Professional Identity Essay

Angelle Hobbs Joanna is a 16-year-old eleventh grader, the oldest of four children. Her best friend had died suddenly of leukemia the previous year. Presently, Joanna’s grades have begun to drop and she cuts class. She feels she should have done more to help her best friend. Joanna’s mother has been contacted for a parent conference, but she works two jobs to financially support her children. Joanna’s homeroom teacher is very concern and refers her to the school counselor. This heartbreaking event has had tremendous implications on Joanna. I trust that an experience, as such, leads someone to initially choose counseling as a profession. Counseling entails a provision of assistance and guidance sessions, provided by a trained professional who assists in resolving personal conflicts, social/emotional, or psychological difficulties. Remley and Herlihy, authors of Ethics, Legal, and Professional Issues in Counseling, provide a constructive framework for an aspirant counselor who seeks to develop a professional identity in the counseling profession, functioning through the acts of integrity, discernment, acceptance of emotion, self-awareness, and interdependence within the community. If you’re like most counselors, you want to actively promote the mental health and wellness of the client, provide compassion, aid in the development of their life-enhancing qualities, and advocate in behalf of the client and the profession. Comparably, various mental health professions possess interchangeable objectives. Then, what distinguishes counseling from other mental health professions? Often, counselors describe themselves as professional â€Å"skilled helpers† – helping others resolve difficult issues, while moving towards productive decisions in a non-judgmental atmosphere. They are professionals to the degree that they have mastered the requisite knowledge base, developed competencies in the required skills, and adhere to the values and ethics of the American Counseling Association and their state’s code of conduct. Counseling involves an establishment of collaboration with the client and a voluntary guidance in decision-making, leading towards a successful resolution of problems deemed significant. In other words, counseling can establish self-empowerment, self-awareness, self-discovery, and self-esteem. What comes to mind when I hear the term counselors? Counseling professionals promote accurate historical information about the development of counseling theories, philosophies, advocacy, blending of research and evidence-based practice that have influenced its growth. Effective counselors employ cross-cultural skills to make their interactions with clients more culturally relevant. They possess ethnographic interviewing skills that elicit minorities’ views (worldview) of problems and situational contexts from their cultural perspective. In other words, counselors understand the client from the client’s frame of reference. Additionally, counselors not only apply theoretical principles that guide therapeutic interventions, but offer motivation to effectively strengthen the helping process. They move the client’s distorted world view to healthy thinking and dysfunctional actions to healthy behaviors, utilizing direct and indirect approaches. They help clients challenge themselves to develop new perspectives and make connections that may be missing, while changing their internal and external behaviors. Counselors must adhere to the code of ethics and standards associated with their respective certifications and licenses. As well, counselors must possess high physical and emotional energy to handle the array of problems that they address. Most importantly, they demonstrate accountability, sensitivity and awareness of cultural implications. Ethically speaking, psychologists study mental processes and human behavior by observing, interpreting, and recording how people and other animals relate to one another and the environment. To do this, psychologists often look for patterns that will help them understand and predict behavior using scientific methods, principles, or procedures to test their ideas. Through such research studies, psychologists have learned much that can help increase understanding between individuals, groups, organizations, institutions, nations, and cultures. Psychologists formulate theories, or hypotheses, which are possible explanations for what they observe. But unlike other social science disciplines, psychologists often concentrate on individual behavior and, specifically, in the beliefs and feelings that influence a person’s actions. Principles of human rights and social justice are fundamental to social work. Similar to the counseling profession, social workers address the prevalence of inequity, discrimination, violations of human rights, and other forms of social injustice compromising and adversely affecting the well-being of society. However, social workers establish linkages between people and societal resources to further social functioning and enhance the quality of life in an ever-changing society, develop cooperative networks within the institutional resource system, and encourage an information exchange in those institutional systems in which both problems and resources opportunities are produced. Equally, social workers support a proactive position in regard to social and economic policy development, to prevent problems for individuals and society from occurring. My personal qualities make a difference in my ability to work effectively with others. Among these essential personal qualities are genuineness, responsibility, honesty, openness, humility, concern, and optimism. During my overall academic attainment, I was effectively engaged as a reflective practitioner, dedicating my life to serving children and diverse families with a strong focus on family dynamics, social interactions affecting the unity of families, and the welfare of the community. I believe these qualities are indispensable for establishing rapport and building relationships with colleagues and clients, while enhancing my competence as a professional school counselor. In preparation to becoming a culturally, competent school counselor, I am developing an awareness of cultural sensitivity, with the understanding of worldviews of culturally diverse groups, development of culturally appropriate intervention strategies, personal responsibility, accountability, resourcefulness, subject area expertise, and a continuation of professionalism. I am positive that I will provide a professional and structured process intended to meet an individual’s counseling needs. I aim to effectively intervene systemically and personally on behalf of students. From a novice school counselor viewpoint, in the future, I believe that my dedication to the profession, perseverance through difficult tasks, and diligence in my work will be three key indicators of my success in the counseling profession. Above all, I have a vision based on the ideal of deep appreciation and desire to be a part of a field that develops young people into productive citizens of the community with the knowledge, attitudes, and skills essential to succeed as life-long learners in a global environment. One child’s life messed up by lack of direction early in life, is one too many in the eyes of a prospective counselor in me, Ms. Angelle M. Hobbs.

Gambling in guyana is a benefit to the society Essay

I support the argument that gambling in Guyana is a benefit to the society. When I say gambling, I refer to legal gambling. I acknowledge that gambling can become an addictive activity on a personal basis and can lead one to bankruptcy. At the same time I believe that Guyanese should be given the freedom of choice to determine how they spend their money and what decisions are best for them. Some argue that gambling is bad for our society since it makes one addicted to it as with drugs. I totally disagree since unlike drugs, gambling is not physically but is physiologically addictive. The Guyana lottery, established in 1997, is deemed a legal form of gambling by the laws of Guyana. The lottery involves playing various games of chance with the hope of earning fast tax free cash. In an interview with Tracey Lewis, the lottery company’s general manager, she stated that the company provides direct employment for 34 persons and business opportunities for approximately 80 retail agents. She also stated that the company has earned over $4. 5 billion in revenue for our country to date. From the facts given, can one really argue that a company that has done so much and is continuing to do much more is not beneficial for Guyana? I highly doubt that since this company has made it possible for many Guyanese to be employed and also has donated significantly to our already struggling economy. The Gambling Prevention Law which was amended in 2007 legalized the establishment of casinos locally. The Casino provides a means of employment to many Guyanese and also is a source of revenue since the Casino owners are compelled to pay tax. The Casino Act states that the only people who can gamble at the casino are international tourists and locals who are guests at the hotel. One may argue that gambling in casinos will make more Guyanese bankrupt. This can easily be refuted since the legislation only permit locals staying at the hotels to access the facility. In an interview with a receptionist at the Princess Hotel in Guyana, she claimed that about 99% of the guests at the hotel were foreigners. This clearly shows that it is highly unlikely that locals will become bankrupt from gambling at the casino since they are not usually guests there. The legislation permits only gambling in newly built hotels with a minimum of 250 rooms. Thus, this opened the doors for foreign investors to invest in new hotels here which will in turn create employment opportunities. How can providing employment, tourism and revenue via a legal means be considered harmful to Guyana? In conclusion, legal gambling is greatly needed in a country like Guyana which is considered a third world country. According to www. cia. gov, Guyana has a debt of USD$1. 234 billion. Thus, legal gambling is a source of earning foreign currency which in turn can assist in settling our debts and developing our country. These are a few reasons why I support the argument that gambling in Guyana is a benefit to our society.

Quakers' Contribution in Anti-Slavery Movement Research Paper

Quakers' Contribution in Anti-Slavery Movement - Research Paper Example All thirteen of the colonies permitted slavery and did not allow slaves the basic freedoms outlined in the Declaration of Independence. Slaves in America had no freedom and were subject to the whims and demands of their masters. The Louisiana code stated that "A slave could not make contracts, own property, or form legal partnerships on his or her own" (Oakes xiv). Family relationships among slaves were not honored and as a result, there were no requirements that slave owners keep families intact. In fact, many times, children were taken from mothers and sold as soon as they were strong enough to work themselves. Husbands and fathers were sold without regard to the feelings of wives or children. The people who were most against slavery were those who were involved in organized religion. Quakers believed in ending slavery one slaveholder at a time. They sent letters, wrote to newspapers, authored pamphlets and almanacs, using any form of publication they could to decry the institution of slavery and encourage slave owners to free their slaves. Quakers outlined a method through which slaveholders would "first educate slaves in reading and writing, teach them the principles of truth and righteousness, teach them a trade, and then set them free" (Brown 6). While it cannot be argued that the Quakers, or Society of Friends, played a crucial role in the anti-slavery movement, in all likelihood the movement would have gone on and would have been successful without their influence. There were many people in antebellum America who were willing to make great personal sacrifices to see that there was eventual freedom for all Americans. These people spanned the races, religions and cultures of the time and were dedicated to the idea of freedom for all. Body The Quakers brought up the inappropriateness of slavery in the 1600s, thus bringing the issue to the forefront of many political and social debates. They began work against slavery and did not stop their work until the e nd of slavery in America. One distinct advantage that the Quakers had in their anti-slavery work was that they had an already established network of people willing to assist runaway slaves and those who had already been freed. Friends could meet in large, public groups to make plans regarding their abolitionist activities without fear of raising suspicion because that is what they had been doing prior to their involvement in the Underground Railroad and other abolitionist activities. Additionally, the Quakers involved in anti-slavery activities knew that they could trust their fellow Friends with their lives, which is what was at stake when they assisted runaway slaves to freedom. Before slaves began to receive help from Quakers, or anyone else, in their resistance movement, they had devised many ways to confront slavery. They discovered that violence was rarely a very successful method of resistance, as the slaveholders responded immediately and intensely. Instead, they used more s ubtle methods of resistance such as "work slowdowns, feigning illness, breaking tools, and sabotaging equipment under the guise of clumsiness" (Horton and Horton 120). Slaves also used song to fight slavery. These songs told stories of escape, sent encoded messages, set the pace for work and placated slave owners by giving the appearance of passivity and contentment. Running away was another form of

Unionization in South Korea and Feminization of Labor in Indonesia Essay

Unionization in South Korea and Feminization of Labor in Indonesia During the Process of Capitalist Development - Essay Example This essay stresses that caraway argues the export oriented industrialization in Indonesia resulted in the feminization of labor in the country with female employees being used in labor intensive industries. Capitalist development in Indonesia resulted in the production of industries whose aim was to reduce costs of production while maintaining higher profit margins. Caraway perceives feminization of labor in Indonesia as being the result of popular perception that female employees were â€Å"patient, disciplined, and diligent†. This paper makes a conclusion that the class struggles due to buildup of tension between workers and the owners of factors of production are evident in the situation happening in South Korea. The continued frustration of workers through measure that limit their participation in negotiation for improved working conditions has historically been a ground for tension between the workers and corporations which are supported by the government. Just as Marx envisioned, the exploitation of workers provides a ground for revolution to remove the ruling class that supports exploitation of workers by the corporation. The KCTU in South Korea has been able to challenge the dominance of state favored FKTU over the years. Coming from a period when independent labor union had been banned, KCTU has achieved a lot in the country’s labor relations as it has gain the legal status to represents it members.

