Thursday, October 31, 2019

The Concept of Leadership in the media Assignment - 1

The Concept of Leadership in the media - Assignment Example It further elaborates the benefits of ethic and social responsibility in customer in company operations. The article looks into a new workplace diversity system to assist employers to create fairer and diverse workplace. The article explains further the need to have diversity in workplace in relation to economy and performance of the firm (DuBrin, 2011). Promotion of diversity in workplace makes employees from minority feel secure and become more productive. This type of platform for training on diverse employment assists in improving ability of employees working together and productivity. The article comes from women agenda website that which reports only facts. Article gives a good tool in improving and managing diversity at workplace. Saly, J. (March 05, 2015). Workplace diversity. It makes cents. Women’s Agenda.Web. March 14, 2015. Retrieved from http://www.womensagenda.com.au/talking-about/top-stories/workplace-diversity-it-makes-cents/201503045395#.VQQZf-T4VKo Vanderhorst, D. (March 6, 2015). FPAA summit emphasizes social responsibility. The Packer. Web. March 14, 2015. Retrieved from

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Roles, Responsibilities and Skills of a Coach Essay Example for Free

Roles, Responsibilities and Skills of a Coach Essay Alex Ferguson A role model is a person who serves as a positive example and whose behaviour and success is emulated by others. The way the coach conducts themselves in the presence of their athletes is important to get the respect of their athletes so they are able to coach them successfully. Alex Ferguson is a fine example of a role model because he produces such successful teams and always conducts himself in a professional and respectful manner which rubs off on his players. This is especially evident in players such as Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes who are also great role models of the game and they have been heavily influenced by Alex Ferguson throughout their careers. This is one of the reasons his team has won the league so many times, became European champions and he has created so many world class players. An example of him using this is with Wayne Rooney. When he came to United he had a very fiery temper and would often break the rules and end get yellow carded or sent off causing a disadvantage for his team but after being coached in the right way by Ferguson and following his example he has learnt to conduct himself properly and control his anger much better. This influence from Alex Ferguson has been vital in making him the top class player that he has become. Linford Christie – Is also a great role model but in a different way. He is more of a role model to his athletes because of his own sporting achievements. He is the only British man to win a gold medal in the 100 m at all four major competitions: the Olympic Games and the World, Commonwealth, and European championships and he still holds the British 100m record. This would be impressive to any aspiring athlete and they would be more likely to respect what he says and more likely to listen to him because they know he knows what he’s talking about. His athletes are inspired by his achievements and will be more motivated by him being their coach because of all of his achievements. He is quoted in The Independent saying: â€Å"I think the athletes respond well to me because I have been successful. I know what it takes to get to the top. I know what psychological games to play and the importance of mental power. Alex Ferguson and Linford Christie are similar in that they are both well respected and great role models to their athletes. Coaches like this are typically very successful because to be successful it is important for their athletes to look up to them so they listen to and respect their advice so the coach can do their job effectively and improve their performance. The differences between the coaches are that Ferguson earns his status as a role model for his coaching success and Christie gets his from his sporting success. This means that they both have different types of knowledge and would probably have completely different coaching styles. Ferguson is more experienced in coaching and a better manager of his players whereas Christie would have a better understanding of any issues his athletes may have because he has been there himself at a higher level than them and he probably doesn’t stick to the conventional coaching methods and would have his own ways of doing things. Manager Alex Ferguson – One of Alex Ferguson’s most important roles is being a good manager. Being a manager involves him being able to man manage players to ensure he gets the best out of them. Management is especially to Ferguson because he coaches football, a team sport so his role as a manager is important to make sure he is picking the right players in the right positions in the right games and also deciding when to make substitutions at the right time. An example of good managing by him is when he brings on Carlos Tevez as a sub in a tough game when the other forwards are tiring because he has fresh legs and a very good work rate. This has proved to be very effective for him because he has brought Tevez on at the right time in some important games and he has changed the game. Linford Christie – One of the roles that Linford Christie would have to fulfil is being a manager. For him this would include being well organised for example having the training sessions planned before the session and most importantly the one to one man management of each of his athlete’s. This is obviously very important for Christie to have as he coaches individual athletes and he has to manage them in the right way to get the best out of them. For example, some of his athletes might respond better to him having a go at them after a poor performance and some might respond better to a friendly arm around the shoulder. It is vital that he is able to recognise which athlete’s need which type of management or he could be damage his relationship with the athlete which could result in a drop in their confidence and their performance. Alex Ferguson and Linford Christie are similar in that they both have to have good man management skills which means they have to be good communicators, good leaders and be able to support their athletes individually. The main difference between these two coaches when it comes to managing is that Ferguson has to make a lot more decisions because he has to make a whole team work together successfully so he has the added responsibilities of picking the squad, when to drop players and who needs to be rested whereas Christie only has to be concerned with one athlete at a time and to make sure that athlete is happy and performing well. Friend Alex Ferguson – It is important that the coach of a successful team is also a friend to their athletes. This is because if an athlete feels that they have a good relationship with their coach they will perform better overall. Being a friend to their athletes is important to develop loyalty and a good understanding of their athletes. This enables them to know which way to coach them individually also to help the athletes overcome issues and problems such as injuries and personal problems. The main skill needed to fulfil this role effectively is good communication skills. An example of Alex Ferguson being a friend is the way he has supported and encouraged players such as Wes Brown and Owen Hargreaves through career threatening injuries and offering them advice and help. Linford Christie – One of Linford Christie’s roles as an athletics coach is to also be a friend to his athletes. It is especially important for Christie to have this kind of relationship with his athletes because they are individual athletes and they don’t have team mates or many other coaches to rely on for support. Darren Campbell, one of his star athletes said, Well, to begin with, he is compassionate, says Campbell. He is not a bully. He doesnt throw cups of tea. People who say he is arrogant dont know him. What it is about him is confidence, belief. I know its a fine line, but I have known him since I was a 14-year-old and he has always had a soft side. One of his greatest assets is that mentally he is one of the strongest people I have ever met. It is clear from this statement that he is a friend as well as a coach to this athlete. Darren Campbell is Britain’s top sprinter so this type of coaching has proved to be a success because he is inspired by Linford Christie, he trusts him and will therefore make his job easier to coach Campbell as he will listen to his advice and put 100% into training. Alex Ferguson and Linford Christie have similar roles to play as a coach and one of the roles they have in common is to be a friend to their athletes. They both do this well and have a good balance of when to be a friend and when to be a coach which can be a difficult balance to have but it is a vital part of achieving success with a team or an individual athlete. I think it is more important for Linford Christie to be a good friend to his athletes because he works with them on a one to one basis mainly whereas Alex Ferguson’s main role is to pick a successful team for each game and this is more important than being friendly with the players. It is part of his job to upset players because all of his players in the squad would like to play every game but obviously they can’t all the time. Educator Alex Ferguson – An important part of being a successful coach like Alex Ferguson is to be an educator. Even though his players are some of the best players in the world, he still has a role of educating them further so they can continue to develop as players. The educator role for a football coach includes educating the team about new formations, new positions that players may be put in and to further educate them about the game in general. A sports coach also has to have a good amount of knowledge about the scientific side of the game, such as nutrition, recovery and fitness and have the communication skills to get these messages through to the players. An example of his success because of the way he has educated his players is when the champions league semi final against Arsenal. Every player had a full understanding of the formation and their role in the team, even though some players were in a different position than what they’re used to such as Ronaldo playing cent re forward when he’s usually on the wing. This is because they would have been training during the week before the game getting used to playing this way and so they could ask Alex Ferguson any questions they had about where they were playing so they knew exactly what to do when it came to the game. Linford Christie – Also has to be a good educator in order to produce successful athletes. He has to educate his athletes mainly on their technique because he coaches sprinters and to improve their times they have to improve their technique. Christie has a lot of experience of being a successful sprinter so he passes down this knowledge to his sprinters to improve their times. An example of Linford Christie educating an athlete is when he first had Darren Campbell he realised that the best part of his 100 meter race is the last 40 metres so they needed to work on his start and his coach has educated him to improve this. Alex Ferguson and Linford Christie both need to be educators to ensure their athletes are successful but in different ways. Alex Ferguson’s role as an educator is less specific than Linford Christie’s because the smallest detail or a slight different technique in sprinting can mean the difference between a gold medal and not even getting a medal. So Christie may have to concentrate on coaching something specific like an athlete becoming quicker off the blocks. Alex Ferguson has to concentrate mainly on team performance so his educator role mainly concerns coaching the team as a unit on larger scale things such as formation. Sometimes though, Ferguson would also have to coach individually like Christie. Responsibilities Legal obligations Alex Ferguson – Even coaches of professional teams have legal obligations which include abiding by the rules that have been put in place by FIFA. Some of these rules include player protection especially those under 18 and the rules that are set regarding signing players or selling players. For example, if Alex Ferguson wanted to sign Kaka he couldn’t approach him or even get in contact with him without his clubs consent or he would be breaching the rules. It is also his legal responsibility to make sure his players are training in a safe environment with safe equipment. He also has to make sure that there are the appropriate medical staff and facilities to take proper care of his players. Linford Christie – Also has to apply with the legal responsibilities that come with being a sports coach. He has to make sure that he is using suitable and safe equipment and facilities when working with his athletes. Christie would also have to have the appropriate coaching qualifications to coach at the level does. Another one of his legal responsibilities is to educate his athletes and to enforce the rules and regulations put in place by the governing body of the sport. For example, Linford Christie has to discourage his athletes from using illegal performance enhancing drugs because they are banned from the sport and if he is caught they could both be in serious trouble for breaking the rules. Both of these coaches have to satisfy their legal obligations as sports coaches and they are similar in doing this because they have the same general legal responsibilities for any coach of any sport, some of which I have already discussed. Their roles differ slightly due to the obvious difference in the sport they are coaching. Alex Ferguson has to deal with the issue of buying and selling players and all of the rules that come with it but because Linford Christie is only dealing with individual athletes and it’s a different business where they don’t really buy and sell their athletes. Both coaches obviously have to discourage drug use but it is less popular in football than it is in athletics, particularly in sprinting so it plays more of a role in Linford Christie’s job than in Alex Ferguson. Professional conduct Alex Ferguson – One of Alex Ferguson’s important roles is to conduct himself professionally especially because he is in the media so much and he would get in all sorts of trouble if he didn’t act this way especially on television because there are a lot of people that look up to him. He also has to act professional around his players and his staff which would include using appropriate language, being well presented and not smoking or drinking at inappropriate times such as during training. An example of him being professional is last week when Ronaldo had a tantrum after being substituted against Man City which would have been quite embarrassing for him but when he was interviewed about it he acted professionally and didn’t turn on his player he just said that it was good that he wanted to play so much and that he’d spoken with him about it. Linford Christie – Also has to conduct himself professionally because he is a professional sports coach and he has to be a good role model to his athletes. He has to act professionally with his athletes so things such as executing good practice, setting an example to his athletes, not swearing, drinking or smoking in his athlete’s presence and complying with the rules the governing body has set.. He should also have the appropriate coaching qualifications to be coaching Olympic athletes. An example of him being professional is when he took two of his athletes to the Olympics but because of a rule saying he couldn’t work behind the scenes with his athletes during the competition because of being caught for drugs when he was an athlete he didn’t argue it and just sat in the stands to support his athletes. Both of these coaches need to conduct themselves professionally at all times especially when they are with their athletes because they have to set a good example to their athletes and have their respect. Their responsibilities, as far as professionalism goes are the same because they both have to be well presented, execute good practice, adhere to their code of conduct, have the appropriate qualifications to coach at the level they do and act and speak appropriately. Health and safety Alex Ferguson – It is his personal responsibility to ensure his players train and play in a safe environment. For example he can’t let his team train on a pitch covered in pot holes because it is dangerous and could cause injuries. He has a duty of care to follow to protect his athletes. It is also his responsibility to have the appropriate equipment and facilities as well as the health issues he will have to deal with. Issues such as, being aware of illness and injury and taking the appropriate precautions to ensure the care of the players. For example when Ronaldo was injured at the start of this season, even though he is the best player in the world and obviously he would be a big loss to the team, Ferguson has a duty of care to take care of him and not to let him play before he is properly ready because they need to win a particular game. Linford Christie It is his responsibility to make sure his athletes have a safe environment to train on and to make sure they are wearing the correct equipment for the training surface. For example, if an athlete turns up for training with only his running spikes and Christie has a road running session planned, he can’t let the athlete run on the concrete with running spikes on because it is dangerous. He would just have to adjust the session. He has to make sure his athletes aren’t over trained and make sure they have appropriate rest, especially before a competition so they can perform well and be successful. It is also his responsibility to be aware of any illness or injuries that means the athlete either can’t train at all or can only do certain things so training would have to be adjusted. Alex Ferguson and Linford Christie have the same health and safety responsibilities even though they coach different sports. They have to take health and safety precautions to ensure the safety of their athletes by preventing injuries because an athlete of a team of athletes can’t be successful if they cant participate in competition due to injury. Linford Christie has to be even more careful with his athletes because they are individual and if the athlete can’t perform they cant just be replaced like in Alex Ferguson’s team. Equal opportunities Alex Ferguson – Has to make sure he treats everyone fairly and gives everyone equal opportunities and pick his squad based on the player’s talent not on where they’re from or what they look like. It is his responsibility to pick a successful squad of the best players to win trophies and competitions. For example, Ferguson couldn’t refuse to pick someone from Brazil just because he doesn’t like them. Alex Ferguson doesn’t discriminate against anyone which is one of the reasons he has such a successful team, because he picks the best person for the job regardless. For example, his team comprises of people from all over the world including Anderson, Rafael and Fabio from Brazil, Ji Sung Park from Korea, Nemaja Vidic, Zoran Tosic and Adem Ljajic from Serbia and Patrice Evra from France. Linford Christie – It is also one of his responsibilities to give equal opportunities to any athlete that he coaches. He can’t discriminate against anyone, he just has to coach any athlete that he thinks he can have a positive effect on and help become successful. At the moment he is coaching Katharine Merry and Darren Campbell which proves he doesn’t discriminate against gender or race, he coaches who he thinks is going to be successful. Both of these coaches have a responsibility to give everyone equal opportunities by not discriminating against things such as age, gender or race. They have to treat everyone as equals and respect their rights. Skills Communication Alex Ferguson – It is important for Alex Ferguson to have good communication skills because he has to be able to get his coaching points across effectively. Alex Ferguson is a successful coach because he has very good communication skills and uses all the different types, including verbal and non verbal which includes things like hand signals, body language, eye contact and facial expressions. He is often standing at the side of the pitch shouting instructions and using hand signals to further get the point across. This type of communication can be important in a successful team performance like when he wants players to swap positions or change formation during the game. He also has to have good one on one communication skills to give feedback and advice to players. Linford Christie – It is important for him to have good communication skills so he can get coaching points across so the athletes understand it and it can help them improve their performance. Linford Christie has to have good one on one communication skills and the main type of communication he needs to use is verbal. An example of him using verbal communication with his athlete is when Darren Campbell came second in a race and Linford congratulated him, gave him some positive and negative feedback because he came second and maybe could have won but he explained that he was still proud of him and that he had done very well. It is important for every coach to have good communication skills to be successful coaches in any sport. They have to be able to interact with their athletes to be able to get a good understanding of them and therefore the best ways to coach them to get the best out of their athletes. Linford Christie has to focus more on one to one communication with his athletes individually whereas Alex Ferguson is more concerned with team dynamics and making sure they are ok individually so the team performs well. Both coaches use their communication skills effectively to get the best out of their athletes and to keep a high standard of performance. Organisation Alex Ferguson It is vital for him to have good organisation skills in order for his athlete’s to be able to train and play the best that they can. He has to have training sessions planned and set up before they are due to start and he has to employ people at the club that ensure everything to do with his athletes and their needs are sorted so all they have to worry about is training and winning games. For example, he has other coaches that help him with the sessions and people like a kit manager and other managers and administrators are employed to help things run smoothly. The coach has to be very well organised because he has many people working for him and they all have to be organised, where the players have to be and where has to be very well organised because Man United couldn’t turn up to a game half an hour late. Everything has to be on point when it comes to running one of the best football clubs in the world successfully. Linford Christie – He has to have good organisation skills especially when it comes to training programs, training sessions and competitions. Sprinters have all different kinds of training that they need to do to be successful and they need to have good balance and fit into the training program so that the athlete gets enough rest and recovery and isn’t over trained because this would have a negative effect on their performance. They have upper and lower body strength sessions, Plyometrics and power training as well as the obvious sprint training. For this to work well the coach has to be very well organised and have all of the sessions planned in advance and the athlete has to be at events on time and well prepared. Both of the coaches are similar because one of the skills that they have to possess to be successful sports coaches. They both have to plan and organise training sessions, they have to have good time management skills and make sure their players are where they need to be early so they have time to prepare for their competitions and perform their best. It is probably harder for Alex Ferguson because he has to organise an entire squad of players effectively.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Teachers’ Practices for Written Feedback in Nursing

