Marketing related Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marketing related - Essay Example Be it professionals or lay people, all are subject to unwanted intrusions as a result of this phenomena. Even if the user follows stringent security measures and installs software to set parental controls, perform regular disk clean-up and remove temporary internet files on a regular basis, cookies can still record and disclose confidential personal/business information to marketers. For some business enterprises, such â€Å"leakage† of strategic information could deprive them of competitive edge. If professionally managed business corporations are at risk, then the individual user (who in most cases is not a computer expert) is even more vulnerable. Sadly though, the cookie aided internet marketing practice has now become a multi-million dollar industry. Needless to say, exploiting gullible internet users in order to increase profits does not meet even the basic ethical standards. In spite of all the justifications that the marketers provide in favor of this practice, spying on unsuspecting customers of a competitor in order to target advertisements at them is not at all ethical. These unethical marketers are not the only ones spying on internet users. A few online companies discreetly distribute viruses such as Trojan horses into the computer hardware, which then sends back the gathered personal information data to the home source. Also, the majority of the cookies that internet users download into their personal computers are innocuous if not actually helpful in making browsing easier. The ease of use can be discerned when the user reopens an already exited website. But this fact is taken advantage of by unethical marketers to maximize their profits at the cost of individual privacy. When it comes to sly marketing practices such as the employment of cookies, the whole enterprise is ethically wrong. To defraud, deceive, abuse, exploit, damage or take from innocent consumers is what this practice

SMALL-SCALE RESEARCH PROJECT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

SMALL-SCALE RESEARCH PROJECT - Essay Example In the recent years, various scholars and researcher have discussed and written about the relationship between learning and teaching in education (college and university). Marsh and Roche (1993) analysed the opinions of the students regarding the effectiveness of teaching for enhancing the teaching levels in colleges or universities. Even Ryan and Harrison (1995) examined the weight that student put forth for different components in teaching for ascertaining the effectiveness. A study was conducted by Ralph (2003) on teaching effectiveness; in which he assessed the effectiveness by examining how rapidly students can learn from the teachings. So the above discussion signifies teaching effectively is one of the major factors that would assist the undergraduate students to learn efficiently (Fridah, 2004; Kothari, 2008). 1.2 Rationale of the Study As discussed above, teaching effectively is definitely one of the major factors to assist students in UEL to learn efficiently for their cour se, but the entire research cannot revolve around teaching because the ways of learning in the present times have changed. Nowadays teaching can definitely be one of the features of helping students, but not the only way. The rationale of this study is based on the objective of identifying the contemporary factors play significant role in recent times in learning process. Those factors are the ones which would assist the undergraduates of UEL to learn effectively. In this area also teaching plays a major role, which signifies teaching is obviously not a substitute, but a necessity. However, the definition of teaching has changed. Various modes of teaching has come up which has re-defined the ways teachers interacted with students. These aspects would be discussed in this study and researched through collection of evidences that would confirm the validity of the findings. 1.3 Overview: University of East London (UEL) The issues of research and discussion is relevant to every student irrespective of any country, but research on such large scale is difficult to conduct, so in this research study the researcher would be specifically focusing on the factors that will assist the undergraduate students of UEL to learn effectively for their lessons. However, in order to move on the research, it is significant to have a concise idea regarding the university, courses it offers and its environment. UEL in London Borough of Newha is a public university, which functions through its three campuses in Docklands, Stratford and another called University of Square Stratford that opened in 2013. UEL got the status of a university in the year 1992, but its operations can be traced back to 1892 (University of East London, 2013a, 2013b, 2013c, 2013d). There are around 28000 students in the university and among them 19520 are the undergraduates, while the rest are postgraduates. Due to the augmenting reputation of UEL, statistics revealed that 13 percent more applications were submi tted in 2011 compared to the previous years, which is indeed an indication that in terms of

Gender Bias in Education Essay Example for Free

ï » ¿Gender Bias in Education Essay Sitting in the same classroom, reading the same textbook, listening to the same teacher, boys and girls receive very different educations. (Sadker, 1994) In fact, upon entering school, girls perform equal to or better than boys on nearly every measure of achievement, but by the time they graduate high school or college, they have fallen behind. (Sadker, 1994) However, discrepancies between the performance of girls and the performance of boys in elementary education leads some critics to argue that boys are being neglected within the education system: Across the country, boys have never been in more trouble: They earn 70 percent of the Ds and Fs that teachers dole out. They make up two thirds of students labeled learning disabled. They are the culprits in a whopping 9 of 10 alcohol and drug violations and the suspected perpetrators in 4 out of 5 crimes that end up in juvenile court. They account for 80 percent of high school dropouts and attention deficit disorder diagnoses. (Mulrine, 2001) This performance discrepancy is notable throughout Canada. In Ontario, Education Minister Janet Ecker said that the results of the standardized grade 3 and grade 6 testing in math and reading showed, persistent and glaring discrepancies in achievements and attitudes between boys and girls. (ONeill, 2000) In British Columbia, standardized testing indicates that girls