The Changing Role of Budget and Organizational Structure

1.1 BudgetBudget is one of common things that used in day-to-day life, but in accounting position, budget is one of managerial accounting tools to assist directors to pull off good companies through the manner of accounting itself. Based on day-to-day position, budget can be defined as figure of disbursals or addition that reserved by person, through calculating the possibility the sum of money. Through direction accounting position, Drury ( 2008 ) , define budget as elaborate programs for organizing and program of action for assorted activities in the hereafter. Harmonizing to Rajasekaran ( 2010 ) , budget is fiscal programs for the future actions, or it can be defined as future programs that expressed in pecuniary footings. Other than that, CIMA nomenclature ( 2005 ) defines budgeting as the procedure of create, implement and run the budget until the terminal of the budget period.Changing Role of Budget and Organizational StructureAs the changing of environment from industrial ages to information ages, the function of direction accounting was altering either. This means that budget as one of direction accounting tools is altering in return. Changing function of budget can be seen from the psychological science position. Budget was used non merely as planning and control tools for a company, but besides as motivational consequence for the workers, even from different organisational degree ( Parker D.L. , 2002, Hoque, 2003, Birnberg J. G. , Luft J. , Shields M. D. , 2007 ) . This motive might assist workers and company to run into the end congruity and the best public presentation of both workers and company. Some research workers besides link the so called relationship with another function, which is information sharing between superior and subsidiaries. Another function of budget in sharing the information to the subsidiaries might increase the public presentation of single worker ( Chong V. and Kar M. C. , 2002, Parker J. and Kyj L. , 2006, Leach-Lopez M. , Stammerjohan W. and McNair F. M. , 2007, Heath R. and Brown J. , 2007, Su J. T. and Lin W.L, 2007 ) , since they have adequate information related to the occupation itself. Besides, non merely function of budget, but besides the formation of organisational construction, that changed due to environmental alterations. Parker D. L. ( 2002 ) stated that most of companies are traveling to more flexible signifier of organisational construction. Decision-making and budgeting procedure within companies are developing with decentralized and participatory direction manner. This means that workers at different degree of organisational hierarchy can impact the determination in the company, although the power in engagement might be differ for each degree of hierarchy. This can be seen from the research of Majovski I.P. ( 2007 ) , about the direction manner in northern Europe. The consequence proven that most of companies in the part are implementing the flexible and decentralised direction manner.Budget Process ApproachThe alterations in direction manner might impact the degree of engagement of the budgeting procedure attack in return. Harmonizing to Drury ( 2008 ) , in puting up budget there are three ( 3 ) attack of engagement degree, there are top-down budget, bottom-up budget, and blended attack. Top-down budget is the budget scene that has no or less influence participatory by the subsidiaries or budgetees. Imposed budget is normally used to replace the name of top-down budget. Besides, the low degree directions besides have low power in the engagement and involved in the computations of budget for the top direction. Top-down budget has one chief advantage, which top direction can ever guarantee the end congruity and scheme alliance with the operation. Other than that, top-down budget can cut down the complexness and time-consuming of budgeting procedure. On contrary, it has disadvantages to the budgetee, for illustration, if the budget degree is excessively high and impossible to accomplish, the workers can be de-motivated and create inauspicious public presentation. Disadvantages might besides impact the organisation as a whole, for illustration if the budget degree is excessively easy to achieve, the worker can handle the budget as a box-ticking. Bottom-up budget is the budget scene procedure that allows full engagement from operational degree. Participatory budget is used for replacing the name of bottom-up budget. Normally, top direction give a general budget guideline for the lower director and subsidiaries, so the flows of budget scene development will be started from the lowest degree. Information will be gathered and grouped along the manner to the higher-level director until approved by both of top direction and budget commission. Bottom-up budget may incur extremely complexness and time-consuming for the overall budget scene procedure. Therefore, it might guarantee the committedness of all degree of company ‘s worker. The last attack is the blended attack, which is combination of both imposed budget and participatory budget. This blended attack normally called as negotiated budget. This attack starts with the puting up the fiscal public presentation aim by the top direction and it will be distributed down to lower-level workers. Then, runing directors might roll up informations and make the budget based on the aim every bit good as the lower-level workers. After the budget created, it will be reviewed by top direction to make up one's mind whether the budget is appropriate and approved. This attack might be insistent, if the budget disapproved by top direction until the concluding credence of budget is reached. Negotiated budget might give the budgetee to work hand in glove and within the end congruity of the company. Slack in budget besides can be reduced, due to the appropriate degree of the budget. This attack requires extremely engineering environment companies in puting up the budget.Problem StatementTraditional budgeting is a common pattern in the corporate universeResearch workers are reasoning about the rightness of budget in the current environment in information ages. Hope & A ; Fraser ( 2003 ) argue the utility of budget in the current environment state of affairs. They suggest that budget should be abolished and supersedes by another type of managerial accounting tools, viz. beyond budgeting. Thus, based on explorative surveies from several parts around the universe, traditional direction accounting tools are still adopted by bulk of companies. The grounds of the use of traditional tools like budgeting are due to the higher benefit, simpleness, exchanging cost, and so on ( Pavlatos O. & A ; Paggios I. , 2009, Libby T. , Lindsay M. R. , 2009, Uyar A. , Bilgin N. , 2010 ) . Due to the study of those research workers, it means that budgeting is still implemented and adopted in the current environment today, although the function of it could be changed. Problem arises within the organisation to in puting up the budget degree to the lower director until the operational degree in the hierarchy. Research workers and theoretician in direction accounting are reasoning each other about the engagement in puting up budgets in impacting motive of the workers every bit good as the sharing of information. Company ‘s directions are besides seeking the best attack in the execution of the budget to actuate and accomplish the best public presentation of all workers and directors in every degree of organisation.Most of research in engagement in budget scene with public presentation done in developed statesBased on one of literatures that have been reviewed, Leach-Lopez M. , Stammerjohan W. and Kyoo S.L. , ( 2007 ) , conclude that there is positive relationship between budget engagement on public presentation ( Brownell P. and McIness M. , 1986, Kren, 1992, Kennis I. , 1979, Searfoss A. and Monczka R. , 1973 ) . Leach-Lopez et Al. ( 2007 ) has done this research in different range and samples. The first research range on the Korean directors in US companies and the 2nd research range on the Mexican directors in US companies. In contrast, the former research merely uses the job-relevant information, whereas the latter research uses both job-relevant information and occupation satisfaction as intervening variables. Even though there were so many researches about the relationship between those two, Brownell P. and McIness M. , ( 1986 ) argue that there is no specific proving on this country, although most of the researches give the same relationship.Incompatibility found in the intervening function of motive between the relationship between budget engagement on public presentationSeveral research workers in the old surveies besides found the positive relationship between budget engagement on public presentation through motive ( Merchant K. 1981, Kennis I. , 1979, Searfoss A. and Monczka R. , 1973 ) . Other than that, Browne ll P. and McIness M. , ( 1986 ) did non happen any relationship between the budget engagement with public presentation through motive variable. Kren L. ( 1992 ) besides supports this statement through her research. After Kren ‘s survey, there are several research workers ( Parker J. and Kyj L. 2006, Wong B. , Guo L. and Lui G. 2010, Eker M. , 2006, Chong V. and Kar M. C. , 2002 ) , who try to concentrate on this relationship. The consequence from old researches found an incompatibility of the motive as step ining variable.Result spread in the relationship of job-relevant information as step ining function between budget engagement on public presentationIncompatibilities besides found in the function of information sharing through job-relevant information that found in several literatures. Some research workers based on their findings shows that the consequence on job-relevant information in the relation between budget engagement with public presentation is non excessively impo rtant. Thus, some said it might give bravery for the workers to execute good in the plants. Analyze on this country, motive and information sharing, might be required in order to see the cogency of the old surveies.Research QuestionMost of the researches have been done in the US, there is no important research about this country in Asia part. In order to see the old findings in this country, this research will scope in the Asiatic part, peculiarly South-East Asia part, although some factors are impacting in this surveies, for illustration the difference in civilization, life style, communicating, and so on. Therefore these are chief two inquiries driven from this survey: Is there any relationship between engagement of budget on public presentation within Asiatic workers? Is there any relationship between budget engagement with public presentation through motive? Is there any relationship between budget engagement with public presentation through information sharing? Make the consequence of past researches still valid for current environment?Aim of StudyTo cognize whether is at that place any relationship between budget engagement with public presentation within Asiatic workers. To find relationship between budget engagement on public presentation through motive. To find relationship between budget engagement on public presentation through information sharing. To compare the consequence of current research with past researches.Significance of StudyThis survey will give part to concern practicians, particularly top direction of company to put up whether to give power to lower-level workers in engagement on budget scene. Therefore, appropriate degree of engagement and budget degree can be met in the operation, so that company and workers could work in line with the end congruity of the company to accomplish better public presentation. Management will besides cognize the specific relationship of motive and information sharing as step ining variable in the significance with public presentation. Therefore, directors can take whether to use the budget engagement in budget scene or non. Other than that, this survey besides can convey part to academician on the country of behavioural accounting in pattern. Through this research, academicians can see whether the theories on books and other literatures can be applied in Asia part, with other factors impacting the human resource itself.Outline of DissertationThis thesis will be divided into five ( 5 ) chief chapters: Introduction, Literature Review, Methodology, Findings & A ; Analysis, in conclusion Conclusion and Recommendations.Chapter One – IntroductionIntroduction gives reader about overview of current issue in budgeting, the changing of environment that affect function of budgeting and organisational construction in the common concern pattern today. Problems that developed under new function of budgeting are assessed through some literatures. Research inquiries and aims of surveies built in this chapter besides. In the terminal, significance of surveies will be given, to guarantee that this survey contribut es for specific readers.Chapter Two – Literature ReappraisalIn this chapter, literatures from old researches will be assessed in order to give clear image about the specific issue that happened. The issue about the behavioral