Enterprise Strategy Essay

This type of business structure that is E-business is more common in the developed countries than in third class countries; to sell products customers in the comfort of their homes is widespread in these countries, so Forejustin Passman the founder and general manager plans to make widespread this type of business even in a developing country, Botswana. 1. 0 THE entrepreneur 1. 1 The motivation for starting the business Pull factors are exploiting opportunity and a financial incentive whilst the push factor that led him to open the business was threat of unemployment. The pull factors He was pulled into this business because he wanted to exploit an opportunity to sell gadgets such as tablets i. e. Apple’s Ipads, Amazon’s Kindle and Barnes &Nobles’ the nook. Consequently he decided to open Group Little, a predominantly virtual company, having little physical presence and high internet presence. After a market research he realised that most gadget stores in Botswana undermine internet trading and he decided to exploit this opportunity. Citing most gadget stores are set up according to a strategy and are purposely designed to make customer experience as pleasant as possible but their websites normally do not have a similar strategy applied to them, as the sites are normally a glorified business card that does not engage visitors and in some cases even harm the business image. Mr Passman was also pulled to gain financial incentive he paid meticulous attention to primary research in order to weigh the benefits, the cost and opportunities of his approach. The push factors The threat of unemployment is the only push factor that influenced Forejustin to start his business. At age 18 he performed poorly in his A-level results which caused him to fail to pursue a business degree at university, other than compromising and pursuing other degree programmes that he lacked interest in he decided to re-sit some examinations. Whilst in wait for examination results he did not want to be considered to be part of the unemployed so he started his company Group Little. 1. 2 Forejustin Passman’s character traits Proactive- he is one of the few people who do not believe in luck, he seeks after opportunities other than wait for them to present themselves to him. He is also quick and decisive, when faced with the dilemma of whether to go into just conventional retailing he decided and to have the virtual retailing, where he has limited physical presence and a fully-fledged internet presence. His logic behind such a decision being that the internet is a necessary portal for success in the 21st century business and beyond. He is regarded by some a restless while he considers himself easily bored because as he says he is easily diverted to the most recent market opportunity. He is especially known as a man who acts and then learns from the outcomes of his action, and thus far his upbeat approach has worked positively to advance the company. Visionary- Mr Passman has and had a clear vision for Group Little; for it to become a household name in virtual companies of Africa and to be an expert in Africa’s virtual market space. He wants Group Little to be benchmarked by any international company exploring to invest in the virtual market place of Africa. Now this visionary flair has positioned him to be always at the right place at the right time and being able snatch opportunities within his vision. 1. MR Passman’s personality type Mr Forejustin Passman is certainly spontaneous. Spontaneous because most of the things he does, he does instinctively. This matches positively with his proactive character trait mentioned previously in section 1. 2. He is a creative, lively and open-minded person. His humorous nature disposes a contagious zest for lif e. Forejustin’s enthusiasm and sparkling energy inspires the team to work harder, his strengths therefore are creative problem solutions, discovering new ways and opportunities, the conceptualization of new ideas on one hand, but not so much his concrete implementation on the other. To compensate for this weakness he has staff of capable colleagues that takes over his concepts and runs with them. Spontaneous is the best classification of Mr Passman, other than classifying him as an introvert or extrovert which is a widely used approach of personality type definition, which in some cases is limiting to define peculiar individuals as Mr Forejustin Passman. 1. 4 Decision making and leadership style Decision making style Forejustin Passman’s decision making style is conceptual. He has high tolerance for ambiguity in that even when he was not sure how Batswana will respond to an e-business he still went on decided to do what he planned. He has a broad outlook in business, with the resident of truth being not enough Batswana are connected to internet currently, he deemed it fit to go ahead because most industries around the world are adopting e-business and even though Botswana is still lagging behind the time is eminent for her as well to join in. His conceptual decision making style is also evident in that he has found a creative way to solve the local problem of segregated demand and supply. Where people in difficult to reach areas have a high quantity demand of some products from businesses yet they cannot reach those businesses to be supplied with what they demand, so he decided the customers will shop in the comfort of their own far away home and he will deliver the products to them. 1. 5 Leadership style Laissez-faire style, he is a leader who has consciously made a decision to pass focus of power to the outsourced employees. He considered since the workforce is already talented and qualified to do the job they must be able to positively exercise judgement to respond to issues. Mr Passman simply sets out the targets and deadlines afterwards he charges the taskforce to do the work that is at hand, he is not very interested in how they do the job he just wants the work to be done in due time. Some have criticised his type of leadership saying he is risking the success of his business by delegating power the employees but according to him this type of environment breeds creativity, and that is what he wants from his team, creative ways to solve problems, which is a direct match to his decision making style he wants them to think like him. 1. 