Fraternities and Rape on Campus Essay Example

Fraternities and Rape on Campus Essay Thesis statement: Despite widespread knowledge that fraternity members are frequently involved in the sexual assaults of women, fraternities are rarely studied as social contexts-groups and organizations-that encourage the sexual coercionof women. An analysis of the normsand dynamicsof the social construction of fraternity brotherhoodreveals the highly masculinistfeatures of fraternitystructureand process, includingconcern with a narrow,stereotypicalconceptionof masculinity and heterosexuality;a preoccupation with loyalty, protection of the group, and secrecy; the use of alcohol as a weapon against women’ssexual reluctance;the pervasiveness of violence and physicalforce; and an obsession withcompetition,superiority,and dominance. Interfraternityrivalry and competition-particularly over members, intramuralsports, and women-encourage fraternitymen’scommodification women. Weconclude thatfraternities of will continue to violate womensocially and sexually unless they change in fundamentalways. Rapes are perpetrated on dates, at parties, in chance encounters, and in specially planned circumstances. That group structure and processes, rather than individual values or characteristics, are the impetus for many rape episodes was documented by Blanchard (1959) 30 years ago (also see Geis 1971), yet sociologists have failed to pursue this theme (for an exception, see Chancer 1987). 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REPRINT REQUESTS: Patricia Yancey Martin, Department of Sociology, Florida State University,Tallahassee,FL 32306-2011. GENDER SOCIETY,Vol. 3 No. 4, December 1989 457-473 ? 1989 Sociologists for Womenin Society 457 458 (ENDER SOCIETY / December 1989 contextsof rapeevents, andthese areconceptualizedas potentialriskfactors social contexts. for individualsratherthan qualitiesof rape-prone Many rapes, far more than come to the public’s attention, occur in houses on college and universitycampuses,yet little researchhas fraternity analyzed fraternitiesat American colleges and universities as rape-prone contexts (cf. Ehrhart Sandler1985). Most of the researchon fraternities and reports on samples of individual fraternitymen. One group of studies compares the values, attitudes,perceptions,family socioeconomic status, psychological traits (aggressiveness, dependence),and so on, of fraternity and nonfraterity men (Bohrnstedt1969;Fox, Hodge,andWard1987; Kanin 1967; Lemire 1979; Miller 1973). A second group attemptsto identify the effects of fraternitymembershipover time on the values, attitudes,beliefs, or moral precepts of members (Hughes and Winston 1987; Marlowe and Auvenshine 1982; Miller 1973; Wilder, Hoyt, Doren, Hauck, and Zettle 1978; Wilder,Hoyt, Surbeck,Wilder,and Carney1986). Withminorexceptions, little research addresses the group and organizationalcontext of fraternitiesor the social constructionof fraternitylife (for exceptions, see Letchworth1969; Longino and Kart1973; Smith 1964). Gary Tash, writing as an alumnus and trial attorneyin his fraternity’s magazine,claims thatover 90 percentof all gang rapeson college campuses men (1988, p. 2). Tashprovidesno evidence to substantiate involve fraternity this claim, butstudentsof violence againstwomen havebeen concernedwith fraternitymen’s frequentlyreportedinvolvement in rape episodes (Adams and and Abarbanel1988). Ehrhart Sandler(1985) identify over 50 cases of on campusperpetrated fraternity men, andtheiranalysispoints by gang rapes to many of the conditions that we discuss here. Their analysis is uniquein focusing on conditions in fraternitiesthat make gang rapes of women by fraternitymen both feasible and probable. They identify excessive alcohol of use, isolationfrom externalmonitoring,treatment women as prey,use of approvalof violence, andexcessive concernwith competition pornography, conditionsto gang rape(also see Merton1985; Roark1987). s precipitating The study reportedhere confirmedand complementedthese findings by focusing on both conditions and processes. We examineddynamicsassociated with the social constructionof fraternity life, with a focus on processes men’s relations that foster the use of coercion, includingrape, in fraternity with women. Our examinationof men’s social fraternitieson college and university campuses as groups and organizationsled us to conclude that fraternitiesare a physical and sociocultural context that encourages the are sexual coercion of women. We make no claims thatall fraternities â€Å"bad† or that all fraternitymen are rapists. Our observationsindicated,however, Martin, Hummer / FRATERNITIES AND RAPE 459 that rape is especially probable in fraternitiesbecause of the kinds of organizationsthey are, the kinds of membersthey have, the practicestheir members engage in, and a virtual absence of university or community oversight. Analyses that lay blame for rapes by fraternitymen on â€Å"peer 1989; Walsh1989). We are, pressure† we feel, overly simplistic(cf. Burkhart suggest, rather,that fraternitiescreate a socioculturalcontext in which the use of coercion in sexual relationswith women is normativeand in which the mechanismsto keep this patternof behaviorin check are minimalat best and absent at worst. We conclude that unless fraternitieschange in fundamentalways, little improvementcan be expected. METHODOLOGY Our goal was to analyze the group and organizationalpractices and an conditionsthatcreatein fraternities abusivesocial contextfor women. We a conceptualframeworkfrom an initial case study of an alleged developed gang rape at FloridaState University that involved four fraternitymen and an 18-year-old coed. The group rape took place on the third floor of a of house and ended with the â€Å"dumping† the woman in the hallway fraternity of a neighboring fraternityhouse. According to newspaperaccounts, the victim’s blood-alcohol concentration,when she was discovered, was . 349 percent,more than threetimes the legal limit for automobiledrivingand an almost lethal amount. One law enforcement officer reportedthat sexual intercourseoccurredduringthe time the victim was unconscious:†She was in a life-threateningsituation†(Tallahassee Democrat, 1988b). When the victim was found,she was comatoseandhad sufferedmultiplescratchesand abrasions. Crude words and a fraternitysymbol had been written on her thighs (Tampa Tribune, 1988). When law enforcement officials tried to investigate the case, fraternitymembers refused to cooperate. This led, fromcampusby the university eventually,to a five-yearban of the fraternity and by the fraternity’s nationalorganization. In tryingto understand how such an event could have occurred,and how a group of over 150 members (exact figures are unknown because the fraternityrefused to provide a membershiproster) could hold rank, deny knowledge of the event, and allegedly lie to a grand jury, we analyzed newspaperarticlesaboutthe case andconductedopen-endedinterviewswith a varietyof respondentsaboutthe case and aboutfraternities, rapes,alcohol use, genderrelations,andsexual activitieson campus. Ourdataincludedover 100 newspaperarticleson the initial gang rapecase; open-endedinterviews 460 GENDER SOCIETY / December 1989 ith Greek (social fraternityand sorority) and non-Greek(independent) students(N = 20); universityadministrators = 8, five men, threewomen); (N and alumniadvisersto Greekorganizations = 6). Open-endedinterviews (N were held also with judges, public and private defense attorneys,victim advocates,and state prosecutorsregardingthe processingof sexual assault cases. Datawere analyzedusing the grounde dtheorymethod(Glaser 1978; MartinandTurner1986). In the following analysis,conceptsgeneratedfrom the dataanalysisareintegrated with the literature men’s social fraternities, on sexual coercion, and relatedissues. FRATERNITIES THESOCIAL AND CONSTRUCTION OF NMEN MASCULINITY AND Ourresearchindicatedthatfraternities vitally concerned- more than are with anythingelse-with masculinity(cf. Kanin 1967). They work hardto create a macho image and context and try to avoid any suggestion of Valuedmembersdisplay,or â€Å"wimpishness,† effeminacy,andhomosexuality. arewilling to go along with, a narrow conceptionof masculinitythatstresses competition, athleticism, dominance, winning, conflict, wealth, material possessions, willingness to drink alcohol, and sexual prowess vis-a-vis women. f ValuedQualities Members When fraternitymemberstalkedaboutthe kind of pledges they prefer,a and litany of stereotypicaland narrowlymasculineattributes behaviorswas recited and feminine or woman-associatedqualities and behaviors were expressly denounced (cf. Merton 1985). Fraternitiesseek men who are â€Å"athletic,† â€Å"big guys,† good in intramuralcompetition, â€Å"who can talk college sports. â⠂¬  Males â€Å"who are willing to drink alcohol,† â€Å"who drink socially,† or â€Å"who can hold theirliquor†are sought. Alcohol and activities associatedwith the recreational of alcohol arecornerstonesof fraternity use social life. Nondrinkersare viewed with skepticismand rarelyselected for membership. ‘ Fraternities to avoid â€Å"geeks,†nerds,andmen saidto give the fraternity try a â€Å"wimpy†or â€Å"gay†reputation. Art, music, and humanitiesmajors,majors in traditional women’s fields (nursing,home economics, social work,educaor tion),menwith long hair,andthosewhose appearance dressviolate current normsarerejected. Clean-cut,handsomemenwho dresswell (areclean,neat, Martin, Hummer / FRATERNITIES AND RAPE 61 One sororitywomancommentedthat conforming,fashionable)arepreferred. â€Å"the top rankingfraternitieshave the best looking guys. † recruited â€Å"some big guys, One fraternity man, a senior,said his fraternity athletic†over a two-yearperiod to help overcome its image of wimpivery ness. His fraternity had won the interfraternity competition for hig hest several years running but was looked down on as grade-point average â€Å"wimpy, dancy, even gay. † With their bigger, more athletic recruits,†our reputationimproved;we’re a much more recognizedfraternitynow. Thus a fraternity’sreputation and status depends on members’ possession of stereotypically masculine qualities. Good grades, campus leadership,and communityservice are â€Å"nice†but masculinitydominance-for example, in athletic events, physical size of members,athleticismof members- counts most. Certainsocial skills are valued. Men are soughtwho â€Å"havegood personalities,†are friendly,and â€Å"havethe ability to relateto girls†(cf. Longinoand Kart 1973). One fraternityman, a junior,said: â€Å"Wewatch a guy [a potential pledge] talk to women †¦ we want guys who can relateto girls. Assessing a pledge’s ability to talk to women is, in part,a preoccupationwith homosexuality and a conscious avoidance of m en who seem to have effeminate mannersor qualities. If a memberis suspectedof being gay, he is ostracized A with a reputation and informallydrummedout of the fraternity. fraternity as wimpy or tolerantof gays is ridiculedand shunnedby other fraternities. Militantheterosexualityis frequentlyused by men as a strategyto keep each other in line (Kimmel 1987). Financialaffluence or wealth, a male-associatedvalue in Americanculture, is highly valued by fraternities. In accountingfor why the fraternity involved