The theories I have learned at university and tried to put into practice whilst on my 2nd year placement The WritePass Journal

The theories I have learned at university and tried to put into practice whilst on my 2nd year placement Introduction The theories I have learned at university and tried to put into practice whilst on my 2nd year placement Introduction This assignment will discuss some of the theories I have learned at university and tried to put into practice whilst on my 2nd year placement. Social theory helps us to understand the ways of the world and how we live in it. It also provides us with different outlooks on why things happen in the way they do, and how society is organised and structured in a certain way. For the purpose of this essay I will use names for people instead of letters as I feel this will make the essay flow better. Any names relating to the service users or placement setting will be fictional. The placement setting was an inner city hostel, providing twenty four hour support for people age between sixteen and thirty. The service user group consisted of ex offenders and people leaving care. According to Giddens (2001), Social theory includes concepts on conflict and class, as well as theories to help make clear the reasons for behaviour and how people develop. Durkheim, Weber and Marx are all founders of social theory and analysed how societies functioned in the attempt to make sense of social problems and behaviours. The most important learning curve for me this year is that Social Work is bursting with theories, laws and guidance with a purpose to make our work more professional for those using the service. However, I found that actually putting everything I have learned into practice proved to be more difficult than I had anticipated. And at times, it seemed almost impossible and meaningless. From my observations whilst on placement at the hostel it became obvious that there are many reasons for not putting these theories into practice. The main reason was resources and constraints due to funding cuts. But I also witnessed sloppiness and lack of anti discriminatory practice from senior members of the hostel staff. I had to question one occasion involving Kevin, (a service user at this hostel) , when I was asked if I would deliver a pre written warning form the manager, to Kevin for using drugs in front of the other service users. I knew that Kevin is not very well thought of in the hostel, because of his attitude; there were times when he has really tried the patients of the staff, including my-self.   But after reading the warning letter, I felt that I had to voice my concerns. In my opinion the letter was discriminating because all the residents who use drugs, did so in front of each other, so why single him out. This resulted in the warning not being given and a feeling of irritation towards me from the cluster manager. I feel that, anti discrimination and anti oppressive practice are some of the main underpinning principles of anyone working in the field of social work. The British Association of Social Workers (BASW), state in their definition of social work, the encouragement of â€Å"social change and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-being†.   People from all social groups can experience abuse or oppression of some form or another, and I feel that the above definition suggests that a role of social work is to help protect vulnerable people against abuse. The expressions â€Å"oppression† and â€Å"discrimination† are sometimes used interchangeably. However, Thompson (1997) describes discrimination as â€Å"prejudicial behaviour acting against the interests of those people who characteristically belong to relatively powerless groups, it is a matter of social formation as well as individual or group behaviour†. Thompson goes on to say that oppression and discrimination involves â€Å"hardship and injustice brought about by the dominance of one group over another; the negative and demeaning exercise of power.† Empowerment and partnership have also appeared to me as problematic areas of work. This is because I have been attempting to link the theory learned at University, which includes, empowerment and partnership amongst others, and put them into practice whilst on my placement. As a result, I personally experienced the problems that have to be overcome in order to work productively with these concepts, such as one problem I encountered when working with Barry, (a service user at the hostel) was the support worker from his previous hostel, and part of the same agency, had contacted me to see how things where progressing, she then disclosed details of our private conversation back to Barry who then turned to me asking why people have been talking about him. In my opinion professional boundaries hade been broken and inter agency working or partnership was not beneficial in this case, especially when Barry told me that he had been out drinking with this previous support worker and that he ha s gone back to her house afterwards. I felt that this is a direct contradiction to the Code of Practice that we are supposed to abide by. Observing others and how they deal with similar difficulties and a fixed consciousness of how I was working on placement by the means of my reflective diary was a very useful way to assess whether I was effectively using the concepts of partnership and empowerment. Theory has taught me that the concept of partnership (a theory discussed in the module, planning care for adults) does not comprised of a one method or technique but a term that has a range of meanings, Partnership is a fundamental part of anti-discriminatory practice, and for a long time social workers have put great emphasis on enabling and empowering people and avoiding dependency. But the need for clarity, whilst on placement made the term, partnership, more meaningless with no real significance at all. The principles of Social Work can be seen in many different ways and what one sees as partnership working, another may not. As a result, there did not seem to be any tangible way of working towards partnership with the service users at the hostel. This made it complicated for me at the start of the placement as observing others using their own interpretation of partnership made me feel very confused as they all worked towards it in different ways, if at all. I consequently, had to find my own way of working to encourage partnership working. I evaluated the route I took with each client by means of the way I worked with them and their feedback, as well as by means of the supervision sessions with my Practice Teacher. Partnership is all about promoting the self esteem and self determination of a service user. This will increase their sense of power and control over their own lives. Working in partnership involves challenging oppression to allow service-users to be in charge of of their environment by understanding and addressing the causes of the problems in a collaboration between client and worker. This will eventually promote inclusion.   