How does Peter Medak create sympathy for Derek in ‘Let Him Have it’ Essay

Peter Medak directed this Film from a very biased point of view. He presents one side of an opinion – in this case sympathetic to Derek Bentley though exact events are not certain. At nine am on the morning of the 28th January 1953 Derek William Bentley was hanged at Wandsworth Prison London, as an accomplice to a murder which was committed by a friend in the course of a robbery attempt, it created a cause cà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½là ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½bre leading to a 45 year long and ultimately successful campaign to win him a posthumous pardon. The Trial took place before Lord Chief of Justice for England and Wales, Lord Goddard, at the Old Bailey London. Medak gains a lot of sympathy for Derek by showing his misfortune throughout. The beginning of the film indicates a very somber atmosphere. Immediately after the credits we encounter a Blitz scene with Derek buried under the rubble of an old building during the bombing. As an audience you soon realize that he has suffered a physical, mental and emotional trauma which has left him with brain damage. In the next scene Derek is four years older causing mischief vandalizing a shed with a group of other boys. The boys, however, are rumbled and managed to escape but Derek gets caught and, put in a difficult situation, experiences an epileptic fit. We fast forward again a few years, the camera moves down a corridor towards Derek sitting looking concerned outside the Head’s office of the Kingswood Approved School he had been admitted to. The decision is made that he is to be released partially because of his low level intelligence, that of an eleven year old. The scene foreshadows what happens later; from what is said you get a real sense that the institutions of society are much more powerful than the individual – in this case, Derek. Justice is firmly against him, although it is apparent there is nothing criminal about him. Ashamed of what happened, Derek becomes a recluse and does not leave the house. Within his own world he feels comfortable but as soon as he leaves the he begins to show his vulnerability. We then come across Chris Craig for the first time as he sees Derek from the street corner he is completely over dressed and it is evident he is a confident character, a tilting shot upwards signifies this. There is a strong contrast between the two: Chris, 16, tries to emulate and pretend to be a gangster with a strong American influence around the time of Al Capone and Prohibition. Derek who had very little contact with the outside world and has only just discovered a love of music. Their style and behavior differ as well. Despite Chris’ small stature he constantly manipulates people around him and because Derek naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve, he is easily persuaded. The scene in which the two meet is set beside the train line. The sound of a train approaching almost builds tension and gives you a sense of resounding force Derek is up against leaving you asking, what events will follow? Derek soon becomes more acquainted with Chris and begins to feel a sense of belonging. From being with Chris’s clique he soon makes the connection that to get what he wants he needs money. It is rather easy to forget Chris’s age. In the next scene he is a classroom at school exchanging various objects for weapons. Because the film is set in a post second world war period, there were a lot of guns around which made their way into the hands of the youngsters. It becomes clear Chris actually uses the guns whereas the others in his class of his age do not. This is vital to the Tamworth road scene. As their teacher enters there is a high angle shot looking over the class, showing the students lack of power (authority). Derek is physically large and appears strong but is of a gentle nature. Derek becomes more and more involved in the gang and is given a blue jacket by Niven Chris’s brother who, noticing his physically large stature, perhaps had an intention of using him. This jacket is however a light blue a different colour to the black they were wearing so this does suggest he is still an outsider. When Derek returns home, his fathers suspicions are raised about his whereabouts. Through questioning it is obvious he is not any good at lying nor does he act well under pressure, he has to rely on his sister to help him. Reluctantly, Derek has to under-take a physical test so he can be excused from national service, due to his epilepsy, as an audience you feel sorry for Derek as they didn’t believe him. Despite his appearance Derek is shown in an extreme close up as vulnerable, unable to stand up for himself. Derek is excused from service and is deemed subnormal. At this stage Derek’s self-worth is low and his parents talking about him makes matters worse. Following this we see Chris’s brother struggling in a feud with the police. After seeing his brother trying to shoot his way out of arrest it’s as if it is no longer a game for Chris and he is hardened by the episode as his brother is sentenced to twelve years imprisonment. His right hand man however is not charged which leads you to think Derek’s fate would be the same in just such an occurrence. Bentley does try to resist the lure of the gang but is drawn back, as he goes to see Chris there is a establishing shot on Derek to show empowerment on his part (he had obtained the key to the butcher where he had been humiliated a number of times). At this point Chris appears at his weakest. We are reminded of his adolescence wearing his PJ’swith toy cars and a gun on his bedside table. Derek and the gang join forces once again; the camera lingers on Derek signifying that is not entirely sure what he is up against, whereas the camera looks up at Chris trying to exert his power. By this point Derek is in a black coat like the others, perhaps to suggest he is no longer an outsider. Their plan to rob the butchers doesn’t materialize so Chris and Derek attempt to break into Barlow and Parker (confectionary wholesale and manufacturer warehouse) via the roof. The camera looks down on Derek once again and up at Chris as he shouts from above. Even at this point the two are messing around. In this scene the action is mainly focused on Chris as he fires a revolver aimlessly into the air as the police arrive and detective Sergeant Fairfax reaches the lift-housing. In a pivotal part of the film Derek is placed under arrest but breaks free and shouts â€Å"Let him have it Chris!† which can be perceived in different ways but resulted in Derek’s conviction as he was said to have mentally aided murder. Derek stands up to Chris but to no prevail. The camera looks down on Chris as he exhausts his ammunition, he is consequently left powerless. Cornered, Chris jumped some thirty feet from the roof, fracturing his spine and left wrist when he landed on a greenhouse. At this point, he was arrested. The next episode is the funeral of the policemen shot dead, Constable Sidney Miles, in the incident. The Home Secretary of the time David Maxwell Fyfe is shown to say to the family of the officer: â€Å"Justice will be done† in a vengeful tone. We quickly move to the trial, as viewers we are witnesses and not at all impartial. There is a whole establishing shot of the court room with the two accused looking small and insignificant in the middle of shot. The court system was mainly run and controlled by the higher classes but the judge is not necessarily shown through camera angles or positioning as the greatest power in the room, under questioning Chris is almost in control of the courtroom despite the enormous charges and the severity he still manages to cast doubt over the courtroom elders, manipulating. You continue to feel sympathy for Derek with a defense that seems to get weaker throughout even though he is as much of a victim. It is not at all surprising that Derek is caught by the prosecution under questioning and the trial begins to feel unfair towards Derek. The fact that Derek had a knuckle duster and on him used as evidence builds sympathy again as none of which were his but given to him by Chris. As tension builds, through sound effects and an extreme close up we get a strong insight into his mental anguish as he struggles with his words. The camera pans around the room from Derek’s position with his family solidly there in the forefront of the picture. The camera rests on Derek’s father the longest as he still looks towards him more concerned about his thoughts and opinion even though the jury clearly depict their negative impressions. The verdict is passed by the jury with a recommendation of mercy, there is a low angle shot of Derek as he is taken down. He appears disorientated and dizzy after the devastating sentence; the picture gets darker as he is put in detention reflecting the situation. Chris is presented as a young boy as they both sit behind bars. After reading the home office psychiatric reports the Home Secretary refuses to request clemency from the Queen. This does make the legal system seen fallible, you feel increasing sympathy for Derek as we find out that the sentence is rarely carried out in this situation and especially since it was contreary to public opinion. There was talk that the trial was manipulated to send the public a message that of murder especially of a cop is unacceptable a point made clear by Peter Medak. The family only finds out the news in a slightly cruel way through a journalist. In the last meeting between Derek and his family the camera focuses on Derek at eye level. Once again he displays his mental age in saying will it hurt there is a strong sense of poignancy about it. Derek’s father goes to Parliament to appeal with a petition however they were not allowed to discuss Bentley’s sentence until it had been carried out. In a bird’s eye view shot we find Derek’s farther pacing up and down in a large space awaiting the MP’s decision. By this point nothing can be done. The picture fades to the next scene where one of the guards is scribing for Derek in a letter, as he attempts to sign the letter we recognize he is left handed considered clumsy at the time and different, considering he is shown as very right sided at the beginning of the film. Derek’s is shown to be understandably emotional but shows maturity, he had heart but not the judgment. There is a long establishing shot of Bentley’s street signifying morning which in tern is quite and peaceful. In the Penultimate scene the camera tracks down the stairs of the house into the living room with the clock on the mantelpiece getting louder and louder as it nears nine o’clock the time of execution. The speed in which it takes place is quite dramatic! along with it is a sense of finality. The story is controversial, because Medak has chosen a topic which had been familiar with the public not so long ago. The end sequence suggests that justice is a blunt instrument and the film in its entirety raises the question of capital punishment the incorrect decisions, the dangers and whether it should be abolished.

