Why do Brand Extension Strategies Fail Literature review

Why do Brand Extension Strategies Fail - Literature review Example The strategy of brand extension is being used by the organisations in order to cope up with different challenging situations and overcome the competitive pressure in the industry. According to the Han (1998), the brand extension of strategy have been beneficial for the companies in the process of reaping additional benefits from the already established brand. The main reason or rationale behind the introduction of new product under the name of well known and established brand is to make sure that the customers and market is familiar with the brand and the new product category can capture market on the basis of the positive and main characteristics of the parent brand (Buil, Chernatony, and Hem, 2009). Different options available to the brand managers in the process of brand extension are: 1. Horizontal Extension: the horizontal extension is further divided into line extension and category extension. In the line extension a whole new product, within the same category as that of the pa rent brand, is introduced in order to target and capture a new and different segment of the market. On the other hand, in the category extension the same brand is extended into a whole new product category. ... IMPACT OF BRAND EXTENSION STRATEGY ON THE BRAND IMAGE AND BUSINESS: In order to make sure that the brand extension strategy proves to be beneficial and helpful for the organisation and increase the competitiveness of the organisation it is important to identify and understand the implications of the brand extension strategy on the brand image and overall business of the organisation (Serrao and Botelho, 2008). There are several factors which directly influence the impact of the brand extensions on the brand image. According to the research study of Martinez and Chernatony (2004), the perceived brand quality by the consumers and the attitudes and behaviours of the consumers towards the overall extension strategy have positive impact on the general brand image and product brand image. The research study also concluded that the fact that consumers are familiar and aware of the brand only have impact on the general brand image and have no impact on the product brand image. On the other h and the consumers’ perceived degree of fit between the parent brand and new brand only influence the product brand image. The research study of Martinez and Chernatony (2004), have created a difference between the general brand image and the product brand image. They have correctly identified the impact of the consumers attitudes on the general brand image and product brand image. However, their stance about the impact of familiarity and awareness on the GBI and PBI is somewhat shaky. If the customers are aware and familiar with the brand it will definitely affect the PBI also, because the customers will relate the product with the overall brand image and will associate same image with it. The research study by Park, McCarthy, and Milberg (1993), concluded that the

University and Students Essay Example for Free

University and Students Essay Introduction The hotel and restaurant management is the worlds largest industry and offers unrivalled opportunities for an exciting and rewarding career, though the outlook for employment in this industry is rapidly growing. With the increasing demand for highly skilled hospitality managers there has never been a better time to gain a qualification in this dynamic global industry. The Hotel and Restaurant Management program responds to this challenge with a comprehensive blend of practical and theoretical courses driven by hotel industry. The HRM curriculum combines courses in business administration, communications, quantitative studies, the humanities and the sciences, with in-depth courses in foods, foodservice systems management, hotel operations and human resource management to provide a strong base for professional success. On the recent enrollment at Laguna State Polytechnic University SPCC, students of Hotel and Restaurant Management course gradually increased, this shows that many students are giving interest in the course. Based on the previous research, the course is now being recognized as one of the top courses to be taken in the country. One of the benefits of choosing this course is that the student can learn about knowing the right managerial skills in handling a Hotel and Restaurant and also learning about the different kinds of foods that they can cook. Though this course is not only to learn about cooking, one shouldve studied culinary arts for that, but primarily to have the knowledge, skills, and the right preparations for a student to be ready to handle supervisory and management positions in hospitality management. For students to be trained under an instructor in a practical setting of a restaurant or any other similar establishment, the right mindset and attitude must be present. The performance of a student in managing even just a small business serves as an enhancement of their knowledge and skills. It works as a substantial internship for future work and management. One of the factors in choosing the course, is being chosen and going out of the country to train and learn more about the industry that they have chosen. The experience that the students gain will be a valuable asset in finding a job or taking up Master’s Degree. The importance of choosing Hotel and Restaurant Management course is it will be the building blocks for the success in the future. Students need to be more attentive and interested in this course because it will help them to be prepared for their job in the future. Through studying this course students will become an effective and competent manager in the future. They will be prepared to take what they’ve learn here and go forward to undertake successful management roles within any of the hospitality sectors, namely, hotels, restaurants resorts and clubs. This course will enable freshmen student to advance their career to senior level so they can operate effectively at a strategic level in this increasingly competitive sector. While learning how to apply theory to complex problems, they will also gain an advanced understanding of business disciplines, including marketing, human resources, finance and operations management on an international level. Understanding how to be a leader, how to work with people and how to increase profits in hospitality businesses are all vital skills, and will be studied through the course. Special emphasis will be placed on preparing students for the trends in globalization which will be prevalent in tomorrows hospitality industry. Hotel and Restaurant students will acquire the competencies they need to be industry leaders in the competitive hotel and restaurant business environment. In order for them to achieve success in this industry, they need to have the ability to get along with all kinds of people under all kinds of conditions. the people they must deal with in this industry, guest and employees alike, vary widely in terms of education, personal experience, intelligence, business background, nationality, and personal characteristics. To succeed in the hotel industry, they must be broadminded, tolerant, understanding, and humane. It is important to keep in mind that as a future hotelier, they will regularly be dealing with many different temperaments in various situations. Any person contemplating a career in the hotel industry should be neat, have a flair for detail, and be willing to be of service to others. This last requirement is not a catchall phrase; it embodies the ability to listen attentively, have ready smile, and maintain a reserved manner. Therefore, anyone with an uncontrollable temper or an inbred shyness must try to overcome these defects to have a successful career in the hotel industry. The early development of the concern among the HRM students should not perish in their minds to defeat the stress that they are facing. It’s obvious that first year of education faces a trouble that maybe foreign to their mind and new to their knowledge. In this case, these challenges could be the burden which can pull them out of the school without completing their studies, such as; the choice of college course, academic problem, students schedule and of course the environmental adjustments. But the serious case that arises in some observation is that, the focus they have in the first years of their study is not that intense. Therefore, the students must make their way to create a new passage to accelerate in their subject matter. The HRM graduates believe that this will be a broad base of management and technical skills which enable them to immediately be productive in the workplace. This study intended to state the perceived difficulties met by freshmen