in the gang rape that precipitatedour researchproject had been recognized recently as â€Å"the best fraternitychapterin the United States,† a had universityofficial said: â€Å"They were good-looking, a big fraternity, lots Afterthe rape,newspaof BMWs [expensive, German-made automobiles]. † per stories described the fraternitymembers’ affluence, noting the high numberof memberswho owned expensive cars(St. PetersburgTimes,1988). The Statusand Normsof Pledgeship A pledge (sometimes called an associate member)is a new recruitwho occupies a trialmembershipstatusfor a specific periodof time. The pledge period (typically rangingfrom 10 to 15 weeks) gives fraternitybrothersan to opportunity assess and socialize new recruits. Pledges evaluatethe fraternity also and decide if they want to become brothers. The socialization 462 GENDER SOCIETY / December 1989 experience is structured partly through assignment of a Big Brother to each pledge. Big Brothers are expected to teach pledges how to become a brother and to support them as they progress through the trial membership period. Some pledges are repelled by the pledging experience, which can entail physical abuse; harsh discipline; and demands to be subordinate, follow orders, and engage in demeaning routines and activities, similar to those used by the military to â€Å"make men out of boys† during boot camp. Characteristics of the pledge experience are rationalized by fraternity members as necessary to help pledges unite into a group, rely on each other, and join together against outsiders. The process is highly masculinist in execution as well as conception. A willingness to submit to authority, follow orders, and do as one is told is viewed as a sign of loyalty, togetherness, and unity. Fraternity pledges who find the pledge process offensive often drop out. Some do this by openly quitting, which can subject them to ridicule by brothers and other pledges, or they may deliberately fail to make the grades necessary for initiation or transfer schools and decline to reaffiliate with the fraternity on the new campus. One fraternity pledge who quit the fraternity he had pledged described an experience during pledgeship as follows: This one guy was always picking on me. No matterwhat I did, I was wrong. One nightafterdinner,he and two otherguys called me andtwo otherpledges into the chapterroom. He said,†Here,X, hold this 25 poundbag of ice at arms’ length ’til I tell you to stop. † I did it even though my arms and hands were killing me. When I asked if I could stop, he grabbedme aroundthe throatand lifted me off the floor. I thoughthe would choke me to death. He cussed me andcalled me all kindsof names. He took one of my fingersandtwistedit until it nearlybroke†¦. I stayed in the fraternity a few more days, but then I for decided to quit. I hatedit. Those guys are sick. They like seeing you suffer. Fraternities’ emphasis on toughness, withstanding pain and humiliation, obedience to superiors, and using physical force to obtain compliance contributes to an interpersonal style that de-emphasizes caring and sensitivity but fosters intragroup trust and loyalty. If the least macho or most critical pledges drop out, those who remain may be more receptive to, and influenced by, masculinist values and practices that encourage the use of force in sexual relations with women and the covering up of such behavior (cf. Kanin 1967). Norms and Dynamics of Brotherhood Brother is the status occupied by fraternity men to indicate their relations to each other and their membership in a particular fraternity organization or group. Brother is a male-specific status; only males can become brothers, although women can become â€Å"Little Sisters,† a form of pseudomembership. Martin, Hummer / FRATERNITIES AND RAPE 463 is â€Å"Becominga brother† a riteof passagethatfollows the consistentandoften masculine qualitiesand behavlengthy display by pledges of appropriately iors. Brothershave a quasi-familialrelationshipwith each other,are normatively said to share bonds of closeness and support,and are sharplyset off from nonmembers. Brotherhoodis a loosely defined termused to represent the bonds that develop among fraternitymembersand the obligations and expectationsincumbentupon them (cf. Marloweand Auvenshine [1982] on fraternities’ in failureto encourage†moraldevelopment† freshmanpledges). Some of our respondentstalked about brotherhood almost reverential in One terms,viewing it as the most valuablebenefit of fraternity membership. enior, a business-school majorwho had been affiliated with a fairly highstatus fraterity throughout four years on campus,said: Brotherhood friendship life,whichI consider bestaspect, for its spurs although I didn’t it thatwaywhenIjoined. Brotherhood see It bondsandunites. instills valuesof caringaboutone another, caringaboutcommunity, caringabout ourselves. valuesandbonds brotherhood] The over [of con tinually develop the fouryears[incollege]whilenormal comeandgo. friendships Despite this idealization,most aspects of fraternity practiceand conception are more mundane. Brotherhood often plays itself out as an overriding concern with masculinityand, by extension, femininity. As a consequence, fraternities comprisecollectivities of highly masculinizedmen with attitudinal qualities and behavioralnorms thatpredisposethem to sexual coercion of women (cf. Kanin1967; Merton1985; Rapaport Burkhart and 1984). The norms of masculinity are complemented by conceptions of women and femininity that are equally distortedand stereotypedand that may enhance the probability of women’s exploitation (cf. Ehrhartand Sandler 1985; Sanday 1981, 1986). Practices Brotherhood of Practices associated with fraternitybrotherhoodthat contributeto the sexual coercion of women include a preoccupationwith loyalty, group protectionand secrecy, use of alcohol as a weapon, involvementin violence and physical force, and an emphasison competitionand superiority. Loyalty, group protection, and secrecy. Loyalty is a fraternity preoccuand pation. Membersare remindedconstantlyto be loyal to the fraternity to their brothers. Among other ways, loyalty is played out in the practicesof mustbe shieldedfromcriticism. groupprotectionand secrecy. The fraternity Members are admonishedto avoid getting the fraternityin trouble and to 464 GENDER SOCIETY / December 1989 bring all problems†to the chapter†(local branchof a nationalsocial fraterthanto outsiders. Fraternities to protectthemselvesfromclose try nity) rather Council(a quasi-governing body scrutinyandcriticismby the Interfraternity composed of representativesfrom all social fraternitieson campus), their nationaloffice, universityofficials, law enforcement,the media, fraternity’s often takesprecedenceover what and the public. Protectionof the fraternity is procedurally, ethically,or legally correct. Numerousexampleswere related brothers’lying to outsidersto â€Å"protectthe fraternity. † to us of fraternity Groupprotectionwas observed in the alleged gang rapecase with which we began our study. Except for one brother,a rapist who turned state’s evidence, the entire remainingfraternitymembershipwas accused by uniMemversity and criminaljustice officials of lying to protectthe fraternity. bers consistently failed to cooperateeven though the alleged crimes were felonies, involved only four men (two of whom were not even membersof the local chapter),and the victim of the crime nearly died. According to a with officers repeatedlybrokeappointments grandjury’s findings, fraternity law enforcementofficials, refusedto providepolice with a list of members, and refused to cooperatewith police and prosecutorsinvestigatingthe case (Florida Flambeau, 1988). Secrecy is a priority value and practice in fraternities,partly because and see full-fledgedmembershipis premisedon it (for confirmation, Ehrhart Sandler 1985; Longino and Kart 1973; Roark 1987). Secrecy is also a mechanism,demarcating in-groupfromout-group,us boundary-maintaining from them. Secret rituals, handshakes,and mottoes are revealed to pledge Since only brothersare brothersas they are initiatedinto full brotherhood. secrets,such knowledgeaffirmsmembership supposedto knowa fraternity’s fromothers. Extending and in the fraternity separatesa brother secrecytactics from protectionof private knowledge to protectionof the fraternityfrom criticismis a predictable development. Ourinterviewsindicatedthatindividual membersknew the difference between right and wrong, but fraternity normsthatemphasize loyalty,groupprotection,and secrecy often overrode of standards ethical correctness. men is normative. Alcohol as weapon. Alcohol use by fraternity They use it on weekdays to relax after class and on weekends to â€Å"get drunk,†Ã¢â‚¬ get crazy,† and â€Å"get laid. † The use of alcohol to obtain sex from women is pervasive- in otherwords, it is used as a weapon againstsexual reluctance. According to several fraternitymen whom we interviewed, alcohol is the major tool used to gain sexual mastery over women (cf. Adams and and Abarbanel1988; Ehrhart Sandler1985). One fraternity man, a 21-year- Martin, Hummer/ FRATERNITIES AND RAPE 465 old senior,describedalcohol use to gain sex as follows: â€Å"Therearegirls that you know will fuck, then some you have to put some effort into it†¦. You have to buy them drinksor find out if she’s drunkenough†¦. † mansaid thatat parties A similarstrategyis used collectively. A fraternity with LittleSisters:†Weprovidethemwith ‘hunchpunch’andthingsget wild. We get themdrunkandmost of the guys end upwith one. â€Å"† ‘Hunchpunch,† he said, â€Å"is a girls’ drink made up of overproof alcohol and powdered Kool-Aid, no water or anything,just ice. It’s very strong. Two cups will do a numberon a female. † He had plans in the next academictermto surreptitiously give hunchpunchto women in a â€Å"primand proper† sororitybecause â€Å"havingsex with prim and propersororitygirls is definitely a goal. These women are a challenge because they â€Å"won’t openly consume alcohol and commitwon’t get openly drunkas hell. † Their sororities have â€Å"standards tees† that forbidheavy drinkingand easy sex. In the gang rapecase, oursource ssaidthatmanyfraternity on campus men believed the victim had a drinkingproblem and was thus an â€Å"easy make. † According to newspaper accounts, she had been drinking alcohol on the evening she was raped;the lead assailantis alleged to havegiven hera bottle of wine aftershe arrivedat his fraternity house. Portionsof the rapeoccurred in a shower, and the victim was reportedlyso drunkthather assailantshad difficulty holding her in a standingposition (TallahasseeDemocrat, 1988a). While raping her, her assailantsrepeatedlytold her they were membersof anotherfraternityunderthe apparentbelief that she was too drunkto know the difference. Of course, if she was too drunkto know who they were, she was too drunkto consent to sex (cf. Allgeier 1986; Tash 1988). One respondent told us that gang rapes are wrong and can get one expelled, but he seemed to see nothingwrong in sexual coercionone-on-one. He seemed unawarethat the use of alcohol to obtain sex from a woman is grounds for a claim that a rape occurred(cf. Tash 1988). Few women on campus (who also may not know these grounds)reportdate rapes,however; so the odds of