budget, motive, will be explained in item, along with the relationship with other independent variables. Each of literature will be reviewed in item from its methodological analysis, informations, analysis, consequence, and decisions.Chapter Three – MethodologyIn this chapter, elaborate method in developing this survey will be explained in item, from type of informations, population, samples, instrument, measuring, hypothesis and the informations analysis program.Chapter Four – Data Analysis, Results & A ; DiscussionData collected will be analyzed with the statistical bundle for societal scientific discipline ( SPSS ) . The consequence from analysis will be discussed exhaustively.Chapter Five – Conclusions & A ; RecommendationsThis l ast chapter will reason all the findings and treatment between the consequences that gathered in informations aggregation. Restriction of the survey will be given, along with the recommendation for other research workers. Future research countries, which non covered in this survey, will be given either.Chapter 2LITERATURE REVIEWThis chapter will depict all the literature gathered under the budget engagement, information sharing, motive and public presentation, along with its relationship from the past researches. Number of research under this country, budget engagement with public presentation has been done in the past clip, during the twentieth century ( Merchant K. 1981, Kennis I. , 1979, Searfoss A. and Monczka R. , 1973, Brownell P. and McIness M. , 1986 and Kren L. 1992 ) . But still, so many research workers replicates those surveies, but with different step ining variables, measuring every bit good as informations analysis. This literature reappraisal consists of three ( 2 ) sub-titles, viz. : Budget Participation on Performance through and Budget Participation on Motivation and Performance through Information Sharing. In the last portion of this chapter, decision and theoretical model of this survey will be provided.Relationship between Budget Participation on Performance through MotivationNumber of literatures found in this country is from the past old surveies and less figure of research worker that focal point in this country. Based on literature found, Searfoss D. and Monczka R. ( 1973 ) do this research to analyze the relationship of budget engagement with the motive of the budgetee to courage the public presentation, along with other step ining variables, need for independency and authorianism. This survey uses the primary informations based on questionnaire that distributed to 365 samples with different degrees of workers and directors. Result found that there is a positive relationship between budget engagement on motive. Positive relationship besides found in the organisational place or degree with the degree of budget engagement. But, there is no relationship between other two step ining variables from the findings of the research. Kennis I. ( 1979 ) supports the old research on this country, by keeping the research about the budget engagement, lucidity, feedback, attitudes, and self-rated public presentation between 169 operational directors through questionnaire. Result found that engagement in the budget scene could give the motivational consequence to the workers to accomplish better public presentation. Merchant K. ( 1981 ) has done research to analyze the difference in the budgeting system sing to corporate size, diverseness and decentalisation to be related with motive and attitude toward the budget. Sample size of 170 directors from the companies is collected and responded the questionnaire. Result found that size of corporate give different consequence for each of relationship of the variables. But, by and large positive relationship is found between the engagement toward the attitude of the budget. Eker M. ( 2006 ) established the extend survey of budget engagement on public presentation, with the step ining variable of organisational committedness. Convenience sampling is chosen to pick the samples of 150 companies between top 500 companies in Turkey. Companies were sent a questionnaire consist of three measuring of those variables. The informations were analyzed by utilizing correlativity analysis, factor analysis, multiple arrested development analysis and t-test. Result found that, organisational committedness is a important step ining variable between the relationships of budget engagement with the managerial public presentation. Chong V. and Kar M. C. ( 2002 ) conduct the survey within the directors in Australian companies to analyze the relationship between budget engagement and public presentation, with budget committedness and job-relevant information as intervening variables. Samples of 84 directors were asked to make full up the questionnaire and informations were collected. Result found that, budget engagement can heighten the motive in perpetrating the budget. It besides gives the informational consequence to heighten the job-relevant information to back up the public presentation in the terminal. It supports the past surveies about the double function of budget engagement. The former is motivational effects and the latter is informational consequence. Wong B. , Guo L. and Lui G. ( 2010 ) use the self-government theory ( SDT ) as their footing of research. SDT suggest that engagement needed in the budgeting procedure for the interest of motive, morale, public presentation and occupation satisfaction. In this survey, motive divided into several types, intrinsic, extrinsic, independent and controlled motive. Study has been done in Hongkong by sample size of 101 bank directors through voluntary seminar and questionnaire. Result found that through engagement in budgeting public presentation in the occupation can be increased. On contrary, Brown and McIness ( 1986 ) , did non happen the same thing like above. Through the empirical survey within 224 middle-level directors in Australia, they did non happen any strong relationship between these two variables. Kren L. ( 1992 ) examined the relationship about those variables with other step ining variables in the research. By carry oning interview 80 directors of 500 top companies in USA. She found that there was unobvious relationship between public presentations through motive of budget. Therefore, relationship between budget engagement has positive relationship with public presentation itself. Parker J. and Kyj L. ( 2006 ) develop the survey of the relationship between the budget engagement with public presentation, with the perpendicular information sharing theoretical account between supervisors with subsidiaries in the budgeting procedure. Other than information sharing, organisational committedness and function ambiguity were tested in this survey as step ining variables. Data aggregation within sample size of 70 directors with subsidiaries has been done through questionnaire. The informations were tested with the way analysis with a consequence of the important relationship between the budgetary engagement with public presentation, through step ining variable of information sharing. Other step ining variables were found non important with the chief variables.Relationship between Budget Participation on Performance through Information SharingChong V. and Kar M. C. ( 2002 ) in the same survey like explained in the old sub-chapter were reasoning that the budget engagemen t through information sharing of job-relevant information might assist the subsidiaries to work good and accomplish better public presentation. Parker J. and Kyj L. ( 2006 ) in the surveies like explained in the old sub-chapter besides examine the informational sharing consequence of job-relevant information in the budget engagement that could increase the public presentation of the worker that can non be found in the other intervening variables. Leach-Lopez M. , Stammerjohan W. and McNair F. M. ( 2007 ) follows and spread out Kren L. ( 1992 ) past surveies on this country. They distinguish the consequence of the budget engagement with public presentation straight and indirectly. Other than that, other step ining variables, occupation relevant information and occupation satisfaction, besides introduced here. The survey conducted within 143 Mexican and American mid-managers in US companies. The analysis was utilizing the past research workers theoretical account, like way theoretical account correlativity, t-test, robustness trial and p-value trial. Findingss show that, there is strong relationship between public presentations in budget engagement. The difference that the writers research than the past researches is the causal mechanism that associating those two variables. The intervening variables, job-relevant information that affects the relationship between independent and dependent variables is alterations with the degre e of bilingual ability of the Mexican directors. However, another step ining variable, occupation satisfaction did non give a important relation with those variables. Leach-Lopez M. , Stammerjohan W. and Kyoo S. L. ( 2007 ) survey is a reproduction of the surveies of old literature by Leach-Lopez M. , Stammerjohan W. and McNair F. M. ( 2007 ) with the same variables and informations analysis in the surveies. The difference in this survey is the samples, by utilizing Korean directors in the US companies, respondents of 71 directors respond for the questionnaire. The findings show the same things as old research, but causal mechanism in the intervening variables is different with the past samples. In this survey, consequence shows that there is important function of the occupation satisfaction as step ining variable between budget engagement with public presentation between Korean directors. Heath R. and Brown J. ( 2007 ) conducted an drawn-out survey from old research Kren L. ( 1992 ) within 259 workers through questionnaire to analyze the relationship between budget engagement with personal public presentation. But, they manage to associate other variables, job-relevant information and self-efficacy, as step ining variable. Arrested development analysis, coefficient analysis every bit good as t-test have been done for the analysis of the information gathered. Result found that, all those variables are related each other with positive relationship within all degrees of direction in the organisation. Su J. T. and Lin W.L ( 2007 ) clears the spread of the incompatibility in several accounting literatures about the consequence of public presentation in the budget engagement with step ining variable, information dissymmetry. This survey was held in Taiwan, with a sample size of 168 employees, through questionnaire. Path analysis and correlativity analysis used for analysing the information of the respondents. Based on the findings, the past surveies about the positive relationship between budget engagement on public presentation were proven. Information dissymmetry besides establishes positive relationship as an intervening variable. If the variable is present, public presentation will increase and frailty versa. Adler R. W. and Reid J. ( 2008 ) survey about the wider range of the consequence of non merely the budget engagement, but besides leading manner on occupation public presentation and satisfaction. Through questionnaire, 40 middle-level director in New-Zealand companies answer the inquiry. Consequence after the information analysis of dependability testing and stepwise arrested development shows that there is relationship between all variables that tested. However, the leading manner shows no relationship as chairing variable with the occupation public presentation of the worker.DecisionMajority of the past researches done by making cross-sectional surveies in this country, so causal relationship can non be found in all of the surveies. This is could be the unfavorable judgments that occur in the survey. Low generalizability besides being an restriction on the survey. Since most of the surveies about the relationship between engagement in budget scene on public presentation have been done in USA and give the same consequence, survey in the other part might be needed to research in other part. Other than that, information sharing and motive as an intervening variable could be needed answer the incompatibilities in the past surveies.Theoretical ModelBased on the past literatures, theoretical model between the variables in the survey can be developed as a diagram as follows: Engagement in budgeting procedure as independent variable will impact positively to public presentation as dependent variable. Motivation could work as step ining variable in this model. From the past findings, motive that related by engagement in budget procedure can impact positively to the public presentation. But still, some research workers found different consequence in the survey. Motivation in this survey can be in signifier of budget committedness. Other than that, function of budget engagement as information sharing could be in signifier of job-relevant information, merely like the old surveies. A spread was found in this function of engagement in budgeting, nevertheless most of research workers treat the job-relevant information as a positive related with the public presentation.

