The National Drugs Campaign Media Essay

The National Drugs Campaign Media Essay The National Drugs Campaign (NDC) was created by the Australian Government to decrease the drug use amongst the Australian population. They achieve this purpose by spreading information about the dangers of drug usage and encouraging the public to abstain from drugs. A campaign has been launched since 2001 for this cause, which included 4 phases to be launched at different times within a ten year span. It is one of the longest-running public education campaigns on illicit drugs in Australia. Although illicit drug usage may be decreasing due to NDCs campaign, ecstasy usage remains stagnant. According the Mental Health Minister, Helen Morton, The latest National Drug Strategy Household Survey showed 4.1 percent of Western Australia survey participants had used ecstasy in the past year, similar results to 2001 and 2004 (Morton). In fact, according to the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre of Australia, ecstasy has been used by approximately 8% of the entire Australian population, with approximately 3% having used in the preceding 12 months. (Ross). In order to reduce these statistics, the NDC started a new campaign targeting ecstasy in January 2011 called the Ecstasy. Face Facts campaign. I feel that this was a successful approach to use in order to fulfill the needs of their overall campaign. One of the NDCs main objectives is to reduce illicit drug usage, and since ecstasy was not in decline, it only makes sense to focus the next campaign specifically on ecstasy. As part of their communication model, they created objectives of this particular campaign. These includes increasing the knowledge to their audience about the perilous facts of ecstasy, reducing the usage of ecstasy and other illicit drugs these users may have tried, preventing anyone from ever trying illicit drugs, and supporting them to refrain from any drug usage. The NDC released several public service announcements, which was their entire campaign, in order to promote positive consumer behavior. According to the National Drugs Campaign, there are four overall messages that need to be conveyed to the audience. These messages include the following: There are specific risks and harms associated with using ecstasy; There are real risks and harms associated with using illicit drugs; There are real benefits to not using ecstasy and other illicit drugs; and There is a range of information available on the facts about using ecstasy and other illicit drugs. The communication channels of this government advertising campaign consist of integrated media activity with radio, print, outdoor, online, and in-venue advertising, public relations and promotions, and information resources such as National Drugs Campaign website (australia.gov.au/drugs) and the 1800 250 015 information line. Some public relations activities include sponsorships of the  In The Mix  website, popular radio programs on Nova FM and Austereo, the Future Music Festivals, the  Rock the Schools  and  I Am With The Band  initiatives and National Youth Week 2011. The communication channels in which to reach NDCs target audience is an important factor to get their message across. I feel that the chosen mediums of advertising, especially through print and radio, are a fast and easy way to reach a mass audience while still grabbing the attention of the target market. Having online tools such as the website, and interactive in-venue advertising also incorporates new ways of reaching and communicating with the youth of Australia, which research shows us is how they want to be informed of these issues. Finally, having PR activities that include sponsorships that young people idolize and are familiar with will help to better relate to them. Youth marketing and public relations activities that are aligned with music further engages youth in ways that are meaningful to them. It was also an important decision that the NDC chose to use print media other than television to get their point across. They chose to advertise more in magazines that teenagers would read, such as Cosmopolitan. This way they would reach their target audience. They also were able to have a more personal impact on their viewers through their visual communication. The entire layout of the advertisement, including the typography, pictures, and colors were all put together meticulously. Since there is only a few moments before the onlooker of the ad decides whether or not they will continue reading, it needs to have all aspects of the print to be attention-grabbing, which it is. Research conducted by drug and alcohol experts and the Australian National Council on Drugs led to the development of the target audience. It was decided the campaign would target the youth aged 15-21 years who are at risk of using ecstasy and/or other illicit drugs and parents of 13-17 year olds. According the research conducted by the National Drug Strategy Household Survey, 38.1% of Australian over the age of 14 had tried illicit drugs. . This is the key transition time in young peoples lives. Since they are highly influenced by their environments and their social stimuli, they are more at risk. Since teenagers in Australia are using drugs at such an early age, the target audience should be 15- 