Impact of Mass Media Essay

Enculturation has undeniably been influenced by mass media. Meanwhile, enculturation is defined as â€Å"the gradual acceptance by a person or group of the standards and practices of another person or culture† (MSN Encarta Encyclopedia Online, 2009). Mass media, on the other hand, is the â€Å"technological means of sending information, ideas, opinion, etc. through the mass commuinication device to a diverse audience† (National Institute of Open Schooling, 2009). In changing and molding the culture, mass media has become an essential factor. Due to the important influence of mass media in enculturation, both has inevitably become inseparable. Through mass media, communication and information dissemination has become more effective and swift. The information about one country is immediately transmitted to another place which will eventually influence that place. The influence of mass media, however, can be good or bad to young people. For example, the young people has also been assaulted with a series of conflicting messages that has relation to human decency, respect for others, and peaceful co-existence in one place through the power of mass media (Deci and Ryan). It is also noteworthy that an artist can easily influence the culture of young people through the power of mass media. Britney Spears, for example, has been an icon in some other parts of the world. Her styles and songs were inculcated in the minds of young people and made others emulate her entirely. Furthermore, the impact on enculturation by the mass media have become stronger because of the techological innovations like the internet. People from other parts of the world has come to understand the lifestyles of others. It has effectively eliminated physical, philosophical, religious, and political boundaries among nations. It can be noted that during the 9/11 attack, the world’s view about terrorists and terrorism have changed. Ramarkably, peaceful talks has also been possible among nations having different religious beliefs and government. Hence, mass media has been an effective means in shaping one’s own culture and the acceptance of other people’s culture.

Enforcing Racial Discrimination Essay

The series of photographs documented by the Farm Security Administration of the Office of War Information photographers were taken between 1937 and 1943, presumably during the years the unit was in operation. These photographers were tasked to document various manifestations of change and continuity in the prevalent American life, and this resulted in a vivid collection of images that particularly focused on the practice of racial segregation. Curiously, while the photographers were not officially acknowledged to have been directed to document specific scenes, the prints produced exhibited a skew toward signs that indicate racial discrimination and segregation (LOC 2004). Among the thirty-one photos included in the series, all depict signs situated in a number of locations such as bus and train stations, restaurants, cafes, bars, movie theaters, stores, and billiard halls. These signs also collectively show the use of words such as â€Å"colored† and â€Å"white’, which clearly validate the existence of segregation between Caucasian Americans and individuals of ethnic origins such as blacks and Indians. True to the era during which they were photographed, the environment and people incidentally present in each picture appear in authentic manners of architecture and fashion. II. Racial Segregation in America The issue on race and discrimination in America can be famously traced centuries back, with the history of Africans being brought into the country as slaves. Though this deplorable condition had been corrected by the gains of the Civil War, thus granting freedom to blacks. However, the occurrence of the Great Depression in the 1920s brought back situations identical to those experienced by African-Americans previously, as the country was beset by the chaos produced by the lack of jobs and sources of income. In 1932, most blacks found themselves without work, and there was increasing pressure from whites to have blacks fired from any job that they believed should be assigned to unemployed whites. Numerous forms of racial violence again ensued, particularly in the South, during the 1930s (LOC 2002). The legal foundation of racial segregation was the Jim Crow laws, which were imposed in the 1860s mainly in railroad cars, and continued to be enforced throughout the decades until the 1960s (McElrath 2008). The effects of segregation on typical American life and society were apparently significant enough to create scenes extraordinary enough to tell their own stories through photographs, which were precisely what the Farm Security collection achieved. III. Beyond the Signs: Marking the Lines of Race The objective of the Farm Security photographs had been to depict regular American life, yet it is clear how the typicality of the images at the time does not lend itself in the same nature today. There is a point of discussion in the deliberate move to show not just groups of whites and ethnic people, but the centering on the signs that limit freedom, that erase the function of choice. The study of signs, known as semiotics, provides the connection between the audience, interpreter, and the sign itself (Littlejohn 2008). The photos, with their studied involvement of the actual sign, venue, and individuals, already form the three-part process; the blacks are the audience and the photographer is the interpreter, within the space covered by the sign. This shows how the photographers aimed to convey a reality, a system that used semiotics as a way to impose discrimination. This they had done with not just a bit of participation on their end, quite like the way Coles (1997) appropriated documentary work with the linking of lives with the subject. The same logic is utilized by Gripsrud (in Gillespie and Toynbee 2006), when he classified a photographer’s work as indexical—the identifying of a specific aspect of a subject—and therefore lends to much subjectivity. IV. Showing Signs of Racial Conflict to an Audience While the audience of the signs were the blacks—and whites, depending on the sign and situation—the photos’ audience are people who would benefit from knowledge of a different period, as was the arguable objective of the Farm Security photographers in documenting change and continuity in American life. Mainly, the photos were for research and evaluation, whether or not the audience would find them appalling or give them their approval. It may be possible that some of those who comprise the audience are people who have lived through the same era, making them mere confirmations of what they already know; but the more relevant audience would be the uninformed, who would find new insight into American society and its management of racial issues in the late 1930s and early 40s. V. Appropriation of Technique and Style in Communicating Racism The black-and-white photography is already significant on its own, referring to the subjects as well; seeing words on the signs captured in the photographs deals a double blow—‘black’, or ‘colored’, and ‘white’ signs in black-and-white photos. The photographers simply captured the signs as they were, specially for those in venues without people milling around, but there were also photos that provided degrees of humanity and emotion. One of the most striking is a photo of a bar showing whites having beer, a sign on the wall above them that says â€Å"Positively no beer sold to Indians†. Though Indians are known for their penchant for alcohol, it is disturbing one clear sign can show how this ethnic group is singled out and discriminated against—an error of generalization. The white people in the photo appear serious and quite professional, which indicates how the sign should not be misconstrued as a joke. Other photos in the collection, though showing signs and places rather than people as subjects, reveal the increasing culture of urbanization—shown by the railroads, buses, and stores where the signs are found. Urbanization, being common ground for both blacks and whites, necessitates signs; these indicate white control over society and economy, and the intent to keep ‘colored’ people away from this power. Works Cited Primary Source: Library of Congress. â€Å"Photographs of Signs Enforcing Racial Discrimination: Documentation by Farm Security Administration-Office of War Information Photographers†. Prints & Photographs Reading Room. April 30, 2004. Secondary Sources: Coles, Robert. â€Å"The Tradition: Fact and Fiction†. Doing Documentary Work. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997. Gripsrud, Jostein. â€Å"Semiotics: signs, codes and cultures†. In Gillespie, Marie and Jason Toynbee. Analysing Media Texts. Berkshire: Open University Press, 2006. Library of Congress. â€Å"Great Depression and World War II, 1929-1945: Race Relations in the 1930s and 1940s†. 2002. McElrath, Jessica. â€Å"Creation of Jim Crow South: Segregation in the South†. About. com. 2008.

A Tree, A Rock, A Cloud by Carson McCuller

A Tree, A Rock, A Cloud by Carson McCuller Philosophy of the modernism and postmodernism period takes twists and turns at every chance it can. As the world begins to change at a speed previously unseen, people all over the world are confused and scared of what might come next. Though today writers have taken to the internet to show the world their ideas, writers during these periods expressed the emotions human beings felt through many different genres of literature. First a man must help those around him but then the philosophy shifts to a man must help himself to gain meaning in this life. As each man struggles to find a place for himself in the world, each man is also subject to the actions of others. So each man is a master of his own destiny but yet he is also a slave to the whims of others. This knowledge scares men, women and children all over the world. Yet human beings continue to find themselves among the fear. We all find meaning for ourselves yet sometimes questions arise after we find the meaning which defines o ur life. Some questions being: Is this the meaning I wasted my time on? Is this worth all the time I spent alone? In â€Å"A Tree, A Rock, A Cloud† by Carson McCullers these questions pop out to me after reading the tramp’s so called â€Å"science of love†. The tramp in the story had his heart broken by a woman so severely he believed he could never love again. While the philosophy of love today would suggest otherwise, the tramp wandered the country in isolation, searching for his lost love and searching for love itself. He believes he has discovered the science of love, his own personal philosophy he uses to define his life in the world. He never finds the woman he held to be so dear nor does he find another woman he loves as much as her even after he develops his â€Å"science of love†. The disillusionment the tramp faces after losing his first love tears down the natural beauty of what love really is. Natural not scientific I should say. Science can t ell many things and uncover many truths but one thing science has no power over is the ability we have to love freely. This I believe the tramp fails to understand. The tramp tried to fragment love. That’s like trying to tear Mount Everest apart with a rubber mallet. It can’t be done. Nor can you apply logic to love. You cannot apply logic to something that contradicts itself as much as love does. Yet the tramp did not realize this as he tried to break down love. The tramp tells the boy he speaks to â€Å"I meditated on love and reasoned it out†. All he reasoned out was how to believe he loved something or someone. He believed love was only one love. According to his â€Å"science† you could love a rock as easily and as deeply as you loved a woman or your child. This is not the case as most would agree. I myself have never loved my iPod or my car as much as I have loved my girlfriends or my family. The tramp failed to realize many things but chief among t hem was that love comes not from what others can give you to make you happy but rather love exists when your desire to make another happy match’s your own desire to make yourself happy. An inanimate object could never return the love that men chase, so this science of love is base on false beliefs.

