Holocaust Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Holocaust - Essay Example Despite popular opinion, the Holocaust didn’t occur because the German people fell into a hypnotic trance of some sort and suddenly felt obligated to kill innocents simply from hearing Hitler’s charismatic speeches. Most German citizens did not know of the Concentration Camps, including the residents of the cities where these camps of death were located. The executions were performed by the German military with SS troops, paramilitary police unit, in charge of the operations. Both the unknowing German citizens and the most fanatical of Nazi’s did have something in common however, a nationalistic idealism which was the underlying motive for the annihilation of the Jewish race. This common idealism was derived from the result of a long developing German cultural connection via the ideology of Volkism, with beginnings from the previous century. This paper will show evidence that Nazi foreign policy ambition before 1939 extended not only to regional military invasions but to total racial, ideological and cultural dominion on a global scale. It will look at the Aryan Nazi aspiration to be the world’s main power in terms of obtaining territory beyond simply Europe and Russia. No greater illustration is the Nazis plans to eventually invade the U.S. Additionally the paper will examine the significance of eliminating the Jewish race so that the Aryan race could govern the world and the Nazi’s association with art, the symbolic meaning behind controlling the world’s works of art so they could control the world’s combined culture. The Nazi state did not focus on production or preserving Germany’s economic condition but instead on its ability to prey upon other societies. Guided by authoritarian and racist political theories, the Nazis rapidly eliminated basic freedoms in an effort to construct a ‘Volk’ community. A ‘volkish’ community, according to Nazi ideals, united all regions of Germany and social

Cvs Annual Report Essay Example for Free

Cvs Annual Report Essay Executive Summary/Company History/Products and Services CVS/Pharmacy has shown a consistent growth for the last three years. Three years ago CVS/Pharmacy has merged with Longs Pharmacy and Caremark to form the largest retail pharmacy chain in the United States. CVS/Pharmacy- CVS/Pharmacy began operations in 1963, and added the pharmacy department in 1967. In 2007, CVS merged with Caremark Rx, Inc. Finally, in 2008, CVS bought the Longs Drug Store chain. CVS has over 7000 stores(Cvs.com, 2010). At the end of 9 months of 2010, the company has lost 9. 25% against 2009 net income. However, the company has increased their assets and liabilities by .1% against 2009 figures(Cvs.com, 2010). As the company stands now in trends, Net revenues for this 7,100-store drugstore retailer were $23.9 billion for Q3 2010, down 3.1% from $24.6 billion in the prior years period. Poor performance by the companys Pharmacy Services segment—its revenues dropped 8.5%, to $11.9 billion—was a major contributor to the companys woes. CVS Retail Pharmacy segment revenues actually increased 4.1%, with total same-store sales climbing 2.5%(Trendwatch, 2010). CVS/Pharmacy is in the process of transitioning their leadership at CEO. Tom Ryan will be stepping down at the end of the year as CEO, and Larry Merlo will be promoted to CEO. Tom Ryan has been the CEO of CVS/Pharmacy Inc. since 1994, and it has been the consistency at the top that has lead to the expansion of CVS/Pharmacy as being largest retail pharmacy chain in the United States. Now that Toms tenure is coming to a close, a new dawn is  occurring for the corporation with Larry Merlo taking the helm. Competitor Analysis In the retail pharmacy industry, there are only three pure pharmacy firms: CVS/Pharmacy, Walgreens, and Rite-Aid. Pure pharmacy firms are pharmacy retailers whose business is built around the pharmacy. Wal-Mart, Kroger, and local grocery stores have pharmacies as an extension of their business plan, but it is not the focus of their company. CVS/Pharmacy and Walgreens have been battling over the top position for years, and Rite-Aid has been ranked at a steady third in the market place. Walgreens- Walgreens is CVS/Pharmacys chief competitor. Founded in 1901, Walgreens is considerably older. Unlike CVS/Pharmacy, Walgreens began with the pharmacy department. With 6000 stores, Walgreens is smaller than CVS. In 2010, Walgreens has increased sales against last year by 6.4%, and net earnings by 4.2%(Walgreens.com, 2010). Moreover, they have posted 36 straight years of sales gains, and 35 straight years of dividend payments(Walgreens.com, 2010). Finally, Walgreens has posted net earnings for 5 consecutive years. Despite Walgreens smaller size, it has a bigger market share at 31.2% compared to CVS/Pharmacys 25%(Wikinvest.com, 2010). The last 10 years has been the first decade that a Walgreens family member was not at the helm of the Walgreens Pharmacy chain. Charles Walgreens retired from the CEO position in 1998, but stayed on a member of the board of directors. Mr. Walgreens will officially retire for the company this year. Gregory D. Wasson is the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Wasson has worked with Walgreens for 31 years. In conclusion, Walgreens CVS/Pharmacy are the giants in retail pharmacy. Their