Training Day: Management Analysis

Michael Rounsavall 1/9/08 Management 202 Training Day: Movie Analysis The movie Training Day starring Denzel Washington,proved to show many interesting outlooks of managing activities and skills that I have never even came close to noticing before. Alonzo Harris played by Denzel in the movie expressed many forms of management throughout this movie. He displayed different basic management functions, fundamental management skills, parts of the evolution of management, and also some other key management terms. Jake Hoyt, who Alonzo is supposed to give in an evaluation on, also shows many different forms of management throughout this movie. The first thing I noticed during this movie was the basic management functions that Alonzo was planning throughout the whole movie to achieve a certain goal. At the beginning of the movie I noticed that Alonzo took the drugs from the dealers instead of arresting them. As the movie went on this pattern continued, and it wasn’t until Alonzo sat down with the three police officers that I realized what was actually going on. This meeting was a form of bureaucracy (Griffin, 15), because the top dog police officers, who I thought of as the top managers set a set of guidelines for Alonzo, and allows him to go cash in on Roger’s money stash. At this point I realized throughout the movie I realized Alonzo was displaying basic management functions throughout this entire movie. He obviously had a goal, which was get enough money to save himself from the Russians. He then began planning, and deciding the best way to achieve these goals. (Griffin, 9). This plan consisted of going around and stealing from the drug dealers then selling it for one hundred percent profit or Illegally searching homes for money, when that didn’t work he got permission from the top ranks to steal from his friend Roger. Alonzo then began to organize his plan by getting the people he needed, and determined how each activity and resource would be demonstrated during this robbery. (Griffin,9) This plan was to frame the murder of Roger to look like he had shot a cop, then to steal Roger’s money which would save Alonzo. Alonzo did a spectacular job of leading the group so that it would seem like it was an act of self defense towards Roger. He was barking out orders, and made everyone work together, so that there would be no problem getting away with this (Griffin, 10). After the money was taken by Alonzo he displayed the final step which is controlling. During this stage you must ensure that your firm is going to arrive at its destination at the appointed time. (Griffin, 9) For Alonzo this met he had to get the money to the Russian’s, and he saw Jake as a problem. To ensure that he would reach his final destination Alonzo set Jake up to be murdered, but this didn’t work out because Jake saved the murderers sister. After this Jake realizes that Alonzo is very corrupt, and goes to take back what Alonzo has stolen. This movie not only displayed the basic management functions but also proved to show fundamental skills and other key terms. During this movie I definitely thought of Jake as more of a first line manager who was able to control the streets, but was under the wing of Alonzo and the top executives. Throughout the movie Jake showed just about every one of the fundamental management skills you could show. He definitely possessed the technical skills because he was able to show all the skills necessary with being a cop, especially when he had to fight of f the two rapists (Griffin, 10). He showed most of the other skills at the end of the movie when he was going to take down Alonzo. After Jake escaped from the â€Å"set up†, that Alonzo had planned out for him,he made his own theory about what he was going to do. In management a theory is organizing knowledge, and providing a blueprint for action (Griffin, 12). Jake realized that he gained the respect from Alonzo’s administration in which he controlled, and planned to sneak in Alonzo’s house to take the money back from that he had stolen. As Jake got into Alonzo’s house he showed very good communication skills with Alonzo’s son ensuring his safety, while making sure Alonzo wasn’t able to hear him come in, and conveyed his message effectively so that he could take care of the situation (Griffin, 11). After this Jake was able to take down Alonzo until they were outside, and Alonzo had all of his administration together. Alonzo ran a form of administrative management throughout the projects, where he organized, lead, and controlled what went on, and how the operations were going to take place (Griffin, 15). As Alonzo’s organization realized how corrupt he really was, just like many higher level managers are accused of, they stopped letting Alonzo control them, and allowed Jake to take Alonzo’s stolen money for evidence. Jake definitely was not interested in the human ethics movement whereas that workers respond social context of the workplace(Griffin, 15). Jake did a good job proving that he was very ethical throughout this movie, and proved he was ready to move up to a higher position. Even though Alonzo did a good job displaying management skills, he was very corrupt, and was cheating his way through the system. This movie showed how people could control an administration, but be shut down for doing things the non-ethical way. Jake fought through this corrupt system, and showed great fundamental managementskills throughout this entire film. I never realized how much this film actually showed related to the world of management until I really looked closely at it. I’m sure now that I will be able to look at films such as this one, and be able to understand how they also have to do with managing a company. York, 2006.

Cyber Bullying Essay

Walking through the school door, she feels the sweat dripping down the side of her cheeks. Her stomach flips and flops, and her hands have an obvious tremble. The slamming lockers and running footsteps are enough to make her eyes swell with tears. The snickers behind her are all too familiar, but she is not prepared for the shove to the back and degrading names that follow. In a split second, her mind is made up. She turns around, heads out the door, and doesn’t look back. The computer, her cell phone, and now school. The cyber-bullies have stepped out of the screen and into face-to-face contact. With this new kind of bully on the rise and ruthless, is she the school’s responsibility? Schools should be held responsible for cyber bullying because the crime extends from the computer to the school setting. Studies indicate that cyber-bullying incidents have quadrupled in past five years (Ross). Cyber-bullying has become a huge issue recently. Every time you turn on the news there is another bullying, or a suicide related to bullying, incident being reported. Love is louder† has been a common phrase among celebrities and influential figures lately. They are trying to send out a message to their followers saying that bullying is not right and should not be tolerated. The expansion of communication technologies is widening the way bully’s can torture their victims. The fact of the matter is, technology is not going anywhere, so we need to figure out a way to put an end to cyber-bullies. Cyber-bullying is becoming a major problem and we all need to do our parts in figuring out what can be done to stop cyber-bullies in their tracks. Cyber-bullies will continue to be a threat to today’s youth until we take preventative measures against them. Before putting a stop to cyber-bullying we must understand why and how a cyber-bully works. After researching and analyzing informative articles on the topic, this research paper aims to inform and answer questions such as: what a cyber-bully is, how they work, whom they target, and how to stop them. By understanding how a cyber-bully works we will be able to better protect youth populations as technology grows. Approximately half of U. S. students are impacted by traditional bullying each school day (Ross). Cyber-bullying is technology powered and as technology expands it is getting harder and harder to see and prevent bullying from happening. Bullying over the Internet makes it easy for the tormenter to get away with their destructive behavior without any consequences. The article, â€Å"What is Cyberbullying: Bullying Comes Home† states, â€Å"Bullying is not new but thanks to the Internet teens are now being bullied at home. Online harassment is a serious problem† (Hardcaslte). Although the Internet has opened many doors to new opportunities, it has unfortunately taken bullying to another level. As the article, â€Å"Cyber Bullying Facts† states, â€Å"as the number of households with Internet access approaches saturation and cell phone ownership expands to the 100 million mark, so do the ways kids bully each other† (Ross). Anything sent out into cyberspace is very difficult, sometimes impossible, to remove. Therefore, being cyber-bullied can sometimes be much more severe than traditional bullying. Ann Frisen in the article, â€Å"Cyber-bullying: A Growing Problem† states, â€Å"This type of bullying can be more serious than conventional bullying. At least with conventional bullying the victim is left alone on evenings and weekends† (ScienceDaily). What exactly is ‘cyber-bulling’? The author of the article, â€Å"What is Cyberbullying: Bullying Comes Home† explains it as, â€Å"any harassment that occurs via the Internet† (Hardcastle). Cyber-bulling messages can be communicated through text, e-mails, instant messaging, web pages, blogs, chat rooms, or any other information communication technologies. For example, Michigan’s assistant attorney general, who is a grown adult, has been harassing the University of Michigan’s openly gay student body president. Andrew Shirvell, assistant Michigan attorney general, created a blog in April of 2010 targeting Chris Armstrong, University of Michigan’s student body president. On this blog he has posted many rude, untrue, and unnecessary comments towards Chris Armstrong, along with distorted pictures. According to the article, â€Å"Assistant Michigan AG targets openly gay college student† the author states, â€Å"Shirvell has published blog posts that accuse Armstrong of engaging in ‘flagrant sexual promiscuity’ with another male member of the student government; sexually seducing and influencing ‘a previously conservative male student’ so much so that the student, according to Shirvell, ‘morphed into a proponent of the radical homosexual agenda’† (Steward). Mr. Shirvell is clearly a first-hand example of a cyber-bully and this article goes to show that it’s not just kids bullying each other in school anymore; it’s much bigger than that. There have been at least three teen suicides in September after experiencing homophobic cyber-bullying. Who are the main victims targeted by cyber-bullies? According to the article, â€Å"Cyber-bullying Facts† Middle school and High school girls are twice as likely as boys to display cyber-bullying behaviors in the form of email, text, and chat, and only 20% of cyber-bullying victims tell their parents about the incident (Ross). Cyber-bullies target students, coworkers, neighbors, and even friends. Lately, there have been many reports of suicides related to bullying. For example, the recent death of Tyler Clementi, a freshman at Rutgers University, is an extreme case of cyber-bullying. The article, â€Å"Rutgers student death: Has Digital Age made students callous† informs, â€Å"Mr. Clementi killed himself on September 22nd, 2010. According to prosecutors, a few days earlier his roommate, Dharun Ravi, and another student, Molley Wei, used a Web cam to secretly transmit images of a sexual encounter between Clementi and another man. They intended to do so again on September 21† (Khadaroo). With cyber-bullying a bully can pick on people with less risk of being caught. People who you would not see bullying someone in school don’t have a problem using the Internet to bully their victims because you can’t see their initial reaction. Bullying cannot only hurt the victim emotionally it can also cause them to have frequent headaches, indigestion and vomiting, loss of sleep, loss of appetite, paranoia, and suicide. In Tyler Clementi’s case he was so overwhelmed by what had been done to him that he jumped off of the George-Washington Bridge. It is important for college campuses to promote tolerance for differences, including homosexuality. From the article, â€Å"Rutgers student death: Has Digital Age made students callous† the author states, â€Å"We are tempted to think that social-media technology drove the behavior, but as a truly ethical matter, the behavior has to be and should be considered human-driven, not technology driven† (Foulkrod). Harrisburg University of Science and Technology in Pennsylvania recently blocked the use of social media for a week to prompt discussions about its role in everyday life. Nobody wants to see this happen again; therefore, we need to come up with a solution to the problem. Some observers of today’s youth and media culture believe that today’s media environment could be desensitizing young people to the hurtful effects of their actions. What can be done to prevent cyber-bullying? Parents can start by talking specifically about yber-bullying and explain that is harmful and unacceptable behavior. Talk regularly with your child about on-line activities he or she is involved in, keep your home computer in easily viewable places, such as a family room or kitchen, and consider installing a filtering or blocking system (Ross). Also, you can â€Å"outline your expectations for responsible online behavior and clearly explain the consequences for inappropriate behavior† (Ross). The most important thing that can be done to stop a cyber-bully harassing you is to just not respond to the bully. Do not play into the bully’s games. Ignore the bully and tell a parent or teacher. While ignoring the bullying make sure to save all of the evidence so that if police need to be involved you will have it ready. In the article, â€Å"What is Cyberbullying: Bullying Comes Home† states, â€Å"Repeated or excessive harassment via email, forums or chat rooms is harassment and should involve the police. Threats of violence should also be reported to the police. Try to save all messages as evidence† (Hardcastle). Treat a cyber-bully like you would any other bully and they will lose their power. Another important way to prevent cyber-bullying attacks is if you see something going on don’t just be a bystander and let it happen, report it before anyone gets hurt. In conclusion, with the expansion of the Internet and social networking technologies cyber-bullying is becoming more common and more severe. The information presented in this research paper should give people a better understanding of what a cyber-bully is, how harmful they can really be, and how to prevent cyber-bullying from happening. This paper can be used to help victims realize they are not alone and should not give into a bully’s dangerous behaviors. This research paper is to inform society about what has been going on lately and how unacceptable and dangerous it is. Kids are killing themselves over photos, web posts, and videos posted by bullies using the Internet. Cyber-bullying is technology powered and will only get worse as technology becomes more widespread. Hopefully, this paper will help to inform today’s youth and parents. If you see any kind of bullying happening in front of you, stop it if possible, and then report it. Conclusion Cyberbullying is a growing issue in schools. Students have been in fights, brought guns to school, and even committed suicide because of being cyberbullied. This is an issue which is a growing problem and must be addressed. It is serious. By helping students research the issues around cyberbullying, it raises awareness for both students and staff. A WebQuest like this can make a real difference in school climate and student relations. Take a stand against cyberbullying with your classmates. Students will listen to other students more quickly than they will listen to an adult.

