Literature Review on Marketing Essay

This part of the thesis deals with the research and critical comments on various literatures related with the marketing activities that can be implemented by a firm to improve their business performance. Marketing Strategy: According to Ferrell and Hartline (2010) Marketing Strategy is both art and science where the firm finds or plans ways to deliver their value by fulfilling the needs & wants of their potential customers. This helps in determining the marketing mix and analyzing the competitive advantage of the firm by implementing and presenting new ideas so as to satisfy their customers. Employing strategies helps in increasing the level of sales by branding, advertising & promotion. So as per the authors (Ferrell& Hartline, 2010) the points that are to be taken under consideration by a firm to properly establish a marketing strategy are discussed below: Firstly, a proper marketing plan is to be established as it helps in providing the necessary detailed outline to carry out the marketing program for a firm. As per the authors ,the marketing plan is not at all similar to a business plan; but a business plan contains a marketing plan along with financial, capital and human resource. Therefore, the core means to accomplish the desired goals & objectives of an organisation’s marketing strategy is through its well defined marketing plan. Secondly, a firm must aim in seeking marketing opportunities available by collecting and analyzing the information. The technique used for data collection& analysis is through situation analysis; which is a process of data collection that describes the current& future issues & trends that can have an effect on the internal, customer, external environments respectively (Ferrell& Hartline, 2010). This helps in making the strategy by identifying the environment of the business is dealing in and analyze whether the plan will be beneficiary or not before implementation. Then, a Marketing expansion is to be made by identifying in the best interest of the their customers using marketing tools like segmentation & targeting and this can be calculated by identifying the customers buying process because it will help the managers in rea lizing who are their customers & what exactly do the customers want (Ferrell& Hartline, 2010). Finally, the firm has to implement the plan but must execute certain  activities to increase employee motivation and commitment in achieving the desired goals and objectives effectively by controlling & evaluating the marketing strategy as per the plan proposed. Therefore, implementation of marketing strategy is incomplete without a control mechanism (Ferrell& Hartline, 2010). The key in effective strategic controlling is by maintain an appropriate communication system and the managers must make business decisions as per the interest of the organisation and its customers. Thus, marketing strategy is a never ending process making it important for the managers to monitor and evaluate the outcomes of the plan that has being implemented for future benefits as it can allow the firm to concentrate on its limited available resources & seek their opportunities to increase sales and achieve a competitive edge. By this we can say that strategy plays a key role for a company to be successful in a way that can obtain benefit against its competitors. Analysis of the environment: According to Richard Lynch (2006), analysis of the business environment for an organisation is certainly an important part for this report, as in a much broader sense it helps to describe everything and everyone outside the firm. This includes customers, competitors, suppliers, distributors, government and social Institutions. The following will briefly explain about few marketing analysis that are to be considered for gaining a competitive advantage. The Strategic Analysis is a part of the environmental analysis that contributes in strategically analyzing of the environment by firstly, measuring the Market Size which will enable a firm in assisting and developing a strategy task, then the Market Growth for comprehending how much the market has grown over the years as the growth mainly relates to the organisation’s objectives & lastly, the Market Share to realize how much portion does the firm consume & take benefit within the market in comparison with its major competitors (L ynch, 2006). But for this to be applied the market must first be defined properly meaning the company must realise exactly in which particular market or markets it is entering. The PESTEL Analysis basically defines the Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental & Legal factors that can affect the firm as it offers a  valuable starting point of the overall environment surrounding an organisation (Lynch, 2006). Though the PESTEL analysis is depend on past events and experience, but the analysis can be used as a forecast of the future by the managers. Although, this analysis is effective but must be updated on a regular basis as over time the lifestyles, regulations, culture and technology keeps on changing. The Degree of turbulence at the general level of environmental analysis considers the basic conditions surrounding the organisation (Lynch, 2006). Special attention needs to be directed to the nature and strength of the forces driving the change in the dynamics of the environment and the environmental forces that immediate the organisation can be measured according to firstly the Changeability which is the degree of the environment that is likely to change & the Predictability which is the degree of those changes that can be predicted. Lastly, the managers of an organisation must determine the Key Factors of success that helps the organisation in achieving their main goals & objectives as the resources, skills and attributes of an organisation that are vital to bring success in the market place (Lynch, 2006). Usually calculating & measuring the environmental analysis mentioned by the author Lynch; takes a lot of time & money of the company in determining the industry market by statistical tools which is not accurate making it risky & also based on the external factors that keeps on changing making it difficult for every firm to apply the analysis up to its full potential. But, still using Environmental Analysis helps the managers in making effective business & marketing decisions by determining the market industry in which the organisation deals in & identifying the essentials parts that are worth exploring to recognize the success that the firm has by gaining potential for customer satisfaction & differentiating itself from its competitors. The Analysis of the Industry’s Competitive Strategy: Competitiveness of a firm is its capability to achieve its targets. These targets are likely to be conveyed in a range of position depending on the context (Barney 2002). From abusiness perspective, a competitive firm requires to survive in the market and achieve the desired market share and  profitability. The success of a competitive firm can be calculated by obtaining their current position in the defined market. According to Michael E. Porter’s (1985), the best model in realizing a firm’s current situation is by Porter’s five forces model. This identifies the competitive strategy that an operating business has & aims at defeating its rival companies. According to Porter (1985), the guidelines of rivalry are characterized into â€Å"five competitive forces†. These competitive forces are entry to the new competitors, threat of substitutes, bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers, and rivalry among the existing competitors. Porter (198 5) further explains that the industry arrangement is reasonably stable, but can altered over time as the industry progresses, and the strong points of these competitive forces varies from one industry to another. Based on this model there’s ahelp in analyzing the bargaining power of buyer’s which willeffect the price that a firm can charge.The power of suppliers defines the costs of raw materials; the intensity of rivalry influences prices of competing. The threat of entry places a boundary on prices, and outlines the investment vital to put offnew competitors; Threats from substitutes usually pose a threat whenever there is a technological or low-cost breakthrough. Chaffey (2002) supports Porter’s model forces as it still provides a useable framework for studyingthe threats arising. The value of Porter’s model enables managers to think about the current industry that is in a structured and easy-to-understand system for further analysis. But, the above model’s framework is fundamentally fixed, while the competitive environment in general is constantly changing and it does not apply to a nonprofit type of organisation (Lynch, 2006). It also assumes that the buyers have no major significance than the aspect of the micro-environment; But the customer are always considered to be more important than other aspects of competitive strategy development process. Thus in order to solve these issues the SWOT analysis can be implemented (Lynch, 2006). As the SWOT analysis determines the strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for a firm with in the environment it operates. Even though the model has been questioned with few critical remarks but for the managers of any major firm this model still demonstrates to be a useful for a competitive strategic analysis within the industry. So, there is no doubt that this is the best model that aims at defeating the major competitors in the market. Customer Relationship Analysis: According to Nigel Hill, Greg Roche & Rachel Allen (2007), Customer Satisfaction is all about how a firm succeeds in maintaining their customers as top of their agenda. This further identifies the 3r’s of customer loyalty which are Retention, Related Sales & Referrals. The 3r’s are basically the customer’s behavior that must staying longer, chose to use more of the services/products by a firm. This can be further useful by helping in noticing the customers Attitudes & Behavior towards the firm and prove to be effective for the firm’s achievement of their goals in satisfying their customers. Thus, to improve customer satisfaction organisation’s should focus on its resources on areas where they are least meeting the essential of their customer requirements. But as per the authors (Hill, Roche& Allen, 2007) ‘The profitability of customers increases the longer you keep them’ meaning is that the value of a customer typically increases over time by identifying a customer lifetime value by the following points. An Acquisition is a process of acquiring customers occurs wholly in the first year with a functioning business organisation i.e. before & just after becoming a customer. The Base Profit is the difference between sales revenue earned by a particular good or service and the cost to produce or provide that good or service. The Revenue growth will increase when the customers are satisfied as a satisfied customer have a tendency to buy or use more of the firm’s products or services. Customer satisfaction also leads to Cost Savings as long term customers will cost lesser in providing services as they became familiar with the organisation’s techniques & are more likely to get what they expect. In Referrals a highly satisfied customers will recommend and even applaud the product or service to their family & friends which thus brings more customer by eliminating the cost of acquisition of a customer. The long term customers who are satisfied with what the organisation has to offer will be also ready to pay a Price Premium meaning a higher price since they trust the product or service which results in adding value of the firm. According to Lynch (2006) The Internal Analysis is very crucial as it adds further value for an organisation which in turn is beneficiary for them if they take time in analyzing their business performance through which they can improve the overall customer satisfactory level. Hencethe firm must make in-depth analysis of their departments to determine which areas are to be immediately improved. Overall, it is very important & a responsibility of an organisation to establish a well refined relationship with their customer in such a way that satisfies them and results in earning more profits & establishing a competitive edge on a long term basis. The Market Segmentation: According to Sally Dibb & Lyndon Simki (1996), the market segmentation aims to identify groups of customers with similar needs and then the firm tries to select their segments by targeting thus determining how to position their products/services that helps to appeal in the targeted market of a region. This over all helps the firm in realizing which type of consumers are there and whether they prefer or like the services/products that the firm has to offer and this can be measured by making a research and getting at most possible feedback from the existing customers. The Segmentation process of a market segmentation comprises of three diverse portions namely Segmentation, Targeting & Positioning. It is very important to fully understand how different can the markets be segmented before making a final decision. It is clear that there are three points in the process at which assistance is defiantly necessary. As there is a need to recognize the categories of factors that will contribute to a positive result. During the analysis, it is important to create the qualities that emerging segments display. After the segmentation output has been confirmed, direction is needed for the criteria to review the desirability of the different segments. (Dibb & Simki, 1996) The most commonly used way is arranged in few steps, that tells that segments should exhibit measurability, so that segment size and  prospective can be measured; substantiality, so that the segments are sizeable to be profitable; accessibility, to reach the customers in the segments; actionability, letting segments to assist successfully with marketing programmes and lastly; stability, so that resources can be safely financed (Kotler, 1994). This is clearly aimed at managers during the segmentation process, as it shows features that are in contradiction to emerging segments that can be matched. The problem concerning with market segmentation compared to the authors comments (Dibb & Simki, 1996) is the fact that marketers sometimes fail to produce a usable segmentation answer as it is very difficult for them to analysis information that is constantly changing making the data material collected not precise. On top of that, this analysis is mainly based on statistical information which is at certain point difficult to calculate accurate information as statistical data are also based on the closest assumption value. The Marketing Mix also plays an important role as it identifies the product/service of an organisation, then determine at what price to sell the goods and services, later defines the place which is suitable for production and announce effective promotion methods to bring more customers (Hill, Roche& Allen, 2007). In order to obtain market segmentation success the managers should become critical about the quality of information they are receiving as it plays a vital role for implementing a marketing strategy by questioning the source of data and considering when it was collected. The method of data collection should be correct, durable and must be up-to-date as soon as possible. Marketing ethics: As per Bodo B. Schlegelmilch (1998), marketing ethics is an ethical dilemma that deals with relating the marketing function. The ethical issues usually arise in marketing situations for a firm. This part thus relates to how a firm should make ethical marketing decisions to obtain the satisfaction of the society & must focus on the ethical issues that connect with analyzing the market opportunities that are available. Marketing has been criticized for hurting the interest of customers, society and the environment in the presentation of the marketing mix by stimulating societal moral decay, endorsing materialism and affecting the environment. â€Å"Marketing ethics is thus alarmed with the moral principles and values which guide the marketing  decisions and activities in an ethical manner† (Jobber, 2010). The assistance of both the primary stakeholders (Customers, Employees, Suppliers, Shareholder & other investors) & secondary stakeholders (Media, Special-Interest Groups & Go vernment Institutions) is important to support the ethical activities of marketing practices (Schlegelmilch, 1998). But the most important factor for the reason that ethics are to be considered by the marketing managers are so to satisfy their organisation customers and employees (Schlegelmilch, 1998) as the customers are the people who buys the goods & service which runs the business & employees are those people that works for the company and are determined by their attitudes towards the jobs to keep the business running as well. While all other factors are directly or indirectly related with these two factors making it utmost important to satisfy them so as to achieve the desired goals & objectives. The Marketing activities has an impact on the society and the environment as a whole. Therefore the managers of the organisation should behave responsibly within the best interest of those who will be affected. In conclusion, marketing ethics is an important factor to be considered, despite the challenges and uncertainty a company faces with its applications. Conclusion This chapter presents the theoretical background of the major areas for marketing techniques of the research. The aimis to review the critical points of current knowledge including substantive findings on marketing techniques for theoretical and methodological contributions to a particular topicas the reviews are secondary sources and do not require any new or original experimental work.

