A report about marks & spencer food Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6500 words

A report about marks & spencer food - Essay Example The competitive retail industry landscape has provided the company with the expertise to devise managerial strategies that help in retaining a healthy market share and ensure the return of customers to their stores. The company has improvised its strategies in tune with changing times and introduced new brands and divisions in the retail market segment. The food division is one of the launches that have earned the company a good deal of revenue over the years. The organization started its food division in the year 1931 when they introduced a food department to sell produced and canned food. This was followed by the introduction of cafà © bars providing cheap and hygienic food to the people shopping at their complex. The food division slowly expanded to include various cuisines catering to global tastes and changing habits. The food division of M&S has become a vital part of the retail store business contributing to nearly 51 percent of the total sales and revenues (M&S, 2009). Marks and Spencer was founded by Michael Marks and Tom Spencer in the 1880s as a partnership venture. The partnership was formed in the year 1894 and opened penny price stalls at various locations to attract customers by offering them goods at low price. Sir Stuart Rose is the present Chairman of the M&S group while the food division is headed by John Dixon. The company is currently a shareholding establishment The Marks and Spencer group is primarily involved in the retailing of clothes, food and home products. Clothing products include women’s wear, men’s wear, kids clothing and lingerie. Besides clothing the group also retails cosmetic products, household products, and host of other daily needs consumer goods. The clothing and household articles account for nearly 49 percent of the total revenues. The remaining 51 percent of the revenues come from the food division (M&S,

Promotional Plan of TelePacific Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Promotional Plan of TelePacific - Essay Example The organization needs to have an effective promotional plan in place to increase its profitability, growth and sustainability in the future. Promotion is the only way to communicate the message of the marketer to its target customers. There are various media vehicles to do so, but it is important for the TelePacific Communications to analyze the most effective media vehicle of the state or country in which it is launching or expanding its business. A promotional message, advertisements and a one year media plan of TelePacific Communications has been has been discussed in this study. Message The overall marketing message for the promotional plant of TelePacific would be that the services offered by the company provides fast internet access to its customers along with other additional unique features included in it and TelePacific is committed towards offering high quality customized services for its clients according to their specific needs and requirements. Advertisements Advertisin g industry is considered to be the most exciting, creative, challenging and rewarding industry. It is unique in nature because everything is open to the world and people can see it and respond accordingly (Duncan, 2005, p. 1). Advertisements are primarily meant to have an influence in the behaviors and attitudes of people that would result in favoring the organization and its products (Janoschka, 2004, p. 12). It is necessary for a company like TelePacific that its approach towards promotion and advertising should be designed in such a way that it helps in building strong customer relationships, and creating brand awareness amongst people through integrated marketing communication (IMC). TelePacific needs to design and plan for its promotional activities in such a way which would help the organization not only to expand its customer base but also to retain its valuable existing customers. It should be able to communicate to its customers the differentiating factors incorporated in i ts products and services which are unavailable in the products and services offered by any other companies in the market. In a nutshell it needs to strengthen its competitive advantage in the market through all its promotional efforts using various means of advertising through different media. The company has to advertise its website using those advertising media through proper blend of traditional and digital options. The top two products or services that have been identified for TelePacific include its voice services and data networking services. The company has a competitive advantage over its competitors on these two services offered by them. Hence, the promotional activities and the corresponding advertisements need to be focused on these two services. Various media can be utilized by the company to advertise its services. The company needs to promote its website to create awareness amongst people about its different types of services and products with its primary focus on the two services as mentioned before. The advertisements will be as such that it would help to promote its services through cross-selling between digital and traditional options. Two such advertising options for the company which would help to advertise its website includes an advertisement in a magazine (Figure - 1), and advertising in the form of a banner (Figure - 2). Apart from Nevada and California, TelePacific is planning to expand its business at Texas as well. Hence, its promotional activities will be primarily focused on its target customers based on Texas. It would also help to retain its existing customers at Nevada and Califo

Blogs and communication Essay Example for Free

Blogs and communication Essay Corporate blogging is a new method of communication in which employees of different firms and corporations are allowed to express themselves in the current trend in media communications. Several studies suggest that corporate blogs should be limited to only conveying of information beneficial for the company or firm, and thus there is the need to create a strategic management scheme for blogging. As a form of communication, blogs can certainly evolve into a more powerful means of communication. This power entailed in written texts of blogs shall be seen as a tool in encompassing more productive results of the business sector. According to Business Week Online issued in 2006, A Weblog (or blog) can be a powerful marketing tool, but it can also expose a business to a legal minefield as reported by Jacqueline Klosek. â€Å"Blogs can be used to market a companys products and services, facilitate communications with clients, and even counter negative publicity. † (Klosek, 2006). From the research, many benefits of corporate blogging have been found: it is a tool for search engine marketing, an aide in building the company’s reputation as a thought leader, a good support in crisis management, tool