Morality Defined Essay

Legendary philosopher, Socrates once said, â€Å"A system of morality which is based on relative emotional values is a mere illusion, a thoroughly vulgar conception which has nothing sound in it and nothing true.† With this statement, Socrates argues that there are few people in this world who possess an absolute morality within themselves whereas most others have a relative morality which they stand by. Absolute morality is the belief that something is always right or always wrong while relative morality is the belief that something is right or wrong depending on the circumstances. The crucial difference between absolute and relative morality lies in the viewpoints of the people who possess each one. However, Socrates’ belief is that relative morality is nothing more than a mere illusion because it really has no guidelines that it stands behind; it is solely based on opinion. In his mind, it should not even be considered a morality. In essence, Socrates is arguing that you must believe in something to its extreme or not at all; there is no in-between. Cormac McCarthy’s novel The Road, tells the riveting story of a father and son’s survival in a post-apocalyptic world full of thieves and cannibals. The man and the boy travel the United States in search of food and shelter, while also attempting to flee from danger and the threat of death. All through the story, they consistently struggle with issues concerning their own morality, character, and conscience. They are forced to make life altering-decisions that ultimately define who they are as people. Throughout the novel The Road, McCarthy uses nature symbolism and apocalyptic imagery to criticize that many people’s ethics dissipate and their immorality consequently rises when they are immersed in an evil world. The desolate world that the boy, man, and others have to live in results in some people going to the extremes to survive. As the boy and man journey on the road, they encounter very few people along the way. However, one day, the man realizes there are people following him and the boy, so they hide out. Three men and a pregnant woman pass them on the road. A few minutes later they are met with a shocking sight, â€Å"Oh Papa, he said. He turned and looked again. What the boy had seen was a charred human infant headless and gutted and blackening on the spit. He bent and picked the boy up and started for the road with him, holding him close. I’m sorry, he whispered. I’m sorry† (McCarthy 198). The author deliberately describes the appearance of the burning baby using words that convey graphic imagery such as, â€Å"charred, human, infant, headless, gutted, and blackening,† eliciting a repulsive feeling and characterizing the ugliness of evil in the world. The sight traumatizes the boy evidenced when he gasps, â€Å"Oh, Papa,† and turns â€Å"and looked again [at the burning baby].† The man feels regretful for letting the boy experience such a horrendous sight and apologizes as he takes the boy back to the road. This gruesome imagery reveals the absolute social breakdown in humanity and society. The morality of the people in this apocalyptic world has completely faded because there are no governing rules or laws to keep them in line. This results in total chaos and turmoil as seen when the weakest and most helpless of human beings – an infant – is preyed upon by a group of insane man-eaters. The cannibals clearly symbolize the end of civilization and this passage represents the extremes of violence, hunger, and cruelty within the apocalyptic world. Every person in the story seems to be judged by the man and boy as either good and moral or evil and immoral. In his view, the man strongly believes he and the boy are moral and good because, as he tells the boy, â€Å"we’re carrying the fire† (McCarthy 83). This â€Å"fire† is symbolic of hope and human perseverance, despite the wicked world they are living in. The man assures the boy that they are the â€Å"good guys† who â€Å"carry the fire† within themselves to never stop trying to survive in the horrible world even amongst â€Å"bad guys† who kill and even cannibalize people in order to survive. As the story unfolds, the boy and the man encounter many potential threats to their existence and make questionable decisions in order to survive which sometimes violate their self-professed â€Å"good guy† virtues. Through his actions, the man subtly begins to show signs that he is heading towards immorality and evil. The man and the boy are awoken by the sound of a diesel truck not too far from them. They flee their camp site and listen quietly until the silence is broken by a guy stumbling through the woods. The guy wrestles the boy into his arms and the man fires his loaded pistol, â€Å"The man fell back instantly and lay with blood bubbling from the hole in his forehead. The boy was lying in his lap with no expression at all†¦covered with gore and mute as a stone† (McCarthy 66). The man’s quick reaction to save his son represents the very rare love bonds that still exist in this apocalyptic world. The author compares the boy to a â€Å"mute stone† after he obviously experiences another life-changing moment. Sickening imagery is also used in this passage, as seen through the words, â€Å"bubbling, hole, and gore.† These words portray the man’s heroic act to save his son; however, it comes at the expense of the brutal murder he committed. The man shoots the guy who threatens his son with the intention of ensuring the boy’s safety, yet it contradicts his own moral virtues. Because he did this out of love, the man can essentially justify the violent killing as being morally correct. Yet, what the man fails to realize, is what makes his choice more praiseworthy than the choices of the people who kill and even cannibalize others in order to survive. This clearly raises a contradiction which creates an ambiguity between immorality and morality. Although the man killed this guy to protect his son, his decision is still problematic because it only takes one bad decision like this to arouse the inner evil within himself and eventually drive him to immorality. After living in such a malicious world for such a long time, it is nearly impossible for the man not to succumb to immorality and evil. The boy and the man enjoy a nice walk on the beach until they come back to find their camp completely raided. Their entire shopping cart full of food and other survival necessities had been stolen and as a result, they set out to find the thief. They follow the tracks of the shopping cart and finally find the thief in front of the cart with a butcher knife. The man is enraged and pulls his pistol out and threatens the crook, â€Å"Take your clothes off. / What? / Take them off. Every goddamned stitch. / Come on. Don’t do this. / I’ll kill you where you stand. / He stripped slowly and piled his vile rags in the road. / Put the clothes in the shopping cart. / He bent and scooped the up the rags in his arms and piled them on top of the shoes. / Don’t do this, man. / You didn’t mind doing it to us. / You tried to kill us. / I’m starving, man. You’d have done the same. / You took everything. / Come on, man. I’ll die. / I’m going to leave you the way you left us† (McCarthy 256-257). The man clearly displays immorality by the way he treated the thief and how he reacted to the situation at hand. It is obvious he is incapable of any empathy for the guy who is trying to survive in the same hellish world he is trying to live in. The fact that he wanted to punish the guy by stripping him suggests he wants to make the crook suffer a horrible death because the world is too cold to live without any sort of clothing. The thief in this passage symbolizes the deterioration of the human race because he embodies the ugliness that has emerged in this new world where formerly common things are now extremely valuable. The man still believes he is a â€Å"good guy,† however, this controversial decision proves otherwise. Because the man is acting so cruelly in this scene, his viciousness can almost be compared to the brutality of the savages that roam the same barren world he lives in. Mark Twain’s novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, set in the Pre-Civil War period, tells the story of young boy named Huckleberry â€Å"Huck† Finn, who ventures throughout the Mississippi River Valley. Huck travels with a run-away slave named Jim, meets many new people, and encounters frequent obstacles along the way. Throughout the novel, Huck constantly struggles with complex circumstances affecting his own conscience and morality, but ends up making a big decision that reflects his true character in the end. Due to the social environment in which Huck grew up, his racist outlook is displayed on occasion throughout the story. In one short exchange with Aunt Sally, Huck indicates that he doesn’t actually view blacks as real people. Huck tells his aunt that his boat ran ashore and she worriedly responds, â€Å"‘Good gracious! Anybody hurt?†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ Huck replies, ‘†No’m. Killed a nigger,†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ to which Aunt Sally answers, ‘†Well, it’s lucky; because sometimes people do get hurt’† (Twain 167). Huck’s conversation with his aunt vividly illustrates the deeply embedded racism within society. Not only does this exchange exemplify Huck’s own beliefs about blacks’ inferiority, but also proves his prejudiced outlook is primarily derived from the racist society in which he lives. The conversation suggests that both the aunt and Huck think of blacks only as â€Å"things† or â€Å"objects,† not actually human beings. When Huck informs his aunt that a â€Å"nigger† had died in the crash, she casually dismisses any loss of life. Instead, she responds by pointing out that â€Å"it’s lucky; because sometimes people do get hurt [in boat crashes],† therefore essentially revealing that she believes that blacks are not people. Both Aunt Sally and Huck offer no empathy or show any responsiveness to the death, which most people would do if another human had died. Although Huck views slavery as morally correct, he only believes this because it is customary during this time period. In essence, Huck’s moral nature has been misguided and distorted throughout his childhood, causing him to believe slavery and white superiority is ethically right. Sadly, his morality has been skewed so he believes something not necessarily because he actually believes it in his heart, but possibly because it is just what is socially accepted at the time. Bennett Kravits, author of the critical essay â€Å"Reinventing the world and reinventing the self in Huck Finn† reveals his criticism regarding Twain’s portrayal of whites’ perceptions of blacks. He specifically deals with the phrase that Huck uses to describe Jim, â€Å"white inside† (Twain 345).† He essentially explains that although that seems to be an overtly racist description, it actually has the potential to â€Å"undercut the prejudicial notions that whites held concerning blacks† (Kravits 6). It is clear Huck has a difficult time seeing Jim as an equal member of society, but he instead can view him as white inside. According to Kravits, the significance behind this depiction is that Huck discovers a way to see Jim as a fellow human being, just in an odd way. Huck’s morality has been molded throughout his childhood and he has an ingrained belief that blacks are just inhumane slaves that are property to white people; however, Kravits is actually arguing that Huck realizes black people deserve to be labeled as humans and not property. While journeying down the Mississippi River together, Huck and Jim begin to bond in a unique way. A friendship between them starts to develop and Huck’s compassion for Jim grows despite him being a black slave. Huck is faced with the particularly difficult decision of either turning Jim in or rescuing himself from the Phelps’. He struggles between standing up for Jim and what he believes is right or surrendering to the embedded racism he has grown up around. With Jim’s fate on his hands, Huck decides to save Jim instead of himself and rips up the letter to Miss Watson with the astounding exclamation, â€Å"‘All right, then I’ll go to Hell†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ (Twain 162). During the moments leading up to this heroic decision, his mind runs wild with the thoughts of the harsh punishments Jim could possibly face. Huck recognizes that he has a power to give Jim something he has desired his entire life: freedom. Huck’s empathy is so strong at this point, that combined with his loyalty and morality, it causes Huck to have a significant epiphany. The epiphany illuminates Huck’s concern for Jim and shows another step in his moral development. The fact that Huck believes he is giving up his soul for Jim’s freedom demonstrates that Huck’s morality has truly developed over the course of the novel. This shows Huck’s incredible loyalty and his ability to put himself in Jim’s shoes in order to sacrifice his owns wants, needs and desires to save Jim. His empathy displayed in this scene supports the belief that although Huck is racist, he still possesses an enormous capacity to see Jim as a fellow human being. Every person acts in accordance with their beliefs, attitudes, and values, which consequently reflects that person’s ultimate identity. Many factors are responsible for determining the principles people value and respect, including familial, societal, and environmental influences. Throughout Mark Twain’s novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck is in the midst of moral development in his subconscious and his deeper feelings arise as the truer expression of his morality. He makes decisions in his adventures which demonstrate that not only does he possess morals, he possesses extraordinary ones. Huck’s moral maturity rings clear after he makes significant controversial decisions. Huck’s character progression shows that good scruples can be developed in anyone and a more empathetic part of people can triumph over heartlessness. . In the novel The Road, Cormac McCarthy describes the struggle between morality and immorality that exists within every person that walks the post-apocalyptic world. He demonstrates that some people give into the evil while others are able to remain good. McCarthy essentially concentrates on the man’s progression from the moral â€Å"good guy† to an immoral â€Å"bad guy.† â€Å"The fire† that the man truly believed he possessed slowly smolders and he begins to succumb to the immoral world he had faced for such a long time. Huck and the man serve as foils to each other by highlighting Huck’s progression towards a better morality as the man regresses and loses the morals he originally possessed. In essence, both Twain and McCarthy conclude that all people are faced with adversity and difficult decisions, but those people have the power to make certain choices which ultimately define who they really are. Works Cited McCarthy, Cormac. The Road. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006. Print. Kravits, Bennett. â€Å"Reinventing the World and Reinventing the Self in Huck Finn.† Literature Resource Center. Gale, Winter 2004. Web. 22 May 2012. . Socrates. â€Å"Morality Quotes.† ThinkExist. Web. 22 May. 2012. . Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. United Sates: Tom Doherty Associates, 1985. Print.