HRM students of LSPU and their achievements in school. Direct and indirect sources of evidence of student performance will be conducted and quantify to find out the freshmen sentiments and therefore provide the most probable solutions that will reflect effective results. Background of the Study The purpose of the study is to determine the difficulties of 1st year HRM students’ and the impact of college adjustments. The difficulties face by first year student found to be the choice of college course, school curriculum, schedule, socializing with new people, as well as the environmental adjustments. Based on the previous research, it found that the major difficulties face by majority of the students is choice of college course, where in many freshmen choose HRM course because they think that it is easy and a fast way to graduate because some of the mindset of the students are just to graduate and get a job like being a waiter or bartender, without thinking that the knowledge that they learned wasn’t put into good use and disregarding their personal interest that lead them into difficulties. This was followed by the academic problems such as difficult to understand well the teacher’s lectures. However many first year students encounter difficulties in organizing their selves to do individual studies as they easily give into distractions. For example some first year students loiter around avoiding lectures and tutorials thus coming to school with different intensions. And also their time management involves doing the right thing at the right time. First year students in particular tend to misuse the time that is given. The difficulties to attend class as early as 7 in the morning. Managing time effortlessly can make the difference between a successful student and one who is defeated by stress. Other than that, students also faced health problems where they have difficulty in taking care of their health. One study identified the difficulties of the first year students and pointing out that the main cause of these problems is a big amount of stress during their life a student. A HRM student, actually in a broad sense, all of the students’ faces some series of challenges and stressors. But more likely, the HRM students are the one who are in the center of experiencing stress, especially the first year students. The stress maybe came from their friends, professors, colleagues, family or relatives, and even relationships and competition. Every day, students doesn’t only needs a brain to do a workload and be happy to grab it fast but they also founding certain emotions in dealing with the other people and not always facing the thick pages of a book. HRM students experience stress severe enough to induce mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. The source of the stress in HRM students is related in their learning experience and the programs that they enrolled into. Difficulties are a challenge to freshmen in achieving academic excellence. The continuous activities making the students accumulated the burnout behaviors which are characterized by reduction in their performance. And just like the domino effect, everything else follows. The students are destined to feel slight health failure, physical illness and emotional stress. There is also physical and psychological symptoms of stress that are present in every HRM students that suffered pressure such as irritability, inability to concentrate, insomnia, depression, muscular tension and aches, palpitations, lack of appetite and others. But actually, not all the case of a HRM student finds a negative response on the stress factor. There is the existence of the arousal that at some point increases and improves the performance. Those difficulties among first year students should be given a serious attention as a serious adjustment problem could lead to student’s failure to complete their studies. This study may increase the knowledge on how they can interact and motivate themselves and adapt to the changes that would be necessary for their growth and development. Theoretical Framework According to Stephen Pravel’s Theory of Catastrophic Misinterpretation which explain that both educational researchers and experienced teachers develop what might be called theories of difficulty. A strong theory of difficulty identifies learners characteristic trouble spots for a particular area of instruction and includes some causal analysis of why they occur toward improved teaching and learning. The literature on learning and development offers numerous ways of understanding conceptual difficulties, as well as recognizing problems of ritualized knowledge, inert knowledge, knowledge too foreign for learners to engage it readily, and tacit knowledge, the partly unconscious nature of which poses learning challenges. In a number of studies, a strong theory of difficulty has led to improved learning. In everyday teaching, teachers response to recurrent difficulties may fall short. One not uncommon reaction is to blame the learners weaknesses and simply keep teaching in the same way. Another better reaction is to teach harder’; lavishing more time and attention on characteristic difficulties without any causal analysis of what makes them problematic. Most effective is to teach smarter based on a causal analysis refined through experience. The construction of informal theories of difficulty is an important part of the craft of teaching. He also discusses motivation from the perspective of contextual factors and school socialization processes that have the potential to influence student motivation and subsequent performance. In this regard, teachers instructional practices and interpersonal relationships with students are highlighted as potentially powerful factors influencing student motivation and performance. This theory will also serve as determinant of this study. Through the use of both direct and indirect sources of evidence of student performance, results from assessment guide collective actions for, among others, curricular change, better learning opportunities for students, improvement of teaching, and more effective academic support services. That is, the result which will be posted at the end of the study and shall be well classified to determine whether or not freshmen students need to worry and confused in pursuing HRM and in the end it will help them to achieve higher education and scholastic achievements, and give them an advantage in the job market and the credibility they need to achieve their career in hospitality. Coceptual Framework The researchers presented a research paradigm of the difficulties and achievements of freshmen college students of Laguna State Polytechnic University it showed the personal profile of the freshmen college students, the profile included the age, gender, civil status and family income. Factors under the difficulties by freshmen are the choice of college course, academic problem, schedule, and environmental adjustment. While in the achievement is measured by the scholastic, extra-curricular and the exposure into hospitality industry. Research Paradigm Figure 1 Achievements in School of the respondents a. Scholastic b. Extra-Curricular c. Exposure into Hospitality Industry| Independent Variable Dependent Variable Respondents’ Profile a. Age b. Gender c. Civil status d. Family IncomePerceived Difficulties of the respondents a. Choice of College Course b. Academic Problem c. Schedule d. Environmental Adjustment| The Figure 1 shows the relationship between the independent variables the dependent variable. Statement of the Problem The objective of the study is to determine the difficulties met by first  year HRM students in Laguna State Polytechnic University and how they overcome it by achieving something in school. This study is significant to the students of Laguna State Polytechnic University SPCC, These may served as their guide for the readers and future researchers who will also have a relative topic, in order to provide them idea and knowledge in handling different problems encountered in hotel and restaurant course. And provide source of information and also to motivate them to improve their performance in order to achieve something in school. Specifically, it seeks to answer the following questions: 1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of: a. Age, b. Gender, c. Civil Status and d. Family Income? 2. What are the difficulties met by first year HRM students as perceived by themselves? a. Choice of College Course, b. Academic Problem, c. Schedule and d. Environmental Adjustment? 3. What are the achievements of first year HRM students? a. Scholastic, b. Extra-Curricular and c. Exposure into Hospitality Industry? 