Tim Burton Analytical Essay Example for Free

Tim Burton Analytical Essay The dark lighting showed Edwards loneliness, however, the bright lighting of the town and Pegs house showed how he was able to create a relationship with the towns people, which he was unable to do previously in the tower. In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Wonka did not have a good relationship with his father, so the flashbacks of his childhood are in a darker light. The dark lighting in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Edward Scissorhands stresses the importance of relationships. In accordance with dark lighting, Burton also uses contrasting sets exemplify the mportance of relationships. In Big Fish, when Edward Bloom unexpectedly arrives in Spectre for the first time, the town is green and lush with vegetation, and the townspeople are happy and worry free. While he was in Spectre, he promised a little girl he would return. However when he returned after many years, the town was barren and businesses were closed. This contrasting set shows he was not there for the town when they needed him; therefore the town was barren when he returned for the second time. In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Wonka creates an amazing hocolate factory to substitute the happiness of having a good relationship with his father. Contrastingly, Charlies house may not be as extravagant as the factory, but Charlie has a loving family. The opposing sets between the factory and Charlies home shows the importance of relationships. In Big Fish and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, contrasting sets show the importance of relationships Moreover, the use of close ups exemplifies the importance of relationships. In Big Fish, when Edward Bloom is lying in the hospital bed, and Will Bloom, Edwards son, inished the story of his fathers fantasy death, there is a close up of Wills face. Will knows his father is going to die and that all of the tall tales that his father told were true. The close up shows that if Will had trusted his father, they would have a better relationship. In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, whenever the conversation of parents began, Wonka would act uncomfortable. From afar the viewer does not see the sadness, but the close up shows the sadness in his eyes. Wonka is sad he does not have a good relationship with his father, therefore the close up shows that elationships are important. In Big Fish and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the close ups of the characters show the importance of relationships. Burton has a passion for making movies, and he puts all of his effort into creating extravagant sets and costumes in his movies. As seen in Big Fish, Edward Scissorhands, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Burton creates personal messages to convey his inner feelings. In these movies, Tim Burton utilizes dark lighting, contrasting sets, and close ups to epitomize the importance the importance of relationships.

Ocean Parks Business Level Strategy approaches

Ocean Parks Business Level Strategy approaches The Ocean Park has been opened in Hong Kong for more than 30 years, the Ocean Park have already been a special logo to the Hong Kong residents and a famous scenic spot for the foreign visitors. As per the mission statement from the Park is provides all guests with memorable experiences that combine entertainment and education, while inspiring lifelong learning and conservation advocacy. The Ocean Park is doing the entertainment businesses in Hong Kong with its theme park that delivers the integrated entertainment services to its guests. This paper will study the business level strategy approaches by using different analytical tools to analyze the related industry environment and the macro-environment that the Park is doing business with. Furthermore, it will also study the internal and external environment that would leads to some threats or opportunities for its further development. Chapter 1 Introduction Ocean Park Hong Kong, a theme park operates by the Ocean Park Corporation that delivers entertainment business in Hong Kong. The Park was officially opened in 1977 by the then Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Murray MacLehose. It was built at a cost of HK$150 million funded by the Hong Kong Jockey Club and free land provided by the Hong Kong Government. The Park is situated on the southern side of Hong Kong Island and it is the Hong Kong primer educational and entertainment theme park that covers more than 870,000 square meters of land and features a diverse selection of world-class marine attraction, thrill rides and shows divided into three major areas: Lowland, Headland and Tai Shue Wan. Over the years, the Park has consistently rejuvenated and reinvented itself to better serve its guests, establishing itself as a major tourist attraction both locally and abroad. Since its opening more than 30 years ago, over 95 million guests have visited Ocean Park. Over 5 million guests visit The Ocean Park each year. Being the one of the largest theme park in Hong Kong, Ocean Park delivers not only thrill rides but also the educational and conservation of wildlife and habitats through various campaigns. The Ocean Park Conservation Foundation (OPCF) was found in 1993 and the Foundation wished to significantly improve the attitudes and practices towards