Eyewitness testimony

The Expert Witness â€Å"How reliable Is eyewitness testimony On the 28th of September 1 999, a building society in West Bromidic was robbed by a man brandishing a gun. He had approached the cashier desk and pushed aside a customer and then produced a gun. He ordered the three customers in the bank to lie on the floor. He then pointed the gun in the face of the cashier and told her to fill the bag with money. In doing so, she managed to raise the silent alarm alerting the police. After her compliance, the robber instructed her to also lie on the floor behind the desk.He warned the customers not to move before shooting his gun at the ceiling and running out. The four witnesses were then Interviewed as a group by police at the scene of the crime. The first Interview revealed many Inconsistencies In the descriptions of the perpetrator and also the chain of events. All witnesses had described a white male In his ass with a local accent. The group was split 2:2 on the robbers hair color, two thought blond and the others thought it was brown. The witnesses were then taken to the police station and interviewed separately.All four had now given statements eying the robber had blond hair. A lot less inconsistencies were found when the witnesses were interviewed for the second time. A third interview was conducted a few weeks later to see if any more details had been remembered of the crime. A photo was also shown to the witnesses to see if they could confirm that he was the man they remembered from the robbery. Again the group were split, two thought It could be him and the other two were unsure. All four witnesses a few months after, had taken part In a line up In which they all picked out the same man as the robber In the bank.The man they Identified turned out to by the same man from the photo they were shown previously prior to the line-up. The man they identified was James Taylor. James Taylor is a 33 year old with one previous conviction for robbing a sweet shop when he was 18. He spent 18 months in prison for this crime and hasn't been in any trouble since. He became a suspect when an anonymous tip came in from a man with a local accent giving them Sesame's name. Taylor had said he had been in Yellowhammers at the time but could not supply any witnesses to confirm his alibi.The case went to trial before a Jury which was drawn from the local area. There was no forensic evidence lining Taylor to the crime scene but the prosecution argued he was a local man with previous convictions, that couldn't produce an alibi for his confirmed the man they picked out in the line-up, with one saying she was ‘absolutely certain' that Taylor was the man who held up the building society at gun point. After a 45 minute deliberation, the Jury returned a guilty verdict and sentenced Taylor to five years in prison.To start identifying the problems with this case and detect why the conviction was unsafe one must start with the first officers attending(FAA). The Job of a FAA is to immediately attend to injured persons at the crime scene. They then should separate eyewitnesses from one another to avoid conversations between them that might distort their memories and to avoid the transfer of trace evidence, Jackson. Jackson(2008). However, the 4 witnesses were first interviewed as a group. During this interview ,there were inconsistency with the decision of the robbers hair color.After the witnesses has listened to each other's stories, two had decided to change their minds and agree his hair color was after all blond. This is a clear robber with the testimony used in the trial, as all the witnesses were interviewed as a group. Due to social desirability and conformity they changed their remembrance of characteristics. An example of social conformity can be explained by Solomon Sash's visual Judgment experiment. Cash got 7 people to take part in each experiment but every time 6 of the participants were confederates.The confederates were instructed to all follow a strict set of instructions. In the experiment two cards were shown to the group of seven. One card had a vertical line and the other card had 3 lines of varying lengths. The experimenter then asked all seven to choose which line of the three matched the length of the line on the other card. The confederates were sometimes asked to all agree on certain cards that would appear to be blatantly obviously wrong. The experimenter was testing to see if the participant would change their mind in order to conform with the majority. 4% of the innocent participants went along with the group and conformed giving the incorrect answer, School(2013). In the third interview police took a photo of a suspect, James Taylor, to the witnesses and asked them if they could confirm that he was the man they remembered from he robbery. After this the witnesses attended a line up in which Taylor was present, from this they were able to confirm that Taylor was the robber. The questio ning from the police asking to confirm that Taylor was the robber, could be considered as a leading question.Meaning that due to their choice of wording, they were able to lead the witnesses to a desired answer. They were made to think that Taylor had committed the crime, even though they may not of originally thought it was him. Loft's and Palmer in 1974, conducted an experiment to prove that leading questions n an interview can have a clear effect on witnesses answers. They asked forty five participants to watch a clip of two cars in an accident. They were spilt into 5 groups and then they were asked the question â€Å"How fast were the cars going when they (hit/ smashed/collided/bumped/contacted) each other? A week after the participants had seen the clips, they were also asked if they saw any broken glass, even though there was no broken glass. Loft's and Palmer had found that the verb used, changed the the ‘smashed' conditions reported the highest speeds, followed by â⠂¬Ëœbumped', ‘hit' and collided' in descending order. A week after when the participants were asked if there was any broken glass at the scene, people in the smashed group predominantly said yes. This proved that a leading question encouraged the participants to remember the cars traveling at a faster speed.The question has also appeared to modify their memory as they also remember seeing non-existent glass, McLeod(2010). The leading question asked by the police could be an explanation for the sudden conformation of James Taylor being the robber, even though straight after the event, two thought he ad brown hair and two thought he had blond, now they are able to recognizes some facial characteristics one even saying she was â€Å"absolutely certain† it was James Research by Loft's and Burns in 1982 also suggests that weapon focus can have a detrimental effect on memory of certain characteristics.They believe that a witness will focus more closely on the weapon used duri ng a crime and not the person holding it. They believe this is because a person will always focus on the thing that poses a threat or injury when it's not in its usual context. For example, you wouldn't be afraid of someone brandishing a gun at a shooting range. They conducted an experiment by allocating participants to one of two conditions. One watched a violent short film of a boy being shot in the head and the other watched a non-violent short film of a crime.The results were dramatic, only 4. 3% of the subjects who watched the violent crime correctly recalled a number on a boys Jersey, this compared to 27. 9% of participants who answered correctly that had watched the non-violent version, This could be another contributing factor as to why the eyewitnesses testimony's may be unreliable and as to why they might not be able to reduce an accurate description of the robber, as he did brandish a gun, put it in the face of one of the witnesses and also fired it before he left.The wit nesses were also part of the crime not watching it on a video clip like the participants in Loft's and Burns experiment. Witnessing a real life crime is more stressful than taking part in an experiment. To hypothesis that the description the witnesses gave to the Jury, might not be as accurate as they recall, might bare some weight, due to weapon focus and other contributing variables present at the time of the incident. Another factor which could disprove the testimony given by the witnesses is one called the schema and stereotype theory.This theory suggests that we are only able to take in a certain amount of information at the scene of a crime or incident. Ata later date when we are asked to provide greater detail, we rely on past experience (schemas) and prejudices (stereotypes) to fill in the gaps. We use expectations to reconstruct our memory. One experiment conducted by Bartlett in 1932 called War of the ghosts' portrayed a great example of the way people use stereotypes and schemas. Bartlett got participants to read a native North American folk tale, then repeat the story to another person in turn who repeated it and so on.By the time the last person had repeated the story back they had shortened it by three quarters and westernizes the details for example, seal clubbing was changed to fishing. One as a stored set of knowledge about a concept which guides our behavior. These are used to prompt our memory, and sometimes to fill in gaps if we are unsure, Bartlett(1932). Bartlett suggested that we make the following adjustments in certain cough situations: He believed people tend to rationalist situations and add material to Justify parts of their story.He believes that parts of a story, particularly those difficult to understand were often left out or manipulated. When people can't make sense of a situation, they tend to rearrange the order to one which fits the stereotype of their expectations in certain events. He also believes that people add their ow n emotion to a story, making the chain of events differ from someone else due to their personal emotional response. The research conducted by Bartlett is another factor hat could be problematic in the conviction of Taylor.The four witnesses could of used their schemas and stereotypes along with leading questioning from the police to come to the assumption that James Taylor was the robber. The above explanations are reasons why the conviction for James Taylor may not of been safe and also why the eye witness testimony may have been distorted. To show the weight an eyewitness testimony bares on a case, can be demonstrated by Elizabeth Loft's in 1974. Loft's gave participants three versions of a robbery and murder case, she then asked them to decide whether the defendant was guilty.Circumstantial evidence which was presented to the mock Jurors included the fact that the robber ran into the defendant's apartment block, money was found in the defendant's room and tests revealed there was a slight chance the defendant had fired a gun on the day of the robbery/murder. Results revealed that with Just this information provided, only 18% of participants thought that the defendant was guilty. When also presented with an eyewitness testimony, the guilty verdict dramatically changed to 72%. This demonstrates the powerful effect of an eyewitness testimony.More strikingly, when the participants were informed that the eyewitness was short- sighted, he was not wearing his glasses at the time of the offence, and he could not have seen the robber's face from where he was standing, 68% still gave a guilty verdict, Stewart(2013). This demonstrates the shocking strengths that an eyewitness testimony bares on each case. Upon evaluation of this case, it would seem that the conviction to ‘send a message to other potential criminals', may have been in haste. The problem with this case not only lies with unreliable eyewitness testimony's but the conduct shown by the police wrought .From group interviews, leading questions and photographs to prompting from the prosecution lawyers prior to the trial. The conviction of James Taylor in this case, seems to be more about making an example of someone in order to set a precedent for others thinking of committing a similar crime, rather than on a case which is based purely on facts and forensic evidence, in which this case had none. Remembering: A Study in Experimental and Social Psychology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press A,R. Jacksonville(2008)Forensic science. Second Edition. Pearson education emitted, Essex England. Eyewitness Testimony In the legal profession, eyewitness testimony (EWT) is generally defined as the account of an event provided by an individual or individuals who have witnessed it.Such an account could contain the identity or identities of the people who were involved in the event, a narration of how the incident, itself, occurred, and a detailed description of the scene before, during, and after the event took place. In criminal cases in the United States, the general tendency is for juries to grant EWT a rather high level of reliability, especially in the process of identifying the perpetrator/s of a criminal act (McLeod).Unfortunately for jurists, research has been consistent in showing that EWT is not as reliable as generally perceived. As a matter of fact, in Problems and Materials on Trial Advocacy written by A. Leo Levin and Harold Cramer, the authors stated thatEyewitness testimony is, at best, evidence of what the witness believes to have occurred. It may or may not tell what actually happen ed. The familiar problems of perception, of gauging time, speed, height, weight, of accurate identification of persons accused of crime all contribute to making honest testimony something less than completely credible (Cline).This view is shared by many legal practitioners. The prevailing view not only among defense lawyers but also among prosecutors is that in spite of the sincerity of eyewitnesses, EWT could not always be credible. They are convinced that when somebody professes to have witnessed an incident or a crime, for that matter, such a statement should not be taken by faith because it is very possible that what he or she remembers seeing may not have actually happened.This argument is generally based on the fact that not all eyewitnesses possess the same degree of competence. A competent eyewitness should have the following qualities: sufficient â€Å"powers of perception†; ability to remember and describe what he or she remembers seeing; and the willingness to tell only the truth (Cline).In theory, an eyewitness testimony could be discredited in a court of law if it could be established that an eyewitness is not competent by showing that his or her memory and perception are impaired, he or she has certain biases or prejudices against the accused, or that he or she is a reputed liar. Unfortunately, records show that even eyewitness accounts from highly competent witnesses have nonetheless caused the conviction of many innocent people. These are cases which involve competent eyewitnesses giving eyewitness accounts which are not credible but appear convincing to jurors (Cline).Since eyewitness account is highly dependent upon the memory of an individual, his or her recollection of events is greatly affected by â€Å"age, health, personal bias and expectations, viewing conditions, perception problems, later discussions with other witnesses, [and] stress† (Cline).In other words, EWT should be appraised on a case-to-case basis, taking into c onsideration the personal attributes of the eyewitness and the conditions prevailing at the time of the event such as weather condition, time of day, distance of the witness from the incident, and illumination. Stress is another factor which affects a person’s memory. For instance, an eyewitness who has been so horrified by a killing often fails to recall vital aspects of the incident. In such cases, it is said that the memory of the witness fails him or her, giving credence to the school of thought which maintains that man’s memory is actually imperfect (Cline).Elizabeth Loftus belongs to this school of thought. In fact, in her book Memory: Surprising New Insights into How We Remember and Why We Forget, she wrote that â€Å"we often do not see things accurately in the first place. But even if we take in a reasonably accurate picture of some experience, it does not necessarily stay perfectly intact in memory†¦With the passage of time, with proper motivation, with the introduction of special kinds of interfering facts, the memory traces seem sometimes to change or become transformed† (Cline). In other words, memory is not only imperfect but could also be manipulated or managed. This is only one of many observations raised by scholars and researchers about the reliability of eyewitness testimony.  

