Analysis Apple’s History, Development and Growth Essay Example

Analysis Apple’s History, Development and Growth Essay Analysis apple’s history, development and growth Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, a pair of 20-something college dropouts, founded Apple Computer on April Fool’s Day, 1976. Working out of the Jobs family’s garage in Los Altos, California, they built a computer circuit board that they named the Apple I. Within several months, they had made 200 sales and taken on a new partner-A. C. †Mike† Markkula, Jr. , a freshly minted millionaire who had retired from Intel at the age of 33. Markkula, who was instrumental in attracting venture capital, was the experienced businessman on the team; Wozniak was the technical genius; and jobs were the visionary who sought â€Å"to change the world through technology. † Jobs made it Apple’s mission to bring an easy-to- use computer to market. In April 1978, the company launched the Apple II, a relatively simple machine that people could use straight out of the box. The Apple II sparked a computing revolution that drove the PC industry to $1 billion in annual sales in less than three years. Apple quickly become the industry leader, selling more than 100,000 Apple IIs by the end of 1980. In December 1980,Apple launched a successful IPO. Apple’s competitive position changed fundamentally in 1981, when IBM entered the PC market. The IBM PC, which used Microsoft’s DOS operating system (OS) and a microprocessor (also called a CPU) from Intel, seemed bland and gray alongside the graphics and sound-enhanced Apple II. But the IBM Pc was a relatively â€Å"open† system that other producers could clone. We will write a custom essay sample on Analysis Apple’s History, Development and Growth specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Analysis Apple’s History, Development and Growth specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Analysis Apple’s History, Development and Growth specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer By contrast, Apple relied on proprietary designs that only Apple could proprietary designs that only Apple could produce. As IBM-compatibles proliferated, Apple’s revenue continued to grow, but its market share dropped sharply, falling to 6. 2% in 1982. In 1984, Apple introduced the Macintosh, marking a breakthrough in ease of use, industrial design, and technical elegance. Yet the Mac’s slow processor speed and a lack of compatible software limited its sales. Between 1983 and 1984, Apple’s net income fell 17%, leaving the company in crisis. In April 1985, Apple’s broad removed Jobs from an operational role. Several months later, Jobs left Apple to found new company named NexT. Those moves left John Sculley, the CEO whom Apple had recruited from Pepsi-Cola in 1983, alone at the helm. Sculley had led Pepsi’s successful charge against Coca-Cola. Now he hoped to help Apple compete against dominant players in its industry. The Sculley Years, 1985-1993 Sculley sought to make Apple a leader in desktop publishing as well as education. He also moved aggressively to bring Apple into the corporate world. Apple’s combination of superior software, such as Aldus (later Adobe) PageMaker, and peripherals, such as laser printers, gave the Macintosh unmatched capabilities in desktop publishing. Sales exploded, turning Apple’s worldwide market share stabilized at about 8%. In the education market, which contributed roughly half of Apple’s U. S. sales, the company held a share of more than 50%. Apple had $1 billion in cash and was most profitable PC Company in the world. Apple controlled the only significant alternative, both in hardware and in software, to the then prevailing IBM-compatible standard. The company practiced horizontal and vertical integration to a greater extent than any other PC company, with the typically designed its products from scratch, using unique chips, the disk drives, and monitors, as well as unusual shapes for its computers chassis. http://www. apple. com/choose-your-country/ Net sales performance Apple’s Annual Report filed on 10/27/2010. The company depends on component and product manufacturing and logistical services provided by third parties, many of whom are located outside of the U. S. † Risk factors in form 10-K, Apple’s Annual Report filed on 10/27/2010. Apple catches up to market leader Nokia: ttp://hken. ibtimes. com/articles/70050/20101008/apple-catches-up-to-market-leader-nokia. htm Apple picks Shanghai contract manufacturer— http://0-proquest. umi. com. lib. cityu. edu. hk/pqdweb? index=1 , , , , , Apple’s internal strengths and weaknesses. 1) Audit on apple’s key resources and capabilities a) E valuate apple’s resource/ capabilities and identify its strengths and weaknesses. Brief explanation with supporting evidence is expected. For details, see references for ‘Resources and capabilities’ below or search other relevant information on the web. b) Recommend appropriate strategies to enhance apple’s competitive position. 2) Assessing competence: value chain analysis (Apple Inc. , ), (Apple Computer),2007? 1? 9 Macworld Expo , , 3. 8%? Apple II? 1970 , Macintosh 1980 Apple II? Macintosh iPod iTunes , ? , ,? 1975? ,  · Atari Alex Kamradt Call Computer , Silent 700 (Popular Electronics) , ,Woz 24? , 40 , Call Computer Call Computer Alex Kamradt , ?1975 (Homebrew Computer Club) , Altair 8800? IMSAI Woz , 179 8080? 170 6800 6800, , , 1976 ? ,? MOS Technology 25 6502? , BASIC , BASIC 6502 6800 MOS Technology Motorola ), Woz , 6800 , 6502 , , ,  · Introduction Apple Computer, Inc. , is a multinational corporation that creates consumer electronics, computer software, and commercial servers. Apples core product lines are the iPhone, iPod music player, and Macintosh computers. Co-founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak effectively created Apple Computer on April 1, 1976, with the release of the Apple I, and incorporated the company on January 3, 1977, in Cupertino, California. For more than two decades, Apple Computer was predominantly a manufacturer of personal computers, including the Apple II, Macintosh, and Power Mac lines, but faced rocky sales and low market share during the 1990s. Jobs, who had been ousted from the company in 1985, returned to become Apples CEO in 1996, and brought with him a new corporate philosophy of recognizable products and simple design. With the introduction of the successful iPod music player in 2001, Apple established itself as a leader in the consumer electronics industry, dropping Computer from its name and going on to release the iPhone and iPad. Today, Apple is the largest technology firm in the world, with annual revenue of over $60 billion. [1] The Apple I Main article: Apple I The very first Apple Computer logo, drawn by Ronald Wayne, depicts Isaac Newton under an apple tree. The Apple logo in 1977 created by Rob Janoff with the rainbow color theme used until 1998. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak had been friends for some time, having met in 1971, when their mutual friend, Bill Fernandez, introduced 21-year-old Wozniak to 16-year-old Jobs. Jobs managed to interest Wozniak in assembling a machine and selling it. Jobs approached a local computer store, The Byte Shop, who said they would be interested in the machine, but only if it came fully assembled. The owner, Paul Terrell, went further, saying he would order 50 of the machines and pay US $500 each on delivery. [2] Jobs then took the purchase order that he had been given from the Byte Shop to Cramer Electronics, a national electronic parts distributor, and ordered the components he needed to assemble the Apple I Computer. The local credit manager asked Jobs how he was going to pay for the parts and he replied, I have this purchase order from the Byte Shop chain of computer stores for 50 of my computers and the payment terms are COD. If you give me the parts on a net 30 day terms I can build and deliver the computers in that time frame, collect my money from Terrell at the Byte Shop and pay you. [3] With that, the credit manager called Paul Terrell who was attending an IEEE computer conference at Asilomar in Pacific Grove and verified the validity of the purchase order. Amazed at the tenacity of Jobs, Terrell assured the credit manager if the computers showed up in his stores Jobs would be paid and would have more than enough money to pay for the parts order. The two Steves and their small crew spent day and night building and testing the computers and delivered to Terrell on time to pay his suppliers and have a tidy profit left over for their celebration and next order. Steve Jobs had found a way to finance his soon-to-be multimillion-dollar company without giving away one share of stock or ownership. The machine had only a few notable features. One was the use of a TV as the display system, whereas many machines had no display at all. This was not like the displays of later machines, however; text was displayed at a terribly slow 60 characters per second. However, this was still faster than the teletypes used on contemporary machines of that era. The Apple I also included bootstrap code on ROM, which made it easier to start up. Finally, at the insistence of Paul Terrell, Wozniak also designed a cassette interface for loading and saving programs, at the then-rapid pace of 1200  bit/s. Although the machine was fairly simple, it was nevertheless a masterpiece of design, using far fewer parts than anything in its class, and quickly earning Wozniak a reputation as a master designer. Joined by another friend, Ronald Wayne, the three started to build the machines. Using a variety of methods, including borrowing space from friends and family, selling various prized items (like calculators and a VW bus) and scrounging, Jobs managed to secure the parts needed while Wozniak and Wayne assembled them. But the owner of the Byte Shop was expecting complete computers, not just printed circuit boards. The boards still being a product for the customers Terrell still paid them. [4] Eventually 200 of the Apple Is were built. [edit] The Apple II But Wozniak had already moved on from the Apple I. Many of the design features of the I were due to the limited amount of money they had to construct the prototype, but with the income from the sales he was able to start construction of a greatly improved machine, the Apple II; it was presented to the public at the first West Coast Computer Faire on April 16 and April 17, 1977. On the first day of exhibition, Jobs introduced Apple II o a Japanese chemist named Toshio Mizushima who became the first authorized Apple dealer in Japan. The main difference internally was a completely redesigned TV interface, which held the display in memory. Now not only useful for simple text display, the Apple II included graphics, and, eventually, color. Jobs meanwhile pressed for a much improved case and keyboard, with the idea that the machine should be complet e and ready to run out of the box. This was almost the case for the Apple I machines sold to The Byte Shop, but one still needed to plug various parts together and type in the code to run BASIC. Building such a machine was going to be fiscally burdensome. Jobs started looking for cash, but Wayne was somewhat gun shy due to a failed venture four years earlier, and eventually dropped out of the company. Banks were reluctant to lend Jobs money; the idea of a computer for ordinary people seemed absurd at the time. Jobs eventually met Mike Markkula who co-signed a bank loan for US$250,000, and the three formed Apple Computer on April 1, 1976. Why Apple? At the time, the company to beat was Atari, and Apple Computer came before Atari alphabetically and thus also in the phone book. Another reason was that Jobs had happy memories of working on an Oregon apple farm one summer. [5] With both cash and a new case design in hand thanks to designer Jerry Manock, the Apple II was released in 1977 and became the computer generally credited with creating the home computer market[citation needed]. Millions were sold well into the 1980s. The Company sells its products worldwide through its online stores, its retail stores, its direct sales force, and third-party wholesalers, resellers, and value-added resellers. In addition, the Company sells a variety of third-party Macintosh (Mac), iPhone and iPod compatible products, including application software, printers, storage devices, speakers, headphones, and various other accessories and peripherals through its online and retail stores, and digital content and applications through the iTunes Store. The Company sells to consumer, small and mid-sized business (SMB), education, enterprise, government and creative customers. The Company’s reportable operating segments consist of the Americas, Europe, Japan and Retail. The Americas, Europe and Japan reportable segments do not include activities related to the Retail segment. The Americas segment includes both North and South America. The Company offers a range of personal computing products, mobile communication devices, and portable digital music and video players, as well as a variety of related software, services, peripherals, networking solutions and various third-party hardware and software products. The Company designs, develops, and markets to Mac and Windows users its iPhone mobile communication devices and its family of iPod digital music and video players, along with related accessories and services, including the online distribution of third-party digital content and applications through the Company’s iTunes Store. In addition, the Company offers its own software products, including Mac OS X, the Company’s proprietary operating system software for the Mac; server software and related solutions; professional application software; and consumer, education, and business oriented pplication software. The Company currently holds rights to patents and copyrights relating to certain aspects of its computer systems, iPhone and iPod devices, peripherals, software and services. In addition, the Company has registered and/or has applied to register, trademarks and service marks in the U. S. and a number of foreign countries for ‘Apple,’ the Apple logo, Ã¢â‚¬Ë œMacintosh,’ ‘Mac,’ ‘iPhone,’ ‘iPod,’ ‘iTunes,’ ‘iTunes Store, ’ ‘Apple TV,’ ‘Mobile Me’ and numerous other trademarks and service marks. Compliance with federal, state, local and foreign laws enacted for the protection of the environment has to date had no material effect on the Company’s capital expenditures, earnings, or competitive position. Apple designs personal computer hardware, software, and consumer devices, such as the iPod music player, the Macintosh computer, and the iPhone. Apples iTunes online store sells music and videos for download and is the largest retailer of music in the world. Apple sells its products online as well as through company stores and retail chains around the globe. Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and manufactures consumer electronics and computer software products. The companys best-known hardware products include Macintosh computers, the iPod, and the iPhone. Apple software includes the Mac OS X operating system, the iTunes media browser, and the iLife suite of multimedia and creativity software. Apple has established a unique reputation in the consumer electronics industry. This includes a customer base that is devoted to the company and its brand, particularly in the United States.