Course Schedule of Philosophy

I will answer my cell phone only after 4 pm. If you are unable to reach me please leave a message that includes a brief description of your question or concern, and I will return your call as soon as possible (but always within 24 hours). I Welcome! I came to education as an â€Å"adult learner† having received an associate degree from MATCH when I was 30. I graduated from Marquette University 4 years later with degrees in education, writing and English. Then 4 years later I earned master degrees in education and computer technology from Cardinal Stretch University. Currently I am working on my doctorate in education.Course Description This five-week course in critical thinking and informal logic helps students develop the ability to reason clearly and critically. It includes an introduction to the disciplines of inductive and deductive logic, fallacious reasoning, and problem- solving techniques. Emphasis is placed on the identification and management of the perception proces s, use of assumptions, emotional influences, and language in various forms of business communication. Topics and Objectives Critical Thinking: Purpose and Process Define â€Å"thinking. † Identify the critical thinking process.Relate the stages of cognitive development to logic and critical thinking. The relationship of logic to critical thinking. The Perception Process and its Influences Outline the perceptual process. Explain Describe perceptual blocks to clear and critical thinking: personal barriers, sensing, and physiology. Assumptions: Critical Thinking and the Unknown Recognize assumptions in various situations. Compare and contrast necessary and unwarranted assumptions. Develop methods of checking assumptions and creating alternatives. Logic versus Emotion Define the role of emotion in reasoning and argument.Identify the impact of emotional influence on personal and professional effectiveness. Explain the impact of feelings on the critical thinking process. Analysis o f the Use of Language in Thinking and Argument Explain the role of language in the critical thinking process. Identify the power and limitations of language in expressing thoughts. Explore the impact of language diversity. Elements and Composition of Argument Explore the role of critical thinking in persuasion. Distinguish arguments from nourishment. Identify the parts of an argument and their relationship to each other. Describe the role of analogy in argument. Identify the methods used in organizing thoughts. Differentiate between inductive and deductive modalities of reasoning. Explore the structure and use of syllogisms in reasoning. Define the concepts of truth, validity, and soundness in a deductive argument. Patterns of Fallacious Reasoning Apply sound rational reasoning to problem solving. Recognize fallacies in written, oral, and visual arguments. Critical Thinking Techniques Synthesize understanding of fallacies in reasoning and argument. Develop spontaneous oral arguments .IW51101 *For on-ground students, these are oral and [email  protected] presentations with notes. 1 101 Total 11001 Course Changes Please note that the instructor's assignments may vary from the original syllabus you received from the student web page. Assignments in this document take priority. While the reading assignments and learning objectives remain the same, some of the assignments in this syllabus have been customized for this particular section. *** The instructor reserves the right to change this document wily nil as he sees fit! *** Policies and ProceduresThe University trusts each student to maintain high standards of honesty, academic integrity, and ethical behavior. All individual assignments MUST reflect each student's own original effort. During the course students must achieve specified learning outcomes in order to meet the course objectives. Your assignment grades will be dependent on the accomplishment of those objectives. All assignments are evaluated on the b asis of achievement, and not on effort. University of Phoenix Grading Guidelines can be found in your Program Handbook.A student who meets course objectives will earn a grade of â€Å"C†. In order to earn a grade of â€Å"A† or â€Å"B† the student assignments. Unless otherwise specified, all papers are to be typewritten, double-spaced, and proofread and corrected for grammatical, spelling, and typographical errors. Source material must be cited within the body of the paper and referenced at the end of the paper. All references must be cited within the body of the paper. The format for all typewritten work follows the standards in The Little, Brown Compact Handbook (Custom 4th De. University of Phoenix). All written assignments will be evaluated as specified in the Grading Criteria for Written Assignments found at the end of this syllabus and on my instructor's web page. Attendance and participation Attendance at each workshop is mandatory! In this five week cou rse only one unavoidable absence will be permitted, and you must notify one of the instructors in advance. Should an absence occur the student is responsible for any assignment(s) due in that workshop.Points for classroom participation are dependent on your presence in the classroom for the entire workshop! If you are absent for any reason participation points for that workshop will be deducted from your grade. Arriving more than 15 minutes late for class or leaving class early will also result in point deductions; each occurrence will be evaluated individually. If you must be unavoidably absent for the learning team presentation it must reflect your involvement (by audio or video tape) in order for you to share in the grade for that assignment.Learning teams play an important part in achieving the educational outcomes in the degree programs at University of Phoenix. Teams will be formed in the first workshop of the course, and students are expected to commit to five hours of learni ng team activities each week in addition to attendance at the workshops. Through the process of completing team charters and meeting logs, and participating in classroom discussions, students will have the opportunity to reflect on the learning that has takes place as part of the team's work together.The learning team presentation in Workshop Five will be evaluated on the basis of content (10 points) and presentation style (10 points). If you have questions regarding what is determined by style it is up to you to request this information from your instructor. All learning team members will receive the same grade for the reservation, regardless of individual style differences. Late assignments It is assumed that students will perform professionally in preparing work required for this class.All assignments must be submitted on their due date. Assignments will be accepted up to one week late but that will result in an automatic grade reduction of 10% of the total possible points for th at assignment. I will not accept assignments ahead of time). Incomplete Incomplete will only be considered on an individual basis. Academic Honesty Academic honesty is highly valued at the University of Phoenix. You must always vomit work that represents your original words or ideas.If any words or ideas used in a class posting or assignment submission do not represent your original words or ideas, you must cite all relevant sources and make clear the extent to which such sources were used. Words or ideas that require citation include, but are not limited to, all hard copy or electronic publications, whether copyrighted or not, and all verbal or visual communication when the content of such communication clearly originates from an identifiable source. Please see the I-JOB Catalog for more information about academic honesty, including consequences of academic dishonesty.Privacy and Confidentiality in the Online Classroom One of the highlights of the I-JOB academic experience is that students can draw on the wealth of examples from their organizations in class discussions and in their written work. However, it is imperative that students not share information that is confidential, privileged, or proprietary in nature.