conservation in Hong Kong and Asia through cooperative programs with other conservation organizations. Not even at all, The Hong Kong Society for Panda Conservation (HKSPC) was also launched in 1999 to educate the community and support conservation of the giant pandas and their habitat. Both the HKSPC and OPCF were merged into a single organization on 1 July 2005 as the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation Hong Kong (OPCFHK). Vision and Mission The vision of Ocean Park is aspires to be a world leader in providing excellent guest experiences in a theme park environment connecting people with nature, whilst the Mission of the Park is to provides all guests with memorable experiences that combine entertainment and education, while inspiring lifelong learning and conservation advocacy. Our aim is to maintain a healthy financial status, while striving to deliver the highest standards of safety, animal care, products and guest service. Furthermore, the Park expresses its core value by several elements: Fun, Service, Safety, Education and Conservation and Respect for People. (Ocean Park, Corporation Information. URL: http://www.oceanpark.com.hk/html/en/footer/corporate-information/vision.html) The key stakeholders would be those customers that have the expectation to the Ocean Park which a theme park could provide with special features together with exciting, education and conservation. With its vision, mission and core values, the Park has differentiate itself from the other theme parks which it aims to provide elements of entertainment, education and conservation at an affordable price to meet with its customers expectation. In this report, the objectives are to analyszs the current position of the Ocean Park through various analytical tools and to find out its strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats and finally makes recommendation to encounter the potential risks. Chapter 2 Analysis 2.1 Porter 5 Forces Analysis Porters five forces is a framework for the industry analysis and business strategy development developed by Michael E. Porter. It is an analytical tool to analyses and determines the competitive intensity and therefore the attractiveness of the market. The tool is referred to these five forces as the micro environment and the more intense study to the market competition. Yet competition for profit goes beyond established industry rivals to include four other competitive forces as well: customers, suppliers, potential entrants, and substitute products. The extended rivalry that results from all five forces defines an industrys structure and shapes the nature of competitive interaction within an industry. (Porter E., 2008:25) Rivalry among Existing Competitors Although Hong Kong is a small city with limited area, however, the Ocean Park had been open since 1977 and being the largest theme park in Hong Kong. Throughout the time, the Park had no major competitor for more than 20 years until the other theme park was confirmed to construct in Hong Kong, The Disneyland Hong Kong. This has created intense competition greatly decrease the market share of Ocean Park. Threat of New Entrant The increase of new theme parks in other East Asia country has created the threats posed by the entry of new competitors. This has forced the numbers of visit down and put much more pressure to the entry numbers for both local and international visitors. Moreover, as stated on the above, the limited space of Hong Kong to set up another new theme park among Ocean Park and Disneyland will be very difficult. In such case, the force of the threat of new entrant is considered low comprising those factors. Threat of the Substitutes The Park provides the entertainment business in Hong Kong and to retain visitors mainly by fun and education. However, from the view of micro environment to the provision of the entertainment business, it would possibly has other substitutes service that providing the similar services, just likes the Ngong Ping 360 and The Peak Experience, etc. These new travel scenic spots provide similar services and experiences to retain those visitors. Bargaining Power of Buyers The power of buyers refers to the ability of the customers to be able to negotiate the prices from the seller. Consumers have little influence over the manufacturers and service providers in negotiating prices. The Ocean Parks is a theme park that combines with the thrill rides that providing the visitors an exciting experience while the other hand to provide with the connection of natural through conservation and breeding programs undertaken for its unique collection of insects, fishes, birds and marine mammals. These unique experiences could only be founded in the Ocean Park and thus the bargaining power of buyers in considered low. Bargaining Power of Suppliers The Ocean Park named the worlds 15th-ranked theme park base on the annual attendance by the Themed Entertainment Association and Economics Research Associates, the huge number of the visitors that enable the park a strong negotiation power with its suppliers, especially the food suppliers for the Bayview Restaurant, Terrace Cafà ©, Headland Rides, Panda Cafà © and the Middle Kingdom Restaurant located inside the park. Refers to the Fig. 1.2 at the appendix, the income by the catering service was increased from more than three million Hong Kong Dollars from 2008 to 2009. Although, the sales of goods had a slightly decrease, however, there were additional income from the commission of franchised retails store. This would show the attraction of doing business in Ocean Park could reflect to a significant revenue to the franchised store. For instance, the suppliers or the manufacturers of those foods and souvenir are also considered has low bargaining power to the Ocean Park. These fact ors were comprised because of the huge numbers of the visitor attendance. 