21 years, and it is also necessary for parents to start worrying about the safety of their children as well. Thus, the target audience for the advertisements is a logical age. Before the advertising campaign was made, a creative brief was formed which highlighted the consumer insights as well as the creative strategy that NBC would use. Formative research was conducted with people aged 12 -25 to explore youth attitudes and behaviors to illicit drugs. They examined positive and negative perceptions of drug use, key drivers and barriers to trial, and identified effective channels with which to communicate with young people in relation to drugs (National Drug Campaign). The research results indicated that young Australians had previous knowledge between the image or specific drugs and perceived effects of them. These finding encouraged NBC to target communication about particular drugs, rather than simply grouping all drugs together. This research also identified different segments of young people, defined by clusters of particular attitudes to drug use and their lives, which have been critical to the formulation of the campaigns creative strategy (National D rug Campaign). Two main visuals that have been used in outdoor advertising such as posters and billboards are called the Ecstasy Girl advertisement and the Ecstasy Lab advertisement (National Drug Campaign). The Ecstasy girl features a visual of a haggard, disheveled girl who looks like she is clearly a drug user. The caption above says Insomnia, memory loss, or psychological problems. The second advertisement features an ecstasy lab which consists of a visual of a repulsive bathroom and tubes attached to the inside of a toilet going into beakers. These beakers imply that the drugs are made in this kind of setting, with unknown contents. The caption above reads Made using drain cleaner, battery acid or even hair bleach. Then popped in your mouth. The second of these advertisements is more widely known, and the message of the contents of ecstasy was used in other forms of media such as video and radio. The cultural setting of the Ecstasy Girl advertisement is an illustration of all teenagers. Though it may show a young, blonde, Caucasian women, it still represents all of the youth that is having problems due to drug usage. It is a physical depiction of the entire target audience. Even the Ecstasy Lab advertisement with a picture of a lab may only show the setting of one place where the drugs are made. However, it is still a physical depiction of what contents go into ecstasy, and illustrates that the contents of drugs are never pure. In the fourth stage of the communication model, the message that is being sent is interpreted by the audience. The way that teenagers would interpret these public service announcements is critical to make sure the objectives of the NDC are being met. Thus, in order for these advertisements to have any impact on it audience, it needs to pass the hierarchy of effects model. This means it needs to stimulate their attention, interest, desire, and action. I feel that this advertising campaign does create attention since the visual depictions are both extreme and invoking. The colors (yellow, blue, white) are eye-catching. Even the font they use for the words is large and capitalized, demanding attention. By reading the copy, the audience would then gain interest, since the copy in the advertisements is thought-provoking, harsh, and blunt. Then they would look at the pictures again and associate with the words to realize what the message is trying to convey. When they finally put it all to gether, it would create the desire to listen to the message, and abstain from trying drugs, which is the action that the NDC is trying to invoke. Since the National Drugs Campaign is run by the Australian Government, it is government advertising which is a public service that promotes good behavior. It is not in competition with other brands or companies. However, it does have other organizations that support the campaign, even if they have their own strategy for trying to decrease drug use. For example, Drug Aware, a drug prevention program in Western Australia took its own approach to handling the ecstasy escalation in their region. Instead of using print advertising, they did everything online. They created a new youth-oriented ecstasy campaign website interface on the Drug Aware website, where visitors can watch videos featuring the Ecstasy experts, read up on the facts, or chat live and confidentially with a qualified drug counselor (Drug Aware). Other smaller drug awareness campaigns dont always take the harsh approach of the NDC either. However, I feel showing the youth the more daunting facts of drugs first will grab t heir audiences attention and keep it, which is what they need to do to portray their message. In order to measure the feedback of the advertising campaign, the NDC would need to test the audiences reactions after viewing it. There are several ways of evaluating whether or not the campaign is effective. NDC could investigate the audiences campaign awareness and reach by testing campaign recognition and recall, credibility of the advertising for ecstasy, whether attitudes and behaviors in relation to illicit drugs has changed, and if people start getting more