Analysis of Bandura’s Cognitive Theory and Beck’s Cognitive Theory

The study of human behavior or behaviorism focuses on attributes of humanity that are discernible, measurable and which can be manipulated. The emphasis of behaviorism is on experimental methods and avoids attributes that are subjective, internal or unavailable.The experimental method involves the manipulation of one variable and measurement of its effect on another variable. It is from the study of variable and effects that a Canadian psychologist, Albert Bandura found the cognitive theory (or social cognitive theory) (Bandura, 2006).Bandura for instance observed aggressive behavior in adolescents and opined that the aggressiveness is caused by the environment in which the adolescents grow. On the other hand, he also realized that behavior causes an environment as well.Thus, since behavior and environment are causes and effects of each other, Bandura referred to the concept as reciprocal determinism (Bandura1986). In short, Bandura’s theory was based on the fact that the worl d and a person’s character (behavior) affect each other (Bandura, 1986).While it would appear that the environment was the cause of behavior and personality, Bandura also realized that personality is an interaction of a person’s psychological responses in relation to the environment (Bandura, 2006).The psychological processes consist of the human being’s ability to entertain different images and languages. Thus, the cognitive theory is built on two essential principles. The first one is a framework for explaining how different personalities function, whereas the other one addresses the type of variables (that is the elements of analysis) on which the personality theory should be centred (Bandura, 2006).In analysis of the influence of reciprocal determinism, Bandura categorically uses the word â€Å"determinism† to imply the aspect in which effects are produced by events (Bandura, 2006). However, this opinion does not mean that a human being’s actio ns arise from straightforward and predictable chains of cause and consequence.Rather, it implies that events produce effects by chance. As a result, the probability or chance of an event producing an effect is emphasized in Bandura’s cognitive theory (Bandura, 2006). Perhaps the most significant aspect of Bandura’s theory is the way in which the theory treats behavior.Unlike many other theoretical frameworks, this theory has equal action on both the input of the personality and the output of personality (Bandura, 1986). In essence, Bandura’s opinion is that a person’s actions and the resultant effects shape the person’s aptitude, feelings and belief in one self (Bandura, 2006).For example, many behaviorist theories depict scant curiosity in self-process because the theorists assume that human functioning is caused by external stimulus rather than the internal stimulus which is only considered as transmitting rather than causing behavior (Bandura, 1 986).This paper critically evaluates the notable features of Bandura’s cognitive theory and discusses in detail the viewpoint of the Bandura at the time of formulation of the theory and the theory’s subsequent modification.The paper will also appraise the strengths and weaknesses of the theory based on the discussion. Analysis of the salient features of Bandura’s cognitive theory The most notable feature of Bandura’s social cognitive theory is the concept of reciprocal determinism (Bandura, 1986).Reciprocal determinism is a phenomenon that implies the causes and effects of different actions on behavior and environment and how they affect each other. Thus, Bandura’s theory was based on the point that personal factors in the form of cognition, biological events and affect, behavior and environmental factors create interfaces that result in a triadic reciprocality as illustrated in Figure 1. Bandura modified the label of his theory from the common per spective of social learning to social cognitive in order to distance it from the common social learning theories of his time (Bandura, 1986).He also wanted to lay emphasis on the idea that cognition plays a significant role in people’s capability to construct reality, regulate their personality, encode information and display other kinds of behavior. According to Bandura (1971), the reciprocal form of the determinants of individual human functioning in social cognitive theory enables services such as therapeutic and counseling efforts to be rendered with focus on personal environment or behavioral factors as illustrated in the diagram above.Based on this, strategies to improve a person’s well-being can be aimed at ameliorating the emotional, cognitive and motivational process of the human being (Bandura, 1986). The focus can also be on improving behavioral capabilities or changing the communal conditions under which people live and work.As an example, teachers in schoo ls have a role to not only improve their students’ academic learning and confidence, but also boost their (students’) self-beliefs and habits of thinking. Hence, teachers and students have to embrace all the components of Bandura’s triadic expression of cognitive theory.As earlier mentioned, Bandura’s social cognitive theory sets itself aside from other theories that overemphasize the role played by environmental factors in the development of human behavior (Bandura, 1986; Bandura, 2006).These theories are often dismissed since they have the redundant factor of cause and effect that is unworthy in the context of evaluating the psychological aspect of human beings. Thus according to Bandura, psychology per se without a clear self-examination cannot purport to explain the complexities of human intricacies of human functioning.Bandura (1986) further noted it is by evaluating their own conscious minds that people discern their own psychological processes. The refore, in order to predict how the human behavior is affected by environmental outcomes, it is imperative that the individual’s cognitive process and how he or she interprets the outcomes be understood.Personal determinants An important factor in addressing how a person interprets the outcomes is recognition of the personal determinants. This is affected by the choice of variables to be used in the evaluation process.Bandura’s choice for such variable depicts what may be the most distinctive aspect of human life, that is, people have abilities to adapt to different environments (Bandura, 1986). For instance, people are able to live in a variety of physical environments such as deserts, rainforests, Polar Regions and so on.They are also able to live and engage in a variety of social environments such as nomadic systems, diverse religious beliefs, different socio economic and socio cultural activities and so on. People also exhibit a variety of unique capabilities that cannot be attributed to the occurrence of evolution over time (Bandura, 1971).In fact, the list of human beings’ unique capabilities relative to animals cannot be exhausted in a single book. Hence, in order to perform an analysis of psychological functioning, one must specify the psychological mechanisms that facilitate the unique capabilities. Bandura’s (1986) theory has a focal point on the cognitive methods that enable people to learn about the world around them (environment) and also about themselves, and use the knowledge gained to control their behavior and mental experiences.In particular, Bandura (1986) enlisted five basic capabilities that facilitate the learning process, as described below. Symbolizing capability implies the ability of people to represent their knowledge symbolically. The most common symbolic representation or conveyance of messages is language (Bandura, 1971). The ability to use symbols in terms of language is perhaps the most fundamental ca pability in human beings as it serves as a leeway for the other capabilities.Vicarious capability is the ability to acquire skills, knowledge and other emotional tendencies through observation or a similar approach (Bandura, 1971). Bandura’s (2006) assiduous analysis of vicarious processes that are involved in acquiring skills makes the cognitive theory not only realistic but also unusually easy to comprehend and interpret. In addition, it clears most of the issues that are usually overlooked by psychological theories such how people acquire knowledge and skills that enable them to act efficiently.According to Bandura (1997), vicarious capability enables people to keep away from risky or costly undertakings that could lead to fatal outcomes. This is because the people ideally have a sense of experience by observing their own characters relative to the characters or behavior of others.Bandura (1986) referred to the ability to anticipate future contingencies as the forethought capability of human beings. Forethought capability is vital for both emotional and motivational perspectives of life.For instance, contrary to popular belief, psychological distress arises from peoples’ anticipated dreadful experiences and not the present or actual experiences. It is because of the ability to derive alternative approaches that one can foresee the consequences of an action without actually being involved in it.According to Bandura (1986), the fourth unique human capability is the self-regulatory capability. This is the capacity of an individual to set goals. In addition, this capability allows individuals to evaluate their performance in relation to their own (internal) standards of performance.Bandura (1986) further noted that the ability of people to evaluate their self-concept, esteem and values enables them have a sense of self-direction and ability to lead life without much reliance on others. Much similar to the above capability is the self-reflective ca pability.According to Bandura (1997), this is the capacity of human beings to have personal thoughts. In this context, personal reflections lay a course for action and formulation of ideas by individuals based on self-efficacy. The aforementioned capabilities do not work in isolation but in concert.In particular, according to Bandura (1997), the aspects of self-reflection, self-regulation and forethought act in synergy to form a self-system, which comprises the framework of personality. Furthermore, people are able to control their emotions and social lives by integrating the constituents of the self-system (Bandura, 1986).Self-reflection in particular is â€Å"distinctly human† and forms a prominent feature of the social cognitive theory. Through self-reflection, individuals derive sense from their experiences and embrace their cognitions and self-beliefs.Consequently, they are able to engage in self-evaluation and are able to shift their thinking and behavior accordingly (B andura, 1986). Self-efficacy When the capabilities so far described are integrated effectively, the self-system acquires a state of self-efficacy (Bandura, 1997).Perceived self-efficacy refers to people’s ability to evaluate their own efficiencies in solving problems and attaining certain levels of performance (Bandura, 1997). The relevance of perceived self-efficacy to the social cognitive theory postulated by Bandura is that self-efficacy judgments have a pervasive role in human affairs.In the scope of both achievements and interpersonal relationships, people’s stances are calculated by how effectively (and wisely) they can make decisions and how efficiently they can act in fulfilling the decisions taken. From the above perspective, it is evident that evaluation between an individual’s skills and the requirements of the environment is pertinent in determining the courses of action that are viewed as being the determinants of one’s personality. Efficacy beliefs are vital in that not only do they act on overt behavior but they also address the internal psychological affairs of individuals.This is an important aspect of the social cognition theory with respect to the triadic scheme. This is because an individual’s personality is judged from acts that are done both overtly and covertly. In view of Bandura’s (1997) ideas, people with robust perceptions of their efficacy envisage more positive futures, experience less distressing emotions, and are capable of planning for their life programs more effectively. In addition, such people are able to deal with demanding tasks more efficiently than people who have lower opinion of their efficacy. How personal determinants relate with individual differences and dispositionsWith reference to Bandura (1999), the basic capacities of the social cognitive theory are dissimilar in three ways from the units of measurement employed in the character-related theories of personality. To begi n with, the capabilities are not single variable differences with reference to personality.For instance, Bandura (1999) accentuated that a single-difference analysis may hinder the realization of other vital capabilities possessed by an individual. Such an instance would occur if the ability in an individual is rare and is therefore not detected as an important factor in analysis (Bandura, 1999).As is common with many forms of analysis, there is usually an investigation for a small number of primary units of variation, or for capabilities that are common but possessed to uniformly high level by many individuals.The fact that almost everyone possesses a unique capability (for example the ability to use symbols of the ability to be self-reflective and self–conscious) does not necessarily make the capabilities less important in the context of the functioning of personality. These capabilities are still important in spite of the fact that they may not be identified as the primary dimensions of individual dissimilarity.The second difference in the context of the capabilities in the social cognitive theory is related to average tendencies. For instance, Bandura’s (1999) category of cognitive capabilities does not just mention the average tendencies.Rather, Bandura opines that self-reflection and self-regulation contribute to both constancy and variability of actions among individuals. Along this line, it is important to note that people’s goals, choices and cognitive abilities are displayed in the manner in which they act and handle different circumstances that they come across in their lives.This point is of importance in describing an individual’s personality (Bandura, 1999). It implies that dispositional characteristics per se cannot suffice the description of personality as they refer to the average tendencies in behavior and are devoid of reference to particular individuals (Bandura, 1999).In addition, a single individual’s so cial cognitive may not contribute significantly to the distinct patterns of behavior that are not in line with the contemporary descriptive characteristics that are used in the analysis of standard individual difference categories.The third point is that the social cognitive theory’s definition of personality and the role personality factors play in contribution to social behavior is significantly different from the dispositional approach. The social cognitive theory does not view dispositional tendencies as personality structures. Instead, the theory realizes personality structures as consisting of cognitive and affective systems, which contribute to the patterns of individuals’ behavior in a much informal way. These, according to Bandura (1999), are the dispositional tendencies.In this context therefore, dispositions are effects and not causes. Bandura opposed the proponents of personality description based on behavior as being mistaken since the aspects of behaviora l description â€Å"locate the personality structure in the wrong place† (Bandura, 1999, p 200).Therefore, the Bandura’s social cognitive theory views the standard dispositional units of personality description as being inadequate to fully describe an individual or to explain his or her personality functioning. Strengths and weaknesses of the theoryAs discussed, Bandura’s theory has many points of strength, notable of which being that it describes the relationship between behavior and the environment. In addition, the theory gives a clear picture of how behaviors are learned and developed.On the other hand, it is evident that the theory puts too much emphasis on what happens to people rather than what the people do. Along the same line, the theory does not address consistent differences among individuals as they go through different developmental stages. a

