Tuesday, April 28, 2020
Toms Shoes Company
Background of the Company Toms Shoes Company is a profit-oriented business enterprise located in Santa Monica, California. The company runs a subsidiary, Friends of Toms. Blake Mycoskie, a business enthusiast from Arlington, Texas, conceptualized Toms in 2006. Toms is a maker and distributor of shoes based on Alpargata design borrowed from Argentinean style and fashion. For every pair sold by Toms, Friends of Toms gives out a pair to a needy person.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on Toms Shoes Company specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Blake conceived this business idea while on vacation in Argentina. He realized that many people could not afford shoes in poor Argentinean villages. This prompted him to sell his online business to raise funds for this noble cause. The company manufactures shoes in various designs and styles, all inspired by Argentinean traditional fashion. Toms Company also deals with the manufactur e, sale of eye ware and clothing items. Analysis of Internal and External Environment With regard to the internal environment, the company has several valuable assets that help to sustain and propagate continuity of its vision and mission. The most critical asset is their line of footwear being the key driver to the progress of Toms Company. The company has production centres in Ethiopia, China, and Argentina. The companyââ¬â¢s strategic location in the United States counts as a dominant influencing factor. However, the most dominant internal advantage is its strategic plan. The companyââ¬â¢s strategic plan is visionary, elaborate, and amazingly unique. Their main strength is the decision to donate a pair for every pair of shoes that they sell. This policy of helping the needy has continued to endear the company to millions of consumers around the world. Companies constantly evaluate their external environment to determine changes in the business landscape. The main external t hreat to Toms Company is emerging competition from newcomers in the market. These companies have a business strategy and philosophy similar to that of Toms. An example of such competition is Sketchers Company. Sketchers has developed a product similar to Toms; they have also adapted the concept of donating one pair for each pair they sell. However, Toms has a competitive edge because its customers are loyal because Toms Company has an inspirational story behind its business venture. Another threat relates to pricing. The product by Sketchers is cheaper than Tomsââ¬â¢ product. In the meantime, this threat has not affected business operations of the company. Another external consideration is the aspect of production and supply. Their production centres are in Ethiopia, China, and Argentina. This approach is noble because it creates jobs in these localities, thus improving lives of local residents. The cost of producing shoes is relatively fair. Toms Company has rallied support from suppliers and other organizations that assist in donating shoes. This effectively neutralizes potential threat of unreasonable prices from suppliers. The company has a loyal customer base because of its philanthropic approach to business.Advertising Looking for article on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Business Level and Corporate Level Strategies Tomsââ¬â¢ business level strategy anchors on its unique and exemplary service that continually attracts customers and partner organizations. The company is unique and unrivalled in service delivery and customer satisfaction. The company provides an opportunity for everyone to participate in changing lives and giving hope to the poor in society. This materializes through its one for one giving policy. Through this business level strategy, the company is creating a sustainable future for posterity. This business strategy guarantees loyal support from customers and partner organizations. Its corporate level strategy uses internal advancement as a tool for diversification. The company has dedicated employees who actualize its mission of providing shoes to the poor. Toms offers unique products that accord opportunity for charity. The company organizes corporate events that unite all stakeholders. These events help in determining new and progressive market needs. The events also promote the spirit of entrepreneurship. In fact, the company initiated a competition where customers compete to develop new and innovative footwear designs. This corporate level strategy has contributed to popularity of the company. Acquisition and Restructuring Strategies These two strategies are increasingly becoming popular and vital in contemporary business practices. A company must have well articulated acquisition and restructuring strategies. These strategies help companies to counter effects of competition in the market. They also increase confidence of custo mers in the company. Toms Company revises its acquisition and restructuring strategies according to customerââ¬â¢s needs. For example, the company uses new tools and methods to market their products. They rely on social media for their marketing and publicity needs. These strategies enable the company to determine and adapt innovative business tools. International Strategies Toms Company has developed an intricate business network in the international market. Their international influence anchors on philosophy of giving to needy people. The company has an elaborate international strategy that is the hallmark of its expansion plan. The company is easily adaptable to international markets due to its extensive network of influence.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on Toms Shoes Company specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Their international foray thrives on consistency and availability of their products in the market . People in the international market embrace its products because of the noble cause behind them. The international market is favourable to the company because their products are unique and of high quality. Strategic Control and Corporate Governance Toms Shoe Company does not have a functional board of directors. Its founder and Chief Executive Officer control the corporate governance of the company. People support the company because of their corporate image and philosophy that they portray. Developing and maintaining this image is a primary function of corporate governance. In business practice, it is advisable to detach management from ownership. However, the governance model at Toms is different. The founder embodies both aspects of the company. The success of this model is evident in the loyal support from its customers. They participate in company activities through social media. The company has an elaborate strategic control and corporate governance strategy. Strategic Leader ship and Organizational Structures Organizational structures are practices that embody relations between customers, mode of operation, and application of favourable technological procedures. The company applies a simple organizational structure. In this strategy, the CEO makes key decisions. The staffs are responsible for implementation. The company focuses on fulfilling its vision and mission. This materializes through strategic leadership and appropriate organizational structure. The approach has ensured constant growth of the company. Corporate Social Responsibility Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a form of corporate policy practice constituted in the operation model of an organization. This policy serves as a mechanism through which a business evaluates and propagates sustainable compliance to legal provisions and acceptable business practices. CSR anchors on the desire for responsible actions and ensuring positive impact through interaction with customers, staff, envir onment, community, associates, and members of the public. Tomââ¬â¢s Shoes Company is a profit-oriented and socially motivated business outfit that understands the intricate relationship between business success and social responsibility. The company has a policy of giving one pair of shoes for every pair sold. Hitherto, they have donated over one million pairs in 23 countries around the world. This CSR model has endeared the company to the social and corporate world This article on Toms Shoes Company was written and submitted by user Lockjaw to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.
