Internal vs. External Validity in Research Coursework

Internal vs. External Validity in Research - Coursework Example There is often a tradeoff between internal and external validity, due to the fact that that the requirements of a high internal validity is the creation of a controlled and artificial setting for the research, which then limits the application of the results to the natural and real-life situations (Mitchell & Jolley, 2001). The attainment of a high internal validity of a research requires that the participants in the research are shielded from the extraneous factors that may change the relationship between the dependent and the independent variables. On the other hand, the extraneous factors are fully operational in the real-life situations, limiting the application of the findings of a research done in a setting where the extraneous factors were blocked. Therefore, there must b a trade-off between the internal validity and the external validity, such that internal validity is only high where external validity is low and vice versa (Isaac & Michael, 1971). 2. Is there a benefit in achieving a high level of one type of validity (internal versus external) over the other? Is there a way to design a study or series of studies to have high internal as well as high external validity? What would be the benefit? There is a benefit of achieving a high level of one type of validity over the other, based on the nature of the research in question. The level of internal validity achieved in the study is low, while the level of external validity attained in the study is high.

The concept of leadership is involved in all formal and informal Essay

The concept of leadership is involved in all formal and informal social activities - Essay Example This can be defined as the process where people are concerned about group interests and their acts are guided in that direction only. In this regards leadership is viewed as an instrument of achieving group interests and coordinated goals (Chemers, 1997). The concept of leadership is involved in all formal and informal social activities, and has become a fundamental part of social and working life (Chemers, 1993). Moreover, this concept of leadership is closely associated with organisational functions and organisational properties, where the basic nature of these organisations or groups might have been inefficient in the beginning (Chemers, 1993). In order to be efficient, organisations require the efforts of each of its members to be managed and coordinated (Chemers, 1993). Those members need to spend time and employ resources to build up coordinations to accomplishment their desired goals. More narrow the group or organisation, the greater is the requirement for those resources (Ch emers, 1993). As stated by Chemers (1997) in today’s world it is very difficult for only one person to do all tasks and group works and organisations are very much needed to accomplish goals of the entire group. In this regard the concept of leadership is crucial for achieving success. ... Explaining leadership: The word ‘leadership’ in literature is used according to individual perspectives of researchers and aspects that are most relevant to them in their context of research (Northouse, 2010). There are almost similar amounts of definitions and concepts to the number of researchers. It can be defined in various aspects and dimensions. For example, Western (2008) states that leadership can be defined in terms of behaviors, characteristics, patterns of interactions, influence, administrative positional occupation and role relationships. According to House (2004) leadership represents the assumption that it entails a process where purposeful influence is applied over other people of a group or organisation to direct, structure and to facilitate activities and relationships in that group or organisation. Many definitions of leadership have been made with regard to concepts related to leadership. These definitions differ in many regards, including the person who exerts the influence, the presumed purpose of that influence, methods in which influence is applied, and the possible and observed outcomes of that influence (Yukl, 2011). According to Grint (2010) leadership can be defined in four aspects: position-based leadership, person-based leadership, results-based leadership and process-based leadership. All these concepts are related to an organisation. Firstly, in case of position-based leadership, the concept deals with the position in the formal or informal organisation. In this regard, leadership is explained as the activity taken by a person who is at the vertical position or the person is â€Å"at the top of the tree† having power of all the resources to lead (Grint,

Performance of Equipment Maintenance Services in Healthcare

Performance of Equipment Maintenance Services in Healthcare Performance Monitoring in Equipment Maintenance Services checklist Title Abstract Method: Introduction Choosing And Using Key Performance Indicators Benchmarking In Clinical Engineering Audit Summary Discussion And Conclusion Abstract The objective of this literature review is to deliver results to the key performance indicators in monitoring the performance of equipment maintenance services. Method: Medical equipment management, health source and Medline were used and the search was conducted using different keywords such as key performance indicators, equipment maintenance services and performance monitoring equipment maintenance services. Introduction The medical equipment management approach defines the strategies for oversight and interaction of the medical equipment’s used in treatment, diagnosis and treatment of patients. All the related procedures and policies govern event from selection to acquisition, incoming inspection and the medical equipment management. The mission is ensuring that the medical equipment used in patient care is affordable, safe, accurate and available. The scope of this plan is clinical laboratories and different health systems. (McDermott 2009) Performance indicators should be chosen with care, if not individuals tend to respond by optimizing what is being estimated and hence lose focus of the quality. There are two important questions that should be asked concerning any performance indicator. First, can the performance indicator in question lead to perverse incentives and does it have the required potential to induce the desirable changes. Key performance indicators help a company measure progress towards their set objectives. (Kyan et al. 2004) Additionally, key performance indicators help an organization present of service delivery to come up with the course of action. Different key performance indicators differ depending with the exact nature of service delivery and the company’s approach. Choosing And Using Key Performance Indicators The right indicators vary depending on the reason why the management is choosing them. All key performance indicators contain numerous hidden assumptions. For instance, the company can quote is a known guaranteed downtime percentage with the inclusion of the time when the equipment will not be required. However, at times statistical measures can be very hard to interpret, while clinical users do not consider the actual time of action. (Willson et al.2008) On the other hand process indicators appear to change more often than those that have been made to support specific improvement, and monitor the key factors affecting to quality of output. Result measures are more bound to estimate the effectiveness of initiatives to boost the service. Reasons for the poor performance should be thoroughly investigated, for instance, a reduction of 15% in monthly number of the exact routine maintenance logged in by the workers could be caused by alternative external demands or slipping internal stand ards. The steps that need to be taken to improve the services include modifying procedures and services, modifying demand or delivering more services. If an indicator has been modified to make it more strong, then it will be very important to maintain comparison with the old for long enough, to find out whether the changes have had any positive impact. Process targets can be interpreted and set in regard to local circumstances, because the detailed practice commonly varies, on the other hand, outcome indicators are directly comparable between the services when similar definitions are used (McDermott et al. 2009) Cost measures are quite sensitive to what the service chosen omits and includes. Across a typical hospital, the annual maintenance cost per item included varies widely. Detailed research will give the right guidelines on where the reduction of cost will be more effective. At this point, a lifetime strategy to costing can greatly help avoid the situation where technicians spend endless hours repairing the same equipment because the clinical staff lucks the funds required replacing it. A great sense of perspective is required, for instance, so that the total amount of time required to find the right technician can be reduced, this will help theatres to avoid great loses associated with the breakdown of equipment. The clinical engineer will be responsible for balancing urgency and cost and justifying his/her actions to the clinical staff (Gruber et al. 2012) Key performance indicators are reported and monitored to the relevant safety committees in the hospital throughput the year to provide feedback to the efficiency of the medical equipment management plan, the following performance indicators can be quite helpful if well used in a clinic set up. Critical life support performance maintenance completion rate, with a 100% goal and a requirement rationale. Second, the overall performance maintenance completion rate, the goal is 90% and the best practice to report and monitor rationale. Third is the service requests caused by user errors or mishandling, with a 10% or less gal of all the service requests that had not been planned, in this regard, the exact number of chances may be synonymous without consideration of the overall volume of all the service requests received. Mishandling mistakes with the exact requirement will have to be evaluated to find out if the trends exist, with the overall ratio that has been tracked over time providing relevant information for risk reduction. Another performance indicator is the equipment failure rendering harm to staff or the parties, the goal is zero occurrences and the best practice to report and monitor rationale (Swan et al. 2004) The next performance indicator chosen is the hazardous investigations, the main reason for choosing this key indicator was getting the right information, the rationale of choosing the hazardous investigation KPI Is all SMDA recalls, reportable events and medical equipment accident investigations will be instantly reported to the relevant safety committees. The next performance indictor chosen was the performance improvement standards. First, clinical engineering is responsible for identifying performance improvement indicators, based on the priorities that have been identified by users of the medical equipment in question, the relevant department and the environment or safety care committee. The environment or safety committee has the sole responsibility of approving the thresholds and monitors on yearly basis. All performance maintenance indicators are reported after every three months to the safety committee. The information provided is then submitted to the governing body involved via the regular reporting channels. All the elements of performance indicators can be changed upon request based on the administrative input, the institutional experience and regulatory change (Willson et al. 2004) Benchmarking In Clinical Engineering Over the years, there has been a lot of benchmarking activity with the clinical engineering sector. Clinical staff and hospitals are continually finding that there are many issues that are pushing them towards benchmarking. In this sector, we shall look at different methods in which benchmarking in the hospitals in used and the most common measures that are available. These different measures fall into different categories depending with the service they are used to measure. The outlined derivation of benchmarking measures differ between different organizations, and checking into the differences is often vibrant than opting to do a direct comparison. This results into a debate when estimate the cost against other relevant performance measures. In addition, they help guide in making evidence based decisions which integrate the quality with the worth of money. (Willson et al. 2004) In Canada, standards for evaluation and measurement of the best clinical engineering services were introduced back in 1998. To put everything in order, the Canadian biological and medical society created a review to boost the sharing of concepts. Another alternative option is making the use of external consultants to measure the service and advice on the utilization of performance indicators and quality systems to enhance it. Audit This is very important to getting and maintaining the highest quality standards. In its simplest terms, the audit compares the current and the intended practice and immediately reports on the difference. For instance, many follow a person through the maintenance process whilst looking out for any deviation from the right procedures, checking out the records and terms to ensure they have been completed successfully. This strategy is relevant to the internal audits and has the capacity of identifying whether the procedure is working as expected, unfortunately, it does not capture the power of exactly what the audit can achieve. (Willson et al. 2004) As a result, an auditor requires some level of incidence without carrying the responsibility of the area being audited single handedly, this is something that is very hard to achieve in small organizations. If this is done successfully, external audits may bring sufficient benefits mainly if the auditing was conducted by an experienced audi tor from another company. In simpler terms, a simple audit process visits are made up of: Preparation and planning: The auditor agrees to the extent of the audit in advance. Opening meeting where the auditor meets with the management representative to discuss the importance of the audit. Audit: Includes visits to several areas, interviews with the organizations staff and examination of the databases. Closing meeting: The audit meets the management to explain and share their audit findings and confirm the queries, indicating how the issues will be resolved. Audit report: The audit writes a conclusive report clearing outline recommendations for improvement. Once both parties agree to the report, it is signed and passed to the relevant bodies. Follow up: The auditor follows up checks out the corrective actions to see whether they have been completed. Organization auditing can be used to measure how technical and scientific procedures are being followed and whether they will give the right results. This perfect type of audit may be conducted by experienced professional bodies under registered national schemes. For instance, thorough checks between radiotherapy determinants for quality assurance schemes and dose delivery. Basically, it looks at the product, so that they can test a complete system that is where it differs to outline quality control. (Willson et al. 2004) Summary In this report, we have identified many reasons why a company should monitor its performance; we have also discussed the importance of integrating monitoring in a top-notch management system. We have vividly described the design of key performance indicators and looked at how they can be implemented in medical equipment management. (We have also outlined the pitfalls associated with developing and interpreting performance indicators and considered their utilization in practice. We have also reviewed how benchmarking can assist organizations enhance their performance. Finally, we have considered how audits should be strategized, what happens during the audit and how different groups of organizations can combine efforts and assist each other with benchmarking and mutual audit activities. (Grubel et al.2008) Discussion And Conclusion One important thing to understand is the fact that key performance indicators are not performance targets. They are put in place as monitoring facilities with the idea of moving towards the direction of the successful implementation of the procedures, policies and process. Performance indicators are categorized into two distinct groups, namely, quantitate and qualitative. (McDermott et al. 2009)There are two things that must be identified in order to use KPIs effectively; these include the points in procedures or process through which the data is gathered to support the equipment monitoring. Secondly, the locations in service where the data gathered should be presented as important information for quality management. KPI’s are important because they enable facilities to have systems in place for better management of medical equipment and devices. A few of the reasons why key performance indicators are used include more complicated, enhanced technical preventative maintenance, regularly needs consistent quality assurance and specialized user training. (McDermott et al. 2009) References McDermott, R. (2009) Key Performance Indicators Medical Devices/ Equipment Management.’ A Case Studies Of Equipment Management. London: Routledge Willson, K., Tabakov, S., Ison, K., et al 2013, â€Å"Medical Equipment Management.† [Online] 1, (1) 274-280. Available from http://www.openbooke.com/ebook/medical-equipment-management.html> [accesed on 30th April 2015] Gruber, S (2012) Exploring Analytical Solutions For Healthcare Improvement [Online]. Healthcare Analytics, New York. Available at: http://healthcareanalytics.info/2012/02/is-it-a-metric-or-a-key-performance-indicator-kpi/#.VUJEvlFMK_I [Accessed on 30th April 2015]

