Public Value and Accessibility of Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Public Value and Accessibility of Art - Essay Example One fact is that it is observable that art allows one to live life happier and lighter. Art can be observed as having played a crucial role in life throughout the ages. It can be described as universal because its presence is seen everywhere, in every country and culture with their own depiction of art. Cave dwellers of prehistoric times used art by drawing on the walls to record history. Religion uses art in recording the life and death of Christ. An artist creates art for a specific reason and purpose, which could be religious, symbolic, customary, traditional or just simply expressive. Whatever the purpose may be, art has been used as a way to express ideas and beliefs. With the question, "does a concern with public value in the cultural sector mean that it should be accessible to all", the answer to this is yes. This position is supported by a number of attempts from a shift of private art museums into making them public and allowing the people to see them. The Louvre is considered a prototypical public art museum that offers civic ritual (Duncan 1995). The Louvre also made public art museums become signs of politically virtuous states. It contributed to the flourishing of the art in public domain that by the end of the 19th century, every western nation had one important public art museum (Duncan 1995). The popularity of public museums had spread in the third world in the 20th century in which military despots and traditional monarchs built them to pay respect to the western values as well as in gratitude to their western military and economic aid (Duncan 1995). It is also said that political advantages go along with public art (Duncan 1995). In Europe, two of the most important public art museums are the Louvre Museum in Paris and the National Gallery in London. The two have different histories and collection yet both of them stand as monuments of the then emerging age of democratic revolutions (Duncan 1995). The cultural value of art is brought more clearly when it is publicized or when the public is allowed to take a view of it. Although in the past, certain works of art were put under censorship and/or created a public stir such as Goya's Nude Maja, these works now are considered an icon of cultural value in which people can study the social condition of the past through them. The government support for the arts can be understood as one in which arts produce cultural benefits while directly enriching artists, art firms, and arts consumers (Frey, 1997). This being said, pursuits for its public value allow for explorations of various possibilities in which they may be further promoted, in which that promotion implies inviting people to view them and making them accessible. Some of the benefits of arts are education, prestige, bequests to future generation, economic development, expressive freedom, and diversity, whose maximization can be realized by making them accessible to all. Through the arts, people may be culturally enriched in a community that involve vital arts sector and supports its undertaking. Despite not having to attend arts events and formal arts studies, the accessibility of arts must be ensured since it provides education through various forms, and people can still obtain education and enhance themselves into

Literacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Literacy - Essay Example Lake uses his son’s cultural literacy and the Indian traditional literacy standards to describe Wind’s state of grace, his power, and functionality within the Indian culture. He describes Wind’s literacy as a state-of-grace by identifying his excellence in learning what has culturally been expected of him. Lake applies traditional standards and succeeds in illustrating how the child’s literacy meets honorable standards by demonstrating his diversified knowledge. The description of the child’s scope of education that has been â€Å"colorful, complicated, sensitive, and diverse† identifies this state-of-grace because of the child’s tender age. The child has also learnt many things that different members of the society engage in. He has learnt from all social groups and this includes his father, mother, and people from both his generation and his parents’ generation. Wind’s literacy also identifies a state of grace because h e is able to apply the learnt concepts such as understanding indicators to natural phenomena (Lake n.p.). The writer also describes power in the child’s literacy by illustrating how the literacy captures the child’s attention to an extent that he can only focus on the knowledge when he identifies an associated phenomenon. When he identifies change in the atmosphere, Wind is carried away, and is captured by what he has learnt and his mind dreams of the things that his traditional literacy taught him that should be done at such times. This means that Wind’s literacy is not only powerful in its self, but is more powerful than the western literacy that has failed to capture Wind’s attention into focusing in class. Lake also uses developed conflict in the child to demonstrate the power in his literacy. When Wind learns that his literacy conflicts with the new form of education in school, the cultural conflict

Modern and Contemporary Poetry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Modern and Contemporary Poetry - Essay Example The post World War 1 Western society according to Elliot is not an integrated unit of individuals. In fact, it is just â€Å"a heap of broken images† (22), which suggests that the individuals are detached from one another and fail to form a functional society. It is like â€Å"the dead tree† (23) that cannot provide shelter to anyone. It reflects an awry state of society whose foundations have crumbled and its individuals are left alone. This line evokes an innate desire of individuals to break away from the oppressive traditions of society and seek refuge in the mountains, where one can exercise the freedom of self. The effects of the First World War on society and individuals were irreparable and it has been portrayed by the gloomy imagery in this poem. â€Å"Unreal City, / Under the brown fog of a winter dawn,† (60-61) A quite depressing state of society that survives under â€Å"the brown fog† has been portrayed in these lines. It is quite possible that Elliot is metaphorically representing the society as the brown fog, which gives a sense of oppression and stagnation because this blanket of â€Å"brown fog† doesn’t let in light or fresh air. It is suffocating for the individuals to live in such society that doesn’t give them the freedom to grow. In the second poem, â€Å"rats’ alley† (115) could be a reference to modern society that has turned into a narrow place with no light or fresh air. It gives a sense of a place where the characters, values and lives of human beings are decaying. One also gets an impression that the society Elliot is talking about is so cold that it dampens the spirit and will of the individuals to move on in their lives. â€Å"But at my back in a cold blast I hear/ The rattle of the bones, and chuckle spread from ear to ear.† (185-186) However, the individuals are still hoping and waiting for a response from the society they are living in