Teachers’ Practices for Written Feedback in Nursing LITERATURE REVIEW AND ANALYSIS PAPER1 Factors Influencing Teachers’ practices to provide written feedback to nursing students Introduction/Background The process of evaluation is significant to acquire information to judge students’ learning, to define proficiency in practice and to derive a judgment about students. Evaluation fulfills two major roles: it is formative and summative (Oermann Gaberson, 2013, p. 9). With formative evaluation, teacher evaluates students’ learning and performance, and provides them definite feedback about the knowledge and expertise which still needs to be modified and enhanced. It is usually considered as diagnostic and many researchers (Bienstock et al., 2007; Corcoran, Halverson, Schindler, 2014) found it helpful in students’ learning and improvement in their career. On the other hand, summative evaluation is end-of-instruction evaluation designed to determine what the student has learnt. It was usually occurred at the end of the learning process. There are a number of strategies which has used to evaluate students’ learning and skills. The most common tool used to enha nce students’ learning is feedback system. Feedback is â€Å"an interface between teachers’ pedagogical goals; students’ learning needs; and institutional and governmental education policies, which structure and regulate practices and procedures† (Bailey Garner, 2010). Numerous ways are used to give feedback for example; written, verbal, peer, audio, online, student to faculty, faculty to student, structured feedback, unstructured feedback, face to face feedback, and so on. In fact, feedback is given to students from faculty for their improvements and making them aware about their progress and informing them about their strength and areas for improvements. In my teaching and academic career, I have observed that, there is a great diversity in teachers’ practices of providing feedback to their students. Some teachers follow the strict principles of feedback while others do not. I want to explore â€Å"what are the factors which influence on teache rs’ practices to provide feedback to their students† and â€Å"what are the perceptions of students about their feedback which they receive from their faculty or teachers†. Purpose/Aim of the paper This paper aims to; Analyze existing literature on teachers’ practices for written feedback as well as challenges for teachers to provide written feedback to their students. Appraise students’ perceptions/expectations from written feedback on their assignments. Identify the gaps between what is known and what is not known through literature. Significance of the topic It is well recognized that feedback is an essential constituent of academic discipline which offers consideration and improvement in learning as well as in teaching in any discipline (Corcoran, Halverson, Schindler., 2014; Giles, Gilbert, McNeill, 2014; Horeman et al., 2013; Matzie et al., 2009; Rogers et al., 2012). Eminence feedback plays an important role in learning and teaching part whether it is provided or received. There are a few studies conducted on feedback in nursing academia to explore different aspects of feedback in order to improve learning and teaching in nursing education. Literature search strategy In order to explore the studies conducted on â€Å"teachers’ practices about feedback on written assignments†, an ample search was conducted through a number of Databases, including PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Google scholar, and Science direct. Different key terms were used to search the existing data on the selected topic. The terms used in searching databases were â€Å"written assignment†, teacher’s practices† teacher’s feedback†. â€Å"Written feedback† was the inclusion criteria in searching literature but the studies conducted other than â€Å"nursing discipline† were also included. Most of the studies conducted in developed countries e.g. Canada, USA, U.K, England, Norway, and Australia. There are some studies conducted in Asian countries, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and in Pakistan but unpublished. The detailed flow diagram for search strategy is following; (Flow diagram for literature selection) In addition, substantial assistance was also taken from librarian in order to access some online articles, which were quite relevant to the topic. Furthermore, reference lists in all including studies were explored and secondary sources which were quite relevant to the chosen topic were searched manually for reading and including literature as a primary source. Moreover, two unpublished theses of Iqbal (2013) â€Å"Teachers’ accounts of their perceptions and practices of providing written feedback to nursing students on their assignments† and Khowaja’s (2011) â€Å"students’ perceptions and their responses to written feedback in nursing degree program in Karachi† have been issued from library in order to review and include necessary and important information in this paper. I have also attended seminar which was conducted by one of senior student on a relatively similar topic (feedback to improve learning) to get additional information in order to au gment my paper. Literature review Literature review has organized according to four different themes. Importance/Usefulness of written feedback Characteristics of effective feedback Challenges for teachers and students in feedback Discrepancy in teachers and students’ perception about feedback 1. Importance/Usefulness of written feedback Feedback is given to students from faculty for their improvements and making them aware about their progress and informing them about their strength and areas for improvement (Bourgualt, Mundy Joshua, 2013; Corcoran et al., 2014; Giles, Gilbert, McNeill, 2014; Horeman et al., 2013; Khowaja, 2011; Rogers et al., 2012). On the contrary, MacLellan (2001) argued that the most common purpose of the students and the staff for feedback is to grade or rank the achievement. Braend et al. (2010) directed a study on Fifth year medical students at the University of Oslo and recommended that most of the students considered triangulation feedback from teachers and patients valuable but time-consuming. Rogers, et al. (2012) had conducted an interventional study to focus student-centred approach for improving feedback in medical education in the clinical settings. The satisfaction rate was significantly higher in the group receiving feedback with instructions rather than the group receiving compli ments without any instructions (p. 23). No doubt, feedback plays an important role in students’ learning and improvements, but it is also a fact, that feedback in the form of evaluation is also used for the purpose of ranking the students’ achievements. Although one author argued with other researchers’ findings but according to second author feedback was considered useful in another context (to grade achievement). Furthermore, some of the studies had conducted in comparison of different feedback channels to the students. Besides that, instructions for the students are very useful in clinical settings. 2. Characteristics of effective feedback Quality feedback should be within time limit, explicit, productive and should be based upon non-judgmental attitude (Bienstock et al., 2007, p. 508). Newton, Wallace, and McKimm (2012) conducted interventional study changing from a free-text feedback form to a simple structured feedback proforma focusing the areas of improvement in students’ performance which has increased in both the quantity and quality of feedback. In addition, Maclellan (2001) also inquired about student’s understanding of feedback and concluded that learning occurs when students really perceive feedback as an enabling and helping tool for improvement rather than being judgemental about their achievements. Moreover, it was concluded that teachers should openly discuss with the students how they can integrate this feedback in their upcoming papers (Hyland, 2003, p. 228). In addition, There should be a balance between strength and areas for improvements while providing feedback to students to make it useful for them (Hyland, F., Hyland, K., 2001). There is a great importance of technology in enhancing feedback for the students in their practical tasks as feedback is recorded for students so they can reflect upon themselves and can review their weakness and strengthening areas (Corrigan Hardham, 2011). Bourgualt, Mundy and Joshua (2013) conducted a pilot study by using audio feedback on student nurses’ written assignments and concluded that instructors’ focus was on the provision of positive/constructive feedback as the instructors were high alert before giving feedback and they had also highlighted the important areas to share with the students for their improvement (p.44). The excellence of feedback depends upon many components which should be kept in consideration to make it effective. Except these features, effective feedback depends upon the form in which it is used whether in a simple form or some kind of structured form. Different studies concluded different aspects of quality feedback but the focus of most of the studies was to keep balance between students’ strength and areas for improvements and feedback should be simple and easy for the students to interpret so that they could incorporate the feedback into their next assignments. Moreover, teachers should incorporate advanced technology to make feedback effective and keep in consideration of students’ belief or understanding about feedback while providing feed back to them. 3. Challenges for teachers and students Language and vocabulary is a big challenge for the teachers in providing feedback to students and for the students in understanding and interpreting the meaning of feedback (Bailey Garner, 2010; Weaver, 2006). Schartel (2012) determined that numerous medical educators have limited knowledge about theoretical models of feedback and also dearth of skills in providing feedback (p.77). Harvey, Radomski and OConnor (2013) conducted a study on medical students for clinical supervision and concluded that only 16% written feedback statements focused on the forward learning objectives for the students. From the above mentioned studies’ findings, it can be analyzed that the focus of the studies was on the language, knowledge and vocabulary of the teachers which they used in providing feedback to the students. In this context, students often valued feedback but tutors comments would be more useful for them. Furthermore, sometime tutors do not provide detailed feedback to the students because of some contributing factors, sometime, personal, or institutional. Teachers should get proper training for feedback and should be trained in giving feedback. 4. Discrepancy in teachers own practices and students’ perception about feedback I have experienced in my academic career being a student and being a teacher that teachers have different perceptions and different opinions on the purpose for providing feedback to the students and teachers do not know how their students would take their feedback and how it would be helpful for them. There is also ample evidence from literature to support that there is a great controversy between teacher’s perception about providing feedback and student’s expectation and interpretations of those written comments (Carless, 2006; Garner Bailey 2010; Goldstein, 2004; Jensen et al, (2012). Moreover, Weaver 2006) concluded that students need support from faculty to understand feedback what they mean to it. He also determined a number of themes about feedback which are solely awkward for the students like comments too broad or unclear, lack of direction, intensive negative comments Moreover, these findings also supported by Bailey and Garner (2010) by suggesting that teache rs are not very sure about the purpose of providing feedback to their students. (p. 187). Another similar kind of study has been done in order to explore the gap between faculty and the residents for receiving and giving feedback. Jensen, et al. (2012) concluded that residents/students satisfaction for the feedback was significantly lower than the satisfaction level of the faculty for giving feedback (p.248). In addition, Parboteeah and Anwar (2009) suggested that teachers considered feedback more useful rather than students in many contexts. On the contrary, Montgomery and Baker (2007) conducted research by triangulation design between students and faculty and they recommended that there is a well synchronization between students’ perception about feedback and teacher’s self-assessment in giving feedback to their students (p. 82). All the studies conducted on the above mentioned theme, concluded that there is a great diversity among teachers and students in the process of feedback, but there is only one study (Montgomery Baker, 2007) revealed synchronization among students and faculty about feedback. Gap in literature: There is enough evidence from existing literature about students’ perceptions regarding feedback and teacher’s expectation from students. Literature also available on a discrepancy in teachers’ actual practices in providing feedback to students and what they believe to provide. There is a need to explore the factors influence teachers’ practices to provide feedback which they really want to provide and what is the extent of those factors in Pakistani Nursing context. Restatement of problem and its significance/implication for nursing: Despite of importance of feedback in educational system, only one study has conducted in Pakistani context on â€Å"teachers’ practices about feedback†, which is unpublished yet. But none of the study conducted on â€Å"what factors influence on teachers’ practices for written feedback† and â€Å"what is the extent of pre-determined factors affecting teachers’ practices in providing written feedback to students†. This study probably would add new knowledge to the existing phenomena of written feedback and new interventions could be designed based on the study findings to improve or enhance the teachers’ practices for providing written feedback to their students ultimately to boost learning and teaching practices in nursing education. Conclusion: To conclude, Feedback is not only important from student’s perspective but it is also significant from faculty and educational objectives. There are many studies conducted on the given phenomena but all the studies conducted in developed countries and some of them in Asian countries. Almost all the studies are designed qualitatively, some mixed methods, but none of the study designed quantitative. There is a need to explore the extent of predetermined factors influencing teachers’ practices in providing feedback which they really want to give to their students, so that according to study findings, interventions could be designed to improve teachers’ practices in nursing education.