strengths, weaknesses, successes, and failures have brought them to a virtual dead heat. The purpose of this research is analyze the financial strength of both to determine which is in the best financial health. Common Size Statements We will first compare CVS/Pharmacy and Walgreens through common size financial statements. Commons size financial statements allow for comparisons to be made between companies of different sizes and volumes in order to see the true performance. CVS/Pharmacy has over 7000 stores, and Walgreens Pharmacy only has 6000 stores. The difference in size will have an  impact on expense, revenue, and income. Every company plans to get the most out of every dollar spent. Consequently, we will be comparing the their financial performance from 2007-2009. From the beginning, Walgreens has yielded a better gross profit by an average of 8% over CVS/Pharmacy. Gross profit is the amount left over after cost of goods sold is taken from revenue. Although, both have been steady with their percentage gross profit, CVS/Pharmacy 21% Walgreens 28%, Walgreens has gained more. However, Walgreens celebration is short lived because the balance statement is more than gross profit. In fact the 8% edge in gross profit they gave back in operating expenses. Walgreens operating expenses took, on average, 22.5% away from their total revenue. CVS/Pharmacy operating expenses took only 14.5% away from their total revenue. Moreover, other indicators of return on investment to the company are higher for CVS/Pharmacy than Walgreens. CVS/Pharmacy has had a higher operating income than Walgreens since 2007. For the last two years CVS/Pharmacy has posted higher income before taxes than Walgreens. Finally, the biggest trend difference between the two firms is that CVS/Pharmacys net income has increased three years in a row, while Walgreens net income has steadily decreased three years in a row. As a company, CVS/Pharmacy received a 20% gross profit margin. The next biggest payment went to operating expenses at 14.12%. After the expenses, income before taxes and operating profit account for 13% and net income accounts for nearly 4%. In 2009 alone, Walgreens gross profit and operating expenses nearly cancel each other out. There is only a 4% variance between gross profit and operating expenses for Walgreens. Operating profit and income before taxes accounts for only 10% of the revenue, while Walgreens net income accounts for barely over 3%. On the key financial statements, Walgreens performance has been diminishing over the last three years, and CVS/Pharmacys performance has risen. The reason behind the growing strength of CVS/Pharmacy has been the general, consistent financial growth. This will be illustrated by the financial ratios. Liquidity is the firms ability to meet its current obligations(Marshall, McManus, Vielle, 2010). Working capital is the excess of a firms current assets over its current liabilities(2010). In this case, Walgreens has higher working capital than CVS/Pharmacy. On other tests of liquidity,  Walgreens out performs CVS/Pharmacy. Walgreens has a higher current ratio, acid test ratio, and they turn over their assets 8 more times a year than CVS/Pharmacy. Although Walgreens has yielded their lowest net income in three years, they have a high comparable liquidity. Moreover, the higher net income for CVS/Pharmacy has not translated into higher liquidity. However, the increased in income has translated into a higher inventory turnover for CVS/Pharmacy. Conclusion The findings of this paper are illustrating the transition in the marketplace between CVS/Pharmacy and Walgreens. For the last 20 years, these retail pharmacy firms have battled for supremacy in the industry. Over the last decade, CVS/Pharmacy has had one Chief Executive Officer, Tom Ryan. However, since Tom Ryan took over in 1999, Walgreens has had 3 CEO changes. The result of inconsistency in their leadership has translated to a lower return on investment. Walgreens has higher liquidity, but they have shown three years of decreasing net income. As a result, they are getting weaker as an organization. However, CVS/Pharmacy has shown consistent growth over the last three years. Their increasing strength has been represented by their purchases of Longs Pharmacy and Caremark. It is my conclusion that this trend will continue

Grounded theory in research

Grounded theory in research Evaluate the contribution of grounded theory, as an approach to data analysis Introduction The concept of grounded theory is from the Glaser and Strauss research in 1967. In 1960s, they made a research for medical personnel to deal with an imminent death of the patients field observation in a hospital, and then discovered and developed the grounded theory. In this essay, I will evaluate the grounded theory in 5 parts. The first part is the characteristics of grounded theory; the second part is the procedure of grounded theory; the third part is comparison with other types of research methods and the forth part is the contribution of grounded theory research in management field, and the last part is the future of grounded theory. 1. The characteristics of grounded theory Some perspectives of grounded theory In Suddabys (2006) view, the grounded theory can be described as: â€Å"Grounded the ­ory is best understood historically. The methodology was developed by Glaser and Strauss (1967) as a reaction against the extreme positivism that had per ­meated most social research.