Community Health Practice Essay Example for Free

Community Health Practice Essay Community Description and Data Interpretation Pueblo, Colorado, also known as â€Å"The Home of the Heroes†, was given this proclamation in 1993 by the United States Congress, due to Pueblo having as many as four recipients of the â€Å"Medal of Honor† living here in the community. Pueblo dates back as far as 1842, and was known as â€Å"Fort Pueblo† (History of Pueblo). Over the years, Pueblo became the â€Å"backbone† of Southern Colorado due to the ore mines and is also the largest steel producing city in the United States, thus also being referred to as the â€Å"Steel City†. Pueblo has had a long and colorful history and has had five different countries and territories that â€Å"held dominion† over the area. These five areas are as follows: France, Mexico, Texas, Spain, and of course, the United States of America. (History of Pueblo) Pueblo County is 2,398 square mile area and is located approximately 112 miles south of the state capital of Denver, Colorado and approximately 100 miles north of the New Mexico border. Pueblo is geographically located at the intersection of the Arkansas River and Fountain Creek and is approximately 4600 feet above sea level. Although surrounded by lots of mountains such as the Wet Mountains, the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Green Horn Mountains and Pikes Peak Mountain, Pueblo is very much desert land with annual precipitation being only approximately 12 inches. (Pueblo, Colorado, 2014). Pueblo County has a land area of 2389 square feet and 9.0 square miles of water. (City-Data Pueblo County, CO , 2012) Population/Economic Assesssment Pueblo’s population according to 2012’s census is 159,063 which is a growth rate of 3.56% since 2000, and which rank it 246th for the most populated city in the nation. Pueblo is comprised of a very diverse mix of people with the majority being white non-Hispanics at 56.2% and the Hispanics or â€Å"Latinos† comprising 39.2% of the population. The remaining population is comprised of African Americans 2.4%, Native Americans 2.9%, Asian 1% and the remaining 2.4% of the population are those that are of two or more races  (American Fact Finder). The average age of Pueblo’s population is approximately 39 years old. The total population percentages of those 18 years and younger is 24.5% and with those 65 years and older comprising 15.3%. (United Stated Census Bureau, 2010) `As mentioned before, Pueblo is one of the nation’s top leaders in steel production, but the huge â€Å"steel-market† crash of 1982 left Pueblo with a fairly weak economy sinc e that time. According to the 2010 census, the average annual household income in Pueblo is approximately $38,780, which has Pueblo County’s income ranking far below Colorado’s average income of $47,510. With such a difference in the average annual income, Pueblo has a high percentage of the population that is living below the Federal Poverty Level, making Pueblo’s overall poverty rate is the 2nd highest in the state of Colorado. The average household size is 2.47 people. According to statistics from the American Fact Finder, Pueblo County has 18.1% total population below the Federal Poverty Level. Of that population, there are 26.3% that are children 18 years and younger, those 18 years to 64 years old is 17% and those over the age of 65 are 9.6% below the Federal Poverty Level (America Fact Finder, 2012). With almost 20% of Pueblo County’s population being below the Federal Poverty Level, it would stand to reason the increase in the number of people in Pueblo that qualify for food stamps and other public assistance. According to the 2012 American Community Survey, there were an estimated total of 11,976 households in Pueblo County that received food stamps. Of the households that received food stamps 45.7% of them had children 18 years or younger and 23.4% had at least one person in the household that was 60 years or older. (United Stated Census Bureau, 2010) The unemployment rate in Pueblo County is 9.6% approximately 1% higher than the U.S. average; however, there has been a recent job growth of 1.38% in Pueblo. Even with the more than average unemployment rate and high population below the Federal Poverty Level, Pueblo County has a very low cost of living compared to the rest of the nation. The cost of living in Pueblo, CO is approximately 15.3% lower than the U.S. average with the median housing cost of $96,700. Even with the lower cost of living in Pueblo County, there are still about 175 individuals that are homeless that are living on the streets. With large international companies such as  Vestas pewag, and Rocla Concrete Tie choosing Pueblo, Colorado as new sites for their companies, unemployment rates will lower and this can only boost the economy and increase the population. (Community Health Status Report, 2011) Before the inception of the current Affordable Care Act, Pueblo County had approximately 30,312 individuals that were on Medicaid. This number has drastically increased since January 1, 2014 since Colorado was a state that chose â€Å"Medicaid Expansion† to assist with aiding the health care costs and compliance of the Affordable Health Care Act. According to Colorado Health Institute, Pueblo County has done an amazing job getting the â€Å"uninsured† children in public insurance programs. Pueblo County recorded that 95.7% of children eligible for Medicaid/CHP+ is enrolled. Access to health care is largely affected by available and affordable health insurance. Pueblo County was noted to have a total of 13.6% of the population in 2010 that were uninsured. The amount of money that Pueblo County spent per capita on public health funding took a significant drop in 3 years from 2009 to 2011 of over $2.00 per person. Pueblo County also has a large percentage (18.8%) of individuals that not only are on Medicaid but are dually covered by Medicare. Dual coverage is based on income, health and disability; these individuals are usually in very poor health with chronic, complicated health problems and/or mental issues. Even with the public health funding, Pueblo County still has 17% of the population that have unmet health needs because of financial limitations. Hopefully with the new law of the Affordable Care Act the percentage of â€Å"unmet† health needs will completely diminish or at least significantly decrease. Cultural Assessment Pueblo, Colorado is a multi-cultural community with the majority of the population of Hispanics, Italians and Slovenians that have occupied Pueblo for generations. The Hispanic culture is the most prominent in Pueblo, which can be seen in the architecture, art, festivals and museums which pays great tribute to their Hispanic heritage. One of the largest pieces of the Hispanic culture that is enjoyed by all in Pueblo is the food. Pueblo holds annual festivals and celebrations that display the unique cuisines of the Hispanic culture, the most prominent cuisine being the â€Å"Pueblo Green Chili†. Food of the Hispanic culture and the health risks may contribute to the high number of adults that are overweight or obese. According to findings in the Pueblo Community Health Status Report