Lieducation in preliterate societies Essay

Education, History of, theories, methods, and administration of schools and other agencies of information from ancient times to the present. Education developed from the human struggle for survival and enlightenment. It may be formal or informal. Informal education refers to the general social process by which human beings acquire the knowledge and skills needed to function in their culture. Formal education refers to the process by which teachers instruct students in courses of study within institutions. Before the invention of reading and writing, people lived in an environment in which they struggled to survive against natural forces, animals, and other humans. To survive, preliterate people developed skills that grew into cultural and educational patterns. For a particular group’s culture to continue into the future, people had to transmit it, or pass it on, from adults to children. The earliest educational processes involved sharing information about gathering food and providing shelter; making weapons and other tools; learning language; and acquiring the values, behavior, and religious rites or practices of a given culture. Through direct, informal education, parents, elders, and priests taught children the skills and roles they would need as adults. These lessons eventually formed the moral codes that governed behavior. Since they lived before the invention of writing, preliterate people used an oral tradition, or story telling, to pass on their culture and history from one generation to the next. By using language, people learned to create and use symbols, words, or signs to express their ideas. When these symbols grew into pictographs and letters, human beings created a written language and made the great cultural leap to literacy. IIIEDUCATION IN ANCIENT AFRICA AND ASIA In ancient Egypt, which flourished from about 3000 BC to about 500 BC, priests in temple schools taught not only religion but also the principles of writing, the sciences, mathematics, and architecture. Similarly in India, priests conducted most of the formal education. Beginning in about 1200 BC Indian priests taught the principles of the Veda, the sacred texts of Hinduism, as well as science, grammar, and philosophy. Formal education in China dates to about 2000 BC, though it thrived particularly during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, from 770 to 256 BC (see China: The Eastern Zhou). The curriculum stressed philosophy, poetry, and religion, in accord with the teachings of Confucius, Laozi (Lao-tzu), and other philosophers. IVEDUCATION IN ANCIENT GREECE Historians have looked to ancient Greece as one of the origins of Western formal education. The Iliad and the Odyssey, epic poems attributed to Homer and written sometime in the 8th century BC, created a cultural tradition that gave the Greeks a sense of group identity. In their dramatic account of Greek struggles, Homer’s epics served important educational purposes. The legendary Greek warriors depicted in Homer’s work, such as Agamemnon, Odysseus, and Achilles, were heroes who served as models for the young Greeks. Ancient Greece was divided into small and often competing city-states, or poleis, such as Athens, Sparta, and Thebes. Athens emphasized a humane and democratic society and education, but only about one-third of the people in Athens were free citizens. Slaves and residents from other countries or city-states made up the rest of the population. Only the sons of free citizens attended school. The Athenians believed a free man should have a liberal education in order to perform his civic duties and for his own personal development. The education of women depended upon the customs of the particular Greek city-state. In Athens, where women had no legal or economic rights, most women did not attend school. Some girls, however, were educated at home by tutors. Slaves and other noncitizens had either no formal education or very little. Sparta, the chief political enemy of Athens, was a dictatorship that used education for military training and drill. In contrast to Athens, Spartan girls received more schooling but it was almost exclusively athletic training to prepare them to be healthy mothers of future Spartan soldiers. In the 400s BC, the Sophists, a group of wandering teachers, began to teach in Athens. The Sophists claimed that they could teach any subject or skill to anyone who wished to learn it. They specialized in teaching grammar, logic, and rhetoric, subjects that eventually formed the core of the liberal arts. The Sophists were more interested in preparing their students to argue persuasively and win  arguments than in teaching principles of truth and morality. Unlike the Sophists, the Greek philosopher Socrates sought to discover and teach universal principles of truth, beauty, and goodness. Socrates, who died in 399 BC, claimed that true knowledge existed within everyone and needed to be brought to consciousness. His educational method, called the Socratic method, consisted of asking probing questions that forced his students to think deeply about the meaning of life, truth, and justice. In 387 BC Plato, who had studied under Socrates, established a school in Athens called the Academy. Plato believed in an unchanging world of perfect ideas or universal concepts. He asserted that since true knowledge is the same in every place at every time, education, like truth, should be unchanging. Plato described his educational ideal in the Republic, one of the most notable works of Western philosophy. Plato’s Republic describes a model society, or republic, ruled by highly intelligent philosopher-kings. Warriors make up the republic’s second class of people. The lowest class, the workers, provide food and the other products for all the people of the republic. In Plato’s ideal educational system, each class would receive a different kind of instruction to prepare for their various roles in society. In 335 BC Plato’s student, Aristotle, founded his own school in Athens called the Lyceum. Believing that human beings are essentially rational, Aristotle thought people could discover natural laws that governed the universe and then follow these laws in their lives. He also concluded that educated people who used reason to make decisions would lead a life of moderation in which they avoided dangerous extremes. In the 4th century BC Greek orator Isocrates developed a method of education designed to prepare students to be competent orators who could serve as government officials. Isocrates’s students studied rhetoric, politics, ethics, and history. They examined model orations and practiced public speaking. Isocrates’s methods of education directly influenced such Roman educational theorists as Cicero and Quintilian. VEDUCATION IN ANCIENT ROME While the Greeks were developing their civilization in the areas surrounding the eastern Mediterranean Sea, the Romans were gaining control of the Italian peninsula and areas of the western Mediterranean. The Greeks’ education focused on the study of philosophy. The Romans, on the other hand, were preoccupied with war, conquest, politics, and civil administration. As in Greece, only a minority of Romans attended school. Schooling was for those who had the money to pay tuition and the time to attend classes. While girls from wealthy families occasionally learned to read and write at home, boys attended a primary school, called aludus. In secondary schools boys studied Latin and Greek grammar taught by Greek slaves, called pedagogues. After primary and secondary school, wealthy young men often attended schools of rhetoric or oratory that prepared them to be leaders in government and administration. Cicero, a 1st century BC Roman senator, combined Greek and Roman ideas on how to educate orators in his book De Oratore. Like Isocrates, Cicero believed orators should be educated in liberal arts subjects such as grammar, rhetoric, logic, mathematics, and astronomy. He also asserted that they should study ethics, military science, natural science, geography, history, and law. Quintilian, an influential Roman educator who lived in the 1st century AD, wrote that education should be based on the stages of individual development from childhood to adulthood. Quintilian devised specific lessons for each stage. He also advised teachers to make their lessons suited to the student’s readiness and ability to learn new material. He urged teachers to motivate students by making learning interesting and attractive. VIANCIENT JEWISH EDUCATION Education among the Jewish people also had a profound influence on Western learning. The ancient Jews had great respect for the printed word and believed that God revealed truth to them in the Bible. Most information on ancient Jewish goals and methods of education comes from the Bible and the Talmud, a book of religious and civil law. Jewish religious leaders, known as rabbis, advised parents to teach their children religious beliefs, law, ethical practices, and vocational skills. Both boys and girls were introduced to religion by studying the Torah, the most sacred document of Judaism. Rabbis taught in schools within synagogues, places of worship and religious study. VIIMEDIEVAL EDUCATION During the Middle Ages, or the medieval period, which lasted roughly from the 5th to the 15th century, Western society and education were heavily shaped by Christianity, particularly the Roman Catholic Church. The Church operated parish, chapel, and monastery schools at the elementary level. Schools in monasteries and cathedrals offered secondary education. Much of the teaching in these schools was directed at learning Latin, the old Roman language used by the church in its ceremonies and teachings. The church provided some limited opportunities for the education of women in religious communities or convents. Convents had libraries and schools to help prepare nuns to follow the religious rules of their communities. Merchant and craft guilds also maintained some schools that provided basic education and training in specific crafts. Knights received training in military tactics and the code of chivalry. As in the Greek and Roman eras, only a minority of people went to school during the medieval period. Schools were attended primarily by persons planning to enter religious life such as priests, monks, or nuns. The vast majority of people were serfs who served as agricultural workers on the estates of feudal lords. The serfs, who did not attend school, were generally illiterate (see Serfdom). In the 10th and early 11th centuries, Arabic learning had a pronounced influence on Western education. From contact with Arab scholars in North Africa and Spain, Western educators learned new ways of thinking about mathematics, natural science, medicine, and philosophy. The Arabic number system was especially important, and became the foundation of Western arithmetic. Arab scholars also preserved and translated into Arabic the works of such influential Greek scholars as Aristotle, Euclid, Galen, and Ptolemy. Because many of these works had disappeared from Europe by the Middle Ages, they might have been lost forever if Arab scholars such as Avicenna and Averroes had not preserved them. In the 11th century medieval scholars developed Scholasticism, a philosophical and educational movement that used both human reason and revelations from the Bible. Upon encountering the works of Aristotle and other Greek philosophers from Arab scholars, the Scholastics attempted to reconcile Christian theology with Greek philosophy. Scholasticism reached its high point in the Summa Theologiae of Saint Thomas Aquinas, a 13th century Dominican theologian who taught at the University of Paris. Aquinas reconciled the authority of religious faith, represented by the Scriptures, with Greek reason, represented by Aristotle. Aquinas described the teacher’s vocation as one that combines faith, love, and learning. The work of Aquinas and other Scholastics took place in the medieval institutions of higher education, the universities. The famous European universities of Paris, Salerno, Bologna, Oxford, Cambridge, and Padua grew out of the Scholastics-led intellectual revival of the 12th and 13th centuries. The name university comes from the Latin word universitas, or associations, in reference to the associations that students and teachers organized to discuss academic issues. Medieval universities offered degrees in the liberal arts and in professional studies such as theology, law, and medicine. VIIIEDUCATION DURING THE RENAISSANCE The Renaissance, or rebirth of learning, began in Europe in the 14th century and reached its height in the 15th century. Scholars became more interested in the humanist features—that is, the secular or worldly rather than the religious aspects—of the Greek and Latin classics. Humanist educators found their models of literary style in the classics. The Renaissance was a particularly powerful force in Italy, most notably in art, literature, and architecture. In literature, the works of such Italian writers as Dante Aleghieri, Petrarch, and Giovanni Boccaccio became especially important. Humanist educators designed teaching methods to prepare well-rounded, liberally educated persons. Dutch humanist Desiderius Erasmus was particularly influential. Erasmus believed that understanding and conversing about the meaning of literature was more important than memorizing it, as had been required at many of the medieval religious schools. He advised teachers to study such fields as archaeology, astronomy, mythology, history, and Scripture. The invention of the printing press in the mid-15th century made books more widely available and increased literacy rates (see Printing). But school attendance did not increase greatly during the Renaissance. Elementary schools educated middle-class children while lower-class children received little, if any, formal schooling. Children of the nobility and upper classes attended humanist secondary schools. Educational opportunities for women improved slightly during the Renaissance, especially for the upper classes. Some girls from wealthy families attended schools of the royal court or received private lessons at home. The curriculum studied by young women was still based on the belief that only certain subjects, such as art, music, needlework, dancing, and poetry, were suited for females. For working-class girls, especially rural peasants, education was still limited to training in household duties such as cooking and sewing. IXEDUCATION DURING THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION The religious Reformation of the 16th century marked a decline in the authority of the Catholic Church and contributed to the emergence of the middle classes in Europe. Protestant religious reformers, such as John Calvin, Martin Luther, and Huldreich Zwingli, rejected the authority of the Catholic pope and created reformed Christian, or Protestant, churches. In their ardent determination to instruct followers to read the Bible in their native language, reformers extended literacy to the masses. They established vernacular primary schools that offered a basic curriculum of reading, writing, arithmetic, and religion for children in their own language. Vernacular schools in England, for example, used English to teach their pupils. As they argued with each other and with the Roman Catholics on religious matters, Protestant educators wrote catechisms—primary books that summarized their religious doctrine—in a question and answer format. While the vernacular schools educated both boys and girls at the primary level, upper-class boys attended preparatory and secondary schools that continued to emphasize Latin and Greek. The gymnasium in Germany, the Latin grammar school in England, and the lycee in France were preparatory schools that taught young men the classical languages of Latin and Greek required to enter universities. Martin Luther believed the state, family, and school, along with the church, were leaders of the Reformation. Since the family shaped children’s character, Luther encouraged parents to teach their children reading and religion. Each family should pray together, read the Bible, study the catechism, and practice a useful trade. Luther believed that government should assist schools in