Federalism Paper Review

Wanna, J 2007, ‘Improving Federalism: Drivers for Change, Repair Options and Reform Scenarios’, Australian Journal of Public Administration, vol. 66, no. 3, pp. 275 – 279. | Purpose The author aims to present an overview of the proceedings from a roundtable discussion on federalism. The paper aims to inform readers of the views of participants by reporting on discussion points on the subject of improving federalism, through consideration of issues and challenges and options for reform. The author contrasts the different federalism characteristics discussed. Confused and competitive interactions occur between federal, state and local government with attendant impacts on service delivery. In particular much of the dysfunction in the current system stems from uncertainty around roles and an argumentative approach to dividing resources and defining responsibility. Federalism was in long term decline and a product of changing market forces from national and international pressure and global communication reducing regional identify. Overlapping policy interaction and involvement of the tiers of government was presented as an impediment to effective delineation of roles. Federalism provided greater accountability through increased scrutiny by multiple government and review of achievements particularly in contentious areas. Participants agreed federalism would be improved by gradual change. The author discussed the idea change should focus on advancing the current situation rather than whole-scale reform through a new paradigm of strategic pragmatism. The group considered that fiscal issues drive a shift to centralism. Improving federalism requires better relations, through increased clarity of roles and responsibilities and levels of trust, possibly formalised through agreements and structural rationalisation. Evidence The paper presents findings as observations from discussions initially. The author introduces uncited references and discusses external and personal views. The discussion of participants views are not quantified specifically and references are made to ‘most’, ‘many thought’, ‘those who believed’. The origin of sources is unclear. For example ‘some commentators’ is unclear as to whether these were participants or external views. Summarised statements appeared to be discussions of the participants merged with personal opinion. | Page 275, 276 and 277. Page 276Pages 275 – 277Page 276Page 278| Observations The author initially expresses an observational account of the proceedings of the meeting in a neutral manner. This approach gradually transitions into an academic piece that draws on the author’s extensive understanding of the field and his personal views together with unreferenced discussion of academic positions. The paper is confusing at times and apparently aims to presents the outcomes and discussion points of a meeting initially but soon changes to uncited external examples, statements and personal opinion. Whilst the author references the panel’s deliberations and discussions, these are unquantified references to participant’s opinions and refer simply to ‘many’ or ‘most participants’. The author seems to have a bias toward a principled view of federalism with support for a fusion of pragmatic and principled approaches. The paper appears contradictory in parts. For example, an observation was made that there was a widely held view that roles and responsibilities needed to be specified. It was later stated that the ‘jury was still out’ on whether this was a worthwhile goal, which appeared to be a personal view rather than reporting on discussions. In concluding the author draws on a range of options for specific reform that were not introduced earlier in the paper.

Walt Disney Animation Studios Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Walt Disney Animation Studios - Essay Example Its ingenious film-making skills have left a strong mark on the American popular culture. The discussion focuses on the success of Walt Disney Animation Studios and how its production of animation started and improved over these years. In addition, the focus will be on how the company is being built into a kingdom of sorts, soaring up in the world animation industry and how it is positively influencing people in the field of art today. Walt Disney Animation Studios, founded by Walter Elias Disney, have produced around 54 featured films, starting from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937 to Big Hero 6 in 2014. Right from the start of the studio in 1923, it produced a wide range of cartoons and animated short films, until it expanded into feature film production in 1934. It exclusively developed various techniques, principles, and concepts, that later became standard practices of conventional animation. Most importantly, it pioneered the art of ‘story boarding’, which had laid the standard technique for today’s both animated and live-action filmmaking. â€Å"The significant element of Disney-Formalist hyperrealism is the lifelike movement- or motor function – of the animation, which reflects both the actual movements of live-action models and the skill of the animator.† (Pallant, 2011). The studios animated features and techniques became Disneys renowned assets, and particularly the animated characters - Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck, and Pluto – became the recognizable figures in modern American popular culture. These characters turned out to be the mascots for The Walt Disney Company as a whole. The history of Walt Disney Studios and the early years of Walt in entering the animation industry were not an easy accomplishment. In 1920, he started his career as advertising cartoonist by marketing his first original animated cartoons. After starting his own company, Laugh-O-Gram Films, with his colleague, Ubbe Iwerks, he improved

The Effect of Rural Population Density on Socio-economic Dissertation

The Effect of Rural Population Density on Socio-economic Characteristics of Rural Communities - Dissertation Example From the research it can be comprehended that rural population or settlement density is a very important factor or variable in identifying, delineating, analysing and categorising the rural communities. Modern day rural communities are typically formed out of a symbiosis between a central urban centre and a rural matrix within which it is embedded, in terms of the labour market, service provided, social interaction and other activities. The concept of the rural population and the nature of these settlement densities are essential variables as one tries to comprehend the important factor in understanding the socio-economic, the population density and the settlement matrix of the sparsely populated rural areas, where the thin and decreasing population densities presents both theoretical and practical problems for those involved in rural planning. Rural population density has a strong influence over the socio-economic and demographic characteristics of the various non-urban communities, especially in the developed world, and forms to be a fundamental variable within the realms of planning and public policy framing. Thus, we find that study of rural population density is an essential subject in order to develop these spresely-populated areas better. However, a closer look at this subject of rural population shows us that not much work has been done in this line owing to the complex nature of the population density. It is not easy to distinguish between cause and effect, while explaining the various planes of human density, and the type and depth of their relationships with different social aspects. The complex nature of population density also implicates the involvement of the socio-economic, environmental, and historical factors that help to create a specific density spectrum and kind, like, linear, clustered, or randomly distributed, in respect to any type of rural community (Argent, Smailes, & Grif?n, 2005). The perceived density or the qualitative dimensions of population density are yet to be explored in details. only a few researchers have worked in this regards, as for example, Irving and Davidson (1973) defined social density (interpersonal relationships between members of a rural community), and Tuan (1977) in his papers emphasized that the feelings of crowding or loneliness were created owing to an individual’