of 2011, 23% adults over the age of 18 are overweight. With such a large Hispanic population comes a high percentage of the population that have genetic disposition for Diabetes Mellitus Type 2. (County Health Rankings and Road Maps, 2013) A large family unit which includes generations of â€Å"extended† family is a huge part of the Hispanic culture in Pueblo. The Hispanic population in Pueblo really holds the matriarchs and/or patriarchs to a high respect. Although not nearly as prominent in Pueblo, the Italian culture is a large part of Pueblo’s culture as well. Italian culture is seen predominantly in the culinary influences that paved the way for the unique â€Å"Pueboloan† dishes, such as the Italian Sausage sandwich that you can find at one of Pueblo’s oldest tra ditions, Pass Key Restaurant. (Pueblo, Colorado, 2013). The Slovenian culture is another influential part of Pueblo’s culture. The Slovenians migrated to Pueblo and settled here working in the steel industry. They introduced cultural and culinary traditions that are still very highly practiced and part of Pueblo’s culture even today. For example, Potica is one of the most popular culinary treats that is extremely popular around the holiday season, but can be found and enjoyed all year around. The Slovenian folk music and theatre can also be seen throughout Pueblo. (History of Pueblo) Catholicism is the predominant religion in Pueblo and is a huge part of the culture. Approximately 68% of Pueblo proclaims they are Catholic. In Pueblo’s culture, women are the largest majority of this population, although â€Å"Holy Orders† are the role of the men. (Pueblo, Colorado, 2014) Genogram Interpretation From my observation of data, statistics and information gathered for Pueblo County’s Community assessment, I have found that Pueblo County overall is a fairly healthy community. The community is predominately white, non-Hispanic population with an increase of the Hispanic population in the past two years. The Median household income is $38,780 and 16.9% household at or below poverty level. The unemployment rate at 9.6% which is 1% higher that the U.S. average. With such financial difficulties there were approximately 13,760 individuals that receive food assistance, Pueblo is a multi-Cultural community consisting of Hispanic, Italian Slovinian. All cultures brought together with food served at festivals and at restaurants. Pueblo is predominately Catholic religion at 68% with women playing a large part in Catholic Hispanic Culture. Large Hispanic population diagnosed with diabetes type II and obesity. The crime rate is higher than the national average. In 2006, Pueblo County had approximately 2.4 liquor stores per 10,000 people. Underage rates of drinking increased with age. Methamphetamine use in youth (less than 10 percent), but showed signs of increase between 2005 and 2007. The health factors and morbidity and mortality rates of Pueblo County are higher than the national benchmarks. Pueblo has 95% of days with good air quality and drinking water safety at 1%. Pueblo County has a disaster/ emergency management preparedness plan as well as a chemical stockpile emergency preparedness program for the Pueblo Chemical Depot. Pueblo operates in an all-hazards disaster plan with Pueblo Health Department being the lead in the Emergency support function of Public Health. Pueblo County, Colorado is overall a healthy community. Nevertheless, the areas where improvements need to be made are determining a way to attend to each individual’s reaction to negative life events. These events are causing a rise in binge drinking and the use of methamphetamine abuse. Creating and implementing a plan to decrease the poverty level and being able to inform and address access and functional needs. Neighborhood/Community Safety Assessment As sad as it is to say, violence in Pueblo County is a huge â€Å"health† problem. Pueblo’s overall crime index as reported in 2006 was 6945 crimes which was higher than the national average and encompasses â€Å"violent† and â€Å"property† crimes. Violent crimes consist of murder, rape and aggravated assaults. Property crimes include burglary, larceny, theft , motor vehicle theft , arson, and vandalism. In 2006, Pueblo had a reported total of 628 violent crimes with breakdown as follows: Murders – 6; Rapes 49; Robberies – 170; Aggravated assaults – 403. Pueblo’s reported â€Å"property crimes are as  follows: Burglary – 6317; Larceny/Thefts – 4409; Motor Vehicle Thefts – 455 and Arsen – 55. (Pueblo Colorado Crime statistics and Data Resources, 2014) . Along with the high crime rates that fill Pueblo’s neighborhoods that have an effect on the safety and health of the county are the large nu mber of liquor stores that fill them. In 2006, Pueblo County had approximately 2.4 liquor stores per 10,000 people. (Community Health Status Report, 2011) With such a high density of liquor stores and access to alcohol, it can also contribute or be a large relation to the economic and social crumbling of the community and overall rate of crime. There are studies that report that the â€Å"over-concentration of liquor stores increases the perceived lack of safety and limits walkability in the community†. (Community Health Status Report, 2011). The excessive consumption of alcohol also leads to major health problems, such as, cirrhosis of the liver, cardiovascular disease, cancer, anemia as well as the effects due to injuries sustained in car accidents secondary to driving under the influence. Substance abuse, including alcohol, is another public health concern in the Pueblo community. One of the biggest concerns of alcohol abuse is that of â€Å"binge† drinking among individuals. Binge drinking is a major indicator of substance abuse and is defined as â€Å"Consuming five or more alcoholic drinks in one occasion in the pa st month†. From 2007-2009, there were 14.5% of adults in Pueblo that reported binge drinking, a rate that was well below the Healthy People 2020 objective. (Community Health Status Report, 2011). According to the website, Teen Drug Abuse, 90% of alcohol consumption by those that are underage is in the form of â€Å"binge† drinking. (Teens and Addiction, 2014). In Pueblo County, underage rates of drinking increased with age, indicating that teenagers are more likely to experiment or try alcohol around the ages of 16 or 17. (Community Health Status Report, 2011). In Pueblo County, methamphetamine use in youth ages 15-18 years was low (less than 10 percent), but showed signs of increase between 2005 and 2007 for the â€Å"15 or younger† category. Following national trends, results from 2009 indicate decreasing methamphetamine usage across the board for all age groups. This may be in part to successful prevention interventions, education campaigns about methamphetamine use, or inconsistent self-reporting (Community Health Status Report, 2011) Housing, water quality, and air quality are factors that can be classified as the environmental quality/safety of Pueblo,  County. â€Å"Homes† represent to most a place of safety, security and shelter and because these factors are so important they have the potential to help or harm the h ealth of the community. The United Way Pueblo County evaluation in 2009 reported that Pueblo County had a