Partnership working will create â€Å"active participants rather than passive recipients† (Thompson, 2007). What I found in the hostel, was that service users didn’t really have any say in what activities they did. One of these activities was making Christmas cards and this was understandably of no interest to the young males aged sixteen to thirty, who where resident at this time. I heard one of the service users describe this activity as â€Å"just like being a kid at school†. The hostel staff saw this as attitude issues; however I thought it was fare comment. According to, Marsh (2003), â€Å"Partnership does not imply an equality of power, or an equality of work†. The hostel staff were predictably involved in the use of authority, this is not a barrier to empowerment or working in partnership, provided that this power is not misused, however, telling the service users that â€Å"if they worked for three days making Christmas cards, they would receive a one day gym pass† seemed like coercion.   I feel that, It was not for the staff to use their power to coerce service users into following a particular course of action, but to â€Å"use such power constructively in identifying and working towards agreed goals as part of a process of partnership† (Stepney and Ford 2000).Service users in this situation must feel that their input and choice of activity is not considered. In my opinion service users can make a significant contribution in terms of their experience and knowledge of their situation; we should recognize their problem solving abilities rather than seeing them in terms of the problems they bring. This involves being able to â€Å"use power to empower† and the â€Å"use of power should be the exception rather than the rule† (Thompson, 2007). Involving service-users as much as possible will facilitate social work in becoming a procedure whereby the worker does things with people rather than to them.(Thompson, 2007). Beckett (2006) in his book â€Å"Essential Theory for Social Work Practice† states that one of the ways in which we can make sure that the service-user remains the main focus is to involve them in shaping the service itself. According to Braye (2000), there are times when this can occur. One such time is when the service user is involved in their own service. The personal support plan is a written agreement that is carried out within the first week of residency at the hostel. This involves a member of staff and the service user identifying the individual needs of the particular person. for instance, their need for outside agencies such as counseling support, their needs regarding change of doctors or dentist and their needs for maximizing benefit claims This is very beneficial because every service user that comes into the hostel has specific needs relating to their own particular circumstances. The personal support plan allows the service user to fully contribute in tailoring the support to their specific needs. Braye, goes on to say that another element is a service user’s involvement in group work. Group work theory was one of the main theories I witnessed and used on placement. Pierson and Thomas (2002) state that, â€Å"Group work is a range of activities†¦that can enable individuals and groups to develop problem solving skills to address both their own concerns and those of the wider community.† There are several areas in which group work therapy is used, and which have varying levels of success.   According to Coulshed and Orme (1998) these can consist of, educational and recreational groups, group counselling and self help groups.   They can all have different themes but most will grow in very similar ways.   Interpersonal skills are an important tool when working with groups and some of the main skills that are used within this are effective verbal communication, active listening and willing participation within the group (Coulshed and Orme 1998). The group work sessions I was involved in were mostly informal/social group settings such as cooking, games and quiz nights. What I mean by informal, is that it didnt fit any formal therapeutic group work theory and had no formal structure. Informal group work is mainly for sharing views and knowledge in a social/fun setting of individuals located within the same organisation. The benefits of informal group work are that it is a more relaxed, social atmosphere with no hard fixed meeting time. This can make attendance higher as it is a non threatening social setting. Group work of this kind can help Developing service users knowledge and generic skills, such as communication skills, collaborative skills, critical skills and attitudes towards diversity. Group work can also develop person’s abilities through the â€Å"interplay† of different personalities and increase their desire to socialise (BASW). I found that being able to verbalise issues within the setting of the group helped in producing confidence and allowed self expression in the service users. Actively listening too the group can also encourage the growth of more ideas and promote further discussions from other members present. Active listening is a way of communicating that makes others feel understood and confident to express themselves more honestly. This involves (amongst other things) good eye contact, repeating back what they have said and sitting in an un-oppressive position.   (Cournoyer 2008). Another form of group work is the formal group activity.   When I was on placement at the hostel there were always, four males and two females resident. The same two females had remained, whilst the males have changed. There was a lot of sexual activity at the hostel with the residents constantly changing partners. Kevin, (who I referred to earlier in this essay) is HIV positive and has Hepatitis C. Dale (a resident at the hostel) told us that she had intercourse with Kevin and with all the other male residents and that all the male resident have had intercourse with Ellie, (the other female resident). This information, along with the binge drinking problem with all the residents prompted a sexual health and alcohol awareness day to promote the dangers of STIs and binge drinking to the residents. Konopka (1963) describes group work as a method of social work that is used in order to help people enhance their social awareness through focused group experiences and to cope more successfully with their personal or community problems. This definition shows a pattern within group work of helping people with problems. Brown (1994) provides a modernised and more comprehensive definition of group work He states that â€Å"Group work provides a context in which individuals help each other; it is a method of helping groups as well as helping individuals; and it can enable individuals and groups to influence and change personal, group, organisational and community problems†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (Brown 1994) During feedback from the ,sexual health awareness presentation, I gave to the service users from two hostels,   it was stated by my practice teacher that my verbal communication skills were very good, and that I was able to generate good ideas, good service user involvement as well as being quite a motivational speaker. Task centred practice was another theory used by the agency that I was placed in; it was useful in range of settings such as counselling, education and self help. The theory of task centred practice was first discovered in the United States by Reid and Shyne (1969). Task centred intervention was brought about through the responses opposed to psychodynamic theories as this method was a long time consuming process that often lead to dependency. Task centred intervention is similar to crisis intervention, as in, it can be seen as planed or predictable. In the early 1990s task centred work was originally used in family and group casework.   (Marsh and Doel 1992) As a concept emerging in the 1960s, task centred practice is comparatively new in comparison to some other social work methods. Previous to the carrying out of task-centred practice, many service users received long term intervention and Social workers focused on feelings rather than action.   Buckle, (1981) in Coulshed Orme (1998) state that: â€Å" some clients received help for years and compulsive care-giving by helpers often resulted in the difficulties of becoming the responsibility and ‘property’ of the worker.†Ã‚  Ã‚   This form of intervention could possibly lead to â€Å"learned-helplessness†. This is another theory and describes what happens when the service user becomes dependant on the social worker and discards the concept of them fending for or helping themselves. M, Payne (1997) refers to research carried out by Seligman (1975). Seligman’s theory of ‘learned helplessness’ was discovered through his experimentation on animals and humans. He discovered that people with low expectations produced little results. Seligman states that, â€Å"their capacity to learn useful behaviour in other situations becomes impaired. People lose motivation, become anxious and depressed and poor at thinking.† One common assumption with the term â€Å"task centred† is that the social worker does the tasks, such as phoning other professionals for the service user, but this is not the case. The focus of task centred practice should be on empowering the service user to do these tasks themselves in a set time scale.   Couldshed and Orme (1998) state that, â€Å" task-centred practice, also known as brief therapy, short-term or contract work has had a significant impact on both social work practice and the organisation of services†. Service user participation is the key to task centred practice, but on the other hand, the service user may be unwilling to participate. This may possibly be due to court orders, where the service user has little choice but to follow the conditions set by the court or they will face prosecution. Under these circumstances, the client may agree to the situation but possibly reluctant to accept or partake in the process  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (M. Payne 1997). If this was the case, then a task-centred approach may be unsuccessful and another approach such as person centred could be more suitable (Dole Marsh 1992). A service user could also appear unwilling to take part because of their preconceptions of social workers. We would also have to consider the attitude of an individual social worker. If the social worker appears defensive or appears to be unaware of the power imbalance then the service user may also be reluctant to participate. Social workers also need an understanding of their own feelings and underlying prejudices and values before attempting to explore the interpersonal skills involved in building up client worker relationships. Reid (1992) suggests that: â€Å" only acknowledged problems offer necessary degree of partnership.† To conclude this assignment, I have discussed the different theories I learned about in University and practiced on placement. Social work involves changes to procedures, knowledge and legislation. So many failings with cases in the past have provoked changes and many of these are involved with making social workers more capable of justifying their work. This is done consecutively to minimise harm caused to service users, our organisation and ourselves. Social work is a profession categorised by risk, uncertainty and difficulty and as a result, we need theory, awareness and a sound knowledge of our values and ethics to enable us be accountable and proficient in our practice. Theories, values and ethics permit us to assess our practice and to reflect on it, in order to help us be more accountable and be able to justify our actions when helping others.   (Maclean, Harrison 2009) References Beckett, C. (2006) Essential Theory for Social Work Practice. England: Sage Publications Ltd. Brayne, S. and Preston Shoot, M. (1995) Empowering Practice in Social Care. Great Britain: Open University Press. Brown, A. (1994). Group work 3rd Edition. Ashgate Publishing: Great Yarmouth Code of Ethics for Social Work, www.basw.co.uk. Viewed on 22/04/2011 Cournoyer, B (2008) The Social Work Skills Work Book (5th Ed). Belmont: Thomson higher education. Coulshed, V. and Orme, J. (1998). Social Work Practice an Introduction, 3rd Edition, New York: Palgrave. Dignan, J. Marsh, P. (2003) Restorative Justice and Family Group conferences in England: Current State and Future Prospects’, in McLaughlin, E. Fergusson, R. Giddens, A. (2001) Sociology, 4th ed. Polity Press:  Cambridge. Doel, M. and Marsh, P. (1992).   Task-Centred Social Work. Aldershot: Ashgate. Hughes, G. Westmarland, L. (Eds) Restorative Justice: Critical Issues.London: Sage Publications Ltd. Payne, M (2005) Modern Social Work Theory. 3rd Edition Basingstoke: Palgrave Pierson, J. and Thomas, M. (2002). Collins Dictionary of Social Work, 2nd Edition Great Britain: HarperCollins Publishers Limited. Reid and Shyne (1969). The origins of case work, iriss.org.uk. viewed 04/05/2011 Maclean, S and Harrison, R. (2009), Theory Practice A Straightforward Guide For Social work Students. Rugeley: Kirwin Maclean Associates Limited. Thompson, N. (1997).   Anti-Discriminatory Practice, 2nd ed. Basingstoke: Macmillan. Stepney, P. and Ford, D. (2000) Social Work Models, Methods and Theories. England: Russell House Publishing

Evaluating human resource management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Evaluating human resource management - Essay Example A large number of firms and organizations are offering flexible working arrangements for their employees, as a strategy to retain them by satisfying them to an extent. These arrangements help the employee in maintaining balance life between career and family, this way it motivates the employees to give productive results by working in an efficient manner. Although the advantages derived from flexible working arrangement are considerable, still due to a large number of reasons it is not carried out in an efficient manner in the firms. In this paper, we address the benefits derived by firms by opting flexible working arrangements, the issues faced by them and the various methods by which the obstacles can be overcome. The data was derived upon after referring to surveys which were done in the past and also based on the results of the questionnaire which was filled in by the professional employees.The term ‘human resourcing’ is used to describe a set of principles through which the strategic possibilities of an organization’s workforce and employment structure is evaluated. The methodologies of human resourcing derive from two concerns ( Zeytinoglu,1999) :1. The auditing of current human resources in relation to possible future product/ service and labor market scenarios.2. The promotion and maintenance of optimal human resource performance through the management of work patterns and organization structures.... This approach rested on three sequential steps (Catalyst,1997): 1. An estimation of the organization's future manpower needs in terms of numbers andskill composition. 2. An analysis of labor flows into, within and out of the organization, and the ability ofrelevant labor markets to supply existing or future demands. 