Siddhartha

Siddhartha had one single goal in life. His goal is to become empty, to become empty of thirst, desire, dreams, pleasure and sorrow - to let the Self die. No longer to be Self, to experience the peace of an emptied heart, to experience pure thought - that was his goal. When all the Self was conquered and dead, when all passions and desires were silent, then the last must awaken, the innermost of Being that is no longer Self - the great secret Siddhartha, according to his actions, was constantly in search for knowledge, regardless of what kind, or what he had to do to obtain it. In the book titled Siddhartha, by Herman Hesse, this is shown to us by Siddhartha's leaving home to join the Samanas, and all the actions leading to his residence alongside the river. Leaving his family and home everyone loved him, showed that Siddhartha not only knew what he wanted in life, but will do anything to attain it. Siddhartha did not leave his father's chambers until he had gotten his way, until his father had submitted to Siddhartha's wishes and agreed to let him leave home to join the Samanas. This stubbornness, this patience with people and situations is also a large part of Siddhartha's character. It enables him to out wait anyone or anything, which teaches him how to do without and also helps him through his time with the Samanas. "Siddhartha learned a great deal from the Samanas he learned many ways of losing the Self". Despite the new knowledge he acquired, Siddhartha realized that it was only " . . . a temporary palliative against the pain and folly of life". His next decision was to leave the Samanas and go in search of the Buddha in order to learn perhaps something he did not already know. Through this learned that Siddhartha, having !all tha t is possible in one place, moves to another in search for more wisdom in search for the secret of how to obtain inner peace, how to find the Self. This action also shows his change by showing ...