Characters on the Road Film Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Characters on the Road Film - Assignment Example The main character is Al Roberts, who believes that was not for the malicious destiny he would not be facing all the troubles in his life. The other character is Haskell, and Al believes that his death led to him been shunted into a different destination from the one he would have picked. In Al life journey, the other character, who is Vera, is introduced to the audience, as well as to Al’s life when he picks her on the road. After Al’s act of picking Vera, she becomes his companion while traveling and later she even gets the title of a spouse while Al thinks he is the gods’ helpless plaything. According to Al, in life’s journey, fate can put a finger on anyone without any relevant reason. The reason why Al comes up with this conclusion is as a result of the police car drawing on them beside him just in the final shot. Even after, Al picks Vera; she is neither a sympathetic nor an impartial observer in respect to Al’s predicament. In my opinion, the director of the film brings out the concept of helping another individual has no guarantee of them returning the favor; hence, it is crucial that one does not build high expectation after helping people. The film uses the concept of a flash back to show how much Al would have loved to have a certain part of his memory disappear, and the clear indication that Al is not content with what is happening to him because of the pain he portrays during the flashback. Therefore, in my opinion, human life is mostly a journey where individuals travel looking for greener pastures.

How to increase productivity Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

How to increase productivity - Assignment Example ity include taking medical covers for the employees, enhancing communications within the firm and sponsoring advanced studies to sharpen the skills and expertise of specific employees in a firm. These are some of the actions that a management team can adopt to increase the productivity in a firm. Taking medical covers for the employees ensures that the workers are not worried of their health and whenever a health issue arises, it is quickly controlled and the person resumes to duty (Chowdhry et al). Communication is also important in regard to productivity because with proper communication all the challenges facing performance can be controlled. Managers should ensure that both up-ward and down-ward communications are effective and all departments are in harmony in their operations. In order to precise determine the factors that affect productivity and the measures that can be undertaken to increase productivity, it is important to conduct a research. The main objective of the research will be to confirm and ascertain whether the factors mentioned above contribute to the increase in productivity in organizations. The research should involve interviewing employees and the management teams of a least five top performing firms. The information required can be collected through interviews, questionnaires and surveys on their

Criminal law Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Criminal law - Coursework Example Sally complies and provides information. Denise, using this information, robs Victoria and also accidently fires a gun shot on her shoulder. This paper will discuss the liabilities and defence for both the defendants- Denise and Sally. It is clear that Denise knowingly went to rob Victoria. She had the attention to rob Victoria and had gained the necessary information from Sally to commit the crime. Denise was self-motivated. Robbery is taking money or goods forcefully from a person without the owners consent in his presence1. Denise is guilty of this charge. Moreover, Denise also went to the alley carrying a gun. The gun was loaded and Denise pointed it at Victoria while committing the robbery. This constitutes as violence. In this case, Denise cannot avoid being charged with armed robbery and violence. She would have to plead guilty of this charge. During their encounter, Denise fired a gunshot at Victoria which struck her on the shoulder and wounded her. Thus, Denise would also be charged for carrying and using an offensive weapon. For this, Denise is liable to being sentenced to prison. Denise could use the defence that she had no intention of wounding Victoria. The gunshot wound was not premeditated and was not intentional. Even though, Denise would still be charged for robbery and also wounding Victoria, she may be able reduce her sentence when she pleads guilty of robbery and unintentional weapon discharge. Sally is an accessory to the crime. An accessory to the crime is a person who is not the chief actor the felony or present at the time of the felony but rather helped commit the felony in a certain capacity. In this case, Sally is an accessory before the fact. An accessory before the fact is someone who helps or commands the chief actor of the felony before the felony is committed. The accessory to the fact either aids or encourages the principal to commit the crime. Sally was aware that Denise was going to use the information to

