Brand MAGGI Instant Noodles Essay

? Executive summary This report required spending great time on analyzing tones of marketing related information from innumerable sources of Nestle’s powerful Brand MAGGI Instant Noodles. All information was critical and needed to be evaluated with full concentration and determination, the study of MAGGI Noodles that was launched first in India in the year 1983, by Nestle Limited, which became synonymous with noodles. This research tries to find awareness of MAGGI Noodles. The introduction provides the company background, operational & other important information provided by the company, which would assist in taking the decision for the right brand extension strategy for MAGGI Instant Noodles. We have concluded that MAGGI, being the product leader with 68% market share. We have also covered up a very important aspect of marketing – Marketing Mix. Every company develops their product integrating all the marketing mixes to evaluate the feasibility of that product similarl y MAGGI Noodles define that. Introduction: Maggi is a Nestle brand of instant noodles, soups stocks, bullion, sauces and seasoning.   The original company came into existence in 1872 in   Switzerland, when Julius Maggi took over his father’s mill. At that time during industrial revolution in Switzerland  created factory jobs for women, who were therefore left with very little time to prepare meals. Due to this growing problem Swiss Public Welfare Society asked Julius Maggi to create a vegetable food product that would be quick to prepare and easy to digest. It was the first to bring protein rich legume meal to the market, which was followed by readymade soup based on legume meal in 1886. In 1863, Julius Maggi developed a formula to add taste to meals, which later paved the way for Maggi and other easy to make food products. Apart from two minute noodles Maggi also offers a range of product. However in India it was launched in 1980s by Nestle group of companies. Maggie had merged with Nestle family in 1947. Today, Maggi is particularly well known in India, New Zealand, Australia, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Pakistan, Nigeria, the Philippine and Singapore for its instant Maggi noodles. Current market situation : Market description: MAGGI Noodles is a food item so it might apparently seem that it follows mass marketing since everyone can eat it and there is no specific variable associated with its consumption. But smart marketers of Nestle did indeed undergo some market segmentation for their expediency and easier way to create consumer value and satisfaction. MAGGI Noodles Marketing Situation is described here- MAGGI Noodle is segmented according to, â€Å"Demographic Segmentation and Psychographic Segmentation†. 1) Demographic Segmentation: AGE (7-12 years) MAGGI Noodles segmented into age groups (covering all age generations). MAGGI Noodles flavors such as Curry, Chicken, Masala, Tomato etc are consumed heavily by all age generation especially children. Children and young people love these flavors and their mothers’ feels relief thinking they owned the best solution for their children’s hunger. The new addition or line extensions of MAGGI Noodles are: Maggi masala,Vegetable Atta Noodles and Dal Atta Noodles. These new products innovations have become favourate for both children, their parents and even their grandparents; covering all age generations. 2) Psychographic Segmentation: LIFE STYLE: MAGGI Noodles is also considerably segmented according to â€Å"life style and eating habits† of its consumers. Since MAGGI is positioned as â€Å"2-minutes-Noodles† thus the idea works in professional sectors with the people with tight schedules. At present, the students and the people in every professional sector suffer from lack of time. â€Å"Time† to them is a luxury; they don’t have much time for cooking. Hence, shrewd marketers of Nestle have absorbed this fact and introduced a product such as MAGGI Instant Noodles that is both a scrumptious snack as well as an amazing solution for people with busy life style and simple eating habit. MAGGI Noodles is the perfect product that can adjust or fit into their life style flawlessly. MAGGI Noodles product review- In this world of improvisation, innovation and advancement product is an abstract term. It refers to a problem solving tool. And when â€Å"hunger† is the situational problem then MAGGI is the tool to solve this problem. 1. MAGGI Product: Here, MAGGI serves as a â€Å"Packet Noodles and Cup Noodles†. In this it introduced variety of product, such as- Dal Atta noodles, Chicken MAGGI, Masala MAGGI, and Vegetable MAGGI. 2. Price: Nestle Ltd. has priced MAGGI in a way that keeps the fact about price sensitiveness of Asian developing countries in mind. It has an average cost per customer as its costs are allocated among greater number of customers buying the product. It can afford to provide such great benefits at low price because it has a low cost of production. 3. Sales: Its sales are rapidly rising. Since it is the pioneer in the instant noodles industry in Bangladesh and has been able to successfully launch its products, it has a high acceptance rate resulting in sales boost. Because sales of its single packs are very high, the overall sales statistics show escalating sales. MAGGI Product level diagram– A review of competition: Initially when Nestle introduced MAGGI in the Bangladesh market, it did not have any competitors, Now, it has a few competitors in the market as others waited to see whether the mass market will adopt the product or not. Customers who previously purchased MAGGI to satisfy needs are now addressed by the new product form that FU- WANG, Meridian, and Cocola Noodles etc brought into the scenario and thus MAGGI is getting very aggressive in their marketing tactics as they sense the new product form to be a threat. Here is short description about competitors: 1) COCOLA NOODLES: COCOLA Noodles are engaged in manufacturing, marketing, and distribution of various branded food products and condiment. Within the very short period of its entrance this brand has been enjoying second leading position in the market. COCOLA Foods Ltd. is focusing on improving the food habit of Bangladeshi Consumers through providing more ready to cook products and ready to eat as well. COCOLA is also exporting its products to Australia, UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and many other countries to come into the list. Per packet cocola noodle: 18tk. 2) FU-WANG: FU-WANG instant noodles were introduced in the market by FU-WANG Foods & Beverage Ltd. It holds a market share of 18%. It is a new item in the FU-WANG family, as such, is the follower of the product leader MAGGI. Currently, we assume it is in the Growth Stage. From the beginning, FU-WANG always trying to maintain the best quality standard of its products. Since the ingredients are gathered from Bangladesh itself and it emphasizes on mass production (Family Packs, Premium Packs), its cost per customer is lower than that of MAGGI. Price: 4 cakes in one packet 65 tk. 3) MR.NOODLES: Mr. Noodles is a brand of instant noodles manufactured by PRAN. The brand is popular in Bangladesh it had been popular product category in the culinary segment since the launch of Mr. Noodles in 2011. Over the years, Mr. Noodles became a popular snack food product in Bangladesh. Claimed to be â€Å"Easy instant noodles†. Its price per packet : 15tk However, MAGGI’s competitive advantage is its product differentiation. It is very cheap and it provides good quality. Also it is the Market leader in its segments and has strong  brand loyal consumer base. With wide range of distribution channel and product marketed according to the need of consumer – MAGGI is utterly a successful brand with insurmountable competitive advantage. MAGGI quality is one of its most important positioning tools. It knows that quality has a direct impact on the product performance, thus closely linked to customer value and satisfaction. MAGGI quality identify through its performance and its conformance quality. MAGGI features, another competitive tools for differentiating company’s product from competitor’s product. Some of them include: Original Flavor, Chicken, Curry (a healthier alternative is also sold in supermarkets), Kari Letup (Extremely Spicy Curry) Chicken & Corn ,Beef Oriental, Masala, Prawn, Dal Sambar ( whole wheat noodles ), Asam Laksa, Cheese, Pizza (only in Saudi Arabia, was available for a period of time in Australia.), Chatpata, Tomato, Stronger Chicken, Vegetable Atta Noodles (Whole wheat noodles) mostly in India, etc. MAGGI noodles also produces cup noodles known as â€Å"Hot Bowl†, and sells cup noodles branded â€Å"Cuppa Mania† in India. The style and design of MAGGI gives it competitive advantage over the other products in the market. The sleek packaging of MAGGI is convenient and stylish. It contributes to the product’s usefulness and look. It’s even shapes the consumer’s experience with the product. MAGGI Channels and Logistic Review: The urban areas are already saturated with MAGGI, as almost all departmental stores offer it. However there are still greater possibilities to stretch its distribution channels to the rural areas. MAGGI has a lot of distribution channels to fill. MAGGI can introduce mobile-vans by which they can access larger pool of customers and make its distribution channels stronger. Current distribution channel of MAGGI-: SWOT Analysis: SWOT is an acronym that stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to the organization. It involves the careful evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the organization as well as its opportunities and threats to the organization in the current market. MAGGI SWOT analysis- SWOT analysis of MAGGI brand clearly indicates the strengths of MAGGI as a Brand in Bangladesh market. The Brand was found to be a market leader in its category of Noodles, with strong customer loyalty. Intensive distribution of MAGGI as a Brand was seen in urban areas of the country. MAGGI has made several attempts to revamp itself as a ‘Healthy Product† but till date its perseverance towards the tag line is low by the consumers. The brand is in the growth stage of product life cycle with a strong inclination towards the maturity stage. MAGGI Noodles Strength analysis- MAGGI is from an extremely recognizable company Nestle. Popularity is one of its superior strengths that are virtually incomparable. MAGGI is known very well worldwide by its excellent advertising and visibility. It’s branding is obvious and easily recognized currently Bangladesh market. It is very easy to cook and exits as a healthy food with the title of â€Å"Darun shaad darun pushti† Market leader in noodles category with high brand loyalty. Excellent advertising and visibility. Good product distribution and availability. Lots of flavors and varieties available. Easy to cook-with the title of â€Å"2 minute Noodles†. MAGGI Noodles Weaknesses analysis- MAGGI do have a variety of weaknesses that need to be addressed. Word of mouth is probably a strength and weakness of every company. While many people have good things to say, there are many  individuals who are against MAGGI as many other companies to the current market as named before. Product is dependent on each other according to the new market segment. The market fails to provide to rural area. Product is dependent on each other. Not so much presence in rural market. Media generated news about health issues. Market leader Perceived as made up of Maida not good. MAGGI Noodles Opportunities analysis- Day by day its consumers are increaseing. Because Bangladesh is a small market, only few of the diversified flavors of MAGGI are sold here. Yet it believes that they should at least market the products to see if it works as a trial. Another opportunity that is the ability for MAGGI to buy out their competitors. This opportunity rarely presents itself in the world of business. Product has been acceptable in youth Strong presence of regional category competitors Availability of new segments(e.g.- old and age people) Untapped rural markets DINKS, single professionals Newer tastes Product has been acceptable in youth category. Changing preference of consumer towards Chinese food and fast food. MAAGI Noodles Threats analysis- Shift to rural market, Consumers don’t perceive it as changing preference of consumer a â€Å"Healthy Product† towards Chinese food and fast. Compare to other brands noodles its price also vary and can be a threat. Price wars with other noodle brands. Strong presence of regional competitors. Consumers don’t perceive it as a â€Å"Healthy Product†. Availability of New segments (The competitor provides higher age people) margins to its distributors and growing. Objective and issue: Objective: MAGGI Instant Noodles is the product leader in the category of instant noodles, capturing market share of 68%, penetrating 6 lace households. Nestle, the world’s largest food company, reported first-quarter sales growth that beat analysts’ estimates, helped by sales of MAGGI Noodles. MAGGI leads with their strength to the current market. Positioning initially Nestle tried to position the Noodles in the platform of convenience targeting the working women. But it found that the sales are not picking up despite heavy promotion .Research then showed that Kids were the largest consumers of the brand. Realizing this, Nestle repositioned the brand towards the kids using sales promotions and smart advertising. MAGGI has always positioned itself as â€Å"Healthy noodles† as it described before. At present- MAGGI now provides family packs and single packs. Maggi has recently come out with new advertisements in some weekly. Issue- Core aim of Nestle Business with the title â€Å"Good Food, Good Life†. Food and beverages plays a important role in people’s life- not only because of enjoyment and social pleasure of eating together, but more in more terms of personal health and nutrition. Nestle is committed to provide their customer, consistent quality, safety as well as value for money and convenience. Great taste is the fundamental of their products and consumer appreciation of good food. Giving priority on nutrition, health and wellness Nestle comes with their product MAGGI Noodles with the title- Maggi 2-Minute Noodles. MARKET STRATEGY: Targeting of MAGGI: MAGGI main target is children, then women and elderly. Today MAGGI Noodles with its attractive and variety of new flavors successfully targets kids, working women and elderly all at the same time. But Nestle at the initial stage was targeting on the house lady. Very soon it realized that its target segment is not them. It evaluated and understood that children should be its primary focus. So they changed their mission to ‘To become the no. 1 preferred snack for kids in the country’ and came up with two minutes noodles which targeted children aged 7 to 12. Nestle also targeted the house lady by introducing the health noodles. These can be consumed as the complete food which gives the calorie and meet all necessary health requirements. For these variants they introduced the new positioning â€Å"MAGGI is the best, tasty and healthy noodles (for children), which cannot be compared.† Marketing Mix: Elements of market mix: MAGGI Marketing mix describe the 4ps- 1) Product: MAGGI has come up with various product s according to the needs of consumers. Some of it gains total popularity and some becomes failure. Developing a product involves defining the benefits it will offer. These benefits are communicated and delivered by product attribute such as quality, features, and style and design as described before. MAGGI is a product which is a source of Protein, Calcium, and Fiber and has added vegetables. The inspiration for comes from the going consumer preference for a healthier lifestyle. 2) Packaging: MAGGI is packed in the yellow packets. The tip of the packet is zipped so that the contents can easily be spilled without wasting it. It has solved the problem of storage. The thickness of packet is increased so that the contents can be easily poured without much wastage. 3) Promotion: MAGGI has already created its brand awareness and now it should  increase advertising to build brand preference. However MAGGI still continues to build brand awareness by serving MAGGI Noodles to people for free (sampling). At present MAGGI occupies almost 78% of the noodles market. Thus it is surely the market leader. So it should focus now on creating brand preference. The number of television advertisements of MAGGI noodles in Bangladesh is very little compared to that of India. In Bangladesh they use more paper advertisements than television advertisements. Thus the promotional strategies of MAGGI should now be altered. 4) Places: Places refers to the location where products are available and can be sold or purchased. MAGGI Noodles is not only famous in urban areas but also rural areas. It is rightly available at number of retail shops and malls. So that consumers can easily purchases the product without any big effort. Positioning of MAGGI: MAGGI is position itself as a differentiated product. The market is very sensitive to taste and can rejects any flavor if dislike. Consumers typically choose products and services that give them the greatest value. Thus, dedicated marketers want to position their brands on the key benefits that they offer relative to competing brands. Positioning Statement of MAGGI- As we all know marketers believe that companies should aggressively promote only one benefit to the target market. MAGGI’s USP (unique selling proposition) is that it is â€Å"healthy and tasty†. MAGGI solemnly sticks to its USP which consumers also take in with heart and soul. MAGGI with the title of â€Å"2 minute Noodles† is continue its position to the current market as a fast to cook and good to eat, is the best, tasty and healthy noodles (for children) that cannot be compared. To everyone who wants the fastest and yummiest solution for their gurgling stomach, MAGGI is the all-time-favorite instant noodles that provide an easy, nutritious and tasty food for children (mainly) and other age groups.