Corporate Sustainability and Organizational Change - Case Of OMV Essay

Corporate Sustainability and Organizational Change - Case Of OMV Petrom Answering question that listed on order instruction - Essay Example In this case, the integrative strategy (Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) shows how the company can improve socially and environmentally while still maintaining its competitive advantage in business. The integrative model of organizational change is based on the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA). In planning, it provides the recent condition, and it helps the company to set up its ultimate goals. So, the company will understand its requirement to change the values, norms and rules, or, in other words, the problems. The company will also understand the need to derive and detail individual goals. It will need to start collecting data and diagnosing the goals. After understanding those elements, it will need to adjust its management to lead the company towards set goals. Thirdly is â€Å"Check†. The corporation should check and evaluate the performance of the organizational change and whether the corporation and the employees can meet the objectives. The company needs to take corrective measure if it is underperforming. Fourthly is â€Å"Act†. After a corporation gathers all of the data, it should give its reaction, and readjust the plan if it does not meet the objectives. It needs to change or come up with new plan so as to achieve the objectives. OMV is a big company. The first major issue is that there is need to implement organizational change to 20000 employees. OMV needs to make all of its employees to have strong commitment towards supporting sustainable organizational change. Secondly, it needs to reduce emission by leading the company to operate with energy efficiency. It should apply safety, security, environmental care and corporate social responsibility. It is very expensive to lead the business to operate like this. The impact of sustainability and organizational change can cause employees to have different mindsets. Their main goal is how to operate a

Was Geoffrey Chaucer Machiavellian Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Was Geoffrey Chaucer Machiavellian - Essay Example In this respect, they have greatly influenced leadership models that have been adopted through time. Emergent philosophers have also borrowed heavily from the insights that were initially put forth by this philosopher. Perhaps the most pronounced in this regard was Geoffrey Chaucer. Notably, his life was greatly influenced by the Machiavellian principle. It is against this background that this paper provides an explicit review of how Chaucer exhibited Machiavellianism. To enhance coherence, it begins by underscoring the principles of this philosophy. Basically, Machiavellian principle places great emphasis on the concept of governance. In particular, it addresses the notion of idealism and suggests informative ways through which the government of a given population can operate with utmost ease. In detail, this philosophy advocates for a type of leadership that is manipulative, objective and overly dictatorial. The chief proponent of this philosophy proposes that any mode of governanc e needs to be augmented by the services of a strong army. He posits that this offers a strong basement upon which a strong state can be established. With respect to virtuous living, Machiavelli believes that no leader can be virtuous enough to satisfy the expectations of all his subjects (Pearsall 59). Nonetheless, leaders need to strive towards attaining virtuous living in order to maintain credible performance and safeguard their reputation. A review of Chaucer’s life, works and general philosophy indicates that he is Machiavellian. He borrows heavily from the preceding principles and seemingly, these inform his decisions, career, education, social life and general way of life. In his biographical review, Pearsall indicates that Chaucer came from a well to do economic background (Pearsall 61). Probably, his father was one of the richest merchants in the region. This enabled him to attend good schools and gain quality education from a very tender age. From this point of view , his background was already grounded on the Machiavellian propositions regarding a strong army. Strength in this regard can be defined in terms of knowledge, strength and expertise. His strong education implies that Machiavellianism greatly influenced his decisions from the very initial stages of his life. In 1357, he enrolled in the house of Elizabeth to perform court responsibilities. Historical evidence indicates that persons from the middle class faction were mostly placed in these positions in order to familiarize themselves with the duties of the royalty. After two years, Chaucer was recruited to serve in the army under the leadership of Edward III. Although he was captured during the offensive at Reims, he was ransomed later on. Then, he was given a chance to serve in diplomatic missions and effectively represented the government abroad. At this point, it is worth appreciating that his career life revolved around serving in governance and in the arm. From their point of view , Chaucer and Larry ascertain that elative decisions were informed by the need to remain assertive in the society (Chaucer and Larry 71). Typically, the roles of the army tend to involve violence and fighting. Cruelty and objectivity are notions that are intrinsic to the values and attitudes that are assumed by the army men. From this consideration, it is certain that Chaucer’s career related decisions were greatly influenced

Determinants of Elasticity Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Determinants of Elasticity - Assignment Example At the other hand, the focus of this document points out towards the growth in the prices of mattresses, sofas and beds, throughout the world. Rest is one of the basic human needs for sustainable existence (Mei-Se, Shu-Jung, & Hung-Ta, 2009), therefore people are forced to cope with rising prices of this important need, through forgoing other important desires. Mattresses and luxury sofa sets were luxuries during the course of past two decades, but in this modern era, they transformed into necessities for families to maintain their status symbol. At the same time, there is no suitable substitute available for them; along with this, there is a growing social pressure to acquire good to excellent quality sofa sets and mattresses to keep up with the changing trends. Therefore, it is wise to imply that, the demand of mattresses and other similar social necessities is not affected by the change in price largely. In parallel, it is recommended to the governments to provide firms producing these items with subsidies in order to, stabilize prices of their products, so that people can fulfill other desires as well. This paper focused on analyzing the price elasticity of necessities of human life, and painfully noticed that despite of their increasing prices, people are purchasing them. Therefore, governmental intervention is recommended in order to; control inflating price of mattresses and other similar

