A Character Analysis of Kerima Tuvera’s The Virgin Essay

Introduction Through the use of theories based on psychology and personality, the characters in The Virgin will be analysed in this essay to show that there was development. To do this essay, I did extensive research on the types of theories that were floating about on the Internet such as the Psychoanalytic Theory of Freud. I also did in-depth research on the types of characters in literature to help with understanding who the characters were and what they brought to the story. A few examples would be figuring out who the protagonist or foil were in the story. Analysis Here, I am going to analyse the characters within the story with the main focus being on Miss Mijares and the Carpenter. Miss Mijares When Miss Mijares is introduced, we immediately see that she is the protagonist because the story is centred on her and the conflicts that she is faced with. We see this as the story is wholly in her point of view, although it is in the third person limited omniscient, and never in any of the other character’s point of views. However, how do we know that the story is in the third person limited omniscient? We know that the story is in the third person as the text refers to Miss Mijares as ‘she’, the Carpenter as ‘he’ and so forth but never ‘I said’. It is limited because it is only in Miss Mijares’ view on events. We see this throughout the entire story but an example of this would be in the second paragraph where it says, ‘Miss Mijares thought how she could easily have said, Please wait for me, or Will you wait for me? But years of working for the placement section had dulled the edges of her instinct for courtesy. (Polotan)’ Finally, it is omniscient because as we know information about Miss Mijares that the other characters do not. We can see this in paragraph 6 where we find out that whenever she watches movies; ‘her own fingers stole unconsciously to her unbruised lips (Polotan)’. That is a personal experience and so not many, if any, of the characters know about this but we do. Read more:  Essay About the Virgin by Kerima Polotan Tuvera When reading the story, you find that there is a lot of development from Miss Mijares. Usually you find that, within the confines of the Placement Office, she is very cold and impatient with the people who she interviews. We can see this in paragraph 3 where it says, ‘When she talked with the jobless across her desk, asking them the damning questions that completed their humiliation†¦she was filled with an impatience she could not understand (Polotan)’ as well as feeling slightly disgusted by them as she ‘would turn away to touch the delicate edge of the handkerchief she wore on her breast. (Polotan)’ We find that she has a rather Authoritarian Personality, which was proposed by Adorno and many others. This seems to rather fit her as people with this type of personality would be ‘hostile to those who are of inferior status’ (NcLeod), hence her coldness towards the lower class, upholding traditional values, such as her wanting to find love, as well as respect for authority figures, which we can see in Paragraph 46 ‘†Å"Your lives are our business here,† she shouted (Polotan)’. However, when she comes back from her lunch, she no longer sees him as some guy in the Placement Office. Miss Mijares starts to see small details about him such as his ‘big, strong wrists (Polotan)’ or the fact that she glorifies the bird in his hand to be a ‘dove’. On the flip side, when her subconscious realises this, she goes back to her Authoritarian Personality to put him back in his place by speaking in English. This personality, on the other hand, does not continue and seems to be some sort of defence against projecting what she truly feels as she persuades Ato to give the Carpenter an extra half peso instead of dropping the subject on pay. From Freud’s study on ego defences, there are several defence mechanisms that are available but the one that relates the most to Miss Mijares is Repression. ‘Repression is an unconscious mechanism, employed by the ego, to keep disturbing or threatening thoughts from become conscious’ (McLeod, Defense Mechanisms). It becomes very apparent as the story progresses because she appears to take a liking to the Carpenter and once she finds out the damning news that ‘his son died (Polotan)’; the boundaries come back up again and resume her Authoritarian personality. However, this time, she starts to see the small details that do not make him  attractive such as ‘his two front teeth were widely set apart (Polotan)’ in paragraph 42. After the confrontation about his whereabouts she meets him outside but she is indifferent to him, unlike previously when he thanked her for the extra half peso. He takes the same jeepney as her and gets off at the same time but by the end, after he touches her, her defence falls back down again and she saw the man who was standing in her office asking for a job and presumably goes with him and ‘she turned to him; with ruffles wet and wilted, in the dark she turned to him. (Polotan)’ This all relates back to Freud’s idea about the psyche. At the beginning of the story, we are dealt with the introduction of Miss Mijares. We find out that Miss Mijares is a woman who has never been with a man-physically or emotionally. This is because we see that ‘there had been other things to do-college to finish, a niece to put through school, a mother to care for (Polotan)’. Through this, we can see that it turns back to The Superego. This means that there ‘is control of id’s (which we will come to later) impulses, especially those which society forbids, such as sex and aggression. It also has the function of persuading the ego to turn to moralistic goals rather than simply realistic ones and to strive for perfection’ (McLeod, Id, Ego and Superego). However, through having this Superego, there is the ‘ideal self’ and this ‘is an imaginary picture of how you ought to be, and represents career aspirations, how to treat other people, and how to behave as a member of society’ (McLeod, Id, Ego and Superego). We see this in many ways such as how she reacts to the poor such as when she would touch the handkerchief after dealing with the papers in paragraph 3. Another good example of this would be how she reacted to the Carpenter lying to her. She saw past her lust for the man and her superego made her feel guilt for being so lustful after a man she knew little about. This then goes onto The Ego. The Ego ‘is the decision making component of personality’ and ‘considers social realities and norms, etiquette and rules in deciding how to behave’ (McLeod, Id, Ego and Superego). We do not see much of this but an example of this would be in paragraph 11 where a bird paperweight had been put on her desk and she had to remind herself that she was surrounded by people as she laughed and even ‘told herself, who; get a  hold, a hold, a hold! (Polotan)’. However, the one that is the most significant is the id. It is the ‘impulsive part of our psyche which responds directly and immediately to the instincts’ (McLeod, Id, Ego and Superego). We see this a lot in the story, such as in paragraph 6 where we have a taste of what Miss Mijares actually wants and sometimes even fantasises about. For example, ‘in the jeepneys she took to work when a man pressed down beside her and through her dress she felt the curve of his thigh’ or ‘her eyes straying, against her will to the bedroom door (Polotan)’. However, the main one that caught our attention was in the final few paragraphs. After years of denying herself and her id of what she really wanted, she gave in to the primal instincts of wanting a man as she ‘turned to him’ after he brushed against her. Therefore, we witness Miss Mijares unravel psychologically as she slowly starts to attain what she has wanted for a long time. We see her go from a very prim-proper woman to a woman who desires love and want so much that her walls break down and she no longer holds the image she shows to everyone else. She gives in to her primal instincts. The Carpenter The Carpenter is a character who is very much opposite to who Miss Mijares is. Physically, we can see there is an immediate difference between the two characters. The Carpenter is described as ‘a tall, big man (Polotan)’ that is in contrast to Miss Mijares who is described as ‘slight, almost bony’. In addition to this, he is everything that Miss Mijares seems to be against in her nature. Miss Mijares, in the story, puts people in their place when she sees fit as well as try and give people what they deserve, just like when she tried to give the Carpenter the extra peso as he was filling a four peso slot, while the Carpenter, although does not exactly lie, lies about his position in his life with family. There is the sense that he manipulated her to get what he wanted in the end, and that was her. This, therefore, makes the Carpenter a juxtaposition. He is the anti-hero and antagonist. He is the anti-hero because he holds moral values that are against what Miss Mijares is about-she is essentially the honest type of  person-while the Carpenter readily lied to try and get what he wanted. He is the antagonist because he is what blocks Miss Mijares from seeing straight; he is her obstacle to get past. Although he is not a villain, he is able to stop Miss Mijares from seeing straight and acting like she usually does. She acts out in a way that is not usual for her as she looked after her mother; she got through college and helped with her niece to put her through school. However, the Carpenter is not married to the mother of his son, a college graduate or saving up money to put his child through school. Hence, he is a juxtaposition. Conclusion In conclusion, psychology played a major role in how the characters were developed. By using Freud’s analysis and his take on psychology, as well as other theories based on it, we can see how the character has developed psychologically-especially with Miss Mijares. We see how her personality changes and walls drop as we progress through the story as she starts to lust after the Carpenter. Meanwhile, the Carpenter is heavily based on character types and how he affected Miss Mijares as that character. Therefore, we were able to see how the characters had developed in the short story. Works Cited McLeod, Saul. Defense Mechanisms. 2008. 29 January 2015 . —. Id, Ego and Superego. 2008. 23 January 2015 . NcLeod, Saul. Theories of Personality. 2014. 25 January 2015 . Polotan, Kerima. The Virgin (From The Likhaan Anthology of Philippine Literature in English). Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press, 2002.