Starbucks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Starbucks - Essay Example The company sources approximately 50% of its beans from South America, 35% from the Pacific Rim, and 15% from East Africa. The company chooses its location very carefully in order to ensure the maximum customer traffic possible. The firm enjoys a tremendous competitive advantage in terms of reach due to the fact that the firm has 16,635 franchises worldwide. The real estate strategy focuses on flexibility which allows the firm’s retail stores to fit in any type of area including corners, trapezoids, or triangles. The firm has built a tremendous corporate culture by empowering its employees. The employees of the company are referred to as baristas. The firm promotes diversity among its staff. â€Å"As partners, we embrace diversity to create a place each of us can be ourselves† (Starbucks). The corporation realizes that its employees are a critical success factor that enables the firm to offer its customer a unique experience. Some of the guiding principles of the compan y’s culture include providing a great work environment, applying the highest standard of excellence, satisfying the customer, and recognizing profitability is essential to the future success of the business. Starbucks has a tremendous variety of delicious coffees and hot drinks. The baristas have the freedom to customize the customer drinks to comply with the needs.

Strategic Management Accounting - Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Strategic Management Accounting - - Assignment Example The company has been able to maintain a competitive edge through increased innovative, good corporate image and technological advancement. In this organization, decision making can be characterized as participatory where all the management is employed in decision making process. The second problem is presence of management teams that does not have long-range plans, also the management team is not dynamic, i. e., the majority of the management impedes change in the organization. In order to determine whether to replace the existing machine with the new mechanism, we need to calculate the Net Present value relative to the old machine. In order to achieve this objective we will follow the following steps: The decision criteria of the company are to select projects that have their payback period as five years and below. In the case of AL II, the payback period is 9.05 years, therefore, the replacement process should not be undertaken. My advice is to reject the project since the IRR is below the company cost capital. In addition to this, internal rate of return is one of the best criteria as it is considered to be a measure of marginal efficiency of the capital invested. There is need to analyze the firm financial capacity toward financing the replacement proposal. If it is not financially capable in implementing the proposal, the firm should search from resources elsewhere. In this case, the firm may result in borrowing, thus, the firm should consider the cost of borrowing and covenants attached to such borrowed funds (Hoque, 2005). It is necessary to consider the level of environmental degradation occasioned by the implementation of the proposal. If the existing machines pollute the environment at higher rate, that increases chances of the company facing legal suits emanating from environment pollution, the company might consider undertaking the proposal. Another strategic factor that needs to be

CVA Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

CVA - Coursework Example Changes to documents in version: report of blurred vision, depth insight (Duncan et.al, 1983). Through evaluation of the higher functions such as: Speech if the patient is alert; Position with head slightly elevated and in the neutral position; Sustaining of the bed rest; by providing quiet and calm environment; also restricting visitors and their activities. Intervention of cluster nursing and providing rest period activities in between care activities as well as limiting the duration of the procedure. Inhibit strain at stool, holding breath, administering supplemental oxygen as specified (Burney et.al, 1996). The following reasons may affect the patients readiness or ability to learn: Assessing if the patient is encountering some problems in accepting their conditions. The patient may feel overwhelmed, angry, or depressed (Duncan et.al, 1983). An appropriate referral for a patient with cerebrovascular accident may entail several things. A patient may be referred to a ‘syncope’ clinic over a six-month period where he will be prospectively studied. Initial assessment may integrate ambulatory electrocardiography, carotid sinus massage prior to and following atropine and prolonged head-up tilt (Burney et.al, 1996). The coping skills that a nurse should use in assisting the patient that challenges a younger person consider include: Theoretical basis; Coping area assessed and, Psychometric properties of coping procedures used in studies assessing patients with stroke (Duncan et.al, 1983). Burney, T. L., Senapti, M., Desai, S., Choudhary, S. T., & Badlani, G. H. (1996). Acute cerebrovascular accident and lower urinary tract dysfunction: a prospective correlation of the site of brain injury with urodynamic findings. The Journal of urology, 156(5),

Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Economics - Essay Example Economists Brad DeLong and Stephen Cohen have expressed in their book, The End of Influence that as other nations are rapidly gaining economic power, people will soon experience a major change in life style. People have conventionally tried to associate themselves with America in terms of culture and life style because Americans, being rich, have been idealized. In the recent years, the free-market capitalism has put American economical stability into crisis and has transferred the power to the economy of emerging nations as India, China and Latin America. This transfer of economical power will soon put an end to the long sustained dominance of American ideology, culture and fashion over other nations. This will essentially be an end of â€Å"the neoliberal dream†. It is being realized that in early 2000s, policymakers in America unnecessarily became too satisfied with the trends of economical power and stability whereas the actual situation required them to think otherwise. S ome economists are of the view that banks should look forward to an inflation target of 4 % instead of the targeted 2 % so that they can manipulate things as required. Blanchard suggests that raising the inflation now would ease the monetary policy during financial crisis, and the fiscal positions would thus be saved considerably.

Values of Life Essay Example for Free

Values of Life Essay There are many values in life. To me a value is something that you enjoy, and appreciate around you. You also have a passion for the person, place or thing that you value. You have to be willing to fight for your values. There are many values in life but the two that are most important to me is wrestling and my Family. Wrestling has played a big tremendous role throughout my lifespan Family is the most important value because they will always be there for you no matter what. Wrestling is a significant value to me because it has played a crucial part in my life. It made me who I am today. Wrestling is different than most sports. It’s not just any sport you play its more like a lifestyle. You have to make sacrifices if you want to be successful at the sport. You have to give up allot of your everyday life routines. That consists of no parties, no junk food, no staying up late etc. When you give up things like this that is a value in itself. This value takes me places I never thought I could be going; from traveling all around the world to being here now at NDC. Some people would not consider a sport as an important value. Not for me I say if you are willing/have shed blood sweat and tears for that person place or thing, then that’s a value there. Family is the most appreciated value that I have. I love my family with all of my heart. I value them and they value me. There are so many values that come with family that you will always be able to share. You’re always with someone apart of your family from mom and dad to cousins. You will experience good and bad times with each and every one of them. They will teach you who you are not by choice, but because they are a part of you. They have characteristics the same as you. They are your blood. They help you with daily life problems, they taught you right from wrong, they have molded you the guide you, if all this is not a value I don’t know what it is. Your values will make you who you are. They make up the character in you. Without values I’m not sure where I would be right now, I would not be the same person that I am today. These two values Wrestling and Family have taught me hard work, determination, and business. For all of those I am very grateful, a glad that I had these though out my life My personal opinion if you don’t have values in life you really have nothing to live for, nothing to protect, nothing to drive you when times get hard, nothing to look forward to, not anything. People will judge you based off your important values. Wrestling is an important value to me because I’ve shed blood, sweat, and tears for the sport. My family is my number one value in my life because they’ve made be who I am today.

Monopolistic vs Oligopolistic Essay Example for Free

Monopolistic vs Oligopolistic Essay Monopolistic and Oligopolistic are pretty much the same except for the size of the manufacturing companies. In simple terms, a monopoly is where there is a single seller in the marketing industry and an oligopoly is where there is small group of sellers in the same field in marketing industries. When it comes to a monopolistic competition, this is where a market structure has a large number of sellers, each of which is relatively small and posse a very small market share. An oligopoly market is where there are fewer large producers who are present in the industry world and account for most of the output in the industry, there are many small firms but these few large firms dominate and have concentrated market shares. Oligopoly also has more barriers to entry than a monopolistic. I would say that Comcast the cable company is a Monopolistic competition in the market right now. The reason I say this, is because there is not much options for entertainment when it comes to cable. Comcast has made their name around the country, providing what other companies are not. Making them a monopoly amounts other companies. I would consider breakfast cereal companies an oligopoly because there are four breakfast cereal manufactures that I know of, Kellogg, Post, Quaker and General Mills. Because there are only four companies competing to make breakfast cereal, they are called an oligopoly. Whereas, only one company competing to provide cable TV to the customers, they are called monopoly.

