History of Childhood

The history of childhood is a subject of controversy. Since serious historical investigation began into this area in the late 1960s, historians have increasingly divided into two contrasting camps of opinion, those advocating â€Å"continuity† in child rearing practices, and those emphasising â€Å"change†. As there is little evidence of what childhood was really like in the past, it is incredibly difficult for historians to reconstruct the life of a child, much more the   â€Å"experience† of being a child. In so many ways, the history of childhood is a history that slips through our fingers. Few Parents have left written records of how they reared their children, and fewer still children have left us their story. It is largely because of this lack of evidence, and because the evidence that does remain – advice literature, journals and letters, are so open to differing interpretations, that historians have divided over major issues such as whether children were loved and wanted in the past, the way parents viewed their children, and the treatment they received. The first major works into the history of childhood were those of Philippe Aries and Lloyd De Mause,  Centuries of Childhood, and  The History of Childhood  respectfully. Both historians took a â€Å"progressive† approach to history, and concluded that the treatment of children by their parents and society have improved considerably throughout the centuries. Both paint a very negative image of childhood, and family life in the past. Lloyd De Mause went as far as saying that;   Ã¢â‚¬Å"The history of childhood is a nightmare from which we have only recently begun to awaken. †Ã‚  (1)   believing that; â€Å"The further back in history one goes, the lower the level of child care, and the more likely children are to be killed, abandoned, beaten, terrorized, and sexually abused†. 2)   Aries concluded that there was no concept of childhood as a state   different to adulthood in these centuries, and therefore, even if parents did feel affection for their offspring, they did not fully understand how to respond to the emotional needs of their children. This argument gained further weight with the mammoth work of Lawrence Stone on the history of the family and family relationships in the early modern period,  The Family, Sex and Marriage in England 1500-1800. Stone too focused on the â€Å"evolution† of the amily through these three centuries, arguing that the family changed from being of an â€Å"open lineage† structure in which family relationships were formal and repressed, to the â€Å"domesticated nuclear family†, which resulted in â€Å"affective individualism†. In the early 1980's, Linda Pollock in her influential, yet highly controversial work,  Forgotten Children : Parent – child Relations 1500-1900, harshly criticised all the arguments made by Aries, de Mause and Stone. From her intensive study of over four hundred diaries and journals, she argued that childhood experiences were not as grim as they suggest it was. She strongly denies that there were any fundamental changes in the way parents viewed or reared their children in this period;   Ã¢â‚¬Å"The texts reveal no significant change in the quality of parental care given to, or the amount of affection felt for infants for the period 1500-1900†. (3)   Pollock's work has received support from Rosemary O'Day and Mary Abbot, who both deny that childhood â€Å"evolved† considerably in this period. In recent years, it is this approach that is beginning to predominate, but Pollock et al are not without their critics. Therefore, as there are two so very different approaches to the history of childhood in the early modern period, attempting to determine just how methods of child rearing did change in the past is fraught with difficulty. In order to determine how something has changed, it is necessary to determine what it changed from, and there is no consensus of opinion as to how parents reared their children in this period. However, it is perhaps important to emphasise that it is not so much the structure of childhood that is difficult to assess, in the sense of describing what the children actually did, but the attitudes and values of the parents. It is difficult to determine whether these changed, if they did how they changed, and why they changed, and the outcome of these changes. Between 1500 and 1700, the actual structure of childhood changed little. In this pre-industrial age, England was largely agricultural. Amongst the poor, children were put to work at early ages on the farm, sowing seeds, chasing birds, and other rather unstrenuous activities. If they could not be made useful on the family's own farm, then they would be put to work elsewhere. This was a characteristic of both the town and the country, although in the towns, children were put to work a year to eighteen months earlier. This applied to both sexes, although boys were more likely to be put to work earlier, and girls to stay home a little longer to help their mother. Children who could be spared from the farm, or whose wages would not be missed, were often put to school, to receive a form of elementary education which would help them acquire the necessary literacy and arithmetic they would need in life. Most of these children, especially the girls, remained in school only for a short period, and would then be expected to work to help their family financially. Some children never attended school, but were taught by their mothers at home. Amongst the wealthier social groups, boys, and to a lesser extent girls, would be provided with a more rigid and higher standard education from the age of six or seven upwards. This could take the form of private tuition, a school education, or education in someone else's house. It has been argued by Stone, Aries and De Mause, that there was a growing awareness of childhood as a state different to adult hood in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. According to them, society was beginning to appreciate that children were not miniature adults, but were at a substantially lower level of maturity, and so had distinct needs from adults – protection, love and nurturing. Society was now becoming more aware of the importance of parental socialisation, that it was socialisation that largely determined the kind of adult a child would eventually become. Lawrence Stone and J. H. Plumb believe the emergence of this new characteristic can be traced in the artistic development of the period. Stone argues that in the middle ages, children were invariably portrayed as miniature adults in paintings, without any childish characteristics. However, into the sixteenth century, images of children began to acquire a distinct identity, and childish appearance. Plumb argues that from the late seventeenth century onwards, children can be seen playing, sketching and amusing themselves in portraits, which he suggests shows there was a definite concept of childhood emerging in this period. He also argues that the increasing availability of toys and literature especially aimed for children, shows a greater understanding and appreciation of childhood. It is certainly possible that children were seen in a different light in this period, considering the influence of the Renaissance and the Reformation on ideologies(an explanation that Stone touches upon and will be discussed in more detail later), but the evidence employed by both Stone and Plumb needs to be used with supreme caution. Art and literature may reflect to a certain degree the alues and attitudes of a given society, but they are also limited by the technological understandings of the age. It could be argued that the change in the portrayal of children was due entirely to the Renaissance influence on physical realism in portraits, and the development of superior artistic skills as a consequence. Also, as artists became more familiar with painting the human form, they may have been more comfortable in exploring o ther forms of presentation, moving away from the stiffness of some early portraits, to the more naturalistic settings of the eighteenth century. Similarly, the commercial availability of toys and children's literature may have been the product of a growing materialistic and technological world, not an indication of a greater awareness of childhood. Just because toys were not commercially available in the past does not mean that the need for children to play was not appreciated. Parents may have manually made toys for their children. Indeed, Linda Pollock argues that imaginative play was common through out this period. The literary development could likewise be due to the growing influence of the printing press which opened up new avenues for literature. There is no conclusive evidence that there was an increase in the  Ã¢â‚¬Å"concept of childhood†Ã‚  in this period. Linda Pollock, and Rosemary O'Day, strongly deny that there was, arguing that parents had always been†aware that childhood was different in kind from adulthood. †Ã‚   (4) Stone et al have argued that once society became aware that childhood was a distinct state from adulthood, this effected the relationship between parents and children. They argue that now parents were aware of the needs of children, they were more equipped to respond to them, and give their children the care and protection they so desperately needed. Both Ralph Houlbrooke and Lawrence Stone argue that during the course of the seventeenth centuries, families became more openly affectionate. They see the decline in observances such as the â€Å"blessing† as evidence of a more loving family relationship. The â€Å"blessing† was considered to be important in what it symbolised about the inferiority of children to adults. Children were expected to seek their parent's blessing every morning and night. Even in adulthood, children were expected to ask for this blessing every so often. There were also other customs to remind children of the respect, duty and obedience they owed their parents. Boys for example, were expected to take off their hats in their parent's presence, and allegedly girls were expected to kneel before their mother. The Countess of Falkland for example, knelt before her mother even in adulthood, and even though she had obtained a higher social status than her mother through marriage. Ralph Houlbrooke argues that in the seventeenth century such practises were declining. The â€Å"blessing† he says was replaced with a â€Å"goodnight kiss†, and the other customs relaxed. He believes that the increased intimacy in letters between parents and children in the seventeenth century are firm evidence of a growing affection and intimacy. He claims that parents were now using phrases such as â€Å"my dear child† or â€Å"my darling†, instead of the colder ones of â€Å"child† or â€Å"son, daughter†. However, again this evidence needs to be treated with caution. In this period, society was becoming increasingly literate, especially amongst the wealthier social groups, and a greater depth of education may have meant that individuals were now able to express themselves easier. It must also be remembered that the English language itself was going through a transition at this time, greatly benefitting from the Renaissance emphasis on the vernacular. Lawrence Stone sees the decline in the customs of swaddling and wet-nursing from the late seventeenth century and particularly into the eighteenth, as a further indication of a growing affection. However, again, this depends on interpretation. It was not for any abusive or oppressive reason that parents swaddled their children, but because they genuinely believed that it was for the child's benefit, in that it prevented the child's limbs from growing crooked and deformed. Arguably the decline of this practice was due to an increased scientific understanding of the human body, rather than an increase in parental affection towards children. Also there is no solid evidence that wet-nursing declined in the seventeenth century. Indeed, for much of the eighteenth century, wet-nursing continued amongst the nobility and gentry. Admittedly it was increasingly the subject of attack, as puritans in particular believed that all mothers should breast feed their own children, but that this practise continued in aristocratic circles (it had