Balance Sheet and Annual Financial Statements

The directors are responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of the annual financial statements of the Company and Group, comprising the directors’ report, the statements of financial position as at June 2013, the statements of comprehensive income, changes in equity and cash flows for the year then ended, and the notes to the financial statements, which include a summary of significant accounting policies and other explanatory notes, in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) and the requirements of the Companies Act of South Africa. The directors are satisfied that the information contained in the annual financial statements fairly represents the financial position at year-end and the financial performance and cash flows of the Company and Group. The directors are also responsible for such internal control as the directors determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and for maintaining adequate accounting records and an effective system of risk management as well as the preparation of the supplementary schedules included in these financial statements. The directors believe that the Company and Group have adequate resources to continue trading as a going concern in the foreseeable future. The annual financial statements support the viability of the Company and the Group. The Group’s external auditors, PricewaterhouseCoopers Incorporated, audited the Company and Group annual financial statements, and their report is presented on page 5. The external auditors were given unrestricted access to all financial records and related data, including minutes of all meetings of shareholders, the board of directors and committees of the board. The directors believe that all representations made to the independent auditors during their audit are valid and appropriate. Approval of Annual Financial Statements The Company and Group annual financial statements of Shoprite Holdings Ltd, as identified in the first paragraph, were approved by the Board of directors on 19 August 2013 and signed on its behalf by: CH Wiese Chairman JW Basson Chief Executive Officer Certificate of the Company Secretary In terms of section 88(2)(e) of the Companies Act no 71 of 2008 (as amended) I, PG du Preez, in my capacity as Company Secretary, confirm that for the year ended 30 June 2013, the Company has lodged with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission, all such returns as are required of a public company in terms of the Companies Act and that all such returns and notices are true, correct and up to date. PG du Preez Company Secretary 19 August 2013 Directors’ Report Shoprite Holdings Ltd and its Subsidiaries 2 NATURE OF BUSINESS Shoprite Holdings Limited (â€Å"Shoprite Holdings†) is an investment holding company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange Limited (â€Å"JSE†) in the â€Å"food retailers wholesalers† sector. Secondary listings are also maintained on the Namibian and Zambian Stock Exchanges. supermarket premises or developing new shopping centres to accommodate one of the Group’s supermarket formats. New retail developments and the redevelopment of existing properties are supervised through every stage of the planning-, design- and construction process. SHOPRITE INVESTMENTS LTD: SHOPRITE HOLDINGS COMPRISES OF THE FOLLOWING MAIN SUBSIDIARIES: As a wholly owned subsidiary of Shoprite Holdings, Shoprite Investments conducts the Group’s treasury function and financing of credit sales to third parties. SHOPRITE CHECKERS (PTY) LTD: Supermarkets: Serves a broad customer base through our Shoprite, Checkers, Checkers Hyper and Usave store formats. Supply Chain Management: Supplies the Group’s outlets in South Africa and 16 Non-RSA countries. The Group prides itself in running a state-ofthe-art distribution operation and became the first South African retailer to receive the ISO 9002 accreditation for import and export handling. Fast Foods: The Hungry Lion chain now boasts modern, well-designed stores with an inescapable focus on fried chicken and operates outlets within South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Franchise: The OK Franchise Division’s stores offer a wide range of perishable and non-perishable food items and liquor under the OK, Friendly Grocer, 7-Eleven, Megasave en Sentra brands. Freshmark: Freshmark is the Group’s fruit and vegetable procurement and distribution arm and supplies fresh produce to the Group’s retail outlets. As one of the largest buyers of fresh produce in South Africa, Freshmark also imports fruit and vegetables to ensure a wide variety and continuity of traditionally seasonal fresh produce. Liquor Stores: Trading under the Shoprite and Checkers LiquorShop brands respectively, the liquor shops have extended the Group’s offering by providing a selection of wines, beers and a wide range of premium spirits to its customers. Meat Markets: The Group’s meat market division is the largest retailer of fresh meat on the African continent. Customers are served through in-store butcheries that employ qualified butchers and technicians. Money Markets: Money Markets offer a comprehensive range of financial services and products to the Group’s customers through dedicated in-store service counters. Furniture: The Furniture division offers furniture, electrical appliances and home entertainment products to customers for cash or credit through its OK Furniture, OK Power Express and House Home outlets in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland, Lesotho, Zambia, Mozambique and Angola. Pharmacies and wholesale distribution: MediRite’s in-store pharmacies offer consumers an easy access to affordable healthcare and healthcare professionals. These in-store dispensaries currently operate throughout South Africa and also in Angola and Swaziland. The Group’s pharmaceutical wholesaler, Transpharm, sells and distributes a wide range of pharmaceutical products and surgical equipment to hospitals and clinics, dispensing doctors, veterinary surgeons and private and corporate pharmacies. Properties: This division is tasked with the responsibility of expanding the supermarket portfolio through the identification and leasing of new SHOPRITE HOLDINGS LTD ANNUAL FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2013 COMPUTICKET (PTY) LTD: As a premier ticketing solution provider and one of the most recognised brand names, Computicket offers theatre, concert, festival, sport and cinema tickets along with bus tickets and gift vouchers through a network of outlets located across South Africa and Namibia, a call centre as well as the Computicket website. Computicket also offers travel packages. SHOPRITE INTERNATIONAL LTD: Incorporated in the Republic of Mauritius, Shoprite International is the holding company for the majority of the Group’s non-South African retail and property investments. SHOPRITE INSURANCE COMPANY LTD: Provides first and third party short-term insurance to the Group and its customers. OTHER GROUP SUBSIDIARIES: The interests of Shoprite Holdings in other subsidiaries are set out on page  69 of the Annual Financial Statements. FINANCIAL REVIEW The Group’s headline earnings per share amounts to 675,4 cents for the year (2012: 607,0 cents). Details of the profit of Shoprite Holdings and its subsidiaries are contained in the statement of comprehensive income on page 7 with reference to the operating segment information on page 23. The financial position of Shoprite Holdings and its subsidiaries are recorded in the statement of financial position on page 6. Further details are furnished in the notes to the annual financial statements on page 10 to 68. The Group’s net asset value per share as at 30 June 2013 was 2  837 cents (2012: 2  382 cents). DISTRIBUTION TO SHAREHOLDERS PREFERENCE DIVIDENDS Details are reflected in note 27 to the Group’s Annual Financial Statements. ORDINARY DIVIDENDS An interim cash dividend (no. 128) of 123 cents per share was paid on 18  March 2013. A final dividend (no. 129) of 215 cents per share, is payable on 16 September 2013, bringing the total dividend for the year to 338 cents (2012: 303 cents) per ordinary share. 3 SHARE CAPITAL The authorised share capital of Shoprite Holdings remained unchanged at 650 000 000 (six hundred and fifty million) ordinary shares of 113,4 cents (one hundred and thirteen comma four cents) each. There was no movement in the number of issued Shoprite Holdings ordinary shares which remained at 570 579 460 shares of 113,4 cents each. On 28 June 2012, shareholders approved the issue of an additional 13  803  405 non-convertible, non-participating, no par value deferred shares in the share capital of Shoprite Holdings to Thibault Square Financial Services (Pty) Ltd pursuant to the issue of 27  100  000 ordinary shares during the previous reporting period. These deferred shares were however only issued on 25 July 2012. As at 30 June 2013, 35 436 472 (6,2%) ordinary shares were held as treasury shares by a wholly owned subsidiary of Shoprite Holdings. GOING CONCERN The annual financial statements of the Group were prepared on a going concern basis. The Board has performed a formal review of the Group’s results and its ability to continue trading as a going concern in the foreseeable future. The directors of Shoprite Holdings confirm that they are satisfied that the Group has adequate resources to continue in business for the foreseeable future. During the reporting period the following special resolutions were passed by main Group subsidiaries: SHOPRITE CHECKERS (PTY) LTD – Special resolution number 1: Approval of new Memorandum of Incorporation; and – Special resolution number 2: Financial Assistance to Subsidiaries, Related and inter-related entities. SHOPRITE INVESTMENTS LTD – Special resolution number 1: Approval of new Memorandum of Incorporation. COMPUTICKET (PTY) LTD – Special resolution number 1: Approval of new Memorandum of Incorporation. SHOPRITE INTERNATIONAL LTD Special resolution number 1: Approval of new Constitution. SHOPRITE INSURANCE COMPANY LTD – Special resolution number 1: Approval of new Memorandum of Incorporation. BORROWINGS DIRECTORS AND SECRETARY Shoprite Holdings has unlimited borrowing powers in terms of its Memorandum of Incorporation. The Group’s overall level of debt increased from R4  035 million to R4  151 million during the financial year under review. The directors’ names and details are furnished on pages 8 and 9 and the company secretary’s name, business and postal address on page 67 of the Integrated Report. In terms of the Memorandum of Incorporation of Shoprite Holdings (â€Å"the MOI†), no less than one third of the non-executive directors shall retire by rotation at each Annual General Meeting. Dr CH Wiese, Messrs EC Kieswetter, JA Louw and JF Malherbe retire as directors, in terms of paragraph 33. 5. 1 of the MOI of the Company, at the Annual General Meeting. Dr CH Wiese, Messrs EC Kieswetter and JA  Louw have offered themselves for re-election as directors of Shoprite Holdings. The board supports the re-election of these directors. SPECIAL RESOLUTIONS At the Annual General Meeting of Shoprite Holdings held on 29 October 2012, shareholders approved the following special resolutions: – Special resolution number 1: Remuneration payable to Non-Executive Directors; – Special resolution number 2: Financial Assistance to Subsidiaries, Related and inter-related entities; – Special resolution number 3: Financial Assistance for Subscription of Securities; – Special resolution number 4: General Approval to repurchase shares; and – Special resolution number 5: Approval of new Memorandum of Incorporation as proposed by the Board. Directors’ Report (continued) The company’s directors are responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of these consolidated and separate financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards and the requirements of the Companies Act of South Africa, and for such internal control as the directors determine is necessary to enable the preparation of consolidated and separate financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. AUDITOR’S RESPONSIBILITY Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated and separate financial statements based on our audit. We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing. Those standards require that we comply with ethical requirements and plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated and separate financial statements are free from material misstatement. An audit involves performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. The procedures selected depend on the auditor’s judgement, including the assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error. In making those risk assessments, the auditor considers internal control relevant to the entity’s preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the entity’s internal control. An audit also includes evaluating the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our audit opinion. OPINION In our opinion, the consolidated and separate financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated and separate financial position of Shoprite Holdings Limited as at 30 June 2013, and its consolidated and separate financial performance and its consolidated and separate cash flows for the year then ended in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards and the requirements of the Companies Act of South Africa. OTHER REPORTS REQUIRED BY THE COMPANIES ACT As part of our audit of the consolidated and separate financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2013, we have read the Directors’ Report, the Audit Committee’s Report and the Company Secretary’s Certificate for the purpose of identifying whether there are material inconsistencies between these reports and the audited consolidated and separate financial statements. These reports are the responsibility of the respective preparers. Based on reading these reports we have not identified material inconsistencies between these reports and the audited consolidated and separate financial statements. The  most significant assumptions and estimates used in applying the Group’s accounting policies relate to the following: a) Impairment of assets: The Group performs a review of loss-making stores and considers the need for the impairment of assets under these circumstances. This determination requires significant judgment. The Group evaluates amongst other things, the duration and extent of the losses, the near-term business outlook for the store, and the possible redeployment of the assets between stores. Refer to notes 3, 9 and 26. Useful lives of assets: In determining the depreciation and amortisation charge for property, plant and equipment and intangible assets, management applies judgment in estimating the useful lives and residual values of these different asset classes. Refer to notes 3, 9 and 21. c) Income taxes: The Group is subject to income taxes in numerous jurisdictions. Significant judgment is required in determining the worldwide accrual for income taxes. The Group recognises liabilities for anticipated uncertain income tax positions based on estimates of potential additional taxes due. With regards to deferred income tax assets for unutilised income tax losses, judgment is also required to whether sufficient future taxable income will be available against which these losses can be utilised. Refer to notes 1. 11 and 28. d) Allowances for doubtful debts: Trade receivables include instalment sale debtors and franchise debtors for which allowances for impairment are made in accordance with the accounting policy in note 1. 15. These calculations involve the discounting of projected future cash flows and require the use of estimates. Details regarding the allowances are set out in note 12. e) Employee benefit accruals and provisions: Various assumptions are applied in determining the valuations of post-retirement medical benefits, share based payment accruals and long term employee benefits as set out in notes 1. 20, 1. 22, 14, 17 and 35. Estimates and assumptions that have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying value of assets and liabilities in a subsequent year relate to the following: income taxes; allowances for doubtful debts and employee benefit allowances. All estimates and underlying assumptions are based on historical experience and various other factors that management believes are reasonable under the circumstances. The results of these estimates form the basis of judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates. The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised and any affected future periods. Use of adjusted measures The measures listed below are presented as management believes it to be relevant to the understanding of the Group’s financial performance. These measures are used for internal performance analysis and provide additional useful information on underlying trends to equity holders. These measures are not defined terms under IFRS and may therefore not be comparable with similarly titled measures reported by other entities. It is not intended to be a substitute for, or superior to, measures as required by IFRS. a) Trading profit on the face of the statement of comprehensive income, being the Group’s operating results excluding foreign exchange rate differences and income or expenditure of a capital nature. b) Income or expenditure of a capital nature on the face of the statement of comprehensive income, being all re-measurements excluded from the calculation of headline earnings per share in accordance with the guidance contained in SAICA Circular 3/2012: Headline Earnings. The principal items that will be included under this measure are: gains and losses on disposal and scrapping of property, plant and equipment, intangible assets and assets held for sale; impairments or reversal of impairments; any non-trading items such as gains and losses on disposal of investments, operations and subsidiaries. c) Interest received on the face of the statement of comprehensive income, being only interest received on call and operating bank account balances. Subsidiaries Subsidiaries are entities (including special purpose entities) which are, directly or indirectly, controlled by the Group. Control is established where the Group has the power to govern the financial and operating policies of an entity so as to obtain benefits from its activities. The existence and effect of potential voting rights that are currently exercisable or convertible are considered when assessing whether the Group controls another.