for building relationships with customers, used as a human voice to a company, illustrates transparency, immediate customer service and feedback, acts as differentiator, and tool to find out what others think about you and your company. Presently, corporations are now much more concerned about their reputations. The vigilant companies realize that knowledge is power in cyberspace. They are trolling chat rooms, discussion boards, online news media and Web sites run by their competitors and critics to detect rumblings that could end up making headlines if a reporter or financial analyst discovers them first (Alsop 2004, 21). The existence of cyberspace, wherein the transfer of information is relatively faster than it was ten years ago has just become a threat to the reputations of corporations which are forced to enter cyberspace for more exposure. Corporate blogging is one dependable medium which corporations may pursue in order to protect their reputations and cut of their costs in terms of crises scenarios which could have been avoided. Although, the most of the companies set up corporate blogs for the purpose of promoting their services, building their good image or gaining any other befits. There is however a limitation in blogging, since legal problems may arise in the process. â€Å"Careless statements posted on a company-sanctioned blog can come back to haunt the company through litigation and other avenues† Klosek stresses. Blogs can cause violations on intellectual-property rights since most corporate blogs do not have specific rules that can be followed by the employees. Trade secrets may be revealed accidentally risking the protected status of company information. Disclosure of trade secrets can jeopardize the blogger’s career since this problem may cause his suspension or termination from his position. From many studies and articles written about corporate blogs, the question has been raised on insufficient management. The integrity rules for protection and management of blogs are expected to be established immediately. This research proposal aims to determine that how does corporate blog as a kind of new innovation be widely adopted and used by the both of the individual blogger and various organizations? What are the benefits of the corporate blogs bring to the organizations? How the public perceives corporate blogging as a kind of new innovation? What are the perceived relative advantages of corporate blogging according to the bloggers? Why is it to be welcome and popular as a successful new innovation? Is corporate blogging compatible with the existing values and practices of the bloggers? 1. 2 Overview of the Structure This proposal is structured into several sections. This section provides the audience with the motivations, objectives and a brief introduction to the research proposal. In the following sections, it includes the Literature review concerning blogging phenomenon and the process of this successful innovation, the benefits and limitation will be critically reviewed to provide a background for the research theme. In order to further understand real world practices, a theoretical framework is introduced. In section 3, known as Diffusion of innovation theory will be applied in the analysis part. The DIO theory is also used in combination with literature review to analyze and illuminate primary data, which will be used to answer the research question and the respective supporting the arguments. Section 4 describes the research methodology and various techniques which the author used to collate empirical data. In this section, the case research has been choosing to track and understand the history of the perception and adoption of blogs as a new innovation by the successful corporation in the business industry. An interview will also be carried out in the research process. The interview will help to find out the relationship between the employer and internal blogger, and further testify, discover and summarize the effects and benefits of the corporate blog as a new innovation. Finally, the discussion and the conclusion sections will be given to summarize of the expectation of findings, contributions, limitations of the research and points in which the research could further be improved or developed. 2 Literature review 2. 1 Understanding of blogs A weblog or blog is a form of an online journal. Schiano, Nardi, Gumbrecht, and Swartz (2004) defined blogs as â€Å"frequently updated web pages with a series of archived posts, typically in reverse chronological order†. According to Gordon (2006), blogs use â€Å"straightforward content management tool, allowing web pages and entries to be created and updated easily, without the need to worry about design or architecture issues† (Gordon, 2006). Although blog posts are primarily textual, authors may also include photos or other multimedia content in their posts. The blog is the fourth biggest communication tool after the e-mail, BBS and ICQ. According to Cooke (2005), about 70 million blogs exist and over 75,000 blogs are being created each day. Blogs is indeed increasingly becoming popular. Sprague (2007) traced the growth and evolution of blogs. He also discussed how businesses use blogs to communicate with customers. There are different kinds of blogs present today at cyberspace. The most popular ones are personal blogs, service, and corporate blogs (Geerts and Kim 2005, 12). Personal Blogs provide information about the thoughts, interests and activities of different people whether they are individuals or are blogging by groups or affiliations. Service blogs are often topic oriented and they are context specific and much informative than personal blogs. Some groups use service blogs to introduce new technologies and recent development regarding the corresponding technologies which they present. Finally, the corporate blog which is created and maintained by a business entity, and is used to provide information about the company’s products and services and to interact with clients and customers. (Geers and Kim 2005, 12). Since most scholars who work in the area of life writing have chosen to see blogs as a development of the handwritten diary (Rak 2005, 166) more and more people engage in writing in blogspots or blogsites. There are both threats and advantages which corporate blogging gives to the corporations. At some point, corporate blogging has strengthened the transparency and corporate communications. Since at present, Corporate communication channels include not only printed materials but also information posted on a company’s Web sites and blogs (Argenti 2006, 358). However, some corporations fail to further improve their corporate communications because they limit their corporation’s blogspots only to their employees and their advertisers. It is highly doubtful whether they have fully utilized the capabilities of new two-way communication tools because more corporate home pages have been primarily used as a platform to push mundane advertising messages (Liu et al. , 1997; Salam et. al. 