The Implementation of climate change and greenhouse emission policy Essay

The Implementation of climate change and greenhouse emission policy - Essay Example South Australia`s population is relatively high, hence the need for more land and this results to the cutting and burning down of trees. It also brought about an increase in the transport sector where nearly 25% of energy resource is consumed. Poor disposal of waste matter from the industries and homesteads has resulted to the production, of carbon dioxide and methane gases produced by decaying waste product. Agriculture is a main economic activity in Australia and it has its side effects such as the production of methane from sheep and nitrous acid from fertilizer, which are harmful to the environment. This climate change sent an alarm to the government to come up with laws, and ways that will reduce the effects of climate change and the greenhouse effect. Spoehr states that, â€Å"In July 2007, the South Australian Parliament passed The Climate Change and Greenhouse Emission reduction Act, 2007†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.targets are to reduce greenhouse gas emissions within Australia by at least 60 % by the end of 2050† (2009,p.177). By the end of 2014, the amount of renewable energy used and consumed will comprise of twenty percent the total. The Australian Government has come up with ways to curb the climate change, by the introduction of solar rebate. This is a system that provides homesteads with energy from sunlight to provide electricity for homes. The government came up with this incentive, so as to reduce the amount of electricity consumption in South Australia to about 33%. With the introduction of this incentive, a programme called solar hot water rebate was started in February 2010; the government replaced this programme with renewable Energy Bonus Scheme. The reduction of gas emission targets and green jobs: The Australian government aims to encourage people to volunteer in the degradation of gas emissions, and the reduction of gas emission, with a national target put into

Shawshank redemption Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Shawshank redemption - Essay Example He simply maintains his innocence, albeit rather monotone. It certainly does seem that Andy Dufrain is guilty, as he shows no emotion, no remorse and there is little inflection in his words when he speaks. Once he is sentenced, he is sent to Shawshank State Prison to serve the terms of his sentence. The prisoners of Shawshank ‘greet’ newcomers by betting on which of them will be the first to break down and cry out of the feeling of desperation that their situation has wrought. This is also the introduction of Red. The opening of a door and Red enters into a parole hearing. After a small, memorized speech, he is denied his parole. Red leaves, and there are two men waiting for him. One man says to him, â€Å"yeah, I’m up for rejection next week, â€Å"leaving the impression of nothing new, nothing changes. The men gather round Red, as he is the ‘man’ to whom people go when they are in need of something, which they cannot get inside the prison walls. à ¢â‚¬Å"I’m the guy that can get it for ya†¦ yeah, I’m a regular Sears & Roebuck. â€Å" Upon the new arrival, they gather, and Red speaks up, â€Å"smokes or coin, bettors choice.† the men resoundingly approve of cigarettes, as betting on which man will break down first â€Å"is as good a thing to bet on as any.† The new arrivals meet Warden Norton and Officer Byron Hadley for the first time. Hadley is a vicious man, with no regard or respect for anyone other than the warden. The warden informs the men that they should â€Å"put your trust in the Lord. Your ass belongs to me.† after delousing, the men are marched to their cells naked, embarrassed and burning from the delousing powder. The bets that were previously placed by the men now come into play. The men chant, â€Å"Fresh fish. Fresh fish,† until someone breaks down crying. It is an overweight man that finally breaks down, the man that Haywood â€Å"bet† on. As soon as this is heard, the men start cheering. Hadley comes in, and threatens the man to be quiet, or else. The man chooses not to, likely because he is so distraught that thoughts aside from despair do not enter his mind. Hadley pulls him out of his cell and promptly beats him unmercifully. The next morning, Haywood tells the men to give him the cigarettes that he won from the â€Å"bet†, and after they do, haywood asks a man that worked in the infirmary how his â€Å"horse is doing†. The other man said simply, â€Å"dead†¦ Ol’ Hadley busted his head up pretty good, poor bastard laid there til this morning’’. Hell, by then there wasn’t nothin’ we could do.† Andy asked what his name was. â€Å"What the hell do you care, new fish?† said Haywood. â€Å"I was just wondering if someone knew his name.† the men move forward, with the approach of Andy to Red. Andy approached Red on the purchase of a rock hammer. Red supposed he wanted to â€Å"sink your toy into somebody’s skull. Escape, tunnel under the wall, maybe.† they eventually make a deal, after Andy explains to Red’s satisfaction what the rock hammer is, and how it is used. Andy asked his name, and Red simply said, â€Å"Red. My name is Red.† andy asked, â€Å"why do they call you that?† â€Å"Maybe it’s because I’m Irish.† nod of the head, and Andy walks away. Red begins to see for the first time who he is dealing with in Andy. He thinks to himself, â€Å"I could see why the boys took him as snobby. He had a quiet way about him; a walk and a talk that just wasn’

Human Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Human Development - Essay Example It was also interesting to see how human behavior changes through various stages of life and is also affected by genetics and environmental factors. After completing this course, I have developed an appreciation towards the subject that clearly is an important part of human life. Q2. I found chapter 8 on Human Development most significant because I was able to understand and appreciate behavioral changes in my son as he is growing up. It was interesting to know how children progress through life and exhibit various behavioral characteristics based on their changing environment and maturity in life. Where eight-month-old baby smiles and coos when it recognizes familiar faces, the same child exhibits stranger anxiety as a part of its survival strategy when a stranger approaches it. It was also interesting to learn that familiarity is a sign of safety and contentment for children, while young adults are willing to take more risk and explore new areas in their life as they search for the ir identity. Learning about behavioral changes in children as they transition from babies to adults was the most significant learning experience in this course. The various examples that were used to explain the reasons why children behave in a certain way made it very clear to me that it is very important to ensure that children grow up in a healthy and safe environment. I was also able to appreciate the differences in the way boys and girls behave through the examples of learned social behaviors. Q3. I enjoyed learning about our bodies, especially about how the human brain is designed and how each structure within the brain helps to encode, store and retrieve memories. It was fascinating to learn that our brain encodes information and stores it away as sensory, working or long-term memory and retrieves the information when we need it. I was also amazed at how our sensory organs like eyes, ears, and nose transmit information to the corresponding sensory cortices in the brain to sto re the information which may last for only a few seconds, while more meaningful and emotional information is encoded into long-term memory which can last a lifetime. I would have preferred more activities and inclusion of case studies to make this subject more interesting. Q4. In order to improve the way this course is taught, I would include more of hands-on work, games, and activities so that learning becomes more fun filled. That way it would be easier to learn and remember the various topics taught in the class. One thing that would improve student interaction in this course is ‘role play’. Each week a team of 4-5 students is given a small scenario to enact in front of the class. The scenarios or cases should be very specific to the topic being taught in the class.

Torts Law Problem Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Torts Law Problem - Case Study Example His actions could therefore be interpreted as being binding upon MoreeRE Company, and thus establishing liability on the company under the doctrine vicarious liability. In order to file suit under the tort of negligence successfully, Cathy has to prove that there was duty of care owed to her by MooreRE Company and because of a breach of this duty of care, she suffered loss and damage. In the English case of Donoghue vs. Stevenson,2 the duty of care was established as a fundamental requirement in any action for a tort of negligence. The court defined this duty as the fundamental duty of not undertaking an action where it is reasonably foreseeable that an act or omission would injure or bring about loss or damage to those whom it is reasonably foreseeable that an act or omission would injure or bring about loss and damage to those whom it is reasonably foreseeable that they would be affected by such an act or omission. Section 52 of the Australian Trade Practices Act 1974 provides that , â€Å"A company shall not, in trade or commerce, participate in conduct that is misrepresentative or deceptive, or is likely to mislead or deceive.† From this provision, it is arguable that MoreeRE owed Cathy a duty of care not to engage in any conduct or making of statements that could be deemed as misleading or deceptive with the aim of procuring advantage thereof. The representation made by John to Cathy was misleading and it is in the reliance of this representation that Cathy secured the sale of her house for $100,000 less than the actual market value. This can be interpreted as a direct violation of the duty of care owed to Cathy by MooreRE Corporation, and because of this, she suffered loss. It is thus arguable that MooreRE breached this duty of care once their agent made those false representations. Reliance on the representation resulting from the breach of the duty of care the corporation owed to Cathy led her to suffer loss and damage, hence completing the requir ements needed for a successful claim under the tort of negligence. It is thus obvious that Cathy’s loss can be attributed directly to the breach of this duty of care that was owed to her by MooreRE Corporation. Cathy could also succeed in a claim of the tort of negligence under the tort of misrepresentation. The cause of action could arise from either fraudulent misrepresentation or innocent misrepresentation. A misrepresentation occurs when person makes a statement, on whose reliance makes another person to act upon this statement, and as result of this reliance, the party suffers loss and damage. A misrepresentation could thus be either an innocent misrepresentation or a fraudulent misrepresentation. A representation is fraudulent if the party making such a representation makes it with the intention that a party will rely on it, and such reliance will be beneficial to him. A representation, on the other hand, amounts to an innocent misrepresentation where the party making t he statement is unaware of the consequences of such a representation, and the party relying on such a representation suffers loss and damage from such representation. In the scenario, John’s representation cannot be termed as a fraudulent misrepresentation as he did not have the fraudulent intention to defraud Cathy through the transaction. This is because he thought he was carrying out business for his company with the

SMEs Entrepreneurship and Ethnic Distinctions Assignment

SMEs Entrepreneurship and Ethnic Distinctions - Assignment Example According to the research findings, today, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the major source economic growth in the countries. According to International Finance Corporation, SMEs contribute to 90% of businesses in the world and accounts for approximately 50% of employment. Considering the global financial crisis, SMEs are the foundation of creating more jobs and economic growth, particularly in the developing countries. Hence, generating opportunities for SMEs is a major approach to encourage development and diminish poverty. Due to the global financial crisis, most of the emerging markets have constrained the right to use various financial services for SMEs. They are not given the complete access to financing as yet, however, the liquidity is brought back to financial institutions, and lending activities are reported to be lower than before. Around 17 million SMEs in developing countries have not met the credit needs, which is the reason to broaden up the gap. This gap has r eached in between $900 billion to $1.1 trillion in the developing markets. International Finance Corporation (IFC) has formulated the policies to foster the SMEs financing across the world so that to encourage business support for such enterprises. The obstacles in the development of SMEs and access to finance are due to the various ethnic groups positioned in the country. The differences between diverse ethnic groups make it more challenging to set policies with reference to SMEs ethnic minority finance. An ethnic minority group is referred to as a business which comprises of owner and managers or large numbers of partners from a specific ethnic group that exists in minority. These are particular non-white people who start their own small business. There are five major ethnic minority communities who start up their small business to the greater extent, include Pakistani, Black Caribbean, Indian, Black African and Bangladesh.