never really been a custom amongst the poor) well into the nineteenth century, it cannot be used to illustrate a growing affection between mothers and children. Lawrence Stone argues that one of the reasons why parents and children were emotionally distant in the early part of this period, was ecause of the high infant mortality rate. He argues that parents were reluctant to invest love and care in their children, because of the pain losing them would cause. However, Linda Pollock identifies a flaw in his thesis. She argues that if this was the case, then one would expect the indifference towards children to have prevailed as long as the death rate. Stone puts forward that parents were becoming closer to their children in the late seventeenth century, where for some pars of the country such as Devon, more children were dying in this period than had done in the sixteenth century. Pollock argues that contrary to reducing parental emotional investment, the high death rate only served to heighten their anxiety in times of illness, and increase their level of care. However, Lawrence Stone does not believe that all the consequences of a growing awareness of childhood as a distinct state from adulthood, had a positive effect on the relationship between parents and children. He suggests that with the awareness that behaviour depended on discipline, parents took their duty as disciplinarians more seriously. He claims that whipping and flogging now became common place in an attempt to instil morality in their children. He also attributes this development to the Protestant Reformation. He argues that Protestantism emphasised the notion of Original sin, and contrary to Catholicism, did not advocated that the salvation of children could be obtained by baptism. Protestants argued that faith alone determined salvation, and therefore, for a child to be saved, faith was essential. This led to a decline in the importance of baptism, and increasingly parents delayed the ceremony, for days, weeks, or even months. There was now added pressure on parents to ensure that their children fully comprehended the basics of Christianity, especially their own sinfulness, and need for repentance and salvation. This possibly increased the importance of the mother as teacher, and arguably created the potential for a greater intimacy between mother and child as they spent more quality time together. However, Sather argues that following the Reformation, the relationship between parents and children became characterised by   harshness and cruelty, as physical punishment became the norm, especially amongst Puritans. He who spareth the rod hateth his son† was universally repeated. Undoubtedly this theoretically sets the scene for a darkening of childhood experience. However, although the Reformation may have encouraged a harsher disciplinary role of the parents, as always, it is necessary to bear in mind that theory does not always convert into practise successfully. It is certainly possible that purit ans treated their children harshly in this period, tyring to get them to conform to their notions of godliness, but it must be remembered that for most of this period puritans were a minority, and a rather unpopular one at that. It was they who predominantly wrote the â€Å"conduct-books†, advising parents on how to rear their children, and although some historians such as Stone have taken their contents as evidence of a harsh attitude towards children, it is necessary to remember that   conduct books state how things ought to be, not how they are. Admittedly there were parents who did physically punish their children. John Aubrey, a contemporary of the seventeenth century, stated that harsh physical correction was rife, and that â€Å"the child perfectly hated the sight of his parents as the slave his torturer†, but this is highly debatable. It is likely that if children were abused in this period, the abuse was more likely to be inflicted by the children's employers who abused their powerful positions. There are numerous accounts of young boys and girls having been physically abused by their masters. However, it is significant that many parents on discovering this abuse, issued a suit against the guilty person, suggesting that such treatment was far from socially acceptable. Parents wanted their children corrected, and arguably would not have opposed to a physical chastisement if essential, but did not want, or approve, of excessive correction. That physical punishment existed, cannot be taken as evidence of increased parental harshness towards children. It is clear from several journals that parents who did feel the need to physically punish their children, were often deeply troubled by the incident, and if possible, preferred not to inflict physical pain on their child. Also, there is little evidence for Stone's theory that parents saw their children as innately evil, and thus needed excessive disciplining. Indeed, considering that writers such as Thomas Gataker had to continuously press the point that it was â€Å"an idle concept† to suppose that â€Å"religion and godlinesse is not for children†, suggests that most parents did not accept the belief, even if it was widespread amongst puritans. In all likelihood, most parents took the view of John Locke, that children were morally neutral, and that it was up to them by both love and appropriate correction, to bring out the good in their nature. Another change which it has been argued came about partly because of the Reformation, was the â€Å"educational revolution† of the sixteenth century. Certainly as Protestantism was the religion of the â€Å"word† both printed and preached, a higher degree of literacy was needed to read the Scriptures, and intellectual training in order for the people to comprehend doctrinal issues. Also, following the Dissolution of the monasteries and chantries, the educational provision made by these institutions ceased. Thus, if children were to be educated, schools had to be refounded, which is largely what happened in the reign of Edward the Sixth. This movement was also due to the Renaissance, which increased the value of education, especially amongst the gentry. With the Renaissance came ideals of gentility, advocated by Castiglione and Thomas Elyot. Education was seen as a prime requisite of gentility, for not only did it cultivate the mind, but it distinguished gentle persons above the poor, and justified their privileged positions. Not surprisingly then, with such a high regard being attached to education, rich parents, who perhaps were not entirely literate themselves at the beginning of this period, increasingly ensured that their sons had a decent education. Therefore, towards the end of the sixteenth, and especially into the seventeenth century, it became common for the wealthy to send their sons to the new grammar schools. If they were particularly wealthy, they would employ a tutor steeped in classical knowledge to educate their sons. That parents sent there children away from home at early ages has been taken as evidence of their indifference, but in all likelihood, when parents sent their children away, they believed it was in the best interests of the child. Ilana Ben-Amos argues that parents would only part with their children when it was absolutely essential. In the   early seventeenth century for example, it was only after James Fretwell, who was then only four years old, came home weeping because he could not manage the distance between Sandal and Yorkshire every day, that his father out of concern for his welfare put him to lodge with a widow in Sandal. Even then, the child came home on Saturdays. It can also be seen that attitudes towards female education amongst the wealthy also changed in this period. In the Renaissance years, it is arguable that the education of women was encouraged. Thomas More himself said that â€Å"I do not see why learning ay not equally agree with both sexes†, and the period produced a number of learned women; Mary and Elizabeth Tudor, Lady Jane Grey, and even Mary Stuart. Antonia Fraser argues that during Elizabeth's reign, there was a silent pressure on wealthy men to have their daughters educated. If they were to attend court without having some knowledge of Latin and the Classics, they would comp are unfavourably with the intellect and knowledge of the Queen, and would thus not create a favourable impression on the men they were expected to â€Å"secure†. Also, with there being a female monarch who was renowned as a scholar, it would be rather unmet to press the point that such a sphere was a man's preserve. However, with the Queen's death in 1603, and the accession of a man, such opinions were able to surface, and there was an increasing desire to exclude females from learning Latin and the classics. This was given impetus by the attitude of the sovereign himself. When King James was presented with a learned woman, he rather sarcastically remarked, â€Å"but can shee spin ? â€Å". This gave no incentive for the great families of England to subject their daughters to an expensive classical education, which many believed they had not the intellectual capacity to understand, and anyway would serve them no useful purpose in life. As the seventeenth century wore on, the difference in the educational expectations of the sexes became more marked. Girls were virtually excluded from grammar schools, and the notion of the â€Å"accomplished woman†, which was to play such a prominent part in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, gained a whole new lease of life. Parents were now encouraged to have their daughters educated in those subjects deemed suitable for girls – sewing, knitting, music, and French. Over the course of the seventeenth century, schools for girls flourished, and were dedicated to educating girls in these increasingly regarded female traits. Stone argues that the end of the seventeenth century saw a more humane treatment of children being adopted, but arguably this was not the case for aristocratic girls. Physical deportment was becoming increasingly important. The corset, which had long been in existence, now became regarded as essential, and the eighteenth century saw the development of other techniques to help create the perfect figure, such as stocks and backboards. Stone argues that one of the signs of a growing affection between parents and children, was the decline of parental control of their children's marriages, but if this was the case with boys, the marriage of girls was still often tightly controlled. In concluding then, it can be seen that trying to determine to what extent there were important changes in the way that children were reared in this period, is fraught with difficulty. The conclusion drawn, depends to a large degree on the approach adopted. Those historians such as Linda Pollock who advocate â€Å"continuity†, would argue that there were no fundamental changes in the way that parents treated and reared their children in this   who advocate â€Å"change†, would argue that there were important changes in these years. They would argue that there was a growing intimacy and affection between parents and children, a growing concern for the latter's welfare, and although the Reformation initially introduced a period of increased severity, the general trend was the improvement of the treatment of children. Certainly there were changes. There was an increased importance placed on education; the increasing segregation of male and female spheres within education; children were maintained at school longer; apprenticeships were lasting longer; there was an increase in the importance of early religious instruction; child baptism lost it's immediate   significance; swaddling becoming less widely used, and into the eighteenth century there was a decline in the practice of wet nursing. However, these changes are largely external changes. They tell us little about the way the â€Å"experience† of child rearing changed, if it did, during this period. Arguably, the more fundamental aspects of child-rearing, such as whether or not there was an emergence of a â€Å"concept of childhood† in this period, whether there was a growing intimacy between parents and children, and whether or not parental discipline became more severe, can only be speculated upon.

