Intellectual Development Of Children Essays - Child Development

Intellectual Development Of Children In two separate issues of "Time" magazine, the intellectual development of infants and preschoolers was analyzed with contrasting viewpoints regarding the development of their brains and the views regarding how best to encourage the cognitive abilities of these young children. In the earlier issue, dated February 3, 1997, the special report consisting of two articles titled "Fertile Minds" and "The Day-Care Dilemma" the theories of Jean Piaget's cognitive-development are supported. In the latter issue, dated October 19, 1998, the special report titled "How to Make a Better Student" focused on refuting the theories supported in the earlier issue of this magazine. Understanding the influence of Piaget's and other's views on intellectual development of young children on the contrasting views of this topic and how it reflects contemporary opinions on how young children should be raised is the focus of this paper. Hopefully, these contrasting articles will provide a more holistic understanding of Piagetian theory and its application to real-life situations. I. Children's Intellectual Development: Preoperations By the age of 3 and 4 years old, children have attained what Piaget called functions or "preoperations" that enable young children to perform a number of feats far beyond the capabilities of infants (Piaget, 1950). Infants concentrate on constructing a world of permanent objects. Once constructed, these objects will be known to exist even when they are no longer present to the infant's senses. Preschool children, in contrast, are constructing a world of qualities and properties that different objects share in common. They are beginning to identify and name colors, shapes, textures, density, and so on. At this stage, children are beginning to understand same and different as these terms refer to properties. At the same time, it is necessary to recognize that these classes are formed only on the basis of perceptual attributes such as color and form and not on the basis of any quantitative characteristics. Moreover, although children can name and identify members of different classes cow, dog, or car, they cannot as yet operate on these categories in a systematic way. That is to say they cannot logically add categories and recognize that cats, dogs, and cows are all animals. Nor can they logically multiply classes and appreciate that a cat is both a cat and an animal at the same time. In short, the one-many or quantitative dimension of classes escapes young children. Only when they have attained the concrete operations of childhood (age 6 to 7 years) will they begin to be able to coordinate sameness and difference and arrive at the notion of a unit that is basic to all quantitative thinking. A unit, for example the number 3, is at once like every other number in that it is a number but also different in that it is the only number that comes after 2 and before 4. Once children have a notion of a unit, they can engage in numerical as well as logical addition and multiplication (Gesell, 1949). The young child's limitation with respect to operating on classes is most evident when we ask them to define a word. Young children routinely define words by describing their functions; an apple is to eat; a bike is to ride. Only when they attain concrete operations at about the age of 6 or 7 years will they begin to define terms by nesting them in higher order classes, where an apple is a fruit, and a bike has wheels--you go places with it. Occasionally young children may define a word by placing it within a broader context, but this is often an anticipation of later intellectual achievement, not a true reflection of the young child's competence (Carey, 1989). In the "Fertile Minds" and "The Day-Care Dilemma" articles, neuroscientific evidence is used to comply with Piagetian theory of preoperational stages of development. The article describes in depth how the rapidly proliferating brain cells at birth make connections that shape a lifetime of experience. Thus, the author of this article points at that the first three to four years of development are critical and that "there is an urgent need . . . for preschool programs designed to boost the brain power of youngsters" (Nash, 1997, p.51) This argument is supported by hard, quantifiable evidence in the form of PET scans. Furthermore, the use of Piagetian tools to be incorporated in the education of toddlers in day-cares is stated to be a means that society can use to promote the intellectual development of young children who live in conditions that are a threat to their brain

Secrets essays

Secrets essays Everyone has secrets no matter who they are. The book I read is called Secrets and,of course, there are many secrets that people have in this book. A man named Melvin Wechsler is a fabulous director that everyone loves. He has a series called Manhattan that he is going to direct, and it is the best T.V. series of all time. He gets the best actors and actresses for his series and he knows it will be a hit. When he decided on all of the people he had chosen for the series, he didnt know that all of them had dark secrets. The main actress, Sabina Quarles, started to have a love affair with Melvin, and he suspected that she was cheating on him. What she was really doing was going to see her very ill son in San Francisco that no one knew about. Jane, another actress, had an abusive husband that didnt care about her. he turned her own children away from her, and raped her whenever he got a chance. She split up with him and started to fall in love with one of the actors on the ser ies, Zack.Zack, Janes lover, had a secret too. When he was young he was molested by his father. He was a homosexual for a long time before he met Jane. Jane completely changed his life and they got married.Gabrielle came from a rich family and she didnt want anyone to know about it. She thought that other actors or actresses would just think that she got acting jobs because of her money. She fell in love with Bill, another actor in the series, and she felt truly happy, and she didnt need money to make her happy.Bill had so many secrets. He was married to an actress before the series, but they had to keep their marriage a secret because of their careers. His wife became a drug addict and he finally left her. He always worried about her and wished that she would straighten up. One night he came home to find h ...