Baroque Period through the Romantic Age Essay Example for Free

Baroque Period through the Romantic Age Essay Social, political, or economic conditions can significantly alter the nature and meaning of art. As power shifted from the wealthy to the common man, art in Europe changed dramatically to reflect that change. During the Rococco period, art was detailed and overblown. Interior decorations- primarily furniture- were full of curving lines and organic inspiration, and paintings, â€Å"with their playful eroticism, soft colours and elegant forms† (Malyon, 1999, para. 1) were well suited to balance these rooms. Such frivolousness could only be associated with a powerful upper-class. The common man, of course, could not afford such luxurious surroundings when the main concern was putting food on the table. That this style was the style of the day clearly illustrates how the aristocracy’s desires for excess affected artists’ and craftsmen’s work. Rubens’ work during the Baroque period, with its focusing on robust, curvaceous women, seems to be bursting with life and hope. In â€Å"Portrait of Isabella Brant,† for example, Isabella has a slight smile on her face, as though she has a secret that might be a little bit funny. It’s as though she knows how important the shift of power, from the few, rich aristocrats, to the many struggling working class citizens, will be. She doesn’t appear to be a peasant, but neither is she a princess. Isabella, perhaps, had more to be laugh about than most- with the aristocracy soon becoming a target for violence, and the impoverished still limited by a lack or resources, the middle class would become the best social class to belong to! Because Rubens was a well respected citizen, (Eisler, 1996) his skillful portrayal of the working class drew attention to people, who, for the first time, had some hope of being empowered. At the same time, portraits of the aristocrats were subdued and sad-looking, as though they know their reign is nearly over. In El Greco’s â€Å"Saint Louis, King of France, and a Page,† for example, â€Å"He holds†¦ attributes of royal power in his hands†¦ but intensely gazes at the viewer with a grave, melancoly (sic) expression on his face. † (de Vergnette, n. d. ) When the lower classes finally did revolt, the Neoclassic style emerged and drew heavily on ancient Greek and Roman influences. Bust of Voltaire Without His Wig, by Jean-Antoine Houdon, and Cupid and Psyche, by Antonio Canova, are two notable examples. The human body is portrayed without garments or other adornment- rich and poor are equal without clothes on. These ancient civilizations’ famously successful (for a time) democracies must have been quite inspirational to people who had been subjugated for hundreds of years. Their standards were therefore emulated not only in the political and social world, but also in the art world. References de Vergnette, Francoise. (n. d. ) â€Å"Saint Louis, Kind of France, and a Page. † Paintings: Spanish Painting. Retrieved March 16, 2008 from http://www.louvre. fr/llv/oeuvres/detail_notice. jsp? CONTENTcnt_id=10134198673226326CURRENT_LLV_NOTICEcnt_id=10134198673226326FOLDERfolder_id=9852723696500811fromDept=truebaseIndex=162bmUID=1189640373517bmLocale=en Eisler, Colin. (1996). Masterworks in Berlin: A City’s Paintings Reunited: Painting in the Western World, 1300-1914. Retrieved March 16, 2008 from http://www. artchive. com/artchive/R/rubens. html Malyon, John. (1999). â€Å"Rococco. † Mark Harden’s Artchive. Retrieved March 16, 2008 from http://www. artchive. com/artchive/rococo. html

