The Decline of Moral Education from the 1950s to Today

Civilization of nations depends on moral character and attitudes of its people. It is acquired by education and training of its people. Education starts right from childhood and is an essential prerequisite for developing a good moral character. Education of a child plays a vital role in improving his/her behavior. It is a very important and vital step that education should be designed in a way that should help children develop a good character. But unfortunately, this is not the case. Our education system has declined to a level that our new generation is not aware of moral behavior and attitude. Educating a child does not solely rely on the shoulders of a school but it depends on different people according to their role. Education of a child is dependant on teachers, parents and administrators of educational process. The main participants are parents. Parents are the first place for child where he learns a lot from their own character and how they behave and teach a child. Parents are mainly responsible for bringing the child to maturity and develop their moral character. However, if state schools try to take over this responsibility and then train and educate them in a way to serve the governmental goals, though it might ruin their morals is a deteriorating condition in our education. States and school are not focusing on the moral behavior and attitudes. Our education system must be to make today’s children tomorrow’s leader. Leadership qualities determine those traits and characteristics of a person that will make him to lead people, an organization and/or a business. Leadership qualities may vary according to the situations, organizations and tasks. There are different leadership models and their qualities depend on the context of the environment they need to work in. One of the most important leadership qualities is that a leader is always determined, persuasive and work for their best. It is well understood by them that there is always a room for improvement. Excellence is what they want to achieve and whatever they do. They have a strong desire to do their best and perform outstandingly. The workforce they create is organized, unified, disciplined, cooperative and very productive. They keep setting new standards and carve new ways to improve and bring change. A very important aspect of leadership is that leader always makes others feel honored and valued. He never makes them feel bad for their mistakes, or criticizes them. Instead he is always an example for his employee and p lays a role model for them. Leader always work for others and willing to serve them. Doing this he never feels inferior or secondary. Serving others gains respect. Helping out others gain their respect and admiration. Employees make the workforce of an organization; failing to motivate them and help them could result in failure of an organization on the whole. A very important aspect of education is to be tolerant of other and removing discrimination among different ethical groups. Diversity refers to the grouping of different people from wide array of ethnic, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. Diversity implies that being tolerant of racial groups from different backgrounds and to give them equal rights at workplace, education, tourism and entertainment. Diversity programs in business, education, and employment strive to provide equal opportunities for minority groups to let them participate in all aspects of life. Diversity implies respect and protection of equal rights for others equally as we are enjoying them. As being part of American society, a nation that has most diverse and different groups of people, it is important to look beyond the limits of differences among people. If we are well developed world we should come out of the notion of race, color and identity. Democracy can be implemented well in a nation by removing the barriers of conventional identities and discriminating each others. If admissions are not given on equal basis then how the constitution will give equal protection? Practical implementation of Affirmative Action would diminish traditional set back of minority groups who were not given privileges in the schools and profession earlier. But now there is a strong need to reduce this racial and gender discrimination. For advancement of our society and to keep the infrastructure of the nation strong it is the very important and fundamental point. In addition, affirmative action will let schools and profession to obtain more benefits from the talents of diverse groups of people belonging to different gender and race (Gurin, 2002). The reason for this is that suppose if a school is declining admission to a person who obtained very good scores in his/her test, solely on the basis that s/he is a black or among other minority group, who knows that the same person could later become an eminent personality. By contrary if it grants admission to a white person who deserved less marks may later become a poor professional. The most important reason for affirmative action is to give all rights to the people who deserve their positions in the medical schools. Further to end racial preferences among students of different schools. There must be different alternative methods develop to stop violence at school. Environment at school greatly influences student’s learning skills. References State Education and the Decline of Morality Paul A. Cleveland http://www.leaderu.com/offices/cleveland/docs/education.html Moral Development and Moral Education: An Overview. Studies in Moral Development and Education. http://tigger.uic.edu/~lnucci/MoralEd/overview.html Gurin, Patricia, Day, Eric L., Hurtado, Sylvia & Gurin, Gerald. â€Å"Diversity and Higher Education: Theory and Impact on Educational Outcomes,† Harvard Educational Review, 72 (Fall 2002), 330-337.   