The Rise Of Facebook In Vietnam Media Essay

The Rise Of Facebook In Vietnam Media Essay Reading Public Relations at university, I am always fascinated by the art of communicating with and persuading people. Being a heavy user of Facebook, I am amazed how the social network since its birth has brought about so many changes to the ways people share and communicate. This research paper is my attempt to investigate the marketing communications role of Facebook in my home country, Vietnam. A survey targeting at 100 Vietnamese internet users and interviews with two industry experts were conducted and analysed. I was able to sit in the positions of both users and marketers to view the issue. Findings showed that Facebook marketing communications in Vietnam is currently at its young age however has had a very interesting journey of development. The young internet community and marketing practitioners in Vietnam love Facebook. Nevertheless, that is not enough to secure future success; the social network has to do much more in order to increase its digital influence in a highly competitive market. Chapter 1: Introduction Overview There have been a number of studies on effects of social media on marketing communications, a few of which have a specific investigation on the social network giant Facebook. However, most of those only focus on cases in the West where the emergence of social media first happened and most of the marketing trends originate. I am thus keen on doing a research on how social networks and Facebook specifically have found its ways and been used as a marketing communications tool in the other side of the world. Vietnam is one of the fastest growing internet populations worldwide with around 30 million users, making up a third of the total population. The Facebook block issue which caused difficulties logging in the site starting since late 2009 has not made this social network less attractive in Vietnamese users perspectives. Facebook marketing and communications in Vietnam moreover enjoys a boom when agencies have increasingly appreciated the power of the site in influencing audiences. This research paper attempts to study the nature of this development and its roles to marketing communications in the eyes of both users and marketers. Objective The aim of this study is to investigate the current performance and future potential of Facebook as a marketing communications tool in Vietnam. It is hence important to determine profiles of Vietnamese Facebook users and their behaviours towards the social network. Opinions of industry experts on how effective Facebook is and will be to approach and persuade audiences are also essential. Key areas of investigation include: What is the current place of Facebook in the Vietnam social web market? What is happening to Facebook in Vietnam? Is this really blocked? Who use Facebook most in Vietnam? How do they interact with the site? What are their concerns when using Facebook? How reliable Facebook content is compared to other media platforms? How effective is Facebook in terms of marketing communications in Vietnam? What is the future of Facebook marketing in the country? The study is in general to provide an insight of Facebooks performance in Vietnam, focusing on its marketing roles. It specifically aimed to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the social network as a growing marketing communications tool in this emerging economy. 1.3 Background The internet in Vietnam has had a fascinating journey of development, in opinion of Thomas Crampton, Asia-Pacific Director of Ogilvy 360Â ° Digital Influence. He believes that the rapid growth of the internet in Vietnam receives support of three main factors including a developing nation, young population and the Government (Vietnam News, 2010). In terms of statistics, a research in 2010 by TNS, one of the worlds biggest market research groups, showed that 45% of Vietnamese are highly engaged in digital activities. The countrys figure is ranked fifth in Asia-Pacific area and slightly higher than the United Kingdom (43%) and the United States (42%). According to the same source of statistics, Vietnam is known as one of the youngest internet populations worldwide with the average age of 27. Another significant feature of the internet in Vietnam is its growing mobility. Again, statistics proved it best when showing that Mobile internet in Vietnam saw a growth of more than 800 per cent last year, reaching a total of 110 million mobile subscribers in early 2010 (Vietnam News, 2010). All of these somehow draw an overall picture of Vietnams internet environment with a young, mobile-going and highly-digital community. Social Media in Vietnam Like the development of the internet, Vietnam social media has witnessed dramatic growth since its first day in the country. Social network usage increased significantly from 4% in 2009 to 64% in 2010 (Crampton, 2010). Social networking was ranked as the most important digital activity by 25% of Vietnamese internet users, just behind Emailing which was ranked first by 27% of the research participants (TNS, 2011). The social web market in Vietnam marked its first turning point in 2005 with the launch of Yahoo!360, a blogging tool which allows users to compose their writings, customise screens and socialise with friends. Before the emergence of Yahoo!360, the social web environment in Vietnam relied on a few dominant platforms. Yahoo dominated the instant messaging and emailing sectors while its searching function was relatively popular together with Google. Community pages varied when users tended to participate in their online local community such as school forums rather than a particular national-scale page. A similar situation happened to video/music-sharing sites when several providers shared the popularity. After Yahoo!360 came, it ruled the social media world in the country, possibly with the support of Yahoos early dominance in Vietnam internet services. Millions of Vietnamese enjoyed writing about their daily lives and gossiping celebrity news. They gradually created a mass online comm unity and a unique blogging style called Yahoo!360. It was not a tool specifically designed for Vietnam market, but the market took it anyway, with great passion and enthusiasm. (Nguyen, Ogilvy 360Â ° Digital Influence, 2010) Only people from Mars dont know about Yahoo, said Hoang An, 21, one of countless fans of the portal, which has one of the countrys most potent brands. (Russell, Asian Correspondent, 2010). The next turning point happening to the Vietnam social web community was in 2009. Yahoo!360 dominated social media in Vietnam however did not work well in other countries. The blogging tool failed to serve global customers, forcing Yahoo! global to close the service. The firm gave warnings about the closure several times since early 2009; however Yahoo Vietnam has seen a mix of trying to maintain the operation and investment versus tempting to close it down (Nguyen, 2010). The reason was as clear as the brand has achieved such a significant success in the country. Yahoo!360 users or in this case a majority of the Vietnam web community were strongly against this decision. Nevertheless, their efforts could not help prevent the closure of the site in 2010. Yahoo! Vietnam not long after that launched a local blogging service targeted specifically at Vietnam market called Yahoo!360 Plus. However, the replacement has not achieved such extreme success like its original version did. Since th en, the market has witnessed the emergence of a number of social media, both domestic and international brands. Facebook in Vietnam The number of Facebook Vietnamese users has reached more than 1.5 million in early 2011 (Social Bakers, 2011). The figure in 2009 was around 40,000 and impressively doubled in 2010. Facebook estimated a number of 1.9 million Vietnamese users in 2011. The social network has a Vietnamese-language version along with its English site; users thus have a choice of the language they want for their own pages. However, language has never been a problem preventing the popularity of social media in general and Facebook especially in Vietnam. English was the only language used in many social media tools; however, what really matters is that users can always propose their own content in Vietnamese or any other languages. Facebook is furthermore an international social network thus designed to reach international users. Chapter 2: Literature Review When researching the performance of Facebook as a marketing communications tool in Vietnam, I came across a number of concepts and facts which help build a better understanding of the topic. In this chapter, I will then explore these concepts and their relations to the study of marketing communications on Facebook Vietnam. They include the growing roles of social media in general and Facebook especially to marketing communications, the place of Facebook in comparison to its competitors and the internet censorship issue in the country. 2.1 Marketing Communications to Social Media and Facebook There are a variety of definitions of the term social media. Social media guru Larry Weber in his book Marketing to the Social Web suggested that The social web is an online place where people with common interest can gather to share thoughts, comments, and opinions. It includes social networks such as MySpace, Gather, and Facebook [] and branded web destinations like Amazon, Netflix and eBay. In summary, it is a new world of unpaid media created by individuals or enterprises on the web. (Weber, 2009: 4) Looking at another source, Brian Solis and Deirdre Breakenridge (2009: xvii) defined social media as the democratisation of content and the shift in the role people play in the process of reading and disseminating information. In general, definitions slightly vary but all feature social media as new media platforms whose content is created on the web and by internet users. The term marketing communications meanwhile is widely agreed to consists of the promotional activities pursued by the firm and includes personal selling, mass selling, (comprising advertising and publicity), public relations and sales promotions (Monye, 2000: 11). It is the process of interacting with audiences or customers in a way that promotes a favourable brand image and helps build goodwill. Putting social media and marketing communications together, it then results in the concept of a new communications tool which is based on strengths of social web. Zarrella in The Social Media Marketing Book believes that the best way to define the term is to compare it with marketing on traditional media (including television, newspapers, radio and magazines). The author describes these traditional media as one-way static broadcast technologies while social media with new web technologies have made it easy for anyone to create and, most importantly to distribute their own content (Zarrella, 2010: 2-3). Marketing on the social web hence does not require huge sums of money to embed their messages but can make their own interesting content that viewers will flock to (Zarrella, 2010: 3). Supporting the idea of this growing power, Larry Weber believes that the social web has transmitted the way we do marketing: Rather talking at customers, marketers should talk with them. And the social web is the most effective way in the history of the world to do just that on a large scale. (Weber, 2009: 4) Among a number of different social media platforms, social network giant Facebook indeed makes up to the word giant. The review will focus on the marketing communications role of Facebook, which also seems to be one of the sites most significant social influences. The Facebook Marketing Book has a comprehensive summary of various marketing tactics Facebook. According to this, key strengths that make Facebook an effective marketing communications tool lie at its larger audience than old media and huge amount of personal information which has been volunteered by users to give the site then therefore advertisers (Zarrella, 2011: 3). From big brands to small businesses, anyone is able to use Facebook adverts, applications, and pages to communicate directly with audiences and leverage their brand image. It is suggested that the diversity of Facebook applications, from messaging and photo sharing to gaming, is beneficial to not only users but also marketers. Marketing people now have more platforms to engage with customers and carry out new effective strategies. For example, a Facebook Profile could make huge contribution as it represents how people share things with their large and very connected group of social connections. 500 million profiles on Facebook hence become precious sources of data for marketers to get use of: In fact, this is Facebooks biggest selling point: the site actively encourages users to fill their Profile with the type of information marketers are always trying to find all for free. (Zarrella, 2010: 33) Facebook Pages, Groups and Events are also believed to be the key to most social media strategies and will more than likely be the central point for most of marketers efforts and promotions. The popularity and importance of creating and monitoring Facebook page was emphasised as users nowadays look at the site much the way we look at the internet 10 years ago and are confused when they cannot find their favourite store or celebrity (Zarrella, 2010: 65). In terms of statistics, each of 500 million users on Facebook is connected to 60 Pages, Groups and Events on average. Overall, Facebook is considered as a highly competitive and fast-moving channel but amazingly cost effective, which if used properly can be an extension of your brand, helping you present the same personality, tone and visual faces as you would in any other materials (Zarrella, 2011: 7). 2.2 Marketing Communications on Vietnam Social Media The phenomenon of Yahoo!360 blog in Vietnam resulted in the emergence of influencers who are called hot bloggers in Vietnam. Their blogs attracted several millions of page views at the time and many of them are journalists. The social media expert in her article described these hot bloggers as whom PR departments in various agencies incorporated into clients marketing communications and PR activities (Nguyen, 2010). In general, it could be said that from the very early day when social media marked its appearance in Vietnam, PR and marketing have already been strongly involved in and taken advantage of the social web. The social web environment in Vietnam after the age of Yahoo!360 has seen a rapid and diverse development, when a number of both local and international companies have joined the market. None of them seem to have made a phenomenon like what Yahoo!360 did; however more social media platforms are getting popular. Among those, social networks have especially marked a significant growth in the country: Those who like local social networks became members of Yume, ZingMe, Tamtay, i-pro, Henantrua, Vietspace, etc., while others who like foreign networks joined Multiply, WordPress, Yahoo Plus, Twitter, etc. However, none rules the market (Vietnamnet, 2010). The top influential social media sites in Vietnam was recently summarised in the below chart by the Ogilvy 360Â ° Digital Influence team. Figure 3.1: The landscape of Vietnam Social Media 2010 (Ogilvy, 2010) According to the research above by Ogilvy, social media tools listed in the smaller circle are evaluated as being more influential than those in the larger circle of the same sector. Vietnam overall is considered as a fast-growing country in terms of social web development. There are both local and international names operating in different sectors, ranging from blogging, social networking and music sharing to QA and online trading. In the sector of social networking specifically, Facebook is put behind three local sites in terms of digital influence. In other words, it is competing with local providers to be the top choice of online marketing communications tools. 2.3 Facebook Block Story Facebook is currently not the biggest social network in the country but growing fast in both number of users and influence on audiences. Its growing power has been proved after the blocking. The story started in late 2009 when it was getting difficult accessing Facebook in Vietnam, leading to a worry that the government would ban the social network. There were reasons for such claim because Earlier this year, Vietnams government tightened restrictions on blogging, banning political discussion and restricting postings to personal matters. Police have arrested several bloggers for writing about politically sensitive subjects (Russell, Asian Correspondent, 2009). The government and state-controlled internet providers did not respond to a request for comment. Private internet companies meanwhile blame the spotty access on technical issues, without offering an estimate for when the problems will be resolved (Ngo, CNET News, 2009). Facebook seemed to face its end in Vietnam at the time when local media started spreading the rumour that the site is going out of service and following the pathway of Yahoo!360: The Thanh Nien, one of the most popular newspapers in Vietnam, ran an article with the headline Facebook in grave illness. It hinted that this is similar to the process of what happened to the now defunct Yahoo360, suggesting maybe its time to look to other social Web sites. (Ngo, CNET News, 2009) The situation remained sophisticated since there has been no official statement regarding the problem logging in Facebook in Vietnam. The only obvious fact was that Vietnamese users could not access Facebook in their usual way. However, not the investigation of whether the government blocked Facebook and why they did so, state of the site after that is more the concern of my study. In relation to this, Global Voices had a comprehensive and interesting review of the whole issue: When Vietnam blocked Facebook, everyone was talking about a smaller China. One year after the governments endeavour, Facebook Vietnam tells another story. Not only does Vietnam remain on the list of 10 countries with the fastest growth of Facebook users. (Chip, Global Voices, 2011) The author explained a simple reason for the above fact: Because they can. If users in China have to pay for a VPN and go through a painful process to gain access to Facebook and other blocked websites, people in Vietnam just need to change their DNS settings and enjoy a full Internet experience for free. Information gathered from other sources showed an exactly same situation when Vietnamese users found and spread ways to access Facebook as if there had never been a problem logging in the site before. Some tech-savvy Facebook fans have found ways around access problems by readjusting their web browsers to a different configuration. They have been sharing instructions for doing so online. (Russell, Asian Correspondent, 2009) Trung, a 15-year-old high school student, taught me how to change the DNS: I figured it out myself, Trung said proudly, I just Googled it. Indeed, after a few Google searches, I found plenty of simple ways to bypass the ISPs DNS settings. (Ngo, CNET News, 2009) The commentator from CNET concluded: Blocked web sites are new to Vietnam. However, this seems to be the first time people are out in big numbers looking for ways to bypass. This shows the popularity of Facebook and the desire of young Vietnamese to reach out and stay connected with the rest of the world. 2.4 Facebook Vietnam to Marketing Communications Facebook which had been doing relatively well in Vietnam, after the block seemed to catch even more attention. Its popularity immediately convinced marketers and PR people to take the site as a growing powerful marketing communications tool. ZingMe, which is the biggest social network in Vietnam and once considered as more influential by the Ogilvy team, now seems to lag behind Facebook, in the opinion of an industry expert: We have tried some campaigns on ZingMe, but the results werent very good. Most of Zing Me users are under 15, and many of them log in ZingMe just to play Nong Trai (a game similar to Facebook Farmville). There are not many activities outside games. Facebook is still the most effective despite its being blocked, both in term of interaction and conversion rate. (Chip, Global Voices, 2011) Fan page which can be created by anyone on Facebook and allows users to become members of a group supporting a particular brand or person has increased significantly in terms of number and popularity. It proves the growing power of Facebook as an online marketing communications tool in the country: The largest fan page in Vietnam currently has 484,000 likes. For a market of 1.7 million users (and growing), the number means that this page has reached to almost 30 percent of Vietnamese Facebook users. Imagine this ratio worldwide, we would have a fan page with 100 millions likes. (Chip, Global Voices, 2011) The article on Global Voices emphasised another factor showing the rise of Facebook marketing in Vietnam which is the shift of hot bloggers from Yahoo!360 to the social network. Gao, real name as Vu Phuong Thanh, who was once a Vietnamese hot blogger on Yahoo!360 is now arguably the most popular Vietnamese on Facebook with more than 90,000 likes on her page. She is also working as the PR Manager for a new boy band in Vietnam. Regarding her media plan for the launch of the band, she shared that Social media, Facebook and YouTube, accounts for 60% of their marketing plan. Facebook is where people get to know about 365. She doesnt want to use ZingMe or other Vietnamese websites. The fan page of the band on Facebook had more than 7,000 members after three weeks. It could be said that the blocking issue has not had significant impacts on the users side since they are still able to access Facebook. The block of Facebook even somehow helped raise public awareness and promote the popularity of the site in Vietnam. Agencies have recognised the growing power of Facebook in marketing communications hence taken actions to develop this new effective tool. The current situation generally looks promising to Facebook Vietnam, yet requires further actions and support: 100% our customers are international brands. Social media is still new here, local companies dont allocate budget for it. But I think from next year there will be more Vietnamese companies interested in social media. Advertising agencies now understand the efficiency of social media, and they are the ones who advice and allocate budget for brands. said Vo Thanh Cuong, CEO of Click Media, an agency specialised in digital marketing and communications. (Chip, Global Voices, 2011) From the other party which is Facebook itself, the social network has also taken this as a serious issue that needs to be considered and dealt with thoroughly: Last October, Facebook put up a message on its career page that they are looking for someone that has experience in government relations work and navigating government agencies along with an extensive network of contacts in the government and the technology space. The recent visit of Javier Olivan, Head of International Growth of Facebook, to Vietnam suggested that Vietnam will be soon taken care of. They should- said Cuong Vietnam is not a small market at all. With a population of 90 million and Internet penetration rate of 27.5%, Vietnam is definitely not small. (Chip, Global Voices, 2011) Summary The statistics and information gathered above all in all shows an overall picture of the emergence and development of Facebook in Vietnam. A review of its marketing communications roles has also been covered through brief analysis and case studies. In summary, social media generally and Facebook especially are emerging powerful marketing communications tools. In Vietnam, social media has its own ways of developing and approaching users as well as an increasing power to marketing communications. The use of Facebook marketing is at its early stage but growing rapidly with positive figures and comments from both users and marketers. The censorship issue seems to remain sophisticated but not affect the growth of Facebook in the country in a short run. Meanwhile, government relations and further support from different parties is the key to a more sustainable development of the social network in Vietnam. The literature review however has shown a one-sided positive picture of Facebook marketing and communications in general. In order to investigate the issue thoroughly, further research and analysis on both advantages and difficulties of Facebook marketing in Vietnam is required. Chapter 3: Methodology In order to study the marketing communications roles of Facebook in Vietnam, I believe that a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods will be more helpful than using a single type. I decided to carry out a survey targeting at a variety of Vietnamese internet users and intensive interviews with local communications experts. The survey is expected to provide numbers and facts regarding Facebook usage from the audience side while the interviews aimed to bring an insight of its marketing roles and future development in the opinion of local industry professionals. Survey I conducted a survey which aimed to approach 80-100 Vietnamese internet users. As survey could be used to not only describe things but also explain them, data gathered from survey is expected to provide public behaviour, population characteristics and also measurements of variables between which relationships can be analysed (Gunter, 2000: 24). In this case, the purpose of doing survey is to find out who are using Facebook most in Vietnam, how they are interacting with the social network, and how reliable the content is to them. At the same time, it is expected to make comparisons of characteristics between different groups such as Vietnamese living in Vietnam and abroad, different genders and ages. Designing, delivering and managing a survey was said by Barrie Gunter as not just asking a group of people a few questions. It requires much planning and a high level of skill in its administration to ensure that valid and usable data are obtained (Gunter, 2000: 23). Firstly, questions were constructed using different types depending on the purpose and nature of research. For example, multiple-choice was used when specific information is needed and could be easily made while opinion-based questions required a rating function. Questions were put in logical order, from general to specific and all easy to understand. Furthermore, the survey length was also taken into consideration; the number of ten is believed to be reasonable enough as it takes participants less than five minutes to finish. Furthermore, diverse angles of the research topic Facebook usage in Vietnam were included, from time length, frequency, and means of access to content contribution and opinions on content reliability. Due to the fact that targeted respondents live in different parts of the world and all use the internet, I chose an online survey tool to carry out my quantitative research. Participants who were my circle of friends, relatives and colleagues could start the survey whenever they wanted by clicking the link sent via email, Facebook message or Yahoo Messenger. The reason for using different delivery channels is to ensure that the research will approach both Facebook and non-Facebook users. This includes respondents who use other social networks rather than Facebook and who do not use social network at all. This is in attempt to minimise bias and make comparisons more accurately. I chose my circle of friends and relatives on the internet as my sample because higher rates of responses and honesty could be expected using personal relations. They also represent a random thus typical group of internet users fulfilling requirements of including different age groups living both in Vietnam and abroad. In terms of survey layout, the online survey provider was selected instead of sending an attached file via email to ensure professionalism and maximise the response rates. I also added an introduction which is short, realistically worded, non-threatening, serious, neutral and pleasant but firm because one way to increase the response rate in any survey is to prepare a persuasive introduction (Wimmer Dominick, 2000: 171). Receivers who fulfil the sampling characteristics and know the sender as well as purpose of this survey are believed to be likely to contribute. Finally, as a function provided by the tool, data was gathered in an easy-to-use format and valuable for comparisons and analysis. Reponses are available to be viewed individually and in group so that it is possible to compare respondents who belong to different age, gender and location groups. The survey link was available for one month during which reminders and following-up were regularly carried out in order to achieve the targeted response rate. Intensive Interviews If the research survey aimed to seek an overview of Vietnamese Facebook users profiles based on quantitative data, the interviews are expected to provide an in-depth evaluation on Facebook marketing in Vietnam. Evaluation on the effectiveness of something is believed to be best undertaken by people who create it. In this case, they are communications and digital marketing professionals whose work is to create efficient marketing tactics on social media. (See Appendix 2 3) Some expert comments on the issue have already been mentioned in the review of literature (Chapter 3), most of which however are relatively general. The intensive interviews were therefore designed and conducted in a way so as to provide specific, detailed and valuable opinions for further analysis. Since the objective is to obtain opinion-based responses, observational methods are not appropriate and intensive interview seems to be the only practical one. Areas of investigation include their opinions on Facebook development in Vietnam and its effectiveness as a marketing communications tool. The questions were constructed based on SWOT analysis model in attempt to evaluate strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of Facebook marketing in Vietnam. Especially, examples or real case studies are encouraged to be provided by the interviewees in order to back-up the statements. Interviews were conducted via email due to the fact that the interviewees live abroad and were too busy to schedule a long telephone interview. The lack of interaction and flexibility that this channel may result in was already taken into consideration. The interviews were therefore designed as a mini research paper which the respondent dealt with as an assignment. The positive side is that interviewees tend to take it more thoroughly with details and valuable back-up information than some thoughts that come up at the time she gives the answers face-to-face. The interviewees were given a reasonable length of time ranging from one to three weeks in order to provide the most comprehensive answers possible. Based on their responses, further questions were given to clarify an issue or develop an idea in more depth and generally increase interaction. All in all, the interviews receiv