educating literate, productive, and religious citizens. One of Luther’s colleagues, German religious reformer Melanchthon, wrote the school code for the German region of Wurttemberg, which became a model for other regions of Germany and influenced education throughout Europe. According to this code, the government was responsible for supervising schools and licensing teachers. The Protestant reformers retained the dual-class school system that had developed in the Renaissance. Vernacular schools provided primary instruction for the lower classes, and the various classical humanist and Latin grammar schools prepared upper-class males for higher education. XEDUCATIONAL THEORY IN THE 17TH CENTURY Educators of the 17th century developed new ways of thinking about education. Czech education reformer Jan Komensky, known as Comenius, was particularly influential. A bishop of the Moravian Church, Comenius escaped religious persecution by taking refuge in Poland, Hungary, Sweden, and The Netherlands. He created a new educational philosophy called Pansophism, or universal knowledge, designed to bring about worldwide understanding and peace. Comenius advised teachers to use children’s senses rather than memorization in instruction. To make learning interesting for children, he wrote The Gate of Tongues Unlocked (1631), a book for teaching Latin in the student’s own language. He also wrote Orbis Sensualium Pictus (1658; The Visible World in Pictures, 1659) consisting of illustrations that labeled objects in both their Latin and vernacular names. It was one of the first illustrated books written especially for children. The work of English philosopher John Locke influenced education in Britain and North America. Locke examined how people acquire ideas in An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1690). He asserted that at birth the human mind is a blank slate, or tabula rasa, and empty of ideas. We acquire knowledge, he argued, from the information about the objects in the world that our senses bring to us. We begin with simple ideas and then combine them into more complex ones. Locke believed that individuals acquire knowledge most easily when they first consider simple ideas and then gradually combine them into more complex ones. In Some Thoughts Concerning Education (1697), Locke recommended practical learning to prepare people to manage their social, economic, and political affairs efficiently. He believed that a sound education began in early childhood and insisted that the teaching of reading, writing, and arithmetic be gradual and cumulative. Locke’s curriculum included conversational learning of foreign languages, especially French, mathematics, history, physical education, and games. XIEDUCATION DURING THE ENLIGHTENMENT The Age of Enlightenment in the 18th century produced important changes in education and educational theory. During the Enlightenment, also called the Age of Reason, educators believed people could improve their lives and society by using their reason, their powers of critical thinking. The Enlightenment’s ideas had a significant impact on the American Revolution (1775-1783) and early educational policy in the United States. In particular, American philosopher and scientist Benjamin Franklin emphasized the value of utilitarian and scientific education in American schools. Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, stressed the importance of civic education to the citizens of a democratic nation. The Enlightenment principles that considered education as an instrument of social reform and improvement remain fundamental characteristics of American education policy. XIIEDUCATION IN THE 19TH CENTURY The foundations of modern education were established in the 19th century. Swiss educator Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, inspired by the work of French philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau, developed an educational method based on the natural world and the senses. Pestalozzi established schools in Switzerland and Germany to educate children and train teachers. He affirmed that schools should resemble secure and loving homes. Like Locke and Rousseau, Pestalozzi believed that thought began with sensation and that teaching should use the senses. Holding that children should study the objects in their natural environment, Pestalozzi developed a so-called â€Å"object lesson† that involved exercises in learning form, number, and language. Pupils determined and traced an object’s form, counted objects, and named them. Students progressed from these lessons to exercises in drawing, writing, adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, and reading. Pestalozzi employed the following principles in teaching: (1) begin with the concrete object before introducing abstract concepts; (2) begin with the immediate environment before dealing with what is distant and remote; (3) begin with easy exercises before introducing complex ones; and (4) always proceed gradually, cumulatively, and slowly. American educator Henry Barnard, the first U. S. Commissioner of Education, introduced Pestalozzi’s ideas to the United States in the late 19th century. Barnard also worked for the establishment of free public high schools for students of all classes of American society. German philosopher Johann Herbart emphasized moral education and designed a highly structured teaching technique. Maintaining that education’s primary goal is moral development, Herbart claimed good character rested on knowledge while misconduct resulted from an inadequate education. Knowledge, he said, should create an â€Å"apperceptive mass†Ã¢â‚¬â€a network of ideas—in a person’s mind to which new ideas can be added. He wanted to include history, geography, and literature in the school curriculum as well as reading, writing, and arithmetic. Based on his work, Herbart’s followers designed a five-step teaching method: (1) prepare the pupils to be ready for the new lesson, (2) present the new lesson, (3) associate the new lesson with ideas studied earlier, (4) use examples to illustrate the lesson’s major points, and (5) test pupils to ensure they had learned the new lesson. AKindergarten German educator Friedrich Froebel created the earliest kindergarten, a form of preschool education that literally means â€Å"child’s garden† in German. Froebel, who had an unhappy childhood, urged teachers to think back to their own childhoods to find insights they could use in their teaching. Froebel studied at Pestalozzi’s institute in Yverdon, Switzerland, from 1808 to 1810. While agreeing with Pestalozzi’s emphasis on the natural world, a kindly school atmosphere, and the object lesson, Froebel felt that Pestalozzi’s method was not philosophical enough. Froebel believed that every child’s inner self contained a spiritual essence—a spark of divine energy—that enabled a child to learn independently. In 1837 Froebel opened a kindergarten in Blankenburg with a curriculum that featured songs, stories, games, gifts, and occupations. The songs and stories stimulated the imaginations of children and introduced them to folk heroes and cultural values. Games developed children’s social and physical skills. By playing with each other, children learned to participate in a group. Froebel’s gifts, including such objects as spheres, cubes, and cylinders, were designed to enable the child to understand the concept that the object represented. Occupations consisted of materials children could use in building activities. For example, clay, sand, cardboard, and sticks could be used to build castles, cities, and mountains. Immigrants from Germany brought the kindergarten concept to the United States, where it became part of the American school system. Margarethe Meyer Schurz opened a German-language kindergarten in Watertown, Wisconsin, in 1855. Elizabeth Peabody established an English-language kindergarten and a training school for kindergarten teachers in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1860. William Torrey Harris, superintendent of schools in St. Louis, Missouri, and later a U. S. commissioner of education, made the kindergarten part of the American public school system. BSocial Darwinism British sociologist Herbert Spencer strongly influenced education in the mid-19th century with social theories based on the theory of evolution developed by British naturalist Charles Darwin. Spencer revised Darwin’s biological theory into social Darwinism, a body of ideas that applied the theory of evolution to society, politics, the economy, and education. Spencer maintained that in modern industrialized societies, as in earlier simpler societies, the â€Å"fittest† individuals of each generation survived because they were intelligent and adaptable. Competition caused the brightest and strongest individuals to climb to the top of the society. Urging unlimited competition, Spencer wanted government to restrict its activities to the bare minimum. He opposed public schools, claiming that they would create a monopoly for mediocrity by catering to students of low ability. He wanted private schools to compete against each other in trying to attract the brightest students and most capable teachers. Spencer’s social Darwinism became very popular in the last half of the 19th century when industrialization was changing American and Western European societies. Spencer believed that people in industrialized society needed scientific rather than classical education. Emphasizing education in practical skills, he advocated a curriculum featuring lessons in five basic human activities: (1) those needed for self-preservation such as health, diet, and exercise; (2) those needed to perform one’s occupation so that a person can earn a living, including the basic skills of reading, writing, computation, and knowledge of the sciences; (3) those needed for parenting, to raise children properly; (4) those needed to participate in society and politics; and (5) those needed for leisure and recreation. Spencer’s ideas on education were eagerly accepted in the United States. In 1918 the Cardinal Principles of Secondary Education, a report issued by the National Education Association, used Spencer’s list of activities in its recommendations for American education. XIIINATIONAL SYSTEMS OF EDUCATION In the 19th century, governments in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, and other European countries organized national systems of public education. The United States, Canada, Argentina, Uruguay, and other countries in North and South America also established national education systems based largely on European models. AIn the United Kingdom. The Church of England and other churches often operated primary schools in the United Kingdom, where students paid a small fee to study the Bible, catechism, reading, writing, and arithmetic. In 1833 the British Parliament passed a law that gave some government funds to these schools. In 1862 the United Kingdom established a school grant system, called payment by results, in which schools received funds based on their students’ performance on reading, writing, and arithmetic tests. The Education Act of 1870, called the Forster Act, authorized local government boards to establish public board schools. The United Kingdom then had two schools systems: board schools operated by the government and voluntary schools conducted by the churches and other private organizations. In 1878 the United Kingdom passed laws that limited child labor in factories and made it possible for more children to attend school. To make schooling available to working-class children, many schools with limited public and private funds used monitorial methods of instruction. Monitorial education, developed by British educators Joseph Lancaster and Andrew Bell, used student monitors to conduct lessons. It offered the fledgling public education system the advantage of allowing schools to hire fewer teachers to instruct the large number of new students. Schools featuring monitorial education used older boys, called monitors, who were more advanced in their studies, to teach younger children. Monitorial education concentrated on basic skills—reading, writing, and arithmetic—that were broken down into small parts or units. After a monitor had learned a unit—such as spelling words of two or three letters that began with the letter A—he would, under the master teacher’s supervision, teach this unit to a group of students. By the end of the 19th century, the monitorial system was abandoned in British schools because it provided a very limited education. BIn Russia Russian tsar Alexander II initiated education reforms leading to the Education Statute of 1864. This law created zemstvos, local government units, which operated primary schools. In addition to zemstvo schools, the Russian Orthodox Church conducted parish schools. While the number of children attending school slowly increased, most of Russia’s population remained illiterate. Peasants often refused to send their children to school so that they could work on the farms. More boys attended school than girls since many peasant parents considered female education unnecessary. Fearing that too much education would make people discontented with their lives, the tsar’s government provided only limited schooling to instill political loyalty and religious piety. CIn the United States Before the 19th century elementary and secondary education in the United States was organized on a local or regional level. Nearly all schools operated on private funds exclusively. However, beginning in the 1830s and 1840s, American educators such as Henry Barnard and Horace Mann argued for the creation of a school system operated by individual states that would provide an equal education for all American children. In 1852 Massachusetts passed the first laws calling for free public education, and by 1918 all U. S. states had passed compulsory school attendance laws. See Public Education in the United States. XIVEDUCATION IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY At the beginning of the 20th century, the writings of Swedish feminist and educator Ellen Key influenced education around the world. Key’s book Barnets arhundrade (1900; The Century of the Child,1909) was translated into many languages and inspired so-called progressive educators in various countries. Progressive education was a system of teaching that emphasized the needs and potentials of the child, rather than the needs of society or the principles of religion. Among the influential progressive educators were Hermann Lietz and Georg Michael Kerschensteiner of Germany, Bertrand Russell of England, and Maria Montessori of Italy. AMontessori Montessori’s methods of early childhood education have become internationally popular. Trained in medicine, Montessori worked with developmentally disabled children early in her career. The results of her work were so effective that she believed her teaching methods could be used to educate all children. In 1907 Montessori established a children’s school, the Casa dei Bambini (Children’s House), for poor children from the San Lorenzo district of Rome. Here she developed a specially prepared environment that featured materials and activities based on her observations of children. She found that children enjoy mastering specific skills, prefer work to play, and can sustain concentration. She also believed that children have a power to learn independently if provided a properly stimulating environment. Montessori’s curriculum emphasized three major classes of activity: (1) practical, (2) sensory, and (3) formal skills and studies. It introduced children to such practical activities as setting the table, serving a meal, washing dishes, tying and buttoning clothing, and practicing basic social manners. Repetitive exercises developed sensory and muscular coordination. Formal skills and subjects included reading, writing, and arithmetic. Montessori designed special teaching materials to develop these skills, including laces, buttons, weights, and materials identifiable by their sound or smell. Instructors provided the materials for the children and demonstrated the lessons but allowed each child to independently learn the particular skill or behavior. In 1913 Montessori lectured in the United States on her educational method.