WHO Framework and Healthcare System of U.K Essay

WHO Framework and Healthcare System of U.K - Essay Example The basic objective of WHO framework (2007) is to strengthen healthcare systems throughout the world so that general health standards of the people can get improved. The paper will study the healthcare system of U.K. keeping in view the basic guidelines as provided in WHO framework and assess its strengths and weaknesses. The paper will also look into the healthcare system of Canada so as to have some comparative viewpoint regarding healthcare services as operating in these two countries. WHO Framework (2007) and Building Blocks There are six building blocks of any health system as prescribed by World Health organisation for an excellent healthcare system in any country. (World Health†¦ 2007) 1. Good Health Services That means safe, effective, and quality health services to all those who need them while making optimum use of resources. 2. An Efficient Health Workforce It is an important building block that should perform well to achieve the best health outcomes. They are compete nt, responsive, and productive to carry out the health functions. There should be sufficient healthcare professionals spread across all the geography. ... t and Leadership Governance and Leadership works towards strategic policy frameworks with proper regulation and effective oversight coupled with proper accountability. Judging UK Healthcare Services from above Criteria U.K.’s National Health System follows (NHS) the Beveridge Model of healthcare to provide healthcare services to its citizens. The NHS is a government-run institution that takes care of all its citizens and provides them doctors, clinics and hospitals. Since citizens do not pay any bills, it does not put any undue financial burden on the citizens including the treatment taken for any critical illness. In this system, the patients are always at ease for they get healthcare services through government funding and they need not spend anything from their own pockets. The advantage of the model is that each and every citizen gets medical treatment free of charge regardless of their economic status and kind of illness. Patients need not pay hefty insurance premiums for the various health issue coverage as found in the countries like U.S.; however, the UK government does charge 17 percent sales tax to cover up healthcare expenses for its countrymen. The disadvantage with the Beveridge model is that it does not provide any motivation to the physician for they cannot charge (Hamilton 2009). U.K being a developed country is good on availability of vaccines, medical products and in health related technologies. Vaccines are usually available as and when need arises in all parts of the country. Certain shortages of branded drugs in U.K has been attributed to European Union trade laws, under which medicines from UK cannot be prevented from export to other countries of Europe. The Department of Health in its last meeting with manufacturers and suppliers has taken

Reverse Logistics and Green Logistics Research Paper

Reverse Logistics and Green Logistics - Research Paper Example The two most recent concepts in this regard are of reverse logistics and green logistics. Organizations are taking different measures and steps in order to provide the customers with the complete solutions associated with the full life cycle of the products. For this purpose the organizations are focusing more on reverse logistics. Apart from this, the increasing emphasis on the environment protection and the government regulations have forced the organizations to implement green and sustainable supply chain practices. The activities and processes associated with reverse logistics help the organizations in the process of designing green supply chains. The recycling and refurbishment of the products result in reducing the wastage materials, thus protecting the environment. In this paper an attempt has been made to explore and understand the concepts of the reverse logistics and green logistics. For this purpose, three international organizations known for their supply chain management have been selected. These three organizations are: Wal-Mart, Cisco Systems, and Best Buy. Cisco systems and Wal-Mart recently took position in the top five international supply chains (Wailgum, 2010). Apart from the regular channels and elements of the supply chain, the organizations are now giving increasing importance to the activities related to reverse logistics. Most of the time organizations face the issues and challenges regarding the unused, failed, and returned products. The reverse logistics process is known to be composed of returning or exchanging, repairing, refurbishing, remarketing, and disposing off of the unused and failed products. This concept or phenomenon of reverse logistics is becoming popular quickly and is being perceived as an important part of the business operations of the organizations (Venkatesh, 2010). Organizations can generate considerable amount of value and

Community corrections Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Community corrections - Essay Example Furthermore, community correction officers are now being required to perform more duties for the criminals as compared to the past and their salaries have not been increased in compliance with the increase in their duties. The policy makers need to read this article and realize and accept these issues and increase the funding of community corrections and increase the salaries paid to community correction officers. Furthermore, the policy makers even need to increase in the number of community correction officers to share the workload. The article is even very helpful for those who are pursuing a career in the field of criminal justice system or who aspire to become the administrators of community correction. It informs them about the challenges they will be facing in future as community correction managers as well as community correction officers. This article can even be used by students and educationists to research the field of community corrections and find solutions to the probl ems faced by this

The relationship between changing of labor force(total labor number ) Research Paper - 1

The relationship between changing of labor force(total labor number ) and Unemployment rate - Research Paper Example A high population creates a ready labor market that leads to high unemployment rates since people compete for the scarce job opportunities that are available (STOICA, pp.29). Fang and Nie (2014) argue that changes in the American labor market were as a result of the Great Recession that was witnessed in 2007.They argue that the recession adversely affected the supply of the labor market a move that forced the unemployment rates to soar high. The two authors seem to differ with the premises of the researchers whose ideas have been presented among other things. They used the Mortensen-Pissarides model to explain the trend of the American labor market. Researchers agree that high unemployment rates are because of lack of proper transition during employment and retirement. However, they disagree on some factors that have been proposed to contribute to high unemployment rates in the US (Fang and Nie, p.1). Similarly, Hornstein (2013) attributes the 2007 Global Financial Crisis to the high unemployment rates in the United States of America. A majority of citizens were actively involved in the labor market something that had lead to a decline in the unemployment rates. However, due to the recession, most organizations were forced to cut their workforces to control their costs at a time when most of them were experiencing financial challenges. Recession in 2007 caused significant changes in the labor market. Most employees were laid off whereas others were forced to retire prematurely. In addition, employment opportunities were unavailable for fresh graduates. Consequently, the unemployment rates rose sharply during the period. In 2009 unemployment rate, had increased to 10% up from 4% in 2007.Interestingly, although economic recoveries have been made, the situation remains indifferent to the unemployment rate remaining at 7% despite the economic progress that has

Discussion borad 4 international relations Essay

Discussion borad 4 international relations - Essay Example Apart from these, conflicts can be resolved through international organizations, international courts and treaties. In compellence and deterrence, power and influence are used respectively. Diplomacy involves direct and government-to-government contract whereby officials may communicate and dialogue to accomplish the desired goal. With relation to bargaining and negotiation, positional negotiation and principled negotiation are effective ways to use in conflict resolution. Promising rewards, persuasion, position, benefits, reliance on the legitimacy of claims are far better ways than using force of threat (Russett, Starr and Kinsella, 2009, p. 105- 130). Arab-Israeli conflict has long been a sensitive and rather extremely challenging issue that many media, world agencies and various politicians tried to solve it, but, it still remains to be more severe. In solving this conflict, any of the following three methods can be used, 1) Deterrence and diplomacy, 2) negotiated compromise alon g with diplomacy and 3) third-party mediation along with diplomacy. In all these, direct and government-to-government contact along with third-party involvement may also will work out.