Freakonomics A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything b

Freakonomics A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner Freakonomics brings together many combinations of thoughts that one wouldn’t find relevant in companionship. The two authors discuss comparisons that are so off the wall, that you almost question reading the book; however, that is the reason many read the book in the first place. The authors Levitt and Dubner compare in one chapter of Freakonomics the reason why drug dealers live with their moms. Throughout this chapter, the authors discuss questions about why intelligent people sometimes do not ask questions that people really care about, advertising and surveys, and why, in general, do drug dealers still live with their moms. The use of testimonial evidence is prudent in the chapter because its proof builds the case for the qualitative evidence used during the drug dealing section of the chapter. I will discuss these three topics in detail and analyze the author’s contributions to the arguments they present, by evaluating how the argument was portrayed based on the ev idence given in the book. â€Å"But if you can question something that people really care about and find an answer that may surprise them—that is, if you can overturn the conventional wisdom—then you may have some luck† (Levitt and Dubner 87). What Levitt and Dubner meant by this passage, is that if you divulge yourself into questions, ridiculous or not, you might find something you are looking for. If there are unanswered questions, and no one is asking them, they are â€Å"bound to yield uninteresting answers† (Levitt and Dubner 87). Meaning, people are not usually asking questions in which they are not interested in the answers. From a personal no... ...ves otherwise. A foot soldier makes, according to the financial evidence given, $3.30 an hour. Actually, many foot soldiers held other jobs to supplement the low wages they were issued dealing drugs. The evidence given in this section of the chapter was useful to the reader to understand and visually absorb the material. As a whole, the evidence given in this chapter was sufficient in building a cohesive thought. However, the advertising and survey section of the chapter through me for a loop and almost made me stop reading the chapter all together. The use of testimonial, measurement, and analytical data discussed in the chapter allowed me to truly understand the point that the authors were trying to get across to the reader. The chapter, like the rest of the book, contains thoughts that are not conventional in nature and are interesting to think about.

Mistake vs. Misrepresentation

In brief: Mistake vs Misrepresentation †¢ A mistake is inadvertent and only an error on the part of the person committing it while misrepresentation is often wilful or intentional, done with the intention of gaining wrongfully. The main difference between Mistake and Misrepresentation is that in the case of Mistake one or both parties to a contract or what was intended to be a contract unintentionally or unknowingly made statements not intended to mislead the other. Therefore fraud cannot be implied from these statements or circumstances. At Common law, a mistake can affect the validity of a contract â€Å"operative mistake†, making it null and void. In the case of misrepresentation, false statements of facts are required to be made which knowingly or unknowingly could amount to fraud and remedy or rescission may apply. In the modern law, misrepresentation is classed as fraudulent, negligent or wholly innocent. Fraudulent misrepresentation Definition Fraudulent† in this sense was defined by Lord Herschell in Derry v Peek (1889) 14 App Cas 337 as a false statement that is â€Å"made (i) knowingly, or (ii) without belief in its truth, or (iii) recklessly, careless as to whether it be true of false. † The essence of fraud is the absence of honest belief; in Derry v Peek , a share prospectus falsely stated that the company had the right to use mechanical power to draw trams, without explaining that governmental consent was requir ed for this. In fact, the directors honestly believed that obtaining consent was a pure formality, although it was ultimately refused. The House of Lords held that there had been no fraudulent misrepresentation. Lord Herschell however did point out that though unreasonableness of the grounds of belief is not deceitful, it is evidence from which deceit may be inferred. There are many cases, â€Å"where the fact that an alleged belief was destitute of all reasonable foundation would suffice of itself to convince the court that it was not really entertained, and that the representation was a fraudulent one. † On the other hand, there need be no intention to defraud. An intention to deceive (with no intention to cause the claimant loss) is sufficient. Negligent misrepresentation Negligent mis-statement at common law Until 1963, damages could only be claimed for misrepresentation where it was fraudulent. All non-fraudulent misrepresentations were classed as â€Å"innocent† and damages were not available for such innocent misrepresentations. In 1963, the House of Lords stated, obiter, in Hedley Byrne Co Ltd v Heller Partners Ltd [1964] AC 465 that in certain circumstances damages may be recoverable in tort for negligent mis-statement causing financial loss. The liability depends on a duty of care arising from a â€Å"special relationship† between the parties. It is now clear that a party can claim damages under the principle in Hedley Byrne where a negligent mis-statement has induced him to enter a contract; Esso Petroleum Co Ltd v Mardon (1976) QB 801. Broadly speaking, the special relationship will only arise where the maker of the statement possesses knowledge or skill relevant to the subject matter of the contract and can reasonably foresee that the other party will rely on the statement. Negligent misrepresentation under the Misrepresentation Act 1967 Section 2(1) of the Act of 1967 introduced, for the first time, a statutory claim for damages for non-fraudulent misrepresentation. Section 2(1) provides that where a person has entered a contract after a misrepresentation has been made to him by another part thereto and a result thereof he has suffered loss, then, if the person making the misrepresentation would be liable to damages in respect thereof had the misrepresentation been made fraudulently, that person shall be so liable notwithstanding that the misrepresentation was not made fraudulently, unless he proves that he had reasonable ground to believe and did believe up to the time the contract was made that the facts represented were true. It should be noted that the sub-section assumes all non-fraudulent statements to be negligent and puts the burden on the maker of the statement to disprove negligence. Wholly innocent misrepresentation We have seen that before 1963, the word â€Å"innocent† was used to describe all misrepresentations that were not fraudulent. In the light of Hedley Byrne and s. 2(1) of the Act of 1967, the word innocent may now be used to refer to a statement made by a person who has reasonable grounds for believing in its truth. To avoid confusion, â€Å"wholly innocent† is a better description.