Friday, March 20, 2020
The Decline and Fall of the Soviet Union Essays
The Decline and Fall of the Soviet Union Essays The Decline and Fall of the Soviet Union Essay The Decline and Fall of the Soviet Union Essay Almost sixty-nine years after it was founded, the Soviet Union came to an end. In 1985 Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev became general secretary of the Communist Party, and in 1988 he became President of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). However, six years later on December 25, 1991, Gorbachev resigned. It was at this time that the Soviet Union ceased to exist. Most Russians today, still suffering through a difficult transition, believe Gorbachev changed their nation for the worse. Most foreigners think he changed the world for the better. It may take decades before Mikhail Sergeyevichs place in history can be fully evaluated.Boris Yeltsin became the first elected president of the Russian Federation on June 12, 1991.Countless problems and unfulfilled expectations plagued Yeltsin as the first elected leader of the newly independent Russian democracy. His attempts at drastic reforms, which were to transform Russia into a prosperous market-based econo my, were met with public disapproval. As president of Russia, Yeltsin played a pivotal role in the dissolution of the USSR. Despite assurances from Yeltsin that reform would yield dividends within a year, the economy contracted steadily from 1992 to 1997, dwindling to less than half its previous size. Millions of ordinary people suffered great privation because of declining output, reduced and often delayed wage and pension payments, and unemployment. President Boris Yeltsin, at age 68, resigned as president of the Russian Federation on December 31, 1999, roughly six months before the end of his term. The Soviet Unions stormy political battles took place against a broader background of other unsolved and growing problems. Minority nationalities continued their pressure for greater freedom from Moscow. This trend went the furthest in Lithuania. President Gorbachev responded with a variety of measures, including an economic blockade to force the Lithuanians to reverse the
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
The 1893 Lynching by Fire of Henry Smith
The 1893 Lynching by Fire of Henry Smith Lynchings occurred with regularity in the late 19th century America, and hundreds took place, primarily in the South. Distant newspapers would carry accounts of them, typicallyà as small items of a few paragraphs. One lynching in Texas in 1893 received farà more attention. It was so brutal, and involved so many otherwise ordinary people, that newspapers carried extensive stories about it, often on the front page. The lynching of Henry Smith, a black laborer in Paris, Texas, on February 1, 1893, was extraordinarily grotesque. Accused of raping and murdering a four-year-old girl, Smith was hunted down by a posse. When returned to town, the local citizens proudlyà announced they would burn him alive. That boast was reported in news stories which traveled by telegraph and appeared in newspapers from coast to coast. The killing of Smith was carefully orchestrated. The townspeople constructed a large wooden platform near the center of town. And in view of thousands of spectators, Smith was tortured with hot irons for nearly an hour before being soaked with kerosene and set ablaze. The extreme natureà of Smiths killing, and aà celebratory parade that preceded it received attention which included an extensive front-page account in the New York Times. And the noted anti-lynching journalist Ida B. Wells wrote about the Smith lynching in her landmark book, The Red Record. Never in the history of civilization has any Christian people stooped to such shocking brutality and indescribable barbarism as that which characterized the people of Paris, Texas, and adjacent communities on the first of February, 1893. Photographs of the torture and burning of Smith were taken and were later sold as prints andà postcards. And according to some accounts, his agonized screams were recorded on a primitive graphophone and later played before audiences as images of his killing were projected on a screen. Despite the horror of the incident, and the revulsion felt throughout much of America, reactions to the outrageous event did virtually nothing to stop lynchings. The extra-judicial executions of black Americans continued for decades. And the horrendous spectacle of burning black Americans alive before vengeful crowds also continued. The Killing of Myrtle Vance According to widely circulated newspaper reports, the crime committed by Henry Smith, the murder of four-year-old Myrtle Vance, was particularly violent. The published accounts strongly hinted that the child had been raped and that she had been killed by literally being torn apart. The account published by Ida B. Wells, which was based on reports from local residents, was that Smith had indeed strangled the child to death. But the grisly details were invented by the childs relatives and neighbors. There is little doubt that Smith did murder the child. He had been seen walking with the girl prior to her body being discovered. The childs father, a former town policeman, had reportedly arrested Smith at some earlier point and had beaten him while he was in custody. So Smith, who was rumored to be mentally retarded, may have wanted to get revenge. The day after the murder Smith ate breakfast at his house, with his wife, and then disappeared from town. It was believed he had fled by freight train, and a posse was formed to go find him. The local railroad offered free passage to those searching for Smith. Smith Brought Back to Texas Henry Smith was located at a train station along the Arkansas and Louisiana Railway, about 20 miles from Hope, Arkansas. News was telegraphed that Smith, who was referred to as the ravisher, was captured and would be returned by the civilian posse to Paris, Texas. Along the way back to Paris crowds gathered to see Smith. At one station someone tried to attack him with a knife when he looked out the train window. Smith was reportedly told that he would be tortured and burned to death, and he begged members of the posse to shoot him dead. On February 1, 1893, the New York Times carried a small item on its front page headlined To Be Burned Alive.