Deconstruction of Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken Essay

Deconstruction of Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken - Essay Example The road truly taken is the most popular one, not the road less taken, because people have no autonomy. They cannot choose the road they want, when they grow up living that only one road is acceptable, the masculine road to severe individualism, rationalism, and domination of the American Dream. The masculine speaker pursues the rough road of individualism. Individualism follows the ideals of independence. The speaker of the poem observes the two roads: â€Å"TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,/And sorry I could not travel both† (Frost 1-2). The word â€Å"I† indicates the individualistic voice, wherein he is sorry that he cannot travel both, which means he will make the decision on his own. He does not consider other people or consequences because he thinks that he can do everything on his own. Moreover, individualism emphasizes individual reflection. The speaker thinks about his decision: â€Å"And be one traveler, long I stood/And looked down one as far as I couldà ¢â‚¬  (Frost 3-4). He stood on his own, and this is not only individualism because he is alone, but because he thinks for his own interests. He looks as far as he can, but he does so using his own thoughts and ideas. He appears to be focused on his own interests only. Furthermore, the speaker sees the undergrowth depicts the masculine-feminine binary. He says: â€Å"To where it bent in the undergrowth† (Frost 5). The undergrowth or bushes stand for women, through symbolizing fertility because of its ability to give life through food, but it is described as â€Å"undergrowth,† inferior to other kinds of plants. The speaker’s individualism leads him to seeing the road in one way, instead of multiple ways. He does not open himself to the possibility that the undergrowth is more than what it appears to be, that it is in its development, or maybe even developed, but undeveloped to the eyes of the dominant group. Individualism takes away people’s ability to se e the strength of numbers, numbers of ideas and analyses. Aside from individualism, the speaker is masculine in that it emphasizes rationalism over emotions. Rationalism indicates finding the best way among all ways. The speaker describes one of the roads: â€Å"Then took the other, as just as fair,/And having perhaps the better claim† (Frost 6-7). The fair one is beautiful, so it is better to be walked on, but he chooses another side. But does he truly take the road less taken? He knows that the fair one is the better claim. It is what he wants to walk on, not the more difficult one. The word â€Å"Perhaps† does not show his reluctance for the easier road; it shows his hesitation for not taking the fairer road. Rationality emphasizes the better choice that gives the most rewards. The speaker depicts the beauty of this road: â€Å"Because it was grassy and wanted wear;/Though as for that the passing there/Had worn them really about the same† (Frost 8-10). The gr ass is inviting; it wants to be worn down. People are passing there, and it is the obvious choice with the least risks. Why would the speaker choose the other one, when people have passed one road and enjoyed it? It is irrational to not follow the road that the majority pursues. It is the best because it is the safest and most popular. Rationality judges this road as the winning road- the popular and convenient road of the American Dream. The rational speaker does not take the road les

Writing Project Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Writing Project - Research Paper Example The sport has received immense support globally and is popularly known in Europe as majority of the racings are done within the continent. However, over years, the scope of the sports has evolved as today racing is being held in different countries like United States and other continents. The sports has garnered support among different fans who in most occasions views the racings conducted by renowned sports men through such media devices like televisions which today is available at every corner of the world (Baer, 1995). This paper therefore, examines formula one racing as an aspect of motorsports. Formula one racing has led to major changes in the history of sports racing making the sports to be competitive globally. The idea behind formula one can be traced back to1946 where races concentrating on cars were first brought up and the idea to find the best drivers on the planet initiated. However, this did not come to be immediately until 1950 when the first motorsport race was held. However, after the first motorsports, there were several motorsports championship which were held but they were not given much consideration as there was nothing to be profited from the races conducted. In 1983, the sport was deemed to be unprofitable as drivers were not benefiting from the race leading to shortages on the people who were participating on the race (Baer, 1995). Likewise, most participants in the sports were using their own cars and they solely bore the costs related to the races like vehicle repair and the usual wear and tear. Interestingly, different cars models which were being u sed for racing purposes back then included Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Meserati and the Mercedes benz (Formula 1Â ®. (n.d.), 2015). Over the years the different car manufactures which were being used in formula one race made technological advancements on their cars. This included new engine and tire types which gave

PSYCHOLOGY SET UP A STUDY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

PSYCHOLOGY SET UP A STUDY - Essay Example For our purposes, in this study we shall select two contrasting styles, the Authoritative and the Uninvolved for investigation. The paper cited above in summarising research on the topic claims that ‘Children and adolescents whose parents are authoritative rate themselves and are rated by objective measures as more socially and instrumentally competent †¦ ’and those whose parents are ‘uninvolved perform poorly in all domains.’ The description of ‘authoritative’ parental style borders on the ideal. These parents do not demand unquestioning obedience. They set standards for children’s conduct by negotiation and reference to shared and valued goals. They are assertive but do not punish breaches of discipline in an arbitrary manner by restrictions or by intruding on the child. They require and receive cooperation from their children. The ‘uninvolved’ parents may be labelled ‘laissez-faire’, almost to the point of being neglectful of their children. They are neither responsive to the children’s demands nor do they demand or expect standards of behaviour and conduct from their children. Although it is clear from the above discussion that we could easily identify two groups for this study, we are required to delve a little further into the theory underlying the differences in the two parental styles. One basis of criticisms for isolating parental styles is the ‘nature – nurture’ controversy. Are we right to ignore ‘nature’ or heritability (genes) when we use parental style as a variable? We are concentrating on ‘nurture’ exclusively in this study. Caveats must be spelt out in the Discussion section. Children may undergo quantitative as well as qualitative changes in their personality and competences as they mature. By selecting children of exactly the same age group for our study, we can reasonably hope to eliminate problems that could arise from the ‘continuity-discontinuity’ compounding variable. The

Exploratory Literature Research Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Exploratory Literature Research Paper - Essay Example pirical research about the "best" type of leadership we find support for every leadership style from â€Å"the transformational leader†, who encourages followers to ignore their self-interests for the good of the organization, to â€Å"the authoritative leader†, who runs a paternalistic organization, but treats employees with respect. The data also supports the fact that the most effective leadership is one which relies on a variety of tools from transformational to authoritative. The topic that has been chosen by the researcher for the purpose of this study is the comparison of the various management styles impact on employee efficiency. The researcher expects that the study will be greatly useful for the research world as well as the industry. The author expects that the insights from this research will enable industry to understand the impact of the various management styles on employee satisfaction, motivation and efficiency. The findings from the research will enable the industry to find the most appropriate management style. The area of management style has been quite popular amongst researchers. The exploratory research will enable the researcher to present a complete picture of the existing research in the field of management styles. The study will prove to be useful as a basis for future research in the same field. The research method that shall be chosen by the researcher in order to arrive at conclusive answers to the three questions shall be such that it shall give the researcher enough evidence to come to a conclusion. For the first question, the researcher proposes to analyze already available literature in the field to find out what are the various management styles that have already been researched. This method which is called literature review will give a clear picture of the characteristics of various management styles that are into existence. For answering the second question, the author will attempt to find out articles that present