† (Suddaby 2006, p.633) And Gephart (2004) points out: â€Å"Glaser and Strauss (1967) proposed grounded theory as a practical method for conducting re ­search that focuses on the interpretive process by analysing the â€Å"the actual production of meanings and concepts used by social actors in real settings† (Gephart, 2004, p.457). And another view is Glasers perspective (1992, p16), he argues that: â€Å"The grounded theory is a general methodology of analysis linked with data collection that uses a systematically applied set of methods to generate an inductive theory about a substantive area.† Grounded theory research method is a type of qualitative research which is based on induction. It used in many sociological research areas such as education, religion, and many others. Zhigang (2007) argued that the method is characterized by extracting the theory from the phenomenon to create or enrich existing theoretical system. In the view of Layder (1993), Grounded theory method is a process of generating a theory, which including constant comparison, thinking, analysis and transformation of information. The characteristics of emphasis on information and more interactive approach, which makes the researchers collect data by making use of a continuous and intimate interactions of the parties and events. In summary, in the first place, according to Zhigangs perspective,(2007) the grounded theory is a bottom-up approach to establish substantive theory, which is finding the core concepts reflects the social phenomenon based on systematical data collection, and then generate the relative theory through the links between these concepts. Secondly, grounded theory must be supported by empirical evidence, but it is not the main feature of grounded theory, the main feature is that it generates new theory or idea abstracted form the experience and data analysis. Lastly, in philosophical ideology, grounded theory approach is a paradigm based on the post-positivist, which emphasize on falsifying current theory which has been constructed. The comparative analysis the core of data analysis of grounded theory Strauss Corbin (1998) pointed out that the grounded theory emphasizes on development of the theory, but also the theory is based on the data collection of realities, and continuing data analysis through the comparison. The strategy of comparative analysis usually used in sociology research. In grounded theory, it is a very important process. Glaser and Strauss (1967) argued that it should be first contrasted the use of the method with certain other users in the research process, and then define and describe what type of theory be created through comparative analysis. The purpose of comparative analysis, as a strategic method for generating theory, is to obtain the accurate evidence, which is the difference between establishing theory and verifying theory. The evidence collected from some comparative groups, which is used to examine whether the original evidence was correct. The characteristic of comparative analysis for establishing theory or concept puts a high emphasis on theory as process. In other words, theory is not perfected; it needs develop continuously through comparative analysis. Glaser and Strauss (1967) believed that theory renders the reality of social interaction and its structural context as a process. The coding Coding is a key element of the data analysis in grounded theory. BaiKai and YuanBo (2009) argued that the encoding is the usually used technology in the qualitative research which is entirely different from quantitative research. In qualitative research, the purpose of coding is not counted, but rather deconstruction of information to form the concept. They would be re-arranged in different categories, in order to promote the comparison of information and proposition of theoretical concepts in one category. Zhigang (2007) points out that the effective use of the grounded theory primarily depends on the following two aspects: on the one hand, the researchers should make an effort to choose a meaningful direction or area of research. It is difficult to identify the gaps that may exist in the theoretical proposition; On the one hand, the researchers should pay attention to data collection and collation, and propose some theoretical assumptions and refining the new conclusions in accordance with the principles, steps and techniques of the grounded theory. 2. The procedure of the grounded theory In Strauss and Corbins view (1998), it is important that focus mainly on the process. They believe that the process is more important as describing and coding everything which is continuously changing. The process of grounded theory research made based on the view of Pandit. N (1996) Source: Pandit. N (1996) The Creation of Theory: A Recent Application of the Grounded Theory Method As can be seen clearly, there are mainly 3 phases in the process of grounded theory research design phase, data collection phase and data analysis. The whole process is started at review of technical literature and finished at reaching closure, but it is need to note here is that if the result is theoretical saturation after the theoretical sampling step, it should be restarted the second step selecting cases. According to the Suddabys view (2006), There are 2 key points in the method which described by Glaser and Strauss (1967) â€Å"constant comparison,† and â€Å"theoretical sampling,† in which data are collected and ana ­lysed simultaneously, and â€Å"theoretical sampling,† in which decisions about which data should be collected next are determined by the theory that is being constructed. Therefore, the most important steps in the process are data analysis and theoretical sampling, which are the key difference in contrast with other research methods. 