Intolerance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Intolerance - Essay Example In this study we’re going to examine the concept of intolerance in the different areas of our lives and try to find suitable solutions to these problems. 1. Give a summary (including citations) of the two articles you selected and include   information on how the events in the articles show intolerance toward a group or   individual. Who are the minority and majority groups in this article? (min.1 pg- max 2   pgs for each article)   Article 1 â€Å"Crossing the Limits of Tolerance† (Newspaper article, Nov. 16th 2008) speaks of intolerance among people of different ethnic cultures. The majority groups in this case are people from the well developed countries who were very affluent and well educated. The minority groups in this case would be the people belonging to developing of underdeveloped countries and who are not so well educated and have a much lesser socio- economic background. This article sheds light on how people in ancient times exhibited great intoler ance due to insecurity involving territorial rights and their basic existence. However, when civilizations developed and progressed and Science made great advancement, man gained better insight and sophistication which led to a higher sense of security, thereby leading to greater tolerance and better harmony. However, in contemporary society, the scales have tipped once again towards intolerance, for the fact that great strides have been made in the field of technological advancement. People of affluent countries have discovered that they have power to gain control over the groups of have -nots by making use of such technology. It is due to such intolerance towards others that fear -mongering and insecurity have become the norm of today. Article 2 â€Å"For some Observers, History repeating itself† by Michael E. Ross, msnbc reporter, sheds light on the hate groups in the United States. The Southern Poverty Law Center, a legal defense organization for civil rights quotes the n umber of active hate groups to be 762. Intolerance towards different ethnic groups was the root cause for the formation of such hate groups. The organization monitored the emergence and progress of these groups and found that a leading Internet site called the ‘Stormfront Forum’ which was initially run by the previous leader of the Ku Klux Klan had a membership of 46, 300 and marketed ‘white supremacy’ to the masses through leaflets and billboards. Ethnic intolerance and racism was the fulcrum around which these hate groups operated. 2. Make a comparison between the two articles you selected and „Us and Them?. Cite   specific examples from both the articles and the articles in „Us and Them? and show how   they are similar and/or different. (min.1 pg- max 2 pgs)   Article 1 and 2 both deal with intolerance but each of a different kind. Article 1 speaks of intolerance of well educated and affluent societies towards groups and societies with a poor socio- economic background. It also sheds light on the power that is wielded by the affluent societies and directed towards the lesser developed countries who are no match for them. In comparison to the first article, the second article speaks of intolerance towards other ethnic groups by advocating hate towards them. ‘Us and Them’ by David Berreby is an invaluable and groundbreaking work that sheds light on our behavior and says how it comes in the way

Accounting and Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Accounting and Finance - Essay Example Accounting and finance plays a crucial role in the modern era which is also observed to be strongly business centric. As accepted by majority of the experts, accounting and finance have been into operations since ages. As accepted by majority of the experts, accounting and finance have been into operations since ages. With a continuous development of the mankind and human civilisation the implication of accounting and its importance also have changed to a considerable amount. As stated by Elliott & Elliott (2007), â€Å"Accountants are communicators. Accountancy is the art of communicating financial information about a business entity to users such as shareholders and managers.† This statement provides a brief reflection of the role played by accountants and the implication of accountancy in the modern day phenomenon. Hereby, the paper intends to critically evaluate the statement with due consideration to the modern day perspective of accountancy. The discussion of the paper w ill initially aim at analysing the role of accountancy in the 21st century and later proceed with the intention to evaluate the similarities and dissimilarities between two major facets of modern accountancy, i.e. financial accounting and management accounting. The major users of these accounting methods will also be considered in the paper. Furthermore, it will aim at identifying the implications of these accounting standards. Conclusively, the paper will produce a comprehensive reflection of the learning outcomes from the paper. 2. Critical Discussion of the Statement It is of no doubt that accounting plays a central role in maintaining records of the financial transactions of businesses. It is often referred to as a process that encompasses a series of actions from collecting financial data on a regular basis to communicating the information to its users through financial statements. Thus, it emerges as a complex and broad concept to be defined concisely (Banerjee, 2010). Moreove r, it was also observed that accounting had a vital influence on the strategic decisions of the businesses which provided the concept with a managerial definition of a communicator. Emphasised on these characteristics of modern day accounting, experts have intended to categorise the concept in two parts, i.e. financial accounting and management accounting (Tyagi & Tyagi, 2003). Financial accounting is considered to be the pathway of gathering financial information and analysing the effects of such information on the managerial decisions of the business unit. As stated by Albrecht & Et. Al. (2007), financial accounting is particularly â€Å"concerned with reporting financial information to interested external parties†. In this regard, the accounting process emphasises on maintaining records of the financial transactions. It further concentrates on the analysis of the obtained information with the aim to assist the management in decision-making. The accounting process also tend s to identify various strengths as well as weaknesses possessed by the business units in financial terms. Through the implication of the accounting process, accountants concentrate on communicating the information with the assistance of variou9733436912s financial statements, such as balance sheets, cash-flow statements, annual income statements and others (Jagels & Ralston, 2006). Similarly, the concept of management accounting is referred to as the process to inform the management of a business regarding the financial status of the company. In a broader perspective, the accounting process intends to analyse the financial information strategically with the aim to relate the financial strengths along with weaknesses of the company with its strategic decisions. Notably, the decision can be related to the investment of working capital, future expansion of the product line or market area, mergers and acquisitions or even solvency (Albrecht & Et. Al., 2007). According to various profess ionals, management accoun

Economic Issue Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Economic Issue - Assignment Example In other words, as competition increases in the market, the cost of labor becomes of essence. Considering that the discriminatory employers would go for particular employees who necessarily do not guarantee the least cost of labor, the result is that their business is likely to have higher labor costs as compared to businesses of non-discriminatory employers. Eventually, labor discrimination will decline as business which discriminate find it hard to operate in a competitive market where cost of labor plays a critical role. Employer discrimination may still persist despite efforts to break down barriers and introduce competition for two main reasons. First, it is almost impractical to create perfectly competitive markets. This is based evidenced by the decade long continuity of labor market discrimination in high-income countries. As regards to developing counties, monopolistic power is quite of essence, which permits indulgence in market discrimination. Secondly, even though competition lives on in virtually all markets, it is not by itself a sufficient reason for the elimination of discrimination. Therefore, market discrimination in a competitive market will still exists as long as all the employers have a taste for

Strategic Management of HMV Group Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

Strategic Management of HMV Group - Assignment Example (Refer to appendix 1) Competitive advantage is the response of afirm to the pressing need to organize and perform discrete activities. While these needs may not be perpetually spelt out, it is the responsibility of the planners and executers of policies to foresee such situations when catering for growth and development of the firm n various levels. So this implies that the HMV Company needs to employ an individual perspective with an affiliation towards the basic industry type. There are various activities to take into consideration in the case of the HMV Company. The activities performed when competing in a particular industry can be grouped into categories, as these activities can be divided broadly into primary activities and support activities. It has been noted that primary activities are those involved in the ongoing production, marketing, delivery, and servicing of the product. Whereas support activities are those that provide purchased inputs, technology, human resources or the overall infrastructure functions supporting the other activities. Every activity employs purchased inputs, human resources, some combination of technologies, and draws on firm infrastructure such as general management and finance. Activities vary in their importance in regard of competitive advantages from industry to industry. ... While this is a good theory to reckon with, cynics are of the opinion that in today's world there are 'n' number of influences on a firm's activities and not just a set number of the same. In this regard, the HMV Company may make use of clusters which are groups of firms and other broad industries linked to each other on the basis of various skill and their subsets. These function in the sphere of providing the necessary technical and research based support for various customer services, by making use of various institutions and universities apart from interns and other individuals. In the context of the HMV Company, does Porter's theory ask the relevant questions What must the company do to ensure that the industry evolves in a way that is maximally advantageous for the organization in particular What skills and capabilities must the company begin building now if it is to occupy the industry high ground in the future How should the company organize for opportunities that may not fit neatly within the boundaries of current business units and divisions The answers are to be found in not in this theory but in the theories propounded by Gary Hamel, C.K. Prahalad titled Competing for the Future. The authors are of the firm belief that when armed with the information in their findings and subsequent theories, a company can create a pro-active agenda for organizational transformation and can control its own destiny by controlling the destiny of its own industry. Few companies that began the 1980s as industry leaders ended the decade with their leadership in tact and undiminished. Many household name companies saw their success eroded or destroyed by tides of technological, demographic and regulatory change and order-of-magnitude productivity gains made by nontraditional

The benefit of being Vegetarian Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The benefit of being Vegetarian - Research Paper Example Also, pesticides and insecticides used on animals to remove parasites can contribute to both land and water pollution, and as such the vegetarian lifestyle can help in the reduction of this kind of pollution.According to Iacobbo & Iacobbo (2006), another main benefit of being a vegetarian is that there are financials gains that emerge from this kind of lifestyle since meat is considered to be generally expensive as compared to fruits and vegetables. Food expenditures that are without meat products can be reduced by up to 25%. Almost 10% of most American spending is on meat and its related products. A standard American family can spend up to a projected figure of $4,000 annually on meat products. Since the vegetarian lifestyle is healthy, one saves a lot of money by lowering their health care and health maintenance costs. Better health means that one can avoid diseases such as gout and high blood pressure hence money spent on treatment of the meat related ailments is saved. Also, fina ncial resources spent on animal rearing for the purposes of meat production can be saved if people opt for this lifestyle. Conclusion In summary, the vegetarian lifestyle can be a viable solution to the major global issues such as global warming, the global hunger crisis, and the recent global financial crisis. Though it may be a bit difficult to convince everyone to adopt this kind of lifestyle, many can agree that its benefits are quite substantial and if opted for people can live a little bit healthier.