1860 Presidential Election Essay Example for Free

1860 Presidential Election Essay Every four years, each presidential candidate proclaims that the problems facing the nation this year is graver and more important than any other time in American history. The 1860 Presidential election stands alone as the most important presidential election in American history because this actually was the case. There have been other elections that have been important. If Wendell Wilkie had beaten Franklin Roosevelt in the 1940 election or if Al Gore had beaten George W. Bush in the 2000 election, this world may have been very different. But that probability was brought to the light months or years after the election was over. The chief difference with the 1860 election was that the country knew that the nomination of each candidate along with who would be elected would have immediate and then long term results for the country. The 1860 presidential election saw four distinct candidates, all trying for the most important office in the land at our most important time. Abraham Lincoln, a Republican from Illinois, his rival for the 1856 senate race, Stephen A. Douglas representing the Northern Democrats and also from Illinois, John Bell, a Constitutional Unionist and John Breckenridge a Southern Democrat were all in the race. The fact that the Democrats had split over the issue of slavery, forcing members to walk out of two Democrat conventions forced the party to have to send two different candidates and thus, increase the chances that the election would go to Lincoln.   The nomination of Abraham Lincoln for the Republican ticket was unsure from the start and even Lincoln assured himself that he would lose. In the bestselling book Team of Rivals, Doris Kearns Goodwin details in fascinating fashion, the list of more qualified, more educated and possessing more resources, fought for their nomination for president. But Lincoln was chosen because he was a moderate on the number one issue of the day: slavery.† I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with slavery in the States where it exists, said Lincoln early in the conflict.[1] Seward and Chase, two of the others who brought competition to the field, were seen as either too radical or apathetic towards the issue of slavery and made their displeasure known. While Seward was taking a European tour, Lincoln was meeting and greeting the people. His attendance and speech at New York’s Cooper Union in 1860, solidified him as a man of the people. The Democratic Nomination was complicated as well. The Democratic Party was split over the issue of slavery in the same way the country was. At their convention in April of 1860, fifty Democrats walked out to form their own faction of the party.[2] John Breckenridge was nominated by the Southern Democrats and Stephen A. Douglass was nominated by the Northern Democrats. The Democrats met again on June 18 and this time 100 delegates walked out and would not adopt a resolution supporting slavery in the territories. The Northern Democrats nominated for their candidate Stephen A. Douglass, Senator from Illinois. Douglass had been involved in the famous Lincoln Douglass Debates for the senate. In this senate race, Douglass won but in the process, alienated the South by saying that popular sovereignty could prevent slavery from being enacted in the new territories. The South remembered this and would make sure that his answer would come back to haunt him in the election. This was a chief motivating factor which caused the split within the Democratic Party, thus giving an advantage to the Republican Party which took advantage of such factions. For years, Democrats had united behind the doctrine of popular sovereignty. It was this fact which helped Douglas get elected to the senate in the 1858 debates with Abraham Lincoln. The idea behind this was that slavery within a new territory was up the majority of people within that state. Popular Sovereignty also promised to keep the future of slavery out of the hands of the politicians in Washington as they were distrusted for the most part by the people within the slave states. On the surface, the idea seemed to be a sound and practical compromise to the threat of a civil war. Most Northern Democrats assumed that slavery would not be allowed to spread into the West due to natural impediments. The climate, terrain and the swift movement of Free State settlers into the West would discourage slaveholders from entering the territories. While Southerners demanded that the Democratic Party come out with a platform that defended slavery, Douglas and his supporters could not agree. Despite the fact that the convention went through 54 ballots, Douglas failed to achieve the needed 2/3 vote to receive the nomination of a single Democratic party. However, once the Southern Democrats walked out of the convention, Douglas did receive the needed 2/3 vote from the delegates that were present.[3] Only then was did he receive the nomination of the Northern Democrats. It was a hollow victory. However, his nomination resulted in the splitting of his party and another candidate would only help to confuse the issue as well as spread out the limited number of electoral votes available. The Republicans, after seeing the problems that had been caused within the Democrats, saw this as an opportunity that they could use to their advantage. They were confident, going into their convention in Chicago, that they had a real chance of winning.   The only question was who was going to be nominated. William Seward was considered the front runner.   He was more established, had a classical education, the money and proper connections that prompted the party bosses, at first, to consider him a viable candidate for the nomination. But this all changed at the convention. Alienated factions seemed to arise and served as an unmistakable impediment for Seward and his hopes of becoming the Republican nomination for the 1860 Presidential election: an occurrence which seemed like a foregone conclusion just six months earlier. Delegates were concerned that Seward was too closely identified with the radical wing of the party. Also, Seward, being deeply religious, saw the issue of slavery as an issue that was above that of the Constitution as he called for a higher law to dictate the end of slavery. 19th century America was a deeply religious age but such beliefs seemed to pull him to the right of center in this regard. â€Å"Over the years, his angry phrases calling upon a ‘higher law’ than that of the Constitution that had come from men of freedom†¦ had alarmed Republicans moderates in the West. This only proved that Lincoln was the man to elect.†[4]Compared to Seward, Lincoln had more of a chance to help avoid a civil war as he was seen as more of a moderate within the Republican Party on many issues that were troubling the country and the Southern states at this time. But this did not being much comfort to the Southern States because the main position that the Republican Party he ld on slavery was not in doubt. The key to the success of the Republican Party was its position on slavery as well as the fact that the Democrats were now split. The Republican Party opposed the expansion of slavery and many within the party condemned it as an immoral institution. Republicans thought that by limiting its expansion would put slavery on the road to eventual extinction. Even though this stance was made public, the Republican base rejected a more radical stance that would have Southerners associate them with the abolitionist cause. So in this fact, Republicans upheld slavery within the states where it already existed. Also, there was a faction of the party which included Lincoln, which was willing to support a Constitutional amendment that would guarantee slavery forever in the hope that a civil war would be avoided. In this fact, Lincoln’s announcement in September 1862, that he would be issuing an Emancipation Proclamation, came to the shock of his cabinet because it was contrary to what the platform of the Republican Party during the 1860 election.[5] Republicans would be willing to compromise a great deal with regard to the issue of slavery in order to avoid a civil war and in the process, distance themselves from the abolitionists who were seen as too radical from both the South and even parts of the North. However, as long as the strong Republican base and their beliefs on slavery served as an impediment and a threat to the South and their protection of slavery, either Lincoln or Seward would have garnished a negative response from the Southern States. Since it was essential to carry the West and because Lincoln had a national reputation from his debates and speeches, most notably, the 1858 debates with Stephen A. Douglass, Lincoln won the party’s nomination. This is true also because Lincoln was seen as a moderate on the issue of slavery. It would not be until the Civil War was well under way when Lincoln became more certain that slavery must not continue. But at this time, Lincoln had said that he would leave slavery alone if it meant that the Union would be saved and a civil war would be avoided. The party platform states that slavery would not be allowed to spread any further. This was heavily unpopular in the South but it was in line with what Lincoln believed. The containment of slavery was the best that the moderates within the Republican Party could hope for while at the same time, avoiding a civil war. Doris Kearns Goodwin, in her book Team of Rivals, spoke to the appeal that Lincoln had among the people and the cha racteristics that helped Lincoln, an unlikely candidate in many ways, secure the nomination. â€Å"Lincoln was aware that being a man of the people was an advantage, especially in the raw Western states critical to the election of a Republican candidate Lincoln was astute enough to capitalize upon this invaluable political asset.†[6]   It was also seen that Lincoln was more of a candidate for the people and on the surface, it did not seem that he was as hungry for the office as the others and therefore, would remain true to his own self instead of saying and doing only what was needed in order to get elected. â€Å"Though Lincoln desired success as fiercely as any of his rivals, he did not allow his quest for office to consume the kindness and open heartedness with which he treated supports and rivals alike, nor alter his steady commitment to the antislavery cause.†[7] These are the characteristics that helped endeared Lincoln as a man of the people. The campaign was an interesting one that garnished a great deal of interest among the country. The turnout from the 1860 election would be one of the highest in history as the country knew all too well, that the results may lead to a civil war. Stephen A. Douglas became the first presidential candidate in history to undertake a nationwide speaking tour; something that is now seen as essential in order to win within contemporary candidates. Douglas traveled to the South even though he did not expect to win many votes. He spoke for the maintenance of the Union and would so until the official start of the Civil War. The 1860 Campaign, despite the presence of four separate candidates was more organized than the 1856 campaign. In 1856, John C. Freemont, the first Republican candidate,   crusaded zealously against slavery and these efforts were then countered with the warnings of civil war. As a result, James Buchanan was elected and did absolutely nothing to either speed up or curtail the threats towards a civil war. What also helped the chances of the Republicans was the 1857 Supreme Court Decision regarding the Dred Scott Case. This resulted in a clear advantage in the 1858 general election which gave a commanding lead to the Republicans. By 1860, every observer could see that the Republicans had an almost unbeatable advantage in the Electoral College as well since they dominated every Northern state. This would come to fruition as the number of popular votes that Douglas got in relation to the number of electoral votes he received was far below that of Lincoln’s. The election was held on November 6, 1860. The notable difference was the exaggerated sectionalism of the vote. In nine southern states, Lincoln’s name did not even appear on any of the ballots. Also, the importance of the Electoral College would be as important as any other election history, second only to the 2000 election. Due to the fact that there were four candidates, it would be unlikely that any one candidate would receive the popular majority. While Lincoln only captured 40% of the vote, the division of the Electoral College allowed him to capture 17 states plus four electoral votes from the state of New Jersey to receive a total of 180 electoral votes and the win. Although the three-way split among the non Republicans complicated the issue, Lincoln would have still won the election because he won the majority of the electoral vote. Lincoln also won a popular majority in every state that cast its electoral votes for Lincoln. He finished the campaign with 1,865,908 vot es. Douglas finished second with 1,380,202 votes but because of the split in the electoral votes throughout the country, he only received twelve electoral votes, far short of the 152 needed to win.[8] He received nine electoral votes from Missouri and three of the seven electoral votes from New Jersey. Bell won Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia while Breckenridge won every slave state except for Missouri. The result of the 1860 election was almost an immediate one. On December 20, 1860, South Carolina voted to succeed from the country.   The southern states had been waiting for an excuse to break away from the country and the election of Lincoln fit the bill. Stephen A. Douglas threw his support behind Abraham Lincoln and went on a speaking tour to try to stop a civil war from coming. He died in this process in April of 1861 and neither his efforts, nor the efforts of any single man, could stop what the country knew was about to come. With the succession of South Carolina in December 1860. â€Å"Not surprisingly, South Carolina acted first. There is nothing in all the dark caves of human passion so cruel and deadly as the hatred the   South Carolinians profess for the Yankees,[9] With the following of twelve more states, the Civil War had become a foregone conclusion. With the attack on Fort Sumter in April of 1865, despite the only casualty being a Union horse, the Civil War had started and only after four years and 620,000 casualties, did the war finally come to and end as did the institution of slavery within the country forever. The end of the Civil War also led to the assassination of President Lincoln and his Vice President, Andrew Johnson serving as an impediment to the Reconstruction of the South. The 1860 Presidential Election was one of the most important elections in the country’s history. The main difference with this election over others, was that the entire country knew that the outcome of the election had a direct impact on whether or not there would be a civil war, how the civil war would play out and what would be included in peace. Abraham Lincoln, right before the end of the Civil War, said: ‘With malice towards none and charity for all,†[10] in talking about the need for the North and South to come together as one people again. History knows that the people made the right choice that November day in 1860. And all those that are motivated by his speeches and actions are the benefactors of such wisdom and future generations will continue to do the same. WORKS CITED Burns, Ken. 1989.   The Civil War. Boston: PBS Video. Burns, Ken. 1992. The Civil War Companion Book.   Boston: Alfred Knoff Publishers Goodwin, Doris Kearns. 2006. Team of Rivals. New York: Harper Collins McPherson, James. 1998. Battle Cry of Freedom. London: Oxford University Press. [1] McPherson, James. 1998. Battle Cry of Freedom. London: Oxford University Press. [2] Goodwin, Doris Kearns. 2006. Team of Rivals. New York: Harper Collins p. 142. [3] Goodwin, Doris Kearns. 2006. Team of Rivals. New York: Harper Collins p. 167 [4] Goodwin, Doris Kearns. 2006. Team of Rivals. New York: Harper Collins [5] Burns, Ken. 1989.   The Civil War. Boston: PBS Video. [6] Goodwin, Doris Kearns. 2006. Team of Rivals. New York: Harper Collins [7] Goodwin, Doris Kearns. 2006. Team of Rivals. New York: Harper Collins p. 178. [8] Burns, Ken. 1992. The Civil War Companion Book.   New York: Alfred Knoff Publishers [9] McPherson, James. 1998. Battle Cry of Freedom. London: Oxford University Press. P.641 [10] Burns, Ken. 1992. The Civil War Companion Book.   Boston: Alfred Knoff Publishers p. 321