detectionand punishmentare slim for fraternity men who use alcohol for â€Å"seduction†purposes (cf. Byington and Keeter 1988; Merton 1985). Violence and physical force. Fraternity men have a historyof violence (Ehrhartand Sandler 1985; Roark 1987). Their recordof hazing, fighting, property destruction,and rape has caused them problems with insurance companies (Bradford1986; Pressley 1987). Two universityofficials told us that fraternities†arethe thirdriskiest propertyto insurebehind toxic waste dumps and amusementparks. â€Å"Fraternitiesare increasinglydefendantsin 466 GENDER SOCIETY / December 1989 legal actionsbroughtby pledges subjectedto hazing(Meyer 1986; Pressley 1987) and by women who were rapedby one or more members. In a recent alleged gang rape incident at anotherFloridauniversity,prosecutorsfailed nevertheto file chargesbut the victim filed a civil suit againstthe fraternity less (TallahasseeDemocrat, 1989). Competition and superiority. Interfraternity rivalry fosters in-group nd identification out-grouphostility. Fraternities stressprideof membership rivalries over otherfraternities majorgoals. Interfraternity as and superiority take manyforms,includingcompetitionfor desirablepledges, size of pledge size and appearance fraternity of class, size of membership, house, superiority in intramural sports,highestgrade-point averages,giving the best partie s, gaining the best or most campusleadershiproles, and, of great importance, attractingand displaying â€Å"good looking women. † Rivalry is particularly intenseover members,intramural sports,andwomen (cf. Messner 1989). FRATERNITIES’ COMMODIFICATIONOF WOMEN In claiming that women are treatedby fraternitiesas commodities, we mean that fraternitiesknowingly, and intentionally,use women for their benefit. Fraternitiesuse women as bait for new members, as servers of brothers’needs, and as sexual prey. Women as bait. Fashionablyattractivewomen help a fraternityattract new members. As one fraternity man, a junior,said, â€Å"They are good bait. † Beautiful,sociable women are believed to impressthe rightkind of pledges and give the impressionthatthe fraternity deliverthis type of woman to can of its members. Photographs shapely,attractive coeds areprintedin fraternity and brochures videotapesthataredistributed shownto potentialpledges. and The women pictured are often dressed in bikinis, at the beach, and are One universityofficial says picturedhugging the brothersof the fraternity. such recruitment materials give the message:†Hey,they’reherefor you, you can have whateveryou want,†and, â€Å"we have the best looking women. Join us and you can have them too. † Anothercommented:†Something’swrong when malesjoin an all-male organizationas the best place to meet women. It’s so illogical. Fraternities compete in promisingaccess to beautifulwomen. One fratera senior,commentedthat†theattraction girls [i. e. , a fraternity’s of nity man, success in attractingwomen] is a big status symbol for fraternities. † One Martin, Hummer/ FRATERNITIES AND RAPE 467 universityofficial commented that the use of women as a recruitingtool is that so well entrenchedthat fraternities mightbe willing to forgo it say they cannot afford to unless other fraternitiesdo so as well. One fraternityman said, â€Å"Look, if we don’t have Little Sisters, the fraternitiesthat do will get all the good pledges. Another said, â€Å"We won’t have as good a rush [the period duringwhich new membersare assessed and selected] if we don’t have these women around. † In displaying good-looking, attractive,skimpily dressed, nubile women to potentialmembers,fraternities implicitly,andsometimesexplicitly,promise sexualaccess to women. One fraternity mancommentedthat†part what of being in a fraternityis all about is the sex† and explainedhow his fraternity uses Little Sisters to recruitnew members: We’ll tell the sweetheart termfor Little Sister],†You’re [the fraternity’s We’lltell herto fakea scamandshe’llgo hang you gorgeous; canget him. all over him duringa rushparty,kiss him, and he thinkshe’s done wonderful and wants to join. The girls thinkit’s great too. It’s flatteringfor them. Women as servers. The use of women as servers is exemplified in the LittleSisterprogram. LittleSistersareundergraduate women who arerushed and selected in a mannerparallelto the recruitment fraternitymen. They of are affiliatedwith the fraternityin a formalbut unofficialway and are able, indeed required,to wear the fraternity’s Greek letters. Little Sisters are not nationaloffices and members,however;andfraternity full-fledgedfraternity most universities do not register or regulate them. Each fraternityhas an officer called Little Sister Chairmanwho oversees their organizationand activities. The Little Sisters elect officers among themselves, pay monthly dues to the fraternity, have well-defined roles. Theirdues areused to pay and for the fraternity’s social events, andLittle Sistersareexpected to attendand hostess fraternity partiesand hang aroundthe house to make it a â€Å"nice place to be. One fraternity man, a senior, described Little Sisters this way: â€Å"They are very social girls, willing to join in, be affiliated with the group, devoted to the fraternity. † Anothermember,a sophomore,said: â€Å"Theirsole purpose is social- attendparties,attractnew members,and ‘take care’ of the guys. † Our observations and interviews suggested that women selected by fra- ternitiesas LittleSist ers are physicallyattractive,possess good social skills, and are willing to devote time and energy to the fraternity its members. nd One undergraduate woman gave the following job description for Little Sisters to a campus newspaper: It’s not just making appearancesat all the parties but entails many more responsibilities. You’regoing to be expected to go to all the intramural games 468 GENDER SOCIETY / December 1989 to cheerthe brothers supportandencouragethepledges,andjust be around on, to bringsome extra life to the house. [As a Little Sister] you have to agree to take on a new responsibilityother thanstudyingto maintainyour grades and managingto keep your checkbook frombouncing. You have to make time to be a part of the fraternityand support the brothers in all they do. (The Tomahawk, 1988) The title of Little Sister reflects women’s subordinate status; fraternity men in a parallel role are called Big Brothers. Big Brothers assist a sorority primarily with the physical work of sorority rushes, which, compared to fraternity rushes, are more formal, structured, and intensive. Sorority rushes take place in the daytime and fraternity rushes at night so fraternity men are free to help. According to one fraternity member, Little Sister status is a benefit to women because it gives them a social outlet and â€Å"the protection of the brothers. † The gender-stereotypic conceptions and obligations of these Little Sister and Big Brother statuses indicate that fraternities and sororities promote a gender hierarchy on campus that fosters subordination and dependence in women, thus encouraging sexual exploitation and the belief that it is acceptable. Women as sexual prey. Little Sisters are a sexual utility. Many Little Sisters do not belong to sororitiesand lack peer supportfor refrainingfrom unwanted sexual relations. One fraternityman (whose fraternityhas 65 â€Å"wholesale†in the membersand 85 Little Sisters) told us they hadrecruited access to women that prioryear to â€Å"get lots of new women. â€Å"The structural the Little Sisterprogramprovidesand the absenceof normativesupportsfor refusing fraternitymembers’ sexual advances may make women in this susceptible to coerced sexual encounterswith fraterprogramparticularly nity men. Access to women for sexual gratificationis a presumedbenefit of fraternity membership, promised in recruitment materials and strategies and man said: conversationswith new recruits. One fraternity throughbrothers’ â€Å"We always tell the guys that you get sex all the time, there’salways new girls†¦. AfterI became a Greek,I foundout I could be with females at will. † A universityofficial told us that, based on his observations,†no one [i. e. , Theyjust want fraternity men] on this campuswants to have ‘relationships. ‘ men plan and execute strategiesaimed at to have fun [i. e. , sex]. † Fraternity obtaining sexual gratification, and this occurs at both individual and collective levels. Individualstrategiesincludegetting a woman drunkandspendinga great deal of money on her. As for collective strategies,most of our undergraduate interviewees agreed that fraternity parties often culminatein sex and that this Martin, Hummer / FRATERNITIES AND RAPE 469 outcome is planned. One fraternity man said fraternity partiesoften involve sex andnudityandcan â€Å"turninto orgies. â€Å"Orgiesmay be plannedin advance, such as the Bowery Ball party held by one fraternity. formerfraternity A membersaid of this party: The entireideabehindthis is sex. Bothmenandwomencometo the party Thereare pornographic wearinglittleor nothing. pinupson the walls and usuallypornomovies playingon the TV. The musiccarriessexualovertones†¦. Theyjustget schnockered and, [drunk] in mostcases,theyalsoget laid. When asked about the women who come to such a party,he said: â€Å"Some Little Sistersjust won’t go†¦. The girls who do are looking for a good time, girls who don’t know what it is, things like that. † Otherrespondents deniedthatfraternity partiesareorgies butsaid thatsex is always talkedaboutamongthe brothers they all know†whoeach other and is doing it with. â€Å"One membersaid thatmost of the time, guys have sex with theirgirlfriends†butwith socials, girlfriendsaren’tallowed to come and it’s their [members’] big chance [to have sex with other women]. The use of alcohol to help them get women into bed is a routinestrategyat fraternity parties. CONCLUSIONS In general, our researchindicatedthat the organizationand membership of fraternities contributeheavily to coercive andoften violent sex. Fraternity houses are occupied by same-sex (all men) and same-age ( late teens, early twenties) peers whose maturityand judgment is often less than ideal. Yet houses areprivatedwellings thatare mostlyoff-limitsto, andaway fraternity from scrutinyof, universityand communityrepresentatives, with the result that fraternity house events seldom come to the attention of outsiders. Practices associated with the social constructionof fraternitybrotherhood emphasize a macho conception of men and masculinity,a narrow,stereoof typed conception of women and femininity,and the treatment women as commodities. Otherpractices contributingto coercive sexual relationsand the cover-upof rapesincludeexcessive alcoholuse, competitiveness, norand mative supportfor deviance and secrecy (cf. Bogal-Allbritten Allbritten and 1985; Kanin 1967). Some fraternity norms require practices exacerbateothers. Brotherhood â€Å"sticking together† regardless of right or wrong; thus rape episodes are unlikely to be stoppedor reportedto outsiders,even when witnesses disap- 470 GENDER SOCIETY / December 1989 and prove. The abilityto use alcoholwithoutscrutinyby authorities alcohol’s frequentassociationwithviolence, includingsexualcoercion,facilitatesrape in fraternityhouses. Fraternity normsthatemphasizethe value of maleness and masculinityover femaleness