Gillette’s Acquisiton of Duracell Essay

The purpose of this report is to first discuss the reasons why Duracell’s performance has been decreasing over the past four years, and then recommend some strategic actions Gillette should take to turn Duracell around. This report will begin by providing a brief introduction on the acquisition of Duracell by Gillette, followed by the reasons it lacked success, and finally end with the proposed recommendations for Duracell. Currently, Gillette’s operating segments include personal grooming, small appliances, and oral care products, and the portable power segment. In the portable power segment, Duracell’s major competitors consist of Energizer and Rayovac while new and emerging ones included Sony, Kodak, Panasonic, and other private label brands. The collective entrance of these competitors in the 1990s is the primary reasons for Gillette’s lack of success in the battery industry, discussed below. The key reason Gillette has been unable to achieve the same success in batteries that it has with shaving products is due to the competitive dynamics in the alkaline battery industry. The period of four years from 1997 to 2000 experienced rapid technological innovation in the alkaline battery industry by not only the major players but also from new and small entrants in the industry. Two of these small players were Sony and Panasonic. Sony introduced its â€Å"Stamina Line† of batteries in 1997, which was quickly followed by Panasonic’s â€Å"Panasonic Plus† to compete with Duracell’s â€Å"Copper top† line. Within the same year, the Rayovac Corporation replaced its existing battery with the Rayovac â€Å"Maximum† and priced the product at 20 per cent below the two industry giants – Duracell and Energizer. In the following year (1998), however, Gillette launched its first upgrade of Duracell’s offerings named the â€Å"Duracell Ultra†. This new line did not replace the original â€Å"Copper Top† line that was competing with the product of Sony and Panasonic in the previous year but rather, followed Gillette’s regular move with shaving upgrades of placing a premium on its items. Therefore, Ultra was priced at a 20 per cent premium over the older technology. Nonetheless, the competition was still pouring in. The advent of Energizer’s â€Å"Advanced Formula† happened to be in the same month as Gillette’s Ultra and was claimed to last nine percent longer than the than the Ultra. The major drawback for Gillette, however, was that no price premium was placed on the new upgrade by Energizer and was introduced at the same price point as its previous product. In contrast to Energizer’s upgrade as well as stiff competition from other players, Gillette launched the â€Å"new† Ultra in February of 1999 which claimed better performance. This was rebutted by Energizer’s â€Å"super premium† line of batteries described as e2 (launched in June 2000) and was priced four to six percent higher than Ultra. Finally, in the same month, Duracell announced its third generation of Ultra with more efficiency but no increase in price. This all showed Gillette’s inconsistency in terms of pricing and lack of strategy. It is clear that the introduction of the Ultra led to a series of new innovations of alkaline batteries by both Energizer and Gillette. Gillette had hoped that its innovations would be differentiated products and be perceived industry-wide as unique and valued. However, the company set too high a price premium in order to achieve differentiation for batteries and customers simply did not accept the price/performance proposition Duracell offered its customers. Further, the differentiation strategy that must provide uniqueness valued by customers did not exist as customers perceived batteries to be commodities. One publication of Consumer Reports even indicated that the â€Å"moral on battery shopping is simple: buy by price. This clearly contradicts Gillett’s strategy of price premiums for differentiated offerings and is the prime reason for Gillette’s lack of success. In other segments of Gillette’s business, such as personal grooming, customers are willing to pay premiums for shaving products because they feel an attachment to those products as they are used daily. Attempting to transfer this strategy onto batteries did not work because customers perceived batteries as a commodity not used in their daily routine. On the other hand, companies like Rayovac have simply followed a cost leadership strategy and have seen increases in their operating margin of 32% from 1998 to 1999 and 66% from 1999 to 2000, respectively. The reasons for Gillett’s lack of success in batteries have been outlined above. In terms of strategic actions that Gillette should take, it first needs to deviate from its â€Å"differentiation† only policy that it has used for its shaving products because it is clear that batteries are perceived as a commodity and customers will not accept high price premiums. The proposed recommendation is to achieve competitive advantage by integrating an overall cost leadership strategy with differentiation. This type of strategy is generally harder for competitors to duplicate and will enable Gillette to provide two types of value to customers: differentiated attributes (high quality in batteries, reputation) and lower prices (through lower costs in value-creating activities). The idea is to provide unique value to customers in an efficient manner. In other words, Gillette needs to adopt the cost leadership strategy and attain parity on the basis of differentiation relative to competitors. Duracell needs to be able to stay â€Å"on par† with competitors with respect to differentiated products. In effect, the company needs to pursue overall cost leadership positions in its batteries segment, but still needs to pay attention to emerging higher performance alkaline batteries. In more practical terms, Gillette can first achieve cost differentiation with an aggressive approach to adopting efficient-scale facilities. Tight cost and overhead control can lead to economies of scale where per unit costs will significantly decrease with larger production runs, larger facilities, and allocating fixed costs (such as marketing and R&D) across more units produced. On the other hand, closing down plants in areas of slumping sales can lead to greater efficiencies in costs. Together, these policies will protect Gillette from rivalry of competitors such as Energizer and Rayovac (and new entrants) due to Duracell’s strong existing market share (43%) and reputation in the industry. Moreover, Gillette needs to eliminate small costs that can cumulate over a period of time to yield substantial gains. For example, marketing expenses have accumulated to $370 million from 1998 to 2000 simply because of new product launches each year but without necessity for batteries. These expenses can be controlled by simply conducting secondary market research and analyzing external sources more carefully such as Consumer Reports as they have indicated that consumers are buying batteries by price. Finally, Duracell can still provide its customers the unique value they desire through its reputation and brand loyalty. Introducing a new and improved product with high quality every two years (rather than every year) will allow customers to seek new quality and value while maintaining customer loyalty. These are the proposed recommendations for Gillette when considering a turnaround strategy for the portable power segment and Duracell.

Measuring and Improving Employee Motivation Essay

Measuring and Improving Employee Motivation - Essay Example The performance is stereotypical a feature that implies that the employees can sue him for destroying their reputation and discriminating against them based on their races. Racial segregation is a heinous criminal offense with the American government striving to create a holistic society. Such performances, therefore, derail government’s endeavors targeted at developing a cohesive society. Additionally, the United States underwent a period of intense racial segregation. The animosity that existed among the numerous races impaired the development of the country. To limit the manifestation of the undesirable features, the government banned racial segregation in its attempt to create a cohesive American society. The government thus criminalized numerous social features that would amount to racial discrimination, performing such imitations in a workplace with numerous people from diverse backgrounds amounts to racial discrimination, thus a criminal offense. While none of the emplo yees considered undertaking a legal action against Smith, the stunt was illegal and was an abject portrayal of disregard to the basic values of humanity. In another equal action pact scene in the episode, Michael Scot harasses the Indian woman a feature that prompts the woman to slap him in the face. The act of aggression constitutes a criminal offense and is an unethical practice in an ideal workplace. As such, Michael Scot can readily accuse the woman of battery, which is a serious criminal offense in the country. Additionally, the woman can also accuse Scot of harassment, which is an equally serious offense. Sexual offenses are serious offenses in any society and the fact that the harassment occurs at a workplace worsens the situation. In fact, should Scot press charges for battery, the Indian can readily claim that she acted in self-defense since Scot makes the first move to harass him. The behavior of the two contravenes factors that create a conducive workplace.

Mother and daughter relationship in mid 50's Research Paper

Mother and daughter relationship in mid 50's - Research Paper Example Michele Citron’s â€Å"Daughter Rite† and British movie â€Å"Bred and Born† are examples of such portrayals. In the 1900s, there was a lot of disillusionment concerning the institution of marriage and especially family life in America. People had long working hours and children worked in mines and workshops, leaving little or no time for a family life, good relationship between parent and child and working out of marriages. Stephanie Coontz argues that since women could not vote and they had low wages, many turned to prostitution, there was widespread abuse of children by parents as reported by childcare services, and men who divorced their wives gave them no child support. Compared to this, the 1950s were a glorious decade when these trends reversed. The divorce rate fell and the nuclear family emerged; there was a consensus on family morals, values and norms that helped individuals integrate more in their families. This phase was known as the â€Å"compassion ate† one in which women were supposed to be homemakers and loving mothers (Thomas, 2012). It is interesting to look at mother-daughter relationships in the US in this era because for the first time in 100 years, issues with family life and problems of parenting dissipated (Coontz, 1999). However, compared to the 1930s, representations of mothers and daughters changed drastically especially after the wartime years between 1950s and early 60s â€Å"from an idealized dream of the mother as sacrificial lamb to her daughter's social ascendancy to a much harsher nightmare of the mother as malevolent force on her daughter's struggling psyche† (Walters, pp. 69-70). Since the post-war, 1950s came after the Great Depression, and the World Wars, the stresses and turmoil took their toll on mother daughter relationships because there was immense strain on kinship and family networks for support. This period saw communication between the mothers and daughters to become informal and a general role reversal took place where daughters provided emotional care and comfort to their mothers (Forman-Brunell, pg. 197). Many mothers took on the tasks to groom their daughters and marry them off to a rich husband to achieve upward mobility and bring about a change in their economic conditions and so this maternal job was more deterministic than affectionate (Forman-Brunell, pg.197). A psychological phenomenon known as â€Å"mom-ism† soon emerged which caused mothers to be seen as overbearing and smothering and when in post-war 1950s, women were forced to return to â€Å"the cult of domesticity† daughters rebelled and developed hostility towards these suffocating mothers (Forman-Brunell, pg.197). This set the stage for mother daughter relationships to deteriorate further. In in 1950s, it was common for daughters and mothers to wear matching dresses and to dress alike, according to Patricia Beard. This phenomenon highlights the kind of relationship where the gi rls wanted to be more like their mothers and tried to be close to them, act like them etc. However, as they grew older they tried to dress unlike their mothers to establish their own personality and this led to them adopting new fashions. This either caused the mothers to be overprotective and forbid them to wear what â€Å"all the other kids† were wearing or incited a sort of competition in which they began to try looking like their young daughters. (Beard, n.p). Beard describes the â€Å"push and pull nature†