Cache Level 3 Childcare- Unit 2 Assignment

Unit 2 Assignment A child develops through its whole life. They can develop; physically, linguistically, intellectually, socially and behaviourally. â€Å"Physical development is the way in which the body increases in skill and becomes more complex in its performance† [Meggitt, 2000, Page 2]. Twenty five days after conception; the body of the chid has developed immensely from the small fertilised egg. Up to birth the foetus mainly develops physically however once the child is born the child then begins the long process of development. Not only do the gross motor skills and the fine motor skills develop on the baby, but the sensory development also widens on the child. Birth to 12 months Motor control develops from the head, moves down through the arms and the trunk and then to the legs and feet, according to an item on early development on the online magazine Parenting. Initial movements are reflexive in nature, such as turning the head to the side when the cheek is stroked, which aids in feeding. As the initial survival reflexes fade, motor skills are related to the growing ability to observe and interact with the environment. At 3 months of age, the infant progresses to lifting the head and chest up when lying in its belly and may press up with its arms. A 3-month-old kicks its legs when lying on the belly or back, and bats at and briefly grasps toys. The World Health Organisation 1996 indicates that between 3 and 4 months, he begins rolling with belly to back first, and back to belly closer to 6 months. The following average ages of motor milestone achievement come from a 1996 study by the World Health Organisation. The average age at which infants sat without support was 6 months. The average age for standing with support was 7. 6 months. Infants in the study crawled on hands and knees at 8. 5 months. Walking with assistance occurred at 9 months. The average age of an infant who achieved standing alone was 11 months. In regards to communication a newborn infant will cry to indicate need. They will make brief eye-contact and can often respond to high-pitch tones by moving their limbs. A month after birth the baby changes from crying to cooing and gurgling to express need. They will cry in more expressive ways to experiment and learn how to make different noises. This is the basis in which the child will learn to speak and communicate more effectively. By the age of 3 months the child can change their tone and intensity to express a more important need such as feeding or pain. They can also become more conversational in which this is the point where the child will learn turn-taking and from this will be able to communicate at an older age with their parents or carers more effectively. When the child is 6 months old they can understand simple words such as ‘bye-bye’. They can also make gestures to support speech such as raising their arms to be picked up. At this age they begin to progress to babbling using monosyllables and later combining these to begin forming their first words. By their first birthday the child will be able to understand the command ‘no’ and will soon imitate noises made by the environment around them and in particular the noises made by their careers. The child will also be able to point to support their language such as ‘mummy’ whilst pointing to their mum. They will also be able to say 2-6 simple words by combining their monosyllables. The child will also experiment with babbling to make up new words with no meaning. 2 months-23 months A child can walk unsupported across a room with stopping or changing direction between 13 and 15 months. Around 18 months, kicking and throwing balls, running, climbing stairs with assistance, and propelling scoot toys join the toddler's set of mobility and play skills. Between the ages of 12-23 months the child will be able to name simple parts of their body such as head and hands, they will also be able to identify pictures such as dog, cat and car. At eighteen months the child’s vocabulary will extend to around 40 words and will be able to understand around 80 words. Their speech extends to the holophrastic stage and often this is supported by gestures. They will also be able to recognise their own name and will be most likely be able to pronounce it. 24 months-35 months Between the ages of 2 and 3, balance improves and the toddler walks with a smoother gait. During this period she learns to stand briefly on one foot, walk backwards, and walk on tiptoes. A child jumps in place around 24 months and progresses to jumping over a small obstacle by 36 months. At 24 months she climbs a small ladder and goes down a small slide, then manoeuvres on a variety of playground equipment around 35 months. Between 30 and 34 months, toddlers begin to walk up stairs alternating feet without a hand held or use of a railing. Other play skills expected within a few months of the third birthday are catching a playground ball that has been tossed to the child and pedalling a tricycle. At the age of 2 their language develops to the telegraphic stage meaning their speech is similar to telegrams, approximately two or three words which express a need or command. At 2 the child will often ask many questions to extend their vocabulary further, such as ‘what’s that? ’ They will share songs and rhymes however will be unsure of some words. This changes at the age of 30 months when the child will be able to say some nursery rhymes with little support and will begin to speak to themselves (monologues) through play. Between three to seven years a child changes physically in many ways. The child becomes physically more independent and therefore allows the gift of exploration to enhance learning. 3 years Towards the end of the Childs third year they can build towers with 9 or more bricks, walk backwards and jump the steps. Also the child will gain a good spatial awareness meaning they can move around objects efficiently. The child can also copy letters such as ‘v’, ‘h’, and ‘t’ due to the use of only straight lines. This shows the child is not yet gained accurate pencil control to attain curved letters. At the age of three a child, if another language is spoken around them will be able to become bilingual and this becomes apparent by saying hello or other simple words in another language. They can begin simple conversations however often missing out conjunctions and articles (the, and, a). They finally can use personal pronouns and plurals correctly meaning that further vocabulary has been drastically expanded. years Children of this age often take challenges to enjoy the sense of risk. [Hughes] (See appendix I) Risk enhances play and also encourages children to venture out from their normal behaviour. Risks taken often include climbing trees, making sharp turns on a tricycle and tiptoe; which are all achievable by the age of four years. When addressing fine mot or skills, the child can thread small beads on to a thick lace, can hold a pencil in correct fashion and can copy the letters, ‘x’, ’v’, ’h’, ’t’ and ‘o’. A four year old child is also capable of naming four primary colours with ease. The language development of a four year old is when many confusions are apparent. A four year old child will be confused with fact and fiction and from this will begin to ask more questions to develop a better understanding. They will be able to relay a story in which they have recently read or experienced with stating the key points however will miss out certain points of necessary information. 5 years A child of 5 years often includes rhythm in their movement whether it is dancing or running. They have good balance and many children when they reach the age of 5 can ride a bike unsupported. They also have good co-ordination enabling more ‘exciting’ and ‘interesting’ play due to the ability to change play environments; for example outdoors, or specific games such as football. The child can also have effective pencil control allowing the opportunity to explore different letters involving curves such as ‘u’, ‘c’, ‘a’ and ‘y’. They can also use a knife and fork meaning a greater sense of independence will be achieved. [Montessori] (See appendix II) A child of five years of age will love telling jokes and riddles and will often gain an interest in reading and writing. They will be able to recognise their name when written down and will attempt to write it with support. They can differentiate past, present and future and will be able to change words to the correct form for the context. 