6 Mr Forejustin Passman’s role within the business Forejustin oversees the review of Group Little’s corporate strategy, looks for market opportunities, acquires strategic assets and protects Group Little’s existing competencies. As this organisation is relatively small, Forejustin has adopted this multidisciplinary role. His acquisition of strategic assets is done in order to solidify their position in the market, he cites sometimes organic growth is too slow for the company’s vision therefore acquisition of some assets provides an impetus to desired growth. The staff The majority of his staff is outsourced, the employees are highly knowledgeable about internet business. Being a cheerful entrepreneur he advocates for a cheerful workforce because he believes if employees are happy that drives up productivity which in turn brings healthier profit margins. 1. 7 Entrepreneurial networking Forejustin’s decision to effectively network sprung up in the beginning stages of his business, he wanted a trademark for Group Little and he just happened to remember months earlier he sent his broken computer to some young technicians; one of them named Kabelo had recently graduated from a creative arts university of Limkokwing where he studied graphic designing. He had saved his contacts in case he needed computer help but his contact wound up birthing more than just computer solutions but also a trademark for his business. This was a highlight to Forejustin that networking especially informal networking is a tool for success, his response; * He strikes conversations with strangers, to get any bit of information he can, exchanges contacts with such an individual and then regularly contact that individual until they establish a network that can provide him relevant business information, advice and support services. Chats with movers and shakers of different industries in order to get some referrals and leads. Mr Passman’s formal networks In this the entrepreneur is lacking. He has not signed up to any formal network which means his chances for collaborative opportunities with others are diminished. It is highly unlikely for him to form new business relationships and lastly it is slow to solve problems because there is no access to a si gnificant number of possible solution providers as emphasised by Kay (2010). His professed inhibitors to formal networking are high membership fees of some formal arrangements. He also attributed inflexible structured timetable for some of these formal networks as a major impediment for him join as he prefers groups that are open where he can come on casual ‘drop in’ basis. But considerations are still being made to join the Diamond Trading Company (DTC) network an outlet that informs and organizes exhibitions for small enterprises. 1. 8 Innovation There a certain drivers of innovation that prompted Forejustin Passman to pursue e-business and figure a, is quite very useful in illustrating that. Source: Sheth and Ram (1987) Figure a Because of technological advances, after the internet boom he realised he needed to adopt an approach in business which matches the changes in technology. The change in technology alters the business environment. This then means that threshold competencies and basic resources are redefined, he implication to Forejustin’s company is, whatever used to be basic necessities of successful trading is now redefined to fit the current robust and continually changing business environment. Group Little’s business environment is no longer just about having the right gadgets, it is also about close interaction with customers and widespread, effective marketing therefore Mr Passman had to approach service delivery differently. Competition for selling gadgets has intensified, with Incredible Connecti ons, Hi-Fi, Game and other gadgets stores exerting pressure, Group Little had to distinguish itself by going online. Understanding that service delivery is directly related to the customer’s psyche he found it fit to offer technological products in a technological platform such as the internet which sends a message to customers of technological proficiency. He also had to innovate since customer needs are frequently changing consequently he had to effectively address them. The weakness of his innovative approach Even though innovation is commendable and obtaining ideas from the international front is encouraged it is evident Forejustin Passman has failed to address the contextualization of this worldwide trend. His payment outlets for instance should have been modified to fit the traditional payment outlets other than just adopting the internationally proclaimed payment system PayPal. 2. 0 The enterprise 2. 1 Business strategy According to Meyer (2010) strategy is the direction and scope of an organisation over the long-term. General enterprise strategy Emergent strategy is Group Little’s adopted strategy. Having considered the high turbulence in the industry he trades in Mr Passman decided to use this approach to guide his business. This strategy has been adopted since this industry is uncertainty and innovation based. It allows frequent feedback on the business environment which in turn permits reallocation of resources to address any information that is received about any changes in the business’ external environment. Operations strategy Figure b Source:ibbusinessandmanagement. com(2012) Using Michael Porter’s generic model figure b above, Forejustin has opted differentiation operational strategy. In this strategy unique attributes that are valued by customers and which are perceived to be better than the gadgets of the competition are intensively adopted by Group Little. This company has the following internal strengths to make this differentiation strategy successful; * Highly skilled and creative development team. * Strong sales team with the ability to successfully communicate the perceived strengths of the gadgets The risks linked with this strategy include imitation by competitors and changes in customer tastes. In addition, a range of firms pursuing focus strategies may be able to achieve even greater differentiation in their market segments. 2. 