Term Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Term Paper - Essay Example It has its focus on the target readers who may or may not be very much interested in each and every detail of the study but can be very much interested in knowing how to maintain their weight not to regain. The article has been a successful effort in providing what readers look for in any news. The article used for this study is ‘A Self-Regulation Program for Maintenance of Weight Loss’ from the journal ‘New England Journal of Medicine’ published on 31 October 2006. The team of Dr. Rena Wing, PhD have conducted this study. Dr. Wing is also Brown University professor of psychiatry and human behaviour and co founder of National Weight Control Registry program. The paper is based on one of the most concerning issues of today’s scenario. Obesity is a problem which leads to several other health related and psychological problem in an individual. People once lose weight sometimes become relaxed and regain the weight they had lost. The journal article is based on this issue of obesity and maintenance of weight loss. The main issue in the study are regaining of weight in individuals after weight loss program and impact of maintenance program based on self regulatory theory on this weight regains. People face to face interaction and daily weighing c reates better impact on the interest and efforts of maintaining weight and avoiding weight regain. The hypothesis of the paper is that â€Å"the interventions, delivered face to face or over the Internet, would decrease average weight regain and reduce the proportion of participants who regained 2.3 kg or more during a period of 18 months.† The study is about weight regain. There are various dependent and independent variables considered in this study. There were various dependent variables like weight loss in specific period, calories intake, physical activity and method of instruction like face to face, internet or control group were dependent on variables like sex, age, weight,

Encouraging more Respect for the Dutch Culture Essay Example for Free

Encouraging more Respect for the Dutch Culture Essay Introduction For my personal project I have decided to write a book (appendix 1) about the Dutch culture and habits. I was inspired to do this project, because a lot of people think that everyone in Holland smoked marihuana at least once a day, walks on clogs all the time and has a garden full of tulips. When I first joined ISS I noticed that everyone assumed that I loved cheese and they still do. This inspired me to do write this book, because I want people to know more about Holland and gain more respect for the country. This is important to me, because I want everyone to not always stereotype the Netherlands. My Area of Interaction for this project will be Community and Service. I chose this Area of Interaction, because I am writing a book for the community to read. I want to inspire the community to see Holland through a different view. I want people to have more respect for the Dutch  culture and its habits after reading my book. By doing this I not only help the school community, but also the Dutch community by encouraging more respect for their culture. Since I am doing this for free it is a service. I think that giving out a book for free is going to make the book more successful. More people would want to read it and so more people will be encouraged to have more respect for Holland. That is why my AOI is Community and Service. My goal of writing this book is that people will start to have more respect for the Dutch culture. I do not want everyone to just assume that I wear clogs at home, eat cheese everyday and especially that I smoke marihuana. I also want to get more non-fiction writing experience and skill by writing this book. This will help me for writing essays and other informative writing tasks. I will measure my goal by seeing if the attitude of people improves after reading my book. What I mean to say by this is that: if they lessened the stereotypical comments, than I believe that their respect has increased. I have designed an 11-point plan for my Personal Project. Make a survey and ask the questions to people in Holland to get their opinion. Buy and read books about the Dutch culture, so I can use these in my project. Find websites on the Internet about clogs, Dutch cheese, drug consumption in the Netherlands etc. I will keep researching. Ask the questions of the survey to people in ISS. Plan out my book. I will plan out what I want chapters to be about and in what order I will put them. Write an introduction for the book. Writing an introduction is important, because it introduces the reader to the book and shows what the reader can expect. I will start on writing the book and finish at least 1/3 of it before the progress fair, so I can present this on the progress fair. I will finish my book around January. This will not be the completed version. I will ask some people to read the rough draft. I will use the feedback I get to improve and finish the book. When finished I will make a table of contents and a cover page. Then I put everything together in a folder and hand it in on the due date. Description of the process Research and Planning First, I had to plan out the whole entire process. As shown in the introduction I had an eleven-point plan to finish my personal project. That was just a rough draft of all the things I was going to do, but now I will describe the whole process in detail. I started my project a little bit before the summer break. I started researching on how to write a non-fiction book. This was very critical to my project, because I have never written a book before and it was very likely to take longer if I did not use these websites. (Stephanie Chandeler, 2009) (Bobbi Linkemer, 2010) After this I thought of the survey questions I was going to ask people about Holland. The week after I planned this, my family and me went to the Netherlands and I planned to do the survey there. I asked the survey questions to as many family members and friends as I could, until we went home. I had about 25 persons interviewed and I was convinced that this was going to help me during the project. I put all the answers of the survey into an Excel document. (appendix 2) After the all this research I realized that I did not have a plan. I quickly made a 11-point plan to write my book. I was very stupid of me to write the plan so late. I will discuss this further in the conclusion. Two weeks after school started I asked the survey questions to the whole entire tenth grade class. Some of these surveys were very useful and actually helped me writing my book. But many of them were not taken seriously and I thought this was very disappointing, because I expected a little better of my classmates. Writing the first half and rewriting first half After all of this research I started writing the book. Three weeks after the school started I wrote my introduction to the book (word from the Author). This was very important to the book, because in this introduction I had to introduce the whole entire book and as I said before I have difficulties starting a writing task. But once I get into writing, then I can keep on writing for maybe 15 minutes straight. After that I wrote chapter one of my book. It was not very hard on deciding what my first chapter should be on, because almost every non-fiction book starts out with a basic overview of the topic that will be discussed. So my first chapter was about the geographical facts about Holland, like its area, population, religion  percentage and other basic facts about The Netherlands. The second chapter was about the provinces of Holland. I believed that this was important to explain, because every province is different and I wanted to show that not everything in Holland is the same a s some people think. It is like the states in the U.S., people in Georgia are completely different from people in Texas. Then I started on the third chapter, which was about the water in Holland. I talked about the lakes, rivers, seas and polders in Holland. The fourth chapter was the last chapter I wrote before the progress fair. It was about the history of Holland. I discussed important wars and events that effected Holland on what it is today. Three days later I presented what I had written so far at the progress fair. Not a lot of people were interested in my project and only about 5 kids stopped to look and ask questions about my project. A week later the biggest problem happened throughout the whole project. I lost all my progress so far on what I have written. For some reason my laptop deleted nearly everything that I had written so far. The only thing that wasn’t gone was my introduction. This was a very big problem and I should have had a back up. The next school week and one and a half week of the break I spend rewriting my whole entire first half of the book. This wasted a lot of my time I could have actually spent starting my second half of the book. I believe that the second version of my book was slightly different than the first version, but only small improvements were made. It could even be that I may have left some things out and have added some things, so my first version could have been better or worse. Writing the second half of the book The second half of the book was a little more difficult. I had covered all of the basic things, like geography and history. Now I needed all the things that people were stereotyping and making fun of, because my goal was to encourage more respect for the Dutch community by writing the actual truth instead of writing. I first decided to make a chapter on significant and famous Dutch people before talking about stereotypes. In the appendix chapter 5 of my book is shown and as you can see I talk about famous Dutch people in the past (like Vincent Van Gogh), and famous Dutch people in the present (like Johan Cruijff). I thought that this was also important to put into my book, because some people did not know any famous Dutch people and I  thought it was a good idea to also include this in my book. I finally started writing about some typical Dutch things. My sixth chapter was about Dutch holidays and traditions. I included holidays in them like the Dutch carnaval and Sinterklaas, because those are two very popular and well-known holidays all over Holland. This chapter is also included in the appendix. My seventh chapter was about Dutch eating habits and I talked about food like Dutch cheese and its stereotypes and liquorice. I hoped that I made a lot of things clear about Dutch people and cheese in this chapter. The eighth chapter of my book was about tolerance in the Netherlands. Here I hope I made a lot of things clear about the red light district, drug legalization in Holland and legalized prostitution in Holland. My final chapter was about typical Dutch things like windmills and tulips. I explained that not everyone grows tulips in their garden and not everyone in Holland lives in a windmill! After I finished all of my chapters I let my mother and father read it through for some feedback. Using the feedback I got, I improved my book. Afterwards I wrote my afterword and bibliography. In the afterword I thanked all the people that helped me write the book and summarize the conclusion of the book. At last I put the book together and made a table of