Women in Public Space

The founding fathers and every American official during the 1700s illustrated the great extent that men dominated politics. Even with the Declaration of Independence, which proclaimed that â€Å"all men are created equal,† women did not gain voting rights for nearly 150 years after the document was written. Through the 1800s and early 1900s, women gained confidence and established organizations to assert their own rights. They formed effective strikes and suffrage groups that coincided with political events in the 1900s and aided in passing the 19th Amendment in 1920, granting women the vote. The path to suffrage began as early as the 1830s when the mill girls of the Lowell, Massachusetts textile factory, delivered fiery speeches over their poor working conditions, instilling a sense of urgency to gain power. In 1909 New York City women shirtwaist workers began picketing in front of their factories, demanding better working conditions. By this time, newspapers had the technology to illustrate their stories with photographs. Unfortunately, the technology wasn’t advanced enough to capture action moments, so most photos were posted and action moments were drawn. Figure 8. is an illustration that appeared in the New York Evening Journal on November 10, 1909. The photographs caption says, â€Å"Girl Strikers: each of whom has been arrested five times for picketing. † The posed photo is coupled with a drawing showing the action of police arresting the women. When controversy sparked due to the women’s formal dresses and elaborate hats, Clara Lemlich responded, â€Å"We’re all human, all of us girls, and we’re young. We like new hats as well as any other young women. Why shouldn’t we? † The shirtwaist strike sparked dozens of garment industry strikes in other cities, including Rochester, New York. Figure 8. 2 portrays members of Rochester’s branch of Garment Workers Union picketing in the winter of 1912 for a cut in hours. The photograph shows two women holding a sign that says, â€Å"Striking Garment Workers†, while holding mops in there hand. Another woman stands in front of the sign, very well dressed and confident. After overcoming great difficulties and four months of striking, the workers won all of their demands, except union recognition. Figure 8. 1 and 8. 2 are similar because they both show very strong and confident women, fashionably dressed and serious in their demands. Leisure-class suffragists also faced many difficulties with trying to move their demonstrations into public spaces. Trying to gain publicity and support, they used unique techniques, such as, turning up on tugboats and in touring cars, they appeared in department store windows and movie theatres, they had bonfires and dramatic pageants. Figure 8. 3 is a photograph from the 1915 Pennsylvania state campaign, featuring a suffragist speaking before a group of working men at a factory gate. In the photograph she holds a map indicating suffrage victories. The most successful way of gaining publicity and support was with parades. One of the largest and most well-funded suffrage movement parades was in New York City. These parades featured the participation of women of all classes, including men who supported the cause. Figure 8. 4 shows the suffragists marching down Fifth Avenue, New York City in 1913. Both Figure 8. 4 and 8. 5 show parades that drew huge crowds and a lot of publicity supporting their cause. Figure 8. 5 is the Suffrage parade that Alice Paul organized in Washington D. C going down Pennsylvania Avenue in March 1913. The parade drew five thousand women from around the country who marched in groups with banners identifying them by their professions. Unfortunately the parade was disrupted by crowds of drunken men who opposed the suffrage movement. Ironically, the disruption only gained them more publicity, sympathy, and support because of the police’s failure to protect the marchers against the men. The last photo, Figure 8. 6, shows the suffrage militants of the National Woman’s Party picketing in front of the White House during World War I. The college graduates identified themselves with their alma maters, just like the working-class women in Figures 8. 1 and 8. 2 did; in hopes to attract publicity to their case. Their purpose was to embarrass President Wilson by graphically pointing out the hypocrisy of a war fought for democracy while women at home were not enfranchised. The photos that I mentioned are all similar in the fact that they all illustrate strong, brave women fighting for their rights. The only way that they are different was the women themselves; some were working class while others were more privileged. Between the 1800s and 1900s, an accumulation of skills and tactics gave women the confidence needed to lead a countrywide suffrage movement. These movements gained momentum through the 1900s and with the help of publicity and WWI, succeeded in pushing the government to pass the Nineteenth Amendment. Because the country realized the power women could gain by pursuing their rights, other underrepresented groups of Americans took the lead to push for their own freedoms and advancement in society. View as multi-pages