2 E-business As Group Little is a typical example of an e-business it is quite instructive to use the SWOT model to analyse the strengths, weaknesses, opportunity and threats this organisation it has; Strengths Global reach to marketing. Since the web is an international platform Group Little’s marketing is not just limited to local media and advertising opportunities it spreads out to other regions. There is improved customer interaction. The customer and the enterprise meet in the comfort zone of the customer, therefore the customer can openly offer ideas, orders and even complaints all this will better Group Little’s service delivery. Weaknesses Security; customers are always concerned with the integrity of their payments, most shy away from revealing confidential bank information in the web, which costs Group Little significantly. The other weakness is the customer has no idea of the quality and physical condition of the gadgets; it is very common for discrepancies to exist between what sites advertise and the actual product. Opportunities New technologies surfacing could open up internet accessibility in Botswana which will be advantageous to Forejustin’s company since the critics’ argument pivots around this matter. Group Little also has prospects on cutting down local competition. As local competition has not adequately used the online trading space which can give Group Little an online competitive advantage if Forejustin Passman chooses to invest significantly to develop this area. Threats Fraud; given that there are some individuals that are out to deceive for financial gain are always Mr Passman’s concern, they may fake Group Little’s website and deceive the customers. Changes in law and regulation are always a threat. Regulatory authorities to protect customers from fraud they may place laws and regulations that will stifle Group Little’s competitiveness. 2. 3 Organisational culture This has been defined as, a system of shared actions, values and beliefs that develop within an organisation and guides the behaviour. This is as cited by Uhl-Bien et al. (2010). Forejustin Passman has directed Group Little culture, one of the shared values is the ‘no Sunday policy. ’ In this Forejustin has reflected his Christian beliefs and his philosophy of people before profit into the corporation’s culture. His belief in God prompts him to keep the Sabbath which to him is Sunday and his people before profits philosophy leads him to protect their wellbeing by giving them rest on Sunday. Any order placed on Sunday is attended on Monday by rejuvenated and more productive employees. This has its obvious disadvantages such as foregone sales but Mr Passman believes his policy is beneficial to all parties involved. When work is on between Monday to Saturday the team is relaxed and open, this as Forejustin says allows for conception of creative ideas. Any facet that stifles creativity is minimized be it the tangible such as tables or chairs or the intangible aspect like a mental attitude that stigmatizes mistakes. This culture solves two important issues external adaptation, which deals with reaching goals; how to reach those goals and if members have developed this freedom to make mistakes they can effectively guide their day-to-day activities. It also solves the issue of internal integration, members can easily merge and share ideas when mistakes are not stigmatized and this leads to greater productivity. . 4 Critical success factors of his business Branding Forejustin’s Group Little has to create a brand that appeals to the African technologically adept. Now as asserted by Perry (2009) a brand is more than just a corporate symbol it is an intangible asset that provokes emotional responses from individuals which presents a sustainable competitive advantage. This entrepreneur must position his company’s brand to be able to leverage from being one of Botswana’s few companies that are committed to successful internet trading. Little is known of Group Little but this is an incentive not a deterrent because the brand can be driven in any direction that Forejustin sees proper to execute his vision. Even though his company was registered with the Registrar of Companies and Intellectual Property in 2009, not long ago every product and or service he introduces must align to the strategy of the company; he has to monitor Group Little’s identity, as the perception portrayed to customers over these few years is the one that affords the company to leverage on the brand premium. Realising that the company’s brand was its critical success factor efforts to protect his brand symbol from infringement were undertook; he decided to copyright the brand symbol. Distribution Comprehending their need for effective systems, Group Little has rationalized their distribution systems to enhance performance of their products. As an attempt to enhance the logistics execution and capabilities Mr Passman decided to form a synergy with Botswana Couriers. This he decided to do in order to quicken delivery of the gadgets sold, in contrast to sending the orders via Botswana Post with their renowned incompetence he decided to solidify his distribution by having an exclusive agreement with Couriers. As Meyer (2010) asserts exclusive distributor agreements will constitute a major impediment to the distributors if the distributor wants to switch from the commitment. In this synergy Group Little is offered discounts because of the volume of gadgets it trades around the country and basic efficiency in the distribution of the products is greatly enhanced. Technology It seems obvious yet still noteworthy that Group Little has technology as their trading platform has to remain on vigilant and aware of new technology developments. Most gadgets they sell use mobile applications, applications are pieces of software that are designed to fulfil a particular purpose, for Group Little that purpose simply is to make easy access to its website’s content and increase sales, therefore Group Little is in the process of having their own application. The entrepreneur has looked at engaging a company named Bright labs which operates in Tlokweng for the development of Group Little’s very own mobile application this will enable those who have bought these gadgets to also download the application and then browse for more products from Mr Forejustin Passman’s Group Little. 2. 5 Conclusion Forejustin Passman’s Group Little’s performance has been average, but if he can put measures in place to direct its strategy the company will realise its potential to become a benchmark e-business in Botswana and even in Africa. He simply needs to re-assess who he is and what Group Little is, a point of focus (the target market to approach, how he is going to approach that market). In addition he is required to solidify his networks as this is one business competence he has ignored and it will ultimately cost him and his business from growing from being a small medium enterprise to being the envisioned benchmark multinational. Contextualisation of Group Little’s business model also can provide an impetus its success as well, Mr Passman shall consider adopting traditional transaction means in order not to inhibit his business from reaching every possible customer. Bibliography Books 1. Meyer, R, Wit, B, (2010), Strategy-process, content, context an international perspective, 4ed, Hampshire: Cengage learning EMEA 2. Perry, B, (2009), Enterprise operations, Oxford: Cima publishing 3. Uhl-Bien. M, Schermerhorn J. R. , Hunt . J G, Osborn R. N, (2010), Organisational behaviour, Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons 4. Kay. F, (2010), Successful networks, London: Kogan Page 5. Yves, L, Goz, G. H, (1998), Alliance Advantage-The art of creating value through partners, Boston: Harvard business School Press. 