An Analysis Of Performance Management Strategies Business Essay

An Analysis Of Performance Management Strategies Business Essay Performance management (PM) includes activities to ensure that goals are consistently being met in an effective and efficient manner. Performance management can focus on the performance of an organization, a department, employee, or even the processes to build a product or service, as well as many other areas. In both definitions it is clear that performance management is process of continuously measuring performance of each individual in organization to achieve set goals. To check that organization is performing in right way, we use performance management strategy or system to measure performance of specific department or employees or to measure performance of whole organization. Performance management talks about important and broader issues of organization. It gives procedures to organizations to achieve their goals. Performance management links all people, teams and individuals associated with business. Performance management should include: Performance management throughout the organization for individual, team and increased productivity of organization. Development is also very important for improved performance. Unless there is no development plan for employees in organization there will be no performance improvement. Organizations should ensure that employees are encouraged and motivated to fulfill their responsibility. How It Works? As performance management is very key part of organization to make organization work effectively. So this strategy should be structured properly. There should be a performance management framework to operate it effectively and efficiently in organization. Tools of Performance Management Performance Reviews To measure performance management there should be regular reviews of individuals performance. There should be performance review meetings to evaluate performance management. The meetings should be properly managed and planned to measure. Learning and Development Most famous and successful organizations give importance to employee development for increased performance of organization. With the help of performance reviews employees can be encouraged to look for deficiencies in them. And it should be responsibility of organization to provide learning and development schemes. Organizations which have high emphasis on individuals learning have emphasis on performance improvement indirectly. Measurements Organizations which want to measure performance management effectively, there employees or individuals should know that on what criteria or through which procedures their performance is going to be measured. Organizations should measure performance on fairly and honest basis. Pay In many organizations performance management is related with performance related pay. Performance related pay is important tool in many organizations to motivate employees through performance related pay. PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY OF DERBY CITY COUNCIL I have taken the performance management strategy of DERBY CITY COUNCIL as example to evaluate their strategy. I am going to evaluate their performance strategy of 2007-2010. Objective The basic objective of performance management strategy of DERBY CITY COUNCIL is to manage performance across council and the steps they will use to achieve their goals. They have described everything in their strategy that what they are going to achieve and how they will achieve. Importance of Performance Management As from definitions it is clear that performance management strategy is used to make organization more effective and to engage every employee in development of organization. So DERBY CITY COUNCIL has taken the importance of performance management very seriously as well. Performance management strategy make council to look for current status of their work, monitor for problems and issues arising, how to solve them and plans to implement their strategy. Performance management strategy is important to DERBY CITY COUNCIL for number of reasons. Improving Services Council is always here to improve services for people. So thats why performance management strategy is very important to council as they want to continuously improve services for people. They are focused on achieving right goals according to needs and expectations of local people and community. And their strategy helps them to look out their progress in achieving those goals and to look for any issues occurring in their current plans or not. And according to council their strategy is main key to improve their services continuously for people. Motivating staff For DERBY CITY COUNCIL their performance management strategy is not only to achieve goals like to improve services of people. For council effective management strategy is that which motivate their staff to understand them what is their role in this strategy, how much they are involved in achieving goals set by council for local people and whether their staff is getting fit into framework set by council to achieve their targets. Thats why council has described in their workforce Development Plan the scheme called Achievement and Development to stay connected with staff and promote their learning and to motivate them to fulfill their individual duties to achieve organizational goals. Meeting Government Expectations Performance management strategy is important to council because they want to meet government expectations. As performance assessment which is annual assessment by local authorities to measure performance or achievements of council in last year. So to meet government expectations performance management strategy is important to them. Demonstrating Value for Money Council tax is always concern for local residents, and they want to see that while council is doing or improving services for them or not. So this strategy is important to them to make a clear vision in local community about their value of money and council is continuously working for improvements. Purpose of Strategy For DERBY CITY COUNCIL, purpose of their performance management strategy is to Establish strong planning and performance framework to continuously improve services. To implement performance management system to measure performances of individuals and of organization. To achieve their set goals and targets. To be classified as four star council by meeting government expectations by continuously improving services for people. For DERBY CITY COUNCIL effective performance strategy not only requires good strategy but also organizational culture which supports this strategy by encouraging staff to improve their services. Performance Framework of DERBY CITY COUNCIL Their performance framework includes community strategy, corporate plan, business plans, team plans and individual plans. In framework council used community strategy to set the long term visions and targets for local community. Its a long term strategy to improve services which can be renewable. The Council corporate plan is to support community strategy how they will focus on continuous improvements and key actions to be taken for improvements. Business plans in performance framework are there to describe how each section of council work for improvements. Team plans will demonstrate employees to develop their understanding that how they will individually or in teams contribute for improvements. For council performance framework has to be clear, accurate and timely planned. What Council is Aiming to Achieve? Through their strategy council want to create an environment where every individual knows his/her contribution towards improving services and feel motivated and encouraged to manage their own performance effectively. Council Main Principles Council target is based on five principles which lead towards improvement. Balanced measurements For every process three elements are always important like inputs, outputs and outcomes. According to council as outcomes are always important for end users but they want balanced set of all measures means inputs, outputs and outcomes in their strategy to improve services. Strong Decision Making For council strong decision making is very important to them. As it is their one of main principle that decisions maker should be confident enough in information which he/she is using for decision making. They should use data of good quality to make decisions. The data or information which is used for decision making should be accurate, strong and relevant. Clear The performance information must be clear and should be accessible to all users. Goal Oriented Information should be goal oriented, focusing on key goals and targets to be achieved. Individual role Every individual must know his/her role in managing performance and key actions towards improvements. How Council will achieve his Vision? In this section council will deliver his strategy to achieve their goal. For council there are some sections which should be fulfilled to make their strategy successful. Role of Leader in Culture of Performance Management A performance management culture is climate or environment in which organization is working. Through performance management culture every employee and individual knows the values and vision of organization and their own roles to achieve those goals for organization. It encourages and motivates individuals to act in their role properly and perform their duties. As it is important for everyone to manage performance culture, but it should be lead by effective leader who has strong leadership skills. Like in performance framework of DERBY CITY COUNCIL there should be effective leader to lead corporate or business plans. Strong and confident leaders know what kind of performance is required and have ability to clearly communicate every individuals role towards improvement. They make clear to everyone that these areas are to be focused or improve and whose role is required or important in this issue. Advantages: Managers or leaders set clear goals and expectations across all employees which are continuously monitored. With performance measures there are continuous appraisals. DERBY CITY COUNCIL has culture where excellent performance is praised and shared across council. Clear Roles and Responsibilities To make their strategy effective council has described every individuals roles and responsibilities in their performance management strategy. Some roles are described below: Corporate Directors: Take operational responsibility of key actions to be done by council. They continuously review performances. They made actions required regarding data quality for decision making. They ensure that performance is under consideration in department. Performance Board: This board monitors that performance management strategy is implemented properly or not. Heads of Service They identify opportunities for improvement in strategy or performance management system. They monitor underperformance and their responsibility is to take necessary actions when required. Cabinet Their responsibility is to deliver council priorities. They review performance every three months and take actions if performance is not managed properly. They have also responsibility of measuring either value for money is achieved or not. Council Their role is to provide clear vision and to make corporate plan accordingly. They approve all budgets. They ensure every achievement. Audits and Accounts Their role is to maintain the internal environment controlled and managed. All Staff Know what their roles and contributions are required by council to achieve goals and improvement in services. They know what is vision of team in which they are working and what are the visions of stakeholders? What are their own personal goals and what they require to improve in themselves? Internal Audit They have to assess overall procedure implemented for producing performance management. They check procedures which are high risk. Advantages Everyone knows what performance framework is and know that improving services for local people is vision of council. Every member plays an important role in monitoring and managing performance management strategy. Continuous and Strong Performance Information System Council performance information is regularly used by group of people, employees, individuals and stakeholders. The Council use performance eye as main tool to analyze, collaborate and reporting performance information to all of them. The system is accessible to all staff so thats why information is clear to all staff. Advantages: Performance eye tool includes all visions of performance management including value for money. Wide use of performance eye tool by all members, employees and stakeholders. While developing performance eye data quality is taken seriously. Local people get informed about council performance and progress in achieving their goals. Continuous Assessment of Performance Measurement of performance honestly and actively is very important part of performance culture. Council has taken this point in consideration as well to take effective actions against underperformance, ensuring right actions to be done to bring performance back to action. Council considers their employees to be best source for their success and their development is necessary for councils future. It is very important to agreeing objectives with employees, giving them appraisals on their achievements and addressing their development needs in right and set path. Outcomes: Council continuously manages poor performers and rewards good performers and work for their development. Learning and Development Learning forms the basis of development of performance managed culture of organization. Here learning is about collecting information about what plans has worked and what has not worked. Organizational performance board is there to improve learning and to view which actions are necessary. Training and development is always important for exploring knowledge of every individual in every organization and at all levels. With performance management strategy a separate training plan is implemented as well in relation with performance for support and development of individuals. Outcomes: Sharing of knowledge and learning between all departments of council and other stakeholders. With help of different plan, more structured learning with performance management strategy. Main Steps in Delivering our Strategy Council has delivered their performance management strategy in the form of short term, medium term and long term goals. Short term Goals Short term goals are those goals which are to be achieved in 1 year or shorter period of time. Improved areas of underperformance through strict and strong action planning and benchmarking. Council does benchmarking to compare his results with successful results achieved by other same type of organizations. To look at their planning and way to achieve targets. Training of performance tools to all staff to improve performance managed culture. It is short term goal of council to train all staff to how to use performance tool to stable the culture of organization. Council wants to achieve this goal in short period of time to improve performance for community. Communication of performance information with local community. Council wants to achieve this target in of communicating its progress to local community, and to tell them how they are progressing, how they are working , how they are converting resources into improvement for community. So there should be clear and transparent communication with local community. Celebrating the achievements. Council wants to celebrate and wants to tell to local community that they are achieving their goals and proved increased performance. Medium Term Goals Medium term goals are goals which are to be achieved in period of 1 to 2 years. Review of performance eye It is target of council to review performance eye tool according to council and future needs. After review, if council requires further changings, needed to be done effectively. Improvements in Learning and Development Learning and development scheme should be reviewed half yearly or yearly to manage performance effectively. If performance management is not working effectively it can be due to no learning and development as well. So its council target to review their learning and development plan continuously. Long Term Goals Long term goals are those goals for council which they want to achieve in period of three years. Change to Performance Management System Implement changes to performance management system to work it more effectively and issues which has affected the performance management of organization. Changes to Individual Performance Council wants to implement changes to every individual performance to make them more effective for organization. It is a long term goal for council to check individual performance management to check who needs learning and development. Conclusion Performance management strategy is used to measure performance of individual, team and or organization as a whole as well. With the help of this strategy organizations measure how effectively their employees as individual working and how much efficient is organization working. With the help of performance management strategy Everyone came to know that how much they are contributing towards organizational goals and targets. Everyone ensures that what is organization expecting from them and they has skills and support to achieve this or not. Effective communication increases in organizations between all employees. Managers encourages individuals to do best they can and opportunities of learning and development. Performance management strategy of DERBY CITY COUNCIL has describes some main principles which are important for them in their strategy. They have given importance to: Being clear and transparent to your staff about what is performance. Understanding to employees how they can improve performance management culture. Every individual should be focused on his own contributions needed by organization. Decision maker should be confident and strong enough in decision making. Decision maker should have good quality of data. Recommendations As I have evaluated strategy of DERBY CITY COUNCIL. They have given every information about how they will implement their strategy and what are important key roles to them for effective strategy. One thing which seems wrong to me in their long term plan is about changing of individual performance in long term plans. In my point of view, individual performance should be monitored continuously and sudden plans should be implemented to change in their individuals performance. If they need some improvement learning and development plan should be applied effectively.