3. Comparison with other methods of qualitative research Grounded theory and other various ways in social research have different advantages and disadvantages. Possibly different types of methods can be used in different areas. Researchers select different research methods, could means that they have different research ideas and objectives. At the same time, selection and use of methods could more depend on the topic or the attribute of research. The necessary requirement of obtaining the valuable research findings is the appropriate combination between objectives and methods of the research. Comparison with Hypothesis Testing The Hypothesis testing method is different from the Grounded theory method. The definition of Hypothesis testing can be described as: â€Å"Hypothesis testing research investigates a phenomenon in terms of a relationship between an independent and dependent variable, both of which are measurable numerically. This relationship is called a hypothesis. The aim of the research is to test whether the hypothesized relationship is actually true, using statistical methods.† (Auerbach and Silverstein, 2003, p.3) Although hypothesis testing and grounded theory are good research methods to do the research in some areas, there are some differences between them. The hypothesis testing method is mainly different from the grounded theory in the process of building theory. In hypothesis testing method, the hypothesis or idea has been generated first. Researchers can make hypothesis without any evidence, then they will look for the evidences or collect data and information to support their hypothesis or idea. In contrast, grounded theory is an inductive method which focuses on the discovery and does not rest on hypothesis testing but on building hypotheses according to the data and relative information. Suddaby (2006) point out: â€Å"Glaser and Strauss rejected positivist notions of falsification and hypothesis testing and, instead, described an organic process of theory emergence based on how well data fit conceptual categories identified by an observer, by how well the categories explain or pred ict ongoing interpre ­tations, and by how relevant the categories are to the core issues being observed.† (Suddaby, 2006, p.634) It is clear that the hypothesis testing a grounded theory would be used in different fields, such as the hypothesis could be used for working out the mathematics problem and grounded theory could be used in the research in the social areas. Which method can be chosen for research depends on the objectives of the research. Comparison with Ethnography Creswell (1998) argued that ethnography involves prolonged observation of the group, typically through participant observation in which the research is immersed in the day to day lives of thepeople or through one on one interviews with members of the group. Clearly, the ethnography method could be more used in the research of human, culture and language etc. From the view of Creswell (1998, p148), the following table can describe the differences between grounded theory and ethnography in data analysis process. Data analysis and representation Grounded theory Ethnography Data managing Create and organize files for data Create and organize files for data Reading, Memoing Read through text, make margin notes, form initial codes Read through text, make margin notes, form initial codes Classifying Engage in axial coding Engage in open coding Analyse data for themes and patterned regularities Interpreting Engage in selective coding Develop a conditional matrix Interpret and make sense of findings Representing, Visualizing Present a visual theory Present propositions Present narrative presentation augmented by tables, figures and sketches Source: Creswell, J. (1998) Qualitative inquiry and research design: choosing among five traditions As can be seen clearly, the most difference between grounded and ethnography is from classifying step to visualizing step. The 3 core coding steps play an important role in the data analysis of grounded theory, which make the grounded theory can be developed through the constant comparison. And also it is one of the advantages of grounded theory in contrast with other qualitative methods as an approach to data analysis. Mello and Flint (2009) believe that the grounded theory primarily uses interviews, but also uses observation and documents analysis like an ethnography method. It differs from an ethnography method because of its purpose, which is to build theory. Like many other interpretive qualitative approaches, grounded theory has helped other disciplines open up fruitful new avenues of research. Hammersley (1990) argues that much ethnography places emphasis on the ‘description as an important purpose of research, there are other strands that focus on a form of ‘theoretical description. However, while Glaser and Strauss think that grounded theory is related to the wider context of qualitative analysis and method. The grounded theory approach is highly distinctive and unlike other types of qualitative methods. 