Reflective Report regarding Leadership Skills

Reflective Report regarding Leadership Skills Are people born with management skills and leadership qualities? Or is this something an individual develops with experience? These are some questions that have often troubled me throughout the latter part of my undergraduate degree, a confused stage in my life, where I was in a fix deciding if I should pursue my Masters in Management or gain working experience. My family and peers were instrumental in giving me the necessary encouragement in directing me towards my career goals. Even though I wasn`t able materialize on it straight after graduation, I somehow believed that a fair amount of corporate exposure would teach me the skills and give me the practical knowledge, I needed to tread the path of an entrepreneur. Building up on my academic background, I have completed my Bachelors in Arts Communication from Christ University, India where I specialised in Journalism, Psychology and Optional English. Being one of the top ranked universities in India, I not only received a strong academic foundation but also a platform to develop myself holistically. Soon after my graduation I took up my first job at Aviva (UK`S largest insurer) outsourced to Bangalore. To start with I was offered the role of a Motor Insurance Sales/Customer Service Advisor. This environment gave me a hands-on experience in interacting with customers in the UK, selling insurance products services tailor made to the customer needs with a high degree of customer experience. Professional achievements measured through my performance, initiatives and responsibilities, (in 15 months), elevated me to the position of a Level 2 Claims Analyst: a role that involved a great deal of liability/dispute handling, decision making, negotiation with solicitors/brokers, fraud investigation, resolution and settlement. After 2 years of managing this responsibility, I made a career move into a more challenging and rewarding role in the form of a Business Analyst (Credits/Collections) for the rapidly growing software giant Oracle, Inc. With five years of experience, my understanding about organizations and my role as an individual has grown leaps and bounds. I have gained insight into how organizations function, the hierarchical structure the importance of Customer experience. The creative marketing strategies multinational companies utilize to boost sales and the impact marketing has on its audience, inspires me to launch my own business enterprise someday. Who wouldnt like to be their own boss in a company thriving on new creative ideas, making a great deal of money? Keeping my dreams within my reach, and to make it achievable one day, I needed to start working on those goals and getting all the learning possible. I somehow felt the need to gather all my working knowledge, along with theories that will give me insight, help me develop my skills, and build a strong foundation for managerial responsibilities in the future. Pursuing an MBA, especially in an international arrangement would give me the platform to interact with people from very diverse cultures, share best practices, backgrounds and ideologies. It would give me a broader perspective of how markets function globally and help me get the learning I need to enhance my capabilities, thus providing a strong foundation to build a promising career. Most importantly it will also equip me with the skills that will prepare me to take on bigger roles and greater challenges in an organization. Thus a strong blend between practical knowledge, behavioural patterns at work and learning on management subjects, would help me set up my own business someday and turn my dream into reality. Reflection on Action: Through my conversations with people who have completed an MBA and entrepreneurs who have made their vision a reality, I have learned that Management is an ocean that cannot be crossed in a year or on completion of the program. It is a constant learning process through various experiences we encounter on a day to day basis, how we deal with situations and how we counter problems. There are numerous hurdles we are likely to face, in our journey, starting with how we complete given tasks, assignments, what approaches we use to learn, how we manage our time effectively etc. Therefore it is important that we do some introspection to see if we have the necessary skills to tackle these problems, if not work on the required strategies and plans to counter these issues effectively. The ability to resolve these problems effectively is dependent on experiences had in the past and the learning derived from it. It is vitally important to understand the nature of the problem and define it properl y before setting about resolving it. (Linstead et al. 2004) Preparing for this assignment got me thinking into aspects which I normally would have not thought about. It required me to spend some time introspecting and analyzing my life in more detail. An interesting conclusion could be drawn from doing a SWOT analysis to determine what factors are likely to hinder my progress from completing the MBA and most of all my approaches towards solving them. This has opened my eyes to a whole lot of issues that is likely to hinder my progress from completing the MBA successfully. Firstly focusing on my academic background with seventeen years of education I have had in India, where the learning was more theoretical. Subjects were taught in class, handouts given, specific texts were followed as per the curriculum. Learning was measured through term tests, mid-term and final examinations where we had to memorize chapters and reproduce information by way of answers to specific questions asked. This was completely a different methodology compared to the education system in the UK which is more of a practical approach to learning. We are expected to refer multiple books, journals, article etc. from libraries or electronic databases. Moreover, we are marked on assessments and presentations which is way different to the Indian system. This difference would require myself to quickly change my approach to preparation and learning. Secondly I have a little more than five years of work experience. Getting back to academics after a long break seems to be the biggest challenge I`m currently faced with. I havent done any reading, other than the newspaper, in the last few years. Thus lack of concentration and focus, could possibly lead to lack of preparation, resulting in assignments being undone until the very last minute. This will indirectly impact the quality of information submitted and ultimately lower grades. Another thing that goes against my favor is the fact that I tend to make short drafts initially before a final version is scripted. This seems to be a very tedious and time consuming task, even though improvements in quality and content can be guaranteed. Limited reading habits do not help me in analyzing from wider perspectives and from thinking out of the box. My time management skill is not something I can boast of. I often see myself putting forward things to a later date or until the very end. Prioritizing on lesser important things gets me more distracted than often. For eg. Instead of reading on related topics pertaining to assignments, I`d probably be involved in social networking sites or music/movie sites on the internet. When it comes to writing my assignment or reading, I quickly lose interest and find it difficult to spark that inspiration again. I need to improve my understanding on the Harvard system of referencing, because errors of not referencing or citing correctly could result in unintentional plagiarism. Even though I am a confident communicator, however I feel that sometimes I can present in a much more effective manner. Wider reading could broaden knowledge on the subject and improve vocabulary. Besides development and practice in PowerPoint and excel could improvise the effectiveness of presentation. This will give a know-how to balance aspects of presentation by keeping it crisp to the timelines, yet have a lasting impact on an audience, and more consistently. In the past, at school, I would just read or memorize specific topics for the sake of examinations and score good grades. Here it was more of theoretical and individual learning that was followed. Later at the graduate level, learning was through a combination of lectures, discussion with peers, theoretical and individual of sorts. Very soon things were a little different at my work place where learning was through multimedia presentations, on the job training, sharing experiences or best practices, building professional relationships, etc. I have had a very straightforward approach to learning and what was important was that I adapted to the different learning styles according to changing environments and situation. Most of my learning on tackling situations and solving problems has been based on past experiences, what I learned from those situations, what their outcomes were, etc. Pondering on those experiences may probably make me look at things from different perspectives. If pos sibly something did not go too well the previous time I have not been skeptical to try out something new to see if this works out, not forgetting to mention that I do some amount of brainstorming before drawing to conclusions. I feel it is better to consider all options at hand before drawing conclusions or taking action for problem solving. (Linstead etal. 2004) cites (Brown and Duguid 1991) by saying that learning in organizing is not for problem solving alone but focused towards improving relationships whenever people take up to behave in an organized way. He states that this process of learning to relate to circumstances is a form of situated learning among groups who practice this approach, in comparison to those who do individual and isolated learning. However individual learning to me has been useful to understand problems in depth by giving further insight. This knowledge broadens my perspective to come up with various possible resolution methods from theories. Learning styles defers from individual to individual. It is a preferred method an individual uses to learn a theory and concept, which is best suited for them and that could leave a lasting effect. To me learning style develops from past theoretical experiences and also from your personal traits. For e.g. when I was younger I implemented theoretical approa ches to learning and it for sure worked for me. As I grew older approaches were different as learning was through the different situation and problems I encountered be it at work or in my personal life. Kolb`s experiential learning cycle to a great extent relates to the learning style and methodology I have used in the past. From the words of David A. Kolb, he states that learning cycles normally start with some concrete experience. From this we analyze on the situation, through some reflective observations. This gives us possibilities to draw conclusions, as to what happened in the same situation previously and what methodology was used to counter it. If we were successful we look at it as learning experience. On the contrary if it did not go too well, we tend to reflect back and lay down reasons why things turned the way they did. However, it is inevitable that you envision into aspects that could have probably saved you effort or time, irrespective of the fact that it was successful or not. This is known as abstract conceptualization. Thus we may draw conclusions and take up shorter and more effective methods to ultimately implement actions to give you the desired output, which i s the fourth stage of the cycle called Active experimentation. This whole process thus creates a new experience which becomes learning unless situations change. Kolb also states that these stages not necessarily need to be followed in the given order. This learning style is vastly used by organizations for problem solving and finding. A diagrammatic representation below shows Kolb`s experiential learning cycle. Source: Anon (2009) Center for Teaching Excellence, Duquesne University from http://www.duq.edu/cte/teaching/understanding-students.cfm (Accessed: 06 April 2011) Even though I relate closely to Kolb`s experiential learning, contrasting views can be seen in the International Journal of Lifelong Education by Miettenen (2000) where he states that the model makes use of different ideologies and concepts from various sources. However these concepts are explained without sufficient reference to the background literature. Therefore he says these concepts remain ambiguous and varied interpretations. Another interesting fact by Smith (2001) David. A. Kolb on Experiential Leaning, the encyclopaedia of Informal education. (Retrieved: 06 April 2011) from http://www.infed.org/biblio/b-explrn.htm is that even though learning is considered to be affected by environments, Kolb combines contexts from different sources, irrespective of the limited cultures they come from and experience they have had, hence making it a very subjective theory. Action Planning: Reading from numerous sources, analyzing and introspecting with relevant approaches has given rise to a repertoire of thoughts towards approaches that I could possible use to enhance future learning and skills to counter problems effectively. With different methodologies in learning, especially with the standards being higher in a Masters degree, preparing for this assignment has sparked in new ideas to approaches I can implement. In this assignment I have covered aspects which have had certain relevance in my life. Even though I could not conclude my approach to learning through a single methodology, however a couple of theories had elements relevant to practices that I follow. Even though there is no concrete evidence or criticism to evaluate whether a methodology is right or wrong, I believe positives from other theories can perhaps help me to learn better and enhance my problem solving skills.