Research Aims and Objectives

The following research for consumer preference regarding the choice for a particular Bank in the United Kingdom is done with the aim to analyze the consumer mindset and preference when they make a choice for something so essential like a Bank to whom they handover their hard earned money to. The aim of the research is to determine what consumers want and what the usually preferable features in the Bank are. In order to do so, a sample of the population would be analyzed who would be representing the entire population.The objective of this particular research to identify the consumer demands and their preferable features would be the understanding of consumer psyche in order to be in a better position to be able to provide them with what they require. However, this would be the prime objective but the secondary objectives would be to discover the hidden factors that mostly people tend to forget while devising a Bank or its strategies. This research would also enable the person formula ting the strategy to have an insight to what consumer wants and requires of their efforts and endeavors.Apart from that, it is essential to conduct a research for what consumer wants rather than assuming their requirements and demands. This research would enable to actually find out that which strategies are to be continued by the Bank in the future while which strategies are meant for amendments or complete eradication. Not only banks, but any products or services that are highly dependent on consumer demand and preferences need to analyze their demands and choices before entering in the area to serve them.Hence, the primary Aim of the research is to determine the expectations and requirements of a customer from the place it entrusts its finances into. The objective is to make use of the research and make the result of the research the motive of existence. Rationale of the Research The rationale or the purpose of the research is to make sure that the consumers are receiving what th ey expect and require of the Banking services. It is to ensure that the current strategies adopted by the Banks in United Kingdom are appropriate or not. There are many sectors in which the Banking Industry of the United Kingdom is divided.The purpose of the research is to analyze the different customer present in each sector and the reason of their preference for a particular sector. The sectors for Banking Industry are Independent British Banks, British Banking Brands owned by British Companies, British Banking Brands owned by Foreign Companies, Foreign Banks in the United Kingdom and External Links. The Independent Banks in United Kingdom include HSBC, Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays Bank, HBOS, Lloyds TSB, Standard Chartered, Alliance and Leicester, Northern Rock, Cooperative Bank and Bradford and Bingley.The amount of independent Banks is few in the United Kingdom as compared to other countries. The research would also enable us to understand as to whether consumers want more independent banks or not. Quite a lot of foreign banks are present in the United Kingdom as well which are ING Direct, Citibank and Bank of Cyprus. This research would also enable in understanding the reason of the presence of such humungous amount of foreign banks in the country.In London, there is an investment and commercial branch of almost every big Bank in the world. Hence, the purpose along with determining the consumer preference and demand is to determine the purpose of the existence of different sectors and the consumer’s take on these different sectors. The research conducted would help in dividing the preference according to the sector under review which would make it easier for the Banks in different sectors to extract knowledge of their requirement. Theoretical UnderpinningSeveral theories were evaluated to determine which would be best to analyze consumer behavior and their reason to choose a particular Bank for their transactions and activities. The major cate gory which it was divided into was ‘Qualitative research’ as it had to do with consumer preferences and hence could not be quantified into any numbers. It would deal with qualitative data like questionnaires, Focus Group and In-depth Interviews. However under Qualitative research is further divided into three more types which include Positivists, Interpretive and Critical.The positivists takes the society at its face value and assumes that everything portrayed is for real and true, the interpretive assumes that the situation changes and so does human behavior as per the situation while on the contrary the critical approach takes a critical perspective on the society and everything present in the social reality is historically present and created by human minds so nothing is for real but a creation of people’s mind. The method that would be taken use of in this research would be the ‘Interpretive Research’ because it takes the most reasonable and rati onal approach to the data available in the social reality.As the primary data collected in a qualitative research is highly subject to personal views, therefore it is very important to take a rational approach on the analysis of data and its interpretation. For this kind of research theory, the most important aspect is the interpretation of the collected data as it is difficult to analyze the in-depth interviews and focus groups because of the presence of no right and wrong in the approach as it is highly dependent on human views and method of interpretation. Hence, the theoretical approach used is ‘Interpretive Qualitative Research Methodology’.Methodology Research Approach The research would be highly dependent on the data collected via primary as well as secondary sources. Since, the entire research is to determine human psyche and preferences therefore nothing can be assumed and neither is anything pre-determined. The data however would be achieved through primary s ources via Focus Groups, In-depth Interviews, Questionnaire and Surveys as well secondary sources such as Internet sources, Journals, Articles, Past Researches, Magazines, and Books etc.The theory that is used as a methodology is as defined the Qualitative Interpretive method as the data received would be either the feedback from the customers or the secondary published resources. The data interpretation is where the methodology or the theory of the research would be utilized. The focus groups would be analyzed based on people’s verbal reactions as well as their attitude and gestures and so will be the In-depth interview which would be a one-to-one interaction with the consumer. However, the answers of the questionnaire would have to be quantified and displayed via graph to display the inclination of the answers.The research methodology used would be ‘Relational’, this is because one factor of the research would be analyzed as to whether it depends on the other o r not. For example, if consumers prefer on-the-go Automated Teller Machine (ATM) Service then is it because of the low savings and high expenditures of the people in the United Kingdom. The relational approach would also help in analyzing and explaining the reason of several factors and demands by the target consumers of the Banks in the United Kingdom.It would be helpful in explaining a lot of consumer preferences and would be better in understanding the logic behind the Human Psyche. Research Strategy The research strategy has several steps which are being followed in the conducted research. It started of with defining a title for the research which was finalized to be stated as ‘How the people choose in U. K which bank to patronize? ’ After that came the step to analyze the background data which would be partially collected via primary sources as well as secondary published sources.The primary sources as mentioned would be the Qualitative Research tools such as the F ocus Groups, Surveys and Interviews while the secondary sources would be the publishes material in the form of either past Researches in the relevant field, articles, journals or magazines. In order to get hold of the relevant sources several catalogs have been searches and the internet has been browsed in order to come up with as authentic and relevant material as possible. Even the internet sources that are being analyzed are the published authentic ones and not just the random material present.After the collection of data, it was critically analyzed to remove all loop holes from the procedures and find reliable material from which the research can take constructive help from in order to make it as productive as possible. The next step of defining the citation style has been done with utmost care keeping the professionalism and the research relevance in mind. Therefore, the citation style used in this research is Harvard style of referencing. The material used in the literature re view and the entire research would be cited in the Harvard style of citation and so would be the in-text citation.The Harvard style has a professional work procedure and cites the work in an appropriate manner for the reader to understand where the work is taken from and along with that helps in giving the original idea provider the due importance by mentioning and recognizing their efforts. The strategy adopted in the process of the research has to be clear and defined in order to follow a research process that has a vivid objective and is able to reach its motives effectively and efficiently. Primary Data and Secondary Data CollectionThe primary data will be collected with the qualitative tools such as the †¢ In-Depth Interview: The one-to-one interviews with the few selected customers who would be questioned in detail and would have the option of answering open ended in order to gather the most data possible and then extract the one relevant. Along with the information the i nterviewee would also be analyzed of his/her gestures and body language. Hence, this would help in providing a deep insight in the consumers mind and preferences.†¢ Focus Group: This would be a method for a group of customers to express their opinion on a platform provided. Several minds when act together would give a clear view of what majority of the customers think. However, there are certain pitfalls to this procedure as well which would be tried and avoided as much as possible. †¢ Questionnaires: These are the only tools in the qualitative method that can be quantified and does not entirely depend on interpretation.The questionnaires would mostly contain close ended questions as the open ended ones would be there in the focus groups as well as the in-depth interviews of the customers. †¢ Surveys: As per this method, the customers in each sector would be randomly surveyed for their opinions and suggestion to improve the Banking service in the country. Hence, all t he above mentioned primary data collected would not only help in devising as to what customers prefer but also would provide with a solution and recommend possible outcomes.The secondary sources would be from published sources. In order to analyze the scenario of Multinational Banks in the United Kingdom, the book by Geoffrey Jones (1993) is used for referencing which present the scenario of international Banks in the United Kingdom’s market. Presenting the scenario it states â€Å"the leaders were five large American Banks which dominated the process of syndicated sovereign loans as they sought to achieve an accelerated growth of their assets. They pursued lending strategies that emphasized wide margins and large volumes of loans.† (Jones, 1993, p. 352). Another book by Francesca Carnevali called as the ‘Europe’s Advantage: Banks and Small Firms in Britain, France, Germany and Italy since 1918’ talks about the importance of small Banks. In the rese arch the customer of small banks would also be a subject therefore this book would be of high importance as its states â€Å"small firms are part of local economies. These can be defined simply and loosely as spaces where most local saving found their way to local financial intermediaries and then back into the local economy† (Carnevali, 2005, pp. 2-3).In order to understand the Human psyche as well as competing for customer the help of a book called ‘Competing for Customers and Capital’ by Victor J. Cook Junior (2006). It talks about the competitive cut-throat environment that today every field has including products as well as services and bridges the gap between the marketing and the finance areas. It is also helpful for those who aspire to be the upper level management as it enables the reader to understand the consumer psyche and the reason behind their preferences. A very important book that is used in the literature as a reference is a book by John R.Weeks called the ‘Unpopular Culture: The Ritual of Complaint in a British Bank’ (2003). It talks about how unsatisfied culture of the employees spreads a negative energy in the entire organization and it effects on the performance of the employees which ultimately affects the customer service and produces unsatisfied customers. Book which talks about the history of the Banking Industry in the United Kingdom and the changing and evolutionary trends is a book by Ronald Myles Fitzmaurice (1975) called ‘British banks and banking: A pictorial history’.In order to understand British banking history and how it dealt with crisis in the past, a book by William Frazer (2000) is used called as ‘Central Banking, Crises, and Global Economy’ which states that â€Å"Governments in crises should not be surprised, however, when aid and coordinated private-sector support packages are extended on condition that problem-causing traditions and practices be changed† (Frazer, 2000, p. 315). Along with that the news article by Steve Pain (2000) indicates the importance of customers in the generation of profits by the banks.Hence, the satisfaction of the customers is of utmost importance and therefore they need to be given special attention to. Their needs and requirements have to be identified in order to be in a better position to provide them with better service which is up to their mark. Some companies or banks even misuse their customers by getting them into trouble so that they force them into calling the call center as â€Å"BANKS and power companies have been accused of making big money out of customers who ring their call centers† (Poulter, 2005, p.6). Hence, there are all kinds of business running around the world and in order to have healthy business one needs to get rid of these unethical tactics. Data Analysis As mentioned above, the data collected through primary means as well as secondary means would be critically analyzed to ensure their importance in the research and to determine whether they are being utilized efficiently or not. However, due recognition would be given to any data that has been extracted from other sources and is not achieved via primary method.The entire data collected would not be used but only the important and highly relevant portions would be selected to gain knowledge from and cite in the original research. The data would relate to the original topic as to what are the criteria of the customers when choosing a Bank in the United Kingdom. Anticipated Limitations Despite the best of efforts there are certain limitations that would be faced by the people conducting the research which are as follows;†¢ Time Constraint: Although there my be a lot of time available but for the research of such magnitude there is no sufficient time as with new time new data arises which can be incorporated as well. So time acts as one of the constraints. †¢ Monetary Constraints: Due to th e status of being students, there are certain financial limitations that have to be abided by, hence acting as constraints as there is not a sufficient or unlimited flow of funds.†¢ Knowledge: Although a lot of background research would be done and plenty of material would be read to make this research as authentic as possible but still there is some knowledge that would be unattained. Hence, that unattained knowledge would act as a constraint for further depth in the research. †¢ Secondary Data: The presence of secondary data regarding the given topic is scarce and hence proper information of several fields cannot be gathered which is a constraint for the production of an excellent research. Ethical ConsiderationsThe first and the foremost consideration as per the ethical boundaries would be the due recognition of the material or data taken from other authors by books, articles and journals. If they are not acknowledged, it would be included as plagiarism rather than help from various outside sources. Apart from that, what needs to be taken care of is that none of the Banks or financial institutions is allegedly claimed for poor performance. In short, there should be no incorrect data; all the data should have a back support to it in order to provide the proof of its authenticity.One thing that is often ignored by the researchers is the pre-developed biasness or prejudice. A personal experience or a past knowledge may lead the researcher to have a pre-conceived notion regarding a certain factor. This makes the entire research to be less authentic as its starts to involve personal opinion rather than rational views. For instance, in this case the researcher might have had a bad past experience with a bank and may prolong that biasness into the research making it less objective.Hence, in order for the research to be carried out in an ethical manner, all these ethical concerns have to be taken into account. Otherwise all the effort done by the research er may result to be void. Conclusion The following research would be carried out with the Harvard style citation and the methodology would be ‘qualitative interpretive’ method. The primary sources of data would be the qualitative tools which include In-Depth Interviews, Surveys, Questionnaire and Focus group.The ethical constraints would be followed to make sure that the research is highly objective without the involvement of any plagiarism, incorrect information or personal biasness or prejudice. Hence, the research would follow all the pre-determined set patterns of following a research with a research theory and methodology. Although there are slight constraints which would act as a hurdle in the way but it would be made sure that it doesn’t have a drastic impact on the research.The hypothesis of the research would conclude as to what are the primary, secondary and involuntary (hidden) reasons for customers to choose a particular Bank in the United Kingdom. Bi bliography Jones, G. (1993). British Multinational Banking 1830-1990. Oxford University Press. ISBN 019820602X. Carnevali, F. (2005). Europe’s Advantage: Banks and Small Firms in Britain, France, Germany and Italy since 1918. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0199257396. Cook, V. (2006). Competing for Customers and Capital. South-Western Educational Pub. First Edition. ISBN-10: 0324405979.ISBN-13: 978-0324405972. United States of America. Crawfordsville. Weeks, J. R. (2003). Unpopular Culture: The Ritual of Complaint in a British Bank. University Of Chicago Press. ISBN-10: 0226878120. ISBN-13: 978-0226878126. United States of America. Fitzmaurice, R. M. (1975). British banks and banking: A pictorial history. Barton. ISBN-10: 0851531547. ISBN-13: 978-0851531540. Frazer, W. (2000). Central Banking, Crises, and Global Economy. Praeger Publishers. Westport, CT, London, United Kingdom. Pain, S. (2000). Customers Co-operate in Bank's Profits Boost. The Birmingham Post. 19.