4. Grounded Theory in management research It is no doubt that the grounded theory can be used in a wide range of research such like nursing, business and management, mathematics and many types of sociology. Then, I will talk about the contribution of grounded theory focus on the business and management area. Firstly, the following table gives some examples of the grounded theory used in management research. Examples of grounded theory in management research Example references Senior executives and IT Systems development Managing understanding in orgnisations Organisational culture Staff perspectives on work Retailer response to manufactures low-cost programmes Rural women entrepreneurs Competitive strategy and manufacturing Process technology Building co-operation in competitive industries Consumer behaviour Advertising and mass media Marketing Career development Electronic data interchange Leadership in organisations Strategic alliances Ideal business images for women Tourist behaviour Employment outcomes Seeley and Targett (1997) King (1996), Calloway and Ariav (1995) Brown (1994, 1995) Turner (1981, 1988) Clegg et al. (1996) Nuefeldt et al. (1996) Manning et al. (1998) Egan (1997) McKinley-Wright (1995) Schroeder and Congden (1995) Congden (1995) Browning et al. (1995) Houston and Venkatesh (1996) Goulding (1999b,1999c,2000b,2000c) Hirschman and Thompson (1997) Burchill and Fine (1997) De la Cuesta (1994) Beard (1989) Sperber-Richie et al. (1997) Crook and Kumar (1998) Parry (1998) Hunt and Ropo (1995) Lang (1996) Kimle and Damhost (1997) Riley (1995, 1996) Mullins and Roessier (1998) Source: Goulding, C. (2002) Grounded Theory: A Practical Guide for Management, Business and Market Researchers From the table above, it is obvious that the grounded theory can be used in many researches about business and explores a wide range of management problems. â€Å"These situations merely serve to demonstrate the transcending nature of grounded theory and its potential for application in the field of management research.† (Goulding, 2002, p.51) Taking the marketing field as an example, â€Å"grounded theory has begun theoretical development in the areas of the creation of a market oriented firm, moving away from previous research that merely described what a market oriented firm looks like.† (Gebhardt, Carpenter, and Sherry, 2006, citied in Mello, and Flint (2009) A Refined View of Grounded Theory and Its Application to Logistics Research p.109) 5. Grounded theory in the future What grounded theory will happen in the future? It is no doubt that the grounded theory will be used for doing research in the wider range of fields. Increasing researchers will choose the grounded theory as the first choice. Youhui (1996) think that one of the characteristics of grounded theory method is that the discover believe that it is necessary to generate theory in the research of sociology and both data analysis and theory building should be focused in qualitative research and any other research methods. Therefore, the grounded theory method is ideally suited to the areas such as: the existing theoretical system which is not perfected, the phenomenon which is very difficult to effectively explain, or the new areas and phenomenon which has no systematical theory currently. About the Justifying Grounded Theory in the future, Glaser described it as: â€Å"The future will bring less need to legitimize grounded theory; hence, there will be less need to justify using it. Now, many researchers have to explain it and argue for its use. Its future portends that grounded theory will be as accepted as are other methods (e.g., surveys) and will require little or no explanation to justify its use in a research project.† (Glaser, B.G. 1999, pp.845) Charmaz (2005 citied in Denzin, N.K. and Lincoln, Y.S. (2005) Handbook of Qualitative Research) believe that a major strength of the grounded theory is that they provide tools for analysing process, and these tools hold much potential for studying social justice issues. She also believed that coding practices can help us to see our assumptions, as well as those of our research participants. Rather than raising our code to a level of objectively, we can raise questions about how and why we developed certain codes. Grounded theory has its own advantages, it is to believe that grounded theory will be developed deeper and suitable for the research, Charmaz (2005 citied in Denzin, N.K. and Lincoln, Y.S. (2005) The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research 3rd ed.) write that: â€Å"As its best, grounded theory provides methods to explicate an empirical process in ways that prompt seeing beyond it. By sticking closely to the leads and explicating the relevant process, the researcher can go deeper into meaning and action than given in words. Thus, the focused inquiry of grounded theory, with its progressive inductive analysis, moves the work theoretically and covers more empirical observations than other approaches. In this way, a focused grounded theory portrays a picture of the whole.