Changes in Prisons in Twentieth Century in Britain Essay

In 20th century a lot of important changes was made in Britain prison system. A lot of crucial moves in this matter were made, which made changes to the system, and create the current system in prisons. A lot of reports and changes plans were made in this crucial for the matter period. The beginning for this period was made in 1895 with Gladstone report, which was highly critical of the current penal policy. It criticised existing regimes for ‘crushing self respect’ and ‘starving all moral instinct’. The report argued that reformation should coexist with deterrence and that rehabilitation should be given priority. Victorians focused upon repression and punishment. They used inflexible and punitive methods of control. Gladstone felt these should be replaced with more scientific methods of ‘treatment’. In addition, prison commissioners for the first time in 1898, defined the purpose of prison as the ‘humanisation of the individual’1. Sir Evelyn Ruggles-Brise insisted that ‘each man convicted of crime is to be regarded as an individual, as a separate entity of morality, who by the application of influences, of discipline, labour, education, moral and religious, backed up on discharge by a well organised system of patronage is capable of reinstatement in civic life’2. Weiner (1990) stated, â€Å"It is now recognised that primitive measures alone are not corrective, and effective reformation of criminals can only be attained by making our prisons true schools and moral hospitals†. Forsythe (1991) argues that new projects often fell short of the claims made for them. He says that in particular, the local and convict prisons ‘clung tenaciously to the concepts of measured punishment, moral culpability, limited deterrence and uniformly administered discipline’. It is a fact that the process of reform was often slow and not al all easy to perceive. From 1900 onwards a number of radical changes were made to the standard prison regime: 1) Unproductive labour was officially abandoned and replaced by prison industries and work considered ‘useful’, 2) The separate system was gradually eroded, allowing prisoners to work in association, 3) Education was increased and improved, 4) Internal discipline was maintained through a reward/punishment system related to the introduction of remission, 5) Specialists such as psychologists were appointed, 6) Prisoner categorisation was extended, 7) The Borstal system was introduced for juveniles, 8) A commitment to reformation became enshrined in the Prison Rule that stipulated that the purpose of imprisonment was to encourage prisoners to ‘lead a good and useful life’3, 9) During the 1930s the treadmill and arrows on convict uniforms were abolished. According to Garland (1985) the most radical reforms of this era took place outside of the prison system: 1) The introduction of the probation service, 2) Alternatives to custody emerged, 3) Construction of specialist institutions4. Garland views these major transformations as the beginnings of our current practice. Garland prefers to talk of developments in a whole realm of penality rather than prison reform5. Additionally, in 1908 Borstals6 were put on a statutory footing – implemented by Herbert Gladstone. The name Borstal comes from the village in Kent where the first Borstal scheme got its first full-scale trial. Borstals took English public schools as their model and their sentences were indeterminate. Criminals aged between 16 – 21 could be sent to Borstal for between one and three years. The prison Commission could release on licence at any time after six months (or three months for girls) and could also recall for misbehaviour. Borstal faltered after 1945 really because success rates were measured by reconviction rates. 1982 the administration of Margaret Thatcher formally abolished the Borstal and replaced it with the ‘Youth Custody Centre’ – with determinate sentences of imprisonment. Paterson7 replaced military type training with delegated authority and encouragement of personal responsibility. Staffs wore civilian clothing and were encouraged to get to know the ‘lads’ personally – considered revolutionary in the 1920s. The Borstal notion of training prisoners through personal relations, trust and responsibility gradually had an impact on the prison system as a whole. Two borstal elements were transplanted into the adult system with long lasting effects: 1. 1936 the first minimum-security (open) prison was established at New Hall, near Wakefield. 2. The housemaster was renamed ‘assistant governor’. The post war developments where about the Easier bail, Probation, Time to pay fines, a reduction in time to be served for a partial payment of fines, Reformatories for juveniles, Curtailment of imprisonment for debt and, More facilities for the insane and for habitual drunkards. In 1928 the then Home Secretary had described Dartmoor convict prison as ‘the cesspool of English humanity’ â€Å"I suppose there must be some residuum which no training or help will ever improve†8. Furthermore in 1948 Paterson and his colleagues framed Criminal justice Act. This was a highly influential piece of legislation. Borstal had represented the opposite view and resurrected the possibility of reformatory prison. Borstals and Detention Centres began to lose favour: neither for deterrence or reform was the short sentence acceptable. This is one of the elements in the English prison-crowding crisis – which became acute in the 1970s and 1980s and with which the country is still wrestling. Deterrence – Youth prisons known as Detention Centres were intended to subject boys (and half-heartedly, girls) who were thought to be on the verge of a custodial career to a last chance ‘short, sharp, shock’. Separate institutions for pre trial prisoners were planned but never created: these would be custodial but non-penal institutions. Due to the war, there were no funds and little sympathy for unconvinced detainees. McConville states that ‘thick skins and short purses ever since have ensured that English pre trial prisoners were treated worse than they were for virtually all of Victoria’s reign and much worse than their fellows who were convicted and sentenced’. The 1960s and early 1970s are seen as the beginning of the crisis years with British prisons. At last we can refer to System of Concentration. Mountbatten referred to the obvious advantages of an island prison holding all prisoners who posed a threat. A new prison was to be built on the Isle of Wight. This was rejected and the dispersal system became the preferred way of housing inmates. Since early 1966 new measurements of security have been implemented in selected prisons. Between 1969 and 1979 the prison service went through a number of riots. 70s and 80s dogged with accusations of brutality and violence directed at prisoners from the prison staff. Serious disturbances and riots had occurred in maximum-security prisons, which had led to reprisals against prisoners. British riots occurred within the new dispersal system: Parkhurst 1969, Albany 1971 & 1972, Gartree 1972, Hull 1976, and Gartree 1978. Hull riot will go down in history, as it was the prison staff who were ultimately tried and convicted. Special control units were introduced after the Gartree riot of 1972 for troublemakers over and above the existing segregation units. 1970s represent the years when reform and treatment had dwindled away and the whole prison system ran on the notion that ‘nothing works’. By 1978 both the courts and the prisons were in danger of serious collapse. Industrial relations were poor with prison staff. May Committee 1979 reported as a response to the previous troubled decade. They explored the issues of what the aim of imprisonment was; they agreed that the rhetoric of treatment and training had had its day. Finally, King and Morgan proposed the term ‘humane containment’: 1. Minimum use of custody 2. Minimum use of security 3. Normalisation. The current organisation of the prison system is heavily influenced by past practice. This has shaped the system that we now have today. So, it is difficult to assess progress of 20th Century. Harsh and punitive experience of prison overrides any idea of progressive treatment. Biggest rises can be seen from 1974 onwards. It is a fact that this matter is very important and serious for the society and has to be developed according to the needs of the society according to its progress at times. BIBLIOGRAPHY: 1. Goffman, E. (1961) Asylums, Essays on the Social Situation of Mental Patients and Other Inmates. Harmondsworth 2. Jones, K. (1993) Asylums and After: A Revised History of the Mental Health Services from the Early Eighteenth Century to the 1990’s. 3. Morris, N and Rothman, D.J (eds). (1995) The Oxford History of the Prison. Oxford University Press. 4. Porter, R. (2002) Madness: A Brief History. Oxford University Press. 1 Weiner, 1990. 2 Ruggles-Brise quoted in Garland 1985. 3 Prison Rule 6 in 1949 but Prison Rule 1 since 1964. 4 such as Borstal where principles of rehabilitation were initiated. 5 â€Å"the prison was decentred, shifted from its position as the central and predominant sanction to become one institution among many in an extended grid of penal sanctions. Of course it continued to be of major importance, but it was now deployed in a different manner, for a narrower section of the criminal population and often as a back up sanction for other institutions, rather than a place of first resort†. 6 The Borstal System. 7 Alexander Paterson. 8 Sir William Joynson-Hicks.