The Melting Pot

Is The United States of America the â€Å"melting pot† of the world? A melting pot is â€Å"a place where races, theories, etc. , are mixed. † (The Oxford Dictionary) Many immigrants come to the United States for the same basic reason: A better way of life. These same immigrants envision their dreams of success, freedom and happiness coming true. Without different cultures coming together learning from one another, many of today’s modern marvels would not exist. A good example of this is Marco Polo finding the different wonders like Gunpowder and exotic spices from his expeditions. Without the blending and discovers of the great people that came before us our world would not be as it is now especially America. Immigrants brings part of their homeland’s culture with them which, in time melts into other cultures. The basis of the U. S. was built on diversity, and is supported by statistic such as â€Å"Ten percent of America’s 281 million residents were born in other countries. (Swerdlow 12) Our country was founded and established under the principle that one man being different is yet equal by the same right. All of these cultures coming together are unique in their own ways but yet compatible. Many immigrants have enhanced the United States by their contributions as educators, authors, scientists, politicians. Alexander Graham Bell, scientist; Albert Einstein, scientist; and James Baldwin, author are examples, to name a few. It was not uncommon in the early 1900’s to find Ethnic individuals living all together in a community in some of the large metropolitan cities of the nation, but now while visiting any city in America you can often find dozens of different sets of people all living together in a community which allows individuals of our era tosee many different backgrounds, cultures, races, or people that may be the same as yourself or entirely different. I look at my own home as a result of the melting pot theory. My husband is Puerto Rican/Italian and I am German/English, and we both brought a lot of differences to the home from our cultures and beliefs. If we move on to the children we have with each other, but there are also blends of African American, and Jamaican. Having Stepchildren I find that through the social interaction of all the children in my home there is an ever evolving melting pot affect here due to the children learning from both sets of parents and then bring this lessons, ideas, and cultural information back and share it with the other children. Also, in our schools we have a multicultural mix of educators and students. During my time at Harrisburg Area Community College, I have met people from the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Germany and Africa all here blending their heritage into our own. It was not so long ago in our nation’s history that there was a time where this evidence of the melting pot theory did not exist, and a good example with segregated schools. In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson, signed the Civil Rights Act which, one part of this comprehensive bill, allowed the integration of races in American schools. It was one of the largest changes in this nation’s history that brought two different cultures and ideas into the living room of all homes in the nation which contributed largely to the melting pot theory in America. We all have a common bond; we all want to educate ourselves to attain careers in which we can better sustain our families and ourselves. Part of this endeavor is the American dream to be successful. I have also been privileged to have Amish friends. They are of German decent and are not much different from us, what they call â€Å"English† people. This can be an example of the melting pot theory, because the Amish have a completely different set of values and lifestyle. They have yet to introduce their lifestyle on the â€Å"English† people here in Lancaster County, but the citizens of Lancaster County have greatly impacted their way of life. They conform to the modern world just like other cultures, and while conforming they have adapted to the use of common items of convenience such as cell phones, and electricity in their barns or homes. There is even Order of the Amish that live the same as you, and only dress in Amish attire for Church making this order the most prominent example of the Amish falling in the melting pot. They work hard to attain there goals, to be productive people and have freedom of religion. Isn’t this part of the American dream also? We are all in the â€Å"melting pot† because we are all blended with our family’s ancestry, ideas, beliefs, and cultures. Throughout the history of the world many nations have risen and fallen. All great nations such as Julius Cesar’s Roman Empire, Alexander’s Greek Empire, Genghis Kahn Asian Empire were all notorious for conquering the other nations of their time. With this in mind it is obviously assumed that all of these nations had one thing in common regardless of how they were founded, and that is they all had new culture and belief’s come into their nation which in turn blended into their own ideologies. In every aspect of our society in the United States we are not so different from past great nations, and becoming a melting pot was destined to happen. All the cultures, and the beliefs of all the citizens have been melted together to form new variants of the original cultures. This melting effect had affected our way life from education to careers to home. No matter if you are first generation Immigrant or a naturalized citizen of this nation we all share the dream of success. The Melting Pot Is The United States of America the â€Å"melting pot† of the world? A melting pot is â€Å"a place where races, theories, etc. , are mixed. † (The Oxford Dictionary) Many immigrants come to the United States for the same basic reason: A better way of life. These same immigrants envision their dreams of success, freedom and happiness coming true. Without different cultures coming together learning from one another, many of today’s modern marvels would not exist. A good example of this is Marco Polo finding the different wonders like Gunpowder and exotic spices from his expeditions. Without the blending and discovers of the great people that came before us our world would not be as it is now especially America. Immigrants brings part of their homeland’s culture with them which, in time melts into other cultures. The basis of the U. S. was built on diversity, and is supported by statistic such as â€Å"Ten percent of America’s 281 million residents were born in other countries. (Swerdlow 12) Our country was founded and established under the principle that one man being different is yet equal by the same right. All of these cultures coming together are unique in their own ways but yet compatible. Many immigrants have enhanced the United States by their contributions as educators, authors, scientists, politicians. Alexander Graham Bell, scientist; Albert Einstein, scientist; and James Baldwin, author are examples, to name a few. It was not uncommon in the early 1900’s to find Ethnic individuals living all together in a community in some of the large metropolitan cities of the nation, but now while visiting any city in America you can often find dozens of different sets of people all living together in a community which allows individuals of our era tosee many different backgrounds, cultures, races, or people that may be the same as yourself or entirely different. I look at my own home as a result of the melting pot theory. My husband is Puerto Rican/Italian and I am German/English, and we both brought a lot of differences to the home from our cultures and beliefs. If we move on to the children we have with each other, but there are also blends of African American, and Jamaican. Having Stepchildren I find that through the social interaction of all the children in my home there is an ever evolving melting pot affect here due to the children learning from both sets of parents and then bring this lessons, ideas, and cultural information back and share it with the other children. Also, in our schools we have a multicultural mix of educators and students. During my time at Harrisburg Area Community College, I have met people from the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Germany and Africa all here blending their heritage into our own. It was not so long ago in our nation’s history that there was a time where this evidence of the melting pot theory did not exist, and a good example with segregated schools. In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson, signed the Civil Rights Act which, one part of this comprehensive bill, allowed the integration of races in American schools. It was one of the largest changes in this nation’s history that brought two different cultures and ideas into the living room of all homes in the nation which contributed largely to the melting pot theory in America. We all have a common bond; we all want to educate ourselves to attain careers in which we can better sustain our families and ourselves. Part of this endeavor is the American dream to be successful. I have also been privileged to have Amish friends. They are of German decent and are not much different from us, what they call â€Å"English† people. This can be an example of the melting pot theory, because the Amish have a completely different set of values and lifestyle. They have yet to introduce their lifestyle on the â€Å"English† people here in Lancaster County, but the citizens of Lancaster County have greatly impacted their way of life. They conform to the modern world just like other cultures, and while conforming they have adapted to the use of common items of convenience such as cell phones, and electricity in their barns or homes. There is even Order of the Amish that live the same as you, and only dress in Amish attire for Church making this order the most prominent example of the Amish falling in the melting pot. They work hard to attain there goals, to be productive people and have freedom of religion. Isn’t this part of the American dream also? We are all in the â€Å"melting pot† because we are all blended with our family’s ancestry, ideas, beliefs, and cultures. Throughout the history of the world many nations have risen and fallen. All great nations such as Julius Cesar’s Roman Empire, Alexander’s Greek Empire, Genghis Kahn Asian Empire were all notorious for conquering the other nations of their time. With this in mind it is obviously assumed that all of these nations had one thing in common regardless of how they were founded, and that is they all had new culture and belief’s come into their nation which in turn blended into their own ideologies. In every aspect of our society in the United States we are not so different from past great nations, and becoming a melting pot was destined to happen. All the cultures, and the beliefs of all the citizens have been melted together to form new variants of the original cultures. This melting effect had affected our way life from education to careers to home. No matter if you are first generation Immigrant or a naturalized citizen of this nation we all share the dream of success.