informed and abstain from drug use. Past campaigns have resulted in high outcomes for effectiveness. For example, in the previous campaign in 2010, 70% of ecstasy users and 44% of young people said they had recently seen, read or heard advertising about illicit drugs (National Drug Campaign). Since the creative strategy for advertising is being used from previous campaigns, these results could be a reflection for the current campaign effectiveness results. Since this campaign is an improvement on the previous one, we can h opefully expect even better results, especially since the current one has more of a focus on ecstasy users. Unfortunately, there are still some setbacks to the current campaign. There are no actual television commercials for the campaign. Though they may have radio spots and some online videos, NDC has underestimated the influence of television. A small glance at a poster, or a 20 second radio spot may not be enough to capture to attention of someone, if looked at just once. Fortunately, this problem has been moderated due to the saturation of posters and outdoor advertising of the NDC. This way, if the poster didnt catch someones eye once, seeing it several times will cause them to actually read it. Though the NDC has not put money into television spots, they did allocate their marketing to enough outdoor advertising to make up for this. Though we may not be able to measure the post-campaign evaluations yet, since the campaign has only just come out, we could still critique what NBC has done so far. The two advertisements that have been their main focus both appeal to the audiences emotions and fears. I think this is an appropriate approach because showing the audience appalling facts about drugs will alert them into abstaining from them. Sometimes messages need to be harsh, especially to the youth, to hinder them from using drugs. Also, since the government and the National Drug Campaign is a credible source, the audience will be able to trust the messages that they are seeing. I feel this campaign will really make a difference to NDCs target market. The exposure to this campaign will help NDC in reaching their objectives. , http://www.nationaldrugstrategy.gov.au/internet/drugstrategy/publishing.nsf/Content/17B917608C1969ABCA257317001A72D4/$File/mono-63.pdf. http://www.wa.liberal.org.au/item/3681 http://www.thenewspaperworks.com.au/go/news/-ecstasy-face-facts-press-ad http://www.health.gov.au/internet/drugs/publishing.nsf/content/news-7feb11-ecstasy http://www.tanglewood.net/projects/teachertraining/Book_of_Readings/Dusenbury.pdf

Vlad Dracula :: essays research papers

Yes, there was a real Dracula, and he was a true prince of darkness. He was Prince Vlad III Dracula, also known as Vlad Tepes, meaning "Vlad the Impaler." The Turks called him Kaziglu Bey, or "the Impaler Prince." He was the prince of Walachia, but, as legend suggests, he was born in Transylvania, which at that time was ruled by Hungary. Walachia was founded in 1290 by a Transylvanian named Radu Negru, or Rudolph the Black. It was dominated by Hungary until 1330, when it became independent. The first ruler of the new country was Prince Basarab the Great (1310-1352), an ancestor of Dracula. Dracula's grandfather, Prince Mircea the Old, reigned from 1386 to 1418. He participated in one too many losing battles against the Turks and was forced to pay tribute to them. He and his descendants continued to rule Walachia, but as vassals of the Ottoman empire. The throne of Walachia was not necessarily passed from father to son. The prince, or voivode, was elected by the country's boyars, or land-owning nobles. This caused fighting among family members, assassinations, and other unpleasantness. Eventually the House of Basarab was split into two factions - Mircea's descendants, and the descendants of another prince named Dan. Dan's descendants were called the Danesti. Mircea had an illegitimate son, Vlad, born around 1390, who was educated in Hungary and Germany. Vlad served as a page for King Sigismund of Hungary, who became the Holy Roman Emperor in 1410. Sigismund founded a secret fraternal order of knights called the Order of the Dragon to uphold Christianity and defend the empire against Turkey. Because of his bravery fighting Turks, Vlad was admitted to the Order, probably in 1431. The boyars started to call him Dracul, meaning "dragon." Vlad's second son would be known as Dracula, or "son of the dragon." Dracul also meant "devil." So Dracula's enemies, especially German Saxons, called him "son of the devil." Eventually Sigismund made Vlad the military governor of Transylvania, a post he held from 1431 to 1435. During that time he lived in the town of Sighisoara or Schassburg. You can still visit the citadel there and even the house where Vlad's son Dracula was born. Today there's a restaurant on the second floor. There's also a mural in the house that may depict Vlad Dracul. Young Dracula Dracula was born in November or December of 1431. His given name was Vlad. Vlad Dracula :: essays research papers Yes, there was a real Dracula, and he was a true prince of darkness. He was Prince Vlad III Dracula, also known as Vlad Tepes, meaning "Vlad the Impaler." The Turks called him Kaziglu Bey, or "the Impaler Prince." He was the prince of Walachia, but, as legend suggests, he