Sustainability Assessment of Building Projects Literature review

Sustainability Assessment of Building Projects - Literature review Example European Union has recently developed a number of harmonized tools and standards for sustainable development in building projects namely the EN15643-3:2012, EN15643-3:2010 and prEN16309. However, a number of international methods are still being used by the individual states within the EU but in alignment with the current European Union directives. For example, one of the standards that are widely used in many EU member states at the moment is the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM). The model has not only provided a comprehensive tool of assessing various sustainability issues but is also being used as a measure of the general performance of the building and construction projects in the country. Another important sustainability assessment model used in the European Union is the Leadership and Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) model. As one of the one of the most internationally recognized building and construction certification systems, the standard is increasingly being used in Ireland and many other European Union member states to provide third party verification for building projects with regard to different sustainability aspects such as energy savings, carbon emissions, water efficiency indoor environment quality as well as resource usage. Finally, the other models such as the German model known as the DGNB, has also been recently adopted by a number of European Union member States. Existing International and European Assessment Models

Pest analysis arcelik as and white goods industry in Turkey Essay

Pest analysis arcelik as and white goods industry in Turkey - Essay Example The acronym, PEST, is used to describe these macro environmental factors. Turkey has eight major producers in its white goods industry, with Arcelik A.S. being the leading producer in the market. The PEST factors are going to be studied in relation to Arcelik A.S. and the white goods industry. In very generic terms, political influences deal with the government regulations under which the business has to operate. These deal with tax policies, government support, employment laws, trade barriers and restrictions, environmental regulations and political stability. It may also include laws to restrict the formation of monopolies. The economy of Turkey is politically instable and the government has been implementing an IMF controlled restructuring and reform programme since 1999 which may have the desired effect to stabilize the conditions of the country and increase consumer demand for elastic products manufactured by Arcelik A.S. Moreover, Presidential and Parliamentary elections were held in May and November 2007 which increased political unrest and affected the white goods industry and its leading producer, Arcelik A.S. The high tax expenses that Arcelik A.S. incurred in the year 2007 weakened its financial position while close political ties with United States imposed hardships on Arcelik A.S. and the white goods industry in terms of the Iraq embargo. The government of Turkey has harmonized its commercial laws and regulations with the European Union which imposes restrictions on companies like Arcelik A.S. According to Biesen (2007), Temel, who is the coordinator of corporate relations for Arcelik A.S. and a staunch believer of rules and regulations states it is crucial for the company to follow the regulations and standards imposed globally and by the government to prevent violation of consumer rights. Economic factors affect the purchasing power of the consumers as well as the

Ideal Leaders In Lord Of The Flies Essay Example for Free

Ideal Leaders In Lord Of The Flies Essay Ralph, Jack and Piggy all possess unique qualities. Are any of them ideal leaders? What important qualities do each of them possess (and lack) as regards leadership? Who is the natural leader in Lord of the Flies? This is the question that Golding is making us consider. There is no right or wrong answer, as all of the boys possess unique leadership qualities. This essay will explore what qualities of leadership Ralph, Piggy and Jack possess (and lack), and eventually come to a conclusion (if one can be found) as to which boy is the natural leader of the band of boys on the island. A leader is somebody who guides a group in whatever they do. They make policies, rules and, if necessary, decisions for the group that they lead, which the group should then follow. Ralph has a number of ideal leadership qualities. He is fair, maybe sometimes too fair, and believes in the idea of everyone having a chance to have their say (Ill give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when hes speakingAnd he wont be interrupted. Except by me.' [31]) However, the rule of freedom of speech is overturned by Jack (Jack was the first to make himself heard. He had not got the conch and thus spoke against the rules, but nobody minded. [94]) and Ralph does not do anything about it. This is one of the qualities that Ralph lacks. He makes rules, but is not willing to enforce them because he fears that they may be ignored (You got to be tough now, make em do what you want. If I blow the conch and they dont come back, then weve had it' [99]) unless something happens to spur him to action, such as when Jack let the fire out (So Ralph asserted his chieftainship and could not have chosen a better way if he had thought for days. Against this weapon, so indefinable and so effective, Jack was powerless and raged without knowing why [77]) Ralph believes in everyone having responsibility and everyone working together and helping each other to build a successful community. He offers the groups long term solutions such as shelters and a signal fire so that they would be rescued, however, he does not do enough to make these ideas attractive, and as a result he ends up doing most of the work while the hunters and littluns disappear to have fun (And they keep running off. You remember the meeting? How everyone was going to work hard until the shelters were finished?, When the meeting was over theyd work for five minutes then wander off or go hunting. [51]) This lack of acceptance of responsibility annoys him and makes him hostile (As they danced, they sang. Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Bash her in. Ralph watched them, envious and resentful. [79]) towards Jack and the hunters. As a result, he is not as tolerant of them as he should have been and eventually insults that part of the group (What above my hunters? Boys armed with sticks.' [137]) This makes Jack angry enough to attempt to rebel against Ralphs leadership, and straight after he leaves to start a tribe of his own. He is very good at communication. He says what he thinks rather than trying to hide his own opinions and feelings (Better Piggy than Fatty, Ralph said with the directness of genuine leadership., I was chief, and you were going to do what I said. You talk. But you cant even build huts-then you go off hunting and let out the fire- [21/22]) This is essential, because if you do not let others know your feelings, then they will not understand why you are acting the way you are, or your reasons for making decisions, and might think you are being unreasonable. He can make his speeches simple for the littluns to understand, yet powerful by using repetition and explanation (He had learnt as a practical business that fundamental statements likes this had to be said at least twice, before everyone understood themHis mind was searching for simple words so that even the littluns would understand what the assembly was about. [84]) However, as events spiral out of his control, his speeches become less and less inspiring as he loses confidence in himself and his abilities, and eventually his followers desert him and he is left on his own, running for his life. Though Ralph is a natural leader (There was a stillness about Ralph as he sat that marked him outand most obscurely, yet most powerfully, there was the conch. The being that had blown thatwas set apart [19]), able to reassure and offer comfort (The assembly was lifted towards safety by his words. They liked and now respected him. [36]), the values and goals that he presents as part of his leadership do not offer the security that the group needs when their morale is low as a result of fear of the beast. As a result, he is only able to lead when times are good. He clings to the same ideals that he had when he first came to the island: the idea of rescue, keeping civilisation intact and having rules, and is unable to adapt to the changing feelings on the island about those ideals when they are overtaken by more immediate and attractive offers (Because the rules are the only thing weve got! Bollocks to the rules! Were strong we hunt! If theres a beast, well hunt it down! Well close in and beat and beat and beat-!' [99]) Piggy supports Ralph in his leadership, but does not have the popularity to be a leader himself. He possesses a number of leadership qualities, but because of his unpopularity, he is often ignored (There had grown up tacitly among the biguns the opinion that Piggy was an outsider, not only by accent, which did not matter, but by fat, and ass-mar, and specs, and a certain disinclination for manual labour. [68]) Because of this, when important matters needing his input occur, his valuable ideas are often disregarded (We ought to be more careful. Im scared- Youre always scared. Yah Fatty!' [45]) He is intelligent, and most of the sensible, good ideas come from him (what intelligence had been shown was traceable to Piggy [18/19] Ralph! We can use this [the conch] to call the others. Have a meeting. [12] Piggy moved among the crowd, asking names and frowning to remember them. [14] We havent made a fire whats any use. We couldnt keep a fire like that going if we tried. [41] The first thing we ought to have made was shelters down on the beach. [45]) He is also a very good judge of character, though he seems blind when it comes to seeing that the others, Ralph included, do not like him (He hates me [Jack]. I dunno why. If he could do what he wanted youre all right, he respects youI tell you what. He hates you too, RalphHe cant hurt you, but if you stand out of the way hed hurt the next thing. And thats me. [100/101) However, his pessimism (Theyre all dead an this is an island. Nobody dont know were here. Your dad dont know, nobody dont know We may stay here till we die. [9]), his complaining and his dislike of manual labour leads to the other boys regarding him as being no use to the group, so they shout him down whenever he tries to speak (His voice lifted into the whine of virtuous recrimination. The others stirred and began to shout him down. [43]) If Piggy and Ralph had worked together right at the beginning, with Ralph listening to Piggys ideas instead of regarding him as an irritation (Piggy was a bore; his fat, his ass-mar and his matter-of-fact ideas were dull: but there was always a little pleasure to be got out of pulling his leg, even if one did it by accident. [68]), then Piggys intelligence and Ralphs popularity and dedication to work would have combined to make an excellent joint leadership which most of the group would have accepted.