outperform boys at all levels of reading and writing and in Alberta testing shows that girls, significantly outperform boys on reading and writing tests, while almost matching them in math and science. (ONeill, 2000) However, the American Association of University Women published a report in 1992 indicating that females receive less attention from teachers and the attention that female students do receive is often more negative than attention received by boys. (Bailey, 1992) In fact, examination of the socialization of gender within schools and evidence of a gender biased hidden curriculum demonstrates that girls are shortchanged in the classroom. Furthermore, there is significant research indicating steps that can be taken to minimize or eliminate the gender bias currently present in our education system. The socialization of gender within our schools assures that girls are made aware that they are unequal to boys. Every time students are seated or lined up by gender, teachers are affirming that girls and boys should be treated differently. When an administrator ignores an act of sexual harassment, he or she is allowing the degradation of girls. When different behaviors are tolerated for boys than for girls because boys will be boys, schools are perpetuating the oppression of females. There is some evidence that girls are becoming more academically successful than boys, however examination of the classroom shows that girls and boys continue to be socialized in ways that work against gender equity. Teachers socialize girls towards a feminine ideal. Girls are praised for being neat, quiet, and calm, whereas boys are encouraged to think independently, be active and speak up. Girls are socialized in schools to recognize popularity as being important, and learn that educational performance and ability are not as important. Girls in grades six and seven rate being popular and well-liked as more important than being perceived as competent or independent. Boys, on the other hand, are more likely to rank independence and competence as more important. (Bailey, 1992) This socialization of femininity begins much earlier than the middle grades. At very early ages, girls begin defining their femininities in relation to boys. One study of a third grade classroom examined four self-sorted groups of girls within the classroom: the nice girls, the girlies, the spice girls and the tomboys. Through interviews researcher Diane Reay found that nice girls was considered a derogatory term indicating, an absence of toughness and attitude. (Reay, 2001) Furthermore, the girlies were a group of girls who focused their time on flirting with and writing love letters to boys, the tomboys were girls who played sports with the boys, and the spice girls espoused girl-power and played rate-the-boy on the playground. Reays research shows that each of the groups of girls defined their own femininities in relation to boys. (2001) The Reay study further demonstrates how socialization of girls occurs at the school level by tolerating different behaviors from boys than from girls. Assertive behavior from girls is often seen as disruptive and may be viewed more negatively by adults. In Reays study, the fact that the spice girls asserted themselves in ways contrary to traditional femininity caused them to be labeled by teachers as real bitches. (2001) This reinforces the notion that girls misbehavior to be looked upon as a character defect, whilst boys misbehavior is viewed as a desire to assert themselves. (Reay, 2001) A permissive attitude towards sexual harassment is another way in  which schools reinforce the socialization of girls as inferior. When schools ignore sexist, racist, homophobic, and violent interactions between students, they are giving tacit approval to such behaviors. (Bailey, 1992) Yet boys are taunted for throwing like a girl, or crying like a girl, which implies that being a girl is worse than being a boy. According to the American Association of University Women Report, The clear message to both boys and girls is that girls are not worthy of respect and that appropriate behavior for boys includes exerting power over girls or over other, weaker boys. (Bailey, 1992) Clearly the socialization of gender is reinforced at school, Because classrooms are microcosms of society, mirroring its strengths and ills alike, it follows that the normal socialization patterns of young children that often lead to distorted perceptions of gender roles are reflected in the classrooms. (Marshall, 1997) Yet gender bias in education reaches beyond socialization patterns, bias is embedded in textbooks, lessons, and teacher interactions with students. This type of gender bias is part of the hidden curriculum of lessons taught implicitly to students through the every day functioning of their classroom. In Myra and David Sadkers research, they noted four types of teacher responses to students: teacher praises, providing positive feedback for a response; teacher remediates, encouraging a student to correct or expand their answer; teacher criticizes, explicitly stating that the answer is incorrect; teacher accepts, acknowledging that a student has responded. The Sadkers found that boys were far more likely to receive praise or remediation from a teacher than were girls. The girls were most likely to receive an acknowledgement response from their teacher. (Sadker, 1994) These findings are confirmed by a 1990 study by Good and Brophy that noted that teachers give boys greater opportunity to expand ideas and be animated than they do girls and that they reinforce boys more for general responses than they do for girls. (Marshall, 1997) Beyond teacher responses, special services in education appear to be applied more liberally to boys than to girls. Research shows that boys are referred for testing for gifted programs twice as often as girls, which may be because, giftedness is seen as aberrant, and girls strive to conform. (Orenstein, 1994) Boys represent more than two-thirds of all students in special education programs and there is a higher the proportion of male  students receiving diagnoses that are considered to be subjective. While medical reports indicate that learning disabilities occur in nearly equal numbers of in boys and girls, it may be the case that, Rather than identifying learning problems, school personnel may be mislabeling behavioral problems. Girls who sit quietly are ignored; boys who act out are placed in special programs that may not meet their needs. (Bailey, 1992) Gender bias is also taught implicitly through the resources chosen for classroom use. Using texts that omit contributions of women, that tokenize the