10 things you learned about American history Essay

10 things you learned about American history - Essay Example The document had the traits of democratic principles the country would be based on. Signing of the Declaration marked the end of the war and signaled the desire of the former colony to build its own state. The declaration was a new phenomenon for its times and marked the end of the era of empires. 3. I learned different groups within the same society can have different views on the rights. In this view the history of Mexican-American War is significant because resulted in the acquisition of new territories and marked the nation’s potential for expansion. However, the war was very divisive both in Congress and the society. The war brought the problem of sectionalism to the surface. What is more, the debates in the Congress bore the seeds of growing tensions between northern and southern states concerning their different views on slavery. 4. I learned that from the start the concept of equality was important for the USA. The Civil War became the major conflict caused, among other factors, by the different views on the principles underlying the structure of the society, namely the belief that all men were born equal. The Civil War was the largest military conflict in the history of the country at the time. It was the first occasion when hostilities started because the nation itself was divided and not as a result of the aggression from the outside. For me the Civil War is significant because it led to the abolishment of slavery and the establishment of the society we know today. 5. I learned that in the modern world, there is no such thing as local war. In this view, World War II demonstrated that countries could no longer be isolated. Even though military aggression of Germany and Japan did not pose immediate threat to the US territory, the bombing of Pearl Harbor proved that Nazism endangered all the humanity and concerned every nation. The decision of the US to join the war marked the

Insurance And Joint Law Commission Proposals Essay

Insurance And Joint Law Commission Proposals - Essay Example In order to uphold such contracts, insurance is guided by Insurance Contract Law that defines the relationship between an insured and insurer. Insurance contract law in the United Kingdom has for a long time been considered outdated (Netherway, 2012). For instance, the Marine Insurance Act (MIA) was created and passed in 1906 and has not been reviewed. Nevertheless, there are major developments in motor and aviation insurances, business globalization, development of the property, and the recent natural disasters have demanded serious and extensive reforms, especially within the insurance contract law. In order to appraise the Joint Law Commission proposals for the reform of the law relating to business insurance, considering further the case for differential treatment of Micro-businesses, the following discussion demonstrates solid understanding of the theory and practice of insurance. In addition, the discussion demonstrates sound understanding of key issues pertaining to the law of the insurance. Lastly, the paper provides a critical appraisal of Joint Law Commission proposals before winding up with a summary of the main points. Insurance is a contract where risk financing is attainable through pooling of risks. Insurance is a form of risk management practices within firms, entities, and amongst various individuals (Lawcommission.justice.gov.uk, 2012). Insurance services, though auxiliary, are aimed at reducing the adverse financial impact that firms, entities, and individuals meet in the event of an occurrence of risks (Smith, 2012). Therefore, insurance within the global arena is a vital element especially with respect to financial planning. UK insurance law that defines and regulates contracts between insured and insurers made several proposals (Hamilton, 1995).

Loss in Baldwins Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Loss in Baldwins Music - Essay Example As the discussion highlights the reason why music is represented is his brother was jazz musician and his life takes a turn once he gets addicted to drugs. The story The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love by Hijuelo is almost similar to that of Baldwin’s. The stories are similar in many ways, as this story also revolves around a musician and his losses in life. In this story, Castillo, the main character loses his friends, brother and collaborators of his band. The loss is personal and similar to the one that Baldwin faces. Music plays a major role in this novel too, as Castillo is one of the most renowned musicians of the band, Mambo Kings. This paper outlines that when comparing these two novels, it is certain that music has been used as a toll to represent their loss in life. The next story, Accordion Crimes by Annie Proulx revolves around the instrument which survives for a longer period of time. This instrument’s journey is certainly remarkable, but the saddest part is the death of people who acquire the instrument. When compared to the other two stories, Accordion Crimes describes about the loss of people who sacrifice their life for the sake of music. The experience is societal, as many people, irrespective of their caste and creed are involved in this journey.

Organization, people and performance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Organization, people and performance - Essay Example The rest of 24% employees are actively disengaged. Thus, employee engagement is very low in most companies worldwide according to the research. For instance, in places like China where staff turnover mostly happens in epidemic proportions, knowing how to build loyalty and engage employees is crucial to the success of Tesco. In light of this, employee engagement is significant to Tesco mainly because it improves employee satisfaction, productivity, retention and recruitment, innovation, and company profitability. First, employee engagement leads to employee satisfaction. According to Beardwell, I., Holden, L., & Claydon, T. (2001), employee’s job satisfaction tends to increase considerably if they are engaged by the company. Subsequently, satisfied employees develop a positive attitude towards the success and performance of the company. Tesco would gain by having satisfied employees since they are committed to the success of the firm. Additionally, their loyalty increases. On a broader perspective, satisfied employees act as ambassadors of the firm. Thus, they support and promote the firm’s brand, mission and strategy. Next, Tesco’s productivity would increase as a result of employee engagement. Robinson, D., Perryman, S., & Hayday, S. (2004) implied that since engaged employees go the extra mile, they lead to increased productivity. Thus, for employees to be top performers, they have to be engaged with the company. As they become more engaged, employee absenteeism reduces while motivation levels tend to increase resulting in increased productivity. In simple terms, the more a firm’s employee is engaged, the more efficient the employee becomes. Lockwood, N. (2007) argued that firms with engaged employees often have their productivity levels increase by more than 43%. Moreover, employee engagement will lead to a low employee

Water Crisis in Middle East Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Water Crisis in Middle East - Essay Example Still, conflicts related to water management have not been avoided. Current paper presents the various aspects of water crisis in Middle East. Reference is made, as example, to the water management problems of Israel, Palestine, Syria and Jordan. The academic studies developed in this field reflect different perceptions for the criteria on which water management should be based. This phenomenon could be explained by the following fact: the high development of technology has affected ‘the perception of people on nature’ (Selby 2005, p.332). Therefore, the terms under which water available in a particular area is characterized as a ‘resource’ have been differentiated today, compared to the past (Selby 2005). In this context, the rights of a state on its water resources are difficult to be fully defined while the support provided by international organizations for such issues is often inadequate (Selby 2005). On the other hand, the water resources worldwide fac e a continuous shrinkage, mostly because of the pollution but also because of the increasing global population. In certain countries, such as those of Middle East, the problem is more intense. In fact, there are countries in the particular region that can be characterized as ‘water – poor countries, meaning that their water production, per capita, is below 1000 m3/yr’ (Hadadin et al. 2010, p.197). ... 2. Water crisis in Middle East 2.1 History The lack of adequate water resources is not a recent problem. In addition, there are certain regions where the specific problem is quite critical: Africa, South and East Asia and Middle East are the regions that are mostly characterized by water shortage; in certain areas of these regions water shortage can be extreme leading local populations to survival concerns (Kummu et al. 2010, p.4). The water crisis developed in the above regions is characterized by the following trend: water shortage in each of these regions has been developed in different rate. More specifically, up to 1900s water shortage was extreme in Africa while from 1960s and up today water shortage is expanded across South Asia and Middle East (Kummu et al. 2010, p.4). In other words, the appearance and the rate of development of water shortage cannot be foreseen in advance (Kummu et al. 2010). In countries of Middle East water shortage is a common problem. For example, in Jo rdan ‘the drying of streams has led to the lowering of water levels across the country’ (Hadadin et al. 2010, p.197). In the above country, water shortage first appeared about 1960s and has highly expanded since then (Hadadin et al. 2010, p.197). The two factors that have been considered as enhancing the country’s water shortage problem are the following: a) the extremely dry climate and b) the rapid economic development of the country supported the increase of population, which, in its turn, led to the increase of need for water (Hadadin et al. 2010, p.197). In a recent report, where the ability of countries to cover their needs for water through their own