Hackers Good or Evil :: Essays Papers

Hackers Good or Evil Imagine this, you are driving along the road and suddenly you see something spectacular. Now imagine that you are not allowed to deviate from your course to check it out. This is what a so-called â€Å"hacker† faces. Just imagine that you saw an injured person on the side of the road. In this analogy you are not allowed to help the injured person. A hacker is not allowed to explore like everyone else in the world. A hacker is not allowed to help fix potential security holes. The term hacker can have many meanings. The most visible to the public is the person pirating software, and breaking into corporate networks and destroying information. This is the public misconception of a hacker. Back in the Unix days, a hack was simply a quick and dirty way of doing something. Hackers in those days were basically just computer experts. Nowadays hacker means the same thing as a cracker, a person who pirates software, and malicious hackers. The media, of course, never prints the good thin gs hackers do. Most hackers provide a service to companies, by letting the company know about security holes, before a rival exploits it. Most hackers want nothing more than to simply learn. A hacker has an extreme thirst for knowledge, but not in the traditional subjects. Technology, and anything new interest hackers. In fact most security experts start out but learning and â€Å"hacking†. The bad view of hackers is not completely false. There are hackers out there that will do there best to harm any system hey can, but most want nothing more than to find the beauty in system, or network. To hackers vast networks, and the inside of a firewall that was meant to keep them out, are the most beautiful sights on Earth. In every aspect of life there are people who exploit others. Murders, robbers, or any other criminals come from every walk of life. Even hackers have some, but like the general population, it is a small percentage. Most people would call the whole Linux community hackers, because anyone who has the knowledge to run Unix must be a hacker. This show what good hackers can do. The entire Unix GNU community is run by hackers. They all contribute toward a free operating system. They all work out the bugs, and then distribute it for free. Hackers got tired of paying for an OS that did not work well.

Justice Is Under Threat in the Risk Society’, Is Barbara Hudson Right to Argue This?