experiences of women, or that stereotype gender roles, further compounds gender bias in schools curriculum. While research shows that the use of gender-equitable materials allows students to have more gender-balanced knowledge, to develop more flexible attitudes towards gender roles, and to imitate role behaviors contained in the materials (Klein, 1985) schools continue to use gender-biased texts: Researchers at a 1990 conference reported that even texts designed to fit within the current California guidelines on gender and race equity for textbook adoption showed subtle language bias, neglect of scholarship on women, omission of women as developers of history and initiators of events, and absence of women from accounts of technological developments. (Bailey, 1992) Clearly the socialization of gender roles and the use of a gender-biased hidden curriculum lead to an inequitable education for boys and girls. What changes can be made to create a more equitable learning environment for all children? First, teachers need to be made aware of their gender-biased tendencies. Next, they need to be provided with strategies for altering the behavior. Finally, efforts need to be made to combat gender bias in educational materials. A study by Kelly Jones, Cay Evans, Ronald Byrd, and Kathleen Campbell (2000) used analysis of videotaped lessons in order to introduce teachers to their own gender-biased behavior. Requiring in-service programs to address gender bias in the classroom will make teachers more aware of their own behaviors: As a teacher, I was struck by the Sadkers research on classroom exchanges and was forced to acknowledge the disproportionate amount of time and energy, as well as the different sorts of attention, I give to male students. (McCormick, 1995) Once teachers have recognized their gender-biased behaviors, they need to be provided with resources to help them change. In their study focusing on how the effects of  a gender resource model would affect gender-biased teaching behaviors, Jones, Evans, Burns, and Campbell (2000) provided teachers with a self-directed module aimed at reducing gender bias in the classroom. The module contained research on gender equity in the classroom, specific activities to reduce stereotypical thinking in students, and self-evaluation worksheets for teachers. The findings from this study support the hypothesis that female students would move from a position of relative deficiency toward more equity in total interactions. (Jones, 2000) This demonstrates that teachers who are made aware of their gender-biased teaching behaviors and then provided with strategies and resources to combat bias are better able to promote gender equity in their classrooms. However, beyond changing their own teaching behaviors, teachers need to be aware of the gender bias imbedded in many educational materials and texts and need to take steps to combat this bias. Curriculum researchers have established six attributes that need to be considered when trying to establish a gender-equitable curriculum. Gender-fair materials need to acknowledge and affirm variation. They need to be inclusive, accurate, affirmative, representative, and integrated, weaving together the experiences, needs, and interests of both males and females. (Bailey, 1992) We need to look at the stories we are telling our students and children. Far too many of our classroom examples, storybooks, and texts describe a world in which boys and men are bright, curious, brave, inventive, and powerful, but girls and women are silent, passive, and invisible. (McCormick, 1995) Furthermore, teachers can help students identify gender-bias in texts and facilitate critical discussions as to why that bias exists. Gender bias in education is an insidious problem that causes very few people to stand up and take notice. The victims of this bias have been trained through years of schooling to be silent and passive, and are therefore unwilling to stand up and make noise about the unfair treatment they are receiving. Over the course of years the uneven distribution of teacher time, energy, attention, and talent, with boys getting the lions share, takes its toll on girls. (Sadker, 1994) Teachers are generally unaware of their own biased teaching behaviors because they are simply teaching how they were taught and the subtle gender inequities found in teaching materials are often overlooked. Girls and boys today are receiving separate and unequal educations due to the gender  socialization that takes place in our schools and due to the sexist hidden curriculum students are faced with every day. Unless teachers are made aware of the gender-role socialization and the biased messages they are unintentionally imparting to students everyday, and until teachers are provided with the methods and resources necessary to eliminate gender-bias in their classrooms, girls will continue to receive an inequitable education. Departments of education should be providing mandatory gender-equity resource modules to in-service teachers, and gender bias needs to be addressed with all pre-service teachers. Educators need to be made aware of the bias they are reinforcing in their students through socialization messages, inequitable division of special education services, sexist texts and materials, and unbalanced time and types of attention spent on boys and girls in the classroom. Until educational sexism is eradicated, more than half our children will be shortchanged and their gifts lost to society. (Sadker, 1994) References  Bailey, S. (1992) How Schools Shortchange Girls: The AAUW Report. New York, NY: Marlowe Company. Jones, K., Evans, C., Byrd, R., Campbell, K. (2000) Gender equity training and teaching behavior. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 27 (3), 173-178. Klein, S. (1985) Handbook for Achieving Sex Equity Through Education. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press. Marshall, C.S. Reihartz, J. (1997) Gender issues in the classroom. Clearinghouse, 70 (6), 333-338. McCormick, P. (1995) Are girls taught to fail? U.S. Catholic, 60, (2), 38-42. Mulrine, A. (2001) Are Boys the Weaker Sex? U.S. News World Report, 131 (4), 40-48. ONeill, T. (2000) Boys problems dont matter. Report/ Newsmagazine (National Edition), 27 (15), 54-56. Orenstein, P. (1994) Schoolgirls: Young Women, Self-Esteem and the Confidence Gap. New York, NY: Doubleday. Reay, D. (2001) Spice girls, Nice Girls, Girlies, and Tomboys; gender discourses. Girls cultures and femininities in the primary classroom. Gender and Education, 13 (2), 153-167. Sadker, D., Sadker, M. (1994) Failing at Fairness: How Our Schools Cheat Girls. Toronto, ON: Simon Schuster Inc.