Definition and Examples of Monologues

Definition and Examples of Monologues A monologue is a  speech or composition  presenting the words or thoughts of a single character. (Compare with dialogue.) Someone who delivers a monologue is called a monologuist or monologist. Leonard Peters describes a monologue as a dialogue between two people. One person speaking, the other listening and reacting, creating a relationship between the two (Demystifying the Monologue, 2006). Etymology From the Greek, speaking alone Examples and Observations It was the first day off in a long time, and all of us were trying to get a little rest and relaxation out by the pool at this big, modern hotel that looked something like a prison. If I had to call it anything I would call it a pleasure prison. It was the kind of place you might come to on a package tour out of Bangkok. Youd come down on a chartered bus - and youd probably not wander off the grounds because of the high barbed-wire fence they have to keep you in and the bandits out. And every so often you would hear shotguns going off as the hotel guards fired at rapid dogs down along the beach on the Gulf of Siam.But if you really wanted to walk on the beach, all you had to learn to do was pick up a piece of seaweed, shake it in the dogs face and everything would be hunky dory.(Spalding Gray, Swimming to Cambodia. Theatre Communications Group, 2005)A monologue is a predominantly verbal presentation given by a single person featuring a collection of ideas, often loosely assembled ar ound one or more themes. Note that I do not define it as a strictly verbal presentation; many, though certainly not all, successful monologuists also employ nonverbal elements to great effect, such as, their use of facial expressions and hand gestures, along with a variety of props and stage devices.(Jay Sankey, Zen and the Art of the Monologue. Routledge, 2000) Monologues and Dialogues A conversation is a dialogue, not a monologue. Thats why there are so few good conversations: due to scarcity, two intelligent talkers seldom meet.​  (Truman Capote)There is no such thing as conversation. It is an illusion. There are intersecting monologues, that is all. We speak; we spread round us with sounds, with words, an emanation from ourselves. Sometimes they overlap the circles that others are spreading around themselves. They they are affected by those other circles, to be sure, but not because of any real communication that has taken place, merely as a scarf of blue chiffon lying on a womans dressing table will change colour if she casts down on it a scarf of red chiffon.​  (Rebecca West, There Is No Conversation. The Harsh Voice, 1935) Two Versions of Hamlets Famous Monologue (Modernized Spelling) 1603 Version (Bad Quarto) To be, or not to be, aye theres the point, To die, to sleep, is that all? Aye, all. No, to sleep, to dream, aye, marry, there it goes, For in that dream of death, when we awake, And born before an everlasting judge, From whence no passenger ever returned, The undiscovered country, at whose sight The happy smile, and the accursed damned. But for this, the joyful hope of this. Whod bear the scorns and flattery of the world, Scorned by the right rich, the rich cursed of the poor? The widow being oppressed, the orphan wronged, The taste of hunger, or a tyrants reign, And thousand more calamities besides, To grunt and sweat under this weary life, When that he may his full quietus make, With a bare bodkin, who would this endure, But for a hope of something after death? Which puzzles the brain, and doth confound the sense, Which makes us rather bear those evils we have, Than fly to others that we know not of. Aye thatO this conscience makes cowards of us all. 1604-1605 Version (Second Quarto)To be, or not to be, that is the question:Whether tis nobler in the mind to sufferThe slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,And by opposing end them. To die, to sleep - No moreand by a sleep to say we endThe heartache and the thousand natural shocksThat flesh is heir to! Tis a consummationDevoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep - To sleepperchance to dream: ay, theres the rub,For in that sleep of death what dreams may comeWhen we have shuffled off this mortal coil,Must give us pause. Theres the respectThat makes calamity of so long life:For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,The oppressors wrong, the proud mans contumely,The pangs of despised love, the laws delay,The insolence of office, and the spurnsThat patient merit of the unworthy takes,When he himself might his quietus makeWith a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear,To grunt and sweat under a weary life,But that the dread of something after dea th,The undiscovered country from whose bournNo traveller returns, puzzles the will,And makes us rather bear those ills we haveThan fly to others that we know not of? Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,And thus the native hue of resolutionIs sicklied over with the pale cast of thought,And enterprises of great pitch and momentWith this regard their currents turn awryAnd lose the name of action.(William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act Three, scene 1) The Lighter Side of Monologues You know, there are some things that are actually harder to do with two people. Like, monologues.(Tina Fey as Liz Lemon in 30 Rock, 2006) Pronunciation: MA-neh-log Also Known As: dramatic soliloquy Alternate Spellings: monolog

Lombardi's Italian Grill Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Lombardi's Italian Grill - Essay Example Although Monica has proved to be a competent manager, her competence is not fully reflected in the business. This is because the business is experiencing slow growth resulting from reduced sales. The case study also indicates that Monica has identified the problems in her strategies (Perreault, Cannon, and McCarthy 65). After identifying the weakness in her strategies, Monica is considering making some improvements to increase her sales. Monica’s business is doing better than average although it has not achieved perfection. The need to change her immediate marketing strategy indicates that her business is not doing according to her expectation. The need to adopt new strategies also indicates that her sales are below her target. Monica is currently operating under a moderate marketing strategy. This is because the strategy lacks sufficient tools and hence it is incompetent. However, her current strategy is in accordance with the four P’s of management (Perreault, Cannon and McCarthy 25). Monica located her restaurant in a strategic position that is convenient to the customers. The restaurant is located in a strip mall that is next to a major highway. Monica also conducts her business in accordance with the second P of management. This is because she ensures that all her food items are sold at a moderate price to all customers. In the beginning, Monica used to buy a three-quarter page in the local dailies to promote Lombardi Grill and its products. Although Monica had acknowledged the need to advertise her products, she did not use an appropriate media. Monica could have advertised her products on the radio in order to reach many people. The main customer of her food products are the local people and therefore the business could have done better with a direct sales approach and a Monica considered several strategies that she could have applied in order to improve the performance of her business. Joining a franchise chain was one of her possible development strategies.