Improving Performance of the Work Team Essay

1.1 My company has defined expectations of Team Members which are given to each employee in the form of a job description backed up with a work contract signed by each employee when they join the company. These expectations include, a timekeeping policy which requires the individual to be at work at the stated shift start times and to contact the Team Leader within 30mins of that start time with any reasons why this can’t be achieved. This will allow the Team Leader time to call in help to keep production on target. Absenteeism and sickness are also closely monitored using a system called the Bradford Scale. This concentrates more on the number of occasions when an employee is off rather than the number of days as regular short periods of time off are more disruptive to the working team. If the number of points on the scale reach a certain level then the disciplinary process is used. Personal conduct is also expected to be appropriate as disruptive or aggressive conduct will affect the performance of the work team meaning targets may be missed or team members will be in conflict. Employees are also expected to reach certain levels of performance depending on the job they do. Training needs to be completed and personal objectives which are set annually by the area manager during appraisals are used to keep a continuous improvement mentality within each employee. Completion of set objectives also help towards future promotion and possibly pay increases. All these expectations help the company keep well motivated work teams who are self driven with good moral. 1.2 The objective for my team is to ensure we supply our customers (the other departments in our company) with enough optical fibre to meet the order demand for all the different types of fibre laser we manufacture. To help us meet this objective we use a system of KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators) to indicate to us the current level of various indicators throughout the manufacturing process. These Include stock levels against the stock plan, current fibre yields, amount of work in the process at any given time, fibre consumed, fibre in validation, validated fibre, number of man hours available, shipped fibre. All these indicators are passed down through the organization as Laser orders are placed with our company. On the shop floor we break them down to a weekly plan of work depending on the position of current fibre stocks and yields. Each Friday the next weeks plan will be decided at a joint meeting between the area manager and team leader. Once the plan is drawn it is communicated to all the team members and then checked daily during the following week to report progress and any concerns or adjustments that need to be made. In turn the departments we supply with fibre will also have been set there weekly targets and depending on the work that they have in process will determine what target is given to us to supply. Our company works on a Lean basis meaning that no work will be in the line that has not been already ordered and this keeps online stock costs to a minimum. Due to the nature of our production process However, optical fibre is only confirmed as good quality once it is built in product, so to keep supply of good (Validated) fibre between us and our customers my department has to go against the lean principles and hold a stock of fibre on the shelf waiting for Laser orders. This ensures if a fibre fails in build we have enough stock to react quickly and replace the fibre without holding up the laser build line. 1.3 Individual team member performance has a very great effect on a teams overall performance, especially if the Individual is under performing. For instance if a team member was not completing the required amount of work each day this would put extra pressure on the remaining members of that team to meet production targets. This puts the team in a position of possibly not meeting realistic targets which are set on the basis that all team members perform to a set level. Team targets are also set around the number of available man hours per week. If a team member is constantly late or sick this will also put the team under unplanned pressure to meet any set targets. A four man team with one man out sick is down 25% in man hours which usually means most targets will need to be adjusted or missed. This then has a knock on effect in the next department who will be only receiving 75% of the product that they were planning for, and that effect depending on the ability to catch up on lost hours may go all the way to a customer in the form of a late delivery of a promised order. This reflects badly on customer relations and could at worse mean lost or cancelled future orders. Also a team member who does not put enough effort into their work can cause ill feeling and conflict in the team possibly leading to arguments and low team moral. This will have a drastic effect on the capabilities of the team sometimes causing other team members to reduce their efforts also. Underperformance of team members is a serious issue in a target driven environment and needs to be taken seriously by team leaders. It may be the case that outside of work influences are causing a team member to under perform so a friendly chat and understanding approach may be all that’s needed to encourage the team member to improve. Team members who perform above expectations can also boost the performance of a team in a positive way. These team members can motivate others to increase there efforts also. This results in better overall team results against target, which brings praise from management, improving team moral. This then means happy customers, more orders and longer term job security. 2.1 My own team has many indicators that we use to measure under performance. These include, Product Yield Charts, Disruption Reports, Weekly Targets, Scrap Reports and annual appraisals. A disruption report can be raised against our department for any problems our customers have regarding our supply to their line. This could mean damaged fibre, incorrect paperwork, failure to supply parts on time, or any event that â€Å"Disrupts† them from achieving set targets. These reports are then discussed each morning and depending on the severity of the disruption immediate solutions are put in place or a process of problem solving is started and monitored until the problem is solved. Yield Charts give indications of process and operator performance. Product failure codes are recorded and investigated. Process detractors can be used to highlight improvement areas, and operator caused defects can be feedback to the team or individual concerned. Scrap reports are also used to put a financial value on product scrap allowing prioritizing of the most expensive problems first. An annual appraisal is given to each employee by the line manager. If a team member has been under performing, the reasons will be discussed and a plan will be drawn to encourage the employee to improve. 2.2 Underperformance needs to be constantly monitored in the manufacturing environment. It could just be that a team is not meeting targets because the target is set to high which puts to much pressure on them, causing mistakes due to rushing. Team moral is an important factor regarding Team performance. If you have conflict between certain team members it will cause them to take their mind off the workload resulting in reduced production and quality issues. This can have a knock on effect and eventually spread across all team members unless it is dealt with promptly. Poor training can also be a reason why an individual or Team are not able to meet targets. Inadequate training will not only increase scrap costs it can frustrate operators who cant do the work properly and even put them in harms way if Health and Safety measures regarding the work they do are not included in the training. Sometimes people may have domestic or personal worries regarding health problems which affect their performance at work. These need to be discussed with supervisors or managers and depending on the circumstances help may be given to the individual. 2.3 The different causes of underperformance require different actions to rectify them. If a team member is underperforming for no other reason than being lazy then a quiet chat from the Team Leader away from the ears of other team members usually helps re motivate them. If the poor results continue then a disciplinary route of verbal and written warnings may be needed. Re training or extra training will help someone who is falling behind due to lack of process knowledge. If a Team is underperforming they can have a meeting and discuss the reasons as a team, and with all the ideas on the table from all team members, come up with a plan of action to improve their results. In my place of work underperformance can come in the form of a disruption report. A disruption report can be raised against our department for any problems our customers have regarding our supply to their line. This could mean damaged fibre, incorrect paperwork, failure to supply parts on time, or any event that â€Å"Disrupts† them from achieving set targets. These reports are then discussed each morning and depending on the severity of the disruption immediate solutions are put in place or a process of problem solving is started and monitored until the problem is solved. 3.1 Motivated employees are more productive than those who are unmotivated. They enjoy their work more and are usually less stressed. Companies work hard to find ways to motivate their staff. Motivation is the driving force behind all people’s actions. Psychologists have developed various theories about motivation in an attempt to better understand and control human behavior. This theory of motivation is based on the idea that people have strong cognitive reasons to perform various actions. This is famously illustrated in Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, which presents different motivations at different levels. First People are motivated to fulfill basic biological needs for food and shelter, as well as those of safety, love and esteem. Once the lower level needs have been met , the primary motivator becomes the need for Self-Actualization, or the desire to fulfill one’s individual potential. Maslow believed employers would see better results from workers if they recognized the various needs of individual workers and if they varied the rewards offered to them.

Methods Used by Elementary Teachers in Managing Misbehavior in the Classroom Essay