4. Do the perceived difficulties of the first year HRM students relate significantly to their achievement? Hypothesis * There is no significant relationship between the perceived difficulties of the first year student to their achievements in school. Significance of the Study The results of this study have relevance to the following: School and administration. The findings of the study can give more information to the school and administration about the students for them to be aware in understanding the difficulties faced by the students to provide good social environment that help students easily to adjust socially that can improve their academic achievements in school. Teachers. This study will provide a better understanding about difficulties and achievements of the students and to guide them how the students be at ease to its environment and exhibits the potential of the students. Respondents. This study will encourage all HRM students, especially to the first year students to face their difficulties and learn to overcome it. And this would be a great help for them to analyze their weak point in studies and how they will optimize them. Though they suffering into difficulties they can still motivate themselves to pursue their course and received scholastic achievements. Parents. The result of this study may also serve as a guide to parents on how they will guide and help their son and daughter with regards to their difficulties and achievements in school and by understanding the anxiety felt by their children. Researchers. This study may provide necessary information in order to answer their questions and can contribute to other future researchers. Future Researcher. The findings of this study can assist them as their point of reference in continuing the study of relationship of difficulties and achievements of students in school. Scope and limitation. The coverage of this study is to determine the degree of difficulties among first year HRM students and their scholastic achievements in Laguna State Polytechnic University San Pablo City Campus. The covered period for this study starts from 2011 up to 2012. Research will only be focused on the perceived difficulties met by first year HRM student and their achievement in school and not from other related topics. Definition of Terms The researchers defined the terms used in the study, operationally and functionally. Achievement. The attainment of students to overcome their fears and difficulties by aiming their goals. Academic Problem. anxiety of the students related to their academic difficulties that is hard to overcome Choice of College Course. This is the choice of the incoming college students to know or to pursue what they want in the future Difficulty. this is the anxiety faced about the students about their task or fears. Environmental Adjustment. this is how the freshmen students adopt changes in their new environment Extra- Curricular. one way on how students get a good grades and this is also way of the students how to use their skills HRM. A course where the students can enhance their skills in cooking, housekeeping, bartending, hotel operation, restaurant operation and management Master’s Degree. is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study. Perception. this is how the students interpret or see different things about the same situation Schedule. Part of the class program that the student oblique to follow it Scholastic. students that adheres to a method or subtitles of the school Chapter II REVIEW OF RELATED STUDIES AND LITERATURE. A review of related literature and studies about the difficulties and achievements of freshmen HRM students who came from Laguna State Polytechnic University is presented in this chapter. This chapter provides information on underlying theories, guidelines and concepts of value to this research. The researchers gathered literature and studies from different authors of book from foreign and local for better understanding of the problem. Different related literature presents different content with regards the variable that is used in the study. Related Literature According to Bobby Quitan, (2006) the interpersonal influences of others, such as parents and peers, have been involved in students’ aspirations to attend college. Students whose parents begin to encourage them to consider college early in their educational career are more likely to attend college. Quitan also stated that it have found that parental encouragement to attend college has a direct effect on college attendance. Students who have friends interested in attending college are more likely to pursue an undergraduate degree as well. Peers who plan to pursue a college degree positively reinforce college choice decisions. The college choice process refers to the factors that influence applicants when deciding which colleges to apply to and what factors to consider when deciding which of the colleges or universities they have been admitted to they wish to attend In order to gain a better understanding of this process, it was necessary to examine the stages that college applicants go through during the college selection process. The author said that there are three main stages of these models are predisposition, search and choice. The first stage of the college selection process in most models is predisposition. Quitan also refer to this stage as the college aspiration formation stage. This stage is characterized by students determining whether they would like to attend college. During this stage, certain background characteristics influence students. These influences include socioeconomic status, race, sex, ability, achievement, attitudes, and educational background of parents and peers. The socioeconomic status of a student can open doors of access to certain students or limit their ability to even consider attending college. Students with high socioeconomic status are more likely to go on to college than students with low socioeconomic status. The author also described three basic approaches that have been used to study the college selection process; social psychological studies, economic studies and sociological status attainment studies. All three approaches focus on decision-making influences. The first approach to the college selection process, social psychological studies, examines three main factors. The first factor incorporates the impact of the academic program that the student chooses, the social climate of the campus, the cost and location of the college, and the influence that other students have on the student’s college choice. The second factor is the student’s assessment of how they fit into the institution they have chosen. The third factor is the cognitive stages of college choice. The second approach includes economic studies that examine college choice. The author view college choice as an investment decision for the student. (Bobby Quitan, 2006). According to Ronan S. Estoque, Rogelyo G. Dela Cruz, Marinel Ivy P. Tan-Pichay (2006) the academic reputations of the university are factors that influence the students’ decisions to attend college. A large number of students enter their undergraduate institution undecided on an academic major. The students are attracted to institutions that can provide them with a wide variety of academic majors from which to choose. The academic reputation of an institution can also be very important to the students. They expect to acquire knowledge and skills in a particular field so they will be marketable for the jobs they want to pursue. Attending a college that has an excellent reputation for a specific academic program such as HRM or business will assist them in achieving their goal. Students also see academic reputation as leading to more job opportunities for them. Academic issues are just one group of factors that have an effect on the success of a student at a particular institution. Other factors within the institution may affect the student as well. These factors may be related to the social climate at a university and may create issues for students when selecting a college course. The author view on what generic competencies such as analytical thinking, ability and willingness to learn, self-confidence, relationship building was sought in order to compare these with the students’ views. The students should also be aware of the needs and be able to relate their abilities to those required by employers. If students do not see the need or importance, the likelihood of higher education institutions managing to convince students to instill these, will be difficult by enhancing their skills, competencies, personal attributes, enthusiasm, self-confidence, and knowledge that are needed in the work place, makes graduates more employable and likely to be successful in their chosen careers, which benefits themselves, the workforce, the community and the economy. During this time, through the guidance of the mentor and the opportunity to actually work in a work environment the students will learn how to