As Business Studies Unit 1 Revision Notes

Unit 1 Business- Revision * Enterprise- The ability to handle uncertainty and deal efficiently with change. * Entrepreneur- someone who has a flair for business ideas and has the confidence to take the risks involved in setting up a business. * Successful entrepreneurs: * Passion * Motivate people around them * Determined to succeed * Self-belief * Common characteristics of successful entrepreneurs: * Self-confidence- believe in your ideas; products and be able to motivate others. * Initiative- being prepared to start something. * Hard working- not easy to set up a business. * Creativity- inventing new products, finding new ways to do things. Resilience- be prepared to redesigned and rethink, don’t let setbacks put you off. * Taking risks. * Small Businesses: * Less then 50 employees * Value of sales less then ? 2. 8 million * Value of balance sheet is less then ? 1. 4million * Why do people set up businesses? * Be your own boss * Work from home * Help others * Gap in market * Redundancy * Peruse a hobby * Make money * Risks: * No job security * Loose money * Others could copy idea * May not have regular income * Debt * Competition * Demand for product falls * Rewards: * Enjoy * Personal pride/satisfaction * MAKE MONEY * Satisfied customers Provide employment * Benefit family * Government Support * Financial- grants, subsidies, tax cuts and loans. * Provide info and support- websites e. g. business link * Create enterprise zones * Reduce regulation- red tape * Revenue expenditure is every day expenditure – gas, electricity, paying suppliers for materials, petrol, wavers and salaries. * Capital expenditure is expenditure on assets- car, machinery and equipment. Sources of Finance * Retained profit: * Whatever profits the business makes is ploughed back into the business to make it grow. * Advantages * Doesn’t have to be repaid No interest charges * More the business grows, more of a profit you make * Disadvantages * maybe limited- constrain rate of business expansion * may run out quickly * still have to pay money back * the more profit you put back into the business the less you get to keep * Sale of Assets * Assets are the things the business owns. * Where the business sells things of their own to raise money. * Advantages * Get money but loose an asset * Dispose of unused assets * Get your money back straight away * Finance development without extra borrowing * Disadvantages Costs money to transfer assets * Taxed on capital gains * Grow in value quicker than what the cash can yield elsewhere * Personal Sources (owners funds) * Its money put into the business by the owner * Advantages * Doesn’t have to be repaid * Immediately available and accessible * Disadvantages * If the business fails you’ve lost your own money * Bank Overdraft * Balance of a bank account when funds withdrawn exceed funds deposited * Arranging a flexible loan on which the business can draw as necessary up to an agreed limit * Advan tages Flexible- there when you need it, helps to maintain cash flow and you only borrow what you need. * Quick – Overdrafts are easy and quick to arrange, providing a good cash flow backup with the minimum of fuss * Disadvantages * Cost  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Overdrafts carry interest and fees; often at much higher rates than loans. This makes them very expensive for long term borrowing. You also face large charges if you go over the agreed overdraft limit. * Recall – Unless specified in the terms and conditions, the bank can recall the entire overdraft at any time.This may happen if you fail to make other payments, or if you have broken terms and conditions; though sometimes the banks simply change their policies. * Security- Overdrafts may need to be secured against your business assets, which put them at risk if you cannot meet repayments. * Trade Credit * Where they can purchase goods and pay at a later date * Advantages * You can buy the stock and pay later when you have sol d the stock and made enough money to pay them back * Eases the cash flow as you can pay after 28-30 days * Disadvantages If you do not pay them back on time you can build up a bad credit history * Only companies with good credit history can be accepted the trade credit grant * Hire Purchase * A business can buy an asset and pay over a period of time with interest. * Advantages * Don’t have to pay it all at once- spreading costs * More money to pay for your own business * Disadvantages * The item you’ve bought could be out of date by the time you’ve finished paying. * Interest could be added. * Leasing * Renting assets * Advantages * Don’t have to pay interest Service & maintenance included * Don’t have to worry about money being withdrawn * Equipment upgraded every few years * Friends and family more willing to lend * Not giving control up * Disadvantages * Money you’ve used for leasing could go else where * The item never belongs to you * B ank Loans * Sum of money lent for a fixed period of time with interest * Advantages * Length of loan can vary * Interest is fixed * Loan guarantees business has money * Bank has no control of business * Disadvantages * Interest rates * Loose possessions due to debt Pay it, even if you’re not earning profit * Venture Capital * Capital invested in a project in which there is a substantial element of risk, typically a new or expanding business. * Advantages * Provide a mentor * Don’t need to repay money back * Helps the business get money externally * Disadvantages * Loose some control of the business * Pay legal & accounting fees * Lengthy process * Share Capital * Any investors that put some money into the business get a share of the profits * Advantages * Helps you start up * Don’t have to pay it back * Business will grow If your bringing extra shareholders in, it will bring in additional expertise’s * Disadvantages * Loose some control of business * Have to give out a share of your profits each year * Business Angel * Is an individual who provides capital for a business start-up usually for business equity * Advantages * have experience from the business angel * good financial start * experiment with ideas * Disadvantages * Give up some of your business * Higher risks of being took * Factors that determine which source of finance to use: * Length of time- short term or long term Control- how much are you willing to give up? * Amount needed * What is the money needed for? * Affordability- can you afford to repay? * Level of risk you are willing to take * Type of business Costs * Expenditures made by a business in order to carry out trading. * Types of costs: * FIXED- those that do not change with levels of output or sales. Also known as indirect cost. * VARIABLE- these that change directly with level of output or sales. Also known as direct cost. * Total costs = Total Costs Fixed Costs Variable Costs Total Costs Fixed Costs Variable Costs * Total Variable Costs OutputTotal Variable Costs Output Average variable cost per unit= * Total Revenue/Turnover * The value of sales over a period of time * Selling price No of Units Sold Selling price No of Units Sold * Total Revenue Total Costs Total Revenue Total Costs Profit- what is left after total costs have been deducted from revenue. * Contribution * not the same as profit- fixed costs are not subtracted * Selling Price per unit Variable Costs per unit Selling Price per unit Variable Costs per unit Goes towards paying your fixed costs, and the left over is profit. * Total Contribution: * you can increase this by: increasing selling price * reduce variable costs per unit Contribution Per unit No of Units Sold Contribution Per unit No of Units Sold * Break-even * Fixed costs of business Contribution per unit Fixed costs of business Contribution per unit The number of products you need to sell or make to cover costs, and not lose anything or make profit. * Break-even Graphs * Margin of safety * Difference between current sales and break-even point * It shows the amount by which demand can fall before the business starts making a loss * What can affect the breakeven point? Action| Effect|Increase fixed costs | Break-even rises, need to make/sell more to break-even| Prices increase| Increase in revenue, break-even point falls| Increase in variable costs| Break-even point rises | Fall in demand | Break-even point is not effected but margin of safety is reduced| Price cut| Break-even increases| * Strengths of Break Even * Simple to understand and useful for ‘what if’ scenarios e. g. what happens if there is a price increase, increase in costs etc. * Helps to estimate future sales or level of output needed to meet objectives in terms of profit * Helps with business decision making e. . to see if a business start-up or new product is viable * Supports applications for finance e. g. loans from the bank * Weaknesses of Break Even * They are predictions for the future, therefore not always reliable due to changes internally and externally in business environment * Assumes all output is sold- not always the case * Only as good as the data on which it is based, therefore inaccurate or poor quality data make it not very useful * Cash Flow Forecasts * What is it? * It’s a prediction showing timings of cash inflows and cash outflows of a business * Its SHORT TERM It shows the impact on a business’ bank balance * NOT THE SAME AS PROFIT * A business may have the potential for profit in the long-term but have short-term cash problems * Purposes: * Forecast when outflows exceed inflows * Plan when and how to finance major items of expenditure * Ensure liquid assets are available to meet payments * Highlight when cash surpluses could be made better use of * Justify to lenders that borrowed funds can be repaid * Benefits * Indicate periods of time where there might be cash flow problems e. g. egative cash flow * Put plans in place to cover periods of negative cash flow e. g. arrange an overdraft or short term loan * If there is significant negative cash flow to identify outflows may be reduced * Review timings and amounts of recipes and payments (e. g. may need to reduce credit terms to customers or extend credit terms with suppliers) * Show to a potential lender or investor e. g. bank of venture capitalist or business angel. * Limitations * Inflows might be inaccurate due to poor market research or incorrect assumption e. g. hat there product will be of higher demand * External factors may affect your forecast e. g. rise in inflation which increases costs, competitors, weather, major event e. g. the Olympic Games * Inexperience- a person new to business has no historical data to base a cash flow on. Their inexperience may also cause them to make inaccurate predictions * Unexpected cost increases e. g. due to inflation or weather * Budgets * A budget is a financial target for the future coveri ng revenue (income) and expenditure * Expenditure budget- allocates money to ‘cost’ areas e. g. alaries, rent, advertising * Income budget- sets out sales revenue target for a department or whole business i. e. how much money they are expected to bring in * Profit budget- sets out target profit for a business or department or individual over a given time period * Why budget? * Help you to not overspend- dependent on good financial control and monitoring * Help with risks- contingencies * Help to motivate staff * Giving financial responsibility * Help with trying to secure funding * Gives you something to monitor against * Help to improve financial efficiency Stages in setting a budget * Benefits of Budgeting * Help motivate staff e. g. given sales targets * Gives people financial responsibility * Helps to control costs * Gives employees financial responsibility * For a new business helps it to assess whether it is viable or not * Can persuade lenders of the viability of the business * Provides clear goals – gives the business something to work towards * Allows monitoring of financial performance against targets * Disadvantages * Time consuming * For a new business there is no historical data * Gathering information can be costly Level of inflation not easy to predict * Can be demotivating for staff if imposed rather than agreed * May be unforeseen changes e. g. in tastes. Supplies, external environment * Inexperience – if you’re not experienced you might make mistakes * Variance Analysis * Measures the difference between forecast budget figures and actual budget figures * A – adverse – negative, not good * F – favourable variance – good ++ * Favourable variance occurs +++ * Where actual profit higher than