Un-redd programme on forest management in Cameroon Thesis

Un-redd programme on forest management in Cameroon - Thesis Example It uses the convening power and expertise of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The UN-REDD Programme has 29 partner countries across Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America; of these 13 receive support to National Programme activities. The Central African Republic including Cameroon, besides other countries such as Argentina, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Gabon, Guatemala, Guyana, and several others not receiving direct support to national programmes engage with the Programme in a number of ways such as observers to the Programme’s Policy Board, and through participation in regional workshops and knowledge sharing enabled by the Programme’s interactive online workspace (UN-REDD 2009). Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the UN-REDD Programme in developing countries, particularly in Cameroon in Central Africa. The UN-REDD, its goals, objectives and targets in Cameroon, the UN-REDD in relation to governance, corruption and sustainable development in Cameroon, as well as the challenges or shortcomings in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in Cameroon will be examined. Reform in the Rainforests of Cameroon Cameroon, is a tropical country in Central Africa and part of the Congo Basin. â€Å"It contains the largest piece of rainforest on the African continent and the second largest area of contiguous moist tropical forest of the world† (Westholm, Henders, Ostwald & Mattson 2009: 44). Cameroon continues to have vast forest resources, and is at the forefront of forestry sector reform in Africa. It is expected that the country will play a constructive role in Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD). Cameroon has a population of 16.5 million inhabitants, of which about 30,000 indigenous people live on an area of 4,75,000 square kilometers. A part of the vast 198 million hectares Congo Basin rainforest is in Cameroon, covering 16.9 million hectares, forming 40 percent of the national territory. This forest is rich in fauna and flora providing â€Å"food, medicines, fuel wood and construction materials for about 8 million rural Cameroonians† (Aronsen, Lindhjem & Braten 2010: 7). The forestry sector forms the core of the Cameroonian economy, generating about 13,000 formal and 1,50,000 informal jobs, thus becoming the largest employer outside the public sector. Timber is the second largest source of export revenues after petroleum, accounting for 4.8 percent of non-petroleum GDP in 2004 (Aronsen et al 2010). â€Å"The deforestation rate is 1,53,700 hectares per year, or 0.72%, according to the National communication, although latest assessments ha ve yielded much lower rates† (Westholm et al 2009: 44). From the year 1994, Cameroon regulated access to its rainforests, balanced public and private interests in those forests, and combined a broad range of economic, cultural, and environmental approaches to the value of the forests, by introducing regulatory and market-based reforms. According to Topa, Megevand and Karsenty (2009), reports based on evidence from historical data and extensive interviews indicate that the reforms brought order among the most highly competing interests, and addressed vital environmental and social issues; however a significant part of the agenda remains incomplete. The reports provide information to the public on the boundaries, ownership, use rights, and management of Cameroon’s rainforests, together with detection and prosecution of illegal activities. There has been

Leadership style or skills and Nursing Faculty Research Paper

Leadership style or skills and Nursing Faculty - Research Paper Example Likewise, the local colleges and universities are also being challenged on how they can effectively increase the overall quality of As a common knowledge, the use of poor leadership style will increase the risk of high employee turnover rate. Instead of being able to encourage more registered nurses to become a nurse educator, having an ineffective leadership skill will not only discourage our future registered nurses to start a career in nursing education but also lead to the development of a poor nursing educational programmes. For this reason, it is very important for all nurses to fully understand all factors that will contribute to an effective leadership style. By doing so, our future nurses will be able to help reduce the shortage of nursing faculty staff (Royal College of Nurisng, 2010, p. 10). The common challenges that most of our nursing faculty leaders are experiencing include recruitment and retention of highly competitive nursing educators (Laschinger et al., 2009). It is important to provide the faculty members with opportunity to participate in a leadership training programme. Failure to do so can make the nursing faculty leaders more dissatisfied and burnt-out with their overall job requirements (Laschinger et al., 2009). By continuously improving the effectiveness of nursing faculty staff recruitment strategies, the leaders of nursing faculty can gradually improve its employee retention rate. To do so, several studies strongly suggest that the leaders of nursing faculty should focus on identifying ways on how they can help them create a healthy and attractive work environment for all registered nurses who wish to pursue a career in teaching (Weberg, 2010). To create a healthy and attractive work environment, the leaders of nursing faculty should be able to improve their leadership skill (Casida and Parker, 2011). Through the use of effective leadership style, the leaders of nursing faculty can easily increase the overall job satisfaction

Facilities Engineering Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Facilities Engineering - Coursework Example Here are the CPR results obtained for oil and gas exploration: Figure 1: CPR results of Gas and Oil extracted from Gazelle Well Major products extracted out of the oilfield at Gazelle are liquefied petroleum gas, gasoline, diesel fuel, fuel oils, lubricating oils, paraffin wax, sulfur. Question: Prepare flow schemes showing the architecture of the layout and of the main components used from the wellhead to the point of export for all option. The architectural layout of the Gazelle offshore oilfield is shown below with all the processing units and their respective processing cycles. This is a very large operating unit with extensively large piping layout with fluid streams running along. Crude oil is first passed through an oil production unit which provides the pre-processed oil to the oil storage tank from where it is delivered to the processing plant through a piping system. Here is the detailed flow diagram of all the processes taking place along their sequential flows: Figure 2: Flow Diagram of Gazelle Oilfield with components used in Oil Production Gazelle oilfield is a field that requires extensive production as well as operational refurbishments but even then it is above working above case base oil producing offshore refineries. This oil production unit involves a number of operating units that work extensively for long hours to provide quality product in economical rates with least water cuts. Following is an exhaustive list of components that work as a part of oil refinery at Gazelle(Snow, 2010, Gordon, 2012). De-salter unit is just provided at the inlet of crude oil and is responsible for washing away all the salt from crude oil. Distillator: Crude oil from de-salter is then passed through the distillatory unit which distills the crude oil into fractions. Second stage of distillation is also incorporated just after this by making use vacuum distillation unit which is responsible for the distillation of the left over components of crude oil which were not fractioned by simple distillatory. Hydrotreater: all fractions of the crude oil are then hydrogenated according to their requirements and this process is performed for removing sulfur contents from the oil fractions. Catalytic Reformer: it is used to reform the low grade oil fractions into high grade products like converting gasoline to a higher degree of octane level. While reforming the oil fractions excess amount of hydrogen is produced as a by-product of the process. Fluid Catalytic Cracker: this catalytic cracker is specialized in converting only liquid oil fractions to higher grade of oil. The process of converting gasoline to hi-octane is processed there. Hydrocracker: hydrocracker then takes the oil fractions and hydrogenizes them in order to upgrade the fractions. Visbreaking: the oil fractions that are needed to be degraded to lower order fractions are then passed through visbreaking unit Coking unit: this unit is specialized in carbonizing the heavy oil components of the fractions in order to produce gasoline. This helps in converting maximum oil fractions into consumable products. Alkylation: this unit is specialized in converting low grade molecules to higher ones and hence improving the quality of gasoline. Dimerization: the process of dimerization is performed in order to hydrogenate the gasoline products. Isomerization unit: This unit is specia

Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

Annotated Bibliography Example The transition from the application of ratio analysis technique to other models of predicting bankruptcy, following the susceptibility of financial ratio analysis to financial difficulties, is advanced by the article, making it possible to trace the history of bankruptcy over a period of time. The article seeks to advance this study to include the evaluation of multi discriminant analysis (MDA) and Regression analyses, as suitable analytical techniques of evaluating the financial situation of a company, consequently displaying the bankruptcy risks involved. The article is relevant for this study, since it helps in tracing the evolution and advancement of corporate bankruptcy, with a focus on how corporate bankruptcy has been assessed over time. The use of bankruptcy as the recourse for individual and company debts is assessed under this study, with a focus on understanding how bankruptcy have been used to prevent individuals and companies from paying the debts. The article analyses the laws applicable in preventing the abuse of bankruptcy concept, evaluating how well they shield companies from facing bankruptcy suits. Notably, the article concentrates on evaluating how wealthy individuals and companies can use the bankruptcy concept as a loophole to help them have their debts discharged, and at the same time remain with their assets intact. Thus, the role of opportunistic debtors in advancing company bankruptcy in the history of corporate bankruptcy is evaluated. The concepts of involuntary bankruptcy and informal bankruptcy are also studied under the article, with the intention of unearthing the loopholes presented by these concepts, which can accelerate the abuse of bankruptcy. This article is relevant for this study, si nce it helps in creating awareness on various loopholes that have been applied to abuse bankruptcy in the history of company