Sainsbury PLC Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sainsbury PLC - Coursework Example This activity would provide adequate information on the acquisitions and business events, major relationships needed, business trends and also the comprehensive analysis of strength and weakness of companies external and internal environment. The methods chosen for undertaking environmental analysis of Sainsbury are: PESTAL analysis, SWOT analysis and Porters Five Forces. Also the utility of The Willian Finnie Model, Crook, Ketchen and Snow modelis also included. PESTAL Analysis: The word PESTAL is the acronym for a set of factors that influences any business environment. They are listed as Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological, Legal and Environment . The change in political system in region, introduction of new tax laws, regulations and policies like introduction of green policies, changes in the European Union business regulations are the political factors affecting the business environment. The key economic factors that influence the long term strategic planning of Sainsbury are changes in the interest rates, prevailing inflation rates, unemployment and long term growth potential based on national financial policies. The change in demographic profile with respect to the age, socio-cultural preferences, attitudes to various polices and habits, gender priorities in shopping pattern are the major sociological parameters to be incorporated in the analysis. The possible technological changes also need to be understood inorder to assess the environmental influences on the business. This could be change in logistics, change in customers travel pattern, better means of business operations, introduction of cost-saving technology in pro duction and also advances in communication changing the business life cycle time. The physical environment of the business operation is also a vital issue influencing the business growth of Sainsbury. This is related to the waste management issues, pollution control and incorporation various sustainable business operations. One of the major legal issue that influences the business environment of the company is health and safety norms in case of any expansions, mergers or acquisitions. SWOT Analysis The analysis of Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats of Sainsbury and its competitors taking into account both internal and external influences could give better clarity in the strategic planning process (Novicevic et al, 2004). The specific indicators identified in the case of Sainsbury are as follows (Sainsbury , 2006 b & c) Strengths Weakness Opportunities Threats Huge number of loyal customer base. High reputation and ability to retain the business leadership in UK operations Better brand equity Product scalability Relatively more expensive than competitors Limited growth opportunities Increase in the stores across the country. Enhancing the sales across the Internet. Further improvement in service & products High buying powers of Tesco, Wall mart/Asda or Morrisons. Significant number of low priced supermarkets. Porter's Five Forces. They represent five independent parameters that influence any business environment (Porter, 1991). Industry Competitors: The huge competition exist between different supermarket chain operators. Sainsbury has positioned as a high quality supplier of food products. It constantly reinvents its operation to thwart the treats raised by its close competitors

Critical Reflections Paper Examining Social Justice and Equality Essay

Critical Reflections Paper Examining Social Justice and Equality - Essay Example This system punishes the poor by keeping them continually dependent on the system and not encouraging them to become independent. According to Hick (2002), "Income security programs are at the center of the welfare state in Canada. These programs do much more than protect the poor from destitution; income security programs are used by all sectors of society" (pp. 1-2). In Roman times, according to Myers-Lipton (2006), "with the increase in poverty in the early republic, elite society began to argue that outdoor relief was financially inefficient at best and inhumane at worst, since poor people were shuffled around from community to community" (pp. 35). Instead of shuffling the poor around, some suggestions include making the poor an integrated part of the community, giving them work through a WPA-style program that would focus on giving the homeless jobs. This would be one way of promoting a healthier and happier community. It is in this paradigm that one realizes that something must be done to arrive at a more socially just society. ... The homeless themselves feel powerless and as though they do not have choices in life. It is in this paradigm that one realizes that something must be done to arrive at a more socially just society. This includes taxing the rich at 90% as used to be the case, and requiring less from those who cannot afford to pay. Most welfare systems nowadays depend on the dependency of the person receiving welfare in order to keep afloat as a program. When welfare programs stop preying on people, there will be more just societies. Until that day of welfare reform comes to all nations, one whose focus is achieving social justice for all cannot rest. After all, how can the economically well-off person sleep at night knowing there are others out in the world who have nothing or next to nothing The simple fact is that they cannot. Once people realize their greed and heartlessness is causing them lack of sleep, they will realize they have to get out in the world and give back. Charities and other goodwill foundations need to capitalize on the fact that there are many guilty people out there. People who feel guilty about having more should feel badly about the fact that society is unjust to the poor and this should serve as a motivator to help urge people to give more to charitable programs. 3. What is the relationship between social justice, equality and human rights Social justice is the assurance that everyone in a society is receiving fair treatment. Equality is the assurance that everyone is being treated with the same measure of justice as everyone else. Human rights are those inalienable rights guaranteed to persons of governments that are based upon the British system. The relation between these three

The encounter between the Europeans and the American Indians Essay

The encounter between the Europeans and the American Indians - Essay Example The first source is divided into three phases. The first phase talked about the exploration and contact of the Europeans with the Amerindians till 1600, the second phase talked about the cultural identities of the New World and the settlement of the Europeans till 1700 and the third phase talked about the events that took place in Native America in the eighteenth century (Castillo & Schweitzer, 2001). On the other hand, the second source talks about the Columbian voyages, the Columbian exchange, the biological metamorphosis of the New World due to their interaction with the Europeans and infectious diseases that arise due to this interaction (Crosby, 1994). The first source did a great job in correcting people’s perspective on the cultural diversity of the Amerindians (Castillo & Schweitzer, 2001), while the second source did a great job in showing the biological transformation of the New World (Crosby, 1994). The two sources showed that it was actually greed that motivated the interaction of the Europeans with the Amerindians as they sought to exploit these people. Though the two primary sources talked about similar and different issues, but the fact remains that, the accounts are reliable as they are coming from renowned historians. They provided ample evidence to support their assertion and this is what adds to the reliability of their accounts. Thus, the accounts of the two primary sources are reliable.

Should women be able to drive in Saudi Arabia Research Paper

Should women be able to drive in Saudi Arabia - Research Paper Example ltra conservative mullahs, the kingdom simply does not issue driving licenses to women, thereby leaving them practically helpless when it comes to the freedom of being mobile. The larger belief that supports this blanket ban on women in Saudi Arabia ensues from the traditional Islamic and tribal customs, as per which, allowing women the simple and plain freedom of driving will not only upset the strict segregation of sexes in Saudi Arabia, but will also expose the Saudi women to more dangerous situations that will dilute the honor of their male guardians and the male hierarchy in the Saudi society, giving way to utter chaos and social confusion. Hence, most of the Saudi women are they the traditional homemakers, or the more ambitious and outgoing career women, many of them having received education in the West are to contend with the feasible alternative of being driven around the town by a male driver. Many a times, many progressive Saudi women have tried to protest against this ban on female driving, only to be arrested and handed back to their male guardians. The situation for women gets even more stifling considering the fact that many other Gulf nations like United Arab Emirates and Kuwait do allow the women to drive. Many progressive Saudi women do hope that the winds of change will eventually sweep Saudi Arabia also. Yet, the bad thing is that irrespective of the multiple changes going on in the Gulf in general and the rest of the world in particular, Saudi Arabia has stood steadfastly to its stance of not allowing the women to drive. In a larger context, this ban on women driving prevailing in Saudi Arabia needs to be understood in the light of the traditional Saudi religious and tribal beliefs and the associated fears and apprehensions. It is not that forbidding women to drive in Saudi Arabia is a constraint that is apart from the traditional Saudi values and norms. Yet, the irony is that these very traditional Saudi norms and customs are totally