contents. So, finally after 6 months of hard work, problems and bad time management I finished my book and handed it in. I hope everyone who will read the book will gain more respect for the people of The Netherlands and will think twice before concluding anything about Holland and its culture. Analysis Useful resources and the AOI linked to it My project was a project that was based on and dependent on a lot of research. So the research changed my personal project a lot. As I told in the process description, I did some research on how to write a book and I also did a survey with a lot of people. This survey affected my personal project a lot, because this showed me what people of different ages were thinking about Holland internationally. I used this survey in a lot of chapters in my book, so I could see what people were thinking about Holland. As I mentioned before my project was dependent on research. I used a lot of websites and most other websites were useful in the same way. I found websites about cheese, traditions, polders and many other things. There were  only two parts of my research that were more important than all the information sources. These were the survey and the websites on how to write a book. These helped me reach my goal better. The survey helped, because this showed me what a lot of people were thinking and so I could decide what I should write several of my chapters about. The websites on how to write book helped, because it is always very difficult for me to start an essay or any other writing task. These websites helped me start out and guided me throughout the whole writing process. Another very useful website that helped me finish my longest chapter, chapter 2, was a website called tripadvisor.com (Tripadvisor, 2000) I used a lot of sources I used and it would be a miracle if I remembered all of them word by word. Some of which I remember do relate to the AOI. The source that links the most to the AOI is my survey results. Asking people from two different communities questions about their personal opinions created this survey. One was the Dutch community who all gave similar answers and mostly answers that make sense to me. The other was an international community who also gave similar answers, but made less sense. Some people did not take this survey seriously and some people gave stupid answers. One example is that some people just wrote weed next to every answer. These were the survey that did not help me at all and I just threw them away. By seeing this I could conclude that not a lot of foreigners knew about the Dutch people and their culture. Changes in the plan I changed a lot of things in the plan. At the very beginning I said that I would create the survey first. What I actually did first was research on how to write a book. This was an important change in the plan, because if I didn’t than probably my book would have been less organized, I probably forgot the table of contents and my introduction would take maybe three days. Another change I made in one of the points in the plan was that I did not interview people from the I was planning in doing so, but than I decided not to. I am a very shy person when it comes to asking a stranger a bunch of questions. I was afraid that they might be startled and most of them just say no, because they don’t have time. I was also afraid that people think I am some crazy kid asking them some stupid questions about their own country. Another change in the plan was that I switched point 4 and 5 around. Now, I  first planned out the book and then I surveyed the tenth grade. I did this, because I saw that some people were still getting used to their homework pattern in tenth grade and would probably forget one â€Å"unimportant† survey and that would leave me with maybe 15 completed surveys in my hands. So I first planned out the book and later when most people were less stressed I asked the survey questions. The biggest change is probably that I would have had the book finished in January. I had to change this, because of the problem that occurred I explained about in the description process. Almost all of my work got deleted. Due to this I could not work on my second half of the project in the Christmas break. I finished up my rough draft in the February break and had two days to use feedback from my mother and father to improve my book. This change also had effect on nearly all of my last points, because of the little time that was left after the deletion of my project. Techniques used in the project and time management I did not use a lot of different techniques in my project. Since my project is writing a book not as many techniques are used as in making a movie or sporting. The technique I used most was research and write. For a non-fiction book this is obvious, because the information in the book does require a lot of research. There are also other techniques I used, like the interview. The interview was, as I explained before, critical to my project. This interview was very effective to my project, because it is always good to not only have second hand sources. To have a first hand source can come in really handy, because one cannot always believe what is on the Internet. My time management could have been better. First of all it would have been better if I had finished everything up until my book introduction in the summer break, because than I could have entirely focused on writing my book for the rest of the year. The other big thing that interfered with my time schedule was the deletion of my project. As I explained before I had to rewrite all over again during the Christmas break. And the last thing that is again completely my fault, is that I let the final chapter of my book all come down to one holiday. I worked everyday on the project in the holiday and was really stressed throughout the whole ‘holiday’. I should have spread it out over the last three weeks, but I admit I was too lazy and thought that I wasted half of my Christmas break on my project that I won’t do a lot  in the weeks to come. This is a thought that I will not ever think again after what happened. Has my understanding of my AOI grown during the project? My understanding of the AOI has definitely improved over the course of the year. My understanding about why one should respect another culture has grown a lot. I have realized more than ever that I have to respect other cultures more and stop making stereotypical jokes in order to gain respect from other people for my culture. I also understand more how my book could contribute and has contributed to a community. By reading my book some people have gained respect for Holland and its culture as I mentioned before. Now maybe 10 people read the book and maybe 5 of these have gained respect for the Dutch culture. This benefitted the small Dutch community in our school. But let us say that half of Germany reads my book. I think that around 40%/50% of these people would actually understand and respect the Dutch culture more. If such a thing happened than it could have contributed to the whole Dutch community. Understanding and quality of the product I understand many more things now about writing a book. The main thing that I have learned is to have a back up for every chapter you make. I have learned this the hard way. Another major thing that I understand now is that writing a book is not as easy as I expected it to be. It requires a lot of research, creativity and especially time. If you do not plan you time well then writing a book can take a really long time. I wrote a book double-spaced, size 14 and 6800 words in 46 pages in about 6 months. A writer that does single-spaced, size 12 and around 500 pages would maybe take 30 years over one book if he/she wrote in my tempo. And if I wrote in their tempo than I would be done with the project in maybe a month or so. So my understanding is that writing a book is mostly about planning and a lot of dedication to one’s work. I am quite proud on what I produced. I never thought myself capable of writing a book. Compared to the work of a professional writer my book is very short. I compared my work to a book called â€Å"The Dutch, I presume?†(Martijn de Rooj, April 2009) and another book called â€Å"Holland† (Herman Van Amsterdam, 2009) and saw that mine was way shorter. These man also has more experience when it comes to writing a book. they designed it really clever and also had other professionals working with them; like  professional photographers and artists. The Difficulty of the project Overall I would not consider my project as a difficult project. I also don’t think it is easy. Writing a book is not as easy as people think it is, because it requires a lot of planning and a bit of creativity. But it is also not extremely difficult, because if you planned everything than you just let your mind and hands do the work and just keep on writing until you cannot write anymore. I think writing a non-fiction book is more for people who are looking for a challenge. Conclusion Have I met my Goal? I believe that I have met my goal to a certain extent. The first part of my goal was to encourage more respect for the Dutch culture. This point is not very clear yet, because only one foreigner has read the book until now. But I believe that the book will have some impact on the respect people have for Holland. I told some of my classmates some facts about the Netherlands and they stopped making fun of the things I told them are not even close to the truth. My other goal was to get more informative writing skills. I believe that I really have achieved this goal, because I find it easier to write more on one-world essays or history essays now, because I wrote this book. This project also helped me a lot with researching skills. Before I only used to look on the Internet, but now I will start using other sources like books and first hand sources to research. By doing this I can get more information about a subject and this will, hopefully, get me better grades. Things that I would do differently if I could start over There are a lot of things I would do differently next time. The first one is to have a back up for everything I write. This was the biggest problem I had throughout the whole project. Due to this I wasted a whole break rewriting all the things I did not back up. If I do this differently if I could start over than I would probably have way more time to do the rest of my book. This brings me to the other thing I would do differently if I could start over: time management. I should have planned my time better throughout the 6 months I had. Because I did not plan my time well in the ending I had to  finish the second half of my project in one and a half week. Another thing that I could improve is that I should let more than just 2 people give me feedback on my book. Both of the people that gave me feedback were Dutch and I should have let someone with a different nationality look at it. This would have been an advantage, because than I would have gotten another cultures point of view. The benefit of another culture’s point of view is that all the things that think could be appropriate in Holland could be inappropriate in other cultures. Because I might have put one or two jokes in my book that could be seen as inappropriate, but I left them in there due to that the two people giving feedback were ok with it. Personal lesson I learned from doing this project I have learned a lot by doing this project. The main thing is that I learned to organize better. I was always terrible at organizing my work, so I got in time trouble a lot of time. By doing this project along with all the essays and tests we got I had to learn organizing the hard way. Another thing I learned and I kept mentioning throughout the whole report is that I HAVE to make a back up for all the important work I have done. If I do not do this something like what happened in December might happen and completely ruin days of works. I also learned that if I really put myself into something I could write about a lot of information quickly. Another important thing that I realized while writing my book was that if I want people to respect my culture and stop stereotyping, I also have to do the same thing. I realized this while talking to a couple of my friends about respect for one’s country. I realized that in order for me to achieve my goal of people respecting my culture, I had to do the same thing. I have learned a lot by doing this project and I hope that other people have learned a lot too by reading my book. Bibliography Chandler, Stephanie. How to Write Your Non-Fiction Book in 60 Days: 8 Steps Get Your Book Out of Your Head and on to Paper. Scribd. 2009. Web. 31 Mar. 2011. http://www.scribd.com/doc/13835154/How-to-Write-Your-NonFiction-Book-in-60-Days-8-Steps-Get-Your-Book-Out-of-Your-Head-and-on-to-Paper. Linkemer,