FINAL EXAM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

FINAL EXAM - Essay Example eration of the position of climate, which can be statistically determined through mean, variation and duration of occurrence, qualifies as a climate change. One of the major discoveries for the cause of climate change concerns the human activity, which produce immoderate greenhouse gas. One of the major producers of such excessive gas is corporation, usually in the field of production. Hence, to rectify this major issue and evacuate their names form the list of greenhouse gas producers, companies started signing Kyoto Treaty, which incline these companies to work towards greenhouse gas reduction, where some firms vowed to reduce this gas by one percent and others were more determined changing the percent to 25 (Hoffman, 2005, pg. 21 & 22). In relation to the mentioned article by Hoffman and other resources, this paper will discuss about the current and possible threats and opportunities fabricated by the climate change for food making companies and suggestions about climate change st rategies. As the introduction has cleared out any misgivings that one might have regarding climate change being a scientific curiosity, it is obvious that the threat which this issue poses concerns the food manufacturing company, not only in food producing process but all those things that make up this organization. Hoffman in his article claims that even in food making companies climate change creates havoc by damaging the building, areas and factories in forms of flood, hurricanes or draughts, this in turn leads to heavy financial losses. Not only has this, but research (Goldenberg, 2014) concluded that around 81% of businesses fear that climate change will burden them with heavy losses. Furthermore, scientist have been giving warning about the advanced negative impact of climate change, which could be seen in the contemporary times where floods have given birth to raw food scarcity, meaning that companies like our own is in dire situation if the food supply flops down. This similar

Czechoslovakia Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Czechoslovakia Crisis - Essay Example Wilson pushed for inclusion of his fourteen Points especially the League of Nations. Many of his proposals however, clashed with the secret treaties and territorial rearrangements already made by the other three European powers. They found it difficult to hide their contempt for what they saw as Wilson's naivet and superior attitude. The political wrangling became intense. Finally, agreement was reached and a treaty presented to the German representatives on May 7, 1919. The terms were harsh. Germany was stripped to approximately 13% of its pre-war territory and all of its over-seas possession. The Ruhr-Germany's industrial heartland - was to be occupied by allied troops. The size of Germany's military forces was drastically reduced. The treaty further stipulated that Germany would pay for the devastation for the devastation of the war through annual reparation payments to its European neighbors. The victors ignored the bitter complaints of the German delegation. On June 28, two rather German representatives signed the treaty. Ever since the treaty was signed it brought bitterness to Germans but they had no other choice other than facing it. The latter years were spent to pay the debts. Ever since Hitler came to power in 1933 he had made successive assaults on the restrictions that had been placed on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles. He had begun secretly the process of rearmament and felt confident enough to announce the program in 1935, the same year in which he introduced conscription to the new German army. CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS THAT LEAD TO THE CRISIS Since the public announcement of German rearmament in 1935, in defiance of the treaty of Versailles, there had been apprehension among the European states, large and small, as to Germany's intentions. That they would not be pacific was made clear in the following year with the remilitarization of the Rhineland zone that had been permanently demilitarized by the same treaty (2). Thus, it was felt that it would only be a question of time as to when Hitler would proceed to realize the pan-German dream of German-Austrian unity (i.e., Anschluss): after all, Hitler himself had been born in Austria. Inasmuch as the earlier aggressive moves had produced no serious retaliation from either Britain or France, it was not to be expected that the absorption of Austria under threat of invasion on March 12 (soon to be endorsed by referendum of the Austrian people) would be met by other than words of protest from the Western powers. The gravest implications of Hitler's action, however, now pointed to Czechoslovakia (3), France's vulnerable ally now that hope of French assistance had been dealt a death blow by the earlier remilitarization of the Rhineland zone along the Franco-German border. RHINELAND CRISIS On March 7, 1936, in defiance of the Treaty of Versailles, troops of the German army entered the demilitarized buffer zone along the River Rhine. Earlier, in 1925, the then German government, in order to facilitate its entry to the League of Nations and regain its status of a great power, had signed an Agreement (the Locarno Pact) with France that provided, under an Italo-British guarantee, for mutual acceptance of their existing border, including

Customer Value Marketing Essay Example for Free

Customer Value Marketing Essay This report based on the study of â€Å"Customer Value Marketing† starts with introduction section. We have mentioned the contents of the study in objectives of the report section. The methodology section deals with the means of preparation of this report and the processes that we have followed. Then the report describes the theoretical aspects of the study in the literature review. This section mainly consists of brief description about different important topics about customer value marketing. Finally in the last section, the report is concluded with findings, bibliography and appendix over the topic. The appendix section contains some International Journals on Customer value marketing. INTRODUCTION Today’s marketing process is highly customer focused. It is all about creating customer value and building profitable customer relationship. Customers are at the center of marketing process. The main theme of marketing is to create customer value and to capture value from customers in return. The goal of every marketer is to create more value for customers. Customers usually face a broad array of products and services that might satisfy a given need. Among these products or services, customers have to choose the products that give them optimum value and satisfaction. That is why creating customer value is considered to be the most important task to be performed by marketing today. The marketers do it through â€Å"customer value delivery system†, a system which is made up of the value chains of a company and its suppliers, distributors and ultimately its customers who work together to deliver value to customers. To deliver superior value to customers the marketers have to design a customer driven marketing strategy. The proper implementation of this strategy will give customers a perceived value, therefore, satisfaction. While buying a product or service, a customer is buying satisfaction. Highest value is derived when a customer is fully satisfied with his or her purchase. Today, value is considered to be an important constituent of relationship marketing and the ability of a company to provide superior value to its customers is regarded as one of the most successful competitive strategies for business. Hence, today’s marketing needs to be based on the concept of customer value. OBJECTIVES OF THE REPORT This report mainly discusses the following subjects: †¢Customer Value †¢Customer Value Strategy †¢Customer Value Positioning Model †¢The implementation of Customer Value Strategy †¢Hypothesis Regarding Customer value †¢Propositions on Customer Value †¢Methods of Customer Value Assessment †¢Customer Lifetime Value METHODOLOGY OF THE REPORT The report in this study is basically a descriptive one. Here, both the primary and the secondary data are been used. The primary data has been collected from lectures given on this topic in the classroom. The secondary sources of data are our textbooks, various international journals different websites. LITERATURE REVIEW Customer value strategy: Customer value strategy is doing things differently from the competitors and transferring different values to the customers. There are six principles of strategic positioning. They are: †¢Strategy should have the right objectives. †¢The value of positioning should be distinguished from the competitors. †¢Strategic thinking should be reflected from the unique value chain. †¢In order to pursue the uniqueness in certain areas, we must give up some of the other characteristics of products, services or activities. †¢Strategy should enable the effective integration of various activities. †¢Strategy should have sustained direction. Customer Value Positioning Model: A Successful business is always based on its selection of the target customers for value positioning. Customers can be roughly divided into three types, but for different customers have different types of value positioning model: †¢Customers are interested in up-to-dated, modern product. Organizations which meet the needs of these customers can orient the value on â€Å"product leadership†. For example, Microsoft, Hp. †¢Customers prefer cost-effective products and services. They prefer convenient purchase and high quality service. The organizations which aim at this target group of customers orient the value on â€Å"operational excellence†. For example, Wal-Mart, Fed-Ex. †¢Customers want to get exactly what they need, even if they have to pay a higher cost or wait a little longer. Companies which serve these types of customers are committed to improving â€Å"customer intimacy†. For example, Honda, British Airways. The implementation of Customer Value Strategy: Once the customer value strategy is established, the company must ensure the implementation of the strategy by committing everyone in the workplace to its objectives and building support system for it. For this the business must ensure the followings: 1.Strengthening management for core competency: The practice of a strong management system is a prerequisite for achieving customer value. A dynamic management system is needed so that the value strategy can be effectively implied. 2.Establishing culture of the company based on customer value: In order to achieve the strategic objectives of a company, it is necessary to develop a culture based on customer value so that the idea of customer value is deep in the heart of everyone in the workplace. 3.Establishing a highly integrated value system: A highly integrated value system means company’s self-reinforcing system of various activities. 4.Establishing an effective performance measuring system: While implementing customer value strategy, companies continuously measure the performance with goal. Therefore, company should have an effective performance measuring system so that any deviation can be analyzed carefully. 5.Establishing the network marketing system: With the help of network marketing system companies can understand customer’s needs in a better way and thus can strengthen the implementation of customer value strategy. Hypothesis: Rajagopal (2006) has established some hypothesis regarding customer value. They are as follows: †¢Higher perceived value acquired by the customer help consumers to determine their buying decision on the non-conventional products of unfamiliar brands in the market. †¢The brand value of the product is enhanced by developing the communication tools effectively by the firm which help augment the customer value by marginalizing the gap between consumer perception and product attributes. †¢The brand value, quality of the product, competitive advantage and price along with other relational variables determine the customer value. †¢The product attractiveness combined with the effective informational sharing and retailing services help augmenting by providing competitive advantage. Here are some other hypothesis by Weinstein and Abratt (2009): †¢There is a significant correlation between service received from a professional service and customer retention. †¢There is a significant correlation between quality received and customer retention. †¢There is a significant correlation between the image of a professional service and customer retention. †¢There is a significant correlation between the prices charged and customer retention. †¢There is a significant correlation between overall value received from a professional service and customer retention. Propositions: Andreassen (1997) has made some propositions on customer value. They are: †¢Perceived quality is believed to have a positive impact on value †¢Perceived quality and value are believed to have a positive impact on customer satisfaction. Methods of customer value assessment: James, Dipak Pradeep (1993), introduced some methods for assessing customer value. They are as follows: †¢Internal engineering assessment †¢Field value-in-use assessment †¢Indirect survey questions †¢Focus group value assessment. †¢Direct survey questions †¢Conjoint analysis †¢Benchmarks †¢Compositional approach †¢Importance ratings Customer Lifetime Value: According to Phillip, Mark Robert (2004), â€Å"Customer Lifetime Value is the present value of the future cash flows attributed to customer relationship.† Therefore, Customer Lifetime Value (CLV), also known as Lifetime Customer Value (LCV) or Lifetime Value (LTV) is the net present value of the cash flows recognized from the relationship with a customer. This is a parameter to determine exactly how much a customer is worth in monetary terms and therefore exactly how much a marketing department should be willing to spend to acquire each customer. According to Jason, Ashutosh and Roberto (2010), â€Å"CLV makes it possible to explicitly link long-term financial returns to marketing actions.† They think that CLV has been gaining significance for two reasons: First, many traditional marketing metrics are not sufficient to evaluate return on marketing investments. Second, customers are not equally profitable. So, it is necessary to understand customer value at individual level which can be done with the help of CVL. CLV is typically used to calculate the cost of acquisition of a customer. For example, if a new customer costs 50000 TK to acquire and his or her lifetime value is 60000 TK, then the customer is considered to be profitable. FINDINGS 1.Customer value helps to develop manage customer relationship 2.Customer expectation and customer satisfaction are closely related with customer value 3.There are some principles of strategic positioning which can be applied in doing things differently from the competitors and transferring different values to the customers 4.Success in business depends on selection of the target customers for value positioning. 5.The practice of a strong management system is needed for achieving customer value. 6.Developing a culture based on customer value is necessary to achieve the strategic objectives of a company. 7.A highly integrated value system effective performance measuring system is important for the implementation of customer value strategy. 8.Network marketing system helps to understand customer’s needs in a better way 9.Some hypotheses established by various scholars are helpful for delivering superior customer value. 10. Important methods should be followed for assessing customer value 11.Customer Lifetime Value explicitly links long-term financial returns to marketing action. It also helps to understand customer value at individual level. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1.Komulainen Hanna; Mainela Tuija; Tahtinen Jaana; Ulkuniemi Pauliina (2004) â€Å"Exploring Customer Perceived value in a Technology Intensive Service Innovation†, volume 20, page 27. 2.Ravald Annika; Gronroos Christian, (1996),†The Value Concept and Relationship Marketing†, volume 30, page 12. 3.Lia Chia Chi;(2003) â€Å"The role of Customer perceived value in Generating Customer Satisfaction: An E-business perspective† volume 5, page 15. 4.Lam Shun Yin; Shankar Venkatesh; Erramilli and Murthy; Krishna Bvsan, (2004), †Customer value, Satisfaction, Loyalty and Switching cost: An illustration from a Business to Business Service Context†, volume 32, page 20. 5.Rajagopal, (2006), â€Å"Brand value, Preferences and Customer value effect of Non-conventional utility products: An experimental analysis in Mexican market†, page 23. Weinstein Art and Abratt Russel(2009) â€Å"Marketing Intelligence Planning† Volume 27 No. 5 page 19, 2009 6. 7. Andreassen Tor Wallin (1997) â€Å"The International Journal of Service Industry Management†, volume. 8, No 4, Page 33 Anderson James C. Jain Dipak C. Chintagunta Pradeep K.(1993), â€Å"Journal of Business to Business Marketing†Volume 1(1) , Page 29 Pfeifer Phillip E., Haskins Mark E. Conroy Robert M. Journal of Managerial Issues (2004) page 25 Zhang Jason Q. , Dixit Ashutosh and Friedmann Roberto (2010), â€Å"Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice† Volume 18 no. 2, Page 13 7. 8.www.wikipidia.com