Managed Healthcare Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Managed Healthcare - Assignment Example Information technology enables faster acquisition of test results as well as better forms of treatment being administered to the patients. The managed care sector is therefore keen on ensuring that they offer quality services to their patients (Kongstvedt, 2012). There are various factors in the managed care industry. These factors include the government, the employers and the employees as well as the providers. The process of providing managed care is driven by two factors which are the federal government policy and market-driven business practices. Each of this is important when it comes to care provision since the law has to be followed. On the other hand, an organization also has to consider whether it is making profits or not and just how up to standard their equipment is. This will ensure that despite the provision of managed care going on, they make revenue and stay up to

Donald Duk Essay Example for Free

Donald Duk Essay Donald Duk is the story of a young man coming to terms of his identity as an American with Chinese descent and heritage. Donald felt that most Americans are prejudiced against Chinese so if he were to become American, he should reject his Chinese identity. Yet, at home, his parents also detest American culture. He began to be interested of his Chinese heritage because of the Central Pacific Railroad, which is a part of the Transcontinental Road built mostly by the Chinese immigrants. Upon reading Donald Duk, the interesting points of research include the immigration of Chinese to the United States, the reaction of Americans to immigration as well as the existence of racism and the way in which new generations of Chinese-Americans deal with issues of culture and identity. Outline for the Paper I. Reactions and thoughts on â€Å"Donald Duk† A. Responses to â€Å"Donald Duk† B. Literary Value of â€Å"Donald Duk† II. Issues Dealt with by â€Å"Donald Duk† A. Identity Crisis B. Chinese Immigration C. Racism in the United States Conclusion: How young Chinese-Americans in the United States Deal with identity and cultural issues. Annotated Bibliography Chao, R. K. (2003). Extending Research on the Consequences of Parenting Style for Chinese Americans and European Americans. Child Development, 72 (6), 1832-1843. Chinese parents do not know how to deal with the pressures and identity problems that beset their children. This journal article explores the issue and provides helpful recommendation for Chinese-American families. Chin, K. (1999). Smuggled Chinese: Clandestine Immigration to the United States. New York: Temple University Press. This book chronicles the history of Chinese immigration to the United States. What the immigrants did in the US and how they were brought there. This book can help provide background information about Chinese immigration. Chinese American Citizens Alliance. (2008). 65th Anniversary of Repeal of Chinese Exclusion Act. Retrieved 9 February 2009 from http://www. cacanational. org/. The Chinese Americans Citizens Alliance is a good source of facts and data concerning the experiences of Chinese Americans in contemporary United States. In addition to this, they may also have historical background and further information, which may serve as primary data for research. Rothstein, E. (2008). Museum Review: Seattle Asian Museum Moves Around the Corner and Into Its Identity. The New York Times, May 31, 2008. Retrieved 8 Feb 2009 http://www. nytimes. com/2008/05/31/arts/design/31muse. html? scp=2sq=chinese%20american%20identityst=cse. This museum review presents some information about Chinese and their role in the development of Seattle. The museum and the article, too, helps one understand the accomplishments of Chinese and Asians in the United States.

The Physics of the High Jump Essay -- Science Essays

The Physics of the High Jump The world consists of many phenomena. Some of them are mysteries to us as human beings, while many others can be explained. Progressively over the centuries, science has helped us to better understand the spectacular things that physically affect the human race and the earth. Almost every single thing that deals with the physical aspect of our existence can now be explained through physics, which in turn helps us to better understand our surrounding environment. Where I have always been involved in sports, I am very interested in the specific physics that each sport consists of. One such sport that fascinates me is the high jump, and for this reason I am going to delve into the physics of the high jump and break it down to explain the different laws and physics that encompass it. The high jump can be broken down into three stages: the run up phase or approach, the take off phase, and the flight or bar clearance phase. By understanding these three stages and the different laws of phys ics that make them up, one will have a much greater understanding of the high jump and its mechanics. In order to begin this analysis, I need to start with the very first stage of the high jump, which is the approach or run up phase. The run up phase begins with the jumper standing up vertically, in position to begin running, about ten strides away from the bar that is to be cleared. According to professors Jesus Dapena and Alexander P. Willmott of the department of Kinesiology, from Indiana University,â€Å"[the] run-up serves as a preparation for the takeoff phase, the most important phase of the jump†(2). The run up phase can be broken down into several parts. The first part of the run up phase generally follows a straight-... ... world that are associated with the high jump. The high jump may not be a spectacular phenomena or even a mystery to many people, but it doesn’t change the fact that it is governed by many principles of physics. By understanding the physics that make up the high jump, one can obtain a totally new understanding of the mechanics of this incredible sport, and in doing so can acquire an appreciation for the principles of physics that govern our earth and us as a human race. Works Cited Dapena, Jesus, and Alexander P. Willmott. â€Å"Scientific Services Project: (USA Track & Field),HIGH JUMP #23 (Men) Research Report.† â€Å"Diss. Indiana University, 2002.† Kirkpatrick, Larry D., and Gerald F. Wheeler. Fourth Edition Physics A World View. Fort Worth: Harcourt College Publishers, 2001. Santos, Jim. Practical Coaching Techniques for the HIGH JUMP. Iowa: Championship Books, 1981.

Did Marie Antoinette deserve her infamous reputation?