Perpetual Mercy Hospital Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Perpetual Mercy Hospital - Case Study Example The present case reflects the situation of analyzing the organization’s strength in combating competition. Background of the medical sector in US In USA earlier hospital sector was considered as a fully charitable sector which was used by the doctors as field of practicing their skills. The entire hospital sector was funded by some trusts who wanted to do some charitable work. In 1960s the whole scenario was changed with the introduction of the Hill Burton Act. The hospitals were provided with more and more funds for expansion construction work and other facilities. During this time the commercial insurance sector that is the medical insurance sector also grew a lot enabling the general people to take advantage of the medical facilities. More over the employers also started giving medical facilities to their employees in terms of fringe benefits. Fringe benefits are the benefits given the employer to the employee in cash or in kind (Thuronyi, 1998, p. 515). Again in 1980s the US hospital sector experienced a vast change in terms of innovation in medical facilities like the introduction of health maintenance organization, preferred provider organization and ambulatory health care facilities. In one hand the US government reduced the medical aid provided to the hospital in other hand the health maintenance organization that provided preventive medical facilities and preferred provider organization who served as a link between medical facilities provider and employer reduced the normal foot fall of the patients in hospital. The emergency and repetitive health care was also taken care by the ambulatory services. As a response to the changed environment of the health sector the Perpetual Mercy Hospital also involved itself in the work of preferred provider organization through their clinic named Downtown Health Clinic. Objective The main objective of this case is to find out a possible way in which the Downtown Health Clinic can be made most efficient in fulf illing the expectations of the patients and at the same time becoming a non replaceable clinic. The main objective of the Downtown Health Clinic was to expand the hospitals referrals base and also to increase the footfall of the insured patients which in turn will help them to become financially self sufficient. As the Peripheral Mercy Hospital main objective was to use the Downtown Health Clinic as the preferred provider organization and enhance the base providing the employment physical examination and workers compensation and treatment. Another thing of concern is that only 35% of patients are from referrals. The main objective of the clinic was to increase the referral base but as the percentage of patients coming through reference in quiet low. Another objective of the case is to extend the working hours in an effective way so that the clinic does not have to bear much cost for increasing the working hours. The patients also complained about the waiting time. The objective of t his case is also design the working hours in such a way that will reduce the waiting time of patients. Moreover as most of the patients served by the clinic were female therefore at the clinic should offer more services to the female patients. There was also a suggestion of introducing a gynecological department

Effect of Part Time Work Among Student Essay Example for Free

Effect of Part Time Work Among Student Essay In todays world, just as almost all individuals who are obligated to meet their own needs have to find a well-paid job, a myriad of students also fell obliged to work in order to afford their educational expenses because of their economical conditions. In this regard, there are a lot of positive or negative effects of this case in terms of gaining a sense of responsibility and academic failure. To begin with gaining a sense of responsibility, it is a well-known fact that having a job is a contributory factor in gaining a sense of responsibility. A job enables people to determine their prioritites and show respect to business ethics. Students who have a job could learn numerous useful knowledge on how to organize their time properly. Moreover, they would understand how to combat social and economical problems in their lives. Eventually, should you work and study at the same time,you need to be disciplined and self organized person. On the orher hand, academic failure can be regarded as the negative aspects of having a part time job. Ä °t is quite likely that students who are forced to work and study at the same time may not allocate sufficient amount of time to their studies. Due to this, although individuals in question show great determination to study,they may not pass their exams and they may fail in their studies. All in all, whilst gaining a sense of responsibility is the favorable aspects of having a part time job, academic failure can be regarded as the unfavorable outcomes of this. In this sense, in my opinion, positive aspects outweigh the negative aspects.

Biblical canon Essay Example for Free

Biblical canon Essay What do Fee and Stuart say is the only proper control for hermeneutics?Answer | | | | | Selected Answer:| the original intent of the biblical text| * Question 2 0 out of 3 points According to Fee and Stuart, regarding literary context, the most important question you will ever ask is, Whats the point?Answer | | | | | Selected Answer: | False| * Question 3 3 out of 3 points According to Fee and Stuart what do they say is the aim of a good interpretation?Answer | | | | | Selected Answer:| to get at the plain meaning of the text| * Question 4 3 out of 3 points According to Fee and Stuarts analysis they think most people do a very good job of handling Old Testament narrative passages. Answer | | | | | Selected Answer: | False| * Question 5 3 out of 3 points The Septuagint is a product of the Babylonian Exile.Answer | | | | | Selected Answer: | True| * Question 6 3 out of 3 points Old Testament narrative normally does not directly teach a doctrine.Answer | | | | | Selected Answer: | True| * Question 7 3 out of 3 points Until just after World War II the oldest OT manuscripts we had dated from about 200 B.C.Answer | | | | | Selected Answer: | False| * Question 8 3 out of 3 points What is the first concern of translators?Answer | | | | | Selected Answer:| that the original text they are using is as close as possible to the original wording as when it left the authors hand| * Question 9 3 out of 3 points According to the text (Harbin) and the traditional/conservative view Moses wrote Genesis.Answer | | | | | Selected Answer: | True| * Question 10 3 out of 3 points What three languages were the 66 books of the Protestant Bible originally written?Answer | | | | | Selected Answer:| Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek| * Question 11 3 out of 3 points The focus of the ___________ is on Jesus and his claim to be the Messiah.Answer | | | | | Selected Answer:| Gospels| * Question 12 0 out of 3 points The Modern View of the Bible approaches biblical documents as highly reliable.Answer | | | | | Selected Answer: | True| * Question 13 3 out of 3 points What is the significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls?Answer | | | | | Selected Answer:| They gave us a much older collection of Old Testament manuscripts.| * Question 14 3 out of 3 points The two types of context Fee and Stuart discussed in this weeks reading were†¦Answer | | | | | Selected Answer:| historical and literary| * Question 15 3 out of 3 points | The Traditional View of the Bible is also known as the liberal view.Answer | | | | | Selected Answer: | False| * Question 16 3 out of 3 points Which of the following are not among the common causes people misinterpret biblical narratives mentioned in the text?Answer | | | | | Selected Answer:| projection * Question 17 0 out of 3 points In our readings this week the Bible is described in part as, the Word of God given in human words in history.Answer | | | | | Selected Answer: | False * Question 18 3 out of 3 points  According to Fee and Stuart what is the antidote to bad interpretation?Answer | | | | | Selected Answer:| good interpretation, based upon commonsense guidelines| * Question 19 3 out of 3 points The NT canon was formalized at the 3rd Council of Carthage in AD397.Answer | | | | | Selected Answer: | True| * Question 20 3 out of 3 points  At the end of Old Testament narratives we are always told whether the events spoken of were good or bad. We are not expected to be able to judge for ourselves based upon other related portions of scripture.Answer | | | | | Selected Answer: | False