budgeted * Where actual sales lower than budgeted * Where actual costs lower than budgeted * Adverse variance occurs — Where actual profit lower than budgeted * Where actual sales lower than budgeted * Where actual costs higher than budgeted * Protecting Businesses Rights * Intellectual property * Is property that results from original creative thought, as patents, copyright material and trademarks. * ALL businesses have IP * Your IP is likely to be a valuable asset, it could include * Name of business * Products/services you provide * Written/artistic material you create * Your IP rights can: * Set your business apart from competitors * Be sold or licensed, providing a revenue stream * Offer customers something new or different Form an essential part in your marketing and branding * Be used as security for loans * Patents * A patent is an exclusive right to use a process or produce a product usually for a fixed period of time, up to 20 years * Needed to ensure that competitors cannot copy inventors ideas * This ensures that the inventors can recoup the initial research and development cost * This allows companies to gain an advantage over their competitors and increas e their revenue * Companies can sue other companies that breach these terms and stop them selling the product e. g. Dyson and Hoover * Benefits The patent holder has exclusive commercial rights to use and license the invention * Legal action can be taken against anyone who tries to use this invention without the patent holders consent e. g. competitors * The existence of the patent may be enough to deter would-be infringers * The patent can be sold * Drawbacks * A full description of the invention is published and can be viewed by anyone applying to the appropriate patent administration office. * After the exclusive patent period other people or businesses can freely use the invention without needing permission from or making a payment to the inventor. The cost of the patent may out-weigh the financial advantages of the invention. * Patents take time to create as they need to be very specific * Trademarks * A word, image, sound or smell that enables a business to differentiate itsel f from competitors * Designated by symbols * TM – unregistered trademark GOODS * SM – unregistered service mark SERVICES * R – registered trademark * Advantages * TM and SM can be used to claim ownership without registration * Help owner protect mark from being used by competitors * Once company has trademark ownership it will have exclusive rights worldwide * Disadvantages Owner has to show proof of use at regular intervals – if documents aren’t filed could lose trademark * Weakest IP protection as it protects marketing concepts and not always product itself * Have to pay fee for registration and renewal * Copyright * The protection given to books, plays, films and music * This ensures that people cannot copy or use protected items without the owner’s permission (and usually at a cost) * CR can protect: * Literacy works e. g. ovels, instruction manuals, song lyrics, newspaper articles * Dramatic works e. g. dance or mime * Musical works * A rtistic works e. g. paintings, engravings, photos * Layouts or typographical arrangements used to publish a work e. g. a book * Recordings of a work e. g. sound and film * Broadcasts of work * Advantages * Right to produce and reproduce their work * Right to authorise others to produce or reproduce * Prevents your work from being stolen or misused * Allows copyright holder to sue infringers Disadvantages * Does not allow you to permit others to use your work or to distribute it * You must own the copyright to be able to exercise the rights it grants. Being creator does not always grant ownership * Takes time and costs money * Designs * An industrial design right is an IP right that protects visual designs of objects that are not purely utilitarian (useful) * A recognised design is a legal right which protects the overall visual appearance of a product in the country or countries your register it in. For a designs registration to be valid: * Has to be new * Have individual character * Advantages * Allows owner to control who uses it and how. * Allows author of a creative work to profit from it by charging for its use or by selling or licensing the rights * Gives owner exclusive rights to the use of the property * Deters others from misusing it * Allows owner to take legal action more easily against anyone who uses the design without permission * Compensation for misuse * Disadvantages * Registration can to expensive Not all designs can be registered * Have to be renewed after 25 years * Franchising * A franchise is a business structure in which the owner of a business idea (the franchisor) sells the right to use that idea to another person (the franchisee) usually in return for a fee and a share in any profit the franchisee makes. * A franchisee is a person or company who has paid to become part of an established franchise business e. g. subway or Specsavers * A franchisor is the owner of the holding company and franchise * FRANCHISOR Advantages| Disadvantages| Franchisor can expand business quickly | * Potential loss of control over how the product/service is presented| * Franchisor earns revenue from the franchisees turnover | * Difficult to control quality as franchise network expands | * Risk is shared- much of the cost is met by the franchisee| * Co-ordination and communication problems may increase as it grows | * Franchisee may have good entrepreneurial skills which will earn the franchiser revenue | * Some franchisees become powerful as they acquire a number of franchises | * FRANCHISEE Advantages| Disadvantages| Franchisee able to sell an already recognised and successful product/service| * Proportion of revenue is paid to franchisor | * Take advantage of central services such as marketing, purchasing, training, stock control and accounting systems and admin provided by franchisor | * Franchisee may not fell that business is his/her own. And may not benefit from the personal rewards of entrepreneurship | * Franchisor may have exp erience in the market that the franchisee can benefit from | * Right to operate franchise could be withdrawn | * OVERALL FRANCHISE Advantages| Disadvantages| Existing business format| * Business format already set out | * Banks more likely to lend to a franchise then to a new business | * Still an element of risk involved in buying a franchise, no guarantee of success | * Less risk then new business | * Other franchisees may give the brand a bad reputation| * Already established business | * Maybe difficult to sell the franchise | * There’s thing you need to research before buying a franchise: * Is there any upfront costs? * Any fees need to plan? May need to lease property or equipment from franchisor * How is franchisor making money? Regional protection – guarantees franchisor isn’t going to sell other franchises or open up outlets nearby * How many franchises fail in a year? * Value of a re-sold franchise, is it a profitable investment? * Legal Factors * Publ ic Limited Company (PLC) * Is owned by shareholders and shares can be bought and sold publicly. Advantages| Disadvantages| * Access of funds | * Flotation can be expensive to process| * Many investors| * Company must have ? 50,000 in shares capital and have 25% in shareholders before trading. | * Bankers and lenders see stable business| * Not possible to keep control| * | * Nothing topping competitors buying shares| * | * The owner is not in control. | * Partnership * is more than one person in business together without having a company Advantages| Disadvantages| * few steps to follow to become a partnership| * loss of control| * additional skills | * no liability, can lose possessions | * more capital | * got to be able to trust partner| * share strain| * legally bounded| * different skills | * | * Processes: * Formal documents have to be written * All partners have to agree to and sign the 1980 partnership act * Have to draw up a deed of partnership Private Limited Company (LTD) * Is that the owners are shareholders and their ownership of the business is determined by the proportion of the total shares each person holds. Advantages| Disadvantages| * Access to funds through shares | * Bankers may see business as a risk | * Can’t lose control | * More complicated setup | * Stable structure | * Lenders may see limited liability as a risk| * Limited liability | * | * When shareholders die/resign the business doesn’t stop| * | * Processes: * Have to keep detailed record once trading * Complicated process to setup Sole trader * Is the most common and simplest form of business organisation, it is one person operating a business alone. Advantages| Disadvantages| * Simple and quick to setup | * Unlimited liability | * Inexpensive to setup | * Difficult to raise additional finance | * Any profit made is the owners to keep or reinvest | * All decisions rest with owner| * Owner has complete control| * Drive comes from the owner | * Close relationship betwe en the business and customer can be built up| * | * Hours of work can be tailed to suit entrepreneur| * | * Processes: Very little needed to setup * When up and running must keep basic records for tax, national insurance and VAT purposes. * Not-for-profit businesses – social enterprise * A charitable company that doesn’t keep profits. Advantages| Disadvantages| * Entrepreneurs can earn a living doing something valuable | * Profits and social aims may conflict – difficult choices | * The more successful the more society benefits| * The entrepreneur will always have to accept a lower return than with a profit making business, because a proportion of the profit will go towards the social aim. * Customers may be more willing to buy from a social enterprise | * | * Easier to recruit, motivate and retain employees | * | * Grants or other forms of finance are available | * | * Unlimited Liability- the debts of the business are the owners responsibility * Unincorporated business- owner and business have no separate legal identity. * Added Value * â€Å"the difference in value between the price of the finished product and the cost of materials used† * it is the value of the process of transformation of INPUTS into OUTPUTS * Inputs- also known as the factors of production raw materials i. e. cotton and wheat * labour * land e. g. building and rooms * capital * enterprise * Outputs- is the product or service or benefit to the customer * Business is a process where INPUTS are processed to produce OUTPUTS * At each stage of the process VALUE is ADDED so that the finished product is greater than the sum of value of all the inputs * Adding value you could: * Branding * Quality * Design * Unique features – unique selling point * Size * Reputation * Range of products * Packaging * Celebrity endorsement * Good service * Offers * Location * Additional services Qualifications of staff * Transformation process * This refers to the process or proc esses that factors of production go through in order to produce goods and services. How business activity is classified: * Benefits of adding value * You can charge more * It differentiates you from the competition * Reduces the sensitivity of demand to changes in price * Higher profit margins * Can target product or service at a different marker segment * Business Plan * Is a document setting out the business idea and showing how it is to be financed, marketed and put into practice.It is likely to be crucial part of an attempt to raise finance from outside sources such as a bank. * A detailed document that looks at the workings of a new business. * Structure of a Business Plan 1. Introduction/summary/overview 2. Details of product/service 3. The market- who your customers are 4. Marketing plan – how are you going to attract customers? 5. Staffing plan- employ who? 6. Operational plan- logistics of business e. g. how customers will pay, where you will source things from†¦ 7. Financial plan 8. The future – long term plans, growth and expansion * Benefits Essential planning tool – makes the business think carefully about all aspects of the business * Set objectives against which the business can then measure progress and performance * To support application for finance/funding * Identify any problems or pitfalls e. g. lack of expertise in the business * A written down plan enables continuity, for example, if the owner becomes ill or unable to work in the business for a period of time * Helps assess the viability of a business – is it likely to succeed * Disadvantages Time consuming to research and draw up * Lack of expertise – first time entrepreneur may not have knowledge needed * Forecasts may not happen e. g. sales might not be as predicted * Can be too rigid if owner tries to stick to the plan – needs to be flexible * Market Research * Gathers info about consumers, competitors and distributors within a firms tar get market * Primary Research- data collected by the entrepreneur, or paid to be collected, which does not already exist. Pro’s| Con’s| Aim directly at your objectives | * Expensive,? 