à The news item read: The negro Henry Smith, who assaulted and murdered four-year-old Myrtle Vance, has been caught and will be brought here tomorrow.He will be burned alive at the scene of his crime tomorrow evening.All the preparations are being made. The Public Spectacle On February 1, 1893, the townspeople of Paris, Texas, assembled in a large crowdà to witness the lynching. An article on the front page of the New York Times the following morning described how the city government cooperated with the bizarre event, even closing the local schools (presumably so the children could attend with the parents): Hundreds of people poured into the city from the adjoining country, and the word passed from lip to lip that the punishment should fit the crime, and that death by fire was the penalty Smith should pay for the most atrocious murder and outrage in Texas history.Curious and sympathizing alike came on trains and wagons, on horse and on foot, to see what was to be done.Whisky shops were closed, and unruly mobs were dispersed. Schools were dismissed by a proclamation from the mayor, and everything wasà done in a business-like manner. Newspaper reporters estimated that a crowd of 10,000 had gathered by the time the train carrying Smith arrived in Paris at noon on February 1. A scaffold had been built, about ten feet high, upon which he would be burned in full view of the spectators. Before being taken to the scaffold, Smith was first paraded through the town, according to the account in the New York Times: The negro was placed upon a carnival float, in mockery of a king upon his throne, and followed by the immense crowd, was escorted through the city so that all might see. A tradition at lynchings at which the victim was alleged to have attacked a white woman was to have the womans relatives extract vengeance. The lynching of Henry Smith followed that pattern. Myrtle Vances father, the former town policeman, and other male relatives appeared on the scaffold. Henry Smith was led up the stairs and tied to a post in the middle of the scaffold. The father of Myrtle Vance then tortured Smith with hot irons applied to his skin.à Most of the newspaper descriptions of the scene are disturbing. But a Texas newspaper, the Fort Worth Gazette, printed an account that seems to have been crafted to excite the readers and make them feel as if they were part of a sporting event. Particular phrases were rendered in capital letters, and the description of the torture of Smith is gruesome and ghastly. Text from the front page of the Fort Worth Gazette of February 2, 1893, describing the scene on the scaffold as Vance tortured Smith; the capitalization has been preserved: A tinners furnace was brought on with IRONS HEATED WHITE.Taking one, Vance thrust it under first one and then the other side of his victims feet, who, helpless, writhed as the flesh SCARRED AND PEELEDà from the bones.Slowly, inch by inch, up his legs the iron was drawn and redrawn, only the nervous jerky twist of the muscles showing the agony being induced. When his body was reached and the iron was pressed to the most tender part of his body he broke silence for the first time and a prolonged SCREAM OF AGONY rent the air.Slowly, across and around the body, slowly upward traced the irons. The withered scarred flesh marked the progress of the awful punishmen. By turns Smith screamed, prayed, begged and cursed his tormentors. When his face was reached HIS TONGUE WAS SILENCED by fire and thenceforth he only moaned or gave a cry that echoed over the prairie like the wail of a wild animal.Then his EYES WERE PUT OUT, not a finger breath of his body being unscathed. His executioners gave way. They were Vance, his brother-in-law, and Vances song, a boy of 15 years of age. When they gave over punishing Smith they left the platform. After the prolonged torture, Smith was still alive. His body was then soaked with kerosene and he was set on fire. According to the newspaper reports, the flames burned through the heavy ropes that bound him. Free from the ropes, he fell to the platform and began to roll about while engulfed in flames. A front-page item in the New York Evening World detailed the shocking event that happened next: To the surprise of all he pulled himself up by the railing of the scaffold, stood up, passed his hand over his face, and then jumped from the scaffold and rolled out of the fire below. Men on the ground thrust him into the burning mass again, and life became extinct. Smith finally died and his body continued to burn. Spectators then picked through his charred remains, grabbing pieces as souvenirs. Impact of the Burning of Henry Smith What was done to Henry Smith shocked many Americans who read about it in their newspapers. But the perpetrators of the lynching, which of course included men who were readily identified, were never punished. The governor of Texas wrote a letter expressing some mild condemnation of the event. And that was the extent of any official action in the matter. A number of newspapers in the South published editorials essentially defending the citizens of Paris, Texas. For Ida B. Wells, the lynching of Smith was one of many such cases she would investigate and write about. Later in 1893, she embarked on a lecture tour in Britain, and the horror of the Smith lynching, and the way it had been widely reported, no doubt gave credibility to her cause. Her detractors, especially in the American South, accused her of making up lurid stories of lynchings. But the way Henry Smith was tortured and burned alive couldnt be avoided. Despite the revulsion many Americans felt over their fellow citizens burning a black man alive before a large crowd, lynching continued for decades in America. And its worth noting that Henry Smith was hardly the first lynching victim to be burned alive. The headline on the top of the front page of the New York Times on February 2, 1893, was Another Negro Burned. Research in archival copies of the New York Times shows that other blacks were burned alive, some as late as 1919. What happened in Paris, Texas, in 1893 has largely been forgotten. But it fits a pattern of injustice shown to black Americans throughout the 19th century, from the days of slavery to the broken promises following the Civil War, to the collapse of Reconstruction, to the legalization of Jim Crow in the Supreme Court case of Plessy v. Ferguson. Sources Burned at the Stake: A Black Man Pays for a Towns Outrage.ANOTHER NEGRO BURNED; HENRY SMITH DIES AT THE STAKE.The Evening World. (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, February 02, 1893.Fort Worth Gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, February 02, 1893.