6. Sugars. B, (2012), Super Size your sales, the entrepreneur, August, p. 2 7. Bessant J, Tidd J,(2011), innovation and entrepreneurship, 2ed, Sussex: John Wiley and sons 8. Moon. R, Gee. S, (2012), Creating business opportunity, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan 9. Mullins L. J, (2010), management & organisational behaviour, 9ed, Essex: Prentice Hall Websites 10. Multiply (2012): Spontaneous idealist [online] Available from: http://mirau. multiply. com/jo urnal/item/116/My-Personality-Type-Spontaneous ,[ accessed 14 December 2012] Appendix Personal reflection Studying real entrepreneurs and real companies always equips I as the student beyond lecture content. The study of this enterprise and Mr Forejustin Passman was a delight because I got to know interesting real aspects about business, I have learnt when in real business some academic theories will have to be set aside and suspended to deal with the challenges of real business. The more I researched I understood what differentiates successful entrepreneurs and unsuccessful entrepreneurs and that content I learnt were not part of the assignment requisite but I did learn This module lectures are also noteworthy, I figured this was a reiteration of Enterprise anagement I did in my second year, so lectures consisted of emphasis of year two material. Even though the material is more or less the same as of second year the assessment was interestingly structured, it was strategic rather than operational that seems like an obvious comment but this has really marked the difference in our approach. We were no longer just reporting facts, concepts and academic theories we had to apply and use our groomed understanding to critically analyse the business case.

Reflective Review of Youth Work Practice

My decision to study E131 Introduction to Working with Young people was based on my desire to cement my experiential learning by developing my knowledge of theoretical concepts through academic study. I have worked with young people for seven years, and the majority of my training thus far has been practice based. My current role is as a group worker in a therapeutic community for children and young people. The therapeutic community is a residential provision with a specialist education and therapy centre for children and young people with attachment disruption and trauma leading to social and behavioural difficulties.We also work with children displaying sexualised and self-harming behaviours. The therapeutic milieu which exists within the community is underpinned by an attachment focussed approach and provides stability for chaotic behaviour and a disregulated emotional state. The therapeutic provision is underpinned by an integrated team approach which includes Child Psychotherapy , Clinical and Forensic Psychology, Educational Psychology, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Social Work and Counselling.Prior to beginning Open University’s E131 Introduction to Working with Young People, and due to the highly specialised nature of the work I do, I held the belief that I had little to learn relating to youth work. The most significant, and surprising, realisation I experienced whist working through the module was that I will never and can never know everything there is to know about youth work. In fact, the very nature of my role within the Therapeutic Community may have narrowed my view of young people to only the most damaged individuals, which in turn has narrowed my outlook on the issues that young people are faced with today.A young person commented ‘†¦you can’t talk about â€Å"understanding young people† – all young people are different, so you would have to know different things to understand them all’ (The Open University, 2005, Study Topic 3, pg 5). This statement impacted me in a way that I didn’t expect. Not only in my working life, but also in my view of young people in general. When working with the most damaged children in society the danger is that all young people become viewed as potentially violent, harmful and not to be trusted.This view is contradictory to the very nature of youth work as set out in the National Youth agency’s Ethical Principles, which states ‘youth workers have a commitment to treat young people with respect, valuing each individual and avoiding negative discrimination’ (Harrison and Wise, 2005, pg 20). Although I do not feel my practice is discriminatory, my somewhat insular views on young people, and preoccupation with high risk behaviour in my working life, may have negatively influenced my ability to ‘value the individual’.This is an area that, due to my learning throughout the module, I have made a concerted effort to address. I have renewed my efforts to look past the negative behaviour and the diagnoses to view the young people I work with as individuals who are not defined by their circumstances. This has had a positive impact on my working practice as I continue to reflect on ways in which I can be more open to the individual needs of the young people with whom I work. The learning throughout the module has also given me the opportunity to come to terms with and challenge another view I was unaware I held.I had given little consideration to the view I held on youth work in general other than my belief that the work I do is not technically ‘youth work’ but rather more specialised and important. This is a view I now consider to be arrogant and unhelpful. Howard Williamson states that the ‘public perception of youth work is still largely locked into ideas about youth clubs and table tennis and pool’ (Williamson, 2005, pg 70), and prior to beginning this module I mus t admit that I held a similar misconception.However, Williamson’s account of his own experiences of youth work and the positive impact it has on the lives of young people has altered my perception. Although this has not directly impacted on my working practice, it has enabled me to view my role as a group and individual worker within the wider context of youth work, and realise the importance of broadening the experiences of the young people with whom I work, through valuing the opportunities on offer within the wider community.The shift in my view of youth work has also enabled me to consider the challenges that exist in my own work setting. One of the fundamental principles of youth work is the ‘voluntary principal’ (Jeffs, cited in The Open University, 2005, Study Topic 