1998; Young and Benamati, 2000). Another point presents the fact that, there might be leaks in confidential corporate information which might be given out through the engagement to blogs of employees. Cases of such has led to the termination of employees active in Web blogs, which gives a corporate disadvantage as it losses some of its quality workforce due to the lack of policies and rules which apply to blogs. A good example would be the Delta Air Lines flight attendant who lost her job after she posted photos of herself in uniform on her blog. Delta stated that those photos, in which she is wearing Delta uniform with the blouse partly unbuttoned, were â€Å"inappropriate and unauthorized use of Delta branding† (USA Today, 2005). Web blogs is a critical accessory in information dissemination, yet at the same time, it might cause some corporate failures, as although the Internet allows companies to present their viewpoints directly to key constituents, control over information dissemination is lost (Ihator 2001). There are several studies that investigate the nature of blogs and bloggers. Schiano et. al. (2004) interviewed 23 bloggers between the ages 19 and 60. The interviews included questions about the participant’s blogs, blogging habits, thoughts on blogging, and use of other communication media such as e-mails, instant messaging, phone, and web pages. They found out that blogging is becoming increasingly popular because it serves as an easy-to-use personal journal in which he can express his thoughts and opinions. Nardi, Schiano and Gumbrecht (2004) describe blogs as a social activity. They interviewed the same population and questions as with their study entitled â€Å"Blogging by the Rest of Us†. After the interviews, the authors continued to read their participants’ blogs and communicate with some of them through email. The participants reported the reasons they started blogging, the reasons they continue blogging, and the changes in their blogging habits as time pass by. A variety or reasons emerge: readers inform bloggers they need the new posts; the friends influence their friend to blog. Due to these responses, Nardi et. al. (2004) conclude that blogs are â€Å"a form of social communication in which blogger and audience are intimately related through the writing, posting and commenting of blogs† . (Nardi, 2004) These studies give us an idea on the perceptions of bloggers about blogs in general. 2. 2 Corporate blogs and applications in the real world Different types of blogs have been posted in the internet ever since the adoption of different corporations in the late 1990’s. Corporate blogs however have different types in which each is branded according to the specific user or blogger. Dearstyne (2005) cites five different types of corporate blogs as: employee blog, group blog, executive blog, promotional blog, and newsletter blog. Employee blogs are blogs which are much like personal blogs and are maintained by a single rank-and-file employee. They vary in their content and are sometimes managed by different hosts which the corporations recognize. Although, often times, corporations gather all the blogs their employees post. Majority of employee blogs are still hosted independently of the Web site, employee blogs are increasingly being hosted independently of the company Web sit, employee blogs are increasingly being hosted on company-owned domains as more and more companies are officially sponsoring employee blogging. (Lee et. al. 2006, 319). Group Blogs are blogs which are written by several people or groups. Employees collaborate and write on a specific topic or different topics pertaining to a certain theme; they are made by those who are experts on the certain topics. Group blogs are sometimes made through the initiatives of employees themselves and self-hosted. Though, many group blogs are driven by strategic plans crafted by management and hosted by companies own Web sites (Lee et. al. 2006, 320). Executive Blogs, coming from the name itself, executive blogs are blogs which are written by various corporations’ executives. Corporations and consumers have been keener on what position blog writers are on as awareness about corporate standing is widespread. People have become more interested in top executives who run companies than in individual companies (Gaines-Ross 2000). Promotional blogs are those which primary purpose is to create a buzz about products and events of corporations. This blog however sparks controversy as most of the blogs which are promotional blogs are often times computer generated and is largely called as fake by some bloggers who remain critical about using blogspots as advertising media. The blogging community severely criticized this strategy as deceptive and bloggers even proposed product boycotts (Gallagher 2003). This case suggests that, marketing in the blogsphere is often times discouraged due to the lack of human voice in the ads which are placed in the blogsphere. Some corporations have moved from the traditional type of blog with a domain, and instead created a newsletter type of blog wherein opinions, thoughts, and positions of different corporate or organizational members are voiced out. They carry different information about the corporation, the people inside the corporation, and the corporation’s products which are widely discussed by members of the organization through the electronic newsletter. Sprague (2007) further explains the influence of blogs to the American society. There is an increasing number of both bloggers and blog readers each day. At present, the blog has already extended its influence to the business society. Blogs are reported to influence what people think, do and buy. By the summer 2005, it is estimated that there are nearly 5,000 corporate blogs. Nowadays, there are a number of companies who have already set up their own corporate blogs. Aside from the influx of bloggers, talking about anything and practically everything under the sun, in some countries wherein political turmoil is prominent and shouting against a regime could practically lose you your head. Blogspheres are considered as sanctuaries wherein anyone could voice off their thoughts. In Iran, the Blogsphere is one of the major mediums wherein the populace could voice out their political positions freely with minimal risk of persecution. Any foreigner who visits Iran is struck by the gap between the image projected by the regime to the outside world and the reality of Iranian society. The blogs quoted here vividly convey the bitter disillusionment many Iranians feel not just towards the hard-line mullahs, but toward the failed reformist project and its erstwhile leader (Berkeley 2006, 73). The safeness and freedom of the blogosphere from any political and other accusations which may arise from its use due to the arbitrariness of the policies governing the blogosphere may be seen as an advantage of corporate personalities in advertising and the diffusion of their advocacy especially in corporate social responsibility.