and femininityand that elevate the status of men and lower the statusof women in members’eyes underminepercepand tions andtreatment women as personswho deserveconsideration care of Merton1985). nd (cf. Ehrhart Sandler1985; Androgynousmen and men with a broadrangeof interestsand attributes are lost to fraternitiesthroughtheir recruitment practices. Masculinityof a createattitudes, andstereotypical narrow norms,andpracticesthat type helps men to coerce women sexually, both individuallyand predisposefraternity collectively (Allgeier 1986; Hood 1989; Sanday 1981, 1986). Male athletes on campus may be similarly disposed for the same reasons (Kirshenbaum 1989; Telanderand Sullivan 1989). Researchinto the social contextsin which rapecrimesoccurandthesocial constructions associated with these contexts illumine rape dynamics on campus. Blanchard(1959) found that group rapes almost always have a leaderwho pushesothersintothe crime. He also foundthatthe leader’slatent homosexuality,desire to show off to his peers, or fear of failing to prove himself a man are frequentlyan impetus. Fraternitynorms and practices contributeto the approvalanduse of sexual coercion as an acceptedtactic in relationswith women. Alcohol-inducedcomplianceis normative,whereas, use presumably, of a knife,gun,or threatof bodilyharmwould notbe because the woman who â€Å"drinkstoo much† is viewed as â€Å"causing her own rape† and (cf. Ehrhart Sandler1985). Our research led us to conclude that fraternitynorms and practices influence membersto view the sexual coercionof women, which is a felony crime, as sport,a contest,or a game (cf. Sato 1988). This sportis playednot between men and women but between men and men. Womenare the pawns or prey in the interfraternity rivalry game; they prove that a fraterity is successfulor prestigious. The use of women in thisway encouragesfraternity men to see women as objects and sexual coercion as sport. Today’ssocietal normssupportyoung women’s rightto engage in sex at theirdiscretion,and coercion is unnecessaryin a mutuallydesired encounter. However, nubile to young women say they preferto be â€Å"in a relationship† have sex while men say they preferto â€Å"getlaid†withouta commitment(Muehlenhard young and Linton 1987). These differencesmay reflect, in part,Americanpuritanism and men’s fears of sexual intimacyor perhapsintimacyof any kind. In a fraternitycontext, getting sex without giving emotionally demonstrates â€Å"cool† masculinity. More important,it poses no threatto the bonding and Martin, Hummer / FRATERNITIES AND RAPE 471 brotherhood Farr1988). Drinkinglargequantities loyalty of the fraternity (cf. of alcohol before having sex suggests that â€Å"scoring†ratherthan ntrinsic sexual pleasureis a primaryconcernof fraternity men. Unless fraternities’composition, goals, structures,and practiceschange in fundamental ways, women on campuswill continue to be sexual prey for fraternity men. As all-male enclaves dedicated to opposing faculty and and to cementing in-groupties, f raternitymemberseschew administration women, any hint of homosexuality. Their version of masculinitytransforms and men with womanly characteristics, the out-group. â€Å"Womanly into men† are ostracized;feminine women are used to demonstratemembers’mascurenewedemphasison theirfoundingvalues (Longinoand linity. Encouraging Kart 1973), service orientationand activities (Lemire 1979), or members’ moral development(Marlowe and Auvenshine 1982) will have little effect on fraternities’ treatment women. A case for or againstfraternities of cannot be made by studying individual members. The fraternityqua group and organization is at issue. Located on campus along with many vulnerable women, embedded in a sexist society, and caught up in masculinistgoals, practices, and values, fraternities’violation of women-including forcible rape- should come as no surprise. NOTE 1. Recent bans by some universitieson open-keg partiesat fraternity houses have resulted in heavy drinkingbefore coming to a partyand an increase in drunkennessamong those who attend. This may aggravate,ratherthan improve,the treatmentof women by fraternity men at parties. REFERENCES G. Allgeier, Elizabeth. 1986. â€Å"CoerciveVersusConsensualSexual Interactions. † Stanley Hall Lectureto AmericanPsychologicalAssociationAnnualMeeting,Washington, DC, August. Adams, Aileen and Gail Abarbanel. 1988. SexualAssault on Campus:WhatColleges Can Do. Santa Monica, CA: RapeTreatmentCenter. Blanchard,W. H. 1959. â€Å"The Group Process in Gang Rape. Journal of Social Psychology 49:259-66. Bogal-Allbritten,RosemarieB. and William L. Allbritten. 1985. â€Å"The HiddenVictims:CourtJournal of College StudentPersonnel43:201-4. ship Violence Among College Students. † and Bohrnstedt,George W. 1969. â€Å"Conservatism,Authoritarianism Religiosity of Fraternity Pledges. â€Å"Journal of Coll ege StudentPersonnel 27:36-43. BusinessInsurance Bradford,Michael. 1986. â€Å"TightMarketDries Up Nightlife at University. † (March2): 2, 6. 472 GENDER SOCIETY / December 1989 Burkhart,Barry. 1989. Comments in Seminar on Acquaintance/DateRape Prevention: A NationalVideo Teleconference,February 2. RelationBurkhart, BarryR. andAnnetteL. Stanton. 1985. â€Å"SexualAggressionin Acquaintance ships. † Pp. 43-65 in Violencein IntimateRelationships,edited by G. Russell. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Spectrum. Byington,Diane B. and KarenW. Keeter. 1988. â€Å"AssessingNeeds of SexualAssaultVictimson a UniversityCampus. † 23-31 in StudentServices:Responding Issues and Challenges. to Pp. ChapelHill: Universityof NorthCarolinaPress. Chancer,Lynn S. 1987. â€Å"New Bedford, Massachusetts,March6, 1983-March22, 1984: The ‘Before and After’ of a GroupRape. Gender Society 1:239-60. Julie K. andBerniceR. Sandler. 1985. CampusGangRape:PartyGames? Washington, Ehrhart, DC: Associationof AmericanColleges. Sex Farr,K. A. 1988. â€Å"DominanceBondingThroughthe Good Old Boys SociabilityNetwork. † Roles 18:259-77. Florida Flambeau. 1988. â€Å"Pike MembersIndictedin Rape. â€Å"(May 19):1, 5. of Fox, Elaine,CharlesHodge,andWalterWard. 1987. â€Å"A Comparison AttitudesHeld by Black and White Fraternity Members. † Journal of Negro Education56:521-34. Geis, Gilbert. 1971. â€Å"GroupSexual Assaults. â€Å"MedicalAspects of HumanSexuality5:101-13. Glaser, Barney G. 1978. TheoreticalSensitivity:Advances in the Methodologyof Grounded Theory. Mill Valley,CA: Sociology Press. New YorkTimes,May 16. Hood, Jane. 1989. â€Å"WhyOurSociety Is Rape-Prone. † Hughes, Michael J. and Roger B. Winston, Jr. 1987. â€Å"Effects of FraternityMembershipon Journal of College StudentPersonnel45:405-11. Values. † Interpersonal The Kanin,EugeneJ. 1967. â€Å"Reference GroupsandSex ConductNormViolations. † Sociological Quarterly8:495-504. Kimmel, Michael, ed. 1987. Changing Men: New Directions in Researchon Men and Masculinity. NewburyPark,CA: Sage. Kirshenbaum, Jerry. 1989. â€Å"Special Report,An AmericanDisgrace:A Violent and UnprecedentedLawlessnessHas ArisenAmong College Athletesin all Partsof the Country. Sports Illustrated(February 27): 16-19. and Lemire, David. 1979. â€Å"One Investigationof the StereotypesAssociated with Fraternities Journal of College StudentPersonnel 37:54-57. Sororities. † Now and in the Future. † Journal of College Student Letchworth,G. E. 1969. â€Å"Fraternities Personnel 10:118-22. An Longino, CharlesF. , Jr. ,and Cary S. Kart. 1973. â€Å"The College Fraternity: Assessment of Journal of College StudentPersonnel31:118-25. Theory and Research. † Its Marlowe, Anne F. and Dwight C. Auvenshine. 1982. â€Å"GreekMembership: Impacton the Journalof College StudentPersonnel40:53-57. MoralDevelopmentof College Freshmen. † Martin, PatriciaYancey and Barry A. Turner. 1986. â€Å"Grounded Theory and Organizational Research. † Journal of AppliedBehavioralScience 22:141-57. Ms. Merton,Andrew. 1985. â€Å"OnCompetitionandClass: Returnto Brotherhood. † (September): 60-65, 121-22. Gender Society 3:71-88. Messner,Michael. 1989. â€Å"Masculinitiesand Athletic Careers. † Chronicleof Higher Meyer, T. J. 1986. â€Å"Fight Against Hazing Rituals Rages on Campuses. † Education(March 12):34-36. Miller, Leonard D. 1973. â€Å"Distinctive Characteristicsof FraternityMembers. Journal of College StudentPersonnel31:126-28. Martin, Hummer / FRATERNITIES AND RAPE 473 CharleneL. and MelaneyA. Linton. 1987. â€Å"DateRapeand Sexual Aggressionin Muehlenhard, Journalof CounselingPsychology 34:186Dating Situations:Incidenceand Risk Factors. † 96. Pressley, Sue Anne. 1987. â€Å"FraternityHell Night Still Endures. â€Å"WashingtonPost (August 11): B1. of Rapaport,Karenand BarryR. Burkhart. 1984. â€Å"Personalityand AttitudinalCharacteristics Sexually Coercive College Males. â€Å"Journal of AbnormalPsychology93:216-21. Violence on College Campuses. † Journal of Counselingand Roark,MaryL. 1987. Preventing Development65:367-70. Study. † Sanday,Peggy Reeves. 1981. â€Å"The Socio-CulturalContextof Rape:A Cross-Cultural Journal of Social Issues 37:5-27. . 1986. â€Å"Rape and the Silencing of the Feminine. † Pp. 84-101 in Rape, edited by S. Tomaselliand R. Porter. Oxford:Basil Blackwell. St. PetersburgTimes. 1988. â€Å"A GreekTragedy. † (May 29): IF, 6F. Sato, Ikuya. 1988. â€Å"Play Theory of Delinquency: Toward a General Theory of ‘Action. ‘† SymbolicInteraction11:191-212. Smith, T. 1964. â€Å"Emergenceand Maintenanceof FraternalSolidarity. â€Å"Pacific Sociological Review 7:29-37. TallahasseeDemocrat. 988a. â€Å"FSU Fraternity BrothersCharged† (April 27):1A, 12A. . 1988b. â€Å"FSU InterviewingStudentsAbout Alleged Rape†(April 24):1D. . 1989. â€Å"WomanSues Stetson in Alleged Rape†(March 19):3B. BrothersChargedin Sexual Assault of FSU Coed. † (April TampaTribune. 1988. â€Å"Fraternity 27):6B. Tash, GaryB. 1988. â€Å"Date Rape. â€Å"TheEmeraldof Sigma Pi Fraternity75(4):1-2. Telander,Rick and RobertSullivan. 1989. â€Å"Special Report,You Reap WhatYou Sow. â€Å"Sports Illustrated(February 27):20-34. The Tomahawk. 1988. â€Å"A Look Back at Rush, A Mixture of Hard Work and Fun† (April/ May):3D. A Walsh,Claire. 1989. Commentsin Seminaron Acquaintance/Date Rape Prevention: National Video Teleconference,February 2. Wilder,David H. , Arlyne E. Hoyt, Dennis M. Doren, William E. Hauck,and RobertD. Zettle. 1978. â€Å"TheImpactof Fraternity SororityMembership ValuesandAttitudes. â€Å"Journal and on of College StudentPersonnel 36:445-49. Wilder, David H. , Arlyne E. Hoyt, Beth Shuster Surbeck, Janet C. Wilder, and Patricia Imperatrice Carney. 1986. â€Å"GreekAffiliation and Attitude Change in College Students. † Journal of College StudentPersonnel44:510-19. Patricia Yancey Martinis Daisy ParkerFlory AlumniProfessor,Departmentof Sociology, Florida State University. Her specialties are the sociology of organizations,work, and gender. She has publishedon theprocessingof rape victimsbyformal organizations and has forthcomingarticles on rape crisis centers,feminist organizations,womenin social welfare work,and gender relations in the South. RobertA. Hummeris a graduate student in the Sociology Departmentand Centerfor the Studyof Populationat FloridaState University. He is workingon his master’sthesis regardingthe causes of Hispanic infantmortality. His researchinterestsinclude social stratificationand infant mortalityand the study of rape by college athletes.