12, pg 5). This is described as ‘the kind of work where young people can choose not to take part†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (The Open University, 2005, Study Topic 1, pg 5). Within the setting of a t herapeutic community, and specifically within the context of my role as group worker, I find it difficult to describe the opportunities on offer for the young people as voluntary.For example, the therapeutic, social and educational workshop programme, which young people who are resident in the therapeutic community have access to during the school holidays, is considered to be voluntary, although it is incentivised through access to days out and rewards for attendance. However, some of the young people resident within the community may consider that their placements are not voluntary, making it difficult to consider any of the interventions on offer as such.Although I accept that youth work in its truest form should be voluntary, it has been difficult for me to accept that the work that takes place with the young people within the Therapeutic Community is any less valuable. The young people with whom I work are the most damaged in the country and would not be able to access the type of support they need without what Mark Smith calls coercive forms of participation (Smith, cited in The Open University, 2005, Study Topic 2, pg 31). Should we let them choose to avoid forming relationships and realising their potential forever simply to retain a puritanical view of what youth work is supposed to be?Or should we, as adults, do everything in our power to prevent these young people, who society has already failed, become casualties of that failure? Mark Smith also introduced the idea that targeting ‘at risk’ young people for focussed work as a negative progression in terms of youth work in its purest form. Smith feels that ‘the identification of specific target groups has the potential to lead to a narrowing of the diversity of young people worked with’ (2003, cited in The Open University, 2005, Study Topic 2, pg 30).Although I agree with Smiths statement, I am also aware of the funding limitations which exist, and am a strong believer that the most vulnerable or ‘at risk’ young people in society are a priority in terms of accessing the support they need. Despite my desire to defend the work I do, and its less than voluntary nature, my practice has been positively impacted by reflecting on the reason why the ‘voluntary principal’ is so highly regarded in relation to youth work.Within the process of planning the therapeutic, social and education groups within our group work programme, I have realised the important of extensive consultation with the young people to ensure the topics covered are relevant to them; something they are interested in and value, rather than what I feel they need or want. In this regard, I have been able to ensure that group participation is due to values that are closer to the concept outlined by the ‘voluntary principal’ than the idea of coercive participation.The impact of my shift in perspective on the young people within the therapeutic community is ye t to be evidenced, but the planning process for the groups has been much more focussed. Bruce Tuckman (cited in the Open University, 2005, Study Topic 6) has identified the five stages in a group’s life, his concept names the stages as Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing and Morning. As a group worker this concept underpins my practice in that my observations of the group and its progress are linked to identifying the stage in which the group is functioning and adapting my role as facilitator accordingly.Due to the chaotic nature of the client group within the therapeutic community the group regularly revisits the Storming stage of group development. In Study Topic 6, (The Open University, 2005, pg 27) this stage has been identified as a time when ‘there may be overt or covert antagonism towards the group worker’. When reflecting on my role as group facilitator, the reaffirmation of the pressures placed on me during this stage has been helpful. I have been rem inded about the importance of regular reflection in relation to the emotive aspect of group work in order to ensure the experience is safe and effective for the young people involved.In addition, the reflections of Guy Butler-Madden a Youth Support Worker at Lowbridge Youth Centre (Audio theme 6), in relation to the ‘storming’ stage of the DofE groups, impacted my learning through developing a shared understanding of some of the more challenging aspects of group work with others who work in a similar field. The final area of the module which has impacted on my learning is the importance of reflection. Study Topic 10 introduced the work of Donald Schon (1996) who advocated the ‘reflective practitioner approach to professional decision making’ (cited in the Open University, 2005, Study Topic 10, pg 6).Schon emphasises the importance of reflection for professional development and problem solving, rather than relying on ‘off the peg solutions’. Thi s concept has significantly impacted my approach to the work I do, in as much as I have introduced a weekly reflective space with my colleagues in order to consider decision making and problem solving in a formal setting. The act of practicing the art of reflection in a formal setting should impact my learning in that reflection will become second nature, thus improving my practice.In conclusion, the most significant impact my learning from the module has had on what I have already learned in my work with young people, has been identifying and challenging some of my preconceptions. In particular I feel that studying E131 has helped me gain a better understanding youth work in its purest form, its purpose and its values; and has allowed me to view youth work as a valuable tool in aiding young people through their transition into adulthood. My understanding of group process has been cemented and I have developed an insight into the challenges faced by other organisations in relation t o group dynamics.Finally, I have learned the value of effective reflection, and how professional development through using my knowledge as a fluid tool to enable effective decision making, rather than having a ridged view of the way an issue should be approached, can lead to more positive outcomes. All of these areas have impacted on what I have already learned from working with young people by allowing me to view my role within the wider context of youth work. My outlook has shifted insomuch as I now feel part of a wider agenda which seeks to enable young people to transition successfully and positively into adulthood.