large shortage of â€Å"low income† rental housing. The estimated rental housing in Pueblo County reported in 2009 was 32% and home ownership was reported at 68%. (America Fact Finder, 2012). Sewage is another factor that can potentially be a huge source of water contamination. Waste water treatment plants in higher populated areas of Pueblo County are used to treat sewage before being released back into the environment; however, not all areas of Pueblo County are served by a treatment plant. Pueblo County has approximately 16,000 homes that have septic systems and are not serviced by a waste water treatment plant. Water wells can become contaminated due to improper septic system treatment. In Pueblo County, the majority of its population the drinking water comes from surface water. In some cases, the drinking water may come from shallow surface sources or underground wells. (Community Health Sta tus Report, 2011). The air quality in Pueblo is for the very good with the particle matter (PM2.5) being very low. Particle matter is defined by the EPA as the tiny particles directly emitted into the air and particles formed in the air by chemical transformation of gaseous pollutants. (United Stated Census Bureau, 2010). According to the Pueblo City-County Health Department’s Environmental Health Division, there were over 830 complaints in 2010 with the majority of complaints which were 41% of the total complaints were about the housing. (City-Data Pueblo County, CO , 2012). All in all the environmental Quality of Pueblo County is above average. The health factors and morbidity and mortality rates of Pueblo County are in lot of cases higher than the national benchmarks. Premature infant deaths in Pueblo County in 2009 were 8,767. Malignant neoplasms rank first in Pueblo County for the leading casue of death with heart disease being second leading cause of death in Pueblo County. (Community Health Status Report, 2011) Morbidity reporting of poor or fair health was 17% Health factors in Pueblo County such as smoking was 23% compared to the National benchmark of 13%, teen birth rate was 63% compared to National benchmark of 21%, sexually transmitted diseases reported in Pueblo County was approximately 352 with the national benchmark of 92. (County Health Rankings and Road  Maps, 2013). Disaster Assessment Pueblo has a Disaster Management Program which includes several support functions based on the emergency which includes the following: transportation, fires, wildfires, victim care, search and rescue, long-term recovery, hazmat, damage assessment, floods, mass fatality, terrorism, tornadoes and winter storms. The program’s goal is to prevent or decrease the impact of natural or human caused disasters. There are also additional support systems such as behavioral health response and an animal health response plan. The department staff and fire fighters are specially trained and ready to respond to any major disasters that may occur. The command staff members assist in the coordination of the disaster and emergency management training exercises in the local region. There are monthly meetings with the members and the Pueblo County Emergency Response Team (PERT) and with other local emergency reponse and support agencies. (Pueblo, Colorado, 2014). Pueblo also operates and â€Å"All Hazards† disaster plan that is designed to address the needs of the Pueblo Fire Department and the people of Pueblo in and efficient and effective manner if a disaster occurs. It is also serves as a supplement to the Pueblo County Emergency Operations Plan. (Pueblo, Colorado, 2014). The Pueblo Chemical Depot, a chemical weapons storage site is located in Pueblo County. Mustard agents HD and HT are stored at the Pueblo Chemical Depot. The chemical stockpile emergency preparedness program is the federally funded program administered by the Department of Defense and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The program was placed to prepare the local authorities for a possible chemical weapons incident. If such an incident occurs, Pueblo Chemical Depot will notify the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Communication Center in accordance between the agreement between Pueblo County and Pueblo Chemical Depot. (Emergency Services Bureau, 2013) Due to the hot dry summers, a fire or wildfire frequently occurs and there is an emergency support system that is in place. The following agencies included are the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Services Bureau, Public Works, the Colorado State Patrol, the Colorado State Forest Service, US Forest Service, Colorado State Parks, American Medical Response, both local hospitals –  Parkview Medical Center and St Mary Corwin Hospital. The Emergency Support Function and Wildland Fire Incident Annex is there to guarantee a correct response from the numerous agencies involved for containing and extinguishing fires. This is an effective system that was established to manage the various resources and agencies involved to fight structural and wild land fires in Pueblo County. (Emergency Services Bureau, 2013). The Pueblo Activation Sequence establishes procedures for the activation and operation of the Pueblo County Emergency Operations Center (EOC). The EOC is activated to an anticipated or actual response that involves more than one area or jurisdiction and/or multiple response agencies. This includes agencies that respond to HazMat accidents, severe weather, flooding, earthquakes, civil disturbances or terrorism. (Emergency Services Bureau, 2013) The Pueblo County Health Department leads the emergency support functions for Public Health and Medical Services. Their supporting agencies are as follows: Local Hospitals, EMS, Behavioral Health Services, Emergency Service Bureau, Coroner, Agriculture, Education, Human Services, Law Enforcement Agencies, Military and Veteran Affairs, Public Safety, Regulatory Agencies, Transportation, Pueblo Community Health Center, American Red Cross, Salvation Army and COVOAD. This program provides a response and recovery action related to the lifesaving tra nsport, evacuation, treatment of the injured, controlling of the spread contamination, prevention of contamination of water and food supplies and the disposition of any dead. (Emergency Services Bureau, 2013) As you can see, Pueblo County is very well prepared with any type of natural, chemical, or human caused disaster. Summary From my observation of data, statistics and information gathered for Pueblo County’s Community assessment, I have found that Pueblo County overall is a fairly healthy community. The community is predominately white, non-Hispanic population with an increase of the Hispanic population in the past two years. The air pollution in Pueblo County is below the national average with 95% of days with good air quality and only 5% with moderate air quality. An area that could use improvement would be to find a way to attend to the individuals that make negative responses to traumatic or  negative life events. These responses and events may play a huge factor in the rise of homicides that are taking place in Pueblo County. The education of the public community about the emergency and disaster preparedness programs through community outreach will help to