March Madness Essay

March is one of the craziest, fun-filled, exciting months of the year, especially for people who love basketball. St. Patrick’s Day arrives, the warmth is just starting to come back; but that is not the best part, it’s all the March Madness. The NCAA Basketball Tournament brings happiness, laughter and upsets to some people and teams. Every Division 1 Basketball team in the country plays to eventually make it to the Sweet Sixteen on the bracket, in hopes of being the new NCAA Basketball Champions. Some teams struggle, while others come out on top. â€Å"The Game That Saved March Madness† written by Sean Gregory, Time staff writer who has been writing about sports for about a decade, and Alexander Wolff, a writer for Sports Illustrated, talks about the legendary game between the Georgetown and Princeton Men’s basketball teams in 1989 that saved the tradition of what is known as March Madness today. This game meant so much to the NCAA and fans who love the game of basketball because it was somewhat of a rebirth for college basketball. They talk about how Princeton, who was a number 16 seed in their division, played extremely well and almost won the game against the number 1 seed, Georgetown. Even though they fell one point short in the last few seconds, they made history and brought this tournament back to life because never has a seed that low in a division ever put up that great of a game against a top team in the country. People who like basketball should read this article because Gregory and Wolff give the history of March Madness and they interest the reader with intricate details of this event. History is an important part of everything in this world, whether it be culture, religion, or even sports. Gregory and Wolff incorporate a lot of history in this article, which makes it worth reading. They talk about the background of the tournament. In 1939, the National Association of Basketball Coaches founded March Madness, which is the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament. For the first twelve years, there were only 8 active teams. The tournament started to increase in popularity and gained over 60 teams within  3 decades (Gregory and Wolff). They also explain how in 1989, the game between Georgetown and Princeton â€Å"saved† March Madness, and slowly but surely became the most popular sporting event, right behind the Super Bowl. Before 1989, the March Madness tournament was starting to become predictable, and there was a real controversy concerning teams with low rankings being involved in the tournament because they would have â€Å"no chance† of winning a title. Gregory and Wolff say â€Å"A St. Patrick’s Day audience, then the largest ever for a college basketball game on a young network called ESPN, was going to see a 16th seed–the lowest in the tournament–beat a No. 1 for the first time†. Before this game, no one in college basketball had witnessed this happen. Bob Scrabis, the senior captain of the Princeton Tigers basically changed the game forever. Princeton, being the lowest ranked team in tournament, gave Georgetown a run for their money. With one second left in the game and down one point, Scrabis took the shot of lifetime, but missed. Even though the Tigers did not beat the number one seeded Georgetown Hoyas, they proved that any team, ranked low or high, could provide the entertainment of a good game and possibly future upsets. When basketball fans read this, they learn the background of one the most notorious sporting events that caused an uproar in college basketball and opened the eyes to many. They would also realize how March Madness as a tournament has changed and has become as big as it is now. Although the history of the game is very important, Gregory and Wolff are so knowledgable in the game of basketball that the way they describe this game makes readers feel like they could close their eyes and see the action happen. Details can make or break a story, and in this case they made it. One way they showed details were by describing the conversation of the sports analysts Dick Vitale and John Saunders, who were calling the game. Dick Vitale said â€Å"that if Princeton won, he would hitchhike from ESPN’s offices in Bristol, Conn., to Providence and lead the Tigers’ cheerleaders for the second-round game† (Gregory and Wolff). This was a While comparing the two teams, Gregory and Wolff say: The teams also had contrasting styles. The Hoyas pushed the tempo and  pressured the ball full-court. â€Å"We had a very nasty disposition about us,† says Mourning. â€Å"We played hard-nosed, rough, very defensive-minded, in-your-face basketball.† The Tigers slowed the pace in an attempt to neutralize the physical gap with other teams. â€Å"You had to do something to take some minutes off the clock,† says Carril. â€Å"To shorten the game.† Carril’s squad ran an intricate offense designed to lull defenses to sleep. The moment they conked out, the Tigers deployed their signature play: a backdoor cut behind an unsuspecting opponent, often for an easy layup. They include details to show readers how the teams have played, which helps readers understand why and how this was such an important game to not just these two teams, but the whole college basketball community, as well. Another way they went into great detail is when they spoke about the outc ome of the game. Some people are impatient and want to just get to the point. Others, actually want to know every little detail to help them really understand why and what is going on. Gregory and Wolff said: But Georgetown didn’t wilt. Behind Mourning, the Hoyas clawed back until they were up by a point with one second remaining. Princeton in-bounder Matt Lapin passed to teammate Kit Mueller, who quickly put up a shot before time ran out. Mourning got a piece–of what, we don’t know. Something blew †¦ but it wasn’t a whistle to send Mueller to the foul line. It was the horn, to officially end the game. Georgetown 50, Princeton 49. This part of the article makes readers feel at the edge of their seats, waiting for the outcome of the game, just like they were watching it on TV. When authors like Wolff and Gregory include details like that, it brings life to the story that makes basketball fans want to keep reading more because it is just so intense and interesting to see how far college basketball has become. In spite of the fact that this game is a big part of college basketball history and it includes many details not everyone would want to read this article. People that do not like basketball would not read this because they would just simply not understand the content. If someone has never watched or have been around basketball before, they would not understand what the authors were talking about and why it matter in the society of basketball.  They would probably think this is just another â€Å"game† that was blown out of proportion and made to seem like a big deal. You cant understand something if you do no pay it any attention. Whether it be golf, tennis, volleyball or even football, if you have not watched that sport, you just would not comprehend what Sean and Alexander were talking about. Also, some people choose other hobbies rather than sports. They could be into other things like video games, art and music. Even though those people might not actually like basketball or any other sports at that, they could enjoy watching underdogs come up and beat predicted teams and they could also have a very high level of school spirit, so they would still support their school. March Madness as a tournament has come a long way. Gregory and Wolff do a great job of explaining the history of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, making it easy to understand how the game unfolded, and putting in details that bring the article to life. Basketball fans should definitely read â€Å"The Game That Saved March Madness† by Sean Gregory and Alexander Wolff because they will gain knowledge about one of the most popular sporting events of this time and understand why it was so important. Works Cited Gregory, Sean, and Alexander Wolff. â€Å"The Game That Saved March Madness.† Time 183.11 (2014): 50. Academic Search Complete. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.

Managing Financial Resources and Decision Essay

Managing Financial Resources and Decision - Essay Example Sole traders and general partners can have their separate properties answer for the liabilities of the business organization because of their unlimited liability when the business entities go wrong There is also anonymity, in the limited company as one can appoint nominee officers in said business organization. Such anonymity can be an advantage as to keep some sense of invincibility in some aspects as compared to revealing many possible weaknesses to those who are interested with the company. As compared with a partnership, many problems can be avoided in case of limited company. This would include defining who is in charge and who should own the business and in cases of resignation of a partner that could disrupt the business. Another advantage over the sole trader and partnership could come from better credibility brought from better transparency and certain anonymity in the market place. The effect of this could be some degree of ease in raising loans for the business. Lower tax liabilities compared to a sole trader could also arise. While a sole trader’s tax could reach as high as 40% of net profit, an owners of a limited company can so drawing a salary, which could in effect an avoidance of tax for a higher rate can be avoided Limited liability as an organizations are not without some of the disadvantages however. One is chance of ownership of assets being locked up in the company. There is also less privacy and more transparency because of the need to register company's accounts, officers and shareholders at Companies House. 2.2 Task 2 --The initial cost. Provide detail of items of expenditures you will need to obtain before you start trading. State how much capital will be needed on commencement, and how and where this initial finance would be obtained. Investigate a range of different sources of finance and comment on how they compare. State why the chosen sources of finance are appropriate for your business. The details of expenditures that tha t the owner would need to obtain before he/she starts trading include the following. He/she would need to spend for the place to rent. He/she would need a land and building which he/she can either buy or rent. In addition, he/she would need of course to buy for inventories to sell. He/she would need to pay for the salaries of sales and store personnel. Basically the amount of capital would be guided by the amount of revenues that the owner could be making per period. The higher the expected revenues, the higher would be the need for expenditures as the same could mean higher space to place goods for sale and serve the customers. The expenditures there could include but capital expenditure and non-capital expenditure. The different sources could come from my investment which can either be in the form of cash or property. Another source from loans which can come from suppliers who will sell the goods on terms. Thus

World War II Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

World War II - Essay Example This political philosophy as a doctrine of war was contained in his famous book, On War which was adopted as one of the key literature in the Naval War College, the Air War College, the Army War College. Needless to say, Clausewitz military philosophy is central at the US Military schools that even the Marines philosophical manual which is essentially a distillation of  On War, and the newer Marine Corps Doctrinal Publications contained the philosophical philosophy of Clauswitz about war. Considering this circumstances, and after examination of Patton’s military career, pronouncements as a soldier, Patton indeed subscribed to political school of thought in military philosophy. In addition, Patton went to military school (Virginia Military Institute and United States Military Academy) whose course syllabus and teachings were peppered with the political philosophy of Clausewitz. Above all, US military during the Second World War already adopted the policy that is consistent to Political Doctrine of war that the military and its war, is an instrument of the state as it advances or protect its national interest. The doctrine holds that war and its soldier is subordinate to the state. It is a rational instrument of a government as it expresses its national policy. According to this doctrine, wars are being waged by state to achieve certain goals and objectives as it advance or protect its interest. This military doctrine holds that war is not to be waged for the sake of waging war or out of vain grandiosity but as an act of self-defense, assertion of national interest or both. Unlike the other military philosophy that viewed war as a bane and a source of misery, such as the cataclysmic philosophy, the political doctrine of war does not necessarily view as intrinsically evil, but rather a rational instrument that a state must be capable of. Consistent with this, political doctrine also presuppose that to become an effective state instrument, costs of war

Value Chain Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Value Chain - Term Paper Example The company aims to achieve its mission and vision by fulfilling the needs of varied customers spread at different locations globally. The company ensures that it provides the best quality products at the best and affordable prices which are further accompanied with best services within the industry (Ashley Furniture Industries Inc, â€Å"A Proud History and Poised for a Formidable Future†). Thesis Statement The paper critically identifies the value chain activities practiced by Ashley Furniture Industries, Inc and briefly recommends on various core areas of the company in relation to value chain. Value Chain and Ashley Furniture The term ‘Value Chain’ was first coined by Michel Porter in his famous book ‘Competitive Advantage’ in 1985. The analysis of value chain identifies the activities performed by an organization and further relates them with the organization’s competitive strengths. Porter identifies primary and secondary activities as th e two major activities essential for value chain analysis. He further grouped the primary activities into five sub-heads including inbound logistics, operations, outbound logistics, marketing and sales and services which are concerned with the value creation as well as delivery of products. Similarly, secondary activities are also grouped into four sub-heads namely, human resource management, technology development, infrastructure and procurement. The secondary activities help organizations to enhance the efficiency and the effectiveness of the overall organizational operations (Food and Agriculture organization of the United Nations, â€Å"The Value Chain†). The basic model of value chain is being represented below: Source: (Food and Agriculture organization of the United Nations, â€Å"The Value Chain†) Primary Activities Inbound Logistics Ashley Furniture aims to produce world class durable furniture in attractive designs and affordable prices. Furthermore, the comp any ensures that by no means are its product qualities compromised; and customers receive value for their investment made in terms of durable and finished products. The company has partnered with best class suppliers for the supply of a variety of components required for the manufacturing of the furniture products. In addition to this, the company has the largest air-ride truck fleet in the industry which can be evident on the highways of Wisconsin (Wisconsin Manufactures and Commerce, â€Å"BPES-Ashley Furniture†). The tractors involved in the transportation of required components for the manufacturing process are equipped with auxiliary power units that result in less consumption of fuel almost by 10 percent. Additionally, the company is also striving to procure materials locally in order to reduce the cost of transportation and thereby offer its products at affordable prices to its discriminating customers (Ashley Furniture Industries, Inc, â€Å"Ashley World Class Furnit ure Company†). Operations Ashley Furniture has more than 250 acres operating space for manufacturing and distribution throughout the world. It has the biggest casegoods production related plant in the United States. The company sells furniture in more than 123 countries around the globe. The major regional manufacturing and