History Of Skills Demonstrations Children And Young People Essay

History Of Skills Demonstrations Children And Young People Essay There have been many theorists which have influenced todays early childhood education. From as early as 1698 with John Comenius to the most mentioned Jean Piaget in the 1920s? John Comenius was one of the first producers of the childrens picture books. Comenius paved the way for subsequent development in education. His understanding of learning through the senses and of the holistic nature of learning remains the cornerstone of educational theories today. Friedrich Froebel also believed that teachers should not teach by rote but should encourage self-expression through play. He believed that the education of young children was a vital part of their development as individuals. Froebel was the 1st theorist to articulate a theory on how children learn and gave detailed instruction for putting this theory into practice. This was the first teacher training programmer for young children. Rudolf Steiners theory is centered on all aspects of growth and development, which included spirituality. He wanted to create an education which gave children a balanced experience. The teachers attempts to engage the childs whole being in what they do, in as an artistic way as possible, by providing a warm and joyful environment in which the child can feel nurtured and at east, happy to explore and play, be busy and be still. The room is painted and in a warm colour has few hard rectangular corners, and is often furnished with soft muslins to mark off a different area or draped over a window to give a softer quality of light. The quality of sound is that of human voices rather than of mechanical toys. The materials in the room are natural and are at childrens level and are stored in aesthetic containers such as simple baskets or wooden boxes which may themselves be incorporated into the play (Drummond, MJ. Lally M. And Pugh, G. (EDS) (1989) Page 59) (Working with Children: Developin g a Curriculum for Early Years). This theory and concept of teaching has influenced many types of early learning frameworks and curriculums. But his belief in the non-introduction of print to children prior to the age of 7 years remains a controversial part of his theory. As we are aware today, young children have a huge understanding of print, not just from books but from their environment. Maria Montessori was one of the most influential theorists. Her aims were to harness childrens natural ability to learn and then offer defined experiences and materials to explain abstract principles. She wrote the child can only be free when the adult becomes an acute observer. Any action of the adult that is not a response to the childrens observed behaviour limits the childs freedom (cited by MacNaughton in Shaping Early Childhood) (Open University Press, 2003). She developed a range of equipment and materials to help develop the childrens daily living skills such as number concepts, language development, education of senses and exploration and science. Today these methods are still widely used and have been some of the most popular methods of early childhood education in the modern day. Jean Piagets theories dominated developmental psychology in the 1960s and 70s. Like Sigmund Freud, Piaget identified stages of development but while Freud concentrated on the emotional and sexual development, Piaget focused on intellectual development. He identified these 4 stages as Stage 1: Sensorimotor, which was between the ages of 0 2 years. Stage 2: Preoperational, came from the age of 2 to 6/7 years. Stage 3: Concrete Operational, identified itself at age 7 years to 11 years. The final stage, Stage 4: Formal Operations, begins at the age of 12 and continues through into adulthood. His theories were covered during teacher training and influenced the education of young children during the 1970s. Today his theories are still taught but as part of a range of theories. He was created a sense of curiosity about how children learn but his emphasis on logic mathematical thinking resulted in his experiments being over-generalised from a narrow range of subjects. His theories were most influential to the modern curriculum of Highscope. ACTIVITY 1 A Using Highscope within the creche, I can identify many features from Steiner, McMillan, Froebel, Piaget and Melanie Klein. Froebel theorised about the importance of outdoor experience. In our creche we ensure that all the children get outside to play every day. This is an important part of the daily routine, Froebel emphasised nature walks and gardening. The creche has limited outdoor space and the children have plenty to play with, which encourages their gross motor skills. Because of the safety flooring, we have little aspects of gardening outdoors. Melanie Klein believed that children use play to express and show their experiences. This is emphasised within the creche as the majority of the childrens learning/teaching is play-based and to manage challenging behaviour, we re-enact situations through play scenarios, i.e. puppets or stories. But we do not single children out, only observe them in group situations. BC Rudolf Steiners theory concentrates on the child as a whole, balancing the childrens experiences. I can see through observations and toy selection that this is the thesis of our creche. As a supervisor, I see every child as unique. They may go through particular stage but not always at the same time! Each child needs to have positive and constructive experiences which develop their mind, emotions and will. We allow the children freedom of