2.2 PESTEL Analysis There are many factors that could affect the decision of the organization in the macro-environment. The PESTEL analysis comprises five major elements including Political, Economic, and Environmental, Social, Technological and Legal factors. These factors describe a framework of macro-environment and used to identify the changes and possible barriers in the macro-environment all around the organization. (Oxford University Press, PESTEL analysis of the macro-environment. URL: http://www.oup.com/uk/orc/bin/9780199296378/01student/additional/page_12.htm ) Political The huge numbers of annual attendance enable the Ocean Park named the worlds 15th-ranked theme park among those related associations. Moreover, this annual attendance is mainly domain by the political changes in Hong Kong and China. In the recent years, the Hong Kong and China Government launches the self-tour-guided program which allows the residence in the approved province to visits Hong Kong freely, and the approved numbers of China province that put into the this program was expanded from time to time. Hence, the visitors from China were increasing over the years. Refers to the Figure 1.3 in the appendix, it shows the number of visitor arrivals by country / territory of residence (Census and Statistics Department, 2010) from 2008 to 2009. This indicated the visitors from the Mainland China were the largest numbers accounted among those countries. Economic With reference to the Figure 1.5 and 1.6, this indicated the financial statement of the Ocean Park in year 2008 to 2009. (Ocean Park, Annual Report, 2009) The overall operation expenditure is keeping risen up in the years, such as employees benefits, maintenance and other advertising and promotion cost is raised up to maintain the normal operation of the Park. Unfortunately, the admission income and other revenue are oppositely reducing. These unfavorable factors bring the threat to the Park in operation. Social In the recent years, the tourism industry in Hong Kong is major from the visitors from the Mainland China since the population growth rate is decreasing and the ageing population rate is oppositely increasing. Figure 1.4 on the appendix shows the approach of population growth rate, it is very obvious that the age group from 5 to 14 is decreasing and that would possibly leads the Park loses the attendance from this group. Moreover, the Ocean Park had launched various programs to encounter this threat to become opportunity. Technological The technological improvement enhances the Ocean Park continue to breed the rare marine mammals, panda and other insect. The living area for those rare creatures require a stable room temperature, humidity or other special requirements since they are migrated from the other environment which may different from Hong Kong. The improvement in technological development enhances the stability to let them adapt in new environment. Environmental Environmental issues have been an important topic over the world. Motor vehicles are the main cause of high concentrations of respirable suspended particulates and nitrogen oxides at street level in Hong Kong. The Government introduced a comprehensive program in 2000 to tackle this problem with targets to reduce these two emissions from motor vehicle by 80% and 30% respectively by the end of 2005. (Environmental Protection Department, 2010) Being the environmental leader, the Park launched a Clean Air by Ocean Park project including the first hybrid vehicle operates in Hong Kong. After that, nominated by the HKSAR government in 2000, Ocean Park received funding of HK$10 million by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust to replace 22 aged diesel vehicles and gasoline carts with environmental-friendly vehicles, to promote clean-air environment and support global conservation. Legal The Ocean Park Corporation is a statutory body incorporated under the Ocean Park Corporation under the Ocean Park Ordinance (Chapter 388). The Corporations principal activity is to manage and control the Ocean Park as a public recreational and educational park to the public. (Ocean Park, Code of Corporate Governance Practices, 2009) Since the Ocean Park Corporation became statutory body, its internal operation and the establishment of the management team is appointed by the Government of the HKSAR. This legal factor makes the operation of the Park bonded by the Government and loses its independence. The above analysis pointed out the opportunity, threat, strength and weaknesses of the Ocean Park in the macro-environment. The technological changes, social and the environmental factors would be the most favorable factors to the Park for future development. However, there would be threats from the political and economic issues to the Park since it will depend on the governments decision and also not controllable factors. 