Introduction In today’s society, teachers at all grade levels face a growing number of students whose behavior challenges the success of daily classroom instruction. Managing misbehavior in the classroom remains one of the persistent difficulties of teaching. Whether it is in the elementary or secondary and tertiary education, the management of the pupil’s conduct remains to be a vital part of the daily equation of effective teaching. A large part of everything students do in school is geared toward forming good habits and discipline falls right in line with this. Discipline is concerned with the development of internal behavior that enables the students to manage themselves. Every school is required by our government to maintain discipline and to issue disciplinary rules for strict compliance. They are designed to develop among students the highest standard of decency, morality and good behavior. If there’s no discipline early, there’ll likely be no discipline as an a dult, which affects job performance, family relations, among other aspects of a student’s life. The aim of discipline is to set limits restricting certain behaviors or attitudes that are seen as harmful or going against school policies, educational norms, school traditions, among others. Concrete, reasonable and fair discipline is the foundation of an effective and efficient institution. Fortunately, teachers usually are able to rely on these disciplinary rules and standard strategies for addressing classroom misbehavior, either independently or with the support of colleagues, and they are able to find a successful solution to the problem however these tactics may still fail to produce the desired outcome because of the varying degrees of differences in the attitude of teachers and students and other societal factors. While there have been gains in terms of school’s responses and significant programs and policies have already been made to lessen the occurrence of misbehaving, and improve the behavior of the students, such efforts have not been enough to cater to this rap idly growing number of cases. On the other hand, while these set of strategies are in place, enforcement remains weak. Challenges still remain in terms of translating these rules into concrete and doable actions that will address the underlying cause that bring about misbehavior in schools. It is therefore imperative to develop a stronger and comprehensive platform on treating this phenomenon that includes a wide  array of possible intervening factors, existing opportunities and limitations. Teachers must be able to work within school guidelines, connect with the students and communicate these difficulties with parents for effective teaching best takes place in a classroom with few disruptions for misbehavior. Moreover, the government, the school, the parents, and the children themselves should share responsibilities. This paper is therefore addressed to concerned professionals, agencies, and the public school administrators and teachers who are presently working hard in alignment towards eliminating the negative effects of misbehavior from public schools such as Catbalogan I Central Elementary Sch ool to other public and private institutions in the whole country. Statement of the Problem Nowadays, Filipino teachers face the spread of behavioral problems that threaten the educational system in most schools. These problems have direct influence on the learning process and the overall teaching/learning experience. Thus, more and more models of strategies are utilized by schools to combat the increasing problems. To deliberately rank the most effective means to overcome misbehavior on a more basic and intrinsic spectrum as vital and basic as public elementary schools, the study will explain and analyze the different strategies that have facilitated Catbalogan 1 Elementary School teachers in dealing with the misbehavior of Grade 5 and 6 students and how effective have they been in managing misbehavior in the classroom during the school year 2013-2014. Research Questions: 1. What are the general theories explaining the occurrence of misbehavior among children in general? * Why do students misbehave? * What are the indicators of misbehavior? * When and how could we assess if the student is already misbehaving? * Compare respondent’s approach to classroom management with Dreikurs’s approach and determine which of Dreikurs’s approaches were incorporated into the respondents’ approach. How do they incorporate them? * 2. What basic proper standards of behavior does the teacher implement in addition to the existing school behavior policies and programs in dealing with students misbehavior? 3. Which of these disciplinary methods, techniques and strategies is the most effective in the reduction and prevention of misbehavior of students in class? Thesis Statement The research intends to study the administration of discipline towards misbehavior cases in Grade 5 and 6 classes of Catbalogan 1 Central Elementary School. The study affirms that the management of existing policies and strategies used by the teachers in dealing with the problem of misbehavior still face greater challenge that it remains inadequate in the implementation because these rules and their consequences are not equally and consistently enforced. A comprehensive school behavior policy program is indispensable in meeting the needs of each school in curbing down misbehavior towards effective teaching and also in providing a positive learning experience for children. Hypotheses 1. The strategies that will be utilized greatly depend on the ability of the teachers to provide a comprehensive set of the proper standards of behavior or a behavior policy in the class. 2. Societal factors have a significant effect in properly addressing the issues of misbehavior in the classroom. 3. Teachers’ lack of awareness of the rules which requires their functions to discipline, safeguard and promote the welfare of the children has a negative effect on the behavior of the students. Student’s behavior on the other hand is directly affected by the teachers’ attitude towards them. Theoretical framework Effective teachers know that in order to truly help a student to change an inappropriate behavior, they have to get to the root causes and consider the core of the problem. When there is misbehavior, we have to stress out several external consequences of several interdependent conditions. Therefore, in order for us to identify, plan, and implement and compare the most effective strategies of intervention, it is necessary to define it in  the context of its different causes and structural features. The researcher through the examination of theories available in the literature will use the Social Discipline Model by the social psychologist, Rudolf Dreikurs. Dr. Rudolf Dreikurs, renowned educator, developed these four behavioral goals in the 1930s. He was a student and colleague of Alfred Adler, who believed that â€Å"all behavior has a purpose.† Dreikurs has written many articles and books on student behavior and much of his work can be purchased on the internet. His theories on behavior have had an enormous impact on the raising of children and classroom management models. His model is based on the four basic premises of Adler’s social theory which are: 1. Humans are social beings and their basic motivation is to belong 2. All behavior has a purpose 3. Humans are decision-making organisms 4. Humans only perceive reality and this perception may be mistaken or biased Dreikurs’ educational philosophy is â€Å"based on the philosophy of democracy, with its implied principle of human equality, and on the socio-teleological approach of the psychology of Alfred Adler. In this frame of reference, man is recognized as a social being, his actions as purposive and directed toward a goal, his personality as a unique and indivisible entity†. (Dreikurs,1968). A socio-teleological approach implies the existence of God, a higher purpose, and a natural order of things. Dreikurs believed it was possible to understand children’s misbehaviors by recognizing the four main purposes or goals of the child. The four goals of misbehavior are attention getting, the contest for power, seeking revenge, and displaying inadequacy. Dreikurs promoted the use of encouragement and logical (and natural) consequences rather than reward and punishment. Essentially, every action of the child is grounded in the idea that he is seeking his place in the group. A well-adjusted child will conform to the requirements of the group by making valuable contributions. A child who misbehaves, on the other hand, will defy the needs of the group situation in order to maintain social status. Whichever of the aforementioned goals he chooses to employ, the child believes that this is the only way he can function within the group dynamic successfully. Dreikurs states that â€Å"his goal may occasionally vary with the circumstances: he may act to attract attention at one moment, and assert his power or seek revenge at another† (Dreikurs, 1968, p.27). Regardless if the child is well-adjusted or is misbehaving, his main purpose will be social acceptance. The following are techniques that can be used to address the four goals of misbehavior Attention Getting Some students strive to be the center of attention. They do almost anything to be noticed from being argumentative to being funny. There is a lack of concern about following accepted procedure to gain recognition. Teachers and classmates find behavior by this student annoying and at times rude and unacceptable. The attention seekers may be disciplined for: disrespect, teasing, disturbing the class, being uncooperative, swearing, talking, being out of his seat, and making fun of others. Dreikurs said most students start misbehaving by seeking attention, and when this fails, they move on to more problematic goal-seeking behaviors, such as power. This is why it is important to find a thoughtful intervention in the first phase of misbehavior: attention seeking. (http://www.metu.edu.tr) Dreikurs believed that over 90% of all misbehavior is for attention. Technique towards attention Getting Behavior: 1. Minimize the Attention – Ignore the behavior, stand close by, write a note 2. Legitimize the Behavior – Create a lesson out of the behavior, have the class join in the behaviors 3. Do the Unexpected – Turn out the lights, play a musical instrument, talk to the wall 4. Distract the Student – Ask a question or a favor, change the activity 5. Recognize Appropriate Behavior – Thanks students, give a written note of congratulations 6. Move the Student – Ask the student to sit at another seat, send the student to a â€Å"thinking chair† Seeking Power and Control Wanting to be in charge or in control provides the motivation for some student misbehavior. Students with this agenda simply want their way. They don’t hesitate to take a stand on matters important to them and are often disruptive and confrontational in reaching their goal. The teacher may feel provoked, threatened or challenged by this student. The following reasons may be the basis for a referral to the office for a student who struggles for power: disobeying, disrespect, not cooperating, talking back and  disturbing the class. Often power-seeking students don’t act out until they’re assured of an audience. And from the teacher’s perspective, this is probably the worst possible time. 1. Make a Graceful Exit – Acknowledge student’s power, remove audience, table matter for later discussion, 2. Use a Time-Out 3. Apply the Consequence Seeking Revenge Lashing out or getting even is how some students compensate for real or imagined hurt feelings. The target of the revenge may be the teacher, other students, or both. Revenge may come in the form of a physical and/or psychological attack. Bullies often use revenge as their excuse for shoving or pushing, teasing, causing embarrassment and excluding others. Displaying Inadequacy Wanting to avoid repeated failure, some students appear to be discouraged and helpless. They falsely believe that they can’t live up to expectations, either their own or those of others. To compensate for this belief, they don’t attempt anything that might result in failure. They hope that others will forget about them and not hold them responsible for anything. These students may be disciplined for: not paying attention, not being prepared, being dishonest and wasting time. This phenomenon, decribed as â€Å"learned helplessness† by psychologists, is characteristic of students who fail needlessly because they do not invest their best efforts. 1. Modify Instructional Methods 2. Use Concrete Learning Materials and Computer-Enhanced Instruction 3. Teach One Step at a Time (or break instruction into smaller parts) 4. Provide Tutoring 5. Teach Positive Self-Talk and Speech 6. Teach that Mistakes are Okay 7. Build Student’s Confidence 8. Focus on Past Successes 9. Make Learning Tangible 10. Recognize Achievement No matter what the reason is for a student’s misbehavior, we are forced to respond. Some responses produce better results than others. Below is a list of both positive and negative responses by educators. Responses that usually get negative results include: 1. Reacting emotionally by being angry or making hollow threats 2. Handing out a punishment that is out of proportion to the offense 3. Reacting to misbehavior publicly 4. Reacting to a small incidence that often resolves itself 5. Making an accusation without the facts to back it up Responses that tend to get positive results include: 1. Describing the unacceptable behavior to the student 2. Pointing out how his behavior negatively impacts him and others 3. Talking with the students about what could have been a better behavior choice and why 4. Asking the student to write a goal that will help him improve his actions 5. Showing confidence in the student that his behavior goals are achievable 6. Positively reinforcing behavior that relates to student goals Dreikurs believes the best way to correct misbehavior is with logical consequences. For example, if a student doesn’t finish his homework, he stays after school to complete it. This helps the student make an association between the misbehavior and the consequences. The environmental-sociological-cultural are those theories that see the primary contributing factors to misbehavior from the immediate environment, society, or culture. Balanon also classified this model as the â€Å"environment factor† which includes physical, social, cultural and economic factors. This includes 1) environmental stress model, 2) social learning model 3) social-psychological and 4) psychosocial systems. (Rodriguez, 2006) The family systems approach by Peter Reder, Duncan Sylvia, and Gray Moira, which put significance in the relationship between family and others as relevant to the problem and analysis. It provided a framework that focuses in interpersonal, group, and institutional functioning. It is said that the concept of circularity in the systemic model emphasizes mutual influence between two or more people and the role and meaning that each person has for others must be modified and their relationship renegotiated. Family systems focus on patterns of interaction within families with particular emphasis on  communication and a psychological role adopted by family members and the view of casualty is circular involving family members. According to Rozsbaszky in Understanding the â€Å"Misbehavior† of Children Through the Theory and Research on Ego Development,(1980) , the theory of â€Å"ego development† by Jane Loevinger is a major theory of personality. According to the theory, it is a major determinant of personality characteristics in each individual whether child or adult is his or her level of ego development. Some personality characteristics are believed to be manifestations of an individual’s ego level. Personality characteristics may actually be markers or milestone traits for a particular ego level. As the child matures, he or she passes through the invariant sequence of stages of ego development, each greater cognitive and interpersonal complexity than the precedi ng stages. FIGURE 1 : Conceptual Framework of the Study Conceptual Framework Explained The figure shows a base frame which contains the respondents and the research environment which this study will be conducted. The respondents of this study are the Grade V and VI teachers of CAtbalogan I Elementary School. At the top of the base frame is a bigger frame which contains the variates as well as the process by which this study will be conducted. The study will determine the relationship shown by the double headed arrow connecting the two frames, between the Teacher’s Profile, Student’s Profile, Class Profile as to size and performance, Government Intervention, Support Groups, Family Values, Behavior of teachers towards students, behavior of students towards teachers other societal, psychological, economic, environment factors shown by the box at the right of the bigger frame, and the strategies and techniques of Grade V and VI teachers in dealing with misbehavior among students with existing school behavioral policy and legislation and programs on misbehavio r shown by the box at the left inside the bigger frame. The result of this study and the corresponding recommendations made, seen as the third frame, will serve as basis for the desired result shown in the uppermost broken lined sphere which is Positive Classromm Environment and successful and effective teaching and improved well-being of students. The desired effect depends on the independent variables which are strategies and  techniques used by Teacher-respondents, existing school behavioral policies and implementing laws regarding misbehavior. Effective implementation of these strategies and policies in schools with the cooperation and intervention of societal factors such as the family as the primary unit of society, next is the educational system, the variety of social networks, serves as important factors to attain an improved system on managing misbehavior in schools. However, this would also be measured among other intervening factors such as the profile of teachers, students and the class as to size and performance, government interventions, support groups, the values of the family of students, the behavior of teachers towards the class, the behavior of student towards teachers and other societal, psychological, economic, and environment setbacks. They include the complexity of social relationships with kin, neighbo rs, and friends, who may be sources of stress as well as support, and who may fail to reduce misbehavior even when they are trying to be emotionally supportive. Consequently above relationships of the boxes inside the bigger frame, a desired outcome is total awareness of Effective Methods towards Successful Management of Students’ Misbehavior in Catbalogan 1 thus will result to positive classroom environment and improved well being of the students. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY The study is intended to study the occurrence of misbehavior among students, its causes and the many ways to lessen its occurrence through professional responses and strategies implemented. It also represents the active struggles of teachers in dealing with the problems of behavior towards their students. The researcher hopes that this study will serve school principals to identify the behavioral problems that faced teachers in the classroom, in order to find solutions to decrease the effect of these problems on the level of teacher participation and student achievement. It also serves the educational administrations specifically the Department of Education (DepEd) to make decision to face the classroom problems through teacher training programs and useful laws. They will also know whether a certain program has already attained certain objectives. To the teachers, it will serve as a useful guide in understanding the student’s attitude and the many causes of misbehavior. Consequently, they will gain insights on which of the several  strategies is the most effective in eradicating problems of behavior among students. They could also benefit from the study through expanding their ways of improving their methods by the recommendations brought about by this study. For the students, they will increase awareness of the need to follow the standards imposed by the teachers and adapt their behaviors accordingly to the standards of proper discipline. The school administrators will also benefit from the study through acquiring ideas thus being able to lobby for policy adjustments in order to improve the current behavior policy of the school. For future researchers, this will provide a thorough and comprehensive literature for them to be able to conduct similar studies and furthermore inspire the readers to do more studies of an all encompassing discipline such as teaching and the effects of a new framework in solving misbehavior and other academic problems wh ich are much challenging and worth experimenting. Scope and Limitations This study will determine the effective strategies used by Grade 5 and 6 Teachers of Catbalogan I Central Elementary Schools in dealing with the problem of misbehavior using the descriptive – cross sectional design approach. The respondents are the Grade 5 and 6 teachers in Catbalogan I Central Elementary School, Catbalogan City. Descriptive as well as inferential statistical tools will be used in this study. This research paper is consisted of 7 parts. The first part covered the overview, objectives of the study, the methodology, frameworks applicable and review of related literature. The next part assessed the complexity of misbehavior in the classroom and the root causes root causes and effects of misbehavior. The third part examined the existing conventional strategies, theories and practices management such as â€Å"Dreikurs’s approach, which are commonly used by a majority of schools in dealing with misbehavior in comparison torespondent’s approach in the classroom. The next chapter tackled on the set of policies and programs of the Catbalogan I central Elementary School and is subsequently followed by the chapter on the best strategies the respondents perceive to be the most effective. The next part  was delved on the analysis of findings by presentation of the date gathered from the questionnaires and relevant information from Catbalogan I Central Elementary School and finally followed by the summary of findings, conclusion and recommendation. DEFINITION OF TERMS For better understanding, the following terms are hereby defined conceptually and operationally. BEHAVIOR It is the way a person behaves or acts; conducts; manners. In this study behavior mostly refer to the perception, attitude and general feeling and well being of an individual DISCIPLINE It is imparting knowledge and skill, in other words to teach. Discipline is used by teachers or parents to teach their children about expectations, guidelines and principles. Children need to be given regular discipline to be taught right from wrong and to be maintained safe SCHOOL DISCIPLINE It is the system of rules, punishments, and behavioral strategies appropriate to the regulation of children or adolescents and the maintenance of order in schools. Its aim is to control the students’ actions and behavior MISBEHAVIOR Misbehavior is a deliberate action, contrary to adult rules when a child fully understands those rules, and has the capacity to obey them mentally, emotionally, and physically. (http://www.4cforkids.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/misbehavior_poster.pdf) SCHOOL BEHAVIORAL POLICY It is the general principles and standards of behavior expected of pupils at the school and how that standard will be achieved, the school rules, any disciplinary penalties for breaking the rules and rewards for good behavior. BEHAVIORAL STRATEGIES Strategies can help a teacher to manage behavior in a classroom