† (Charmaz, 2005, pp.529) Conclusion To sum up, the grounded theory has a wider use range than other methods. For those social areas which lack current theory and some phenomenon which lack enough evidence and explanation, the grounded theory method is an effective analytical technique as an approach of data analysis. This method not only can help researchers to use inductive methods to abstract the basic theory from the phenomenon in the research, but also it is a good way to build and develop the theoretical system gradually to achieve the combination with the current theory effectively. There are many contributions of grounded theory in many different areas such as business, education, medicine and other many others. In terms of many advantages and characteristics of grounded theory, we believe that it will be use in more range of social research as an approach to data analysis and developed more to be accepted by more researchers. Reference Auerbach, C.F. and Silverstein, L.B. 2003 Qualitative Data: an Introduction to Coding and Analysis. New York University BaiKai and YuanBo. 2009. The analysis of impression series by Grounded theory Journal of Shaanxi Administration School Vol.23, No.1 pp.15-20 Borgatti, S. 2009. ‘Introduction to Grounded Theory [Online] [Accessed Nov 2009] Available From Creswell, J. 1998. Qualitative inquiry and research design: choosing among five traditions Sage Publications. London Denzin, N.K. and Lincoln, Y.S. 2005. The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research 3rd ed. California: Sage Publication Gephart, R. P. 2004. Qualitative research and the Academy of Management Journal. Academy of Management Journal, Vol.47, pp.454-462 Glaser, B.G. 1992. Basics of Grounded theory Analysis Mill Valley, CA: Sociology Press Glaser, B. G. 1999. The Future of Grounded Theory Qualitative Health Research, Vol. 9, No. 6, November pp.836-845 Glaser, B.G. and Strauss, A. 1967. The Discovery of Grounded Theory. New York: Aldine De Gruyter Goulding, C. 2002. Grounded Theory: A Practical Guide for Management, Business and Market Researchers. London: Sage Publications Hammersley, M. 1990. Whats wrong with ethnography? The myth of theoretical description. Sociology, Vol. 24, pp.597-615 Layder, D. (1993) New Strategies in Social Research: An Introduction and Guide Cambridge: Polity Press Mello, J. and Flint D. J. 2009. A Refined View of Grounded Theory and Its Application to Logistics Research Journal of Business Logistics, Vol. 30, No. 1, 107—108 Pandit, N. 1996. The Creation of Theory: A Recent Application of the Grounded Theory Method The Qualitative Report, Vol. 2, No. 4 2009 Strauss, A and Corbin, J. 1998. Basics of Qualitative Research California: Sage Publications Suddaby, R. 2006. From The Editors: What Grounded Theory Is Not Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 49, No. 4, pp.633-642 Youhui Hu. (1996) Qualitative Research: Theory, Method and Local Women Case Studies Research Taipei: Juliu Publications Zhigang Li. 2007. The Study of Grounded Theory in Business Research. Journal of East Forum. Vol.4, pp.90-94

MBA Admissions Essays - The Art of Business :: MBA College Admissions Essays

MBA Admissions Essays - The Art of Business We stroll through a marketplace in Beer-Sheva, inhaling a conglomeration of smells and sounds that feel as though they are part of a different century. My father and I enter a small stand. A little woman sits in the corner scanning her livelihood like a hawk monitoring her nest. She promotes her wares not for a quarterly report but to feed and clothe her family. My father picks up a small wooden camel and calls out in our native tongue, "How much?" "Fifty Shekel," she responds. Her reply is automatic. This is what she does all day, every day. My father eyes her directly. He doesn't flinch. "I'll give you ten." He remembers the game as if he'd been playing it daily since he left his homeland. She opens high and he counters low, each one hoping the other will give in first. I observe, taking mental notes. She replies with conviction, "It's handmade, I can't go lower than forty." We all know the camel was made in a local factory, but he doesn't contradict her. To call her credibility into question at this stage could ruin the transaction. "I only have twenty," fires my dad, as if he had rehearsed his line. I glance at his back pocket bulging with Israeli currency but don't let on, for she's searching my face for a sign of weakness. I'm beginning to see what the game is all about. "I cannot sell for less than forty," she retorts. My father squeezes my hand subtly and I latch on to his paw. We slowly start to leave the stall. "So be it," he voices over his shoulder with an air of studied ease. We continue out of the cool shadows toward the fascinating frenzy of the exotic streets. Just as our sandaled feet touch the dirt road and we are about to rejoin the crowd, we hear a shriek. "Wait! Give me thirty." My father winks at me, turns nonchalantly, and swaggers toward the woman. I quickly pull thirty Shekel out of my pocket and thrust them into his hand, so the woman won't discover the treasures buried in his pocket. I smile at my quick thinking. My father plays it straight, as if I were supposed to hand him the money. He works his thick fingers around a five-shekel piece and with a magician's sleight-of-hand, swiftly transfers the coin to his other palm.