Personality & Attitudes on Revenge in the General Population of Scotland Essay

Fantasies vary from person to person and are dependent on psychological condition. In a clinical population fantasies tend to last longer than in non-clinical populations. Although overall each fantasy has been reported to last relatively short periods of time, the frequency of which they occur is usually the factor that determines whether they are of concern or not (Gellerman and Suddath, 2005). There seems to be a limited quantity of research available on the general understanding of this topic however the literature that does exist appears to focus on three particular areas, sustaining fantasies – as a means of coping with painful and stressful situations in the general population but particularly in the clinical population (Zelin, Bernstein, Heijn, Jampel, Myerson, Adler, Buie & Rizzuto, 1983; Harder & Zelin, 1984; Greenwald & Harder, 1994; Greenwald & Harder, 1995 & Greenwald and Harder, 1997); aggressive fantasies – for pleasure or satisfaction in the general popu lation but more often than not habitually involuntary for the clinical population and generally violent, sexual and sadistic in nature (Gellerman & Suddath, 2005; Egan & Campbell, 2009 & Selby, Anestis & Joiner (2007), and finally, revenge fantasies – concerning those who have experienced trauma (Mardi & Harowitz, 2007). In search of material for this review surprise has it that homicidal fantasies on the whole is the one of which focuses on a more simple view of its apparent natural occurrence in natural surroundings of everyday life, and highlights the evolving acceptance that many normal law abiding citizens can and do have fantasies. Sustaining Fantasy From a study conducted by Zelin et al (1983) the Sustaining Fantasy Questionnaire (SFQ) was developed to measure sustaining functions in psychiatric inpatients in comparison with non-patients. This questionnaire was constructed specifically to measure fantasies of death, withdrawal, restitution, suffering, God, closeness, power and revenge, admiration of self, competition and aesthetics. The questionnaire was then utilised to determine that psychiatric inpatients scored higher than non-patients on fantasies of death, withdrawal, restitution, suffering, God and closeness but fantasies of power and revenge, admiration of self, competition and aesthetics did not differentiate between groups. Thus, suggesting that the questionnaire was able to differentiate the groups by fantasy factors such as death, withdrawal, restitution, suffering, God and closeness and highlighted associations of power and revenge, admiration of self, competition and aesthetics with an independent measure of psycho logy. It is said that experiencing Sustaining Fantasies is a familiar, consistent and repetitive conscious fantasy adopted to help cope with feelings of a painful and stressful situation. According to Zelin et al (1983) the sustaining fantasy is a concept based on the observation that at times of extreme negative emotional states, caused by anger or narcissistic grievance, people often resort to this as a means of re-creating a more ideal situation than that of which stimulated the painful experience, fabricating a sense of satisfaction, restoring self-esteem and emotional equilibrium, and decreasing frustration. Ultimately, the sustaining fantasy is based on the assumption that such fantasies signify and demonstration the basic construction and processes that have evolved in the course of efforts to adapt to painful situations. We are reminded by Zelin et al (1983) that this fantasy is of a specific type called only into play when suffering increasing levels of stress, and should not be c onfused by those fantasies used as a disguised endeavour of pleasure or solutions to relatively un-stressful problems, such studies will be discussed later in the review. One year on, Harder & Zelin (1984) furthered the study of Zelin et al (1983) accepting that the sustaining fantasy questionnaire was developed primarily with psychiatric inpatients, but recognising also, the potential for its use in testing correlates among a more general sample. Assuming that everyone uses sustaining fantasies to aid or support themselves through highly stressful periods in life and presuming the importance of this factor in the capability to manage adaptively rather than maladaptively, Harder & Zelin (1984) extended interests and investigations into the personality functioning in the general population as well as with pathological persons. They did this by examining the relationship between the 10 types of sustaining fantasies reported by Zelin et al (1983) and two dimensions of self-concept – self-derogation and stability of self-concept, suspecting that the type of sustaining fantasy that the person characteristically brings into play will be consistent with and in support of their self-concept, an important relation with psychological-social adjustment and even a potential determinant of psychological-social adjustment. Successfully, the results demonstrated that the Sustaining Fantasy Questionnaire was reliable not only to differentiate between groups of psychiatric inpatients from normal controls, as Zelin et al (1983) demonstrated, but also to distinguish the group of college students used in this study. Just over a decade later Greenwald & Harder (1994) followed on from Zelin et al (1983), attempting to examine the expected associations between psychopathology, almost replicating exactly, apart from their use of a student population primarily from a middle-class backgrounds. In addition, Greenwald & Harder (1994) questioned if the sustaining fantasy scales associated with weaker functioning, reflects a more general pathology factor as proposed in the data of Zelin et al (1983) or, whether each reflects a particular maladaptive style that is signified by an exceptional construction of associations with the MMPI clinical scales. Further support and reliability of Zelin et al (1983) is strengthened in Greenwald & Harder’s (1994) findings that power/revenge, death/illness, withdrawal/protection and suffering are all related significantly to two of the MMPI measures of overall psychopathology, therefore four of the six fantasy types that imply psychopathology in the inpatients (Ze lin et al, 1983) were too the indicators of pathology in the study using the middle-class students. Considering all of the previously mentioned studies (Zelin et al, 1983; Harder & Zelin, 1984; Greenwald & Harder, 1994) it seems fair to say that ample evidence has been gathered to show that definite types of sustaining fantasy ideas, characteristically used to comfort the self when experiencing feelings of hurt and stress, are associated with indications of psychopathological adjustment. The aim for Greenwald & Harder (1995) was then to examine to what extent there are parallels between them and the degree to which such content ideas may well point out psychopathology. With reference to past research on daydreaming, where Singer & Antrobus (1972) have suggested that particular collections of imagery content appear to propose less favourable styles, there seems to be similarities with the findings of Zelin et al (1983), although they did emphasise the difference between other fantasies such as daydreams and remind us not to confuse them. Contrary to this emphasis and that of Zelin et al (1983), clinical impressions have proposed that in more ways than one, the overall content of these two types of fantasies is rather parallel. As a result of this proposal, Greenwald & Harder (1995) investigated whether sustaining fantasies generally show a strong similarity to the typical daydreams preferred by an individual, or whether there really is a movement from the content of ordinary daydreams to the familiar self-comforting ones that provide support during feelings of pain and stress. To do this they compared the Sustaining Fantasy Questionnaire and the numerous Imaginal Process Inventory (IPI) (Singer & Antrobus, 1972) scales for correspondence in content and in their relationships to measures of psychopathology, and a great deal of consistency was discovered even when partialling for social desirability. It was concluded that there was in fact considerable overlap in the content and of correspondence between both, sustaini ng fantasy and daydreams, and furthermore, it was highlighted that three particular IPI scales were observed to give significant indications of psychopathology – fear reaction, bizarre and hostile. Despite the delight in these findings Greenwald & Harder (1995) speculated the possibility that rather than the findings being a result of specific content they may be the result of a broad level of association between the two scales. In pursuit of this speculation further analysis detected the average degree of correlation between SFQ and IPI characteristics in comparison to the level of association displayed by those relationships they predicted, finding that although there was no significance, there was a trend toward significance. Thus, suggesting that a general commonality between the SFQ and the IPI may have been a factor in contributing to the extent of their success in predictions for the study. On this note one should be reminded that for the purpose of reliability and validity, considering an underlying weakness alongside the success is vital for future study in terms of recognising the possibility for individuals to very well fantasize and daydream simultaneously in ordinary and/or stressful situations. It is now becoming apparent that sustaining fantasies are perhaps not quite as specific from other fantasies in particular situations such as coping with stressful matters, as was first thought, or, that if they are, they do not always emerge completely alone. Based on the results of this study Greenwald & Harder (1995) propose the question of whether it would be beneficial to use the findings of their study, subsequent past research, to investigate clinical manipulation of the content and/or frequency of fantasy having therapeutic effects, bearing in mind the given definition of sustaining fantasy in Zelin et al (1983) at the beginnings of this extensive research. To address the proposed questions that emerged from Greenwald & Harder (1995) they conducted another study in 1997 replicating the previously discussed studies and replicating reported relationships between coping behaviours and psychopathology however, this time they utilised measurement instruments that were developed by different investigators, presented different response formats, and were not developed to measure the same content areas as before. They assessed whether consistent relationships exist between the content of self-reported coping behaviours, sustaining fantasies, and ordinary daydreams and in addition attempted to identify coping behaviours associated with psychopathology, exploring any connections between coping behaviours, fantasies, and daydreams correlated with pathology. Pearson correlations indicated similar content between coping behaviours and the two types of fantasy and significant inter-correlations were found between sustaining fantasies, daydreams, and coping behaviours that, separately, were found to be significantly associated with psychopathology. In the process of this investigation, and with influencing thoughts created by the previous workings, Greenwald and Harder (1997) took into consideration the likelihood to expect there would be a consistency between the region of fantasy and behaviour, and that individuals would report thoughts and action in parallel ways but then again, consider also that it is also probable to anticipate that fantasies could serve as a substitute for action, and that a report of specific fantasy content might be inversely associated with behaviour that contains similar content. Growing in strength, again the results of Greenwald & Harder (1997) were successful in that there is a significant association with regard to the content among self-reported daydreams, sustaining fantasies, and coping behaviours, even after controlling for social desirability. These results are found to be more influential due to the fact that they were obtained with assessment instruments that were developed by different investigators, used different response formats, and were not developed to measure the same content areas. Therefore, this information suggest that, while there may be some instances of fantasies and behaviours that relate inversely to each other, fantasies usually are consistent with behavioural coping styles. These findings then highlight that there is a complex of daydreams, fantasies, and behavioural responses that could be used to characterize individuals. Furthermore, to generalize the findings of this study it was recommended that future studies should be conducted with other subject populations that take into account age, culture, socioeconomic status and residence environment (Greenwald & Harder, 1997), however, it seems appropriate to mention that perhaps at this point it is a good time to look at how the sustaining fantasy ideology has branched out to embrace other influencing factors. Aggressive Fantasies Egan & Campbell (2009) expanded research on sustaining fantasies almost taking it to a new level by selecting a diverse population, as recommended by Greenwald & Harder (1997), but more importantly taking into account other domains that showed potential to reveal relationships from another angle. Such were, sensational topics, general personality traits, and self-reported physical aggression. They found relationships between sensational interests and physical aggression, regardless of gender. Personality and the application of negative sustaining fantasies significantly forecast physical aggression. When the SFQ was reduced to three higher order factors; positive, negative, and narcissistic sustaining fantasies, correlations were found between neuroticism (N) and both positive and negative sustaining fantasies, although the association was stronger for negative fantasies. There were small associations between positive sustaining fantasies and indirect non-physical hostility although these relations were humble, and openness (O) was a stronger predictor. Narcissistic sustaining fantasies related to low levels of agreeableness (A), replicating associations between low A and narcissism generally. Ultimately proposing that aggressive and hostile