An Internal Analysis Of Starbucks Marketing Essay

An Internal Analysis Of Starbucks Marketing Essay The internal analysis of Starbucks will consist of an organizational analysis strategy analysis and a business model analysis. 4.1. Organizational Analysis The corporate mission of Starbucks, along with its vision statement and business model are crucial in determining where Starbucks wants to go as an organization. The Starbucks mission statement is: to inspire and nurture the human spirit one person, one cup and one neighbourhood at a time (Starbucks, 2011). To deliver on its mission, Starbucks executes some core principles. Firstly, Starbucks commits to the finest coffee. Starbucks is not only concerned with quality for the end consumer, but also ensures coffee beans are purchased in an ethical manner that will improve the lives of the farmers. Secondly, Starbucks deems their employees as a crucial resource and asset. Starbucks guarantees perfect coffee to their customers, which can only be delivered by high engagement of staff (Starbucks, 2011). Thirdly, the third place experience provided by Starbucks gives customers a gratifying atmosphere of human connection and a sense of belonging (Rice, 2009). The products and services that Starbucks offer are critically important to Starbucks achieving differentiation in the market by way of constant product innovation (Kelly, 2006). Starbucks currently offers more than just quality gourmet coffee. Starbucks is proud of its customer service and is dedicated to ensuring that each customer enjoys each trip to Starbucks (Starbucks, 2011). Other services include the third place experience atmosphere and onsite coffee service. The third place experience is what Starbucks refers to as the third location that consumers will relax and enjoy drinking coffee beverages (Rice, 2009). Starbucks also offers free Wi-Fi to everyone at its store locations to entice customers to stay longer and work or surf the web while they enjoy their coffee (Starbucks, 2011). The organizational analysis evaluates the key characteristics of the organization. Starbucks aims to nurture the human spirit around the globe by offering the finest coffee in a friendly and inviting atmosphere. It promotes product innovation and customer service through a decentralized leadership style that emphasizes distributed decision-making and information-sharing. The quality of a company is judged by the symbiotic fit between its strategy and organizational structure, yet consideration is also placed on whether the firms strategy and structure meet the demands of the external environment (Hannan, 2011). The next section will give a detailed analysis on Starbucks strategy. 4.2. Strategy Analysis The strategy analysis consists of three parts: marketing strategy analysis, operations strategy analysis and international expansion strategy analysis. Marketing strategy The first part is about Starbucks positioning strategy. A positioning strategy aims at positioning rival companies into strategic groups. These strategic groups consist of industry members that have similar goals and positions in the competitive industry (Piercy, 2008). These groups are placed on a strategic group map to analyse how industry firms are positioned. Firms in the coffee industry will be mapped based on price and quality of their products versus product line breadth. The size of the circle representing each firm on the strategic group map is symbolic proportional to the size of the firms share of total group revenues. The coffee beverage strategy group consists of quick-service restaurants and specialty coffee shops. The major players in the strategy group are listed in the following table. The firms are divided by breadth of products offered to the market, industry related sales, and percentage of sales relative to rivals. The data listed in table x are used in constructing the strategic group map. Diagram 7: Strategic Group Map of Coffee Industry Green Mountain Price/ Quality Source: Williams (2007) Competitors of Starbucks can be divided into two different categories: direct and indirect. The direct competition would include firms that manufacture and produce hot drinks (Datamonitor, 2010). These firms are the retailers of ready-to-drink coffee and tea products, quick-service restaurants, and supermarkets. Also, in this category are the large multinational companies that produce ground coffees and instant coffees (Datamonitor, 2010). The indirect competitors are comprised of firms producing energy drinks, caffeinated soft drinks, and energy shots. Starbucks close competitors include other specialty coffee shops, doughnut shops, and restaurants. Starbucks holds a dominant position in the specialty coffeehouse market and has no single clear rival in the sector. Its closest specialty coffeehouse competitor is Caribou Coffee with 440 stores in the US. Its most intense specialty coffeehouse competition is dispersed among the thousands of independent or small-chain coffee shops around the nation and the world. Two of Starbucks stiffest quick-service restaurant rivals are McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts. McDonalds followed its 2009 strategy of competing against Starbucks through expansion of McCafe locations into more stores both domestically and internationally (Liu, 2009). Nevertheless, there are big differences between their core customers. Privately owned Dunkin Donuts is another major competitor, with nearly 5,000 stores in the US. Following Starbucks footsteps, Dunkin Donuts will look to expanding globally, especially in the Asian markets (Dicarlo, 2004). Although Dunkin Donuts retail footprint also overlaps largely with that of Starbucks, its customer experience is much more similar to the coffee-to-go model rather than the third place to work and relax model. Consequently, it is likely to compete more directly with McDonalds than with Starbucks (Dicarlo, 2004). Starbucks is an industry leader in both product innovation and product offering. Most other firms take a follower position and simply copy successful Starbucks products at lower prices. This is a favourable position for Starbucks. The strategic group map shows Starbucks as the leader in both price/quality of product offerings as well as the breadth of products offered. The white space on the map is possible openings for existing firms or new firms to move into. These would be high priced, low breadth offering positions, or low cost, high breadth offering positions. The second part analyses Starbucks competitive strategy using Porters Generic strategies framework. As a whole, Starbucks implements a broad differentiation strategy. It provides high quality coffee and a unique experience in accessible locations, which makes it stand out among all the coffee providers. VIA, the new instant coffee line, straddles broad differentiation and cost leadership strategy. Though it will be a low cost and convenient alternative to Starbucks regular coffee, Starbucks coffee is still unique from other products in the market. Providing in-store gifts and brewing utensils is the focused differentiation strategy; it was designed for coffee lovers, especially Starbucks loyal fans. Diagram 8: Starbucks competitive strategy Competitive Advantage Uniqueness Low cost Broad Target Narrow Target As a whole VIADifferentiation Cost Leadership In-store brewing utensils/ gifts Differentiation Focus Cost Focus To differentiate it from rivals, Starbucks convinces customers that it provides more than a cup of coffee and associates its brand image with a sense of community activism. Moreover, Starbucks acts as a social responsible company to strengthen its differentiation strategy. It promotes ethical sourcing, environmental stewardship, and community involvement. Starbucks also prides itself on the innovation of new products, which further differentiates it from its competitors. However, with the customer base becoming more sophisticated and differentiation indicators adopted by ordinary coffee firms, Starbucks advantage on the differentiation strategy may fade away (Piercy, 2008). The third part is about Starbucks brand building strategy. Its marketing strategy has focused on word-of-mouth advertising and building the brand cup by cup, letting the high quality of their products and services speak for themselves (Starbucks, 2010). For years, this unique marketing strategy has played an important role in making Starbucks Coffee Company a success. In 2010, two-thirds of all coffee was sold in supermarkets. Starbucks coffee sold in supermarkets featured distinctive, elegant packaging and the same premium quality as that sold in its own stores. This new change requires Starbucks to create a new way to build its brand. Therefore, the Starbucks marketing strategy has expanded to create a community around their brand. On its website, individuals are encouraged to express their experiences with Starbucks history, and the company strives to personally join in the discussions. Operations management Strategy Starbucks has positioned itself as a provider of ethical premium coffee products and pleasant, luxurious meeting places for people. So, its prices are relative high and it competes on a unique value proposition. Commitment to the best quality and high ethical standards are evident in every step of the supply chain, from bean procurement to service (Jennings, 2009). Starbucks supply chain starts from bean sourcing. To ensure compliance with its rigorous coffee standards, it controls coffee purchasing, roasting and packaging, and the global distribution of coffee. Starbucks pays over the market price for its beans in order to procure premium beans. Besides acquiring the highest quality coffee, the ethics of paying a fair price for coffee producers provides an ethical aspect to the value proposition (Rubin, Dierdorff and Brown, 2010). Starbucks also has the expertise to secure top-notch coffee beans to supply the companys growing needs. All this allows Starbucks to serve coffee that is of superior quality compared to competitors. As part of its sourcing strategy, Starbucks entered into fixed-price purchase commitments in order to secure an adequate supply of quality green coffee beans and to limit exposure to fluctuating coffee prices (Starbucks, 2010). When satisfactory fixed-price commitments were not available, the company purchased coffee future contracts to provide price protection. Nonetheless, there have been occasions in years past when unexpected jumps in coffee prices put a squeeze on the companys margins and necessitated an increase in the prices of its beverages and beans sold at retail price. However, by this approach, Starbucks can smooth costs and avoid price hikes in the stores that would have a devastating effect on the companys image. Starbucks deems store operations as an important part of strengthening the companys reputation and image. The company formed a group to create a store development process to ensure that each store conveys the appropriate image and character. Then, the information and operating system of Starbucks allow it to communicate information throughout the organization to increase the quality of decisions and efficiency in value-chain activities (Gamble Thompson, 2011). Starbucks also tries to develop the companys brand through its specialty operations with third parties outside the traditional coffeehouse. This includes Licensed Stores, Packaged Tea and Coffee, Branded Products and Foodservices Operations. In 1997, Starbucks began entering into a limited number of licensing agreements for store locations in areas where it did not have the ability to locate its own outlets. For example, Licensed Stores with Marriott Host International and Aramark Food and Services put Starbucks stores in airport locations and on university campuses. Starbucks received a license fee and a royalty on sales at these locations and supplied the coffee for resale in the licensed locations. International Expansion Strategy Starbucks international expansion started in 1995 and its international expansion strategy is to provide licenses or create joint ventures with reputable local companies, which are equipped with retailing know-how in the target country (Garza, 2010).. This strategy is built upon the growing reputation of the Starbucks brand and the ability to identify attractive store locations. The international expansion strategy is also supported by centralized buying, standard contract development and fixed fees for certain items, and consolidated work under contractors with good cost-control practices (Alberto, 2011c). Starbucks product supply is also a key in the successful expansion. As reported by the Wall Street Journal (2006), the Starbucks Corporation is expanding at a very high rate and focusing on China. This company has aggressively campaigned to become the leading coffee in the United States and after attaining this, it has made further steps to considering global leadership. The expansion and growth of Starbucks has been well known, especially by its desires to venture in emerging economies. Currently, the Starbucks Corporation is downsizing in the US as a result of the economic downturn in this country and its increasing global expansion. In 2008, this company closed more than 600 coffee shops across the US. Since the need for international coffee has increased, Starbucks is opening up 1,000 coffee shops across the world especially in Asia. Starbucks expansion strategy was well thought out: the strategy target was in the Asian Pacific, far away from Europe and Latin America where coffee shops competition is very strong. As the diagram below shows, the revenue from the US market is shrinking and the operating income of the EMEA market became negative in 2010 and 2011, while the market of China and the Asian pacific shows good potential. Therefore, China is Starbucks largest target, as it is expected to be the biggest growing market over the next two year s (Starbucks, 2011). After the global economy recovery, Starbucks is planning to open an average of more than one store each day. Starbucks continues to close domestic stores that have already saturated the market, and replace them with international stores abroad. Total revenues ($ Million) Starbucks is able to enter into Asian markets and China in particular by targeting Chinas middle class and bringing new lifestyles while maintaining coffee and other beverages as affordable luxuries. Barraclough (2006) reports that the Chinese are known for their increasing preference for coffee and hence Starbucks is able to convince more customers to take coffee. American products and lifestyle are highly admired by the Chinese and Japanese, and hence consumers there adopt American trends and products easily and quickly. This indicates that Starbucks is making use of the Chinese culture to enter into Chinas market (Haoting, 2009). However, the rapid international expansion also has negative effects. First of all, too many new locations established would exert an adverse effect on customer service. Therefore, the customer experience may degrade. Secondly, some retail stores opened even before the local supply chain was fully built up, leading to bad customer perceptions towards Starbucks coffee and food. Thirdly, the strategy of closing down US locations to offset new growth abroad results in reducing the convenience factor in the US market. Many American customers have to drive a long way to buy a cup of beloved Starbucks coffee. As mentioned previously, the convenience is one of most important parts of its value proposition. Last but not the least, the large number of stores is a huge asset or liability, depending on how one assesses the situation. If there is a strong economy and people have disposable income, then it is an advantage to have abundant stores to generate revenues. On the other hand, the vast n umber of stores will become a huge financial liability during economic downturns. Therefore, now Starbucks, led by Schultz, advocate the disciplined expansion of store bases and focus on real, sustainable growth. 