Marie Antoinette is one of History's most infamous figures. History has her painted as flirtatious spend-thrift adulteress, who participated in many promiscuous affairs and wasted an awful lot of money. However, beneath her depicted personality there is someone else entirely, a caring and devoted mother, but also a brave and courageous woman. Marie Antoinette was born to the great Austrian empress Maria Theresa on November 2, 1755. She was never expected to be a Queen; however, she was a pawn in a plan of her Mother's which involved marrying all her female children off to rich noblemen from other countries, in order to strengthen Austria's alliances. She left home at the tender age of fourteen, to be married to Louis XVI of France. In the early stages of her reign, she was much adored by the people of France, for her willingness to interact with her people. However this love soon turned to hatred. She did alienate people in the French court, and often invited an exclusive group of friends to her property in Versailles, and people who weren't included began to taunt the queen, with words that would be put into extremes in later years. She was rumoured and suspected to have had a few affairs with a number of men, particularly Count Fersen with whom she was close friends with. However, this was never proven with historical evidence. She also indulged in many luxuries such as fine jewellery, rich silks and elaborate clothing, in addition to gambling. Whilst many of her subjects were starving, hungry and bedraggled, she consistently spent money, sometimes even money that she did not have. She was most famously recorded to have said ‘Let them eat cake' when told about the hungry peasants, begging for bread, however she did not say that, for it was actually said by a Spanish princess a hundred years antecedent. She also failed for many years to produce an heir (through no fault of her own) and refused to tolerate the sillier traditions and people in the court at Versailles. However, she wasn't all that the pamphlets claimed her to be. She was not harsh or cruel, for she was a devoted mother with a loving and caring nature. Secondly when the great mob of people stampeded into the palace, demanding her to be slain and slaughtered, she stood on the balcony with musket and loaded pistols pointing at her, and she just stood there, knowing that she could die at any second. Even when the revolt had come to murder her, they all lowered their weapons and shouted ‘Long Live the Queen.' She was very brave and influential. Thirdly, she never committed incest or abused her son, and this was almost definitely a lie by the revolt in order to make sure the jury was convinced of her death sentence. She was also very noble and not as self centred a s she is remember today for she had several opportunities to escape alone but refused to do so without her family. The affair of the necklace was also a set so as to frame her again for doing something she didn't do. I believe that Marie Antoinette was a victim of bad timing. I also believe that she was used as a type of scapegoat, for at a time when everything was going wrong for France, the people longed for someone they could blame, and she seemed the perfect target. Most of the accusations made about her were either exaggerations or completely fake. Her reputation for infidelity and wastefulness was used by her enemies to infuriate the masses against the monarchy. It is not true that she was completely innocent, for she was an avid gambler and spender, and this may have had some effect on the economic downturn of France in the 1700's, however I do not believe that she deserved the degree of abuse and reputation that she received.

Ford Focus and Ford Motor Company Essay

When Alan Mulally took over as Chief Executive Officer at Ford Motor Company in 2006 the organization was losing billions of dollars. According to Tony Schwartz (2010), â€Å"It had just come off reporting a $14. 6 billion loss for 2008, its fourth losing year in a row† (para. 1). The article Alan Mulally-Making Ford a Model for the Future illustrates the progress of Alan Mulally and the four simple principles that are making the company become profitable. Principles are important in any organization and an employee needs to feel important and motivated to come to work. These are a few of the principles that Alan Mulally have implemented since 2006: Stand for something beyond profit. Rally your employees around a shared mission. Practice a realistic optimism. Tell the truth without fear (Schwartz, 2010). The turnaround at Ford Motor Company was not overnight. He invested in the vision â€Å"One Ford† which has the idea of creating vehicles that will appeal to both American and European consumers by utilizing a common design theme that would move beyond the three-bar infatuation of the United States (Lavrinc, 2007). The transformation of the American icon was due to the One Ford vision and one year after 2008, Ford Motor Company reported a profit of $2. 7 billion. This transformation would not have happened if Alan Mulally did not take over in 2006. The ethical behavior by Ford Motor Company’s Chief Executive Officer has shown to be a true testament to future CEO’s in the global market. When the company raised $23. 5 billion to finance the restructuring and accelerate the investment in new products it shows great leadership during the Great Recession (Bartiromo, 2011). This American icon is 110 years old and recently had the strongest third quarter profit in history in 2012. This would not have happened without Alan Mulally reducing the brands of Aston Martin, Jaguar, Mazda, Land Rover, and Volvo into the two main components that a person would vision on the road today Ford and Lincoln. The leadership is beyond extraordinary and models like the Ford Focus is now one of the country’s best selling cars (Schwartz, 2010). The business environment is multifaceted with enormous challenges that face the global market. By focusing attention on a vision, the leader operates on the emotional and spiritual resources of the organization, on its values, commitment, and aspirations. The manager, by contrast, operates on the physical resources of the organization, on its capital, human skills, raw materials, and technology. The results that an individual observes currently are in direct correlation of the actions over the last five years. Ford has now paid back the $23. 5 billion that was taken out in 2006 to finance the restructuring and investment of new products. The company has started to hire and bring jobs back to the United States. According to Schwartz (2010), â€Å"Mulally is taking an old-school industrial company and turning it into a model of how modern company ought to be run† (para. 3). Using the PESTEL Analysis to capture macro-environmental forces and including part of the Ansoff Product/Market Opportunity Matrix Ford Motor Company can thrive on market penetration strategies. The following PESTEL Analysis shows the six factors that are the biggest weaknesses and strengths perceived to be the primary data in the next five years for the automotive giant.