I need me summary of psychological artilce Essay - 1

I need me summary of psychological artilce - Essay Example he specific areas related to the child’s proper growth and development included making an assessment of the core cognitive processes to see how mature or immature they were in late childhood, including processing speed (Hale, 1990), voluntary response suppression (Diamond & Goldman-Rakic, 1989; Fischer, Biscaldi, & Gezeck, 1997), and working memory (Zald & Iacono, 1998) Therefore the problem areas to be tested would be speed processing, inhibition towards voluntary response as well as the child’s working memory. There are many different traditional psychological testing methods, but the one that is most suited to assesses and evaluate the maturation of all these cognitive processes is the method of testing making uses of oculomotor tasks, which allows for testing across a wide range of age groups. The instructions for this method are simple and can be understood by children of all ages. Further the tasks in this method involve encoding responses in visual, auditory, motor, speech and psychological processes. Finally, oculomotor tasks are especially well suited for informing us about the brain basis of development because these tasks have been used to characterize the neural basis of cognition in single-cell studies of nonhuman primates (Barbas, 2000; Funahashi, Chafee, & Goldman-Rakic, 1993;) Results for the maturation of response suppression errors indicated that a changepoint occurred at 14 years of age. For the ODR task, the changepoint occurred at 19 years of age. The results for other variables included the response latency which were significantly correlated across all the tasks. In the antisaccade task, visual and memory guided responses correlated with the prosaccade rates. Hence, various results show that though the development of inhibition in response is somewhat primarily independent of the speed processing development, yet where maturation is concerned, working memory does contribute significantly, demonstrating that voluntary/cognitive control

Case analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 6

Case analysis - Essay Example The management needs to change this policy, and initiate a rotational policy, where employees would manage to work at different sections of the produce department. Another area that the management should change is favoritism. An example of favoritism occurs Denise, a new employee manages to get two dollar an hour, as opposed to other experienced workers such as Dan. This is because Denise is only three months old into the job, and she is earning more than other workers, despite carrying out the same job. This is a de-motivating factor that needs to be handled and corrected. Dan is also an authoritarian leader, who does not follow rules, and he finds pleasure in harassing his employees (Robbins & Judge, 2010). For instance, he does not allow his employee a 45 minute lunch break as required by the company. Instead, he requires his employees to have a 30 minute break, which is not sufficient. Furthermore, he abuses Alex, regarding his mental ability, which is very bad for a supervisor to do. This aspect has to be changed, because it is a de-motivator, and it manages to destroy the confidence of his employees and workforce. This would in turn make these employees not to be productive. One of the theories of motivation that applies to this case, is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory. According to this theoretical framework, the needs of an individual are classified into five categories, with higher needs being self-actualization, and self-esteem (Hoffmann, 2007). Self actualization and self-esteem lack in this produce department.All these lack at the produce department, under the leadership of Dan. This is because people cannot advance in their careers, because they are given the same job year for a longer period of time. Furthermore, the job is not challenging, because the same job daily is boring and frustrating. This is the reason Alex was considering leaving the organization. Self-esteem also lacks at this department, because the

Campaign review 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Campaign review 2 - Essay Example Worth noting about the topic of advertisement is that various studies have been conducted to determine the influence humor has in terms of persuasion. In the past, it has been established that customers or prospects seldom responds to mere information meant to advertise. Conversely, when an advertisement has humor included, it inevitably catches the attraction of many people. Consequently, many tend to seek more information regarding the product or service being advertised. In the end, there is a high possibility of the client purchasing the service (Cialdini, 2001). Having presented a campaign review on Old Spice’s â€Å"Your man can smell like me† advertisement, this paper will analyze how one theory of communication process was appropriately applied. One theory that was evidently applied in the campaign is Richard Petty’s and John Cacioppo’s Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM). ELM theory is one that Richard Petty and John Cacioppo developed in the 70s that sought to explain how prospects respond to advertisements. The theory explains the path taken in the shaping, formation and reinforcement of attitudes through persuasive arguments. In essence, the theory claims that once information is availed to a person, there is some inevitable elaboration level that tends to occur. It explains that persuasion takes one of the two paths: Central or Peripheral paths. Each of these is dependent on a couple of things exhibited by the prospects. Four principles are used to analyze which path a buyer or a prospect has taken (Payne, 2008). These include elaboration, attitude, information processing and the strength of the attitude that has been reinforced, and this section will highlight how the theory is analyzed. In the case of Central path, a client has to understand the message behind an advert in order to take this side. In contrast, when the elaboration is limited the most likely

The Role 19th century Women Essay Example for Free

The Role 19th century Women Essay Women in General Society   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Pride and Prejudice is a novel written by Jane Austin, which depicts the women’s life in the early 19th century. Pride and prejudice was written by a young woman in her early twenties, in the context of her day in which women’s rights were mot valued particularly in term of their own property rights. The story revolves within the context of the three levels of status in society represented by the characters from upper classes, middle classes, and lower class status that are themselves symbols of different classes of society during the 19th century. Indeed, the typical life of the 19th century women is accurately depicted in Jane Austin’s Timeless novel, The Pride and Prejudice.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     In Jane Austin’s novel, the first chapter describes the existing norms of the society regarding women’s rights. Austin portrayed that women, even in the upper classes are deprived of their property rights and the only legal remedy for them to inherent family estates is to be married. This evident in the following lines â€Å"However, little is known the feeling or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighborhood, this is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters† (Austin p. 2). These lines reflect the importance of a man to a family who had but all daughters.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The struggle of the 19th century women exactly correlate to the condition of women in Austin’s novel, as they battle their way towards gaining their rights. Afsar Bano pointed out that the 19th century women â€Å"could not tolerate such state of affairs any longer. They formed movements in Europe and America to emancipate women† (Bano p. 41). Women of the 19th century were deprived of the basic rights and privileges exactly to what Austin has demonstrated in her novel almost century earlier. Although Austin portrayed women in her novel to be socially actively involved, it appears that women’s social responsibility was limited, as most of the women mentioned in the story were not engaged in any social obligations, or in any economic activities outside of their homes, though they participated in some social functions. A Woman’s responsibility was to be a good wife to her husband, and mother to children as stated in the opening lines of the story as follows â€Å"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife† (Austin p. 2).   Women’s inferiority and dependency with men and their lack of basic rights that included their family estates were evident in the story. In the 19th century however, being in this situation, women resented this condition and fought their way toward their common goals under the banner of feminism. Marriage   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Since they do not work and they do not have rights over their father’s possessions, evidently, marriage was the last remedy for women to avoid poverty. In Austin’s novel, adult women, view marriage as being the last opportunity to escape future poverty appeared to be consummated not for love, but for need. Austin sees the need of a single man to marry was not based in his feeling; the same was the sentiment express by Charlotte Lucas, one of the characters in the novel. She said, â€Å"I wish Jane success with all my heart; and if she were married to him tomorrow, I should think she has a good chance of happiness as if she were to be studying his character for a twelve month, happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance† (Austin p. 30). In the summary and analysis featured in the internet entitled Pride and Prejudice-Study Guide, it stated the common idea of marriage during the novel was â€Å"utilitarian† in which it emphasize the need for young women to find man who have a good furtive (Pride and Prejudice Study Guide Summary of Ch. 1-6).   Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This View of Marriage correlates exactly in the early 19th century. Joan Perkin cited that when the upper-class family considered the marriage of their children â€Å"more was at stake than momentary infatuation† (p. 54). Their view was that emotions came and went: land remains. Marriage was not out of love but of necessity, and this view was widely regarded in the 19th century. Personal Lives: Fashion Education – Health In Austin’s novel, personal lives were expressed by the characters in their own styles and fashions. Austin has been quite generous in her descriptions of the personal life style of the individual in the story. They like going out to party and dancing. Education for women in Austin’s novel was of little regard as none of the younger women seemed to be so educated. What has been highly regarded was the social class and those in the upper classes manipulate fashions and lifestyle as depicted by the character of lady Catherine de Bourgh.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although the fashion of women in the 19th century was more on garments and dresses, education and health were just as that in the novel. Women in the 19th century were deprived of education and their role was rather in the home. The difference between the 19th century women with the women in the novel was the rise of feminism during the 19th century. In other words, women of the 19th century resisted their situation and demanded equality with men, which was in direct contrast with the passive attitude of the women in the novel. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Based on the arguments above, I would like to affirm that the life of women in the 19th century was accurately depicted in the novel of Jane Austin in terms of the categories given such as the general society, marriage, and personal lives. The views given in this paper regarding the women of the 19th century was the general situation of the time (Based on the two authors view), and can be therefore valid to be the basis of the affirmation above. That is, there must be some similarities in the general role of women in society during the two periods. Work Cited       Austin, Jane Pride and Prejudice England: Plain Label Books 1957 Bano, Afsar Status of Women in Islamic Society India: Kumar for Anmol Publication 2003. Perkins, Joan Women and Marriage in Nineteenth-century England, England: Routledge, 1989 Pride and Prejudices-Study Guide â€Å"Summary and Analysis of Volume I, Chapters 1-6†. http://www.gradesaver.com/classicnotes/titles/pride/section3.html   1999-2008.