4.3. Value chain analysis Michael Porter (1998) states that acquiring competitive advantages can be done through an analysis of the companys value chain. Companies can attain competitive advantage when the value chain is optimised by coordinating these activities to create value for its products or services that exceeds the costs of performing the value activities (Porter, 1998). In other words, a company can create additional value without necessarily increasing costs. A companys value chain system can be classified into two categories; (1) the primary activities, which involve the physical creation of the products, marketing and delivery system, and after sale service and support activities; and (2) the secondary activities, wherein company infrastructure and inputs allow the primary activities to take place (Porter 1998). When these activities are already defined, the value chain system can be analysed in order to aid the development of a strategic goal and gain competitive advantage or, in our case, to understand the current downfall in the Starbucks business model. Below is the current value chain of Starbucks with international and technological developments. The upstream value chain allows the development of new products that suit international markets better, e.g. green Tea Latte in Starbucks Japan. The downstream is the online storefront customization, which allows customers to order online and create new drinks etc. The newly-added mobile app could locate Starbucks locations and order drinks. Product Distribution Bean and Ingredient Selection Local Adjustment Product Development Take-home products Online Storefront Customization Mobile Apps Storefront Starbucks value chain creates additional value for its products, which the customers are willing to pay for. Hence, the customer is not reluctant to pay above-market prices for Starbucks coffee. In fact, its customers are not looking for the price of the coffee but they are seeking for the quality of the products and the brand image that the company offers. For a company to achieve or maintain competitive advantages and add value to its products or brand, it is necessary to link these activities and optimise the companys value adding activities (Porter, 1998). In the case of Starbucks, as stated earlier, its value activities were at first effective in the co-ordination between its primary and secondary activities. For example, the setting up of stores was well planned. Each location was carefully studied, taking consideration of irrelevant details such as traffic flow, density of people and demographic characteristics of an area, and careful selection of personnel to be deployed in each outlet (Clark, 2007). These aimed to deliver good quality coffee products and exude an ambiance of luxury and comfort for its consumers (Clark, 2007). However, gaps in the value chain activities occurred in recent years. An example is the rapid expansion in several locations across Asia. The company failed to maintain the companys brand image of luxury and exclusivity. The company rapidly expanded by opening an average of a store per week, which resulted in the downgrading of the Starbucks experience that its customers have been looking for (Velta, 2008). In fact, the customers have not seen any noticeable improvements in their experience (Jennings, 2009). Analyst Andrew Barish also commented that Starbucks operations have slipped and longer lines, more complexity and less-than-stellar looking assets could be causing a modest decrease in sales in this challenging consumer environment (Moore, 2007). As a result, Starbucks strategic competitiveness is slowly disintegrating and its rivals are eating up some of its customer base (Rushe, 2006). 4.4. Business model analysis The business model concept is defined as the value a company offers to customers and the architecture of the firm and its network of partners for creating, marketing, and delivering this value in order to generate profitable and sustainable revenue streams (Osterwalder and pigneur, 2002). It also consists of a narrative of both how the business works and how it makes a profit. Schindehutte and Allen (2009) developed a framework in order to define the core competencies of a business model from an entrepreneurial perspective. The most important component of the framework is concerned with value creation. Starbucks creates unique value through great customer experience and interactive service. The unique value proposition of Starbucks is best described by Howard Schultz: The idea was to create a chain of coffeehouses that would become Americas third place, a place where people could go to relax and enjoy time with others, or just be by themselves. Starbucks enhances the coffee experience for the customers by creating a relaxed environment within the store whilst offering consistently rapid and on time delivery. Many companies pursue a resource-based strategy which attempts to exploit company resources in a manner that offers value to customers in ways rivals are unable to match (Piercy, 2008). Starbucks customer value proposition is also based on its unique resources and capabilities. Starbucks capitalizes on intangible resources like brand power and image as a high quality coffee provider to attain its objectives. Starbucks also utilizes its immense human capital and expertise in product innovation, location selection, and its marketing ability to stand out as the premier coffee brand. Particularly, Starbucks utilizes technology extremely well, e.g. the heavy use of internet capabilities, social network marketing, rechargeable payment cards, and even new mobile apps help to ease and speed up the payment and ordering. Moreover, Starbucks has other competitive advantages based on its skills and specialized expertise, and valuable alliances (Piercy, 2008). Starbucks has a skill set in creatin g and introducing innovative products into the market. These skills give Starbucks a competitive advantage to be an innovation leader, but not a copycat follower. It is essential to differentiate itself from rivals in the coffee industry. Last but not the least, Starbucks has abundant free cash flow and physical assets to fund and drive its strategic initiatives. Without these physical assets, Starbucks would not be able to aggressively expand in the market or fund further product research and development. Another important component of the business model is the firms core competence. Core competencies are defined as a proficiently performed internal activity that is central to a firms strategy and competitiveness (Piercy, 2008). The core competency can also lead to sustainable advantages. To be a sustainable advantage, the core competency must be hard to imitate or copy by rivals (Piercy, 2008). For Starbucks, its core competency can be defined as high quality coffee and products at accessible locations and affordable prices, providing a community the coffee drinking experience. Its sustainable advantage resides in the intellectual capital of defining and leading the market. Starbucks stands out as a leader, mainly because of its good business model that can generate innovative products that consumers desire. Starbucks is able to leverage its resources, both tangible and intangible, to create competitive capabilities and core competencies to form its business model. Starbucks achieves this by utilizing its human capital and expertise to constantly strive for excellence in product innovation. Furthermore, Starbucks is able to internally fund its growth strategy from sound financial performance. However, Starbucks needs to take more efforts to innovate its business model. Specialty coffee shops copy or adopt the Starbucks model, which leads to Starbucks competitive advantage shrinking and this poses a serious threat to the company. In addition, the gap between customers expectations and perceptions of Starbucks is bigger. Many customers are not satisfied with Starbucks offerings as they were before. They think Starbucks charges a premium for coffee and experience, but actually it falls behind its promises. This may be because customers become more demanding while Starbucks ability to innovate value offerings is weak. Therefore, to keep its popularity and consistent growth, Starbucks needs to innovate its value-adding activities so as to innovate its business model. SWOT Analysis A SWOT analysis is a powerful tool to evaluate a firms resource strengths, its competitive deficiencies, the opportunities that exist in the market, and the external threats to the organizations future well-being (Gamble and Thompson, 2011). The strengths of Starbucks come from an internal origin and are designated as helpful to Starbucks reaching its target objectives. The weaknesses of Starbucks are categorized as operational areas and activities that reduce Starbucks being able to achieve strategy execution. Starbucks needs to leverage these strengths to overcome their weaknesses and realize potential opportunities. Threats are areas of concern in the external environment that can affect how Starbucks, and the coffee industry as a whole, will do business. Diagram x: SWOT Matrix for Starbucks Internal External Strengths* Weaknesses* à ¢- Brand image is extremely important to Starbucks. à ¢- Good ambiance and convenience are two of the foundations that Starbucks grew on. à ¢- International Markets offer lower risk investment and innovation opportunities. à ¢- Cheap alternatives like McDonalds threaten the convenience factor. à ¢- Founders of premium coffee and an industry leader à ¢- Product diversification à ¢- Excel in product development à ¢-  Valued and motivated employees, good work environment à ¢- Strong financial foundation à ¢- Lack of internal focus (too much focus on expansion) à ¢- Self-cannibalization à ¢- Overdependence on the US market à ¢- Aggressive expansion leads to managerial or financial problems (e.g. customer experience is watered down) à ¢- Pricing is relatively higher than customers expectations Opportunities* S-O Strategy W-O Strategy à ¢- Co-branding with other famous brands à ¢-  Increasing need of premium coffee in emerging markets à ¢- Rising awareness on CSR issues à ¢- Capturing new markets (retailing) and new consumer groups à ¢- To increase market share in emerging markets à ¢- To make full use of cross-broad marketing à ¢- To revamp brand image and work on brand extension à ¢- To be a more socially responsible brand à ¢- To coordinate and adjust expanding speed à ¢- To innovate its business model so as better deal with new challenges à ¢- To think about new ways to differentiate itself à ¢- To integrate distribution channels Threats* S-T Strategy W-T Strategy à ¢- Stiffening competition à ¢- Possible saturation in the coffee market à ¢- Volatility of coffee price à ¢-  Blamed by green lobby and ethical lobby à ¢-  Recession would affect customers willingness to spend à ¢- To consider further vertical integration à ¢- To consider creating a sub-brand to provide less pricey coffee à ¢- Continue to use fair trade coffee as ingredients and pay more attention to environmental and ethical issues. à ¢- To shrink product lines and wash out less favourable products à ¢- To provide customized products and combinations à ¢- To close down less profitable locations *Source: Dataminitor and http://www.businessteacher.org.uk/business-resources/swot-analysis-database/starbucks-swot-analysis/ Being a leader in the coffee industry, Starbucks is powered by its constant product innovation, customer service aptitude, ability to expand globally. Apart from the basic strategies used by Starbucks, the external environmental conditions and the internal characteristics of the Starbucks organisation present a favourable condition for growth. Even though Starbucks profit has declined in the previous year, due the growing intensity of competition and the economic crisis aggravating the situation, Starbucks is still the dominant player in the specialty coffee sector through its years of experience and brand reputation. Thus, the company can use this position to leverage itself and put pressure onto its competitors. Nevertheless, strategic change is the call for Starbucks. Perhaps, it is the time for the company to revisit its existing business models, practices and strategies and to examine whether these models still conform to the conditions of the market. Since market conditions cha nge as evidenced by current events and the continuing globalisation of markets, the company may need to reform its strategy. The PSETEL and Porters five-force analysis show that coffee firms are very sensitive to the macro environment. The overall competitive pressures are moderate and firms can be successful if they are efficient and effective in the execution of strategies execution. Starbucks achieves its mission through a decentralized leadership that emphasizes distributed decision making and information sharing to promote product innovation and customer service. One concern about Starbucks organizational culture is that Starbucks over relies on Schultzs talented leadership. Schultz was able to turn the company back by several strategic moves, but without Schultz and his leadership capabilities, Starbucks may have fallen into a disaster. Overall, it might be a pitfall for Starbucks; Schultz is to Starbucks what Jobs is to Apple. The SWOT analysis of Starbucks reveals that the strength of Starbucks lies within their strong financial performance. The weakness of Starbucks is an over reliance on the saturated U.S. market with a declining market share as a result of intensified rivalry in the marketplace. This weakness can be overcome by utilizing Starbucks strong finances to realize the present opportunities to expand into emerging markets. Overall, Starbucks has maintained a competitive advantage since it created its original blue ocean of bringing quality, bistro-style coffee choices to the masses. The key issues facing this firm were its attempts at massive expansion and creating new value innovation. The aggressive expansion could cause the company to become over exposed and adversely affect its ability to change. In order to enhance sustainable growth, it needs to focus on its core competencies. Facing fierce competition with McDonalds and other coffee chains, Starbucks needs to create new value innovation by enhancing the customer experience and investing in online content and interactivity. Rather than creating more new products, it is better to enhance the connection with their loyal customers and to differentiate it from its rivals. 6. Recommendations Viable recommendations must be able to solve Starbucks greatest issues. One is the increasingly saturated US market and another is the need to penetrate attractive foreign markets. Furthermore, degrading customer perception must be prevented both in the US and overseas. Here, a great challenge is how to re-establish a positive customer attitude towards the company in the US and retai