3. The identification of gaps between supply and demand and the development ofpolicies to 'close' these. LITERATURE REVIEW The need to consider strategic planning for human resources has been recognized in the HR literature over the last couple of decades and more recently by chief executives and senior HR specialists. Various external factors - such as move towards globalization, changing economic trends, changes in the demographic-make up of the labor force and the shortage of key skills, knowledge and experience - have contributed to the urgency with which the subject is now debated. Also there is a realization between organizations of the changing and more 'flexible' nature of the workforce and their need to combine diverse careers with their personal lives. In essence manpower planning has been associated with a more tactical approach of getting the right people, with the right skills, in the right place, at the right time. The definition of 'right' is not made in the literature, but should be taken to mean 'what is right for a particular organization'. Part of the difficulty with this rationale is its static nature, where people are seen as a cost to the organization (Walsh, 1999) instead of an investment. The focus of manpower planning is on management and control. It usually includes various

Film Review Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Film Review - Assignment Example Based on a true story, Missing weave the incident that took place in Chile in 1973. An American freelance journalist Charles Horman (John Shea) with his wife Beth (Sissy Spacek) is in Chile as the opportunity presents them with the condition of military coup to report on, during and after the regime of Salvador Allande. As the time nears for the couple to leave Chile to return to America, Charles is been abducted by the military, which hints the involvement of the American army – a place where they should not be present. The following events depict the father of Charles, a conservative business man trying to locate his son and get out of the jungle of lies and deception portrayed by the US embassy with his daughter in law. Like every film produced to date, Missing contains a theme, targets a specific audience and has few editing shortcomings. The theme of the movie can be describes as addressing the controversy that had resulted as a result of Charles Horman execution back in 1973 and to clearly portray the involvement of US government in the scenario. For instance, in the start of the movie Gavras educate the people that the proceeding scenes are accounted for and are documented too; this implies that whatever will be shown in the movie cannot be questioned and the scenes are shot after authorizing the incident. So, we can harmlessly assume that the Gavras hinting that the US government was involved and the embassy played a part in approving or commanding the execution of Chalres Horman is correct. But then, this particular controversy clearing scenes opened new questioning from the public as well as the government. People tends to get more involved in a movie if the movie is based on a real incident, as this flick by Gavras falls in the same category the audience targeted by the director was the American citizen, because of the fact that the main victim of the movie was an American and this topic had been controversial for a long period of

An Effective Communication Tool Marketing Essay

An Effective Communication Tool Marketing Essay This essay will explain the various communication tools that Cadbury has used in communicating the desired position to target market and will describe two TV ads communication campaign and online game communication campaign, meanwhile evaluate the company has effectively communicated the desired position based on these campaigns. A part from that, Cadbury has used three communication mix, advertising, sales promotion, and public relations. Cadbury, provides one of the most successful example of how an advertising message can be modified from one campaign to the next to attribute new values to a brand giving consumers more reasons to buy Cadbury, the same creative message is then communicated through point of sale, merchandising, package design and public relations. Cadbury always look at creative and commercial success separately. It started with a drumming gorilla, the most successful advert of 2007. The video went viral on the internet, as users posted it on video-sharing sites and e-mailed friends. It also, if less memorably, boosted sales of Daily Milk by 9 per cent, helping Cadbury to reverse its fortunes after the confectioner had lost market position and was suffering from the fallout of a salmonella scare and also created bad public relations. Now Cadbury is hoping to repeat the trick with a new  £3.7 million campaign to come up with the third in its series of adverts for Cadbury. This advertising also can co nsider as reminder advertising because it keeps consumer thinking about the brand. The advert features two children, a boy and a girl wearing a dress in the trademark Cadbury purple sitting for what appears to be a standard school photograph session. The fun starts when the photographers light testing is interrupted by a ringing phone. The alarm phone from the boys digital wrist watches transform into a full blown remix of the 1980s Freestyle hit, Dont Stop the Rock. Two mischievous children performing bizarre eyebrow dance moves to an electro-funk soundtrack. One-minute television and cinema advertisement for Cadbury chocolates is thought to have been viewed more than four million times on YouTube in its first three weeks. The commercial, released in the UK on January 23, has the potential to hook a new generation of fans while attracting the attention of those coming of age in the mid 1980s. Based on research (), it is twice the number of viewings racked up at the same stage by the firms previous cult clip, in which a gorilla plays drums. According to YouTube, Cadbury Gorilla Advert in 2007 has 5 million viewers and Eyebrows Advert has 7 million of viewers, this is a huge amount of increased and it also leads customer awareness about Cadbury. This advertisement brings a message content that consists emotional appeal because the idea is to create an antidote to the gloom to make consumers smile, a minute and a half of joy, and enjoyable as the product. The manager wants to ensure that this antidote is spread as far and wide. Therefore, Cadbury paid for 40 per cent of the population to see 60 per cent recognized it and this came from digital exposure. First came the e-mails among friends linking to YouTube clips, them came to remixes and the spoofs. It is edging up to one million views and at one point it was the third-most-watched clip on the website, behind Barack Obamas inauguration speech. Despite consumer goods marketing traditionally using the persuasion model (buy this because it works/tastes good). Cadbury believes that less direct advertising creates curiousity, such as the gorilla campaign, is most effective. The old Gorilla drumming ads is probably made people feel a bit curious, people probably wondered if it was actually a trained monkey or a man in a suit. People might or might not have noticed it was for Cadburys chocolates, and if people did think like this, people might also have wondered why a drumming gorilla should make people want to buy chocolate. All these thoughts are Cadburys objectives to create reminder of the brand to the publicity. Eyebrows is a simple form of advertisement, most people smile when look at the idea, and that was the strongest indicator that Cadbury were on to something. In my opinion, Eyebrows is the new Glass