The media play in encouraging Essay Example for Free

The media play in encouraging Essay What role does the media play in encouraging or discouraging tourism to particular destinations? Popular mediums of media including film, television, internet and print media can influence the appeal of certain travel destinations and activities. It can prompt a desire or avert tourism destinations as suggested by MacCannell (1976) these media forms can highly construct or highlight particular images of destinations to act as a marker. Prospective tourists base their knowledge on such information provided whether to travel or not to particular destinations. Film induced tourism can also bring about an increase in the cultural value of the film location being heritage sites. Firstly, in the case of New Zealand’s Maori culture has gained recognisable status through media exposure. The film Whale Rider (2002) for instance thoroughly demonstrates the Maori culture. In customary Maori culture the beliefs, clothing, animals, plants and certain landforms are spiritually linked with particular groups of individuals. The film represents this through the whales being the ancient symbol for the Ngati Konohi community. Thus, by maintaining a sense of identity it offers an opportunity for individuals to reflect and provide expressions of self. Additionally, this film can attract individuals strongly interested in culture especially of New Zealand’s Maori culture. As well as this heritage sites which have been set as film locations gain fame and recognition by its audience after the release of the film. These locations often gain meaning through film narration. For example Mission Impossible 2 (2000) was filmed at the Sydney Royal National Park. Due to the popularity of the film series an increase of visits to the park occurred during 2000 the year the film was released. Hence, can be evidently seen media plays a major role in encouraging tourism to certain destinations. However, with the expansion of different types of visitors to a destination it could also provoke an adjusted behaviour in tourists (Smith et al, 2010). The world heritage site in Angkor, Cambodia had been utilised and set up as a location for the adventure film Tomb Raider. Tourists who had viewed and felt a sense of yearning to visit the location of the film were discovered climbing on the ancient sanctuary temple walls in order to attempt and imitate the protagonist. This kind of media coverage creates a negative impact on the site as tourists are not respecting or obliging to conservation plans set  out for the site. The inappropriate manner can additionally provoke iconic pieces or souvenirs to be removed from the film induced tourism locations so as to be able to efficiently oblige with conservation plans. â€Å"Media based tourism can bring additional income and jobs to an area and in particular can provide opportunities for selling souvenirs/merchandising and spin-off services such as themed tours and services† (Smith et al, 2010 p.73). This is evident in many tourist destinations including Thailand and the film The Beach. It has created a strong stimulation of desires for people to visit the film location in addition to the surrounding areas of Thailand. Due to the large tourism activity, tour companies have taken advantaged and advertised various tours which circuits various film based locations and entitled them The Beach Tours ( Law et al 2007). Extraordinariness can also be added to entice travellers such as recounting stories and gossip within the tours about the production of The Beach. Also the Footsteps on the Beach website was created which sells Thailand to a more mass audience as well as reach potential tourists to visit Thailand through images and meaning. Desires can also be a reason why individuals choose to travel in the first place. Therefore, by creating strong desires and adding extraordinariness through media exposure it further encourages individuals to travel. The idea of a journey with fun filled experience can also prompt an encouragement to travel and explore destinations. There are numerous journey narratives exposed starting from early childhood years. Journey narratives are stories which are structured around a physical journey. Along the way individuals reflect and grow to develop a stronger understanding of self. For instance contemporary narratives of Eat Pray Love or Lord of the Rings. Characters undertake a journey in order to discover a purpose through the meaningful experiences occurred on the way. These encourage a desire for otherness a nd difference attracting the explorer and drifter tourists. This is due to the fact such tourists do not mind getting off the beaten tracks, leaving the environmental bubble voluntarily and preferring a novelty experience (Cohen 2004). Many of these media have influenced young individuals to travel as they have gotten older. Thus children’s stories are a major motivator for individuals to travel as it’s the first contact many individuals have in terms of media and tourism. Additionally, journey narratives are powerful motivators as individuals seek out tourism destinations. Riley et al (1992)  have distinguished the downsides of main concern as the exploitation of locals and visitors, expanding costs, absence of readiness of locals when managing with the high tourist influx, the way the location differs from the way it is portrayed in the forms of media bringing about a loss of tourist fulfilment and satisfaction and the various effects of souvenir hunters particularly those who consume signs and markers. These components rela te to the film induced tourism audience and ever expanding tourist visitations to such locations. An important and ambiguous issue to be considered when arguing views of film induced tourism is that of the actual versus the envisioned images as created by the media. Butler (1990) indicates that in a number of times films are not shot at the locations they imply to be. For instance the Philippines was adopted to portray Vietnam in the 1986 Vietnam War film Platoon. This then creates a condition where the general audience are constructing their knowledge on false information and developing false expectations and desires of destinations they decide to visit. It can be argued that much of the expectations in tourism is created with what is presented and viewed in the media. These expectations are developed overtime due to the mass promotions, guidebooks and stories of tourism travel from documentaries and films. The information provided is usually of implied promises. Boorstin (1972) suggests these pseudo-events are responsible for the inauthenticity of the tourism industry. Commentators suggest that media tourism is a clear example of post-tourism (Smith et al, 2010 p.74) and the visitor perspectives of locations are somewhat of a giant cinema screen suggesting the inauthenticity of a place. Consequently, resulting in tourists’ dissatisfaction with their travel experiences. As an outcome tension is created and discourages tourists from visiting certain destinations. A further case of the immediate complications that media production can bring can be evident in Thailand. Here 20th century Fox filmed The Beach. In order to prepare the site for production and to begin filming the beach was demolished and widened with much of the native vegetation and a mass amount of rubbish from the isolated beach also being removed. The destruction of the natural environment became a major concern. The landscape was modified so â€Å"the global cinematic audience is offered an idealised journey in a fantasy space, one based on a ‘dream’ of the tropic s† (Law et al 2007). In doing so Higgins-Desbiolles (2001) claims it tarnished  the Thai Government, damaged the reputation of Twentieth Century Fox, sparked a desire for travel within the young fan base and opened up the opportunities for companies to promote themselves. However, the major benefit that came out of this production was that it boosted the Thailand economy by an estimated US$150000. Clearly the media plays a role in both encouraging and discouraging tourists to visit certain destinations based on their tourist gazes. The tourist gaze was founded by Urry who outlines is a visual nature of tourism. It refers to â€Å"the way in which tourists seek out and consume visual images and the means by which the tourism industry organises and directs this consumption† (Smith 2010 p.174). The gaze can be seen as having a positive outcome on tourism destinations. Bruno (1997) explains that viewers of media are in a way acting like tourists. Having viewed certain television shows such as The Amazing Race the audience feel a compelling motivation to go and travel as well due to the depicted images in the show. However, it can also demotivate in terms of negative publicity placed on certain locations. For instance many individuals avoid the Midd le East regions due to sudden eruptions of conflict such as war and terrorist attacks. Many news reports have displayed images of such risks. This information is then publicly revealed to a mass audience including potential tourists. Resulting in tourists rethinking about their destination choices and seeking other locations instead. Tourism is a key component of popular culture and is fed and feeds from the media which both circulates and produces culture. The power of media especially film and television can motivate travellers, create new images, alter negative images and create and placing icons on maps is recognised as a major factor in promoting tourism travel. Through the analysis of the film The Beach as well as various researchers including Law, Smith and Urry a further understanding is established in terms of media and the influence it can have on tourism whether in positive or negative conducts. As evident media does play a major role in deciding tourist destinations. Reference List Boorstin, D.J 1972, The Image: A Guide to Pseudi Events in America, Atheneum, New York. Butler, R.W 1990, ‘The influence of the media in shaping international tourist patterns’, Tourism Recreation Research, vol. 15, no. 2, pp.46–53. Cohen, E 2004, Toward a sociology of international tourism, in Contemporary tourism: diversity and change, Elsevier, Boston, MA, pp. 37-47. Higgins-Desbiolles, F 2001, Battlelines on ‘The Beach’: Tourism and globalisation. Policy, Organisation and Society Special Edition: Different Globalisations, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 116–138. Law, L., Bunnell, T. and Ong, C 2007, ‘The Beach, the gaze and film tourism’, Tourist Studies, vol 7, no. 2, pp. 141-164. MacCannell, D 1976, A semiotic of attraction, in The tourist: a new theory of the leisure class, Schocken Books, New York, pp. 109-33. Riley, R. VanDoren, C.S 1992, Movies as tourism promotion: A ‘pull’ factor in a ‘push’ location. Tourism Management, September, pp. 267–274. ‘Film TV Tourism’ in Smith, M., MacLeod, N. and Hart Robertson, M 2010, Key Concepts in Tourist Studies. London, Thousand Oaks, New Delhi Singapore, SAGE, pp. 71-75.

Symbolic Interaction in the movie ‘None stop’ Essay Example for Free

Symbolic Interaction in the movie ‘None stop’ Essay Symbolic Interaction in the movie ‘None stop’ Introduction            Symbolic interaction pertains to the social perspective on oneself and the society. The core idea in this is that humans live in what is known as a symbolic domain. The symbols here are objects which are culturally derived socially with shared meanings which are brought up and maintained through social interaction. Through communication, thought and language, symbols put forward the means for reality construction. What is referred as reality is a social product that is primarily humanly consequential. Culture mind, self and society is dependent on symbolic interaction for its existence and emerges from the same. Even the physical environment that we are living in is taken as being relevant to the conduct of humans, mainly the main reason being it is all interpreted through symbols and the way it interacts with the ones who live in it. There are three key pillars of symbolic interaction. These consist of, the meaning which is the construction of social reality, language which is used to bring up the meaning and thought which are used to internalize the languages to come up with a certain meaning. To show symbolic interaction, I will base my argument on the movie ‘non stop’ by Bill Marks.            In the Jaume Collet-Serra‘s most recent film, Non-Stop, clearly brings out the concept of symbolic interaction in that its hero receives a chain of mysterious text messages. Here symbolic interaction portrays itself as this hero has to think, internalize and come up with the meaning of what the person in the other end. Liam Neeson, who plays Bill Marks is a United States Air Marshal and he brings with him baggage both factual and symbolic. While he is on a trans-Atlantic flight ending in London, he receives a text message directing that a sum of $150MM be deposited into a bank account. One thing that is put clear in this demand is, if it is not met, one passenger will die. Mark is confused on what to do as he is trying to figure out things, hence this is a clear show of symbolic interaction in this film. After the occurrence of one death, Mark who is helped by a flight attendant and one passenger tries to unravel this misery by trying to find who was making s uch threats. They do not want to face more deaths and so they must know what these people want so that more deaths cannot be experienced. As mark tries to think what was the meaning of all that, he tries the elimination method where he tries to eliminate the passengers one by one as the possible suspects. One by one, Marks attempts to eliminate each of the passengers as a possible suspect. Nevertheless, the table gradually turns on the marshal, who is suspected of hijacking the plane for ransom money and not the only savior. This becomes even worse after the discovery of a bomb in the other marshal’s briefcase. This also is a big show of symbolic interaction as Mark is confused about want the society rely demands from him.            The other show of this aspect of this movie is when one is unable to clearly tell who the villain here is as all the characters are straining to achieve two dimensions of the story. There are many suspects ranging from the suspicious bald man with attitude complications, the middle-eastern doctor the unassuming woman insisting on window seats and the black man who won’t let off his sunglasses. There are many questions crossing one’s mind as trying to know who the bad guy is for sure. Mark goes through most scenes in the movie with an air suspicion concerning him.            He is portrayed as a heavy drinker, not only because he is seen mixing booze with tea before entering the airport, but also his habit of stirring it with his toothbrush. His drinking becomes ultimately how people define him and not something that defines himself. By this language that this movie maker tries to bring up the thoughts which ultimately make people to conclude mark’s drinking problem. This also shows an instance of symbolic interaction in this movie.            Finally, an aspect of symbolic interaction is seen when it is revealed that the terrorist mastermind was trying to manipulate matters so that Neeson’s marshal appears to be the hijacker. The waving of his gun and roughing up the passengers does not seem to help. As the passengers were really ready to rise against their fake captor, Neeson offers everyone a free international travel for one year. References   Friedkin, William (2014-03-02).  NON-STOP is a great action suspense movie. I highly recommend it.. Retrieved 2014-03-28.   Chitwood, Adam (November 8, 2012).  First Synopsis for Director Jaume Collet-Serra’s NON-STOP Starring Liam Neeson. Collider.com. Retrieved December 11, 2012. Source document