Gender and Social Norms Essay Example for Free

Gender and Social Norms Essay In today’s society social norms have huge effects on parental decisions. Some would say that shaping a child’s life around these norms might be what is needed in order for one to have a successful life. Majority of individuals tend to migrate towards others who are like them. With this being said, if you aren’t raised how the average person is, you will not have a group to migrate to and will never develop relationships that can benefit your future. My survey consisted of three questions, which were answered anonymously by ten different individuals. The first two questions were to find out what my participant’s sexes were and what their current marital status was. My final question was, â€Å"Do you feel boys from the ages four to seven should be provided with Barbie Toys if asked for them?† The statistics I received were quite diverse. Being accepted in today’s society is the key factor when developing early relationships, which will impact your future. As it is one has to face plenty of other obstacles such as being discriminated against due to their individual sex, race, culture or religion. If you aren’t raised around the norms society has developed then that is one more obstacle you must face when going through life. Sociological imagination is stated to be forces of society that control our personal experiences. I believe that this hits the direct point I am making when I say that there are forces outside of what one’s parents believe in that influence the way someone is raised. Parents want their children to have the average childhood and be accepted by everyone. The only way one can accomplish this is to base the decisions made for their child around the social norms. For boys, they should only play with action figures and should participate in athletics. Females should only play with Barbies and should be put in classes such as ballet. It is out of what society accepts if one’s child does participate in anything that the opposite sex should be doing. This may lead to harassment of many sorts and keep one from advancing and becoming successful. On the other hand, if someone partakes in something their gender is known for, this may lead to extra opportunities. I am stating that if someone of a specific sex has been raised the way the rest of that society has been, it will broaden their chances to migrate towards others due to a higher chance of commonalities. I found out that sex did not play much of a part when determining what people thought about my topic. Majority of the males did answer no when asked if boys should be allowed to play with Barbies. Females also leaned towards that end. Seventy-one percent of them said they would not allow a boy to play with a Barbie if they asked for it. While tallying the statistics I noticed that every person who was currently in a relationship said they would not allow it. I feel they answered it no because they may have already spoken with their significant others about possibly having children, and they wouldn’t want their child to be an outcast. I would bet that they have not spoken about this specific topic in general; therefore they would keep aware from such topics to avoid any disagreements with their partner. They may believe in two different sides, but choose to stick to what society accepts. I also saw that the few who answered yes were either single or divorced. I think these individuals are at a point where they know they are free to have their own beliefs and will exercise them because there is no one they have to persuade, other than themselves. A single parent may stick to what they believe in when raising their child, or they may resort to what society accepts. The only person I received a survey from who was married chose not to buy such toys for young boys. She actually chose to express why she felt this way. She said that her and her husband are expecting a child shortly and have been open with one another about these sorts of scenarios. She stated that they refuse to force their child (ren) to live in this â€Å"invisible acceptance bubble† that society has come to. They feel everyone should be raised differently so the world will be as diverse as possible. She expressed that she does not want to be a part of raising someone who is exactly like the next child. She described it as society losing its color. Everything will soon be black in white if we keep allowing these invisible rules to take over what should be our decisions. Society has developed norms that many people feel forced to go buy in order to achieve acceptance. Although they may not agree with what the majority does, they refuse to be a part of an outcast group. I understand why people would take part in such actions. I believe it is because they are afraid to be different and not accepted by most, which can lead to lack of relationships, needed to be considered â€Å"normal.† The survey I conducted showed what ten random people thought when asked if they would allow and/or supply a boy from the ages four to seven with a Barbie if asked. Majority responded no, which I feel was because it has been declared â€Å"wrong† in our society. Survey You are being asked to complete this survey on family issues for a paper I am writing for my FCS 340 class. All answers will remain confidential and anonymous.