10,000 per survey| * Latest info | * Risk of it being bias e. g. interviews and questionnaires | * Assess psychology of customer | * Research findings may only be useable if comparable back data exists. | * Methods: * Observation * Focus groups * Test marketing * Questionnaire – telephone, face to face and email * Secondary Research – data already in existence that has not been collected specifically for the purposes of the entrepreneur. Pro’s| Con’s| Often obtained without cost | * Not updated regularly | * Good overview of a market| * Not tailored to you | * Based on actual sales figures, or research on large samples| * Expensive to buy reports on many different market places | * Sampling * the entrepreneur does not have the resources/time/skills to research everyone so a choice has to be made to select a proportion of those that could be researched * Random sample * Not haphazard * Computers used to generate random lists of people * Quota sample * Characteristics of marker Can be cheaper and accurate * Collected on street corner * Stratified sample * Randomly chosen from a sub-group * Sample size * How many people you want to interview? * Consideration * Cost, time, target market * Quantative Data: * Data in numerical form. An example is ‘8 out of 10 owners who expressed a preference said their cats preferred Whiskers’. * Quantative data is usually collected from larger scale research in order to generate statistically reliable results. * Good for establishing key info about a business and its market * Numerical information * Focuses on what is happening. Techniques * Online survey * Telephone survey * Questionnaire * Qualitative Data: * Data about opinions, attitudes and feelings. It is usually expressed in terms of why p eople feel or behave the way they do. * Difficult and expensive to collect * More revealing and useful * Information about attitudes, feelings and opinions * Focuses why it is happening * Techniques * In-depth interviews * Group discussions * Exam Tips: * When asked to analyse market research carried out, consider the following * Reliability of the research e. g. was it up-to-date? How representative was the research e. g. was the sample representative of the target market. * Sample size – was it large enough to be valid and reliable? * Response rate * Questions – were the right questions asked? * Bias – is the research likely to be bias? Who was asked? Was the method appropriate? E. g. questionnaires often produce bias results. * Market Share, Size and Growth * Market Share – * This is the proportion of a total market accounted for by one Product Company. * Market share can either be expressed as a % or as a value of the overall market * X 100X 100 Compa ny Value Company Value Total value of the market Total value of the market * Market size- * The total sales for a whole market e. g. pet food – expressed in the terms of value (? s) or units. ( don’t know how to calculate it, no specific formula) * Market Growth- * Change in Size Change in Size Measures the percentage change in sales (volume or value) over a period of time. X 100 X 100 Previous Market Size Previous Market Size * To calculate the change is: * New Market Size – Previous Market Size * Understating the Market Market- anyone willing and with the financial ability to buy a product or service. * 2 types: * Electronic market * Does not have a physical presence, but exists in terms of a virtual presence via the internet. * Many businesses have gone from ‘brick to click’ * In fact there are business which exist to help other business create an online presence (e. g. shopcreator. com ) Advantages of Virtual Presence| Disadvantages of Virtual P resence | * All customers are equally near from the business so distribution costs are reasonably constant. * Price transparency| * The world is the market| * Might get a lot of ‘hits’ doesn’t mean people are buying| * Less expensive – marketing & distribution| * No sales staff to encourage & advise| * 24/7 opening, no need to close| * Website crashes| * No requirement for an expensive location. | * Security issues| * Start-up costs lower| * Some people like to go to a shop and browse| * Business can react quicker to customer requests| * Lack of help and support. | Factors Affecting Demand * Price- some products/services have a demand which is very sensitive to price changes. Competition- the actions of competition particularly in relation their prices, or the features of their products will affect demand. * Incomes- some products/services have a demand which is very sensitive to changes in people’s income. * Marketing – there is a relationsh ip between the amount of money spent on marketing and the demand for the product. * External Factors- such as seasonality will also affect demand and possibly price. Market Segmentation. A technique where a whole market is broken down into smaller sections to identify groups of consumers with similar characteristics. * Segmentation characteristics: * AGE * CULTURE * GENDER SOCIAL CLASS * LIFE – CYCLES * INTERESTS/ LIFE STYLE * INCOME * Benefits: * Help them to know customers and suit their needs * Increase sales * Make more profit * Retain more customers * Increase market share * Improve marketing. * Limitations: * Need a good knowledge of the market – a small business start-up may not have this. * Can be difficult to predict customer behaviour – they don’t always behave like predicted. Location * Location is the place where a firm decides to site its operations. * Location decisions can have a big impact on costs and revenues. * E. G. * Skilled labour av ailable * Low land cost * Low rent * Close to customers High unemployment * Low unemployment * Close to raw materials * Close to suppliers * Cheap labour * Government assistance e. g. grants * Room to expand * Within the EU trade area * Low corporation tax * Access to ports * Excellent road networks * Low transport costs * Quantative factors – those that have a numerical value attached to them e. g. low rent * Qualitative factors – other factors associate with, for example, quality of the infrastructure or labour available. * Infrastructure – the fundamental facilities and systems serving a county, city or area, such as transportation and communication systems, power plants and schools.Employing People * Staffing options * Full-time – a member of staff who works in excess of 30 hours per week. Benefits| Drawbacks| * Available all the time to handle unexpected events. | * High cost. | * Able to build up better working relationships with each other- spendin g a lot of time together. | * Might not give the business flexibility in terms of an ability to increase capacity. | * Build up relationships with customers or suppliers. | * | * More loyal and committed. | * | * Take advantage of training opportunities. | * | Part-time – a member of staff who generally works fewer than 30 hours per week or a fraction of a full-time contract. They have the same employment rights as full-time employees. Benefits| Drawbacks| * Flexibility | * Difficult to access training| * Can be used when there are busy periods of trade| * Difficult to communicate between part-time staff| * Extend trading & production periods| * Less able to build close relationships with customers| * Allows people to manage work alongside other commitments, such as family| * Cost of employing and managing people on a part-time basis may not be much lower than full-time. * Job share – wider range of skills and talents| | * Small business- starting point, allow small bu sinesses to build slowly| | * If someone doesn’t want to work full-time they can become part-time and the business still has valuable experienced staff. | | * Temporary- employees who are employed for fixed periods of time, often seasonal workers, can be part-time or full-time. Benefits| Drawbacks| * If the volume of business may be uneven or uncertain the entrepreneur can keep the level of staff very flexible. | * May not know the working of the business or its culture. * Specific tasks or jobs may need doing which may have a finite time period. | * Not as motivated as permanent. | * Business could lack certain skills which are only needed for specific period of times| * Make communication difficult. | * Help a business through a period of short term staff shortage- e. g. maternity cover. | * Customers may not like a constantly changing workforce e. g. service businesses. | * May eventually become permanent. | | * Consultants & Advisors- * Businesses or individuals who provi de professional advice or services over a specific period of time for a fee. Small businesses often use consultants for advice on specific issues as it is more cost effective than employing a permanent member of staff e. g. for advice on marketing, human resources etc. Benefits| Drawbacks| * Bring in skills and expertise. | * Can be expensive. | * More cost effective. | * Not know business as well as employees. | * Adjust size of work-force up or down quickly. | * May not be motivated to work hard. | * Assessing Business Start-ups In order to be able to assess the success of a business you have to look at the original objectives. Business objectives: * Objectives are quantifiable targets set by an organisation against which they can measure their success. * Clearly defined targets for a business to achieve over a certain time period. * Possible objectives: * Profit maximisations- tying to earn as much profit as possible – but this might conflict with other objectives. * Profi t satisfying – making enough profit without risking too much stress or loss of control through employment of too many professional managers. * Survival- primary objective in the first few years of any new business. Sales growth- the owners try to make as many sales as possible. * Social objectives- the main objective would be to correct on of society’s problems but there may be a financial requirement to at least break even too. * Benefits- * Give direction and focus to the owners and the people who work in the business. * Create a well-defined target so the owners can make appropriate plans to achieve these targets. * Inform lenders and investors of the aims of the business. * Give a guideline for assessing the performance of the business overtime. * Must be SMART: Specific- clearly related to only that business * Measurable- putting a value to an objective helps when assessing performance * Agreed- by all those involved in trying to achieve the objective. Increase mo tivational impact. * Realistic – should be challenging but not impossible. * Time specific- should have a time limit so performance can be assessed effectively. * Why new business fail * Insufficient capital * Poor management skills/ lack of experience * Poor location * Lack of planning * Poor market research * Over-expansion * External factors – e. g. price increases, competitors. Niche MarketsA small and clearly identifiable segment of a market. E. g. specialist sports cars, gluten-free food, vinyl, bespoke furniture, tailor-made clothing. Characteristics: * Relatively few customers, therefore small volume of sales. * Premium priced, therefore good potential for profitability. * Product is often highly differentiated. * Usually too small to attract larger businesses, therefore attractive to smaller businesses. Advantages| Disadvantages| * Little competition – easy to gain market share. | * Tend to have higher fixed costs as they are spread across relatively sm all volumes of output/sales. * Can charge premium prices – potential for higher profit. | * Degree of specialisation makes niche markets vulnerable to changes in market conditions. | * Can focus on needs of individual customers and respond quickly to changes in these needs. | * Successful niche may attract interest of larger firms – small firms may find it difficult to compete. | * Allow small firms to compete effectively. | | * Gain â€Å"first mover advantage† i. e. first in the market, can establish brand/image. | | * Can target market more effectively e. g. have a more personalised service. | |