‘Justice is under threat in the risk society’, is Barbara Hudson right to argue this? In the UK the state advised what it expects of us and in response to this gives us laws that we are not legitimate to disobey. We currently live in a de facto and de jure state where no one else can take part in violence apart from the state when needed, and the laws are seen as just. From the seventeenth century to the late twentieth century there has been a change in society creating a modernist era which saw the ending of feudalism and the devotement of capitalism. Hudson, 2003:3) This period saw changes in the way individuals lived their lives and viewed the world; there were political changes and systems of punishment. The changes stirred ‘political, moral and legal philosophy – the fields at whose intersection we find justice. ’(Hudson, 2003:3) This essay will highlight the reasons why Barbara Hudson is right to argue that justice is under threat in the risk so ciety. It will first outline Kant’s and Rawls’s theory of justice and it will then look at what risk society is.Finally it will compare if justice and the risk society are compatible using DSPD as a case study. Immanuel Kant was an enlightenment philosopher in utilitarian liberalism. He had many theories what justice is and what this means and theories on how this affected punishment. He used the devolvement of enlightenment to search for the measure of justice, whereby humans are seen as rational and capable of analysis and decision making. (Hudson, 2003:5) Previously issues for justice for liberal democracies had been about the distribution of material and social goods. Hudson, 2003:6) However, for Kant his theory of justice revolved around the idea of individual freedom and equal freedom for all. He believes as we are all rational and capable of making are own decisions that we can all abide by the moral law. Kant’s moral philosophy is based on what he calls the categorical imperative, where he says ‘Always act in such a way that you can also will that the maxim of your action should become a universal law’ (Kant, 1987:2) Meaning that you should treat people as you would want to be treated, and not to an end to a means, if we do not treat people as equal then there is no justice.Rawls was a contemporary liberalist who was a student of Kant’s who looked to an alternative to utilitarianism in his theory of justice. (Kymlicka, 2002:53) His approach was intuitionism theory which he said had two features, that they consist of plurality of first principles and that they include no explicit methods and we are simply to strike a balance by intuition to what seems right. (Kymlicka, 2002:54) Rawls had two principles of justice; the first was that ‘each person is to have an equal right to the most extensive scheme of equal basic liberties compatible with a similar scheme of liberties for others. (Kymlicka, 2002:56) He sta tes when making decisions we should mentally put ourselves behind a veil of ignorance for all members of society to agree, as this would lead everyone in society to be treated more fairly as they would not know where in society they would be placed therefore limiting their risk. This way you could distribute goods completely fair without discriminating against anyone and by doing so you would end up with a system in which you would make sure the worst off are as well of as possible as we would not know which group we were going to be in; the rich or the poor group of society. Baggini, 2005:29) Rawl’s second principle of justice are that social and economic inequalities are to be arranged so that , they are to be the greatest benefit to the least advantaged members of the society and offices and positions must be open to everyone under conditions of fair equality of opportunity. Therefore since there will be always discrepancies, members of society would agree to take part as again they would not know which group of society they fall into and by removing all inequalities to which disadvantage someone thus creating a more just society.Thus for Rawl’s, justice equals fairness and fairness equals proportionality. Risk Society theory was developed to claim why and how society is changing. Becks and Glidden’s contended they have been changes in how society works and suggest that we are now living in a society of risk. Risk society is not suggesting that we live in a world with more risk but that our perception of risk has become a key factor in our organising principle. Cited in Hudson, Ericson and Carriere say ‘We now live in a risk society; there is a drift in the public agenda away from economic inequality to the distribution and control of risks. (Hudson, 2003:43)There are seven key concepts to the risk society; Modernity, Late Modernity, Reflexive modernisation, Manufactured uncertainty, Actuarialism, Risk distribution and Individuali sm. Late Modernity is the term used in the contemporary era showing the transformations in societies whereby there has been shift towards capitalist economies and globalisation rather than welfare approach. With late modernity you are able to look back at what had been done and use this to help you predict how to change in the future to limit your risk. Denny, 2005:28) Reflexive modernisation and manufactured uncertainty was a concept developed by Becks and Giddens who are key risk society theorists. They explain that with development of technology, this has created new and different risk and the technology we have makes us more aware of the potential risk, as the media is no longer just in the form of newspapers and television, we have access on computers and even mobile phones therefore we are able to see and hear potential risks 24 hours a day. Adam et al, 2000:168) However, because we have made this risk with the devolvement of technology then we are able to understand it better and assume we can measure them. They apply the concept of Actualarism that categorise populations according to risk, with this concept we can measure the risk and the likelihood of them happening and by doing this we can take steps in reducing and avoiding these risks. A fundamental concept in the risk society is that to avoid risk we can distribute the risk which is part of neo-liberalism.This can be seen to be used in everyday life with car insurance companies who charge an individual more money in according to the risk they pose whilst driving . Risk has become a fundamentally commodity in a capitalist society. Risk society means that risk thinking has become normalised for individuals in everyday life, every decision we make we think about the risk connected to it. The rise of individualism has seen that individuals will purchase the best risk protection they can without thinking about the weaker person in society.Hudson states that we now fear crime from one another and becaus e of this we want people who threaten us to be removed from our environment to eliminate the risk, this has been a contributing factor to why society has become more punitive. (Hudson, 2003:45) In the risk society governance is directed at the provision of security and experience of security usually rests on a balance of trust and acceptable risk in the form of guarantees and predictability. These risks become objectified negative images of utopias where people are no longer concerned with obtaining the good but rather, preventing the worst.A key question for liberal theorists is how much liberty should be traded for the level of security. In today’s society the state controls and governs the way in which we live our lives. Society has handed over the power to the state through a social contract whereby we give up some of our liberty in the hope the government are able to protect us from potential risks. One of the effects of this is that we let the government control how the y punish offenders.Bentham and Kant, two unitlitarists held different views on Punishment, For Bentham he said it is inherently bad, Bentham, a ulitarian and theorist for punishment stated, cited in Ashworth ‘that moral actions are those that produce the greatest happiness of the greatest number of people. ’(Ashworth, 2010:79) ‘Therefore to justify punishment we must do so by showing its utility. However Kant thought that punishment was good and there was a duty that the offender got their just deserts through his principle of equality. (Duff and Garland, 1994; 141) The reason for punishing must serve as a justification for that punishment.The just dessert model means that you should get the punishment you deserve by receiving a sentence that it is proportionate to the offence you have committed. (Scott, 2008, 199) Indeterminate sentencing which is associated with utilitarianism is linked to the risk society and justice, as because they believe we can measure risk they think we can make predictions for future crimes. However, by punishing someone for a crime they have done this in turn will help reduce crime in the belief that fear will stop others from committing the same crime. Honderich, 2006:26-27) However, it is immoral and there is no justice to give someone a harsher sentence and make an example of them in the hope of helping to deter others from the same crime. Hirsch’s study found that harsher sentences do not deter others and reduce crime rate. (Hirsch, 1999:3) Indeterminate sentences transgress the reason and justification for punishment, by admitting guilt for the initial offence they assume they are guilty of reoffending therefore are given longer prison sentences for the good of society this cannot be just..A problem for justice when punishing an offender is the need to address justice for whom; the offender or victim, what constitutes justice for the victim will not mean justice for the offender there will always be a p roblem balancing the two. Risk management is linked to the decision making and minimising harm, it seeks to predict the outcome and the potential for harm. (Denny,:119) With this acutalarisms approach to risk assessment disappears and gives rise to false positives.False positives are when an individual is wrongly predicted as being likely to reoffend; these people would not have offended if they were free. (Scott, 2008:24) Since society has become more aware of risks there is more pressure for the Criminal Justice System and Government to limit these risks. This can be seen in Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorder Act. DSPD is a disease that the government made up to so they could incarcerate people who had this illness as they believe they pose a risk to society The emergence of psychosocial diagnoses reflected the prevalence of medicalization. by saying it’s a medical problem they are saying there is something wrong with the individual rather than society. When an indiv idual is diagnosed with DSPD they are not sent to a mental hospital, they are placed in units in high security prisons even if they have not committed an offence. (Corbett and Westwood, 2005:122) There is mandatory incarceration, and you are asked to volunteer for cognitive skills programmes to treat the disorder, however if you don’t volunteer then you will not be released although even if you do volunteer you may never be released.However, many clinicians believe that it cannot be treated and that they are more likely to be a danger to themselves than to others. (Scott, 2008:117). DSPD cause a great deal of controversy as it has no legal or medical base many say this disorder does not exist and the government have only put it in place as they think these individuals pose a risk to society, this demonises sections of the population. (Hirsch et al, 2009:155) DSPD manifests Becks analysis of the risk society and the approaches to understanding the notion of risk.Any person dia gnosed with this the ‘risk society’ may constitute them as unmanageable, ‘such that increasingly complex systems of rational control are required to ensure future public safety. ’(Corbett and Westwood, 2005:125) DSPD highlights one of the reasons why justice is not compatible in the risk society, it is not just to incarcerate someone because they have an illness, and it goes against Rawls and Kant’s principle of justice. As we now live in a risk society it is more difficult have justice for all.There is a belief that we can assess how dangerous a person is, not only on past events but even if they have a medical illness as society thinks they can measure and predict risk. As society demands more security from risks, the government has had to undermine justice as there is more demand for those who threaten our security to be brought to justice. Hudson states that ‘liberal theories leave unanswered the question how much liberty maybe curtailed to prevent how much harm. ’(Hudson, 2003:205) If society demands more security from risk they would have less liberty.If society was to use Rawls principle of the veil of ignorance then they would be less likely to ask for more security as they would not now what position they would be in. The demand for justice and security conflicts with each other , the discourse of risk requires indeterminate sentencing and stands in the way of justice and the government need to appear to make the world less dangerous and the fairness and rights of the offender is put aside, as the elimination of risk is deemed to be more important.The equal balance of justice and risk cannot happen as by having justice for one person maybe creating a risk for another and vice versa and in today’s society there is more emphasis on control of risk. The risk society is fundamentally taking away the values of liberal society by using people as a means to an end, by the elimination fairness and proportio nality. The explosion of risk-focused technologies has been a contributing factor to the risk society as we are now more aware of risks and as we have developed them we believe we can measure them and predict them although this not always correct which means that there is no justice for all.Justice is thus a state of relationships which brings about equilibrium in the free exercise of will but this does not happen in a risk society as it threatens the definition of justice. To legitimise the state and governments actions they create more risk as a state in fear is an easier one to control. Hudson has highlight that towards the end of the 20th Century they was a move from risk management to risk control and it is now embedded in our society. Hudson,2003:60) As we can see from the issues highlighted it is inevitable that Barbara Hudson is correct to say that justice is under threat in the risk society. Bibliography Denney. D (2005) Risk and Society, London, Sage Scott. D (2008) Penolo gy, London, Sage Duff. A, Garland. D (1994) A reader on Punishment, Oxford, Oxford University Press Von Hirsch. A, Ashworth. A, Roberts. J (2009) Principled Sentencing readings on theory and practice, North America, Hart Publishing Kymlicka. W (2002) Contemporary Political Philosophy, Oxford, Oxford University Press O’Neill.O (2000) Bounds of Justice, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press Cudworth. E, Hall. T, McGoverm. J (2007) The Modern State, Theories and Ideologies, Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press Baggini. J (2005) The Pig That Wants to Be Eaten: And Ninety-Nine Other Thought Experiments, London, Granta Publications Adam, Beck, Van Loon, (2000) The Risk Society and Beyond, Critical Issues for Social Theo Ashworth, A, (2010) Sentencing and Criminal Justice, Cambridge: Cambridge University Pressry, London, Sage Honderich, T (2006) Punishment, London: Pluto PressHirsch, V (1999) Criminal deterrence and sentence severity: an analysis of recent research, London: Sage Hu dson, B (2003) Justice in the Risk Society, London, Sage Kant. I (1987) The Metaphysical Elements of Justice, New York, Macmillan Publishing Corbett. K, Westwood. T Dangerous and severe personality disorder’: A psychiatric manifestation of the risk society, Critical Public Health,;15(2): 121–133