SWOT analysis of ananda himalayas

SWOT analysis of ananda himalayas Ananda Himalayas is a trend setting concept in both business and luxurious spa.ananda Himalayas is a part of IHHR Hospitality owened by Mr Ashok Khanna.It is a luxurious spa situated in the tranquil Himalayan foothills,nested on a 100 acres estate surrounded by graceful Sal forests overlooking the river Ganges,close to the towns of Rishikesh Haridwar. Ananda Himalayas was established in 2000 its Indias first destination spa.it is a pathway to the ultimate,discovered through the union of body,mind soul.it provides a breathless redefine lifestyles with the well-known traditional Indian wellness regime of Ayurveda,yoga and Vedanta. IT is considered to be one of the best spa in the world and also rated no.1 destination spa in the world by most of the travel agent as well as newspapers magazines(Travel and leisure). Ranked by top new hotels of 2008by Conde nest traveller,76 hot spasacross globe by travel leisure and 26 best business hotels in South ASIA. Swot analysis Strengths:- Location- situated in the green lush of Himalayas with natural flora and fauna. Heritage property Spa- the only hotel with 21,000sq feet spa and first spa hotel in the country. Cuisine-food prepared is different from routine preparation and individually designed as per the body type and cooked without oil. Weakness:- Cost- rooms are extremely expensive and not suited to domestic traveller. Limitations-hotel mainly offers spa and wellness packages ,limited to a less part of the society. Opportunities:- Govt support- attract tourists with new promotional schemes which results in higher outbound tourists. Common wealth games- as games to be held in 2010,will be a boom for the industry. Aviation hospitality- both with joint venture helps in increasing travellers by offering cheap packages. Threats:- Recession Competitors-many small hotels opened near about with cheap yoga n spa packages and it can reduce the rate of visitors to ananda. Natural hazards-like fire,flood etc. Cheap airlines packages-customer want to go international after international air fair falls down. Political issues-like service tax,labour union policies etc. Key-findings for Ananda Himalayas:- biggest strength of Ananda Himalayas right now is its brand reputation being only spa in India(which is 50%)although it has to improve on weaknesses and less productivity than its competitors. At the same time,can increase the sale or mkt share with an increase in number of people who want relaxation and better health(as it is health and wellness industry). Mission and Vision Statement Mission:- to create a unique design product offer world class hospitality with a distinctive warmth and humility improve and innovate constantly to crate exceptional value for people,their individuality and to their growth VISION:- to be a world-class hospitality chain in India benchmark in spa industry to have a world-class spa institute in India expending capacity of existing property as well as expending with more new properties. Ethos:- E-empathy T-teamwork H-honesty O-ownership S-selflessness Corporate objectives:- Increasing revenue from 500 m to 550.75 m. Reaching to 100% customer satisfaction instead of 8.3 to 9.3%. Targeting profit from 45.64 to 58.42 Taking gross profit ratio to 12-15%. Mktg Objectives :- Increasing revenue from 50% to 100% Achieving customer satisfaction and quality standards to 100% Increasing profit from 80% to 100% Increasing growth profit ratio from 12% to 15%(CIRRUS 01 SEP 2008). Mkt segmentation:- Market Segmentation broadly identifies the potential markets from a general population for further refining and targeting. The market segmentation for ananda Himalayas will be done on the two bases. 1.geographic segmentation (it will contain both international and domestic markets) 2.demographic segmentation. Geographical Segmentation Country of Origin of Guests in Rishikesh star hotels COMPOSITION Five Star Deluxe and Five Star hotel % ASEAN 2.4 Australia 2.1 Canada 1.6 Carribbean 0.6 China 3.4 France 2.0 Germany 6.6 Japan 3.2 Middle East 2.5 Other European 1.4 Russia 1.2 SAARC 1.0 South Africa 1.4 UK 8.4 USA 24.8 Other 37.4 Total 100 (FHRAI, Indian Hotel Industry Survey 2008-2009) The table above shows the percentages of people from different origin that prefer staying in the five star deluxe and five star hotels in Rishikesh. According to this survey done by FHRAI, the number of tourists from US(24.8%) is the maximum which is followed by UK(8.4%) and Germany(6.6%) which have a marginal difference between them. These statistics clearly show us that there is a decent amount of tourists from The US for which we already have a good market. Therefore, there is a scope for targeting more people from UK and Germany. Though, we still cannot target a specific market with these statistics alone which will be done in the later parts Demographic Segmentation Foreign tourist arrival in India on the bases of gender (FHRAI, Indian Hotel Industry Survey 2008-2009) For the year 2006, the percentage of foreign male tourists was 57% against the female tourists which comprises of 36%. Whereas, there are 7% of the tourists which did not report and are missing from the stats. Similar is the case for the domestic tourists as well. The percentage of men travelling is slightly high than that of females all over India. Therefore, by evaluating all the data given above, we have chosen a differentiation market segment method to specify the target markets. Our specific target market will be; Foreign business travellers from UK and Germany Domestic tourists- leisure with high income (4.9% in all of India) Meeting Participants Target Market:- Corporate:- as this hotel is situated in a religious tourist place. Leisure:- this can be the major target market as it is basically a health and wellness spa. it attracts tourists who wants to rejuvenate. Groups:- groups improves sales as well as provides hotels a good market reputation and also capture major share of market. Positioning:- Market Positionining Perceptual Mapping; Foreign Business Travellers Expensive High Moderate Service Ista . Less Expensive (naresh k.malhotra(marketing research p-700) Domestic Tourists Expensive High Moderate Service Service Ista . Less Expensive (naresh k.malhotra(marketing research p-700) Key-findings for market positioning:- If we take price and customer satisfaction ratio into consideration, Ananda has lower price than its competitors and a good customer satisfaction but not the highest. If factors like brand reputation and value for money is considered than it has got the highest brand name. Corporate marketing strategy:- objectives Strategic tactics Implementation period revenue 500 m to 550.75m Tie-up with the travel agencies. Air-line packages Corporate rates Group rates Should start from april Should start through out the year Customer relationship 8.3m to 9.3m Set-up of various information centres Start from april and should continue through out the year. Total profit 45.64m to 58.42m Cutting down all unnecessary spendings Through out the years Profit percentage 12-15% Add-on services with packages Start from april Marketing strategy:- As per the product our hotel is offering,most of the facilities are delivered directly.to make it more successful we need to promote our product in market to increase market share.this can be done through various channels of advertising(travel agency,media advertising). As our target market is corporate and foreign clients so for this we need to tie up with prospective business to enhance the sale.hotel is in the growth level as per product life cycle,but due to recession the market share percentage has gone down.to come out of this,we are going to use the differentiationmarketing strategy.in this,the focus will be on different market segment with competitive price and product with quality service. Another reason is our target market is divided into small segmentations so,can easily increase our market share through these segmentations.our brand strategy is to provide high level of services and customer satisfaction with low rates and first objective is to increase the market share. The marketing mix strategy is based upon the two ps factors.we consider price and product.our aim is to provide different experience than other hotels and increase market share by establishing the brand value with in the customers. Markets Ansoffs Matrix Existing New Products Products 3.product development 1.Market Penetration Existing Markets 4.diversification 2. Market Development New The Ansoffs Matrix shows four different ways of marketing. It is basically a combination of four similar but different things. Existing Products and new products ,and, existing markets and new markets. In the case of the hotel ananda, we are going to follow the two methods that are Market Penetration and Market Development as shown in the figure above. We already have a product with us and we do not plan to create or add something new to our product line. Our plan is to enter further into the markets that we are already in. As explained earlier, we plan to increase our market share within the same market and try to reach the customers who fall in the same category but different profiles. The second plan is to create new markets with our existing product to offer the customers. In this case we have planned to create a new target market in the form of the domestic tourist which comes for purpose of leisure and holidaying. This is being done because according to the research that we have done in the beginning it shows us the scope of the domestic tourists. Another reason that supports this strategy is that we also have the right kind of product offering for this market. Budget:- Financial Report Percentage of Revenue (2008-2009): Hotels ananda Grand hyatt sheratons Vivanta(taj) Occupied Rooms Hotel 33,699 22,206 38,729 39,828 Occupancy percentage 55.4% 63.4% 66.7% 65.7% Rate per room $209.59 $220.09 $203 $186.59 Room Revenue 65.20% 66.8% 63.9% 55.7% F B Revenue 23.5% 20.8% 26.3% 31.4% Banquet conferences 6.6% 9.2% 2.0% 9.7% other 4% 2% 7% 3% Total 100% 100% 100% 100% Imp:- subject to further research Evaluation of marketing plan for ananda Himalayas:- Objective: Increasing customer satisfaction level from 6.2 7.5 Key Performance Indicator: Customer Satisfaction Surveys Frequency of Evaluation: Monthly Objective: Increasing Revenue from 500m 550.75m. Escalating profit from 45.64m 58.42m Key Performance Indicator: Revenue Report, Financial Audit Frequency of Evaluation: Annually Objective: Growing profit ratio 12.00% 15% Key Performance Indicator: Monthly Revenue reports, Cash flow Frequency of Evaluation: Monthly Note: (subject to further research) Contingency plan:- In the event that suggested marketing plan measures prove to be ineffective or below threshold following measures are suggestedency plan:- 1. PRICE+PROMOTION: Cruise liners+ vacations for students. 2. PRODUCT +PLACE : cant change the product services. 3. PROCESS+PEOPLE: Can stick to same old training methods) only to 10% of stock per store. 