Channel Design For Packaged Coconut Water Marketing Essay

Channel Design For Packaged Coconut Water Marketing Essay Through secondary research on supply chain in developed markets like USA and Europe, and also in emerging markets like Africa which are huge markets for packaged coconut water, we have tried to look at aspects like sourcing, transportation and distribution. Existing distribution channel in India for FMCG goods and beverages were also studied to understand the current scenario. Indian retail market dynamics are different for rural and urban areas and hence both were studied in detail to find out the most suitable model for both the markets. Finally, we have proposed a hybrid model consisting of a model for urban markets and a different model for rural markets. Contents INTRODUCTION The supply of coconut water in India is still very much fragmented and although it is available in packed bottles and pouches in some parts of India , the supply of it is mostly on roadside shops and road vendors, which is mainly the unorganized market. Hence we have studied the ways companies actually do business in coconut water in other countries where the supply chain is developed and has a bigger market than we have in India. There are different models which are opted for in different places of the world depending on the customer preferences, customer awareness, and the market size and growth rate. Although in India, mostly the production is in rural places, there needs to be developed a robust and efficient distribution channel whereby the coconuts are transported from these small rural places to processing plants and factories. The market for coconut water beverages grew by 100 per cent in 2011, taking the retail sale value of US and European markets to over $265 million (Rs.1,457 crore). The market is slated to grow another 50 per cent this year. Bottled in exotic flavours and in stylish cartons, its expensive: About $4 (Rs.220) a can. But its still available at  Rs.10-30 in Indian bazaars OBJECTIVES Our objective is to study and design distribution strategies for packaged coconut water. We intend to examine the intricacies of the category setup in the area of distribution channel, schemes, margins, partners, and transportation from various on and off field experiences. The project will cover the scope of both the traditional general trade/rural as well as the emergent modern trade. We plan to understand the distribution channel for existing packaged drinks and then identify the feasible options available for coconut water. We will conduct our study using primary or secondary data and design a distribution channel for the same. A detailed description of the designed channel will be given and a comparative study will also be undertaken. We will base our design keeping the following framework in mind: Precondition of marketing channel formation Identification of goals of distribution Specifications of the tasks of distribution Provision of alternative structure of marketing channel Analysis of factors influencing the performance of marketing channel Setting the optimum structure of marketing channel Selection of marketing channel intermediaries LITERATURE REVIEW Title-1: DEMYSTIFYING SUPPLY STRATEGY FOR COCONUT WATER Source: Beroe Inc Samyuktha S.R | Senior Research Analyst Paradigm Shift in the Coconut Water Market 2012 à ¨ à ¨ à ¨ 2020 Concentrated demand: The demand for coconut water is mainly from the developed countries, especially from the US. There is an increasing demand from EU and Australia as well. Demand Focus Demand across the globe: Increasing per capita income, and disposable income across the developing regions will attract more demand for coconut water. Level of Shift Price premium: At present, coconut water is priced roughly double of other mass market sports drinks. Price Equivalence Price parity: It is essential to bring the prices of coconut water to similar price points of other existing product category to sustain in the market. Level of Shift Expansion of product portfolio: The major beverage manufacturers are currently expanding their product portfolio comprising more naturally healthy drinks such as coconut water and RTD Tea. Consumer Preference Market cannibalization: There is potential threat from naturally healthy drinks category that can cannibalize the existing traditional soft drinks. This might be eating soft drink manufacturers original market leading to an overall decline in sales. Level of Shift Lower product differentiation: There are currently very few variation introduced coconut water. Till now it has come in standard flavors primarily fruit derived. Degree of Product Variation Higher product differentiation: There is high possibility of introducing multiple flavors and product enhancement in terms of introducing newer/innovative product line derived out of coconut water namely low calorie smoothies. Level of Shift Regional Insights Coconut Water: Factors US Europe Southeast Asia Market Share Consolidated Consolidated Fragmented Vita Coco is the largest player in the US which holds roughly 60% of the share. In the EU, Green coco is the leading player, but in Southeast Asia the market is highly fragmented. Coconut Availability Low Low High Southeast Asian countries are the largest coconut producing countries. Large quantities of coconut are available in these regions for extracting coconut water. Consumer Awareness Low Low High The natural beverage has a locational advantage in tropical belts in terms of widespread consumer awareness about its health and nutritional benefits due to centuries-long use unlike other regions namely the US and EU. Health Consciousness High High Low-Medium Increasing health awareness across the EU and US have resulted in growing demand for health focused drinks. This has paved way for the demand for coconut water in the recent past. Supplier Strategy The present procurement strategy by coconut water manufacturers is by entering into a long-term contract with multiple suppliers across the major coconut producing countries like the Philippines and Indonesia to ensure supply assurance. However, there is possible shift in the style of long term sourcing strategy by the companiesin the coming years to make certain on continuous supply of coconut water by either becoming a major/minor stake holder in the suppliers firm or by vertical integration. By vertically integration the companies are bound to own coconut plantation which requires high investment and trained labor to take care of plantations. Nevertheless the companies can have assured supply through vertical integration excluding unfavorable weather conditions, which has a critical role to play in terms of supply disruption. Procurement strategy overview and outlook GAPS IN THE LITERATURE: The paper fails to mention how the emerging countries in Asia would need to do to in order to achieve a distribution system where the product is available in all small rural outlets as well, because the market structure is different in countries like India as compared to the developed supply chain system in developed western countries. Title-2: CREATING A DISTRIBUTION ADVANTAGE IN INDIA Source:www. bcg. com/CreatingDistributi onAdvantageinIndiaMay07 Authors: Vikram bhalla, Abheeksinghi, Sharad varma India has become worlds largest markets for consumer goods Due to fast growing of retail sector, India has been host to consumer multinational companies for several decades Indeed, quite a few Indians think of Unilever, Nestle Philips Electronics as Indian companies Retailing density with more than 12 billion retail outlets ,India has highest retailing densities in the world Still India is relatively new territory with a number of inter-related factors that make distribution channel challenging. Most distribution models in India involve many intermediaries between companies and their retailers. Other distribution involves both retailers and Wholesalers who are served directly by the manufacturer. Infrastructure complexity- Only few full service distribution companies operate GAPS IN LITERATURE: The literature does not mention what should be the distribution strategy for a small price product like coconut water, which also needs to be converted from the tree into the hands of the consumer in s small period of time to avoid the product getting spoiled. Title 3: ANALYSIS EVALUATION OF DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS IN FMCG Source:http: // www.beemanagement Authors: Bee Management consultancy private limited. The supply chain of products in the FMCG market in India is one of the longest supply chains an industry could really have. There are as many as 5 levels of intermediaries involved in the entire supply chain. Even though these FMCG companies are big multinationals and Indian but face a major challenge of making their products available in the market in the right quantities and in the right time FMCGs dont really have a wide network of sales agents and other force which is required and is ideal for catering their products to the markets. This aspect is taken over by distributors, wholesalers and retailer whose margins on these products actually double the price of these products when a final consumer buys it. These products are transported either via roadways or railways within the domestic markets and normally dont take more than a week to reach the retailers. The distribution activities are highly volatile and dynamic. Since its a volume game, manufacturers make all possible efforts to boost sales and promote their distributors to earn more and more orders from the retailers and wholesalers. GAPS IN LITERATURE: The gaps in the paper with respect to coconut water would include how the supply chain system would be different for the product as most of the sourcing takes place from the rural parts of the country and the demand lies in both the rural and urban area, hence the rural demand needs to be met with the units supplied directly from the rural areas and the rest needs to be transported to the urban processing plants. Research Methodology We have taken the following research methodology: Secondary Research- Research was carried out to understand the existing distribution system for coconut water for any player and any market. Since the product category is mainly dominated by unorganized players, beverages industry was analyzed as the product category was similar to the coconut water. Major sources for secondary research were websites, literature review and articles. Primary research- Research was done to find out the expectation of the consumers from coconut water and to profile the customer based on data analysis to target for our product. Convenience sampling was used. CHANNEL MEMBERS Traditionally in our country a consumer has had a particular ritual before purchasing the coconut water. The ritual begins with first selecting the best coconut and it is opened in from of him and then he drinks it. This is very much different from the experience of buying a coconut water drink from at tetra pack. Modern Trade/Large Chain Retailers Direct access to the consumer Demands contribution margins, discounts etc. from the Brand Small Individual Retailers Huge number of small point sales Can also buy products directly through cash and carry or modern trade Indirect channel (Wholesalers) Play a fundamental role in beverage distribution Possess critical information regarding volumes of sales, competitors beverages etc. Price Cleanliness FreshnessFactors Governing Production Location Coconut water has been known for its natural health benefits that it offers to human kind. The benefit are well scripted in the traditional texts of Ayurveda and Unani. Coconut water has been said to provide minerals and energy, and prevent from dehydration in case of summers in the tropics. The tender coconut water has been said to improve digestion and help in the cure of UTI. But, to come up with coconut water drink in packaged form and to cater regions all across India definitely requires answering some essential questions including the areas of high production of coconut, the demand of coconut water in the country, what is the current coconut production, etc. The following factors can be taken into consideration while determining the production location: Procurement of Raw materials and location: Today, India is one of the leading producers of coconut in the world (ranks third) producing 13 million tonnes per annum. Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh are the highest producing states contributing 90% of coconut production in India which can be seen from the table (for year 2006-07) shown below. Area under cultivation in India is around 1.93 million Hectare where Kerala has the highest cultivation area of 0.898 million Hectare. In India, productivity for coconut has been increasing since past decade. In 2006 -07, productivity increased from 7608 to 8165 coconuts per hectare. Table 1: State wise production and productivity of coconut States Productivity(nuts/ hectare) Production (mn nuts/annum) Kerala 7046 6326 Tamil Nadu 13133 4867 Karnataka 3139 1210 Andhra Pradesh 8577 892 West Bengal 323.5 Orissa 274.6 Maharashtra 914548 273.4 Assam 204.9 Source: www.indiastat.com From the table, it can also be seen that Maharashtra has the highest productivity for coconut. Therefore, in future, it might come up as the largest producer of coconut if more area is brought under cultivation. Hence, one can say that there is a huge potential in India as far as production of coconut is concerned which is directly linked to the potential of coconut market. Proximity to raw material suppliers Coconut is considered as the cash crop by a lot of people living near the coastal areas. Moreover close to 7000 km of coastline in the country has given accessibility like no other in India. Any region which is in proximity (about 100-150km) to these coastal areas and is accessible by major towns and city should be considered. Proximity to domestic customers and export site Northern and Western parts of India are seen as a potential customer base as coconut availability is low in these regions. Hence the proposed region of production should be well connected with these parts of India. Moreover these parts also have ports (both ship and airports) for export of coconut water to other neighbouring countries. Costs The location should provide advantage in terms of low inbound costs owing to proximity to major procurement centres. In case the location lies in rural region, labour costs are cheap. Outbound cost in terms of product distribution and marketing should be low owing to the proximity to the domestic markets. Water availability should be readily available and cheap. Infrastructure Availability of power supply, telephone, mobile and internet connectivity are some of the infrastructural resources of the area. Connectivity to nearest railway station and airports should be taken into account. Moreover transfer of