2.3 Internal Analysis Resource-based View The resource-based view is a business management tool used to determine the strategic resources available to a company. The fundamental principle of the resource-based view is that the basis for a competitive advantage of a firm lies primarily in the application of the bundle of valuable resources at the firms disposal. (Wernerfelt B, 1984:172) On the other hand, strategic capability is also another element to determine the success of the organization. Strategic Capability is the ability to perform at the level required for success. It is underpinned by the resources and competences of the organization. (Johnson Gerry Scholes Kevin, 2008:23) Throughout the analysis in both competitive forces and the macro-environment in the related industry, the capabilities of the Ocean Park have been identified in its business strategy. Core Competence A core competency can take various forms, including technical/subject matter know-how, a reliable process and/or close relationships with customers and suppliers. (Hamel, G. Prahalad, C.K., 1990) It may also include product development or culture, such as employee dedication. On the other hand, the core competences are those activities that underpin competitive advantage and are difficult from competitors to imitate or to obtain. Several shows theatre in the Ocean Park is unique and it is difficult and impossible to obtain by its competitors, such as the shows by birds, sea lion and other marine mammals. Unique Resources Unique resources are resources that create competitive advantage and are difficult to imitate, they critically underpin competitive advantage. (Johnson Gerry Scholes Kevin, 2008:24) The unique resources of the Ocean Park enable its competitive advantages to the competitors. The most valuable physical assets of the Ocean Park are those rare marine mammals and the panda given by the Mainland China. These national treasures are value inestimable and they elaborate their attraction to the visitors. These treasures could only be found in the Ocean Park and other theme park does not have the same resources in Hong Kong. Furthermore, the Ocean Park has been opened for more than 30 years in Hong Kong; it has already built up goodwill to the local peoples. The education, conservation and natural scenic environment are the intangible resources of the Park and these resources enhance the Park to develop its brand and goodwill over the years. Chapter 3 TOWS Analysis The TOWS Matrix is an analytical tool to matching the environmental threats and opportunities with the companys weakness and its strengths. (Heinz Weihrich, 1982) Throughout the PESTEL and internal analysis of the Ocean Park, some areas have been identified as the threats and opportunities for the future development of the Park. As analyzed in the PESTEL analysis, the political and economic factors would be the threats to the Ocean Park in future development. Since the attendances are mostly likely by the visitors from the Mainland China, however, this would depends on the policy changes by both Government and it would not be possibly controlled by the Ocean Park. Furthermore, the risen up of employees benefits, the maintenance and other advertising and promotion cost would also be the threats to the Park. On one hand, the reducing admission also leads to the revenue drop in the recent years. Such huge expenditure and uncontrollable factors would be the major weakness to the operation of the Park. As stated above the unique resources and the core competences would be the strength of the Ocean Park while compare with its major competitors. Moreover, to overcome the threats that the Park is encountering, the Corporation had launches some special program likes wedding ceremonies to tackle the low birth rate and changed the target customers to another age range. The Ocean Park Halloween Bash launches to attract more local visitors to stave off from the policy changes by the self-tour-guided visitors of the Mainland China. Chapter 4 Conclusion for Strategy Recommendations After conducted several analysis of different environments to the Ocean Park, the result from those analysis comes to the end and some business strategies of the Ocean Park were identified. First of all, in coping with the five competitive forces, (Porter E. Michael, 2008) there are three potentially successful generic strategic approaches to outperforming other firms in an industry. The cost leadership, differentiation and the focus strategy. (Porter E Michael, 1980) In view of the Ocean Park performing, the differentiation strategy is employed. A differentiation strategy is appropriate to adopted where the target customer segment is not price-sensitive, the market is competitive or saturated, customers have very specific needs which are possibly under-served, and the firm has unique resources and capabilities which enable it to satisfy these needs in ways that are difficult to copy. The Ocean Park differentiates itself through the unique iconic attractions by rare animals and natural scenic environment which other theme park in Hong Kong could not be easily provided. On one hand, the brand Ocean Park had already embedded to most of the local residents and foreign visitors, the advertising and branding enhances value propositions and sustainable differentiation is concisely develop with a range of activities uniquely that impact on the customer purchase decision. Furthermore, the overall environment enhances to provide education