Problems Faced by Starbucks in India

Problems Faced by Starbucks in India Jump to: SWOT Analyis of Starbucks  | PEST Analysis of Starbucks Starbucks Coffee Company has gone through some major makeovers throughout its existence. Starbucks was initially a small entrepreneurial business partnership, which sold only roasted coffee beans, tea, and spices. Later on, Starbucks took on a director by the name of Howard Schultz, who had great vision for the company, but whose ideas were rejected. Schultz went on to later purchase the corporation and grow it to what we now know as one of the largest and most loved coffee chains in the country. Having expanded into several other countries, such as Canada, Japan, and China, Starbucks yearned to step foot in the Indian market and leave its footprint there. However, this invasion would not be as easy as they had hoped. Case 7: Starbucks Coffee Company Founded in 1971 by Gordon Bowker, Jerry Baldwin, and Zez Siegel, Starbucks was simply a place for consumers to purchase high quality, dark roasted, whole coffee beans. As is the coffee addiction trend, this was a popular investment for the partners. The business did very well and had expanded to five retail outlets within ten years. In 1982, Howard Schultz joined the company as the director of Retail Operations and Marketing. While on a business trip in Milan, Italy, he had an epiphany. Fresh brewed coffee was not limited to households, as Milan alone had 1,500 coffee bars. He wished to expand Starbucks to sell freshly brewed coffee as well, and to bring the coffee bar experience of Italy home to the states and to Starbucks clientele. Schultz suggestions were shot down, pushing him to leave the company and give life to his visions on his own. Having worked out many initially neglected concepts, his coffee bar, Il Giornale, became a huge success, reaching around $500,000 annual sales by mid 1987 and having attained three locations, one of which was opened in Canada. Current Situation In 2006, Schultz announced Starbucks intent to expand into the countries of Russia and India. Indias conditions for market entry were pretty favorable, and it seemed like a great time to make their move. The population is high and the majority of the population is youthful and is expected to remain youthful for years to come. It has become a place for many companies to outsource production and services, and is simply all around a great opportunity. However, there are also constraining factors for economic growth. Yet when the government announced permission, per their approval and certain restrictions, for Foreign Direct Investment in retail trade of single brand products, several chains announced their intentions to take advantage of this opportunity. Current Performance Starbucks coffee houses serviced, entertained, and provided a cultural atmosphere to over 40 million customers in its 7,600 retail locations in the United States alone. Starbucks entered markets regions at daily rates through a strategic plan that phenomenally gained success in China, Asia, and Japan becoming the leader in specialty coffee around the world. By the end of 2006 and with careful environmentally scanning through strategic measures based on the objectives, mission, and having a vision for the Starbucks brand, Starbucks entered joint ventures, partnerships, and market segments which increased its sales to over 300% reaching $103 million in 2 years; that is, from 1990 to 1992. Starbucks offers an assortment and well desired variety of premium coffee fitted to the cultures of its retail outlet locations. Despite the intense competition Starbucks next destination was to reach into the market segments of India and Russia; however, many economic, technological, political-legal, and socio-cultural factors existed. Starbucks faced constraints of encompassing the productions of its high quality premium coffee beans at the risk of distributions and control of workers well-being, and its established trade relationships. Corporate Governance . Having seen the accuracy of his visions in his own coffee bars, Schultz decided to purchase the assets, including the company name, of Starbucks when they became available for sale in 1987. He refaced his Il Giornale stores to Starbucks stores, and promised his investors growth. Schultz then began his journey to take over the world, several Starbucks locations at a time. In 1992, after seeing drastic growth over the past three years, the corporation went public, raising $29 million from their Initial Public Offering. Schultz then went on to dominate the U.S. market with the companys high quality products and services. After having taken over the market, the company began working on new products as well. Initially, Schultz refused to franchise the company name for fear that he would lose the business model he had worked so hard to build. He wanted to ensure that customers everywhere received the same quality, experience, knowledge, and service during their visit no matter what location they walked in to. Even partnerships were closely examined and evaluated before receiving approval. Corporations had to be reputable and value the Starbucks name and image if they wished to serve the brand. Current Performance. Since the inception of Starbucks after being purchased by Schultz, the corporation has been growing rapidly and successfully in North America. In 1994, the company was formed into Starbucks International, wishing to expand its footprint to other countries. The company had three goals in mind: prevent competition from gaining the lead in other countries, benefit from the high number of coffee drinkers in other populations, and build on the growing demand for Western brands. Starbucks began opening international locations in 1996. Having done their homework, Starbucks saw great opportunity in Japan, as it was a rapidly growing market for coffee, especially specialty coffee, and chose that as their first targeted location. The company continued to grow into other countries and dominate markets well into the early 2000s. Japan is the companys largest revenue source outside of North America, and the chain continues to thrive in all the countries it occupies. Strategic Posture . Starbucks has announced their intention to enter the Indian market numerous times now. In order to enter the market successfully and strongly, and with the intent to remain there for years to come, they need to find a trustworthy, competent partner. The company is still working on finding that partner, in which they can put their trust, to hold true to the Starbucks name and brand. Although the Indian market is a great opportunity, the company holds its values and business model to be more important. Starbucks has made efforts to stay green by using recycled cups, and even revamping the menu to include healthier selections. They have formed Starbucks Entertainment, are planning to publish books, and coming up with new ideas on a regular basis. Schultz is dead serious about taking his company Hollywood and beyond (Horovitz, 2006). Schultz has worked hard to build and grow his brand. Therefore, they will not partner with simply anyone. Discussion Within the industry markets that Starbucks faces is a problem reflected by the absence of empowerment and the responsibility of co-operative structures that go beyond the global supply chains engaged in shared responsibilities within poorer countries. Starbucks faced a dilemma regarding the well-being of its workers where constraints of resources, health concern, and fair trade agreements rested on the consumers buying decision to buy fair trade products. There seems to be big plans in the making for corporate conglomerates with no real social responsibilities and only strategic maneuvering; yet, Starbucks marketing mechanism was not through the media but by word of mouth which was a far reach into the homes and lives of those who consumed not just coffee or tea but Starbucks coffee. Starbucks coffee now left with its very own strategy and vision embraced by a coffee culture is threatened in a market that has to contend with its workers and its coffee producers well-being and earmark ed by threats of market-based sanctions in the form of reputational damage (MacDonald, 2007) if it failed to comply with activist demands regarding health concerns and economic governance. What are the strengths and weaknesses of Starbucks International? What are the opportunities and threats facing Starbucks? SWOT ANALYSIS Strengths #1 specialty coffee retailer 11,000 stores in 36 countries w/ 10,000 employees 40 Million customers weekly Uncompromising quality, customer service and relationships (captured social aspect of coffee) Knowledge ( advice in brewing) Sophisticated Store development (6-mo. opening schedule) Expansion strategy (20 more stores 1st 2 yrs) Took advantage of higher coffee consumption rates in other countries Used joint ventures and licenses to enter foreign marketsWeakness Product pricing Large Company (quick to expand) Weaknesses Too many stores in the same radius Cultural issues (Japan food coffee), no smoking High cost (Rent labor) No In house facilities (Roasting) Less control of stores on US soil Tea drinking countries opposed coffee Opportunities Starbucks to offer the finest coffee in the world to India within the next 18 months. Starbucks had an awesome image, more than offering fine coffee, great music, great people, a comfortable/upbeat meeting place, and sound advice on brewing at home. Made locations in high-traffic (e.g. Malls, busy street corners, and grocery stores) Starbucks strategically gained a foothold in the market it entered and quickly moved on to the next market. Starbucks became the leading player in Boston overnight Starbucks was able to build a plan to open stores daily. Threats Starbucks postponed entry into India in the face of problems in Japan and recently entered China Japan