The Evolution of IBM Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Evolution of IBM - Case Study Example The competencies thus shifted away from technical quality and towards knowledge, experience and personnel expertise (Carlson). The emphases was on focus, speed, customers, teamwork and execution. The company was centralized, global core processes were standardized, metrics were redesigned, and the focus was on the marketplace and the customer (Carlson). How would you describe Louis Gerstner’s implementation style of IBM’s competitive strategy in the early 1990s? The implementation style of IBM’s corporate strategy was focused upon streamlining the operation and cutting costs. IBM cut its workforce to a low of 220,000 employees in 1994, and used other cost reductions for the company. This was half of the competitive strategy. The other half was that Gerstner recognized that the company should continue to provide integrated solutions. The previous idea was that IBM would divide into separate companies that emphasized separate competencies. The idea was that IBM could bundle and customize solutions for customers, packaging hardware, software and services together in a customized bundle (Carlson). Because IBM was centered around an idea, as opposed to a certain technology, it was able to adapt to changing business climates that occur when new technologies arise, and the magazine The Economist states that companies who are rooted in a philosophy, not a product, are the companies who will be around in 100 years (â€Å"The Test of Time,â⠂¬  2011). ... Because IBM was centered around an idea, as opposed to a certain technology, it was able to adapt to changing business climates that occur when new technologies arise, and the magazine The Economist states that companies who are rooted in a philosophy, not a product, are the companies who will be around in 100 years (â€Å"The Test of Time,† 2011). The company also dropped low margin industries, such as personal printers and hard drives. Its focus was on high profit margin businesses, with a focus on becoming a technology integrator. It also acquired the management consulting and technology services arm of Pricewaterhouse Cooper, which was a boon for its services division (Carlson). What are the implications of the globally integrated enterprise model for marketing managers in the Australia and New Zealand subsidiary of IBM? The implications are that, even though the New Zealand and Australian marketing managers are working for a subsidiary of IBM, they will have to adhere to the corporate ethos of IBM. Moreover, they will be controlled by the centralized unit of IBM, and the products and services that they will be producing will be products and services which are approved by centralized management at IBM. The values, processes and shared services will be those of IBM. It appears that IBM has abandoned the strategy of having parents and children in the corporate sense, and more that each of the offices around the world are a part of IBM, and not independent. Discuss the elements of the marketing strategy that makes IBM successful in today’s global marketplace. One of the important elements of the marketing strategy is that IBM integrates production and value delivery worldwide, while depending upon state borders less

Quality Management and Business Process Management Essay

Quality Management and Business Process Management - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that scholars like Apel viewed the Characteristic core of the scientific philosophy as the main alternative of modern scientific theory. Habermas’ theory of communication is of the notion that communication patterns are analyzed as well as ideal speeches are of utmost significance. Characteristics of honesty and accuracy provide a way for reflective, rational as well as moral decision making. Top quality management also consists of efforts that are aimed at installing and making a permanent condition in which a given organization continuously aims at improving its ability to deliver products and services of high quality to its clients or customers. The techniques of TQM mostly draw upon previously developed techniques and tools of quality control. This refers to a holistic approach to management to align an organization’s commercial processes with the needs of the customers. It makes use of a systematic approach in an attempt to gradually improve the efficiency and effectiveness of a business while at the same time striving to achieve flexibility, integration with technology as well as innovation. This can actually be referred to as a process optimization procedure. This form of management can positively affect the revenue generation as well as cost. As an approach to management, BPM sees processes as an organization’s strategic assets that must be managed understood as well as improved so as to deliver services and products that are value added. This is the term that is associated with thinkers from the Frankfurt school of critical and social theory like Adorno, Fromm, Marcuse, Horkheimer as well as Habermas. The sole purpose of these is to help us to recognize how dominant ideologies are unjust and uncritically accepted by the majority.

Marketing BDD proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Marketing BDD proposal - Essay Example After which, BDD believes that HMC will be better off as a key account in the company to better take advantage of its multidivisional efforts. This proposal will show how HMC can best utilize its strategic partnership with BDD in response to its current financial dilemma. Our company is currently aware that HMC is in a tight financial situation due to the decline in state funding. In this regard, HMC seeks to reduce medical management cost by $175,000, $100,000 of which is assigned to medical acquisition cost. BDD is also aware that the company sought a supplier which can possibly slash the prices currently charged to HMC. Thus, Terumo, a Japanese manufacturer offered to charge a price 15% lower than HMC. Further evaluation revealed that Terumo's products passed the standard of the hospital and was thus considered. Slashing the medical acquisition cost of 15% will lead to $32,000 cost savings. It is of BDD's interest to help HMC with its effort to cut operating cost through this proposal. The counter proposal of BDD far outweighs the cost savings to be generated should HMC accept Terumo's offer. Initially, BDD offers to cut the HMC's acquisition cost by 10%. At first, it might seem that Terumo offers higher cost advantage than BDD as the proposed 10% cut will only reflect a $21,333 saving as opposed to $32,000. However, BDD will undermine the first offer by posting more cost savings in the form of value-added services. It should be noted that BDD wants to convey more value to HMC in the form of add-on services not covered in the deal with Terumo. Through the partnership of BDD and HMC, the latter avails of the basic services offered by the company which include fulfillment accuracy, on time delivery, damage-free goods, efficient order-inquiry routines, effective sales representation, accurate invoicing, and efficient in-servicing of end users. Acceptance of this proposal will assure HMC of the aforementioned services. However, it should be noted that deciding to choose Terumo will risk incurring the associated cost should the company fail to delivery the above services. It is irrefutable that Terumo's inability to ensure efficiency will be recorded as other costs. It is estimated that ordering inefficiency alone will HMC incur $2,500 a year. It is assumed that HMC acquire additional $8,500 if Terumo fails to deliver BDD's basic services. This significantly erodes the cost savings initially covered by Terumo's $32,000 cost savings. It should also be noted that since Terumo cannot supply all the syringes and needles provided b y HMC, this will cost another $7,000 for HMC. Thus, HMC will only be able to save $16,500 if it chooses to accept the proposal of Terumo. As HMC will be converted into a key account instead of a national account, it will also benefit from BDD's multidivisional efforts. The table below summarizes the cost savings of HMC between the two alternatives. Aside from the 10% discount, HMC will also directly benefit from the multidivisional effort of BDD in the form of lower ordering, transportation, warehousing, and disposal cost. In the multidivisional program, HMC will not need to place order every now and then as BDD's information system facilitates automatic ordering. This reduction in operation processes is expected to generate a $2,000 savings

Effective Leadership Styles for an Educational or Training Institution Essay

Effective Leadership Styles for an Educational or Training Institution - Essay Example A general definition would be that â€Å"a leader is someone who influences a group of people towards the achievement of a goal†. There are 3Ps that are related to the term â€Å"leader† and these are People, Purpose, and Person. A leader is a person that is deeply committed to the goal and s/he will try to achieve it even if nobody follows him/her. A leader is someone who has a personal vision and in order to achieve needs the help of others. The leader should communicate his/her vision in such a way that the followers will share it and the goal will become a common goal. The leader needs the trust of the followers. Some people are more effective than others at influencing people. This effectiveness has been attributed to leadership styles, persuasion skills and the personal attributes of the leader. A leader is someone that brings big changes and innovations, someone who has handled effectively big crises whereas a manager is someone who improves the effectiveness of an organization at a given place and at a controlled course. Coercive. This is the least effective since it erodes employees’ pride. The leader here creates terrifies and demeans the employees at the slightest misstep. As a style it can be used in emergency situations. Authoritative. The leader has a vision, s/he motivates people by showing them how their work fits in the vision of the organization. This approach fails when the leader has a team of experts but it is a style which is effective in most business situations. Affiliative. The leader focuses on strong emotional relations and then he receives the benefits i.e. employees loyalty. S/he offers positive feedback. As a style it is positive but it should be better used when the leader wants to improve communication and increase morale. Democratic.  

The Lacey Township Power Plant Problem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

The Lacey Township Power Plant Problem - Essay Example As the paper discusses the Radiation and Public Health Project highlighted this in 2001 when it found substantial increases in radioactive contamination of the local area. Further study indicated a marked increase in a wide variety of cancers especially in children and elderly people. This compares to a decrease in like cancers in the vicinity of eight similar reactors which have been closed since 1987. This essay declares that along with an immediate threat to public health are the problems associated with the disposal of the spent nuclear material. Currently the four nuclear power sites in New Jersey are storing over 1600 tons of radioactive waste. With aging facilities, dwindling financial resources, and diverted political priorities there is no clear plan that the public will be adequately safeguarded from future disaster. This material is a constant threat to the area from accidental leakage, mismanagement, or even a terrorist act. The jeopardy that the reactor poses is not just limited to the local area. Neighboring residents are also at risk. The mayor of Brick Township, New Jersey, has filed a petition with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission requesting the Oyster Creek site be allowed to remain open only if it met the current standards of a new reactor. The mayor's concerns are brought about by the dramatic increase in population since the reactor's inception. Evacuation plan s with the existing infrastructure would be unrealistic and would likely create mass chaos.