Iraqi War An Unjust War

Iraqi War An Unjust War One reason why I believe the Iraq invasion was not justified is because it resulted in an escalation of violence in Iraq. Prior to the 2003 invasion in Iraq, the country had a functioning government in place and not many incidents of violence were witnessed. The war in Iraq resulted to the ousting of Saddam Husain, the then president, and caused a major destabilization in the country.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Iraqi War: An Unjust War specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More While it is true that Iraq was plagued by human rights abuses under the reign of Saddam, the country was stable and somewhat affluent before the invasion. It was after these that the country has become turbulent with numerous incidents of gun battles and suicide bomb attacks. These insurrections that are rampant in Iraq are as a direct result of US occupation of Iraq. At the present, the security situation in Iraq is indeed stark and the country re mains very insecure. Kahl, Katulis and Lynch reveal that sectarian violence has erupted in many parts of the country and incidents of sectarian cleansing have followed leading to many deaths (86). Despite addition US forces being deployed to the country and negotiations being held, the violence in Iraq is still prevalent. Kahl, Katulis and Lynch note that there is little hope of national reconciliation or the formation of a stable environment in Iraq in the foreseeable future (83). The second reason for my belief that the war was unjustified is because war badly affects the economy and natural resources of the countries engaged in war. Both the US and Iraq have suffered economically as a result of the War. Before the war, the infrastructure in Iraq was in good conditions and the citizens enjoyed peace and stability with the availability of basic amenities. The war was accompanied by aggressive military campaigns on strategic targets in Iraq. These targets included military facilitie s, government buildings and major industries. After the overthrow of Saddam, loses continue to occur as suicide bombings destroying buildings and roads (Hicks 911). Recovering from these devastating effects of war is going to be a very expensive endeavor. For the US, the war on Iraq led to large amounts of money being taken from the federal reserves to finance the war. As of 2007, the war efforts had cost the US an estimated $1 trillion with most of the money going to military activities and reconstruction efforts (Kahl, Katulis and Lynch 92). These colossal sums of money could have been better used on more development oriented activities in the country rather than war efforts that lasted for years. The final reason why I believe that the invasion of Iraq was unjustified is because the war has led to an increased suffering for the civilian population in Iraq. At the very onset of the war, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis fled to the neighboring countries to seek refuge from the war. Kahl, Katulis and Lynch document that since the beginning of the war, an excess of four million Iraqis have fled the country or become internally displaced (86).Advertising Looking for essay on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More These group of civilians continue to live as refugees almost a decade after the war was begun. Research by Hicks et al. revealed that the Iraqi civilian population was the primary target for suicide bombers (913). Muggah notes that the impacts of warfare extend well beyond the number of combatants and civilians killed on the battlefield; a vast proportion of deaths occur indirectly owing to easily preventable diseases such as measles and dysentery (2). The war in Iraq has led to a collapse of basic health infrastructure, clean water and food which has led to death and suffering for the population. Considering the fact that one of the reasons for invading Iraq was to oust a tyrant who brought suffering to his people, the reality that the people of Iraq are suffering than they did during his reign as a result of the war shows that the war was unjustifiable. Warfare has been in existence all through the history of human civilization. The reasons for engaging in war have included: ideological differences, competition for natural resources, and protecting a countries territory to name but a few. While wars have inevitably led to death and suffering, most of them have resulted in some positive measures which has made them justifiable. The US invasion of Iraq is one of the wars whose costs far outweigh the benefits and it can therefore be seen as unjustifiable. This paper has demonstrated that the invasion of Iraq was an ill-advised undertaking which has mostly achieved negative results for both the US and Iraq. As long as this invasion continues, human lives will continue to be lost and the economic cost will escalate even higher. It would therefore be i n the best interest of both parties if the US withdrew its forces from Iraq and stopped the invasion. Such a move would result to reduced violence in Iraq since the violence is mostly in protest to the invasion. The huge financial burden that American taxpayers have been forced to bear as a result of the war would also be lifted if the war was ended. Kahl, Colin, Katulis Brian, and Lynch Marc. â€Å"Thinking strategically about Iraq: report from a symposium.† Middle East Policy 15.1 (2008): 82-110. Muggah, Robert. â€Å"Measuring the True Costs of War: Consensus and Controversy.† PLoS Med 8.2 (2011): 1-3.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Iraqi War: An Unjust War specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Hicks, Madelyn et al. â€Å"Casualties in civilians and coalition soldiers from suicide bombings in Iraq, 2003–10: a descriptive study.† Lancet 378 (2011): 906–914.