originally a tea drinking country, with a per capita consumption of coffee in 1965 of 300g/day Starbucks was opening stores too close to each other which affected their brand image Starbucks gained intense competition who took advantage by including elaborate food menus, and had separate smoking areas. Japan had high rent and cost of labor China was traditionally a tea drinking company Opportunities (continuation): Much like China, India has traditionally been a tea culture, yet a growing coffee culture is emerging, among the countrys young adults. Starbucks did joint ventures, licensing, and partnerships internationally. Joint Ventures helped to get their name out there with a reputable company already doing business there for years so they have the know-how when it comes to the customers of that region and their demands Threats (continuation): China had inadequate infrastructure, bureaucracy, regulatory and foreign investment controls, the reservation of key products for small scale industries, and high fiscal deficits constrained economic growth in India India was the largest producer and consumer of tea Starbucks faced the challenge of the increasing obesity rate in India. Starbucks was the target of consumer health groups against high-calorie and high fat products which led to obesity, heart disease and cancer What are the strategic factors facing Starbucks? PEST Analysis The strategic factors facing Starbucks is maintaining its identity while pursuing its product reach within the international markets where its premium prices for its products are served in poorer countries. Political and Legal factors:  Starbucks sought after potential joint venture partnerships in India and Russia. To prepare for the interpersonal business relationships, partnerships and future business endeavors, Starbucks sought to acquire a competitive intelligent strategy by gathering key information such as scouting locations and meeting with government officials prior to entering these markets to fully gain the additional market knowledge required for its success. Government actions impacted Starbucks as a challenge with exchange control, trade agreements, trademarks, and other foreign regulations all of which protected the working farmers and their rights. Economic Factors: The Starbucks product and service offerings allowed in Japan were twice that much in the United States and yet Starbucks incurred huge losses due to the surmounting consumption of the Japanese intake of its gourmet and premium priced coffees. In 1997 alone Starbucks opened 10 stores in prime locations; thereafter, Starbucks reined with profits from the 3.17 grams of coffee consumption per day allowing in 2002 Starbucks to open well over 360 stores. The strategy Starbucks initialized in its mission, objectives, and vision to be a success was to be the first to move to get a head start on the competition; however, analysis indicated that Starbucks cultural and high traffic locations were too close to one another and the socio-cultural aspect this affected the Starbucks brand image. Starbucks coffee entered new markets with new leadership that recognized the culture, history, and quality behind premium coffee; however, the no-smoking policy, high rent, and cost of labor in Japan posed great challenges to Starbucks. Starbucks incurred additional losses with the exchange of materials. Starbucks only offered India ground roasted premium coffee beans, Japan did not have a roasting facility; therefore, Starbucks paid additional shipping costs to allow shipment of its coffee from its roasting facility in Kent to Japan. Socioeconomical Factors: The vision imposed by Mr. Schultz, the new owner of Starbucks, no longer wanted coffee to be sold as a produce but instead wanted the Starbucks coffee to reach into the heart and soul of its consumers. The coffee consumption rates in different international markets such as in the Asian markets where coffee market is in the development stage, Starbucks faced the challenge of having to educate the market and future consumers about the quality of coffee, the experience, and the idea of coffee away from health concerns. Pricing decisions in India posed a great challenge to Starbucks due to the increase in disposable income and economic situations that affected their idea about coffee which included: Shifts in demographics and social trends such as the age of the coffee consumer. The obesity rates which have an impact on corporate responsibility programs. Competitive disadvantages over better service than Starbucks Western style. Technological factors: Maintaining the Starbucks coffee culture without impact to its foreign trade relations impacted the commerce in China many were opposed to the Starbucks culture of a Western coffee chain. In China the traditional consumption of tea was dominant over coffee and preference was made to instant coffee as opposed to the Starbucks premium fresh roasted coffee partly because coffee was mainly for sophisticated urban consumers. Does Starbucks possess a distinctive competency? If yes, does it fit the Indian market? We absolutely believe that Starbucks does possess a distinctive competency. They are the leader in high quality, dark roasted, whole Arabica coffee beans. They also offer such a large variety of flavors. Their extensive product line also appeals to the different tastes of their heterogeneous consumer base. Given that the company has expanded to encompass a lounge, creating a homey feeling, and serve food items as well, the atmosphere is very inviting and welcoming, attracting the variant crowd. The environment Starbucks locations create for the public would mesh extremely well in the Indian market. Coffee consumption in India is growing drastically, although too different likings. The current coffee bars in India provide some similar environments to that of Starbucks, and the ones which are different appear to be simple enough to where Starbucks can meet the needs of the Indian consumers, should it choose to adjust slightly. For example, there is a Garden Cafà ©, and a Cyber Cafà ©, as well as a Highway Cafà ©. If Starbucks wishes to stay competitive and can do so without hurting their current image, they can create similar cafà ©s with the same type of peaceful home away from home environment which they currently strive to achieve. However, simply due to the number of coffee shops in India, and the fact that much of the Indian population has no preference for filtered coffee over instant, it may present a difficult situation for Starbucks to remain competitive as far as pricing, quality, and overall reasons why the consumers should select their brand over the existing ones. During a company conference call on May 3, 2006, Howard Schultz wrapped up his portion of the discussion with a statement of motivation and goal declaration. Looking ahead, the ambition and the level of enthusiasm to continue to grow present us with greater opportunity than ever before. With a long growth trajectory and so much opportunity ahead, we will strive to continue to provide the highest quality products and service and protect our brand and reputation as we innovate and grow into the future (Schultz, 2006). What are the keys to success in Starbucks operating in India? For Starbucks to be successful in India they must concentrate on the home countrys food habits and especially the current and upcoming Indian beverage market. In the United States the Starbucks current menu consist of muffins, yogurts, sandwiches, paninis, cookies and cakes. Though these delicious treats are suffice to the general public from area to area here in the states, the diversity of Indias culture make it thus that dishes are distinctive from one region to another. What we do know is that spicy foods and sweet foods remained popular across the board in India as well as wheats, rice and gravy based dishes. What this means for Starbucks is that certain locations will have to make offerings that are very specific to that region as there is no one size fits all for this culture. If Starbucks were to offer dishes at its locations, they would need to have the food cooked and prepared in a way that was native to the residents. Starbucks would also need to take in account if the locations would be primarily in northern or southern India, as South Indians consume most coffee. Another key to Starbucks success is how they introduce themselves into the Indian beverage market. Similar to the food habits of Indian residents, taste and preferences for beverages is determined by your geographic location. Most Northern Indians are tea drinkers and an occasional coffee drinker; I suggest Starbucks should figure out how to convert those casual drinkers to full time coffee drinkers. The reason being is the growth of quick service chains that is continually expanding in India, in an article by The Economic Times they expressed that the quick-service restaurant market is worth $13 billion and grows roughly 25-30 percent a year and that Indias entire food service market is worth $64 billion (Starbucks, dunkin donuts, 2011). Because of this large amount of growth, Starbucks target market should be the young and the trendy. Indias population has 700 million people who are under the age of 30 which accounts for 60 percent of their population (Starbucks, dunkin donuts, 201 1). For example hometown cafes like Cafà © Coffee Day, Italian Barista and Costa are receiving positive responses from the youth and these cafà ©s are gaining popularity among their group (Mohapatra, 2010). With the consistent growth of the coffee industry at 5 to 6 percent a year (Mohapatra, 2010) I see no reason why Starbucks shouldnt be successful in India if our suggestions are followed. What products does Starbucks offer? Starbucks coffee is an expensive high premium coffee grown from Arabica beans, which accounts for approximately 10% of the total worldwide coffee purchases. The coffees are sold under the Starbucks, Seattles Best Coffee and Torrefazione Italia brands and include: Hot drinks: Venti, Grande, Tall, and Short and Cold drinks: Iced Venti, Iced Grande, Iced Tall, and Frappucino to name a few. Starbucks Coffees: Regular, Decaffeinated, Starbucks VIA (ready brew French roast), Starbucks Reserve (exotic, rare, and exquisite coffees), Coffee from mild to extra bold. Starbucks international: Starbucks Latin American, Africa Arabia, Asia Pacific, Multi-Regional, Specialty, Organic, Whole Bean, and Ground coffees, syrups, and powered blends. Starbucks Beijing offered coffee beverages, 15 varieties and blends of the finest Arabica coffee beans, fresh baked pastries and desserts. Starbucks Japan included an elaborate food menu. Starbucks offers coffee pods, filter packs, portion packs, and instant coffee products. Starbucks offers coffee gifts, gift boxes, gift packs, brewing equipment, drink-ware including espresso machines, coffee makers, coffee presses, grinders, teakettles, teapots and accessories including gift cards and delivery of its products. Starbucks stores also offered fresh pastries and sandwiches. (Japan) Are circumstances appropriate at this time for Starbucks to successfully enter into the Indian market? I believe that circumstances are appropriate for Starbucks to successfully enter into India. With a newly signed agreement with Tata and a growing young adult generation, Starbucks can have a strong impact on the coffee market in India. Starbucks remain rooted to its core beliefs and objectives if it is going to succeed in India. The agreement with Tata, a gold medal Robusta coffee producer, shows that Starbucks is not abandoning its premium and rich culture. It will continue to produce its tasteful and premium coffee to the India urban community. Indias population is also one of the youngest in the world. According to a study by 2020 the average age of an Indian person would be 29 years old. This young generation will help shift the country from a primary based tea drinking company to more of a coffee based country. This younger generation in India also has a taste for Western culture. Starbucks is a strong Western company that can have a strong impact in India.   