6 years Steward,J: http://www. stokespeaksout. org/grownups/Developing%20Pencil%20Grasp%20. Developing Pencil Grasp-2008 A child of 6 years is gaining strength and agility in their physical movements. Many children have better co-ordination and find that they participate more in activities such as hopping, skipping and throwing/catching balls accurately. In regards to fine motor skills children can build a straight tower of cubes, can hold a pen with a dynamic tripod grasp (see left) and can write letters of a similar size such as ‘a’ and ‘o’. A child of six years will begin to speak more fluently and this is where the turn-taking takes its force. Many children of this age will be able to pronounce many of the phonetic sounds of their language and will be able to recognise these in many spoken words. This basic knowledge of phonetics is what is the scaffolding for furthering their vocabulary and learning new words. 7 years At this age children can climb and play on apparatus with a precise skill using their outstretched arms for balance. They can control their speed when moving (running) and can swerve to avoid accidents. Their increased stamina at the age of seven allows a child to participate in more activities such as swimming or skating. Their fine motor skills are improving drastically with their written form in proportion and accurate. Letters are differentiated now and are in the correct shape. Threading is more efficient with a seven year old being able to sew using a large needle and thread. At seven a child will be able to express themselves not only in speech but in non-verbal communication also. The development of their fine motor skills and their ability of writing letters correctly often allows the child to use the written form to express themselves. Jean Piaget’s theory on language acquisition gives a clear idea on the linguistical development of the child. Piaget states that there are four stages in which a child develops their language. These are; Sensory-motor period, Pre-operational period, Egocentrism, and the Operational period. The sensory-motor period (Birth-2 years) states that children are born with basic schemas (sequence of cognitive actions) such as sucking. In this stage children’s language becomes egocentric meaning that they talk to themselves like monologues. The Pre-operational period happens between the ages of 2 and 7. Their schemas allow them to learn new words quickly and they begin to make telegraphic sentences such as â€Å"Ben has milk†. During this stage children will often talk about things in the future or will be able to discuss their feelings, this showing symbolic language. Egocentrism begins towards the final year of the pre-operational stage. Egocentrism is common among many children to develop their play further. Animism is also common at the same stage as egocentrism where a child considers everything to be alive, this can include inanimate objects. Finally the operational period begins at the age of 7 and continues right through to adulthood. This stage is divided into two separate sections Chomsky’s nature theory of language development in children shows that children are born with an ability to understand language structures. Chomsky believes that children initially possess, then develop without being affected by where they live. This is called ‘Universal Grammar’ and is inbuilt in all human language systems. This then moves on to the critical period which means that children reach a stage in which their language is high in alertness. At this point (4-5 years) children should be frequently exposed to language and if this does not happen the child’s language does not develop and the child doesn’t have a high amount of language. After the critical period has been reached it is near impossible for the child to develop their language. There are many different types of observation types you can do when observing children. Three types I have used in my observations are: Written/Narrative: This is the most common type of observation technique. It is used to record a naturally occurring event (free description) or a structured recording, where a certain task is set, appropriate to the ability of the child. It provides a description of an event unfolding in front of you, written in past tense so that it is easy for anyone to understand what is happening. Advantages: You are using a skill which you practice every day and that is familiar to other people * Little equipment is required (timer, paper and a pen) * Little preparation needed and no formal planning is essential * The observation can be carried out at almost anytime Disadvantages: * You may not be able to explain all the events which are happening very quickly * Sometimes can prove difficult to write down all information * Observers with little experience may f ind themselves recording something irrelevant to the observation * May be repetitious and boring May produce a lot of information Checklists: A form is used in this observation to help the observer look for particular skills that a child has. This method is often used as part of an assessment of a child’s stage of development. It is useful to find out what stage a child is at. Particularly useful in regards to physical development. Advantages: * A quick way of presenting a great deal of information * Results are obvious and understandable * Can be repeated to access development Can be used by parents for the nursery’s benefit. Disadvantages: * Does not explain how competent a child is at that task only explains that they can do it * Does not give a clear picture Mapping: This type of observation is a short hand way of showing information about an individual or sometimes a group of children. A mapping chart can sometimes be used to see how a child uses equipment in the setting by drawing a plan of the space being used for the observation and drawing lines to show where the child has been. Advantages: * Helpful in planning the use of equipment * Easy to show information * Can highlight likes and dislikes of certain equipment Disadvantages: * Limited use * It only shows their preferences are rarely shows developmental progress Maintaining confidentiality is essential. It is important that you ask permission to observe the child and ask if you are allowed to use the information. If a parent/carer does not wish for the child to be observed it is important that this is followed. When completing the observation it is important that the child is unaware they are being observed this is because it will single out the child from the others and this may be stressful for the child. It is important that once the observation has been completed the observation is kept in the child’s folder in a locked cupboard so no other persons can view it. If for reasons including other professionals needing to view the observation it is important that the child’s name is not present on the form and that the parent is contacted before the information is shared. When doing an observation it is professional if the child’s name is not present and in fact the use of ‘Child A’ for example, to be used instead. It is essential that no child’s personal information is shown on the form such as date of birth and in fact a rough age is more appropriate such as 2 years 2 months. This is so the child’s personal information is kept confidential between their key worker and the child/parent. The Data Protection Act 1998 ensures that all personal information is kept hidden and locked away in a storage area where only the specific people can access the information. The only information held should be relevant to the aim of the observation and no information should be collected for personal use of the setting. Information should only be shared once consent has been given and this is for individual persons only. So for example another professional who will be supporting a particular child (physiotherapist, speech and language therapist, etc). In regards to confidentiality of observations parents are entitled to see the observation and under no circumstances should this entitlement be declined. Personal views on a child should not be taken into consideration and no part knowledge of the child should be present in the observation, such as the child has improved since the last observation, as the observation should be objective. At my setting the policy about observations is when observations are carried out the practitioner is to As the child in my observations is 2 years of age, she is at the stage