inform and develop functional needs for Pueblo. Works Cited (2013). Retrieved February 07, 2014, from Pueblo, Colorado: http://pueblo.org/history America Fact Finder. (2012). Retrieved 02 08, 2014, from U.S. Census Bureau: http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/08/0862000.html City-Data Pueblo County, CO . (2012). Retrieved February 5, 2014, from http://www.city.data.com/county/Pueblo_County-CO.html Community Health Status Report. (2011). Retrieved February 2, 2014, from Pueblo.org: http://county.pueblo.org/sites/default/files/documents/Status%20Report%202011%20Final.pdf County Health Rankings and Road Maps. (2013). Retrieved February 8, 2014, from http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/aIntpp/#/colorado/2013/pueblo/county/outcomes/overall/additional/by-rank Emergency Services Bureau. (2013). Retrieved February 9, 2014, from Pueblo County Sheriffs Office: http://www.sheriff.co.pueblo.co.us/esb/oem.html History of Pueblo. (n.d.). Retrieved 02 08, 2014, from Pueblo, CO Official Website : http://www.pueblo.us/index.aspx?nid=119 Particle Matter. ( 2013, March 18). Retrieved February 5, 2014, from EPA United Stated Environment Protection Agency: http://www.epa.gov/pm/ Pueblo Colorado Crime statistics and Data Resources. (2014). Retrieved February 2, 2014, from Area Connect: http://pueblo.areaconnect.com/crime1.htm Pueblo, Colorado. (2014, January 31). Retrieved February 08, 2014, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pueblo,_Colorado Teens and Addiction. (2014, February). Retrieved February 9, 2014, from Teen Driug Abuse: http://www.teen-drug-abuse.org/ United Stated Census Bureau. (2010). Retrieved February 2, 2014, from Current Population Survey: http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/cpstables.htm

Essay --

Immanuel Kant addresses a question often asked in political theory: the relationship between practical political behavior and morality -- how people do behave in politics and how they ought to behave. Observers of political action recognize that political action is often a morally questionable business. Yet many of us, whether involved heavily in political action or not, have a sense that political behavior could and should be better than this. In Appendix 1 of Perpetual Peace, Kant explicates that conflict does not exist between politics and morality, because politics is an application of morality. Objectively, he argues that morality and politics are reconcilable. In this essay, I will argue two potential problems with Kant’s position on the compatibility of moral and politics: his denial of moral importance in emotion and particular situations when an action seems both politically legitimate and yet almost immoral; if by ‘politics’, regarded as a set of princip les of political prudence, and ‘morals’, as a system of laws that bind us unconditionally. In Perpetual Peace, Kant writes, â€Å"all politics must bend the knee before right† (Kant, PP pg. 125). He claims that morals, in the sense of the doctrine of right, should demand more significance in political decisions, or even be the predominant consideration. To emphasize the lack of between morals and politics, Kant cites Matthew 10:16: â€Å"Be ye wise as serpents, and harmless as doves† (Kant, PP pg.116). Wisdom is not sufficient if it is not conducted towards a consistent purpose with an application towards morality. Kant considers the wisdom of the serpent to be used for the betterment of morality. Not only should politics be congruent with morals, but also properly conceived poli... ...metimes it is the mechanisms that keep the political wheels in motion. If politics were absolutely subservient to morality and honesty, it would seem not only rather unrealistic but also undesirable. In the face of this problem, a challenge for Kant would be to defend the practicality and intuitive desirability of ‘honesty is better than any policy’. Kant’s claim in Perpetual Peace supplies an inspiring vision of a just, peaceful and flourishing cosmopolitan world. It is true that morality and justice demand truthfulness, civil obedience and a full suite of basic rights and liberties; however, because human nature and emotion subsists of more than duty to moral law and there exists circumstances that demand lying, civil disobedience such as revolutions and the temporary restriction of rights and liberties, there does exist a conflict between morality and politics.

Experiencing Brave New World in 1998 :: Aldous Huxley Brave New World Essays

Experiencing Brave New World in 1998 Since good literature transports the reader to immersion, absorption and sensation of plot, the successful literary experience often unveils a segment of the self's concealed character. Aldous Huxley's Brave New World immerses the reader in a State scientifically constructed to produce perpetual happiness without hardship. Six centuries into the future, a world leader has designed a civilization flabbily devoid of balancing challenges by eliminating illness, geriatrics, fear of death, passion and love, parenting, poverty, and pursuit of anything. Its inhabitants exist in a bureaucratically controlled state of stability sans emotion. Brave New World is the citizen's polar experience to the prehistoric caveman's solitary existence of self. Today we struggle individually to establish satisfactory symmetry between these two states of bureaucracy and independence while bench-pressing multi-weighted challenges. A journey to Brave New World's civilization of the ridiculous elicits an excell ent measure of the 1998 reader's centeredness between the self's grip of autonomy and its interdependence with State. Franz Boas, primo cultural anthropologist, subscribed that studying the varied threads of cultural tapestry (what's different) facilitates the understanding of culture. Published in 1932, Brave New World presented greater bureaucratic exaggeration to a general readership unengaged in the battle of the balance. Government was barely a gadfly on the barbell, while the 1932 self indeed included the entire village of extended families and neighbors bolstering each other. Sixty-six years hence, government has infiltrated human life stealthily, while the individual has gradually isolated itself with a transient society and fast-track economy bearing down upon the burden-lifter like additional weights. Although hardship labels remain the same, the 1998 challenge of dealing with these afflictions is more complex. Health and psychiatric practitioners caution us that balance is next to godliness. Therefore, we strive in solitude to balance corporate positions with family disasters, our yin wit h our yang, our left brains with our right brains, and most importantly, our debits with our credits. Our state of autonomy depends upon our frame of reference, for it is easy to remain autonomous without adversity. Consider the reaction of the Brave New World reader who has experienced a loved one's serious illness and painful death as a solitary struggle to provide emotional, financial and HMO medical support. Through the assistance of Brave New World, the reader subsequently tours "The Park Lane Hospital for the Dying, a sixty-story tower of primrose tiles. The air is continuously alive with gay synthetic melodies.