Offender profiling

Offender profiling Separating Fact From Fiction: Where Do Peoples Beliefs About Offender Profiling Come From? Chapter I: Introduction to the Study Historically offender profiling has often been seen as more of an art than a science (Muller, 2000; Ressler Shachtman 1992) leaving it prone to rejection within academic journals (Dowden 2007). However within recent years there has been a sharp increase in the publics interest due to the media spotlight offender profiling has received in the way of films and television shows. This in turn has led to more research being done within the field and can clearly be seen by the significant rise of articles published since 2001 (Dowden 2007). This explosion of interest now makes it the ideal time for research to be conducted. Well known journals are now more frequently accepting articles on offender profiling and in 2004 David Canter launched the Journal of investigative psychology and offender profiling. In spite of this the content of the majority of research published still remain discussion pieces regarding what offender profiling is and its usefulness etc with hardly any containing statistics or formal analysis. For these reason this research will focus more so on the publics beliefs of offender profiling and how it is they acquire them. The recent development and interest in offender profiling has lead to people developing false beliefs. Kocsis (1999) stated that the medias portrayal has produced a situation in which â€Å"a gross disparity has developed between profilings reputation and its actual capabilities†. This research proposes five possibilities of how people acquire their false beliefs (media, experts, reasoning error, social contagion and confirmation bias) with the objective of finding which one has the biggest influence upon forming beliefs. Chapter II: Review of the Literature 2.1 History of Offender Profiling Although many definitions have been given for offender profiling it is generally agreed that it is â€Å"a technique for identifying the major personality and behavioral characteristics of an individual based upon an analysis of the crimes he or she has committed† (Douglas et al 1986). It is not meant as a tool to identify the offender implicitly, but rather serve as an indication as to the type of person they are by focusing on their behavioral traits and personality characteristics. It is particularly useful in seemingly motiveless crimes whereby it allows the analysis of similarities and differences to take place. This in turn uncovers information on the perpetrators personality and behavior, which is essential due to the fact that the â€Å"random† crime and victim may not at all be random to the offender. The victim may have been chosen symbolically due to the fantasy occurring within the offenders mind (Ressler et al 1985). Offender profiling is used within a variety of settings and not just a tool used solely for homicides. These techniques have been used in hostage taking situations (Reiser 1982), serial rapists (Hazelwood, 1983), identifying anonymous letter writers (Casey-Owens 1984) as well as those who make written or verbal threats (Miron Douglas 1979). Due to this ability to transfer profiling techniques into a variety of situations, its methods have been used throughout the world (e.g., Asgard 1998; Collins et al 1998; Jackson et al 1993). However Holmes and Holmes (1996) stated that offender profiling is only called upon when all other leads have been exhausted. This in turn questions its popularity, is offender profiling being used throughout the world due to its effectiveness, or as a last resort? Many feel that the latter is the case and criticise offender profiling on the grounds of scientific reliability. Much of the literature published is often plagued by low levels of validity making the results found questionable. Furthermore is the difficulty in obtaining reliable and accurate data. Very few researchers rely on primary data such as interviews with serial offenders and even when they do the offenders testament should be treated as suspicious due to the known fact that offenders often lie about there behavior (Porter and Woodworth, 2007). This leads to a limitation in the literature, with very few authors publishing three or more articles and only 34% of these articles being written by psychologists (Dowden et al 2007). As well as criticism regarding literature methodology, offender profiling as a whole has also raised much disapproval. Pinizzotto and Finkel (1990) argue that many profilers do not specify the behavioural, correlational or psychological principles they rely on and it is therefore difficult to distinguish if specific profiling techniques are being adhered to, or if simple intuition and opinion are being used. However, regardless of the criticism offender profiling has received; it has still continued to grow in popularity throughout the years (Dowden 2007) resulting in an upsurge of interest and media attention. 2.2 The Rise to Popularity Offender profiling is by no means a new technique with one of the first recorded practice being in 1888 in the notorious Jack the ripper case. Dr Thomas Bond, a British physician is regarded by many to be the first offender profiler (Newburn,2007; Petherick 2005; Kotake 2001) linking together five of the Whitechapel murders and giving an eleven point profile on the personality and behavioral traits of Jack the ripper. Although this is sometimes classed the beginning of offender profiling, it wasnt until 1957 that profiling took a leap forward and grabbed the publics attention. New York Citys Mad Bomber terrorized the city for a period of sixteen years, planting a total of thirty-three bombs in public buildings. With public hysteria being high and police reaching a dead-end, Dr James Brussel (a criminologist and psychiatrist) was called in to help on the case. After reading the letters sent to the press and examining the case files, Brussel created his profile of what kind of person the police should look for: â€Å"Look for a heavy man. Middle-aged. Foreign born. Roman-catholic. Single. Living with brother or sister. When you find him, chances are hell be wearing a double-breasted suit. Buttoned† (Brussel, 1968). This profile was then submitted to the newspaper and days later the offender, George Meteky was arrested matching Brusselss description. In fact the only variation to the profile was that he lived with his two sisters. This apparent accurate profile ignited the publics interest in offender profiling. However due to the media frenzy surrounding the case, facts were often missed out and an inaccurate account was given. For example, Metesky was known to follow media reports (Berger, 1957) and so his behaviors may have been consciously or subconsciously affected. Furthermore the profile itself did not solve the case as often implied; in fact it was background checks on disgruntled employees that led to the arrest (Kocsis, 2004). And despite the popular myth that Metesky was ca ught in a double breasted suit, he was actually arrested wearing faded pajamas (Brussel, 1968). This popular and often cited case is an excellent example of how offender profiling is often misrepresented and how that in turn leads to people developing false beliefs regarding it. Nonetheless, the Mad Bomber case is often thought of as a turning point in offender profiling history and that it was at this point that both the public and law enforcement developed an interest. In the 1960s Howard Teten started to develop his approach to offender profiling, and as a special agent in the FBI during 1970 he started teaching his approach to fellow agents. In 1972 Jack Kirsch started the Behavioral Science Unit (BSU) and gave Tenten the freedom he needed to create profiles and continue his research. The word spread and soon police departments were making daily requests for profiles (Turvey 2001). The BSU underwent several changes throughout the 1990s and is now known as the National Centre for the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC). However it is not just America whos interest in offender profiling was sparked. Much like Brussel it was one particular case that seemed to ignite the publics fascination with profiling within the UK. In 1985 David Canter was asked to help with the investigation into two murders and over thirty rapes, which the media dubbed as the Railway Rapist (cited in Egger 1999). Canters profile was remarkably accurate and proved a useful tool in the investigation. However yet again, the profile alone wasnt what led police to John Duffy, it was his refusal to supply a blood sample. Similar to America, the British Press reported Canters involvement in an exaggerated fashion which in turn gave Canter much publicity and recognition. Interestingly, although offender profiling gained publicity within America and UK in a similar fashion, they have completely different profiling techniques. The American FBI approach, created by the BSU, relies heavily on crime scene analysis (CSA) (Wilson, Lincon Kocsis, 1997) and is the approach that has been popularized within the media. The approach places offenders into categories according to the crime scene, either organized or disorganized. This approach has been heavily criticized by the likes of Ressler (1992) who states that the simplicity of the system was to enable police without a psychological background to understand it. The UK approach relies more on statistical analysis, obtaining facts and characteristics from solved cases to provide a general framework for each crime (Aitken et al 1996). However in more recent times Canter has developed an investigative psychology approach to profiling. This approach suggests that psychology can directly be transferred to crime, and that an interpersonal transaction is occurring between the offender and the victim. Canter created five approaches which can be used to profile criminals directly using psychology (Canter 1994). The approach that Canter has received the most attention about is that of space and time which has been empirically tested and found to be useful (Wilson et al, 1997). Although Godwin and Canter (1997) demonstrate that investigative psychology can help the police, results have to be looked at carefully since it is unlikely that Canter will contradict his previous work. Regardless of the different approaches offender profiling has, it has nevertheless reached a height of popularity. However, as widespread as profiling has now become, the public still seem to misunderstand it and hold false beliefs regarding it (Snook et al 2008 Kocsis 1999). For this reason, this research will examine the different possible reasons why the public have developed these false beliefs. 2.3 The Mass Media This brief outline of offender profiling shows that the rise in public interest has correlated with major cases, which in turn causes sensationalism within the media. With the public buying into the medias exaggerations on the role of offender profilers, a perfect springboard was provided for many television shows and films to base their premises around these â€Å"incredible† profilers. Major films such as The Silence of the Lambs and television shows such as Cracker, Wire in the Blood and Criminal Minds have promoted the myth that profilers posses some sort of superhuman skill (Egger, 1999; Grubin, 1995; Alison Canter, 1999). Fiction blurs with fantasy for the general public and they are left with false beliefs. Grubin (1995) comments that offender profiling has always had a role within fiction and has always appealed to the imagination due to its ability to invoke the image of â€Å"the cerebral sleuth relying solely on his acute powers of observation and deductive reasoning to identify an elusive and much feared serial rapist†. Many researchers (Balu, 1994; Campbell, 1976; Canter 2000; McCan, 1992; Muller, 2000) would in fact argue that this fictional image of a â€Å"super sleuth† such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyles Sherlock Holmes or Edgar Allan Poes C. Auguste Dupin is what inspired offender profiling to begin with. Sagan (1996) agrees with Grubin, suggesting that people are often attracted to fantasy, more so than any other genre, because they often contain characters that have powers, which normal people lack but desire. Green, Brock and Kaufman (2004) concur, asserting that people seek out fiction rather than non-fiction for the simple fact that they want to be entertained. However, unless people adopt a critical approach to the material they are viewing, their judgments regarding offender profiling will be based on the inaccurate and biased information they are being given, resulting in false beliefs (Stanovich, 1992). Second hand knowledge, such as that required from the media, rarely reflects the truth (Sprott 1996) and so this critical approach is essential. The mass media doesnt just refer to television and films, the role stories play are equally important. Those who have experience in profiling often write books about there experiences (eg Paul Britton and David Canter) which creates to the reader, a personal story. These types of literature can be very convincing as they are often vivid and memorable (Borgida Nisbett, 1977; Stanovich 1992) and assumed true in entirety by the reader. People are not trained to critically evaluate or to seek out objective facts and reliable evidence (Carroll, 2003; Gilovich, 1991; Sagan, 1996; Shermer, 2003) and take these anecdotes presented to them as truthful accounts allowing them to form the foundation of their beliefs. Even published accounts of offender profiling rely on these anecdotal evidence to convey the message that they are trying to put across and illustrate the usefulness of profiling (e.g Canter, 1994; Cook Hinman, 1999). Snook, Eastwood, et al (2007) found that out of 130 articles on offender profiling, 60% of them used at least one anecdote as a source of knowledge, such as the New York Mad Bombers case. Another problem faced is that all the portrayals regarding offender profiling convey the same message, the profiler catches the criminal and the case is solved. Although this is unrealistic, empirical evidence shows that the likelihood of people agreeing with a message correlates with how often the same message is repeated (Cacioppo Petty, 1979). So if most of the media (eg, films, television shows and books) are all conveying the same message and no critical approach is taken, then individuals will be left with false beliefs. However, are people that passive that they will believe everything they encounter in the media? This theory of a hypodermic-syringe model (Briggs Cobley, 2002) whereby viewers are â€Å"injected† with opinions and beliefs has been proven to be conceptually flawed in that it tends to ignore matters such as personal influence and interpretation (Katz Lazersfeld, 1955). Individuals are not passive creatures that are unable to form their own intelligent opinion. The media does not dictate a persons belief; in fact it can be argued that individuals use the media for their own gratification (Katz, 1959). Therefore is it unfair and illogical to blame the media solely, for the misconceptions people have about offender profiling? 2.4 Expertise Experts are individuals who after an extensive period of practical and theoretical training have developed a professional capability within a specific area (Kurz-Milcke Gigerenzer, 2004). Due to this definition, many people believe and accept the words of experts without question (Bochner Insko, 1966; Milgram, 1964) and many believe that offender profilers are indeed experts. In spite of this belief there is very little evidence to support this idea. If offender profilers are experts then they should be able to perform their job to a high standard, therefore creating accurate profiles. Snook et al (2008) conclude that any police professional could achieve the same level of success that profilers achieve, by relying on their basic criminological information. However, if this is the case why is it police still request profilers and add to the belief that they are accurate experts? One reason could be because they actually believe that offender profiling works (e.g. Copson, 1995; Jackson et al 1993; Pinizzotto, 1984) but for those police officers who disagree, calling profilers in may simply be a way of doing their job. As a police officer it is their duty to make sure that they use all the available investigation techniques and some may think they have nothing to loose by calling in an offender profiler. However the public may view the fact police use profilers as a confirmation that offender profilers are experts and this in turn will affect their judgment. An example of how the belief that experts are correct affects peoples judgments can be seen in a study conducted by Kocsis Hayes (2004). The study found that police officers, who were told that the profile they read was created by an expert, rated them significantly more accurate than officers who were told that their profile came from a non-expert. These results appear to confirm that people believe and trust the information obtained from labeled experts more so than anyone else. However this result that Kocsis Hayes found may be due to the police officers loyalty. They may believe that professional profilers are an important group that they identify with and feel loyalty towards, due to a belief that they are in the same line of work. Many studies have found that many police officers tend to develop an occupational subculture (DeMaria, 1999; Dempster, 1997; Wilson Chappell, 1996; Wilson Western, 1972) with intense loyalty shown to all those that belong to it (Chan, 1996, Finna ne, 1995; Fitzgerald, 1989; Lusher, 1981; Wood 1997). For this reason, the discrepancy shown between the measures may be down to loyalty rather than expertise heuristic. However this loyalty should only be shown by those who identify with that subculture, therefore excluding the general public. So is expertise heuristic to blame for individuals false beliefs? 2.5 Reasoning Errors People have the tendency to believe things that arent true and a lot of time and effort has been put in by researchers to try and discover why it is people believe in unproven things (Gilovich, 1991; Hines, 1988; Vyse, 1997). One of the main outcomes found is that human beings evolved to be able to identify patterns among environmental occurrences, which as a result can lead to the identification of meaningless patterns (Shermer, 2002). It is this ability to identify meaningless patterns that can be argued contributes to people thinking in things such as psychic abilities as well as their belief that offender profilers predictions are valid. People like to find order in a chaotic world and then form beliefs that can guide future behaviors (Gigerenzer, 2002; Shermer, 2003). However, beliefs are just a cognitive process that picks up on information from the environment and if the information is wrong, so is the formed belief. One form of this cognitive process is reasoning errors.