of physical development where she can stand on one foot, walk backwards or on tiptoes, jumping over an obstacle, cycle and climb. These skills are all shown in my observation mapping (observation 2) as the child goes through a cycle of; running, walking, running, cycling, skipping, climbing, sitting, climbing, running, jumping and finally running again. This shows that the child is very confident about being physical in an outdoor environment. In the observation it is clear that the child takes her time getting on to the cycle or changing their skills. For example; 1:09 the child has finished on the cycle however she takes until 1:13 to skip to the next apparatus. This may be because she may have mastered the skills needed, but she could be possibly uncertain of moving swiftly from one skill to the next. The child is showing the cycling skills of a four year old as it is a milestone of a four year old child to make sharp turns on a tricycle. The child in my observations completed two sharp turns, possibly not intentionally, and therefore this leaves the child capable of a four year olds physical skills. However, in my third observation the child cannot walk on tiptoe. This is a key milestone of a two year old and this shows that the child is not fully ble to complete all the milestones. Another milestone she couldn’t achieve was hopping on one foot. Both these skills require good balance which is something this child has still not achieved. Although the child is physically capable of normal day-to-day activities the child will fall behind physically if her balance does not develop. Observations are useful in regards to planning. For exa mple mapping observations show a clear picture on their preferences in the setting. It shows what activities when go to and how long the child is there for. Observations are only useful when used and evaluated on in time. This therefore allows the practitioner to plan a child’s activities to their preferences. Observations also highlight in which stage the child’s development is it and therefore shows the practitioner at what stages they should be planning for and providing the appropriate activities. Observations also highlight any learning difficulties that child may have which will highlight if any extra support is needed which therefore can be referred to the appropriate professional. It will also highlight any problems the settings have in providing for the child for example if the child plays with no toys then it is clear that their maybe no activities the child may be interested in and therefore daily observations should be done to see if there are any activities which the child enjoys and in time the practitioners will be able to plan effectively. Finally observations can show the way a child learns so therefore it can help practitioners plan on how many children and adults should be involved in an activity which will develop one individual child’s development. It is clear from the observations that the child is very physically capable however the planning around improving the child’s balance is vital. Without balance the child will struggle with not only complex physical movements but simple walking would prove difficult and would highly likely result in the child falling over. So it is important that the planning highlights the problem of balance and provides activities around that. An individual plan for this child would be to complete an obstacle course so many times a week, slowly using less support to improve the balance. Providing challenging equipment for this child would allow the child to feel, when ready, to use the apparatus this therefore developing balance. In my second observation it is clear that the child likes to use a high percentage of the playground. However it is clear to see that the child does not use the sandpit or the far right side of the playground. This could be taken into consideration when planning to ensure that sand is not used to encourage development of the child because the child does not take an interest in the sandpit. Also by completing the observations the setting can discuss with the parents the child’s preferences at the setting and find out how to implement popular objects into developing skills. Observing children can have implications on the practitioners work. It is important the practitioner is fully trained and understands how to plan, complete and evaluate observations. It is important that the right type of observation is used in the right context with a suitable amount of knowledge about confidentiality to observe. Whilst a practitioner is observing it is likely that they will be thinking about the reliability of their observation. It is easy to miss important information when observing when you have other children as possible distractions, or other issues such as fire alarms. This then questions the reliability of the observation, how much essential information is apparent in the observation? Am I observing the child correctly? Observations are forever changing with practitioners being forever told of new ways to observe, what can’t be included in observations and the initiatives and legislation behind observations. What is the appropriate observation technique for children. The problem I believe is that children need to be observed in different types of styles. For example, if I was working with a child who had only very basic skills I would use a checklist observation to ensure they can complete the basics however if a child is known to be more complex than a narrative type of observation is more effective as small skills can be highlighted to support their skills. On the other hand, do observations really support children’s learning? It, as all practitioners know, is important to observe children to highlight issues with children’s development but the issue becomes a serious problem when practitioners begin to use observations to plan a child’s day at setting. One observation, if aiming to gain a complete knowledge about a child, is simply not enough. A child will act differently throughout a day at setting due to emotions, different practitioners working, different activities and being tired, so is it really appropriate to take judgements from one observation every couple of days. In theory, effective observations should be taken 3-4 times daily, ensuring that the child has been observed in key points in the day. This therefore gives practitioners a clear idea about the child and their behaviour. But this is simply not feasible in many settings due to lack of time and staff training. Also, although practitioners should not put their own knowledge into observations it is common for practitioners to make judgements about children. One disadvantage of accessing children through observations is that you are only getting information about the child for that selected amount of time. As stated earlier a child’s behaviour will change continuously throughout a day at setting, what i believe would be more effective would be to record a child’s behaviour throughout the whole day and then after a certain amount of time, e. g. a week, another recording is taken. This information can then be compared giving more information about the child. At my setting, it is clear that they are using both current and older theories in their work with children. The two theories I highlighted earlier are specifically used in the foundation stage whilst considering the critical period of 4-5 year olds, it is clear that the practitioners focus on language in the early years units of primary schools. I believe that Chomsky’s theory of critical period is very important in practice and often by the time the children reach the year 1 stage they are very fluent in both written and spoken language. Bibliography Meggitt, C. and Sunderland, G. (2000) Child development: an illustrated guide. Heinemann Educational. Hobart,C (1999) A practical guide to Child Observation and Assessment. nd Edition. Nelson Thornes ltd Harding, J. and Meldon-Smith, L. (2000) How to make observations and assessments. 2nd edn. London: Hodder and Stoughton. Baldwin, M (2003) The Data Protection Act 1998- The summary http://www. dpa. lancs. ac. uk/summary. htm, Lancaster University http://www. little-learners-childcare. co. uk/PlayworkTheories. aspx: Playwork Theories, L ine 6:26 http://www. dailymontessori. com/montessori-theory/: Montessori Theory, Line 9:15 Piaget, J(2001) The language and thought of the child. Routledge LTD Bailey, D (2000) Critical thinking about Critical periods. Brookes Publishing Co