Models of Social Work Assessment

Models of Social Work Assessment Assessment is a vital function of social work acting as the starting point of the process and if not carried correctly can impact on the social workers relationship with the service user. There are no universal definitions for assessment however Whittington (2007) suggests the process is a meeting between a social worker and someone seeking help or services, which maybe held with an individual, family or a group of people. Sutton sees assessment as an ongoing cycle and describes it using the acronym ASPIRE, Assessment, Planning, Intervention, Review and Evaluate. Models for assessment include ecological, strength based, person centred which are often used when assessing a child. The Ecological model focusses on the service user’s environment including close family circle and their wider community, placing the service user firmly in the centre. Bronfenbrenner (1979) states there are 4 layer of environment which effects a service user, microsystem which considers immediate famil y, the mesosystem looks at relationships with extended family, neighbours, friends, work and school, the exosystem includes both the micro and mesosystem but also contains social infrastructure of the labour market, education systems, health and Social services, the final layer macrosystem includes systems including government policy, legislation and culture. Ecogram’s are illustrations often used to demonstrate these layers which can benefit to everyone involved to enable them to see everyone who is involve in his life. Parker and Bradley state the strength based model focusses on the positives in a service user’s life, focussing on increasing motivation, capacity and potential for making real and informed life choices. This model also requires an extensive knowledge of the service users’ environment, living system and wider system to be able to work with them using their strengths. Within this model the power imbalance between the social worker and service user is reduced as the service users is seen as the person with the knowledge of the issues. The person centred model has a similar function as the Ecological and strength based model which places the service user at the centre of any assessment and decisions made during this process. As well as assessment models the social workers also use a variety of approaches including questioning, procedural and exchange. The Questioning approach uses a set of questions to obtain information, the social worker can have preconceived ideas about the service user which could lead the questioning in a direction which may not identify the issues which the service user may see as their main concern, this approach can be seen as a power imbalance in favour of the social worker. The Procedural approach is a systematic process set out by an organisation or framework, with set criteria which identifies eligibility, follows the rules and policies which dictates what the service user is entitled to, this approach also leaves a power imbalance as the social worker dictates what services the service user is entitled to. The Exchange process ensures partnership working where the service users is seen as the expert with an understanding of any issues, information gathered within this proces s is used to enable the service user to see their potential and resources available to meet this potential. There are specific pieces of legislation and policies which have an impact on the child assessment process, The Children Act 1989 states the welfare of the child is paramount, with an overarching system for safeguarding children, it indicates roles different agencies play and introduced the concept of parental responsibility rather than parental rights. A key principle is that Local Authorities have a duty to provide services for children and their families and all children should have access to the same range of services. The Children Act 2004 updates not supersede Children Act 1989. The aim is to encourage integrated planning, commissioning and delivery of services as well as improve multi-disciplinary working, remove duplication, increase accountability and improve the coordination of individual and joint inspections in local authorities. The Children’s act does not specifically state children referred automatically have an assessment, however if a child is deemed in need t hen the child must have an assessment, a decision which must be made within 24 hrs., once this decision has been made an assessment needs to take place within 7 days. The decision is based on Children’s act 1989 (section 17 subsection 10) outlines the criteria for a child in need, which states: (10) a child shall be taken to be in need if— (a) He is unlikely to achieve or maintain, or to have the opportunity of achieving or maintaining, a reasonable standard of health or development without the provision for him of services by a local authority under this Part; (b) His health or development is likely to be significantly impaired, or further impaired, without the provision for him of such services; Stefan can be seen as a child in need due to his current behavioural issues at school and the ongoing issues with in his family home, both could have an impact on his health and development. If Stefan is displaying behaviours within school this is having a significant effect on his education and therefore development. The social worker will carry out an assessment based on the Framework for the Assessment and Children in Need and their Families 2001 which is based on three areas, often viewed as a triangle, Child developmental needs including education, Emotional Behavioural Development, Family Social Relationships, Stefan is displaying behaviours while at school which is having an impact on his ability to learn. There have also been domestic violence situations within the home, it is not documented if he witnessed this, however the UN convention of the child states that hearing a domestic violence attack is just as detrimental to the child as witnessing the act and therefore has the same