persons are more stimulated by violent stimuli and that isolation is a further risk-increasing factor for aggressive interests. Following on from this conclusion of risk-increasing factors, attention was directed back a few years in literature to a study conducted by Gellerman & Suddath (2005). They discussed risk-increasing factors in relation to questioning at what point would a health professional perhaps become concerned with a person’s fantasy enough for it to become their duty to forewarn or protect others from potential dangerousness, or even attempt to protect the person from them self. In the health profession an evaluation of dangerousness includes not only asking about violent fantasies but also asking about physical and sexual content (Gellerman & Suddath, 2005). Gellerman and Suddath (2005) looked at the conditions in which the disclosure of violent fantasies to a mental health professional may generate cause for concern and a duty to warn or protect other citizens. Reviewing legal cases in which violent fantasies were considered in the context of measuring potential dangerousness and the literature available on homicidal and sexually violent fantasies in both non-incarcerated and criminal populations was also examined. It was concluded that no dependable predictive relationship between violent fantasies and wickedly hazardous behaviour was reported in the available literature and suggestions of issues that mental health professionals may think about when gauging whether a particular violent fantasy is a sign for concern requiring rise to a duty in protecting others. At last, this paper is very interesting in that it is greatly unbiased and clearly discusses both the harmful aspects of fantasy as well as the innocent or un-harmful aspects, thus showing the importance of distinguishing between the two possibilities, which must be said, is something that is lacking in the papers previously reviewed. Gellerman and Suddath (2005) explained in detail the definition of violent fantasy for the purpose of their paper which must be credited as again, not many papers in this field have done so. They expressed their perception of violent fantasy as a thought in which an individual imagines physically harming a fellow human being in some way. They explain that the content of individual fantasies may vary from anything such as murder, sexual assault, or inappropriate sexual activity. It is emphasised that fantasy must be distinguished from an intention, in that the imaginary violence is not instantaneously designed to guide or prepare for action. On the other hand, it is said that any expression of intention to harm another person is when we should have cause for concern as this is without doubt communicating a â€Å"threat† rather than a fantasy. Gellerman and Suddath (2005) noted two important points in terms of distinguishing between fantasy being harmless or harmful, firstly, while not instantaneously aimed at guiding action, fantasy has been illustrated as serving a number of clinical functions, including control and relief of anxiety and substitution for action therefore harmless to others and at the same time very useful to the fantasizer, secondly, from a harmful perspective fantasy may also be preparation for action and it is from this perspective that concern should be heightened in the evaluation of dangerousness and the duty to protect. Gellerman and Suddath (2005) go on to give balanced examples of both harmless and harmful fantasies. In their comparisons of both sides and in both populations, un-incarcerated and criminal, together with their overall review of the literature they used, they suggest that as fantasies of murder were fairly common in general Western European and American populations, and a range of fantasies of aggression and sexual violence were less common, but were by no means rare, people should bear in mind that this high prevalence of homicidal and sexually aggressive fantasy can only make us question then, to what extent can such fantasies be considered deviant. In addition it should be highlighted that Gellerman and Suddath (2005) found that existing studies have evidently established that many more individuals have homicidal and sexually violent fantasies than act on them. The relationship between violent fantasy and behaviour in these studies was correlative at best, and no suggestions were given in attempt to identifying the minority of individuals with violent fantasies who may be at risk of acting them out. Altogether, it was concluded that predictors better than fantasies alone are the eminence of the fantasies, the concern with them, and the level of preparation and detail, and the history of any past violent behaviours all need to be looked at collectively (Gellerman & Suddath, 2005). Another study of interest where aggressive fantasies seek personal pleasure but in a paradoxical way is that of Selby, Anestis & Joiner (2007). They reported that suicidal individuals regularly report the reoccurrence of fantasy where they can visualise their death by suicide very clearly in their imagination, almost like watching it on TV. Selby et al (2007) found that many unremittingly suicidal individuals are thought to have a romantic affection for death and as a result, connect themselves in vivid fantasies or daydreams about the process and the after-effects. This somewhat idealistic thought process even appears to be a pleasant motion for them. In desperation of escape from torment and pain (Baumeister, 1990), it seems that the act of suicide is the answer and therefore thinking about the liberation that death would present, perhaps enables suicidal individuals to experience positive affects similar to that of non-suicidal individuals daydreaming or fantasizing about future life events such as holidays (Selby et al, 2007). This daydreaming may actually be a form of emotion dysregulation, in suicidal individuals, one that would appear, perhaps paradoxically, to increase positive affect yet may increase later risk for serious suicidal behaviour. This psychological state was also considered by Zelin et al (1983). Revenge Fantasies Suicidal behaviour, just like the fantasies they provoke, vary in content and from person to person however for the purpose of this review it should be mentioned that revenge fantasies among many other things, can often be the cause for suicidal behaviour (Mardi & Harowitz, 2007). In one way the reason behind the fantasies are similar per se; feelings of rage shame guilt etc., but in another way very different; often unwanted and uncontrollable. Revenge fantasies are described as being beyond normal bitter thoughts and sometimes dangerous. The study conducted by Mardi & Harowitz (2007) was an attempt to seek solutions to a hypothetical case demonstrating a problem existing in clinical practice. The method behind this is for the authors to review current data on prevalence, diagnosis, pathophysiology, and treatment and ultimately conclude treatment recommendations. Again it is brought to attention that the quantity of literature addressing fantasy is limited, Mardi & Harowitz (2007) pointed out at the beginning of their paper that revenge fantasies have been discussed in literature, however not adequately addressed, a problem common for most papers in this review. Like all other fantasies per se, revenge fantasies can provide a sense of reinstated purpose and regain of control in an otherwise traumatized life and purely for this purpose it is imperative to assist traumatized individuals in recognizing this. Mardi & Harowitz (2007) split the scenario up into sections in sequence to how step by step the scenario would be assessed and addressed in a clinical setting. All important techniques and procedures were discussed such as, the importance of techniques in psychotherapy being put in place with the much needed interpretations and reappraisals and with careful differentiation of rational and irrational beliefs. It was explained that it is then, that the function of revenge fantasies as giving an illusion of strength can be interpreted. Mardi & Harowitz (2007) suggest the fact that the results of therapy may be attenuation of symptoms, and revenge fantasies are deep-rooted, there is an important need for informing the patients that revenge fantasies are likely to return, and are frequently generated by things as simple as seeing a movie, being hurt, or entering an irritated mood as a result of fatigue. Mardi & Harowitz (2007) go on to explain that the professional should help the patient plan a comeback, which can engage in reviewing a pre-established set of ideas, overall they express that their goal is to help the patient gain a sense of restored control, self-esteem, and self-coherence without resorting to the ‘strong-me’ property of a revenge fantasy. Taking into account the apparent lack of topic specific resources that provide general information on the influences of fantasy in the general public, and the gaps that seem wide open between studies in fantasy, it seems fair to say that the beginning would be a good place to start. As a result the current study will seek to investigate attitudes of the general public toward fantasies, looking to find out what they think fantasies might be and to what extent they think it is normal for people to have them. It will be hypothesised that most people will believe that a fantasy is a mere thought of imagination detached from reality to satisfy emotional desires without logical or moral constraints and likewise most people will agree that it is normal to have fantasies. It is expected that more people will agree, than disagree, that it is ok and can be accepted as normal for people to have homicidal fantasies. Method Design A between-participants point biserial correlation will be used to analyse the data. The independent variables will be the self report personality inventory (IPIP-NEO) and the attitude measuring questions and the dependent variable will be participants score on the IPIP-NEO and the attitude score. Variables such as gender, age, marital status, housing tenure, regions, employment status, income bracket and criminal convictions will also be considered in relation to participant response to both independent variables. Participants According to G Power participant number should be 191, however, for an equal balance, it will be at least 100 males and 100 females. The male and female participants will be ages of or between 21 and 65, and split between four regions (Glasgow, Paisley, Edinburgh & Dundee). Apparatus Participant information sheets (PIS) and consent forms will be given along with questionnaires that will be used to measure psychopathic personality traits (IPIP-NEO) and attitudes on aggressive revenge fantasies. Each participant will be given the same questionnaire to complete. The statistical analysis programme SPSS will be used to analyse and correlate the data. Procedure Each participant will be given a brief introduction of the study and asked if they are willing to take part, if they are willing then they will be asked to carefully read the PIS, sign the consent form, which will be detached from the questionnaire as they will be anonymous, and complete the questionnaire. The questionnaire consists of a self-report personality inventory, the International Personality Item Pool – NEO (IPIP-NEO) developed by Witt, Donnellan & Blonigen (2009), of which permission for use was granted by Edward A. Witt. This 40 item inventory will measure the psychopathic personality traits of fearless dominance (20 items) and Impulsive Antisociality (20 items) to assess how high or low participants score in comparison with each other. A four-option multiple response (False, Mostly False, Mostly True, True) format and a Likert-type scale will be used (False = 1, Mostly False = 2, Mostly True = 3, True = 4) to measure the data. In exception, the 1st, 4th, 9th, 14th, 15th,16th and 17th questions of Fearless Dominance will be measured in reverse scale. The second part of the questionnaire consists of 10 questions regarding attitudes toward people having revenge fantasies. Again, a four-option multiple response (strongly disagree, disagree, agree, strongly agree) format and a Likert-type scale will be used (strongly disagree = 1, disagree = 2, agree = 3, strongly agree = 4) to measure the data. Reference Baumeister, R. F. (1990). Suicide as Escape from Self. Psychological Review, 97, 90-113. Egan, V. & Campbell, V. (2009) Sensational Interests, Sustaining Fantasies and Personality Predict Physical Aggression. Personality and Individual Differences, 47, 464-469 Gellerman, D. M. & Suddath, R. (2005). Violent Fantasy, Dangerousness, and the Duty to Warn and Protect. Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatric Law, 33, 484-495. Greenwald, D. F. & Harder, D. W. (1994). Sustaining Fantasies and Psychopathology in a Normal Sample. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 50, 705-708. Greenwald, D. F. & Harder, D. W. (1995). Sustaining Fantasies, Daydreams, and Psychopathology. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 51, 719-726. Greenwald, D. F. & Harder, D. W. (1997). Fantasies, Coping Behaviour, and Psychopathology. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 53, 91-97. Harder, D. W. & Zelin, M. L. (1984). Sustaining Fantasies and Self-Concept Among College Students. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 40, 743-748 Mardi, J. & Harowitz, M. D. (2007). Understanding and Ameliorating Revenge Fantasies in Psychotherapy. American Journal of Psychiatry, 164, 24-27. Selby, E. A., Anestis, M. D. & Joiner Jr, T. E. (2007). Daydreaming About Death: Violent Daydreaming as a Form of Emotion Dysregulation in Suicidality. Behavior Modification, 31, 867-879. Singer, J. L. & Antrobus, J. S. (1972). Daydreaming, Imaginal Processes and Personality: A Normative Study. In P. W. Sheehan (Ed.). The function and nature of imagery. (pp. 175-202). New York: Academic Press. Witt, E. A., Donnellan, M. B. & Blonigen, D. M. (2009). Using Existing Self-Report Inventories to Measure the Psychopathic Personality Trait of Fearless Dominance and Impulsive Antisociality. Journal of Research in Personality, 43, 1006-1016. Zelin, M. L., Bernstein, S. B., Heijn, C., Jampel, R. M., Myerson, P. G., Adler, G., Buie, D. H. & Rizzuto, A. M. (1983). The Sustaining Fantasy Questionnaire: Measurement of Sustaining Functions in Psychiatric Inpatients. Journal of Personality Assessment, 47, 427- 439.   