Sales Report Example

Table of Contents Executive Summary3 Part 1: GSM Personnel Specification4 1. Experience4 2. Qualifications4 3. Required skills5 Part 2: Key issues and Recommendations6 1. Introduction6 2. Key issues6 2. 1 Motivation and job satisfaction6 2. 2 Recruitment and selection7 2. 3 Training and development7 2. 4 Key account management8 2. 5 Sales team structure8 3. Conclusion9 4. Recommendations10 4. 1 Change the reward system10 4. 2 Set up the formal recruitment and selection process11 4. 3 Set up a standardized training11 4. 4 Restructure the sales team with the new role of KAM13 . 5 Action Plan15 4. 6 Expected Outcomes16 5. Limitations17 6. Bibliography18 7. Appendices19 7. 1 The recruitment process19 7. 2 Sales people calculation19 Executive Summary The report is divided in two parts. The first part ‘Personnel Specification’ is aimed to identify the required main skills areas of the new GSM. Those are: * Five to eight years sales experience and management; * University degre e of business or marketing management; * Excellent and proven communication skills and interpersonal skills; * Ability to reate a work environment and culture to stimulate individual’s development and motivation; * Ability to negotiate and high levels in numeracy and literacy skills; * Personal traits: high motivation, ambition in sales, enthusiasm, full commitment, and ability to work under high pressure. The second part, which is the most important part of this report, consists two main sections: key issues and recommendations. The key issues have been identified through analyzing our current company’s situations and related theories.Those key issues are: * Low motivation and decreasing job satisfaction; * The lack of formal recruitment and selection process; * The lack of quantity and quality in training and development; * The missing role of Key Account Management in the sales operation; * The inappropriate sales team structure. Based on the analysis of key issues, the fully detailed recommendations are provided in the end of this report, following with an Action Plan and expected outcomes. Part 1: GSM Personnel SpecificationAccuClean is in crucial need of a new General Sales Manager, who will be in charge of the sales team in all regions and report directly to the Managing Director, Peter Ward. Our company is facing several leadership problems and lack of focus in sales team. The new GSM is expected to bring the new fresh leadership style and able to manage the sales team in all regions to achieve the highest performance and long-term development. The personnel specification of GSM will be illustrated in details. Experience The new GSM is expected to have at least 7 to 8 years sales experience, preferably in B2B market (CPSA, 2012; Myjobs, 2012; Reed, 2012).The experience in B2B sales market is very important for our company since our customers are ranging from small to large sized companies, and many of them are with us more than ten years. He/she has a minimum of 5 years experience in business management, marketing and sales strategies and planning, and financial oversight (Inc, 2012; Myjobs, 2012). With these experiences, the new GSM is able to diagnose the management problems within our sales operation, and bring in his/ her new approach in leadership style, in order to improve sales team’s performance as well as increase the motivation and satisfaction of sales people.However, we should be very flexible in selecting candidates based on experience. If a candidate had excellent qualifications regarding his/ her education and 2-3 years experienced, we should not exclude him/ her from our shortlist. The requirement of sales experience is likely to cause a problem of excluding potential candidates (Jobber and Lancaster, 2006). Qualifications The candidate needs to have Bachelor degree of Business or Marketing Management (CPSA, 2012). The university degree is necessary since the good educational background will h elp the new GSM a lot in management.Besides, the combination of education and experience for the GSM position is ideal for long-term development of our sales force. Required skills The new GSM is required to have excellent and proven oral communication skills (Inc, 2012). In addition, the candidate needs to prove his/ her skills in exceptional customer facing and interpersonal skills to enable difficult situations to be overcome successfully (JCT600, 2012). Communication skills are the most crucial qualities of sales people, especially sales manager (Jobber and Lancaster, 2006).Furthermore, the new GSM should be able to create a workplace environment and culture that allows all the sales people in the team to develop and excel their jobs (JCT600, 2012). This requirement is essential since the current leadership style in our sales operation does not seem to work very well and need a crucial change and improvement. The potential candidate is able to negotiate effectively and at the hi ghest level together with excellent numeracy skills and literacy skills (JCT 600, 2012). For both short-term and long-term development of our sales force, these skills are necessary.Besides, the most two important basic qualities that a good sales person must have are empathy and ego drive (based on the study of Mayer and Greenberg, 1964, cited in Donaldson, 2007). Empathy is defined as â€Å"the important central ability to feel as the other fellow does in order to be able to sell a product or service† (Donaldson, 2007, p. 60). Ego drive is a desire to want and need to make a sale (Donaldson, 2007). Both of these basic qualities are a must for our potential GSM since in order to be a good sales manager, he/ she should be a good sales person.Last but not least, we are looking for a new GSM with high motivation, ambition in sales, enthusiasm, full commitment, and ability to work under high pressure (Mathews and Redman, 2001, cited in Jobber and Lancaster, 2006). Part 2: Key is sues and Recommendations 1. Introduction Part 2 is aimed to illustrate the key issues regarding our sales operation in AccuClean. The analysis based on our current situation and theory is presented for every issue. Recommendations are coming in the end of this report, followed by the Action Plan and expected outcomes.All the key issues and recommendations are ordered according to its priority of taking urgent actions. Key issues 1. 1 2. 1 Motivation and job satisfaction Motivation is â€Å"the amount of effort that a salesperson expends on each activity or task associated with the job† (Donaldson, 2007, p. 230). Many factors are believed to cause positive motivation, such as monetary reward, workload, promotion, degree of recognition, supervisory behaviour, targets, and tasks (based on Adams’s inequity theory, Jobber and Lancaster, 2006).In AccuClean, the first factor that causes the low motivation in the sales team is bonus system, which is perceived by many staffs as unfair. The bonus system in AccuClean is set based on achieving a sales figure above the individual sales target, starting from 5% above target sales with a bonus of 5% basic salary. Last year, only nine sales people out of 71 have been able to achieve the bonus, which gives the evidence about the inappropriate bonus system. In addition, the salary is based on individual negotiations when they joined the company, which might lead to unfairness between individual sales people in the team.According to Vroom’s expectancy theory, it is assumed that â€Å"people’s motivation to exert effort is dependent upon their expectations for success† (Jobber and Lancaster, 2006). It means to what extent AccuClean sales people believe by working harder (increase effort), they will achieve 5% above target sales (high expectancy), and that higher sales will lead to higher salary – bonus of 5% of basic salary (high instrumentality), and higher salary is very important for t hem (high valence).Moreover, during the merger, there were several sales staffs left to join competitors, which may result from the lack of motivations. According to Herzberg’s motivation- hygiene theory, working conditions and company policies are two of the hygiene factors, which cause dissatisfaction, thus, lead to low motivation (Donaldson, 2007). Bonus as money is the only type of rewards that is used in AccuClean, nevertheless, there are many more types of rewards that could also be applied, in order to motivate various types of sales people.The suggested bonus system will be illustrated in the recommendation part in the end of this report. 