Friday, October 25, 2019

International Marketing Essay -- Cosmetics Make-up Business Essays

International Marketing The Cosmetics Industry Estee Lauder vs. Shiseido Cosmetics Introduction  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The cosmetics business is a billion dollar industry. Every year, women are responsible for consuming millions of cosmetic products. The cosmetics industry is so large because of several factors. The media is a huge contributor to the intense pressure to look a certain way. The idea that â€Å"sex sells† is evident in gossip magazines, movies, advertisements, music, and more subtly- in the business world. People first notice what race someone is, how beautiful or ugly they are and what clothes they are wearing. Beauty is skin deep; however, first impressions are usually what others use to base their personal judgments. In the business world, people are expected to dress appropriately and carry themselves appropriately. Studies reveal that better looking people on average earn more than their peers. Obese applicants are discriminated against because of their larger appearance. Sadly, how one dresses and appears is often the determinant of the amount of respec t one receives.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cosmetics can pessimistically be seen as a group of products which feeds on either people’s insecurities or egos. Optimistically, cosmetics can be a product which helps us bring our best face forward. The desire to look beautiful, young, and sexy does not only apply to women, but men as well. Cosmetic companies are highly competitive with one another. To remain competitive, companies feel the pressure to come out with innovative products. In the past few years, cosmetic companies are expanding their product lines to include products for men.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In addition to music, beauty is also the universal language. The popularity of cosmetics in China is growing with the economy. The government’s change towards a more market-based economy has opened flood gates of opportunities for its people and foreign companies. Cosmetic companies in the industry have seen an overall growth. Personal Experience   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My travels in China resulted in an increased awareness of the similarities and differences that I have from mainland Chinese women. In my observations, I can confidently say that most women in China do not wear makeup on a daily basis compared to women from America. I believe this has to do with cultural differences and economic differences. In America, having sex a... ...emographics and current cultural trends. If Shiseido or Estee Lauder wishes to expand their men’s product line in China, they should set up a few kiosks in the larger cities. Price   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Estee Lauder and Shiseido’s pricing are about the same as one another. Shiseido creates value by understanding their customers and offering a high quality product at a deserving price. Shiseido keeps their customers in mind and aims to create products that fit their needs. The factors which affect the final prices of the product are the raw material costs, research and development expenses, distribution fees, and any tariffs charged during international trade.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At the current prices, it is not yet affordable for the most Chinese women or men to buy cosmetics from Shiseido or Estee Lauder. Americans on average are in more of a position to afford these cosmetics. However, there is much anticipation and expectation for businesses to grow with China’s expanding economy. Works Cited Estee Lauder Corporation. Esteelauder.com. 29 Jun. 2005 . MarketResearch.Com. 1 Jul. 2005. â€Å"Cosmetics & Toiletries in China: A Market Analysis.† . Shiseido Corporation. Shiseido USA. 29 Jun. 2005 .