Review of Timeline by Michael Crichton

Review of Timeline by Michael Crichton The purpose of history is to explain the presentto say why the world around us is the way it is. History tells us what is important in our world, and how it came to be. Michael Crichton, Timeline Ill admit it right up front: I dont like historical fiction much. When authors are sloppy in their research, I find the inaccuracies distracting enough to ruin what might otherwise be a good story. But even when the representation of the past is largely authentic (and to be fair, there are some extraordinary authors who really know their stuff), fictionalization makes history much less enjoyable for me. What can I say? Im a hopeless history buff. Every minute I spend reading fiction is a minute Id rather spend learning historical fact. Heres another confession: Im not a big fan of Michael Crichton. I do find good science fiction fascinating (a genre that pushes the edges of what if is as mind-expanding for me as a scholarly discipline that asks what really happened). And Crichton isnt a bad writer, but none of his works has ever made me sit up and say, Wow! While his ideas can be intriguing, they all seem to make much better movies. Whether this is because his style lacks the immediacy of film or because I have to spend less time plowing my way through the story I have yet to decide. So, as you can well imagine, I was predisposed to despise Crichtons semi-historical novel Timeline. The Up Side of  Timeline Surprise! I liked it. The premise was appealing, the action was gripping, and the ending was dramatically satisfying. Some of the cliffhangers and segues were very nicely executed. While there wasnt a single character I could identify with or even like very much, I was pleased to see some character development as a result of the adventure.  The good guys grew more likable; the bad guys were really bad. Best of all, the medieval setting was mostly accurate, and well-realized to boot. This alone makes the book a worthwhile read, especially for those who are unfamiliar or only somewhat familiar with the Middle Ages. (Unfortunately, this is a rather large percentage of the population.) Crichton effectively points up some common misconceptions about medieval life, presenting the reader with a vivid picture that is at times much more attractive, and at other times much more frightening and repellent, than that generally presented to us in popular fiction and film. Of course there were errors; I cant imagine an error-free historical novel. (Fourteenth-century people larger than modern folk? Not likely, and we know this from the skeletal remains, not surviving armor.) But for the most part, Crichton really managed to bring the Middle Ages alive. The Down Side of  Timeline I did have some problems with the book. Crichtons usual technique of expanding the cutting-edge technology of today into a believable science-fiction premise fell sadly short. He spent too much effort trying to convince the reader that time travel could be possible, then used a theory that struck me as internally inconsistent. Though there may be an explanation for this apparent flaw, it was never addressed clearly in the book. I suggest you avoid a close examination of the technology and accept it as a given in order to enjoy the story more. Furthermore, the characters who were surprised by the realities of the past were people who should have known better. The general public may think the Middle Ages were uniformly filthy and dull; but encountering examples of good hygiene, splendid interior decor or swift swordplay shouldnt surprise a medievalist. This makes the characters not very good at their jobs or, worse, it presents the erroneous impression that historians dont bother with the details of material culture. As an amateur medievalist, I find this rather annoying. Im sure professional historians would be downright insulted. Still, these are aspects of the book that are easy to overlook once the action is truly underway. So get ready for an exciting ride into history. Update Since this review was written in March of 2000, Timeline was made into a feature-length, theatrical-release movie, directed by Richard Donner and starring Paul Walker, Frances OConnor, Gerard Butler, Billy Connolly and David Thewlis. It is now available on DVD. Ive seen it, and its fun, but it hasnt broken into my list of Top 10 Fun Medieval Films. Michael Crichtons now-classic novel is available in  paperback, in  hardcover, on  audio CD  and in a  Kindle edition  from Amazon. These links are  provided as a convenience to you; neither Melissa Snell nor About is responsible for any purchases you make through these links.

Work Right ( marketing plan) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Work Right ( marketing plan) - Research Paper Example In career counseling we can help students figure out the kind of job they want. In training services, we will introduce courses where student can learn communication skills, computer skills etc. This start up will be for a good cause as it creates employment opportunities for students who have to pay their tuition fee and support their families. Market Research is a strategy that ensures an entrepreneur’s safety before he starts a new venture. It is important because the entrepreneur can weigh the pros and cons of doing business in a particular industry before making an important business decision. Market research comes before finance and legal formalities as it is the starting point for any enterprise. The nature of our service will be that it will consist of a website that will help students of Texas A&M University-Commerce (TAMU-C) to find jobs. This is an important service as it generates employment for fresh university students as well as for people who want to switch their present jobs. It depends on the producer how narrowly or widely he defines his target market and audience and it is this target market or audience that determines the amount, type and price of the producer’s output. My brand is a website for students at TAMU-C so that they can find jobs that match their degrees and skills. The name of my brand is WorkRight and the webpage will be hosted by the university. From the inception of a product till the end, a thorough analysis of the market is done and demand conditions are determined. The young students that WorkRight is targeting have a sophisticated demand for jobs (as they are educated and well-informed) and they keep themselves abreast with the changing employer requirements. I conducted surveys and handed out questionnaires to students at TAMU-C in order to see whether they liked the idea of a website that can help them in getting employed. The primary focus of WorkRight will be the students who do not have a family

Sodium Na+ channel Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Sodium Na+ Channel - Lab Report Example Patients with cardiac insufficiency receive drugs that affect the sodium pump in order to stabilize the heartbeat. Voltage-gated sodium channels. The family consists of at least 9 members and is largely responsible for action potential creation and propagation. The pore-forming alpha subunits are very large(up to 4,000 amino acids) and consist of four homologous repeat domains, comprising six transmembrane segments and transverse the cell membrane 24 times. They coassemble with a beta subunit that spans the membrane. Scorpion toxin has been used for classification of these channels. Diagram of a voltage-sensitive sodium channel ÃŽ ±-subunit. G - glycosylation, P - phosphorylation, S - ion selectivity, I - inactivation, positive (+) charges in S4 are important for transmembrane voltage sensing Frank H. Yu and William A. Catterall (2003) "Overview of the voltage-gated sodium channel family" in Genome Biol. 4(3): 207. ([http://www.pubmedcentral.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=153452 Full text online]). Class Ia agents depress phase 0 depolarization and reduce Vmax which prolongs the action potential duration by slowing conductance, these agents include quinidine, procainamide, and disopyramide and should be used in conjunction with an AV node blocking agent such as digoxin or a beta-blocker. Class Ib agents have the fast onset and offset kinetics and little or no effect at slower heartbeats. These include lidocaine, mexiletine, tocainide, and phenytoin. Class Ic agents markedly depress the phase 0 depolarization. They are indicated for life-threatening ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation and for the treatment of atrial fibrillation. They are potentially pro-arrhythmic, especially in settings of structural heart disease, as in post-myocardial infarction and contraindicated in such instances.  

Article analysis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Analysis - Article Example arding specific learning needs of students with LD in the classrooms and how they are able to adopt instructions for such particular students in the middle schools .The third question deals with perception teachers who teach mathematics in the middle schools on issues of resources and support for such inclusion by the teachers. The last question deals with perceptions of the mathematics teachers of middle school on issues of preparation received in programs of pre service in inclusion of students in classrooms. The literature background supports the need for the study. This is because there is need to reduce the generalization of teachers who use inclusive classrooms in needs for students with LD. The literature provides an academic analysis of previous research done on the topic on what teachers can do to improve the effectiveness of using the inclusive classrooms and programs for meeting the need of the students with LD. The variables under study were gender of the teachers, educational level, years of experience teaching, years of experience teaching in inclusion settings, number of math courses, number of inclusion- or LD-related workshops, level of support services, Level of administrative support .The variables used in the study were independent variables. They used descriptive statistical procedures to enable in describing the features of the data. It provided basic summaries on the sample used and the measures. This was used to be able to describe what the data was and what the data showed. Some respondents agreed that students with LD should be taught mathematics with general education students however other respondents stated that students with LD should be taught in inclusive classrooms .A percentage of twenty-one percent of teachers agreed that middle schools positively executed the inclusion practices where others were undecided. The responses were varied and indicated that many schools are doubtful the resource room effectively ensures learning of