Wanda Why Aren’t You Dead

Tiffany Anderson Dr. Zubeck English 110 â€Å"Wanda Why Aren't You Dead† A poem is a composition of emotional language or expression artists incorporate into their form of art. Poetry can be extremely emotional coming from the artist. The poem â€Å"Wanda Why Aren't You Dead† by Wanda Coleman focuses on an African American woman who is degraded and belittled by the people she associates with. It shows just how damaging words can truly be when used to hurt a person. Wanda Why Aren't You Dead† is about Wanda's struggling with the people around her and their harsh opinions about her, however maintaining her identity and becoming stronger by the end of the poem. Wanda, being a poet, expresses her feelings into this poem and does a phenomenal job at it. It allows the readers to feel what the protagonist feels and share in her sadness. Coleman's protagonist undergoes internal conflict within herself due to the bullying she experiences from others. They batter her name a round and disrespect her constantly, shown by the repetition of the name Wanda.The voices in the poem point out her imperfections, annoy her, support her insecurities, and antagonize her in any way they can. Wanda has no good features, according to the busybodies in the poem. Wanda is scrutinized for her appearance and any other noticeable aspect she has. The meddlers ask her constantly why she does or does not look a certain way. For example, one says, â€Å"why don't you lose weight† (5) While another says, â€Å"how come your feet are so goddamn big† (7). These small insults amplify as the poem progresses.They become more malicious and cruel. She relives these hurtful judgements recurrently throughout the poem. Throughout the poem, Wanda is told numerous hurtful and malicious things about herself. Wanda has been verbally and probably physically abused on more than one occasion. The questions they ask her are not actually questions, they are verbal attacks. The torme ntors do not want an answer, they solely wish to hurt Wanda. They question who she is, her appearance, her well-being, and even her existence.Her tormentors stereotype her for being black, they include her in the fabrication that all black women behave the same and are alike. One example, â€Å"what is it like being black† (10) questions her identity as a black woman, as if she can speak on behalf of the entire race. The insults poke at her continuously throughout the poem. They disrespect her family, personality, her intellect, and her integrity. These harsh statements do not affect not what Wanda believes about herself. They are the voices of people who know her that are saying what they think about her.But, she beats herself up with the harsh memories of the comments made towards her. The meddlers could be anyone in her community: friends, family, even strangers. They pick out any visible flaw about her and throw it in her face. They feed her insecurities and add on to the m. The readers can even feel pity towards Wanda because she is being brought down. Camille Paglia, a literary critic, touches this topic of Wanda conquering over the abuse she endures in her analysis of the poem, stating: â€Å"The wonder is that she survives and thrives† (8. ) due to the fact that one of Wanda's meddlers asks her, â€Å"i wonder / why ain't you dead† (28-29). She fights off all of their bad judgments on her and she remains her own person. They ask Wanda more than once during the poem why she is so angry and defensive. One tormentor states, â€Å"wanda you're ALWAYS on the attack† (25). Wanda is defensive to protect herself from any damage their harsh words could inflict on her. All the annoyances and comments throughout the poem do not matter to her anymore; the reader of this poem can tell as the tone and language changes in the poem right at the ending.The poem turns from its attacking tone to a more apologetic. One line, â€Å"wanda I didn' t know I was hurting you / that was an accident† (18-19) shows that at some point someone began to see they were hurting wanda and felt remorse for it. Camille Paglia's analysis of the poem points out specific details about Wanda. She points out Wanda's lifestyle and other aspects of her was well. Paglia gives her view of the meddlers and their intentions of the mean comments they make towards Wanda. She says that wanda is â€Å"an individual pitted against the tyranny of the group† (4. ). Wanda is an individual who is being attacked and pointed out by others. She is continuously judged because of her outer appearance and even her preference of men. Paglia also mentions Wanda's reaction to her bullies. Instead of Wanda breaking and consuming herself in all the vulgar things said to her, she regains control and maintains her individuality. In her analysis of the poem, she states, â€Å"when the worst can be said, reality seems less harsh. † Wanda overlooks and dis regards all the comments thrown at her and stays herself regardless.Wanda revolts from her tormentors' harsh views of her and proves them wrong, however she remains the same by the end of the poem showing she refuses to change to please anyone. Once Wanda makes it clear she is fighting back at the statements said to her, it sets a different tone in the poem. The poem now shows that Wanda has won victory over her bullies and becomes a stronger woman. She is finally her own person who does not listen to what people say about her. By the end of the poem, Wanda is her own person and comes out on top. She proves her tormentors wrong and does not change.She does not believe she is any of the things said about her. She does not want to be molded into any of the things suggested to her, she would rather disregard the harsh judgements and be her own woman. The statement, â€Å"why ain't you dead† (27) clearly shows that the poet is still alive, she has survived all the criticism and h urt. But, she is stronger than she was before which leaves the tormentors wondering how she has done it. Wanda gives the poem life by disregarding and looking over the criticism thrown at her and being her own person, despite the meddlers' attempts to break her.