Interview with an Asian American Woman

Interview with an Asian American Woman The Long Journey Towards The American Dream The Vietnam War ended in 1975, which caused many Vietnamese people to be driven out of their homes and immigrate to America, seeking a safe life away from the affects of war and political turmoil (Ojeda-Kimbrough Lecture June 7, 2012). My family was a part of these refugees searching for a way out. I interviewed my mother, Huong Carter who was born and raised in Vietnam and came to the U. S. with the second wave of immigrants after the war had ended.The second wave of immigrants, including my family, could not speak English very well and traveled by boat, which was one of the most dangerous ways of travel during this time (Ojeda-Kimbrough Lecture June 7, 2012). With the threat of pirates, theft, illness, and drowning, my family faced these dangers in order to gain their freedom. Analysis of interview My mother felt frustrated throughout the interview, trying to get her point across but maybe couldnâ₠¬â„¢t find the right words.She wanted to make sure that I knew everything that happened was because of how brave my grandfather had been to leave absolutely everything he had worked his whole life for behind just to keep my mother and her siblings safe and provide a brighter and safer future for them. I was trying to focus on how she felt during these times, and how she felt about being Asian in a predominantly White culture in America. The issues that we had learned in lectures did come up, but she didn’t want to focus on that.She wanted to focus on how hard her father had worked, and how hard each of them had to work, in school and in their jobs so that they could succeed in America where they had freedom and were safe from war. They saw coming to America as a great escape from the dangers of the political turmoil in Vietnam and worked hard every single day to obtain better jobs, more money, and a decent and safe future for their children. The interview gave me a better ins ight of how the â€Å"boat people† traveled and what kinds of dangers they faced, as well as the challenges faced absorbing life in America without fully understanding the language and culture.Early Life For some people, life was easy and comfortable in Vietnam. Huong was brought up in a wealthy family with four other siblings and had a maid and a chauffeur. As kids they didn’t have to do too much to help around the house and usually got what they wanted. Her father was a business man, and owned his own business. They lived in a big house an hour outside of Saigon in South Vietnam. Huong and her four siblings went to a nice public school in the area, and attended private lessons in Math and English. However the war brought on hardships for everyone.The effects of the war and the bombings happening all around where Huong’s family lived made her father decide it was time to leave. With it being much safer to live in the city, Saigon was their first choice, and the whole family made the move into Saigon. The Long Journey to America After the war, the communists took over Vietnam. In my mother’s words they â€Å"brain washed† children into believing in their way of communist life. The government started recruiting children to test out the mine fields from the war for any remaining mines.Huong’s oldest sibling ended up on this list, and it was at this time when their father decided it was time to leave Vietnam. He did not believe in the communist theory and wanted his children to grow up in a safe, free environment. Of course he knew that this meant he would have to give up everything he had worked for in Vietnam, and he knew the difficulties involved in moving to America, but after the communists won the war, their normal way of living was over. Huong’s family started their travels to America with the second wave of immigrants or the â€Å"boat people† (Ojeda-Kimbrough Lecture June 7, 2012).Her father had dec ided to give up everything they had in Vietnam to move to a safer place for his family, and most of all he wanted freedom. The proper legal papers were signed and their cousins in Georgia, USA who had immigrated earlier were their sponsors. They gave all of their money to guarantee space on the boat that would take them to America, and they had to pay with gold bars. The money used was just passage out of Vietnam; they had no idea where they were headed to. They were also told that it was a passenger ship, but it was in fact a freight ship.The government had lied and misled them, took all of their money in gold bars to only send them as far as Hong Kong. The boat ride was long and treacherous. Luckily my mother’s family had paid to get onto one of the bigger boats, meaning it was less likely that they would be attacked by pirates on their journey. What they did endure was extremely cramped conditions and rough seas. For freight ship that could have held maybe 1000 people, 300 0 people were squeezed onto this ship. Their journey to Hong Kong took about one month. During this time, people would commit suicide, die from sickness, or starve.The captain of the ship ordered people to toss over their only possessions and the food they had brought in fear of capsizing the boat during storms. After this, some people would try and steal food from their neighbors. When the boat reached Hong Kong, the government there wanted to send them back to Vietnam. They were not supposed to be there, and they surely didn’t want to take them in. After a month of consideration and more waiting on the boat for the passengers, a camp was set up by the harbor for these thousands of passengers after their long travel on the sea.In this camp, my mother and her family would stay in Hong Kong for an additional 8 months before going to America. For her family of seven, they were given one bunk bed to share. Conditions at the camp were as cramped as on the ship, and very dirty. Th e refugees would be given rice and water every day for food, which they had to line up for. However, they were allowed to get small jobs outside of the camp, so my mother, all of her siblings and her parents would get these jobs so that their family could save enough money to buy a little extra food. After doing even more legal work and consulting with their relatives and sponsors in the U.S. , my mother and the rest of her family all finally got to leave Hong Kong, straight for America. The American Dream My mother arrived in Georgia, USA in 1979, at age 17. She left all her friends and family in Vietnam and the comforts of their old home. She was always so excited to go to America because everyone would talk about this rich land and when they finally got here, it was very overwhelming. At first she was confused. What my mother found in America was not what she expected. There was a lot more poverty and not at all like she had dreamed.Here they were immediately put into high school . Her father held back his children in school to allow them to catch up and make up for the year they had missed. He did this, so that his children would also have a chance to catch up on their English language skills, and do well in school. Their education was a priority and he wanted them to do their best. The language was the hardest part of coming to America, everything was new and unfamiliar. They only stayed in Georgia for two months before my grandfather contacted some of his old neighbors from Vietnam who were now living in California.He didn’t like the weather in Georgia and felt California would probably be a better fit for him. So after only a few months, my mother finally got to California. The children were put back into high school immediately; however times were tough for my mother and her siblings. Their high school consisted of mostly white American, Hispanic and African American children. Her English was not very good at this point, so it was hard communicat ing with other kids, and socializing. Everywhere she went, she had a dictionary with her. She took beginners English class, where it consisted mostly of Hispanics.This class she felt was the nicest because she was with other kids who, like herself, could not speak the main language very well, and had difficulties expressing themselves. Luckily my grandfather’s old neighbor had a daughter, Phuong, attending the same high school, who became friends with my mother and her siblings. Phuong helped make them to make friends and understand American society and culture a little easier. Phuong had been in California much longer than