Religion and Morality

Religion and Morality 1- Religion and Morality. Actually, to know the relationship between religion and morality, we need to define each. First of all, morality has three principal definitions. At the first one, morality is the belief concerning what is moral and what is immoral that means also what is right and what is wrong. In this definition, the descriptive usage, morality is created from society, philosophy, religion and/or conscience. Also, we need to know that the immoral actions here cause clear harm. At the second definition, normative and universal sense, morality refers to an ideal code of belief and conduct which would be preferred by the sane moral person but under specified conditions (Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy, 2002) that means the preference of the person plays an important rule. If the action is preferred to be immoral, therefore, it is immoral and if the action is preferred to be moral, therefore, it is moral but of course under certain circumstances. For example, it is common in some societies that eating with your own hand and grabbing the food is not acceptable, so it is in their society immoral and that could mean that if people see you while eating like that, they will stop unless you really stop doing it any more. At the last definition, morality is equal somehow to ethics in which ethics is the study of morality philosophically and morality deals with values which are studied by ethics. For exam, if you dont steal, therefore, this is moral or ethical action (the same) or we can say you are morally or ethically right. On the other hand, the definition of religion can be a system of human thought which usually includes a set of narratives, symbols, beliefs, and practice that give meaning to the practitioners experiences of life through reference to a higher power, deity, or ultimate truth (Geertz, 1982). Also, we can mention that the definition of religion can differentiate from people to others. For example, the religion for Muslims can mean the best way to live the life, because Allah has sent all his massages which received by the prophets who make us understand what is going on? and what are we? and other things. But for others, religion cannot be that thing which can be related to everything in the life. Also, others could relate the religion to afterlife. Somehow religion control behavior, for example, it is not allowed to listen to songs which may influence someone too much with non useful feelings such as too much of love (negative love), therefore, the person may isolate somehow and his productivity for the society will be finished, but instead of that the religion will suggest the person to listen to songs that stimulate him to do something useful for the society. Many opinions were made and discussed through ancient time and modern time according to many religions and religious scholars about the strong relationship between religion and morality. Some of them said that the religion including Allahs books (the religious books such as Quran, Bible, etc), the Teachings of the prophets, and the classification and details of the scholars who came after prophets are the resources of morality, in other words, we can say that every action are directed by religion and if there are some actions which are new, we can do a Measurement between those in the religious books and the new ones. But the question is why? And the answer comes from Muslims who say that the humankind and life and even everything in the world were/are/are being made by Allah who knows what is suitable for human themselves. For instance, cheating is prohibited in Islam according to what prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) said the one who cheated is not from us. This example is a di rect one. Another action like taking drugs, Muslims here depend on Measurement, therefore, the wrong and the right actions are studied carefully for a suitable time and under specific conditions before we can say it is moral and immoral. And after all, Muslims found that the drugs are as same as wine, which is prohibited and mentioned in Quran, because of its bad effects on humankind, so the drugs are prohibited and it is immoral to take it. (Well even though, sometimes some Muslims dont apply this values and standards). On the other hand, some philosophers said that the religion does not cover all things that are related to morality, in other words, morality here is not directed by religion, but the religion is a part of morality and we can say here that if you do something religiously or not, it is moral either way (Surely under conditions). So they believe that morality can act without religion. They believe that there are things that we can change and create, so we as humans will put the standards for these things, For example, the animals right. The animals right is the idea that the most basic interests of animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of humans (Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica, 2007). Accordingly, the animals should be treated like human, for instance, they may have right to get a passport, so they can pass the borders with a permission and also you can add to the animals right the rights for living, eating,. etc. 2- Conventional and Reflective Moral Standards. Conventional moral standards are those which we get them from society and they did not change, they may not change, and they may be right or wrong. In other words, conventional moral standards are set of moral things in a society which have been thought to every person in that society. Also, we can define it in another way which is a concept of proper behaviour that reflects the values of a particular social or political context, Distinguished from a moral understanding which is authoritative across space and time (Gumbertb, 2008). For example, in some societies the girl should stay virgin till she gets married, regardless the religion rules. So from the beginning, it is known that staying virgin for a girl is a must and that means if she breaks the rule, she will be punished (we are not going to discuss this issue because it is out of topic). After this we can assume that staying virgin is right to do, so it is moral, and steel or remove virginity knowing that the girl have done som ething wrong is wrong to do, so it is immoral. On the other hand, it is not that big case in other societies. So, we can say that the conventional moral standards can be a behavior. Another example is that in some regions people will not mention their moms names because they feel like it is not important and it may be sensitive although they will mention it if it necessary for the police man, for example. Accordingly, people start doing this thing especially when they face a situation or case. In 1985, Kohlberg who created the stages of moral development mentioned that conventional but in reasoning concept in which the self enters society by filling social roles. Individuals are receptive of approval or disapproval from other people as it reflects societys accordance with the perceived role. They try to be a good boy or good girl to live up to these expectations, having learned that there is inherent value in doing so. ( We are not going to discuss it because it has psychological reasons) is really exists and everyone in the society should apply it. For instance, people in GCC countries are so generous, so all next generation are also generous. So we can assume that the generous has developed to be a common behavior in that society and who does not admit it and do it will damage his/ her fame among people, therefore, it is moral to be generous, and it is immoral to be not generous (stingy). Also, we have to mention that we have like a common related world conventional moral standards. Actually, these standards appeared because of the ease of communication between two or more societies or groups of people in such a way the behavior or action that are traditionally being used in societies may transfer to others. For example, when I was searching in Google months ago, I discovered that Spanish people write ( gagagaga ) when they laughing instead of ( hahahahahaha or lol ) which are commonly used, and back then I discovered also that some guys are using it without knowing that. Actually, I was surprised because it is too fast (I mean how can?). So, the media are playing important role in delivering not only behavior but also almost everything. Reflective moral standards can be those in which the person does them because he knows that they may cause damage to another person, in other words, the person will not do things that hurt others because he thinks about others rights. For example, if the teacher of an high school class gives the all student the same marks like B+ the weak student will not complain, but the good student will definitely complain because he has been harmed and also it is not fear, therefore, the teacher should assure that it does not hurt good students, and he should stop doing such an action. So, we can say that if you are going to harm, stop acting, but if you are going to benefit, dont stop because harming is immoral and benefiting is moral. Another example is that a government will not allow oil companies to drop their fragment oil in the sea because it may hurt the fishing process in which fishermen fish fishes from water and in order to not harm the environment. Indeed, many killing cases were happed because of breaking the reflective moral standards, one case in which one high school boy killed another one. The police men were asking him but it was useless. Then they went to that high school to investigate. They discovered that all students who were friends to the killer said that he has been kicked after the school was finished since he entered the school by group of students. Then the investigators assume that the group of students which kicked him helped him to develop hate, and this hate was huge enough to let him kill one of them. After that the police men closed the case without imprison the killer, yet they gave him psychological appointments and tests in the hospital. Actually, Conventional and Reflective moral standards are related so much in such way they are useful for us to find the moral standards. Basically, we mean that the moral standards are gathered from what we can called it society standards plus the standards in which we do not harm anyone. Also, we can add that the somehow the conventional and reflective moral standards are not same. Conventional standards are discuss things that are inherited from the society and related to human behavior, but Reflective standards are related to the relationship between the person and either individual or group of people. Accordingly, we can do everything that is right, yet we do not stop others rights. 3- Professional ethics and Morality Morals and the expression, moral values are generally associated with a personal view of values. Personal morals tend to reflect beliefs relating to sex, drinking, gambling, etc. They can reflect the influence of religion, culture, family and friends (Lichtman, 1995). That means morality is carrying the rule in which we should follow. For example, when we say dont smoke, dont cheat, or dont harm people, we expect anyone to say that it is a rule that we should apply. Also, we can say that the rule like dont cheat because it is wrong for many reasons like..etc or drive slow because it is right for certain reasons, so many people know them as dos and donts or what is right to do and what is wrong to not do. For instance, when we go to a public place like mall, we should not smoke because it is wrong to do in such place. Also, the morality is influenced by a lot of things such as culture, religion, behaviour, traditions etc. So we can find that morality is giving us the rules in which we should apply. On the other hand, Professional ethics are slightly different from Morality. Professional ethics concerns the moral issues that arise because of the specialist knowledge that professionals attain, and how the use of this knowledge should be governed when providing a service to the public (Chadwick, 1998 ). That means how the moral issues, values, and standards are used and it gives the explanations about the cases under certain circumstances. In other words, the right action is right this what morality is carrying but the reasons, situations, and circumstances are discussed in a certain professions ethics. For example, what is right in business may not be right in teaching. Also we can add that the wrong action is decided in the same way. Therefore, we have ethics in each profession. So we can find that professions play an important rule to connect morality and professions. In fact, the morality has an integrative relationship with professional ethics and it is tough to distinguish between them even when we write their definitions. Actually, morality provide us with rules that comes from many resources and then professional ethics take these rules and change, explain, or edit them, accordingly, ethics have many types according to professions. For instance, in our university it is not allowed to cheat according to the AIP (Academic Integrity Policy) and knowing that cheating is prohibited as a moral standard; we can see how the moral standard is acting like professional ethics which is the teaching ethics here. So applying the ethics can lead us to achieve the moral standard in our university. Another example is that a new company want to make a rule list for its workers. They would look at the moral standards, and then they will create or fabricate the rules in such a way it will be suitable for workers, and also it will not harm anyone unless he/she harms the company. In other words, we can find that the company uses the moral values to create its own ethics which is the companys ethics. On the other hand, people use morality as well as ethics in which they have the same meaning or they are equal to each other. They use morality to decide which is good and bad and which is white and black, yet they use ethics to decide the same thing in the same way (commonly use). REFERENCES 1- Professional ethics (2004). The Wikipedia online encyclopaedia. Retrieved October 29, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Professional_ethicsaction=history 2- Morality (2009). The Wikipedia online encyclopaedia. Retrieved October 29, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Moralityaction=history 3- Gumbertb (2008). What is Conventional Morality? Answer.com (the worlds leading QA site). Retrieved October 28, 2009, from http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_Conventional_Morality 4- Religion ethics Religions (2009). BBC. Retrieved October 29, 2009, from http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/ 5- Lichman.J, (1985).Whats the difference between ethics and morality? Arent my personal moral values enough to guide my decision making?. What do you stand for?. Retrieved October 27, 2009, from http://www.scribblers-ink.com/professional_ethics.html 6- Stephen M. (2004). Morality and Ethics: An Introduction, dynamic chiropractic, Retrieved October 27, 2009, from http://www.dynamicchiropractic.com/mpacms/dc/article.php?id=46121 7- Kohlbergs stages of moral development, (2006).wikia. Retrieved October 26, 2009, from http://psychology.wikia.com/index.php?title=Kohlberg%27s_stages_of_moral_developmentaction=history 8- Religion vs. Morality, (2009). Events at Stanford . Retrieved October 25, 2009, from http://events.stanford.edu/events/202/20235/ 9- Morality without religion, (2009), Harvard, Retrieved October 24,2009, from http://www.wjh.harvard.edu/~mnkylab/publications/recent/HauserSingerMoralRelig05.pdf