Starbucks will face challenges with coffee competitors that have made their imprint on the Indian community. These competitors are Cafà © Coffee Day, Qwikys, and Barista. Starbucks still has competitive western advantage when compared to these other competitors. Their prices are also said to be in line with its competitors, giving Starbucks a chance to succeed.  To enter the Indian market successfully they must understand that the Indian people are focused on leading a healthy lifestyle. Starbucks high calorie, fat products will pose a challenge of successfully entering the market. With good management and a strong strategic plan, Starbucks can successfully conquer these challenges in India. The Indian market is growing and Starbucks has the culture and product to succeed. What are the 3 reasons that Starbucks International pursues international expansion? Starbucks International pursues international expansion with the sole desire to recreate the Italian coffee culture with these important variables in mind. To take on its competition early on from gaining a head start in international markets. To build upon its growing desire for the Western brands To benefit from the higher coffee consumption rates in different countries. Monitored Trends in the International Society and International Natural Environments Political-Legal: Environmental protection laws, foreign trade regulations, stability of government, attitudes towards foreign companies, tax laws, and anti-trust regulations impacts the governance and the strategies preempted by Starbucks. Economic: GDP, Inflation rates, Wage/Price controls, Disposable and discretionary income of international markets reflects consumer demands and sales. Sociocultural: Lifestyle changes, rate of family formation, growth rate of population, age distribution of population, health care, living wage, and unionization. Technological: Total industry spending for RD, focus of technology efforts, patent protection, new products, and environmental awareness standards that would allow for better management of crops, more efficient farming, reduction in cost, increase yields, and decrease environmental impact. 8b. Are each of these criteria met in the Indian Market? Yes, these 3 criteria are met in the Indian market. Since there are only three big name coffee spots in India, Starbucks is acting early before other coffee companies in North America or Europe mimic their idea of entering the Indian market. Many retail giants are entering India at this time, it is important that Starbucks enters to get a head start on the competition. By entering now Starbucks may obtain certain locations that are likely to be profitable before competitors or other retail giants acquire the space.   Since Western brands are popular among the younger generation in India, Starbucks has met this criterion in the Indian market. With one of the youngest populations in the world, the Indian market will see an increased demand for Western products by this generation. Starbucks comfortable atmosphere and it ambiance of an extended family will make coffee more beloved in the Indian market if they choose to enter. Coffee consumption has also seen a steady rise recently . In 2005 coffee consumption in India jumped to 85,000 tons. Starbucks is hopeful that this consumption will steadily increase over the years. If they enter the market now they have a strong chance of succeeding. With the increased consumption of coffee in this primarily tea-based country, the Indian market has met Starbucks International criteria of benefiting from a growing coffee consumption rate.

Blacks In Film Essay -- essays research papers

Film is one of the most influential means of communication and a powerful medium of propaganda. Race and representation is central to the study of the black film actor, since the major studios continue to reflect and reinforce the stereotyps of our times. The depiction of blacks in Hollywood movies reinforce many of the misconceptions of the white majority rather than objective reality, limiting black actors to stereotypical roles. The movie "Soul Food" proved to be the inspiration for African-Americans hungry for balanced, realistic depictions of blacks in America The film is about a Chicago family who airs out its tribulations over Sunday dinner. It depicts well educated African Americans in lavish suburban homes and high ranking job titles. Yet, comedic films, such as "Booty Call," or violent dramas, such as "Dead Presidents" or "Next Friday," still seem to be the norms for black films in Hollywood. There are no gun-toting ruffians in "Soul Food," no over-the-top streetwise caricatures. Instead, the film serves up real-life characters grappling with real-life familial problems. That's why it seems to resonate with black audiences -- and why it was considered risky to make. "Soul Food" resonates with blacks because, as with whites, the most evocative films present idealized visions of their real lives. Unfortunately, films such as â€Å"Soul Food†, â€Å"Love Jones†, and â€Å"The Best Man†, rarely receive the credit in which they deserve due to the lack of promotions and viewership by mainstream society. In witness of this truth, the American public is faced with the guilt of perpetuating the historical images of Sambo and Mammy with the new depictions of aggressive, streetwise, and comedic caricatures. In recent years, much of the debate around racial inequality in the United States has focused on Representation. That is: how peopleare imagined, portrayed, and often stereotyped by the mass media. Integrally linked is the question of how these depictions in the world of media contribute to social discrimination and personal self-esteem in the real world. No medium is a more powerful disseminator of images and stereotypes than television, and no citizens have suffered more from misrepresentation in this country than minorities. However, too often the debate about race and represen... ...he 80s. It seemed TV and film pioneer Bill Cosby had finally broken through the stereotype ceiling, depicting the life a strong black middle class family and projecting it into the living rooms of blacks and whites throughout the United States and the world. But just a few short years after Cosby, television's way of dealing with portraying black life was simply not to. For years none of the major networks were creating programming for black audiences. UPN, Warner Brothers Network and Fox Network shrewdly tried to fill that void. However the succession of black shows created by these networks seemed not to be a result of a sincere social consciousness, but rather an attempt to appeal to an untapped revenue market. And so blacks have come full circle as it is this market and its hopes for something better than images of domestics and mammies that first spawned the blaxploitation craze. There is no argument that blacks in film have made significant advancements since the days of popular blaxploitation film such as Shaft. However there is also no argument that blacks have far to go in receiving a fair and honest portrayal in movies and television. Blacks In Film Essay -- essays research papers Film is one of the most influential means of communication and a powerful medium of propaganda. Race and representation is central to the study of the black film actor, since the major studios continue to reflect and reinforce the stereotyps of our times. The depiction of blacks in Hollywood movies reinforce many of the misconceptions of the white majority rather than objective reality, limiting black actors to stereotypical roles. The movie "Soul Food" proved to be the inspiration for African-Americans hungry for balanced, realistic depictions of blacks in America The film is about a Chicago family who airs out its tribulations over Sunday dinner. It depicts well educated African Americans in lavish suburban homes and high ranking job titles. Yet, comedic films, such as "Booty Call," or violent dramas, such as "Dead Presidents" or "Next Friday," still seem to be the norms for black films in Hollywood. There are no gun-toting ruffians in "Soul Food," no over-the-top streetwise caricatures. Instead, the film serves up real-life characters grappling with real-life familial problems. That's why it seems to resonate with black audiences -- and why it was considered risky to make. "Soul Food" resonates with blacks because, as with whites, the most evocative films present idealized visions of their real lives. Unfortunately, films such as â€Å"Soul Food†, â€Å"Love Jones†, and â€Å"The Best Man†, rarely receive the credit in which they deserve due to the lack of promotions and viewership by mainstream society. In witness of this truth, the American public is faced with the guilt of perpetuating the historical images of Sambo and Mammy with the new depictions of aggressive, streetwise, and comedic caricatures. In recent years, much of the debate around racial inequality in the United States has focused on Representation. That is: how peopleare imagined, portrayed, and often stereotyped by the mass media. Integrally linked is the question of how these depictions in the world of media contribute to social discrimination and personal self-esteem in the real world. No medium is a more powerful disseminator of images and stereotypes than television, and no citizens have suffered more from misrepresentation in this country than minorities. However, too often the debate about race and represen... ...he 80s. It seemed TV and film pioneer Bill Cosby had finally broken through the stereotype ceiling, depicting the life a strong black middle class family and projecting it into the living rooms of blacks and whites throughout the United States and the world. But just a few short years after Cosby, television's way of dealing with portraying black life was simply not to. For years none of the major networks were creating programming for black audiences. UPN, Warner Brothers Network and Fox Network shrewdly tried to fill that void. However the succession of black shows created by these networks seemed not to be a result of a sincere social consciousness, but rather an attempt to appeal to an untapped revenue market. And so blacks have come full circle as it is this market and its hopes for something better than images of domestics and mammies that first spawned the blaxploitation craze. There is no argument that blacks in film have made significant advancements since the days of popular blaxploitation film such as Shaft. However there is also no argument that blacks have far to go in receiving a fair and honest portrayal in movies and television.