4. Cost cutting and cost management regards to budgeting and investment plans. The product offer: Ananda, Himalayas offers a comfortable and contemporary rooms with a beautiful view of landscape grounds.this hotel has 21,000 square feet spa(only one in India).all rooms are designed with a high level of comfort and as per the need of guests. Along with rooms this hotel offers a range of packages that includes scheduled aerobics,hiking trips in the foothills of Himalayas,meditation and yoga classes,wellness and treatment packages,cooking classes etc.this hotel has 75 deluxe rooms,5 suites and 3 villas.all rooms are equipped with all modern amenities. Pricing strategies:- Pricing needs to be decided as plays a very vital role in hotel growth.every hotel has a set target and goal,due to recession prices have come down. rate rationalization is the biggest change after recession. Penetrating pricing strategies: following this strategies would help ananda hotel to capture more portion of market share. In this strategy ananda hotel would be offering guests competitive rates with best standards of service which could be given in same class of hotel. Following penetrating pricing strategies would help ananda strengthening its position in market and establishing its brand name among customers. Penetrating pricing strategies would give elasticity to demand. Competition based pricing strategies: Keeping an close eye on every step of your competitor is very essential, specially pricing strategies. Price is the only factor which would play prime role in attracting customers. Competition based pricing basically means pricing according to your competitors and try giving better or something unique to them which would be our unique selling point of business. Competition based pricing will help ananda to fight competition and establish its market. Promotion:- Corporate and commercial rates Air-lines packages Corporate packages Group discounted rates Off-season special packages On-line deals Promotional spa packages Ananda place in tourism system:- Ananda is a hospitality service provider in destination. Destination is composed of different elements that together make up a destination mix. Basic components of destination mix are facilities, attraction, infrastructure, transportation and hospitality service provider commonly used as acronym FAITH (Weaver Lauton 2005). Ananda is an established name in hospitality service sector, just because of rescission it lost its market share and profit started declining. To revive from the situation of rescission ananda need to establish cordial relation with other component of Destination Mix. It has seen that hospitality service provider cant alone make tourist experience better of visiting place. The hospitality service provider needs to work in coordination with other component so that tourist can get better services and he is satisfied with hospitality given to him. For example:- Guest comes from united kinghdom to attend seminar or companys meeting when he would arrive airport first thing he would require would be transportation to hotel, after reaching hotel he would require facilities that would support his travel purpose. If guest would be getting all these facilities without hassle he would be a satisfied guest and repeat guest in future or guest commercially important person for hotel(CIP) for hotel who could give more business to hotel in near future. We would suggest ananda to apply push strategy. This strategy involves pushing the product through distribution channel to final consumer. Push strategy will induce distribution channel to put more effort for selling the hotels room and service as they would be having personal motive or interest that is profit or commission from hotel by doing so. Using push strategy will help ananda hotel to increase scope of capturing more market because by choosing distribution channel we could widen scope of advertisement and promotion of our products. For example hotel ananda could give lucrative offers to travel agent like 10% of room cost as commission in addition to their normal commission for booking. A push strategy provides an incentive for channel member to promote product to their customer or push product through distribution channel (Kotler, Bowen., Makens2006 pg 561). People:- Orientation Culture Change Internal marketing Process:- Process ananda hotel is using is based on technology and e-marketing. Physical evidence:- Brand image related to vision position. Environment:- The situation analysis that can be done for the hotel will include all the external factors which have an effect on the working of the hotel. These external factors can be studied by the help of PESTEL (political, economic, social, technological, environmental, legal) analysis and how these factors affect the working of the hotel. It is a strategic planning technique that provides a useful framework for analyzing the environmental pressures on a team or an organization. (Edmonstone, Havergal, 1999). Political Environment: this includes all the government policies, the laws in which the hotel has to deal and the pressure groups which affect the hotel performance. The Political instability such as tax rates and other matters like the policies and rules with which the hotel is concerned. The hotel has to be in the parameters of govt policies and have to follow all the rules and regulations. Economic Environment: This environment mainly deals with the money capacity of the consumer.this plays a vital role in deciding the promotion or downfall of the hotel business.The economic meltdowns lead to a downfall in the tourism sector, leading to a drop in the business of the hotel. The economy has started to improve and the international corporate travelers who form the major part of the target market of the hotel have once again started to come to the hotel. The economy will need some time to improve and this time can be utilized to make new marketing strategies which will attract more such travelers and suits their needs as well. Socio-Cultural Environment: It includes behaviors, perceptions, choices and the values of various individuals who constitute the society. This part includes both the employees and the society in which the hotel is working. The hotel needs to keep proper care of its employees and their needs in order to achieve high standards of work. The hotel also has some social responsibilities. The hotel can social events, the earnings of which can go for charity, it can also have an effective disposal system for garbage, water and gases which may help in maintaining a healthy environment for the society around it. Technological Environment: These factors act as the facilities in the hotels and are also the main aspects which help in the differentiation of one property to another. The ananda hotel has all the modern technologies being used forthe spas compared to other hotels. The hotel can always come up with some innovative ideas to place itself at a better position than its competitors. Natural Environment: The natural environment does not have much effect on the business of the hotel as anada,Himalayas situated in the beautiful landscape of Himalayas with natural and pollution free environment. This factor effects only when the marketers can use it for the promotion of the hotel. Legal Environment: This part includes the various rules and the policies that the hotel needs to follow in order to run the operations efficiently. These legal issues include the payment of taxes, giving proper remuneration to the staff, following of the legal government policies and others. Tax paid by tourists in India is the highest in the world, Indian hotels charge about 40% taxes compared to other Asian countries where it varies between 3% and 6%. (World travel and tourism council, 2010). Such factors as mentioned above shows the different legal requirements that are expected to be fulfilled by the hotel. Proposed Environmental Scanning System for anada,Himalayas hotel: Environmental Factor Source of Information Person Responsible Frequency Competitors Newspapers Staff/ Management Daily Guests Staff Daily Magazines Management Weekly Internet Staff/ Management Weekly Annual Reports Management Yearly Customers Customer feedback Staff Daily Staff Management Weekly Travel agents Management Monthly Regular guests Staff/ Management Monthly Internet Staff/ Management Weekly Economic Economic newsletters Management Weekly News papers Management Weekly Internet Management Weekly Average room rates Accountant/ Management Daily Balance sheets Accountant/ Management Yearly Internet Management Monthly Technologies Trade magazines Management/ Department heads Monthly Trade shows Accountant/ Management Yearly Internet Management Monthly Newspapers Management Weekly Television Management Daily The above mentioned three key areas need to be followed for the purpose of the environmental scanning. The hotel became one of the top rated hotels in the rishikesh, but due to the recession in late 2008 most of the business was lost. The above mentioned SWOT and PESTEL analysis, if followed properly, will help the business to reach high levels of business and market share. Service Concept/productivity:- Anada,Himalayas could get competitive advantage if, they properly plan and implement their supporting products. They must meet customers needs and expectation, to overbeat their competitors (Hertneneky, B,P.2006. p.g 281). In this critical stage of reviving from rescission, ananda hotel should not only concentrate on providing core product or basic product that would be food, shelter, and safety of guest. They should look upon providing augmented or supporting products, which are very important for delivering quality service and meeting expectation of guest. The augmented product includes accessibility, atmosphere, customer interaction with service organization, customers participation and customer interaction with each other (Kotler, Bowen., Makens2006 pg 307). Augmented product is important to be understood because it tells what is delivered and how is to be delivered. ananda hotel have to work seriously upon this service concept of augmented product because these product have huge impact on guest and will help to capture major portion of markets, by customer satisfaction which is key element in hospitality industry. Facilities we are providing are:- Wi-Fi internet access   ananda hotel can provide Wi-Fi anytime anywhere, whether in-room, by the pool or in other public areas sleep comfort   ananda hotel can provide ergonomically designed beds and a pillow menu with a wide range of comfort pillows. Business Centre   High speed internet access and board room style meeting rooms. Spa   21,000 square feet spa with all the required equipments. Pool Fitness Centre   ananda hotel is giving temperature controlled swimming pool for all seasons, state of the art gymnasium with personal trainers. Tailor-made food-ananda provides food as per the customer body type and famous for cooking without oil.food is inspired by ancient times and prepared with natural ingredients. Organisation:- The best part about anand,Himalayas is its staff as all staff is between the age of 21 to 35,customer oriented,friendly,well versed with the knowledge of therapies.they should have this kind of staff only as customer should feel at home and comfortable only than they will be able to enjoy the treatment. strategy:- Advertisement: it is one of the major promotional tools which can be used by hotel anada,Himalayas for promotion of their products and services. Advertisement could be one the very successful tool which can be used for increasing market share. If advertisement is well positioned and planned it could help to overcome competition and help to revive from recession (Jhon,L.2009.p.g 6). Various form of advertisement which is used for promoting its products and services could be: 1.Internet: This is one of the most widely used medium through which hotels can promote its product and services. It could be very effective in promoting products and services. 2.Printed Media: For example: magazine, journals and news papers. This is very useful because it would help promoting product among corporate clients and corporate employee. 3.Visual Media: For example: television, this is said to be very effective as it gives both visual and audio effect to guest. They can actually feel the product or services. 4.Sales promotion: They attract consumer attention and provide information that may lead the consumer to buy the product. Ananda can use sales promotion tool as to get quicker and stronger response from consumer. Various sales promotion tools which can be used could be: 5.Promotional letters to existing guests: ananda hotel can send promotional letter which includes lucrative discount offers, and various packages at discounted rates. This strategy would help ananda from recovering from recession and capturing more shares in market. Distributional Strategy: Distributional strategies which can be used by hotel ananda for capturing market share and overcome competitors could be:- 1.Trade Show: This could be very effective in distributing of products and service because trade shows are being attended by various travel agents and travel tour operator. This would help them to build cordial relation with them, in return of that we could business from them. 2.Exhibitions: these are very important in distribution of the hotels product and services as during exhibition hotel managers could get chance to interact with other hotel managers and managers of other companies to whom they could explain their product or service which could help in increasing sales revenue. 3.Airlines: magazines in airlines and airline companies could be important source for distribution of product and services of hotel. 4.Corporate Companies: Relation with corporate companies and advertisement in corporate magazine could help in promoting hotels product services.