Analyzing Suzie Essay -- Health and Wellness

Aspirin binds to COX-2, a protein that makes prostaglandins, inhibiting it from its function. Prostaglandins are normally released by the damaged tissues at Dave’s sprained ankle site, stimulating nerve endings to produce the sensation of pain (Martini, p. 46). Aspirin is also known as an anticoagulant because it inhibits the production of prostaglandins that also form platelets, used for blood clotting. This is why people who tend to have heart attacks take aspirin, to reduce the chance of blood clots. (Hoffman, 2011) B. Fainting 1. Why did Suzie faint when she got up from the table? Explain the specific changes in her CVS that to caused her to faint. There are few reasons that contributed to Suzie’s fainting spell. Skeletal muscle helps propel the blood in veins back to the heart. Suzie has low blood pressure primarily because she is starving herself. Without nutrients from the small intestine, the body is forced to use to stored fats and proteins. The cold environment in the kitchen decreased her blood pressure even more. As a homeostatic mechanism, blood vessels constrict to keep Suzie and the vital organs warm. The lack of oxygen being delivered to the brain caused Suzie to faint and lose consciousness temporarily (Martini, p. 722). Another reason Suzie fainted is because of her prolonged QT interval, detailing the ventricular depolarization/ repolarization time of her heart by the Purkinje fibers. Thirdly, Suzie’s development of anemia contributed to her fainting because there were probably was not enough healthy red blood cells to deliver oxygen to her brain. When Suzie collapsed, she laid in a horizontal position increasing deliverance of blood and oxygen to the brain. (Martini, p. 722) C. Ectopic Hear... ...als.org/content/94/6/2129.full  · Hoffman, Lucas, MD, PhD. â€Å"Aspirin 101† 2011. http://health.howstuffworks.com/medicine/medication/aspirin3.htm  · Lacroix, Pierre. An Overview of QT Interval Assessment in Safety Pharmacology. Figure 10.7.1. Current Protocols in pharmacology. July, 2006  · Martini, Frederic C. Fundamentals of Anatomy & Physiology. 7th Ed. Pearson.  · National Heart Lung & Blood Institute. â€Å"Explore Long QT Sydrome†. September 2011. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/qt/  · Pritts, Sarah D., MD. University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Diagnosis of Eating Disorders in Primary Care. January 15, 2003. http://www.aafp.org/afp/2003/0115/p297.html  · Yanowitz, Frank G., MD. The Alan E. Lindsay Center ECG Learning Center. The University of Utah School of Medicine. 2006 http://library.med.utah.edu/kw/ecg/ecg_outline/Lesson12/index.html

A long walk home Essay

The whipping wind tossed and hurled the icy rain in countless directions, saturating the now shiny country cliffs. The tall huddles of trees were disrobed; leaving them exposed and stripped of their summer coats. Rays from the sun, were banished by the copious clouds that filled the once blue skies, and the raging storm antagonised the ocean until its fury could be heard from afar. Emerging from the evergreen woods, clinging vehemently to his school bag and protective coat, stood a young, well-mannered lad. This lad went by the name of Jack. Jack was a sprightly, yet gracious boy, tall, lean and of medium build, his skin was fresh and his eyes sparkled with a loveable mischief, which would captivate and sway any mother. Jack walked steadily against the elements, homeward bound. The wind bit at his flesh, like an adder bites its victims. He tugged at his hood, hiding himself from the driving unforgiving wind. And it was for this reason, this reason alone that Jack decided to take the short cut through the steep, sheltered cliffs. Read more:  Heavy School Bags Essay As the day closed in, Jack became ill at ease with his own redirected route. Oh! He had climbed the cliffs before, but never in these weather conditions, and certainly not this late in the evening, he knew oh so well, that if he didn’t make haste, the night would close before he reached the top. As luck would have it, the weather abated, the rain had eased to a mere drizzle, the wind to a light breeze. And so he made his way carefully and cautiously up the steep winding cliffs. He was nearing the top, when he suddenly realised he had taken a wrong turn, the path, such as it was, had petered out, leaving a very tricky way forward indeed; across slippery rocks and shingle; with a sheer drop either side. But, if he were to turn back now, it would be hours before he reached his destination; his parents would be gripped in the throws of panic. So, resolute and unrelenting, Jack continued along his arduous mission, until he reached a point from where he could no longer proceed, retreat offered no solution. Jacks dilemma seemed mountainous; there seemed no easy exit. The day’s light was diminishing rapidly. Jacks panic gripped him tightly; he needed to reach the top before the light faded. He scrutinized his location, scanning for any signs of help. Just then, a voice, a sweet friendly voice belonging to a girl, filled the air. â€Å"Are you alright there? You look as if you are in a bit of a pickle, would you like a hand?† Jacks anguished eyes searched for the source of these utterances, he saw nothing. Did his ears deceive him? Was it the wind playing tricks on him? â€Å"Hey! Don’t look so shocked and worried,† Came the sweet voice once more. â€Å"Who is that?† Spluttered Jack nervously, â€Å"where are you hiding?† â€Å"I’m here silly.† And there, in front of Jack, true enough, stood a girl about the age of himself, her wavy, blonde hair flowed to her waist, she was waif like, pale in complexion, slightly gaunt, but her piercing blue eyes sent out a radiation of warmth. She walked sure-footedly across the rocks towards Jack. † Follow me, I’ll show you the way,† whispered the girl, † that is, if you want to?† The girl offered her hand to Jack, Jack hesitated, she seemed friendly enough, but he really didn’t know her. â€Å"Honestly!† giggled the girl. † I wont bite you.† With that, they exchanged smiles, held hands and continued on their way, the girl obviously knowing the cliffs well, so assured did she place her feet. As they neared the top of the cliff, the boy asked. â€Å"Do you ever get scared, in case you fall?† â€Å"Oh no!† said the girl, â€Å"I fell once, I will never let that happen again†. â€Å"Were you hurt when you fell?† queried Jack sincerely. † It could have been very serious.† † What happened?† The girl sighed deeply, â€Å"I too got lost once. If it weren’t for this stranger, I surly would have died. He offered his helpful hand to me, but as I reached out, I lost my footing and slipped, I ending up clinging to the edge of the cliff.† † That must have been so scary!† exclaimed Jack. † It was, but scarier than that, was the fact that the stranger disappeared right after rescuing me.† † How odd! Maybe he was a ghost,† chuckled Jack. â€Å"Ghost? I don’t believe in ghosts,† said the girl, plainly amused by Jacks comments. † Neither do I,† said Jack defensively, in an attempt to mask his fears. Embarrassed at this, Jack thanked the girl profusely, bid her farewell, and continued his journey home. â€Å"Ghosts!† said the girl as she watched him leave. â€Å"What a peculiar notion.† Most close-knit neighbourhoods have strange ghost stories, as it happened, this community was not unusual in that fact. As this urban- legend would have it, the cliffs were inhabited by a ghost, a ghost who lead people to their deaths, an offering of a helping hand soon saw those who trusted it, plunged fatally off the treacherous cliffs. Was this just a legend to stop foolish children climbing the cliffs and hurting themselves? Or, was it something, far more supernatural? What do you think? Jack never saw the girl ever again.

Belonging Strictly Ballroom

Understanding nourishes belonging†¦ a lack of understanding prevents it Understanding can nourish belonging and let it grow, however a lack of understanding can damage a person’s sense of belonging and prevent it. This concept is portrayed in Baz Luhrman’s film â€Å"strictly ballroom† and related text poem â€Å"Rhapsody on a windy night† by T S Elliot. These texts depict the way a lack of understanding may damage a person’s sense of belonging and the foundation of belonging is powerful to one’s self identity.Lack of a sense of belonging is portrayed in the ‘mockumentary’ film â€Å"Strictly Ballroom† through the character Scott Hastings as he is treated as an outcast because he refuse to conform to the mainstream way of ballroom dance. The opening scene portrays the false, fairytale feeling of the world of ballroom dance through the motif showing big red curtains opening with matching theatrical music. The over the top fakery is shown through the fluffy costumes and over the top hair of the dancers in the opening scene.They are shown hugging and exchanging high fives, portraying that they belong because they have conformed to the mainstream way of dance presented by Barry Fife. â€Å"You can dance any steps you like but it doesn’t mean you will win. † This quote spoken by Barry fife shows the power he holds because he controls who wins. Unless you perform his steps that are shown in the video ‘The right way to dance’ you are not going to win. In the extreme close up of his mouth, we see the crooked rotten teeth because symbolically he is a crooked rotten person.When Scott dances his own steps the scene is shown in slow motion with a freeze frame, beautiful music with a pleasing crowd reaction to match shows that everyone including Scott was enjoying the dance. The camera switches to the furious faces of Shirley and Barry fife showing that everyone loved the new steps except for everyone who had confirmed that sat on the federation leaders table. The Table is situated higher than the dancers and audience depicting how they are in charge. Liz’s lack of understanding for Scotts love for his own steps is shown when she threatens Scott to conform to the federation steps for Ballroom dancing. I'm not dancing with you until you are supposed to† Barry has programmed the dancers like robots to follow his ‘Right steps’ â€Å"what did you think of the steps? †Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. â€Å"I don’t think! † Fran as a beginner dancer does not belong in the ballroom dancing world. Her frizzy hair, acne covered skin, thick unattractive glasses and covered figureless body makes her a target for nasty comments. The Slapstick humour when Liz and Scott knocking over Fran when she is trying to comfort them shows how she is not respected and over looked. Understanding however can give a person a sense of belonging in society or within themselves.Fran and Scott both feel like outcasts because they love to dance their own steps and not conform to the federation â€Å"I want to dance with you your way†. When the song â€Å"time after time† plays while Scott and Fran are dancing, Fran shows Scott what she is capable of proving that she is not a hopeless dancer like everyone stereotypes her to be. Scott tells her to dance without her glasses and we notice throughout the movie the tighter clothing she wears to reveal her toned elegant body structure, portraying as she feels a sense of comfort and understanding towards Scott, she starts to gain her own identity.