Teaching Tweens and Teens for Optimal Learning Research Paper

Teaching Tweens and Teens for Optimal Learning - Research Paper Example The brain is growing and changing, getting rid of information that seems to have no purpose and building pathways of behavior built upon observations on how to behave in the world. Where the family was once the center of learning, during the adolescent years, the world becomes the representation of knowledge. The size of the world is the key to finding the best possible outcomes, thus through understanding the way in which the adolescent brain works, a better understanding of how to teach teens and tweens emerges in order to create better prepared adults. The teenage mind is defined by its ability to appear to work like that of an adult, but in truth it is set to work in a very different manner. Parents are always shaking their heads and wondering why their teenagers behave the way that they do, making decisions that seem to have no reason and acting impulsively. The blame is often placed upon hormones, the common terminology reflecting an idea that it is the development of the body that is placing the teenage mind in a state of erratic behavior. Advances in neuroscience have concluded that it is not a hormonal issue that makes the behavior of teenagers so radically different than that of adults, but it is a development issue, the brain still in a state of construction in which it is still only at the stage of design, the grey matter physically being built and in the process of cutting away old synapses that are no longer needed (Feinstein, 2009, p. 4). The brain is literally growing and changing, the future of the adult in the hands of the choices made by the teenager, the brain growing in response to those changes. The nature of the teenage brain is such that in order to best teach them new methods in education may be important for producing higher levels of learning. Mind-mapping is a technique that allows for a broader use of the brain in order to see how connections are being made between varieties of concepts. Colors, pictures, symbols, and words are all combined to create a picture of how they combine to form thought (Philp, 2007, p. 17). This concept allows for an educator or academic to see how the connections between concepts are being formed for the teenage mind. According to Philp (2007) each of these conceptualized maps will be different, showing how the ways in which learning are taking place are is varied between individuals. Because the mind is being deconstructed and reconstructed, the mind of each teen is different, creating a chaotic social mix of individuals all trying to conform to teaching methods through perspectives that are all over the place. Sylwester (2007) breaks down the purpose of the brain into the â€Å"planning, regulation, and prediction of movements† (p. 15). The process of thinking can be looked at as a part of the idea of movement. One of the newest developments in understanding how learning is accomplished is through the idea of mirror neurons. The mind will function to accomplish a task, each section of the task being done through sequences of impulses that control the task. Templates of a task can also be created through what is termed mirror neurons that see the task accomplished and make plan from which the individual can also repeat that task (Stamenov, 2002, p. 273). In looking at adolescence, one can see that this process has begun new and is in

Bentham and Mills on Utilitarianism Essay Example for Free

Bentham and Mills on Utilitarianism Essay Im Researching Saved Recents Uploads My Answers Account Products Home Essays Drive Answers Texty About Company Legal Site Map Contact Us Advertise  ©2016 Bentham and Mills on Utilitarianism Utilitarianism, Ethics, John Stuart Mill Mar 28, 2006 1882Words 355Views PAGE 5 OF 5 As an American society statues and laws are placed before us to set a standard of morality and justice. But what truly determines whether an action is moral or immoral? As I analyze the works of Jeremy Bentham, in his Principle of Utility, Alongside John Stuart Mill, on Utilitarianism, we will better understand what the foundations of morality are in accordance to their writings. Furthermore, through their standards of utility I will analyze the situation proposed as to whether cheating on your income taxes can be justified as morally right or wrong in the eyes of the utilitarian. In his Work, Jeremy Bentham states Utilitarianism as that principle which approves or disproves of every action whatsoever, according to the tendency which it appears to have augmented or diminished the happiness of the party whose interest is in question. Plainly stated, Bentham defines utilitarianism as the ethical rightness or wrongness of an action directly related to the utility of that action. Utility is more specifically defined as a measure of the goodness or badness of the consequences of an action. J. S Mill later expands Benthams definition of the term by saying utility holds that actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to promote the reverse of happiness. Mill defines happiness as the absence of pain. Mill further states that there are different levels of pleasures. He states that some pleasures are of higher quality than others and thus more desirable. Mill states that, if all pleasures are equal and the only difference is in their quantities then human beings and lesser beings (such as a pig ) would receive gratification from the same sources of pleasure. Whereas Benthams utilitarianism makes no distinction between different beings and assigns the same pleasure to all members of the community, Mill separates human beings and lesser beings, which have pleasure that is of different category and worth. Mill gives an example by saying, It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied. In comparing the two, one can see that Bentham and Mill agree that utility is measured by the result of happiness (or absence of pain) of an action. The next firm foundation of utility, according to Bentham, is the greatest happiness of the greatest number of people who are affected by the performance of an action. He states, The interest of the community (the sum of the interest of several members who compose it) is one of the most general expressions that can occur in the phraseology of morals. He supposed that social policies are properly assessed in light of their effect on the general well-being of the majority of the population that is involved. In a utilitarian philosophy the effects of an action is to be meticulously calculated for the greater good of the masses. Mill later describes the perfection of utilitarian morality with the golden rule of Jesus of Nazareth. In this rule he alludes to the section in the Bible where Jesus claims that we should do as you would be done by, and to love your neighbor as yourself. In saying this he states that laws and social arrangements should place their happiness of every individual as nearly as possible in harmony with the interest of the whole. It can be said that maximum utility results when the following process is undertaken: 1) analyzing the majority (level of happiness experienced by people) after each action made. 2) Summate the levels of happiness experienced in each case. 3) And lastly, compare the results. The one that can be said to lead to the greater amount of total pleasure or happiness is the superior alternative. Perhaps the difference between the two can be that Bentham believes in a precise calculation of the utility of each possible action in a given situation. This precise calculation is achieved through different criteria which are as follows: 1)Pleasure minus pain 2)Intensity 3)Duration 4)Fruitfulness 5)Likelihood The first criteria, of pleasure minus pain, refers to whether the pain produced by the decision is worth the happiness produced. The second, being intensity, refers to the resulting strength. Duration, as the third criteria, relates to the length of time the experience lasts. The fourth factor of fruitfulness refers to the long-term results of the pleasure. And finally, likelihood determines whether it is likely the choice will result in the presumed effect. Through careful calculation of these factors, Bentham believes it is possible to come to select the greatest choice, thus bringing pleasure to the most amount of people. Mill, on the other hand, does not oppose the very nature of calculating utility, but merely the effort and time it would take to calculate the decision made. Mill believes that decisions are superiorly made through the application of rules that have been calculated ahead of time. He states, We shall examine presently of what nature are these considerations; in what manner they apply to the case, and what rational grounds, therefore, can be given for accepting or rejecting the utilitarian formula. With the afore mentioned foundations of Utility, can the following given circumstance be said to be morally right in the eyes of the Utilitarian: Suppose you have a dear friend who needs $1000 for her mothers medical bill and, if not treated, her mother will die and the pain of her family will be enormous. Suppose further that the only way to help your friend is to cheat on your income taxes that will never be audited. You believe that the money will not affect the IRS greatly because the government wastes billions of dollars anyways. You do not tell your friend how you got the money so that her and her family can experience enormous happiness. In deciding whether or not to cheat on your income taxes, a utilitarian must evaluate both sides of the overall welfare of the people affected by this action and the consequences of the action taken. In this case, the people affected would be (on one side) your friend, her mother, her family, and yourself, also (on the other side) the US government. The next step taken by Utilitarians would be to measure the pleasure and pain which would be caused by cheating on your income taxes. The consequences that can relatively be calculated, on the side of your friend, if the action is not taken can be: 1)the mother will have pain and die 2)your friend and her family will suffer enormous pain 3)you will suffer alongside your friend. And the pleasure would be the opposite. On the other hand, the consequences for the government, in your eyes, will be minimal since you will not be audited: 1) they will be oblivious to the fact that they should have received $1000 more 2) the government usually wastes billions of dollars. However, the true consequences of cheating on your taxes can be said to: 1) break the law of paying your taxes in their entirety 2) bring you pain if you are caught 3)effect the budget of a certain program that your money would have gone to. In this case, from the eyes of the person cheating on the income taxes, the greater pain would be to deprive their friend of the money at the present time. However, according to Mill, utilitarianism must be qualitatively weighed. This requires for one to consider, not only, the amount of pain and pleasure, but also the quality of each pain and pleasure. Mill states, According to the Greatest Happiness Principle, the ultimate end, is an existence exempt as far as possible from pain, and as rich as possible in enjoyments, both in point of quality and quantity. A flaw in utilitarianism, is that nothing is really said to be absolute. Every circumstance is relative to each person. What one person may consider to be morally right and just and of good quality, may not be the same for another. Mill suggests that to distinguish between different pains and pleasures a person who has experienced both sides of pleasure and pain should be able to measure and choose which result concludes in more happiness. In this particular case, many things can result from cheating on your taxes. For example, the $1000 that you withheld from the government could have gone to help a school in a poor community, therefore causing pain to the teaching staff that will not receive the money they deserve, or the students who will not receive appropriate supplies. Another result can be that one less item can be bought to support the nation in a fruitless war, which will bring happiness to those who oppose war. In such a case, there really is no way to be able to determine the direct result of what ones income taxes will benefit, so it is very arduous to weigh the quality of pain and pleasure in each side of the circumstance. With the previously given examples it is no wonder why Mill states, It is often affirmed that utilitarianism renders men cold and unsympathising; that it chills their moral feelings towards individuals due to the fact that an individual can not calculate the measured unhappiness of each action. Therefore because we do not have the time to calculate accurately in every instance, Mills supposed, we properly allow our actions to be guided by moral rules most of the time, which in this case would be the laws set forth by the government. As Mill stated we should be able to rely absolutely on ones feelings and conduct, and to oneself of being able to rely on ones own, that the will to do right ought to be cultivated into this habitual independence. Plainly stated, if one feels that it is morally wrong to cheat on your taxes, because it is a direct violation of the laws given by the government, then we must rely on those feelings to make the morally right decision to not cheat on the taxes. Therefore it can be concluded that the action of cheating on your income taxes to help a friend in need can not be accepted as morally right. Though the intentions may be noble, and may be meant to bring quantitative and qualitative happiness, the action still remains morally wrong and can bring about even more quantitative and qualitative unhappiness. In such a case, the conclusion will always be met with some sort of pain. Mill stated that neither pains nor pleasures are homogeneous, and pain is always heterogeneous to pleasure. So alongside the pain caused by an action to cheat or not cheat on your taxes will always bring alongside a pleasure. In conclusion, the utilitarian foundations as stated by Jeremy Bentham and J. S. Mill altruistically put the happiness of others or of the majority ahead of the individual. As stated by Mill, in the long run, the best proof of a good character is good actions and such actions place the masses over the mutually exclusive. So through the works of Bentham and Mill, a greater perception has been given of what the foundations of utilitarianism truly are.