my mother, having come over with the first wave of immigrants. Her English was much better, and she already had a small close group of friends.Huong didn’t have a long high school career, and she often felt isolated, and alienated from other kids. She would be ignored because they knew that she didn’t speak English very well and didn’t want to bother. She was the only Asian besides her siblings and always felt different from everyone else. Going into stores, the clerks would follow her around because they thought she would steal something. Huong felt cheated from having a real high school experience. She never got to go to prom or buy a year book because their family didn’t have enough money.She also felt she didn’t accomplish as much as she could have with her grades due to the language barrier, even when she would spend most of her time studying instead of making friends. However, she still obtained A’s and B’s through her hard work and perseverance, but was disappointed as she always had straight A’s in Vietnam. So she never felt like she was achieving as much as she potentially could. She was too busy trying to understand what everything was. College Getting into college was Huong’s and her sibling’s first priority.Most of the children actually got scholarships , and financial aid to help finance their college funds. Even though, Huong was actually embarrassed to ask for financial aid and have welfare and food stamps, it was the only way to attend college, and further her education. By this point in their lives, college was much easier because they understood the English language a lot better and there were more Asians in college than there were in high school. My mother got a job in the Financial Aid office at her college to help support her family.Her family was still struggling to make ends meet, so everyone had to work. Huong felt frustrated sometimes with her life, she wanted to accomplish as much as she could, but also had to help pay the bills for her family and work. Life was easy in Vietnam with their maids and chauffeurs, and here they had to work hard for everything they had. They lived in a small apartment and took the bus to school because they couldn’t afford a car. Everyone in the family had part time jobs, and would work and study hard every day to help better their careers and education.My mother felt she would study even harder than everyone else because of the language barrier. She had no time to party or date, or to buy nice things, because their lives only consisted of work and studying. Towards the end of her college life, my mother was hired as a data entry clerk with a local Real Estate company. She always felt like she was being treated nice, but maybe not necessarily equally. Management would yell at Huong for mistakes that were not her fault. She was never trained for the job, and was expected to do things that she needed training for.She felt that she wasn’t given any respect what so ever, and had to try her hardest to learn from her mistakes when they were yelling at her. Despite the disrespect and the yelling, she managed to earn a promotion to Assistant Controller with a raise from all her hard work. Huong didn’t have a lot of friends in the work place, but was alwa ys nice to everyone and tried to get to know each colleague. When my mother met my father Jeff in college, things became easier for her. Jeff was from England, and also immigrated to California. He came from a poor family, and also had to work hard to provide for his family and help pay the bills.With all of the things they had in common, Huong felt like she could relate to someone else, and he helped her understand more about American society. He would help her with her homework and her English. With this, life became much easier for Huong, because she understood a lot more about the American way of life. With the extra help, she had more time to go out, have fun and do things that Americans do, like going to the movies, dancing, and eating out. Life Now After being here for 33 years my mother is comfortable with life in America. She never got to go back and visit Vietnam yet, but she wants to when life isn’t so busy.She still misses the food, the culture, and her family in Vietnam, but not only is she living easily, her parents and all of her siblings are also living comfortably in California now. Her parents have a small house in Garden Grove, the center of the Vietnamese community, where they have retired next to other Vietnamese people. She realizes now just how much her father had given up when bringing his family to America, but she knows it had to be done, for their safety and their freedom. She is more than grateful of her father’s decisions, because she got to live in a free country and become a citizen.The main thing is they got to come to a country where there is no war. Her entire family still keeps close to each other by calling one another often, even the relatives still in Vietnam, and they have many family gatherings throughout the year for holidays, birthdays, and also to celebrate Vietnamese traditions. They keep up with their culture, and how they prepare their food, and when they are all together they still primarily speak th e Vietnamese language. Their old customs and traditions are important to everyone in the family.

Mapping Channel Flows in the Music CD industry

In the music CD industry, the choice of the efficient marketing policy is one of the crucial factors in the success of the particular brand. CD’s are one of low-involvement products which can be bought by the customers out of the large selection. In order to be successful, every particular producer in the music industry has to define the marketing mix of the product which includes product, price, promotion, and place. While the first 3 components of marketing mix are very important, the last one which is place seems to â€Å"catch all† of the 4 P’s.Place is a very complex component of marketing mix because it includes such important areas of marketing as decisions about channels, logistics, retailing, customer support and many other issues. The right choice of distribution policy and channels are very important for the success of the producer, and those aspects cannot be neglected.The easiest way for the producer to sell the products to the final customers is by direct selling. The dialog between the supplier and the buyer is the easiest way in which the product can be purchased. However, most industries do not have such a luxury. It becomes inefficient for the producer to sell items directly to the customer, and he gives those functions to all types of intermediaries. In most cases, complex industries have a whole chain of intermediaries which bring the product to the end-user. This system of distribution represents a kind of a channel through which from the producer to the first intermediary and from the first intermediary to all others one by one product, payments, and information flow are channeled.Whenever the chain is very long, it’s obvious that every member in the chain, as well as the end-user has his specific needs, which all have to be taken into account by the producer. It’s very important to make sure that the information flow through the channel does not break. The more intermediaries there are between the produc er and the end-user, the more complicated the relationships inside the channel become, and more attention has to be paid by the producer so that the quality of the product remains high as in the very beginning of the chain. CD’s industry deals with rights on a particular part of property, therefore it’s very important to maintain the chain of suitable distributors which provide the highest quality of the music record companies products.The most widely-used forms of â€Å"channels† of distributions used by the companies include the following:v Selling direct (with the help of salesforce);v Mail order (including telephone sales);v Retailer;v Wholesaler;v Agent (who acts on the behalf of the producer) (Mercer, 467)In order to maintain the quality of the production, it’s necessary for the producer to keep some control over the members of the distribution channel. Most music record companies pay close attention to that. Once the control is entirely lost, it mi ght be hard for the producer to monitor the sales and the quality. The most efficient structure is when the producer structures the distribution channel by himself. Depending on what market the producer is in, this issue touches him in a different way. For example, when