Free Essays on SNCC And The Betrayal Of The Kennedy Administration

SNCC and the Betrayal of the Kennedy Administration By: Catherine A. Jenkins Thesis: Although the late former President Kennedy and his administration are recognize and commended for ‘aiding’ in the Civil Rights movement; there are a lot of black activist such as SNCC who look back with bitter feelings. Activist who are hesitant to use the word ‘aided’ when speaking of the Kennedy administration and the Civil Rights Movement. Introduction: To many Negroes who lived during the 1960’s and lived as well as breathed the Civil Rights Movement it was more than a historical time line of events. Events such as the student sit-ins (which gave rise to SNCC-student Non-violent Coordinating Committee), pray-ins, Freedom Rides, March on Washington’s famous â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech, Malcolm X’s assassination, Lowndes County Freedom Organization, King’s assassination, and the birth and fall of the black Panther Party. To the Negroes who were the movement this historical time line is as surface as the history of it taught in contemporary high schools. Where high school teachers, teach their students of three names and three associations to define the Civil Rights Movement as a struggle. These three names are Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Rosa Parks. The three associations are: â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech, the quote of Malcolm X’s philosophy, â€Å"By all means necess ary†, and the women who was too tired to give her seat up on a segregated bus. Now ask these students the contents of the, â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech and majority of them all will recite the same abstract. â€Å"I have a dream that one day my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.† If you ask the student for more than that they will almost always give you a perplexed expression or search and find no answer. If you ask a student the phi... Free Essays on SNCC And The Betrayal Of The Kennedy Administration Free Essays on SNCC And The Betrayal Of The Kennedy Administration SNCC and the Betrayal of the Kennedy Administration By: Catherine A. Jenkins Thesis: Although the late former President Kennedy and his administration are recognize and commended for ‘aiding’ in the Civil Rights movement; there are a lot of black activist such as SNCC who look back with bitter feelings. Activist who are hesitant to use the word ‘aided’ when speaking of the Kennedy administration and the Civil Rights Movement. Introduction: To many Negroes who lived during the 1960’s and lived as well as breathed the Civil Rights Movement it was more than a historical time line of events. Events such as the student sit-ins (which gave rise to SNCC-student Non-violent Coordinating Committee), pray-ins, Freedom Rides, March on Washington’s famous â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech, Malcolm X’s assassination, Lowndes County Freedom Organization, King’s assassination, and the birth and fall of the black Panther Party. To the Negroes who were the movement this historical time line is as surface as the history of it taught in contemporary high schools. Where high school teachers, teach their students of three names and three associations to define the Civil Rights Movement as a struggle. These three names are Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Rosa Parks. The three associations are: â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech, the quote of Malcolm X’s philosophy, â€Å"By all means necess ary†, and the women who was too tired to give her seat up on a segregated bus. Now ask these students the contents of the, â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech and majority of them all will recite the same abstract. â€Å"I have a dream that one day my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.† If you ask the student for more than that they will almost always give you a perplexed expression or search and find no answer. If you ask a student the phi...

