sentenced Payne to death on each count of murder. Issue: Does the Eighth Amendment prohibit a capital sentencing jury from considering â€Å"victim impact† evidence relating to the personal characteristics of the victim and the emotional impact of the crimes on the victim’s family? Finding: No. Victim impact evidence shall not be considered according to the United States Supreme Court. This rule was because victim impact evidence presents factors about which the defendant may have been unaware of and therefore, the evidence has nothing to do with the â€Å"blameworthiness† of a particular defendant. So basically, no evidence outside the case and not relating directly to the circumstances of the crime was admitted. In the present case, however, the Supreme Court expressed the view that â€Å"a State may properly conclude that for the jury to assess meaningfully the defendant’s moral culpability and blameworthiness, it should have before it at the sentencing phase evidence of the specific harm caused by the defendant.† So, a State may permit the admission of victim  impact evidence, as the Eighth Amendment presents no per se bar. The Supreme Court of Tennessee affirmed the conviction and sentence. The court rejected Payne’s contention that the admission of the grandmother’s testimony and the State’s closing argument constituted prejudicial violations of his rights under the Eighth Amendment as applied in Booth v. Maryland, 482 U.S. 496 (1987), and South Carolina v. Gathers, 490 U.S. 805 (1989). Rational: The court stated â€Å"Stare decisis is not an inexorable command; rather, ‘it is a principle of policy and not a mechanical formula of adherence to the latest decision.’† So basically, not all laws are set completely in stone and it can change over time from case to case. The court states that neither the law nor the facts supporting the prior cases have changed, merely the personnel of the Supreme Court have changed. My Notes: A few things I noticed was I unclear how Payne could argue that introducing such evidence as the grandmother testimony encourages jurors to decide for the death penalty based on emotions rather than reason. But, having his parents testify that he was of good character as plays on emotion, rather than reason. To me, only after introducing victim impact evidence can the juries meaningfully determine the proper punishment. After all the whole reason for this is to protect the victim right?

John Watson and B.F. Skinner Essay

There are several theories out there on child development, but I’d like to share with you the theory that I believe in and connect with the most. This theory is called Behaviorism and Social- Learning and can be attributed to a psychologist named John Watson (1878-1958) and B.F. Skinner (1904-1990) Watson using classical conditioning which means the learning that takes place based on an association of a stimulus that does not ordinarily elicit a response with another stimulus that does elicit response. It is important to note that in classical conditioning, the stimulus comes before the behavior or response. Skinner using operant conditioning which is defined as a process in which a response is gradually learned via reinforcement or punishment. John Watson and B.F. Skinner introduced this theory and felt that children learned through a system of stimulus/ response events. Watson and Skinner use nurture approach. Development is based upon learned behaviors which are based upon a child’s interactions with their environment and influenced by positive or negative reinforcement. Reinforcement can be both positive and negative. Positive reinforcement is something good for children, whereas negative reinforcement is something unpleasant, but remember this is not to be confused with punishment. One knows there are some drawbacks is that it does not account for children’s culture, their values, and their social influences such as the special relationship between them and their parent or peers. Social learning theory addresses these concerns. As child growing up with my brother my parents used  positive and negative reinforcement. When we did not receive a passing grade we would have to stay inside and work extra hard to pass the next test, or if the gave credit. But if we received a passing grade we would be rewarded by going out to dinner of our choice or getting ice cream. If we did chores around the house we had a choice between the prize or money. If we did not complete the chore we would not receive anything. Most of the time when we did not complete the chore we would get upset, so my parents would explain that when you do a chore you get rewarded, but if you do not do your chores you will not receive anything. I use Behaviorism and Social Learning theory while working with children. If the child had a good day at school I would give them something from the prize box when someone came to get them from school. When they did not have a good day at school and they receive nothing from the prize box, and when someone come to get them I would explain why happened at school, and that is why the child cant receive anything from the prize box today. I am not a parent yet, but when I do become a parent I will be use John Watson and B.F. Skinner theory in teaching my children.