choice and support needed to help them make those choices. With group-time we give them the freedom to speak which builds self-worth and their listening skills. We encourage them to problem-solve which builds their confidence and teaches them patience and respect. But unlike Steiners belief in not introducing them to the printed word, we show the books and flash cards from the babyroom up! McMillan brought the importance of hygiene and nutrition to the forefront. Within the creche we encourage the children to be aware of self-care. Through role-play and story time, we show the children the importance of cleaning hands and face, of brushing their teeth and self-grooming. This is also taught to them through example (staff washing hands regularly, etc.). The creche has a daily well balanced and nutritious menu for the children. We liaise with parents to show them the importance of well balanced meals. Maria Montessori had many contributions to creche curriculum but the one I see regularly in our creche is her theory and observations. The creche revolves around observing the children and planning their routines around that. Adults need to see what the children are interested in and how to enhance that so that their experience is full! Also when observing the children staff can see problems or issues which arise through play situations, i.e. social issues, developmental delays or problems. But we do not use any of the Montessori equipment as we use as much natural material as possible. D Although I can see concept from each theorist, I feel that Steiner/Piaget theories would be the most influential with the creche. Steiners theory about development of the child as a whole person is strong and his emphasis on the importance of play and imitation play a large part in the creche. Piagets theories of development were very influential to the Highscope approach which is used throughout the creche. PART 2 Children love to play! It is an important part of their development. Play offers children the chance to be in control and to feel both confident and competent within relevant and open-ended experiences which are meaningful to them. It helps children make sense of the world around them. Children gain an understanding of their emotions. When children play it involves the exploration of ideas, feelings, relationships, materials and their environment. Play encourages creativity and imagination, and offers the children a chance to explore at their own pace and developmental stage without restriction or expectations. There are different types of play which can overlap and lead into each other. These are symbolic play: The child can use this type of play to reinforce, learn about and imaginatively alter painful experiences. Children mimic parents or pretend to be heroes theyve seen on T.V. or read in a book. This type of play helps children cope with fears. Expressive play: This gives children opportunities to express their feelings by using many different types of materials. Physical play: This has a large social aspect to it because it generally involves other children and it provides exercise which is essential for normal development. Dramatic play: This can be spontaneous or adult-guided. The children act out situations which they feel may happen or are fearful of or may have witnessed. Manipulative play: This starts in infancy. Children control and manipulate their environment and people around them. Children manipulate and move objects to better understand how they work. Familiarisation play: This is when children handle materials and explore experiences in an enjoyable way. Surrogate play: This is when an incapacitated child watches and enjoys through other children or adults. Therapeutic play: This is guided play used by professionals to help children understand their feelings and show them through play. There are three main stages of play which are: (0 2 years) Solitary Play where a child plays alone to explore. (2 3 years) Parallel Play where a child will play alongside other children but not join in. (3-5 years) Sharing Play where children co-operate and use conversation when playing games. This also involves children taking turns and using imagination. Our role as Early Years workers is to facilitate and support each child in play. Through observing practitioners can plan for play. Planning a daily routine and planning the environment around the childs play is important as through planned play a practitioner can best support the children. No matter the age group of the children they need adult support during play. By talking to the children about their play, recognising and supporting their choice of play (without interference) gives children a sense of competence and self-worth. Only participate in childrens play when invited or if you can help them develop the skills of playing. Practitioner can also support by acting as mediator teaching children skills such as problem solving and to be respectful of others feelings. Practitioners knowledge of equality and diversity will protect children from harm in play intervening in satiations that could be potentially harmful for children. Further to practitioners planning and supporting them also need to review play. Observing the children during play can show how the equipment materials and the environment is supporting or maybe hindering the childrens abilities to continue or to progress in the play. Children today are growing up in a society where they are over-protected and parents are fearful of allowing them to play outside and explore houses are made so safe that children are stifled in their development. Things that we did to have fun and play developed our gross motor skills. We problem solved situations so as to stay out longer but today children have a lot of house based games such as PlayStation, etc., which are generally play solely and are intellectually based. I think children coming to an Early Years setting enjoy playing. Having materials and space which is suited and facilitates their interests, means they can express themselves freely and helps them explore and understand the ever changing world around them. As Froebels theory highlighted, children should be allowed to be children and enjoy the things that children enjoy. 