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Rh Bill

St. Jude College School of Art Science and Education Manila A Term Paper Submitted as a Requirement For the Subject: Philippine Government and Constitution Submitted By: Jim Waine C. Averilla Karissa Helene B. Salvador Submitted To: Diosdado B. Lopega March 27, 20 HISTORYAccording to the Senate Policy Brief titled Promoting Reproductive Health, the history of reproductive health in the Philippines dates back to 1967 when leaders of 12 countries including the Philippine’s Ferdinand Marcos signed the Declaration of Population The Philippines agreed that the population problem should be considered as the principal element for long-term economic development.Thus, the Population Commission was created to push for a lower family size norm and provide information and services to lower fertility rates. Starting 1967, the USAID started shouldering 80% of the total family planning commodities (contraceptives) of the country, which amounted to US$ 3 Million annually. In 1975, the United States adopted as its policy the  National Security Study Memorandum 200: Implications of Worldwide Population Growth for U.S. Security and Overseas Interests (NSSM200). The policy gives â€Å"paramount importance† to population control measures and the promotion of contraception among 13 populous countries, including the Philippines to control rapid population growth which they deem to be inimical to the socio-political and economic growth of these countries and to the national interests of the United States, since the â€Å"U. S. conomy will require large and increasing amounts of minerals from abroad†, and these countries can produce destabilizing opposition forces against the United States. It recommends the US leadership to â€Å"influence national leaders† and that â€Å"improved world-wide support for population-related efforts should be sought through increased emphasis on mass media and other population education and motivation programs by the UN, US IA, and USAID. Different presidents had different points of emphasis.President Marcos pushed for a systematic distribution of contraceptives all over the country, a policy that was called â€Å"coercive,† by its leading administrator. The Cory Aquino administration focused on giving couples the right to have the number of children they prefer, while the Ramos presidency shifted from population control to population management. Estrada used mixed methods of reducing fertility rates, while Arroyo focused on mainstreaming natural family planning, while stating that contraceptives are openly sold in the country.In 1989, the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD) was established, â€Å"dedicated to the formulation of viable public policies requiring legislation on population management and socio-economic development. † In 2000, the Philippines signed the Millennium Declaration and committed to attain the MDG goals by 2015, including p romoting gender equality and health. In 2003, USAID started its phase out of a 33-year-old program by which free contraceptives were given to the country.Aid recipients such as the Philippines faced the challenge to fund its own contraception program. In 2004, the Department of Health introduced the Philippines Contraceptive Self-Reliance Strategy, arranging for the replacement of these donations with domestically provided contraceptives. In August 2010, the government announced a collaborative work with the USAID in implementing a comprehensive marketing and communications strategy in favor of family planning called â€Å"May Plano Sila. † Summary of criticismOpponents of the bill argue that: (1) â€Å"The world's leading scientific experts† have resolved the issues related to the bill and show that the â€Å"RH Bill is based on wrong economics† as the 2003 Rand Corporation study shows that â€Å"there is little cross-country evidence that population growth im pedes or promotes economic growth†. (2) The bill takes away limited government funds from treating many high priority medical and food needs and transfers them to fund objectively harmful and deadly devices.The latest studies in scientific journals and organizations show that the ordinary birth control pill, and the IUD are abortifacient to 100-celled human embryos: they kill the embryonic human, who as such are human beings equally worthy of respect, making the bill unconstitutional. (3) US National Defense Consultant, Lionel Tiger, has shown empirical evidence that contraceptives have deleterious social effects (abortion, premarital sex, female impoverishment, fatherless children, teenage pregnancies, and poverty).Harvard School of Public Health scientist Edward Green observes that ‘when people think they're made safe by using condoms at least some of the time, they actually engage in riskier sex', in the phenomenon called â€Å"risk compensation†. There is evid ence for increased risk of cancer (breast, cervical, liver) as well as significant increase of risk for heart attack and stroke for current users of oral contraceptives. The increased usage of contraceptives, which implies that some babies are unwanted, will eventually lead to more abortion; the orrelation was shown in a scientific journal and acknowledged by pro-RH leaders, (4) People's freedom to access contraceptives is not restricted by any opposing law, being available in family planning NGOs, stores, etc. The country is not a welfare state: taxpayer's money should not be used for personal practices that are harmful and immoral; it can be used to inform people of the harm of BCPs. (5) The penal provisions constitute a violation of free choice and conscience, and establishes religious persecution.President Aquino stated he was not an author of the bill. He also stated that he gives full support to a firm population policy, educating parents to be responsible, providing contracep tives to those who ask for them, but he refuses to promote contraceptive use. He said that his position â€Å"is more aptly called responsible parenthood rather than reproductive health. Economic and demographic premises The Philippines is the 39th most densely populated country, with a density over 335 per squared kilometer, and the population growth rate is 1. % (2010 Census), 1. 957% (2010 est. by CIA World Fact Book), or 1. 85% (2005–2010 high variant estimate by the UN Population Division, World Population Prospects: The 2008 Revision) coming from 3. 1 in 1960. The 2010 total fertility rate (TFR) is 3. 23 births per woman, from a TFR of 7 in 1960. In addition, the total fertility rate for the richest quintile of the population is 2. 0, which is about one third the TFR of the poorest quintile (5. 9 children per woman). The TFR for women with college education is 2. , about half that of women with only an elementary education (4. 5 children per woman). Congressman Lagman states that the bill â€Å"recognizes the verifiable link between a huge population and poverty. Unbridled population growth stunts socioeconomic development and aggravates poverty. † The University of the Philippines' School of Economics presented two papers in support of the bill: Population and Poverty: the Real Score (2004), and Population, Poverty, Politics and the Reproductive Health Bill (2008).According to these economists, which include Solita Monsod, Gerardo Sicat, Cayetano Paderanga, Ernesto M. Pernia, and Stella Alabastro-Quimbo, â€Å"rapid population growth and high fertility rates, especially among the poor, do exacerbate poverty and make it harder for the government to address it,† while at the same time clarifying that it would be â€Å"extreme† to view â€Å"population growth as the principal cause of poverty that would justify the government resorting to draconian and coercive measures to deal with the problem (e. g. denial of basic services and subsidies to families with more than two children). † They illustrate the connection between rapid population growth and poverty by comparing the economic growth and population growth rates of Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines, wherein the first two grew more rapidly than the Philippines due to lower population growth rates. They stressed that â€Å"the experience from across Asia indicates that a population policy cum government-funded [family planning] program has been a critical complement to sound economic policy and poverty reduction†.In Population and Poverty, Aniceto Orbeta, Jr, showed that poverty incidence is higher among big families: 57. 3% of Filipino families with seven children are in poverty while only 23. 8% of families who have two children live below the poverty threshold. Percentage of population living below poverty line (2003). Darker areas mean more poverty. Proponents argue that smaller families and wider birth intervals resulting from the use of contraceptives allow families to invest more in each child’s education, health, nutrition and eventually reduce poverty and hunger at the household level.At the national level, fertility reduction cuts the cost of social services with fewer people attending school or seeking medical care and as demand eases for housing, transportation, jobs, water, food and other natural resources. The Asian Development Bank in 2004 also listed a large population as one of the major causes of poverty in the country, together with weak macroeconomic management, employment issues, an underperforming agricultural sector and an unfinished land reform agenda, governance issues including corruption. Criticism of premisesOpponents refer to a 2003 study of Rand Corporation, which concluded that â€Å"there is little cross-country evidence that population growth impedes or promotes economic growth†¦ population neutralism has in fact been the predominant school in thinking among academ ics about population growth for the last half-century. † For example, the 1992 study of Ross Levine and David Renelt, which covered 119 countries over 30 years (vs UP study of 3 countries over a few years). The RAND study also said that a large population can promote growth given the right fundamentals.Thus, they refer to the HSBC 2012 projection for 2050 that the Philippines will be 16th largest economy due to its large growing population, and those whose populations are decreasing will suffer decline. In his Primer which critiques the bill, Economist Roberto de Vera refers to Nobel prize winner Simon Kuznets's study which concludes that â€Å"no clear association appears to exist in the present sample of countries, or is likely to exist in other developed countries, between rates of growth of population and of product per capita. Julian Simon compared parallel countries such as North and South Korea, East and West Germany whose birthrates were practically the same but whose economic growth was entirely different due to different governance factors. De Vera says that â€Å"similar conclusions have been arrived at by the US National Research Council in 1986 and in the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) Consultative Meeting of Economists in 1992† and the studies of Hanushek and Wommann (2007), Doppelhoffer, Miller, Sala-I-Martin (2004), Ahlburg (1996), etc.The other Nobel Prize winner who expressed the same view is Gary Becker. De Vera also states that from 1961 to 2000, as Philippine population increased almost three times, poverty decreased from 59% to 34%. He stressed that the more probable cause of poor families is not family size but the limited schooling of the household head: 78% to 90% of the poor households had heads with no high school diploma, preventing them from getting good paying jobs.He refers to studies which show that 90% of the time the poor want the children they have: as helpers in the farm and investment for a secure old age. Instead of aiming at population decrease, De Vera stressed that the country should focus through education on cashing in on a possible â€Å"demographic dividend†, a period of rapid economic growth that can happens when the labor force is growing faster than the dependents (children and elderly), thus reducing poverty significantly.In a recent development, two authors of the Reproductive Health Bill changed their stand on the provisions of the bill regarding population and development. Reps. Emerciana de Jesus and Luzviminda Ilagan wanted to delete three provisions which state that â€Å"gender equality and women empowerment are central elements of reproductive health and population and development,† which integrate responsible parenthood and family planning programs into anti-poverty initiatives, and which name the Population Commission as a coordinating body.The two party-list representatives strongly state that poverty is not due to over-population but because of inequalit y and corruption. Opponents also refer to the statement of the Federation of Free Farmers that history teaches about the economic advantages of a large population, and the disadvantages of a smaller population. The Wall Street Journal in July 2012 said that Aquino's â€Å"promotion of a ‘reproductive health' bill is jarring† since it could lead to â€Å"a demographic trap of too few workers.The Philippines doesn't have too many people, it has too few pro-growth policies. † Opposing the bill, Former Finance Secretary Roberto de Ocampo wrote that it is â€Å"truly disingenuous for anyone to proceed on the premise that the poor are to blame for the nation’s poverty. † He emphasized that the government should apply the principle of first things first and focus on the root causes of the poverty (e. g. poor governance, corruption) and apply many other alternatives to solve the problem (e. g. giving up pork barrel, raising tax collection efficiency).They a lso point to the five factors for high economic growth and reduction of poverty shown by the 2008 Commission on Growth and Development headed by Nobel prize winner Michael Spence, which does not include population control. Status Legislature On 31 January 2011, six different bills were consolidated into a single RH Bill which was then unanimously approved for plenary debate by the House Committee on Population and Family Relations. On 7 February 2011, the bill was scheduled to go before the House Appropriations Committee. 