2. 2 Recruitment and selection Bob Carter is in charge of the selection process for new sales people. However, he has no formal system for recruitment and selection as well as no job description. Formal selection process is crucially important to ensure the quality of sales persons, which can have a substantial effect on sales turnov er (Jobber and Lancaster, 2006). Furthermore, hiring a sales person is very costly, much more than the basic salary.Therefore, selecting the right person for the right position is essential, and can be achieved through setting up a formal selection procedure. Another problem is Carter’s way of selection – ‘he knows a good sales person as soon as he sees one’. This bias can harm the screening process, which is part of the recruitment process (see Appendix 5. 1). Either selecting the wrong person or dropping good persons is costly (Donaldson, 2007). Donaldson defines job description as the roles and duties attached to a specific position in the organization (2007).It is necessary for AccuClean to prepare job descriptions for any new positions in the sales team, to ensure the responsibility of each team members, thus, no role ambiguity can occur. 2. 3 Training and development Training is one way for sales managers to improve the performance of the sales peopl e under their controls, broadly to meet the company objectives (Donaldson, 2007). Training and development for sales people in AccuClean are lacked due to several reasons. Any trainings or development relies on the management style and differs in every ASM.There is no formal training process since Carter believes that sales people learn best ‘on the job’. Indeed, there are many kinds of training, which includes individual on-the-job training as Carter’s opinion (Donaldson, 2007). However, good trainings can also be achieved through company-specific programs that are organized in a standardized and professional manner. The irregular and occasional training sessions, usually occur when introducing new products (currently in AccuClean), might lead to the lack of knowledge about products and new skill practices.As the merger of one cleaning chemicals and the other in cleaning machinery, training should have been taken at the early stage of the merger, in order to sup port sales people in both companies about the company objectives and targets, the knowledge of different and new products, competitors and their products, selling procedure and techniques (Jobber and Lancaster, 2006). 2. 4 Key account management Area sales teams are responsible for all accounts regardless their size and importance.The treatment for key accounts, medium-size accounts or small accounts is much dependent on each ASM’s view, its current mix of accounts in the area and experience. There are in fact 21 customers; each has accounts worth over ? 4 million. Those customers are important to our business and need to be prioritized as key accounts since the loss of even one of them would significantly cause a radical drop in sales and profits (Jobber and Lancaster, 2006). Key account management seems currently necessary, in order to serve our key customers with special treatment in all areas of marketing, administration, and service (Jobber and Lancaster, 2006).In additi on, key account management will help to develop a close relationship between our company as supplier and our customers, in order to enhance the communication and co-ordination between us, thus, create more in-depth penetration of DMU, which includes push and pull opportunities for buying decisions (Jobber and Lancaster, 2006). 2. 5 Sales team structure The sales territories of AccuClean, which are merely geographic based, have not been changed since the merger. Geographic structure is traditional and the most widely used type of sales organization in the UK.It has several advantages such as simplicity, shorter journey times, low travel costs, and less potential for conflicts over responsibility (Donaldson, 2007). However, geographic structure has some drawbacks, which might influence to the effectiveness of the sales team and its management. Examples of disadvantages are the need to sell full range, broad expertise needed, and overhead costs for more layers of management evolved (Do naldson, 2007). In order for the sales team to work more productively and better management, it is necessary to make some changes concerning our sales team structure (see Recommendations, section 4).The number of sales people in AccuClean is currently more than necessary, compared to the number of customers. Figure 1 illustrates the current sales people in each ASM as well as the actual needed sales people based on the number of customers in each area. Territory| Number of customers| Current number of sales people| Actual number of sales people| Spare sales people| Midlands| 1973| 26| 18| 8| South| 1545| 22| 14| 8| North| 1196| 16| 11| 5| Scotland/ North Ireland| 499| 7| 5| 2| UK total| 5264| 71| 47*| 24*|Figure 1: Number of Sales people (* approximate number) 1 2 Conclusion Five key issues that have been listed and analyzed above are low motivation and decreasing job satisfaction, informal recruitment and selection process, unstandardized and the lack of regular training, the lack of key account management, and the ineffective sales team structure. Those issues are the most urgent in AccuClean that need to be solved as soon as possible, in order to improve the sales team to work more effectively. Recommendations 4. 1 Change the reward systemBonus (monetary reward), which is the only form of reward using in AccuClean, shows its limitation, therefore, improving the bonus system is crucial. The starting point of 5% should be set lower and dependent on different products and accounts. There should also be other chances to get commission, which can be based on the annual sales revenue and profits. In addition to the monetary reward, AccuClean can apply many other types of rewards such as promotion or workload (based on Adam’s inequity theory, Jobber and Lancaster, 2006).Not all sales people highly value money; some of them might place higher value on promotion, responsibility or recognition. Thus, the variable of rewards will motivate different type of sale s people, in order to maximize the expectancy and value of reward (Vroom’s expectancy theory, Jobber and Lancaster, 2006). A study of sales force practices by Chartered Institute of Marketing showed that sales people are mostly motivated by individual meetings with supervisor to discuss career, job problems, etc. The second ranked motivating factors is ‘regular accompaniment in the field by the sales manager’ (Jobber and Lancaster, 2006).These methods of improving leadership style should be aware by ASMs and higher management. 4. 