The Effects of Poverty on Teaching and Learning Essay Example for Free

The Effects of Poverty on Teaching and Learning Essay Teachers need to understand how poverty can affect a student in the classroom. Some students who suffer from poverty may come from homes with very young, single or low educational level parents. Their parents may be unemployed, have substance abuse problems or generally may not be good role models. Students might live in dangerous neighbourhoods or suffer from homelessness. They might move areas often; their parents may have had bad experiences with schools themselves and see schools as threatening institutions and do not value education. Perhaps they come from households where the parents are family orientated and loving, their only problem being lack of money. Teachers need to understand the family background to understand how to best assist the student. Teachers must be aware of the problems and difficulties poorer students face and make allowances and adjustments to the curriculum to provide them with relevant learning without detracting from other students needs. Pellino (2007) writes of the lack of confidence many children of poor families have and how many see the curriculum as irrelevant to their lives. She suggests modifying the curriculum in interesting, simple ways that will have value to all students in the class. This may include doing work on the effect of poverty, getting involved in community projects such as soup kitchens or simply studying the question What is poverty? It is important that these activities be followed with both group discussion and individual reflection to help children think critically about their experiences (Chafel, 1997). A good education is often the only means of breaking the cycle of poverty for poor children therefore a teacher must provide a curriculum that is relevant and challenging to motivate students and increase their opportunity for higher education and greater opportunity in life. Many students from low socio-economic households feel they have no choice or control over their destiny. They may be depressed, have a fear of failure or low expectations of their academic ability. An important task for teachers is to help students develop conative attitudes (Pellino, 2007). These are a desire to improve their life and an understanding that it is indeed possible through the creation of goals, plans and perseverance. It may be beneficial  to develop conative attitude exercises designed to help students identify what is important to them personally. Incorporating personal reflection in the curriculum may be beneficial (Pellino, 2007). This could include encouragement to write journal entries imagining what they would do if time and money was no object (Waitley, 1996, cited by Huitt, 1999) and then reflecting back on a mission statement. Students from low income families often need help to develop self-efficacy and a desire to be proactive in their life (Baumeister, Bratslavsky, Muraven Tice, 1998; Emmons, 1986). These are traits that are often lacking in low achieving students, particularly those from poorer backgrounds (Huitt, 1999). It is important for teachers to develop lessons that result in success to show students that they are capable of altering outcomes and do not just accept what life throws at them (Pellino, 2007). I found Karen Pellinos paper to be extremely helpful. It is comprehensive and includes an extensive reference list that directs the reader to a vast array of articles for further study. Reference list Baumeister, R., Bratslavsky, E., Muraven, M., Tice, D. (1998). Ego depletion: Is the active self a limited resource? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74(5), 1252-1265. Retrieved from CSA Illumina 14 June 2008. Chafel, J. (1997) Childrens Views of Poverty: A Review of Research and Implications for Teaching, The Educational Forum, 61:4, 360 371. Accessed from Informaworld 15 June 2008 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00131729709335282Emmons, R. (1986). Personal strivings: An approach to personality and subjective well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 1058-1068. Retrieved from CSA Illumina 14 June 2008. Huitt, W. 1999. Conation as an important factor of mind. Website for Valdosta State University, GA. http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/regsys/conation.html. Accessed 14 June, 2008. Pellino, K. (2007). The Effects of Poverty on Teaching and Learning. Teachnology. Retrieved 14 June, 2008, from http://www.teach-nology.com/tutorials/teaching/poverty/print.htm.

Knife Gun And Gang Crime In East London Criminology Essay

Knife Gun And Gang Crime In East London Criminology Essay In this Project I will be writing about crime in East London. The main reason I chose to do Crime was because crime has been a key factor in how it has affected many people across the world. The types of crime I will talk about are Knife, Gun, and Gang. East London is located in London and an easier way to find it is by any post code as anything beginning with E is part of East London. In general East London is a very multi-cultural society with many sets of group living there and in it you can find something from all parts of the world but recently, over the past 3 years has been hit by a number of crime related incidents which have affected many people in the area from the young to the old. I will now write about crimes which occurred over the past 20 years and give examples of some I will also define the meaning of each crime and also the word crime, so that people know what they mean. The word Crime can simply mean an action that breaks the law but different people have different opinions of what they think of the word crime: The three main types of crime I will talk about are knife, Gun and Gang. Knife crime can be any crime that involves a knife. This could include many aspects such as: carrying or trying to buy a knife if youre under 18, threatening people with a knife, carrying a knife that is banned. Knife Crime in the Past 20 years wasnt such a major problem because knives were not easy to get hold of and the main purpose of having a knife was for home purposes such as cooking etc. The most common knife crime was committed in the very early 70s by a person who was known as Jack the ripper, who killed more than 5 people by raping his victims and slicing their throats with a knife and hiding his victims under the floor boards in plastic bags. Gun Crime can be anything that involves a gun for example a murder where the victim is shot, any situation where a gun is fired, intimidating people with a weapon, carrying a gun that is banned, such as a handgun, carrying or using an imitation gun such as a plastic or toy gun. In the 17th century a series of gun related crimes were committed in the East London by the person called Thomas Hopkins, in which he kidnapped people who had caused him grief and trouble in his childhood and took them to his house where he put them through pain and eventually killed them by shooting them through the brain blowing their heads off. He had 3 victims killed before soon realising that no one could help with his illness and he shot himself to death on the 4th of March 1799. Gang crime could be a gang in a large group of people who maynt be involved in crime and violence. Many young people will not realise they are in a gang, they will just think they are in a group of friends. Being in a gang is not illegal only the criminal offences committed within the gang is illegal. The most commonly known gang crimes were committed in east London by two people who were also bothers named the Kray twins, (Ronnie and Reggie). They worked together to commit a number of violent assaults, arson, armed robberies and other organised crimes. They were known as the East End gangsters and the Godfathers of Britain. Both sets of bothers were sentenced to imprisonment once found guilty by the police. Since then they both have died. In this section of my project I will talk about the crime in East London in the recent years. It is quite obvious that crime compared to the past 20 years has increased and below I will talk about why it has increased and give some examples of people who have been affected by the type of crimes. Figures and research show that crime has increased by 25% in the East London with Knife and Gang crime being the highest of number of Crimes committed. Knife Crime in East London has recently increased from the past. This is down to an increase of Gangs and easier ways to get in possession of a knife. An example of knife crime in East London was On Sunday 7th October; a boy was stabbed to death when he tried to stop a gang stealing a friends mobile phone in West Ham Park. It was due to him protecting his friends and was innocently stabbed and died on the scene. The reason why people especially young people may carry knives around is due to the number of Knife crime happening in the area, and in order for them to feel safe and secure they carry a knife around with them or if they are part of a gang it could have been pressured on them to carry one or as the rest of the gang may have one, then the young person has to have one to feel as if they are part of it and not left out, and in case anyone tries to stab them or attack them with a knife they have something to use against the attacker. Gun Crime is a lot fewer then Knife crime. A boy from London has made British criminal history by becoming the youngest person to be convicted for possessing a firearm. The boy, aged 13 at the time and cant be named for legal reason, said he was storing a Russian-made pistol, two silencers and ammunition in his mothers home as a favour for an older gang member. Many people will not carry a gun on them, but may be in possession of one or may know somewhere where one is easy to get hold of. Gun Crime is not so common is East London as it has been harder to get hold of guns and find them. The largest number of gangs in East London are said to be in Hackney, (22 gangs); Enfield in north London (13); Lambeth and Merton in south London (12 gangs each); Waltham Forest(8) in north east London. Gangs are found to have around 20 to 30 members and to commit crimes in smaller groups of three to six, as being in a large group could get people suspicious. Religion was also found to be a key factor, with some gangs solely being just Muslims or Catholics members and there is rather few gangs with a mixture of race and religion in them as people feel a mixture of people in a gang cant be trusted. A former gang leader said some young people became gang members in order to feel protected. They feel safe in a gang because you have got older people in the gang who are always going to look after them; they feel like we are their olders almost like brothers and family member. You are always moving as a pack. Its as you fight in a war people out there in the world are out to come after us and take us down we have to keep on the move. It is very common that if you find a large gang that someone normally the higher rate leader will be in possession of a gun for safety purposes or to use in case of a gang feuds. There is one other Main issue why gang crime has increased and has been created in East London and this is down to which postcode they live in. Teenagers marked as E5 or E9 were at risk of being attacked for straying into the wrong area. Simply crossing to the other side of a street which borders two postcodes could end in violence. An Example of these post-code gangs is that one teenage girl has been a victim of two attacks due to the area she comes from and the area she went into. The Most common way of people asking where the people are from by asking What Ends are you from? giving a wrong answer at this point could have you attacked or mugged. The reason why this happens is that Gangs feel like their area is their territory and that no one should cross, especially people from opposite postcode. This Type of gang crime has become so bad people dont feel safe walking through some areas and have to find alternative routes to get home etc. Unfortunately some people are unaware that they may be in a gang, a large group of friends could be hanging out together, something which may be normal to them, but people may feel that they are in a gang as people walking past may feel intimidated by the size and feel unsafe. So it shows you that you dont need to be committing crimes in a gang to be classified as being in a g ang. All crimes are related to each other in some shape or form. Due to the increase of Knife Crime and overall crime more and more people are joining gangs to feel safe and have people protecting them. These gangs cause crime and will carry some sort of weapon with them normally a knife and maybe a gun. So all these types of crime are linked within each other. Many things have been done to reduce crime in East London. A new law was created by the government that police have the right to stop and search anyone they think might be in possession of a weapon or look suspicious. Many people have their own point of view on this topic. Some people think that it is inappropriate as police says its a random stop and search. While they could be searching someone by random who is innocence someone else carrying a knife would not being searched as and walking about with a Knife. I personally have been stopped and searched and think its a time consuming process and waste both mines and police time as I know that Im not carrying a weapon and the police time as they not find nothing on me. Tougher sentence have been put in place for people who carry a knife or stab or kill someone using a weapon, as more people would know that they cant get away. There is more surveillance put in place as more police officers have been put on patrol on the streets to hel p reduce the crimes and make the public feel safer. Also another new law that has been created by the government is the rise in the age of people who can buy a knife as now people have to be over 18 to be able to purchase a knife from a shop. This law allows young people from being able to stop them from buying a knife and going out and using it. Even ASBOs (anti social behaviour order) have been given to some gangs and gangs members to try to make them stop hanging around in large groups and causing trouble but some people think that ASBOS are a tag of pride and use it to show people that they have it and show off about it thinking it is a good thing and its not working for the police. Thats why many more police officers are patrolling the streets of East London to stop large groups hanging around and try to get them to move away from residential areas. The reason why crime occurs in east London I think is due to poverty as people dont have money so they go out and commit crimes to ensure that they get money and the things they need. So doing these crimes would make them money or stealing from people by using a knife to threaten them to hand over their items. So I think money and greed are the biggest motivation why so many people go out there and commit crimes. Poor upbringing is another reason why people who have failed in life or no longer attend school or college for reasons like being excluded from it are more likely to go out and commit crimes. Has they dont have anything to do and they know that they dont have a good future ahead and some believe that prison life is much easier than the real world. Also some people think that crime is the easier option to take in life as its easy money to get hold of. The way crime has increased over the time has affected the world, as East London is such a multi-cultural area; many people want to come over to East London from all parts of the world. The people have heard about the crimes that have occurred in east London, which may make them feel unsafe as they would be new to the country, and make them reconsider about coming over in case they get caught up in any of the crime. The reason why crime has stayed on the increased and not gone down since the past is down to not harsh enough punishment given to the people who get caught. So if someone was caught committing a crime and faced a punishment they would know that they wont get away and make them re-think about not going out and committing the crimes as they would know that the punishment would be a substantial one. I think that the crimes that are occurring in east London are unnecessary and only just giving a bad name to East London and I think that East London will not be the same for a very long time as crimes if nothing is done to make them stop. All these crimes are affecting peoples live; people who live here are worried over their safety and outsiders who want to come over for a holiday or to live and will think twice. I think that the only way crime can be stopped is by getting the police to do more. Crime in East London hasnt really affected me in a way that much. The only way it has affected me is that all crimes that happen get blamed on the young people and I am one of the young people so even people who arent committing the crimes get given a bad name.