the producer produces mass consumer goods and there are many competitors in the market offering the same type of product, it’s not that important for the producer to control all the distributors who offer his product.The producer’s goal is to increase the number of distributors offering his product because he wants to have a large share of the market. In the opposite case, when the goods produced by the company have some unique features and the company competes with competitors mostly in quality, it has to take responsibility over the quality of the products which it offers and may suffer losses if the quality of the products end-users receive is low. Therefore, the producer will very much care in such a case about the quality of the goods which are offered to the end-users, and do his best to determine only very reliable distributors of his production in order to have a strong emphasize on quality. The mentioned approaches which can be used by the producer in the distribution policy therefore include:1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Intensive distribution;2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Selective distribution;3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Exclusive distribution.In the case of the intensive distribution, the main emphasize is made on the number of distributors selling the company’s product. The price competition is evident in such a case and quality of all the similar goods offered in the market is pretty much the same.Selective distribution means that the producer selects suitable distributors to re-sell the product. Those distributors who have a good reputation get a chance to sell the company’s products. The selection can be quite wide, and the producer in such a case in not very concerned about the top quality of the products which he is offering. Exclusive distribution is common in such fields where companies offer products with unique characteristics and the main point of the marketing policy of the company is offering goods of the highest quality. Every little detail of the product is important in such a case.Therefore, companies choose a very limited selection of distributors who will be re-selling their product in order to maintain the highest quality. The main partners of the company in the distribution channels include such establishments as specialty outlets, supermarkets, department stores, and discount outlets. Specialty outlets have a narrow product line (Mercer, 473). For example, in fashion industry specialty outlets aim at women of a specific age group with a specific taste. Such distributors offer a greater degree of personal service and usually the selection of products for the targeted group of customers is very large.Supermarkets can be characteriz ed by the following principles: self-service and self-selection displays; centralization of customer services; large scale; a strong price emphasize; a broad assortment of merchandise. The most famous supermarkets include Sainsbury, Tesco, Wal-Mart, and others. Department stores cover a large variety of products in different departments of the stores and offers great competition for supermarkets. Examples of department stores include Boots, Marks & Spencer, British Home Stores. Discount outlets specialize in a â€Å"high turnover at low cost†. They usually specialize in products of one field and get a 30-day credit from their suppliers. For example, they include Dixons in consumer electronics/electrical; MFI in furniture.A major feature of the distribution channel is that there is a â€Å"value-add’ of every level of channel. Just as the product and information are channeled from one level of the channel to another, the value is also added at every level step by step. For example, in the music industry, the value is first added by the manufacturer who makes the music label, then the CD’s are passed to distributors, sometimes on a couple of levels until they reach the customer. At every level, the value is added because more companies participate in the process.The manufacturer is the one who owns the music label and therefore is the main player in the game. He adds the most value to the product, which consists of the cost of production and the profit. However, without the distributors the CD would not be able to get the end-users, so at every level of the channel new value is added to the primary product. The first level of distributors can be wholesalers, the second level can consist of retailers. Therefore, value is added at 3 levels until it reaches the end-user.In the music industry, the efficiency of channel members is very high. Companies producing CD’s pay close attention to the distributors who specialize in selling CD†™s and for the most part, those channels fall into the category of selective distribution. The channel distribution in the music industry is very complex due to the characteristic features of the industry. Nowadays, there are many companies which produce CD’s (give the music label) and there are many customers in the market who are willing to buy those CD’s.   For example, Sony Records, Inc. is one of the leaders in the music industry production.However, it faces some competition in the market. Customers can give preference to CD’s produced by other companies as well. Therefore, every music record company needs to make sure there are many distributors who are brining CD’s to the end-users and also maintain high quality of the product. The distributors in the music industry include music stores which deal with CD’s in particular, supermarkets where one can also find this product, and Internet distributors which specialize in music CD’s. T he chain of distributors is quite large in the music industry. It’s very important for music record companies to provide the highest quality of their musical CD’s.One of the reasons of the need in high quality is that nowadays music record companies face sharp competition from the Internet. It has become very simple for people who are fond of music to download music files from the Internet, and they no longer need to go into the music stores in order to get the CD’s. The files which people can download from different sites are free of charge, and no money goes to the singers from those operations. One of the ways to fight with that competition for music record companies is by offering the highest quality of their products. If a person can buy a CD of the highest quality in the music store, he might stick to it and not use Internet for getting his favorite music albums.Another way is to include Internet distributors of music products which can compete with free m usic upload by offering additional services. Such distributors as Amazon.com for example can guarantee high volumes of CD’s sales due to its closeness to the customer. It’s common truth that many people who use Internet are interested in music. As long as they can order their favorite CD’s on Amazon.com, they will keep their hands off the free file upload. However, in such a case the emphasize on the quality is important as never: the customers will order CD’s from Amazon.com as long as the quality of CD’s is beyond competition. In addition to that, it’s important to make sure Internet users get some additional benefits together with CD’s, for example, suggestions about their future possible purchases, discounts, or free information about their favorite singers.The efficiency of the CD’s and payment in the music industry through the distribution channel is very efficient but there can be some developments made in it. The most i mportant is to keep in mind the importance of Internet in the distribution of CD’s. It’s also possible to devote some attention to such types of direct marketing as teleselling, direct mail, and direct selling. By mailing catalogues to potential customers, large volumes of sales can be achieved. For maximum efficiency of distribution in music industry, it’s necessary for music record companies to devote lots of attention to maintaining a large chain of distributors but at the same time monitor the quality of the products which are being offered to end-users.Bibliography.David Mercer. Marketing. Blackwell Business. 1992. J. Barry Manson, Moris L. Mayer, Hazel F Ezell. Foundations of Retailing. Business Publications, Inc., 1984. Kevin J. Clancy, Robert S. Shulman. The Marketing Revolution. HarperBusiness, 1991. Kotler. Marketing Management. 1986. R.M. Johnson. Market segmentation: a strategic marketing tool. Journal of Marketing research, vol. 7, 1981.