was born in Transylvania, which at that time was ruled by Hungary. Walachia was founded in 1290 by a Transylvanian named Radu Negru, or Rudolph the Black. It was dominated by Hungary until 1330, when it became independent. The first ruler of the new country was Prince Basarab the Great (1310-1352), an ancestor of Dracula. Dracula's grandfather, Prince Mircea the Old, reigned from 1386 to 1418. He participated in one too many losing battles against the Turks and was forced to pay tribute to them. He and his descendants continued to rule Walachia, but as vassals of the Ottoman empire. The throne of Walachia was not necessarily passed from father to son. The prince, or voivode, was elected by the country's boyars, or land-owning nobles. This caused fighting among family members, assassinations, and other unpleasantness. Eventually the House of Basarab was split into two factions - Mircea's descendants, and the descendants of another prince named Dan. Dan's descendants were called the Danesti. Mircea had an illegitimate son, Vlad, born around 1390, who was educated in Hungary and Germany. Vlad served as a page for King Sigismund of Hungary, who became the Holy Roman Emperor in 1410. Sigismund founded a secret fraternal order of knights called the Order of the Dragon to uphold Christianity and defend the empire against Turkey. Because of his bravery fighting Turks, Vlad was admitted to the Order, probably in 1431. The boyars started to call him Dracul, meaning "dragon." Vlad's second son would be known as Dracula, or "son of the dragon." Dracul also meant "devil." So Dracula's enemies, especially German Saxons, called him "son of the devil." Eventually Sigismund made Vlad the military governor of Transylvania, a post he held from 1431 to 1435. During that time he lived in the town of Sighisoara or Schassburg. You can still visit the citadel there and even the house where Vlad's son Dracula was born. Today there's a restaurant on the second floor. There's also a mural in the house that may depict Vlad Dracul. Young Dracula Dracula was born in November or December of 1431. His given name was Vlad.

Escape From Poverty Essay

Introduction Poverty is a serious situation where the majority of individuals have experienced in their daily life. Poverty is the inability to maintain standard of living. Poverty is hunger and lack of shelter. Poverty is a lack of basic necessities such as clothing, housing, water and health services. Parents living in severe poverty affect the education of young children. This is because they might be selling for their parents to get some money to maintain themselves, or also the parents are unable to pay for their child’s education. Many children are not attending school due to the lack of money for textbooks, uniforms and tuitions. Therefore, some children tend to suffer for a situation they cannot avoid, being poor. Due to this problem, it is the responsibility of the government and family alike to ensure that a child receives an education. Therefore, their education is likely their only escape from poverty. Aims and Objectives The aim of this research is for the researcher to become aware of the factors influencing the education of these children and also to make the public and government officials aware of this serious situation. The main objective of this research is to find some type of solution or help which will benefit both the parents and the children. The people in this village that are of higher standard of living can come together and help the people that are more in need since it is the lives of young children that is being affected. The government should invest their money in this village by helping parents get books, uniforms and paying tuition for the children. Also they should have more job opportunities since many parents are unemployed and without a job they don’t have money to cover the school expenses. Purpose of Investigation The researcher conducted a research on the Factors affecting the education of young children in the village of Trial Farm. Many children in this village  do not have the opportunity of attending school and having an education. This is a serious factor that should be dealt with immediately since it is affecting the lives of young innocent children. In order for the researcher to know the reasons why this is becoming a serious issue, interviews were held, questionnaires were issued out to the different people and surveys were made. This research will help the researcher and the public become aware about the reasons why children stay home and not go to school. Every child has the right to attend school and to become someone in life. However, this is not so in the village of Trial Farm since parents are not capable of sending their young ones in school or high school. This investigation will be like an eye opener to the researcher and to everyone. Method of Investigation In conducting my research on the â€Å"Factors affecting the education of young children in Trial Farm Village† there were numerous methods used. Firstly a survey was conducted, in the form of informal interviews. A total of fifty randomly selected people were asked questions in terms of the reasons why children are not attending school and why the parents are not capable of sending their children to school. The