Budget And Budgetary Control

Budget And Budgetary Control Budget and Budgetary Control are the key components of any business and its decision making process. A business is an organization usually set up with an aim to attain success and bring some change in the society. However, in case of any business the success is determined by the profit or the value it added to the organization at the end of an year. Therefore, the calculations of the sales and expenditures are the basic concepts of any business. As mentioned, a business is set up with a goal to attain success and thus, as a prerequisite of attaining success one organization needs to be properly aware of all its operations and should also be capable of foresee its future operations. Farsightedness has often been described as a primary means to attain success. Thus, the success of any business is quite dependent on its predictions about future course of actions. In this case, predictions relate to the organizational turnover, business trends during a time period, expenditure patterns etc. All these needs to be put together to determine an organizational strategy which will help the business sustain is growth or attain further growth. Further, in todays world business relates to funds and capitals raised through different sources, examples: bank loans, venture capitalists, investors etc. All these people are interested in looking at the facts and figures that depicts the organizational success and a successful future course of actions. The facts and figures, mentioned herewith, needs to be properly computed and presented in a form of statement. This document depicting the future of any business is known as budget. Budgetary control can be described as complimentary concept defined by the budget. Budgetary control depicts different types and aspects of business expenses and ways of controlling the same. It concentrates on the expenditures and makes sure that all the departments and its activities acts accordingly and follow the budget properly. The budget stream-lined the expenditure pattern and helps an organization to carry on its activities smoothly. BUDGET GLIMPSE ON THE DIFFERENET ASPECTS A budget can be described as a financial plan for a business that has been prepared well in advance to demonstrate and dictate the future course of work of a business. A budget may be set in money terms, for eg. a sales budget of an organization for the month of May, 2011 is  £500,000 or it can be expressed in terms of units, for say, a purchases budget determining the number of units to be bought during the month of April, 2011 is to be 5,000 units. Budgets can also be put across in the form of income budgets for money received i.e. sales budget, or expenditure budgets for money spent, i.e. a purchases budget. However, a major emphasis has always been on the cash budget which combines both income and expenditure in estimating the business working capital, cash in hand and bank balance during a course of work or a time period. The budgets are usually prepared for the following financial years (budget period), and are usually broken down into shorter time periods in order to emphasize on the figures and their attainment/fulfillment. The periods are usually monthly or quarterly, determined based on the level of activities and its operations. This ensures budgetary control to be exercised over the budget; the actual results can be monitored against the budgeted figures. Incase, of better performance the organizations announce bonus, give increments to its employees however, incase of unfavorable figures, the discrepancies between the two can be investigated and corrective action can be taken accordingly. BENEFITS OF BUDGET AND BUDGETARY CONTROL Budgets provide benefits both for the business, and also for its managers and other staffs: The budget assists planning-Oncethe business objectives are set and formalised through a budget, it can b ensured that the other business plans are also achievable. It also helps in taking the output decisions of various goods and services and to make sure that everything is available at the right time. The budget communicates and co-ordinates -A budget is agreed by the business, and helps the different department and sections within work towards a same end. It helps in maintaining a discipline throughout and in assuring that all departments play in their own part in achieving the goal. The budget once set also helps in resolving any anticipated problems and other areas of potential confusion get clarified. The budget helps in decision-making process -as already own a budget helps in planning ahead and thus allowing the business to think an foresee ahead of time, they cannot only decide the form of goods and services to be served but also the purchase decisions which can help it in manipulating its prices. The budget can be used to monitor and control The most important benefit of a budget preparation is helping a management to have budgetary control to monitor and compare the actual results. This further helps in adapting various actions in modifying the operations of the business as time passes, or possibly to change the budget if it becomes unachievable. The budget can be used to motivate and control A budget often acts as a motivating factor since provides the managers and other staffs a predetermined goals. This not only helps the business but also helps its employees since on fulfilment of the predetermined targets most of the organizations declare various types of bonuses and increments for its staff. LIMITATIONS OF BUDGET BUDGETARY CONTROL Though there are various benefits to the fact of budget and budgetary control, however, there are few limitations also and these are described below: i) Benefits of producing a budget should exceed its cost Budgeting is fairly a complex process and for some businesses especially the small ones it may pose too much of a burden in terms of time and other resources, with only limited benefits. Nevertheless, most of the lending organizations such as banks etc. in todays era often require the budgets as part of the business plan in order to further proceed with their lending or investment decisions. In these cases, as a general rule, the benefit of producing the budget must exceed its cost. ii) Budgets are often not accurate Budget deals with estimations and predictions relating to future based on the figures of the past and the present. Therefore, a great risk is involved with it tending the figures to be wrong. A business highly dependent on budgets may found it difficult to succeed with wrong details put across. Therefore, great care needs to be taken with estimation of various facts and figures. Budgetary control is used to compare the budget against what actually happened the budget may need to be changed if it becomes unachievable. iii) The budget might demotivate Employees at the ground level who do not possess any managerial rights or does not take part in agreeing and setting on to a budget might felt to be imposed upon them and thus might act as a demotivating factor. Instead of encouragements it might pose a threat to employees since a non-attainment of the target might bring in some sort of difficulty for the employee. iv) Budgets might lead to dysfunctional management The targets might pose in a threat with employees in one department of the business achieving more than their budgeted targets and create problems elsewhere. For example, a production department might achieve extra output that the sales department finds difficult to sell. The might create a chaotic situation and to avoid such dysfunctional management, budgets need to be set at realistic levels and linked and co-ordinated across all departments with proper informations. v) Budgets might be set at too low levels Budgets being prepared by individuals can be prepared at low achievable rates since, the budget where too easy to achieve, will be of no benefit to the business and may, in fact, lead to lower levels of output and higher costs than before the budget was established. Budgets should make it sure, the best use of the resources available. BUDGETRAY PLANNING Budget being an integral part of any business is often prepared well ahead of time and usually a concerned department works on preparing an accurate budget and has got planning regarding its successful preparation: Budget Manual provides a set of guidelines as to who is involved with the budgetary planning and control process, and how the process is to be conducted a budget committee, which organises the process of budgetary planning and control; in order to be the most effective, brings together representatives from the main functions of the business eg production, sales, administration and is headed by a budget co-ordinator whose job is to administer and oversee the activities of the committee CONCLUSION In this report, an attempt has been made to put across a detailed analysis of budget and budgetary control. The objectives of its preparation, benefits and limitations mentioned above should be capable enough to put across a picture whereby, all the informations about budget and budgetary control are easily available. Though, I tried my best to put across a brief overview on the whole concept, however, its not absolute, and is limited to the fact of knowledge, time and resources. However, after the brief analysis it is evident that besides having its various limitations also budget and budgetary control is an integral part of any business.

Should gay marriages be legalized? Essay -- essays research papers fc

Should same sex marriages be legal?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Same-sex marriages have been very controversial since becoming an issue in Canada regarding the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Several people state that same-sex marriages should be legal, while others disagree, saying it should not be permitted. There have been many debates and inquiries about this issue for several years; the MP’s and Parliament will finally settle the problem within the next year or so. Many are in favour of legalizing same-sex marriages in all of Canada due to the violations and infringes upon the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Problems revolving around same-sex marriages have upset many religious groups. These groups believe that same-sex marriages should not be performed in a church – or at all. Although churches and other places of worship do not approve of same-sex marriages, legalizing same-sex marriages does not breach the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Same-sex marriages should be legalized everywhere in Canada because individuals should be able to express themselves freely without having to feel discriminated against, as stated in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Denying the fundamental liberties and other rights in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is unconstitutional and contravenes what the Charter is expected to maintain. The fundamental rights are what the Charter is based on – the freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication (Section 2b) will be infringed if same-sex marriages are disallowed. Addressing the issue of the fundamental freedoms on same-sex marriages, Prime Minister Paul Martin quoted: The Charter is a living document, the heartbeat of our constitution. It is also a proclamation. It declares that as Canadians, we live under a progressive and inclusive set of fundamental beliefs about the value of the individual. It declares that we all are lessened when any one of us is denied a fundamental right†¦If we do no step forward, then we step back. If we do not protect a right, then we deny it. Canada is governed based on the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Certain parties of the government believe that the government can not and should not pick and choose whose rights they will defend and whose right... ...of another, their right has also been infringed. Then again, religious morals are not valued as they ought to be in society as a whole, its customs, and its laws will change forever from this issue. Change is needed for Canada to adapt to the evolving world, adjusting to changes is beneficial. Legalizing same-sex marriages will lead Canada to being a stronger and a more liberated country. BIBLIOGRAPHY Sullivan, Andrew. Same-sex marriage, pro and con. A Reader. New York: Vintage Books, 2004 Catholic Group says Cardinal Wrong to say Charter of Rights shouldn’t apply to Gays and Lesbians [Online] Available: http://www.equal-marriage.ca/resource.php?id=142 (19 Jan. 2005) Civil Marriage Act [Online] Available: http://canada.justice.gc.ca/en/news/nr/2005/doc_31376.html (1 Feb. 2005) Gay Marriages Timeline [Online] Available: http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/print/CTVNews/110262810228_a8037308/?hub... GLBT and the equal marriage movement [Online] Available: http://www.psac.com/elections/ask_same_sex_marriage-e.htm Same-sex Marriages [Online] Available: http://www.canadawebpages.com/pc- editorial.asp?key=1415&editorPrimeKeyword=samesexmarriages...

Making Best of the Bad - Original Writing :: Papers

Making Best of the Bad - Original Writing What is the meaning of life? That is a question that I ask myself and I'm sure you do as well. Sometimes I just sit there on my own, when things aren't going to great and have a wonder. I always come up with the same answer usually. 'Dunno'. I asked this question a lot to myself when my parents were splitting up. As I didn't know what the point of me being here was. But, now I have come through that rollercoaster of emotions. I think I have come out a bigger and better person. I look back at my life, when I was in my early childhood around seven or eight. They were some fabulous times, the hot scorching sunny days, the sky as blue as the rippled ocean. I remember feeling top of the world, playing footy with mates from sunrise to sunset. Life really couldn't have felt better. And why couldn't it? Because there was nothing wrong. As long as nothing is wrong, you will feel nothing but pure genuine joy. But as soon as something does go wrong, its hits you harder than anything, like being knocked down by a five tonne lorry. It feels like you will never get up again, and that everyone else's life is better. You feel so low, that you do not know what to do with yourself and you cannot trust anyone. This is what happened to me. That feeling is indescribable. All I can say is that it hurts. Although I did get knocked down, I did get back up and fight back. It was a long haul to say the least. But right now I can say that things that pretty much are back to their best. I mean can you give me one reason why it's good to mope around and feeling sorry for yourself? No. I didn't think you could. That's why you have to try and claw back what you once had. When your family is the most important thing to

steve wynn :: essays research papers fc

Steve Wynn’s Nevada   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What better way to set off Nevada’s centennial birthday than with the opening of the world’s most highly anticipated resort. Steve Wynn is set to open the only hotel good enough to put his signature on, Wynn Las Vegas is set to open its doors on April 28th, Elaine Wynn’s birthday. Already fully booked thru July, you will need more than an American Express black card to get a room there before Fall. At a mere $2.6 billion and counting, the classy fifty story bronze beast is home to 2,700 rooms located across from the Fashion Show Mall. Each suite has floor to ceiling windows with views of either the strip, a man made mountain and lake or the championship golf course designed by world renowned Tom Fazio. Among two new exquisite themed theaters, dozens of restaurants, a Maserati and Ferarri dealership, high-end boutiques, a spa and a huge waterfall, it will also feature Steve and Elaine Wynn’s gallery of artwork from their own private coll ection. One of the new showrooms will hopefully be worth its $100 million price tag. It seats 2,000 and is shaped like a globe with water flowing all around the divided sections. Actors will be performing throughout the theatre within forty feet of every seat, which makes for no bad seat in the house.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It’s claim to fame will be what Wynn has been known for in the past, impeccable first class service. Since October of last year close to 110,000 applied on line for a chance to work with such a successful hotelier. So to his advantage he was able to pick and choose only the best, many from his soon to be competitors. Only 9,000 made the final cut. This will be his big comeback since leaving five years ago when he sold the Mirage Resorts to MGM Grand Inc. for $6.4 billion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Plans for expanding the mega resort that has yet to open are well under way. A proposed $200 million expansion will add eighteen luxury golf villas, extra parking, another theatre and more casino space. Later as many as 1,400 more rooms will be added which is expected to cost another half a billion dollars by the time its done.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As a boy Wynn attended military school and would go on to attend one of the best business schools in the country, Wharton at University of Pennsylvania.