1) What is the current framework available in Ireland? Siolta and Aistear are the most recent frameworks developed by the Centre for Early Childhood Development and Education (CECDE). Now the responsibility of Sioltas implementation lies with the Department of Education and Science. Aistear is the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework. 2) What will the Framework for Early Learning do? Siolta focuses on all areas of quality within ECCE settings for children aged from birth to six years old. Aistear plays its part in giving children opportunities to learn based on their interests, strengths, culture and specific needs. 3) Who will the Framework be for? The framework covers children from birth to six years old. This includes all Early Years settings, childrens own homes and infant classes in primary school. 4) How does the Framework consider the children? Our society today has become more diverse. In allowing the children to learn to their abilities. It will give them quality interactions with other children and an enriched environment that encourages play indoors and outdoors, adult/child interactions, exploration, conversation and observation. 5) What themes are included in the Framework? a) Well-being b) Communication c) Exploration and thinking d) Identity and belonging 6) What are Siolta and Aistear? 7) How can you as an Early Childhood Supervisor promote a quality Framework in your service? Introducing the National Framework to the service involves educating both the staff and the parents. Training the staff and supporting them as a supervisor with the transition is very important. Aistear will broaden the range of strategies the staff will have for interacting with the children. Introducing new assessments and methods which will progress the childrens learning across the curriculum. The staff must support the children in the learning experiences by observing, listening and interacting, when invited by the child or if intervention is required. The involvement of the parent is essential. To help them understand the benefits to the children of quality play time and helping them understand the limitations paperwork can have with children, as most parents like to see their childrens progress through pictures or writings. The introduction of project books for the children as a group and as individuals is a great way to review activities and allows the children express themselves through pictures and photos. PART 4 Highscope and National Curriculum The curriculum used at my service is Highscope. This was developed by Dr. David Weikart to serve children at risk of failing school. It originated in the USA in 1962 and is now used in many countries around the world. It can be used throughout the childcare setting with children aged from birth to six years. Staff encourages children to become decision makers and problem solvers. This helps them to develop skills that enable them to become successful students as they grow and progress through school. The central principles are given through a Wheel of Learning. At the centre the active learner (the child) and surrounding that the principles that will support the child while learning these are adult/child interaction: learning environment: daily routine and assessment. These give staff and management a base on how to provide an environment and daily routine that will enrich a childs experiences within my service. My vision is to have a quality service that children will run into every morning with smiles on their faces and at the end then to watch them become fully rounded, capable children as they make the transition to national school. I want my staff to enjoy coming to work, feeling satisfied that they have made a difference in each childs life. That they have helped each child reach their full potential and have positive experiences in the setting. I want parents to feel secure in entrusting their children to my service, that they know that their children will be nurtured and encouraged positively during every step of the day. They feel still included in every part of their childrens day, even while they are away from them. I feel that the new National Framework can slot in easily to a service that is High scope-based, as there are a lot of similarities. Aistear curriculum can be used during a Highscope daily routing as both are play-based, learning and emphasise the value of observations to plan routines and activities. Because of this, I feel the transition to national school should be smooth. The children have built up the abilities to problem solve and make decision and choices for themselves. This builds confidence both socially and academically. I feel the largest problem for children when progressing initially to national school is more social than academic and if a child is confident, self-aware and happy in themselves, the transition can bring more positive experiences than negative which sets a good base for a child to progress successfully as a student.