Japanese Art of the Kamakura Period Research Paper

Japanese Art of the Kamakura Period - Research Paper Example Even with constant wars, the Buddhist religion got support from the samurais and other people. Other cultures and traditions were practiced, as they become a popular commodity. The arrival of the Europeans changed the Japanese ways of thinking as the constant wars were reduced. The word medieval may seem to be inquisitive, because it was first applied to European history. It elaborates a middle phase connecting the go down of the Roman kingdom and the beginning of the renaissance. Throughout this era, middle government was unstable and people were divided among feudal leaders. 16th century Japan was separated in the midst of warlords recognized as Daimy, and Europeans who came to Japan at that moment felt it look like medieval Europe. In the 1900s, Japanese educationist also saw this resemblance (Lang & Jujutsu). They took the term medieval to illustrate the era when Japanese imperial authority was unstable and warriors took a significant part in leading the society. These were the t imes of Japan’s first two warrior authorities: the Kamakura and the Muromachi. There are many questions asked about the Japanese’s warriors and their operations. People have come up with different answers and assumptions to these questions. During the late year 1170s, nobody might have imagined that soldiers led by the Minamoto tribe were about to create an autonomous government. The majority of warriors worked as middle-level officers in the district, operating as supervisors on government personal public lands or on confidential estates (Lang & Jujutsu). They took their place to central government upper class and strong temples. If a soldier breaks the rules of his superiors, he would be taken to be a rebel and his properties given to opponents. Consequently, for most of the 12th century, regal officials controlled the soldiers. The two supreme soldiers clans of the moment were the Taira (also recognized as the Heike) and the Minamoto (recognized as the Genji). Both worked for associates of the regal relatives and the Fujiwara relatives of regents. In the years 1150s, the Taira were on the victory side in a pair of disagreements that assisted them go up to places of power. The Taira head, Kiyomori, became prime Minister and wedded his daughter to a potential emperor (Lang &Jujutsu). In difference, the Minamoto were on the losing side in the two disagreements. Consequently, the tribe’s adult male leaders were executed and the boys sent into hideouts. During the year 1179, Kiyomori took the role of a practical dictator. In the year 1180, he forced the regal court to crown his grandson (the kid of his daughter who had wedded a royal leader) the next ruler. That same year, a displeased royal prince, angry that he was passed over for the throne, gave a call-to-arms. Yoritomo sent away leader of the Minamoto tribe and now a grown-up, activated soldiers to join him in ambushing the Taira. The Minamoto and Taira battled the span of the state for five years in a disagreement known as the Genpei fight (Sato 12). When the Taira were at the end defeated, Yoritomo continued with the building of Japan’s initial warrior government. The actual importance of the war was the soldier’s first move towards autonomy from the regal government. Yoritomo won over majority of eastern soldiers over by securing their lands and employment. Consequently, soldiers who were unconfident with the previous system chose to unite with the Minamoto, although they were not really part of the Minamoto

The reason to choose nursing as a career Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The reason to choose nursing as a career - Essay Example The researcher tells that his personal philosophy as a nurse is to provide quality health care especially on a preventive basis. Modern medical practice has moved from curative care to preventive care. Preventive care is cheaper than curative and poses little danger to patients. Preventive care is mainly advisory and leads to a better quality life than curative as the body stays healthy for a long time. The immune system is not weakened and this means that the person is protected from exposure to diseases that weaken the body and may lead to complications. The advice is to practice healthy standards of living so as to prevent the person from health problems that may lead to complications. Modern practice is moving towards preventive care as it costs less to maintain than curative and it leads to long, quality life. The researcher’s philosophy is to also give the most affordable and least invasive care to the patients. Modern medical advances in medicine have offered simple met hods of taking care of patients so as to maintain quality lives. The advances have also integrated natural health care systems with medical care to ensure that people are encouraged to let the body’s immune system work to fight off diseases. This strengthens the immune system and develops immunity that fights off diseases in the case of recurrences. This is important as it helps the body to fight off diseases in future and this is important in improving health.