6 February 2011 the bill was endorsed by the House Appropriations Committee with amendment and referred back to the Population Committee for finalizing the language. President and Cabinet President Noynoy Aquino during the presidential campaign said that it confounds him why he is always associated with the RH Bill and reiterated that he is neither an author nor a co-author, much less did he sign the committee report regarding the bill. He said that â€Å"he will fully support the crafting of a firm policy that will address the serious problem on population. At the same time, Aquino said that â€Å"artificial contraception was a matter of choice and conscience and that health professionals who fool people into using artificial contraceptives should be penalized. As a Catholic, Aquino said he himself was not promoting artificial contraception but believes that the government should be able to provide it to Filipinos who ask for it. † Aquino stressed: â€Å"I’m a Catholic, I’m not promoting it. My position is more aptly called responsible parenthood rather than reproductive health.According to Rina Jimenez David who is pro-RH, during the â€Å"Women Deliver Philippines† Conference held September 2010, Dinky Soliman, Aquino's Secretary of Social Welfare and Development, said that â€Å"choice and access† constituted the keystone of the Aquino government’s policy, reiterating the administration’s support for the pending reproductive health bills. On December 2010, the Cabinet and the CBCP agreed to have a joint campaign providing full information on the advantages and risks of contraceptives, natural and artificial family planning and responsible parenthood.They have established a technical working group for this purpose. They also agreed that government will not be an â€Å"instrument to enforce or violate the conscience of the people about these issues. † However, by April 2011 the President has given his full support to the entire RH Bill in a speech at the University of the Philippines and promised to push for its passage even at the â€Å"risk of excommunication. † Compromise and alternativesSenate President Juan Ponce Enrile, Congressman Roilo Golez and Buhay party-list separately filed bills that seek to restrict abortion and birth control use. These bills have been seen either as a nullification of the RH Bill, its alternative, or as a way of achieving unity among the populace, since the RH Bill proponents have stated their concern in preventing abortion. Presidential candidate Gilbert Teodoro or Gibo suggested a cash transfer from the government to individuals wanting access to family planning methods, whether natural or artificial.The individuals can then make use of the cash they receive to purchase birth control devices they may choose, thus guaranteeing freedom of choice. The Loyola School of Theology and the John J. Carroll Institute on State and Church Issues issued 9 â€Å"Talking Points† on the RH Bill. Among other points, they proposed a study on the meaning of conception in the Constitution, and if it means fertilization, abortifacients â€Å"are to be banned even now and regardless of whether the RH Bill is passed†.They also proposed â€Å"parallel programs for providing information and training, one for Natural Family Planning (NFP) and another for artificial methods of family planning†. Columnis t Jose Sison of the Philippine Star criticized this: â€Å"a Catholic School of theology has actually proposed in public, the use of tax payers’ money to train Filipinos to employ methods that are objectively and intrinsically evil† and cites â€Å"empirical evidence and scientific proofs confirming the harmful and evil effects of contraceptives to individuals and to society. † Recent eventsIn September 2010, Aquino during this visit to the US reiterated his stand that he is in favor of responsible parenthood and respects the decision of each couple as to the number of children they want, and if they need the government support for contraception, then the government will provide it. This statement has created a furor as Catholic church leaders say that Aquino has sold out the Filipino soul in exchange for some â€Å"measly† aid from the United States. The President of the Catholic Bishops Conference said that there can possibly be an excommunication of th e President if he continues on with his stance.Pro RH Bill Senators encouraged the President to be steadfast to do his duties towards the state. The President's spokesperson Edwin Lacierda explained that the President â€Å"has not changed his stand† and is reaching out to the prelates and said that the President himself has not made any decision in support of the Reproductive Health Bill as he is still studying the document. Lacierda said that the Executive Branch â€Å"is not involved in the passage of the RH bill, saying the measure's fate rests solely on the legislative branch. â€Å"Filipino Freethinkers, an association of agnostics, atheists, progressives, etc. , who have been very active in the fight in favor of the RH bill, stepped up the pressure, creating more controversy that fired up renewed interest in the bill on both sides. On 30 September 2010, one of the freethinkers, Carlos Celdran staged a protest action against the Catholic Church, holding a sign which r ead â€Å"DAMASO† – a reference to the villainous, corrupt clergyman Father Damaso of the novel Noli Me Tangere by Filipino revolutionary writer Jose Rizal – and shouting â€Å"stop getting involved in politics! A fan page, Free Carlos Celdran was created in Facebook, which generated 23,808 fans in 24 hours. Francisco Montalvan of the Inquirer said that in the end the Damasos are the scheming, corrupt and deceptive people, implying that the â€Å"pro-death advocates† are these, while the Cardinal Rosales who started a nationwide fund for the poor is very far from Damaso. Meanwhile, the Imam Council of the Philippines, the top leaders of the Moslem population which at 4. M constitutes 5% of the Philippine population, declared that they are against contraceptives since using them â€Å"underestimates God,† and â€Å"makes one lose morality in the process. † During the first public hearing on 24 Nov, the chair of the Committee on Population ha ndling the bill said that there is no instruction from the Speaker of the House to expedite the bill. Upon the call of anti-RH congressmen, the Committee Chair decided to refer the bill also to the Committee on Health, since the bill is about Reproductive Health.Leader of the pro-RH group, Elizabeth Ansioco, said that the bill is doomed if it is referred to the Committee on Health. Anti-RH Deputy Speaker Congressman Pablo Garcia said the members of the Committee on Health know of the WHO announcement on the carcinogenicity of combined estrogen-progestogen oral contraceptives. House Speaker Belmonte said that Congress is not likely to rush the legislation of the bill and will tackle it in plenary early next year. Belmonte said it is better that highly contentious bills be given more attention.On 3 December, the Senate cut the proposed budget of P 880M for contraceptives down to P 8M for condoms since other contraceptives violated the Constitution's ban on abortifacients, and Senator Tito Sotto III said that his constituents never asked for contraceptives. On 27 July 2012, the Speaker of the House decided to put to a vote by 7 August 2012 whether the debates have to be terminated. In response, pro-life groups and the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines have decided to call for a â€Å"Prayer Power Rally†, on 4 August 2012 at the historic Edsa Shrine.Meanwhile, 6 co-authors of the bill withdrew support, with the head of the minority group of the house declaring that 8 of their group are withdrawing their previous support for the bill. Congressional approval and presidential assent At 3 in the morning on December 13, 2012, the House of Representatives voted on second reading in favor of the bill with 113–109, while five representatives abstained. In the upper house, the Senate voted on December 18, 2012 to pass the bill on second reading with 13–8, while Senators Sergio Osmena, III and Lito Lapid were absent.On the same day, both ho uses passed the bill on the third and final reading. Members of the House of Representatives voted 133–79, while seven representatives abstained. The Senate registered 13–8, the same result as the second reading. On December 19, 2012, both versions of the bill were passed to the Bicameral Committee to produce a final version to be signed by the President Aquino. The committee quickly passed the bill in just one session.It was transmitted back to the House of Representatives and the Senate, which both ratified the bill, with the Senate voting 11–5 in favor of ratification, and the House of Representatives voting via voice vote. On December 21, 2012, President Aquino signed the bill into law, codifying the bill as Republic Act No. 10354, otherwise known as the â€Å"Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012†. News of the signing was announced by House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II on December 28, 2012. Reactions Averilla, Jim Waine C. Philippine Government & Constitution I used to support the RH bill. But finding out the truth behind it, neither would you. I believe this law will put the Filipinos at risk of extinction because at its very core, the RH law is an extension of a secret, global conspiracy, a western attempt, to apply principles of eugenics on unsuspecting, inferior populations in order to prevent them from the human evolutionary process, at the end of which would, at the highest point, call forth the â€Å"master race†. The truth is in our hearts, we just have to listen to it.At first my interpretation of the RH bill led me to think that it was just a bill meant to help educate the uninformed about ways to prevent them from fornicating their way to a very bad financial situation. My ignorant mind devised some simple points as to why the RH Bill was right. I thought: 1. Minimum wage of a non-agricultural Filipino worker is P404. 2. If there were 20 working days in a month, the average minimum w age earning Filipino would earn around P8000 a month. 3. In average that person ate food on a regular basis, he will spend about around P70/day on food.There are 20 days in a month, so I guess that would equal to P2100 a month. 4. But if this person had a partner, he might want to feed her too. Feeding her would cost another P2100 a month. 5. P8000 – P4200 = P3800 6. If this person and his wife rented a home, or used electricity and bathed from time to time, the amount left from his salary would be significantly reduced. Lets say their utility bills and rend amounted to P1800 7. P3800 – P1800 = P2000 8. P2000 is a lot of money, but I don’t think they should have more than 3 children right?Babies need milk, diapers, toys, immunity injections, baby medicine, etc†¦ 9. From this let’s deduce that babies cost money. If babies cost money, I theorized that having more babies would cost more money. And from this data, I see that a person who spent a lot of m oney on children, but I didn’t earn a lot of money, would soon be broke and unable to provide for both himself and his children. Another word for broke situation is poverty. 10. I believe that a person can avoid being poor by making less babies. So, I thought that steps should be taken to inform people about this very little known fact.I also thought that the government should make contraceptives accessible so that people who don’t earn a lot can properly manage the little resources that they have. That’s why I supported the RH Bill. But now I know that I was wrong. I believe that the issue of the RH Bill is not a religious issue. â€Å"The RH Bill is wrong because it assumes that the Philippines is overpopulated. † -I agree. I, myself, have observed that the Philippines is not overpopulated. In fact, if you use your common sense and think about it, you will realize a few things: 1. We are not overpopulated!Look at the mountains, the jungles, the caves an d the ocean floor. There are no people there! 2. If we were really overpopulated, we would have trouble traveling. But if you go to EDSA, there’s no traffic. When you ride the MRT, it’s not packed with people. 3. Students in public schools are well educated because the teacher to student ratio is very low. In fact, because of our low population the government can basically guarantee that all public school students are provided books, notebooks and other school supplies. â€Å"The RH Bill is wrong because it assumes that contraceptives are good for mankind and women. 1. I agree, the RH Bill/Law is not good for women because it might draw a woman away from her one, true, universal purpose – the uninterrupted production of healthy babies 2. Furthermore, the role of women in society and the universe is to make babies. That’s why God made women. That’s their sole purpose in life. They’re not good for anything else. Ever wonder why there are no w omen in the clergy? Because they’re not good enough. 3. Contraceptives would allow women to enjoy the benefits of physical intimacy while maintaining a successful and productive career, if she so chooses.That is so wrong. Only men should be able to enjoy that privilege. 