and conservation to all the attendances. Although new competitors had already entered into the market, however, with the aims of the Ansoffs Matrix (Ansoff. I, 1957), the Ocean Park is recommended to taking action by market penetration and product development to obtain stable and sustainable development. Market penetration occurs when a company enters/penetrates a market with current products. The best way to achieve this is by gaining competitors customers which means the part of the market share. Other ways include attracting non-users of your product or convincing current clients to use more of your product or service, with advertising or other promotions. Market penetration is the least risky way for a company to grow. The Ocean Park should differentiate itself by existing services to gain the market share from its competitors, just likes the rare animals that enable continuous penetration to the existing market. On the other hand, the product development is also another strategy that the Park could employs. A firm with a market for its current products might embark on a strategy of developing other products catering to the same market. The continuous re-development project enable new thrill rides that the competitors may not delivers in short period of time and it would not be p ossible to making the same thrill rides as the Ocean Park. Frequently, when a firm creates or to usher in with new products, it can gain new customers for these products or services. Hence, new product development can be a crucial business development strategy for firms to stay competitive. In addition, strategic alliance of subcontracting may also be considered in the development of the Park. Strategic alliance is where two or more organizations share resources and activities to pursue a strategy. In the case of Ocean Park, the highest maintenance, advertising, promotion and growth of employees benefits would be a high risk to the Corporation to stay competitive in the market. In view of these critical issues, subcontracting alliances method can be considered to tackle this issue and to meet with the stakeholders expectation. To be keeping a health financial status of the Corporation, some of the operational function could be subcontracted out to lower the operation cost from direct labor generated. Last but not least, the Ocean Park has continuously makes the improvement through different strategies. Throughout this study, understood that the Park has retained its best to meet with its stakeholders expectation and cope with its mission statement, Ocean Park provides all guests with memorable experiences that combine entertainment and education, while inspiring lifelong learning and conservation advocacy. Our aim is to maintain a healthy financial status, while striving to deliver the highest standards of safety, animal care, products and guest service Appendix Fig. 1.1 Porter 5 Forces Model Source: Harvard Business Review, 2008 Fig. 1.2 Note to Financial Statement Source: Ocean Park, Annual Report 2008 2009 Fig. 1.3 Visitors Arrivals by Country / Territory of Residence Source: Census and Statistics Department URL: www.censtatd.gov.hkFileManagerENContent_807transport.pdf Fig. 1.4 Resident Population Approach Source: Census and Statistics Department URL: www.censtatd.gov.hk_showtablecust.jsp Fig. 1.5 Notes to the Financial Statement Source: Ocean Park, Annual Report 2008 2009 Fig. 1.6 Revenue Statement Source: Ocean Park, Annual Report 2008 2009

The Care of People in a Residential Setting

The Care of People in a Residential Setting SOCIAL WORK: Contribute to care of people in a residential setting TASK 1: Explanation of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its application in the social services The Treaty of Waitangi is an agreement signed between the Maori and the Crown in the year 1840. It has four principles that are being applied in the social services of today, and these are: partnership, protection, participation and permission. These principles are applied when social workers work together with the whanau and the client in the decision-making with regards to the kind of care the client needs. It is also applied when client’s cultural rights are kept safe and allowing them to practice their traditions if pleased. These principles are applied in contributing to the care of people in a residential setting based on these following examples: 1. PROTECTION – A Maori resident who wants to keep his traditions such as removing shoes upon entering his room must be observed by the staff to show their respect of his cultural rights. 2. PARTNERSHIP – Social worker, client and whanau could organize a hui to discuss about the best alternative education courses to arrange for a Maori child who has been admitted at a CYFs residential home due to criminal offense. 