affects, this may be a factor for Stefan. Stefan and his mother are receiving support from her sister, but Stefan may have a role in the care for his mother or younger sister. Parenting capacity including Ensuring Safety, it has been highlighted Rhian, Stefan’s mother has physical and mental health issue s which resulted in Stefan and his sister being left in a local park questioning Stefan’s safety. Family and Environmental Factors including Resources, Income, Employment, Housing, Wider Family Functioning. Stefan’s mother is unable to work due to her physical and mental health which may have financial implications on the family. As well as the children’s act 1989 and 2004 and the Framework for the Assessment and Children in Need and their Families 2001, wales has a Children’s families measure 2010 which was published to tackle child poverty. Section 67 of the measure looks at children’s needs arising from community care needs of their parents and applies to any child whose parents may be in receipt of care from the local authority or arranged by the local authority, or they may be in need of such services the authority must decide what services they can provide to the child and / or their family. Section 68 of the measure addresses the child’s need arising from the health conditions, including mental health, of their parents and applies when health services are provided to or funded by the NHS, the NHS must consider the effects of the medical condition on the child and if the child requires support from the local authority. Both sections relate to Stefan’s current situatio n, Stefan’s mother has physical and mental health issues which also may have impacted on the family. The Human right convention of the child (1989) also has an impact on the assessment process, the convention was agree by international governments and stated all children had rights as individual’s not just objects which are cared for. The convention is made up of a 45 articles which outline the rights of a child, Stefan’s rights include a child must not be separated from their parents unless it is in their best interest, every child is able to have a say about what affects them and they must be taken seriously, each child has the right to live somewhere which is able to meet their physical, social and mental needs. If they do not then the government must support families who cannot afford to provide this, Governments must do all they can to ensure that children are protected from all forms of violence, abuse, neglect and mistreatment by their parents or anyone else who looks after them. Another pieces of legislation which needs to be complied with is the Welsh language act, Stefan currently attends a welsh school and his mother is a welsh speaker, Stefan may feel more comfortable if the assessment was carried out in welsh which Stefan is entitled to under the act. When working with a child the social worker needs to use a variety of skills, adapt their approaches and values which include ensuring the process is child centred, at the child’s level of understanding and abilities, advocate on behalf of the child, use observational skills to observe interactions with any significate people. Parker and Bradley state research shows children prefer to be listen to, professionals to be available and accessible, non-judgemental and non-directive, have a sense of humour, straight talking, to be able to trust and, where appropriate, to have confidentiality respected. The social worker must also ensure the process is collaborative working with people involved in the service user’s life including professionals. By using these skills the social worker also complies with the Care council of wales Code of practice which states the social worker must promote the independence of Service Users while protecting them as far as possible from danger or harm. By using the fore mentioned skills the social worker using anti-oppressive practise to ensure the service user is empowered in their continued support. Before and during the assessment process the social worker needs to ensure the issues are not pre-judged, Stefan’s behavioural issues may not be due to the issues at home he may have a learning disability, being bullied at school or finding the work hard which is causing him difficulties, Stefan may be a carer for his mother or sibling which is the issue, often what is perceived as the main issues are not necessarily the same for the person being assessed, if any of the above issues have been highlighted then appropriate assessment would be requested. Other issues which need to be considered would be where to hold the assessment, Stefan may feel unable to speak openly if carried out in front of his parents or within the family home, by carrying out any assessment meetings within his school environment either setting could make him more vulnerable, careful thought needs to be given to where assessment is carried out. While working with a child there are many ethical issues which can arise, when there is evidence a child is being neglected and their safety at risk the social worker has a decision to make, Stefan has been left in a local park due to his mother forgetting him the ethical dilemma may be if Stefan is providing a caring role for his mother and sister removing him from the situation may cause his sister to become more vulnerable and take away a support system from his mother. Another ethical issue could be within the current economic climate carrying out an assessment but being unable to offer the services required by the child and their family, when dealing with a child such as Stefan the social worker needs to gain as much information as possible however the more people who know about the situation could cause Stefan to be more vulnerable, Stefan is also entitled to privacy and the more people who know about the situation could make Stefan vulnerable amongst his peers. The final issue could be Stefan’s parents are currently refusing support, the rights of the parents to refuse services verses the right of the child to have adequate service provision.