Sociology Essays Researcher Power Relations

Sociology Essays Researcher Power Relations How do power relations challenge us to re-think the issue of dialogue in research, ethicsand critical urban ethnography? Sociological research is not theclearly defined process that the textbooks would have us believe. It can be amessy business and is fraught with pitfalls so the researcher needs to beflexible in his/her approach to the project. Power relationships emerge as anissue right from the beginning. There are the power relations contained within social institutions and in personal relationships. The relationship between theresearcher and the researched is generally thought of as one of unequal powerrelations where the researcher is the custodian of expertise concerning themeaning of a research subjects experiences. The balance of power may not,however, be in the researchers hands at the beginning of a project, if theresearcher needs to gain access to a setting then he/she may be subject to thewhims of gatekeepers. Gatekeepers have the power to say no the researchersrequest and if you do manage to gain entry it is often at the end of a longslow process. Lofland and Lofland (1984) say that feelings of anxiety when aresearcher first encounters gate keepers, is not unusual because they hold thereins of power. Bogdan and Taylor (1984) write about problems with gatekeepers.They argue that there are those professionals in charge of establishments suchas retirement homes or womens refuges, who exercise their power by monitoringwho should and should not visit. In this way they retain control of the spaceoccupied by the people they care for and in controlling their space alsocontrol the influences of and within that space. Giddens 2001 has argued that thechanges in modern society have, in their turn, brought vast changes to the waywe live our lives: The development ofmodern cities has had an enormous impact, not only on habits and modes ofbehaviour, but on patterns of thought and feeling. >From the time whenlarge urban agglomerations first formed, in the eighteenth century, views aboutthe effects of cities on social life have been polarized (Giddens,2001:573). Hammersley (2000) has argued that social research cannot be understood outside of the social world that itstudies. It does not exist in some autonomous realm, but affects, and isaffected by other factors in society. Beginning with a brief explanation of keyterms this paper will give a brief description of the long and hotly contesteddebate that frames the quantitative/qualitative divide within researchdiscourse. This should demonstrate that even before a researcher frames aresearch question they have to contend with the powerful discourse that says social research should be undertaken in a scientific manner if it is to producemeaningful data. The paper will examine the question of how power relationschallenge us to re-think the issue of dialogue in research, ethics and criticalurban ethnography. The main focus with regard to how knowledge is acquired, andhow, like research, it is intimately connected with relations of power, will beon feminist work. The final part of the paper will d eal with power relations,dialogue and ethics in the context of critical urban ethnography. Epistemology An epistemological concern is onethat raises the question of what might be regarded as acceptable knowledge in adiscipline. Central to this point is whether it is feasible to study the socialworld in the same way and using the same principles as science (Bryman, 2004).Research undertaken in this way is generally associated with a positivistparadigm of research. Positivism Positivism is most closelyassociated with the work of Auguste Comte and Emile Durkheim. Positivism is anepistemological standpoint that argues for the application of the scientificmethod to the social world. It is usually (though not always) associated withquantitative research and the collection of statistics. Positivism is,therefore, very closely associated with the scientific method which, looselyput, is based around the laws of cause and effect. Bryman (2004) identifies theaspects of positivism in the following ways, only those things that we canobserve through our senses can really be known. Theory (speculations about whatmight be the case) is used to generate hypotheses (general statements) that canbe tested and from which laws can be derived. The hypothesis is subjected toquestions e.g. who, what, when, where and data gathered either throughinterviews, observation, or using existing data such as crime statistics. Ifthe findings confirm the hypothesis then laws are derived, if not then the hypothesishas to be modified. This process continues until a suitable conclusion isreached that confirms the modified hypothesis. Positivists state that sciencemust be objective and value free (Bryman, A. 2004).Durkheim argued that in order to be scientific and to obtain objectiveknowledge, social facts should be counted as things, and that allpreconceptions must be eradicated (Durkheim, E, 1938:31).Scientific statements should be the interest of the scientist because they arethe only statements that can be confirmed by the senses i.e. science proceedsthrough observable, repeatable experiments.. It is this form of research in particularthat feminists have dubbed malestream research (Abbott and Wallace,1997) they argue that: Many malestream sociologistsare resistant to the view that there is a need for a reconceptualisation.Nevertheless, this is the position that w accept and while we recognise thatthis is an uphill struggle we think that it is a necessary one if we are toachieve an adequate sociology (Abbott and Wallace, 1997:13). Interpretivism This is the opposite view topositivism where a research strategy is needed that respects the fact thatthere is a difference between the physical world and people. The scientificmethods that are used to study the physical world may not be appropriate tostudying the social world where the sociologist is trying to understand the meaningsthat people give to their actions. Interpretivists most often use qualitativeresearch methods consisting of unstructured interviews and participantobservation. Positivists criticise research data gained in this way asunscientific and subjective. They argue that the findings from such research donot have the same validity or reliability as data collected in a scientificmanner (Bryman, 2004). Researchers who use qualitative methods tend to maketheir research process as transparent as possible and will often ask theirresearch subjects to check the findings to see whether they are an accuraterepresentation of the persons life. Both types of researchers want toknow what is happening in society but interpretivists also attempt tounderstand. Weber (1947) maintained that sociology is a Science which attempts theinterpretive understanding of social action in order to arrive at a causalexplanation of its cause and effects (Weber, 1947:88). Qualitative researchers tend tomake use of unstructured interviews, case study research and participantobservation. Ethnographic methods such as in-depth interviews and prolongedparticipant observation are also favoured methods. These last tend to be usedmore often by those who are engaged in critical research. Hammersley (1992)criticises the use of ethnographic methods because he believes that this typeof research is less able to produce data that will result in useful theoreticalinsights. Participant observation is regarded by positivists as unscientificand not rigorous enough they regard it as subjective. Hammersley (1992) hasargued that because ethnographers can produce different accounts of the samesetting then the results of such research might be said to reflect a purelypersonal perspective rather than a scientific and reliable account.Yet anothercriticism of this type of method is that the ensuing account is the result ofhighly selective methods of data collection (Hammersley , 1992). This isarguably a nonsensical criticism as all research is the result of a set ofselection processes. The researcher constantly has to decide what is the bestway of collecting the information that will answer the research question. Thishappens in what is regarded as scientific and value free social research justas much as it does in social research that does not claim to be objective andvalue free. All researchers, as Gouldner (1971) points out have to make choicesabout their domain of enquiry i.e. when, where, how, and from whom they aregoing to obtain their data. There is a clear difference betweenscience and the scientific method and the methods that are needed toinvestigate the social world. For human beings, human action is meaningful andthey act on the basis of that meaning. The sociologists job is to interpretthe social world from the research subjects point of view. What this means isthat far from research being objective and knowledge being objective and valuefree, they are in fact marked by the stamp of their producers. Marx recognisedthis in his analysis of capitalism and feminists have recognised this in theiranalysis of patriarchy and of an epistemological stance that bears the stampand is endowed with the power of the white western male. Thus power relationsare evident even before we begin on the actual research process. Knowledge and Power The rationalistattitudes towards knowledge that developed during the Enlightenment remaineddominant until well into the nineteenth century. They were, as many feministshave argued (Abbott and Wallace, 1997), a powerful force in determining whatconstituted knowledge and have had considerable effect on the structures ofmodern society. A similar critique of knowledge has also been mounted by theFrench philosopher Michel Foucault (1966). The work ofthinkers such as Nietzsche (1886) and Foucault (1966) has emphasised the factthat knowledge is intimately tied to structures of power and domination.Foucault argues that it is power which produces and sustains knowledge.Anything that contradicts the authorised view of what counts as knowledge isseen as deviant and transgressional. Thus, he argues, Power isthat which says no. Any confrontation with power thus conceived appears only astransgression (1966: 53). Feministcriticisms of knowledge and the way that knowledge is produced are aconfrontation with power and authority. The tendency of many thinkers toneglect class, race, gender, and economic factors contributes to the exclusionof oppressed and marginal viewpoints thus further reinforcing bothuniversalistic and objective models of knowledge and the power structures associatedwith this view. Foucault has argued that the enlightenment model of scientificreason only existed through the will to objectify and dominate. For Foucault,this kind of knowledge is inseparable from the desire for power. He argues thatresearch into criminality or mental illness is often undertaken for the expresspurposes of legislation, and not for a desire for improvement in these areas(1966). These critiques of the structures of power have meant thatepistemological questions are now a central issue within contemporary culture(Lennon and Whitford, 1994). The writings of Marx (1970), Foucault (1966), andmembers of t he Frankfurt school (and in a different context liberationtheologians) emphasise the fact knowledge claims are a reflection of theinterests of those with economic power. More recently, black scholars andscholars from the third world have also indicated the Eurocentric and racistnature of most knowledge production (Lennon and Whitford, 1994). The separationof fact from value in knowledge production is not appropriate, that is to sayknowledge is not objective and neutral. Rather, knowledge bears the stamp ofits producers and is affected by their value systems. It is through thisunderstanding that feminist and other forms of critical research developed. Critical Research Carspecken(1996) maintains that critical research is aimed at exposing the powerrelationships at work in society particularly as they relate to social inequalities. The researcher studies this from the viewpoint of the oppressedin the hope of achieving social change. Critical research is informed by thecritical theory of the Frankfurt School. Critical social research does not fitwell into either the positivist camp or the interpretive one but embraces allthose approaches which tend to criticise society (in terms of its powerrelationships for example) in order to transform it. Hammersley (1995) hasargued that the growing influence of qualitative research and most particularlyof the type of research that is critical of power structures and of theinequalities that exist within society has meant that increasingly the basisfor seeing social research as scientific has been undermined. Harvey (1990) hassaid of critical research that: critiqueis an integral part of the processA critical research process involves morethan appending critique to an accumulation of fact or theory gathered throughsome mechanical process, rather it denies the objective status of knowledge (Harvey,1990 quoted in Haralambos et al, 2000:982). Knowledge inthese terms is a process that is never finished because the social world isconstantly changing. Knowledge is inseparable from the values of the socialcontext in which it emerged, the research participants, and most importantly,the researcher. The knowers always affect what is known as Ely et al (1996)argue: Researchlike all other knowing, is a transactional process the knower and the knownboth act upon each other (Ely, et al, 1996:196 ibid.). Criticalresearch is primarily concerned with uncovering oppression and oppressivestructures and by that action transforming them. By uncovering these structureswithin social accounts the critical researcher can then link these with widersocial processes and structures. Thus Oakleys analysis of housework and howwomen bear the brunt of it links back to industrialisation and the rise ofcapitalism and womens removal from the public world of work to the privatesphere of the home, this also links with the growth of patriarchal oppressionof women (Harvey, 1990). Thus a critical analysis such as this can uncover thebasis of some of the power relationships that exist within society andeventually to change them. Harvey (1990) says of this process that it: ..involvesa constant questioning of the perspective and analysis the researcher isbuilding up. It is a process of gradually, and critically, coming to knowthrough constant reconceptualisation. This means that the selection of a coreconcept for analysis is not a once and for all affair (Harvey, 1990:30). Harvey (1990)maintains that critical research does not depend on any one method becauseresearchers may often use a variety of methods in ensuring that they have madethe connections with wider social processes such as the structures of power,and also to increase the reliability of their findings. Feminist research alsooperates by the use of a number of different research methods, feminists are moreconcerned with improving womens lives and with the non-exploitation of thosewho are researched, than they are with the commitment to any one set of methods.Some (primarily male) researchers argue against feminist research because theysay that it is subjective and partisan. They argue that research should neverbe partisan and that it is impossible for everyone to be equally free, theremust always be some hierarchy. Thus Geuss (1981) contends that: It seems unrealistic underpresent conditions of human life to assume that any and every preference humanagents might have can be satisfied, or to assume that all conflict between thepreferences of different agents will be peacefully and rationally resolved.Some