Why Study Ethics?

http://faculty. polytechnic. org/gfeldmeth/4. ruggiero1. pdf Ruggiero 1 Why Study Ethics? If we have laws and religion, why do we need ethics? Ethics is the study of right and wrong. Everyone makes decisions each day that are essentially choices. For some, choices are considered strictly personal and no one else’s business: Should I have a strip of bacon with my eggs? But for some, even that simple choice has ethical ramifications: Should I eat meat? Is it anyone else’s concern that I eat meat?Other choices confront us as the day progresses: Should I call in sick? Should I obey the speed laws as I drive to work? Should I answer a friend’s question honestly or lie and potentially hurt her feelings? Should I be faithful to my spouse? How does one find answers to these questions? For some, laws and religion provide the answers. But for most, those two sources are insufficient. Ethical Relativism In the past for most people and even for many people today, an objectiv e moral standard that is binding on all people for all times exists.While there might be disagreement on what the standard was, most acknowledged that there was a â€Å"right† choice. But in the last half-century, there has been considerable erosion in the idea that a standard exists or is even needed. For many, decisions about what is right and wrong are complete personal and completely subjective: what is right for me may not be right for you. This is known as ethical relativism. It asserts that whatever an individual deems morally acceptable is acceptable for that person. To judge that is often considered unacceptably intolerant.As relativism or situation ethics, as it was called by some, grew in the 1960s, some critics warned that an attitude of complete toleration would make it difficult, if not impossible to reasonably discuss ethical issues. If no one view is better than another, how can one distinguish civilized from uncivilized behavior, or good and evil. If ethical choices are essentially the same as aesthetic or taste choices, then pursuing one choice of action is essentially no different that preferring a work of art or an author or a singing group.It is all just a matter of taste and your taste is as good as mine. One result of the growth of relativism is the reluctance of many to pass judgment on an individual or a deed. If the choice is between absolutism (â€Å"that is absolutely wrong† or relativism (â€Å"in some cases, for some individuals, that action may be wrong’), many opt for relativism as it seems more tolerant, more reasonable, less black-and-white. Many civilizations in the past practiced human sacrifice in religious rituals. Is it right to judge that practice as wrong?After all, freedom of religion is a pillar of American beliefs. Should I judge another culture’s practices even if I find it abhorrent? To cite a modern example, some cultures allow marriage of girls as young as 12 years old or a husband to have multiple wives. Are those issues that should be left up to a nation or people-group to decide or are there universal principles that apply? To get even more relevant to students living in American society, is it ok to download copyrighted music or movies?How about copying and pasting a paragraph from an Internet source such as Wikipedia into a paper? If I want to do that, isn’t it my choice? Who are you to say it’s wrong? Ethics and Laws One might wonder why we need ethics if we have laws? If we have a comprehensive set of laws that are consistently enforced, isn’t that enough? Of course, we need to ask who makes 1 Ruggiero 1 the laws and how do they decide whether a behavior is criminal. Consider sexual harassment.Because a legislator or even a number of them might say â€Å"I would never commit such an act† would not be enough reason to conclude that a law should be passed preventing others from committing that act. From the perspective of an ethi cal relativist, no one has the right to criticize another’s actions. The only defensible reason for a law against sexual harassment is that the act is wrong, not just for me but for everyone. And sexual harassment was clearly wrong long before it was made illegal. So laws are not possible without ethics.For a law to be passed, a person or a group of people have to make a decision about right and wrong. That has been the case from the start of human society, whether laws were determined by kings, religious leaders, or elected legislators. It does not mean that every law is morally right but every law starts with a concept of right and wrong. In fact, laws change over times. New circumstances arise so that laws must be revised to fit them. New technologies developed the need for new laws. In addition, attitudes change over time.Women were not permitted to vote in national elections until 1920. The 18th Amendment legalized Prohibition in 1919. The 21st Amendment repealed it in 1 933. Ethics and Religion Just as laws arise from ethics, ethics arise from religion. Religious thinkers have always spoken to the greater society on issues of moral concern. Sometimes they have assumed that their position is the only acceptable one, which hinders discussion and debate. Faith does not usually provide common ground to discuss ethical issues in a dispassionate or even-handed way.Many religious thinkers are absolutists and turn to an outside authority, God or the Bible or the Koran for their authority. Of course, to say the Bible says something suggests that it is a simple book easy for everyone to interpret. In fact, it is complex and subject to many different interpretations. This is why it is important to distinguish between religious ethics and religious beliefs. Religious ethics examines moral situations from a perspective, a set of principles. It is a starting point, not a defining â€Å"right or wrong† point. Inquiries 1.Canada’s government proposed that color photographs of diseased hearts and cancerous lungs and lips be printed on the front and back panels of every pack of cigarettes sold in that country. Canada’s tobacco industry claimed the practice was illegal. What is the ethical issue in this case? 2. When a Michigan man was arrested for soliciting a prostitute, his car was impounded by the police. His wife, who co-owned the vehicle, claimed that the government’s action was improper because it punished her as well as her husband, even though she had no knowledge or part of his crime.Is her argument morally correct? 3. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) allows colleges and universities to make millions of dollars each year from the sale of tickets and television rights to games. Yet the NCAA does not permit student athletes to be paid. Is the NCAA’s position morally justifiable? 2 Ruggiero 1 4. A married couple, both drug addicts, is unable to care for their infant daughter. The cour t takes her from them and places her in a foster home for a number of years and she comes to view her foster parents as her real parents.When she is nine years old, her natural parents, now in drug recovery, ask the courts to return custody to them. The case is decided in their favor and the girl is returned to them, against her will. Does ethics support the court’s decision? 5. A Milpitas, California, boy raped and then killed his girlfriend and dumped her body in a lovers' lane gully. Over the next few days, the killer boasted to his high school friends and the word quickly spread that the girl was dead and that her body was in the gully. Carload after carload of high school students visited the gully to see the body.Some students prodded it with sticks or kicked it; one girl ripped a decal from the dead girl's jeans. Only one boy reported the murder to the high school principal, and even after the police investigation was well under way, only two students would identify th e killer or volunteer any information. Since failure to report a body or to volunteer to testify is not a crime, the students could not be charged legally. But was the behavior of any of the students morally acceptable? Why or why not? Based on Thinking Critically About Moral Issues by Vincent Ruggiero 3

The Great Awakening Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Great Awakening - Essay Example The appealing of the vast awakening to the Americans colonialist particularly none-elites was because they wanted to change some of the practices. The practices had been brought into the mindsets of some individuals with a view of bringing a change like never before. The non-elites had an objective towards the great awakening, but they lacked the necessary support from both the colonies and the old ministers. In my opinion, the legacies of the great revival did not contribute to the breaking with Great Britain. Instead, it strengthened the relationship through the influencing not only the British churches but also the Dutch and the Germans. The Great Awakening document addresses particular problems. The major challenge was the focus on the American identity. Due to the differences in the character and races, the rivalry in the colonies emerged. The rivalry being addressed is through the visitation of the preachers. The challenge of competition is not only a colonial issue but compris ed both the churches that dominated during colonial time. The document, on the other hand, delves into preserving of culture. Social norms and the courtesy of governing individual are set to be a priority despite the rivalry that is witnessed. Great Awakening had a positive effect on the social impact of the congregation. The new denominations considered both the fracturing of the existing policies and the new colonial rules. Great Awakening had effects on the entire unity of the nation.

Bacterium Capsule Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Bacterium Capsule - Research Proposal Example It is a layer that lies outside the cell wall of bacteria, it is well organized and it is not easily washed off. This makes it diffuse through the tracheal system. Its slime layer diffuses into the surrounding medium as a loosen-demarcated secretion. The capsule usually consists of polysaccharides and is water soluble thus dissolves in the moisturize tracheae through the spiracles. Thus they are difficult to stain using standard stains as they do not adhere to the capsule (Chapman, 2004). Since the capsule remains pale and colorless, it is difficult to be detected and appears as a ring around the cell. The tracheae are water filled as they consist of a permeable membrane of the surrounding tissues which make the capsule soluble since it is water soluble. The water level, however, retracts due to the increase in the concentration of lactic acid found in the muscle cells during the respiration system. The capsule contains external chemical sensors which therefore detects the concentration of lactic acid, lowering the water potential in the system which is then drawn back into the cells through osmosis process while the capsule gets closer to the muscle cells. While the diffusion pathway is reduced as a result, the capsule can then be transferred more easily through the tracheal. The bacterium capsule is typically stimulated for easy movement throughout the system. The neurosecretory cells made in the cell body consist of the prothoracic gland which acts as circulatory s ystem storage gland and hormonal control of insect molting (Ulrich, 2009).

Ideal Society in the Eyes of Locke and Swift Essay

Ideal Society in the Eyes of Locke and Swift - Essay Example It also states that, essentially, the natural state of mankind is anarchic. Anarchy exists anywhere and everywhere, whereever no legitimate government is found. In Chapter 4 ("Of Slavery") Locke justifies slavery, very much like More's Utopia, where slaves are allowed upto a maximum of two per household and they are allowed freedom based on their good behaviour. Thus the concept of an ideal society is comparatively varied in all the works analysed and ironically contain shortcomings that challenge the inherent ideological bias of their authors and the ages to which they belong. Locke's Second Treatise gives the vision of a free community, where all individuals are equal, and most importantly, possessed of natural rights. The notion of property is linked to this concept too. He maintains that men will inevitably want to acquire goods and will come into inevitable conflict. Locke's etymological explanation of "property," lies in his dervation of its meaning that is life, liberty and estate, including one's self. Thus he proposes that a natural law of morality should come to govern them before they enter into a social arena. Here the irony is underlined since Locke realizes that the natural rights must be compromised so as to enter into a social structure. ... But the tricky business is with abiding by these very standards of behavior. The civil society is formed for the rights of the property, and Locke asserts that there is a non-political interest within its members for the state's function is protection and keeping intact the property that belongs to one. If the purpose of government is the protection of property, the latter must exist independently of the former. Thus society must allow this property to become a private property. The people entrust this body of standards or laws with the members of the protectors or the State. But if there is an abuse of power and this body of government ceases to act in the way the people expect, or do not represent the people's ideals, and instead just represent either their selfish needs or some other ideal, there is the possibility of a revolt or rebel. Locke suggests that not only should they rebel but overthrow that government and thereby replace it with people who will represent them better. Taken into fact that Locke was justifying his opposition to Charles II, all these concern seem fitting to his cause of an iconoclasm that he expected out of the people when the government ceases to be the mouthpiece of the people it seeks to protect. Locke's Second Treatise justifies the revolution of King William so as to explain the circumstances, under which the people of the state have ultimate right to raise concern and seek rebellion and replace one government with a better o ne. The idea of an unlimited property and that of a corrupt government are addressed in terms of Governmental intervention; since if the government comes to possess people's property then it