and A Half Full Production from Cadbury Dairy Milk which will bring a smile to our consumers and customer. The Eyebrows campaign will be fully supported through the line with a large Digital and Public Relations campaign which will raise a few Eyebrows and lots of smile throughout the time the campaign is on air. Sales promotion is the second communication tools used by Cadbury. Cadbury developed a website game that provides education to children with sales promotion at the same time. Traditionally, parents buy Freddo as treats for kids, brand awareness campaigns have been aimed at these parents, hoping they would continue to choose Freddo frogs based on passive advertising, TV and print. From an awareness point of view these campaigns worked, as awareness was at 99%. However, sales were on the decline. The reason is when it comes to treats today, parents still buy but it is the kids who choose. Therefore, Cadbury starts to develop a unique brand entertainment channel for Freddo to again create a deeper awareness because people do not aware of the existence of Freddo game. First, Cadbury will identify the target customer which is the parents and the children to remind them Cadbury Freddo is one of the choices to purchase as a gift. In my opinion, Cadbury is using determine communication objectives to convince the consumer to buy their product. Cadbury stopped marketing the brand product, chocolate frogs; and started marketing the brand character, Freddo. Freddo leaping onto the internet and inspiring children to learn new skills online developed under the theme of edu-tainment. Cadbury engaged teachers and child psychologists to bring this experience to life. In addition, they also give knowledge to the consumer and children to make them like the video game. The video game called The Adventures of Freddo one and two, the adventures of Freddo website featuring animated storytelling, games and activities for young consumers. It has already attracted 160,000 registered players for the first episode of adventures of Freddo in 2009. It allows children beings to explore Freddo online world they will uncover the first animated adventure The Secret of the Golden Keys. Freddo, along with his friends Ashley, Hannah and Zac, set off on a quest through time to save their teacher Professor Jeffrey and defeat the monster Cane Toad Goaf. In my opinion, Cadbury are trying to make the children prefer Cadbury Freddo brand compare to the others brands and trying to get them into conviction and make them to play the game or purchase the Cadbury Freddo Chocolate. The adventures of Freddo Two (The Mystery of Slater Island) followed the successful of first online adventure of Freddo the Frog. So now, Australias iconic chocolate frog is back for a second season. Launching in the March 2010 school holidays The Adventures of Freddo of the Mystery of Slater Island introduces exciting characters and an engaging new way to become part of Freddos universe. Once again, kids are along for the ride; completing immersive, educational games and activities that are sewn right into the storyline. Cadbury also developed a 31 seconds tv advertisement that brings emotional appeal showing a story about Freddo Prince Frog. This TV advertisement has launched during shared family viewing times in the daytime and afternoon. In my point of view, Cadbury are using reminder advertising to keeps consumer thinking about Freddo. The reward of the game and TV ads has been massive growth in brand. The result shows that over 200,000 kids registered, 500,000 episodes watched, 3,000,000 games played, over 30,000,000 minutes spent on the site and 25% sale increased. However, the Adventures of Freddo website has attracted criticism, it upset the health lobby who see it as promoting chocolate products to children. The Coalition on Food Advertising to Children disputed Cadburys assessment of the campaign and said there were loopholes in the self-regulatory code. They concluded that the marketing its use of interactive games to lure children into the branded environment. Cadbury argues that the advertising messaging did not undertake direct marketing of foods to children. Marketing activity to promote was targeted at parents. Parents are the gatekeepers. Kids are unable to go on the website without parents registering the kids. . In my opinion, the game and TV ads create or increases pester power of buying Cadbury Freddo chocolate. The third communication tools used by Cadbury are Public Relations. Cadbury has the art of building good corporate relation with the number of public including society. The first tools that used in the practice of public relations are creating event and giveaways. The Cadbury Freddo Roadshow at Auckland Zoo, children learn all about New Zealands four endangered species of native frogs, and how to help to save them. Every visitor to the Freddo Frog Roadshow will receive an educational booklet for further studies. The second tools are sponsorship. Cadbury receive many requests every day for donations and support. One of the examples is Learning Links. Learning Links is an Australia charity and non-profit organisation formed to help children who have learning disabilities, difficulties and development delays and their families. Cadbury also used public relations to counter poor publicity. For example the Adventure of Freddo game has attracted criticism from some quarters of the health lobby for targeting young children with chocolate. Internet marketing is renowned for its use of interactive games to lure children into the branded environment. Cadbury explains to the community that the site is an example of responsible marketing to children with no chocolate featured on the site. It does not market to children under 12. They are just creating an educational game for children who are under 12. Cadbury also provides identity media such as Freddo cartoon tattoo to children as a gift for purchasing a packet of Cadbury Freddo. In the other hand, Cadbury also created bad public relations in 2006. A rare strain of the Salmonella bacteria is detected and it affecting seven of its products, it has been caused by a leaking pipe. The Health Protection Agency established that 37 people, many of them young children had become ill after eating infected chocolate. More than a million of chocolate bars recalled. This creates bad public relations to the publicity. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article5634660.ece http://www.aglassandahalffullproductions.co.nz/milk-chocolate/cadbury-advert.html Theory http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/4634737/Dancing-eyebrows-advert-for-Cadburys-becomes-a-hit.html Cadbury Eyebrows Raised in Electric Boogaloo http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article5634660.ece ADD THE PROVE of eyebrows has increase the number of viewer comparing with the godrila and truck add. (DONE) Provide the public relations has increase the awareness ? Based on research (), the message that wants to bring to the public from this advertisement is Over at Glass and a Half Full Productions we noticed that wriggly potential of eyebrows and thought we would have a bit of fun with them, said the Cadbury marketing director. In addition, like the other production Eyebrows is all about losing yourself and embracing that moment of joyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦after all, everybody remembers pulling a silly face or getting up to no good as a child when backs were turned.