Cupcake Bouquet Marketing Plan Essay

Mission Cupcake Delight is dedicated to serve the market with its supreme and delightful varieties of cupcakes, pastries, and cakes featuring the Mindanao’s own fruit crops that will surely fit the palates and pockets of Filipinos. Vision Cupcake Delight, as a prime source of quality cupcakes in Davao City, envisions to continually serve the market with its finest products with virtuous customer service. It will strive to apply the total quality management in whole aspects of the organization in order to achieve the highest standards and expectations of the clienteles. Furthermore, Cupcake Delight will venture the desserts industry in the whole Philippines with its mission of delivering palatable and affordable products. Values Cupcake Delight is also designed to improve and enhance the values rooted from its creation. It believes that these values will be an essential part of its success. These include the areas of organization, human, society, economy, and politics. Organizational Values * Total quality management * Continuous innovation of the products * Integrity and priority of work and performance * Teamwork * Proper orientation to the customers Human Values * Safety and honesty of the workers * Freedom for initiative of employees * Development of skills of the bakers and employees * Career growth * Resourcefulness in every situation Social Values * Corporate social responsibility * Think green, do green * Respect for cultural diversity, minorities, and majorities Economic Values * Responsive to the trends in the economy * Harmony in the allocation of all forms of resources Political Values * Adherence of laws and policies * Appropriate use of freedom of expression * Advocate for peace and order Goals Cupcake Delight intends to be in the right direction and to keep on the right track. To accomplish this, it furnishes its goals for the company. * To introduce an innovation of cupcakes to the market and to advertise them effectively * To establish a connection, value, and loyalty to the customers * To promote the cupcake bouquet, Boucake, as one of the best gifts for any occasions II. TARGET MARKET The target market of Cupcake Delight feature product, Boucake, is the male. A total of 76% are willing to spend their money compared to the female with the total of 75%. There is a very little difference but it is great to target the males since they are the most appropriate customers who will spend their money to buy present for their significant others. Boucake is a supreme and delightful gift in this kind of romantic relationship. In addition, Boucake is not just limited as a gift for sweethearts but can also be a present for people celebrating special events in their lives. It is best for individuals celebrating their birthdays, commemorating their anniversaries, rejoicing their graduation, remembering special days like teacher, mother and father’s day, children’s party and among others. These occasions somewhat require gifts; the 75% female can be the customers for these. III. MARKETING NEEDS OR TRENDS The cupcake bouquet, Boucake, has a 79% demand in the market. The percentage of demand is based on the survey question whether the respondents are willing to spend their money to purchase the product. Out the 200 respondents, 158 answered yes. This demand can give anticipation that the product will be likely accepted by the market when introduced. A 79% is a good figure to start presenting a product that is something new to the market. Almost three fourths are willing to buy though roughly 47.5% have already seen a product in resemblance to the Boucake. Cupcakes are no longer different and new in the eyes and tastes of the customers but Boucake which is innovated from this common product has still a demand in the market. It can be furtherly explained because 81% is fond of eating sweets. Therefore, when Boucake is strategically introduced and advertised, the 79% market demand can equal the 81% of people who like sweets. Cupcake Stores are growing in the Davao Region. Recently, the Jonathan’s Cupcakery which has a shop at Arellano Street had its branch in the SM Lanang Premier where more people can notice its cupcakes. Sweet Aroma Bakeshoppe is also keep on expanding its branches at cities outside Davao. A group of students also entered the cupcake business just this year. It is evident that there is a trend in cupcake business. The challenge is how to make the product attractive and unique from others. These cupcake stores offer varieties of flavors and customization of designs. However, Boucake differentiates from these because of its feature and physique. This keeps up the Boucake with the current trend in the market. In addition, Boucake is not just for satisfying hunger but can also be a present for loved ones especially during special occasions. 93.5% stated that Boucake is a good gift for those special events. IV. SWOT ANALYSIS WEAKNESSES * new to the market, thus risky * no loyal customers yet * expensive compared to just buying a single cupcake * several competitors * short shelf life WEAKNESSES * new to the market, thus risky * no loyal customers yet * expensive compared to just buying a single cupcake * several competitors * short shelf life STRENGTHS * product’s newness and uniqueness * originality * best for gift-giving * suited alternative for flower bouquets * attractive and satisfying * large target market (teenagers, young adults, more in a romantic relationship at a very young age) * high-technology advertisements STRENGTHS * product’s newness and uniqueness * originality * best for gift-giving * suited alternative for flower bouquets * attractive and satisfying * large target market (teenagers, young adults, more in a romantic relationship at a very young age) * high-technology advertisements OPPORTUNITIES * expansion of branch and of products * more innovative products * partnership with related or substitute products OPPORTUNITIES * expansion of branch and of products * more innovative products * partnership with related or substitute products THREATS * famous or branded competitors might copy or imitate the product * failure or loss * overestimation of market demand THREATS * famous or branded competitors might copy or imitate the product * failure or loss * overestimation of market demand V. COMPETITION COMPETITIVE PROFILE MATRIX DIRECT COMPETITORS A. JONATHAN’S CUPCAKERY Product Jonathan’s Cupcakery offers different flavors of cupcakes from vanilla, chocolate, carrot, tiramisu, coffee, mocha, coconut mango, gingerose to pistachio. It also has various macarons, chip cookies, and curried chocolate and toasted coconut ice cream Place Jonathan’s Cupcakery has a shop located at Arellano Street. Customers can dine in to eat its cupcakes and other pastries. It also has a branch in the SM Lanang Premier where more people will be able to see its products. Promotion Jonathan’s Cupcakery promotes its product through Facebook page, uploading its menu, current and new products. It also joined in Davao Gourment Collective where it can expose its products to other class of market. It also offers customized cupcakes during Mother’s Day, Valentines, and other special occasions. Price The price of its cupcakes is quite expensive because of the special ingredients it incorporates to make the cupcakes more varied and special. Strengths It has a branch inside a mall; thus attracting more customers. It offers many variants of cupcakes which are not that known to the market making them interesting. Customization of its products is also being offered. Weaknesses It has strong competitors which are more famous and well known than them. Some of its products’ design is plain. B. SWEET AROMA BAKESHOPPE Product Sweet Aroma Bakeshoppe offers cupcakes with very cute and attractive designs and cakes with intricate and delicious appearance. Place Sweet Aroma Bakeshoppe has a main branch at Pichon Street fronting the Grand Men Seng Hotel where customers hotel can see its products. It has branches fronting San Pedro Hospital, Gaisano Mall, Gaisano Grand Mall of Tagum, and NCCC Mall of Tagum where are outside the region of Davao. Promotion It is promoting its products through its own website and own page at Facebook reaching people through online. Price The cupcake costs at P49 is quite expensive but reasonable since its design is so pleasing to the eyes as well as to the palate of the customers. The cakes are really expensive starting at P500 which are quite small in size. It also offers 7 cupcakes for P250. Strengths It has many branches where people can conveniently purchase its products not just in Davao Region. It is starting to expand and to make a name in the cupcake industry. The products are so good both in the eyes and tongues which encourage and motivate customers for buying them. Weaknesses Products are quite expensive which hesitate the customers from buying it. It is just starting thus competitors can still be the first choice of the customers. Its branch in Gaisano Mall does not have any flyers which might give extra information to the customers especially those who are interested to buy its products for special occasions. C. ROYAL BITES Product Royal Bites is offering flavors of cupcakes with very colorful designs. It also offers butter scotch, cookies, pastries, and customized cakes. Place Royal Bites is situated in Juna Subdivision, Matina, Davao City. Promotion Royal Bites promotes its products through Facebook, pictures, and word of mouth from the owners’ friends and customers. Price The price is reasonable for it meets the quality expected by the customers. Strengths Royal Bites doesn’t limit its products to cupcakes but also offer variants of cakes and pastries. The products are also appealing. Weaknesses The business is new to the market thus not all people know or notice its products. Competition can also be a hindrance for catering more people. INDIRECT COMPETITORS A. GOLDILOCKS Product Goldilocks offers cakes and rolls for birthdays, and any celebrations and occasions with different flavors and decorations. It also has cake which the customers can decorate with their own designs and likes. Pastries and pies are also available in its stores like mamon, hopia, egg pies, tarts, and macaroons. Goldilocks also has sweets like crinkles, cookies, pastillas, candies, chocolate bouquets and lollipops, polvoron, and popcorn. It also offers sarapinoy meals, pinoydeli, side dishes, and thirst quenchers. Place Goldilocks has numerous branches – stalls and shops inside and outside the malls. Its branches are scattered all over the islands of the Philippines. People can visibly see its goods almost everywhere; thus they are more encouraged to buy it. Promotion One of the most effective ways to promote Goldilocks products is to advertise it in national television since everyone has a chance of knowing their product offers both the new and old ones. It also uses high-end endorsers like Kris Aquino, Judy Ann Santos, and Dingdong Dantes. It also promotes its products particularly cakes through its program – decorate your own cake. Goldilocks goes green. It states, â€Å"Help us save the Earth by getting and bringing the Goldilocks brown bag whenever you buy their favorite Goldilocks products.