coconut water in particular conditions of temperature should be maintained so as to increase the shelf life of the product. Quality of Labour In a rural area, semi skilled labour required for manual operations is available cheaply. For the technical operations, technicians can be hired locally on as per need. Highly skilled technical labour would have to be incentivized to work in rural markets, but may also be hired on as freelancers. CHANNEL DESIGN Intensive Distribution Network Intensive Distribution is when a product is made available in many retailers. The products that are sold intensively are usually low priced or impulse purchase products.An example of the use of Intensive Distribution would be for chocolate bars. They can be found almost everywhere (grocery stores, department stores, convenience stores, gas stations, etc.) In this type of distribution the sellers unit costs for stocking are low. The convenience for customer is critical as most of the products are impulse buy products. In intensive distribution the product is everywhere. An example would be the retailing of gasoline. If you look at all the major retail outlets, they are on every corner. In an intensive distribution, the stocking costs are typically very low. Convenience for the customer is critical. When they decide that they need gas or toothpaste, youd better be there. Convenience is more important to the customer, whereas in selective distribution they are willing to travel to a retail outlet and have fewer choices for that type of product. Urban Distribution Network Company Carry and forwarding agents Redistributing agents Wholesalers Rural retailers Urban Retailers Consumers In this, the company directly supplies its product to the retailers which helps them to save the margin, which they give to the wholesalers and it also ensures quick availability of the product to the retailer. The flowchart above depicts the scenario. The company manufactures the product which is then sent to the carry and forwarding agents. After Manufacturing of the product, it needs to be sent to the market for sales distribution. This is where CF (Carry forward) agents come into picture. They act as a link between company distributor. They transfer stock from company to distributors. The distributors then make the product available in the market through retail dealer channel Rural Distribution Network Since last five years beverage companies had started penetrating rural marketing also. For the rural sector these companies are working on Hub and Spoke model. To reach out to rural India, we need to start out by drawing up a hit list of high potential villages from various districts. So to ensure full loads, large distributors (Hubs) need to be appointed, and they would supply the product from the  companys depot in  large towns and  cities.  . The hubs would appoint smaller distributors (Spokes) in adjoining area so that the goods can be distributed. Below is the diagram illustrating the same. CONSUMER PROFILING Since we are coming up with a product at the national level, therefore, it is important to identify the industry. Customers and consumers behaviors help to correctly define ones industry. Therefore, we conducted survey to identify the industry where our product will have an existence. The sample size was around 80 people out of which 96% people drink coconut water. Convenience sampling was used because of the time constraint. From this it can be seen around half of the people in the sample perceive coconut water as health drink and around 45% people perceive it as refreshing drink. From the survey, it has also been seen that people mainly prefer coconut water when they are thirsty, tired or when they want some health drink. As an overall perspective we can see that close to 80% consumers perceive coconut to be related to nutrition and wellbeing of their body. Others Thirst quencher Refreshing Drink Health drink No response What do you consider coconut water? 100 80 60 40 20 0 Percent Thus, from the survey results, it can be clearly seen that the product should have an existence in Health and refreshing industry which we, here, are considering it to be fruit juice industry as fruit juices are also perceived in the same way. Here, one might argue why not (Carbonated) soft drink industry? The reason why we are not placing our product in the same is that people do not consider carbonated drinks as health drinks, but thirst quenchers. Since we are positioning our product as health and refreshing drink so fruit juice industry suits the best which is also backed up by the survey so conducted. STP ANALYSIS: Segmentation: Demographic: The youth (Age: 15-30) will be the main target segment whereas the people of middle age will be the spillover segments. Geographic: We will target both rural and urban areas. Psychographic: Socioeconomic classification is done in rural and urban areas. Behavioural: This will be done taking into account the benefits and usage rate, as required by target customers. Targeting: Our target group of consumers would comprise people from SEC A and SEC B in urban areas and R1 R2 in rural areas, health conscious people, the youth who consider going natural as fashionable and also institutional buyers like airlines, railways, upmarket restaurants and hotels. We would also target doctors who would recommend our product to their clients. This would provide an immense opportunity to us to create a stronghold in the market and generate higher revenues and superior economic profitability. Positioning: We are positioning our product as a natural health drink that is extremely nutritive and also highly refreshing. Its tagline will be Naturally Refreshing MARKETING MIX: Product: Product is different from what we get from roadside coconut vendors since the shelf life of such products is very low. Our product has a shelf life of 9 months and hence making it available to a wide range of markets becomes easier since customers would rest assured of the quality of this product. We would also apply for accreditation by authorized food agencies like FPO and other quality control certifying agencies like HACCP. Packaging: Tetra packs will be made available both for small as well as large SKUs. The colour of the packs will be palm green and there will be images of green cocounuts, prominently displayed to reinforce the positioning of the brand. In the urban centers, especially in modern trade, plastic bottle packs will also be made available for SKUs greater than 500ml. Price: We would price our product competitively. We would initially launch the product in tetra packs of 200 ml and 1 lt capacity priced at Rs. 20 and Rs. 95 respectively. This is almost in line with our competitors pricing strategy. For rural areas, focus will be on Rs.5 and Rs. 10 SKUs. These packs will drive penetration through trials. This would ensure greater returns to us and also project a high end quality image of the product in the eyes of consumers. Place: Our processing unit would be located in Tamil Nadu since the procurement would be done from nearby places. So, we would be saving on inbound transportation costs. We are launching the product throughout the country in one go, mainly targeting the northern, western and eastern market. Focus will be on Traditional trade, for intensive distribution. This will include paan shops, LEG, HEG and chemists as well. Modern trade: In urban areas, there is huge potential of modern retail formats and our product will be made available in Hypermarts, Supermarts and Food Stores. Alternative Channels: We will also focus on convenience aspect of marketing channel. The packaged coconut water will be sold in various bus depots, airports, transit points and railway stations. The on-the-go proposition of the product makes it an ideal option for consumers to get instantly refreshed when they are travelling. Promotion: We would take up heavy promotional campaign to build awareness about our product and to push it in the market. We would keep track of activities that our competitors would be doing so that we can strategize further. We would incentivize our channel partners and create a push strategy to gain more shelf space. Heavy advertising and brand promotion activities would be taken up to increase visibility of our product. Since we are new players and unknown to consumers, we need to spend heavily on the above mentioned activities so that we can sustain competition from giants in the industry and eventually overtake them. We would also consider sponsoring T.V. shows, sports events and cultural nights so that our target consumers can be made more aware of our brand. We understand that building good relationship with our suppliers, channel partners and customers would be the formula for our success in the market. Focus will be on ATL as well as BTL campaigns. ATL: An ad campaign with a southern actor with mass appeal can be launched to popularize the brand. BTL: This will be the prime focus area especially for promotions in alternative channel routes. Such campaigns will help in boosting sales and make the product a quick-recall refreshing option for the customers. We would be placing our product mainly in modern format retail stores, hypermarkets where new ideas are more readily accepted by consumers. Here we would have a greater chance of showcasing ourselves and increasing our visibility. Besides, these are places which are frequented by our target group of customers. We would like to ensure that the quality of our product is intact when it is in the market and hence we would like to sell it through stores that take good care of inventory, have good and adequate storage facilities. Also, we would be able to track not only our sales and turnover but also that of our competitors. This data would be available through the store manager because unlike traditional retailers, he would be engaged in systematic data management and record keeping. SWOT Analysis of our product Packaged coconut water Limitation and Future Scope of Research Limitation: The research on channel design is qualitative rather than quantitative. It is very difficult to assign weightage to different parameter for choice of channel design. The research suffers from the perception of service output with respect to another. A different set of researcher may have given different weightage to different parameters and hence could have come out with different recommendations. Current market is unorganized and there are very few and small organized players. The research is heavily borrowed from the experience of beverage industry as the product characteristics are perceived to be more or less similar. We havent considered e-commerce as the channel for the product Future Scope of research: As the market is naÃÆ' ¯ve, so there is a lot of scope for new players. In future, if the intermediaries happen to be removed from the distribution channel with companies directly selling the product to the consumers like in US and the coconut water market gets more organized, the distribution channel strategy might have to be revamped. As there is no current established market leader in this category, we are trying to replicate distribution strategy of current beverages industry in India. So again if the market grows substantially in future, the present distribution needs to be changed drastically and a completely different distribution model might have to be designed. We can also think of selling directly to consumers through e-commerce. CONCLUSION Setting up a distribution channel for coconut water requires some strategies which are different from traditional distribution methods for other products like aerated drinks, mineral water etc. There is huge potential for a product like packaged coconut water to work in a country like India. Coconut is already seen as a product which is very useful in daily requirements of households in southern parts of the country, and coconut water is seen as a product which would essentially quench thirst for the people as well as have some nutritional value. Designing a packaged coconut water drink has some unique challenges in itself. To market the product, we not only have to look at the aspect of providing just coconut water to the end consumer, but provide a solution to him, so that he can quench his thirst, and also get the nutritional benefits provided by coconut water. For this purpose we have used a systematic approach to design the distribution channel for coconut water. Despite coconut waters potential as a competitor in the bottled beverage market, attempts to capture those qualities in a commercial product have been largely unsuccessful. Once exposed to air, coconut water begins to ferment, and rapidly loses most of its organoleptic and nutritional characteristics. To eliminate the risk of bacterial growth, commercial bottlers are forced to sterilize the product using high-temperature/short-time pasteurization, which destroys some of coconut waters nutrients and almost the entire flavor. We have studied some of the current channel designs currently being used for distribution of aerated drinks, and figured out how different strategies are being used to distribute the products in rural as well as urban areas. Also, while designing a new channel we have to keep in mind that the Indian retail setup is such that still only 2 % of all retail takes placed through organized retail. The rest of the retail still takes place through unorganized channel and this leads to a lot of intermediaries being involved in the traversal of the product from the manufacturer to the end consumer, which provides its own unique challenges. According to our consumer survey, we have figured out that the ideal way to position our product is as a health drink which refreshes, so it is placed on a pedestal where it might be put by the consumer in the same category as a packaged fruit juice. This particular product category is growing at a very fast pace, with more and more people becoming health conscious and going for products which are healthy and refreshing. There has also been a general trend of people going for substitutes of aerated drinks as thirst quenchers as opposed to say 10 years ago. We intend to use an intensive distribution strategy mostly in northern parts of the country, because in those parts there might also be some novelty factor attached to coconut water, as it would not be as readily available as in the southern parts of the country. In the end we would like to add that in a market like India, no particular channel can be said to be an ideal distribution channel. Multinationals which have been operating in India for many years now have seen that even for marketing the same SKU to different sections of consumers, altogether new channels need to be setup in some cases, whereas some modifications need to be made in other cases. Hence we would initially target those segments of the consumers where we feel that maximum chances are there for innovators segme