work with people, develop communication skills and learn how to get things done Lani Florian, (2007), said that the extracurricular activities play an important role in todays secondary education programs. When one considers the large number of activities available, one realizes the diversity of the programs. Included are athletics, publications, student government, fine arts, academic clubs, service organizations, and special interest activities. There has been a considerable amount of studying the relationship between student involvement in activities and student academic achievement. Although a positive correlation has been shown in many of these studies, there is still a fierce battle among educators concerning the need for extracurricular activities. Two positions appear to be prevalent in todays academic community. These are referred to as either the academic or developmental perspective. The academic perspective considers extracurricular activities as purely leisure and not part of the purpose of schools. The developmental perspective considers extracurricular activities necessary to the total development of the student in todays schools. Even those activities that dont require loss of classroom time are perceived to take away study time. These educators support cutting or eliminating activities for budgetary reasons. Educators who believe in the developmental perspective see activities as an extension of the educational program. Activities allow students to develop skills such as leadership, sportsmanship, self-discipline, self-confidence, and the ability to handle competitive situations. Extra-curricular activities offer an opportunity to interact in ways that allow the previously mentioned skills to blossom. The developmental minded believe that many of these skills would be impossible or very difficult to develop in a classroom setting. Participation in extracurricular activities is positively associated with many student characteristics. Participation is associated with higher levels of self-esteem. Participation is associated with lower delinquencyiabsenteeism rates the academic perspective theory considers extra-curricular activities as purely leisure and not part of the purpose of schools. Those educators that profess to the academic development theory argue that work is a deterrent to academic achievement. The author said that the participation in extracurricular activity has a small but consistently positive effect on academic achievement. Ethel Magalona, M. A. , Evelyn Salting-Sadsad, Ph. D, (2008), said that the differential scholastic achievement of students has been and is still a source of concern and research interest to educators, government and parents. This is so because of the great importance that education has on the national development of the country. All over the country, there is a consensus of opinion about the fallen standard of education. Poor academic performance is a performance that is adjudged by the examinee/tested and some other significant as falling below an expected standard. A person’s educational is closely linked to their life chances, income, and well being. The interpretation of the expected or desired standard is better appreciated from the perpetual cognitive ability of the valuator of the performance. The evaluator or assessor can therefore give different interpretations depending on some factors. Therefore, it is important to have a clear understanding of what benefits or hinders one’s educational attainment. Raising Academic Achievement narrowed the focus to what the program evaluations had to say about one set of outcomes. The current volume narrows the focus further to academic outcomes for minority students. Yet, within this academic achievement category, the focus is deep, seeking outcomes along an optimal pathway of academic achievement we wish all young people could take. It is the hope that all young people will attend school, arrive on time, go to all classes read at grade level or above do well in the sciences, mathematics and technology persist to high school graduation be appropriately identified and served for any special needs obtain good grades have access to and do well in academically challenging courses have opportunities to apply their knowledge while in school (through work-based learning or service-learning) Follow a coherent course sequence leading to postsecondary education take standardized and college entrance exams and obtain competitive scores make thoughtful guided decisions about college attendance and financing enroll in college have no need for remedial education in college sustain academic achievement and good grades in college sustain financial aid sustain college enrollment graduate from college and successfully pursue graduate/professional school degrees or fulfilling work in their chosen career. Information was sought for each level of educational achievement along this pathway. Information was also sought in the youth development literature about youth that are not in school, but there was little data on academic achievement to be found here. There was however, a great deal of writing on the topics of minority over-representation in special education, misidentification for special education, underrepresentation in gifted and talented programs, Advanced Placement, Honors and other advanced classes, and over-representation in the juvenile justice and adult penal systems. Derect Chadee, (2011), said that the social atmosphere of a campus can affect students in various ways. The author said that the students experience difficulty adjusting to an environment that is culturally different to what they have been comfortable with at their high schools. Some students experience culture shock when attending an institution where they are in the minority and they have not been accustomed to this type of atmosphere before. The author said the importance of living environment, social support and making meaningful relationship connections have on students overall adjustment to the college environment. Institutions that provide opportunities for not only academic support, but also social and personal support increase their retention rates. The author suggested that relationships and making meaningful connections are important for students to adjust to the college environment. Students who have been able to establish bonds in their new environment adjusted better than students who were isolated and not as successful in establishing new friendships and relationships. The theory of attachment has been used to explain the importance of emotional bonds and healthy adjustment. Healthy individuals tend to have secure attachments to parents, guardians, and significant others in their lives. Individuals with secure attachments tend to have an easier time transitioning to college than individuals who do not have secure attachments. Relationships with parents may change when students go to college, which can be a difficult transition for all involved, and cause additional stress and pressure on the students as they move through the developmental process and become adults. The process of adjustment can be frustrating and overwhelming for many students, leading to emotional maladjustment and depression which may, in turn, negatively affect college performance. Powers, Clayton W. Barrows, (2006). The high levels of social support buffer individuals from stress. Attachment theory has emphasized the importance of healthy emotional bonds, and students who are able to create and maintain healthy bonds with others tend to have an easier time adjusting to  college. Social adjustment may be just as important as academic adjustment; according to Clayton (2006) the personal adjustment and integration of the social fabric of campus life play a role at least as important as academic factors in student retention. One way of assisting students in establishing connections is to help them become involved in campus life. Student social adjustment to the college environment has been linked to student involvement in the university and has appeared to be a major factor in a students overall adjustment. The transition to college is difficult for many students and students need support and encouragement to join various organizations and participate in activities to feel like they are a part of the university community. Activities serve not only as a coping mechanism, but also have assisted students in making new friends and finding their place in the university community. Thus it is only natural that the residence halls would be ideal places to have activities for freshmen and help create a sense of connection to the university. Female students face unique problems adjusting to college. For example, there are more roles and opportunities for women than ever before; however those roles may not be acceptable to their families.