3. PARTICIPATION – Client and social worker may have a regular weekly meeting to discuss about the effectiveness of being admitted in a residential home for the client. Client can work together with the social worker to develop a plan on how the activities and programs in the facility could be helpful to him. TASK 2: Manage admission to residential care TASK 3: Contribute to planning for residential care of the resident TASK 4: Contribute to residential care of the resident TASK 5: Contribute to evaluation of the residential care plan TASK 6: Application of social service theory In this particular case, the social work theory on Working with Particular Client Groups was taken into consideration because we were dealing with a teenager. A client at this age has different needs and interests as compared to an adult client. Social worker must ensure to gain the attention and trust of the client to ensure her cooperation in the process. Gender is also taken into account, since the client is a girl, the social worker gave her residential care options that are friendly to her needs and in where she will feel safe and secure. Cultural rights were also taken note of. Client is a Maori thus, she was referred to a Maori organization to protect her tikanga and let her know more about her whakapapa. During her youth hearing the judge encouraged her to recite her pipiha to remind her of her whanangataunga and to practice their te reo which was very helpful to the client as it also encouraged her to get connected with her cultural roots. Hannah Marie N. Manlangit13160103

Did the Mayan Civilization Collapse as a Result of Drought? Essay

Ever since the collapse of the once powerful Maya civilization, people have been trying to find out what caused it. Authors of the article, "“Climate and the Collapse of Maya Civilization”", which include Gerald Haug, Detlef GÃ ¼nther, Larry Peterson, Daniel Sigman, Konrad Hughen, and Beat Aeschlimann propose a theory that the Mayans collapsed because of an extended dry period between 760 and 910 A.D. These scientists set out find the answer as to why the Maya civilization collapsed. This question is fairly popular and is often times answered by an extended drought, but they wanted to find geologic evidence of what the climate was like in the same time period hoping that there is an obvious link between the two. This question may be simple and straightforward, but this was different than using records that paleoclimatologists have been using which record data for the past millennia. These authors were trying to record climate for a short time period which until recently has been assumed to be unchanging for the last 6000 years. The authors used sediment sequences from two holes drilled in the Cariaco Basin. These sediments were rapidly deposited and were estimated at 30cm per thousand years. They used bulk titanium (Ti) content as a recorder to get an index of the regional hydrologic conditions. High Ti content indicates wet conditions while lower Ti indicates dryer conditions. The authors' results showed Ti content were the lowest between 500 and 200 yr B.P. They also found higher Ti content between 1070 and 850 yr B.P. In addition, the authors found Ti levels were of intermediate value before the sharp rise at approximately 1070 yr B.P.(930 A.D.). The authors also used a radiocarbon age control... ...nce Archaeology can not fully explain the decline of the Maya civilization, the data recorded from the sediment cores by the authors of this article can be used for the hypothesis that drought ultimately led to the demise of the civilization. Not only does the data collected show the evidence of multiple droughts during an already dry period called the Terminal Classic Collapse period, but this data can also be aligned with archaeological data of this time period. The authors can use this archaeological data to support their hypothesis that peak regional drought during an extended period of reduced precipitation ed to the the end of the Maya civilization. Work Cited Larry C. Peterson and Gerald H. Haug "Climate and the Collapse of Maya Civilization" http://www.columbia.edu/itc/sipa/envp/louchouarn/courses/Clim-Wat/Wat/Drought-MayanCollapse(AmerSci05).pdf

Social Forces Affecting Education -Pressures on Children Essay

Social forces play a major role in the achievement that takes place in our nation’s schools. Factors that take place outside of the classroom have significant effects that intrude on a child’s learning environment. These social forces hold no prejudice to the youth for whom they afflict and arise in every school setting across the public school system. It is important that one recognizes the impact that social forces have on the future leaders of our country and what conflicts they create for our present day learners. Because we live in a competitive society and want to be able to compete in the global economy, achievement pressure runs rampant in classrooms across the country (Anxiety.org, 2011). When parents and teachers can become aware of the emotional burdens and adverse effects that high achievement pressures carry, they will no doubt second guess their choice to perpetuate them (Weissbourd, 2011). The first step in solving any problem is to first be able to ackno wledge it. Pressures on children in today’s society are a problem that is becoming more evident in academics as parents and teachers put more and more emphasis on these children to outperform their classmates, stress in the child’s life becomes an interfering problem (Anxiety.org, 2011 Weissbourd, 2011,). From preschool children to college adults, pressure to execute academic perfection extends across all areas of curriculum. In our highly competitive, American society, emphasis placed on academic achievement has never been so intense (Anxiety.org, 2011, Beilock, 2011). This need to be the best, fueled by our culture in America, has created a social force affecting education, a force to be reckoned with at that. Too often, parents and teachers sacrifice their chil... ... medical foundation. Retrieved from http://www.pamf.org/teen/byteens/academic-stress.html Kaur, S. (2011). pamf.org. Retrieved from http://www.pamf.org/teen/life/stress/academicpressure.html Anxiety.org. (2011, 5 16). Retrieved from http://www.anxiety.org/anxiety-news/general/childhood-anxiety-from-academic-pressure-are-we-pushin Herrfeldt, B. (n.d.). ehow.com. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/how_2314755_cope-academic-pressure-.html Weissbourd, R. (2011, May). The Overpressured Student. Educational Leadership, Vol. 68, No. 8, 23-27. Kadison, R. & DiGeronimo, T.F. (2004). College of the Overwhelmed. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. American Psychological Association (APA) (2012, March 12). Reducing academic pressure may help children succeed. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120312101439.htm

Low self esteem

I was flicking through some featured articles on my IPad last night when I happened to come across Rod Liddle's piece: ‘our children urgently need less self-esteem'. I asked myself, do our children need less self-esteem? Preposterous. Of course not, in fact I believe that they need more self-esteem. Low self-esteem is one of the major underlying problems of crime, bullying, unemployment†¦ honestly, the list could go on. Children with low self-esteem suffer from depression and a sense of insignificance and generally have a pessimistic view on all aspects of life. Whereas children with high self-esteem are positive and seem to do better in life than those who lack confidence. Why? Why should children need less self-esteem when it is already clear that high self-esteem seems to be a better trait in children? Honestly, I really do think this article is just a '50 year old twat' ranting about the younger generation, however I have an urge to criticize his opinions because his article is just too fallacious. Rod Liddles article was a response to the riots earlier last year in the summer, and yes I do agree that they were outrageous and caused a huge calamity nationally, but, like the teachers I would say the kids need more self-esteem rather than less. This is due to the fact that a majority of the rioters probably had low self-esteem to start with and therefore gave into peer pressure to follow some idiots smashing up the shop windows of Poundland just because it seemed like the ‘cool' thing to do. Even if some kids have self-esteem which sky rockets to the sky, acting as role models for the rioters, it is probably the parents fault, and the upbringing they had which means it is Liddles generation to blame. I believe that the riots were not started by some random, over-confident teens wanting to take over the nation but were sparked by an outrage when the judicial system failed to explain the accidental shooting and killing of Mark Duggan. So obviously it is his generation who started the riots In the first place by unjustly ignoring people's anger, consequently allowing the riots to start. Also, Liddle states that the judicial system is made too liberal saying â€Å"if anything goes wrong with a modern child's life, it is someone else's fault: teachers, or the Police, or society†. In this he is totally contradicting himself, because the police force is made up of his generation or maybe slightly younger, but all still being adults, so really he is criticizing the wrong people. In addition, according to Wikipedia, police arrested 3,100 people which is a fairly reasonable amount of people. Meaning the judicial system is not actually that soft, they do lock up a fair amount of wrong doers. As for the teachers, well I'm sure almost everyone on the planet has had a detention or some form of punishment for doing something wrong in school. And if you do something horrifically bad then you are expelled with no exceptions. So tell me again, Liddle, where children are not disciplined? The riots were not caused only by low self-esteem by also by desperation due to the current economic situation our country is in now. Many people are now broke, poor and depressed, and obviously some people want to do something about it. So when the opportunity arises where you can take whatever you can get hold of, whether you actually want it or get some money out of it then I'm guessing the mind-set is ‘why not? , other people are doing it'. The state of the economy had to be caused somehow, some time ago and after some research it turns out that it was in fact Liddles generation who caused this total slump. Apparently, ‘back then' houses were cheaper and loaning from the bank was easier, causing people to have too much self-esteem and consumer confidence. So when people decided they were rich they started buying and buying and buying until they had no money to give back to the banks. Now in the present day all of us have to pay for their expenses and suffer in this drudgingly, slow sink into an economic depression. Lastly, I am convinced that Liddle is totally unreliable and his use of hyperbole is excessive, he is clearly not a modern day teen and cannot say anything about self-esteem in kids because he simply is not one. Liddle is pretty much 30 years past his prime and cannot accurately state the minds of our modern youths. Many teens are low in self-esteem but merely hide behind a mask to make it seem as though they are ‘significant' and know it, but in fact they want to curl up in a ball and cry about life.