Computer Viruses :: essays research papers

Computer Viruses Explain the difference between viruses, worms and Trojan horses in the context of computer and data security. Discuss the measures that need to be taken in order to maintain security. There is a type of computer program that is designed and written to destroy, alter or damage data stored on computers without your knowledge or permission. These are some of the problems that these programs cause ? Your computer displays annoying messages ? Your computer develops strange visual and sound effects ? Files on your computer mysteriously disappear ? Your computer starts working very slowly ? Your computer reboots unexpectedly These programs are typically referred to as viruses although technically the computing term virus actually refers to a specific type of pest program. Other types are called Trojan horses and worms. The difference between these pest programs is how they behave when attacking a computer system and I am going to look at each type individually to explain the difference starting with viruses. A computer virus is a program that is designed to replicate and spread itself on its own, preferably without anybody knowing it exists. They spread by attaching themselves to other programs (such as your word processing or spreadsheet programs). Then when a file with a virus attached to it is executed the virus will also be executed. Viruses can also attach themselves to system files the computer uses every time it is switched on, these are called boot sector viruses, and can cause persistent and widespread disruption to the computer. Viruses can also infest documents such as those created with a word processor. Infested documents are stored with a list of instructions called a macro, which is essentially a mini program. Then when the document is viewed the macro is activated. These viruses are called macro viruses and actually account for 67.5% of all virus damage. Worms are very similar to viruses but are technically different in the way that they replicate and spread through the system. The difference is that programs or files don’t need to be run in order to activate the spreading of a worm. Because of this worms can be very dangerous when released on to computer networks. The Internet Worm was released on to the Internet on the 2nd November 1988 spread to over 6,000 computers in less than a day. And the total monetary costs of this infection are estimated at about $98,000,000. Which proves how much damage can be done with a worm.

Genetically Modified Foods: To Label or Not To Label? Essay -- Genetic

Plants or animals that are created through gene slicing techniques of genetic engineering are called genetically modified organisms or, GMOs. This technique for creating plants and animals was first done in the 1970s. According to Non-GMO Project, â€Å"This experimental technology merges DNA from different species, creating unstable combinations of plant, animal, bacterial and viral genes that cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding.† (Non-GMO Project). This type of genetic modification has started to worry people. Companies are currently not required to label their products to inform customers that their product contains GMOs, and only a few of the many companies voluntarily label their products as GMO-free. Many such as, Journalist for the Santa Fe New Mexican, Jessica Emerson, feel like it is our right to know what companies are putting in the foods we are buying. There are others that disagree such as, physician and molecular biologist Henry Miller; he argues that it is unnecessary and unconstitutional for companies to be required to label their products. This has made quite a controversy. Products sold in Oregon that contain GMOs should be required to be clearly labeled so consumers can make healthy and informed choice on the foods they decide to purchase. The use of GMOs in foods has drastically risen in the United States. The Non-GMO project, a non-profit organization supports this by saying, â€Å"In the U.S., GMOs are in as much as 80% of conventional processed food†(Non-GMO Project). I decided to go shopping to try and find as many products as I could that were labeled GMO-free, I only found one product labeled GMO-free. Many people that purchase vegetables or fruits at the store are unaware that the foods they ar... ...ael. "Why GMO Labeling Won’t Increase Food Prices." Grist.org. Grist, 13 Oct. 2013. Web. 01 Dec. 2013. Miller, Henry I., and Gregory Conko. â€Å"Labeling of Genetically Modified Foods Is Unnecessary and Unconstitutional.† Genetic Engineering. Ed. Noà «l Merino. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. "Labeling Food and Ingredients Developed from GM Seed." Monsanto.com. Monsanto, Mar. 2013. Web. 02 Dec. 2013. â€Å"MRSA.† CDC. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 Sept. 2013. Web. 30 Nov. 2013. Weise, Elizabeth. â€Å"Washington State Voters Reject Labeling of GMO Foods.† USA Today. Gannett, 6 Nov. 2013. Web. 29 Nov. 2013. Tady, Megan. â€Å"Genetically Modified Foods Should Be Labeled.† Genetic Engineering. Ed. David M. Haugen and Susan Musser. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2009. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.

What it is like to be young and a teenager!

From when you turn from twelve to thirteen you have become a teenager; you have rights and responsibilities now!! At the age of a teenager you might think the whole world is in front of you, which it is, but there are big demands. When I became one I thought wow, I am a teenager, but now after being one for 3 and a bit years I am starting to realise that it isn't so great after all. I have heard that your teenage years are supposed to be some of the best years of your life, is that so? At the age of thirteen I have left primary school and have now faced the big girls and boys at high school. Two years passed and the work rate increased. In year nine the first of many challenges has started, your Key Stage 3 SAT's, at this time you think its ages until I sit in this same sports hall and do your real GCSE's which for some people, will be the start of a completely new chapter in the life of a teenager. So far in being a teenager all that has happened is a lot of work, but there are some privileges of being a teenager at the age of sixteen you have the right to go out and buy a packet of cigarettes legally, you are also able to have sex and even have and raise a baby, but it is not till you are eighteen that you are allowed to have a credit card, or buy alcohol legally. Are these good privileges? Or not? Just before you take the GCSE tests you have to decide what you want to do. The decision is your own and the correct one needs to be made, the pressures are now starting to become apparent and it can be a stressful time for some that feel that they have to perform well. There are others who are thinking if only I had listened that little bit or a lot extra in class instead of messing around or talking with friends, and of course there are the people who go into the hall and think I have nothing to lose I don't need many passes, because what I want to be you don't need grades and all I can do is my best. The pressure at this stage are not just on the pupils, the teachers may sometimes be as nervous, and they may be thinking did I teach the write things and did we revise the correct thing which will come up. These are all things to do with school, but you do usually spend 32 hours and 55 minutes in the place. At these ages peer pressure can become a big part of someone's life the things that stick in your head could be â€Å"Everyone's doing it†, â€Å"Its only one†, â€Å"Your such a loser†, â€Å"Chicken† and no one at this age wants to be left out and on there own. Is this really what being a teenager is like? So maybe being young isn't as good as it sounds!!