Anthropological Perspective on Education Reform in Chicago Research Paper

Anthropological Perspective on Education Reform in Chicago - Research Paper Example The Chicago School Reform Act of 1988 has been a clear example of the efforts of legislators in USA to identify educational systems that can be feasible, in terms of the resources available, and that ensure equality and quality in education. The above Reform Act has introduced a unique scheme, the Local School Councils (LSCs). This scheme aimed to ensure that student learning is kept at high levels in all public schools in Chicago. In practice, it has been proved that the achievement of the above target is related to many challenges. One of the key weaknesses of LSCs has been its failure to secure the participation of parents in critical educational decisions. Of course, it has been proved that not all parents are ready or willingness to support such initiatives. Still, it seems that the high majority of parents would be ready to participate in innovative schemes, such as the parental networks, for improving their cooperation with their children in regard to the learning process. The review of the literature published in this field has proved that the involvement of parents in parental networks would highly improve the performance of LSCs. At the same time, parental networks would help parents to participate more actively in the learning process, a fact that would make this process more attractive to children. As a result, the parental networks could support the increase of responsiveness of children to learning, either in the short or the long term. 1. Introduction Education in Chicago is provided under the control of the Chicago Board of Education (CBE). The above organization, which was first established in 1840 (CBE 2012), has ‘the responsibility for the governance, organizational and financial oversight of public education in Chicago’ (CBE 2012). Education in Chicago has passed a strong crisis. In 1987, the region’s public schools were considered ‘as the worst across the nation’ (CBE 2012). Today, the public schools of Chic ago are considered as a model of innovation, a fact related to the Chicago School Reform Act of 1988/89 (CBE 2012). For many years, education in Chicago public schools had been problematic. The Chicago School Reform Act of 1988 has introduced in order to help towards the decentralization of Chicago’s school, a strategy that was expected to support the improvement of Chicago’s educational system (Soltero 2009, p.58). The increase of participation of parents in the local educational system and the enhancement of the power of the major to participate in the decisions related to Chicago’s public schools were two important features of the Reform Act (Soltero 2009, p.58). The provision of equal rights to children of different racial and economic background has been one of the priorities of the Chicago School Reform. The Reform has been based on the rules of ‘1988 Chicago School Reform Act’ (Koval et al. 2006, p.249). The Reform has been initiated so that two key issues are addressed: a) ‘equality and quality in education are secured’ (Koval et al. 2006, p.249), b) the current market needs for appropriately educated professionals are fully covered (Koval et al. 2006, p.249). The establishment of the Local School Councils (LSCs) was considered as a strategy that could educators to achieve the above goals. Through these Councils ‘

Integrated Communication Marketing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Integrated Communication Marketing - Assignment Example The shareholders face a reduction in business growth, owing to the negative publicity of the company, which, reduces their profits. The management also suffers from the bad reputation as they report significant loss of business to competitors. Employees, on the other hand face the association of an immoral organization, which does not contribute positively to their self-esteem. External stakeholders include customers, the local community, as well as competitors (Strydom, 2005). The publicity of the company affects customers negatively, thus denying them an opportunity to dine at a restaurant they had previously enjoyed. The local community suffers from the immoral show that focuses on Olive Garden, which does not promote family values. Competitors enjoy the increased flow of clients to their organization as they move from Olive Garden. For casual observers of media, the â€Å"Sexiest Girls of Olive Garden† would appear as a sponsorship by the Olive Garden Company. This follows the idea that most programs search for organizations that can sponsor them, and then include their names in the event or program as a way of promoting their business to the audience. This event can be seen as one that had damage control programs in order. The overlap between the individuals who dined at the restaurant, and the people who watched the girls’ next-door show presented an effective control mechanism (Clow, & Baack, 2013). The group that dined at the restaurant consisted of more women than men. In relation to this, more women than men watched the show, thus allowing Olive Garden a perfect opportunity to gain greater publicity from the show. I disagree with this proposition as the show associated with Olive Garden was a complete opposite of the values that a family would support. Taking photos of nude people does not in any way depict the values a family should promote, hence does not attract positive publicity for the organization. If you were the public

Green Tree City Case Study Week 7 (Question 3 only) Assignment

Green Tree City Case Study Week 7 (Question 3 only) - Assignment Example So it was to those involved with the Green Tree City Bombing investigation. As early as three months before the attack, Lieutenant Boardman was aware several Middle Eastern men in the community had been acting suspicious. Unfortunately with the United States laws on probable cause, he had nothing to hold them. Even when the state trooper made the traffic stop, he had no real cause to search them. Only when the car wreck happened and the money and fake ID documents were found did Boardman and his peers begin to piece together the scenario, mostly too late. Besides, as many agents were focused on the Chandra Levy case in the summer of 2001, Boardman was preoccupied with the Hell’s Angels like motorcycle gang. As the investigation processed, Investigator Vincent would be wise to assume that Green Tree City was a prelude to something much bigger. Although terrorist cells might target a small city office building to instill fear in Americans, the attack was more than likely a test run to see if the United States is complacent once more, with the mistaken impression it won’t happen yet again. It is quite evident that Amid is a young man who is terrified of being put into jail and he might jump at the chance of being a confidential informant. Nobody in the cells thought of him as much more than a gopher and he might be able to garner a great deal of information just by hanging around the terrorists. Of course that depends upon whether word of his arrest has filtered down to the suspects. In that case, that would be putting his life in great danger. However, the investigation should focus on that salvage yard operation in Arizona. Many thousands of people from Central and South America illegally cross the United States-Mexican border annually. That international area is nearly 2,000 miles of mostly rugged and highly indefensible desert areas. The Department of Homeland

Human development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Human development - Essay Example Skinner’s theory of learning is based on the premise that learning is a function of change in overt behavior. Changes occur due to the response to the external stimuli. This reinforcement theory relies on the assumption that behavior is a function of its consequences (Dunn, 2002). The learner will repeat the behavior if positive reinforcement follows the behavior. Positive reinforcement refers to some verbal recognition or appreciation or rewards like certificates or promotion to a higher level. Negative reinforcement can also strengthen the behavior but punishment can weaken the behavior. This is because the negative condition has been experienced as a consequence of the behavior and teaches the individual not to repeat the behavior. Punishment can help to eliminate behavior and is used in daily life but it works only for a short period. Bandura’s theory states that to learn anything you have to pay attention to it. Anything that dampens the attention will consequently reduce the learning process (Boeree, 1998). For instance, sleep and lethargy can dampen attention and consequrntly learning. Bandura experimented with models and summarized that if the model is attractive colorful appears like us we would pay more attention. After paying attention, it is important to retain what has been paid attention to. This means retaining the mental image or verbal description of the model. When it is stored the same image can be brought up at will whenever necessary. The third step involves translation or reproducing the images into actual behavior. This implies an individual must have the ability to reproduce. This way the ability to imitate improves with practice. In fact the abilities improve even when one just imagines imitating. The act of imitating comes only through some form of motivation. This reinforcement can b e some past reinforcement, promised reinforcement or vicarious reinforcement. The main difference between Bandura and Skinner lies in their