Variations of the Ankle Slasher :: Personal Narrative Urban Legends Essays

Variations of the Ankle Slasher As I was growing up I remember my mom warning me about guys hiding underneath cars and cutting the back of the ankles to steal your car. She told me this so convincingly that I thought it just had to be true. I mean, why would anyone make something up like that. I have since learned that this was meant to scare me, and to help make me more aware of my surroundings. It made such an impression on me that to this day as I walk up to my car I pay attention to what is under it. I even find myself looking in the back seat as I unlock the door. I am not even aware that I do it until I get into my car and lock the doors. Through studying Urban Legends in class, I have become very interested in them. For this field report I decided to take this Urban Legend to see if there was anyone else who heard it, and to see if it was being passed on or if was just my deviant mother. My research consisted of two interviews. I interviewed a few of my friends that go to Indiana University and asked them if they would help me with my research. They agreed to an interview. With the interviews I compared variants of a single Urban Legend. I wanted to see how each individual. s story differed, even though they were the same story. This is what makes an Urban Legend. I asked two people about the Urban Legend, The Ankle Slasher. I asked them if they were familiar with the legend. I also asked whom they had heard it from and when. Then I asked them to tell me the story. After they told me their version of the story, I asked if they had heard another version from anyone else. The first person I interviewed was Brian. He told me how he was familiar with the legend, though he can. t remember whom he heard it from. He also told me the version he has heard. He began by telling me how guys hide under cars in a mall, and then when the owners come out they would cut the ankles, around the Achilles. tendon. Then the guys would steal their packages and the car. He also explained to me when he heard this legend. Variations of the Ankle Slasher :: Personal Narrative Urban Legends Essays Variations of the Ankle Slasher As I was growing up I remember my mom warning me about guys hiding underneath cars and cutting the back of the ankles to steal your car. She told me this so convincingly that I thought it just had to be true. I mean, why would anyone make something up like that. I have since learned that this was meant to scare me, and to help make me more aware of my surroundings. It made such an impression on me that to this day as I walk up to my car I pay attention to what is under it. I even find myself looking in the back seat as I unlock the door. I am not even aware that I do it until I get into my car and lock the doors. Through studying Urban Legends in class, I have become very interested in them. For this field report I decided to take this Urban Legend to see if there was anyone else who heard it, and to see if it was being passed on or if was just my deviant mother. My research consisted of two interviews. I interviewed a few of my friends that go to Indiana University and asked them if they would help me with my research. They agreed to an interview. With the interviews I compared variants of a single Urban Legend. I wanted to see how each individual. s story differed, even though they were the same story. This is what makes an Urban Legend. I asked two people about the Urban Legend, The Ankle Slasher. I asked them if they were familiar with the legend. I also asked whom they had heard it from and when. Then I asked them to tell me the story. After they told me their version of the story, I asked if they had heard another version from anyone else. The first person I interviewed was Brian. He told me how he was familiar with the legend, though he can. t remember whom he heard it from. He also told me the version he has heard. He began by telling me how guys hide under cars in a mall, and then when the owners come out they would cut the ankles, around the Achilles. tendon. Then the guys would steal their packages and the car. He also explained to me when he heard this legend.

Volpone, by Ben Jonson :: Free Essay Writer

Consider the end of the play, the lack of resolution in the Bonario - Celia relationship, the class based difference in the severity of Volpone and Mosca`s punishments, the situation in which Corbaccio, Voltore and Corvino are left. Do you find the ending just and in structure or are the unresolved situations disturbing? In the epistle of the play Ben Jonson states â€Å"it being the office of a comic poet to imitate justice.† It can be said that this is shown in the ending and that it is just and in structure as all the characters are punished in some way for their avarice and the â€Å"innocent† characters Bonario and Celia who in a way provide a contrast to the immoral selfishness, are set free and Celia is given back with three times her dowry money to her father. However there are unresolved issues left at the end of the play concerning these characters. One point of view would be that Celia and Bonario were secondary characters in the play used as virtuous characters to provide a distinction between the corruption and greed of Volpone. Mosca, Corvino, Corbaccio and Voltore, consequently making the problems concerning them as unimportant in context with the punishment or â€Å"justice† served by Jonson to Volpone. But then it is important to bear in mind that as these two ch aracters were so inherently good-natured that the reputation of them and lack of resolution can be regarded as disturbing. Another disturbing injustice can be viewed as the class based difference Mosca and Volpone`s punishments. Volpone is sent to â€Å"Thou art to lie in prison, cramped with irons, till thou be`st sick and lame indeed.† As he is â€Å"By blood, and rank a gentleman.† And is sent to the Hospital of the Incurables. Mosca, â€Å"Being a fellow of no birth, or blood.† Is sentenced to â€Å" first thou be whipped; Then live perpetual prisoner in our gallies.† This inequity can be seen as being based on the fact that Mosca is a parasite, in metaphorical terms a flesh fly who feeds of others: the lowest of the low. However, when one of the avocatore thought Mosca had inherited the money therefore moving up in status, as a clarissimo he had described Mosca as â€Å"A proper man! And were Volpone dead. A fit match for my daughter.† And is called a â€Å"gentleman.† This shows how differences in class make a difference for how the characters are treated i n punishment.