As I Lay Dying Essay: The Characters -- As I Lay Dying Essays

The Characters in As I Lay Dying The poet's voice need not merely be the record of man, it can be one of the props, the pillars to help him endure and prevail. (excerpt-Faulkner's Nobel Prize acceptance speech)   Ã‚  Ã‚   Analyzing character in a Faulkner novel is like trying to reach the bottom of a bottomless pit because Faulkner's characters often lack ration, speak in telegraphed stream-of-consciousness, and rarely if ever lend themselves to ready analysis.   This is particularly true in As I Lay Dying, a novel of a fragmented and dysfunctional family told through fragmented chapters.   Each character reveals their perspective in different chapters, but the perspectives are true to life in that though they all reveal information about the Bundren family and their struggles to exist they are all limited by the perspective of the character providing the revelations.   The story centers on the death of the mother of the Bundren clan, Addie, whose imminent death creates fragmentation and chaos in the Bundren family because Anse, Addie's husband, has promised to travel to Jefferson to bury her with her family.   Floods, fires, injuries and poor decisions mar the journey, but the fa mily endures and Anse brings home a new Mrs. Bundren.   However, Anse, often read as the most selfish Bundren is the only one prepared to go on with life and accept Addie's death.      Others in the family are not so ready to accept the displacement of their mother so readily.   Among them, Vardaman and Dewey Dell are often portrayed as the least individualized characters in the Bundren family.   Someone once suggests he is a "frightened, perhaps deranged child" and she is a "female vegetable."   These suggestions might be a bit extreme, but defin... ...ner   57).   Vardaman, on the other hand, is even younger than Dewey Dell and seems less able to cope with reality.   However, he does see Darl set fire to the Gillespie's barn and trusts Dewey Dell enough to reveal this to her.   She tells him never to repeat it.   However, Vardaman will be disappointed in the journey as will Dewey Dell.   Only Anse gets what he wants.   Vardaman's train is not in the store window and Dewey Dell is tricked by another man, the pharmacist, into providing sexual favors.   Both are victims of their genetics and their environment, which, at their age, does leave them the least individualized characters in the novel.      WORKS   CITED          Faulkner, W.   As I Lay Dying.   Vintage Books, New York, 1957.       2                                                      

Catastrophes in William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet :: Romeo and Juliet Essays

Catastrophes in Romeo and Juliet      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many characters in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet invite the catastrophes they experience.   These characters are Mercutio, Romeo, and Friar Laurence.   Mercutio because he never thinks before he acts.   He has a very big mouth and will say anything to create a joke.   Romeo because of this fight with Tybalt.   If this fight never occurred then the outcome of the story could have been better for Romeo and Juliet.   Maybe there families could have set aside their differences for there children and live the rest of there lives in harmony.   Friar Lawrence because I do not think he thought about the plan to unite Romeo and Juliet long enough.   He should have gotten a reliable messenger to inform Romeo of the situation.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Romeo's friend Mercutio was a very witty energetic man.   If he held his tongue and thought about what he said before acting on them he would not have gotten into so many fights.   His jokes were probably taken lightly be his friends Romeo and Benvolio because they were accustomed to hearing Mercutio's voice constantly.   Mercutio should not have tried to tease Tybalt because of the rivalry between Tybalt's family and Romeo's family.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   While avenging Mercutio, Romeo should have thought about the consequences of slaying Tybalt.   On one hand he filled the urge to kill the man who had killed his friend. On the other hand he killed his wife's cousin.   How can one justify killing a member of their wife's family?   Another consequence he should have taken into consideration was the punishment he was going to receive from Price Escalus.   In act one scene one Prince Escalus already warned everyone in Verona that if anyone was caught fighting again the would pay for it with there lives.   If Romeo had not gotten into the duel with Tybalt Romeo would not have been banished from Verona.   When Prince Escalus exiled Romeo, that was the point in the play which was the biggest catastrophe.   This is because once Romeo was exiled he could not see Juliet ever again and Juliet could never see Romeo again.   Friar Lawrence would have never had to devise a plan to put Juliet into

Against Abortion :: The Right to Life, Pro-Life Essays

Abortion to me is murder. It doesn't matter on the circumstances at all. The only time that I believe that abortions are necessary is when the mother's life is in a medical danger because of it. I know that a lot of people think that it's okay to have an abortion if the mother was raped. I don't believe that. I believe that if a girl gets raped, she did something to put herself in that position. Now, I'm not saying that it is her fault completely. I can definitely relate to this. I did something to put myself in that kind of danger. I have my accountability. My accountability is I chose to do drugs and dress provocatively because I wanted to get guy's attention. Another circumstance that really bugs me is,' The pregnancy wasn't intended'. Well, to me I would say that's what happens when you have sex before marriage. I believe that women should wait until marriage to have sexual intercourse. People know what the possibilities are with sex and what prices may have to be paid. I understand that hormones may be going like crazy but people still need to learn how to control this. Let's say this as an example: One day when you're married and your spouse isn't around you get that urge. You end up cheating on your wife or husband and they want an explanation on why. What are you going to tell them, 'Oh sorry honey my hormones were going like crazy I couldn't control myself?! I highly doubt that. Here's another one. 'I didn't feel like I was ready to be a mom yet?. Then why in the heck are you having sex? Sex has a lot of different consequences to pay. Girls that do get pregnant need to take responsibilities for their own actions. The reason why I do have energy on this is because I am adopted. My biological mom did not intend on having her second child at the age of 19.