Scene between Elizabeth and Proctor Essay Example for Free

Scene between Elizabeth and Proctor Essay During the two exchanges Miller creates semantic fields using temperature as the subject. In Act 1 this field focuses on heat to describe the relationship between John Proctor and Abigail. Within the exchange Abigail uses this imagery of heat frequently â€Å"I have a sense for heat† and â€Å"burning in your loneliness†. The words â€Å"heat† and â€Å"burning† create the semantic field and are used to portray the passion and lust that caused the affair. This use of heat also presents their relationship as alive as â€Å"heat† is immediately linked to fire through the use of the word â€Å"burning†. This causes their relationship to be seen as intense and bright like flame in a fire. The images of heat are immediately linked to their affair when Abigail says how he â€Å"sweated like a stallion†. This, â€Å"sweated†, is caused by their desire which is presented by heat during the scene. Miller uses this semantic field to present the relationship between the two characters as uncontrolled and based on carnal desire and lust rather than a relationship based on love which would last. Miller goes further to emphasise this as Abigail says â€Å"You are no wintry man†. This confirms that their relationship is based on â€Å"heat† as she even goes as far as to say that no coldness or even common sense is present within John when he is with her. This defines their relationship completely as she denies that coldness exists within them. In complete contrast to the semantic field of heat in Act 1, during the exchange between Elizabeth and Proctor the semantic field revolves around the cold. Miller uses this to present their relationship as controlled and strained. Elizabeth and Proctor’s relationship has been affected badly by the affair and the trust between the two is lost. John says how â€Å"it is winter in here yet.† The word â€Å"winter† affirms the feelings that the relationship is cold and now they are distant from one another. The use of â€Å"winter† also makes the audience feel as though, like nature in winter, the relationship between the two is dead. This is contrasting to the exchange in Act 1 as their relationship is portrayed like a fire which is alive and burns brightly and intensely. This dead atmosphere continues to grow as Proctor states how a â€Å"funeral marches round your heart.† The word â€Å"funeral† immediately conjures the images of death and the audience is alerted more prominently to the theme of death that surrounds their relationship. The mention of a â€Å"funeral† also stretches further to bring an element of sadness and despair to their relationship. This adds to the themes of cold and dead. Miller goes further to present their relationship as like ice. Proctor describes Elizabeth’s judgement as â€Å"your justice would freeze beer!†. This links to the semantic field of the cold and presents their relationship as hard and unyielding as ice. The use of the exclamation mark makes the feeling of cold more definite and pronounced. During both exchanges the atmosphere is presented as tense due to the affair which Proctor had with Abigail. In the scene with Elizabeth and Proctor it is prominent in the way they interact with one another and how the pace and volume begin to increase as the scene progresses. At the very beginning of the scene John is shown to be tampering with the stew Elizabeth has produced, â€Å"takes a pinch of salt, and drops it into the pot†, however, Elizabeth is not aware of this. Proctor does not want to offend Elizabeth or make their relationship more awkward so he seasons the stew without telling her. This could be interpreted as the beginning of the tension in Act 2 as the audience would think it unnatural that a married couple do not share their true feelings to one another. The tension is amplified when Elizabeth is presented as being suspicious of Proctor, â€Å"What keeps you so late†, she appears to be insecure and suspicious as to whether he is still having an affair with Abigail. Their relationship is not presented as stable but forced and strained. This causes tension in the audience as they are aware of the underlying issues but here feelings are being suppressed and the audience know that at some point they will have to be released. The biggest increase in tension is caused by the increase in volume. John begins to shout at Elizabeth, â€Å"I’ll not have it!†, the exclamation mark shows this obvious increase in volume. Here, the audience knows that all the emotions that have been suppressed are now being expressed. This is similar to â€Å"the crucible† imagery as their emotions have been â€Å"bubbling† under the surface and have now spilt out. This increase in volume creates the most tension as it is similar to the build up of volume that the audience experienced in Act 1, the audience know that there will soon be climax of tension which will lead to a disaster. Similarly, in the exchange between Abigail and Proctor, tension steadily increases as the scene progresses. The first cause of tension within the scene is the audience’s realisation of an affair between Abigail and Proctor. This domestic tension is already strong as the audience are aware of the religious back ground from which both characters belong.  Another contrast between the two exchanges is how feelings are shown between the two characters. During Abigail’s and Proctor’s exchange the feelings between the two are presented as uncontrollable and wild. Abigail says how John â€Å"sweated like a stallion whenever I come near!† The bestial imagery is used to describe their sexual relations. Miller does this to show how low their actions were and how they responded to carnal desire instead of abstaining and following their heads. The bestial imagery also presents them as untamed and so therefore not in control of their reactions or emotions. This sense of uncontrollability is continued with the repeated use of the word â€Å"wild†. â€Å"A wild thing may say wild things† This portrays Abigail and John as untamed and reinforces the idea that they are animal like. This makes the audience understand how they are relying on pure instinct alone and not using common sense to make decisions. During the exchange Abigail is not hesitant to respond to any sign that John is being affectionate. John is described as having â€Å"his smile widening†, this could be perceived as slightly flirtatious and therefore confirms that there is an attraction between the two. Abigail immediately responds to this slight flirtation quite strongly. â€Å"Give me a soft word, John. A soft word. [Her concentrated desire destroys his smile]†, Abigail is shown as pleading with John. Her dialogue presents her as desperate for his affection and the use of the phrase â€Å"concentrated desire† during the stage directions shows her inability to control her emotions as they are â€Å"concentrate† which impies they are incredibly strong and not easily contained. During the exchange between Elizabeth and Proctor, the portrayal of their emotions is much more controlled than in the exchange between Proctor and Abigail. The two characters are hesitant and are careful in picking their words. Elizabeth and Proctor seem to be making â€Å"small talk† and exchanging pleasantries. The two characters do not elaborate and act as if they have just met, â€Å"are you well today?† to which Elizabeth replies â€Å"I am†. These short sentences show the simplicity of their exchange and present their relationship as false and acted. Elizabeth and Proctor keep their emotions contained and stay on safe topics to avoid the underlying issues. During the stage directions Miller wrote â€Å"It is as though she would speak but cannot†. This immediately shows her emotions being suppressed as it appears that she cannot move on from Proctor’s betrayal. Elizabeth is hesitant to talk about her feelings or about the problem within their relationship. This is a stark contrast to the previous exchange between Abigail and Proctor as during their exchange their feelings were clearly shown and the issue was tackled directly. Elizabeth continues to control the output of her emotions when John kisses her. Her response to Proctor is minimal and she appears quiet and unresponsive. â€Å"Kisses her. She receives it†, Millers use of short sentences again shows the simplicity of the exchange. The verb â€Å"receives† shows her to be passive as she does not respond to Proctor’s affectionate gesture. This again contrasts to the previous exchange as Abigail immediately responded to any slight indication of affection.

To What Extent Does the Media Affect Body Image in Teens and Their Perception of Beauty Essay Example for Free