1950-1960 Essay -- Essays Papers

1950-1960 During the 1950's, the United States experienced great change with the end of World War II, making it difficult to label the busy decade. America was the most powerful nation in the world and it was a time of complacency. The United States accepted two new states, Hawaii and Alaska (www.fifties.com). The science world boomed with new inventions; televisions broadcast nationally; rock n' roll was popular; commercial hotel and fast food chains became common; the car industry exploded; vaccinations for measles and polio were discovered; and birth control pills were introduced (Layman VII). Another event in the 1950’s was the ratification of the 21st Amendment, which limited presidents to two terms in office. The 1950's "baby boom" was also an affect from World War II. The American population increased 19% throughout the 1950's. One-third of Americans was under the age of fifteen (Layman 262). Another issue for the United States in 1950 was the Civil Rights movement. There was one court case that changed history forever. On May 17, 1954 in Topeka, Kansas, a black third grade girl, Linda Brown, was denied admission to a school that was for white children. Schools stigmatized black children, thereby denying them the equal protection guaranteed by the 14th Amendment. The court finally agreed with Linda’s father and Thurgood Marshall. The United Sates was modernizing, however, discrimination was still a large problem (www.fifties.com). If American was a growing society, it was also a society on the move. Life was progressively getting faster. Drive-in business and shopping malls were convenient. Mass culture brought material wealth to America, but many wondered at what cost. Poorer citizens were ignored, and the work et... ...ed States was once again beginning to modernize and grow. This not only affected American attitude, but it affected art and literature throughout the world. WORKS CITED Berman, David. "Pop Art: An analysis of English and American Styles." (www.st.townson.edu/~dberma2/). Candace. "Index Fifties Web". March 15, 2001 (www.fiftiesweb.com). Ginsberg, Allen. "America." The American Tradition in Literature. Vol. 2. Ed. Perkins, George and Barbara. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1999. 1795. Hughes, Langston. "Feet Live Their Own Life." The American Tradition in Literature. Ed. Perkins, George and Barbara. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1999. 1604. IDA (15) University of Dayton Annual Reports. "Annual Reports of the President 1950." Layman, Richard. American Decades: 1950-1959. Detroit: Gale, 1994. Wehrle, William O. A History of the University of Dayton. Dayton, 1962.

Our Barbies, Ourselves Summary Essay -- essays research papers

Our Barbies, Ourselves Summary In an article in Interview Magazine, Emily Prager discuses her opinions of Mattel's toy doll Barbie being designed by Jack Ryan, husband to Zsa Zsa Gabor, and designer of military missiles. The concept that a doll for young girls was designed by such a person greatly shocked Prager." Suddenly a lot of things made sense to me" says Prager. The element that Ryan designed Barbie may explain some of the key aspects of the doll itself. Although Barbie was created as a toy for girls, the sexual nature of the doll suggests it was created for the pleasure of men and envy of women. Prager compares the figure of Barbie to the kind of women who would be seen in the Playboy mansion or be a frequent guest on explicit television shows. This is the image of a mans... Our Barbies, Ourselves Summary Essay -- essays research papers Our Barbies, Ourselves Summary In an article in Interview Magazine, Emily Prager discuses her opinions of Mattel's toy doll Barbie being designed by Jack Ryan, husband to Zsa Zsa Gabor, and designer of military missiles. The concept that a doll for young girls was designed by such a person greatly shocked Prager." Suddenly a lot of things made sense to me" says Prager. The element that Ryan designed Barbie may explain some of the key aspects of the doll itself. Although Barbie was created as a toy for girls, the sexual nature of the doll suggests it was created for the pleasure of men and envy of women. Prager compares the figure of Barbie to the kind of women who would be seen in the Playboy mansion or be a frequent guest on explicit television shows. This is the image of a mans...