Sunday, February 16, 2020
HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ASSIGNMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words
HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ASSIGNMENT - Essay Example This ensures commitment of the staff in achieving company objectives leading to improved performance and productivity and consequently profitability and competitive advantage for the firm. Banco is a medium sized bank with over 300 branches and operates 24hours, seven days thus making its HR function complex. It faces stiff competition from other companies and needs to fulfil the needs of increasing customers prompted by rapid development in service industry of two nearby towns. Being located in an area of low unemployment, Banco needs to formulate policies and strategies that ensure employee retention. Banco policies are formulated at the head office and imposed on the branches despite the difference that exist in different localities and therefore do not consider diversity and cultural issues when making decisions. The management is bureaucratic in nature as no communication channels are available for the staff to communicate with senior administration except through union represen tatives. The company has training and development policy whereby responsibility is put on team leaders. The recruitment policy entails external recruitment by agencies and at the headquarters. Team work is encouraged and performance is measured through set targets which are supposed to be accomplished individually and through team work. The overall goal of the organization is to ensure quality services so as to retain customers and remain competitive in the service industry. Despite all these measures, its HR policies and procedures is not effective leading to labour turnover, absenteeism and declining profitability. The paper will discuss the various HR issues in the bank and appropriate recommendations to ensure the bank achieves its goals. Human Resource Issues and Recommendations Management One of the problems facing Banco is the manner in which it is managed. It is evident that all policies and procedures are formulated at a headquarters and implemented on other branches. The s trategies may be applicable in one branch but not the others due to cultural diversity. For example the rewards given to motivate workers are viewed differently by different individuals and cultures; some appreciate monetary rewards while others may appreciate non monetary rewards such as promotion so as to climb the social class. The local managers are not involved in formulating the policies and therefore they are not committed to implement the same in order to achieve results. The management team is also inexperienced and therefore cannot handle employees at the call centre if they themselves are not confident. The management also does not communicate directly with the staff but does so through the trade union and therefore may not realise the problems the employees are facing and handle them in order to gain loyalty and commitment. Banco can change its management techniques in order to achieve its objectives. It should appreciate diversity at workplace and hence involve local br anch managers in formulating policies and give them autonomy to formulate some policies at branch level in accordance with local needs. This is important in getting the local managers to feel they own the decisions thus are committed to achieving the company objectives. The managers also have knowledge of the area in which the call centres are located and are close to the customers
Sunday, February 2, 2020
Uprising in Middle East Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Uprising in Middle East - Essay Example A clear view of the entire episode can be comprehended and truly understood only by looking into the factors and elements that contributed to it, the factors and the course that was adopted and what have been the short term outcomes of the entire event as it has unfolded. Egypt faced the heat in form of massive gathering across the Tehrir square which later on became an emblem of revolution and uprising. Egypt has had a history of dictators and usurpers ruling over the people against their wishes and with little political or social participation. It is something that was in offing for a long while, and any place where human rights violation, social and political depravity becomes order of the day, a revolt and revolution finds its way in return. The focus of study is other factors and the neighboring social circumstances as well that ran in parallel and how they propelled an atmosphere of uprising. Understanding the overall scenario of Egypt uprising requires understanding and exploration of the reasons, impact and background of the revolutions that took place in Yemen and Libya. This also includes the study of the regions and the countries that were mostly likely to face and taste revolution yet they survived it and till date have no events and signs on instability that would be seen in form of revolution and overthrow of the government. On economic front it was the downtrodden state of the masses that compelled them into revolt and rebellion, where large percentage of the people lived below poverty line, with no basic facilities of life, no proper education, no health care facilities and far from the basic commodities that are right of every individual. .Religious element and their role cannot be undermined for they provided a platform of awareness and social and political activity which was needed in the environment
Saturday, January 25, 2020
Impact of Poverty on Personality Development
Impact of Poverty on Personality Development Does Poverty affect personality development from early childhood into adolescence? Eric Fromm said that Mans main task in life is to give birth to himself, to become what he potentially is. The most important product of his effort is his own personality (Fromm, 1947, p.237).Fromm believes that an individuals purpose in life to is to come fully into themselves so that they may be able to exceed their own expectations. Fully coming into oneself comes from growing into ones personality. Personality is the combination of behaviors, emotions and thought patterns that define an individual or make up their character. Over the course of our lives we go through many changes. Changes that makes us stand taller or our voices grow deeper. Changes that happen on the inside and on the outside. Throughout the course of our lives our behaviors change and develop into habits that shape our very personalities that can lead us into success or prove to be a seemingly permanent obstacle on the path to success. These behaviors either change for the good or bad carry over into our older years as our personalities change. Our personalities dictate who we connect with and get along with, they are central to the way we go through and experience through the world in many different experiences. There is no singular personality that ensures success for anyone but what if the environment influences or fosters a certain type of personality? Can someone truly be a product of their upbringing and environment? In this case, we will be viewing poverty as a type of environment in which individuals live and grow within. Poverty is a long-standing injustice and social issue that restricts specific resources and opportunities for those who are affected by it (Utsey Constantine, 2008). Across many studies there are many varying definitions of poverty. But how does poverty exactly affect personality development? Specifically the personality development from childhood into