4. Women should get pregnant every single time they have sex and only immoral women enjoy sex without the possibility of conception. In fact, a better alternative would be for women, in general, to follow the example made by Mother Mary – to learn how to conceive without having sex. â€Å"The RH Bill/Law will put Filipinos at risk of extinction! † 1. Population decline is just bad for nations. Just look at the countries which have a declining population – Italy, Japan and Singapore. They’re in such a bad shape.The Philippines obviously has a better economy and has a higher literacy rate than these countries. In fact, many Italians, Japanese, and Singaporeans go to the Philippines fo r work. That only goes to show that a decline in population is bad for the economy. â€Å"Our population is our biggest asset! † 1. In my opinion, people should make as many babies as they can because the population is not a problem. In fact, the more babies a person has, the more assets he has. Forget real estate properties, stock investments, or Jollibee franchises. The real secret to increased wealth is babies. 2.If you have 15 babies, you’re practically wealthy because babies are assets 3. If you need money, you can sell them 4. If you can keep them alive until they can walk, they can one day beg for money in the streets – they’re going to have to anyway because there’s no way in hell you’ll be able to provide for all of them on your own 5. If ever a person is not able to feed the 15 babies he made, it’s the governments fault, because it’s the governments sole responsibility to make sure that every Filipino baby is fed. 6. The best way a person can contribute to this country is to contribute to its population. The RH Bill/Law is wrong because it assumes that reproductive education and contraceptives will effectively reduce cases of abortion. † 1. Reproductive/contraceptive education will have no effect on the number of abortion cases. In my opinion, these abortion cases will not lessen because women will continue to have abortions regardless of whether they are pregnant or not. 2. Abortions cannot be prevented. It’s just something that women naturally do. Like shopping, for example. â€Å"The RH Bill/Law is wrong because it will make people participate in extra-marital and pre-marital sex. † 1.The RH Bill/Law will practically encourage our people to engage in immoral activities. 2. We must protect our moral values and reject the RH Bill. Because, currently, not a single Filipino engages in pre-marital sex or extra-marital sex. Well at least this is what we believe until to this day . 3. The root cause of extra-marital and pre-marital sex is one’s exposure to contraceptives. There is just something in contraceptives that people find very arousing. 4. In western countries, men lure strange women into bed by shown those condoms. 5. If we ban condoms, absolutely no one would engage in premarital or extra-marital sex. The RH Bill/Law is wrong because it assumes that parents don’t teach their children about sex. † 1. The truth is that parents talk to their children about sex all the time. It’s so not awkward. The dad usually tells his children how he takes off all his clothes, does a sexy Tiger growl and makes sweet, sweet music with their mother’s body. 2. Also, a father usually advises his daughter that if she’s going to have sex with her boyfriend, she should use a condom. Sometimes the father even drives the daughter to the boyfriend’s house and waits for the couple to finish 3.Filipino daughters don’t have sex without the father’s permission. Unwanted pregnancies or teen pregnancies never happen to Filipino girls. That’s why we do not need the RH Law â€Å"The RH Bill is a conspiracy. † It’s all lies, all lies Salvador, Karissa Helene Philippine Government & Constitution It is very much unfortunate, disappointing, and alarming that nobody in the mainstream media talks about the negative, unintended consequences of the fascist Reproductive Health bill, now called Responsible Parenthood bill, on the country’s business sector, particularly small businesses.I reject this legislative proposal primarily because it’s anti-reason, anti-individualism, and anti-capitalism. In other words it is against individual rights, liberty and economic freedom. This is just one of the many aspects of the bill– that it can negatively impact the country’s industry, particularly small business establishments that employ millions of professionals and skil led and even unskilled workers. Let’s take a small cafeteria, canteen, or publishing house near your place. Think about the small establishments and bar and restaurant stools in malls and many places in the metro.These small businesses that put two to ten or so people will be one of the main targets of the RH bill supported by some misguided, mediocre hippies who are mostly schooled and professionals. Yet nobody wants to talk about this issue. It’s as if these pro-RH bill hippies and fanatics think that wealth is created by wishful thinking, that is, by simply passing an intrusive, rights-violating bill purportedly designed to help the poor and women. What these anti-population and pro-regulation advocates don’t know is that the proposed legislative measure is itself a big insult to the poor and women.It is anti-poor and anti-women. The RH bill is a big insult to the poor because it treats them as dependent, parasites, worthless, or a leech who simply rely on ot her people’s extorted money or alms. Authors of the consolidated bill argue that one of the principal objectives of their highly moderate, anti-intellectual measure is to â€Å"help reduce poverty and achieve sustainable human development. † Still, what these political idiots do not and refuse to understand is that the government has no financial capability to deliver the promises of their measure because it is already bankrupt.The government, which is the worst parasite in this country, is not a productive agency or entity. It can only deliver some of the promised public services by using state force, like taxation, regulation, and forcible immolation of some social sectors like businessmen and health care providers. The consolidated RH law is a huge insult to women– and this is what statistician does not understand – because it considers them as inferior, ignorant, weak, having no mental, physical and emotional capability to decide on her own and to pro tect herself.It treats women as ignorant and weak because the law’s advocates believe that they need to pass a highly intrusive, unconstitutional legislative proposal to provide them the information and services they need. Also, the proposal is a big insult to every Filipino family because it treats parents as irresponsible, ignorant, weak, lazy, and having no capacity to make informed, responsible family decisions. It is stated that the law’s primary goal is to â€Å"help give parents the opportunity to exercise their right to freely and responsibly plan the number and spacing of their children. That’s the other way of saying that Filipino parents are not free and badly need the help and assistance of the state so to â€Å"responsibly plan the number and spacing of their children. † The bill’s highly mediocre and ignorant explanatory note adds: â€Å"The bill is truly rights-based. It mandates the provision of all forms of family planning, both modern natural and artificial, to women and couples as long as they are legal and medically-safe, and truly effective. However, the acceptance and adoption is the option and decision of parents and couple, particularly women. If that’s the case, why is there a need to pass the bill? The answer is because this is not what the bill is all about. In truth and in reality, it is about more political power! It’s about putting the entire business industry, medical profession and education sector under the total control and supervision of the state. In general, the bill is a BIG INSULT to the entire Filipino nation that has somehow embraced rational principles and the concept of freedom and individual rights. Those who ignorantly, naively take the consolidated bill at its face value will certainly accept the contradictory slogans.There are two sides of the consolidated bill: the fantasy side and the reality side. The measure’s fantasy side can be readily gleaned from it s highly ignorant explanatory note, which is filled with supportive statistics and some tragic information about the plight of the poor and women. They did not state how except the fact that they enumerated the bill’s nice-to-hear intents and provisions. The reality side of the measure is that all those promised, stated RH services would be covered or delivered by sacrificing, enslaving employers and health care providers.Section 18 states: Employers’ Responsibilities- The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) shall ensure that employers respect the reproductive rights of workers. Consistent with the intent of Article 134 of the Labor Code, employers with more than two hundred (200) employees shall provide reproductive health services to all employees in their own respective health facilities. Those with less than two hundred (200) workers shall enter into partnerships with hospitals, health facilities, or health professionals in their areas for the delivery of rep roductive health services.Employers shall furnish in writing the following information to all employees and applicants: (a) The medical and health benefits which workers are entitled to, including maternity and paternity leave benefits and the availability of family planning services; (b) The reproductive health hazards associated with work, including hazards that may affect their reproductive functions especially pregnant women; and (c) The availability of health facilities for workers.What does this section mean? Section 17 details the bill’s horrible fantastic scheme. So once the fascist bill is approved, any potential or aspiring employer would be covered by it, which means that he/she would be legally regarded as an indirect government employee. The employers or companies who have the capacity (with more than 200 employees) would be mandated by law to â€Å"provide reproductive health services to all employees in their own respective health facilities. This provision me ans that those employers and companies with more than 200 employees need to have their own â€Å"health facilities†, and this means additional expenses on the part of job-creators. On the other hand, employers with less than 200 employees shall enter into â€Å"partnerships with hospitals, health facilities, and/or health professionals in their areas for the delivery of reproductive health services. † Logic tells us that since employers and companies would be legally required to shoulder additional expenses, then they are justified to increase the prices of their products and/or services.Does anyone think of PRICE CONTROL? The state control of the entire medical industry is laid out under Sections 20 (Implementing Mechanisms) and 22(1) on prohibited acts. The penalty that awaits erring, non-compliant employers and health care providers could be imprisonment ranging from one (1) month to six months or fine of P10,000 to P50,000 or both. This means that any employer may be sued by his/her employees for non-compliant with the intents and provisions of the bill.Once the RH bill is approved, anyone who thinks of starting a business, whether big or small, should consider the measure’s punitive provisions, some necessary expenses, and the need to deal with government regulators. In the United States, hundreds companies left the Democratic-infested California because of the state’s too much regulations and anti-business policies. This is why I have been telling my blog readers that the bill is NOT simply about serving the alleged interests of the poor and women; it is PRIMARILY about MORE GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS.The bill is about nanny statism or BIG GOVERNMENT. Already, many foreign investors do not want to invest in the Philippines because of its high tax rates, excessive economic regulations, pro-employee labor courts, leftist-activist court justices, among others. The Doingbusiness. orgrecently ranked Philippines 148th in terms of ease i n doing business and 156th in terms of starting business. In terms of paying taxes, the country has been ranked 124th. Corporations pay a total tax rate (% profit) of 45. 8 percent! If approved, the RH bill would have the following negative impacts on small business: . It would be more difficult to start a new business considering the fact the the bill criminalizes the mere act of doing business and its regulative, interventionist provisions. 2. Employers would be forced to make additional expenses so to cover the RH care needs of their employees. 3. Since they are forced to make additional expenses, they might consider laying off some of their workers for survival. 4. Since they are forced to shell out additional expenses, they might not accept new applicants, a situation that would worsen the country’s unemployment rate. . Since they are forced to shell out additional expenses, they might consider some of the following survival measure: 1) salary cut, 2) less bonus or benef its, 3) cost cutting, 4) no expansion, 5) close business. 6. Since they are forced to shell out additional expenses, they might consider PRICE INCREASE. 7. There would be more informal sectors (unlisted, unregistered businesses) so to avoid paying more taxes and complying with government regulations. 8. Potential and existing employers would be considered a NEW CLASS OF CRIMINALS or ENEMY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE. . Those who have the money and resources would rather invest in a business-friendly economic environment like Hong Kong, India and other Asian countries. 10. Employers would simply shrug. You can help the poor without enslaving and treating businessmen, doctors and some other people as potential criminals or enemies of social progress. Think like a human being, not like a parasite! You don’t help the poor and the marginalized by supporting the RH bill; it’s both the big and small businesses that can truly help them!