Short Essay on Racism

t ein the film and begins the movies â€Å"depiction of Arab culture with a decidedly racist tone† (Giroux, 104). An Arab merchant sings the lyrics: â€Å"Oh I come from a land/From a faraway place/Where the caravan camels roam. /Where they cut off your ears/If they don’t like your face. /It’s barbaric, but hey, its home† (Giroux, 104). The message that is given right at the beginning of the film is that the Middle East is a desolate wasteland where the justice system runs on a simple limb-removal policy. These words caused an uproar in Arab countries and the lyrics were later changed to: â€Å"Where it’s flat and immense/ And the heat is intense† which replaced the original verse, â€Å"Where they cut of your ear/ If they don’t like your face† (Giroux, 105). Not only were these lyrics violent but they were truly an example of the worst kind of racism. Aladdin depicts the Arabic world and its people as exotic, humorous, and violent. The American cartoon portrays all Arab men as either street thugs,†¦ n the film and begins the movies â€Å"depiction of Arab culture with a decidedly racist tone† (Giroux, 104). An Arab merchant sings the lyrics: â€Å"Oh I come from a land/From a faraway place/Where the caravan camels roam. /Where they cut off your ears/If they don’t like your face. /It’s barbaric, but hey, its home† (Giroux, 104). The message that is given right at the beginning of the film is that the Middle East is a desolat e wasteland where the justice system runs on a simple limb-removal policy. These words caused an uproar in Arab countries and the lyrics were later changed to: â€Å"Where it’s flat and immense/ And the heat is intense† which replaced the original verse, â€Å"Where they cut of your ear/ If they don’t like your face† (Giroux, 105). Not only were these lyrics violent but they were truly an example of the worst kind of racism. Aladdin depicts the Arabic world and its people as exotic, humorous, and violent. The American cartoon portrays all Arab men as either street thugs,†¦

What Is an Alternative High School Is It Right for You

What Is an Alternative High School Is It Right for You SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Will you be attending an alternative high school or are you wondering if it’s the right choice for you or your child?For some students, alternative high schools fit their personality and learning style much better than traditional high schools, and they can be a way for these students to achieve success. What are alternative high schools? How are they different from traditional high schools? Is attending one the right choice for you? How can you find the right alternative high school? Read on for answers to each of these questions and more. What Are Alternative High Schools? An alternative high school is simply a school that doesn’t provide a completely traditional learning experience.This is a very broad definition, and, because of that, alternative high schools can vary widely. They can be public or private and can include magnet, charter, and online schools (although not every school in these categories would be considered an alternative high school). Some alternative schools are offered throughthe student’s regular school district, while others, such as magnet, charter, or private schools, operate independently of the public school system. Classes at online schools are conducted primarily or completely over the internet.There is no official â€Å"alternative school† designation or requirements a school must meet in order to be considered alternative. An alternative high school will usually include the word â€Å"alternative† in its name or mention it in its mission statement or website homepage. Alternative schools were first created to help â€Å"troubled† students who had behavioral problems that traditional publicschools were ill-equipped to handle. However, today students attend alternative schools for a variety of reasons which are discussed in more detail below.In general, alternative high schools exist to give students who do not do well in a traditional academic environment an opportunity to succeed in high school and earn a high school diploma. How Are Alternative Schools Different From Regular High Schools? As mentioned above, there can be large variations between alternative high schools.Some alternative high schools don’t give out grades, some allow students to develop their own graduation requirements, some include a significant work component, some take place during non-traditional hours, and more. Common features of manyalternative high schools include: Smaller Class Sizes:Smaller classes allow teachers to give students more individual attention and make it easier to tailor lessons to specific student needs. More Flexible Schedules and Graduation Requirements:Some alternative high schools offer classes at night, which can be helpful for students with jobs or children. Others have flexible graduation requirements and give students more choice in the classes they must take (as opposed to one math class, one science class, one English class, etc. each semester). This can give students the opportunity to study a subject of particular interest to them. Wider Variety of Teaching Methods:Alternative high schools often use numerous teaching methods that emphasize creativity and interaction. This can help students who struggle with sitting in a classroom and taking notes all day. Non-Traditional Evaluation Methods:Some alternative schools don’t give out grades, instead they provide written evaluations. Others offer academic credit for work experiences or internships. Address Social, Mental, and Emotional Needs of the Student: In addition to addressing academic needs, alternative schools often have additional resources, such as counseling and support groups, available for students. You can also research specific alternative schools to get a better idea of what they can offer. For example, City-As-Schoolin New York City, has no grades, exams, or class years. Students complete projects and papers which are added to their portfolio, and they spend about half of each week at an internship instead of in the classroom. It's also easy to find student testimonials of alternative schools online. One former student of an alternative high school credits the school with saving her life.You can read these to get a better idea of the typesof students alternative schools have helped and how they overcame their difficulties. Even if you never wanted to show up to class at your old school, an alternative high school may have teaching methods that work for you. Why Do Students Attend Alternative High Schools? There are multiple reasons why someone may begin attending an alternative high school, but they usually relate to the student not thriving in a traditional school. Specific reasons include: Trouble Learning in a Traditional Classroom One of the main reasons students attend alternative schools is because they don’t learn well in a traditional school. They may have learning disabilities that make it challenging for them to sit in a classroom all day, they may struggle to retain information learned this way, or their classes may interest them so little that they have no desire to attend school or complete homework. Alternative schools specialize in using varied and creative ways to teach the material, and their teaching methods are often much more tailored to each student’s learning preferences. Need More Support/Guidance Some students also need more guidance than traditional schools can provide. This can be academic support or emotional support/counseling. They can benefit from the smaller classes of alternative schools as well as the increased access to counselors and support groups. Many alternative schools also often have regular meetings with a student’s teachers, parents, and counselors to make sure the student is on track, which can also be beneficial for many students. Bored or Not Challenged at Their Current School Alternative high school may also be an option if you don’t feel challenged or interested at a traditional school. This may be the case if you don’t find yourself caring about your classes, struggle with sitting at a desk all day, find the coursework too easy, or want to focus your studies on a subject your school doesn’t offer. Alternative schools often use a wider variety of teaching methods, including hands-on, interactive, and self-directed work, which can benefit you. Social or Behavioral Difficulties A student might also have issues with classmates or teachers. This can include being bullied, struggling to make friends, befriending the wrong crowd, or coming into conflict with teachers and students. A student’s social network is a huge part of their high school experience, and if they don’t feel included or welcomed at their school, or don’t contribute to an inclusive and welcoming environment, it can be very difficult for them to do well. Attending a new school with new classmates as well asteachers and counselors who can better meet their needs can have a significant improvement on their high school performance. Difficult Life Circumstances Additionally, some students have experiences that make attending traditional high school challenging. These can include pregnancy, serious illness, family problems, and more. Circumstances like these can make it difficult for a student to concentrate on classes, and they may need more individual support and flexible scheduling. Is an Alternative High School the Right Choice for You? So, should you attend an alternative high school? The answer varies depending on the person, but, in general, if you are very unhappy or performing poorly at your current high school, some major changes need to happen for you to get on track to graduate high school and set yourself up for success in the future. Transferring to an alternative school that useslearning styles that suit you better than your current school can help youdo well and even begin to enjoy high school if you didn't before. The new school, teachers, and classmates can help give you a fresh start with high school. However, some students prefer to stay in their current high school and aren’t receptive to the idea of attending a new, â€Å"different† high school.Making a student transfer to a new school when they are against it can make them even less likely to succeed in school, so, if they are extremely opposed to the idea of transferring schools, and it is possible for them to stay at their current school, you could try letting them remain â€Å"on probation† at their current school. If they make required changes that are laid out beforehand (improving grades, meeting attendance requirements, disassociating with a badcrowd, etc.) they can be allowed to remain at that school, but, if they do not, they will have to transfer to an alternative school. If you do decide that attending an alternative high school is the right choice, or even if you just want more information on what your options are, read the next section on how to select the best alternative high school for you. Choosing whether to attend an alternative high school can take a lot of thought in order to make the right decision. How to Choose the Right Alternative High School Selecting the right alternative school is an important undertaking; you have to make sure you choose a school that fits with your personality and learning style. Attending an alternative school that isn’t a good fit won’t help you do any better in high school than you were doing before. Choosing which school to attend requires more work than simply finding the alternative school that’s closest to you. Follow these three steps to make an informed choice and give yourself the best chance of success in high school. Step 1: Identify the Issues With Your Current School Before you do anything else, you should figure out exactly why your current school is not working for you.Make a list of all the reasons you are switching schools. Was it due to problems with classmates? Boredom with traditional education? A need for more guidance and support? Really think about all the reasons you aren’t happy with your current school. The more complete and specific your list the better your chances of finding the best alternative school for you are. If you're unsure of whether or not you want to change schools, this is also a good time to see if you can solve these problems while remaining at your current school. You may be able to make changes to your class schedule, join a program that includes more non-traditional learning, or a different option. If you'd like the option of staying at your current school, set up a meeting with your guidance counselor and possibly some of your teachers. They'll be able to go over all your options with you so you can make the best decision. Step 2: Make a List of the Qualities Your New School ShouldHave Next, use the list you made in the previous step to come up with a new list of things your new alternative high school should have for you to do well there.Research different alternative schools online to get a better understanding of what alternative schools can offer. Perhaps you want an alternative school with smaller class sizes, non-traditional teaching methods, the opportunity to earn academic credit through a job/internship, or other qualities.You should use your list from step one to develop this second list. For example, if one of the reasons you were unhappy with your current school is because you get bored sitting at a desk all day, your second list should mention that you’d like an alternative school that offers more hands-on work. Step 3: Research Nearby Schools Now that you know what you’re looking for, start looking at potential alternative schools you can attend.Most students will be limited to schools that are close to them because they will still be living at home, but if that isn’t a requirement for you, you can look at alternative schools in a wider area that offer boarding options. You should also take cost into consideration. Some alternative high schools are free or low-cost while others can have large price tags attached. There are often ways to reduce costs through grants or scholarships. If you find an alternative school you’re interested in but is out of your price range, talk to someone at the school’s office. They should be able to give you advice on financial aid options. Once you find a school you’re interested in, research it thoroughly before applying for enrollment. Talk to teachers and staff, research the school and its goals, and see if you can speak with past or current students to get their opinion.Many alternative schools offer potential students the chance to attend classes for a day or a few days to get a feel for the school and see if it will be a good fit for them. Definitely take advantage of this if it’s an option because it’s a great way to decide if the school is really the right one for you. Once you’ve decided on a school, contact the office to learnhow you can enroll or apply for enrollment. Not all alternative schools can accept everyone who wants to attend, especially smaller schools, so be aware that it’s not guaranteed that you’ll get in. Talk to staff and teachers to get a better idea of what you need to do to get enrolled at the school. Once you've foundyour ideal alternative high school, you can begin the enrollment process! How Do Colleges View Alternative High Schools? Will attending an alternative high school hurt your chances of getting into college? Will it make colleges think you’re a â€Å"bad† kid who will have a negative impact on their school? In short, no. Colleges understand that there are many reasons why a student may attend an alternative school, and there are multiple areas on your application for you to put your alternative school experience in a positive light. If you don’t have any behavioral issues (like suspensions or expulsions) on your transcript and your attendance record is good, that is a huge benefit for you when you apply to college. You can use your personal statement to discuss why you attended an alternative school, how it helped you, and how it has prepared you for the future.Even if your grades from your first few years of high school aren’t great, showing significant improvement and being able to clearly discuss how you’ve overcome difficulties will put your alternative education in a positive light and show colleges that you’re able to overcome challenges and still be successful. If you do have a record of behavioral issues and/or truancy, convincing colleges that you should attend their school will be a bit more difficult, but you should still follow the above steps. In your personal statement (some schools also have an area on their application where you can provide them with additional information on yourself), mention that you had problems before, then clearly and specifically discuss how you’ve worked to overcome them and the progress you’ve made since then. Obviously, this is much easier to do when you've made a lot of progress, so keep staying on track in order to make the best impression. If you’re worried that colleges will think that your non-traditional learning environment hasn’t prepared you enough for college, taking the SAT or ACT and receiving strong scores will help show them that you have the knowledge necessaryto do well in college. Summary Alternative high schools can be a great, and even life-changing, option for students who haven’t thrived in traditional high schools.A wide variety of alternative high schools exist, but, in general, they use more non-traditional methods of teaching and are able to be more flexible in accommodating student needs than traditional high schools. Some alternative high schools use grades, some allow students to work part-time for class credit, some allow students to develop their own class schedule, and more.Students attend alternative high schools for a variety of reasons, but, in general, it’s because they are unhappy at, not challenged by, or uninterested in a traditional high school environment.If you decide to attend an alternative high school, be sure to research potential schools thoroughly to find one that fits you well. What's Next? Have you decided to attend an alternative school and will now be transferring schools? Our complete guide to transferring high schools will walk you through each step of the process and help you make sure you've completed each requirementyou need to! Considering online high school? They're becoming increasingly popular, but it's important to be well-informed before you make the decision to attend school online. Check out our guide to online high schools to learn if they're the right option for you. Studying for the SAT or ACT?We have great guides to help you study for the SAT and ACT and get your best score! Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Qualitative versus Quantitative Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Qualitative versus Quantitative Research - Essay Example Participant viewpoints. A desire to explore and present the various subjective perspectives of participants is associated with qualitative research. Its privileging of subjectivity is also seen in the way that the interpretation of the data is influenced by the researcher’s own biography together with their involvement with people in the study. Small-scale studies. Qualitative researchers are interested in deep exploration in order to provide rich, detailed, holistic description as well as explanation. Therefore, small samples are the norm. Holistic focus. â€Å"Rather than directing their attention to one or two isolated variables, qualitative researchers tend to be oriented to a wide range of interconnected activities, experiences, beliefs and values of people in terms of the context in which they are situated. This provokes qualitative researchers to account for a multiplicity of dimensions and relationships in the context†. (Daymon, 2002, p. 23) Flexible. Although researchers have a topic and an agenda which fuel their research progress, they are usually committed to exploring new and often surprising avenues that emerge as informants reveal their understandings and interests. Research procedures may be unstructured, adaptable and sometimes spontaneous. At times the research process may even be described as rather ‘messy’ as researchers attempt to unpack the complexities of the social world of public relations and marketing communications. Natural settings. On the whole, qualitative investigations are carried out in people's natural environments such as in their offices or where they shop. This enables researchers to observe how they go about their routine activities and