Public Health and Health Care Essay

Public health is one the of the science that improves and protects the health care of the communities and families through promotions of healthy lifestyles, research for injury and disease prevention and detection and control of infectious diseases. Public health professionals try and prevent issues from happening or recurring through implementing educational programs recommending policies, manage services and conducting research. Such as contrast to clinical professionals doctors, and nurses, who will focus primarily on treating people after they become injured or ill. Public health also works to limit health care disparities. A greater part of public health is promoting health care equity, accessibility and quality (International Health Conference, 1946). How CDC Contributes to Public Health The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the nation’s disease prevention and wellness promotion agency, protecting individual’s safety and health, giving credible information to enhance health care decisions, and improving health care through strong organization. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) work includes wide range health care threats, including infectious chronic diseases, birth defects, injuries, water safety food, environmental hazards, safety and occupational health. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also administers funding for local health departments and state, community based companies and academic institutions for a wide array of public health programs and research. Daily Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) experts work both behind the scenes and on the frontlines to improve individual’s daily lives and respond to health care emergencies. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is h eadquartered in Atlanta and has just about 14,000,  full-time, part-time and contract employees located all through the U.S. and in 54 countries (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). Specific Ways CDC Influence/ Roles of CDC Agency Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) contribute with its partner around the world to detect and investigate health care problems, monitor health, conduct research to enhance prevention, develop and advocate sound public health policies, and provide leadership and training. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) develops a system design recognizing information and sources that best tackle a surveillance goal, be familiar with who will have rights to use information, by what technique and under what circumstances; also improving analysis or action by improving the surveillance system communication with other information systems Using data group recognizing possible bias linked with another collection technique cultural approach in the direction of technology or telephone use, recognizing suitable use of structured data compared with free text, more useful, data standards and language and suggest technologies such as global radio-frequency and positioning systems i dentification to maintain faster, higher-quality data and easier, access in the field. Information management and collation recognize ways to share data across different computing technology proposal linking new information with data from legacy systems; and be familiar with and remedying information quality issues as making certain information security and privacy. â€Å"Analysis recognize suitable statistical and image applications, put together algorithms to prepare users to aberrations within health care events also leveraging high routine computational resources for large data sets or difficult analyses† (Dixon, Gamache, & Grannis, 2013). Understanding the value of evaluate information from one surveillance plan with other information time, place, person, or condition for new viewpoint and merge data of other quality to give a background for explanation and foundation. Diffusion suggest suitable let somebody see information users and the best technique to reach the proposed audience, smooth the progress of data finding; and recognize benefits for information providers (Lundstrom, Pugliese, Bartley, Cox, & Guither, 2002). Application to public health programs assessing the utility of having surveillance data directly flow into information systems that support public health interventions and information elements or standards that facilitate this linkage of surveillance to action and improving access to and use of information produced by a surveillance system for workers in the field and health-care providers (Dixon, Gamache, & Grannis, 2013).

Impertinence Toward Parents essays

Impertinence Toward Parents essays As years go by, it seems that children have little or no respect at all for their parents. Personally, I have an aversion to children who disrespect people older than them. Those children have no manners and probably were not taught any by their parents. The problem is not only with children, they are expected to do it because they do not know any better. The majority of disrespect, however, comes from teenagers. Demanding freedom and more liberty, they start ignoring their parents and start doing what they think is right. A child showing discourtesy to their parents is part of everyday life, and it should not be taken lightly because the end results can be devastating. The main reason I believe children get this way is because of bad parenting. The parents should teach their children good manners from a young age. Showing respect for their parents from a younger age makes it a little more difficult for the adolescent to be disrespectful at an older age because that is not how they have been raised. Being part of a troubled family is also a major reason for the concern of parents being disrespected. When I say troubled family, I mean a family that has been through divorce and/or drug abuse. If a family goes through a divorce, it effects the child mentally. The child might start to blame him or herself for the separation of the parents. This often causes juveniles to be a little more rebellious and start thinking for themselves. If the child ends up with another family, he or she will be disrespectful to their stepparent because they are not their real parents. Drug abuse tends to have the same effect. If the parent does not care, why sho uld the child care? The juvenile will start doing whatever he or she wants to do because it will not matter to their parents. Adverse influences from an outside source also make an adolescent more disrespectful. They might learn a bad habit from their friends and...