adolescence. The definition of poverty in this paper will be defined as condition or way of life where peoples basic needs arent being met. Those needs being food and shelter. Poverty is operationally defined across many studies and experiments and sometimes grouped differently. Each study looks at a specific factor that comes directly into play with poverty. Establishing differences in the level of poverty is important in terms of noting how much exposure the developing individual has had to poverty or a lack general lack of resources because in some cases the longer the exposure the more of an effect it has on someone. An example would be impoverished neighborhoods split into three groups where high poverty rates being between 30-40%, moderate poverty with the rates between 20-30% and low poverty rates being 20% (Leventhal Brooks 2011). In some cases, there can be brief periods of poverty because sometimes individuals manage to get out of an impoverished area. There is sometimes a period where there is a flux between persistently being impoverished and being recently impoverished (Leventhal Brooks 2011). Experience of poverty can be into terms such as persistent poverty and transitional or intermittent poverty (Ackerman, Brown Izard 2004). Persistent poverty is related to lower quality home environment that lasts or persists that later is connected to problem behaviors. Neighborhood poverty is defined as neighborhood hardship that is caused by a lack of economic, social and familial resources (Harden, Copeland-Linder Nation 2011). Two different definitions of poverty are identified: the first says that poverty and the behaviors of the poor are explained by their occupation, socioeconomic status and their level of income. The second explains poverty by talking features of persons personality that can connect with a culture of poverty in society from (Sailing Harvey 1981). So, if there is a culture of poverty and disadvantage what does that mean for the youth or the future? Will the cycle be continued or can they possibly find a way to get out of it? There have been studies conducted on how youth and adolescents in poorer areas are academically affected by being surrounded or growing up in poverty (Anderson, Leventhal Dupà ©rà © 2014) and about how neighborhood affluence and poverty can affect achievement and behavior. They wanted to find out how poverty affects academics and behavior. Does poverty affect academics and behavior in negative or positive ways? Does their behavior indicate a risk factor in their personality? When it comes down to these children that go from early childhood into adolescence who have bad relations with the law and substandard test scores tend to have higher externalized behaviors that get them into trouble. Is this truly their faults? Are their potentials met or are they held back by the environment that they are surrounded by? Poverty is something that holds back many promising individuals that have potential to do so many amazing things. This is an important topic because the thing that many people fail to realize is that individuals from these impoverished areas that are considered high risk are only that because of what they are surrounded by. It is an important topic to speak on and to bring up because it brings attention to a marginalized group of people that are mostly overlooked and not heard about. Well-being is challenged and constantly put under duress due to the pressures and anxieties of being impoverished. So, how does poverty affect personality development from childhood into adolescence? What Poverty effects The claim that I am making is that poverty first and foremost affects opportunities within the communities that it is prevalent and present in. Opportunities can be defined as chances or a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something. Opportunity comes with levels of educational attainment, employment and quality of resources. Levels of attainment can increase levels of affluence in the area. Resources could be food, water, shelter, clothes or several things that can contribute to the standard of living being higher. They are chances for an individual to exceed their own expectations and attain a goal that they previously hadnt thought they could attain. Depending on the area in which an individual is surrounded by opportunity can either be given or not be not given. The level of affluence in a neighborhood implies an accessibility to certain resources that can improve the quality of life and can make life easier for families and children in that area. Affluence within neighborhoods can be broken down into adults or parents within a neighborhood that have B.A. degrees and those who were currently employed in managerial or professional occupations (Anderson, Leventhal Dupà ©rà © 2014). Access to quality resources is maintained through a consistent salary so when they run low they are able to replenish them with no problem. They are also able to maintain the possessions that they already have. Within maintaining the possessions and a certain quality of life along with experiencing the stability that can come with affluence a sense of self-worth is fostered. Self-worth can be fostered through competency in daily tasks or within the academia. For those who happen to not be in a stable and plentiful environment academic achievement can be seen as the opportunity that can grant some a beginning foundation or a means to aspire to move away or out of poverty. One of the main things that can certainly help alleviate the instability of poverty is educational attainment that can lead to so many opportunities for gainful employment. Affluence and poverty correlated with participants outcomes achievement in regards to Math and Reading scores affluence of the neighborhood corre lated with higher achievement (Anderson, Leventhal Dupà ©rà ©, 2014). Although in some cases there can be periods of poverty because sometimes some individuals manage to get out of an impoverished area (Damian et al., 2014).. Over time family needs increased so family wealth increased. But, neighborhood poverty indicators declined from early childhood to middle childhood and early adolescence. If participants in this study moved from an impoverished area into a better one, they tended to move during early or middle childhood, not so much during adolescence (Anderson and Leventhal Dupà ©rà ©, 2014). Affluence and poverty in this study correlated with participants outcomes achievement and with behavioral problems. In regards to Math and Reading scores affluence of the neighborhood correlated with higher achievement and the internalizing/externalizing behavior hypothesized models had no support as well. Children who live in disadvantaged neighborhoods are more likely than those in affluent ones to undergo a negative personality change which can create a stigma (Hart, Atkins Matsuba, 2008). There is sometimes a period where there is a flux between persistently being impoverished and being recently impoverished. So, there are different kinds of poverty levels in this study, one that is consistent and persistent while the other is transitional because sometimes people can get out of poverty (Eamon, 2000). Lower-quality environments, strained relations between the family or mother, and low stimulation quickly impact recent povertys effect on internalizing behaviors. Lower quality environments refer to the state of the home itself, so if it is clean, safe and uncluttered the environment is of higher quality. Strained relations mean the ways that the parent interacts with their child or other family members after