Recruitment and Retention in Speech -- Language

Addressing the Significant Shortage in the Profession Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are in high demand throughout the United States. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that the United States will need â€Å"about 141, 400 SLPs through the year 2018 to meet the increasing need in the profession and to replace retiring SLPs† (2011, p. 2). The demand for qualified professional in the field continues to rise from year to year. According to the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2011-2012 Edition, â€Å"employment is expected to grow 19% in the profession in the next decade† (p. 2). A report released in 2008 by the American Association for Employment in Education (AAEE) reported â€Å"SLPs are ranked 14th in the nation for fields with a considerable vacancy as related to other areas in education† (p. 8). In the state of Nebraska, the U.S. Department of Education listed speech language pathology as a â€Å"significant teacher shortage area† (2011, p. 58). Recruiting and retaining qualified professionals has impacted school districts across the nation. The frustrations of many SLPs are similar: job dissatisfaction, lack of sufficient compensation, and oversized workloads contribute to the professional shortage. Research suggests that â€Å"lack of recognition, few opportunities for promotion, excessive paperwork, loss of autonomy, lack of supplies, low pay, and stressful interpersonal interactions all contributed to teachers’ decisions to leave the schools† (Blood, Ridenour, Thomas, Qualls, & Hammer, 2002, p. 283). Job satisfaction â€Å"is the terminology used to describe whether employees are happy and contented and fulfilling their desires and needs at work† (Heathfield, n.d., para. 1). Many SLPs struggle to... ...d, S. (n.d.) Employee satisfaction. Retrieved on November 26, 2011 from http://humanresources.about.com/od/employeesurvey1/g/employee_satisfy.htm. Palacio, M. (2001). Successful strategies for addressing caseload issues. Advance for Speech-Language Pathologists & Audiologists, February 2001. Retrieved from http://speech-language-pathology-audiology.advanceweb.com/Article/Successful-Strategies-for-Addressing-Caseload-Issues.aspx. â€Å"Psychosocial support†. (n.d.). Retrieved on November 27, 2011 from http://www.ovcsupport.net/s/index.php?i=59. U.S. Department of Education. (2011). Teacher shortage area nationwide list. Retrieved on November 26, 2011 from http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/pol/tsa.pdf. U.S. Department of Labor (2011). Occupational outlook handbook. Retrieved on November 22, 2011 from http://www.bls.gov/oco/pdf/ocos099.pdf .

Letters Home Essay

She had been going around all over the place and Frederick was bound to be dragged in to the situation. I always knew it would only ever end in tragedy. Everyone was talking about her all over Rome. She would be seen all over the town with a different man on her arm every time. The Americans never had any respect for the culture in Europe. Maybe over there she would not have stood out, but her actions in Rome were not acceptable under any circumstances. Frederick is so naive. I could always see that he would end up being hurt by this girl, however, not quite in the way it turned out. Perhaps her death is for the best. Hopefully Frederick will not be so stupid next time he sees some common girl walking the streets. I’ll leave you now; my head is thumping again. These migraines come more and more often at the moment. I can only sit here and hope it will pass. Yours sincerely, Mrs. Costello Character study: Mrs. Costello is Winterbourne’s aunt and although also not originally from Europe she has a very European attitude to certain things. She refuses to mix with people who are lower in society than she is, for example the Millers. She can perhaps be seen as slightly pompous and she also seems to know everything that goes on behind the scenes. The letter is quite informal as Mrs. Costello is writing to her sister. She uses short sentences and is very critical. Rosalind Tamman 17 rue de Groggos Vevey Dear Rosalind, Since Daisy’s death, many things have changed in my life. I let her lead her life as she wished, never telling her what to do, and this is the consequence. I wrote to Mr. Miller informing of Daisy’s death and he rushed over to Rome immediately. I was very pleased to see him, as was Randolph. We have been to left to comfort each other since Daisy died, but my little boy stayed strong for me. Since daisy died, Randolph has been very quiet, saying little and responding politely to my instructions without question. He was pleased to see his father, but he is clearly saddened without his sister around. He is so young to be subject to such misery. Mr. Miller showed little emotion when he came to Rome, but we have now gone back to Schenectady. Randolph and I would not have been able to cope on out own without our dearest Annie. It seems we had few friends in Europe, so we are glad to be back in Schenectady. I can only blame myself for Daisy’s death. I should have held her back at times when she wanted to go out. Mr. Winterbourne was a nice man. Maybe I should have stopped her seeing Mr. Giovanelli. My life feels so empty without Daisy. I would do anything to bring her back. Randolph is growing up, but we will never be able to replace Daisy. We are all missing her dearly, but perhaps we knew the end was inevitable. She was always going around all over the place. She was bound to get the fever sometime. Perhaps I should have done something, said something, but now it is all too late. Yours, Mrs. Miller Character study: Mrs. Miller is mother of Randolph and Daisy. She is a very nervous and ill woman and this can be seen in the letter. Due to her lack of control over Daisy’s actions, she is seen as low class and a bad mother. This letter is very personal and emotional after Daisy’s death. It is intimate and informal, perhaps showing a lack of class in the language and informality. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Arthur Miller section.