Merger of Air France and KLM

Merger of Air France and KLM The airline industry is a capital-intensive industry that has stiff competition. Some of the avenues that airlines use to compete include convenience of flights, inflight comfort, capacity, and ticket prices (Inderwildi King, 2012). Stiff competition necessitates airlines to form collaborations to improve their profitability. National flag carriers are the major airlines that dominate the market.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on Merger of Air France and KLM specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The national carriers may use their vast resources to acquire small airlines. This reduces competition in the industry. KLM is a Dutch national carrier. On the other hand, Air France is a French national carrier. Problems that the two airlines faced necessitated the merger of the airlines. The merger would lead to the formation of Air France-KLM holding company. This would make Air France-KLM the largest airline in the world in t erms of revenue.  The European Union (EU) is a powerful body that can negotiate on behalf of its members. The EU has the right to enter into open-skies agreements with non-member states. In so doing, the EU ensures that it safeguards the interests of member states. Therefore, the EU plays a critical role in shaping the future of the airline industry. The EU kicked off negotiations with the US on behalf of the member states (Tagliabue, 2003).  It was vital for the merger of Air France and KLM to get the approval of the EU. The merger would lead to the formation of Air France-KLM holding company. However, the individual airlines would continue operating as independent companies to preserve their distinct identities (Tagliabue, 2003). The holding company would have three major operations. These included passengers, freight, and aircraft maintenance. The merger would be greatly beneficial to both airlines. The merger would lead to financial stability of the Air France, which was on the verge of bankruptcy in the mid-1990s. On the other hand, the merger would inject capital into KLM. The merger of Air France and KLM would lead to significant changes in the market. In the long-term, the merger would help in reducing the number of the carriers that compete in the European airline market. The merger would help in the formation of a small number of large carriers. This would make the European airline market resemble the American airline market, which has a small number of large airlines. American Airlines and United Airlines are the dominant players in the American airline industry (Ireland, Hoskisson Hitt, 2008) Focus of the large airlines on the long-haul routes would help in the growth of small airlines, which focus on short-haul flights. Growth of the short-haul flights would increase competition in the short-haul routes. This would put pressure on the traditionally high fares of European carriers.Advertising Looking for article on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, certain analysts believe that the merger would limit competition in the airline industry. According the analysts mergers of large airlines would lead to reduced capacity and higher ticket prices. In addition, large carriers may use their resources to push small airlines out of the market. Mergers should take into the consideration the interests of shareholders of the respective companies. Most mergers offer shareholders a premium price on their shares (Peng, 2011). Shareholders of KLM received 11 shares of the holding company for every 10 KLM shares. In addition, the shareholders had warrants of additional shares until 2008. On the other hand, shareholders of Air France received one share of the holding company for every Air France share. Therefore, the merger was more beneficial to the shareholders of KLM. This led to an increase of the price of KLM’s shares and a fall in the share price of Air France in the stock markets. The merger of Air France and KLM would lead to significant changes in the European airline industry. The merger threatened the position of the British Airways and Lufthansa, which were the two largest airlines in Europe. However, it was vital for both companies to formulate strategies that would enable them combine their strengths to improve their competitiveness (Ireland, Hoskisson Hitt, 2012). Otherwise, the merger would be ineffective. References Inderwildi, O. King, D. (2012). Energy, transport, the environment: Addressing the sustainable mobility paradigm. London: Springer. Ireland, R.D., Hoskisson, R.E. Hitt, M.A. (2008). Understanding business strategy: Concepts and cases. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning. Ireland, R.D., Hoskisson, R.E. Hitt, M.A. (2012). Strategic management cases: Competitiveness and globalization. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on Merger of Air France an d KLM specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Peng, M.W. (2011). Global business. Mason, OH: South Western Cengage. Tagliabue, J. (2003, October 1). Air France and KLM to merge, Europe’s no. 1 airline. The New York Times. Web.

How To Ramp Up Results Even When Your Industry Lags With Ted Horan

How To Ramp Up Results Even When Your Industry Lags With Ted Horan Different industries directly impact the marketing processes, tactics, and tools that prevent marketers from being productive, organized, and focused. Is your industry leading or lagging in marketing and technology consumption? Today’s guest is Ted Horan, vice president of marketing in eCommerce at RDO Equipment Company. Ted describes how the company overcomes makeshift marketing to be a leader in the construction and agriculture industry.   Candid Customer: What works and what doesn’t with tool Farmer to Founder: Ron Offutt’s entrepreneurial spirit for equipment business Evolution of Equipment Industry: Sales-heavy, outdated, one-man operation Catch up vs. Keep up: Create a digital presence to sell more and be relevant   Ultimate Goal: Become a strategic partner with those driving revenue every day Ever-changing Tech Environment: Rely on tools to react, pivot, and adapt Pop-up Projects: Prioritizing flow of ideas and fire drills depends on budget, resources, and capacity Qualifiers: Find tools to manage/optimize workflow in a way that makes sense Are you winning? Surround yourself with a strong team and necessary skill sets   Links:   RDO Equipment Company John Deere Vermeer Microsoft Teams Gartner for Marketers (formerly CEB) The Challenger Sale by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson The Challenger Customer by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson New Marketing Suite If you liked today’s show, please subscribe on iTunes to The Actionable Content Marketing Podcast! The podcast is also available on SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Quotes by Ted Horan: â€Å"Marketing has evolved out of necessity. When those commodity prices dipped, it created a perfect storm. In many industries, it exposed opportunities.†Ã‚   â€Å"These tools are only as important as the capacity we have to use them.† â€Å"There’s really no cookie-cutter tool that speaks to my team to the extent that it answers all our challenges and issues.† â€Å"You have to understand so much about today’s buyer and the journey they’re on to be successful. That is challenging.†

Insolvency Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Insolvency Law - Essay Example Contextually, in order to improve their image in front of the investors companies at times tend to adopt approaches which though considered negative in business but still they ensure better business performances. This aspect along with various other reasons like conflicts amid the management, a lack of proper communication in business, crisis in the business sector as well as improper controlling of the business activities further result in impacting the ability of business units to pay back the debt of their creditors and shareholders thereby affecting the performance and existence of the business up to a considerable extent2. This aspect in legal terms is considered as insolvency. In this particular context, the insolvency law regulates the companies who are not been able to pay their debt to the shareholders or creditors. It is directly implied to companies which are being formed under the Companies Act of 2006 in the UK. However, with the passage of time, the issue of insolvency has become more and more severe which further calls for the need of stern laws and principles3. Contextually, the Cork report will be vital to consider which has recommended certain principles to be implemented in the operations of companies that would be helpful in dealing with the issue of insolvency. This particular report will mainly highlight one of the recommended aims in paragraph 198 of the Cork report and depict its importance and need through critical analysis. As described above, the Cork report was formed with the intention to recommend certain principles that could be implemented in the operations of business units to assure a more profitable business operation further reducing the probability of insolvency of the business. The report came up with certain aims for improvement in the modern day insolvency law which in turn led to the formation of the Insolvency Act of 19864. In the report formed by Kenneth Cork, there were certain

Business peer review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business peer review - Essay Example The labeling is clear and the table of content is functional. This improves the quality of the report. The author attempts to justify the study. He provides an appropriate background information about the problem. This way, he succeeds in explaining the relevance of the report by outlining the nature of the problem. Do the author’s recommendations seem to follow from the information he or she has presented? Are the recommendations based on sound reasoning, and are they clearly written with the intended audience in mind? The recommendations are consistent with his research findings. They strive to resolve the problem he alludes to in the first paragraphs. This way, he maintains coherence to the topical issue and the problem he introduced in the first paragraph. The writing style is clear and concise thus making the report both cohesive and coherent. He uses simple yet descriptive language. This enhances the quality of the paper since it targets a wider

Lifespan Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Lifespan Development - Essay Example Leonie Sugarman (1986) adopts the term life-span development as she tackles life-span development psychology, contributing to the field of the life-span process. Prior to the onset of the fields of social sciences, particularly psychology and sociology, understanding the development of the life course was not a popular undertaking. Now that lifespan theorists have explained systematically that a person goes through an organized process of lifespan development, studies began emphasizing its importance. Perhaps, this importance is geared towards understanding the process of change and development that occur within the course of life, alongside understanding the whys and hows of this development. A common problem with the social sciences is the idea that since they deal with aspects of human life, they tackle what is supposed to be the obvious and the already known, and their tasks are simply an elaboration of these. They use different ways on how to present the stages of growth and decline, which is but a mere rehash of the obvious facts of life. This assertion may sound true, but upon studying the lifespan development concept, it will link us to the greater truth that alters our perception of the life course. The central thinking to this assertion is that through the lifespan studies, man's thinking is influenced by lifespan development, reflecting on his own life after looking at the lives of others and being knowledgeable of the processes that he or she goes through in his or her own life course. Lifespan development models were able to develop knowledge and ideas on different ages, gender, levels of ability, race, ethnic and cultural background. In understanding the imp act of human growth and development, it is necessary that one looks at his own life course development and appreciate the importance of the key events that shape him/her as a person. Critical Assessment of Life-Span Development Models A common problem in the social sciences is the idea that since they deal with aspects of human life they deal with what in a sense is 'already' known and that as a result they are simply the elaboration of the obvious. They may use fancy words and difficult concepts but basically, everyone knows that every individual is born, then develops in a variety of ways and then experiences a period of gradual but inevitable decline. There is some truth in this assertion but truth also in the opposite view that studying life span development does actually alter our perception of how humans and thus, our individual selves develop. The central argument then is that although it is difficult if not impossible to measure the precise extent to which our thinking may have been influenced by LSD studies it is not unreasonable to suggest that it has. In addition, it is suggested that the main way in which this influence works is by individuals reflecting on their own lives after looking at the lives o f others. Due to the onset of life-span development models, a significant importance is now given to the concept of self-esteem, needs, achievement, growth, change, development, and the like, which play a significant role in the life course. It must be noted however, that unlike Freudianism, whose emphasis is only on the issues of 'growth' period associated to childhood and