Micro and Macro Environment Factors Essays

Micro and Macro Environment Factors Essays Micro and Macro Environment Factors Paper Micro and Macro Environment Factors Paper In this report I will be trying to help and advice marketing manager of Dynamic International Ltd. I will explain what are micro and macro environment factors and how do they affect his marketing decisions as well as consumer buying behavior. I will propose him segmentation criteria, targeting and positioning for his products. Micro environment Micro environment consists of the different types of stakeholders outside the organization. The constituents or stakeholders of the micro environment include customers, suppliers, creditors, distributors, dealers, etc. Although these constituents arent the direct control of the organization, still they can be influence by organization through its policies and strategies (Dry. Carmine Gunman, 2010 page 37). Micro environment factors which could influence Dynamic International Ltd are: Employees Employees are critical to success of the organization, the dynamic international is hand gloves manufacturing company and their employees are the ones responsible for keeping their company going. Employing the right stuff, providing them trainings and keeping them motivated gives ability to et customers deadlines and produce high quality hand gloves. Suppliers Suppliers are those that provide goods and services which are transformed into value by organizations. Dynamic Ltd should look for right suppliers and keeping good relationship is crucial to organization, getting competitive prices and high quality goods are the one of the good relationship examples. Customers Customers are the ones who make a market; they are the ones who buy goods and using them. Customers are the reason why companies start business, why companies developing new products and differentiated their existing products. By selling the goods to the customers organizations makes a profit, thats why Dynamic Ltd have to concentrate on satisfying their customers needs and wants. Macro environment The macro environment consists of constituents that are beyond of the business organization. The constituents are social-cultural, technological, economical and political factors which constitute their own individual environments (Dry. Carmine Gunman, 2010 page 37). Macro environmental factors which could influence Dynamic International Ltd are: Political Government is the one that responsible providing the rules of the game which make business function smoothly, government responsible for introducing new laws and regulations, taxation for the business. For example if government decides to cut funds for public sector in order to save money, all councils may have to look for cheaper options to buy gloves for their workmen, which means Dynamic Ltd could lose their customers. Economic It is very important to look at economic environment. Almost every business depends on it, some countries have strong economy some countries dont. Economic environment is very dynamic; it keeps on changing in changes with government policies. If economy is poor there will be negative effect on the business and organizations would have to find the way out to make people buy their products. For example if there would be high unemployment in the country Dynamic Ltd would have to use different marketing strategies by using commercials or advertising, or dropping their prices to show compassion for their customers. Technology Technology is changing fast and the adoption of the new technology could be a good investment in the business, for example Dynamic Ltd decide to buy a new manufacturing machine , this could be a competitive advantage for hem, and it could increase a speed of the production and save the money instead of hiring extra employees. Segmentation Criteria To segment the market is crucial because you have to allocate resources and to know who you are concentrated at. There are four types of segmentations which is geographic, demographic, cryptographic, and behavioral segmentation. I will be proposing two segmentation criteria for Dynamic Ltd which is: Demographic segmentation Dave Needled (1999) suggests that this is the most commonly approach to the market. The division of consumer groups according to demographic rabbles such as age, gender, income, occupation, education, family size helps you to target market. Dynamic Ltd could use this to understand how these characteristics influence the products they selling. For example, knowing that customer needs changes with age they could promote their products to meet the needs Of all age Of groups or using gender segmentation they could increase productivity buy start selling both male and female hand gloves. Behavioral segmentation Behavioral segmentations concerned about buyers behavior, they are divided into segments according the way they behave, such as usage of the reduce, knowledge of the product, loyalty, and attitude toward the products. For example loyal customers might be able pay extra price for a pair of gloves, because their trust the quality and standard of the product, but some may not be interested because they know little or nothing about it. Targeting Strategies Another step after we finish segmentation is targeting. Once the market has been segmented, the Dynamic International need choose targeting strategy. Targeting is about which and how many groups of customers organizations are going to target with its products or services. There are three targeting strategies: differentiated, undifferentiated, and concentrated. Differentiated strategy This strategy is when the company decides to target more than a one market segment. Using this strategy the company can spread risk across the market, so if one segment declines the company still has revenue from others. The disadvantage is that it requires a high level of marketing expertise and will incur higher costs (Marilyn A. Stone, John Despond, 2007 page 172). Undifferentiated strategy This strategy is when organization assumes that the market is homogeneous nit, in other words company ignores market segment differences and goes after all market with one product offering (Marilyn A. Stone, John Despond, 2007 page 172). This approach would suit for large global companies that have strong offerings, or organizations who sell commodity products. Concentrated strategy This strategy involves specializing in one specific segment. This can lead to detailed knowledge of target segmentÃ'Å¡ s needs and wants, with the added benefit that organization is regarded as a specialist over it mass-market competitors. Advantage of this strategy is that it reduces costs, as there is only one marketing mix to manage (Marilyn A. Stone, John Despond, 2007 page 172). I think the most suitable targeting strategy for Dynamic International Ltd would be differentiated strategy, because this strategy is perfect for organizations wishing to grow. Targeting more than one segment means that Dynamic Ltd would have got more products to offer, so even if some segments would fail they would still get profit from other segments. Consumer Buying Behavior Why do we need to understand customer behavior? Analyzing customers behavior helps to understand why buyers buy and use certain products and revises, it helps business to adjust their marketing strategies and promote their products. Consumer buying behavior is ;the decision processes and acts of individuals involved in buying and using products or services (BP Learning Media, 2010 page 131). There are many situations that buying behavior could affect marketing activities. As I illustrated below in the first situation it could depend on customers lifestyle. If the customer is young student who doesnt really know much about technology and needs new laptop, because the old one is broken down, would probably make up his mind quick and easy. While professional IT specialist would probably take is time and think about performance and quality of the product. Second situation as illustrated below it might be psychological factors, where customer is loyal to Apple products and belief that is better than any others. Buying a laptop (second situation) Buying a laptop (first situation) Positioning After finishing segmenting and targeting I am going to decide what type of positioning strategy could Dynamic Ltd use for its products. Positioning strategy helps to differentiate organization products and services from its monitors. Havilland (2010) suggest that positioning could be defined as the distinct place of products (or service) occupies in the minds of the target customers relative to competing products. In other word, how the firms wants its products to be perceived by target customer on important attributes or benefits. Differentiating themselves from competitors is crucial to success, being able to create different perception about your product in your targeting customers minds that is where the success is. First thing Dynamic Ltd could try to be different by offering different prices to their customers; however their competitors could switch their prices easy to be competitive. But having good competitive price and quality products that what makes different from your competitors. Dynamic Ltd should come up new design gloves that are comfortable, long lasting and safe gloves that could suit both male and female. Being the first to offer something unique would be a success. They could even use a slogan for their products such as The Best hand gloves to protect your hands Conclusion clearly showed what and how micro and macro factors could affect Dynamic Ltd marketing decisions. Also suggest you the best suitable segmentation criteria, targeting strategy and positioning for your product. Pop my suggestions will help George to make future decisions easier for his company.

What Makes Cotsco the Best Place to Work and Why Research Paper

What Makes Cotsco the Best Place to Work and Why - Research Paper Example Costco operates in an industry which is highly dominated by other players. The sales breakdown structure as per global industry has been represented in figure 1. On the basis of figure 1 it can be denoted that Costco occupies a certain portion of overall sales margin but maximum sales percentage is acquired by Walmart. Global competition is one of the driving forces responsible for shaping organizational environment. Sam’s Club of Walmart effectively competes with Costco. Porter’s five forces model is able to denote certain driving forces prevalent in the industry. Threat of substitutes is strong in this particular industry due to more product features, comparable product line, low prices, low switching costs, etc. There is intense competition prevalent in global retail or wholesale industry but Costco is able to survive through offering better quality products at low prices, addressing growing customer demand, etc. The company is engaged into offering best value and this weakens bargaining power of customers. There is low threat of new entrants in this specific industry because of lump sum investment, well established players and narrow margin for product differentiation. Suppliers usually impose lower bargaining power due to wide array of suppliers and high requirement of bulk quantities. Market saturation is another driving force that is shaping external environment of Costco. The company needs to continuously develop innovative strategies in order to remain competitive in the market place. Increasing costs is also considered to be a driving force since it is enabling substitutes to gain market presence. Costco encompasses an employee base of 195,000. These employees are not citizens of United States but belong to different country and culture. This aspect of workforce diversity is also a driving force since it influences the company to undertake decision suitable for all

Knowledge and skills for nursing part 2 assessment Essay

Knowledge and skills for nursing part 2 assessment - Essay Example Based on the background check patient had suffered severe depression because her husband died and live alone. The patient became alcoholic and her health deteriorated because of malnutrition. The patient looks underweight but can survive by giving proper medication and patient care. The nursing process can best be described as a framework for planning individualized care for patient with intellectual disabilities. Since the care for patient is a process it does not conclude into anything but rather it changes constantly and it is the nurses' responsibility to respond to these changing needs whenever necessary. The nursing process usually comprises four or five stages depending on the resources available and work setting, and includes: diagnosis, assessment, planning, implementing and evaluation. The nursing process should be undertaken using a collaborative and participative approach with other professionals, gathering and implementing resources, in order to improve the care process (Department of Health 2000b; Department of Health 2001). The focus of this study will be on the design care plan for our patient on study. The patient was brought in the hospital because of diarrhoea and vomiting. ... It includes areas such as health and health needs, daily living skills, activity programmes, mobility, mental health, risks to the client, finance, respite, social events/outings, support requirements, spiritual needs and, possibly, accommodation issues (Department of Health, 2000b;Sox, 2004a). Our patient on study has been diagnosed to have severe diarrhoea, but upon assessment the medical team handling the patient found out deeper reason for having such condition. The patient based on its medical background is having depression due to the lost of a husband. This has made the patient to neglect herself and become alcoholic. As a result of a deeper assessment the patient is also suffering from malnutrition. The care plan will be focusing on this condition of the patient. The chosen model should cover the entire activity of the patient. Planning In planning, the nurse plays an important role in the recovery and stay of the patient in the hospital. The patient upon admission was given attention on the main complain which is diarrhoea and vomiting. However further diagnosis and assessment of the medical team discovered that the patient is suffering from malnutrition. Our plan focus on malnutrition; the reasons why the patient is having this kind of condition, and the treatment and the protocol that the nurses should follow for the welfare of the patient. Implementation Implementation of a care plan is the most challenging part of the nursing process. Patient who is suffering from depression will lead to intellectual disabilities and an appropriate care plan should be implemented. In the case of our patient, she suffers depression after her husband dies wherein she depends on a lot. This make her