Kanthapura, a Cultural Study

Kanthapura as a novel of village or rural sensibility: Raja rao’s Kanthapura is a tale of atypical south Indian village in the kara area of Mysore. The novel is a saga of village life with a political bias. There is no conventional hero or heroine in it. The village of Kanthapura itself; with its presiding deity Kanchamma, with its live giving river Himavath, with its rustic topography, crops, weeds and diseases, with its characteristics, superstitions and customs is one of the main character.The people of the village with Moorthy as the Gandhi man of the village, under whose leadership the villagers of her non-violent resistance, take up the work of village uplift. In depicting Kanthapura, the novelist has presented to us a real India in microcosm. What happens in Kanthapura is what happens everywhere in India, particularly in rural India. That Kanthapura is novel of village life is evident from its topographical details. The novel opens with a graphic description of the phys ical features of Kanthapura.In the beautiful valley of the river Himavathy, the village lies curled up like a child on its mother’s lap. As the novel opens we here the grinding and rumbling of carts, indicating the busy agrarian life. The hills, valleys and rivers which form the setting of the village, are most vividly depicted. Raja Rao has an eye for the details of nature’s phenomena which he presents with vividness. It’s said of Thomas Hardy by David Cecil that he could realise the different noises made by the wind when its blows through a hollow a heather and bare stones.Raja Rao, too, is unique in his precise yet poetic depiction of the outdoor rural life. In the month of Vaisakh men of Kanthapura plough the fields. The rains come and skip over the bronze mountain, tiptoe the crags, and leaping into the valley go splashing. The coconuts and the betel nuts and cardamom plants choke with it and hiss back. And there, there it comes over the Bebbur hill and Kan thur hill and begins to paw upon the tiles, and the cattle come running home. The people pray to Kenchamma, â€Å"There, there the rains have come, Kenchamma; may our house be as white as silver†.In the Kartik festival of lights, lights glow from banana trunks and mango tweaks behind yellow leaves, greens leaves: ‘Kartik is a month of the Gods’. In scenes like this, rural life in all its concreteness gives the novel its essential rurality. The novelist describes the caste wise quarters for Brahmins, Pariahs, Porters, Weavers and Sudras. The economic distinctions between one villager and another are precisely described. Post master SuryaNarayana has a two storied house, Patwari Nanjundaa has put glass panes to the windows. Pock-marked Sidda has a real thoti house.Thus the persons who stand out among the men and women of the village are the moneyed people like Kamayya, a coffee planter and Range Gowda. Even a casual glancing through the names and nick names of the Kanthapurians is a thing of great interest. The villagers wear tell-tale nicknames. The names contribute greatly to the individualisation of the village character and places to the evocation of proper rural sensibility. The untouchable quarters, full of the stench of the hide and pickled pigs where Moorthy dare to step in for the uplift of the village people are also described.The dramatist persona in the novel includes a good number of villagers. They work as coolies on the coffee estates and are poor. The harrowing (suffering) tale of the half-naked, starving, spitting, weeping coolies is touchingly told in the coffee estate episode. The villagers are not depicted as epitomes of virtue nor are they condemned as useless creatures. They are as they usually are. Their character evokes the rural atmosphere in the novel. Their life is not complete without the perennial presence of God or Goddess. Goddess Kanchamma is installed in a temple right in its centre.A river a hill and a temple with the presiding deity complete the picture of the village. The villagers offer the Goddess their first rice and first fruit of a tree; they appease her by singing song. The Goddess is the protector, the life and the breath of the village. She gives meaning to every activity of the villager and is a witness to all affairs in the village – birth, death, marriage, funeral, sickness, ploughing and harvesting – and what not. Vows are made to her. Oaths are taken in her presence. She protects the villagers through though famine and diseases.Except Goddess Kanchamma, there are also often local Goddesses like Talassanamma and Kanthapureshwari mentioned in the novel. Even their jurisdictions are fixed. Religion has a firm hold on the villagers’ mind. The villagers observe Shankar Jayanti and listen to the recital of Harikathas and celebrate the festival of Lord Krishna and Lord Ganesha. The evocation of village life is accomplished apart from the inter relation of th eme and characters, through means like description of festivals, ceremonies, social customs, superstitions and the apt use of rustic idioms.Various ceremonies and rituals such as hair- cutting, rice-eating, wedding, consecration and the seventh month ceremony finds a place in the novel. The novel shows how the villagers cling (hold tightly) to their age-old faiths for succour and relief. Beliefs and superstitions govern the sensitive minds of the Kanthapurians. There is a scene in which the treasures of core are counted as â€Å"Three-Hm-Four-Hm –Five† and because of the superstition which forbids the mention of six, it becomes, â€Å"God’s extra†.Moorthy’s horoscope doesn’t agree with that of the daughter of Ramayya and hence the bride’s family get disheartened. The clucking of the wall-lizards indicate propitiousness, auspiciousness. On seeing a shooting star seeping across the sky, the villagers say: †Some good soul has left the earth†. When someone has been attacked by Malaria, they used to do some rituals instead of taking quinine pills believing that those rituals will eradicate the disease.Before filling the earth the â€Å"peasants throw handfuls of puffed rice in the eight directions for warding off evil and for a good harvest†. Again it’s through the use of the rustic idiom a flavour of rurality is captured. The idiom and rhythm of the regional language are sometimes reflected in their novel. There are similes, comparisons and vituperative (harsh/abusive) terms which smell of the agrarian soil and culturet. Fine and detailed agrarian imagery is seen in many descriptions throughout the novel.

Edgar Sia II biography Essay

Down south in Iloilo city, he was once an obscure, down-to-earth businessman eking out a living. He’s nicknamed â€Å"lnJap,† the combined first syllables of his parents’ ethnic origins – father is â€Å"intsik† (Chinese), while mother is Japanese, both entrepreneurs. Instead of pursuing a business degree in college as desired by his parents, Sia took a course in architecture in college, but only to drop out later. Yes, he’s a school dropout. Apparently bored by the daily routine of going to and from school, Sia tried his luck in business, a decision that proved to be the turning point of his life and career path. At 20, he tried his hand in running various businesses, ranging from family-owned hotel to the ubiquitous laundry and photo developing shops. Parking lot Like any typical Ilonggo, Sia liked to dine out. His favorite food was the fried chicken served by fastfood chains Jollibee and McDonald’s. But then, something was missing – the fried chicken looked and tasted too foreign, westernized. It didn’t suit the taste buds of typical Ilonggos or Pinoys. Wanting to be different, Sia struck the idea of a homespun food outlet serving Filipino-style street fare in a restaurant-type setting. He found an unoccupied 250 square meter spot in the parking lot of a popular mall in Iloilo city. That space became the birth place of the now popular Mang ‘nasal serving charcoal- broiled chicken with unlimited rice. It has since become a modern icon of the Ilonggo culinary culture. Parents To set his plans in motion, Sia spared no time and effort to borrow P2. 4 million as a start-up capital from his parents. Soon, Mang ‘nasal caught fire in the local food scene. It opened to business on Dec. 12, 2003. Long queues of food habitu ©s flocked to the resto, despite the ushrooming of similar establishment all over Iloilo city. With popularity of Mang ‘nasal surging not only in the city, but also in the neighboring regions, it was not surprising that many knocked on Sia’s doors applying for a franchise. But he was adamant in acceding to franchising. To Sia, it’s not unusual to witness huge crowds trying out a new resto in its first three months of operations. â€Å"After six months, you have a 50-50 chance of sustaining that crowd. If after a year, they still keep going to you, you probably have a hit,† he recalls. It was an understatement. Franchising What drew the crowds of foodies to Mang ‘nasal was its charcoal-grilled chicken served with rice wrapped in a banana leaf. It was unique in the sense that it wasnt like anything on the menus of rivals McDonald, KFC or even Jollibee. The flavor was distinctively Filipino, as was the earthy d ©cor with wooden tables, handmade paper lamps and walls painted in orange, green and yellow. So popular that Mang ‘nasal soon ate up the market share of Jollibee and McDonald’s in the fried chicken segment. From that lone nook and cranny in a mall, Mang ‘nasal soon branched out to nearby ities and provinces largely aided by Sla’s decision to allow franchisees starting in 2005. Menus and sales In March 2012, Mang ‘nasal grew to a network of 433 restaurants all over the country, chalking up gross sales of close to PIO billion since it opened to business in 2003. To date, it has about 14,200 workers and a market value of P7 Billion. Each store employs an average of 40 people. Despite the stiff competition in the grilled food business, Mang ‘nasal still blazed new trails in the fastfood market. Its secret recipe is the use local herbs and spices. Grilled chicken isn’t the only fare that Mang ‘nasal offers. In response to the fast- pork sinigang, batchoy, etc. Sensing that Mang ‘nasal was giving its competitors a run for their money, Jollibee owner Tony Tan Cak Tiong Just couldn’t bear seeing his flagship’s market dominance eroded by a new kid on the block. Jollibee Rather than resort to the futility of beating Mang ‘nasal in the fastfood business, Jollibee instead took Sia’s company into its fold. Tan Cak Tiong shelled out a hefty Php2. 8 billion to acquire 70 percent equity in Sla’s flagship in 2010. Somehow, the deal cut short what could have been Mang ‘nasal’s long Journey to topple Jollibee from its position as the countrys number one fastfood chain. In no time, Mang ‘nasal has emerged as the second largest chain next to Jollibee, beating American multinational McDonald’s. Apparently sentimental, Sia admitted that his sale of a majority stake in ‘nasal to Jollibee was â€Å"painful. † In a letter to his â€Å"Mang ‘nasal Family,† expressed â€Å"deep sadness† like a â€Å"father parting with his child† as he handed over the care of the restaurant to the giant conglomerate. Though relegated as a minority shareholder, Sia still exercises a certain degree of managing Mang ‘nasal as part of the Jollibee’s overall management group. The youthful entrepreneur is not one who rests on his laurels. With Mang Inasal safely entrenched in its niche in the highly competitive fastfood market, Sia has begun nurturing the growth of his new fastfood firm Deco’s, considered as the original batchoy resto. Never dreamed of From initial outlets in Iloilo city, Deco’s has already branched out to other parts of the country, including Metro Manila. Like the trailblazing Mang ‘nasal, Sia is bullish his latest venture will reach the zenith of success, given his tried, tested and proven recipe of entrepreneurship. In 2011, the young Sia was recognized as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines for Entrepreneurship. No less than President Aquino handed the prestigious award in ceremonies at Malacanang Palace. Sia is also a recipient of the Urban Leadership Award from the Canadian Urban Institute for Entrepreneurship in 2010 and his â€Å"outstanding contributions† to the nhancement of the public realm and the quality of life in the Metro Iloilo-Guimaras For two years, from 2011 to 2012, Sia made it to the elite list of Us-based Forbes magazine as one of the 40 richest Filipinos. With sales of Mang ‘nasal booming over the past years, his net worth has zoomed steadily, amounting to a mind-boggling P5. 8 billion as of last June. At age 35, Sia has earned the distinction as the Philippines’ youngest billionaire he never dreamed of. Mr. Edgar J. Sia, lnJap, II is the Founder of the Mang ‘nasal food chain. Mr. Sia serves as Chief Executive Officer of lnJap Investments, Inc. lnJap Land Corporation (DoubleDragon Properties Corp)and People’s Hotel Corporation. Mr. Sia has been Board Advisor of Philippine Bank of Communications Inc. since August 29, 2012 and served as its Director from July 26, 2011 to August 29, 2012. He serves as Chairman of lnJap Investments, Inc. , lnJap Land Corporation and People’s Hotel Corporation. He serves as Director of Jollibee. He was awarded the Small Business Entrepreneur award in 2010 by the Ernst & Young for best demonstrating management excellence in a business with assets less than Php100 million.