Discussions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 8

Discussions - Essay Example The Roman Empire was extensive, but eventually in the 3th century ethnic and cultural forces divided the empire with the blessing of the imperial government into two political entities (Bentley, Ziegler, and Streets 67-78). According to Heather and Streets (2003), the Byzantine Empire owns is birth and transformation to Justinian. The empire in his time became different from the Roman political system and was replaced with new bureaucracy having power in royal palace over the ancient senatorial system. In the 7th century, the Greek language became official language of the state (Bradie and Michael 43-44). The Greeks continued to use a title of the Roman Empire for long time, nonetheless. But with the emergence of the Charlemagne who became the emperor of the large Frankish empire, the Greek descendant stopped to be seen as the continuation of the Roman Empire. The â€Å"byzantine term is rather new; nonetheless, since the 800 onward, the non-Greek world following Rome and Pope considered that restoration of the imperial title to the Frankish kings used own term on Greek state†. For example the 9th century writers and historians from Central and Western Europe refer to various monarchs of the Con stantinople as the emperor of the Greek (Sanders, Nelson, Morillo and Ellenberger 33-55). The empires loss of territory was offset to a degree by consolidation and an increased uniformity of rule. The emperor Heraclius fully Hellenized the empire by making Greek the official language, thus ending the last remnants of Latin and ancient Roman tradition within the Empire, Heather and Streets (2003). Islam means submission to Allah (God). Islam was revealed to the â€Å"Prophet Muhammad who lived from 570 CE to 632 CE in Mecca in modern-day Saudi Arabia. Muhammad was called to prophet-hood when God dictated the Quran to him through the archangel Gabriel† (p. 132). Two years later, in front of the Kaba in Mecca, he declared Islam the religion of the

Mentorship and Competence Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Mentorship and Competence Paper - Essay Example I believed that through the mentoring program, I would have access not only to information but also an update of my skills and a reinforcement of my confidence at work. As I began the mentorship program, I was delighted to find that the learning outcomes were explicitly laid out. It all complemented my own objectives and, in addition, it provided other important aspects especially in those areas that I was not able to identify. Efficacy I would like to say that the mentorship program I have just undertaken is learner-centred, which, in my opinion, was what made it effective. It included many activities and strategies that improved learning and enriched the experience. For instance, I found the incorporation of reflections on prior experience as extremely helpful. Based on this, I took the initiative to write my own journal to chronicle my thoughts and my progress during the entire program. This aspect in the mentoring course allowed me to identify critical incidents, progresses made, future learning needs and analyze them so that I am able to enrich and inform my interactions with my mentors. Interestingly, the whole exercise made me more involved. I think that it added to the motivating factors that diminished my reservations and anxiety about sharing personal thoughts and professional capacities as well as in dealing with getting reviewed by my peers. Through reflections, I was able to do some forward planning to meet the course outcomes. I discovered that I have this capability for self-direction as well. Then I would have to emphasize the importance of the course content. There are two pieces of literature that I have to cite here. The first the Standards to support learning and assessment in practice, a Nursing and Midwifery Council's (NMC) standards for mentors, practice teachers and teachers. The second is Kathleen Duffy's Failing students: a qualitative study of factors that influence the decisions regarding assessment of students' competence in practic e. Both of these texts provided important insights on the mentorship experience and objectives. The first contextualized the entire program from the perspective of the mentors whereas Duffy's article explained the program's concern when it comes to the students, which is competence in practice. NMC and Regulations The NMC publication provides several important information. It explained the rationale behind the program by identifying the principles behind its mandate. There was a clear outline of the relationship between the course, the update of skills, best practices and the public good. It cited relevant statutes and regulations that are crucial in thoroughly understanding not just the program but the need for regulatory framework that encompasses it. These information contextualized the whole initiative according to my experience with respect to the community and environment where I would practice my profession. The main content of the NMC publication is the description of requir ements and rules that govern the learning and assessments of students as well as the nursing and midwifery practice. For example, there is the equality and diversity requirements, which promote equal opportunity. There are also those concerning post-qualifying programs such as the Specialist Practice (SPQ) and the Modernising Nursing Careers position paper. Collectively, these elements depict a coherent regulatory framew

THE EVOLUTION OF AMERICAN FOREGIN POLICY SINCE THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION Essay

THE EVOLUTION OF AMERICAN FOREGIN POLICY SINCE THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION - Essay Example After a brief but important war with Spain in 1898, the United States became, almost at once, a world power with distant colonial possessions. While some Americans believed that their national identity suited them for such overseas expansion, others questioned it. In addition, reformers began to demand greater involvement on the part of government in solving the problems of the poor and the helpless and of protecting the nation’s natural resources. Several factors contributed to the new idea of overseas expansion. New railroad lines and government land policies brought a flood of settlers to the American West. The desirable land there was quickly settled. When the Bureau of Census officially announced the end of the frontier in 1890, some Americans began to fear that the nation’s opportunities for growth would end. Another factor in the growing interest in expansion was American nation’s rapidly increasing production of goods. By the late 1800s American farms and factories turned out increasing amounts of crops and manufactured goods. American began to seek out new markets for those goods that could not be sold at home. Foreign markets for these surplus goods were considered essential for the nation’s continued economic growth. (Hall, 1999) In the late 1800s a new spirit of imperialism, the policy of extending one country’s rule over other nations and colonies, developed in Europe. Great Britain, France and Germany colonized Africa and turned eagerly toward Asia. Some Americans shared this spirit. Some believed that American empire would help less fortunate people all around the world. These Americans believed that the cultures of Asia, Africa, and Latin America were inferior to American and European cultures. They believed Americans had a duty to civilize these people by showing them American ways of governing and working. American missionaries also

Marketing an Australian Wine to Hong Kong Wine Market Essay

Marketing an Australian Wine to Hong Kong Wine Market - Essay Example The growth in Hong Kong wine market is attributed to the abolishing of the duty on wine by the Hong Kong government. About 40% of the US$ 1.3bn worth of wine traded annually in London is bought by consumers in Hong Kong and China (Franz, 2008). Similarly, according to Parker (2010) a glass of wine raised by a Hong Kong resident is likely to have come from the Australian vineyard. The Australian wine industry considers Hong Kong as a major market. Because of the abolition of duties and taxes on wine in Hong Kong, exports from Australia to Hong Kong has increased manifold. Australia is an important source for high quality beverages including wine for Hong Kong’s restaurants. Hong Kong’s strategy to become the hub for wine trading in the Asian region presents opportunities for the Australian wine producers and for providers of wine-related services, like storage and auctioning (Dfat, 2010). Hong Kong enjoys locational advantage as far as wine auctions in the region are con cerned. The total wine auction sales in the region reached $160 million and now along with the United States, Hong Kong has become one of the two most important centers for wine auction (Hong Kong Digest, 2011). This is the reason that Australian wine makers, Brown Brothers, are eyeing Hong Kong to market its products. Hong Kong has the potential to influence trends in the region through events such as Wine and Spirits Fair which attracts audience from mainland China and other countries. Brown Brothers offers the most seasoned and diverse ranges of quality wine. Decrease in taxes makes cheaper wine popular (Asia Travel Tips, 2011). The Hong Kong youth between 21-28 years would prefer cheaper wines as they are yet to be established in life. Thus this study aims to evaluate marketing of wine to this segment. An external environmental analysis would help Brown Bothers understand and formulate the marketing strategy for Hong Kong. The external environment can be analyzed based on the po litical, economical, socio-cultural and legal environment, along with the wine sector in Hong Kong. Wine sector in Hong Kong Hong Kong’s alcoholic beverage market faced distortions because of the excessive duties on wines and spirits (APCO, 2010). The prices were artificially high and the local residents as well as the expatriates were forced to choose lower-quality beverages which impacted consumer choice. Hong Kong had very high level of taxation on wines compared to its neighbors and this increased illegal smuggling of alcoholic beverages. This caused loss of government tax revenue. The Hong Kong Wine & Spirits Industry Coalition (HKWSIC) used the services of APCO to represent the views of the consumers and the industry. Study and presentation of the results by APCO forced the Hong Kong government to abolish the taxation on wine products. External environment analysis Political environment Hong Kong is governed by the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Regio n of the People's Republic of China (Dfat, 2010). Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region and is a capitalist society enjoying high political stability. It has an ‘executive-led’ system inherited from the British Colonial Administration. The Chief executive is appointed by Beijing after election and has the power to initiate legislation (Dfat, 2010). There is limited democracy as it still follows the Basic Law approved in 1990.

Business & Professional Writing Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Business & Professional Writing - Term Paper Example The bank is presently carrying out valuations of the collateral that have been offered by the company but so far clearance is not obtained. This could affect the completion of the project. However, the legal department is working closely with the valuation company to secure a loan within a month. The project stage wise completion is according to the schedule agreed in the contract. The completion of the warehouse has been carried out without major modifications that have allowed restricting the construction cost from exceeding the targeted values. The progress report of the construction project suggests satisfactory completion. There are no major issues that could lead to construction activities halt. However, major concern is regarding the external financing that is required for payment to the contractor and other options must be urgently considered to avoid any breach of

The short stories involving Sherlock Holmes Essay Example for Free

The short stories involving Sherlock Holmes Essay The short stories involving Sherlock Holmes manage to successfully combine many of the classic ingredients of the detective genre. With reference to the FIVE stories which you have studied, prove this to be the case. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a man of great intelligence who was brought up to love books. Influenced by his fathers criminal work, Doyle produced his first Holmes story in 1887. Sherlock Holmes was created by the amazing imagination of Doyle, with his sidekick, Watson. The great detective stories were very intriguing. Doyle planned to end the series in 1893 but due to great public demand, resurrected his popular hero in 1903. The character of Sherlock brought hope to the Victorians as they disliked the police force. Crime rates were high and many of the police force were corrupt themselves. In 1892, at 221B Baker Street, Sherlock Holmes arrived and graced London with a hope of crime solving. Jack the Ripper was still walking the streets, killing women, leaving clues but yet the police were unable to catch him. The mysteries of Sherlock Holmes, written by Arthur Conan Doyle, provided the people of London with a hope that one day Jack the Ripper may be captured and brought to justice. The role of women in the Victorian Age was very simple and limited. We have an example of a stereotypical Victorian woman in The Speckled Band. Helen Stoner had a face drawn and grey and her expression was wear and haggard. She was a little lady, with not much spirit about her, who wanted the best in life. Her position is society was very low compared to others among her. In a month or two I shall be married, with the control of my own income. Her stepfather had kept possession of all her money and was giving it to her when she got married. A Victorian would have been expected to do the chores and so on and Helen Stoner tells us For a while we did the jobs. The role of women was not exclusively stereotypical i. e. Irene Alder, who is known only as the woman to Sherlock himself. Of course, Holmes was renowned for his cold, precise but admirably balanced mind, so the statement that In his eyes she eclipses and predominates the whole of sex is somewhat unusual. Jack the Ripper was a deadly man that lived in the Victorian Age and this is a typical example of the crime that was being committed during that Age. Throughout the books, Doyle uses stereotypical heroes and villains. One good example of a villain is in The speckled Band. We are told of a tall dark man that wore a black top hat, a long frock coat, and a pair of high gaiters, with a hunting crop swinging in his hand. Not only can you picture a villain straight away from the clothes, his large face, seared with a thousand wrinkles, burned yellow with the sun, and marked with every evil passion, his physical appearance was somewhat scary. The role of the police in the Victorian age, was looked upon by many as nothing. Doyle picked up on this and introduced Holmes as a character that dislikes the police(just as the Victorians did) and picked up on cases that the police had either dropped or thought unimportant.