recently becoming impoverished. Stimulation comes in with social interactions with people outside of the family. Recent poverty means that the family had not previously been in poverty but due to a circumstance they have fallen into poverty. So, it is the Persistent poverty that seems to have in regards to have the longest lasting impact behavior in developing children (Eamon, 2000). I think that children are aware of when there is a lack of something or when they dont have access to some of the things that they want or some of the things that they see other people with. They are quick to acknowledge the lack of what they want and even more quick when asking for the object or thing that they want. Sometimes the line between what one needs to have and what one wants to have is very blurred especially when the things that are essentially needed care out of reach. Individuals from disadvantaged or impoverished areas experience unpredictable childhoods tend to feel as if they themselves have no actual control. Poverty happens for a varying amount of reasons that most of the time boil down to not being the individuals fault or out of the individuals control. For example, a family or an individual could fall below the poverty line because of job loss, loss of finances, unemployment and income level that changes their socioeconomic status. Poverty affects Behavior Poverty affects behavior in negative or positive ways. Poverty creates a complex and demanding environment that are mostly not conducive to development. Individuals are put under a lot of stress, duress and pressure when growing up in an impoverished environment. Behavior is how an individual acts towards others. Within this limited and high stress environment many frustrations arise. Being in poverty or living in poverty can make a person feel hopeless and out of control (Mittal Griskevicius, 2014). When people feel a lack of control they try to find other things that they can exercise effective control over. In trying to exert control or find control in smaller situations they can become reckless and risky in their judgement. To adapt to this environment of poverty certain behaviors are expressed and these behaviors form into habits. Habits that arent always good are formed to find ways to get by or adapt with the environment. Some of the harmful ways frustrations by being in an i mpoverished environment can manifest themselves is through maladaptive and unsavory behaviors; for example yelling or fighting or refusal to comply with requests (Castellanos-Ryan et al.,2013). For example, aggressive behaviors like physical damage that can cause hurt or harm to an individual themselves or someone else. These horrible and sometimes aggressive or violent tendencies that are seen or portrayed dont necessarily mean that that is what the adolescent or individual truly is or how they truly are. Maybe the reason the individuals are acting in such a way is that they themselves do not know how to process their own emotions or feelings. So, instead of trying they resort to lashing out either at themselves or others. Does behavior indicate a specific personality or personality traits? Some negative ways that behaviors can be expressed are known as internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Across the studies that use the terms externalizing and internalizing the definitions are quite similar. Externalizing behaviors as problem behaviors that are expressed externally (Castellanos-Ryan et al.,2013). Aggressive behaviors like yelling, screaming or fighting can be seen as externalizing behaviors.Internalizing behaviors as negative behaviors that are expressed inwardly (Leventhal, Brooks Gunn , 2011). So, these behaviors are inflicted upon the self. Anxiety and depression are two forms of the behavior that are frequently experienced. Stress can cause a number of emotional and behavioral problems. Poor children were rated and found to have more externalizing problems in comparison to those who werent poor. Tying back into the availability of specific resources for the need and the enjoyment of the individual. If there are not enough financial resources to help support the lives of the individual some strain and stressors may arise. These strains can be felt in different ways and some of them may even be acted out in harmful or destructive ways that add more tensions and frustration into the very situation itself. There is also a correlation between family income and behavior issues, it was discovered that family income was related to externalizing problems. Children had fewer problems when their familys income was higher than children whose familys income was low. The children that had been severely impoverished had more outward problems as opposed to those children who never had experienced of were even in poverty themselves (Dearing, McCartney and Taylor, 2006). The longer the exposure to poverty the more likely children are to experience sadness, anxiety, and dependency or other forms of problems. The behavior, the externalizing and internalizing problems begin in childhood when exposed to poverty and then carry on into adolescence when poverty is persistent and consistent through development which lead to other areas like academic achievement and opportunity along with personality disorders or anger issues (Ackerman, Brown Izard, 2004). The longitudinal study looked at the connection between the amount of family income and the rate of poverty over a 6 year period through the use of assessments or questionnaires given out to the children and to their parents or caregivers and went from when the child was in preschool to 5 years of age. They found that as the years went by the children were very likely to experience sadness, anxiety and dependency (Ackerman, Brown Izard, 2004). When breaking up neighborhoods their levels of poverty the main thing to remember is that there is a relationship between the level of poverty itself and the prevalence of specific behaviors. My claim is that levels in poverty itself also play a role in the mediating or eliciting specific behaviors. So in a high poverty neighborhood the presence of decreasing poverty would help alleviate problem behaviors meanwhile in a moderate poverty neighborhood the presence of increasing poverty would be the source of youth problem behaviors (Leventhal, Brooks Gunn, J., 2011). There seems to be a trend in the behavioral development of boys, young children and toddlers when in poverty or in an at-risk area that they tend to have more externalizing behavior issues (Holtz, Fox Meurer, 2014). Low-income families are at higher risk for family and social stressors, for example job loss, poor quality child care, inadequate supervision, unaddressed medical issues, maternal mental health issues, and unsafe neighborhoods, which in turn, negatively impact parenting practices that have been found to be related to the development and exacerbation of behavior problems in children (Holtz, Fox Meurer, 2014). An extension on the aforementioned definition of externalizing behaviors can be called challenging behaviors. These challenging behaviors can include throwing temper tantrums, destroying property, refusing to listen, noncompliance and elevated levels of aggression (Holtz, Fox Meurer, 2014). This study implemented the use of Early Childhood behavior screenings to be able to track the exact time or time frame of when the problem behaviors arose in the toddlers that were being used as subjects. The Early Childhood Behavior Screen is a 20 item questionnaire that was made for the toddlers and preschool kids. The questions within the questionnaire