How Self Evaluation is implemented for school improvement

How Self Evaluation is implemented for school improvement The aim of the study is to investigate how School Self-Evaluation (SSE) is implemented for school improvement. There is an increasing international trend of democratisation and decentralisation of education, from the bureaucratic national to an autonomous school based education, in terms of financial management, human resource management and curriculum management. The Department of education observes that with the democratisation of education and associated decentralisation of authority, schools are increasingly being held accountable for their performance (DoE, 2004). School Self-Evaluation is defined as a procedure involving systematic information gathering which is initiated by the school itself and aims to assess the functioning of the school and the attainment of its education goals for the purpose of supporting decision-making and learning for fostering school improvement as a whole (Schildkamp, 2007). Paradoxically, the quality of education that is offered, especially in rural schools of South Africa, is decreasing dramatically. This is confirmed by national and international assessment bodies like the Systemic Evaluation (SE), the Trends in Mathematics and Science Studies (TIMSS), the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), and the Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality (SACMEQ). The Department of Basic Education, (2010) contends that both the Systemic Evaluation in 2004 and SACMEQ in 2000 indicated that less than one in four Grade 6 learners passed minimum standards in mathematics (DBE, 2010). It further stipulates that the international tests that South Africa participates in show that the top 10% of learners in South Africa do worse than the top 10% of learners in other developing countries such as Kenya, Indonesia and Chile (DBE, 2010). School improvement is defined as a systematic, sustained effort in changing learning conditions and other related internal conditions in one or more schools with the ultimate of accomplishing educational goals more effectively (Van Veltzen, Miles, Ekholm, Hamemyer, and Robin, 1985). The above observations do not presume that the decline in the quality of education in South Africa is due to the democratisation and decentralisation of education, but rather depicts an inevitable demand for a more relevant mechanism, at school level, to be put in place to ensure high quality education and continuous school improvement. This condition imposes that an effective implementation and monitoring of School Self-Evaluation (SSE) is indispensable. Vanhoof, Maeyer and Petegem (2011) confirm that schools are increasingly required to assume a greater share of the responsibility for developing and guaranteeing educational quality (Vanhoof, Maeyer and Petegem, 2011). SSE is a school-based evaluation that is supposed to be implemented by principals, School Management Teams (SMTs), School Governing Bodies (SGBs) and the community, on an annual basis, to ensure continuous improvement and high quality education in all schools. problem statement and rationale for the study School self-evaluation was introduces by the former Minister of education, Professor Kader Asmal in 2001. It is the initial phase of Whole School Evaluation (WSE), preceding external evaluation. In his foreword, the minister states that the National Policy on Whole School Evaluation introduces an effective monitoring and evaluation process that is vital to the improvement of quality and standards of performance in schools (DBE, 2002). This policy aims at improving the overall quality of education in South African schools, and its purpose is to facilitate improvement of school performance through approaches characterised by partnership, collaboration, mentoring and guidance (DBE, 2002). According to the National Education Policy Act (No.27 of 1996), the Minister is mandated to direct that standards of education provision, delivery and performance are monitored though out the country. It remains a worrying factor that rural schools seem not to be considered as part of South African sch ools by these education policies. This view is confirmed by the New Vision for Rural Schooling, (2005) which states that the states commitment to social justice in all matters and especially to universal access to education, written into the Constitution, remains unfulfilled for a large number of children, youths and adults living in rural areas (DoE, 2005). A plethora of education policies have been developed in the new political dispensation, but the serious challenge is that they do not translate into school improvement. Schildkamp and Visscher (2010) argue that enormous resources are invested to develop and implement school self-evaluation instruments, but how schools actually use the instrument has never been thoroughly evaluated longitudinally (Schildkamp and Visscher, 2010). Furthermore, they contend that several studies report a lack of effect of school self-evaluation feedback, but this lack of effect may be caused by a lack of use of school self-evaluation feedback (Schildkamp and Visscher, 2010). McNamara and OHara (2008) note that there has been a remarkable rise in the regulation of public services and servants, especially in education, in an attempt to counterbalance the autonomy of schools. Furthermore, external evaluation and inspection has been an important element of this trend, however as their limitations become more apparent, the concept of internal or self evaluation has grown in importance (McNamara and OHara, 2008). These authors proceed to warn that the greater emphasis an evaluation system places on teacher appraisal and accountability, the less useful that system is likely to be for school improvement and professional development (McNamara and OHara, 2008). The European Parliament and Council on European Cooperation in Quality Evaluation in school education, in McNamara and OHara (2008), argue that improvements in European schools evaluation provisions are dependant on the enhancement of schools abilities to evaluate themselves and call for all member states of the European Union (EU) to encourage school self-evaluation as a method of creating learning and improving schools (McNamara and OHara, 2008). This analysis is echoed by the OECD report which views development of school evaluation skills within the education system as being a critical component of the drive to improving educational provision in OECD member states (McNamara and OHara, 2008) During the apartheid era, prior 1994, traditional quality assurance approaches like school inspection were vehemently opposed by teacher unions who felt that their members were intimidated. When WSE was introduced, there was hope that this democratic process would bring satisfaction to educators and yield better learner attainment results, particularly in previously disadvantaged areas, but that positive change is still being awaited. Despite the surfeit of education policies, South Africa is facing a serious challenge of a growing trend of dysfunctional and underperforming schools, especially in previously disadvantaged areas. Efforts by the government to swivel this proclivity have been in vane. This is confirmed by the fact that the government has made some strides to develop education policies that should have culminated in school improvement, but that outcome has not yet been realised. The Whole School Evaluation policy was introduced in 2001 to improve school performance, but c onversely, schools are performing worse as time goes by, as revealed by national and international studies like Systemic Evaluation, TIMSS, SACMEQ and PIRLS. It should be a worrying factor to every educationist as to why this education policy is not yielding the expected outcomes. It is a cause for concern to find out if this policy is being implemented as prescribed by the relevant policy document. Even though the Mpumalanga province of South Africa has reported an 8,9 % improvement in grade 12 results in 2010, it is still the lowest province in terms of learner attainment in the country, sitting at 56,8 % (MDoE, 2011). Poor performance is shoddier in rural schools where socio-economic challenges and challenges of providing qualified teachers, adequate physical and financial resources are still overwhelming. This situation is exacerbated by the fact that a good number of these rural primary schools are multi-graded farm schools. As a principal of one of the rural primary schools in the neighbourhood of one of the worse performing secondary schools in the sub-region, I have an obligation to find out the root course of underperformance in rural school. It has also come to my realisation that during school visitations by the circuit management, district office or provincial external evaluation team, the school self evaluation instrument is neither enquired about nor monitored. There is no link or correlation between inspection and school-based evaluation. According to the WSE policy, schools must complete and submit self evaluation forms A and B before the end of March on an annual basis (DoE, 2004). On the contrary not even a single school submits such a document to the regional office. I have also noted that in my three years of experience as a principal, not even a single official from any of the structures of the education department has ever enquired about the self evaluation instrument. One then tends to wonder what purpose is this education policy serving. Whether they are meant to improve the quality of education or they were just developed for symbolism still remains mysterious. I am therefore determined to come out with a turn around strategy to ensure effective implementation of the self-evaluation instrument of the WSE policy so as to ensure accountability and improvement in the education quality of rural schools. This study will investigate how and to what extent the school self-evaluation instrument is utilised in rural schools. It will further explore the perceptions of school principals towards school self-evaluation. Lastly, it will determine how school self-evaluation could be better utilised to ensure school improvement and quality education. It is my conviction that if school self-evaluation can be efficiently implemented, school improvement and quality education can be achieved. Moreover, the school self-evaluation findings must easily accessible to all stakeholders, analysed, and its recommendations must be implemented so as to realise the desired outcomes of school improvement. This study will advocate for keeping all stakeholders informed about the performance of their school, and encourage them to positively contribution to the improvement of their school. It will also assist different officers in all structures of education, from the school principal to the provincial Superintend ent Generals, to perform their designated duties diligently. Finally policy makers will get feedback of implementation of the policy such that they can evaluate its impact and make possible amendments if necessary. main research question In order to address the problem statement, this study must give an explicit answer to the following question:- How and to what extent is school self-evaluation implemented for school improvement in rural schools? structure of the proposal Section 1 of the proposal is the introduction of school self-evaluation, enunciation of the problem statement and rational, and elocution of the main research question. Section 2 portrays the context of the study and section 3 presents the literature that has been reviewed. Section 4 will demonstrate the research design and methods that will be implemented and section 5 will illustrate the timeline for the whole research process. Section 6 will give the outline of chapters and section 7 will be the list references. Context for the study The study will take place in the rural schools of Mpumalanga province. Mpumalanga is one of the provinces that have the lowest socio-economic status. Consequently, most schools are in quintiles one and two, indicating that the learners in these schools are from destitute families. Learners have to travel for over five Kilometres every single day, to get to school, posing absenteeism problems to educators. Some of these schools have no electricity and sanitation, such that introduction of the new forms of technologically advanced equipment is implausible. Mpumalanga has the least percentage decrease in the number of learners at farm schools. The new vision for rural schooling states that between 1996 and 2000, it decreased by -65% (DoE, 2005). This figure shows that there is a steady increase in the number of learners at farm schools. The Ermelo sub-district has three circuits with ninety seven schools, out of which only eight are in town. The rest of them are located in very remote farms such that access to such schools for the support teams in a daunting task. There are no secondary farm school, but combined schools. This is because the enrolment of these schools does not allow them to be fully fledged secondary schools. A good number of primary schools have multi-graded classes, combining learners from different grades into one class. This situation does not only present management problems but pedagogical challenges as well. It is unbearable for educators to manage curriculum delivery under such adverse conditions. Even though conditions seem to be unfavourable for provision of quality education, rural schools are also expected to improve their performance. School self-evaluation must be implemented just in the same way or better than it should be implemented in urban schools. The WSE policy however recognises that the inauspicious conditions may retard the pace of school improvement. A provision was made in the policy, to evaluate each school based on its contextual factors. One of the principles of the WSE policy is seek to understand why schools are where they are and to use the particular circumstances to the school as the main starting point of evaluation (DoE, 2001). literature review introduction This section reviews researches that were conducted in Ireland, Netherlands, England and South Africa, based on School Self-Evaluation (SSE). A comparison is made to identify and best international practices and set them as a benchmark for implementation of School Self-Evaluation for school improvement in South Africa. A DISCUSSION OF research conducted internationally AS WELL AS studies in south africa SCHOOL SELF-EVALUATION IN IRELAND In Ireland, the first system of evaluation that was piloted between 1990 and 1999 is the Whole School Evaluation (WSE). This system culminated in a series of rancorous industrial disputes that lasted until 2003. The reason for these quarrels was that educators viewed evaluation as reductionist and managerialist interference in their profession while stakeholders such as parents, learners and business community demanded hard data from a transparent school evaluation process (McNamara and OHara, 2006). In 2004, a new framework for school evaluation, Looking At Our School (LAOS), was implemented (McNamara and OHara, 2006). McNamara and OHara explain that the School Self-Evaluation (SSE) is based on a broad framework for inspection and evaluation of schools that includes five areas of evaluation that are subdivided into 143 themes for self-evaluation, which are used to prepare for external evaluation by the inspectorate (McNamara and OHara, 2006). In short, SSE precedes external evaluati on and it is conducted by each schools stakeholders, unlike external evaluation which is conducted by external officials called inspectorates. McNamara and OHara (2006) also contend that Ireland is adopting a model of quality assurance that emphasizes school development planning through internal school-review and self-evaluation, with the support of external evaluation carried out by the Inspectorate (McNamara and OHara, 2006). This model concurs with MacBeaths