Brand and Burberry

Burberry, founded in 1856, is a leading international luxury brand. Burberry designs, manufactures and licenses apparel and accessories for distribution through its own stores and network of prestige retailers worldwide. In early 1998, the new management team at Burberry set out its strategy to reposition and revitalise the brand, which resulted in significantly improved results and strengthened the base to build the business. With continuous growth since last five years, Burberry has faced new challenges of brand sustainability and positioning in a volatile industry (fashion) where customer behaviour is unpredictable. Thus, it requires a strategy that lays foundations for long-term growth and addresses the issues related to the challenges of product extension, management of the Burberry check and customer segmentation. To reach a recommendation, we come up with five criteria: Brand image; Financial implications; Competitive advantage; Market growth and Ease of business. As maintenance of the brand image is always the fore most important factor for the luxury brands in order to sustain in the market we based our recommendation on this criterion. Based on the situational analysis, we narrowed to the following three alternatives: 1. Status quo 2. Reposition the brand through segmentation of the market 3. Reposition the brand to target core customers After careful scrutiny and evaluation of alternatives, we recommended that Burberry should reposition its brand in order to target the core customers. By implementing this alternative, Burberry will be able to sustain its brand positioning in the fashion industry, which would provide competitive edge to Burberry over the other luxury brands. Association with high-end customers would further enhance the brand image, which would be very helpful to sustain the market growth in global arena. Further, Burberry would be able to implement this strategy with much less efforts and with minimum financial implications. 2. Situation and Problem Definition Burberry, founded in 1856, is a leading international luxury brand. Burberry designs, manufactures and licenses apparel and accessories for distribution through its own stores and network of prestige retailers worldwide. In early 1998, the new management team at Burberry set out its strategy to reposition and revitalise the brand, which resulted in significantly improved results and strengthened the base to build the business. With continuous growth since last five years, Burberry has faced new challenges of brand sustainability and positioning in a volatile industry (fashion) where customer behaviour is unpredictable. Thus, it requires a strategy that lays foundations for long-term growth and addresses the issues related to the challenges of product extension, management of the Burberry check and customer segmentation. With the above issues in mind, we will carefully analyze the situation (Section 4) and develop the alternative course of actions (Section 5). Further, using the recommendation criteria (Section 3), we will evaluate each alternative (Section 6) and will come up with a recommendation in form of a business strategy that Burberry should adopt (Section7). Finally, we will prepare an action plan for the implementation of the recommended business strategy (Section 8). 3. Recommendation Criteria In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the alternatives and to reach a final recommendation, following criteria is devised. 1. Brand image: Burberry has gained a reputation as distinctive luxury brand with international recognition and a broad appeal. Any poor strategy at this stage would hamper the brand value of the company so the recommendation should strengthen the Burberry brand. 2. Financial implications: Firms often need to spend tremendous amount of money to make tangible changes to the product and packages, as well as intangible changes to brand’s image through advertising. Therefore, strategy adopted at this stage would have a huge impact on the profitability of Burberry. So alternatives will be evaluated to reach the final recommendation that should have minimum financial implications. . Competitive advantage: Another key criterion is that of competitive advantage. Fashion industry is highly competitive and Burberry is facing competition from all brands i. e. from lower end to higher end, and from lifestyle to fashion. Therefore, maintaining competitive edge in this market is very important and hence, we would take this factor into account in reaching the final recommendation. 4. Market growth: Repositioning and revival of the brand has led the company to the fast growing path and Burberry would like to continue it in future. Business strategy adopted by Burberry at this stage would have long-term impact on its growth. Therefore, market growth becomes an important criterion for basing any recommendation. 5. Ease of Business: Entrepreneurs always try to bring simplicity in their processes and business. Accomplishment of different strategies requires different level of efforts. Therefore, we will evaluate our alternatives on the dimensions of efforts. Maintenance of the brand image is always the fore most important factor for the luxury brands in order to sustain in the market. s very critical. Therefore, of all the criteria mentioned above, we have determined the brand image is the most important criterion on which we will base our recommendation. 4. Situational Analysis (refer Appendix A for SWOT analysis of Burberry) Since last five years, Bravo, chief executive of Burberry, renewed the popularity of the company brand by successfully implementing the combination of key strategic initiatives, including:  ·Changed the company name from Burberry’s to Burberry and introduced a contemporary logo and packaging. Introduced the Prorsum designer collection for women in Spring 1999, which further extended to menswear for the Spring 2000 season. In addition, the collection provided valuable design inspiration for the Burberry and Thomas Burberry clothing and accessories collections.  ·Enhanced the awareness and perception of the brand among customers and the fashion industry through an image-building global advertising campaign and extensive editorial coverage.  ·More modern merchandising focus and product extensions, transforming the fashion consciousness of the brand. Reviewed the distribution channels, leading to more focu sed presence in premier retailers worldwide. Additional opportunities were addressed in the retail division with the closure of a number of non-strategic Burberry stores, the opening of a new store in Las Vegas and a new flagship store in London.  ·More disciplined stock control, enhanced systems and a substantial reduction in the size of the range, leading to improved profitability.  ·Renegotiation of Japanese licensee arrangements resulted in enhanced control of the brand, the confirmation of Burberrys pre-eminent position in Japan and a very significant boost to profitability. Analysis of the marketing plan of Bravo on the four dimensions of marketing mix (4Ps) reveals the Burberry’s present competitive positioning in the fashion industry. Bravo targeted to transform Burberry products as luxury products with functionality and positioning Burberry as a luxury brand, which is â€Å"aspirational but also functional. † She promoted the Burberry brand in two phases. The first ad campaign conveyed the brand values as â€Å"classic and chic and fun and witty† and second ad emphasized on the fashion side by presenting â€Å"good girl bad girl† theme. Further, in order to present the brand’s new position in the market, she raised the prices and focused on a particular price point. The price range of Burberry apparels is comparable to Hugo Boss (Exhibit 15 of the case) and that of accessories is between Coach and Gucci (Exhibit 16 of the case). Finally, she attained the global presence of Burberry by utilizing three distribution channels (retail, wholesale and licensing) and by exercising tight control over its distribution channel. Bravo’s goal was to transform Burberry from a tired outwear to a luxury lifestyle brand that is aspirational, stylish, and innovative. However, in order to attract younger customers while retaining Burberry’s core customer base, promotion campaign seems to be an inherent juxtaposition of almost opposite association in Burberry’s new position. In first phase, ad campaign seems to convey the classic and new style of the brand while in second phase, it emphasized more on the fashion side of the brand, which resulted in the popularity of the brand among the non-target customer, urban youth and hip-hop musicians. As the lifestyle of a new non-target customer is very different from the lifestyles of Burberry’s core customers, there is a probability that the brand affiliation of Burberry with this non-target market would eventually alienate Burberry’s core customers. Analysis of the Burberry sales breakdown chart clearly indicates the increase in the percentage sales of the accessories to the total sales and decrease in the percentage sales of apparel to the total sales, over the three years. In case of accessories there are two main reasons for the increase. One, the wide range of price points made them an accessible entry point for new customers and secondly, Bravo rightly set the price of its accessories according to its niche i. e. between the price range of Coach and Gucci products. However, in case of apparels, although Burberry put lot more efforts as compared to other sections (introduction of 450 to 500 apparels styles each season in womenswear and 330 to 350 apparels styles each season in menswear), its percentage sales did not increased, primarily because of incorrect pricing. Market research showed that apparels of Burberry has a niche between the labels of Polo Ralph Lauren and Giorgio Armani, but Bravo priced its apparels almost equal to Hugo Boss, which is much higher then the target competitors. This inconsistent with the original positioning might make consumer confused and even suspicious of the brand’s overvaluation, which in turn will somehow damage its image. On the other hand, even with the higher price range, over all increase in the sales of the apparels points to the requirement of the revaluation of the Burberry’s niche in the market. As markets are not stagnant, especially in the fashion industry where the consumer’s tastes and trends shift very rapidly, Burberry should constantly review the needs and wants of the customers. Thus to maintain the competitive edge in the market, Burberry should constantly update its product. Extension of the existing product line and entering into new needs product categories would be the two strategies that Burberry should adopt to sustain the growth of the company. Burberry is known in the fashion market for its distinctive checks. Thus the brand image of Burberry is associated with the checks. Further, having customers who buy Burberry products only because of its prominent checks and also, customers with one item check aspirational in the target market segment, forming a strategy to manage the ubiquity of check become even more critical for Burberry, which would clearly affect the positioning of the brand. Overuse of the check pattern can present a risk of diluting the brand, which can eventually lead to customer burnout. In sum, analysis of the case indicates that over the past five years, Bravo and her team were able to revive the Burberry brand and provide the new positioning in the market. However, there are some areas, such as, pricing of apparels and consistency in target market, which does not reflects the discipline of the luxury brand and demands repositioning. While there are other new areas, such as, management of the Burberry check and extension of product line, that should be addressed to maintain the popularity of the brand. Thus, it clearly indicates the requirement of the repositioning of the brand in order to sustain the brand image and to lay foundation for long-term growth of the company. 