Gender Differences in Speech

Gender Differences in Speech A striking contrast between ‘the taciturn man and the ‘cackling hen Abstract: Are men really more casual and women more sophisticated while speaking? Despite both genders being part of the same human species, they do have a salient difference in the manner they interact, speak, react and even the topics they choose to talk about. While men are more at ease in their social contexts, women appear to be conscious about their status and thus tend to use higher standard language in terms of talking. In addition, both men and women have different purposes when talking: for men it has more to do about imparting information and demonstrating expertise compared to women who aim to maintain and develop relationships. However, like in a lot of other things, exceptions are a part of this issue too; some men are just ‘too feminine and some women are just ‘too boyish. Ever noticed how differently girls and boys talk? What words they use? What topics do they speak on? If you havent yet; next time make sure to do so because linguists have â€Å"claimed to establish a rather intriguing difference between the language used by women and men† (Talbot, 1998, p. 20). Language and gender is a vast topic that attracts a lot of discussion from linguists around the world who aim to extract the variations and distinctions between a males language and a females. Up until today several such distinctions have been discovered, studied and noted. These differences are essential in characterizing the ‘masculine style of talking and the ‘feminine style. The paramount objective of this paper will be to look deep into these specific differences and also to find possible reasons as to why they exist. The ‘he dominance Historically, English was considered as a sexist language with gender bias in its use (Yule, 2006; Jule, 2008). An example of this gender bias is the use of â€Å"pronouns, particularly the generic use of ‘he or ‘him or ‘his to refer to something relating to both men and women† (Jule, 2008, p. 13). For instance, the tendency to say â€Å"each student is required to buy his own dictionary† indicates the sexism in the use of ‘his (Yule, 2006, p. 225). Nevertheless, now it is becoming much less common and there is now strong use of the forms ‘she/he and ‘his/her so that both genders can be included in all contexts where both the genders are being referred to. Variation and Exception Language use not only varies between cultures and religions but also â€Å"varies according to the social context, in terms of level of formality required by the relationship between speaker and hearer and what they are talking about, as well as other aspects† (Talbot, 1998, p. 19). It also varies based on geographical locations, both within and across national boundaries; there are forms like Nigerian English, South African English, Australian English etc However, apart from social dialects and contexts, sociolinguists have asserted that there is a striking divergence between the language used between men and women in general. Several studies have been conducted by sociolinguists to prove that these distinctions in a mens speech and womens speech do exist and are not just for say. In addition, differences not only exist in matters of speech but also in terms of interaction. This gendered language is the reason that not only reflects these social differences between men and women but it also creates and maintains them (Talbot, 1998). However, what is worth remembering is that it is not always the same; not all women have a stereotypical style as outlined by the linguists and not all men have the exact identical way described by linguists. You must have occasionally heard someone say ‘hes too feminine or ‘shes totally boyish. This does indicate that exceptions, as in everything else, exist in gendered language too. All women and men cannot be placed in the category set out by linguists. Nonetheless, a general framework that has been created by linguists clearly defines that differences amongst la nguage used by men and women are present. There are vocal differences, differences in forms, in politeness, in compliments and what is interesting is that these differences exist since childhood. Boy talk vs. girl talk Even as young girls and boys, there is a great amount of difference in the way each one speaks, interacts and responds. There is a difference in interests as well. While girls are busy dressing up Barbie dolls or playing teacher-teacher, boys are fighting for dominance in wrestling games or killing each other in robotics. Linguists have pointed out that girls, since school age, have a more interactive style with â€Å"socializing in small groups, more often in co-operative activities, establishing reciprocal relationships and exchanging roles† (Yule, 2006, p. 224). Boys, on the other hand, tend to exclude girls from their activities and make fun of those who do include them. Comparatively, they tend to â€Å"socialize in much larger groups, often in competitive activities, establishing and maintaining hierarchical relationships† (Yule, 2006, p. 224). Also what is noticed is when conflicts arise between girls and boys, both use different strategies for tackling them. Amy Sheldon undertook an interesting set of analysis of ‘conflict talk and studied the discourse of 3-5 year olds in day care centers. â€Å"Boys she observed handled conflict in a more heavy-handed fashion, expressing more self-assertive statements and dominance, whereas the girls used more collaborative discourse negotiationto mitigate conflict† (Clark, Eschholz, Rosa Simon, 2008, p. 519). In addition to conflict strategies, there is also a difference in forms and pitch ranges between young boys and girls. Fern L. Johnson goes on to state that â€Å"since childhood, girls tend to speak in softer, polite, higher-pitched voices† compared to boys who have more â€Å"forceful, straight forward, lower pitched voices† (Clark, Eschholz, Rosa Simon, 2008, p. 504). However, the differences in pitch and voice range is accounted for by the differences in vocal characteristics of males and females. Males have longer vocal tracts, larger larynxes and thicker vocal chords compared to females and this is the reason why there is a difference in pitch ranges. The result is that men typically speak in a lower pitch range- typically between 80 200 Hertz whereas women speak in a much higher version- between 120 400 Hertz. The term pitch refers to the vibration in the vocal chords, â€Å"with slower vibration making voices sound lower and rapid vibration making voices sound higher† (Yule, 2006, p. 224). What you might also notice is that at an early age parents are often heard telling their kids different things to sons and to their daughters. Sons are always told to ‘toughen- up and ‘stand-up for themselves and if they dont act like it, they are advised ‘dont be a sissy. In contrast, girls are always commanded to ‘act ladylike, ‘sit and speak properly and to ‘dress decently. These reasons are also responsible for the differences in a womans speaking style and a mans. ‘Chatty women and ‘Men of few words Women have always been addressed with typical phrases like ‘cackling hens, ‘chatty women and ‘the gossip whereas men have been tagged with ‘the taciturn man and ‘man of few words (Clark, Eschholz, Rosa Simon, 2008, p. 523-524). Women, undoubtedly, have been believed to talk more than men. Jule mentions a study statistic done by Mark Peters (2007) on the number of words used by women and those used by men in a single day. â€Å"Peter indicates that women use about 7000 words a day compared to only 2000 for men† (Jule, 2008, p. 27). Apart from the fact that females talk more, what is interesting is that the ‘speech they use varies considerably than that used by men. Womens speech has been associated with the use of tag questions, super polite forms, affective adjectives, hedges, rising intonations and hypercorrect grammar. Tag questions are questions at the end of a sentence, like an utterance, often asking for an opinion, approval or confirm ation, like ‘this dress is pretty, isnt it? or similarly ‘dont you? ‘havent we? are all questions tagged at the end of a sentence. Super polite forms refer to the â€Å"avoidance of swear-words and extensive use of euphemism. Euphemism is the use of veiled, indirect expression (for instance, saying passed away instead of died)† (Talbot, 1998, p. 39). These tend to make womens language more standard and often higher in prestige compared to men. Hedges are filler items or an utterance like ‘you know, ‘well, ‘kind of or sounds like ‘hmm and ‘yeah. These hedges are often a reason of misinterpretation amongst men and women. Since hedges are in a womens use, men consider it to be a sign of agreement whereas when women do not see men using such hedges, they take it as if the men are not paying attention to what the speaker is saying (Yule, 2006). Affective adjectives are used in expressing approval, or admiration, many of which are use d by women, words such as ‘divine, ‘adorable and ‘charming. Hypercorrect grammar, as stated by Lackoff, is simply to state that women tend to use more standardized forms, which implies that â€Å"they are more correct than they ought to be† (Talbot, 1998, p. 40). All these above mentioned characteristics are rarely heard from a man and are usually not a part of their speech. These characteristics also point to something else: interaction between and amongst the two genders. The casual man and the sophisticated woman   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Women have a completely differing style of interaction than men. Also, topic choices vary between men and women. Each gender speaks more about the topic that they are comfortable with. The general view of linguists is that men speak more casually than women. This is perhaps because women are more conscious about their social status and how others around them perceive them to be. In a study mentioned by Jule, the conclusion drawn was that â€Å"men are more at ease in their social settingsand that women are more anxiousin social situations because of their need to achieve or maintain social status† (Jule, 2008, p. 20). Deborah Tannen also asserts that men and women â€Å"have different goals in conversation and that the conversational strategies men use, such as interruptions, help to establish their own status and authority† (Clark, Eschholz, Rosa Simon, 2008, p. 506). Jennifer Coates mentions a study conducted by Zimmerman and West (1975) which cle arly suggests that the number of interruptions is very high in mixed- sex conversations, with men interrupting more than women. Also, there is a fact that men rarely interrupt each other while speaking amongst themselves, â€Å"it is when they are talking to women that they use interruptions† (Coates, 1993, p. 109). Conversely, women do not use overlaps in conversation with men (while they do use amongst themselves) suggesting that they are â€Å"concerned not to violate the mans turn but wait until hes finished† (Coates, 1993, p. 110). There is also a difference in communication and interaction of men and women within social contexts and private contexts. According to a study mentioned by Janet Holmes â€Å"males tend to talk more than women in public contexts where talk is highly valued and attracts positive attention† (Holmes, 1995, p. 37). Therefore, each gender provides more contribution in the situation they are most contented in. In private contexts â€Å"women tend to regard talk as means of maintaining and developing relationships† (Holmes, 1993, p. 38). Mary M. Talbot also puts forward that â€Å"men tend to use conversation as arenas for negotiating and maintaining status.Conversations are about imparting information, talking for a purpose, demonstrating expertise† (1998, p. 99). This then explains why men are more aware about their status in public perspectives than in casual conditions. Tannen mentions a personal experience where at a party she noticed that when men dont know much a bout a particular topic, they tend to â€Å"change the subject to something they know more about† (Clark, Eschholz, Rosa Simon, 2008, p. 533). Whos more polite? With regards to politeness, there are two things that are of great significance in indicating the level of politeness: compliments and apologies. In both the aspects of compliments and apologies, women definitely hold their flag much high than men. In a study conducted by Janet Holmes (1995) on the levels of politeness amongst men and women, what was found was that â€Å"women give 70% of compliments and receive about 75% of them; compliments between men are rare- less than 10%† (Jule, 2008, p. 83). She further presents a study conducted between New Zealand men and women in regards to who apologizes most and what Holmess data relates is that â€Å"apologies were more frequent between and amongst women† typically around 58% compared to only 8% amongst men (1995, p. 157). However, â€Å"the number of apologies between women and men is remarkably evenly distributed† close to the 20% mark (1995, p. 159). As an explanation to this, Holmes offers that women might consi der explicit apologies for offences as more important in maintaining relationships than men do which may also be why women tend to be more polite, aware of their surroundings and status than men. In conclusion, as Holmes points out; it is not always this way, not all women speak in the way describes above i.e. using hedges, super polite forms, tag questions, standard language, hypercorrect grammar etc. This is the general view of linguists that has been established after a wide range of studies and this is what outlines such patterns in the styles of gendered language. However, this does not mean that women do not have an abrasive, challenging and antagonistic speech style, some of them do but then they are considered to have adopted a ‘masculine style of talking and thus, they are placed under the category of exceptions. Nonetheless, these exceptions exist as a minority and the general pattern in womens and mens speech is the one described above and the one that is observed and accepted by several linguists of this field. A brief word about the cited authors: Janet Holmes is a professor of linguists at the Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand. She is a teacher of sociolinguistic courses, New Zealand English, and language and gender issues. Her publications consist of ‘An introduction to sociolinguistics, ‘New Zealand ways of speaking English, ‘Gendered talk at work, ‘Women, men and politeness and several others. Jennifer Coates is a professor of English language and linguistics at Roehampton University, UK. Her works comprise of ‘Women, men and language, ‘Women in their speech communities, ‘Women talk, ‘Conversations between women friends along with many others. Recently, she has completed a book on men, masculinity and narrative entitled ‘Men talk. Most of her research interests address the issue of language and sexuality and the conversational patterns in gendered talk. She is also the editor of the Blackwell sociolinguistic series ‘Language and Social change and the senior editor of the Longman ‘Real Language series. Allyson Jule, a PhD from Roehampton University, London, has particular research interests in the field of gender and language. She is an associate professor of education at the Trinity Western University along with being on the Advisory committee of the International Gender and Language Association (IGALA). Her famous works are composed of ‘Sh-shushing the Girls, ‘A beginners guide to language and gender, along with several other journal articles and co-edited books on the same issue. She is also part of the British Association of Applied linguists (BAAL) and is the reviewer of the Gender and Education journal. References Clark, V., Eschholz, P., Rosa, A., Simon, B. L. (Ed.). (2008). Language: Introductory readings (7th ed.). Boston: Bedford/St.Martins. Coates, J. (1993). Women, men, and language: A sociolinguistic account of gender differences in language (2nd ed.). New York: Longman. Holmes, J. (1995). Women, men, and politeness. New York: Longman. Jule, A. (2008). A beginners guide to language and gender. Toronto: Cromwell Press. Talbot, M. M. (1998). Language and gender: An introduction. Malden: Blackwell Publishers. Yule, G. (2006). The study of language (3rd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Understanding Educational Aspirations And Expectations