Using Stimuluses to Make a Final Performance :: Acting Education Drama Theatre Essays

Using Stimuluses to Make a Final Performance For our drama portfolio we were given many different stimuli to work with that all gave us different ideas for our final performance. I choose two stimuli and used them to develop ideas. My first stimulus I would like to talk about is a sentence about poppies that was given to us. We took our stimulus and brainstormed ideas. We looked at different drama strategies to employ that would help us understand the text. The sentence, which was about poppies made us concentrate on the aspect of war. Therefore death was the main idea but not necessarily due to war but to other reasons. Poppies are red and red symbolises blood, death, danger, wrong and love. As well as the performance consisting of pain an idea would be to also portray love. So we were thinking of a performance with a contrast of love and death. Loss will convey the blood death and danger so we should use loss as a main element within the piece. However, we were forgetting what poppies actually are flowers. This obvious aspect should be included, as a poppy is obviously a flower and death is an obvious element within war. They are both stating the obvious and therefore some strategies should be used to gain ideas from this aspect of poppies. We used hot seating on someone who is a presenter at a garden show. We selected some sentences about flowers and thought of using narrating to say them. At the same we created some still images that were related to the text to investigate the link between the poppies and the idea of dying in war. We now had a few initial ideas that could be developed further and used within our final piece. My second stimulus was to be put in the position of a mother. I was told that my son had been missing in action and I receive a letter from him which is back dated two months ago. We took our stimulus and started to create ideas again. We took into account the time period and how life would be different then. We concentrated on the parent’s and son’s relationship and the parent’s priorities. What would be the most important thing in their life at that moment in time? There were many aspects to consider so we decided to use hot seating as our first strategy. We also had to consider the conditions the son was living in as it was set in the war. It was important for the audience to understand the atmosphere not only with the setting but within the

depression Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Depression has been around for a longer period of time than we can imagine. Depression has been considered to be the major psychiatric disease of the 20th century, affecting approximately eight million people in North America (http://www.ndmda.org). It is a matter of whether it is diagnosed and treated or left alone. This is a problem that can affect everyone whether they themselves are diagnosed or simply by knowing someone with depression.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  People with psychiatric illnesses are twenty times more likely to die from accidents or suicide than people without psychiatric disorders (http://www.nami.org). Major depression, including bipolar affective disorder, often appears for the first time during teenage years, and early recognition of these conditions will have profound effects on later morbidity and mortality.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Is depression in adolescents a significant problem? Well, the suicide rate for adolescents has increased more than 200% over the last decade (http://www.ndmda.org). Adolescent suicide is now responsible for more deaths in youths aged fifteen to nineteen than cardiovascular disease or cancer. Recent studies have shown that greater than twenty percent of adolescents in the general population have emotional problems and one-third of adolescents attending psychiatric clinics suffer from depression. Despite this, depression in this age group is greatly under diagnosed, leading to serious difficulties in school, work, and personal adjustment, which often continue into adulthood.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Depression presents in adolescents with essentially the same symptoms as in adults; however, some clinical shrewdness may be required to translate the teenagers? symptoms into adult terms. Wearing black clothes, writing poetry with morbid themes, or listening to certain types of music may exemplify sadness. Sleep disturbance may manifest as all-night television watching, difficulty in getting up for school, or sleeping during the day. Missed classes reflect lack of motivation and lowered energy level. A drop in grade averages can be equated with loss of concentration and slowed thinking. Boredom may be a synonym for feeling depressed. Loss of appetite may become anorexia or bulimia. Adolescent depression may also present primarily ... ...et the course take action. Although, the student should not feel like they are ?weeded out? from the group. The teacher should still treat them the same and not exclude them from activities. Also, the student should be encouraged to get help. They should not feel forced to do something. Instead, they should be educated on why they should. Hopefully, this will resolve and bring depression to an end so that we can all live our lives to the fullest. References http://www.apa.org Website sponsored by the American Psychological Association Berger, Kathleen Stassen. (2001) The Developing Person through the Life Span. NY, New York: Worth Publishers http://www.nami.org Website sponsored by National Alliance for the Mentally Ill http://www.ndmda.org Website sponsored be the National Depressive and Manic-Depressive Association http://www.nimh.nih.gov Website sponsored by National Institute of Mental Health Page, Randy M. and Tana S.2000) Fostering Emotional well-being in the classroom. Sudbury: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Hotlines: Community Counseling Clinic (610) 758-3255 Depression and Anxiety Hotline 1-800-234-0038 Teen Help Adolescent Resources 1-800-637-0701

The History of Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt Essay -- Egyptian Kingdom

The History of Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt are both cradles of civilization. Both contributed greatly to human development through their achievements, failures, peoples, scientific accomplishments, philosophies, religions, and contributions. Mesopotamia is a rich flat plain created by deposits from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. At the southern end of this plain developed the first recognizable civilization, in the area known as Sumer. In 3000 B.C. Sumer contained a dozen or more city-states, each ruled by its own king and worshiped its own patron deity. The citizens of these city-states were classified into three classes: nobles and priests, commoners, and slaves. In the center of a Sumerian city usually stood a tower culminating in a temple for the patron god of the city. The Sumerians believed that this patron god owned the whole city. The Geography of this city helped a lot with the trade, and led to mathematics as well. The Sumerians developed a precise system of mathematical notation called the sexagesimal, in which the number sixty is the main element. We even use this system in our world today! The Sumerian’ chief contribution to later civilizations was writing, even though their script was pictogra phic. Through these pictographic scripts historians found a long narrative known as the Epic of Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh is a great hero and ruler who sets out to recover cedar from northern lands. He travels with his companion Enkidu, who is killed by the storm god, Enlil. Mourning the loss of his companion and confronted by death himself, Gilgamesh travels the world in search of eternal life. He ends up finding the plant of eternal youth, but a serpent swallows it while he is bathing. The epic ends with his death and funeral. The Sumerians believed that the gods created people to be their slaves. The first Great Warlord came from the region of Akkad, an area north of Babylon. His name was Sargon, and he conquered all of Mesopotamia. Sargon was from a group of people called the Semites. The only difference between the Semites and the Sumerians were linguistics. Semites spoke many different languages like Akkadian, Hebrew, and Canaanite. The Sumerian people adapted the Akkadian language. Sargon and his successors ruled from Akkad until 2230 B.C, when internal disagreement ended the Akkadian... ... King Tutankhamen moved the capital back to Thebes and favored the older god Amen-Re. In the 19th Dynasty arose the greatest pharaoh, Ramses II. Ramses achieved a period of temporary peace. In this period he spent time and money on luxurious building projects. A major achievement in Egyptian society was the role of women. Women were allowed to own land and pass it down to their daughters. Women also helped with agriculture and went shopping. Women were legally equal to men but in their own class. They even started having occupations. Some were singers, dancers, priests, and professional mourners. Women were even buried next to their husbands in an elegant tomb. As you can see there are many differences and similarities between the Sumerians and Ancient Egyptians. Both were one of the first civilizations and contributed into the development of how our world works today. From politics to family life our culture today has come from a very long line of ancient civilizations and reforms. Work Cited Chambers, Mortimer, The Western Experience. McGraw-Hill College, 1999 pg. 6-20 David, A. Rosalie, The Egyptian Kingdoms. New York: Peter Bedrick Books, 1975.