Canada: The Defining Moments of a Nation

A defining moment is the point at which, a situation is clearly seen to undergo a change. Canada, as a growing nation, has encountered many defining moments throughout it's history. During the twentieth century women of Canada have undergone numerous moments that brought about significant changes for themselves. The most prominent moments, which brought about the most change and significance are: the persons case of 1928, the women's liberation movement throughout the 1960's and 70s and the ratification of the Treaty for Rights of Women (CEDAW) in 1981. These three events in Canada's history brought about many crucial changes for the woman of Canada. After woman won the persons case in 1929, Canada finally considered women to be legal persons. Awareness of women's equality came to the fore front during the woman's liberation movement in the 1960s and 1970s. Finally in 1981 Canada enforced stricter laws for crimes against woman, when it ratified the Treaty for Rights of Women. It became socially and politically unacceptable for women to be the scapegoats of society. These moments changed they way women where treated in society, politics, and in the workforce. The infamous persons case of 1928 gained national recognition when five Alberta women, known today as the famous five took on the Supreme Court of Canada, asking if the word â€Å"persons† in section 24 of the British North American Act included women. The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the word â€Å"persons† did not include women. This meant women were not considered legal persons, eligible to run or hold office, or be a part of any political stance. After their great loss to the Supreme Court, they continued the fight, and brought their case to the British Privy Council, where they where victorious. The British Privy council announced that women were indeed persons, and as Lord Chancellor of the Privy Council put it â€Å"The exclusion of woman from all public offices is a relic of days more barbarous than ours. † The persistence of these five Alberta women led all Canadian women to victory in 1929. It was no surprise these women are known today as the â€Å"famous five. † Prior to this defining moment, women were not considered legal persons in the matters of rights and privileges. However, when they won their case women were considered legal persons and now had the same rights and privileges of any man. Before this time in history, women were not eligible to run or hold public office. It was simply not allowed under the British North American Act. The word â€Å"persons† excluded woman and â€Å"all nouns, pronouns and adjectives in the British North American act where masculine, and that was who was meant to govern Canada. † The triumph of the persons case allowed women to become appointed senators of Canada and members of federal bodies. In 1930 the first female senator, Carnie Wilson, was appointed by Prime Minister Mackenzie King. Today 229 members of parliament are women. The persons case also gave women hope. The persons case brought about numerous significant changes for women, and can be considered a defining moment for the women of Canada. By 1960 women's rights groups were showing up all over Canada. The women's movement had begun. In 1966 thirty-two different women's groups from across Canada came together to for the Committee for the Equality of Women in Canada. Within a year the committee forced the government to launch a Royal Commission on the Status of Women. The journalist Florence Bird who covered the story, submitted a report a few years later, known today as the Bird Report. It consisted over 160 recommendations addressing the decreasing equality of women. While Ottawa tried to avoid these issues the women's organizations where growing. By 1972, three-hundred women's rights groups came together to form The National Action Committee for the Equality of Women (NAC). This committee saw it their duty to see that the Bird Report's recommendations were put into practice. At the end of the movement, women had greater equality within the workforce. In a recent public-opinion poll, three out of four Canadian citizens agreed that the women's movement had a positive effect on Canadian society. This time in history was a huge breakthrough for all woman, it brought about immense significant changes for the working women of Canada. The United Nations convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women (CEDAW) is a treaty to eliminate violence and discrimination towards women. Canada ratified this treaty in 1981. It was a defining moment for all women of Canada because it was not only socially unacceptable for women to play the role of scapegoats, but new enforced laws wouldn't allow it. Ratifying countries, such as Canada where to condemn discrimination in all forms and ensure that legal framework, including all laws, policies and practices would provide protection against discrimination and embody the principle of equality. The treaty also commits ratifying nations to overcome barriers to discrimination against women in the areas of egal rights, education, employment, healthcare, politics and finance. In order to overcome these barriers Canada set up numerous new programs and institutions to help distressed women, or women seeking advice or help. In 1980, the year before Canada ratified the treaty, 90% of women reported receiving unwanted sexual attention on the job. After 1981, this statistic dropped dramatically. In addition, ratifying countries must submit a progress report to the United Nations for review. This progress report Canada must write ensures that discrimination and violence against women is minimal. Canada does not want to end up in the United Nations international court of justice. This moment in Canadian history truly helped all women overcome existing barriers towards the end of the 20th century. Over the 20th century women in Canada have struggled for equality. The persons case of 1928 began an atmospheric change for women. In the early 1960s the women's liberation movement carried the fight for equal rights for women, and the ratification of the treaty for rights of women in 1981 was a milestone in the fight for equality. These defining moments gave women the same political rights with the persons case, equality with the women's liberation movement, and reassurance these rights would be enforced when Canada ratified the treaty for rights of women. All throughout Canada's history women's rights have been a touchy issue. The battle for equality is still driven today by the new generation. It appears as if the battle will never be quite over, but Canadian women have been blessed that these event occurred in our history, or the women of Canada would not be anywhere close the equality we have today