Planning marketing activities Essay

Conduct a situation analysis for your organization, or an organization you have researched, by preparing a report with the following sections: Organizational analysis The first component is the expansion of the gaming audience and drawing in new people. The company’s most recent endeavour, the Wii console has been very successful in attracting user who traditionally would not have played video games. Another example of how they have expanded their audience is through the Nintendo DS. They were able to appeal to the female audience through the Nintendo’s game, and were able to appeal to an older audience through the Brain Training game. The second component of the vision is devotion to the entertainment business. This is reflected by the company’s attitude to the collaboration of its employees. The company is a strong advocate of allowing different employee groups, such as engineers and programmers. The result of this collaboration is that groups work on products and no single person takes credit for product. The third aspect of the company’s vision is risk and the encouraging of employees to make creative decisions to c hallenge the notion of what a video game is capable of being. Customer analysis: Identify the major customer segments by preparing the following analysis (for each complete only the section relevant to your organization and add any others you feel are relevant). What does the customer buy from the organization? Demographic characteristics a) Age b) Gender c) Income Where does the customer come from? a) Local b) Regional c) National Psychographic characteristics a) Social class b) Lifestyle c) Values Benefits are sought by the customer a) Safety b) Performance c) Aesthetics d) Social Has the customer purchased the product from the organization before? a) Yes b) No How frequently does the customer buy? a) Daily b) Weekly c) Monthly How much does the customer buy each time? New releases Is the customer loyal to the brand? Yes How does the customer decide which brand to buy? For technology and History Where does the customer prefer to purchase the product or service? Retail Store Competitor analysis: Analyze each major competitor against the following criteria. Name of competit-or Current or potential competit-or Direct or indirect competit-or Product/service offerings Market position/brand image Size, growth and market share Competi- tive advantage Brand image and market position Xbox Current Direct Games 28% connectivity Online games Sony Current Direct Games 33% Resolution State-of-art graphics Apple Current Indirect Tablets & iPhones 3% Integrated w/ mobile Practical & useful Political analysis Filibustercartoons.com state that Nintendo’s previously had strict policy in relation to video game violence and sexual reference. In the early 1990’s Nintendo had a strict no blood policy and refused to publish violent video games. This policy has since been relaxed and video game censorship is now run by independent boards which give games appropriate age rating depending on their content. These include The Pan-European Game Information (PEGI) age rating system. The system was established in 2003 to guide parents in making informed decisions when purchasing video games for their children (Pan European Game Information, 2007). Nintendo still does not publish graphical violent games themselves, but allow third party publishers to release the games on their systems. Economic analysis If a country’s economy is performing well, people will generally have a higher level of disposal income. In order to be successful a high disposal income is not enough there needs to be an interest in the market. Nintendo selling their products at the lower end of the price scale makes their product affordable to large audience including those who do not enjoy a strong disposal income. This is not the case for Sony who products tend to be quite expensive as seen with the â‚ ¬630 price tag on the Playstation 3, which is possibly too expensive for the average person. Nintendo on the other hand, sold the Wii at a more affordable â‚ ¬270 price tag. The same applies for the games for the system. The Wii games range from 45-60 Euro and the PS3 games can cost up to â‚ ¬75. Social analysis Video games have been part of adolescent life world wide now for several years. Many teenagers play video games together both online and at home together. In some cultures especially Japan, video games formed a significant part of young people’s lives. Nintendo is using this to appeal to a wider audience with the Wii and the DS by providing an online community where friends can link up and play games together free of charge anywhere there a Wi-Fi hub. Nintendo is also trying to make video games an activity that an entire family can take part in and for the most part have been  successful. Technological analysis Web Browser for the Nintendo DS: InternetAdSales.com (2006) writes that a Wed browser for Nintendo’s DS was launched in Europe on 6th October 2006. The browser is powered by software from the Opera Company. The device is designed in a similar fashion to a standard DS game cartridge and is available in two versions; one is compatible with the classic Nintendo DS and the other is designed for the smaller DS Lite. The browser utilises the DS’s two screens for navigating the web in addition to providing the touch capabilities unique to the DS. Users may access the Internet via wireless networks at home, at one of Nintendo’s free Wi-Fi Connection Hotspots, or at any public access hotspot. Wii Remote (â€Å"Wiimote†): BBC (2006) states that the remote for Nintendo’s Wii console resembles a television remote control and provides users with the means of interacting with a game environment. It can be utilised to stab like a sword, steer like the steering wheel of a car, and swing like a tennis racket. Nintendo have created this new controller in the hope that it will allow for the broadening of the console’s appeal. The device functions through a three-axis accelerometer, i.e. a motion sensor, which is capable of detecting the angle at which the controller is being held at and how fast it is being moved. It interfaces with the Wii console in a wireless manner via Bluetooth, a short-range wireless technology. This interface is achieved through a senor bar, which is generally mounted on top of the user’s television. Nintendo DS Wireless Technology: Mobile Technology News.com (2007) writes about how the Nintendo DS allows users to interact with games in an unprecedented way via the dual screens and touch screen technology. In addition to this, the wireless technology feature of the DS permits users to experience real-time multiplayer gaming. The Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service, which is free, allows users to compete against other users from around the world. SWOT analysis: Complete a SWOT analysis using the diagram below Internal analysis STRENGTHS †¢ Strong network of game licensees †¢ Strong global market position †¢ Had strict policy in relation to video game violence and sexual reference †¢ Innovation in Remote in Blu-ray WEAKNESSES †¢ Nintendo’s policy of having a large number of its game titles designed by the company’s own game designers †¢ Wii doesn’t play DVDs/Blu-rays External analysis OPPORTUNITIES †¢ Opening up its software to a wider audience. THREATS †¢ The company claims that the motion-sensitive controller can be copied. †¢ The Wii controller resembles a television remote and has a trigger under the front end. Market analysis: Market definition Market size and growth rate. Nintendo’s contenders in the portable market are the Game Boy and the DS. Over the years, the Game Boy has faced competition from companies such as Sega, Atari, SNK, Bandai, Nokia and now Sony. Even with rival’s machines been technically superior, Nintendo’s handhelds have come out on top time and time again. Nintendo proved with the Game Boy and now the DS that it is not what you have it is how you use it that counts i.e. instead of adding fancy graphics and numbers of additional unnecessary features, Nintendo spent its time securing key franchises such as pokemon and Tetris. They also greatly increased their machines’ battery life. Nintendo’s handhelds  over the years have boasted battery life of up to 15 hours depending on how the machine was used compared to 3 hours or less form Sega’s and Atari’s machines. This was due to the unnecessary battery hogging feature competitors’ machine featured. This has helped Nintendo domin ate the portable market for close to 18 years. Today the Nintendo DS out sells the Sony PSP in all regions. Part B 1. Prepare a report analyzing the marketing activities, policies and procedures of your organization or an organization you have researched. Price The price of games is quite interesting. Nintendo uses a series of pricing strategies throughout the product life. As the product becomes adopted they will begin to reduce the price of competitive parity, and as you reach the end of their life cycle games will be priced promotionally until they hit the bargain bucket. Place The product is distributed in a number of ways. Nintendo manufactures and distribute it to retailers through wholesalers for you. Some very large national accounts will be handled directly because of the huge volumes they buy. Nintendo is available on the street in all major electrical retailers and games, as well as being sold online by known retailers like Amazon.com and play.com, and you can find one or two second-hand bargains on eBay. with.Distribution is ripe for Nintendo and there are few avenues for the market they do not pursue. Promotion When Nintendo launches new products. For example, when the company launched the Nintendo 3DS, a series of special days of release, and even some launch events at midnight. Fans of Nintendo product has a chance to have a go at the new Nintendo system, first buyers get a free box of transportation, and there is always free gifts such as shirts and caps. The launch campaign demonstrates a great effort by Nintendo. For example, over 85% of audience  in the UK saw the Nintendo 3DS called campaign believe his eyes. The campaign itself was emphasize the benefits of 3D experience. The campaign was a mash up of consumers who experience the product and innovative advertising. 2. Analyze the previous marketing activities of the organization and evaluate the effectiveness of each activity. Previous marketing activity Effectiveness Launch of SuperNintendo Highly effective. It put Nintendo in the first positions of videogame console makers Launch of Nintendo 64 Highly effective. The console and its control were considered great innovations. Launch of Nintendo Wii Highly effective. Nintendo Wii was a true innovation in the world of games with its blu-ray technology and the idea of making people move their bodies rather than just their fingers. Launch of Nintendo DS / DS 3D Effective. Nintendo DS was seen by some as a reformulation of the previous GameBoy and therefore not so effective. However, Nintendo DS 3D was considered highly innovative as it allowed the users to enjoy the 3D effects without having to use any other gadgets (i.e: 3D glasses). Intercommunication among Nintendo DS 3D Effective. It allowed different users to connect their videogames and share data as well as interact. 3. Classify the organization’s current marketing strategy as either a cost-leadership, differentiation or focus strategy. Differentiation 4. Explain how this strategy affects the marketing activities the organization will use in the future. Instead of competing for lower prices, Nintendo seems to continuously search for new usages and technologies, in order to maintain its position as a leader and innovator. 5. Analyze the current marketing mix. Marketing mix element Analysis Product Feature Benefit/s Wii Console In two different colors (but it can be customized if wanted) Smaller than its competitors Considered fashionable Wii Remote Blu-ray technology It allows motions and real activity Games No violence or sex-related topics are allowed A wide range of choices Price Prices charged for the organization’s products and services Around AU$190.00 Organization’s prices strategy Nintendo’s strategy is in differentiation, always trying to bring something new for their costumers and therefore, their price strategy conveys with it. Promotion Promotional tools used by the organization Internet, Printed media, Television, Outdoor Media, Promotions and Events, etc. Organization’s promotional strategy Nintendo uses all range of media to promote their products. Placement Type of distribution channel – direct or indirect Mainly indirect, via retailers, shops, department stores, etc.

Cypcore positive outcomes

Identify the positive outcomes for children and young people that practitioners should be striving to achieve. In 2003 the I-JK government for England and Wales launched one of the most important policies, partly in response to the death of Victoria Climbie, in relation to children and children's services.It was produced as a result of a review of children and young people's services, it had two main findings; one was for all services to work together and share information and it identified five positive outcomes for children and young people. As a practitioner working with children I am aware that the upport I give the children to achieve the five positive outcomes is crucial in their development.Be healthy; Physically healthy Mentally and emotionally healthy Sexually healthy Healthy lifestyles Choose not to take illegal drugs Parents, carers and families promote healthy choices Stay safe; Safe from maltreatment, neglect, violence and sexual exploitation Safe from accidental injury and death Safe from bullying and discrimination Safe from crime and anti-social behaviour in and out of school Have security, stability and are cared for Parents, carers and families provide safe homes and stability Enjoy and achieve; Ready for schoolAttend and enjoy school Achieve stretching national educational standards at primary school Achieve personal and social development and enjoy recreation Achieve stretching national educational standards at secondary school Parents, carers and families support learning Make a positive contribution; Engage in decision-making and support the community And environment Engage in law-abiding and positive behaviour in and out of school Develop positive relationships and choose not to bully and Discriminate Develop selt-contldence and successtully deal witn signitlcant lite Changes and challenges Develop enterprising behaviour