questionnaires were issued to the parents since they are the ones who can state the reasons for their children not attending school. The parents were allotted about ten minutes to complete the questionnaire. According to the respondents, majority of the children are unable to attend school because of the cost of education. For the informal interviews being made, most of the respondents agreed that the area that generated the most is the cost of purchasing books, paying tuition and getting uniforms for their children. The researcher also used secondary data as a method of research. Some information was obtained from newspapers, articles and a website to get statistical information about this research. The website was www.cso.gob.bz.com(government statistics office). Some informal interviews were also attempted to different parents whereby they corresponded very satisfactorily. This was done to get personal views and opinions by parents. Their answers were used to further analyze and study the factors that affect education in this village. Procedures used to collect data The researcher had gone to the village of Trial Farm in order to conduct a research by conducting a survey. The researcher distributed fifty questionnaires to each individual in the village and was given five minutes to answer it accurately. After collecting the questionnaires, the researcher gathered the information and analyzed the information given by the respondents. After analyzing the data collected the researcher presented the findings of the investigation. As a result, the respondents really helped the researcher in the survey being conducted. They gave accurate responds which assisted the researcher in the survey. Presentation and Explanation of Data Figure 1.1 shows the percentage of children both males and females not attending school. The pie chart above shows 20% of females not attending school, 20% of males not attending school due to many causes as the researcher did its investigation in the village of Trial Farm. Therefore, there are 50% of both males and females not able to attend school. Figure 1.2 shows how many parents both Father and Mother do not have a job. As shown above, both father and mother does not have a job. Out of 15 parents there are 10 fathers not employed and 5 mothers not being employed as the researcher did its investigation on unemployed parents in the village of Trial Farm. Figure 1.3 shows that what the people of Trial Farm believe what causes their children from not attending school. As shown above, there are 10 people who believe that unemployment causes their children from not attending school, 6 people believe that poverty causes it and 4 people believe that the government causes the children from attending school. Interpretation of Data In the village of Trial Farm, there are a number of young children not attending school because their parents are unable to pay due to financial need. After analyzing the data being collected, there is a total of 50% of children both males and females not attending school due to many causes.  There are 20% of females and 30% of males not attending school in the village of Trial Farm. Due to this, it is because of their parents not having a job to sustain the family; therefore, it leads to unemployment where it affects the children. In total there are 15 parents both mother and father not employed. There are a total of 10 males and 5 females not being employed. So it leads to several causes that affect the children in not attending school. This leads to unemployment where parents do not have the opportunity to have a job; it leads to poverty where parents do not have enough income to sustain the family and deals with the government. This may cause the children not able to go to scho ol because of transportation; government doesn’t provide a bus for those children who are not able to buy a bicycle to go to school. Government does not help in purchasing textbooks, stationeries and trying to pay half of the tuitions for those children. Finding 1. Poverty affects the life of many; children go to school without breakfast or even enough money to buy a suitable meal for lunch. 2. When it comes to education of a child, some families are unable to afford sending their child because of the cost of education in terms of purchasing textbooks, paying tuitions and the sewing of uniforms. 3. The researcher had encountered that poverty is a situation whereby many families cannot avoid, mainly because they are born into it and they cannot help themselves, therefore, they seek low paying jobs, and force their children to sell for them in order to sustain their life. 4. Conducting the research in the village of Trial Farm, the researcher saw many homeless people wandering around the streets; women and their children, and men. 5. Poverty neglects many things for families; education, proper schooling, and shelter. Recommendation 1. The researcher had seen how sad is to see people living in poor conditions whereby children are unable to attend school. 