How the National Debt Crisis Affects My Life

How the National Debt Crisis Affects My Life Today the debate over the national debt crisis has many U. S. citizens concern about their financial future. With our national debt ceiling set at 14. 3 trillion dollars, and with debt rapidly accruing, the decision to raise the debt ceiling must be made soon. Although both the Democratic and Republican parties have their own opinions on how to fix the issue, a decision must be made before August 2, 2011. Without a solution, the Treasury would not have the authority to borrow any more money. This means that the nation will be unable to make the necessary payments on debt, and also will result in defaulting on prior obligations. While both Democrats and Republicans debate on what’s best, my worries of financial security and my future goals seem to be in jeopardy. As I watch the debates on whether to raise taxes, lower taxes, cut social security, or decrease funding, the more my stress levels seem to rise. As an enlisted member of the U. S. Air Force, my financial stability comes from the decisions of the government. The ability to provide food, shelter and clothing for my family is very important to me. Although I’ve managed to save money, it’s not enough to cover the effects of missing a full month’s pay. According to Dr. Alan Manevitz â€Å"As Americans continue to face rising gas and food costs, some individuals are actually becoming physically sick from financial worries† (Manevitz, 2008). When there’s no money to fill the piggy banks, I often ask myself â€Å"how will we survive†? The thought of not knowing where our next meal will come from sickens me to my core. The stress involved continues to rise as I wait. No one knows at this point what decision will be implemented. Either way, the need for tighter budgets within my internal and external family will need to transpire. Because of the current events involving the national debt crisis, we’ve been forced to cut back on the things that provide comfort to my family as a whole. Tighter budgets in my household means a lack of leisure activities, smaller meals, and cutting back on just about anything we can think of. All of the things that heighten moral will be replaced with more creative money saving aspects. Although this plan may improve our financial status overall, no one likes to live significantly below their means. If Congress doesn't raise the debt limit, all active duty members of the military would stop getting paid next month (O'Mara, 2011). Where the military was once the saving grace for financial stability amongst the middle class, the outlook is looking dim as we wait for a decision. This ultimately puts my plans of future endeavors at a standstill. Having goals and not being able to reach them makes me feel inferior. It is the glue-less fabric of my slow demise. My dreams of being financially stable are in the hands of lawmakers. Based on the odds, both ends of the spectrum are not pleasing to my heart. Like many of my fellow Americans, I would love the opportunity to live the dream. Finding funding to support my entrepreneurial endeavors seem slim to none or very vague. Without bootstrapping cash, my startup ideas cease to exist until further notice. Banks are now limited on the amount they can lend due to constraints. They also would like to know that I contributed a good percentage of the necessary startup capital into the business (Dun & Bradstreet, 2011). This seems impossible when making sure every penny is put into the best place. I can’t forget about my dreams of getting engaged to my beautiful girlfriend. Numerous studies have shown that money is the No. 1 reason why couples argue and many of the recently divorced say those battles were the main reason why they untied the knot (Todorova, 200,). That’s a scary thought when thinking about getting married. It’s an even scarier thought when thinking about having children. Knowing that we would be raising them to eventually incur our debts as a society is devastating. In conclusion, a decision on what to do next as a nation has to be made. The overall outcome of this decision will affect every person in the United States. From business owners to employees, we will all need to find our means to survive. Whether it’s through controlled spending or working multiple jobs, more money has to be put away in a secure place. It’s up to the Democratic and Republican parties to decide on a solution at this point, and hopefully the worries of financial stability will diminish in the eyes of many. It’s time for the government to take a stand and make the impossible possible. ? References Dun & Bradstreet. (2011, March). Bank Loans For Small Businesses. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness. dnb. com/business-finance/business-loans/2542-1. html Manevitz, A. (2008, June). Debt Stress Making People Sick. Retrieved from http://http://www. cbsnews. com/video/watch/? id=4181440n O'Mara, M. (2011, July 14). Debt Crisis Could Delay Military Pay. Retrieved from http://www. ktvb. com/community/blogs/maggie-omara/Debt-crisis-could-delay-military-pay–125566258. html Todorova, A. (200, June 11). The Six Financial Mistakes Couples Make. Retrieved from http://www. smartmoney. com/spend/family-money/the-six-financial-mistakes-couples-make-15414/

Family Counsel Approach Essay

Within White’s therapy, the therapist adopts a position of consultant to those experiencing oppression at a personal level from their problems and at a political level from a mental-health discourse and set of practices which permeate western culture. Thus people with problems of living are viewed as requiring help in fighting back against these problems and practices which have invaded their lives. This positioning is described by White, drawing on ideas from the French philosopher Derrida (1981), as both deconstructionist and constitutionalist. A deconstructionist position entails empowering clients to subvert taken-for-granted mental-health definitions and practices. A constitutionalist position entails working from the premise that lives and identities are constituted and shaped by three sets of factors: †¢ The meaning people give to their experiences or the stories they tell themselves about themselves. †¢ The language practices that people are recruited into along with the type of words these use to story their lives. †¢ The situation people occupy in social structures in which they participate and the power relations entailed by these. The positioning of the clinician within narrative therapy involves addressing these three sets of factors by deconstructing the sense people make of their lives, the language practices they use, and the power relationships in which they find themselves. In deconstructing practices of power, White draws on the work of the French philosopher Foucault (1965, 1975, 1979, 1980, 1984). People are unconsciously recruited into the subjugation of their own lives by power practices that involve continual isolation, evaluation, and comparison. Eventually our clients internalize ludicrous societal standards, yet believe that in doing so they are justifiably aspiring to valued ideals of fulfillment and excellence. This leads, for example, to self starvation and anorexia, extreme self-criticism in depression, or a sense of powerlessness in the face of threat and anxiety. In turn, mental health professions have compounded this problem by developing global unitary accounts of these states that purport to be objective truths, such as the diagnostic categories contained in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV (American Psychiatric Association, 1994) and the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition (World Health Organization, 1992). Furthermore, these professions support practices that prevent clients from questioning the socio-political contexts within which these so-called objective diagnostic truths emerged. The collaborative co-authoring position central to narrative practice is neither a one-up expert position nor a one-down strategic position. At a 1997 workshop White showed a clip of videotape in which he used turn taking at questioning to help a young girl with a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder to participate in an interview. Other professionals involved in the case had been unable to help the girl to do this and had labeled her as uncooperative. White made an agreement with her early in the meeting that for every question she answered, she could ask him a question. The girl stuck to this bargain because she was very curious about his perception of the world, since he told her at the outset of the meeting that he was color blind. This collaborative approach was highly effective in helping the girl tell her story about her difficulties in managing friendships and school work. Within White’s language in therapy there is an openness about the therapist’s working context, intentions, values, and biases. There is a privileging of the client’s language rather than the therapist’s language. There is a respect for working at the client’s pace that finds expression in regularly summarizing and checking that the client is comfortable with the pace. The therapist assumes that since social realities are constituted through language and organized through narratives, all therapeutic conversations aim to explore multiple constructions of reality rather than tracking down the facts which constitute a single truth. There is no room for questions like: †¢ From an objective viewpoint, what happened? All inquires are about individual viewpoints. †¢ How did you see the situation? †¢ How did your view differ from that of your mother/father/ brother/sister/etc? There is a constant vigilance for marginalized stories that might offer an opening for the person to engage in what White (1989, 1995) refers to as an â€Å"insurrection of subjugated knowledges.† That is, an opening that will allow the person to select to construct the story of their lives in terms other than those dictated by the dominant narrative which feeds their problem. This requires the therapist to privilege listening over questioning, and to question in a way that helps clients to see that the stories of their lives are actively constructed, rather than passively recounted and given. EXTERNALIZING THE PROBLEM Externalizing the problem is the central in counseling and supervision used by Michael White to help clients begin to define their problems as separate from their identities. A particular style of questioning is used to help clients begin to view their problems as separate from themselves. Central to this style of questioning is inquiring about how the problem has been affecting the person’s life and relationships. Of a young boy with persistent soiling problems Michael White asked the boy and his parents a series of questions about Mr. Mischief, an externalized personification of the soiling problem: †¢ Are you happy what Mr. Mischief is doing to your relationship? †¢ How is Mr. Mischief interfering with your friendships? Of a girl with a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa he asked: †¢ How far has anorexia nervosa encroached on your life? †¢ How did anorexia nervosa come to oppress you in this way? With people diagnosed as psychotic and experiencing auditory hallucinations he asked: †¢ What are the voices trying to talk you into? †¢ How will their wishes affect your life? In a health education project which aimed to prevent the spread of aids, AIDS was personified and participants in the project were asked: Where will AIDS be found? †¢ How will AIDS be recognized? This procedure of asking questions in a way that assumes the problem and the person are quite separate helps clients to begin to externalize the problem and to internalize personal agency (Carr,1997). It may also interrupt the habitual enactment of the dominant problem-saturated story of the person’s identity. In relative influence questioning the client is invited to first map out the influence of the problem on their lives and relationships, and second to map out the influence that they exert on the problem. Relative influence questioning allows clients to think of themselves not as problem-people but as individuals who have a relationship with a problem. Here are some examples of relative influence questions: †¢ In that situation were you stronger than the problem or was the problem stronger than you? †¢ Who was in charge of your relationships then? Were you in charge or was the problem in charge? †¢ To what extent were you controlling your life at that point and to what extent was the problem controlling your life? This type of questioning also opens up the possibility that clients may report that on some occasions the problem influences them to the point of oppression, whereas on others, they can resist the problem. Thus relative influence questions allow clients to construct unique outcomes which are the seeds from which lives may be re-authored. When it is clear that in some situations problems have a greater influence than people, whereas in other instances people win out, questions may be asked about clients’ views of contextual influences on this. Here are some examples of such questions: †¢ What feeds the problem? †¢ What starves the problem? †¢ Who is for the problem? †¢ Who is against the problem?