Preparing Women for Public Leadership: Programs and Strategies Essay

Preparing Women for Public Leadership: Programs and Strategies While we know that women are underrepresented in all facets of public leadership – from political to corporate and local to global – we have a particularly compelling reason to explore this issue in our immediate regional context. Pennsylvania ranks 44th out of the 50 states (CAWP, 2003) in women’s political participation and serves as an excellent local example of the need to empower more women and to change the climate in which they attempt to practice leadership. The Pennsylvania Center for Women, Politics, and Public Policy (PCWPPP) was created in 1998, through a seed grant, to address this historic under-representation and to provide programs to increase the level of political participation of women in Pennsylvania through education, public service, and research. Over the past five years, hundreds of women have attended Center-sponsored programs and activities, including the NEW Leadership Institute, while others from across the state have participated in the e-MERGING Leaders electronic mentoring program. More specifically, current PCWPPP activities include public leadership and political training seminars for college women, candidate training, a fellow-in-residence program, topical lectures for the campus community and the public, data collection about women, sponsorship of Washington D.C. seminars on women and public policy for which students earn academic credit, the Conversations with Women in Politics and Public Policy lecture series, voting drives, and a variety of community partnerships. This paper sets the political and academic context for such programming, examines three programs that we believe meet the multiple of objectives of serving stude... ...cago Press. Tamerius, K. (1995). Sex, Gender, and Leadership in the Representation of Women. In G. Duerst-Lahti & R. M. Kelly (Eds.), Gender, Power, Leadership, and Governance. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan. Thomas, S. & Welch, S. (1991). The Impact of Gender on Activities and Priorities of State Legislators. Western Political Quarterly, 44, 445-456. Thomas, S. (1997). Why Gender Matters: The Perceptions of Women Officeholders. Women & Politics, 17, 27-54. Walker, T. (2000). The Service/Politics Split: Rethinking Service to Teach Political Engagement. PS: Political Science & Politics, 33, 647-649. Wolbrecht, C. (2000). The Politics of Women’s Rights. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Wolbrecht, C. (2002). The Politics of Women’s Rights. In K. O’Connor (Ed.), Women and Congress: Running, Winning, and Ruling. New York: New Haven Press.

The Assyrian Sacred Tree Essay -- Mythology

A traditional interpretation of what has become known as the Assyrian Sacred Tree conceives of it as the date palm. Consisting of a series of nodes and interlacing vines, the depiction of the â€Å"tree† contradicts the morphological appearance of a date palm seems at best to be a highly abstracted consolidation of various botanical characteristics from separate distinct species. Despite recent proposals by several art historians and botanists to conclusively determine its proper classification, indubitable evidence unlocking the enigma behind this timeless symbol—a sacred fountainhead for many western religions originating in the Near East—has yet to uproot the deep seeded academic insistence on the date palm. The â€Å"Sacred Tree,† (fig. 1) was originally positioned behind the king’s throne. The scene shows two genii, sometimes with birds’ heads and sometimes with men’s heads and the horned hats of gods. Each of the winged figures holds a bucket and reaches out with an oval object toward a stylized â€Å"tree.† The composition has been read as being based on bilateral symmetry, with the vertical stalk-like structure crowned by a palmette. A meticulous examination reveals that although balanced, it has many discrepancies on both sides that deviate from perfect mirror symmetry. Ashurnasirpal appears twice, shown from two sides, dressed in ceremonial robes and holding a mace connoting his authority. The figure of the king on the right makes an invocative gesture a god in a winged disk in the top center of the relief. Ashur, the national god or Shamash, the god of the sun and justice, may be identified as the god who confers the king divine right. On t he left, the king holds a ring, an ancient Mesopotamian symbol of divine kingship, in one... ...ee of Life." Economic Botany 56, no. 2 (2002): 113-29. Parpola, Simo. "The Assyrian Tree of Life: Tracing the Origins of Monotheism and Greek Philosophy." Journal of Near Eastern Studies 52 (1993): 161-208. Porter, Barbara Nevling. "Sacred Trees, Date Palms, and the Royal Persona of Ashurnasirpal II." Journal of Near Eastern Studies 52, no. 2 (1993): 129-39. Reade, Julian. Assyrian sculpture. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1983. Richardson, Seth. "An Assyrian Garden of Ancestors: Room I, Northwest Palace, Kalhu." State Archives of Assyria Bulletin 13 (1999): 145-216. Tylor, Edward B.. The Winged Figures of The Assyrian and other Ancient Monuments. London: Society of Biblical Archaeology, 1890. Winter, Irene. "Ornament and the 'Rhetoric of Abundance' in Assyria." Eretz-Israel: Archaeological, Historical and Geographical Studies 27 (2003): 252-264, at 253.