frustration-even some imposed frustration-of some human preferences mustbe legitimate and unexceptionable (Guess, 1981:16). Presumably thelegitimate and unexceptionable preferences are the prerogative of the male, whofor centuries has had some much power over womens lives. It is this kind ofpower that feminists are keen to expose, they are also concerned about thepower relationships which exist between the researcher and the researched, andwhich have sometimes been exploited by (male) researchers. In view of this somefeminists argue that participatory research, where the researcher and theresearched work together on a project, should be a defining feature of feministresearch. Abbott and Wallace (1997) argue however, that this is not often donebecause, it is notpossible for the researcher to share her knowledge and expertise, and to implythat she is sharing them conceals a power relationship rather than overcomingit (Abbott and Wallace, 1997:288). Feminists who douse these methods argue that participatory research not only gives women a moreactive role in knowledge production but further increases the validity of theresearch findings. McGuire (1987), has this to say Participatoryresearch proposes returning to ordinary people the power to participate inknowledge creation, the power that results from such creation, and the power toutilize knowledge (Maguire, 1987:39). Even this statement isproblematic because the researcher has at least some training in how researchmight be said to proceed and this is not easily passed on to those who are nottrained (Abbott and Wallace, 1997). Mies, 1983 has this to say: the study of an oppressivereality is not carried out by experts but by the objects of the oppression.People who were before objects of research become subjects of their ownresearch and action. This implies that scientists who participate in this studyof the conditions of oppression must give their research tools to the people (Mies,1983:16). Shared experiences, it might beargued, help to balance out the power relationships that feminists such asAbbott and Wallace (1997) contend, inevitably exist between a researcher andthose who are researched. One way in which the researcher may try to lessen thepower differential is through self-disclosure. Thus recovering alcoholics whoare researching alcohol misuse or women who have survived domestic violenceinterviewing women who are being abused would make the interviewee aware of thefact. While it maybe impossible to do away with the power differentialaltogether, it does make it less problematic. Ann Oakley (1982) has writtenthat, the goal of finding outabout people through interviewing is best achieved when the relationship ofinterviewer and interviewee is non- hierarchical and when the interviewer isprepared to invest his or her own personal identity in the relationship (Oakley,1982:41). This power differential thatexists in the research relationship may also colour what is found because datais never free of the influence of the person who gathered it. Carspecken (1996)believes that although critical researchers may have a value commitment that isnot to say that the research needs to be biased providing it is systematic andcareful. Stanley and Wise have this to say, .the recognition that whoa researcher is, in terms of their sex, race, class, and sexuality, affectswhat they find in research and is as true of feminists as of any other researchers(Stanley and Wise, 1993:228). This power differential willalso affect, and may distort the dialogue between the researcher and theresearched. Abbott and Wallace (1997) argue that because the researcher willnecessarily involve herself with the women she is studying then she needs to beaware of this. Constant reflexivity is required if the research is to beconsidered valid. The researcher must be aware that because she is a part ofwhat is going on this inevitably affects what is going on and there needs to bea continual taking stock of how personal values, attitudes and perceptions areinfluencing the research process. A feministinterviewing women is by definition both inside the culture andparticipating in that which she is observingpersonal involvement is morethan dangerous bias it is the condition under which people come to know eachother and to admit others into their lives (Oakley,1982:58). Aronson (1992) has pointedout that the ethnographic interview is a common method of gathering data inqualitative research. Interviewing is also a method which is favoured byfeminist researchers (Oakley, 1982; Stanley and Wise, 1993). The interviewprocess should be such that women feel at ease and can relate their experiencesas they see them. The interviewer should encourage the participation of theinterviewee, the aim of which is to conduct research with women rather than onwomen. In this way it is thought that a fuller picture of womens experiencesemerges (Oakley, 1981 et al). Carspecken (1996) argues that one way ofminimising any distortions that may arise due to the power differential betweenresearcher and researched is to check out your findings with the researchparticipants. Differences may also arise here if the dialogue between theresearcher and the research participants has been awkward or untruthful in anyway there may be objections when the participant sees what has been wr itten.Seeing this distorted dialogue in print may increase any feelings ofpowerlessness that the participant might have and thus renegotiating thedialogue may prove difficult. Ethics At the very least ethics areconcerned with protecting the anonymity of those who are participating in theresearch. This is vital if for example the participants are women who haveexperienced rape or domestic abuse as any such exposure of their true identitycould put them at further risk. Many researchers, not just feministresearchers, also regard the use of non-sexist language as an ethicalprinciple. Sexist language is exclusionary and denotes the power relationshipsthat have for centuries existed in patriarchal society. Relationships that arein some way based on power are prone distortions in communication and it is upto the critical researcher to be aware of these sources of distortion as amatter of ethical principle. Carpecken (1996) thus believes that researchersshould: Establish supportive,non-authoritarian relationships with the participants in your study. Activelyencourage them to question your own perceptions. Be sure that participants areprotected from any harm that your study could produce, and be sure that theyknow they are protected (Carpecken, 1996:90). There isconsiderable contemporary debate about what constitutes ethical research. Thisis particularly the case with sensitive areas and with feminist methodologies(Abbott and Wallace, 1997). Feminist researchers are concerned with the ideathat the people who are the major part of many research undertakings should notbe exploited. As I have stated previously, feminist researchers are concernedwith the researched. Relationships between researchers and their human subjectsare often continued long after work in the field has finished (Ely et al,1996). The majority of feminists are conscious that the research relationshipis a two-way process. Researchlike all other knowing, is a transactional process the knower and the knownboth act upon each other (Ely, et al, 1996:196 ibid.). Many feministsregard it as crucially important that women who are more oppressed andmarginalised than they themselves are given a voice for their experiences. Theyargue that some, (predominantly male) researchers have used respondents asobjects to be worked on (Reinharz, 1983; Abbott and Wallace, 1997). In manycases there is no further contact with the people they have worked with oncethe research process is finished. Feminists have said that this kind of researchis conducted on a rape model. The researcherstake, hit, and run, with a total disregard for the needs of the researched.They intrude into their subjects privacy, disrupt their perceptions, utilisefalse pretences, manipulate the relationships, and give little or nothing inreturn. When the needs of the researchers are satisfied, they break off contactwith the subjects (Reinharz, 1983:80). The issue of giving oppressed andmarginalised women a voice has been identified by black feminists, as anethical matter. This is because black womens voices are the most marginal ofall womens voices in the academy, and the current educational systemreinforces the values and culture of the dominant classes, thereby ensuringtheir continued domination and the covert exercise of power (Hill-Collins, P,1990). In view of these ethical questions, many feminists are conscious of theneed to put something back in, whether by the payment of a fee, or ofcontributing to work in the community. More recently however ethical questionshave also concerned researcher safety. Is it ethical to allow a lone (possiblyfemale) researcher to venture into settings where the power relationships thatpertain in such a setting may put that researcher at risk. Power and ethics areclosely entertwined. Covert participant observation (whereby the researcherdoes not disclose their true role and reasons for being in the setting) isoften regarded as unethical and a misuse of researcher power becauseparticipants are not given the chance to give their informed consent to the research.It is also regarded as privacy violation (Bryman, 2004). Thus the powerrelationships that are, or might be at work in the research relationship needto be acknowledged at all stages of the research process and before decisionsabout how the research is undertaken are formalised. Research, particularly qualitative research is not just composed of a setof facts drawn from a number of suitably phrased questions. It is madeup of all the seemingly unrelated bits and pieces that are part of humanrelationships (Ely et al, 1996). Critical Urban Research The most famous urban research is that of the Chicago school in the 1920sand 30s. Robert Park was the central figure here and his main concerns werewith the effects of social and cultural forces on human nature. Park and hiscolleagues recognised two levels of behaviour the biotic and the cultural. Thebiotic level concerned mechanisms of survival and competition and the culturalwas concerned with how the human subject was constituted (Dickens, 1990). Urbanresearch is concerned with how the city influences those who inhabit it and howit shapes their lives. Giddens has argued that the space people occupy has tobe taken into account when studying social life because social interaction isnot aspatial, it has to take place somewhere. This somewhere Giddens designatesa locale. Localesrange from a room in a house, or street corner, the shopfloor of a factory,towns and cities to the territorially demarcated areas occupied by regionstates. But they are typically internally regionalised (Giddens, 1984). The Chicago school was highly influential on the way in which streetsociety was studied. Jacobs (1961) undertook what became a classical study ofGreenwich Village when she studied the everyday behaviour and relationships ofpeople on the sidewalk. In the nineteen-ninetees Duneier (1999) wanted todiscover how sidewalk life had changed in the intervening years. He studied thelife of pan handlers and street vendors to see whether and in what ways itscharacter might have changed. Duneier started out as a voyeur and customer at abookstall in Greenwich Village and it was there that he noticed the tenor ofsidewalk life. His primary informant was the bookseller who at first wasreluctant to take part in the research. When he eventually wrote up hisfindings and submitted the manuscript for publication he was not comfortableeven though he had invited his informant to read the manuscript and comment onit. He eventually co-opted the informant to co-teach with him about life on thestreet for a Blac k American. Duneier believed that not only would this adjustthe imbalance in power relationships in research more adequately but thatstudent feedback and comments on the course might allow him to remedy anyshortcomings of the original research. Duneier had faced a number of challenges during the course of researchsuch as gaining access to the culture and the confidence of those who lived andworked on the streets. He had trouble fitting in because of the obvious powerdifferentials of class and race as well as the inequality of the researchrelationship (adapted from Giddens, 2001 pps 652-655). Duneiers researchparticipants were among the least powerful of society. The way in which modernsocieties operate what Giddens (2001) has called a geography of centrality andmarginality where affluence and abject poverty co-exist made the lives ofDuneiers research participants unliveable. He was worried whether he wasimposing an agenda on his research participants that would make their liveseven more problematic. What Duneiers research revealed was that the socialresearcher has to take account of the wider social context and processes ofwhich he/she is a themselves a part. Mac an Ghaills critical ethnography ofheterosexual and homosexual young men also tries to reduce the powerdifferential between researcher and research participants and to be as open andethically aware as possible though collaboration, reciprocity and reflexivity(Haralambos et al, 2000). Conclusion This paper has examined how power relationships in research impact at alllevels of the research process and affect the dialogue between the researcherand the research participants and the ethical considerations that are part ofsocial research. It has also attempted to show how these processes can severelyaffect the undertaking of critical urban ethnography. Duneiers work inparticular demonstrates how power relationships operate at all levels inresearch and how decisions that have been made (for example the changinggeography of the urban environment) which neither the researcher nor researchparticipants have any control over can affect the outcomes of the research anda researchers own sense of his personal ethical commitment to the people whomay have participated in the research. There are a number of reasons why thisis important. Those scholars who are critical of this type of research oftenfail to acknowledge that the scientific paradigm is also beset with these kindsof issues and p roblems but fails to take them into account. This is what Popper(1992) called the theory of demarcation whereby any variables that do not fitwith the theory are ruled out of the equation. Duneier and others explicitrecounting of the problematic nature of undertaking social research thatcontributes to knowledge, is committed to social transformation, and at thesame time is aware the pitfalls that can occur when researching the lives ofthose who are already disenfranchised by society. There may never be a completeanswer to addressing the issue of power relationships in social research but Iwould wish to argue that the researcher who neglects the fact that such thingsexist and influence all research is failing to give an accurate account of thesocial reality that he/she is investigating. 5000 words Bibliography Abbott, P andWallace, C (1997) An Introduction to Sociology, Feminist Perspectives Routledge,London. Aronson, J. (1992). Theinterface of family therapy and a juvenile arbitration and mediation program,.Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Nova Southeastern University, FortLauderdale, FL . Bilton, T. etal, 1996. Introductory Sociology, London, Macmillan (Ch. 13). Bogdan, R andBilklen, S (1982) Qualitative Research for Education: An Introduction toTheory and Methods, Allyn and Bacon, Boston Bogdan, R andTaylor, S (1984) Introduction to Qualita