Single nucleotide polymorphisms and recombination rate in humans :: Biology Genetic Diversity

Humans have many of the same genes but also a lot of genetic variation. Therefore, gene sequencing is different in everyone. This genetic variation determines a person's eye color, hair color, and other traits. However, this is also why some people get diseases and others don't. In a chromosome, the distance from the centromere dictates the rate of recombination. There is less shuffling in the area around the centromere, so that leads to less variation. However, understanding variation is necessary in order to determine abnormal genes. A single gene is the basis for identifying the abnormality. By looking at non-random sites with gene differentiations, one can determine the gene that causes the disease. There is more variation in regions with recombination, which happens in meiosis. The rate at which the crossing over occurs varies, and this affects the variation present. Shuffling is not the only determinant for variation in a gene. Selection also plays a role. For example, A gene is superior to B gene. C gene is connected to A gene through genetic hitchhiking. If A gene is selected over B gene, C gene is also expressed frequently. This is known as genetic hitchhiking. A biological application of this is the malaria gene. The colorblindness gene is hitchhiked onto the malaria resistant gene. Therefore, when a person receives the malaria resistant gene they also receive the colorblindness gene. As a result, colorblindness occurs more frequently in places where malaria is affluent because the people who don't receive the malaria resistant gene die and the people who are resistant and colorblind live and pass on their genes. Implications The main implication of this experiment is that comparing the differences in the various genotypes of humans can illustrate genetic diseases. For example if a subject has a certain genetic disease, this paper states that you could compare the afflicted subject's genome to an unaffiliated person's genome and determine the location of the disease on the chromosome. If the location of genetic diseases are found then it is conceivable to screen fetuses for genetic diseases. This brings up ethical issues, would you want to know if your child has an incurable genetic disease? If genetic diseases are detected in a fetus then it may be possible to someday perform gene therapy. Gene therapy is the treatment of a genetic disease by providing patients with cells containing harmless and functional alleles for genes that are nonfunctional in their bodies.

Tibetan Education Essay -- Educational Education Tibet Essays

Tibetan Education Since 1951, education in Tibet has changed dramatically through the Chinese government’s hyper-political agenda. Depending on the source, some view the changes as great improvement to the educational system, and others are gravely concerned. The positive view is that of the Chinese policy-makers and the fear comes from Tibetans who see that their culture is being drained from the classroom. The central Chinese government wants to completely assimilate the Tibetans by removing their true history and religion from lessons and selectively choosing the physical representations of culture that serve to decorate schools for Tibetan students in inner-China. I am going to explore the different schooling experiences for the Tibetans and show how the education options for Tibetans are depriving them of their culture, resulting in poor performances in school and a dishonest, manipulated education. Education in Tibet before the Chinese invasion was quite different from how it is presently. According to a journal out of China, only two percent of school-aged children were in school, and ninety-five percent of the general population was illiterate before â€Å"Liberation.1† The overpowering Chinese government determined that they must be freed â€Å"from Western imperialists.2† Eight years later, in 1959, the 14th Dalai Lama fled to India, unsuccessfully trying to win back Tibet’s independence. Education for the Tibetans has traditionally taken place in the monasteries. However, of the greater than 2,500 monasteries that once existed in Tibet, all but three percent of them were destroyed by the Chinese government.3 These monasteries served the multiple purposes of university equivalents, religious centers, an... ...emise of Multiculturalism?† 1998 World Congress of Sociology. Montreal, Quebec, Canada. 26 July- 1 August 1998. 62. Stites, Regie. â€Å"Writing Cultural Boundaries: Minority Language Policy, Literacy Planning and Bilingual Education in China.† In Gerard Postiglione (ed.) China’s National Minority Education, Ethnicity, Schooling, and Development. New York: Garland Press, 1998. 63. Kormandy, Edward J. â€Å"Minority Education in Inner Mongolia and Tibet.† International Review of Education (2002) 377-401. 64. Postiglione, Gerard A. â€Å"State Schooling and Ethnicity in China: The Rise or Demise of Multiculturalism?† 1998 World Congress of Sociology. Montreal, Quebec, Canada. 26 July- 1 August 1998. 65. http://www.tibet.com/Humanrights/EduToday/testimon.html 66. Phuntsog Sipur, Nawang. â€Å"Renewal of Tibetan School Education.† Tibetan Review 28 (Aug 1993) 15-17. Tibetan Education Essay -- Educational Education Tibet Essays Tibetan Education Since 1951, education in Tibet has changed dramatically through the Chinese government’s hyper-political agenda. Depending on the source, some view the changes as great improvement to the educational system, and others are gravely concerned. The positive view is that of the Chinese policy-makers and the fear comes from Tibetans who see that their culture is being drained from the classroom. The central Chinese government wants to completely assimilate the Tibetans by removing their true history and religion from lessons and selectively choosing the physical representations of culture that serve to decorate schools for Tibetan students in inner-China. I am going to explore the different schooling experiences for the Tibetans and show how the education options for Tibetans are depriving them of their culture, resulting in poor performances in school and a dishonest, manipulated education. Education in Tibet before the Chinese invasion was quite different from how it is presently. According to a journal out of China, only two percent of school-aged children were in school, and ninety-five percent of the general population was illiterate before â€Å"Liberation.1† The overpowering Chinese government determined that they must be freed â€Å"from Western imperialists.2† Eight years later, in 1959, the 14th Dalai Lama fled to India, unsuccessfully trying to win back Tibet’s independence. Education for the Tibetans has traditionally taken place in the monasteries. However, of the greater than 2,500 monasteries that once existed in Tibet, all but three percent of them were destroyed by the Chinese government.3 These monasteries served the multiple purposes of university equivalents, religious centers, an... ...emise of Multiculturalism?† 1998 World Congress of Sociology. Montreal, Quebec, Canada. 26 July- 1 August 1998. 62. Stites, Regie. â€Å"Writing Cultural Boundaries: Minority Language Policy, Literacy Planning and Bilingual Education in China.† In Gerard Postiglione (ed.) China’s National Minority Education, Ethnicity, Schooling, and Development. New York: Garland Press, 1998. 63. Kormandy, Edward J. â€Å"Minority Education in Inner Mongolia and Tibet.† International Review of Education (2002) 377-401. 64. Postiglione, Gerard A. â€Å"State Schooling and Ethnicity in China: The Rise or Demise of Multiculturalism?† 1998 World Congress of Sociology. Montreal, Quebec, Canada. 26 July- 1 August 1998. 65. http://www.tibet.com/Humanrights/EduToday/testimon.html 66. Phuntsog Sipur, Nawang. â€Å"Renewal of Tibetan School Education.† Tibetan Review 28 (Aug 1993) 15-17.

A necessary Evil

I am completely against the proliferation of supermax prisons. Despite the fact that these people who are put in there are put with a reason I still think that this is not a final solution but instead it is a beginning of a bigger problem. The fact that these prisoners will one day be set free and come to join us is actually threatening after looking at the effects these super max prisons have on the victims.I will want to discuss the effects of these as analyzed in `A Necessary Evil? ` By Vince BeiserThese super max prisons are turning prisoners into mental cases; the set up of these prisons is very different in terms of isolation and activities. Unlike other prisons including Maximum security prisons where inmates can play basketball, work in the laundry room or in the dining room, the super max prison one can hardly take in to any activity, there aren’t any jobs, nothing educational.You are left alone and there is no human contact! One is locked in a room of 8 – by à ¢â‚¬â€œ 10 foot almost the whole time. One can not even see other prisoners or the prison guards. It is truly a cage of isolation. These places are meant for those prisoners who commit crimes while in prison and therefore can be as ‘prison in prison’When one is left in such isolation for a long period, a lot of things are likely to happen affecting especially the psychology of the victim. ‘Psychiatrists, activists and some correctional officials say the intense isolation of supermaxes is producing prisoners who are uncontrollably furious and sometimes violently deranged. Most of those Prisoners will one day be set free.In the past three years, in fact, Nearly 1,000 California SHU inmates at the end of their sentences were moved to less-restrictive prisons for just a few weeks, and then released’. As seen from Dr. Stuart study of effects of solitary confinement for a period longer than two decades, the examination was on more than one hundred super max priso ns and his conclusion was: super max can literally drive inmates crazy. The fact that there are many cases of people who never suffered psychiatric illnesses but once they went through super max prisons they developed such illness. This is enough good prove that these institutions are doing more harm than good. People going through these institutions are expected to come out worse than they were in the beginning. Dr Terry Kupers, a psychiatrist based in Oakland who has many years of experience in prison work had this to say â€Å"I've almost never seen self-mutilation among adult males anywhere else, but it's very common in SHUs.† At the landmark Madrid v. Gomez federal trial in 1995 over conditions at Pelican Bay, even the prison’s senior staff psychologist acknowledged seeing psychiatric deterioration among some SHU prisoners.There are problems faced and experienced by the prison in the super max prisons such as hypersensitivity to external stimuli, paranoia and sometimes hallucinations. Prisoners some time develop panic attacks, hostile fantasies involving revenge, torture, mutulatuion and outbursts. This at times gets to higher extents and the prisoner can even gorge out their eyes, they can bite chucks of their own flesh†¦ The speech of one prisoner featured is â€Å"Matthew Lowe’ he confesses that in his years at the super max prison he only had a chance to speak to five or six people in the whole period of three years. He says that he just sat there and thought of doing something crazy all the time.He has known that since then he has become paranoid and jumpy; ‘†So many times I've come so close to snapping since I got out,† he says. â€Å"One time in a store, someone cut in front of me in line—a 50-year-old guy, I don't think he even realized it. I had to catch myself, because my first thought was just to smash him.†An interview conducted to the other prisoners of the regular prisons support the fact that those in the supermax prisons are getting damaged psychologically was by Dr. Grassian. Almost all the inmates interviewed including one correctional officer admiited that other prisoners suffer serious mental deterioration in the SHU; they could be heard screa ming, banging on doors cutting themselves.