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Apple Value Chain Analysis

Value Chain Analysis Before making a strategic decision, it is important for Apple to understand how its activities or products create values for customers. One way to do this is to conduct a value chain analysis (VCA). VCA â€Å"refers to the idea that a company is a chain of activities for transforming inputs into outputs that customers value. The process of transforming inputs into outputs compromises a number of primary and support activities† (Hill and Jones, 2001, p. 133). Each value is considered to be a source of competitive advantage. In the analysis, the company is being examined exclusively.SUPPORT ACTIVITIES Infrastructure Apple has an unprecedented cash position; in fact, the most cash held by any technological company (Schubarth C. , 2011). It has 97. 6 billion US dollar in cash (Schonfeld E. , 2012) and this allows the company to internally finance any development and expansion without cost of capital. Furthermore, Apple is working on reducing its greenhouse gas emissions that is used in production and transportation by redesigning its packaging relying on renewable energy (O’Reilly J. , 2009). Apple has a multi-functional structure that is flat to allow more flexibility (Apple Inc. 2012). As well as casual dress codes to allow effectiveness and to promote quick decision making and innovation. Human Resource Management Apple is following a lean management style and the philosophy of â€Å"having less is more†. Also Case Study will describe why Apple Inc. is a very successful company.That is Apply intentionally understaffing in order to be more productive and innovative (Sullivan, J. , 2011). Apple, also, has a selective hiring process to attract talented employees. Moreover, Apple offer a generous employee benefit program; as a result, pulling and retaining the industry leading those talented employees to promote the company (Masi B. 2009, p. 13). Technological Development Apple spend enormous amount of money on its Research and Development in order to push innovation further; thus stay ahead of competition. According to figures published in Apple’s 2012 annual report, R&D expenditure hits 3. 4 billion US dollars which is nearly 40% increase than 2011 (Brodjanac D. , 2012). Apple as well protects its invention and innovation worldwide by filling patent. Procurement Since Apple is a member of the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC), it works to guarantee fair treatment f or its workers.In addition, Apple developed an ecosystem of suppliers to benefits from its strong relationships by keeping them close (Masi B. , 2009, p. 13). By doing that, it enables Apple to obtain its products and services within limited timeframe (Apple Inc. , 2012). Apple, occasionally, evaluates its relationships and enhances its suppliers’ ecosystem if needed. Moreover, Apple introduced a Supplier Diversity Program which is mainly for supporting any potential suppliers. This facilitates the visibility of these suppliers and develops the future relationships (Apple Inc. , 2012)PRIMARY ACTIVITIES Inbound Logistics Apple has a partnership with OEM in order to reduce development time, production, material and manufacturing costs. However, Apple supervises the entire process to control its quality (Francisco T. , 2011). Operations Apple outsourced to various Chinese manufacturers in order to employ its economy of scale; as a result eliminate the burden of production manage ment. Apple, also, cooperate with other companies including HP and Samsung (Sherman E. , 2012). Furthermore, Apple designs its products in-house to eliminate production cost (Masi B. 2009, p. 14). Outbound Logistics Apple’s products are being delivered directly to its retail stores around the world to minimize inventory cost. To trim down shipping costs, Apple’s designing team developed packagings that are slim and light yet productive (Apple, 2012). Marketing and Sales Television commercial, online ads and print advertisements campaigns have been successful in promoting the Apple’s products and services. Apple has a branding strategy that is emotions’ focused, humorous and simplicity.The ads theme is about lifestyle; innovation, imagination and aspiration (Masi B. , 2009, p. 14). In addition, Apple has a secretive strategy concerning new products or services in order to create suspension and publicity. It, also, sells its products to schools and universi ties; thus creating an exposure for the product or the service (Inside CRM, 2009). Services Having a great customer experience is fundamental priority for any businesses. Apple is a great example of customer focused; it believes that customer loyalty is a great strength to the company.Apple Genius Bar is one of its main services where customers get the best face to face support (Apple, 2012). Moreover, customers are always welcome for free consultation concerning any issues. Apple, in addition, offer one year warranty and customers then have the choice to purchase an extension warranty (Masi B. , 2009, p. 13). ALL http://www. scribd. com/doc/24134877/Strategic-Analysis-of-Apple-Inc-Brian-Masi Procurement http://www. apple. com/procurement/ Technological http://www. decryptedtech. om/news/apple-increasing-their-investments-in-research-and-development. html HR http://www. ere. net/2011/09/12/talent-management-lessons-from-apple-a-case-study-of-the-worlds-most-valuable-firm-part-1-of-3 / Infra. http://www. bizjournals. com/sanjose/news/2011/07/21/apples-cash-pile-up-16-to-762b. html http://techcrunch. com/2012/01/24/apple-97-6-billion-cash/ http://www. inboundlogistics. com/cms/article/how-green-is-apple/ Marketing & sales http://www. insidecrm. com/articles/crm-blog/11-effective-strategies-apple-uses-to-create-loyal-customers-53510/ Operation

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Higgins Philosophy Essays - Pygmalion, English-language Films

Higgins Philosophy Essays - Pygmalion, English-language Films Higgins' Philosophy Professor Higgins is seen throughout Pygmalion as a very rude man. While one may expect a well educated man, such as Higgins, to be a gentleman, he is far from it. Higgins believes that how you treated someone is not important, as long as you treat everyone equally. The great secret, Eliza, is not having bad manners or good manners or any other particular sort of manners, but having the same manner for all human souls: in short, behaving as if you were in Heaven, where there are no third-class carriages, and one soul is as good as another. -Higgins, Act V Pygmalion. Higgins presents this theory to Eliza, in hope of justifying his treatment of her. This theory would be fine IF Higgins himself lived by it. Henry Higgins, however, lives by a variety of variations of this philosophy. It is easily seen how Higgins follows this theory. He is consistently rude towards Eliza, Mrs. Pearce, and his mother. His manner is the same to each of them, in accordance to his philosophy. However the Higgins we see at the parties and in good times with Pickering is well mannered. This apparent discrepancy between Higgins' actions and his word, may not exist, depending on the interpretation of this theory. There are two possible translations of Higgins' philosophy. It can be viewed as treating everyone the same all of the time or treating everyone equally at a particular time. It is obvious that Higgins does not treat everyone equally all of the time, as witnessed by his actions when he is in "one of his states" (as Mrs. Higgins' parlor maid calls it). The Higgins that we see in Mrs. Higgins' parlor is not the same Higgins we see at the parties. When in "the state" Henry Higgins wanders aimlessly around the parlor, irrationally moving from chair to chair, highly unlike the calm Professor Higgins we see at the ball. Higgins does not believe that a person should have the same manner towards everyone all of the time, but that a person should treat everyone equally at a given time (or in a certain situation). When he is in "one of those states" his manner is the same towards everyone; he is equally rude and disrespectful to all. Yet when minding his manners, as he does at the parties, he can be a gentleman. If the second meaning of Higgins' theory, that he treats everyone equally at a particular time, is taken as his philosophy, there is one major flaw. Higgins never respects Eliza, no matter who is around. In Act V of Pygmalion, Eliza confronts him about his manner towards her. "He (Pickering) treats a flower girl as duchess." Higgins, replying to Eliza, "And I treat a duchess as a flower girl." In an attempt to justify this Higgins replies "The question is not whether I treat you rudely, but whether you ever heard me treat anyone else better." Eliza does not answer this question but the reader knows that Higgins has treated others better than Eliza. At the parties, for example, Higgins is a gentleman to the hosts and other guest, but still treats Eliza as his "experiment." Higgins could never see the "new" Eliza. Higgins only saw the dirty flower girl that had become his "experiment." Much like an author never sees a work as finished, Higgins could not view Eliza lady or duchess. Since Higgins knew where Eliza came from it was difficult for him to make her parts fit together as a masterpiece that he respected. Part of Higgins' problem in recognizing the "new" Eliza is his immaturity. He does not see her as what she is, he only sees her as what she was. This immaturity is representative of Higgins' childish tendencies that the reader can see throughout the play. Higgins' child-like actions can partially explain the variations in his philosophy. Try to imagine Higgins as a young teenager. A young Higgins, or any teenage boy for that matter, has a very limited outlook. They treat everyone the same; depending on the situation they may be little gentlemen or rude dudes. When around parents the teenager is rude and inconsiderate yet when among his friends he a complete gentleman. The adult Higgins' actions are the same as the child.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Understanding the Big Five Personality Traits