Structural Functionalism

Structural functionalism Introduction A: (Chagua hii) Structural functionalism, or simply functionalism, is a framework for building theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability. [1] This approach looks at society through a macro-level orientation, which is a broad focus on the social structures that shape society as a whole, and believes that society has evolved like organisms. [2] This approach looks at both social structure and social functions.Functionalism addresses society as a whole in terms of the function of its constituent elements; namely norms, customs, traditions, and institutions. A common analogy, popularized by Herbert Spencer, presents these parts of society as â€Å"organs† that work toward the proper functioning of the â€Å"body† as a whole. [3] In the most basic terms, it simply emphasizes â€Å"the effort to impute, as rigorously as possible, to each feature, custom, or practice, its ef fect on the functioning of a supposedly stable, cohesive system†.For Talcott Parsons, â€Å"structural-functionalism† came to describe a particular stage in the methodological development of social science, rather than a specific school of thought. [4][5] The structural functionalism approach is a macrosociological analysis, with a broad focus on social structures that shape society as a whole. INTRODUCTION B: (au chagua hii) Functionalism is a consensus perspective that sees society as based on shared values into which members are socialized. It sees society as like an organism, each part performing functions to maintain the system as a whole.For example, religion, the education system and the family perform socialization functions. The functionalist theory though developed from the ideas of theorists such as Herbert Spencer and Emile Durkheim, can trace its origins as far back as the founding father of sociology, Auguste Comte. Stratification refers to the system wher e society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy of classes (upper, middle and lower class) based on a criterion or a combination such as religion, color, race, age, sex, wealth, occupation, and education.It represents the structured inequality characterized by groups of people with differential access to the rewards of society because of their relative position in the social hierarchy. SRENGHTS AND WEAKNESSES The functionalist theory has much strength as well as weaknesses. One of the strengths of Functionalism is that it asserts that there are purposes for social conditions or facts. For example, under a functionalist point of view the janitor and the sewer worker all contribute to the function of the entire unit.Without serving these purposes, the social structure would not function properly. Functionalists are of the assumption that the needs of society are greater than the needs of individuals: in order words, the good of society is greater than the good of the individual th us contributing to the maintenance of society. Davis and Moore argue that all societies need some mechanism for insuring effective role allocation and performance. One of the weaknesses of this perspective, however, is that some could arguably assert that poverty serves a function in such a society.You can make this argument, but as Durkheim saw â€Å"function†, he was much more optimistic and may have argued that poverty was more a product of â€Å"anomie† than actually serving a function. Another, more general criticism of functionalism is the argument that it is somewhat â€Å"naive† in that it assumes that there is consensus: that everyone in the structure holds the same norms and values; that we all essentially believe in and work for the same thing.Many theorists take issue with this component and argue that Western society is more accurately characterized as groups of people in a society competing for resources, wealth, and power. More importantly, these groups do not all believe the same thing (in fact, many are counter-culture) and are thus in conflict with each other. Many Conflict theorists would take the pessimistic view expressed earlier that poverty serves a function in a society.

Family Centered Approach

The family center approach believes a child’s family is very important to the cognitive and social development skills. Our family defines who we are as a person and oftentimes is a reflection of self. Our family defines culture, economical, race, values and beliefs. A child’s first teacher is the parents, and without parental guidance a child would lack important skills to become successful in society. In this paper I want to explain how educators and parents can work hand in hand to promote desirable behaviors in preschools in classroom and in home setting.The focus to the educator in family center approach is not only the child, but on the family as a whole. Attachment One important behavior I want to discuss is attachment. Attachment is an emotion that a child will experience within its first years of life and continued throughout its whole life span. We often associate attachment with the heart, but actually it is very much needed for the development of the mind, or intellectual development (Gonzalez, 2009). Positive, nurturing attachments helps a child to become secure and promotes a sense of well being. Attachments are formed when there is trust in a relationship.Children that are abused and neglected grow up seeing the world as cold and unwelcoming. Sure we all have our own issues of trust, but children that grew up in a hostile environment have a harder time coping with trusting others as adults. And adults who were neglected and abused as result grow up seeking the caregiver that never met their needs, often forming co-dependant relationships. Others will deal with the problem successfully if the people involved in their lives are responsive to their needs. Family Center approach teaches staff in child care centers can make an impact in that child’s life.The frame work that can be used is called â€Å"protective factors† this is used to reduce the risk of abuse and neglect. Its purpose is to strengthen families and protect c hildren. The goal of the program is to build trusted relationships with the parents and assist them while they are going through difficult times. This type of attachment is different to what just normal staff provides to a child. Getting attached to someone else’s child is a very delicate subject. You could be the first one to sense abuse, and you could also be that important influence in that child’s life.It is important, however, to make sure that you do not look down on the child’s parents, or even attempt to outdo the parents. It is very important to identify those tendendencies, if they do occur, set them aside. It is your job to support the parents. If you look down on them, then you cannot support them. Keep in mind that your attachment is important, but it is only temporary. Be caring and compassionate but also keep the attachment at a professional level. One of the first signs of attachment and independence in a toddler is when he/she begins to say the word no.The first word out of the mouths of most toddlers is the word NO, because this is the word that is most said to them while they are learning their limits and boundaries. Parents tend to use the word NO because they think it gets their attention and they stop for a brief second. But in fact the word No is used so often the toddler thinks it’s ok to say the word No for everything. We have problems with children in our two year old room telling the teacher No and in the next breath they want what the teacher offered them. The word No is there first thing that comes to their mind.As teachers we have to teach the children when to use the word No at the appropriate times. Toddlers need the opportunity to learn how to make choices and see how their choices affect their surroundings. Self-Help Skills Another