5. Alternatives Following are the alternative business strategies that Burberry can adopt for managing the popularity of the brand and strengthening the brand’s positioning in order to sustain the growth of the company. 1. Status quo 2. Reposition the brand through segmentation of the market 3. Reposition the brand to target the core customers 6. Evaluation of Alternatives 1. Status quo: This is the simplest alternative, as it requires Bravo and her team to perform no action other than continuing the business in same manner. Sustain the brand position as aspirational luxury brand along with functionality factor and advertise it with the goal being to attract younger customers while retaining Burberry’s core customers base. Further, focus on the set price point in the apparel and accessories market, continue with the extensive use of Burberry check, update the current product line, and further tighten the control on the distribution channels. The advantage of this alternative is that it is very easy for the Bravo and team to follow as they have hand on experience with this strategy. Also, sustaining this strategy would be having very less financial implications. However, in the changing world of fashion and lifestyle, this strategy would not be able to sustain the brand image for the long term, which would result in the loss of competitive advantage over the other luxury brands that Burberry brand has attained over the last five years by reviving the brand’s positioning. With the same strategy in place, sustaining market growth would also be hard to achieve. 2. Reposition the brand through segmentation of the market: Under this alternative, Bravo and her team, should adopt a strategy to change brand focus to target two segments of the market, hip-hop youth and core customers and realign the brand’s core emphasis with changing market preferences. Thus, introducing two new product categories, one with designs and fabric representing the latest fashion that matches with the wants and needs of the new market segment of Hip Hop musicians and urban youth, and another with high-profile high-end fabric and design representing the lifestyle that addresses the needs and wants of the core customers. Further, reassessing the Burberry niche in the market and setting the prices of the products accordingly and realigning the use of Burberry checks according the market segments. The advantage of adopting this strategy is that it would enhance the competitive advantage of the Burberry brand over the other luxury brands. It would help the Burberry brand to represent both, fashion and lifestyle, at same time thus increases the likelihood of increasing the market growth. However, even with the clear segmentation, it would not eliminate the concern that youth affiliation with Burberry brand would alienate Burberry’s core customers, which would have a negative impact on the brand image of Burberry. Further, although repositioning will improve the brand’s fit with its target segment, it is not without cost. A risk of not recovering the costs if repositioned brand is not credible to the customer is also associated with this strategy. It would also be very difficult to maintain these two different segments of market and would demand lot of efforts from the Bravo and her team. 3. Reposition the brand to target core customers: Under this alternative, Bravo and her team should focus on its core customers by realigning the brand positioning, and grow the brand in the emerging global markets. The strategy to realign brand positioning will include the use of high-profile fabric and design that should represent both lifestyle and fashion. Burberry will also have to devise the strategy for the use of Burberry check in order to bring soul to its designs and to re-evaluate his niche in the market in order to align the price of its apparels and accessories accordingly. This strategy will guarantee the sustainability of the loyalty of the Burberry’s core customers. This brand affiliation with the core customers would enhance the brand image, while strategic use of Burberry checks and introduction of products with both lifestyle and fashion would help to sustain the brand positioning in the fashion industry. This would provide the competitive edge to Burberry over the other luxury brands. Emergence in the new global market would provide enough opportunities to Burberry to maintain its market growth, however, in the short run, losing some section of the non-target customer would hurt the revenues of the company but in the long run, core customer loyalty would be beneficial to the company. Implementation of this strategy would also be easy for Bravo but it would be challenging to the designing team of Burberry to develop design that should represent both fashion and lifestyle. Burberry would also have to incur some costs in order to reposition the brand that fits with its target customers. 7. Recommendation In order to assess the different alternatives mentioned in Section 6, we will use the criteria mentioned in Section 3: Brand image; Financial Implication; Competitive advantage; Market growth; and Ease of Business. We set up a chart listing all alternatives and assign points to each alternative based on the five criteria. Ranks are assigned with a higher number indicating higher rank i. . better the alternative ranked against specific criteria, higher the number assigned. Of all the criteria mentioned above, we have determined that brand image is the most important criterion so we have assigned double the weight as compare to the weights of other criteria. Finally, the alternative that collects the maximum total points shall be considered as the alternative of our choice. AlternativeBrand ImageFinancial implicationsCompetitive advantageMarket growthEase of BusinessTotal Weight2 x1 x1 x1 x1 x Status quo2311310 Reposition through segmentation of the market4123111 Reposition by targeting core customers6232215 Based on the analysis of the chart above, it is recommended that Burberry should reposition its brand in order to target the core customers. By implementing this alternative, Burberry will be able to sustain its brand positioning in the fashion industry, which would provide competitive edge to Burberry over the other luxury brands. Association with high-end customers would further enhance the brand image, which would be very helpful to sustain the market growth in global arena. Further, Burberry would be able to implement this strategy with much less efforts and with minimum financial implications. 8. Action Plan The recommended alternative can be implemented in three phases. 1. Brand strategy formation and brand repositioning 2. Brand strategy implementation 3. Measurement, evaluation and adjustment of brand strategy Phase 1: Brand strategy formation and brand repositioning Redefine the corporate mission statement that should address the target customers. Formulate strategies to address internal requirements, such as, design of Burberry products that represents lifestyle and fashion and management of usage of Burberry checks, and external requirements, such as improvement of customer’s brand recognition and reinforcement of the new brand, while maximizing the effectiveness of financial budgets. Phase 2: Brand Identity system It would be accomplished in two steps: Step 1: Brand Identity System: conveys a single Brand image and personality through all your marketing communications. The brand value conveyed by advertisement campaigns should match the corporate goal of brand positioning. Step 2: Integrate Marketing Strategy: leverage Brand Strategy across all marketing communications and extend the strategy internally i. e. to all the related departments. Further, reinforce the â€Å"Defined Brand† through interactions both internal and external to your organization in order to strengthen your Brand. Phase 3: Measurement, evaluation and adjustment of brand strategy It would work as the quality check on the brand strategy. To accomplish this phase, two step approach should be used Step 1: Response Analysis and Tracking System: obtain feedback by setting up a Response Analysis and Tracking System for individual media, as well as measuring the effectiveness of marketing investments. Further create an objective metrics that should measure the performance of your Branding Strategy in creating awareness/exposure, inquiry and action/sale. Step 2: Evaluation and Adjustment: ongoing evaluation of performance is critical to gauge the impact of the Brand on the markets. In order to make effective adjustments, a system should be devised to ensure effective and fast responsiveness to the feedback. Appendix A: SWOT ANAYLSIS Environment Evaluation PositiveNegative Internal Strengths-Leading luxury brand with more than 150 years of istory-A top management team made up of A-list industry talent -Broad market base and product lines;-Global presence-Wide brand awareness; Burberry check widely known around the world and derived 25% of all company revenue-Brand is considered classic as well as contemporary-Large profit margins-Tight controls over the distribution channelsWeaknesses-possibly over-extended brand that do not relate to the brand’s image -Historical problems as sociated with licensing and check management-The actual price is not consist with its price positioning-Heavy reliance on the check pattern-Newly emerging customer base could alienate core customer base. ExternalOpportunities-growing luxury market in Asia Pacific-Extending product categories and customer segments Threats-Competition with both lifestyle and fashionable brands. -Volatile industry