To What Extent Does the Media Affect Body Image in Teens and Their Perception of Beauty Essay There is no question that the Media has a massive impact on how we perceive ourselves, particularly when it comes to our beauty. From my own experience, I have questioned my own body due to articles in magazines promoting a slimmer body type to various audiences. We shape our opinions through what the Media tells us is right and wrong. For instance, women and young girls are judged highly on their weight and appearance where as men are judged more on their masculinity and muscularity. As the Media is a massive topic, I will focus on looking at magazines, in particular adverts, and how they portray beauty and how we then observe the Medias idea of ‘perfection’. I will also be looking at the effects of exposure to these magazines and adverts to teenagers; one particular focus will be the influences of the Media on Anorexia. â€Å"Low self-esteem contributes to a distorted body image, and the distorted body image cant be fully corrected until self-esteem issues are reconciled. If we don’t address the problem (the problem being the Media labelling a certain body type as perfect) then the issue of low self-esteem in women is never going to stop. Over 90% of people diagnosed with eating disorders are adolescent or young women, so why do young women and adolescents feel the need to go to these drastic measures to stay skinny? While the Media is not the only factor that can be contributed to the rise in Anorexia, it is a significant aspect. It’s no surprise that teenagers are obsessed with thinness and weight loss because of the way Media promotes a skinny figure to women through the constant images of celebrities’ bodies and also articles that talk about bettering our lives through our appearance. The Media promotes a skinny figure through constant articles in magazines on celebrities’ figures, for example, Star magazine has shown the same front cover advertising â€Å"45 best worst beach bodies† seven times. I believe that this is going to contribute to women having a negative body image as they constantly compare themselves to the celebrities in these magazines and deciding whether they have an â€Å"acceptable figure† due to the ones advertised as the â€Å"best†. Personally, I think it’s the mix of women’s obsession with celebrities and a low self-esteem that creates a negative body image. Approximately one in every one hundred teenage girls may develop an Eating Disorder. Body dissatisfaction is a reoccurring motif especially in women as they are constantly exposed to celebrities and advertisements from such a young age. I had to create a presentation to my peers based on my topic question earlier this year. I decided that I wanted to get real opinions on whether the content of these magazines were suitable for the magazines target audience. I gave them four popular girl magazines (Bliss, Mizz, Shout and Look), which girls ranging from 10-17+ were reading. I asked them to order the magazines from the lowest target audience to the highest, basing the order solely on the content of the magazines. Surprisingly, my peers put the magazines in the right order. However, they were still shocked by the audiences that these magazines were targeted at because the content of these magazines was not appropriate for children of that age. Bliss magazine, is initially targeted at girls aged 13-17; the class all said that â€Å"It was targeted at 16+ because of the ‘Stone’s style solutions’ that promote platform heels which aren’t appropriate for girls of 13 years. † Furthermore, Bliss magazine shows an article on ‘Pamper perfect’ showing young girls how to get the A-list look ‘without the A-list price tag. My peers decided that Bliss magazine is subtlety influencing young girls on how they can better themselves where as Look magazine, which is targeted at girls from 16-34; manipulate girls into changing their body to better themselves. This shows the diversity between magazines that are targeted at girls below 16 and those targeted at girls above 16. In both Bliss and Look magazine, they use a very slim model to advertise their clothes. Even though Bliss uses a teenage model and Look uses an adult, they both use a particular frame of woman. Mizz magazines’ target audience is from 10-14 years. Mizz’ articles, in my opinion, are suitable for the target audience because they don’t focus on celebrity lifestyle and focusing on a negative body image. Shout magazines’ seems to focus on females between 10-15 years. However, Shout magazine, targeted at females between the ages of 11-14, shows little articles involving models and looks more at celebrities and real life stories. As we live in a society, which is more obsessed with how we look, rather than what we do, it’s no wonder that women are both mentally and physically abused by the Media. This is a gut feeling of mine based on the content of agazines. From my own opinion, I see more articles congratulating celebrities on losing weight rather than their success in their career. How the Media advertises products and articles in magazines have a bigger affect on us than we initially think. On average whilst watching television, women come across around 400 to 600 adverts a day. In light of this, if in only 50% of the adverts we see thin models, then even this could have a negative affect on how we perceive our own body and also how we compare it to what the Media label as â€Å"perfect† which is usually undernourished models. By repetitively using the same figure of model, this will also stay in the sub-conscious mind of the audience. This technique of advertising is called subliminal messaging. When subliminal messages are first seen or heard, we are unable to identify what it is. In fact they may be ignored by the conscious brain and be beyond the level of conscious perception. A new study by Prof. Naomi Mandel, as sited in CBS News, has shown companies that feature normal size women, better known, as â€Å"plus-size† are less effective than those that use thin models. It also found out that overweight and normal-weight females have a lower self-esteem after seeing â€Å"plus-size† models in advertisements. I found these results quite interesting as I presumed that women who saw â€Å"plus-size† models would make them have a higher self-esteem because they have a similar body to the models in the advertisement. Additionally Jeremy Kees, a professor at Villanova University, believes that women expect to see beautiful women in advertisements, even if it makes them feel worse about themselves. In one of his studies, Kees found that even though the women felt bad about themselves after looking at the adverts, they evaluated that the brands were selling higher, and those ads which used average size models, their brands sales has decreased. Although, another source reported that women have lower levels of weight concerns after exposure to average and overweight models than after the exposure to ultra thin and even no models. This could be because women would feel accepted by society for their body size because the Media believes its okay. In my eyes, the Media always promote a very slim figure. Furthermore, a social psychologist’s research has suggested that average sized models are just as effective as thin models. But what do the public really want to see? Karl Langerfield, Head Designer of the Fashion house Chanel, said that: â€Å"the world of fashion was all to do ‘with dreams and illusions, and no one wants to see round women. † After reading both these studies, I decided to create an experiment that was heavily influenced by the experiments that the University of Sussex had conducted on self-discrepancy. One of these experiments was to see if advertisements that use models are more effective than those that don’t use any model. Also, I wanted to see if Prof. Naomi Mandel has the correct theory that advertisements are less effective with ones that use â€Å"plus-size† models or ultra-thin models. Additionally, the experiment that claims women have lower levels of weight concern after exposure to average models wasn’t conducted on teenagers and I wanted to see if teenagers find adverts with â€Å"plus-size† models more or less effective than ultra-thin models. The other experiment that was conducted on children between 5 and 6 years was to see if a specific body image does have an affect on how we perceive ourselves. They had three separate groups of girls who were all told the same story however, one group had images of Barbie, the ultra-thin doll; one group had images of Emme, the average-size doll and one group had no dolls included. Each girl was then told to fill out a self-discrepancy chart and highlighted the body they thought they had compared to the body they would like to have. The results from this showed that the discrepancy was higher in those that saw Barbie compared to the other doll. This shows a link to what heavily influences girls between what they see and their sub-conscious mind. The main objective for my experiment was to see whether adverts that use skinny models are more effective on us as a public, than those that don’t use any type of model and also to explore into the world of subliminal messaging and how it plays on the sub-conscious mind. I wanted to see if this type of advertising really does work. I carried out this experiment twice because I wanted to make sure I had clear and thorough results. I used a group of twenty students between the ages of 14 and 16 of which ten boys and ten were girls. The boys were given adverts targeted at males and the girls were given adverts targeted at females. Half of each gender was given adverts that feature models of the same sex and the other half were given adverts that featured only the products and no models. Each person that had the same booklet was all sat on a table and they would discuss the adverts. As I was walking around, I was listening to what they were asking each other about the adverts shown to them: â€Å"What is your opinion of the advert? What is the focal point for the advert? Whom is this advert targeted at? † I was surprised by the results I got from also the comments I got from both genders. All the girls that had models advertising the perfume in their adverts wanted to lose weight, and out of the 20 girls that took part, 90% overall wanted to lose weight. A lot of the girls described the models as â€Å"plain† and that â€Å"the majority of the models were skinny and blonde. This was a popular opinion with all the girls and I wondered why even though they thought the models looked plain and they weren’t envious of the models, why did all the girls want to lose weight? One girl gave an interesting point that even though Emporio Armani used Beyonce Knowles, who is African-American, to advertise their products; they thought that it was unclear of her skin colour and that they might have used a black and white image so that it would open up to a wider audience. This links back to a previous point that companies always advertise a certain frame of a model to women because this is what they believe as â€Å"perfect. Even though all the girls who didn’t have the models in their adverts had a lower discrepancy, this could be because they might have recognized the adverts from seeing them before or they could genuinely have a low self-esteem. However, what the University of Sussex had discovered was that average size models had no negative affect on body image with women. Even though I had done this experiment on boys too, I decided not to use their results as I felt they didn’t contribute to any of my product. Also, I wanted to focus on teenage girls and their perception of beauty. I was please with how the experiment was carried out and found it was a success with all the participants and the results I received were clear and reliable. However, if I was to carry this experiment out again, then I would do it with adults and also primary school children so then I could compare each set of results with one another and also I would to show how our opinions differ as we mature and also, to show who is more affected by the Medias constant advertise of celebrities and particularly the â€Å"size-0† figure. Also, I wish that I had shown them adverts that used â€Å"plus-size† models to see which one gave them a lower self-discrepancy as this would have been more relevant to the objective of my product. When I first started this topic, I began to realise how much pressure young girls are under to look good through the articles in magazines and the constant need to look at celebrities. After this, I decided that I wanted to find out if young girls and boys are actually affected by this pressure or if it is just my opinion. I created a questionnaire and gave it to secondary pupils between the ages of 11-16. I wanted to keep the questionnaires anonymous because I know these people and it could have influenced the way I interpret their answers. I don’t regret making these questionnaires however I was hoping for more detailed answers. I printed out 100 questionnaires and gave 10 to 10 tutors in my college. I wanted to give them out in tutor because they would have at least half an hour to fill out my questionnaires so they would be able to go into great detail and really think about their answers. However, I had difficulty with my questionnaires and the public doing them. Firstly, I had to print them in black and white to save ink at school; however the images I used were not clear enough in black and white so this could have affected my results. Secondly, when I received the questionnaires, there was minimal detail and also the majority of the participants were pretending to be funny in their questionnaires and didn’t provide the evidence I needed so they were invalid. On the other hand, there were questionnaires that I could use that gave detailed answers. 1% of all the results think the Media are the main cause of having a certain figure however 27% thought their friends pressured them to fit in with everyone else. However, their friends must get this idea of what is acceptable from somewhere. Could this be from the Media? In my appendix, I have included some tables, which include the results from the questionnaires I made. I found the graphs difficult to make, as I wasn’t sure how to break down the categories. Did I do it by year or by gender? The graphs were done on a trial and error basis however I felt like they were done in a correctly in the end. Another study found that 27% of the girls that they carried an experiment out on that felt the Media pressure them to have a perfect body. Even though this shows that other girls in other studies are affected by the Media, it’s not so reliable in my essay as I’m not sure of how many girls were asked, how old they were or where in the world this experiment was carried out. Eating disorders like Anorexia are caused by a physiological disorder within a person and how they view their own body. The sufferer believes that they are overweight so they take extreme actions like dieting, fasting and even starving themselves just so they feel what they believe to be ‘beautiful. ’ There are many reports; mostly around the time of London Fashion Week that fashion models have used this technique. However, it’s not only women in the fashion world who suffer with this disorder, other professions like ballet dancers and athletes show a high number of people who have/had Anorexia. Personality plays a big part in eating disorders. People who suffer with Anorexia Nervosa usually are perfectionists and overachievers’. People who suffer from Anorexia work relentlessly towards a thinner body because they feel that this will promise them beauty, success and happiness. The victims usually want to feel accepted by society however they do not feel valued by others. Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa are most common in white people in western societies. This shows a direct link to how our society looks at behaviours and expectations of the public compared to eating disorders. Not only in the Western hemisphere is there a link towards the ethnicity of people with eating disorders, a study in Fiji showed a sudden increase in eating disorders among young women since the arrival of television in 1995, (Fearn, 1999). This also shows a strong link between the social and cultural factors. I have seen that there is a number of ways that that the Media can alter teenage girls’ perception of beauty. As I have found, magazines use the same frame of model to promote clothing and will openly slate people’s bodies if they feel they are not â€Å"good enough. Also, magazines will always show articles on how girls and women can change or correct themselves so that they are up to a standard that the Media thinks is acceptable. As humans, it has been known that we always want what we can’ have but is this just apart of our human nature? of this will make girls doubt their own body, even though I found from my own research that girls are not envious of the models in advertisements, they still wanted to lose weight and illustrated they were unhappy with themselves. This was proven through my questionnaires as 79% of the girls admitted to not being happy with their body. Although we as a public may claim to want to see women of a normal size modelling products aimed at us, fashion designers that are in charge decide what we are shown, and this could be where the problem is. Referring back to a point that Karl Langerfield, he claims that â€Å"the world of fashion was all to do ‘with dreams and illusions, and no one wants to see round women†. Even though we may openly say that we want to see designers use curvier bodies to promote their range of clothing or do we as a public secretly see want to see a skinnier frame of model? This links in with a point made earlier about my experiments. Even though all the girls admitted they weren’t jealous of the girls frame, they still wanted a lower discrepancy. So are fashion designers after all giving the public what they can’t admit to wanting? Also, Diane Von Furstenberg claimed that â€Å"To be a model, you have to be skinny. In conclusion, I have found that it’s clear that there are so many different opinions and that it’s hard to identify the general overview to this question without finding exceptions. I feel positive that I have found that the Media can affect teenagers and their perception of beauty but that it varies between person to person as my questionnaires have shown. However, if we are aware of the potential effects, then in theory, we ca n find solutions to these issues; surely that is the most important lesson we can take away from this?