Alan Bennetts Monologues as Dramas :: Alan Bennett Essays Monologue

Alan Bennett's Monologues as Dramas These plays are written for TV rather than theatre and are experimental for different styles of acting with more emphasis being placed on the single actors face. This is in order to show subtle changes in expressions hopefully giving the viewer a more clear insight into the characters feelings. This is more appropriate for "A Cream Crackerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦" as it is a moving story, which is portrayed, even more so in the subtle movement of Doris's face "Cracked the photo. We're cracked, Wilfred." Doris has cracked her wedding photo to her late husband Wilfred, the sadness being emphasized not only through her voice but through facial expressions is far more effective. It also works well in "Her Big Chance" as the falseness of Leslie comes across through her trying to be professional and the false gestures and expressions she puts into doing this. "Are you on the cans because id like some direction on this point." Here Leslie is an extra on the daytime soap Crossroads and is asking for direction on the simplest of parts, in order to suggest that she is professional so that she might get a call back. While putting this across to the viewers she uses gestures suggesting that Rex is not as professional and devoted to the job as her. In these plays there is only a single actor/actress in these cases "Leslie" and "Doris" with all the other characters seen through the eyes of the main character. This does not give us the chance to have our own opinions about the other characters but gives us the views and opinions of the main character. This is useful on both plays as although it tells us less about sub characters it tells us a lot more about "Leslie" and "Doris" and their feelings about the people around them. "I've a feeling Scott may be gay" Leslie suggests this as he is the only man, to date, involved in the film who has not attempted to take advantage of her naivety. This tells us of how she is naive and finds herself extremely attractive, as the first man who doesn't make a sexual advance towards her is labeled gay. "Zulema doesn't dust. She half-dusts." From this we learn that Doris takes pride in her home and likes it spick and span, also that she thinks she is able to live alone and does not need home help. It also tells us a bit about Zulema, that she is not fully devoted to her work as the dusting is only half done. Both actresses portray the characters very well and make them both

Essay --

Countless philosophies over centuries have overlooked and undermined the significance of indigenous African religions. Africa is a mainland that has long been shrouded in a cover of misjudging and stigma. The general misguided judgments about Africans are boundless and strike almost every part of African society and social orders incorporating religion. Many of the religions do not write and document everything but rather add more importance to oral history and rituals. Colonization and philosophers like Emile Durkheim have consciously or subconsciously stripped these religions of their value. Durkheim does not believe in animism because scientific laws or morals cannot back it up. Many indigenous African religions believe strongly in spirits and souls that link them to God. The idea of an isolated God does not make the supernatural un-important in Africa religions. Indigenous African indigenous religions share the same teachings like Christianity or Islam and we should not allow European philosophers as well as colonization diminishes its value. It is imperative to note that the soonest distributed perceptions about African Indigenous Religion are discovered in the reports of European voyagers, adventurers, preachers and frontier executors who interacted with the Africans in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Their works were not insightful or efficient studies yet easy perceptions and shallow records intended to speak to western mindset and group of onlookers. According to the film â€Å"50 Years Later† you can grasp an understanding of the image philosophers and Europeans painted about Africans, like in the eighteenth century when Scottish philosopher David Hume said â€Å" I am apt to suspect the Negroes to be naturally inferi... ..., we revealed that regardless of a few collaborations by the ethnic nationalities with drives of imperialism, it is not simple to completely re-make the vision and observation of the individuals. While a few components of their social legacy have changed because of contacts with westernization, some different components that aggregate up into the people’s society have remained to a great extent unblemished, local and unaltered. In any case, pioneer attitude, and introductory biases and negativism have frustrated momentous research and usage for supportable advancement. This work is, hence, a clarion call for profound reflection that religion-social legacy has the limit for organizing deductive improvement generally. Society is crucial to societal improvement. There is underdevelopment in most nations in Africa in light of the fact that the foundations are broken.

Monopoly versus perfect markets Essay

This paper investigates the two extremes of market structures. A monopoly firm, and a firm which operates in a perfectly competitive market. We will compare features, similarities, differences, advantages and disadvantages. The monopoly firm I have chosen is Thames Water. This company is an accurate example, as it’s the sole supplier of the industry. The firm, is the industry. Thames Water supply water through peoples taps in and around London. Fyffe is my chosen firm in a perfectly competitive market. I think this is a good example. It sells bananas to supermarkets and food suppliers, who resell on to customers. The next two paragraphs explain the features of perfect competition, then a monopoly. â€Å"The theory of perfect competition illustrates an extreme form of capitalism. † (Sloman, 2007:113) There are many suppliers, who all only supply and produce a small fraction of the total output, of the whole industry. None of the firms have any power over the market. (Mankiw, 2001) Barriers to entry do not exist. Therefore firms can enter and leave the market freely. Apart from the money and time it takes to set up the business, there are no other obstacles. Both producers and consumers have perfect knowledge of the market. Therefore they both know prices which should be paid, quality which should be met, availability of the product. Market opportunities for expansion, and entry opportunities in the industry as a whole. The price Fyffe must charge for their bananas will depend upon the demand and supply of the whole market, not just Fyffe personal demand. Hence they have no power over prices. They must follow the market forces. (Sloman, 2007)Established firms in the banana industry have no advantage over firms who have newly entered the market. (Parkin, Powell, Matthews)â€Å"This means they can