2. Government together with the Ministry of Education should try to provide a home for many of the disadvantaged children, by giving them an opportunity by sending them to  school and by giving scholarships to those children who are in need of an education because it is very important for a child to get an education so that they would have something to defend themselves in the longer run when they are finding a job. 3. As a country and as a person, we should find different ways to be a supportive system for these people, because they are just like any ordinary people who have hopes and dreams in life. 4. We should help each other to move forward so our country can progress and be a better place to live in. Questionnaire Greetings in the name of the lord! My name is Maritza Vasquez and I am a student of University of Belize, the researcher. The researcher is investigating on the topic â€Å"Factors affecting the education of young children in the village of Trial Farm† hence; I am kindly requesting your assistance by YOU filling out this questionnaire. This questionnaire will assist the researcher by giving accurate and direct data that will be used for my research project. Thank you in advance for your kind assistance. May God Bless you! 1. Do you have a job in order to sustain your family? Yes No If yes what type of job? _______________________ 2. How much do you spend a day? $0-$2 $2- $5 $5- $10   10 & above 3. Are you in need of basic necessities? Yes No If yes, state what basic necessities you are in need of ___________________________________________________________ 4. Have you been helped by other individuals? Yes No 5. Have you ever experienced a financial need? 6. Yes No If yes, state why? _____________________________________________________________ 7. How many children do you have? 1, 2, 3, 4 and above 8. Are your children attending school? Yes No 9. If your child isn’t attending school, state what they do on their free time and why? _______________________________________________________________ 10. Why are you unable to send your child to school? _______________________________________________________________ 11. Have you ever heard your child say that he/she wants to go to school? Yes No 12. If there was an opportunity for your child to go to school, would you let him/her go to school? Yes No If no, state why? ______________________________________________

The Public Education System is a Failure

The Public Education System is a Failure A child miseducated is a child lost. - President John F. Kennedy Education policy is one of the few issues vigorously debated at every level of government. Local communities (parents), counties, states, and the federal government struggle for control over control of the education system. Conservatives overwhelmingly support school choice and broad educational opportunity. We believe in a competitive environment that sees private, public, parochial, charter, and alternative schools where parents can choose the best fit for their kids. We also generally believe in voucher programs that would help children in poorer communities have the same opportunities to go to the same schools as their wealthier counterparts, almost always with a lower price-tag than simply sending them to failing public schools. Liberals love, as one might suspect, the big government solution. One central policy fits all. Appeasing the wealthy and voter rich teachers unions is their top priority, though they will always claim its for the children. This is why Democrats always favor protecting government teachers over helping kids - often minorities who need such help the most - escape a bad environment. Stomping out the competition and battling alternative forms of education, such as private schools or homeschooling, is also high on the agenda. Government always knows best, and decades of failure will not change their minds. But how do such opinions toward public education develop? Why is it that conservatives and liberals are so far apart when ensuring a successful educational system is one thing we should all agree on? Often, people take a political position based on the political party they have chosen. My position comes from my own experiences. My Life as a Public Education Student I was lured with an offer: Choose our high school and earn college credits. It was 1995 and I was heading into high school. No-one in my family had ever gone to college, and it was pretty well beaten into me that I would be the first. My family was on the lower-end of the middle class scale and private school was out of the question at this point. Luckily, as most would view it, I was zoned to go to a mostly white and wealthy public high school. But there was an alternative: a separate public high school recently started offering free college credits through a set of different magnet programs. As you might guess, a magnet program is meant to attract students to that school. The magnet school was located in a low-income, high-crime community and many thought I was crazy to voluntarily go there. With roughly 40% of students failing to graduate, the school had the highest dropout rate out of the two dozen district schools. But the option of free college credits that would eliminate over a year of college was too good to pass up for someone in my situation. I actually had a choice, though not as many as I would want my kids to have today. And as I would later realize, the system was not set-up with the students best interests in mind. I realized it was both a scam for me and the community that the school served. Importing Improvements