Roles in Curriculum Development

Roles in Curriculum Development Free Online Research Papers Throughout the 20th Century curriculum development went through several phases as the nation embraced different philosophical views. Starting with Cremin at the turn of the Century, then into the progressive movement with John Dewey, early curriculum planning required that developers understand two things. First they needed to â€Å"understand all three focal points for curricula and, second, to bring them into some appropriate balance in making practical decisions† (Marsh Willis, 2003, p. 41). When J. Franklin Bobbitt published his book on curriculum in 1918 curriculum development entered a new era as, for the first time, much of educational leaders’ work focused exclusively on curriculum issues. This sentence is grammatically awkward. This focus would continue until after World War II as progressive educational philosophies dominated national thinking until the beginning of the Cold War. The launch of Sputnik changed the nation’s collective psyche and resulted in a dramatic shift in thinking about curriculum. The result would eventually be the release of A Nation at Risk, and with its release came a serious disconnect from how curriculum development had matured th roughout the 20th Century. â€Å"Its recommendations and example ignored the bottom-up, grassroots approaches to curriculum planning based on traditional American values of individual initiative† (Marsh Willis, 2003, p. 61). The report set a tone which has greatly influence the early years of the 21st Century as individuality and uniformity collide. How do educational leaders strike a balance between the two ideals? Perhaps the best way to accommodate these conflicting views is through the use of committees that accept the views and needs of all stakeholders in the curriculum development process. Good point Gone are the days of an expert developing and delivering newly developed curriculum. The developer will need a team to ensure the new curriculum meets all the requirements of the institution and the community it serves. Is this always the case? â€Å"Ideally, the design team will be composed of faculty who are responsible for the content of the program or course, a process person, and as needed, experts in assessment and technology† (Diamond, 1998, p. 23). The team, to be successful will require a combination of faculty, facilitators, evaluators, and support staff. Finally, political sensitivities must be considered. Parents, students, and administrators should all have a voice in this process to ensure acceptance and support from the local community, otherwise the proposals may well d ie, no matter how good the ideas may be. Roles in Curriculum Development Content. At the content level, curriculum development roles are primarily those of state officials and local administrators. Community members also have a stake in content, since graduates will make up the bulk of the local workforce. Effective leadership, motivation, and data analysis are vital in the content development stage (Stark, Briggs, Rowland-Poplawski, 2002). State officials charged with curriculum and instruction must use their positions wisely. Leading educational change takes committed, innovative leaders who are motivated by their own ideals as well as political mandates. Additionally, practical application of data and research are necessary to develop timely curricula objectives aligned with modern goals and agendas. How would you define modern goals and agendas? Would they relate to meeting criteria for federal funding? Would they relate to popular theories in pedagogy? Would they relate to agendas of special interests within the community? How would administrators deal with conflicting input from these groups? Administrators’ roles in content development involve substantive data collection in addition to ongoing training and resource support. School boards approve textbook expenditures and it often falls to administrators to make their case for purchase of required curriculum. The role of the administrator requires him to be knowledgeable about the content and goals of state and national standards and have the ability to communicate those needs to local stakeholders. Community members also have a role in the content of any given curriculum. Business leaders require a certain level of expertise in fields appropriate to the local community. New development in an area often depends largely on the quality of graduates found in local systems, providing impetus to real estate and development partners to ensure an adequate curriculum. State-level education officials, local administrators, and community members share the duties in their roles in curriculum development content. Process. At the process level, curriculum development roles are primarily those of facilitators, instructors, and support staff. Parents and students, however, play key roles. Facilitators include assistant principals, curriculum coordinators, and trainers. Teachers make up the bulk of instructors, but instruction is also a responsibility of media specialists and counselors. Support staff includes all facility-level personnel, such as food and maintenance service employees and office staff. Stark, Briggs, and Rowland-Poplawski posit three important questions in role consideration: 1) who takes responsibility, 2) specific activities of the role, and 3) curriculum expertise of the involved parties (2002). Although some system hierarchies specifically delineate a curriculum coordinator responsible for processing of objectives, many times staff find themselves as de facto processors of state goals. Teachers retain the majority of the curriculum processing role, since their daily duties center largely on their ability to convey and implement the state curricula. Marsh and Willis define teachers as the â€Å"filter through which the mandated curriculum passes† (2003, p. 195). No matter who ultimately develops the content of state curricular standards, teachers make daily lesson plans and choose activities and methods to implement those benchmarks to their students. Facilitators and support staff roles generally evolve to complement teacher directives. Parents and students play a key role in the process stage of curriculum development because they must learn and apply the objectives through their own methods and styles. Experts. Experts in the fields of development, technology, and evaluation make up the final component of curriculum development. Ideally, states use curriculum and instruction experts to develop a feasible curriculum that meets state and national guidelines. Technology has become increasingly important in not only making curricular goals assessable to all stakeholders but in allowing state agendas to serve as dynamic entities, providing flexibility as online, accessible documents. The role of evaluators is one of measuring progress and goal attainment within the curriculum, and also to convey those results to the professional and public communities. Good point The role of assessment has changed in recent years from one that measured content knowledge acquisition to the current focus on self-directed learning aptitude and understanding (McCormick Murphy, 2000). Despite what is being measured, however, the role of ongoing evaluation is vital to any curriculum development and implemen tation schedule. Regular assessment of student outcomes and staff support for directives allows state and local officials to address concerns early, before they become costly and time-consuming restraints. Responsibilities The responsibility of the educational leaders and stakeholders in curriculum vary depending on their role in the design process. Curriculum emerges from the attempt to match individual learning styles and interests with the type and amount of structure the individual needs to gain the knowledge, skills, and competencies associated with each goal of the specialization (Bruner, 2002). It is essential that each member of the team concentrates on the experience its members bring and on the skills they seek and need. Each person needs to be sensitive to the individual needs and the academic rigor that characterizes the curriculum and learning environment that encourages excellence by releasing the potential of its members instead of locking it in. The designs for curriculum decision-making that are put forward have only limited predictability. In this academic dimension, a student concentrates on analyzing and extending existing designs, and on internalizing a personal approach to curriculum decision-making. Priority is given to the advancement of existing knowledge and to the creation of new ways to view curriculum problems. Responsibilities include: Analyzing theoretical frameworks that underlie the methods used for curriculum development. Evaluating ideas of major theorists and their designs for developing curriculum. Developing skill in theory building. Identifying assumptions that guide various approaches to curriculum decision-making. Defining a specific meaning of curriculum in terms of its expressed, hidden, and emerging aspects. Interpreting associations between the historical development of the curriculum field and future priorities for curriculum improvement. Analyzing the impact of learning theories on curriculum development (Wiggins, McTighe, 1998) The educational leader has a responsibility of making the curriculum visible; academic skills and calculated risk are mixed with intuition and sensitivity and then applied to the task of writing an expressed curriculum (Buner, 2002). The development process demands the ability to translate ideas into actual decisions. The priority here becomes the integration of theory and practice. The site team must develop and apply their design(s) to specific school settings. Also, the curriculum developer perfects sensitivity to the values, contributions, and history of cultural groups typically neglected by conventional curricula (Billig, 2000). This dimension fosters skills for teaching others how to develop curriculum, and extends the concern of the curriculum worker into decisions that affect the hidden and ever emerging aspects of curriculum. The true leader knows that when they leave the curriculum design process and all other systems are still in tact. The organization should not fall ap art when they leave. That is the true test of leadership. That is when the leader knows they transformed the organization and left a legacy behind. To master skills for developing curriculum. The leader’s jobs include assessing individual, instructional, institutional, and societal needs. They must also develop and articulate specific departmental objectives for specific curricula (Wiggins, McTighe, 1998). They should monitor and screen selected objectives through examining various philosophies of education and learning theories. The leaders should also design instructional strategies and learning opportunities to implement formulated objectives. They have the responsibility of designing quantifiable evaluation procedures to measure student performance. Leaders should analyze the connections among curriculum, educational environment, and learning and design research based, effective curriculum materials (Wiggins, McTighe, 1998). They should then apply designs for curriculum development to actual writing of curriculum and consider leading others through the processes of curriculum development so to increase the effectiveness of school curriculum for meeting individual pupil needs. The ability to move theoretical ideas into curriculum practice demands knowledge about educational change, leadership behavior, and human relations (Billig, 2000). The responsibility of the leader is based on the emphasis that an evolution of a personal leadership style best suited to the individual and to the educational environment he or she works to improve. The leader should constantly evolve, grow, and learn ways to foster school reform, and to aid school personnel in finding desirable directions for change. Yes! To intervene appropriately in a classroom, school, or school system, curriculum leadership team needs to understand the process of planned educational change. Changes in the learning environment, unless carefully implemented and followed-up, seldom pass through the classroom door (Wiggins, McTighe, 1998). Because of the commitment to the process of planned change, students of curriculum studies develop a perspective of continual evaluation and improvement as a way of life for institutions and human beings. Over a period of time, a school, much like an individual, becomes characterized by certain modes of behavior which are like a personality. An organizational personality is infused with a system of values that reflects its history and the impact that various administrators, parents, teachers, and pupils have had on its development (Bruner, 2002). Effective analysis by educational leaders interested in improvement must include an understanding of past influences as well as current conditions of the school and compare various theories of educational change (Wiggins, McTighe, 1998). Professional Learning Community Leaders should form learning communities that identify their team’s leadership style