were made to measure the positive behaviors and challenging behaviors. The ECBS were measured by the frequency or the prevalence of challenging behaviors then the complete score was between 10 and 30. There were gender differences found for the challenging behaviors items, for example on items like throws things at others and kicks othersthe boys had higher percentages respectively with the first item mentioned being at 60% for boys and 43% for girls and for the second 25% for girls and 40% for boys (Holtz, Fox Meurer, 2014). My claim is that not only behavior but other facets that can be acted upon or increased due long exposure to poverty are poor impulse control, bad decision making including risky behaviors. Risky behaviors can be having unprotected sex, having multiple partners or doing drugs. Bad decision making can be tied to criminal or delinquent behaviors like theft or robbery (Griskevicius et al, 2013). Long time exposure to harshness and unpredictability were the markers that were used in Griskevicius et al. (2013) to track the rise of risky behaviors from before birth and well into adolescence. Unpredictability was operationally defined through the changes in mothers employment status, residence and living arrangements; harshness was assessed by socioeconomic status (Griskevicius et al., 2013). Changes in employment status means a change to salary and could lead to poverty. In the study they measured five different outcomes over the span the ages between 6 and 16 then age 23; the first two co mponents deal with sexual history and the other three deal with deviant behaviors and they were aggression, delinquency and ties to criminal activity (Griskevicius et al., 2013). Results showed that the male participants had many more sexual partners and participated in more delinquent behaviors than that of the female participants. It was also found that unpredictability in the early stages of childhood correlated with the amount of sexual partners later on in life, levels of aggression and criminal behaviors (Griskevicius et al., 2013). So instability throughout early years of childhood are indicators of a possible risky personality forming later on in life which was measured when the participants answered questionnaires when they turned 23. Instability and unpredictability can also be a good indicator for aggression and delinquent behaviors that can continue well on into adulthood and have a major effect on the many things that can potentially happen in someones life. So what can actually be done to help alleviate the problem of the instability, unpredictability and harshness of poverty so that children dont grow up and become products of their own environ ments? The outlook after this looks a bit bleak and not so hopeful. Although it does seem hopeless in many ways and that only negative things come from growing up impoverished like externalizing and internalizing behaviors, lack of availability to resources and a higher chance of being unstable and not having good sense of well-being there are some positive behaviors that can come out of growing up within an impoverished community or area. This is not to say that there should not be any efforts to relieve and help close the gaps that let people fall into poverty and stay there. Coping, adaptability and resilience are all positive behaviors that can come from growing up in adversity. Impoverished children grow up learning how to cope which helps them learn how to better manage and deal with stress and stressors that can arise from the unpredictability of life (Wadsworth Berger, 2006). Within the poverty environment stress plays another role in development. Poverty related stress has been shown to have a strong correlation with the development of anxiety and depression but the way in which an individual responds or reacts to the stresses or stressors is called coping. But there are different kinds of coping that work for each individual separately, everyone has their own strategy that helps them deal with their own kinds and varying amounts of stress; the two types of coping are referred to as primary control coping and secondary control coping (Wadsworth Berger, 2006). So, primary control coping consists of strategies that have more of a direct approach to dealing with ones own feelings and this includes problem solving, emotional expression and emotional regulation while secondary control coping consists of trying to adapt ones self to differing environments, like for example stressful environments or events, and this this includes acceptance, changing ones outlook, distraction and positive thinking (Wadsworth Berger, 2006). Both types of coping can be seen as beneficial in comparison to disengagement coping, which is coping that is unhealthy and includes avoidance, denial and wishful thinking; all of which do not exactly interact with the problem or deal with the emotional side to arising stressors (Wadsworth Berger, 2006). Coping is only really helpful when it is effective towards the type of stress it is up against. It has also been suggested that coping interacts with both internalizing and externalizing behaviors by changing the degree at w hich they affect the person. But is something like coping with poverty based stressors and stresses going to happen when an individual is an environment that doesnt have that many poverty related issues or challenges? Is the effectiveness of coping dependent on the interaction with the poverty linked stressors? During an 8 month period poverty based stressors, responses those stressors and the behaviors that arose in response to those stressors were observed in Wadsworth Berger (2006). The responses were collected by the responses to stress and youth self report questionnaires. The RSQ has 16 factors while the YSR had 112 factors. Their findings indicated that the level of stress elicits a certain stress reactivity to it that is correlated with coping itself. My other claim is that individuals, namely, adolescents who either grew up in unpredictable and impoverished areas to tend to be flexible and can adapt to new situations with more ease since they have had to adapt and be more flexible due to their upbringing (Mittal et al, 2015). As seen before, with different levels of stress and stressors comes different approaches to coping with the arising stress. They believed that the influence of high stressful environments and they went about proving that by doing two experiments. The first one has two deal with inhibitions and shifting. The following experiments served as replications of the first. Inhibition is the deliberate overriding of dominant responses and Shifting can also be called task switching, it involves flexibly changing between different tasks (Mittal et al., 2015). Participants gave information about their backgrounds and then were either sorted into groups that had inhibition tasks or shifting tasks amongst different enviro nments. They found that people who had remembered having unpredictable childhoods did better on the shifting tasks and worse on the inhibition tasks (Mittal et al., 2015). So the very the environment of unpredictability requires an individual to be quite flexible and adaptable. This trait can carry well on into adulthood and serve the individual well in the long run. Poverty and Personality Personality is the combination of characteristics or qualities that form an individuals unique and distinctive character. There are many facets and parts that compile it and they are called traits. Personality is one of the things that keeps growing, evolving and changing throughout the rest of our lives. It takes