Blakes The Songs of Innocence Essay -- Songs Innocence blake Essays

Blake's The Songs of Innocence The Songs of Innocence poems first appeared in Blake’s 1784 novel, An Island in the Moon. In 1788, Blake began to compile in earnest, the collection of Songs of Innocence. And by 1789, this original volume of plates was complete. These poems are the products of the human mind in a state of innocence, imagination, and joy; natural euphoric feelings uninhibited or tainted by the outside world. Following the completion of the Songs of Innocence plates, Blake wrote The Marriage of Heaven and Hell and it is through this dilemma of good and evil and the suffering that he witnesses on the streets of London, that he begins composing Songs of Experience. This second volume serves as a response to Songs of Innocence in that Blake is demonstrating the two polar or contrary states of the human soul and in the world that he sees around him. The images, engravings, and lyrics in Songs of Experience are much more severe, excruciating, and intense in comparison to the lighter tones of Songs o f Innocence. When we look at the poems in Songs of Innocence and Experience, we see that while Blake reveals both the light and dark aspects of the human existence, we also see that this dichotomy is not always a finite, black and white generalization. That is, Blake emphasizes that both the innocent and experienced states of the human soul are achievable at any moment, regardless of age, past actions, or station in life. This reinforces the idea that Blake’s conception of God is the power of illumination in each one of us and it is through the poetic genius that we make this discovery throughout the ongoing process of life. A comparison between poems from each volume illustrates these ideas and serves to demonstra... ...t, each of us can come to know God and understand our relationship with the universe through the discovery of our poetic genius. Blake’s methodology of channeling his spiritual energy through his work is accomplished through the combination of poetry, song, and visual art. This provides the reader with a full aesthetic experience that universally encourages the illumination of the human soul. Through his poems which identify various types of people and situations, Blake adds that this religious experience is not limited to the creative arts. In fact, he suggests that the poetic genius is attainable through focused manual labor, intellectual conversation, and philosophical reflection, among other activities. Man’s universal ability to find God through his poetic genius is Blake’s inspiration, philosophy, and theological message in Songs of Innocence and Experience.

Primitivism - A Tribal Religion :: Religion

Primitivism - A Tribal Religion "We regard them as the sons and daughters of the earth and sky, brothers and sisters of animals and plants, who live by nature’s ways and do not upset the delicate balances of their ecological zones; gentle hunting folk who are still in touch with the magic and myth that we ourselves so badly need" (Smith, 381). This quote from Huston Smith summarizes the Primitivism essence of its nature. Primitivism is an ancient religion, sometimes referred to as a tribal religion because groupings of its people were small in numbers. This religion continues today in parts of Africa, Australia, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, Siberia, and Indians of North and South America. Primitivism is an oral religion, very few things were written down. Most of the writing was in the form of drawings and art. Being an exclusively oral society, the orality protected the memory of its practitioners making it possible to remember countless tales and stories to pass on to the next generation. The orality also enabled the capacity to sense the sacred through nonverbal channels. Tribal religions are deep-rooted in place as opposed to space. Space is abstract, but place is concrete. For example, a square foot in Florida is the same as a square foot in China; however Florida and China are two very different places. The idea being: you are the rock, you are the tree, you are the river, you are the grass, etc†¦ The analogy in â€Å"The World’s Religions† of the first Onondagan to enter college is a wonderful example. Oren Lyons returned to his reservation on his first break from college and went fishing with his uncle. His uncle started to question him, â€Å"Who are you?† Oren answered in many ways, â€Å"I am your nephew†, â€Å"I am an Onondagen†, â€Å"I am a human† and no answer satisfied his uncle. His uncle replied to him, â€Å"Do you see that bluff over there? Oren you are that bluff. And that giant pine on the other shore? Oren, you are that pine. And this water that supports our boat? You are this water. † (Smith, 371). Another essential part of Primitivism is the presence of eternal time. Tribal people look toward the future as opposed to the past. Primal time is one that is hard for most people to comprehend, because it is not linear, but is temporal, an eternal now. Its focus is more of a casual sequence rather than a chronological one.

Exploring the Thematic Link Between the Epigraph and the Greasy Lake Essay

The †Greasy Lake† seems to be influence by Bruce Springsteen †Spirit in the Night†. It is like used an epigraph from his song even though its not about the characters of the story. The characters and actions are completely made up. The †Greasy Lake† seemed to just imitate the song and take on its a free spirit. The â€Å"Bad boy† image in the â€Å"Greasy Lake† was admired and planned as the boys days continued, it was not original. We can just think about when the â€Å"Greasy Lake† was set not only the epigraph but also the title of the story was inspired by Bruce Springsteen †Spirit in the Night†. Think about it, are these boys really â€Å"bad†? No, they are just acting out the kind of behavior they think is â€Å"bad†,†cool† or expected of them. They read books to learn the â€Å"Bad boy† ways, drink cheap non- bad boy drinks and came from high class families. The nature of life was shown through the bad things that took place such as beating the guy and disrespecting the girl and being bad in order to be looked at as bad or cool. This is the narrator learned his lesson all from his actiions. The narrator, in the beginning of the story, believed himself and his friends were these tough guys but the events trhoughout the night reveals to the narrator that there is a price to be paid when trying to be bad. It was the third night of summer vacation and the narrator and his two friends, Digby and Jeff, wanted to prove they were misfits. That they were ready to be reckless and became reck. On that night they wanted to be semi- rebels, their rebellion explodes in their faces. Their actions brings them into a tougher world than they had arranged for. They beat the goy up and was about to rape his girl friend. The guy friends pulled up and the tables had turned. They ran through the woods, dived and poluted waters and floated with the real tough guy who was dead in the waters. They hid from the real tough guys because they were scared and weren’t bad at all. The layed low till the early morning and then the three boys started to feel a bunch of hatred or repugnance for the â€Å"Bad boy† life. As the end it is clear that they have had enough of being â€Å"bad. † The narrator of â€Å"Greasy Lake† matures during his risky adventure because he has different views of nature. Earlier in the story they wanted to destroy the smell of possibility and interact in all these crazy moments such as watch the girl take their clothes off, drink, smoke and listen to Rock & Roll. At the end of the story these cruel likings loses their request or want for these â€Å"Bad† guy qualities and aspects of life. When morning arrived the narrator experienced the beauty of the natural world like it was his first time. He has a epiphany or proclamation that this was nature and in the beginning it was just a dirty, rundown lake.? This was not just for him but for his friends also. When the girls approached them at the end his friend stepped up and trned down the girls offer. The three friends had the experience of a life time that changed thm for the better.