Spongebob

1. Sloth-Patrick Sloth is the sin of laziness, or unwillingess to act. Obviously this is Patrick. He lays under a rock all the time and doesn't really do anything. In fact in the episode â€Å"Big Pink Loser† he got an award for doing nothing the longest. 2. Wrath-Squidward Wrath involves feelings of hatred and anger. Squidward hates his life, usually hates SpongeBob, and is pretty much angry most of the time. 3. Greed-Mr. Krabs Obviously Mr. Krabs is greedy and desires money. How could Greed not be Krabs? He actually sang about the power of greed in â€Å"Selling Out†. 4. Envy-Plankton Plankton is envious of Mr.Krabs because The Krusty Krab is a success while The Chum Bucket is a failure. His envy drives him to try to steal the Krabby Patty secret formula. 5. Glutony-Gary I actually think this one is pretty funny. Did you ever notice the running gag in Spongebob where they say â€Å"don't forget to feed Gary† or Sponge says â€Å"I gotta go feed Gary†. Ga ry even ran away that time when SpongeBob forgot to feed him. Glutony usually refers to the overindulgence of food so I'm guessing this one fits him pretty well. 6. Pride-Sandy Sandy takes a lot of pride in who she is and where she comes from.She takes pride in the fact that she is from Texas and likes to let everyone know it. She also takes pride in the fact that she is a mammal and a land creature, like in the episode â€Å"Pressure† where she tried to prove land critters were better than sea critters. 7. Lust-SpongeBob Ok, I know what your thinking. It does seem a little weird and curious at first but I have given it a lot of thought. Lust in one definition is â€Å"excessive love of others†. I think this one works best for Spongebob. He shows his love of others with his overeagerness to do good and help people.If anything is true about SpongeBob its that he loves everyone around him, even if they don't exactly love him back. 1. Greed (Mr. Krabs) – this is by far the most obvious comparison that can be made. The avarice of Eugene Krabs is made painfully clear throughout the series. He is constantly thinking of ways to turn a profit, even if it involves taking advantage of his friends or putting them in harmful situations! In one episode, he sings a song called â€Å"If I Could Talk to Money†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ and there’s even a wiki page devoted to compiling all of his greedy plans! 2. Envy (Plankton) – another no brainer.With all of Krabs’ wealth and good fortune, there has been an equal amount of hard luck and failure for his archrival, Sheldon Plankton. Plankton owns a struggling restaurant called â€Å"The Chum Bucket† and is consumed with the desire to achieve the success of his adversary. His life’s goal is to steal the Krabby Patty formula from his Krabs and drive his primary competitor out of business. 3. Sloth (Patrick) – the guy lives under a rock for crying out loud! If that isn’t enough to convince you, in the episode â€Å"Big Pink Loser†Patrick is given an award for ‘doing absolutely nothing longer than anyone else’.He then proceeds go back under his rock to protect his title. 4. Pride (Sandy) – the fact that Sandy Cheeks is from Texas alone should almost suffice for this one. She is a squirrel that is very proud of her heritage, so much so that in one episode she nearly moved back home! Sandy also takes a great deal of satisfaction in being the only land critter living down in Bikini Bottom among all the fishy folk. Though generally a good-natured individual, Sandy is quick to spout off about the greatness of the Lone Star state or to show off her athleticism in a karate match or a weightlifting contest. . Wrath (Squidward) – Squidward Tentacles has no qualms about expressing his negative outlook on life, whether it be by describing how much he hates his job at the Krusty Krab or through outward disdain for his two obnoxi ous neighbors. He is portrayed as a general failure who refuses to acknowledge his own personal flaws. This constant self-denial manifests itself in a sarcastic sense of humor and resentment toward the society that doesn’t ‘appreciate’ his creativity and clarinet†¦ erm†¦ †skills†. 6. Gluttony (Gary) – now this one’s a bit trickier.Those who have watched a great deal of the series will have noticed a number of jokes about Spongebob having to remember to feed his pet snail. To be honest, Gary doesn’t do a whole lot besides eating and meowing, and the meowing is often due to the fact that he is hungry. Once when Spongebob hadn’t fed his pet, Gary is shown eating parts of their couch! In another episode, Gary runs away from home because Spongebob forgot to feed him for a while. Another time when Spongebob had amnesia, Gary ate a year’s supply of snail food and became morbidly obese!This proves beyond a doubt th at when left to his own devices, Gary would rather do nothing but eat. 7. Lust (Spongebob) – our final analogy is probably the least apparent because we typically think of ‘lust’ in a sexual sense. However, the alternative definition for lust is simply â€Å"a passionate desire for something†. In this sense of the word, it cannot be denied that our absorbent yellow friend is an extremely lustful creature. Spongebob has a lust for life that is incomparable to most other cartoon characters – he yearns for the affections of both friend and foe alike, is eager to please, and will often stop at nothing to complete a task.