Compare, contrast and summarize the information from 3 article Essay

Compare, contrast and summarize the information from 3 article together - Essay Example Short term use of stimulants known to be an effective intervention strategy, Corkum and associates (2010) investigate the long term impacts of methylphenidate (MPH). 85 children with ADHD were initially assessed with Wide range achievement test-revised (WRAT-R), parent and teacher rating, estimated intellectual ability, OCHS academic and psychosocial ratings, duration of medication and academic support. Children were randomly assigned to MPH treatment and placebo group in a double blind trial, with former administered a gradually rising dose of 5mg/administration to reach a target dose of 0.7mg/Kg body weight. 12 months later baseline assessments were repeated and using regression analysis academic performance was estimated, one for each subset of WRAT-R and for parent and teacher ratings with baseline covariates, and total treatments as variables. The results indicated that both medication and academic interventions were insignificant in academic improvement. II. Clarfield and Stone r (2005), explored the efficacy of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) on ADHD. The study specifically explored the role of headsprout reading basics; an internet based reading program as a CAI tool in improving the reading and task engagement. 3 children, selected using BASC (behavior assessment system for children), ADHD ratings; and parent, teacher & psychologist interview; received Reading Recovery instruction as part of their curriculum, along with two of them receiving stimulants and one consulting psychologist as part of prior interventions. The frequency of sessions (20-30 minute) was thrice a week with participants completing 27, 24 and 21 sessions. They were assessed using DIEBELS (Dynamic indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) oral reading fluency (DORF) and BOSS (Behaviour observation of students in schools). An improvement in reading fluency was observed in all three students, along with reduction in off task behaviour. III. Shalev et al (2007) tested that a systema tic individualized computerized progressive attentional training (CPAT) can at least partially overcome the lack of attention characteristic of ADHD. CPAT was designed to train each of the four attentional networks, i.e. sustained, selective, orienting, and executive attentions. A double blind randomized control trial (RCT) involving 20 children in treatment and 16 in control group, with baseline similarities in age and intelligence and meeting the DSM-IV criteria for ADHD was conducted. The training schedule was two one hour sessions per week continuing for eight weeks. Pre and post assessments tests relevant to the grade of the child assessing reading, writing, mathematical skills and parental ratings were used for evaluating results. The results specifically showed improvements in all the above fields within two weeks of initiation of CPAT. Critical Evaluation I. 1. What claims are being made? Lack of long term and cumulative impact of MPH on ADHD related academic underperformanc e. 2. What evidence has been provided to support the claims (research study, expert opinion...) The evidences include research study with exhaustive assessments and naturalistic trials. 3. Is the evidence credible (are the tests relevant, can they be repeated, examine validity and reliability)? Assessments are subjective as well as objective enabling repeatability, reliability and validity.

(The Budget)Funding and sourcing of London Olympic Games 2012 current Essay

(The Budget)Funding and sourcing of London Olympic Games 2012 current challenges and issues - Essay Example The budget funding and the capital sourcing for the 1948 London Olympic Games was more straightforward than now, as everything was paid for directly by the British taxpayer.1 Besides at that stage less extensive sporting facilities were required as there were fewer sporting events and there were also participants and spectators than expected for the London Olympic Games of 2012. Put simply to be ready for the London Olympic Games of 2012 the British capital has to build new sporting facilities as well as updating its available accommodation, and travel infrastructure. In 2012 it would not be acceptable to house either athletes or spectators in old army barracks to keep costs down as happened in 1948.2 The organisers of the London Olympic Games of 2012 also have to think about extensive security measures as the 7 / 7 attacks demonstrated London’s vulnerability to terrorist attacks.3 Modern Olympic Games have actually needed a great deal of direct capital investment from both the private sector and also the private sector organisations and sectors in order to construct world class sporting facilities alongside suitable accommodation for athletes and spectators as well as effective travel infrastructures. Most of the modern Olympic Games have gone over budgets, even if the majority of construction work was done before the games started. The British government has also had a past record of building projects and various venues that have gone over budget and being late, for instance the Millennium Dome and the Scottish Parliament building.4 Recent Olympic Games such as those in Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, and the latest in Beijing 2008 all managed to boost great sporting facilities besides suitability impressive accommodation and travel infrastructures. These Olympic Games were all very expensive to host and required significant amounts of budget funding and sourcing to be staged effectively.