sell all the products they can produce at the market price, but none at a price which is higher. † (Sloman, 2007:114) If Fyffe raise their selling price above p1, their demand will drop to 0, because if Fyffe raise the price of their bananas, consumers will just buy from another firm selling at the current market price. Illustrated in diagram 2. (Beardshaw, 2001) All firms operating in the banana industry sell a homogenous product, all the firms in the industry sell an identical banana. The theory states there is not a great need for advertising or branding. (McConnell, 2008) I would agree with this statement in the context of bananas. Advertising is not needed as people will not look for a specific brand of banana. They all taste the same. However I think a firm in a market selling shampoos and conditioners would need a certain amount of branding and advertising so people choose their product and gain customer loyalty. In the shampoo industry products are not as homogenous. A pure monopoly owns 100% of the industry. Thames water have a great deal of power, and are price makers, thus they set the price to how much they want to charge. If the consumer cannot, or doesn’t want to pay the price, they have to go without the tap water. In the short run both perfect competition and monopolies can make economic profits, losses and supernormal profits. Only monopolies can manage to sustain super normal profits in the long run. â€Å"Persistant economic profits are called monopoly profits. † (Dobson, 2005:99) Monopolies can sustain supernormal profits and remain safe and unaffected by competition due to barriers to entry. Supply to the industry does not increase with new entrants. (Hunt, 1990). There are many types of barriers to entry. Thames water is known as a natural monopoly, meaning there are barriers to entry due to large economies of scale. (Sloman, 2007) Capital equipment is so expensive and large scale that only one sole supplier could manage to make a profit in the water industry. However Thames Water incurred low marginal costs once they are set up. â€Å"If average cost falls as output increases over the entire range of market demand its a natural monopoly. † (Dobson, 2006:100) â€Å"Each would have a very high average cost at a low output. † (Begg, 2005:134) Correspondingly Thames Water gain barriers to entry through lower costs. This is an artificial barrier. The firm is experienced in their field. Has good knowledge of their market, and will be able to gain the best rates of interest on finance, the best suppliers at the lowest costs, and lean methods of production. Other firms would struggle to compete. If a firm decided to set up and compete with Thames Water, and failed by going out of business there would be huge sunk costs. This occurs when high amounts are spent on capital expenditure, which cannot be used on another business venture. (Sloman, 2007) This is an example of exit costs. It would be a huge loss to the firm, and would discourage firms from entering the market. Thames water also have patents copywrite and licensing. The next two paragraphs explain the effect on demand for perfect competition, then a monopoly. For Fyffe the price charged for the bananas is equal to marginal revenue. Average revenue and demand are also equal to price. If average cost dips below average revenue the firm will earn supernormal profits. If demand is above where marginal costs and marginal revenue meet the firms will be making normal profit. See diagram 2. Normal profits cover opportunity costs of the owners money and time. If Fyffe set output below equilibrium marginal cost would exceed marginal revenue and profit would be lowered. If Fyffe raised output above equilibrium marginal costs would exceed marginal revenue and profits would also be lowered. See graph 1. (Dobson, 2005:99) The demand curve is elastic for the banana industry, but not perfectly elastic. Hence why it slopes downwards in diagram 1. If there is a rise in price for bananas, consumers will spend less on the product, and Fyffe will entail a fall in revenue. In contrast if the price of bananas drop, consumers will buy more of the product, and providing the firm is covering their costs they will receive an increase in revenue, because bananas can be relatively easily substituted by another cheaper fruit. Furthermore bananas will sell for a cheaper price when they are in season, due to a larger supply to the market in this period. Fyffe is perfectly elastic which is why their demand curve is horizontal. See graph 2. The firms prices are not affected by their output and their decisions do not affect the industry. (Ison, 2007) Firms must produce at equilibrium to maximise profits, which is where the market supply, meets the market demand, as illustrated in diagram 1. Short run â€Å"assumes the number of firms in the industry does not increase, as there is not enough time. † (Sloman 2007:114) When a firm produces quantity and price, where marginal costs, and average costs meet they are breaking even. See diagram 2. (Begg, 2005) Consumers are charged a price which is equal to what it costs the firm to produce the extra unit. See diagram 2. If the demand curve for bananas increases short term, the demand curve will shift to the right. See diagram 3. This results in a higher equilibrium and a higher selling price. As selling price has increased farmers will raise their output by increasing their variable costs such as labour and materials. This will result in a larger profit and profits are maximised. As illustrated in diagram 4. In contrast if the demand for bananas was to decrease, this would cause a shift to the left in the demand curve. See diagram 5. This results in a lower equilibrium for the industry, and a fall in the selling price. Consequently all firms in the industry including Fyffe would reduce output, by decreasing variable factors and the firm would suffer economic losses. As illustrated in diagram 6. (Dobson, 2005) If Fyffe or Thames Water are not covering their average total costs in the short run, they should carry on trading, but if they are not covering their short run average variable costs, it would be cheaper to temporarily close down. The theory is known as the short run supply decision. (Ison, 2007) In the long run any firm should close down if it is not covering its total average costs as it is loss making. Called the long run supply decision. (Begg, 2003) When demand increases and selling prices rise in the long term, existing firms are making supernormal profits. Several new firms will enter the market. The supply curve will shift to the right, and supply will increase, which will lower market price. As more new industries join firms reduce their output until they are making a normal profit again. Output of the whole industry will be larger now that more firms are in the market, and there is no incentive for firms to enter, or leave the market as breakeven profits are being made. Referred to as the entry or exit price. When there is a decrease in demand, prices will fall, and firms will