Good Readers Good Writers V Essay

â€Å"Good Readers and Good Writers† (from Lectures on Literature) Vladimir Nabokov (originally delivered in 1948) My course, among other things, is a kind of detective investigation of the mystery of literary structures. â€Å"How to be a Good Reader† or â€Å"Kindness to Authors†Ã¢â‚¬â€something of that sort might serve to provide a subtitle for these various discussions of various authors, for my plan is to deal lovingly, in loving and lingering detail, with several European Masterpieces. A hundred years ago, Flaubert in a letter to his mistress made the following remark: Commel’on serait savant si l’on  connaissait bien seulement cinq a six livres: â€Å"What a scholar one might be if one knew well only some half a dozen books. † In reading, one should notice and fondle details. There is nothing wrong about the moonshine of generalization when it comes after the sunny trifles of the book have been lovingly collected. If one begins with a readymade generalization, one begins at the wrong end and travels away from the book before one has started to understand it. Nothing is more boring or more unfair to the author than starting to read, say, Madame Bovary, with the preconceived notion that it is a denunciation of the bourgeoisie. We should always remember that the work of art is invariably the creation of a new world, so that the first thing we should do is to study that new world as closely as possible, approaching it as something brand new, having no obvious connection with the worlds we already know. When this new world has been closely studied, then and only then let us examine its links with other worlds, other branches of knowledge. Another question: Can we expect to glean information about places and times from a novel? Can anybody be so naive as to think he or she can learn anything about the past from those buxom  best-sellers that are hawked around by book clubs under the heading of historical novels? But what about the masterpieces? Can we rely on Jane Austen’s picture of landowning England with baronets and landscaped grounds when all she knew was a clergyman’s parlor? And Bleak House, that fantastic romance within a fantastic London, can we call it a study of London a hundred years ago? Certainly not. And the same holds for other such novels in this series. The truth is that great novels are great fairy tales—and the novels in this series are supreme fairy tales. Time and space, the colors of the seasons, the movements of muscles and minds, all these are for writers of genius (as far as we can guess and I trust we guess right) not traditional notions which may be borrowed from the circulating library of public truths but a series of unique surprises which master artists have learned to express in their own unique way. To minor authors is left the ornamentation of the commonplace: these do not bother about any reinventing of the world; they merely try to squeeze the best they can out of a given order of things, out of traditional  patterns of fiction. The various combinations these minor authors are able to produce within these set limits may be quite amusing in a mild ephemeral way because minor readers like to recognize their own ideas in a pleasing disguise. But the real writer, the fellow who sends planets spinning and models a man asleep and eagerly tampers with the sleeper’s rib, that kind of author has no given values at his disposal: he must create them himself. The art of writing is a very futile business if it does not imply first of all the art of seeing the world as the potentiality of  fiction. The material of this world may be real enough (as far as reality goes) but does not exist at all as an accepted entirety: it is chaos, and to this chaos the author says â€Å"go! † allowing the world to flicker and to fuse. It is now recombined in its very atoms, not merely in its visible and superficial parts. The writer is the first man to mop it and to form the natural objects it contains. Those berries there are edible. That speckled creature that bolted across my path might be tamed. That lake between those trees will be called Lake Opal or, more artistically, Dishwater  Lake. That mist is a mountain—and that mountain must be conquered. Up a trackless slope climbs the master artist, and at the top, on a windy ridge, whom do you think he meets? The panting and happy reader, and there they spontaneously embrace and are linked forever if the book lasts forever. One evening at a remote provincial college through which I happened to be jogging on a protracted lecture tour, I suggested a little quiz—ten definitions of a reader, and from these ten the students had to choose four definitions that would combine to make a good reader. I have  mislaid the list, but as far as I remember the definitions went something like this. Select four answers to the question what should a reader be to be a good reader: 1. The reader should belong to a book club. 2. The reader should identify himself or herself with the hero or heroine. 3. The reader should concentrate on the social-economic angle. 4. The reader should prefer a story with action and dialogue to one with none. 5. The reader should have seen the book in a movie. 6. The reader should be a budding author. 7. The reader should have imagination. 8. The reader should have memory. 9.  The reader should have a dictionary. 10. The reader should have some artistic sense. The students leaned heavily on emotional identification, action, and the social-economic or historical angle. Of course, as you have guessed, the good reader is one who has imagination, memory, a dictionary, and some artistic sense–which sense I propose to develop in myself and in others whenever I have the chance. Incidentally, I use the word reader very loosely. Curiously enough, one cannot read a book: one can only reread it. A good reader, a major reader, an active and creative reader is a rereader. And I shall tell you why. When we read a book for the first time the very process of laboriously moving our eyes from left to right, line after line, page after page, this complicated physical work upon the book, the very process of learning in terms of space and time what the book is about, this stands between us and artistic appreciation. When we look at a painting we do not have to move our eyes in a special way even if, as in a book, the picture contains elements of depth and development. The element of time does not really enter in a first contact with a painting. In reading a book, we must have time to acquaint ourselves with it. We have no physical organ (as we have the eye in regard to a painting) that takes in the whole picture and then can enjoy its details. But at a second, or third, or fourth reading we do, in a sense, behave towards a book as we do towards a painting. However, let us not confuse the physical eye, that monstrous masterpiece of evolution, with the mind, an even more monstrous achievement. A book, no matter what it is—a work of fiction or a work of science (the boundary line between the two is not as clear as is generally believed)—a book of fiction appeals first of all to the mind. The mind, the brain, the top of the tingling spine, is, or should be, the only instrument used upon a book. Now, this being so, we should ponder the question how does the mind work when the sullen reader is confronted by the sunny book. First, the sullen mood melts away, and for better or worse the reader enters into the spirit of the game. The effort to begin a book, especially if it is praised by people whom the young reader secretly deems to be too old-fashioned or too serious, this effort is often difficult to make; but once it is made, rewards are various and abundant. Since the master artist used his imagination in creating his book, it is natural and fair that the consumer of a book should use his imagination too. There are, however, at least two varieties of imagination in the reader’s case. So let us see which one of the two is the right one to use in reading a book. First, there is the comparatively lowly kind which turns for support to the simple emotions and is of a definitely personal nature. (There are various subvarieties here, in this first section of emotional reading. ) A situation in a book is intensely felt because it reminds us of something that happened to us or to someone we  know or knew. Or, again, a reader treasures a book mainly because it evokes a country, a landscape, a mode of living which he nostalgically recalls as part of his own past. Or, and this is the worst thing a reader can do, he identifies himself with a character in the book. This lowly variety is not the kind of imagination I would like readers to use. So what is the authentic instrument to be used by the reader? It is impersonal imagination and artistic delight. What should be established, I think, is an artistic harmonious balance between the reader’s mind and the author’s mind. We ought to remain a little aloof and take pleasure in this aloofness while at the same time we keenly enjoy—passionately enjoy, enjoy with tears and shivers—the inner weave of a given masterpiece. To be quite objective in these matters is of course impossible. Everything that is worthwhile is to some extent subjective. For instance, you sitting there may be merely my dream, and I may be your nightmare. But what I mean is that the reader must know when and where to curb his imagination and this he does by trying to get clear the specific world the author places at his disposal. We must see things and hear things, we must visualize the rooms, the clothes, the manners of an author’s people. The color of Fanny Price’s eyes in Mansfield Park and the furnishing of her cold little room are important. We all have different temperaments, and I can tell you right now that the best temperament for a reader to have, or to develop, is a combination of the artistic and the scientific one. The enthusiastic artist alone is apt to be too subjective in his attitude towards a book, and so a scientific coolness of judgment will temper the intuitive heat. If, however, a would-be reader is utterly devoid of passion and patience—of an artist’s passion and a scientist’s patience—he will hardly enjoy great literature. Literature was born not the day when a boy crying wolf, wolf came running out of the Neanderthal valley with a big gray wolf at his heels: literature was born on the day when a boy came crying wolf, wolf and there was no wolf behind him. That the poor little fellow because he lied too often was finally eaten up by a real beast is quite incidental. But here is what is important. Between the wolf in the tall grass and the wolf in the tall story there is a shimmering  go-between. That go-between, that prism, is the art of literature. Literature is invention. Fiction is fiction. To call a story a true story is an insult to both art and truth. Every great writer is a great deceiver, but so is that arch-cheat Nature. Nature always deceives. From the simple deception of propagation to the prodigiously sophisticated illusion of protective colors in butterflies or birds, there is in Nature a marvelous system of spells and wiles. The writer of fiction only follows Nature’s lead. Going back for a moment to our wolf-crying woodland little woolly fellow, we may put it this  way: the magic of art was in the shadow of the wolf that he deliberately invented, his dream of the wolf; then the story of his tricks made a good story. When he perished at last, the story told about him acquired a good lesson in the dark around the campfire. But he was the little magician. He was the inventor. There are three points of view from which a writer can be considered: he may be considered as a storyteller, as a teacher, and as an enchanter. A major writer combines these three—storyteller, teacher, enchanter—but it is the enchanter in him that predominates and makes him a major  writer. To the storyteller we turn for entertainment, for mental excitement of the simplest kind, for emotional participation, for the pleasure of traveling in some remote region in space or time. A slightly different though not necessarily higher mind looks for the teacher in the writer. Propagandist, moralist, prophet—this is the rising sequence. We may go to the teacher not only for moral education but also for direct knowledge, for simple facts. Alas, I have known people whose purpose in reading the French and Russian novelists was to learn something about life in gay Paree or in sad Russia. Finally, and above all, a great writer is always a great enchanter, and it is here that we come to the really exciting part when we try to grasp the individual magic of his genius and to study the style, the imagery, the pattern of his novels or poems. The three facets of the great writer—magic, story, lesson—are prone to blend in one impression of unified and unique radiance, since the magic of art may be present in the very bones of the story, in the very marrow of thought. There are masterpieces of dry, limpid, organized thought which provoke in us an artistic quiver quite as strongly as a novel like Mansfield Park does or as  any rich flow of Dickensian sensual imagery. It seems to me that a good formula to test the quality of a novel is, in the long run, a merging of the precision of poetry and the intuition of science. In order to bask in that magic a wise reader reads the book of genius not with his heart, not so much with his brain, but with his spine. It is there that occurs the telltale tingle even though we must keep a little aloof, a little detached when reading. Then with a pleasure which is both sensual and intellectual we shall watch the artist build his castle of cards and watch the castle of cards become a castle of beautiful steel and glass.   