idea which argues that the role of external evaluation and inspection is merely to ensure that internal systems of evaluation and self-review are implemented effectively (McNamara and OHara, 2006). In their study, McNamara and OHara (2006) reveal that principals expressed their view that any form of external evaluation was by its nature superficial, underestimated the non-academic achievements of schools and raised deep concerns among teachers, yet to the contrary, self-evaluation with no external mandate or monitoring was perceived as a major success (McNamara and OHara, 2006). According to McNamara and OHara, self-evaluation in Ireland had its negatives. Firstly, LAOS documents lack suggestions as to how schools should collect the data on which the effectiveness and credibility of the whole system must rest (McNamara and OHara, 2006). Secondly, the judgments in the areas, aspects and components requires data that in the present system does not exist- there is, for instance, no data regarding the ability and general expectations of pupils (McNamara and OHara, 2006). McNamara and OHara argue that evaluation, whether external or internal, mandated or self-driven, requires at a minimum the collection and analysis of real data on which firm conclusions can be based (McNamara and OHara, 2006). Thirdly, the Chief Inspector shifted the responsibility of addressing weaknesses identified during inspection to self-governing and self-evaluating institutions. McNamara and OHara argue that the weaknesses identified during inspection should not be a responsibility of sch ools to address them since they do not have the capacity to control over resources, teacher tenure and conditions of employment, and issue. Moreover, schools cannot solve all problems themselves in-house-that is a fiction (McNamara and OHara, 2006). After the court judgment, the honours of whether to release none, some or all of the Inspection Report lies solely on schools management team. Fourthly, LAOS is silent about the appropriate role of parents, teachers and learners in the school evaluation process. One other worrying factor is that the concept of an ongoing self-evaluation was said to be puzzling to most schools (McNamara and OHara, 2006). Lastly, McNamara and OHara (2008) lament that the lack of any guidelines in LAOS as to criteria or research methods that might inform judgments has led to what amounts to data-free evaluation in practice, and moreover, it is clear that without such guidelines and the provision of training and research support for schools, the situation is not likely to change (McNamara and OHara, 2008). The study by McNamara and OHara reveal acceptance of the new themes of self-evaluation to give a comprehensive picture of all schools activities and not just their academic outcomes (McNamara and OHara, 2006). According to McNamara and OHara (2006), the above point was particularly stressed by respondents from the two primary schools designated disadvantaged, which felt very strongly that the affirmation of good practice provided by the inspectors was of extraordinary importance to teachers in disadvantaged school who rarely feel valued or supported. This was perceived as a considerable achievement in an education community deeply suspicious of evaluation, inspection and appraisal (McNamara and OHara, 2006). SCHOOL SELF-EVALUATION IN SCOTLAND Croxford, Grek and Shaik (2009) state that despite the change from Conservative to Labour government in 1997, education policy in Scotland and elsewhere in the United Kingdom (UK) continued to reflect an emphasis on quality assurance and a belief that competition and setting standards would enhance quality and ensure accountability (Croxford et al., 2009). They further stipulate that Scotlands approach to Quality Assurance and Evaluation (QAE) has a greater emphasis on self-evaluation by schools, whereas England had a stronger focus on hard performance indicators (Croxford et al., 2009). The Inspectorate is a major influence on the formulation of education policies. In 1980, the Inspectorates set up a Management of Education Resource Unit (MERU) that later became the Audit Unit, to promote good management achieve value for money in education. It started publishing papers that identified characteristics of effective schools in an attempt to encourage secondary schools to evaluate thei r own practice and performance (MacBeath and Mortimore, 2001). In 1990/91 it began publishing annually information for parents series-reports giving the details of schools attainment data; school costs; attendance and absence rates and school leaver destination for secondary schools. In 1991, it published the role of school development plans in managing schools effectiveness as well as statistical information about examination performance per school, which was used for school self-evaluation. Standards Tables were used each year to compare the performance by subject departments within each school and nationally, the Relative Ratings and National Comparison Factors, respectively (Croxford et al. 2009). The Scottish Office Education Industry Department (SOEID) in Croxford et al. ( 2009) state that the process of self-evaluation and development planning were set out more explicitly by the Audit Unit publication How good is our school? (HGIOS?), which provided a set of performance indic ators of what a good school should look like (Croxford et al. 2009). Schools were encouraged to use the same performance indicators as those used by the HMI in school inspection to identify, report and take action where required on strengths and weaknesses (Croxford et al., 2009). In 1997, HMI set out its vision of working in partnership with local authorities and schools through the quality initiative in Scotland schools. This was endorsed in the standards in Scotlands schools Act 2000. According to Cowie and Croxford, in Croxford et al. (2009), this act places local authorities under great pressure to implement the required quality assurance procedures by the threat of adverse inspection by HMI of education (HMIE) (Croxford et al., 2009). A new professional group of Quality Improvement Officers (QIO) has been established to challenge and support schools. They scrutinise statistics on school performance, seek to ensure a robust self-evaluation structure within schools and identify areas that need to be addressed (Croxford et al., 2009). They carry out a regular cycle of visits to schools to: assess the schools progress with its school development plan; discuss improvement issues with management and staff; and support the schools management in making improvements (Croxford et al., 2009). The local authorities themselves are inspected by HMIE, with special regard to their own self-evaluation and the extent to which they support and challenge their schools (Croxford et al., 2009). In Scotland, schools are required to evaluate their own performance each year using the 30 quality Indicators from HGIOS and their performance on the indicators is extremely judged on a regular basis through inspection of schools carried out by HMIE. The indicators are based on key performance outcomes, delivery of education, policy development and planning, management and support staff, partnership and resources, leadership capacity for improvement (Croxford et al., 2009). Self-evalua tion procedure requires schools to look at each aspect of provision and ask: How are we doing? How do we know? What are we going to do now? For each indicator, schools must gather evidence in order to evaluate their performance, on a six-point scale from 1 [unsatisfactory], to 6 [excellent] (Croxford et al. 2009). SCHOOL SELF-EVALUATION IN ENGLAND Prior 1990, the government of England implemented a top down strategy to school monitor performance of schools. A change was seen in 1997 when the government showed some commitment to support and promote school self-evaluation (Turnbull, 2007). The Department for Education and Skills (DfES), 2004 notes that in 1999, a revised framework was of inspecting schools that included guidance for schools on using it for school self-evaluation, and not just inspection was introduced (DfES, 2004). Local authorities had been providing support for head teachers as they increase their efforts to manage and lead the self-evaluation process and procedures now expected in their schools (Plowright, 2008). The Office for standards in education (Ofsted), in Plowright (2008) contends that the school that knows and understands itself is on the way to solving any problem it hasà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ self-evaluation provides the key to improvement (Plowright, 2008). In his empirical research, Plowright discovered that head teachers held a positive view of the use of self-evaluation in contributing to school improvement (Plowright, 2008). The introduction of the new inspection framework in September 2005 in England culminated in an obligation that every school had to maintain and submit an online Self-Evaluation Form (SEF) that records the judgments of its current performance and its priorities for improvement (Bubb, Early, Ahtaridou, Jones and Taylor, 2007). According to Ofsted in Bubb, et al. (2007), intelligent accountability is based on a schools own views of how well it serves its learners and suggests that all schools need to be able to answer two key questions: How well are we doing? And how can we do better? Bubb, et al. (2007) further argue that even though the SEF is not statutory but all schools seem to use it, which is unsurprising as their inspection is largely based around the SEF which includes the performance data (Bubb, et al., 2007). The areas of evaluation are: the characteristics of the school; views of learners, parents/carers and other stakeholders; leadership and management; overall effectivenes s and efficiency (Bubb, et al., 2007). Leung, 2005 emphasises that unless teachers beliefs are changed, and shared meaning is achieved, for example believing in the importance of evidence-based evaluation methods for self-evaluation and the importance of continuous self-improvement, there will not be commitment towards the reform initiatives and success cannot be guaranteed (Leung, 2005). She further warns that restructuring, changing only procedures, designing performance indicators and mandating the public announcement of evaluation results cannot help us but providing assistance to schools, supporting professionals networks and providing school-based on-going school development is vital (Leung, 2005). Scholars like Hargreaves and Fullan ascertain only that recruiting can facilitate educational professionals to transform their old beliefs and practices (Leung, 2005). In their research on 38 schools across England, where they were investigating self-evaluation and school improvement progress, Bubb, et al. (2007) discovered that SEF are completed in many different ways, ranging from individual efforts by head teachers to involvement of external consultants to collective efforts by all staff members (Bubb, et al., 2007). They also found out that some dissatisfaction demonstrated by support staff who felt left out and expressed that they could have made crucial contributions if they were not excluded. The process started with training the whole staff so as to raise awareness of the process and its requirements. Each staff member, including heads of departments, would the complete his/her form under supervision of their Senior Leadership Group (SLG) (Bubb, et al., 2007). In her study, Turnbull, (2007) discovered that head teachers in England saw that self-evaluation in some form became a reality of practice through the intervention of Local Education Authorities (LEAs), reflecting the growing impact of globalisation and accountability of schools (Turnbull, 2007). SCHOOL SELF-EVALUATION IN SOUTH AFRICA Prior 1994, schools performance was monitored through inspection, but there was no requirement or expectation of schools to undertake self-evaluation in South Africa (Turnbull, 2007). Some form of self-evaluation was introduced in 1998 through the Developmental Appraisal System (DAS), and Whole School Evaluation (WSE) in 2001 for full implementation in 2003 (Turnbull, 2007). These systems aimed at involving all educators in evaluating their practice, enabling self-evaluation of the WSE and impact of management, and they were to be monitored by the external supervisors from the provincial office of the Department of Education (DoE) (Turnbull, 2007). Both systems failed to realize their objective and a new Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) was introduced in 2003, combining DAS, WSE and Performance Measurement (PM). School Self-Evaluation (SSE) is the initial phase of the two-phased WSE. The second phase is external evaluation conducted by provincial supervisors in a three year cycle. Both phases utilise the same instrument for evaluation. There are 9 key areas of evaluation namely: basic functionality of the school; leadership, management and communication, governance and relationships; quality teaching and learning and educator development; curriculum provision and resources; learner achievement; school safety, security and discipline; school infrastructure and parent and community (DoE, 2001). The process of evaluation cycle includes pre-evaluation; school self-evaluation; detailed on-site evaluation, post-evaluation reporting and post evaluation support. Each supervisory team will have a team leader who has the responsibility to build a brief profile about the general level of functionality of the school and to share with the school the procedures that will be followed by the evaluation team. The team leader also has overall responsibility for the evaluation process and the conduct of the supervisors. Supervisory teams will comprise accredited supervisors capable of evaluating the nine areas for evaluation. Members should have the experience to evaluate at least one subject/learning area and have an awareness of the key elements of good provision for Learners with Special Education Needs (LSEN). The number of supervisors will normally be within the range of four to six, depending on the school size and resources available. Evaluations will normally be conducted between th ree to four days of the week, depending on the size of the school. A school will be helped by district support services to formulate and implement an improvement plan based on the recommendations in the report and provide the school with support as it seeks to implement the plan (DoE, 2001) The findings in Turnbulls research disclose that all educators interviewed identified that the various attempts to introduce self-evaluation had failed, though all saw that the concept was one that should be in place, but attempts to use self-evaluation to improve the quality of teaching and learning in individual schools were taking place, with individual teachers working together on classroom practice and in some schools using IQMS, with senior team ensuring that every member of staff was observed at least once a year, met with the observer, and those seen to have issues being visited (Turnbull, 2007). The failure of introduction of self-evaluation is attributed to two groups of factors. The first issues are managerial and they include: the linking of the use of self-evaluation to the annual pay increments making it impossible to award someone less than satisfactory even though he/she deserves it, especially in township schools; the unwieldy nature of the system needed to implement policy; and the lack of capacity of the local DoE to either monitor the process, or provide support for schools where a need was identified. The second issues are cultural/historical and they include: the limited experience of educators of any form of self-evaluation and limited training provided; the limited practical training of the majority of township teachers and principals; the impact of the previous political system leading to a resistance to change; and in township schools the real danger o