Understanding Educational Aspirations And Expectations It is no longer questioned that high education level and human capital formation promote human well-being and are one of the main preconditions for economic growth (Romer, 1989:28). Moreover, along with evolving globalization, competition and economic challenges world is facing, returns to academic achievements have become larger than ever (Harmon and Walker, 2001:39), and low academic achievements can be seen as a constraint for economic independence. It has been observed that during the World financial crisis unemployment has risen exactly among the less educated people  [1]  . Therefore, it would be just natural if we would see more young adults, from both genders and all ethnic and social groups, reaching for higher educational levels and taking advantage of possibility to gain higher returns. However, evidence shows that educational attainment among youth differs significantly (e.g., Betz and Fitzgerald, 1987). Therefore, the question remains: why equally talented individual s with similar abilities and initial preferences make different academic choices, and why some of them end up in lower paying jobs and occupations? Economists have tried to explain this phenomenon with the existence of credit market imperfections, which individuals from less advantageous backgrounds might be facing (Loury 1981, Galor and Zeira 1993, Piketty 1997). However, these hypotheses are questioned in a large body of literature. Although in developing countries credit constraints might be a partial explanation for differences in educational attainment, this does not fully explain the differences in the developed world. Evidence shows that in developed word families facing economic constraints, when it comes to education, represent only a small part of the community (Cameron and Taber 2002). Besides, nowadays there exist many organizations and funds which are providing scholarships and financial help to students from low income families  [2]  . Therefore, it is essential to look for other, more internal reasons that could explain differences in educational choices and attainment among young adults with equal abilities a nd preferences. For being able to understand and change ones educational and career choices, it is crucial to understand what determines his or her aspirations. However, explaining it is not a straight forward task. Aspirations are determined already in early childhood and are prone to changes throughout the life. Moreover, sometimes high educational aspirations are not sufficient to guarantee a better outcome. This phenomenon exists due to aspiration-expectation gap, when ones desired goals do not coincide with the expected outcome due to the disbelief to a successful result. This pattern is especially observed among women and certain ethnic groups. Therefore, it is not only crucial to look at the level of educational aspirations, but it is also essential to ask if ones aspirations are always fulfilled. Although a considerable amount of literature has examined educational and career aspirations of young adults, the existing literature tends to provide somehow different conclusions; therefore, a comprehensive and critical literature review, overlooking different factor influence ones academic and career aspirations, is still missing. The purpose of this study is to contribute to an understand of how factors like gender, ethnicity, peers, parents, teachers and self-efficacy beliefs influence young adult academic and career aspirations and decision making. This thesis will also explain why sometimes high aspirations for girls and Black students do not lead to higher educational outcomes; the existence of an aspiration-expectation gap will be supported by the latest empirical data. Further, this thesis will discuss the existing policy measures aimed to promote and raise children educational attainment. Hence, the research questions of this thesis are: What are the determinants of educational and career aspirations? Why high educational aspirations do not always lead to better outcomes? What are the existing policies and projects in order to raise ones educational and career expectations? The focus of the thesis will be qualitative studies and will be based on an extensive literature review, covering various study fields, explaining the determinants of educational and career aspirations (Part I). Part II will provide different theories explaining an aspiration-expectation gap for girls and Black students; the existence of it will be supported by the latest quantitative data from U.S. Census Bureau 2010. Further Part III will concentrate on the overview of the policy measures and government projects that have been implemented in order to raise ones expectation level and close the aspiration-expectation gap. Chapter 1 Literature review of the determinants of educational and career aspirations This chapter introduces the determinants of educational and career aspirations and expectations. It begins with an introduction of the necessary definitions. Further, it is explained how ones aspirations and expectations are formed by providing different views and findings from an existing literature. 1.1 Defining educational and career aspirations It is believed that student educational and career aspirations are the most relevant factors determining ones future educational attainment (Gottfredson 1981; Trice and King, 1991). Therefore, it is essential to understand the exact meaning of aspirations. However, there has not been reached a consensus of one and certain definition; therefore, various explanations have been provided by different authors. Markus and Nurius (1986) have reported aspirations as ones ideas and hopes of possible selves, i.e., what a person would like to and what would not like to become or achieve. In psychology, aspiration level has been defined as the level of quality of a task which one desires to attain. It is a determinant of an individuals performance level in the future. It has been hypothesized that aspiration level varies from persons to person and place to place and is determined by factors that may change and influence aspirations level during the lifetime  [3]  . Likewise, the Wisconsin model  [4]  , which is a socio-economical model developed by Sewell and his colleagues in 1969 meant to explain ones social mobility and its determinants, provides definitions of educational and career aspirations. The educational aspiration level variable in the model is explained as the level of education one would like to attain, e.g., not continue higher education after high school, finish vocational school or attains college or university degree. Sewell et al. (1969) defines career aspiration level as ones ambitions and thoughts about their future occupation. However, some studies have suggested that high educational aspirations do not necessarily lead to high educational attainment (Empson, 1992; Conroy, 1997). Gottfredson (1981) has identified this phenomenon and has provided explanation to it. She suggests the existence of realistic aspirations or expectations and idealistic aspirations. The former is applied when ones educational and career aspirations are tempered by knowledge of obstacles and opportunities (Brown, 2002: 91), while the idealistic aspirations are ones desired goals and ideal education and occupation, in other words best possible life outcome. If there is a difference between these two types of aspirations and ones idealistic aspirations do not reflect ones expectations or realistic aspirations, there exist an aspiration-expectation gap (Danziger and Eden, 2006). Hence, in this thesis Gottfredsons theory about two types of aspirations and Danzigers and Edens definition of aspiration-expectation gap will be used. Firstly, determinants of idealistic aspirations will be discussed. Later this thesis will elaborate on the external factors that shape ones expectations or realistic aspirations. For the sake of simplicity, in the following text this thesis will refer to realistic aspirations as expectations while to idealistic aspirations as aspirations. 1.2 Determinants of educational and career aspirations and expectations Understanding the exact elements that determine ones educational and career aspirations and expectations is a tricky task. Existing evidence shows that there are many factor and circumstances that can shape them in a positive or negative way. Therefore, to contribute to a clearer understanding, in the following sections this thesis will deeply and broadly examine the determinants of aspirations and expectations. 1.2.1 Initial endowments determinants of ones aspirations We will firstly look at the initial endowment determinants, i.e. gender and ethnicity, which influence ones aspirations. These factors are extremely powerful in shaping ones academic and career aspiration level already in an early childhood. 1.2.1.1 Gender: Gender effect has a relevant role in determining ones aspiration level. A considerable amount of literature has focused on gender-related differences in academic and career aspirations (Howard, 1979; Betz and Fitzgerald, 1987; Danziger and Eden, 2007). Different views exist on the nature of the differences among both gender aspirations. Patton and Creed (2007) has argued that male students tend to hold higher aspirations for education level and position in the labor force, while Mau and Bikos (2000), approaching the same question, found the opposite. They claimed that girls are more likely to hold higher aspirations than men. Overall, most of the studies have supported Mau and Bikos (2000) view (Figure No.1) (e.g., Clift and Vaughan 1997; Butlin 1999; Anisef et al., 2001; Perry et al., 2009). Also, during the last decades female educational attainment and workforce has increased rapidly (Schoon, Martin and Ross, 2007); however, it has been observed that not too many women expect to follow careers which are mainly associated with the opposite sex, such as science and technology, despite the fact that these careers usually yield higher salary. This pattern becomes even more compelling as there is no evidence observed of differences i n quantitative abilities in tasks related to science and technology between both genders (Betz and Hackett, 1981). Figure No.1: Source: Looker, D. And Thiessen, V. (2004:Figure 1) 1.2.1.2 Ethnicity: Research has shown that educational and career aspirations vary across different ethnic groups. However, the results found in different studies yield different conclusions. It has been wildly assumed that the highest educational aspirations are held by Asian (especially Chinese) students (e.g., Cheng and Stark, 2002; Willitts et al., 2005). Their high aspirations are formed earlier than ones for other ethnic groups and are held constantly high throughout life (Kao and Tienda, 1998). Most of the researches contacted have found that White boys have the lowest aspiration level between all the other ethnic groups (Figure No.2) (Dillard and Perrin, 1980; Strand, 2007) and their educational achievements during the last years have increased less than for other ethnic groups (Figure No.3)  [5]  . White boys were found to hold lower aspirations than their Black peers in the research conducted by Wilson and Wilson (1992). Contrary, Cook et al. (1996) discovered that middle class White male s had higher educational aspirations than low-income African American males. However, this conclusion does not seem straight-forward as the differences might be also explained by the economic factors. Figure No.2: Figure No. 3: Data source: S., Strand (2007: 39) Data source: Department for Children, Schools and Families: Statistical First Release, England (2010: 12) Although, Strand (2007) has found that Black Caribbean and Black African students might have higher academic aspirations than White students, their higher educational attainment seems to be much lower (Figure No.4). Therefore, a question arises: what are the factors that do not allow high aspiration transformation into high achievements? The answer lies in the aspiration-expectation gap on which this thesis will elaborate in chapter 2. Figure No.3: Source: Jusan Ng (2011) 1.2.2 External factors determinants of ones expectations In the next two sub-sections, this thesis will concentrate on external factors, i.e., peers, teachers and parents, which can positively or negatively influence ones academic and career expectations. 1.2.2.1 Peer effect: A variable studied in the literature concerning the determinants of academic and career expectations is the peer effect. The peer effect refers to the positive or negative influence significant others have on ones expectations and level of achievement (e.g., by providing one with feedbacks, models or norms how they should behave, think and act in certain situations). Among their peers young adults develop their identities and self concept; therefore they are essential socialization agents for a young individual (Bandura, 1989; Brown et. al., 1994; Black, 2002). Although, some have argued that children expectations are more likely to be shaped by the characteristics of a family than by the characteristics of peers (Duncan et. al., 2001), relevant amount of the literature shows that peers play a crucial role in influencing ones achievement level and educational expectations (Peterson et al., 1986; Willms 1986; Goldstein et al., 2005). Ide et al. (1981) examined ten studies published form 1966 to 1978 that concerned the peer effects influence on ones academic achievements and expectations. In all these studies, they found a significant correlation. This finding is consistent with Downs and Rose (1991) who argue that peer effect is contributing to the construction of ones behavior and academic expectations. Another, slightly different view is held by Haller and Butterworth (1960) who look more critically on the straight forward correlation between ones academic expectations and peer influence. Although, they do not reject it, they emphasize that the initial factors, like characteristics and family backgrounds, could play a key role in bringing together similar individuals in that way forming homogeneous groups of peers. According to Jonsson and Mood (2008) children with high academic expectations and achievements are likely to connect with those sharing the same interests and expectations. Oppositely, adolescents, who have worse attitude to school and lower expectations, will most probable be attracted to peers with similar views (Ryan, 2000). In sum, it has been found that being around a certain group of people will have an effect on a persons future, specifically, it will impact the academic level or career one will expect to achieve. However, the degree of the importance of peers is ambiguous as different studies yield different results. 