some time for people to develop their own distinctive personality because it can be influenced by so many outside factors like their environments, parents, friends, family or a plethora of reasons. It takes time for people to truly come into themselves and to come into their own personalities. Individuals go through many stages in their lives. The first formations of personality come from the behaviors that are learned and acted out from the earlier stages of development and then carried on into the later stages. Repeated behaviors can in turn become habits (Salling Harvey, 1981). And habits become harder and harder to break as time goes on. If personality is negatively affected by poverty then that could lead to the of a risky personality and predict negative behaviors that can extend well beyond adolescence and have effects on adulthood behaviors and interaction between people (Hart, Atkins, Matsuba , 2008). As exemplified by the aforementioned studies poverty has a significant role in the increase and prevalence of negative behaviors of both kinds being externalizing and internalizing. Sometimes these behaviors dont arise in opposition to the environment but to cope with the demand and stresses of the environment itself (Wadsworth Berger, 2006). Sometimes the ways in which individuals decide to cope happen to be the wrong ways, instead of trying to work with the problems presented within the challenging and demanding environment, they shut down or completely disengage from the environment or try to detach themselves from the problem (Wadsworth Berger, 2006). Poverty related stressors can take tolls on groups and families with tension rising between them. When there is tension due to poverty related stressors it can cause chaos and issues within the household itself and this can strain the social climate of the home and can be an indicator of childrens ability to recognize and properly process their own negative emotions (Raver, Blair, Garrett-Peters, 2015), It was found that the higher the amount of exposure to conflicts and tension within the home the harder or more difficult it was for children from that home to be able to process and understand negative emotions when faced with them. These negative behaviors become habit and then these habits are carried into adulthood that turn into risky behaviors that can create a risky personality. Conversely, if personality is positively affected by personality it can lead to better overall well-being, mental health and in self-worth and self-esteem (Eamon, M.K, 2000). From the research presented before I claim that some of the positive behaviors that can come from growing up in an unpredictable, unstable and impoverished environment can be successful and healthy coping, adaptability and flexibility in difficult and uncertain situations. So not only do individuals who grow up in poverty cope well, they cope the right way. As mentioned before there are two types of coping that can be seen as the healthy way to cope although coping is different for everyone; primary control coping is the more direct approach to dealing with ones own feelings and secondary control coping is consists of trying to adapt ones self to differing environments (Wadsworth Berger, 2006). Although those are two different ways in which an individual can cope they both give time for the person to actually process what they are feeling and interact with the stressor or the problem in their own ways. I think that through these processes of coping understanding how to handle negative emotions is learned. It is through learning how to handle negative emotions that can arise with stress and strain from stressors that negative behaviors can be diminished. Conclusion Poverty does indeed change and affect personality in many ways even if the individual can move from a place with high levels of poverty. The lack of resources leaves individuals brought up in poverty at a deficit in some areas that carry on into adulthood and it is very unlikely that deficit can be closed. It can increase the prevalence of outwardly aggressive and violent actions which can only lead to negative outcomes for the future. But there are also some positives that come from this restricted lifestyle, like the ability to cope and the ability to be flexible. Although it is difficult to say that poverty can be eradicated so that everyone has the same equal and equitable opportunities it is still a worthy course of action so that everyone can meet their full potential.
Friday, January 17, 2020
Ganges Delta Problems
The water supply of Ganges is shrinking and the river Is going to dry out In the future, because the meliorate from the mountains Is gone in 20 years and then there Is no water anymore from glaciers. So In 20 years the river probably Is a dry river. If the temperature Is rising ,the snow Is melting of the Himalayan glaciers and an effect Is that the melting water comes down Into the river which causes heavenly flooding. There are more and heavier erratic rainfalls In the Ganges In the monsoon season.Warmer and more humid weather. Increasing of cyclones caused by air-pressure and higher temperatures, which are caused by the climate change. Pollution in the Ganges River occurs daily when civilians from all over come to bath in the most sacred river in India. Cremated bodies, sewage from factories, and occasionally a dead animal float around in the river on a daily basis. Because the river is known as a sacred healing body of water, people who have sicknesses and diseases bathe themselv es hoping that it will cure them.Others who go into the polluted her do it because of tradition, especially Hindu priests. Over the years not such has been done to try to clean up the unsanitary Ganges River. The efforts that have been made have either made it worse or not even worked at all! The city of Variants, in India, has begun many groups to help clear up the river and make it clean to bath in once again. Veer Buddha Miser, a head priest at the Sank Mochas temple, founded the Sank Mochas Foundation. The foundation gives awareness on the need to protect the Ganges River.The foundation had come up with a few ways to try to clean the river up. The plan involves a 4-mile pipeline to intercept all the sewage that would normally flow in to the Ganges from the Variants area. The pipeline would then extend another 4 miles to an elevated sandbar in the Ganges where a series of ponds would cleanse the waste using microorganisms to destroy the bacteria. The government has already spent about $33 million to build a plant that would help with the huge sewage problem.The problem with this new idea of using a pipeline to clean the water is the fact that it used electric-powered pumps to pump the water through to clean it. When the power goes out, the town regained all the polluted water right back, and was even more than there was before! That idea was thrown out a couple of years after it was applied. Another attempt at cleaning the water has started a couple of years ago. The Gang Action Plan (GAP) is in effect, and will be about a seven-year process.The first phase of this plan had failed, and the people hope that the second phase will be effective. The civilians are sure it will fail if electric-powered pumps like the other cleanup ideas run it. Hopefully over the upcoming years the awareness of the polluted Ganges River will increase. The more inventions thought up on how to clean the river the better, so that the people who consider the river sacred can at least bath in a river that is Just as pure as its reputation.
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