behavior for growing autonomy is self-help skills. A child has a natural curiosity of its surroundings, and continually wants to explore. How an adult responds to this wi ll conclude the child’s behavior as an adult (Ramming, 2006). When a child is restricted, they often lose their curiosity and willingness to become more independent.Cultures vary on whether they want their child to be independent or interdependent. In our American culture we want our children to explore and be as independent as possible, we push for that. But is some cultures, such as Japan, want the child to be more interdependent. The culture would rather the child to feel more like a family unit than an individual. As a professional educator it is very important to have a better understanding of culture, and to respect the parents view points, even if it may be different than your own. It is very hard on a child to have two conflicting approaches.Do not find yourself in an argument with the parent over your point of views, but practice good communication skills instead. Self help skills are very important in the life of a toddler. We can let Children learn self-help skills are by letting them feed themselves with a spoon or put on their own shoes to help them gain control and develop their self help skills. A toddler wants to be in control of things around them. As teachers we need to encourage toddlers to do things that they can do for themselves. Toddlers are learning new things everyday and need to use what they learn to gain some control over their environment.For example: children need to learn to take turns with toys and what it feels like when a child takes a toy from them. As a teacher we can ask the child to share with their friend and find times when the friend can share with them. This will show the child that they have control over sharing and by sharing, friends will share with them. A child needs many choices throughout the day to help them gain the confidence in her self help skills. This attitude of teamwork makes the toddler feel a little less rebellious because the adult is sometimes seen as a partner rather than as an adversary.Thi s gives the child empowerment over their surroundings. Empowerment Self help skills are a way to make a child feel empowered. Empowerment is a way of making the child feel part as and that he/she is worthy of respect (Yoo,2010). It is important to allow a child to be as independent as possible. An example would be allowing a child to eat finger foods, and feeding herself. Sure it will be messy until the child gets older and learns to be neat, but this allows the child to feel more in control of her world.Giving the child chooses as to what to wear, and eat is an approach that is suppose to help the child to learn to make chooses in life. With choices you also have to set limits on what will and won’t be accepted. Children will often test limits. That is why when a parent set boundaries they must always remain consistent. Not being consistent with boundaries only lets that child know that it isn’t a real limit, and if the child is persistent enough the child will get hi s/her way. Providing security and empowerment to a child you must set limits and stick to them.Family Center Program also gives the families chooses. Like what activities they want to pursue in, how they want to be involved, and what type of help they need, are just some examples. This program, focus on the families wants and not on what the program feels they need. This type of empowerment has been proven to be successful and there is more participation with the families. Pro-Social Skills It is also very important that families and educators teach children social skills. The earlier they start interacting with other children the easier it is for them in the long run.It is also necessary to teach a child good problem solving skills (McArthur, 2002). The must not only learn how to interact with children, but also how to maintain relationships. Another way to install this into children is by teaching them how to help out and be a part of something. It makes the child feel important a nd that they belong to something. Another good way to teach a child’s social-skills is by having good role models in its life. Children will learn and adapt to their environment. It is very important to have the child surrounded by people who has faith that things will work out and that life has meaning.It is very important for families to help the child develop a sense of responsibility and learn not only leadership skills but also follower’s skills. Self Esteem Often times in our society we believe that a child might have â€Å"self esteem issues†. We think that all the child needs is to be uplifted or given compliments and praises. As often, there are conflicted theories on where self esteem derives from. Some theorist will say that esteem comes from â€Å"nature† such as a human biologist that will tell you that esteem in form of our â€Å"DNA† while others, such as Marxists will describe self such as social-economic or â€Å"nurture†.Ho wever, in my research I am going to describe self in relation to relationships with people, because that is the â€Å"self† that is often broken, and the only one that can be fixed. A baby's experience with self develops at an early age. Often the reflection of the caregiver or the image of themselves in the mirror is their first experiences (Luxmoore, 2010). Later on the baby will reflect â€Å"self† without the need of another person. Relationships are very important in developing a child's self-esteem early through life.Poor parenting can affect the child’s development of self. Too often do we wait until a child is 14 or 15 when a professional tries to get involved with â€Å"self esteem issues† and the damage has been done? Too much heartache has happened for another adult to make an impact on the child's life. Often children’s experiences that deal with â€Å"self esteem† projects into the child's environment. When a child's self esteem is low, their feelings towards their environment are also negative. Parenting plays a big role in the development in a child's self image.Sometimes the people in the child's life that are expected to be the nurtures can be very disappointing leaving the child feeling misunderstood. As caregivers it is our job to make sure our children are safe. We can let a child be in control of their feelings and help them gain self help skills and build self esteem as long as the children are safe and are in the right environment. For example, when a child does not know how to make the right decisions and keeps trying to bite their friends we have to take control of the situation and make sure she does not have opportunities to bite friends.I would stay around the child and make sure they did not have confutations with any of their friends. If I had to walk away to do something the child would come with me. Children need limits and boundaries so they will understand what is right and what is wro ng and can make good choices when learning to get alone with others. In my community we have toddler behavior specialist who does trainings on what to expect out of toddlers and how to enable toddlers to be themselves and be independent children. These trainings are for teachers as well as parents.Caregivers are given lists of age appropriate characteristics to give to parents so they will understand why toddler’s act the way they do and how they can help the child grow. In the conclusion of this paper we have discovered how important it is that the Family Center approach helps the child’s development and sense of self by empowering families to become more involved. This has been proven to eliminate child abuse and neglect. It has also provided ways to help families network in the community. This program has taught the importance of parent/child relationships and how educators can better support the family.