The Tragedy of Isolation Exposed in John Steinbecks Of Mice and Men :: Steinbeck Of Mice and Men Essays

The Tragedy of Isolation Exposed in Of Mice and Men  Ã‚   The Great Depression of the 1930's was a tumultuous time. Hundreds of thousands of people lost their homes and means of unemployment. Whole families would roam the country, desperate for food and a place to rest, struggling to survive. There were also many men who tramped across America alone, searching for menial jobs to keep them alive another month. John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men details the lives of several such men and shows that the principle quest of so many was not money or things that money can buy. Rather, whether they were travelling from one job to another or employed in some capacity, the vast majority of the wandering laborers were searching for human companionship and reassurance that they were not alone to fend for themselves- something very few of them actually found. It was not merely the migrant workers who felt detached form the world- even the boss's son Curley was manifestly desperate for real companionship. Curley's biggest obstacle was himself, as he possessed simultaneously an enormous ego and very little self-esteem. As the son of the owner of a large ranch, Curley had considerable power over the men who worked there, and he chose to abuse that power rather that try to befriend those who were beneath him. Unable to realize that constantly picking fights would do little to combat his loneliness, Curley pounced upon everyone who looked at him funny as an excuse to vent his frustration at being friendless and hated. He could not love his wife because that would mean breaking down the barrier of pride he had constructed, and so he perpetuated the cycle of loneliness both in himself and others. And what of Curley's wife? Nameless, she epitomizes the wife displayed as a trophy by a status-conscious husband, whether he is a prominent politician, a millionaire, or the son of a ranch owner. It is tragic that two individuals so alone in the world could be thrown together by fate and succeed only in strengthening each others' isolation, and that is often the case. Curley lived his life picking fights or discussing future ones, while his wife, desperate for meaningful attention, flirts with all the ranch hands. She sought out Lennie and the others in Crooks's room for conversation in desperation, hoping for companionship yet dooming it from the start by her arrogance and unwillingness to concede that, to be truly happy, she must bend a little.

Excellence Is Your Best Weapon For Fighting Racism :: essays research papers

Excellence is Your Best Weapon for Fighting Racism The Bible says that "the poor will always be with us." An similar statement is that racism will always be with us. So, the question is, "What should we do about it?" There are many ways to fight racism: you might march, protest, complain, or beg the government for help. Some of these methods have worked well in the past. However, I think the best and most effective weapon today for fighting racism is excellence. Excellence will bring down more racial barriers than all the marching and shouting in the world. To develop the weapon of excellence, we must take advantage of all the educational opportunities that are available to us. Even though the doors of opportunity are not always opened equally to everyone, there are still ways to be what you want to be, go where you want to go, and have what you want to have. And it does not matter where you live, how poor you are. You still have the ability to succeed. As long as you have your health and can think, success is possible. Accepting the fact that the doors of opportunity are not opened equally to everyone, one thing that is equal for everyone is time. There is the same number of hours in the day for all of us. How you use these hours is your choice. You can use them on the playground or you can use them to play the books. Playing on the playground might give you some hours of immediate enjoyment, but playing the books will give you long-term gratification. African Americans and other minorities can no longer use the excuses of being poor or living in a bad neighborhood or small town to keep us from achieving excellence through education. In some cases, the poorer you are the more educational opportunities that are available to you. Poverty should not be an excuse for not working up to your potential. No matter how poor you think you are, there is always someone who is poorer. Please do not be embarrassed by or ashamed of the size your home town. Many individuals from small towns have become very successful and risen to the top of their professions. If President Clinton can change his address from Hope, Arkansas to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C., then you know it is possible to fulfill your aspirations, whatever they might be. President Clinton's rise to the top of his profession suggests to me that whether you are a big time runner from New York City, or a guy who runs around the block in Fall

Cival Rights Act 1964 :: essays research papers fc

When the Government Stood Up For Civil Rights "All my life I've been sick and tired, and now I'm just sick and tired of being sick and tired. No one can honestly say Negroes are satisfied. We've only been patient, but how much more patience can we have?" Mrs. Hamer said these words in 1964, a month and a day before the historic Civil Rights Act of 1964 would be signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. She speaks for the mood of a race, a race that for centuries has built the nation of America, literally, with blood, sweat, and passive acceptance. She speaks for black Americans who have been second class citizens in their own home too long. She speaks for the race that would be patient no longer that would be accepting no more. Mrs. Hamer speaks for the African Americans who stood up in the 1950's and refused to sit down. They were the people who led the greatest movement in modern American history - the civil rights movement. It was a movement that would be more than a fragment of history, it was a movement that would become a measure of our lives (Shipler 12). When Martin Luther King Jr. stirred up the conscience of a nation, he gave voice to a long lain dormant morality in America, a voice that the government could no longer ignore. The government finally answered on July 2nd with the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is historically significant because it stands as a defining piece of civil rights legislation, being the first time the national government had declared equality for blacks. The civil rights movement was a campaign led by a number of organizations, supported by many individuals, to end discrimination and achieve equality for American Blacks (Mooney 776). The forefront of the struggle came during the 1950's and the 1960's when the feeling of oppression intensified and efforts increased to gain access to public accommodations, increased voting rights, and better educational opportunities (Mooney). Civil rights in America began with the adoption of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the Constitution, which ended slavery and freed blacks in theory. The Civil Rights Acts of 1866 and 1875 were passed, guaranteeing the rights of blacks in the courts and access to public accommodation. These were, however, declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, who decided that the fourteenth did not protect blacks from violation of civil rights, by individuals.