Do you agree or disagree with the Supreme Court's decision in Citizend Essay

Do you agree or disagree with the Supreme Court's decision in Citizend United and why What are the implications for political discourse in the U.S - Essay Example The financial support of a political post in a corporation is likely to influence corporate staff to engage in corrupt deals. One may not have enough resources to campaign for the seat, a factor that may influence them to engage in corruption to raise the required financial resources for the campaign. If the Court decision prohibited all forms of financial support for political candidates, candidates would learn to make their own personal efforts in campaigning and not rely on financial support from corporations (Abrams, 2011). This is an indication of able leadership by the political candidates who can sponsor their campaigns without external  financial  support at the same time; the decision encourages discrimination in contest for corporate political seats. It is not easy  that all the candidates win a political support from a certain organization. For this reason, the ruling seems to encourage discrimination in corporate leadership. Another reason that I disagree with the ruling is that it may interfere with transparency and accountability in elections. Some corporations may go as far as sponsoring election rigging to ensure that the preferred candidate wins the elections (Abrams, 2011). Election rigging may be one of the most serious problems in the economic and political development of corporations and nations when it is extended from the personal level to the corporate level. The  decision was one of the most surprising decisions in the political sphere of the country, especially given the sensitivity on union and corporate money being used to sponsor federal elections (Neuborn, 2011). Despite the fact the funding of federal campaigns by corporations was banned; the law is not easy to implement if political campaigns in corporations are treated differently. In my opinion, political campaigns need to be treated equally regardless of the level of the campaign, and the seat being contested. It is unfair to have financial sponsors for corporate

City of God Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

City of God - Essay Example Considering the type of theme presented in the story, this article will use the movie to analyze various planning issues in the film like urban slum and physical environment, urban crime and youth gang, lack of social and economic mobility and the importance of Education. The movies is a perfect depiction of life in the urban slums since it presents many incidence which are slums-like. The movie presents various lifestyles that relates to the slums style of living, from how people relate to the type of business carried out. First, the movies shows that in the urban slums people usually do not have homesteads where they can enjoy their privacy. This is shown at the beginning of the movie when the gang chases after chicken which obviously was not there’s. The gang chasing the chicken, shows that no individual have privacy in the city instead they live in plots. This is a perfect description of the today’s urban slum life where individuals usually live in places they rent besides other individuals. Further, the movie also presents the real traits of individuals living in the slums. When the gang meets Rocket, he (Rocket) presents a strong feeling that the gang were likely to kill him. This is a vivid description for the lawlessness existing in the physical environment of the urban slums. ... This depiction of lawlessness also makes the movie to be relevant as it presents a real life in the urban slums with how the people are trying to life. Most of the governments always presents little support to the people living in the urban slums. Consequently, it is possible to conclude that the movie presents sarcasm to the governments who usually live far from the people in the slums. The theme of the movie can also be depicted in the taligne, â€Å"if you run, the beast catches; if you stay, the beast eats† (Netfix,2002). This taligne is a good interpretation of what is happening in the slums where individuals do not know the fate of what they are doing. In proper English, the taligen means that an individual there are both positive and negative consequences of doing something good or bad. They have to do it whether it is bad or good, since there is no authority to regulate the actions. Urban crimes and youth gang The plot of the movie comes out to be crime oriented, with presentation of the youth gangs, who an individual can depict as the ones controlling the whole city. The youth gang does what they feel like at any time, with the public having no objection but to accommodate them. From the beginning of the movie, the movie depicts a gang chasing after a chicken, which is obviously not theirs. Further, the gang also meets Rocket and the only thing coming in his mind is that they are likely to kill him. This depicts a region where crime is the talk of the day, with no action taken by the authorities. The people in the region live by the â€Å"law† set by the crime perpetrators. To show that the people live by crime, the movie depicts three thieves whom there is job is to loot the existing business while taking part of their loot to the people. This is

Tell us how you became interested in a healthcare career in your Essay

Tell us how you became interested in a healthcare career in your designated area of interest and relate any healthcare experience you may have had to date - Essay Example I opted for this career and completed my education to become a Licensed Practical Nurse. I analyzed that there is no end to knowledge and practice and education serves to further enhance and polish the skills of a person. Therefore, it is for this purpose that I wish to enroll in a program for Registered Nurse. This program will serve to expand my understanding and knowledge with regard to the field of nursing. I am currently working as Licensed Practical Nurse in Long Term Care and I have been affiliated with this department since the last nine years. I chose the field of healthcare as my career path because it had always been my passion to become a nurse and be a part of the health care system. When I was a young child, I fell off my bicycle and I was taken to the hospital as I was hurt. The nurse in the hospital treated my problem and she also assisted me in overcoming the fear that I had owing to my fall. It was at that point that I decided that I would become a nurse and fulfill my duties in a similar manner. My learning and practical experience has greatly enhanced owing to my work experience and I have learnt many new things during my clinical practice. I have worked under different Registered Nurses and it has assisted in providing me with an understanding the roles and duties of these nurses. I wish to have a similar authority in clinical practice like Registered Nurses and I also wish to assist my patients in the best possible ways. An occurrence in my health care setting further served as a push to complete my education and become a Registered Nurse. I was given the job of handling an old patient who was suffering from colon cancer. One day the patient was experiencing excruciating pain and the oral medications did not prove to relieve her pain. I could not administer Intravenous narcotics to her without the permission from the Registered Nurse who was unavailable at that moment. The RN was later contacted and she came herself to