Understanding Distributed Leadership and Impact on Teaching

Distributed leading has been the topic of much research in the domain of instruction in recent old ages. This research study explores how it is understood in the context of the Irish station primary school that I am presently employed in, with some mention to its impact on instruction and acquisition in the school. Our school is a Dublin south interior metropolis Presentation all-girls Secondary School ( now under the Backing of the late formed trust organic structure CEIST ) with disadvantaged position. There are 28 members of the teaching staff: principal, deputy principal, 7 Assistant Principals ( including a Programme Coordinator station ) , 8 Particular Duties Teachers and 11 instructors with no formal leading place. The Board of Management manages the school on behalf of the Patron and must confer with with and maintain the Patron informed of any determinations, proposals and policy alterations. Staff voluntaries have ever been invited to take part on assorted undertaking groups and subcommittees in our school. These groups were seen as being really of import in the development or alteration of policies or curricular issues and their recommendations were by and large taken on board by both staff and the principal/deputy principal. These groups have had no deficit of voluntary members from both postholders and non-postholders, which would propose a ‘fundamental nucleus of values that all members of the organisation clasp ‘ ( E849 Study Guide, pg. 21 ) and besides highlighted the fact that distributed leading exists within the school. The purpose of this assignment is to research the construct of distributed leading and the influence leading patterns have on instruction and acquisition in my school. The overall purpose of this research is to back up the instruction staff to go more cognizant of their ain leading perceptual experiences and patterns, with mention to the possibilities offered by distributed leading to positively impact on instruction and acquisition within the school. Given the fact that this was a little graduated table survey that had to be conducted in a short clip frame merely one research inquiry was addressed in the research: How make the instructors, chief and deputy chief understand the construct of distributed leading and how does this nexus to instruction and acquisition within the school? The attack taken throughout this research begins with the premise that a instructor ‘s leading function begins in the schoolroom with the influence they have on their students but besides extends beyond the walls of the schoolroom to working collaboratively with co-workers ( learning or accessory ) . A instructor ‘s leading function may widen to their part to the school civilization. Teachers may keep a station of duty ( Adjunct Principal or Special Duties ) or an in agreement place outside the formal station construction, e.g. capable coordinator. The Post of Responsibility system is a construction whereby a figure of instructors are given extra wage to transport out specified undertakings, responsibilities and duties in the school. It is besides called the â€Å" in-school direction † system. There are two classs of station ; Assistant Principal and Particular Duties. The Assistant Chief station carries an extra salary allowance of about a‚ ¬9,000 per annum and the Particular Duties allowance is about a‚ ¬5,000 per annum. Teachers in reception of either of these allowances are required to carry through responsibilities and take duties in add-on to their full instruction hours. The responsibilities attached to the station are defined by the Board of Management following a audience procedure affecting all the staff. The audience procedure includes an analysis of the school demands, understanding on the precedences and the pulling up of a â€Å" Agenda of stations † to fit the in agreement precedences. Each school is allocated a specific figure of Particular Duties and Assistant Principal stations on the footing of school size, harmonizing to a expression based on the figure of whole-time instructors in the school. Appointment to a station of duty is by competitory interview among the instructors already employed in the school, whether full clip or portion clip, lasting or impermanent. Choice standards have been agreed at national degree and include recognition for the figure of old ages experience in that school and â€Å" the most senior suited † ( DES Circular Letter 05/98 www.education.ie ) campaigner. Therefore, in most instances, instructors keeping stations of duty are more likely to be the instructors who have been in the school for the longest figure of old ages. However, other instructors may besides keep no formal place but may be influential with co-workers. Leadership at this degree may hold a important and direct influence on instruction and on the general acquisition environment. Distributed leading has been interpreted in many different ways, but incorporates many of the constructs outlined supra such as instructors as scholars, influence over co-workers and part to school clime and civilization whether or non in formal places of leading.Literature ReviewResearch has shown that leading is one of the most of import factors in doing a school successful ( OECD 2008, Leithwood and Riehl 2003 ) . Where leading is effectual staff and students are better motivated, people know what is traveling on because communications are clear and frequent, and everyone feels they are drawing together and working towards shared ends ( Day, Sammons et al 2007 ) . Distributed leading is one signifier of leading that is outstanding in the current educational discourse. The thought of distributed leading has been in being for about three decennaries. Murgatroyd and Reynolds ( 1984 ) stressed that â€Å" leading can happen at a assortment of degrees in response to a assortment of state of affairss and is non needfully tied to ownership of a formal organizational function † ( cited in Law and Glover 2003 p.37 ) . This construct incorporates thoughts such as instructors working together in squads and instructors taking a assortment of duties within the school. On the positive side, it was considered good to learning and larning within schools if instructors discussed their pattern with co-workers, gave and accepted reviews of their work and were unfastened to larning from each other. Another position broadened the range of their leading to decision-making in the overall operation of the school. Hallinger and Heck ( 1996 ) found small grounds associating distributed leading to improved pupil results. Weiss and Cambone ( 1994 ) found that instructors ‘ engagement in whole-school alteration could take away from schoolroom instruction. On the other manus, Greenleaf ( 1996 ) found it led to positive effects on instructor efficaciousness and degrees of morale within schools. Spillane, Halverson and Diamond ( 2001 ) position distributed leading as being cardinal to the instruction and larning procedure in the school and agree that leading involves all members of the school community, non merely the principal and deputy principal. They argue that leading happens in a assortment of ways throughout the school and is centred in the interactions between people. â€Å" Depending on the peculiar leading undertaking, school leaders ‘ cognition and expertness may be best explored at the group or corporate degree instead than at the single leaders degree † ( Spillane, Halverson and Diamond 2001, p.25 ) â€Å" Peoples in officially designated places and those without any such appellations can and make take duty for taking and pull offing in the schoolhouse † ( Spillane and Diamond 2007 p.7 ) . Therefore, this distributed leading position recognises that leading functions are played by different people at different times. Distributed leading ( Gronn, 2000 ) ‘sees leading as a map which is widely dispersed through the administration instead than as a duty vested in an person ‘ ( Study Guide, pg.21 ) . The station of duty construction in Irish schools allows for some of the leading maps to be distributed throughout the designated station holders, though this still leaves the inquiry about how to affect all non-post holders. Distributed leading ‘assumes that there is an underlying values consensus that enables staff to work harmoniously towards shared intents and to hold on the bases by which the effectivity of their organisation is judged ‘ ( Study Guide, pg.21 ) . This, therefore, would look to presume a greater engagement by all staff in the determination procedure of the administration. One of the features of distributed leading is â€Å" an emergent belongings of a group or web of interacting persons † ( Woods et al 2004, p.441 ) . Gronn footings this pooling of energies ‘concertive action ‘ and suggests that it is about the extra moral force which is the merchandise of conjoint activity – where people work together in such a manner that they pool their enterprise and expertness, the result is a merchandise or energy which is greater than the amount of their single actions ( Gronn 2000 ) . This is comparable to Spillane ‘s definition of distributed leading as â€Å" the collective belongingss of the group of leaders working together to ordain a peculiar undertaking, taking to the development of a leading pattern that is potentially more than the amount of each person ‘s pattern † ( Spillane et al 2001 p.25 ) . Theories on teamwork portion the position that working together produces consequences over and above what would be expected from persons working entirely. The literature on teamwork frequently makes the differentiation between formal and informal squads but suggests that both types operate best in a civilization that fosters an unfastened clime and where relationships are based on trust, common protection and support ( Belbin 2000, Nias et Al 1989 ) . There can be given to be some tensenesss between ‘designated leaders and distributed leading ‘ ( E849 Study Guide, pg.146 ) . School Principals are accountable for school public presentation, supported by deputy principal and designated station holders. ‘On the other manus, much of the productive work of educational organisations takes topographic point in collaborative squads, characterized by professional norms and distributed leading, where those with relevant expertness take the lead, irrespective of formal functions ‘ ( E849 Study Guide, pg.146 ) . However, ‘the construct of distributed leading still assumes that persons will follow that lead when it is provided ‘ ( E849 Study Guide, pg. 21 ) . Teamwork is a cardinal component of distributed leading in that the nature and intent of distributed leading is â€Å" the ability of those within a school to work together, building significance and cognition jointly and collaboratively † ( Lambert 1998 p.5 ) . However, the being of structured squads entirely does non represent distributed leading. In fact, distributed leading patterns may non underscore the formal structured attack to teamwork but instead acknowledge that groups of instructors work together as appropriate in order to accomplish a peculiar aim at a given clip. Another typical feature of distributed leading ( Woods et al 2004 ) , is that the distribution of leading varies harmonizing to expertness. There is acknowledgment that assorted undertakings require different expertness and that all the expertness does non shack in one individual at the top. Schools presents are complex administrations and therefore it is excessively much to anticipate that they can be led by one individual. â€Å" The function of chief is now so complex and demanding, that it is unrealistic to believe that any one individual can dispatch the function without the aid of considerable figure of co-workers, both from the instruction and the support staff † ( Martin 2006 ) . This is peculiarly important in the context of leading for improved acquisition as it is recognised in the literature that the most important influence on pupil acquisition is the direct influence the instructor has in the schoolroom. The construct of trust emerges from the literature as being important ( Duignan 2006 ) . Teachers need to experience sure and supported by their principals and their co-workers. Trust is necessary if instructors are to experience motivated in their work and if they are to be allowed to originate an activity and take duty for decisionmaking. Along with being trusted in their work, people besides need support. Peoples want to speak about what they are making – back uping these conversations is an indispensable undertaking of the leader ( Wheatley 1999 ) . Trust, allied with support, is an underpinning value within the construct of distributed leading. Harris ( 2004 ) recognises that structural and cultural barriers operate within schools which could do it really hard for some instructors to demo leading. Cheating for power places in a school can make a clime which is non contributing to, for illustration, immature instructors showing their sentiment, particularly if it differs from the traditional or prevalent sentiment. Such action could be perceived as a menace to the position quo. Another construct that links distributed leading with acquisition is that of professional larning communities. Professional larning communities may be viewed as an extension of teacher leading. For illustration, Harris et Al ( 2003 p.79 ) identifies four dimensions of the teacher leading function that extends to the overall operation of the school. Teacher leaders: – 1. translate the rules of school betterment into the patterns of single schoolrooms ( a brokering function ) ; 2. aid other instructors to cling around a peculiar development and further a more collaborative manner of working ; 3. drama a mediating function in school betterment. They are an of import beginning of expertness and information ; 4. forge close relationships with single instructors where common acquisition takes topographic point. Schools with professional acquisition communitiess study important benefits for pupils, including lower rates of absenteeism and decreased dropout rates. pupils have besides exhibited academic additions in maths, scientific discipline, history and reading than in traditional schools. ( Hirsh and Hord 2008 p.27 ) . The direct nexus between leading and pupil results â€Å" is a rare event so in the research literature on educational leading and school betterment † ( Mulford, Silins and Leithwood 2003 p.3 ) However, Mulford et Al ‘s research found that what was of import was that staff are actively and jointly take parting in the school and experience that their parts are valued. This contributes to making a acquisition administration where instructors ‘ acquisition, every bit good as pupil acquisition, is valued ( p.6 ) .MethodologyDavies and Ellison ( 1999 ) argue that a assortment of data-gathering techniques should be used to develop a balanced position of the administration ‘s strategic place. For this ground, my chief research methodological analysiss involved the usage of a elaborate questionnaire distributed to all learning staff every bit good as a follow up focal point group meeting. These methods of probe have designed with the intent of better functioning the aims of the research. Mellon ( 1990, pg.49 ) states that the two chief inquiries to be addressed were: â€Å" who might hold the information you need and who is accessible † ? As highlighted by Patton ( 1990, pg.45 ) , â€Å" where the focal point is on persons, an inductive attack begins with the single experiences of those persons † . This multi-method attack allowed for triangulation, utilizing different methods of informati ons aggregation within the survey to guarantee that it is as full and balanced as is possible within the comparatively short clip graduated table. A mixed-method attack was decided on, through which a questionnaire would place relevant issues on distributed leading in order that these issues could be examined in more item in focal point groups. Strauss and Corbin ( 1998 ) highlight the function of literature reappraisal as a valuable beginning of experience that leaves the research worker with: better apprehension of the information needs on the field, aware of the spreads left by old surveies, and sensitive to the issues he/she might place in the information. Literature could be a secondary beginning of informations, and assist the research worker to explicate inquiries to be used in interviews and questionnaires, during the initial stairss of the research. It can besides corroborate findings, comparing the research consequences to past grounds. This will be really of import in this survey. My trust with all instructors involved is really of import to develop. ‘ As Bassey ( 1999 ) points out, research workers, in taking informations from people, should make so in a manner that recognizes those people ‘s initial ownership of the informations and that respects them as fellow human existences who are entitled to self-respect and privateness ‘ ( Study Guide, pg.55 ) . As worlds were evidently be the most of import constituent of this research, the issue of informed consent had to be addressed. Therefore, it was necessary to inform all interview participants about the survey, their function within the probe, and how the information they provided would be used. While, as argued by Miles and Huberman ( 1994, pg 291 ) it may be that genuinely informed consent is impossible in qualitative research the issue could non be dismissed, and, consequently all participants selected for the survey were informed of both the nature and intent of the research. They were besides given the chance to make up one's mind whether to take part in the study or to retreat at anytime. The chief rules of research moralss are: The individuality of participants ‘ must be protected in order that the published consequences of the survey do non mortify or harm them in any manner. Anonymity must hence be extended to all records, written or electronically recorded, that are collected during the survey. All participants must be treated with regard and informed of the research worker ‘s involvements. The participant must hold to take part in the survey. The research worker must non lie to the participants or record conversations on concealed mechanical devices. The research worker must do clear the footings of the research and abide by the footings of the understanding. The findings must be based on the informations and truthfully reported. ( Bogdan and Biklen, 1992 ) These form the chief push of my ethical considerations when carry oning the survey. For this research, a questionnaire was designed to guage instructors ‘ perceptual experiences of distributed leading and the patterns in the school that contribute to it. The findings were used to organize the footing for farther probe through a focal point group treatment. The questionnaire was chiefly an attitudinal one and hence used the Likert graduated table which places people ‘s replies on an attitude continuum ( May 2001 p.104 ) . In add-on, three unfastened inquiries were included. This allowed participants greater freedom in their replies. Responses to the questionnaires were used to clear up the research inquiries and place more specific issues which would be discussed within the focal point group. Focus groups have been defined as a group of persons selected and assembled by research workers to discourse and notice on, from personal experience, the subject that is the topic of the research. ( Powell et al 1996 p.499 ) They can be used to determine attitudes, feelings, cognition, perceptual experiences, thoughts and beliefs of participants, from the participants ‘ personal experience. As the literature suggests ( Gibbs 1997 and McNamara 2006 ) , the research worker plays an of import function which includes supplying a clear intent, assisting people to experience at easiness and easing interaction between group members. This was made slightly more hard, given that the research was conducted in my ain school. In hindsight, it may hold been more appropriate to carry on the probe in a neighbouring school. Questionnaires were distributed to all instructors in the school. The questionnaire was designed on the footing of findings from the literature on distributed leading. Part 1 of the questionnaire contained 15 statements refering to leading and participants were asked to rate their understanding or otherwise with these statements utilizing the Likert graduated table. Respondents ‘ tonss of 4 or 5 denote understanding or strong understanding. Tonss of 2 or 1 denote dissension or strong dissension severally and a evaluation of 3 is considered ‘neutral ‘ . Part 2 consisted of 15 statements refering to leading patterns in schools. In this subdivision, participants were asked to hit each point on the footing of how far along a spectrum their school was in implementing this pattern. A mark of 4 or 5 denotes a well-established pattern and a pattern which is being refined, severally. Tonss of 2 or 1 denote that the pattern is get downing or does non go on in the school severally. A evaluation of 3 denotes that advancement is being made in this pattern. By inquiring respondents to bespeak their grades of understanding with these statements, the research worker can determine the respondents ‘ perceptual experiences of distributed leading and place the key issues which they highlight as being cardinal to the