RELATIONSHIPS & CULTURE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

RELATIONSHIPS & CULTURE - Essay Example Cultural distance and differences are widely used constructs in making international business relating to expansion of foreign investments, entry mode choice, and performance of affiliates (Shenkar, 2001). Likewise, relationship marketing emphasises on customer retention and satisfaction instead of focusing dominantly on transactions and sales. It is said that an organisation needs to improve its level of competitiveness in a globalised market in order to survive the competition if not to dominate it, and marketing tactics help tremendously in achieving this endeavor. Literatures say that among these tactics is the employment of relationship marketing that aids the firm to market internationally its product or service. A firm's external operations entail an understanding of how cultural differences affect international marketing decisions. This understanding can be utilised in predicting strategic movements and responses of competitors and thus enables the firm to design effective competitive strategies. International sales negotiations are the primary focal point of this understanding (Tse, et al., 1988, p. 81). The internal conduct of multinational firms also needs knowledge of the impact of culture on marketing decisions. ... For organisations with diverse cultural backgrounds, the interpretation of cues for standard operating procedures may vary because of these cultural backgrounds, imploring the need to understand cultural differences in international marketing. Another reason as to why a good understanding of cultural differences is important in international marketing is because this knowledge of cultural influences permits the firms to adapt to such differences, enabling it to reduce the so called 'noisy communications" as well as eliminate errors in decision-making. These are said to occur likely out of lack of common understanding, which stems from lack of understanding of cultural differences (Montgomery and Weinberg, 1979 in Tse, et al., 1988, p. 81). It is already a given knowledge that in the past, especially prior to the globalised era, Western managerial culture dominated multinational firms. However, this trail has changed a long way as shown by the recent trends' increase in international trade and foreign direct investment of Asian multinational firms and North American subsidiaries that operate in Asian countries. This implies furtherance of salient understanding of cultural impact on an organisation's internal operations (Tse , et al., 1988). This emphasis on cultural differences is exemplified by the case of China's businesses, which experience isolation from contacts with international markets for many years. Thus, their marketing decision processes have relatively represented pure form of cultural influence on business behavior caused by cultural impacts. It is suggested that an Oriental business community with strong and continuous interaction with the Western businesses is what

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

Marketing case study - Essay Example The closing technique used by Frank was appropriate and suitable to the given situation because as he had made strong selling points, Abby showed certain objections and tentative questions (â€Å"Trial Close,† n.d.). It was also because Frank May wanted to steer the conversation in the right track, to know his real prospect (Paterson, 2006). When the time the customer had come up into a decision, the commitment had been obtained (â€Å"Closing techniques,† n.d.). The future close is a closing technique wherein the closing of the transaction could be in a future date, like â€Å"How much time to you need to think about it Abby? †¦ I know you can’t decide right now, what do you think?† Another method is adjournment close, which basically refers to the consideration of time being offered for the prospect to think, like â€Å"Being the senior purchasing director of Moor International, I know this decision is very relevant to you, I’ll give you time to consider about this. Can I count to it?† Conditional close is about giving conditions when objection occurred from the prospect in order to make a purchased of the product/service, like â€Å"The 50% I guess is only an estimation, if I can figure out the exact percentage of site that needs the scanner, will you choose our product?† A. Selling benefits not features – Frank’s performance was unsatisfactory for he was actually selling the features of the company and not the benefits the prospect can get. He said they had built the finest engineering staff over the past 5 years, what’s in it for Moore? He should refer on what the system can do for Moor because the expenditure can be justified by the benefits but not on the function. B. Using trial closes – The performance was good for he successfully performed the trial close technique with Abby. He responded on the objections and immediately closed the conversation. The good performance in using the trial close method made by Frank increased his performance. C.

Rise of fascism and communism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Rise of fascism and communism - Essay Example In many different ways, fascism and communism possessed quite a number of contradicting principles, but at long last they became authoritative political frameworks that were controlled by one person in charge (Merriman, 2010, Pg. 56). Communism was concerned with ensuring that there is equality in the economy, fascism is concerned with the magnificence of the nation and the power that depicted through conquest and violent behavior. Both political systems begun from Europe and gradually but steadily became popular during the early times of the 20th century. The countries that witnessed fascism were: Italy during the reign of Mussolini, Germany under the leadership of Hitler, Hungary between the years 1944 – 1945, Spain under the leadership of Franco and Romania between the year 1940 -1941 under the leadership of the Iron Guard. The start of this century witnessed a different form of the political environment in the nations of the West. The past century, the 19th century, had wi tnessed the industrial uprising substitute farming. This change was accompanied by dynamic changes in political, social, and shifts in the demography. People who were concentrated in rural areas seriously busy with agriculture whereby they grew crops and reared animals changed their lifestyles and migrated to urban centers and towns. In the urban centers, they got employment in the industries and factories. The industrial movement generated a lot of capital and consequently propagated cultural alienation and divisions among community members in regard to wealth. Some of the revolutions aiming at better living standards and improved working environments were witnessed in many countries. Many of these revolutions were initiated by leaders who pursued deep-seated visions on what the community should be (Merriman, John M, 2010, Pg. 45). In the year 1930, when fascism and communism arose in the Western countries, and the spreading out of the empires of Italy and Germany and the extension of the empire of Japan in Asia show the United States of America shift from isolationism policy to support local partners and protect democracy. The United States of America openly got involved in World War 2 immediately after Japan attacked the harbor of Pearl. The fascism of Europe, which started when Germany turned to Hitler who was an extremist, turned to be more powerful in the 1930s under the leadership of Benito Mussolini. Mussolini had the capability and ability to unite the country with a vision of gaining their territories they had lost. Communism had commenced rising during the time of Joseph Stalin when he succeeded the Soviet Communist. In the year 1939, under the governance of Joseph Stalin, the union of Soviet and Germany signed a deal of aggression. From this time, Germany did not fear of fighting. Communism and fascism were portrayed as a system of governance that was posing threats to democracy. Later on, Italy, Germany collaborated with Japan to form an alliance (Merriman, 2010, Pg. 63). Their empire was greatly expanded by the year 1941. Germany had attacked Poland and the same time Italy conquered Sudan, Egypt and the entire North of Africa. Japan succeeded in her conquest and expanded its territory into China. This revolution did not only create threats to democracy but also countries like Holland, United States of America, France and Britain were also threatened. At this particular point, the involvement of the United States

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

Marketing case study - Essay Example The closing technique used by Frank was appropriate and suitable to the given situation because as he had made strong selling points, Abby showed certain objections and tentative questions (â€Å"Trial Close,† n.d.). It was also because Frank May wanted to steer the conversation in the right track, to know his real prospect (Paterson, 2006). When the time the customer had come up into a decision, the commitment had been obtained (â€Å"Closing techniques,† n.d.). The future close is a closing technique wherein the closing of the transaction could be in a future date, like â€Å"How much time to you need to think about it Abby? †¦ I know you can’t decide right now, what do you think?† Another method is adjournment close, which basically refers to the consideration of time being offered for the prospect to think, like â€Å"Being the senior purchasing director of Moor International, I know this decision is very relevant to you, I’ll give you time to consider about this. Can I count to it?† Conditional close is about giving conditions when objection occurred from the prospect in order to make a purchased of the product/service, like â€Å"The 50% I guess is only an estimation, if I can figure out the exact percentage of site that needs the scanner, will you choose our product?† A. Selling benefits not features – Frank’s performance was unsatisfactory for he was actually selling the features of the company and not the benefits the prospect can get. He said they had built the finest engineering staff over the past 5 years, what’s in it for Moore? He should refer on what the system can do for Moor because the expenditure can be justified by the benefits but not on the function. B. Using trial closes – The performance was good for he successfully performed the trial close technique with Abby. He responded on the objections and immediately closed the conversation. The good performance in using the trial close method made by Frank increased his performance. C.

Skills and Characteristics of Mental Health Human Service Workers Essay Example for Free