Discrimination Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Discrimination - Essay Example Evidences of racial discrimination, as proposed by Wrench and Modood (2000), can be derived from five different sources. These include statistical evidence, discrimination testing, studies on the activities of employment decision-makers (or the so-called 'gatekeepers' who are in the capacity to hire or reject applicants), self-reports of ethnic minorities, and, lastly, the legal action employed by discriminated employees. Generally, the proposed study seeks to determine the impact of racial discrimination to employees and employers during the recruitment and selection process. Specifically, the study will try to provide answers to the following questions: There is a myriad of studies on situations of racial discrimination in the British workplace. Racial discrimination come in numerous forms, including bias in hiring, firing, taunting, joking, etc. (Brief & Barsky, 2000; Deitch, Barsky, Butz, Chan, Brief & Bradley, 2003; Gunaratnam, 2001; Holmes, Marra & Burns, 2001; Mesthenos & Ioannidi, 2002). Likewise, Blackaby et al. (1997) suggest that workplace-related problems that ethnic minorities in the UK suffer can be classified into two major types: higher unemployment rate and lower salaries of non-natives compared to natives. Ethnic minorities have been found to steadily exhibit unemployment rates more than double of whites (Leslie et al., 1998). Evidence indicates that excluding Indian and Chinese men high rates of unemployment are experienced by ethnic minority groups. Likewise, the gap between the unemployment rates of whites and ethnic minorities seemed to rise and fall but showing no indication of a continued downward trend. In fact, the Commission for Racial Equality (2002) reports that comparative position of ethnic minority groups had significantly decreased since the 1970s. Ziegerta and Hangesa (2005) suggest that implicit racist attitudes interacted with a climate for racial bias to predict discrimination. Results of their study partially indicate that motivation to control prejudice moderates the relationship between explicit and implicit attitudes. Taken together, the findings illustrate the differences between implicit and explicit racial attitudes in predicting discriminatory behavior. Consequences of employer discrimination on ethnic minorities tend to be measured in terms of a competitive framework that considers

Logistics and Supply Chain Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Logistics and Supply Chain Management - Essay Example In the modern world, when supply chain management and the philosophy of logistics are combined in an efficient manner a company can become richer and more powerful than any emperor of the past. Supply chain management not only allows the right people to have the right things at the right time, it also makes sure that there is no wastage in the process and the overall costs of the business are reduced (Van Hoek, 2005). Every business decision and every business choice comes with an associated cost which must be borne by the shareholders or the owners of the business which means that costs need to be reduced to ensure a healthy profit. Supply chain management does exactly that by cutting down costs in several important areas of business (Christopher, 2005). Lummus and Demarie (2006) give the example of supply chain management experts such as Renee Gregoire and James Correll who discussed the importance of supply chain management at the end of the last century. The future predictions made by them suggested that global competition and heightened customer demands of quality and speed would cause drastic changes in supply chain management. They further suggested that heavy industry, manufacturing and retail would be primary areas in which the supply chain management process as well as the philosophy of logistics would change in a significant manner. Of course the threats to the global supply chain today extend far deeper than a lack of insight or mismanagement since security is also a top concern for supply chain management professionals (Blanchard, 2006). We certainly find this to be true today if we examine the current structures of the global corporations which have to deal with new threats against them and new hostilities coming from various sources (Blanchard, 2006). However, in business terms, the primary motivation is the rise in customer expectations that seek individualized products to be delivered to them in record time.

Rapid Rise of e-Commerce in Modern Global Business Essay

Rapid Rise of e-Commerce in Modern Global Business - Essay Example A. Global business processes are usually characterized by various operational strategies. Some of these strategies entail the use of human resources, while some entail the application of business technology (Kopper & Ellis, 2011). It is apparent, taking into consideration the current business data that, e-commerce is currently one of the highest technology applied in commercial activitiesB. The corpus of e-commerce entails the process of undertaking business activities through enhanced computer networks i.e. the Internet. Research indicates that e-commerce activities depend heavily on technologies such as: Inventory Management Systems, Online Transactions, online marketing, data interchange through electronic processes et cetera (Cohan, 2010).Transition to Main Point, II: In this section, I will focus on the significant impacts of e-commerce in the contemporary business environment.  A. With the integration of electronic technology into majority of Company’s operational proc edures, e-commerce has been associated with effective and efficient technology, thus facilitating efficient business processes i.e. reduction of human errors usually associated with it.B. In addition, economic experts have asserted that the essence of implementing e-commerce has been majorly driven by the fact that it entails reduced costs of operation: This occurs in the sense that it reduces costs associated with manual modes of operation specifically, inventory costs, employee management costs et cetera.

Assignment Description Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Assignment Description - Research Paper Example In brief, this book is of very much help for both HR executives and students alike. 2. Joshi, G. Employee counseling-are we ready for it? Retrieved 20 April 2011 from http://www.123oye.com/job-articles/hr/employee-counselling-hr.htm This article draws attention to counseling as a trend that has immense impact on employees of an organization. The writer compares counseling to a tool that helps to achieve organizational goals. The importance of employee counseling is briefly discussed here in it. It also tries to mention the basic qualities of a counselor and how his advice should be. This work has simplified the complex and vague concept of counseling in to an interesting piece of writing which is easily understandable by all from various walks. 3. Yadav, L. B. (Ed.). (2000). Readings in Social and Labor Welfare. New Delhi: Anmol Publications PVT LTD. This book brings together rich information on all vital matters of labor as well as social welfare. This highlights the importance of g iving employee welfare the prime consideration. The historical development of the policy of labor welfare is elaborately discussed in this that it provides the reader with a clear cut idea about how it became as we see today. The structural frame work of employee welfare is well established so as to help an organization to develop a healthy atmosphere from existing working condition. 4. Roberts, G. (1997). Recruitment and Selection: A company Approach. UK: CIPD Publishing. This book serves as a helping material to the process of recruitment and selection. The writer has endeavored to bring in an analysis of all the fundamental aspects of recruitment and selection processes which will be of great interest and help for the students concerned. Still, the main aim of this book is to assist those people who are very much involved in the recruitment and selection trials of individuals at whatever levels; for, it provides practical guidance with sufficient coverage of issues. 5. Amstrong, M. (2000). Strategic human resource management: A guide to action. US: Kogan Page Publishers. This book is a broad compendium of human resource management definitions and explanations about aligning of strategies with organizational goals. Its main aim is to bring down the gap between decisions and actions by citing formulation of human resource strategies and ways of implementing them. This book is divided into four segments which represent the human resource management, the practicalities of implementing strategic human resource management strategies and organizational and functional strategies from practical point of view. 6. Callaway, P. L. (2007). The Relationship of organizational trust and satisfaction: An analysis in the US federal work force. Florida: Universal Publishers. This book is meant for professionals and students who are in the field of business management, organizational studies and human resource management. This provides an over view about what job satisfaction actually is. It cites trust and job satisfaction as of strategic importance. In the study conducted in seven selected US federal agencies, it indicates that if effective communication is done at proper times the top managements truly give their ears to the employees’ concerns and make no difference between males and females. 7. Hamlin, D. (August 8, 2009). Why the importance of HR manager should not be under estimated? Helium: Human Resources. Retrieved 20 April 2011 from

Assignment 3 High School Math Problem Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Assignment 3 High School - Math Problem Example f '(x) = -2x + 200 = 0 Hence: x = 100 c. Graph the function: Profit The given graph is parabolic. As expected, the profit is positive from x = 20 to x =180 verifying our answer in b. It can also be seen that the maximum profit can be found in x = 100. 2. The population of the country is 50 million. Two months ago, the government required its citizen to purchase an identity card. After one month, 6 million people had it and by the end of the second month, 10 million people had one. a. Model N (number of cards) as a function of t (months) using the form: N = a + b/ (t+c) Given are the following: When t = 1 then N = 6,000,000 hence: 6,000,000 = a + b/(1+c) [eq.1] t = 2 N = 10,000,000 hence: 10,000,000 = a + b/(2+c) [eq.2] and of course, when t = 0 N = 0 hence: 0 = a + b/c or a= -b/c [eq.3] Simplifying eq. 1 and inserting the value of a from eq. 3, we have: 6,000,000 = -b/c + b/(1+c) 6,000,000 = (-b -bc +bc) / [c*(1+c)] 6,000,000 = -b/[c*(1+c)] but -b/c = a 6,000,000 = a / (1+c) a = 6,000,000 + 6,000,000c [eq.4] Simplifying eq. 1 and inserting the value of a from eq. 3, we have: 10,000,000 = -b/c + b/ (2+c) 10,000,000 = (-2b -bc +bc) / [c*(2+c)] 10,000,000 = -2b/[c*(2+c)] but -b/c = a 10,000,000 = 2a / (2+c) a = 10,000,000 + 5,000,000c [eq.5] By equation 4 & 5, we can get easily get the value of a & c: a = 30,000,000 c =4 By eq. 3, a = - b/c or b = -ac. Hence: b = -120,000,000 The model equation is therefore: N = 30,000,000 + (-120,000,000)/ (t +4) b. What is the function called Graph and define its features: The function is of the type Rational function because the equations can be expressed as a ratio of two polynomial...The intersections of the revenue and cost lines represent also the value where there is no profit or loss. In addition, it can be seen that costs and average costs intersect at some point. This can be determined with the following solution: 6. Market research suggests that potential market for a product is 800,000. At year 1, the market penetration has reached 50% or 400,000. At year 2, the market penetration has reached 75% or 600,000. Using the following model below, answer the following questions:

The Police and Higher Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Police and Higher Education - Essay Example To consider any job a profession a person must go through rigorous academic training. The only reason we entrust our lives to a doctor is because we know he or she has gone through at least a decade of tough training. (Bueermann, 2006) A doctor treats people who are sick. To determine how sick the patient is a doctor must know all the symptoms, the medical history and the possible allergic reactions. Any one who commits a crime has a disease. A police officer is a criminal's doctor. To find out how sick the criminal is the police should look at the effect of the crime, the criminal history and possible future reactions to the both the police and the criminals action. For a police officer to do his job he must have some academic training because he must diagnose the criminal. The Chief of Police of Redland California says, "We need to advance the educational levels of police officers. Today's challenges-greater ethnic and racial diversity in the service population, increased outside scrutiny of police practices, added responsibilities arising from homeland security-require officers to be able to think critically."(Bueermann, 2006) The Chief believes that society today is way more complex and to meet all the challenges an officer must be able to critically analyze a situation and take action accordingly. 'Street smarts' cannot be acquired by a college degree but the ability to critically think can. "Higher education does not guarantee that a candidate will become a great cop, but it does promote critical thinking. And requiring a college degree of incoming police officers is an effective way to foster organization-wide critical thinking."(Bueermann, 2006) The basic purpose of college besides producing a professional is to teach a person to think outside t he box and to critically analyze a situation. Education diversifies people's thoughts and transforms ideas into revolutions. A high school education strengthens the bud's roots so it can go to college, receive proper exposure to sunlight and have enough water to bloom into a rose. Education helps the human brain bloom into a perfect rose. It should be expected of police officers, the guardians of our society, to not only have strong roots but an open mind as well. Although college education is the formal way of getting an education it is not always the only way of getting one. A police department in Connecticut has taken a different route to police education. Instead of having a military like building their institute looks like a regular college. Instead of wearing uniforms the recruits wear normal clothes and the head is civilian. They have also changed what they teach; initially the training focus was on the physical aspects of policing. (Travis, 1995) Now the emphasis is on problem-solving, conflict resolution, diversity training, and acquiring organizational skills. Previously, only the minimum State requirements were taught. Now, recruits study such problems as sexual harassment, bias and hate crimes, HIV-AIDS, stress, and violence against women conversational Spanish and American Sign Language [and

Research Design and Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Research Design and Analysis - Essay Example The essay "Research Design and Analysis" talks about the research methods that have become part of every organization around the globe. With an increase in the global competition for few resources, people have to find new means through which they can survive and have an upper hand. Agassi discussed the major lines that differentiate scientific inquiry from the non-scientific inquiry. In his statement, scientific inquiry is a research method that relies on rigorous and independent procedures in its quest to prove logic and objectivity in research. Scientific inquiry bases its arguments on observations and verifiable experiments while nonscientific inquiry relies on theory or pure logic. Scientific inquiry provides independent, adequate and accurate information about a target population. On the contrary, a nonscientific inquiry is termed as biased because it relies on information obtained from individual imaginations, which may lack proof. Inductive model is used in situations where a researcher first collects all data necessary and relevant to the subject of research. Thereafter, the researcher analyzes the collected data and looks for patterns. With all the data at hand, a researcher narrows down the observations and formulates a theory. Inductive approach is applicable in qualitative research. On the contrary, in deductive approach, a researcher does the exact opposite of the inductive approach. With an existing theory, a researcher tests for its implication with data.

Alzheimer's Disease College Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Alzheimer's Disease College - Essay Example The first thing about Alzheimer's is that it is a progressive disease i.e. once Alzheimer's occurs in a body it keeps on developing for example in the early stages of Alzheimer's a person would only start forgetting recent events or names of people that he or she met recently but as the disease progresses it gets severe and hence as a result the person starts forgetting routine activities as well such as how to brush ones teeth, in the later stages people even forget the names of their family members and also the way to their home, they tend to roam about with no sense of direction or purpose, 1since Alzheimer's is a progressive disease it is a fatal disease as well, people usually die off the infections caused by Alzheimer's within the brain. Alzheimer's is a form of dementia, dementia refers to the loss of memory but it needs to be understood that Alzheimer's is a totally different form of dementia and there are causes that can be cured in certain cases and in certain cases the dem entia is irreversible i.e. the loss in memory is permanent and there is no known cure for that particular type of dementia, unfortunately Alzheimer's falls under the category of dementia that cannot be cured and research is being conducted on how to cure Alzheimer's but scientists the world over are still clueless. 2This paper will systematically divide the issue at hand into categories and would tackle each category at a time but in an integrated manner. Prevention: The first and the foremost question that needs to be tackled is of the prevention of this disease, there are basically two age categories that have dementia, one is the age group from 30-65 and basically this type of dementia or Alzheimer's is due to ones genetic conditions or previous family history, this is known as the early onset, people who have dementia in the early on set may be in any stage the early, middle or late. 3The second type is the late on set, in late on set the most important factor is age, early on set occurs in people from 65+ and they may have no history of dementia or Alzheimer's in their family. Research has shown that people who have much more active brains reduce the risks of having Alzheimer's by 30-40%, this research was carried out on people related to religious services and it was found that priests or fathers that involved in activities like chess and other games where their mind was actively used, had lower chances of contracting the disease rather tha n people who did not. No medications have yet been developed to prevent dementia or Alzheimer's but an active brain certainly reduces the chances, other than this scientists and researchers also recommend that people take care of their general health levels as well to prevent dementia, although no direct link has been found with blood pressure or diabetics it is important that people keep these in check so that the risk of a damage to the brain reduces significantly. Scientists have been able to recognize that Alzheimer's causes the brain cells to die but they have not, as yet, been able to pin point any reason why this occurs and hence prevention can not take place due to this reason but the factors mentioned above do help to a certain degree in helping to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's. Causes and Risk Factors: The risk factors that

General Ability Test Essay Example for Free

General Ability Test Essay Once your boat does sail off and your business does come into being chances are that you will need people to help you run it. Now, recruitment might look easy but don’t be fooled by its innocent exterior it can turn out to be the devil’s own at times. If you are in a hurry to pursue success you are likely to take under your wings almost anyone who is willing to give you a hand in doing just that. But while large scale recruitment is a good thing filtering out the excess over time and keeping back the cream is the only way to run a good business. Now, lets suppose that you have taken into your firm almost everyone who applied for the jobs you offered without even bothering about their score in the entry-level assessment. Its quite alright to have extra recruits such as these for a while but remember, sooner or later you will have to select the best out of this bunch and let the others go. While selecting the best out of the lot might sound simple but the job itself is far from being easy. (Lamb, 2004) Often good scores at a test reveal little or nothing about the potential of your future employees so don’t let your judgment get clouded by their entry test results alone. Instead, keep a tab on their regular office work. Usually the brightest amongst a group of recruits shine out during discussions and meetings and general performance. Find out who the right candidates from your large number of recruits simply by profiling the sort of candidate you are ideally looking for your particular purpose. A certain candidate might be as smart as a pin but he/she might not fit into your company or the specific post you are looking to fill. Remember to stay focused on your precise needs in order to find yourself the right employees. Post –recruitment evaluation is often easier than pre-recruitment selection since it allows you a first hand experience of exactly what your potential worker is capable of. References: Lamb, D; (2004); Cult to Culture: The Development of Civilization on the Strategic Strata; Wellington: National Book Trust