Chemistry Gcse Coursework Rates of Reaction Essay

Investigating how the concentration of sodium-thiosulphate (STS) and hydrochloric acid (HCL) affects the rate of reaction in the experiment. In addition I am also checking how different variables affect my experiment and also how I can make my test more precise, reliable and accurate. Strategy According to my results, as the concentration of STS solution increased the rate of reaction of my experiment was increased. Also as the concentration of STS solution decreased, the time of reaction increased. In my preliminary test I checked my equipment and I came to a conclusion that my equipment was working well. The preliminary test checked if the experiment actually worked and the things I used were reliable for me to use. The method I used to carry out my experiment was very reliable. I first picked the type of experiment I was going to do. Which consisted of many types or variables such as: changing the temperature, catalyst, surface area and concentration etc. As I had limited time I picked concentration. I also had to choose which type concentration I needed either 1 molar or 2 molars (concentration types). I realised that picking the 1 molar STS solution the rate of reaction was very slow. However in the 2 molar STS solution the rate of reaction was quick. As I was short on time I chose the 2 molar STS solution nevertheless picking this type of concentration could lead me to see more reaction between STS and HCL particles. Therefore allowing me to create an accurate test and allowing me to obtain precise results. Once I decided the concentration I then carried out my experiment. In my preliminary test I carried out my experiment using three beakers which contained of STS, H20 and HCL. In my experiment I applied H20 so that I could see the rate of reaction through a more dilute solution. I applied all of these solutions in to a conical flask. I recorded my results using a timer just to see if the experiment worked. What I predicted in my preliminary test was, as the sodium-thiosulphate concentration increased, the time taken for the solution to turn cloudy took longer. In this experiment I knew when the solution was completely cloudy was until the black cross underneath the flask had disappeared to my sight. Sodium-thiosulphate – used as solution as part of my experiment Hydrochloric Acid – used as solution as part of my experiment Beaker – used for carrying the solution Measuring cylinder – used for measuring the volume of solution Timer – used to measure the time taken for the solution to get cloudy Calculator – used to calculate the average time Conical Flask – used to carry out the experiment Black-cross card- used to see weather or not the solution had turned fully cloudy. Collecting Data In my experiment most of the variables I had were: volume of HCL, volume of STS, concentration of HCL or STS, temperature of room, type of apparatus and many more. The variable I changed was the volume of STS and the volume of water. The variable that I kept the same was the hydrochloric acid which remained at 30ml throughout the whole experiment. By doing so it made my experiment a fair test as I was controlling other variables such as HCL. I kept the other variables the same in order to allow my experiment to be a fair test. Taking temperature into consideration if I did not control this my results would be inaccurate. My experiment was carried out very safely. I made sure that I was wearing my safety goggles whilst I carried out my test. My experiment was placed not in the way of people so that my experiment is not any risk to me or them. In addition the safety rules made my experiment a fair test. Nevertheless regarding my data of results I had were very reliable and precise as I don’t have any outliers and my graph shows that the increase of STS is directly proportional to the time taken for the solution to become cloudy. To make sure that my test went accurately and precisely I made sure that my timing was accurately done not pressing the timer too early or late. This again shows that my test was a fair test. As the range of volumes of STS I had consisted between 12ml to 40ml although if I applied higher concentrations the test would have been more reliable. However I used these concentration types so that I can get a clear picture that STS reacts with HCL in a certain period of time. I repeated these volumes three times and as a result no outliers had become visible to me on my data. This suggested that my experiment was carried out very accurately. As well as in my preliminary test I also repeated the test three times so that I could see the results were accurate and precise. Similarly my real experiment was done very precisely such as calculating or measuring the results or measuring the amount of solution in each beaker etc. I predicted that I would find a wrong result whilst doing my experiment, however my prediction was wrong and the results were very accurate. If by chance I found an outlier I would not count it with the rest of my results and I would repeat that test again. One of my problems I encountered during my experiment was the time taken to press the timer which in my opinion affected my results. Interpreting Data What I notice in my results was that as the concentration of STS kept on increasing the time take for the solution to get cloudy was decreasing. For example when there was 12ml of STS the average time was 140 seconds. Where as when the STS was at 40ml the average time was 32 seconds which shows a very big relationship between the amount of STS and the time taken. This was due to the concentration of the STS solution. In comparison to my preliminary results I can see some similarities between the concentration types of the STS solution. Also I can see on my graph the scatter of results look very accurate and the natural trend of my results shows a negative correlation. What my graph shows is that the percentage of sodium-thiosulphate increased then the time taken for the experiment decreased. So as the sodium-thiosulphate particles increased which meant that there where more particles colliding with the hydrochloric acid particles. This altogether led to a decrease in the time taken for the reaction to happen. Not only is the results reliable but they are easy to understand as for the key which describes the part on the graph such as line of best fit, error bars etc. Therefore the data I obtained looks very reliable. The picture bellow suggests that if the concentration increases the collision rate increases. Also many other variables affect the collision rate to increase such as Catalysts and temperature etc. Evaluation In conclusion I think my experiment was very successful. My data is very reliable and accurate as I have no outliers. I probably did not encounter any outliers because the precision and the accuracy I applied to my investigation during timing or measuring etc. this shows the reliability of my investigation. The results could have been improved by repeating the investigation more times so that I can further improve the reliability of my data. On the other hand I am very confident with my results. On my graph the results show very small error bars which suggests that my results again were very accurate. I was also confidant with the safety of this experiment which mostly when I was pouring out STS and HCL. Therefore this applies to the accuracy of the test. On my table of results I repeated my investigation 3 times to ensure the reliability of my data. Nevertheless I measured the time taken to the nearest second which builds precision in my experiment. I am very confident with the method I used whilst using simple equipment and obtaining fantastic results and my experiment was a success. Overall I am really confident in this investigation, however I can make improvements. Maybe using a better timer to record my results would have granted me more accurate results. I could have also changed the concentration of the HCL solution. This would make my investigation more of a fair test because during my experiment I used a stronger concentration of the STS solution and so it would have been better if I used the stronger HCL solution. Also safety was equally important to the investigation. I can also improve my experiment by using a turbidity sensor which judges how cloudy things are. By using this turbidity sensor would give me more precise and reliable results. In my opinion this experiment was a very good choice as temperature, surface area and catalysts were also different variable choices, however what I noticed at the start of the experiment was that this investigation was easy to layout and the equipment was available. My results were outstanding seen as though I had no outliers or the error bars on my graph are very small. The line of best fit shows a natural trend between the solution and the average time taken. But taken into consideration the time taken to record the results was not 100% accurate. This problem would have been avoided if I used more accurate equipment. Taken as a whole I can see that my experiment went very well. I am very confident with my results and I can feel that my investigation was very precise, accurate and my results were extremely reliable. I also feel very confidant that my investigation went well.

Amerindian before Columbus and the Physical Geography of the Caribbean

Much of America account statement is recorded from the time Columbus and his squad of explores dry pull downed in the Caribbean piece.The first reception to establishment of Spanish in the Caribbean region was the policy of extermination in which millions of the pilot program inhabitants lost their life. Although it has become controversial on the exact number of inhabitants living in the region ahead the approach path of the Columbus, it dust clear there were a pear-shaped number of natural citizenry and the coming of Columbus really changed their life.The nature of the primaeval Americans remains a controversial solution since it is argued that on his arrival Christopher Columbus mistook the inhabitants for Indians. This is because he though he had arrived in eastside Indies since he was seeking sea street to India.The culture of Amerindian before ColumbusThe pre-Columbian nicety in the region is though to open been quite advances more that what was projected at the time. It has been revea guide that there was a high train of suppuration from social organization to development in agriculture and early(a) sciences which were employ in agriculture and in semipolitical expansion.Notably among this civilization was the expansive Maya empire which had flourished and grow from Mexico to Central American but which later(prenominal) collapsed owing to social and political strife, diseases and other ecological disasters, and man other factors (Mann, 1999).The geography of the region shows a very robust soil and seasons of heavy rainfall. This means that the region had a very high untaught potential which was well exploited by the inhabitants.The scotch landscape of the people before the coming of Europeans is mixed. While a mature number of the autochthonic inhabitants were hunters and gatherers, there was excessively a swell number which nice aquaculture and agriculture.There is evidence that some of the people lived on mixed agri culture keeping animals and exploitation crops. Therefore we can say that before the coming of Columbus, the original inhabitants had their own nonionized social life and varying economic activities in line with the ample unpolished potential of the land.When the European came and conquered the region, there were several(prenominal) changes that took place. First they immediately realized the rich agricultural potential of the land and their firmness pattern was concentrated in rich agricultural areas. What followed was mass extermination of the indigenous inhabitants so as to narrow down up large scale lands for the Europeans.It is in this land that they grew sugar plantations and other cash crops. This led to massive enslavement of the indigenous people in order to provide beat back in these large plantations. The setting up of plantations changed the approach that Europeans were using in traffic with the native.The policy of mass extermination chop-chop changed to mass enslavement to provide issue labor. There was also discovery of mineral like gold which led toenail increased trade and setting up of industries. (Mann, 1999)ConclusionIt is still controversial whether Columbus discovered South America or not. but there were original inhabitants in the land who Columbus referred to as Indians.The inhabitants were social organise and they practiced agriculture although a good number were hunters and gatherers. When European came they realized the agricultural potential of the land and immediately set up large plantation where they enslaved the indigenous people to provide free labor.ReferenceMann, C. (1999) rude(a) Revelation of the Americans before Columbus. New York Knopf create