Movies at theaters preferred than at home

Watching movies in theaters has been the trend since so long which could not be affected by the developments in technology. There are various alternatives for watching movie in the present day situation. Nowadays, most of the families own a DVD player or a VCD player. There are people who even own home theater systems which create an f eel of a theater. One of the main reasons for the audience opting theaters to watch movies is the ambience. Theaters have good facilities with latest technology in entertainment. People go to movie theaters to see movies, but that is not the whole story. Although the shift has been rather gradual, the movie theater has ceased to be a place for only viewing films. When an audience goes to the cinema, they are often seeking something beyond the movie itself. Nowadays, for instance, while it is very unlikely that a movie theater would use words such as â€Å"fully air-conditioned† in its advertising which gives the audience a pleasure in watching movie at theater. Going to the movies is not merely for enjoying the film, but also for taking pleasure in the facilities beyond just the projection equipment. People go to movie theaters not only to drown themselves in the dream on the screen, but to escape the cold in winter and the heat in summer. While freeing audiences from reality on an imaginary level through incredible stories and spectacular visions, movie theaters also offered them refuge from the natural harshness outside the theater. Some of the main reasons for why audiences prefer movies at theaters than watching at home in VCRs or DVDs are explained as below: Most of the movie-goers are desperate to watch their favorite movie at the earliest possible and in most of the countries a new release is available only at theaters. Fans have no option other than going to the theaters on the very first day if its their favorite actor’s movie. The screen makes the whole difference between watching a movie at theater and at home. The large screen gives a great feel for the viewers. The ambience also is good at most of the theaters which encourages audiences to go to movies at theaters. People who love to have uninterrupted entertainment prefer theaters which have an excellent facility of uninterrupted play. There is no bothering of the advertisements in middle of the movie. The digital sound effect that a theater can offer is truly amazing. The DTS system of audio provided by most of the theaters is incomparable. The surround sound system gives the real feel for the audience as if the play is going just around them. When its time to party, if a large group of friends want to watch a movie together, like colleagues, classmates, large family, the only option they can have is the theaters. Everyone cannot afford a home theater system. So it is the best idea for those who cannot afford all the facilities like DVDs at home. Theaters offer various classes of tickets so that even the lower middle class and poor can afford a movie. The extra facilities like fully air conditioned interests the low class audience a lot and comforts the upper class audience. There is a special type of movies; 3D movies which are to be watched only in the theaters for the 3D feel. This technology cannot be brought home by a normal person The cost of a movie ticket is very less compared to the cost of a DVD of the movie. Since a library of all the movies is not a appreciable decision, the theaters would be the right choice for movie than at home. By taking all the factors specified in to account the reason or why people see movie in theaters instead staying home and watching movies or playing movies in VCRs and DVDs is clarified.      

Critical Discussion: The Historical and Contemporary Uses and Notions of “Race”

Abstract This paper deals with the historical and contemporary uses and notions of the term ‘race’. The discussion is based on the dismissal of most contemporary scholars of the notion of ‘race; based on 19th century scientific taxonomies. Historically, the term has been intertwined with the notions of class, people, nation, etc. and is closely related to the concepts of ‘lineage,’ ‘caste’, etc. The term is also used to denote a biological idea, which evolved to mean human physical variations, ethnic identities, human genetics, and racist ideologies. The contemporary use of ‘race’ is focused on the integration and socialisation or re-socialisation of people with other groups of different origin with whom they identify, regardless of age, gender, ethnic identities, religion, etc. Introduction This brief aim to discuss critically the historical and contemporary use(s) and notions of the term ‘race’, taking into account that most contemporary scholars dismiss the notion of ‘race’, as exemplified by the 19th century scientific taxonomies. According to Donald and Rattansi (2005), ‘race’ refers to social meanings characterised by instability and decentralised ideas, with occurrences of constant transformations from political struggle. Montagu (1997), on the other hand, has referred to it as the most dangerous myth, indicating the relevance of the needed work for this concept. He further surmises that ‘black’ and ‘white’ must no longer be used to describe society or certain groups of people. The existence of race is said to be an experience rather than an imagined or even real phenotype (qualities produced by the effect of environment on genes). Montagu states that the reason why the feeling of ‘race’ is sustained is because of the geographic segregation of people on the levels of community, society, and world-systems. The historical and contemporary use(s) and notions of the term ‘race’ are discussed below. Historical Uses and Notions of ‘Race’ In its original conception, ‘race’ pertains to a group of people with common descent and is closely related to the concepts of ‘caste’, ‘lineage’, etc. ‘Race’ has been used to differentiate people of color and Caucasian ones to reflect the construction of classes, which embody very detailed classifications. It has been presented to conduct a systematic analysis of theoretical problems and political ideas (specifically ‘race’ ideas) and the contributions of these ideas to the formation of communities and race-state interrelationships (e.g. Donald and Rattansi, 2005). Voegelin (1998) states that the study of the notion of ‘race’ has spanned a period of around a century and a half, beginning from the late 17th century to mid-19th century and claims that the development of modern history serves as the context for the emergence of the notion of ‘race’. Historically, the notion of ‘race’ is one that interweaved with the concepts of class, nation, people, ethnic group, and the like, and is expressed through its diverse use, such as in the depiction of ‘human race,’ superior race,’ English race,’ etc. ‘Race’ has appeared in southwestern European languages (Spanish, Portuguese, Italian) and has likewise been used widely amongst European countries (England, France) (Llobera, 2003). It has already existed in earlier periods of history and in different cultures. In fact a strong link