pattern of distributed leading and its connexions to learning and larning. These can be analysed from a normative position, based on the literature findings. The questionnaire included three unfastened inquiries ; the first elicits farther penetrations into respondents ‘ apprehension of distributed leading, the 2nd asks them to place factors that support their work and the 3rd seeks to place factors that inhibit their work. Following treatment at a staff meeting, where I explained the intent of the research, staff agreed to take part and questionnaires were distributed to the 28 instructors on staff. A sum of 16 questionnaires were returned ( 57 % response rate ) . In order to reply the research inquiries it was necessary to garner farther informations from a focal point group comprised of instructors that have experience of different degrees of leading. Therefore, the group comprised of the principal and deputy principal, 3 instructors who hold stations of duty and 3 instructors who do non keep stations of duty. The focal point group was about one hr continuance.FindingssResponses to the first set of statements on the questionnaire identified a figure of issues perceived by the respondents to be associated with distributed leading. It was clear from the questionnaire responses that all instructors perceived themselves to be leaders. However, the context of that leading was in the schoolroom – they see themselves as leaders of their pupils within the schoolroom, holding a direct influence on their acquisition. Their position of themselves as leaders with influence beyond the schoolroom was instead limited. The questionnaire besides revealed that instructors believe that learning and acquisition is influenced positively when instructors work together and when they engage in professional development to better their cognition and accomplishments. Besides, instructors saw distributed leading as including their engagement in decision-making and in taking new enterprises in the school. However, they besides acknowledge the cardinal function the principal dramas, for illustration in guaranting that there is a shared vision among staff and that pastoral attention systems operate efficaciously for pupils. In response to the 2nd set of statements on the questionnaire, respondents highlighted a figure of leading patterns that are operational in the schools to a greater or lesser extent. These patterns were identified as: Monitoring and back uping pupil acquisition Working together as a staff Structures and systems such as capable sections and stations of duty Monitoring and back uping pupil acquisition included holding systems to back up pupil larning analyzing consequences of scrutinies and utilizing the information to reappraisal patterns all instructors playing a function in supervising pupil public presentation and four ) all school policies being designed with a focal point on heightening, bettering and developing a high quality larning environment. These points were all portion of a late completed DEIS program in the school. Working together as a staff incolved: discoursing school development precedences at staff meetings, professional development on whole-school issues, jointly prioritizing specific actions to better acquisition. Capable sections were seen as organizing a cardinal portion of distributed leading. However, in the school they are considered to be a forum for sharing resources and are merely now being used for capable planning. The responses from the unfastened inquiry on distributed leading emphasised community and coaction instead than hierarchy. The 2nd unfastened inquiry on the questionnaires asked instructors to call the factors that back up them in their work. The cardinal issue emerging was the demand for support and aid from both co-workers and direction, peculiarly in covering with student behavioural or disciplinary issues. They besides referred to the accessibility, handiness and openness of the principal as being an of import factor in enabling them to make their occupation good. Other factors stated were encouragement from direction, being trusted and treated as a professional, good administration and planning and being allowed to seek out new thoughts without intervention. The positions of distributed leading expressed by respondents in the questionnaires were reinforced in the focal point group treatment, peculiarly by the post-holders. However, different positions on the nature of decision-making were expressed by the post-holders ‘ in the focal point group ; foremost, if leading is distributed so that should intend doing determinations together but on the other manus, â€Å" sometimes it is of import for a principal to do a determination. There might be a determination that the squad ca n't hold on and it is a atrocious determination and the principal has to do the determination. † The participants in the focal point group agreed that it was of import that everybody has a voice. The thought of holding a voice was extended farther by a non post-holder, who stated that â€Å" if, at a staff meeting, people are listened to, so you are traveling to acquire the message that this is a good topographic point to portion enterprise and portion thoughts. † Participants besides agreed that instructors are function theoretical accounts for the pupils and that their behavior and interactions with co-workers, every bit good as with pupils, have a major influence on pupils. ‘We ‘re function theoretical accounts for pupils in what we do, in how we interact and speak with each other ‘ . The focal point group treatment allowed for a grade of interaction, dissension and argument about issues and constructs that was non possible in reacting to a questionnaire. Leadership and direction were debated. While there was a general consensus that leading involved everybody in the school, there was some argument about the function of postholders. The consensus among the group was that all instructors, non merely post-holders, can be empowered to take. The principal saw distributed leading as widening beyond schoolroom leading to whole-school issues. ‘Now about every member of staff will either hold authorization delegated to them for a peculiar country or will take it on their ain back to organize something. Whether you are a coach or whatever it is, there is much more involvement in school life now than there was in the yesteryear ‘ . ‘I would see leading as leading wherever it expresses itself throughout the school, whether it is in direction or whether it is running the school musical or whatever it might be that it is the capacity of the individual to convey people with you to accomplish a peculiar undertaking ‘ . Concepts mentioned by both the principal and deputy principal included authorization, giving independency, engagement in decision-making, recognizing expertness, taking by illustration, deputation and making an environment where people are non afraid to take hazards and are encouraged to take enterprise. There is strong overlap between the positions expressed by the principal and deputy chief and those expressed by both post-holders and non post-holders. There was really strong understanding among all participants in the focal point group that leading is a construct that can use to all instructors, whether they hold a place or station of duty or non. The participants all agreed that distributed leading is about authorising people, leting them to take enterprise and be involved in decision-making. They besides agreed that it is about the ambiance in the school that encourages instructors to take leading functions in specific facets of the school, e.g. extra-curricular activities and particular maps that occur in the school from clip to clip. There was understanding that distributed leading incorporates the thought of instructors working together in squads and join forcesing in planning and supplying larning chances for pupils. This applies at both capable section degree and at whole school degree, for illustration holding a squad attack to policy development. There was understanding that if all instructors took leading duty beyond their schoolroom, e.g. for pupils ‘ behavior in the corridor, it would be a really good school. But a note of cautiousness was sounded about some instructors taking on excessively much power and the demand for the principal to â€Å" direct † came through strongly â€Å" he directs us to do certain we ‘re all talking with one voice to pupils and parents † . All were in understanding that the principal and deputy play a peculiar leading function, whether in pull offing staff or directing patterns, so that there will be a shared vision in the school. The post-holders themselves discussed the readying and preparation they received when appointed to their stations of duty. There was strong understanding that they had no formal preparation for their station. They watched other post-holders making similar occupations, particularly twelvemonth caputs. They all agreed that non merely did you watch them but you consulted with them and asked their advice and sentiment. Some stations, nevertheless, are new and their officeholders hence have no ‘predecessor ‘ or co-workers to confer with with. These stations require â€Å" an atrocious batch of enterprise † . Some clip was given to discoursing the system in topographic point for communicating between post-holders and the principal or deputy chief. The participants in the group see meetings, whether formal or informal, with the principal or deputy as being a signifier of support to them in their function. The agreements for formal meetings varied significantly between schools and besides between the two degrees of postholders, i.e. adjunct principals are more likely to hold formal meetings with the principal and deputy than particular responsibilities instructors. The participants agreed that the particular responsibilities instructors were non seen as a squad because they ne'er meet. Generally all Assistant Principals held twelvemonth caput places, while the particular responsibilities maps were more varied which may travel some manner in explicating why meetings ne'er took topographic point. The treatment led to a argument about remaining after school for meetings. In a neighbouring school this is the norm one time a month. Post holders stated they would non be willing to make this, as stations were supposed to be carried out during the school twenty-four hours. However, a non station holder mentioned that because post-holders get an extra allowance they should be willing to remain on after school to transport out responsibilities related to their station. Cipher responded to this statement. There was a important grade of similarity in participants understanding of distributed leading. It is something that must pervade the whole school and is apparent through the prevalent civilization and atmosphere. The principal and deputy chief drama a really of import function in puting this ambiance and they do this in both formal and informal ways. The general ‘approachability ‘ of both chief and deputy plays a cardinal function – demoing a echt involvement in and concern for the work of each person teacher helps to put the tone for how people approach their work. But distributed leading goes beyond that to supplying chances for instructors to exert leading. This may be through actions like chairing a meeting, taking a new enterprise or taking an extra-curricular activity. This chance to exert leading must be facilitated from the top, i.e. the principal or deputy. There was besides understanding that constructions were an of import component of distributed leading as they allow for leading to be exercised by a assortment of people. Structures included capable sections and squads set up to turn to a assortment of school development issues from clip to clip. To be considered a ‘structure ‘ , they must hold clip to run into and peculiar ends to accomplish. Different people may play different functions from clip to clip within these constructions and in that manner they allow for instructors ‘ voices to be heard, therefore including them in the overall decision-making of the school. They besides provide chances for instructors to exert their influence, whether they hold a formal place of leading or non. In the responses to the questionnaires 93 % of respondents agreed that when instructors work together pupil acquisition is enhanced. The focal point group besides agreed that the pupils benefit when everybody works together. ‘I believe they [ pupils ] pick up on an ambiance where everybody is working together, and where more cognition is transferred between sections, staff is more cognizant of how pupils are making. They pick up on those sorts of things that are in the ethos of the school ‘ . Capable sections are now playing a more of import function than in the yesteryear. The capable section meetings offer the chance to be after lessons together, to synchronize learning across a twelvemonth group and to discourse learning methods for peculiar elements of the course of study. There was understanding that many capable sections are in the early phases of development, and that holding formal capable meetings is indispensable for this development to go on. But capable section meetings are non the lone structures that enable instructors to work together. An illustration was given of a meeting, set up by a principal, to reexamine the advancement of a peculiar pupil. All instructors involved with this pupil were invited to analyze the state of affairs and aid instructors to work together to run into the challenges of back uping this pupil in his acquisition. This meeting required a restructuring of the timetable for the period of the meeting and the proviso of category screen for some instructors but the precedence it was given showed the belief in the power of instructors working together to better the educational experience for this pupil. In the focal point group there were two instructors who had trained and worked in the UK and Australia. They spoke of their experience of working as portion of a squad in their several schools. They both agreed that the constructions were more formal than in Ireland and that these formal constructions non merely enabled instructors to work together but created the outlook that they would. There were formal systems in topographic point for sharing resources, for keeping meetings and for detecting each other ‘s lessons. Both instructors agreed that these systems and constructions were good. There was consensus in the focal point group that when the ambiance is friendly instructors can speak to each other and ask inquiries in an informal scene such as the staffroom. They expressed the support they felt when they work together. It removes the sense of isolation and supports their schoolroom instruction. The quotation mark below is brooding of the consensus among the group. Not merely does it assist instructors but they besides perceived that it has a positive impact on pupils. ‘I will inquire the other instructors inquiries and I think it has truly helped me to loosen up and experience that I am non†¦ a small island on my ain. I can inquire for aid. Thingss like that do pervade out to the pupils every bit good when they see it ‘ . There is besides acknowledgement that newer patterns such as school development planning and Department of Education reviews have encouraged instructors to work together.Decisions and RecommendationsIn the questionnaire in this research, the respondents suggested that pupils and their parents should play a leading function in the school but, in pattern, their voices are frequently non heard in decision-making. A really important position on distributed leading is losing from this study by non including these two component groups. Further research should include both pupils and parents in the data-gathering procedure. Schools are now required to hold both pupil and parents ‘ councils and are expected to include them in policy development in the school..The function of capable sectionsThe function of capable sections has become more outstanding in schools in recent old ages, as a consequence of the school development planning and the whole school rating procedures. In this survey the function of capable sections in heightening pupil acquisition was acknowledged. Capable sections could supply a forum for sharing good thoughts and resources. A more formal attack would better the chances for these sections to act upon schoolroom pattern, for illustration by discoursing teaching method every bit good as course of study proviso. Further probe into the leading of capable sections would add well to the pattern of distributed leading in the school. This is surely an country of untapped potency. If instructors are trained in leading in their capable sections it would better the operation of a section and hence better instruction and acquisition. It would besides take to the betterment of instructors ‘ assurance in their ain leading abilities therefore constructing leading capacity in the school and finally lending to school betterment.Contemplations on my work in this ECAIn this geographic expedition of distributed leading, I had concerns about discoursing distributed leading with research participants before specifying or determining their apprehension of leading in general. For that ground, a questionnaire was given to instructors. This was a really utile exercising in that it produced thoughts about leading and how instructors perceived school leading. It yielded a really wide reading of leading but identified the fact that instructors accept that they play a leading functio n – leading is non the exclusive privilege of the principal and deputy principal. However, in hindsight, more geographic expedition of the difference between leading and direction would hold been helpful. I learned a batch about practician research in one ‘s ain educational administration. While one has the benefit of cognizing the participants, this can besides hold disadvantages. I was witting that participants may non hold been as unfastened and honest with me as they would be with an external research worker and that this may hold some deductions for my findings. In future research, I would prefer to work with staff in a school external to mine. I would interview the principal and deputy chief separate to the focal point group ( in order to guarantee a more unfastened treatment ) and would carry on two separate focal point groups – one for postholders and one for non postholders in order that their positions could be comprehensively compared. A utile result of the research procedure has been the articulation by instructors themselves of their leading function, and a acknowledgment of the influence they exert non merely on the pupils but besides over their co-workers. The research has highlighted certain issues that the school could concentrate on that would heighten instruction and acquisition. If the ambiance is positive, so a civilization of coaction can be developed and the leading function of postholders can be discussed and articulated more clearly. Similarly, more preparation for capable section squad holds the possibility of doing a really positive part to school betterment. The leading of the principal and deputy principal is really of import. First, they create the positive ambiance by paying attending to each person teacher – recognizing that their influence on pupil acquisition is through their instructors. Second, they are in a place to organize constructions and systems that enable instructors to work together and to develop leading accomplishments. Third, professional development is an of import portion of making an ambiance of larning among staff. Having completed the survey, the findings can be used by the school in a figure of ways. The principal will have a study sketching the responses to the questionnaire and a sum-up of findings from the focal point group treatment. The cardinal issues will hold deductions for the principal and deputy principal in that the findings highlight the importance of their leading function in developing a positive acquisition environment but besides in developing single leading accomplishments in instructors and supplying chances for leading to be exercised among co-workers. All of these have the potency to better instruction and acquisition. The studies could besides be used as a footing for treatment among postholders, concentrating on their function in taking acquisition. This research study set out to research what was meant by distributed leading and to see, if practised in a school, would it lend to bettering instruction and acquisition. Through questionnaires and a focal point group treatment the construct of distributed leading was explored and the consequences presented and analysed. A broad runing definition emerged that recognised that all instructors can be leaders, but the extent of their leading maps varies from within the schoolroom to their influence on pupils beyond their single schoolroom, to their leading influence over co-workers. Their apprehension of distributed leading encompassed structural and cultural issues, both of which had the possible to influence instruction and acquisition. This potency is non to the full realised, but with a more knowing focal point on instruction and acquisition and a witting development of leading capacity this state of affairs could alter to the benefit of pupils.