Cultural Relativism: A Way of Life Essay

â€Å"If you are my baby, it don’t matter if you’re black or white.† These words reverberate in my mind as I heard the news about Michael Jackson’s death. His song, Black or White is one of my favorites because it talks about a father’s acceptance of his child despite the baby’s color. Later, when I encountered the term cultural relativism in school, I understood better what the song wants to promote, and how this can be accomplished. Cultural relativism is commonly known as the practice of accepting and living harmoniously with people of different cultures. If we observe our society today, we will notice different kinds of people—Africans, Caucasians, Asians, Latinos, and a lot of mixtures coexist. Cultural relativism is what allows them to live in peace with each other, to accept and respect other cultures like they do their own. Considering the present scenario, we may say that cultural relativism is not just a practice or aspect of life, it is already a way of life, a must for every person to live and prosper. Ideally, a society that adheres to cultural relativism allows the existence and exchange of different cultures. Although this has not been fully realized in many places, we can guarantee that it is already a common aspect of the learning environment. In school, students get the chance to interact with others, and discover aspects of different cultures. Everyday interaction with Asians, African-Americans, and Latin Americans allows us to see that after all, it is not difficult to coexist with different people. Often, all we need is to provide opportunities for interaction and sharing. Specifically, in my dealings with different cultures, I learned to appreciate the hard work of the Chinese, the ingenuity of the Japanese, the friendliness of Filipinos, the family values of the Latinos, and the cool attitude of the African-Americans. Cultural relativism has helped me appreciate different cultures, and allowed me to grow more maturely. To practice cultural relativism, I personally follow three steps. First, I try to analyze why people are behaving the way they do. I rely on my background knowledge to analyze the situation. Next, I observe and see the positive effects of their practice, and third, I try to find more information about the practice by inquiring from the person or researching online. For example, seeing the Chinese sip the soup out of the bowl without using spoon initially made me felt indifferent. However, in applying cultural relativism, I tried to analyze why they do this instead of using a spoon. Then, I realized that the Chinese use chopsticks instead of spoon, making it impossible to have the soup without sipping it directly from the bowl. Also, one time I encountered a Japanese documentary showing a man perfecting a sword. He seemed mindless of the fire he used to shape the sword, and from there I wondered why the Japanese give such importance to swords when guns are more reliable for protection. Due to this, I searched the Internet for answers, and found out that perfecting swords is part of the Japanese Samurai culture, the military men in the history of Japan. I learned that the Samurais treat swords as their companion in battle, and swords serve as representations of them. Therefore, a Samurai’s sword should be well-kept at all times because it is a family inheritance and symbol of honor. Knowledge of others’ culture definitely helps us understand and appreciate them. However, there are also practices which I believe I cannot accept even though I already have a good grasp of cultural relativism. One of these is the suicide killing done by 9/11 hijackers. Unlike the Japanese version of suicide which hopes to express a person’s regret for a mistake committed, suicide killing among the Muslims intends to kill non-Muslims on the bases of religious and political conflicts. What makes it truly wrong is killing innocent people for some selfish intent. Considering this, cultural relativism becomes a difficult aspect of reality, similar to pushing a child to swallow a whole fresh egg straight to the stomach.