2 Set up the formal recruitment and selection process The formal recruitment process is proposed as below (according to Jobber and Lancaster, 2006, p. 384). Bias in selecting applicants should be minimized by carefully preparing job description and personal specification. Of course, the experience of employer should be used during the selection process. However, those five steps above should be strictly followed to avoid any mistakes dur ing recruitment. 4. Set up a standardized training Good training programs will help to equip our sales people with sufficient knowledge and skills. Besides, it plays as a motivation factor for sales people and positively influences the job satisfaction. 4. 3. 1 When should our company train our sales employees? According to Donaldson (2007, p. 208), the training should be held properly when: * New sales person is recruited * A sales person takes on a new territory * New products * New business, new market segments * Company new policies or procedure * Selling habits are poor or inappropriate An individual is being considered for promotion The sales techniques are very important to train all sales people in the organization (69% of North European firms providing sales techniques training). The market and customer knowledge is also essential in training (42% of firms providing this, based on Roman and Ruiz, 2003, cited in Donaldson, 2007). 4. 3. 2 Who should do the training? Sales tra iner can be senior managers (i. e. ASMs, GSM), technical specialists (from Production department), external specialists, or inside experienced sales people (i. e. from other ASMs).In many cases, training is more likely to be provided by inside company specialists, who not only have the best understanding about the organization and individual needs, but also can tailor training programs to suit both internal and on-the-job requirements (Donaldson, 2007). 4. 3. 3 Where should training be done? The training can be organized in internal single location (different ASMs), a centralized external location or a decentralized location (on the job). It depends on the purpose of training and variable factors to decide where to hold the training.Below is the nine possible options that are proposed by Donaldson (2007, p. 210). 4. 3. 4 What methods of training should be used? Lectures, films, role playing, case studies, or in-the-field training are options of training methods (Jobber and Lancaster , 2006). Each has its advantages and limitations. The point is how to use them properly for different training purposes, in order to achieve the best results and highest satisfaction of participants. 4. 4 Restructure the sales team with the new role of KAM New proposed sales team structure is presented in Figure 2 with two radical changes. ASM North and ASM Scotland will be combined into Regional Sales Manager of North and Scotland * Key Account Manager is added to our sales team structure as one independent function Figure 2: Sales Team Structure (proposed) The Regional Sales Managers are formed to ensure the number of sales people is interrelated to the number of customers in each region. The number of customers in the North and Scotland, which is 1196 and 499 respectively, is much fewer than the number of customers in Midlands and South (1973 and 1545 respectively).Therefore, it is appropriate to merge two ASMs North and Scotland together, in order to enhance the performance in t he broader area, and increase the influence on organization’s decision-making of sales people in the North and Scotland area. The Key Account Manager is added to be in charge of all key accounts in the whole UK. KAM’s responsibility is to manage all sales people, who are managing those key accounts in different regions. Moreover, KAM is also responsible for potential key accounts and complex DMUs. The communication and leadership style are crucially important to be successful in managing sales people in different areas.Monthly meeting can be organized and the advanced record system (computer based) should be built up to develop the whole sales team’s communication flows in long-term. This proposed sales team structure is based on all forms of selling simultaneously: KAM for very big accounts, general territory representatives (Regional Sales Managers) for the medium and small- sized accounts (Jobber and Lancaster, 2006). The number of sales people in AccuClean i s currently more than necessary, as calculation based on the current number of customers. In fact, it is difficult to get rid of 24 sales people at once, and should not be done in that way.AccuClean can evaluate sales people in the whole company by their performance, motivation and achievement in past years. In a period of 12 months, it is expected to dismiss six sales people. After two years, 12 sales people in total will be fired. AccuClean may attract more customers in the future and need more sales people; therefore, it is dependent on the situation at the time to decide how many more sales people have to leave. 4. 5 Action Plan 4. 6 Expected Outcomes Limitations The merger of two ASMs North and Scotland into one Regional Sales might cause problem in the span of control.The new RSM will manage 20-23 sales people, which might lead to the role ambiguity and lack of coaching and supervision. The Action Plan illustrates many tasks that need to complete in the first year, thus, it mi ght be very challenging in the first year for the new GSM. It is a tough decision to fire some sales people in the next two years. It might cause several problems within the sales team concerning rumours or miscommunication. Therefore, it is necessary to have a serious evaluation based on a formal checklist and consultancy from different people in the team.Furthermore, the training needs to be held at the beginning of the year, to inform the sales team about new changes, thus, reduce miscommunication. Bibliography CPSA (2012) Sales Manager Job description [Online]. Available from :< http://www. cpsa. com/pdf/src/tools/Sample%20Sales%20Manager%20Job%20Description. pdf> [Assessed 16 December 2012]. Donaldson, B. (2007) Sales Management. 3rd ed. NewYork: Palgrave MacMillan. Inc (2012) General Manager Job description [Online]. Available from :< http://www. inc. com/tools/general-manager-job-description. html> [Assessed 16 December 2012].JCT 600 (2012) General Sales Manager Job descripti on [Online]. Available from :< http://www. jct600. co. uk/data/cm/careers/1028. pdf> [Assessed 16 December 2012]. Jobber, D. And Lancaster, G. (2006) Selling and Sales Management. 7th ed. England: Pearson Education Limited. Myjobs (2012) Senior Sales Manager (Oil Machinery) [Online]. Available from :< http://myjobs. classifiedpost. com/index. php/Job-Search/ENGINEERING-GENERAL-BUSINESS-DEVELOPMENT-ACCOUNT-MANAGEMENT-Job-Description/SENIOR-SALES-MANAGER-OIL-MACHINERY/597925> [Assessed 16 December 2012]. Reed (2012) General Manager – Milton Keynes [Online].Available from :< http://www. reed. co. uk/jobs/general-manager-milton-keynes/22306659#/jobs/general-sales-manager-in-milton-keynes> [Assessed 16 December 2012]. Appendices 3 4 7. 1 The recruitment process 7. 2 Sales people calculation The Figure 1 calculation will be illustrated in details as below. Based on: Number of sales people = (Number of customers x Number of call pa) / (number of calls per day x Number of working day s per year) Suppose there are 225 work days per year, 12 times calling per customer per year (once a month) Each sales person supposes to make 40 calls per week, 10 of those are to be made to prospects.Therefore, each sales person has to make: (40-10)/5 = 6 calls per day. * Number of sales people in Midlands = (1973 x 12) / (6 x 225) = 18 * Number of sales people in South = (1545 x 12) / (6 x 225) = 14 * Number of sales people in North = (1196 x 12) / (6 x 225) = 11 * Number of sales people in Scotland/ North Ireland = (499 x 12) / (6 x 225) = 5