reduce output to minimise losses. Eventually due to losses some firms will leave the market which lessens supply and the supply curve will shift to the left. This raises prices due to restricted output, and farmers will start to make normal profits again. So there are less firms and less output in the industry. (Dobson, 2005) In the long run there are no fixed costs in any industry, as firms can change their plant size or machinery. Resulting in a long run supply curve which is flatter than the short run. (Begg, 2003) If all firms operating in the industry restricted supply together increasing demand and prices, new firms would enter the market which would increase supply and lower prices. (Begg, 2005) Thames water are price inelastic, and have a low income elasticity of demand, because there are no close substitutes for their product, and water is a essential item. However they are not perfectly inelastic, as a rise in price will still amount to a small drop in quantity demanded. This means Thames water’s revenue will increase with a rise in price, and decrease with a fall in price. A profit maximising level of output is where marginal revenue is equal to marginal cost but rising up to the demand curve to obtain price. See diagram 9 (Sloman, 2007) The demand curve in diagram 9 represents the value of Thames water to customers, and the marginal curve shows the costs Thames water must pay. The marginal revenue curve must lie below the downward sloping demand curve as marginal revenue is less than price. The further the distance between the demand curve on the right hand side and the marginal revenue on the left the more inelastic the demand, see diagram 9. (Dobson, 2005) ) A firm cannot produce to the right of marginal revenue as this part of the diagram is inelastic. In order for the monopolist to sell a larger amount, the price must be lowered on all previous units, so to prevent this the monopolist may restrict output to keep a larger revenue. Creating scarcity and raising the equilibrium price. (Begg, 2005) â€Å"The excess of price over marginal costs shows the monopolies power† (Dobson, 2005:102) The power to raise prices by selling a smaller amount of output. Diagrams 8, 9, and 10 show long run economic profits, normal profits and losses. Thames water will then check weather the profit maximising level of output covers their total costs in the long run and variable costs in the short run. (Begg, 2003) Thames water is not a contestable market due to the fact it’s a natural monopoly, and has very high barriers to entry. This means they can charge high prices and make supernormal profits, without the threat of competition and new entrants. (Sloman, 2007) Thames water may want to behave ethically when setting prices. If they choose too high a price which people cannot afford this could lead to poverty, but if they charge too low a price this could lead to a wastage of water. Monopolies often use price discrimination when setting prices. Although Thames water do not. Perfect competition cannot use this method. Particular consumers are charged a higher price for an identical service so the monopoly can earn higher profits. (Ison, 2007) Revenue is not lost from previously sold units when price is reduced. More output can be sold ands firms can catch some of their consumer surpluses. See diagram 12. â€Å"Surpluses are the difference between actual price paid and what consumers will have been willing to pay. † â€Å"So the business is treating the demand curve as the marginal revenue curve† (Ison, 2007:138) Only works when consumers cannot buy the product for a cheaper price and sell on to others. (Begg, 2005) A firm operating in perfect competition will achieve allocative efficiency. This exists when price is equal to marginal costs. â€Å" Society is better off when resources are allocated to maximise the total surplus in the market. † (Dobson, 2005:91) Productive efficiency will also be achieved, meaning Fyffe will produce and sell their output for the lowest price they can in the long run giving consumers the best possible value for money. â€Å"Price equals minimum average total cost. † (Dobson, 2005:92) This is good for consumers and society as consumers get the best possible value for money. (Sloman, 2007) Perfectly competitive markets are critised for having a lack of variety, unable to fully satisfy consumers wants and needs. Furthermore the long term entry and exit of firms can be a waste of certain resources such as empty buildings. This is called competitive forces in action. (Dobson, 2005) Monopoly’s are in a position to give us a lower price if they decide to, due to economies of scale. The marginal cost curve is lower than the supply curve in their graph which means the firm can supply more output at a lower production cost. Supernormal profits can fund research and development which will improve the quality of the product. Therefore the monopoly can innovate and introduce new products. (Ison, 2007) However some firms may not do this as they do not need to fight to stay in the industry, with no competition around. (Mankiw, 2001) Joseph Schumpeter said in theory monopolies have more ability and incentive to innovate which can make them better for society. If you imagine a whole industry was taken over by a monopolist, they could eliminate competition and charge very high prices, by reducing output level to which raises price. Supernormal profits represent a redistribution of income from consumer to producer which can be critised on equity grounds† (Ison, 2007:137) Monopoly firms have been known to â€Å"engage in dirty tricks to protect themselves from competition. † They do not produce an output which minimises average costs. Making them productively efficient. â€Å"Perfect competition is rare due to larger companies expanding, gaining economies of scale and market power. Resulting in other firms being forced of the business. So if economies of scale did not exist any industry could have perfect competition. † (Dobson, 2006:94) Monopolies are also rare, and both are extremes of market structures. Most firms lie somewhere between the two. I think the two firms I picked are a fair comparism. They are both from a mixed economy. Thames water will have regulating agencies monitoring them. There are only 3 legal monopolies in Britain Thames Water included. In the past there was a significant amount of monopolies which were government owned. When Margaret Thatcher came into power she privitised these firms as she believed competition would lead to greater efficiency and lower prices which would benefit society as a whole. I agree with her decision and I think after researching, perfect competition appears to be the better option for consumers. Monopolys benefit society in certain situations such as retained profits ploughed back into research and development for medical reasons, and natural monopolies who could not survive in a perfectly competitive industry. Monoplies and perfect competition are becoming more rare as time goes on and who knows what will happen in the future.