collectively, analyze the influence of internal and external conditions on human behavior; identify the advantages and disadvantages of planned change, and develop procedures for diagnosing the constraining and facilitating forces existing in organizations (Diamond, 1998). They should constantly be proactive in identifying conditions in organizations that are hindering the learning process; and implementing strategies for involving teachers, parents, and pupils in curriculum decision-making. This is a great ideal, but how can the other stakeholders see that this can happen? Authority and Hierarchy In the realm of K-12 education, curriculum development usually becomes the responsibility of the school principal/director, leadership team, and community stakeholders. The leadership team could consist of various instructors across several disciplines within the school, leading teachers within the school, or even a combination of both. What must remain important is that all facets involved in curriculum development remain on one accord when developing curricula for the school. According to Marsh (2003), â€Å"If most schoolwide attempts at curriculum planning are to be successful, they require some form of involvement and commitment by the school principal. Numerous research studies point to the leadership of the principal as critical to constructive curriculum change in individual schools† (p. 207). The principal should provide the foundation for curriculum development and present the charge to the â€Å"curriculum team† or the educational faculty charged with develop ing the curriculum. Quoting studies by studies by Leithwood and Montgomery (1982), Leithwood and Stager (1989), Fullan (1988), and Heller and Firestone (1994), Marsh states that the goals that elementary school principals should pursue include the following: Principals should have a vision of what they want for their school in the years ahead. Principals should make their goals public to all concerned parties. They should ensure that their expectations are made known, particularly to teachers and to students. Principals should take action, directly or indirectly, to see that their goals are acted on and accomplished. Principals should develop and maintain good working relationships and a keen understanding of the work and progress of each teacher on their staff. (2003, p. 207) The principal, clearly, is responsible for the strength and continued welfare of the â€Å"curriculum team† and the team should rely on the principal for effective guidance and leadership. Teachers serving on the leadership team, charged with curriculum development, must strive to maintain the focus on the student. Diamond (1998), mentioned that a shift in the faculty role in the learning process has begun; the process should move from teacher-centered to learning-centered (p. 151). Teachers may tend to want the curriculum to suit their own needs. In shifting from teacher-centered education to learning-centered education, teachers must relinquish their â€Å"comfort zones† Is this a direct quote? Quotation marks should only be used for direct quotes with in-text citations. and perform in a manner that is more conducive to student learning. This can seem a daunting task for some teachers who have taught one way for an extended period. Truly progressive instructors, concerned about the educational welfare of their students will effect the changes, especially in the curriculum planning stage, in order to produce a more student-centered learning environment. Community stakeholders exhibit a vital role in curriculum development because the community stakeholders find themselves in a position to aid the school from an outside perspective. According to Marsh, Schools and districts are subject to curricular pressures from special interest groups both within the community and from further afield, especially over controversial issues that arise. Such issues might concern the inclusion of a particular book in a course or in the school library; the adoption of a new teaching method; or the introduction of curricular units dealing with sexuality, race, politics, or religion (2003, p. 206) Single space black quotes With this influence, community stakeholders wield tremendous influence over the ultimate decision on the direction of the curriculum (Billig, 2000). Parents as stakeholders possess ideas about what they deem appropriate for inclusion in the curriculum. The community wants to see the curriculum designed so that ultimately the students in the schools become interested in the industries within the general population. As a whole all entities exert influence in the development of the curriculum, but the ultimate goal must remain the effective education of all children within the school. Responsibility The responsibility of the educational leaders and stakeholders in curriculum vary depending on their role in the design process. Curriculum emerges from the attempt to match individual learning styles and interests with the type and amount of structure the individual needs to gain the knowledge, skills, and competencies associated with each goal of the specialization (Bruner, 2002). It is essential that each member of the team concentrates on the experience its members bring and on the skills they seek and need. Each person needs to be sensitive to the individual needs and to academic rigor that characterizes the curriculum and learning environment that encourages excellence by releasing the potential of its members instead of locking it in. The designs for curriculum decision-making that are put forward have only limited predictability. In this academic dimension, a student concentrates on analyzing and extending existing designs, and on internalizing a personal approach to curriculum decision-making. Priority is given to the advancement of existing knowledge and to the creation of new ways to view curriculum problems. Responsibilities include: Analyzing theoretical frameworks that underlie the methods used for curriculum development. Evaluating ideas of major theorists and their designs for developing curriculum. Developing skill in theory building. Identifying assumptions that guide various approaches to curriculum decision-making. Defining a specific meaning of curriculum in terms of its expressed, hidden, and emerging aspects. Interpreting associations between the historical development of the curriculum field and future priorities for curriculum improvement. Analyzing the impact of learning theories on curriculum development (Wiggins, McTighe, 1998). The educational leader has a responsibility of making the curriculum visible, academic skills and calculated risk are mixed with intuition and sensitivity and then applied to the task of writing an expressed curriculum (Bruner, 2002). The development process demands the ability to translate ideas into actual decisions. The priority here becomes the integration of theory and practice. The site team must develop and apply their design(s) to specific school settings. Also, the curriculum developer perfects sensitivity to the values, contributions, and history of cultural groups typically neglected by conventional curricula (Billig, 2000). This dimension fosters skills for teaching others how to develop curriculum, and extends the concern of the curriculum worker into decisions that affect the hidden and ever-emerging aspects of curriculum. The true leader knows that when they leave the curriculum design process, all other systems are still intact. The organization should not fall apart when they leave. That is the true test of leadership. That is when the leader knows they transformed the organization and left a legacy behind. The leader’s jobs include assessing individual, instructional, institutional, and societal needs. They must also develop and articulate specific departmental objectives for specific curricula (Wiggins, McTighe, 1998). They should monitor and screen selected objectives through examining various philosophies of education and learning theories. The leaders should also design instructional strategies and learning opportunities to implement formulated objectives. They have the responsibility of designing quantifiable evaluation procedures to measure student performance. Leaders should analyze the connections among curriculum, educational environment, and learning, then design research-based, effective curriculum materials (Wiggins, McTighe, 1998). They should then apply designs from curriculum development to the actual writing of curric ulum and consider leading others through the processe to increase the effectiveness of school curriculum for meeting individual pupil needs. These are excellent points, but can this be done in environments such as public education? The ability to move theoretical ideas into curriculum practice demands knowledge about educational change, leadership behavior, and human relations (Billig, 2000). The responsibility of the leader is based on the emphasis that an evolution of a personal leadership style best suited to the individual and to the educational environment he or she works to improve. The leader should constantly evolve, grow, and learn ways to foster school reform, and to aid school personnel in finding desirable directions for change. To intervene appropriately in a classroom, school, or school system, the curriculum leadership team needs to understand the process of planned educational change. Changes in the learning environment, unless carefully implemented and followed-up, seldom pass through the classroom door (Wiggins, McTighe, 1998). Because of the commitment to the process of planned change, students of curriculum studies develop a perspective of continual evaluation and improvement as a way of life for institutions and human beings. Over a period of time, a school, much like an individual, becomes characterized by certain modes of behavior which are like a personality. An organizational personality is infused with a system of values that reflects its history and the impact that various administrators, parents, teachers, and pupils have had on its development (Bruner, 2002). Effective analysis by educational leaders interested in improvement must include an understanding of past influences as well as current conditions of the school and compare various theories of educational change (Wiggins, McTighe, 1998). Professional Learning Community Leaders should form learning communities that identify their team’s leadership style collectively, analyze the influence of internal and external conditions on human behavior; identify the advantages and disadvantages of planned change, and develop procedures for diagnosing the constraining and facilitating forces existing in organizations (Diamond, 1998). They should constantly be proactive in identifying conditions in organizations that are hindering the learning process; and implementing strategies for involving teachers, parents, and pupils in curriculum decision-making. Conclusion Although many consider curriculum development to be somewhat akin to a black art, what has become clear throughout this paper is that it is anything but mysterious. What is a black art? It has been seen here that although proper curriculum cannot be developed without the careful input of experts, it also cannot be fully completed without the assistance of amateurs. Curriculum development is truly a team effort that functions best when all stakeholders in the process are fully included. Proper acceptance by the community in general is not possible if parents and students do not have a voice in the process. Experts may craft the technical aspects of the curriculum, but the community will test its feasibility. If the plan fails at any level of the process then the entire team must revisit the plan to determine why it failed. A strong team can move a curriculum development project with great speed and accuracy; a weak team effort will doom the overall process to failure. References Billig, S. (2000). The effects of service learning. The School Administrator, 5(7), 9-14. Bruner, J. (2002). The process of education. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press Diamond, R. M. (1998). Designing and assessing courses and curricula: A practical guide. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Marsh, C. J., Willis, G. (2003). Curriculum: Alternative approaches, ongoing issues (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. McCormick, R. Murphy, P. (2000). Curriculum: The case for a focus on learning. Routledge International Companion to Education, 204-234. Stark, J. S., Briggs, C. L., Rowland-Poplawski, J. (2002). Curriculum leadership roles of chairpersons in continuously planning departments. Research in Higher Education, 43(3), 329-356. Wiggins, G., McTighe, J. (1998). Understanding by design. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision Research Papers on Roles in Curriculum DevelopmentStandardized TestingThe Project Managment Office SystemOpen Architechture a white paperRiordan Manufacturing Production PlanInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeResearch Process Part OnePETSTEL analysis of India19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided Era

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