Commercial Banks Essay

Banks have developed around 200 years ago. The natures of banks have changed as the time has changed. The term bank is related to financial transactions. It is a financial establishment which uses, money deposited by customers for investment, pays it out when required, makes loans at interest exchanges currency etc. however to understand the concept in detail we need to see some of its definitions. Many economists have tried to give different meanings of the term bank. Nature of Commercial Banks Commercial banks are an organisation which normally performs certain financial transactions. It performs the twin task of accepting deposits from members of public and make advances to needy and worthy people form the society. When banks accept deposits its liabilities increase and it becomes a debtor, but when it makes advances its assets increases and it becomes a creditor. Banking transactions are socially and legally approved. It is responsible in maintaining the deposits of its account holders. While defining the term banks it is taken into account that what type of task is performed by the banks. Some of the famous definitions are given below: According to Prof. Sayers, â€Å"A bank is an institution whose debts are widely accepted in settlement of other people’s debts to each other.† In this definition Sayers has emphasized the transactions from debts which are raised by a financial institution. According to the Indian Banking Company Act 1949, â€Å"A banking company means any company which transacts the business of banking . Banking means accepting for the purpose of lending of investment of deposits of money from the public, payable on demand or other wise and withdraw able by cheque, draft or otherwise.† Commercial bank being the financial institution performs diverse types of functions. It satisfies the financial needs of the sectors such as agriculture, industry, trade, communication, etc. That means they play very significant role in a process of economic social needs. The  functions performed by banks are changing according to change in time and recently they are becoming customer centric and widening their functions. Generally the functions of commercial banks are divided into two categories viz. primary functions and the secondary functions. The following chart simplifies the functions of banks. Primary Functions of Commercial Banks Commercial Banks performs various primary functions some of them are given below 1. Accepting Deposits : Commercial bank accepts various types of deposits from public especially from its clients. It includes saving account deposits, recurring account deposits, fixed deposits, etc. These deposits are payable after a certain time period. 2. Making Advances : The commercial banks provide loans and advances of various forms. It includes an over draft facility, cash credit, bill discounting, etc. They also give demand and demand and term loans to all types of clients against proper security. 3. Credit creation : It is most significant function of the commercial banks. While sanctioning a loan to a customer, a bank does not provide cash to the borrower Instead it opens a deposit account from where the borrower can withdraw. In other words while sanctioning a loan a bank automatically creates deposits. This is known as a credit creation from commercial bank. Secondary Functions of Commercial Banks Along with the primary functions each commercial bank has to perform several secondary functions too. It includes many agency functions or general utility functions. The secondary functions of commercial banks can be divided into agency functions and utility functions. A. Agency Functions: Various agency functions of commercial banks are * To collect and clear cheque, dividends and interest warrant. * To make payment of rent, insurance premium, etc. * To deal in foreign exchange transactions. * To purchase and sell securities. * To act as trusty, attorney, correspondent and executor. * To accept tax proceeds and tax returns. B. General Utility Functions : The general utility functions of the commercial banks include * To provide safety locker facility to customers. * To provide money transfer facility. * To issue traveller’s cheque. * To act as referees. * To accept various bills for payment e.g phone bills, gas bills, water bills, etc. * To provide merchant banking facility. * To provide various cards such as credit cards, debit cards, Smart cards, etc.

Human Sexuality and Disability

Article Summary Chandler, B. J. , Brown, S. (1998). Sex and relationship dysfunction in neurological disability. Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 65, 877-880. doi: 10. 1136/jnnp. 6 5. 6. 877 Researchers Chandler and Brown (1988) conducted a study to see the relationship between neurologically disabled individuals and their experienced sexual relationship problems. Primarily focused on dyadic relationships, this research further sheds light on service providing for affected individuals.A 6 months continuous study was conducted on 70 individuals who were either married, cohabiting or living alone at Hunters Moor Regional Rehabilitation Centre located in Newcastle upon Tyne. Multiple standardized tests to assess cognitive, sexual and psychiatric functioning including, sexual functioning, disability level and current relationship were used. The results showed a wide variety of diagnosis amongst individuals tested. Additionally indicated slightly more than half (51%) had experienced change in sexual functioning and almost a third (27%) of those were highly concerned about this change.Gender was highly associated with concern about sexual functioning, as men were much more concerned. The correlation between sexual dysfunction and duration of illness strongly predicted relationship dissatisfaction. Researchers also suggested that concern is a desire to seek help and so more than one in four required help for sexual dysfunction. The outcome of this study implied sexual dysfunction can predict difficulties within a relationship and the dyadic relationship is an important aspect in managing disability.Further suggesting services designed to address sexual health should also consider and integrate relationship issues when seeking solutions. Reflective Journal Introduction to topic: Human Sexuality and Disability Sexual health is an important aspect of all human beings. Dr. Mona (2011) noted disabled individuals may not fit into the typical category of wha t is sexually desirable in our society and can result in low sexual self esteem. Disability is a complex phenomenon, which has different aspects. Our group was curious and wanted to research on preconceived assumptions on Sexuality and Disability.The research dealt with physical disability (Injuries affecting mobility, Individuals with Cancer resulting in physical limitations etc. ) its relationship with sexual pleasure, expression and services provided for concerned individuals. The Travelling Tickle Trunk Shop. Research and collecting Informaiton Located within Edmonton made it easy to conduct research on this agency. Additionally the range and quality of services was accessible and welcoming to disabled individuals. The Methodology involved, contacting the owner Brenda Kerber through e-mail and phone to set up an interview.We personally contacted Brenda at the Tickle Trunk located on Whyte Avenue. During this period she willingly provided answers and useful information. More to t his, we analyzed the store set up, services and policies to accommodate disabled customers. Perceptions and Personal Impact of this Research Brenda had stated the initial idea to set up this particular store being a customer request that she later researched into and established in 2008 (personal communication, Oct. 31, 2012), indicating a wide customer range.I have learnt the variety of customers is not limited to race, culture, age, physical ability or gender. I would always assume customers of sex stores being sex addicts or having some physiological difficulties during sexual intercourse. My assumptions essentially root from my culture. Sex is a reserved topic until marriage and is therefore associated with procreation. I am aware of the pleasurable aspects of sex and this research has broadened my viewpoint. Another major assumption was with regards to disabled customers being asexual and/or loosing total sense of feel in sexual organs completely. Dr.Tepper’s (2000) rese arch helped publicize sexual oppression of disabled individuals and eliminated some of my assumptions enlightening me to the complex world of disability (acquired disability, mental illness, physical disability, prenatal disability etc). Disabled individuals at least here in North America are engaged in sexual activity and I would state are having better and creative sex. Major personal turning point of this research was knowing the multiple ways to enhance one’s sex life. Social impact and Applications of this research The Tickle Trunk, is a business that is very welcoming to all individuals.This can help curious couples experiment, aid new migrants better immerse in the western culture of Sexuality and for disabled individuals (visually, hearing) private parties are conducted to help explore sexuality. Brenda has helped many physically disabled/impaired and individuals with cancer better embrace their sexual lives. On a large scale, Alberta being noted for its conservative views and reserved sexual attitude. The open minded and supportive approach of The Tickle Trunk can help educate and promote satisfying healthy sex to the general Edmonton society.Personally aspiring to be in the Nursing field certain information might be applicable during patient treatment, diagnosis etc. Disability and motherhood, guidance for parenting and resources (O’toole, 2002) are other aspects of interest to me, from a career and female rights advocate perspective. Personal and Literature related experiences of the research Pleasure is an important affirmative of life regardless of physical disability. Another similarity was the variety of individuals. In the article age ranges from 16-64 were examined. Where as customers at the shop had much more variation.Journals are scientific papers, a few controlled variables and numerical associations to sexual expression/satisfaction was noted. Whereas visiting the store gave a more personal and opinionated view of considerin g disability and sexuality. Overall, the different sources aided in reaching a balanced perspective. Reference List Chandler, B. J. , Brown, S. (1998). Sex and relationship dysfunction in neurological disability. Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 65, 877-880. doi: 10. 1136/jnnp. 6 5. 6. 877 Kerber, Brenda. (Owner, Educator–The Travelling Tickle Trunk), personal communication October 31, 2012.O’toole, C. J. (2002). Sex Disability And Motherhood: Access To Sexuality For Disabled Mother Dsiability studies Quarterly 22(4), 81-101. Retrieved from http://dsq-sds. org/article/view/374/495 Paget, L. (2011, June 8). Dr. Linda Monda Sex and Disability. TogiEntertainment, Inc. Lindale Texas, USA: Â © 2012 Toginet Radio. Retrieved from http://podbay. fm/show/415882898/e/1309935600? autostart=1 Tepper, M. S. (2000). Sexuality and Disability: The Missing Discourse of Pleasure. HumanScience Press. 18(4), 283-290. Retrieved from http://wmst419. drkissling. com/winter2 011/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Tepper2000. pdf