Skills and Characteristics of Mental Health Human Service Workers Essay Skills and Characteristics of Mental Health Human Service Workers Human service workers are people who are chosen to work with people. Human service workers help clients become more self-sufficient. The workers are there to help what issues the client is currently experiencing to be handled with some ease. Human services workers evaluate and plan, put the plan into action, and provide emotional support (Moffat, 2011). These workers help in the mental health care because they allow the person to become a part of their treatment and believe that someone is on his or her side. Human service workers work in many capacities in the mental health care system and other agencies. They have to meet clients at the level in which they understand and operate. They not only help the client, but also help bridge family input to help the client adjust. Human service workers become vital in the recovery process. Human Service Workers in the Mental Health Service are social workers who strive to make better options for their clients. They help the client obtain the treatment they require and in some instances if family connections are needed they help restore him or her. Human service workers become a part of a client’s life until he or she can enter mainstream America and survive on his or her own. Surviving on their own may not always be an option and the assistance of other agencies, families, and workers are vital to the clients survival. The human services worker is like a life coach to the client. Each session has to provide them with a life skill and an assignment for them to complete. This is part of the recovery process because there is an ending to this process. It is done in stages, and it is a lesson learned every time. The human services worker becomes a part of the client’s life but must recognize that once the session ends he or she progresses on to the next client and assist them with their concerns. The client has to know that in that moment that he or she matter. Personal characteristics of people differ for those of a career in human services. Human service workers have to understand that a career in this field is a calling and not a choice. To work with people and make them feel as if they matter is a calling and not something they choose to be good at. Human service workers have to be personal, friendly, willing to go the extra mile, and fight on behalf of the client. The person has to relate to people and understand his or her level to understand. The characteristics that I feel are most important are able to meet people on their level and know that sometimes you have to change your manner of speech. Empathy is a characteristic is useful in being a human services and one that I do not show very often. I have sympathy, but empathy is something that I personally have to work on. In addition to the empathy leadership is a characteristic and the most important is communication. You must be able to communicate with the client, your peers, and other agencies to complete your task of helping your client. Empowerment would be a huge characteristic as well. This will give you a feeling of being able to do what needs to be done within your scope of available resources. This makes human service workers effective in the jobs they do and meeting the needs of the clients they assist. I know you must separate your personal feelings from your professional feelings. An effective worker knows how to separate them and make sure that the lines do not cross. Human service workers are needed to help with facilitating the assistance that some clients need and without their help agencies would not be able to be effective. Human service workers have a definite position and the must also exhibit certain characteristics that make them worthy of the position they hold as well as the work they do. The thought process for human services can occur in different manners. Most agencies that provide human services are nonprofit. One of the largest nonprofit organizations that help in human services is the church. They may not provide mental services but the do provide assistance and are also able to direct individuals as well as families to other agencies that may also offer assistance. The church in its capacity may provide living arrangements, food vouchers, or even some travel expenses. The church will help those in the community it is in or the members who attend. The church I am most familiar with is my church. The church has a benevolent committee that assists members as well as others in the community. If there is a need the church tries to fulfill that need. Our benevolent committee will meet with the person who has a need, such as paying their electrical bill. The person needs to provide a copy of his or her electrical bill for review. They also have rules and guidelines as well and one rule is that you cannot request the assistance of the committee but one-time within a 90 day time frame. Special circumstances occur in agencies whether private or public services and will be dealt with on a case by case basis. Example of how services are provided. A family had come to the area, and they were struggling. The husband was the only one working at a minimum wage job, the wife was pregnant, and he and she were about to be evicted from his and her apartment. The attended church but no one knew his and her struggle. Upon learning in their struggle it was learned that they did not have a fully furnished apartment. Our benevolent committee was notified of this and went into effect. They assisted in getting the apartment rent current, paid the electrical bill, and other necessities bills that were not current. The family was then taken to the grocery store and other cleaning supplies. The church family, which was not a part of the benevolent committee but saw the need went into effect and donated furnishings to the family, which included living room furniture, dining room furniture, and bedroom furniture. These items were much needed and the family truly appreciated them and as things occur when you believe in a higher power the husband was offered employment that allowed him to leave his minimum wage job. The services of the church as a nonprofit human services advocate shows that help is available. Mental Health Services are most commonly linked to human service workers. Mental Health Services can be a good option to some, and it can also follow under corrupt actions by family members who abuse the assistance offered. The good is offered by mental health services and the human service workers who work on their behalf is funded by the states. Human service workers who work for the state and help families apply for services and funds that are available for their way of living. The state funded agencies will allow clients to have housing at a reduced amount as well as qualify for Medicaid, food stamps, and a government checks. These checks give the client a level of freedom and a normalcy to living. Social Security Disability (SSI or SSDI) is offered to families whether they are children or adults. Not everyone qualifies for these benefits, but it is the job of the human services worker to help with filing for these services and the individual to supply the worker with the information needed to ensure services are provided. I know of a child who was born prematurely, and she was able to obtain SSI benefits due to her being born before the mothers estimated due date. This provided the mother the option to purchase items needed for the child. The above is the good that comes from receiving SSI. There are some corrupt individuals who receive disability checks. I say corrupt because the person who helps oversee the individuals that receive the checks does not use them in the manner in which who are supposed to. The human service worker does not have any control over the individuals and who they designate as his or her caretaker. I know of a family in which they receive five SSI checks in their household. However, the person designated as the caretaker does not take care of the individuals who receive the checks. Their household bills are never current and they never have enough to make ends meet until the end of the month. However the caretaker does just enough to keep the family a float and uses the majority to take care of her family. For example the family in which the five checks are disbursed to have had to move from a three bedroom home to a two bedroom home because they were evicted. The eviction did not come due to the monies not being available, but because the monies were not used to pay rent. The family runs the risk of their utilities disconnected every month as well as the cable television services. The family also receives food stamps, but whenever you visit the family they are always hungry. The amazing thing in this is that the caretaker was recently able to have two new cars added to her household that require a monthly payment yet the caretaker is not willing to provide any transportation services for the individuals who receive the disability checks. This issue is a common known issue among the family yet when the other family members approach her she rejects this information. Adult protective services have been contacted and visits have been made to the house. The caretaker however is always able to pull off a well taken care home. The case manager assigned to the family cannot make any changes to the way the house is run because the person whose name appears on the check is within her sound mind. The effects this type of behavior has on the human services worker is that they work so hard to obtain services for the individuals, and the services are not being disbursed properly. The human services must make sure that in their evaluation they take into consideration the needs of the client and that the needs are being met. Human services workers can be seen as saints in the eyes of some clients and the devil in eyes of others. Human service workers must have the insight to determine legitimate cases yet it is not totally up to their discernments. Human services workers require some type of documentation to support their finding. The findings can be related to mental health services, medical services, and household services. The services have to be justified because many of these services are provided by nonprofit agencies. Everyone wants to feel as if they matter. I believe the goal and the priority of the human service worker. The client has issues or he or she would not have been looking for the help. The skills that the human service worker passes on to the client are useful and become useful to the client. The client begins to gain some self-respect and self-esteem about themselves. They start approaching life differently.