Global disaster management Essay

Disaster management became global; financial resources together with the establishment of several associate and group organizations sprang up. Mass media took up the root with each major and minor disaster reported universally. Disaster tradition were formed and disseminated by the mass media. Until this global agenda was affirmed, environmental issues were still in their infancy and the number of research or consulting organizations focused on disasters was exceptionally small. The concern of disaster research units (mainly university-affiliated) and disaster management units in public administrations only became noticeable in the second half of the century in the late fifties. By the start of new millennium, the number of disaster-related organizations had grown exponentially. The U. S. government alone has no fewer than twenty-six major agencies as well as dozens of regional offices dealing with disasters. There are a further ninety-five specialized units established for contradictory disaster situations. To this can be added eighty U. S. domestic non-govermental organizations (NGOs). This number can be used as a rough suggestion of the same process occurring all through the Western world. The sharing of disaster-related global-based agencies likewise grew, comprising over ninety major public agencies with offices all through the world. This guide of the globalization of disaster management also supported the hold of public administration on the area of disasters. It has also led to interagency divergences and problems of management, as well as protective imperatives, turf wars, and competition (International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction, 1996). What was evident at the national or state level-at which public administrations subjugated the definition of disaster, who was capable to be a disaster victim, what help would be afforded, and so on-was now extensive at the global level by other forms of public administration in diverse guises. As some critical reports have noted, the results have been at the similar mediocre levels of disaster management (on a larger scale), where in several cases such â€Å"assistance† was more unfavourable than supportive. The most observable of these have been linked with the droughts in Africa, where NGOs and international aid have in fact harmed more people than they have helped.

Choose one Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Choose one - Term Paper Example The $ 16.6 billion deal ensured that AT&T and SBC became the largest telecom company in the nation. Although from the perspective of both the companies, this deal was most certainly revolutionary; from the perspective of the consumers, it might not have been such good news. As a matter of fact various customer advocacy groups filed petition for the cancelation of the deal as the advocacy groups believed that this deal was bad for customers and bad for business. Several customer advocacy groups such as The Utility Reform Network, Office of Ratepayer Advocates presented a market research report by an economist belonging to the California Institute of Technology. (Brown, 2009, p. 209). According to the advocacy groups the research report showed that the merger would affect various services and also customers. Such a deal would not only kill the competition in the market; but also would increase the whole sale prices by almost fifteen percent. This would lead to monopoly in the market as it would reduce market concentration and choice of the customers. A part from the telecommunication market the report also suggested that in Los Angles alone the choice of commercial buildings may go down by more than seventy percent as the newly merged company may end up controlling almost 80 percent of the buildings. A part from the rising wholesale prices the merger would also lead to a rise in the retail prices. The elimination of choices would increase the wholesale price almost by fifteen percent leading to the much higher retail prices for data and voice services used by the customers. Another major factor would be collusion not to compete. Verizon and SBC would continue to avoid competition due to the merger. This could be seen even in the cities where the businesses operate quite close to the distribution channels. One prime example could be LA. In LA the marketing channels of both Verizon and SBC over laps quite scarcely. Hence the customer groups advocated that after the merger the choices of the customers would go down, prices may go up as consumers would have very less bargaining power; add to that market concentration would also increase. The consumer groups believed that the last thing that the business and the customers need is monopoly in the market. The merger would ultimately lead to very little number of competitors (Burgemeister, 2003). From the information presented by the customer advocacy groups the impact of the merger between the two companies on the national telecommunication market can be analyzed by using the porter’s five force analysis (Churchill, 2009). The rivalry among the existing firms would be low as the merger would kill competition. This would severely impact the smaller firms. As a result the industry competition would be low. Due to the lack of competition the bargaining power of the buyers would be low as the buyers would have very little choices. As a result the company can increase the prices. The bargaining power of the suppliers would also be low. As there would be very less competition in the market, just like the customers the suppliers would also have a very little option resulting in lowered cost of raw materials. Threat of new entrants would be very low. The merger leading to monopoly may lead to a situation where, the merged company can achieve economies of scale and strong brand equity. This would most certainly acts as major barriers to entry to