Security Threats to Banking

Security Threats to Banking INTRODUCTION The research project was undertaken to discover security threats and vulnerabilities experienced in First National Bank Botswana organization and how they mitigate them, this was carried out with the intention of making better and appropriate recommendations to combat them in the future and strengthen their information system and innovate some of their services for better competitive advantage and customer satisfaction. FIRST NATIONAL BANK BOTSWANA BACKGROUND First National Bank Botswana was registered in 1991, as a wholly owned subsidiary of First National Bank Holdings (Botswana). Various acquisitions led to the bank becoming a listed entity on the Botswana Stock Exchange in 1993. Today, they have shifted from being a bank with a predominantly retail focus to one that also successfully services the commercial and corporate market. Today products and services of First National Bank Botswana cover the requirements of everyone, from large corporate companies to small businesses and the individual. As at January 2008, we operate with a network of 17 branches and a total of 89 ATMs around the country. A strong customer focused culture ensures that our products are correctly packaged and accessible to all. https://www.fnbbotswana.co.bw/aboutus/index.html accessed on the 30 March 2010. MISSION To be recognised by all as the most well respected and most profitable leading financial services institution of first choice, building enduring and rewarding relationships with all our customers and amongst all stakeholders through the provision of exceptional customer service well skilled professionalism, reliable and efficient innovative products and solutions by our high achieving, motivated, proud and committed team, enabling us to get and keep customers. VISION We collaborate, support and empower each other through the consistent application of our aligned strategies and shared values, delivering maximum value to our customers and sharing the customer so as to add further value to them. Through this, we get and keep customers. CURRENT MARKET SITUATION ANALYSIS Currently the world was going through recession each and every organization across the globe felt the impact of the economic meltdown. Despite global recession and tough competition from competitors like Barclays bank, Standard chartered, Stabic bank and Bank Gaborone etc, First National Bank Botswana proved to be the most innovative bank in Botswana and it made profit unlike Barclays bank sales which had gone down, this shows that FNBB had increase in sales and market share. According to Imara report, September 2009, FNBB had a growth in turnover; the bank posted a strong set of results despite operating in a challenging business environment. Net interest income grew by 30.6% to P522.90 million (FY08: P400.25 million) mainly driven by a 17.0% increase in loans and advances. Profit before tax and profit after tax increased by 19.5% to P536.90 million and 8.7% to P406.72 million respectively. SIGNIFICANT MARKET SHARE According to Analyst Setlhabi P, 2009 FNBB is one of the leading banks in Botswana with the largest market share in terms of deposits (29.7%) and 2nd largest in terms of loans and advances (27.3%) after Barclays Bank Botswana. The pie chart above shows that FNBB has more market share in Botswana compared to other banks in Botswana. In terms of technology advancement and Information system FNBB is the most innovative bank, it was the first bank to provide internet and cell phone banking in Botswana to customers and it is currently the only listed bank providing cell phone banking services. In a bid to reach the unbanked market, First National Bank of Botswana has launched its new cell phone banking service, enabling banking activities such as balance enquiries, statement requests and the ability to make payments to third parties. Due to advancement in technology and Information system its market share has grown tremendously. FNBB SWOT ANALYSIS Below is a table showing the swot analysis of the First National Bank Botswana, from the table it shows that the bank has more strength, good opportunities than weakness and threats which is really good. PREVIOUS SYSTEM The previous system was manual based before introducing this advanced system, though they had computers nothing was automated customers had to go to the physical bank to deposit money, pay the bills and some of the important information was recorded on papers which can get lost or stolen easily. The system was costly to the bank because they had to use a lot of materials e.g. papers to record information and print the bank statement for customers and you would find that there will be long queues at the bank during the week. Customers could not dream buying items online, they manual system was time consuming and somehow hindered the growth of the FNBB market share. Customers who wanted to open accounts with the bank had to fill the application form, submit and wait for seven working days for their application to be processed and account to be opened. There was nothing like transferring the fund to third party account or interbank transfer the customer had to do it manual at the bank teller or cashier counter. CURRENT SYSTEM (S) The bank has several current information systems in place which has enhanced its performance and productivity resulting in customer satisfaction and convenience hence customer loyalty to FNBB. According to Mr. Edwin M FNBB have the following information systems in use. Online Banking Customers can access the bank account anywhere, anytime as long they have internet access where there are, and they can do any transaction; paying bills, buy online, view balance, bank statement and transfer funds to third party. Cell Phone Banking Now with cell phone banking in place customer do not need to be behind a computer doing transaction, they can access their funds/ bank account by using their mobile phones which is more convenient, fast and user friendly. Its new cell phone banking service, enabling banking activities such as balance enquiries, statement requests and the ability to make payments to third parties. The service is accessible through any handset in Botswana and uses SMS or a menu-based technology for customers to complete their banking transactions, increasing mass market reach and adding functionality to First National Bank of Botswanas (FNBB) offerings. The new FNB Cell phone banking offering is a natural extension from the pioneering beginnings of the in Contact service, said Yolisa Lejowa, FNBB head of electronic banking. Initially the service will only be available on the Mascom network but we envisage activating FNB Cell phone banking on the Orange network as well, shortly. By introducing these systems the bank has saved a lot of money which would be used for stationery in the manual system and the bank saw a great positive impact on their daily activities, long queues is the thing of the past, productivity, efficiency and market share has increased. New customers can even apply for bank accounts online without going to the bank as long as they provide valid details; everything will be processed within a short period of time. Now customers have the bank virtual bank with them wherever they go. Some of the Information systems are; Transaction Processing system Human resource Management system Executive management system INFORMATION RESOURCE AND CONTROL According www.datamonitor.com head of electronic banking (chief information officer) at FNBB has a critical role and responsible for the entire security of the organization, plan and implement technology advancement and innovations to ensure that FNBB stays atop of the market in the banking industry in Botswana. The Electronic bank head critical evaluate the security systems ability to protect bank and customer data. According to Eddie M in interviews response stated that chief information officer overlook the entire organization information system, to ensure that all resources are utilized within the budget and enforce higher security in the system to ensure business continuity. This is achieved by defining, updating, implementing IT strategy and align IT objectives and programs to enterprise objectives and strategies. By applying the above critical roles result in data privacy and confidentially, data integrity, authentication, non-repudiation. The head of electronic banking of FNBB set security privileges in the organization to ensure that certain areas and information is only accessed by authorized personnel or user. He carries out and enforces comprehensive security policy in the organization. According to www.fdic.gov/news/news/financial/1999/FIL9968b.doc A comprehensive information security policy should outline a proactive and ongoing program incorporating three components; Prevention Detection Response E-banking services must be delivered on a consistent and timely basis in accordance with high customer expectations for a constant and rapid availability and potential high transaction demand. The bank must be able to deliver online banking services to all end-users and be able to maintain such availability in all circumstances. ORGANISATION SECURITY SYSTEM RISK System risk is a potential problem, situation that if it materializes, may adversely affect the business operation or system operation. http://www.pathways.cu.edu.eg/ . According to Eddie M 26 March 2010 Interviews. The use of information system which is online banking and cell phone banking has brought some risks and threats which are as follows; information theft, hacking of the system, System Failure due to hardware problem or power failure even software crushing, backup gets corrupted sometimes. The above table summarizes the system risks that exist with the use of information system; some of the risks are intentional were the user or unauthorized person get to do some modification in the system database/ some system components which will compromise availability or integrity of the data produced, processed. Some of the threats are accidental where by the user discloses his/her online banking details leading to account hacking and money theft. Network malfunction/ interruption is one of the major threats, sometimes network hardware components fails leading to break of data transfer between computers and servers leading to online system been unable to function normal (down). Electricity blackout its a major concern in Botswana because it happens more often resulting in online banking and cell phone banking being inaccessible during the period, as cell phone network goes down during electricity blackout and some electronics components tends to fails as well leading to system failure as information systems are comprised of different electronics components. All the above mentioned system risks and threats are the main faced by First National Bank Botswana. SYSTEM RISK MITIGATION To mitigate risks and threats board of directors and the head of electronic banking must ensure that appropriate security control processes are in place for online banking. (FNBB Report, 2009). To deal with this risks authorization privileges and authentication measures, logical and physical access control, adequate infrastructure security to maintain appropriate boundaries and restriction on both external user activities and data integrity of transactions, record and information should be implemented in the bank. http://www.bis.org/publ/bcbs98.htm. SECURITY CLOSED CIRCUIT TELEVISION (CCTV) CCTV is used to capture and monitor all customer and employee activities inside and outside the bank building for security reasons. Youll find CCTVcameras sweeping the perimeter and parking areas, lobbies, drive-up windows and ATMS. Almost everyone who has worked in the banking industry and many customers has used CCTV to prevent and/or identify illegal activity at banking facilities. Video tapes and digital recordings capture the faces and activities of everyone using bank properties. (Pirraglia W). The captured recordings are archived bydate, so prior recordings can be located and used to solve problems and help apprehend perpetrators of illegal bank activity. Most of the banks around the world have cctv installed in their buildings and around ATM terminals, so FNBB use CCTV for the same purpose as explained above, all of their building are monitored by CCTV.