The Mexican Drug War and Its Consequences

The Mexican Drug War and Its Consequences Despite President Felipe Calderon’s good intentions and determination to eliminate the drug cartels in Mexico, the Mexican government has not been able to stop the drug cartel’s operations (smuggling drugs, people and weapons to and from the USA) for many reasons. The drug cartels have proven to be powerful, well connected politically, well trained, well- armed, and manipulation of the masses. Therefore, it has been impossible for the Mexican government to stop cartels like La Familia from operating, and now the cartels have become a problem for the Unites States too.The Mexican cartels have proven to be unstoppable for the Mexican government. President of Mexico Felipe Calderon’s decision to send fifty thousand soldiers and twenty thousand federal police has not been enough to stop the cartel’s indiscriminate killings. According to the University of San Diego Trans-Border Institute of Analysis and Data, since Janu ary of 2007, 28,228 people have died in drug-related violence in Mexico (Sandiego. edu). Going muscle to muscle with the cartels has proven to be the wrong decision. Sending all those troops and federal police has only served to increases the death toll.Cartels like La Familia are well armed and trained. According to intelligence, members of La Familia must complete three to six month training camp in Michoacan, conducted by ex-members of the Colombian or Mexican Special Forces. La Familia uses equipment, weapons, and uniforms similar to those of the Federal Investigations Agency, therefore operating without being detected in cities and on highways (La Familia Michoacana fact sheet, DEA). It is a fact that La Familia is well armed with weapons that come from the United States.La Familia has the connections and the money to buy these weapons; Calderon continues to send more troops to combat the cartel, but this military effort will not work. La Familia cannot be stopped since they kn ow how to manipulate the masses, by threats and targeting opposing citizens, and this makes the situation even worse for the Mexican government as they try to obtain help from citizens to capture the leaders. La familia has won the loyalty of many people through political and Christian beliefs, but mostly through intimidation.In the article â€Å"Silver or Lead,† we can see how a regional official named Veronica Medina has selective hearing in favor of La Familia. Medina is clearly in favor of La Familia even though she works for the Mexican government. It could be quite possible that Medina is on La Familia’s payroll. La Familia is known to win favors by offering monetary rewards. La Familia also intimidates people with violence; they take over a town and tell the mayor, â€Å"We want to work here. There will be no trouble, no crime, no drunkenness, nothing. † Then, they enforce their rules.Mayors are usually paid for their hospitality. It is silver or Lead (Fi nnegan 48). How can regional officials decline? Since they are substantially underpaid and their lives are threatened, they are almost forced if they don’t they face almost certain death at the hands of the cartel. As long as the Mexican government continues with this plan of combatting cartel, it will never see the end of the cartel. Mexico is a traditional Catholic country; most of the Catholics practicing in North America live in Mexico. La Familia uses this religious fervor to gain the sympathy of the people’s town.La Familia knows they will gain sympathy and new people who want to work for them if their organization somehow shows they are Christian believers. La Familia wants people to think that they only kill those who have committed a crime. According to William Finnegan â€Å"La Familia doesn’t kill for money, it doesn’t kill women, it doesn’t kill innocent people–only those who deserve to die. Everyone should know: this is divine justice† (Finnegan 40). These words were actually written on a sign left by La Familia at one of their assassination sites. Their propaganda implies the need for divine justice.They are trying every way possible to make people believe they are doing God’s work. The Mexican church has not said anything about it, and there are people who are led to believe that perhaps some of the violent works of the La Familia are necessary and maybe even justified. La Familia’s smuggling business has a big negative effect on America society and economy. Since La Familia is willing to pay the exorbitant amounts of money for necessary costly weapons, it entices Americans into breaking the law by getting involved in the illegally sales of arms.In February 2007, drug cartels gunmen attacked two offices of the Guerrero state attorney general’s office in the resort town of Acapulco, killing four officers and three secretaries. One of the rifles used in the attack was traced bac k to the United States (guns without borders). Federal agents say about 90 percent of the 12000 pistols and rifles that the Mexican authorities recovered from drug dealers in the United States are mostly from Texas and Arizona (McKinley 1). Every gun smuggler captured is sent to prison, and the government has to house him and fed him, costing taxpayers thousands of dollars a year.Drug addiction costs the U. S. billions in health care. According to the 2008 National Survey of Drug Use and Health, approximately three million Americans 12 or older initiated the use of an illicit drug. That is nearly 8000 people per day (2008 national survey of drug and health). More than half of all people arrested in the United States test positive for illegal drugs. Drug use is closely connected to robbery and property crime. Substances abused led directly to the death of 38000 Americans (Executive Office of the President of the United States).The drug cartels are clearly affecting America Society an d their economy. The U. S. government needs to work harder to implement regulations on its side of the border. The Mexican government has tried almost everything, but it has not been successful. If the Mexican Government continues with the same approach to the drug cartel problems ultimately the drug cartels will overturn the government. Mexico is a civilized nation, and will not likely go to civil war over the drug cartels; still nobody has tried to take the drastic measures needed. La Familia is more brutal. La Familia is more motivated to keep their power than the government is to stop them; consequently they are impossible to stop.Works Cited Executive Office of the President of the United States. Web. 7. Nov. 2010 â€Å"Guns Without Borders† The New York Times. Web. 6. Nov. 2010 James Mckinley, â€Å"U. S. Stymied as Guns Flow to Mexican Cartels†, The New York Times, April 15, 2009 â€Å"La Familia Michoacana Fact Sheet†, DEA. Web. 5. Nov. 2010 Sandiego. ed u. Web. 6. Nov. 2010 William Finnegan, â€Å"Silver or Lead†, The New Yorker, May 31, 2010, 40, 48 2008 National Survey of Drug Use and Health. Web. 6. Nov. 2010

Joy of My Life

Joy of My Life Shirley Evans English 121 Professor Jen Miller January 20, 2013 Joy of My Life I never considered myself blessed in anything, or knew the purpose of my life, until the birth of my grandson. Robert is my first grandchild and greatest blessing God has given me, and the center of my universe for which I give thanks every day. His life started with difficulties, but his unquenchable elan has brought joy to those who meet him. Robert entered my life on Monday, February 23, 2009 at 2:28 in the afternoon; weighing 2lbs. 4 ounces and measuring 16 inches long. He arrived two months premature, and reminded me of a baby doll with wrinkled skin covering his tiny arms and legs. Set below perfectly arched blonde eyebrows were eyes so dark as to appear black, and opened wide to make them look enormous. A conical shaped head covered with platinum blonde hair made his sunken cheeks stand out; giving him the appearance of an alien. I fell in love the instant I saw him and my love grows immeasurably with every passing day. Robert developed at a rapid pace despite being born prematurely.During a stay with us one weekend, I laid him on his back atop a blanket spread on the floor for him to roll on. He rolled onto his stomach raising his head up; arms swinging out at his sides with legs kicking trying to crawl. He reminded me of a turtle poking out of its shell, slowly inching his way off the blanket. To this day my daughter still calls him turtle after witnessing his attempt to crawl. Once he learns to walk, there is no holding him back; he joyfully goes through life with smiles on his face and laughter in his voice.Robert is growing to be a precocious child who quickly turns independent. He stands proud with arms akimbo as he proclaims he can dress himself, and I settle back into my chair to watch him put his arms in the sleeves of his shirt, and tuck his shirt tails into his jeans. I am shocked to realize how quickly he is growing as he struggles with fastening his jeans, but is quite adamant in doing it himself; he asks for help with his belt only after trying to buckle it on his own. One of the things I enjoyed teaching Robert was bedtime prayers.I have shown him how to interlace his fingers and clasp his hands together. Closing our eyes as we bowed our heads together, I recited his prayers as he repeated after me. He no longer allows me to say prayers with him, and he does not know all of the words yet, but ends his prayer blessing everyone he loves in the sweetest tiniest voice. He looks up at me with a smile on his angelic face and says â€Å"now it is your turn grandma. † Pictures of Robert depict how cute he is, but in person he leaves you with a more accurate portrait of how adorable he actually is.Robert brings smiles and happiness to everyone he meets with his robust attitude. Sporting a child sized black Stetson cowboy hat perched atop his blonde head, down to feet encased with green and yellow John Deere boots, he exudes im pish joy. He will nonchalantly say he is not my little man, but everyone’s little man. I do not argue with his statement as it is true. Robert loves everyone in his life and they love him. People say the greatest joy of being a grandparent is spoiling the child then sending them home.I am no exception to this rule, although I never want to send him home. Time speeds by like a blink of an eye when I have him, and it feels like he just arrived when it is time for him to leave. It fills my heart close to bursting when he sees me and comes running with his arms stretched wide to throw his petite frame into my arms to hug my neck screaming â€Å"grandma! † The joy he brings to my life is truly a blessing from God above, and one I treasure more than life itself. I contemplate if having my son, who helped create my joy called Robert, has been the purpose for my life.