Why was a magnet program established at, of all places, this failing public high school? In retrospect, it seems obvious. News reports at the time hinted the program was put into place for diversity reasons and to integrate the school better (the student body is roughly 5% white). But their was no real integration. The people bussed in from other communities were shoved into honors or Advanced Placement classes with each other and were effectively segregated from the rest of the students anyway. The only diversification that could be seen was in the hallways as we rushed from class to class or in P.E. So, that clearly was no reason to have the magnet program located there if you were seeking to diversify. One critical factor is that the magnet programs have requirements. Above average grades were required both for acceptance and in order to stay in the various magnet programs. The requirements are necessary and logical given that students would be taking college level classes. But it made even more sense as to why the programs were developed in this particular school: to import successful students and help get the school out of the basement. It was a pretty safe bet that the students being brought into these magnet programs, which were located in a school with high drop-out and low college preparedness rates, would both graduate and go to college. The number of magnet schools increased, and so to did the importation of better students. Is it cynical to suggest that these programs were introduced into this school for no other reason than to make the school seem as though it was improving, when they were doing little more than filling seats with kids who were supposed to go to other sch ools? Where the unable to make real change with the students they had so they attempted to stack the deck? Failing the Students who Lived in the Community I dont oppose the idea of having magnet schools. I believe the concept of letting high school students both earn college credits and decide on a career path would work well in a competitive educational system. But the model here was seemingly to make a school appear more successful by bringing in students who were highly likely to succeed, rather than actually fixing the underlying problems with the broken public education system. Nothing changed for those who lived in that community and went to that school. The school system tried to put lipstick on a pig. The magnet school would have logically fit into any other public school besides this one. If anything, it made absolutely no sense to put the school there at all. Yes, some of the kids in the magnet program were from the community, but that was a very small percentage. My classes were filled primarily with those who were brought in from outside of the community, then we were bussed out when the bells rang. The horrible irony is rather than taking good kids with few options out and sending them somewhere to be successful, they were taking good kids who were in a good situation and putting them into a pretty bad environment. This is why I and most conservatives support public choice. Eventually, we have to put the needs of children above the needs of teachers and and the governments dream of complete control over education.

Innocent - Shot story Essays - Free Essays, Term Papers

Innocent - Shot story Essays - Free Essays, Term Papers Creative writing Shot story Innocent Cesar was a young man in the late 30's, who liked the good and easy life, so he and his friends started a gang so that they could steal from the people from Grandview Town. They started small, stealing a wallet one day, then a small store the next day. However, it wasn't enough for them, they wanted more, much more, so Cesar, who was the gang leader said to the other guys if we continue to steal only small things, we will never be rich. It will take use years to get where we want." So they started robbing banks, and big expensive stores. They started to become rich. One day, Cesar met a girl, Juliette, a very beautiful young lady. Juliette was a tall brunette, with light brown eyes that looked like two drops is honey. Cesar fell in love with Juliette, and Juliette liked him too, but for her the like that he had wasn't good. She asked him to quit robbing, and he did because he loved her very much. He looked for an honest job, he didn't make much money, but he was happy to make her happy. One day, the house of a very rich woman was robbed, a very expensive Russian hat was stolen, and everyone thought it was Cesar. The same day he bought his wife a Russian hat that looked exactly like Ms. Samantha's. They went for a walk and Juliette wore the hat, the police arrived, and asked her where she got the hat, because it looked like the one that was stolen. She said her husband gave her. And they all looked at him, even she thought he was guilty. The police took him to the police station and stated to ask him questions, but he didn't want to answer. So the police investigated the case and found out that that wasn't Ms. Samantha's hat, it was a cheap copy of the hat, so they let Cesar go. He was innocent. "Why didn't you say it wasn't you who stole the hat? You almost went to jail," asked his wife angry. "Because I'd rather go to jail than say that I wasnt able to give you the best, which you deserve.