Traditional vs. New Parenting Styles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Traditional vs. New Parenting Styles - Essay Example The economic, social, political and cultural changes have been observed throughout the world. The evolving temperaments, attitudes, and behaviors have changed the course of human life. People no longer wait for others to change or alter a trend but believe in changing society by their individual and collective efforts. The changes that have occurred have also influenced the people’s behaviors towards each other, their relationships, values, priorities and daily life procedures. The changes in the relationships of married couples, parents and their children, teacher and students, children and grandparents etc. carry an important position in the social renovation of today’s environment. Parenting styles have been changed significantly from past till today. Today’s parents are more inclined towards teaching their children about independence, free thinking, autonomy and open-mindedness (Talay-Ongan et al., 2005 p. 31). They are given the confidence of taking their decisions by themselves and stepping towards their brighter future without interruption from or influence of others. This new parenting style, however, is efficient in making the children bold, confident, self-esteemed and determined; yet lacks in a few areas. These parenting behaviors may end up making children overconfident. The new values of children give them the power to proceed with their lives leaving their parents and other relatives behind. The independence and concept of sovereignty given to them affect their behaviors negatively, at times. Hence, these concepts, although necessary for the children’s upcoming life, may not always be beneficial for the children. Traditionally, parents used to obtain the parenting guidance from their elders like parents and grandparents and use that guidance or wisdom words to raise their children. However, today parents usually rely on the books, research paper, and different organizations to gather information on successful parenting techniques.     Ã‚