Bad Boss Good Boss Essay

â€Å"Servants don’t know a good master until they have served a worse,† (Aesop). By the tender age of eighteen, most people have had a job. Whatever that job was, the kind of master –boss encountered most likely made a big difference in how work performance is perceived and what constitutes a good or a bad boss. The collaborative relationship or lack there of, between an employee and employer is a contributing factor when measuring whether or not one has been successful. In these encounters one invariably learns the difference between a good or a bad boss. When comparing leadership capability of bosses, it is important to consider communication, collaboration, and people skills to determine their ability to succeed. Good bosses communicate with their employees effectively, while bad bosses are poor communicators. All bosses differ in their communication style. Some bosses like e-mail while others like face-to-face contact. Employees need communication from their bosses to make good decisions and to make sure a job is being done to specification. For example, a project is due in a week’s time; there are three different ways to complete this project, but there is only one way from management’s point of view. A good boss will take the time to explain clearly how he or she wants this job to be done; he or she will show the employee the correct way to do the job so the employee does not second guess himself. How a boss communicates with the employee has a major impact on their performance. Good bosses inspire and motivate the people they lead, encourage them to give feedback, and avoid launching into arguments or becoming angry when they think an employee is wrong. A bad boss on the other hand is withdrawn; he or she does not seem to care if their employees perform to their highest standard, and give neither time nor priority to listening as long as they get the job done. For example, an employee is doing a job that he or she could do much more effectively with a little  guidance; instead of the boss communicating with the employee, he allows the employee to complete the job and does not show the employee anything. Bad bosses do not feel it necessary to tell the employees anything about the bottom line or how the company is doing, he or she does not care about the well being of the employee or how they are performing in their jobs. They just do not communicate, and rarely show any emotion-good or bad. A good boss collaborates with employees, bad bosses are selfish. During one’s working career, one will have many bosses with varying leadership styles and interpersonal skills. Despite the disparity of personalities, the collaborative relationship the boss has with the employees is significant and the effects long lasting. Working well with the employees requires a concerted effort to obtain the knowledge and skills forming the foundation of a mutually beneficial relationship. A good boss knows that improving collaboration with the employees is essential to the advancement and completion of doing a good job. He or she will work with employees to achieve goals and complete projects. If working on an assembly line, a good boss will take the place of an absent employee and do the exact job that employee was doing. Conversely, a bad boss does not know the meaning of team. He will show a lack of interest in the well–being of the people he leads, and he will be prone to be demeaning and disrespectful. He or she will take the credit for a job done well without any acknowledgement to the employees that actually completed the work. When things do not go as planned, bad bosses will place the blame on anyone but themselves, they tend to find it easy to blame wasteful work systems, processes, and staff members for their inability to meet company wide goals and performance standards. Good bosses exhibit good people skills; however, with bad bosses it’s all about them. A good boss will go out of his way to accommodate an employee. Even when reprimanding an employee they will always give them a chance to explain and tell their side of the story. A good boss will tell an employee not to take it personally and take the time to explain that everyone has a bad day. As opposed to a bad boss who does not care about what the employee is feeling, he or she just wants the job done-no questions asked. Bad bosses tend to flaunt their rank and make sure the employees have no doubt about who the boss is. He or she will never get in the trenches with the employees as this is beneath him. When employees do a good job and  are recognized by others, the bad boss wants all of the glory. On the other hand, if he or she is being recognized they do not share the spotlight with the employees. Bad bosses have a false sense of security, they feel that what they are doing is fine as long as upper management does not hold them responsible or accountable for actions or positive change, and things remain in a constant state of confusion for the employees. In the business world, good bosses are an asset to any company. They appreciate what their employees do and do not mind getting in the trenches with them. The turnover rate in the workplace would be much lower if all companies had bosses that were competent, compassionate and fair. Although there may be as many good bosses as there are bad, it is likely that most bosses are a bit of both, ‘swinging both ways’ so to speak. To have a boss that makes employees realize that they have more ability than they thought they had so they do better work than they thought they could, versus a boss that negatively impacts the work environment by fostering high levels of employee frustration, stress, resentment, and unnecessary labor turnover makes all the difference between a successful and unsuccessful company. When given a choice, most people if not all would choose a good boss over a bad boss every time. During the working career, one will have many bosses with varying leadership skills and interpersonal styles. Despite the difference in personalities, the collaborative relationship you have with your boss can be significant and the effects long-lasting. Whether the boss is good or bad, some boss-employee relationships can withstand the test of time. Forming a harmonious and productive relationship with the boss can be good but is not always possible. Every boss brings with them different personalities, backgrounds and challenges. The bottom line is in all successful companies the leaders possess a certain degree of collaboration, communication and good people skills. At the end of the day in a successful company the bottom line is really what matters. References Day, J. A. (n. d.). Good boss, bad boss? Ezine articles, 1-3. Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com/?Good-Boss,-Bad-Boss?&id=7250782 Jamison, T. G. (2012, 3/27). 7 Signs of a bad boss. BioSpace. Retrieved from http://www.biospace.com/news_print.aspx?NewsEntityId=254513 Post, P. (2013, 11/17). What does a good boss do to be a good boss. The Boston Globe, pp. 2. Retrieved from http://www.bostonglobe.com Scott, D. E. (2007, 2/1). personal & Financial Health. Collaboration with your boss: strategic skills for professional nurses., 1-3. Retrieved from http://www.thefreelibrary.com/_/print/PrintArticle.aspx?id=159079514