Understanding the Big Five Personality Traits Todays psychologists agree that personality can be described by five broad traits: openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. Together, these traits make up the five-factor model of personality known as the Big Five. Key Takeaways: Big Five Personality Traits The Big Five personality traits are openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.Each trait represents a continuum. Individuals can fall anywhere on the continuum for each trait.Evidence suggests that personality is highly stable during adulthood, although small changes may be possible. Origin of the Big Five Model The Big Five, as well as other models that specify human personality traits, arises from the lexical hypothesis, which was first proposed by Francis Galton in the 1800s. The lexical hypothesis states that every natural language contains all the personality descriptions that are relevant and important to the speakers of that language. In 1936, pioneering psychologist Gordon Allport and his colleague Henry Odbert explored this hypothesis by going through an unabridged English dictionary and creating a list of 18,000 words related to individual differences. Approximately 4,500 of those terms reflected personality traits. This sprawling set of terms gave psychologists interested in the lexical hypothesis a place to start, but it wasnt useful for research, so other scholars attempted to narrow the set of words down. Eventually, in the 1940s, Raymond Cattell and his colleagues used statistical methods to reduce the list to a set of only 16 traits. Several additional scholars analyzed Cattell’s work, including Donald Fiske in 1949, and they all came to a similar conclusion: the data contained a strong, stable set of five traits. However, it wasnt until the 1980s that the Big Five began to receive wider scholarly attention. Today, the Big Five is a ubiquitous part of psychology research, and psychologists largely agree that personality can be grouped into the five basic traits specified by the Big Five. The Big Five Traits Each Big Five trait represents a continuum. For example, the trait of extraversion’s opposite is introversion. Together, extraversion and introversion make up opposing ends of a spectrum for that Big Five trait. People can be very extraverted or very introverted, but most people will fall somewhere in between the extremes of the spectrum.   Its also important to remember that each trait of the Big Five is very broad, representing a cluster of many personality characteristics. These characteristics are more specific and granular than each of the five traits as a whole. Thus, each trait can be defined in general and also broken down into several facets. Openness to Experience If you possess high openness to experience, you are open to all the original and complex things life has to offer, both experientially and mentally. The opposite of openness to experience is close-mindedness. Individuals with this trait are usually: CuriousImaginativeArtisticInterested in many thingsExcitableUnconventional Conscientiousness Conscientiousness means having good impulse control, which enables individuals to fulfill tasks and meet goals. Conscientious behavior includes planning and organization, delaying gratification, avoiding compulsive action, and following cultural norms. The opposite of conscientiousness is lack of direction. Key facets of conscientiousness include: CompetenceOrder, or organizational skillsDutifulness, or a lack of carelessnessAchievement through hard workSelf-disciplineBeing deliberate and controlled Extraversion Extraverted individuals who draws their energy from their interactions with the social world. Extraverts are sociable, talkative, and outgoing. The opposite of extraversion is introversion. Extraverts are typically: GregariousAssertiveActiveExcitement-seekingEmotionally positive and enthusiasticWarm and outgoing Agreeableness The trait of agreeableness refers to a positive and altruistic orientation. This trait enables individuals to see the best in others, trust others, and behave prosocially. The opposite of agreeableness is antagonism. Agreeable people are often: Trusting and forgivingStraightforward and undemandingAltruisticAffable and amenableModestSympathetic to others Neuroticism Neuroticism refers to a tendency towards negative emotions and includes experiences like feeling anxious and depressed. The opposite of neuroticism is emotional stability. Key facets of neuroticism include: Anxiety and tensionAngry hostility and irritability,Depression,Self-consciousness and shyness,Being impulsive and moodyLack of self-confidence The acronym OCEAN is a handy device for the traits specified by the Big Five. Can Personality Be Changed? Personality traits tend to be highly stable during adulthood. While some gradual shifts in personality traits may be possible, these shifts are generally not drastic. In other words, if an individual is low on the trait of extraversion (meaning they are more introverted than extraverted), they are likely to stay that way, though they may become slightly more or less extraverted over time. This consistency is partially explained by genetics, which plays a significant role in the traits one develops. For example, one twin study showed that when the Big Five personality traits of identical and fraternal twins were assessed, the influence of genetics was 61% for openness to experience, 44% for conscientiousness, 53% for extraversion, and 41% for both agreeableness and neuroticism. Environment may indirectly reinforce inherited traits as well. For instance, in creating an environment that works with their own traits, parents also create an environment that works with their children’s traits. Similarly, as adults, people choose environments that reinforce and support their traits. The Big Five in Childhood Research on the Big Five has been criticized in the past for focusing primarily on adult personality development and ignoring the development of these traits in children. Yet, recent research has shown that children as young as five have the ability to describe their personality and that by six, children begin to show consistency and stability in the traits of conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness. Two other studies showed that while the Big Five seems to manifest in children, childrens personalities may also include additional traits. One study of American adolescent boys found that in addition to the Big Five traits, participants also displayed two additional traits. The researchers labeled these as irritability  (negative affect that led to developmentally inappropriate behaviors like whining and tantrums) and activity (energy and physical activity). Another study of Dutch children of both sexes between the ages of 3 and 16 also found two additional personality traits. While one was similar to the activity trait found in the previously discussed study, the other, dependency (relying on others), was different. Age Differences in Personality Traits Research has suggested the Big Five traits evolve with age over the life span. In an analysis of 92 longitudinal studies that examined changes in personality traits from youth to old age, scholars found that people became more conscientious, less neurotic, and increase in social dominance, a facet of extraversion, as they get older. People also became more agreeable in old age. And while adolescents were more open to experience and demonstrated greater social vitality, another facet of extraversion, especially during the college years, people decreased in these traits during old age. Sources Allport, Gordon W. and Henry S. Odbert. â€Å"Trait-Names: A Psycho-Lexical Study.† Psychological Monographs, vol. 47, no. 1, 1936, pp. i-171. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0093360Cattell, Raymond B. â€Å"The description of Personality: Basic Traits Resolved Into Clusters.† Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, vol. 38, vol. 4, 1943, pp. 476-506. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0054116Costa, Paul T., and Robert R. McCrae. â€Å"The NEO-PI-R: Professional Manual.† Psychological Assessment Resources, 1992. sjdm.org/dmidi/NEO_PI-R.htmlDigman, John M. â€Å"Personality Structure: Emergence of the Five-Factor Model.† Annual Review of Psychology, vol. 41, 1990, pp. 417-440. http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ps.41.020190.002221Fiske, Donald W. â€Å"Consistency of the Factorial Structures of Personality Ratings from Difference Sources.† Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, vol. 44, 1949, pp. 329-344. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0057198Jang, Kerry J., Jo hn Livesley, and Philip A. Vernon. â€Å"Heritability of the Big Five Personality Dimensions and Their Facets: A Twin Study.† Journal of Personality, vol. 64, no. 3, 1996, pp. 577-592. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.1996.tb00522.x John, Oliver P., Avshalom Caspi, Richard W. Robins, Terrie E. Moffitt, and Magda Stouthamer-Loeber. â€Å"The ‘Little Five’: Exploring The Nomological Network of the Five-Factor Model of Personality in Adolescent Boys. Child Development, vol. 65, 1994, pp. 160-178. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.1994.tb00742.xJohn, Oliver P., Laura P. Naumann, and Christopher J. Soto. â€Å"Paradigm Shift to the Integrative Big Five Trait Taxonomy: History, Measurement, and Conceptual Issues.† Handbook of Personality: Theory and Research, 3rd ed., edited by Oliver P. John, Richard W. Robins, and Lawrence A. Pervin, The Guilford Press, 2008, pp. 114-158.John, Oliver P. and Sanjay Srivastava. â€Å"The Big Five Trait Taxonomy: History, Measurement, and Theoretical Perspectives.† Handbook of Personality: Theory and Research, 2nd ed., edited by Lawrence A. Pervin, and Oliver P. John, The Guilford Press, 1999, pp. 102-138.McAdams, Dan P. â€Å"Can Personality Change? Leve ls of Stability and Growth In Personality Across the Life Span.† Can Personality Change? edited by Todd F. Heatherton and Joel L. Weinberger, American Psychological Association, 1994, pp. 299-313. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/10143-027 McAdams, Dan. The Person: An Introduction to the Science of Personality Psychology. 5th ed., Wiley, 2008.Measelle, Jeffrey R., Oliver P. John, Jennifer C. Ablow, Philip A. Cowan, and Carolyn P. Cowan. â€Å"Can Children Provide Coherent, Stable, and Valid Self-Reports on the Big Five Dimensions? A Longitudinal Study from Ages 5 to 7. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 89, 2005, pp. 90-106. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.89.1.90Roberts, Brent W., Kate E. Walton, and Wolfgang Viechtbauer. â€Å"Patterns of Mean-Level Change in Personality Traits Across the Life Course: A Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal Studies.† Psychological Bulletin, vol. 132. No. 1, 2006, pp. 1-35.  Van Lieshout, Cornelis F. M. and Gerbert J. T. Haselager. â€Å"The Big Five Personality Factors in Q-Sort Descriptions of Children and Adolescents.† The Developing Structure of Temperament and Personality From Infancy to Adulthood, edited by Charles F. Halverson, Gedolph A. Kohnstamm, and Roy P. Martin, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1994, pp. 293-318.