was demonstrated between the European slave trade and the rise of racism in the West; however, Llobera (2003) claims that slavery is not a sufficient explanation for the existence of racism during this period. The notion of ‘race’ had already existed amongst Greeks and Romans during the ancient period, as they distinguished whites from blacks. However, such distinction did not bear any signifi cant social or cultural impact (Llobera, 2003), indicating the difference with how it was classically perceived and how it was perceived in its later notions, such as the 19th century scientific taxonomies. From the 14th century to the mid-17th century, the definition of ‘race’ altered the expression of kinship relationships and genealogy towards an emphasis on physical appearance and skin colour. These multiple understandings of the notion of ‘race’ can be summed up as being associated with a transitional period during which a move took place from a definition of ethnicity in which several definitions co-existed with a monolithic modern concept of race. During the renaissance period, the use of ‘race’ was used to denote bloodlines or lineage, such as the concept of a royal bloodline. In addition, religious conversions were able to transform blood identity; for example, a Christian who was a pagan by birth obtained a new racial identity upon conversion to Christianity (Spiller, 2011). Indeed, as have been clarified by many scholars (e.g. Spencer, 2006; James, 2011), the historical notions of ‘race’ in the early modern era is character ised by overlapping and even opposing concepts of religion and ethnicity. Historic events such as the slave trade and ‘scientific racialism’ (Spiller, 2011:2) clearly seem to have changed European attitudes toward race and identity. Ethnic identities have been used to understand the initial modern notions of ‘race’ (Spiller, 2011). In the mid-18th century, increasing knowledge of the different appearances of the human being ensued, so that ‘race’ began to be understood in terms of human physical variations. As such, human beings (in the variety of physical forms the human body takes) were seen as parts within a larger systematic structure, which is nature (Voegelin, 1998). It must be noted that as early as the 15th century, biological unity has already been assumed in the notion of ‘race’, as seen in the expression ‘unity of blood’ in the Iberian Peninsula (Llobera, 2003). In the 20th century, specifically when the Nazi regime came to existence, the notion of ‘race’ has been presented as an extremely controversial term. It includes a range of situations affirming the superiority of one ‘race’ over another. Due to its link to extremely negative moral issues, the word ‘racism’ elicits abuse and must be used with appropriate caution (Llobera, 2003). One can therefore see here that ‘race’ has transformed gradually from one that depicts the classification of classes, ethnicity, religion, etc. to one that functions as a device to evaluate superiority and inferiority. The notion of race is influenced by suggestions that it should be understood not as a reflection of biological fact but as a reflection of prevailing racist ideologies (e.g. Ferguson, 2013; Beidler and Taylor, 2005). A worthy argument is that if ‘race’ originates as a category that provides hierarchical privileges to a ruling status, thereby making other groups inferior, then those considered inferior, such as people of colour, are apparently pushed into this derogation (Beidler and Taylor, 2005). Contemporary Uses and Notions of ‘Race’ The uses and notions of ‘race’ have trailed a different direction in the contemporary understanding of the term. The change in the concept is illustrated in Korean children who grew up in largely black and Latino communities in Los Angeles and who had more in common with their black and Latino peers than with other Korean students. The same is seen amongst black suburban children in largely white communities who have identified more with the cultural values of their white peer group than with their ethnic brothers and sisters (Montagu, 1997). Despite their different phenotypical characteristics, people can assume the identity of another group (‘race’) through socialisation and re-socialisation. This is contrary to the historical notion of ‘race’, which dealt largely with bloodlines or lineage, or with biological components, or with the perception of superiority and inferiority (e.g. Llobera, 2003; and Spiller, 2011). ‘Race’ is called an ‘experience’ in its contemporary use because of the increasing multi-racial movement worldwide that depicts its existence (Tattersall and DeSalle, 2011). For example, a growing number or Americans have insisted on being regarded as belonging to more than one ‘race’ and maintain their public and private transnational identities. These movements are a reminder that single racialised categories only oversimplify the complexities of culture and ethnicity (Montagu, 1997). According to Donald and Rattansi (2005), when issues of age, gender, class, and religion are made to integrate to culture, ethnicity, and multiculturalism, a realisation that would ensue is that the extent of single-race categorisation (being a dangerous myth) will promote disparaging prejudgments that attach irrelevant distinctions on people. Apparently, this argument is parallel to the idea that it is through socialisation and re-socialisation with different gr oups that people can assume a new ‘race’ or a new identity (Montagu, 1997). Montagu (1997) presents the United States as one that brings the notion of ‘race’ as an increasingly dysfunctional way to distinguish human beings. This is because of the presence of economic, political, and demographic factors that demand people to become competent interculturally (e.g. Donald and Rattansi, 2005). This propensity for intercultural competence blurs the distinction of people based on skin colour and other forms of identity. This is parallel to recognising the cultural and social integration of people of various origins as the new way of their cultural and social belongingness (e.g. Llobera, 2003; Spiller, 2011). Whitmarsh and Jones (2010) suggest that race and ethnicity function as categories of racial relationships, such as certain racial dualities where fine skin colour distinctions are dominant. Anthropological research (e.g. Whitmarsh and Jones, 2010) reveals that ethnic identities are incongruous and numerous in ways that cannot be reduced to racial classifications. Racial and ethnic categorisations are arbitrarily interwoven with gender and class in various discourses. These contemporary uses of ‘race’ have produced overwhelming accounts of racial disparities, ranging from income, education, punishment, medical treatment, and so on, thereby leading some theorists to suggest that the notion of ‘race’ needs to be understood in the context of the related notion of social justice (Whitmarsh and Jones, 2010). This is contrary to the use of ‘race’ as an outcome of socialisation and re-socialisation to a new culture, which Llobera, (2003) has earlier described. In Lively and Weaver‘s (2006) view, however, racial classifications (without regard to their purpose) tend to stigmatise. Despite efforts to correct the past, notions of racial inferiority may still be present, thereby leading to a politics of racial hostility. However, the current ways to discuss the notion of ‘race’ are through remnants of earlier ways of understanding this concept, making it easy to understand contemporary discussions about itself as a pale reflection of its more vigorous discourse (Ernest, 2009). Understanding ‘race’ would inform of the fact that there are only trivial physical and biological differences between groups referred to as ‘races.’ There is no convincing empirical case that allows the ascription of common intellectual, psychological, or moral characteristics to individuals based on skin colour. There is certainly no good ethical case to serve as a justification of inequitable treatment on such illogical basis (e.g. Montagu, 1997). This is seen in the current understanding of this concept based on people’s integration to a different social and/or cultural group, with whom they identify. It has been broadly acknowledged that problematic stances can ensue if the contemporary notions of â€Å"race† are applied to the early modern period. This is the reason why the term is usually enclosed with quotation marks and is highlighted by qualifications (e.g. Beidler and Taylor, 2005). Conclusion This paper has provided a critical discussion of the historical and contemporary uses and notions of ‘race’. The term is characterised by unstable and centralised social meanings, within which constant transformations frequently occur. An examination of 19th-century iconography revealed that the historical notion of ‘race’ reflect the construction of classes. The Renaissance era indicated bloodlines or lineage for the term ‘race.’ Religion and ethnicity also characterised the historical notions of ‘race’ in the early modern period. The modern era, on the other hand, saw the development of this notion as one that originates from the human genetic diversity paradigm to the typological racial model. ‘Race’ as an experience is demonstrated in today’s increasing multi-racial movement in various parts of the world. Disparaging prejudgments that attach irrelevant distinctions on people would be the result of the integration between issues of gender, age, class, and religion on one hand, and culture, ethnicity, and multiculturalism on the other. ‘Race’ is a dysfunctional way to distinguish people because of the presence of economic, political, and demographic aspects that require them to develop intercultural competences. Moreover, the contemporary notion of ’race’ indicates that there is no convincing empirical and ethical case that justifies ascription of certain qualities to some individuals and treat them inequitably as a result. ‘Race’, in its contemporary use, can mean a result of socialisation and re-socialisation of people with other groups with whom they identify, regardless of age, gender, ethnic identities, and the like. References Beidler, P. D. and Taylor, G. (2005) Writing Race Across the Atlantic World: Medieval to Modern. NY: Palgrave MacMillan. Donald, J. and Rattansi, A. (2005) Race, Culture and Difference. London: The Open University. Ernest, J. (2009) Chaotic Justice: Rethinking African American Literary History. North Carolina: The University of North Carolina Press. Ferguson, M. (2013) ‘Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko’ in M. Hendricks and P. Parker (eds.) Women. â€Å"Race,† and Writing in the Early Modern Period. NY: Routledge. James, P. (2011) Religion, Identity, and Global Governance: Ideas, Evidence and Practice. Toronto: University of Toronto Press Incorporated. Lively, D. E. and Weaver, R. L. (2006) Contemporary Supreme Court Cases. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. Llobera, J. R. (2003) An Invitation to Anthropology: The Structure, Evolution, and Cultural Identity of Human Societies. NY: Berghahn Books. Montagu, A. (1997) Man’s Most Dangerous Myth: The Fallacy of Race. CA: Altamira Press. Spencer, S. (2006) Race and Ethnicity: Culture, Identity and Representation. NY: Routledge. Spiller, E. (2011) Reading and the History of Race in the Renaissance. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Tattersall, I. and DeSalle, R. (2011) RaceDebunking a Scientific Myth. First Edition. Texas: Texas A&M University Press. Voegelin, E. (1998) The History of the Race Idea: From Ray to Carus, Volume 3. Louisiana: Louisiana State University Press. Whitmarsh, I. and Jones, D. S. (2010) ‘Governance and the uses of race’. In I. Whitmarsh and D. S. Jones (eds.) What’s the Use of RaceModern Governance and the Biology of Difference. Massachusetts: Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

What Are You Fantasizing About - 1743 Words

â€Å"What are you daydreaming about?† â€Å"I am not daydreaming.† â€Å"Your mind is somewhere else. You never called me back last night, and I m still waiting to find out more about your mystery man.† â€Å"I was tired, and I ordered takeout.† â€Å"Really Jordyn?† â€Å"Where are you and Antonio going for lunch?† â€Å"We re getting the lunch special at Murray s. Do you want me to bring you anything?† â€Å"No, I already have plans.† â€Å"With the mystery guy?† Jordyn rested her forehead in her hands. Her twin was going to keep prodding her for information. â€Å"Yes, I have a lunch date with the mystery man.† â€Å"We ll if you aren t having dinner with your mystery man tonight, you are welcome to come over for dinner.† Jordyn s phone rang, and she was never more happier to be†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"It s a very nice offer, but it s also crazy.† â€Å"Crazy?† â€Å"We re not even officially dating, but you want me to take a trip with you to the other side of the country?† â€Å"I want to get to know you better.† â€Å"I want to know more about you too, but I don t know if we should be taking vacations together yet. I can t ask you to spend that much money on me so soon.† â€Å"I want to spend the money on you.† â€Å"Colin...† â€Å"How about you hold on to your return ticket. That way if you decide you want to turn around and leave as soon as the plane lands, we can go our separate ways. I want you to feel secure Jordyn.† Jordyn tapped her fork on her plate contemplating his offer. It would be nice to take a weekend vacation. A few minutes later, she gave him her answer. â€Å"Okay, but I want my return ticket before we get on the plane.† â€Å"I wouldn t have it any other way.† Hours later, Jordyn was reading her dating profile. She couldn t get away from the nagging thought that it was insane agreeing to a weekend getaway with Colin. They hadn t shared anything more than lunch and dinner, and she was considering spending the whole weekend with him. Of course she needed a vacation, but the logical part of her brain was telling her this was not the way to plan a vacation. The guy could be a complete psycho who wanted to get her miles away from her home. Despite the nagging logical thoughts urging her to stay put, her heart wanted to know more about Colin. He seemed to be really sensitive, and she