Sexual orientation prejudice and homophobic bullying

Sexual orientation prejudice and homophobic bullying In todays society, many homosexual individuals are dealing with harassment, threats, and violence on a daily basis. Homosexuals are far more likely to be victims of a violent hate crime than any other minority group in the United States, according to a new analysis of federal hate crime statistics (Southern Poverty Law Center, 2010). Research shows that almost two thirds of lesbian, gay and bisexual teens experience homophobic bullying in British schools (Equality and Human rights commission, 2007). Similarly, many homosexual teens in U.S. schools are often subjected to such intense bullying that they are unable to receive a satisfactory level of education (Chase, 2001), with 28% of gay students dropping out altogether (Bart, 1998). Homophobic bullying is currently an issue of epidemic proportions in society today, so much so that both the British Prime Minister David Cameron, the U.S. President Barack Obama, and many more politicians, activists and celebrities have recorded personal messages for the It gets better campaign, a project set up in September 2010 to inspire hope for gay youth facing harassment. This campaign came about as a response to the recent string of suicides among young homosexuals in the U.S. I feel that the design of an intervention to tackle the problem of sexual orientation prejudice and homophobic bullying is of the upmost importance to society, as the benefits to society from reducing homophobic bullying would far outweigh the costs of funding this intervention in schools. The harm from bullying and the toll it takes not only on young homosexual teens but also to society at large is far greater than people realize. I feel it is less likely that a youngster will succeed in life and have the ability to fully contribute to society without an adequate level of education. Statistics show that anti-gay bullying truncates a childs academic ability to excel for example, 7 out of 10 pupils who experience homophobic bullying state this has an impact on their school work and also their attendance (Stonewall, 2007). And the cost, while initially about the child, is a greater cost to us as a society in the long run. However, perhaps the most significant cause of concern to society is the grave issue of suicides committed by gay teens. In September 2010 alone, 5 young people, victims of homophobic bullying, committed suicide. One of these victims, 18-year-old Tyler Clementi, jumped off the George Washington Bridge in New York City after discovering classmates has posted videos of his sexual encounters on the internet. Another, thirteen-year-old Asher Brown, shot himself after severe harassment by fellow classmates. I feel that this snowball effect of teen suicides in the U.S. highlights the damaging effect of homophobic bullying to society, and I am proposing an intervention to prevent such occurrences from escalating. Aims The aim of this intervention is to reduce the incidences of homophobic bullying behaviour in the mainstream school setting by changing attitudes towards homophobic bullying. In order to do this I would suggest educating pupils on issues around sexual orientation and also on the severe negative consequences of bullying. I would introduce weekly classes in the curriculum designed to focus on these particular issues for example, it could be taught in pastoral care classes, not only with the aim of educating the children and reducing the bullying, but also empowering pupils to report bullying. One recent study which has had major success with the introduction of a gay awareness class was Stoke Newington School in London. In one lesson, pupils were taught about significant gay historical figures who positively contributed to society, such as authors and playwrights James Baldwin and Oscar Wilde, artist Andy Warhol, and mathematician, computer science pioneer and war time code breaker Ala n Turing. Elly Barnes, the teacher who runs the class in Stoke Newington School, stated that, four years on from when she initiated the scheme, homophobic bullying has been more or less eradicated in the school (Learner, 2010). I feel that this case is a positive and pioneering exemplar from which many schools could learn. Design As I feel a one-time lecture on homophobic bullying would have little impact on levels of bullying in the long-term, I am proposing a weekly class to be run in schools with the agenda of educating pupils on issues around sexual orientation and also on the severe negative consequences of bullying. I would introduce weekly classes in the curriculum designed to focus on these particular issues for example, it could be taught in pastoral care classes, not only with the aim of educating the children and reducing the bullying, but also empowering pupils to report bullying. I am proposing that the intervention take place at the school setting, as bullying so often stems from within the school environment, and the aim is to eradicate this at the grass roots. Methods Before starting the intervention I would measure the pupils attitudes towards homosexuality using an affective questionnaire and a cognitive questionnaire the Index of Homophobia (Hudson and Ricketts, 1980) and the Modified attitudes towards sexuality scale (Price, 1982), respectively. I would then ask students to fill out these questionnaires again at the end of the school year so as to measure whether attitudes have been improved following the intervention. I would use a direct approach to reduce the sexual orientation prejudice by including a weekly pastoral care class into the schools curriculum in which educators would promote diversity in multicultural societies, group equality, and teach pupils about the history of the Gay Rights Movement. I would also aim to get the pupils involved by having group discussions and role-plays to increase empathy for outgroups, and by bringing in gay guest speakers in order to improve understanding and attitudes, and to correct some misguided stereotypes and faulty generalisations that heterosexual pupils may hold against their homosexual classmates. I would also hope that having the chance to meet a positive role model from the gay community who does not conform to the negative stereotypes would create dissonance-induced attitude change. I would attempt to change the social norms of the school environment, by introducing a zero tolerance policy in the school, which states that no-one shall be discri minated against for their religion, race, disability, or sexual orientation, and educate the teachers so that they also must follow this policy. Also, I would set aside a class to talk about the issue of derogatory phrases and how they could make gay students feel, as a recent study showed that 97% of gay pupils hear offensive phrases such as dyke, bender or poof used in school and 98% of gay pupils hear the phrases thats so gay when people are referring to something they feel is rubbish or stupid (Stonewall, 2007). The intention would be to create perspective-taking (i.e. How would you feel if you were gay and heard those derogatory phrases?) and instil empathy for the outgroup. One theoretical framework which supports this is the Intergroup Contact Theory (Allport, 1954). Allport proposed that intergroup contact between two groups should reduce prejudice as long as the following were present: common group goals, equal status, intergroup co-operation and support of authorities. Therefore in the intervention, I would set tasks which both groups would have to work on to achieve a superordinate goal, I would structure the task so as the groups must rely upon each other in order to achieve this superordinate goal, and I would make sure that equality of all sexual orientations is promoted. The school itself and its educators would constitute as the authority which supports both groups. I feel that this would work in either a real situation (whereby gay individuals have disclosed their sexuality to their classmates and feel confident to be categorized as homosexual) or in an imagined situation (for example, a role-play, as many pupils who are gay may not wish to d isclose this information, nor would we force them to do so). I believe that the latter may well occur as in order to avoid social stigma many gay young people hide their sexuality. Therefore, in this instance I would use the theoretical framework of Imagined Intergroup Contact (Crisp Turner, 2009). This theory suggests that simply getting participants to conjure up a mental simulation of a positive intergroup encounter leads to improved attitudes towards the outgroup. I would also use indirect approaches to reduce prejudice by educating pupils on moral reasoning, promote egalitarianism within the school setting, and promote respect, understanding and tolerance of others no matter what their background is. I would also incorporate modern media into the school environment, such as using examples from music, film and TV programs to teach pupils about other cultures and groups. This is supported by the Parasocial contact hypothesis theory (Schiappa, Gregg and Hewes, 2005), which states that the illusion of face-to-face contact with interaction can change prejudices, as people process mass media relationships in the same way as they process real-life interpersonal interactions. Schiappa, Gregg and Hewes (2005) found that parasocial contact reduced prejudice toward the outgroup. Although the intergroup contact theory can be used for many groups such as opposing ethnic minority groups, opposing religious groups, opposing sports teams and so on, research has shown that the theory has been particularly successful in reducing prejudice toward homosexuals. Applying the intergroup contact theory to sexual orientation groups, Herek (1987) found that heterosexuals who had experience of pleasant interactions with a homosexual tend to accept the homosexual community in general. It was also shown that increased contact with a homosexual was a better predictor of changed attitudes than any other factor, including gender, race, socioeconomic background and so on (Herek and Glunt, 1993). I would also create a classroom discussion about why certain individuals may feel threatened by homosexuals, and address the issues as to why this symbolic threat may come about, such as perceiving that your ingroups moral values and religious beliefs are different from the outgroups. I would increase perceptions of similarity between hetersexuals and homosexuals by highlighting examples of gay individuals who are good role models, religious, and so on, to show that they are not so different from straight people. One issue we must think about when introducing such curriculum into the school setting is whether parents will approve. I would propose sending letters home to parents detailing the intentions behind the sexual orientation awareness class and highlighting the need to reduce bullying within the school. However, I would ensure that children could withdraw from the class if they strongly wish to do so; as some of the pupils families or religious/cultural communities may be homophobic and may disapprove of their participation, and we would not want the pupils to suffer negatively from attending this class, for example, to become ostracised from their community. Therefore we would strongly encourage students to take part, but would not force it upon them. However, the teacher who pioneered the gay awareness class in the Stoke Newington School in London, Elly Barnes, stated that she has only ever received a few complaints A parent complained after her son told her he had seen a film at th e school that showed two men kissing. I told her we are an inclusive school and it is part of the curriculum(Learner, 2010). In conclusion, I propose that a school-based intervention is essential to reduce sexual orientation prejudice and homophobic bullying amongst teens in schools. I would hope that a curriculum which promotes diversity, understanding, acceptance and equality will go a long way in reducing homophobic bullying and equally, I am optimistic that the introduction of an anti-discrimination policy which all students and teachers must follow will help protect the students. Resources Allport, G. W. (1954). The nature of prejudice. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Books Bart, M. (1998). Creating a safer school for gay students. Counseling Today. Chase, A. (2001). Violent Reaction; What do Teen Killers have in Common? In these Times. Crisp Turner (2009). Can Imagined Interactions Produce Positive Perceptions? Reducing Prejudice Through Simulated Social Contact. American Psychologist, Vol 64, Issue 4, pg.231-240. Herek, G. M. (1987) The instrumentality of attitudes: Toward a neofunctional theory. Journal of Social Issues, 42, 99-114. Herek, G. M., Glunt, E. K. (1993). Interpersonal contact and heterosexuals attitudes toward gay men: Results from a national survey. Journal of Sex Research, 30, 239-244. Hudson, W.W. Ricketts, W.A. (1980). A strategy for the measurement of homophobia. Journal of homosexuality, 5, 357-372. Learner, S. Making homophobia history. In The Guardian, p5 of the EducationGuardian section, October 26th 2010 issue. Price, J. H. (1982). High school students attitudes toward homosexuality. Journal of School Health 52: 469-474. Schiappa, E., Gregg, P., Hewes, D. (2005) The Parasocial Contact Hypothesis. Communication Monographs, 72, 92-115 The School Report The experiences of young gay people in Britains schools. (2007) Stonewall. Under attack (2010) The Intelligence Report, Southern Poverty Law centre, Issue 40. Valentine, G. Wood, N. (2010) The experiences of lesbian, gay and bisexual staff and students in higher education. Equality and Human rights commission, research summary 39.