Investigation of financial conservatism in the United Kingdom and Dissertation

Investigation of financial conservatism in the United Kingdom and China - Dissertation Example The financial data from selected conservative firms is analyzed empirically to prove the hypothesis that economic and financial crises and the structure of financial policies based upon conservative idioms are mutually inclusive. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT 2 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 4 1.1 Background of the Study 5 1.1.1 The United Kingdom†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.....6 1.1.2 China†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.9 1.2 Conservative Financial Theory†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..12 1.2.1 Pecking Order Theory 13 1.2.1 Agency Theor y vs. Stewardship 13 1.3 Financial Distress Theory 15 CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW 17 2.1 Economic Theory 17 2.2 Empirical 20 CHAPTER THREE RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY 21 3.1 Theoretical Framework 21 3.2 Hypothesis 22 3.3Method 23 3.4Data Sample 23 3.5Results 26 3.6 Interpretation of Results 28 CHAPTER FOUR CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 29 REFERENCES†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦....30 APPENDICES†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦33 CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION In considering the business world, it is worth noting that its environment of microeconomic activities lies within an unvarying state of transformation. This means therefore that the p articular indicators which served as tremendous financial assessment tools in a previous study can bear different meanings thereafter, hence many factors die and are born so as to maintain limits of time variations (Ahmed, A. S., B. K. Billings, R. M. Morton, and M., 2009). According to Easterby-Smith, an agency faces challenges in ; organizing and coordinating staffs, addressing diverse and unforeseen problems in ways that assure the continuity of any course of action, manoeuvring successfully between cultural, financial, and technical impediments, and lastly recovering an organization from fragments (Mark Easterby-Smith,2012).Financial distress is the reality that agencies cannot accomplish these achievements but rather struggle to meet financial obligations in a timely manner. Prospective macroeconomic productivity cannot take into account the unexpected determinants such as supply and demand or environment, all of which give a represent the highs and lows of life itself. The var iables provide a distinct outline that can be used in comparing the actual from the prospective (Balkrishna, H., Coulton, J.J. and Taylor, S.L., 2007). For this reason, financially conservative agencies tend to hold more cash reserves and minimize leverage. Today, interpretations of Finance and Accounting that are used to make important decisions are based upon different philosophies of macroeconomic applications. For the purposes of this study, applications of the theories of Financial Conservatism and Financial Distress used in Business Finance are analyzed for firms in the United Kingdom (UK) and in China. The empirical analysis consists of the financials of 100 companies from the fiscal years 2007 and 2009 (Ball, R., Bushman, R.M., and Vasvari, F.P., 2008a). 1.1 Background of the Study A universal principle of Business is to minimize possible risk and loss. Agencies adopt different structures based on personal beliefs and