Analyse and critically discuss the statement below Essay

Analyse and critically discuss the statement below - Essay Example ch as GE, Apple and others use these terms and their associated theoretical underpinnings to gain competitive advantages and their example becomes important while we try to understand the connection between theory and practice. For instance, when it comes to creating a purpose or strategy for an organization, GE uses the vision of the company to guide itself in where it wants to be over a given period of time. No company in the world across any industry in any location is as well respected as GE (Demos, 2006). Throughout its existence, and more recently in the last few years, analysts from the fields of management, human resources and organisational studies have all given their respects to GE (Fisher, 2006). A large part of this respect comes from the way GE handles its human resources of which examples have been given by those who have been a part of GE as well as those who have observed it from afar. In essence, the handling of human resources at GE is deeply linked with their idea of the mission and vision of the company. In theory, the functionalist paradigm of human resource management connects greatly with the idea of rationality and thus rewards as well as punishments become a rational method for ensuring continual behaviour of one type or another. Consequentially, these are an intrinsic part of the management system at GE (Kerr, 1996). Welch (2005) reports that, â€Å"We publicly rewarded people who drove the mission and let go of people who couldn’t deal with it for whatever reason (Welch, 2005, Pg. 16)†. The idea of publicly rewarding top performers ensures that those who see it happen know why some individuals are being rewarded more than others. On a simpler level, the individuals who were rewarded would have a harder time in leaving the company and their strategic relationship with the company would evolve and be strengthened (Henry, 2006). Therefore, rationality and rewards go hand in hand with the theory and strategy behind human resource

Nike Inc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Nike Inc - Essay Example According to the report in terms of behavioral segmentation, the product is target to the loyal customers. The product is priced at $149, which makes the product a luxury product. The product would therefore not greatly appeal to the price sensitive consumers and they may look for the same product offered by cheaper brands. Since the product is more of a luxury than a necessity, the price sensitive consumer would be generally not attracted towards the product.This paper discusses that  product development strategy is best suited. This is because the product is new, with a few modifications from the first generation Fuel Band but the market remains the same. With this product, Nike is and should continue to target its existing consumers which are sports loving people who live and enjoy an active lifestyle. They are mostly high-end sophisticated consumers to frequently and even occasionally consume luxury products such as the Fuel Band.  In terms of the environmental uncertainty Ma trix, the product is positioned as high uncertainty. Products positioned in this area of uncertainty have the following characteristics: dynamic and unpredictable market; involves many components; requires high skills and knowledge.   Since the Nike Fuel Band fits in all these areas, it faces high uncertainty in the market.  In terms of competition, the company faces competition from mainly three other products: Jawbone UP, Fitbit Flex and Basis.... This is because the product is new, with a few modifications from the first generation Fuel Band but the market remains the same (Kelion, 2013). With this product, Nike is and should continue to target its existing consumers which are sports loving people who live and enjoy an active lifestyle. They are mostly high-end sophisticated consumers to frequently and even occasionally consume luxury products such as the Fuel Band (Sherman, 2013). The product, Fuel Band, in this case is a relatively new product. Nike had released the first generation of Fuel Band in the beginning of 2012 but a more modified version was developed in the end of 2012 known as the Nike + Fuelband (Nike Inc., 2012). Environmental Uncertainty In terms of the environmental uncertainty Matrix, the product is positioned as high uncertainty. Products positioned in this area of uncertainty have the following characteristics: dynamic and unpredictable market; involves many components; requires high skills and knowledge. Since the Nike Fuel Band fits in all these areas, it faces high uncertainty in the market (Robbins and Coutler, 2007). Competitor analysis In terms of competition, the company faces competition from mainly three other products: Jawbone UP, Fitbit Flex and Basis. A general comparison of the features of these products is shown below: Feature Fuel Band Jawbone Fitbit Flex Basis Price 149 130 100 200 Battery Time (in Days) 1-4 10 5 4 Compatible Applications 3 10 27 0 Blue Tooth Yes No Yes Yes Water Proof No No No No Water Resistant Yes Yes Yes Yes Unique Features Calories, Time, Steps, Nike Fuel and Daily Progress Vibrating Alarm Vibrating Alarm Pulse, Sweat and Temperature Compatible With iOS and Web iOS and Andriod iOS,