Skema Answer Manufacturing Proces 1

FACULTI OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA PAHANG BMM3643 (SEM II_2012-13) Assignment #1 1. a) What metals are frequently cast into products? b) What materials are used to produce the expendable patterns for investment casting? c) Explain why a casting may have to be subjected to various heat treatments. (8 marks) Answer a) Cast parts can range in size from a fraction of an inch and a fraction of an ounce to over 30 feet and many tons.Moreover, casting can incorporate complex shapes, hollow sections or internal cavities, and irregular curved surfaces. b) In investment casting a pattern is formed from a low melting temperature, low vaporization temperature material, often wax. The mold is produced by surrounding the pattern with the mold material. The mold cavity is produced when the pattern is removed by melting/vaporizing the pattern. In early process development with porous mold materials the melted wax from the pattern would migrate into the mold material and be lost. ) Heat treatments (described in Chapter 4) such as quenching and tempering, among others, are carried out to optimize the grain structure of metal castings, thereby controlling and enhancing mechanical properties. Heat treating can control microporosity, which is a main reason that castings are weak in tension. 2. a) What are some of the attractive features of die casting compared to alternative casting methods? b) For the cast metal wheel illustrated in Figure below, show how (a) riser placement, (b) core placement, and (c) chills may be used to help feed molten metal and eliminate porosity in the isolated hub boss. ) What are some of the general defects encountered in casting processes? Name and briefly describe three. (8 marks) Answer a) Die casting is characterized by extremely smooth surface finishes, excellent dimensional accuracy, and high production rates. A single set of dies can produce many thousand castings without significant changes in dimension. b) Solutions; i) Riser ii) Core iii) Chills c) General defects include; v) misruns, in which the casting solidifies before filling the mold cavity v) cold shuts, in which two portions of metal flow together but there is lack of fusion at the joint; vi) cold shots, where solid globules of cast metal become entrapped in the casting; vii) shrinkage cavity, which is a depression on the casting surface or an internal void in the casting caused by solidification shrinkage; viii) microporosity, which is a network of small voids throughout the casting caused by localized solidification shrinkage; and ix) hot tearing, which is a crack in the casting caused by a mold that does not ield to the metal during the early stages of solidification shrinkage. 3. a) How does the fabrication of a thermoplastic polymer differ from the processing of a thermosetting polymer? b) What are the significant differences in the equipment and operating procedures between injection mold- ing of thermoplastics and injection molding of the rmosets? c) Can thermosetting plastics be used in injection molding? Explain. (8 marks) Answer a) Thermoplastic polymers can be heated to a temperature at or near the melting temperature so that the material becomes either a formable solid or a liquid.The polymer can than be cast, injected into a mold, or forced through a die to produce the desired shape. With thermosetting polymers, once the polymerization has occurred, no further deformation can occur. Thus, the polymerization reaction and the shape-forming process must be accomplished simultaneously. b) The differences in injection molding of thermosets are (1) shorter barrel length, (2) lower temperatures in the barrel, these first two reasons to prevent premature curing; and (3) use of a heated mold to cause cross-linking of the TS polymer. c) Thermosetting plastics are suitable for injection molding.The basic modification which must be made to the process is that the molds must be heated to allow polymerization and crosslinkin g to occur in the mold cavity. The major drawback associated with this change is that, because of the longer cycle times, the process will not have as high a production rate as injection molding of thermoplastics. 4. a) Identify one injection molding process could be used to inject a single part with two or more different material as shown below. b) Describe process mechanism c) List and explain THREE (3) advantages of this technology? (8 marks) Answer a) Multi-shot injection molding ) This process ables to to shoot two or more different materials into the same mold, into different locations, resulting in parts with increased functionality, improved cosmetics, and multiple mechanical properties. c) Advantages; i) Reduced cycle time * Compared to multiple molding cycles of separate components, molding multiple materials in the same cycle has obvious time and labor benefits. ii) Reduced part cost * Combine reduced cycle times, reduced labor times, and eliminated assembly operations, a nd the total cost of multi-shot molded parts becomes less, compared to alternative single-shot methods. ii) Improved Adhesion * With multi-shot molding we get a true physical bond, resulting in a much stronger, longer lasting bond, compared to more traditional â€Å"skin on skin† insert molding or post-molding assembly. 5. d) What are sheet-molding compounds (SMCs)? Bulk-molding compounds (BMCs)? e) What are some of the forms in which reinforcement fibers appear in composite materials? f) Describe the problems involved in recycling products made from reinforced plastics. (8 marks) Answer a) Sheet molding compounds are sheets composed of chopped fibers and resin, the sheets being about 0. inch in thickness. These can be press-formed in heated dies to provide an alternative to sheet metal where light weight, corrosion resistance and integral color are desired. Bulk-molding compounds are fiber-reinforced thermoset molding materials containing short fibers in random orientation. They are formed into products using processes like compression molding, transfer molding or injection molding. b) Fiber-reinforced composites use the strength of the fibers to impart additional strength to the fiber-matrix whole.The use of fibers means that added strength will be in the fiber length direction. The commonly used fiber forms are; i) long, continuous fibers are their use results in increased strength in the fiber length direction, ii) fibers woven into fabric layers used in thin sheet composites and they add strength in the two in-plane fiber directions, iii) woven fabrics of fibers formed in three dimensions so that when embedded in the matrix strength in three dimensions is increased, iv) short, chopped fibers that can be oriented in a particular direction or randomly. ) The main problems are that recycling usually requires the use of a single type of material, and that some plastics (mainly hard and brittle polymers) are more difficult to chop into small pieces for further processing than others. With reinforced plastics, this requires that the reinforcement be separated from the matrix, a very difficult task and uneconomical task. Note that matrices are often thermosets, so it is not practical to melt the matrix and separate the fibers from a molten phase. 6. ) In the casting of steel under certain mold conditions, the mold constant in Chvorinov's Rule is known to be 4. 0 min/cm2, based on previous experience. The casting is a flat plate whose length =30cm, width =10cm, and thickness =20 mm. Determine how long it will take for the casting to solidify. h) A round bar of 15-mm diameter is extruded from a single-screw extruder of 100 mm barrel diameter. The material is LDPE. Calculate; i) The approximate flow rate (kg/h), ii) Speed of emerging extrusion Given : Density LDPE = 0. 92 g/cm3) (10 marks) Answer a) Volume V = 30 x 10 x 2 = 600 cm3 Area A = 2(30 x 10 + 30 x 2 + 10 x 2) = 760 cm2 Chvorinov’s Rule: TTS = Cm (V/A)2 = 4(600/760)2 = 2. 493 min b) R i) Flow rate, qe= CeDscr = 0. 006(100)2. 3 = 238. 86 kg/h ii) Density, ? = 0. 92 g/cm3 Cross-sectional area = (152*? )/4 = 1. 767cm2 Volume = 238. 86 / 0. 92 = 259635cm3/h = 72. 12cm3/s Extrusion speed = 72. 12 / 1. 767 = 40. 8 cm/s ******************************************************