† It also has discounts. Price Based on Mark Striving, Goldilocks uses Good-Better-Best. It is an intelligent pricing tactic that every firm should consider; it’s an extension of versioning that takes advantage of customers’ psychological make-up. People who are unsure what they want will usually buy the middle, or â€Å"Better† choice out of Good-Better-Best. Go back and read that sentence again: People who are unsure what they want will usually buy the middle or â€Å"Better† choice out of Good-Better-Best. So providing a middle choice is the crux of the good, better, best tactic. It has been shown that customers avoid â€Å"Best† because they are afraid of paying too much; it also shows that they are even more afraid of â€Å"Good† (the lowest choice) because they are afraid to purchase the lowest quality, and it may make them look cheap. So, when uncertain, they buy â€Å"Better†. This means, if company currently have two versions of offering, company should seriously consider adding a third with more features at a higher price (and feature level). This action will likely sway any of customers who were stuck between buying â€Å"Good† (the lowest) and â€Å"Better† (the middle), to choose â€Å"Better†. Companies will also likely sell some â€Å"Best† and at much higher profit than your other offerings. Overall, simply adding a â€Å"Better† option puts more profit dollars in pocket. Strengths Goldilocks has already established its name in the Philippines. It will be one in the options in every Filipinos when choosing cakes and pastries. It is well known and famous. The quality of its products especially the cakes is one of its edges. It has already been in the food industry for a long time; therefore it has the proper know-how and strategies to pursue whenever it can encounter problems and competitions. Weaknesses Health conscious individuals are quite a trend in the food industry. More people are watching their diet and how much calories and sugar they are in taking. Goldilocks uses sugar as its prime ingredient which might lead these individuals to avoid its products. Competition is always in the market. B. MERCO Product Merco offers various kinds and flavors pastries and cakes. It also has coolers like halo-halo and shakes. It also patronizes home-cooked Pinoy dishes and short-orders such as French fries and sandwiches. Place Merco already had 35 branches in Davao Region which are mostly take-out counters and a few are for dining particularly in Quirino branch. Its branches located almost everywhere make its products more visible and available to the market. Promotion Merco promotes its products through social media particularly through Facebook and its own company website. It also advertises through large tarpaulins stating their new offers, promotions, and activities. Word of mouth from the customers also promotes Merco products. Price The prices of Merco’s products are affordable to the market. It has a notion of pangmasa. A whole cake is priced at a minimum of P200, cake rolls at P150, coolers at P40, and the Pinoy meals at P50. Strengths Merco already established well its name in the market especially in Davao Region. It has been reputable because of its credibility in serving quality cakes for more than 60 years that are affordable and reasonable. Its branches are located strategically where the public can see its products. Weaknesses Since Merco is in the business for more than 60 years, customers has a thinking that it is already old and want to try new and fresh branded products. It is not appealing to the higher class because it is pangmasa; and it does not have systematic promotions of serving upper class. Most of its branches are take-out counters so some customers are hesitant to buy its products and will instead go to other bakeshops where they can have stay while eating. Merco is not also expanding its product line outside Davao. C. RED RIBBON Product Cakes, rolls, pastries, and meals are the products of Red Ribbon. Cakes and rolls are of different flavor and variants but mostly of chocolate. Pastries consist of different flavors of mamon, different slices of marble cake, varried numbers of polvoron, empanada, and pastillas de leche. Red Ribbon also serves spaghetti, carbonara, and palabok good for parties. Place Red Ribbon has different branches here in Davao, all inside the malls of Abreeza, Victoria Plaza, Gaisano, SM, and NCCC. It has stalls and stores all over the Philippines. People can recognize its products because it is placed in public places. Promotion Red Ribbon advertises its products in the television where everyone can know and interest its products. It has a promotional activity but 9 butter mamon, get 1 free. This kind of promo is also available in ensaymada, yummy cheese roll, marble slices, and other mamon variants. It also offers customization of cakes. Price The price of Red Ribbon is usually expensive and caters upper class market. Strengths Red Ribbon is easy to locate for its many branches. It is very convenient for the customers because they can locate it anywhere. It also offers not only cakes and pastries but also meals such as pasta, spaghetti, and other rice meals. It lets customers customize their choice of cake. Weaknesses Red Ribbon doesn’t have much promotional activities and offers few flavors of cakes. It is likely limited to chocolate cakes. It has rice meals which are good but quite expensive. D. FUDGE FACTORY Product It offers cupcakes, brownies, chocolate bars, and pies. The box, the factory called it the Medley of Fun has 24 different kinds of brownies from dark to white chocolate, plain to frost topping with an assortment of nuts, liqueur, and even durian (what Davao city is known, for). Other than the brownies, it has an assortment of pastries like cheese sticks, trifle, cookies and biscotti. Place Fudge Factory is located at 2nd floor, Abreeza Mall, Davao. Promotion Fudge Factory has online pages in Facebook. It can promote products to large population of people through online. More people are hook in Facebook; thus more people will be able to know its products. There are also bloggers who promote their products as they posted positive comments about Fudge Factory. Furthermore, people can connect with its website for promotions. Price The price of Fudge Factory is affordable and reasonable. Strengths It has 24 varieties of brownies where the customers can have wide range of choices. Its location can cater different types of market or customers which can be its target marjet or potential customers. Products are good for any occasions and best for gift giving. Weaknesses Health conscious people will not likely patronize its products because they contain fat, calories, and sugar. Fudge factory also focuses on pastry sweets which make the customers thirsty and doesn’t offer any drinks. E. MARGIE’S BAKESHOP Product Margie’s Bakeshop offers cakes, pastries, cupcakes and full meals such as steaks and other Filipino dishes. It also offers sweets such as meringues and chocolate truffles. It offers desserts too like dulce de leche and a lot more. Its products are really top quality. Its food is great and it matches their pricing too. But all in all, customers can’t really judge them at price alone because its food is really good and very good to look at. It passed the two requirements of good food: looks good and tastes good. Place Margie’s Bakeshop has lots of branches all over Davao City at Ecoland, Matina, Fairlanes, Torres, Abreeza Mall of Davao, and at Buhangin. The branches are convenient and visible to the customers. Promotion It has online advertising through Facebook. There was a time Margie’s offered a buy 1 take 1 cake promotion. Price Prices are somewhat in the upper class range. Products prices are expensive. Their most affordable cake goes for P320 and it is only good for 2 persons. There are other cakes which cost for P320 – P700 and only good for 2 persons. Their chocolate truffles cost at P13 each. But of course, with price comes the quality of their product. It is really expensive there but it is worth every centavo customers pay for. Strengths Margie’s Bakeshop has different branches in Davao City making more customers able to see its products. The pastries and cakes are really quality products. Weaknesses Its pricing is expensive; thus there are limited customers who will be able to spend their money to buy its products. The promotional activities are not that evident. I. SERVICES AND BENEFITS HEALTH BENEFITS The fruits made of simple sugars like fructose and sucrose that when eaten replenish energy and revitalize the body instantly. It is rich in dietary fiber, which helps to protect the colon mucous membrane by decreasing exposure time and as well as binding to cancer-causing chemicals in the colon. It is a source of antioxidant vitamin-C. It helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful free radicals. It contains high levels of essential amino acid, tryptophan which in the body metabolizes into serotonin and melatonin in which theyraises serotonin levels that creates an over-all sense of well-being and aids in depression. Durian provides â€Å"more concentrated healthful energy in food form than any other product the world affords. Its high concentration of raw oleic fats (and vitamin E), sulphur compounds, and soft proteins. It increases energy, endurance, mental clarity, and cellular health, good for muscle building and organ function. It has anti-aging benefits including enhancing the appearance of your skin. Jackfruit is a good source of antioxidant vitamin-C, provides about 13.7 mg or 23% of RDA. It is a good source of potassium, magnesium, manganese, and iron. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure. It contains minerals like manganese which is needed in the body to build bone and connective tissues; Iron prevents anemia while manganese as well as magnesium are essential for bone health; Magnesium is important in the absorption of calcium and work with calcium to help the bones remain strong and prevent bone related disorders. B-Vitamins like riboflavin, vitamin B6, folic acid and niacin; these are essential to maintain good skin and nervous system. Jackfruit lowers blood pressure levels. Jackfruit is a rich source of potassium for the body as it helps keep the body fluids and electrolyte balance in body cells and helps in regulating blood pressure reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes. It strengthens immune system. Jackfruit is a very good source of vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant that can help prevent colds and infections. Also help in the proper functioning of the immune system by supporting the functions of the white blood cells. It ensures better gastrointestinal health. The high fiber present in the fruit prevents constipation and helps in smooth and regular bowel movements. The fiber also offers protection to the mucous membrane of the colon by driving away the carcinogenic chemicals from the colon. Mangosteen is unique for its appearance and flavor. It is very low in calories (63 calories per 100 g) and contains no saturated fats or cholesterol. It is rich in dietary fiber (100 g provides about 13% of RDA), which can be very important for individuals who are concerned about putting on excess body weight. Mangosteen is good in vitamin C. Vitamin-C is a powerful water soluble anti-oxidant that helps the body develops resistance against flu-like infectious agents. It helps to combat pain (anti-inflammatory property which may decrease inflammation, pain and joint damage linked with arthritis, or pain caused by sports workout and minor injuries) It maintains intestinal health – relieve diarrhea, constipation, stimulate normal bowel health. Mangosteen may decrease blood sugar in Type II diabetes by making insulin more effective, decrease free radical damage and inflammatory build up – help to maintain the blood vessel health, cholesterol level, protect heart muscle, low er high blood pressure. II. MARKETING MIX Product Cupcake Delight’s feature product is Boucake. Boucake is derived from the combination of bouquet and cake. It is in a form of a bouquet but instead of flowers, it uses cupcakes with different fillings. It has different designs that look like a real flower. This cupcake bouquet is not just unique in its form and design, but also in its fillings. It patronizes Davao’s best fruits fillings such as Durian, Mangosteen, and Jackfruit. Boucake offers two types; one which has 6 cupcakes per bouquet and the other has 12 cupcakes. Both could be personalized in terms of designs as for customer’s request. Boucake is best for gift giving celebrations. It is great alternative for flower bouquet which males can present to their significant other during weeksaries, monthsaries, and anniversaries. It can be a gift during Mother’s and Teacher’s Day. Place Cupcake Delight will be situated in a pastry and cake shop inside a mall. Base on the survey, market would want to purchase it in the mall about 50.5% of them and in the pastry and cake shop about 44% of them. Mall is considered since there is less hassle. The physical place is already there unlike finding or renting a lot then build a store or shop. It is more costly. The rental fee in the mall is also settled and fixed. Mall, as a place Boucake, is also advantageous since there are people constantly visiting there. There will be more potential customers and target market can surely be achieved. Cupcake Delight can put on their minds the physical image of the shop or through the permanent placement in the mall. Promotion Boucake will be promoted through online like Facebook, Twitter, and of course Instagram where the netizens can really see the actual image of the Boucake. Flyers must also be distributed to the customers so that they can have contact information and promotions of Boucake and other Cupcake Delight products. Decorations can be based on customer’s wants and on occasions. Discounts on bundled orders will also be used to create loyalty to the customers. Price Boucake with 6 pieces will be priced at P350 while with the 12 pieces will priced at P650. 63.5% and 71% respectively wanted it to be priced at that range. Pricing is cost based. Cupcake Delight pricing strategy will be based on the totality of all the expenses we had in making our product. We considered how we can put a price on our product in a way that we can cover all the expenses in our operation plus our profit. We come up to a price of Php 350.00 for our cupcake bouquet. With this price, 75% will be going to our expenses and the remaining 25% will serve as our income per bouquet.