1.2.2.2 Teachers and parents influence: As discussed earlier peers have a certain influence on shaping ones academic expectations (e.g., Peterson et al., 1986; Willms, 1986; Black, 2002); however, a significant amount of literature points out the importance of familys and teachers influence on children long term decisions, e.g., occupation considerations (Jurkovic and Ulrici, 1985; OBrien, 1990; Furman and Buhrmeister, 1992; Wall et al., 1999; Duncan et. al., 2001). It is believed that teachers and parents can positively influence ones confidence and beliefs of his or her abilities, thus, persuading that the person is capable of being successful in further life (Van Auken and Stephens, 2006). According to Wall et al. (1999) parents as a support and role model have influence on ones conception about educational and career opportunities. Parents social support is directly linked with students school experiences, achievements and behaviors (Nurmi, 1987). There also exist a positive correlation between parents expectations for their child and childs expectations for himself (e.g., Davies and Kandel, 1981; Hossler and Stage, 1992). Family support can encourage the student to devote bigger effort to learning and school tasks (Gilbert et al., 1993). It is also observed that children who have the highest self-efficacy are the ones with the biggest family social support (Dubow and Ullman, 1989). In contrast, the ones with low family cohesion are more exposed to depression, low self-efficacy and self-esteem (Moran and Eckenrode, 1991; Cauce et al., 1992; Hirsch and DuBois, 1992). Moreover, Wall et al. (1999) has claimed a stronger correlation between young male expectations and the family support than the one for girls. In the research by Roper, (2008) it was shown that parent expectations and student GPA are correlated (Table No.1). Children with higher grades tended to have parents with higher expectations for them. According to De Coulon et al. (2008) also parents education level plays a significant role in formation of children expectations. In their research, they found a significant correlation between low literacy rates of parents and low test scores by their children. It was shown that parents with the lowest literacy skills were the least supportive and encouraging in relation to education. As a result, children with such parents were more likely to report dissatisfaction with school and develop low educational expectations. Table No.1: Source: Roper (2008: 2) A significant amount of literature has discussed parents and family role in shaping ones expectations, however, the body of literature about teachers expectation influence is rather small. Cheung (1995) found evidence on positive teacher influence on ones academic achievements. Teacher support has shown to have a bigger influence on women, student from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and ethnic minority perceptions of academic and career opportunities (Ellis and Lane, 1963; Wall et al., 1999). However, it is often blamed that teachers have insufficient expectations for their students, especially for students in rural areas and for certain student groups (Bishop, 1989; Hilliard III, 1991). It is shown that teachers tend to establish better contact and attitude forward students with higher ability (Bamburg, 1994). This is seen as a problem because children tend to internalize and adopt teacher perceptions about their abilities, which as a result, in case of low teacher expectations can lead to psychological constraints for self-efficacy and self-esteem (Raffini, 1993). To sum up, a considerable body of literature has shown that teachers, parents and peers can influence ones academic and career expectations. Young adults tend to internalize expectations that others have about him or her and accordingly adjust their own educational and career expectations. 1.2.3 Self-efficacy beliefs As already discussed, all of the beforehand mentioned factors, i.e., gender, ethnicity and social support, have an effect on shaping ones behavior, thoughts and attitudes towards different tasks, education levels and occupations. However, in order to be able to reach the aspired goals it is also extremely beneficial that one has a high self confidence in what he is doing. It was shown that teachers and parents have the ability to influence ones self-beliefs what in turn leads to higher or lower level of academic expectations of that individual. Therefore, this section will discuss why high self-efficacy beliefs, i.e., ones belief that she or he is capable of producing certain level of performance to attain certain goals (Bandura et al., 2001), are important in determining the outcome. The importance of self-efficacy on ones educational expectations have been wildly studied in the literature (e.g., Bandura, 1994; Lent and Brown, 1996; Nauta et al., 1998; Brown Lent, 2006); it has been proven that individuals self-efficacy beliefs have a significant importance in promoting positive outcomes and reducing the possibility of negative outcomes (Oyserman et al., 2006; Destin and Oyserman, 2009). Students who have high self-efficacy are more productive, efficient and confident about their performances than their peers with the same ability but lower self-efficacy. It has been also shown that they put more effort and are more concentrated on the task than others, as well as they are more committed to their goals (Bandura, 1997; Schunk and Pajares, 2005). Therefore, the ones with high self beliefs perform better and based on better outcomes have higher future academic and career expectations (Brown Lent, 2006) (Figure No.5)  [6]  . Figure No.5: Source: Looker, D. And Thiessen, V. (2004: Figure 10) Chapter 2 Aspiration-expectation gap In the previous chapter, determinants of ones academic and career aspirations and expectations were discussed. It was shown by the evidence from the existing literature, that girls are more likely to hold higher aspirations than boys (e.g., Clift and Vaughan 1997; Butlin 1999; Anisef et al., 2001; Perry et al., 2009) and Black adolescents hold higher aspirations than Whites (e.g., Wilson and Wilson, 1992; Strand, 2007). It was also shown that social support has an influence on forming ones expectations. However, high aspirations do not always lead to high educational attainment and high position in the labor force (Strand, 2007). It has been suggested that the problem lies in the difference between aspirations and expectations. Unfortunately, often academic and career expectations of girls, Black Africans and Black Caribbean students are lower than their aspirations due to some perceptions in the society, perceived barriers or even academic feedback (e.g., Gottfredson, 1981; Armstrong Crombie, 2000). As a result, this can lead to underachievement and lowered self-efficacy beliefs (Bandura et.al. 2001). This chapter will approach this phenomenon by providing existing and relevant theories that tend to explain the reasons of an existing aspiration-expectation gap for females and ethnic minorities. Later, empirical data obtained from U.S. Census Bureau results will be provided to help us to confirm or reject some of the existing theories and hypothesis, therefore, giving the final concussions. 2.1 Gender: One of the explanations for different gender-related career expectations is that women career decisions are more complex than those of men. This arises from a bigger involvement in family and children lives or possible early pregnancy (Vonderacek et al., 1986; Lucas et.al., 1997; Eccles, 2005). Even more, women academic and career expectations can be shaped by existing stereotypes or strong gender identity because of social role perceptions (Eagly, 1987; Akerlof and Kranton, 2000; Danziger and Eden, 2007; Gupta et al., 2008). 2.1.1 Stereotype activation theory: Gender stereotyping can influence a persons decision making when it comes to academic or career choice (Heilman, 2001; Nosek, Banaji and Greenwald, 2002). Gupta et al. (2008) examined the impact of stereotypes on both genders intentions to follow traditionally male-related occupations. They found evidence showing that people were likely to internalize stereotypes and act according to them, choosing tasks associated with their own gender. This pattern is more observable if the stereotype is wildly accepted in a culture (Heilman, 2001). According to Day (1990) many women have high aspirations; however, usually they do not expect to be able to have the occupation they would like to in case it is more male-dominated. Wall et al. (1999) was examining the correlation between career expectations and career aspirations. As a result, they found inconsistency between women career expectations and aspirations, i.e., their expectations were most of the time lower than their aspirations. The phenomenon was explained by stereotypes in the society about gender-related jobs and women beliefs about the limits of what they possibly can achieve. 2.1.2 Social role and socialization theory: Another important theory explaining differences in men and women career and academic expectations is the social role theory. The theory, developed by Eagly (1987) is based on the historical division of men and women roles in the society, where women were associated with household responsibilities while men had responsibilities concerning livelihood of the family. Consequently, career expectations started to differ among men and women. Furthermore, the gender-related roles were usually transmitted to future generation making the distinction between appropriate gender roles in the society even stronger (Eagly, 1987). Moreover, the academic and career expectations are shaped by socialization processes people experience in childhood. Socialization shapes people perceptions of what is appropriate for themselves and for others, including what is expected from both genders (Seymour, 1999). Further, in early childhood children learn these roles associated with their gender, which in turn, shapes later perceptions about different types of jobs and influences their academic and career expectations (Danziger and Eden, 2007). According to Eagly and Wood (1999) and Franke et al. (1997) both genders tend to adjust their expectations in accordance with their social roles and expect to have occupations connected with their own gender (Dunne, Elliott and Carlsen, 1981). This leads to men occupying men-related professions and attaining higher educational levels while women tend to enter more female-related studies and jobs and attain lower educational levels (Powell and Butterfield, 2003). Although, gender stereotyping has been diminishing and the gender gap in education has been decreasing (Power and Wojtkiewiez, 2004), there are still fewer female than male representatives in men-related studies and profession fields (Powell and Butterfield, 2003); this shows that Eaglys (1987) social role theory is a considerable attempt to explain the differences between female and male academic and career expectations. 2.2 Ethicity: There are two main views, respectively structuralist and culturalist, that tend to explain differences in educational attainment between ethnic groups. 2.2.1 Structuralist theory: According to structuralist perspective, differences in educational choices between ethnic groups can be explained by external factors. The most influential factor, following structuralist theory, shaping ones expectations is the teacher support. This view has been supported by Ellis and Lane (1963) and Wall et al. (1999) who state that teacher support have an influence on ethnic minority students perceptions about academic and career opportunities. Unfortunately, most of the time teacher expectations are negatively correlated with ethnic minority group students expectations (Strand, 2007). In his report, Strand (2007) found evidence that teachers are likely to develop lower expectations for certain ethnic groups, especially for Black students. They also tend to hold unequal attitude towards White and Black student behaviors due to racism and social stereotypes. This, as a result, leads to a situation where ethnic minority students, following teacher beliefs about them, lower their ow n expectations of the possible outcomes regardless to their initial high aspirations. This, in turn, can explain the differences in educational attainment between Black students and their other ethnicity peers. However, the hypothesis, that educational expectations and attainment between ethnic groups can be fully explained by racism and social stereotypes have been criticized. Modood (2003) has argued that Asian students tend to face more social pressure and racial harassment than Black Caribbean and Black African students, yet their achievements are outstanding and there is no evidence that Asian students would experience aspiration-expectation discrepancies due to the racism toward their ethnic group. Although, there exist several problems with the structuralist core assumptions, their ideas present useful and testable information that helps to explain and understand the reasons behind Black African and Caribbean student aspiration-expectation discrepancies. 2.2.2 Culturalist theory: According to culturalist point of view, differences in educational choices rise from internal factors, like internalization of historical and social norms or constraints. Therefore, culturalist perspective can partly fill the missing holes in the structuralist theory and explain why, for example, Asian students perform better than their Black peers although are both prone to racial harassment. Caplan et al. (1991) has argued that Asian performance is significantly better than one for other ethnic groups due to their cultural perceptions and understanding. It is claimed that Asian students tend to hold higher sense of responsibility for their family and prioritize self-reliance more than students from other ethnic groups, especially, Black Africans and Black Caribbeans. It is observed that Black Caribbean boys on average experience bigger peer pressure than other ethnic groups. They are exposed to the pressure to adopt the lifestyle of street culture, which negatively influences their academic performance (Sewell, 1997). Ogbu and Fordhams (1986) have contributed to the explanation why Black students tend to have low educational attainment despite the fact that they are holding high educational aspirations. They focused on two opposite ways how students are thinking and behaving, i.e., acting White and acting Black. Due to the previously mentioned peer pressure of adopting the street culture, acting White, i.e., doing well at school, is not seen as appropriate behavior for Black students. Therefore, Black students choose to keep their identities and are avoiding acting White, what results in lower educational achievements and attainment than in case of an absence of this pressure. Another factor that triggers the low educational attainment for Black African and Caribbean students is the socio-historical factor (Ogbu, 1991). Based on the historical roles in the society for Black population, Black African and Black Caribbean students may under value the necessity of investment in education. This is due to job ceiling they might feel they are facing. It has been suggested that Black people do not have the same economic opportunities as White people in the job market. In a recent study, Fouad and Byars-Winston (2005) found that, despite the high aspiration level among the Black students, they expected fewer job offers and opportunities than their White counterparts. Therefore, it is easy to understand why Black student do not see education as an essential tool for being able to gain a high position in the labor force and their academic attainment is lower than the one for other ethnic groups. This in turn, unfortunately, has resulted in a tendency that Black peopl e are overrepresented in low skilled jobs and are a considerable propo