Foundations of Politics

Foundations of Politics Foundations of Politics Sarah Quicke How many faces of power do Political scientists need to take into account when carrying out their research? In this essay I will show that there are three faces of power which political scientists need to take into account when carrying out their research. The first face of power is the classical pluralist view of power, presented by Dahl, the second ‘decision making face of power by neo-elitists Bachrach and Baratz, and the third face, the ‘radical view of power by Steven Lukes. The second and third faces of power can be argued to be building upon the faces of power before them. Each face of power gets progressively more complex, and harder to measure and quantify. Therefore, political scientists need to take into account all three faces of power, but bearing in mind that the first face of power is often considered too simplistic, and the third face of power is hard to measure. A common description of power, is how one person, or group of people, ‘affect others, meaning they have influence over the others. However, Morriss argues that â€Å"power is not concerned at all with affecting, though ‘influence is. ‘Power is concerned with effecting, which is a very different idea.† (Morriss, 1987: p. 29). If A has an affect on B, it alters B. If A effects B, it is the cause of the alteration to B. Therefore political scientists need to make as clear a distinction as possible between power and influence, and thus an ‘effect or ‘affect, because there are subtle, but nonetheless, important differences. The faces of power debate, starts with the first face of power, sometimes called the ‘decision making phase by Robert Dahl. â€Å"Thus, for Dahl [power is when]†¦A has power over B to the extent that she can ‘get B to do something that B wouldnt otherwise do†¦where there is an overt conflict of interests.â₠¬  (Hay, 2002: p.172). Essentially, this is about As power to change the decision of B. The conflict of interests mentioned here is an important point underlying this theory. Dahl assumes that B has perfect knowledge that her changed behaviour is against her own interests. In other words, B does not want to change her behaviour and knows it is not good for her, but there is more of an incentive to act as A wishes. This idea of power can be liked to â€Å"physical or mechanical power, in that it implies that power involves being ‘pulled or pushed against ones will† (Haywood, 1994: p.126). Therefore in the example mentioned above, Bs lack of power is matched by As power. As in the subject of physics, where there is a force acting in one direction, there is a counter force acting in the opposing direction. As Colin Hay says: â€Å"power is unproductive or zero sum -some gain only to the extent that others lose out.† (Hay, 2002: p.173) This can be more clearly under stood by the following example: If a brother and a sister are arguing over which programme to watch on television, and unless the sister agrees to let the brother watch what he wants, the brother will take away the remote control. Therefore, it can be argued that the brother is exerting power over the sister. If, however, the sister did not know that her favourite programme was on today, and therefore did not want to watch the television, then the brother would not have to exert any form of power over his sister because there is no conflict of interests (Hay, 2002: p 173) This type of power, although simplistic, is still important for political scientists, as it is overt and it is easy to detect as the actors involved can readily be identified. Robert Dahl found an example of this form of power in a study carried on in New Haven, Connecticut in the USA, which is described in his work, ‘Who Governs? (1963). In this study, Dahl found â€Å"a wide disparity between the influence exerted by the politically privileged and economically powerful†¦[in contrast with] ordinary citizens.† (Haywood, 1994: p.125). This face of power has faced much criticism, because only deals with the decision-making, after the agenda has been set. As in the case of New Haven, the distribution of power is not as clear-cut as Dahl has suggested. Dahl found significant differences in the amount of power two groups of society had, however, the scope of the power each group has may only be very small. In an article published in response to Dahls findings, G. William Domhoff says: â€Å"Dahl emphasized that there were indeed inequalities in New Haven. However, they were dispersed inequalities, (Dahl, 1961, pp. 91-93) meaning that no one group had all of the different types of resources.†(Google scholar, 2005) For example, the economically powerful Dahl mentions in his study, may only have influence over business related policies, and therefore little or no influence over other policies and resources. This means in the context of the state, it is about what the government do, for example, changes in taxation, interest rates, and the introduction of new laws. At a basic level the second face of power is concerned with how groups in society have influence over the agenda for the decision-making. These groups have an indirect but nonetheless, important role in the final decision made. Bachrach and Baratz have said power can be utilised when â€Å"A devotes his energies to creating or reinforcing social and political values†¦that limit the scope of the political process to public consideration of only those issues which are comparatively innocuous to A† (Google scholar), 1994, p: 948). This is an important point for political scientists to take into account, because it makes significant progress from Dahls behavioural relationship in the first face of power. In this case, groups such as businesses, aristocracy and the very wealthy, say for example in a small community, may have power to prevent certain decisions from being discussed at all, because they have influenced the agenda. For example, if a business were dumping waste ma terials in a nearby river, it would be against their interests if stopping water pollution were added to the agenda. Therefore, the business may suggest other topics to add to the agenda or persuade others not to add to this to the agenda. This also leads on to the point that Andrew Haywood makes about how the ‘form of power has changed in the second face. Haywood argues that Dahls one-dimensional view of power â€Å"ignores the extent to which power is a possession, reflected perhaps in wealth, political position, social status and so forth† (Haywood, 1994: p.126). By possession it is implied that power is already ‘owned by these groups and thus can be used at a time and place of their choosing. This means that these groups only have to intervene in the agenda setting when they have a personal interest in the matter. Bachrach and Baratzs idea of power builds on that of Dahls incorporating the visible power that can be seen by the public on the decisions being made, but also power that is not visible to the public. Bachrach and Baratz imply that there is a distinction between the formality of the decision making process, and an informality of the non-decision or agenda setting process. As discussed above, the decision making process is a relatively overt one. In contrast, the agents in the agenda setting process are less identifiable, because the number of agents who have influence over the agenda setting process has increased. For example, if A has power over B and B has power over C and C is involved in the agenda setting process, then it is fair to say that C has been influenced by A and B. Therefore, this is important to political scientists because they need to be able to identify who has exercised power, in order to analyse who has had the biggest influence in the agenda setting. As well as identifying who has power, they would need to take in to account the relative amounts of power involved groups have. If, in the example above, A only has a small amount of influence over B but B has a large influence over C then the distribution of power is uneven. It may appear that B has had a significant influence over C, but actually it is A who has had the most influence. Situations like this one would be difficult for political scientists to analyse. Although Bachrach and Baratz have made a significant advance on Dahls one-dimensional view of power, the main criticism made against them is that they still have not acknowledged that power relationships may exist covertly. Their theory is based (in much the same way as Dahls) on the assumption of visible power relationships. Both the first and second face of power fail to recognise that power may be exercised by manipulation and persuasion. The first and second faces of power both assume that individuals and groups act rationally, but Steven Lukes, in his theory of the third face of power or ‘the radical view of power, argues that this is impossible and against human nature. As Colin Hay explains: In expanding the notion of power to include preference shaping, [Lukes] is forced to draw the distinction between subjective or perceived interests on the one hand, and actual or ‘real interests on the other, suggesting that where power is exercised it involves the subversion of the latter. (2002, p.180). Perceived interests are what we know to be our real interests, which are influenced or ‘shaped by the world around us, the people in our lives and the way we have been brought up, as well as the media. The crucial point here is that we believed our perceived interests to be our real interests, because we are not able to determine what our real interests are. Real interests are â€Å"what [people] would want and prefer were they able to make the choice† (Hay, 2002, p.180). This is a rational idea because it is suggesting that people are living in a blinkered world, and are not fully aware of what their actual preferences and interests are. The difference between perceived and real interest is where power can be exercised. For example if A can get B to do x by persuading B that x is in Bs perceived interests, where B does not know that doing x is actually against Bs real interests then this an example of a power relationship. Both Hay and Haywood would say that B is exhibi ting ‘false consciousness. Colin Hay argues against Lukes theory, saying that the condition of real interests is impossible as it relies on perfect knowledge which is impossible to acquire in the real world: â€Å"There is nothing objective about the process by which one ascertains ones genuine interests, since ones objective interests are ones perceived interests under the conditions of complete information.† (Hay, 2002, p.182). Lukes idea of complete information argues that people should have full understanding of the world around them and what was best for them. This means that these people would not be influenced or persuaded because they will be able to make a distinction between real interests and the perceived interests that are thrust upon them. Put in the simplest terms, Lukes is suggesting that we dont know what is really best for us; we have a blinkered view of the world and our interests. This is an obvious criticism, as it is impossible to prove or quantify objective and real interests, and if there is any such difference between them. It is unrealistic to suggest that anyone can exist under conditions of perfect knowledge, because this would mean acquiring full knowledge of everything in the world. Also the idea that people are living under the term (which both Hay and Haywood frequently use) called ‘false consciousness. This is indeed a radical one, as it is suggesting that people are incapable of making rational judgements for themselves. People may take offensively to this view as they may understand Lukes to mean that they are ‘stupid because they cannot determine their real interests. To conclude, all three faces of power are significant and each bring something different to the debate surrounding power. However, the third face of power is the most important for political scientists to take into account because it is the most realistic, and is the most all-encompassing form of power. It is easy think of an example of this form of power in our everyday lives. However, it is difficult for political scientists to measure and quantify what groups in society have power and power distribution. Due to the nature of the third face of power, it is likely that political scientists may disagree over such issues as real and perceived interests because political scientists may have been ‘brought up on different political assumptions and points of view. Bibliography: Bachrach, B Barats, M. S, (1994) Two faces of Power, American Political Science Review (Routledge) Domhoff, G W, (2005) Who Rules America: Who really rules in Dahls New Haven? Full address: http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/new_haven.html Hay, C (ed.) (2002) Political Analysis A Critical Introduction (Palgrave Macmillan) Haywood, A (1994) Political Ideas And Concepts (Bedford) Lukes, S (1974) Power: A radical View, Macmillan Press. http://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=enlr=id=zYuPgt4AJysCoi=fndpg=PA296dq=steven+lukes+power+a+radical+viewots=rtYtry_yv1sig=GYzVxQlnHFJOdcva4UOSEyoPhEM#PPA296,M1 Morriss, P, (1987), Power: A philosophical Analysis (Manchester University Press)

Societal Views on Sports and Gender Essays -- Health Fitness

Societal Views on Sports and Gender Sports have become a major part of American culture and society. It is ingrained in us as a small child that playing a sport is almost necessary. In elementary school we take physical education where we are exposed to competitive sport. But even at this level it is our genders that control which types of sports are deemed "appropriate." Since women started to become involved in sports, there have always been those who have opposed them being there. We saw an example of this in the movie Girl Fight. By allowing a woman to partake in a sport, in this case boxing, that is typically viewed as male oriented in caused society to alter its views. This created many problems though. People do not want to see woman is a fighting role. It is thought to be unladylike and too rough. Because fighting is masculine, seeing a woman in that role changes gender roles in her community. Though it is clear that the Diana can handle herself in this movie. Her culture and society does not want to see her in a strong way. She faces many obstacles in order to show that she does belong where she is. In this movie she is victorious because it is her skills and determination that win out in the end, not her gender. Both in Girl Fight and in Pumping Iron 2 the question of what is feminine and what should a woman look and act like is brought up. In Girl Fight, the idea of a female boxer is deemed not feminine. Diana is told that she is wrong for being interested in male sports. Also, her sexuality is questioned. People call her a dyke and other derogatory terms because they do not believe that she could possibly be a "normal girl". By questioning her sexuality they are saying too her that she is not allowed to be ... ...g to their sexuality. Even though the football team is horrible and the cheerleaders are national champions. It is the fact that these male cheerleaders are involved in a feminine sport that makes them subject to ridicule. There are positive things that can happen as a result of people playing sports not traditionally thought to be okay for their gender though. By having people in these roles it breaks down barriers between men and women in society. There are always going to be those that resist this, but in general people become more excepting of one another. At least that is the hope. Diana, Bev, and the others were either portraying or being, in Bev's case, pioneers in their sports field. But the fact that they got to compete at all shows us that our society has come a long way. Yet, the obstacles that they faced, shows us that we still have a long way to go. Societal Views on Sports and Gender Essays -- Health Fitness Societal Views on Sports and Gender Sports have become a major part of American culture and society. It is ingrained in us as a small child that playing a sport is almost necessary. In elementary school we take physical education where we are exposed to competitive sport. But even at this level it is our genders that control which types of sports are deemed "appropriate." Since women started to become involved in sports, there have always been those who have opposed them being there. We saw an example of this in the movie Girl Fight. By allowing a woman to partake in a sport, in this case boxing, that is typically viewed as male oriented in caused society to alter its views. This created many problems though. People do not want to see woman is a fighting role. It is thought to be unladylike and too rough. Because fighting is masculine, seeing a woman in that role changes gender roles in her community. Though it is clear that the Diana can handle herself in this movie. Her culture and society does not want to see her in a strong way. She faces many obstacles in order to show that she does belong where she is. In this movie she is victorious because it is her skills and determination that win out in the end, not her gender. Both in Girl Fight and in Pumping Iron 2 the question of what is feminine and what should a woman look and act like is brought up. In Girl Fight, the idea of a female boxer is deemed not feminine. Diana is told that she is wrong for being interested in male sports. Also, her sexuality is questioned. People call her a dyke and other derogatory terms because they do not believe that she could possibly be a "normal girl". By questioning her sexuality they are saying too her that she is not allowed to be ... ...g to their sexuality. Even though the football team is horrible and the cheerleaders are national champions. It is the fact that these male cheerleaders are involved in a feminine sport that makes them subject to ridicule. There are positive things that can happen as a result of people playing sports not traditionally thought to be okay for their gender though. By having people in these roles it breaks down barriers between men and women in society. There are always going to be those that resist this, but in general people become more excepting of one another. At least that is the hope. Diana, Bev, and the others were either portraying or being, in Bev's case, pioneers in their sports field. But the fact that they got to compete at all shows us that our society has come a long way. Yet, the obstacles that they faced, shows us that we still have a long way to go.