Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance

In 1985, Michael Porter published Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance. In this book, he described how organizations can achieve competitive advantage in their industries. Porter's focus in this book was not on an overall competitive strategy, but on what organizations needed to do on a daily basis to achieve results. As Porter (3) stated, â€Å"My aim is to build a bridge between strategy and implementation. † To create the link between the overall strategy of a firm and how that strategy could be achieved, Porter referred to value. As Porter (3) stated, â€Å"competitive advantage grows fundamentally out of value a firm is able to create for its buyers that exceeds the firm's cost of creating it. † This focus on value led to the concept of the value chain, which refers to the internal processes that occur as the organization creates its product or service. Value chain management is not just a process that occurs within an organization. Instead, it is closely linked to the competitive environment. This means that value chain management takes into account the industry in which the organization operates. This is referred to as the industry value chain and describes how the industry overall adds value to the consumer. This is an important point because it means that value chain management does not just refer to the series of processes that occur within the organization. As an example, consider the case of Apple's Ipod. If creating value was only considered in the context of what happens within the organization, the focus might be purely on the manufacturing process. Apple might consider their value chain as a process where raw materials are converted to the product and where the product is distributed to the consumer. In terms of improving the value of their product, they might consider that saving on raw materials, decreasing production time, and improving distribution will help add value. The problem with this approach is that it does not identify the real value that consumers gain from the product. This real value is identified when the MP3 player industry is considered on a broader level. This broader view shows that value is added more by marketing than by manufacturing. Apple's value chain includes the major activities that instill value in the product. Marketing with the aim of gaining consumer support is one of the key ways to add value. It is this aspect that Apple competes against with the other organizations in the market. This illustrates that value chain management is a process of recognizing what activities add value to the organization and then focusing on these activities to gain competitive advantage. The aim is not to improve everything about the organization, but to improve the processes that will allow the organization to gain an advantage on the competition. Porter (39) also identified various generic factors that are part of an organization's value chain. These generic factors are: inbound logistics, operations, outbound logistics, marketing and sales, and service. Porter considered that these five areas add value to a firm. Porter (40) also identified several support factors. These support factors are: infrastructure of the organization, human resource management, technology, and procurement. Porter identified these generic factors as a general guideline for organizations, while noting that the industry's competitive factors determine what factors will comprise the value chain for a specific firm. For example, in the case of Apple's Ipod, sales and marketing would be a key factor and technology would also be a part of the value chain. In the case of an organization manufacturing and selling nails, sales and marketing is not likely to be a large part of the value chain. Instead, operations may be more important, with the aim being to manufacture the nails as cost effectively as possible so as to maximize profits. For any organization, value chain management is used to identify the key factors that add value in the industry and then to determine how to improve those key factors so as to become more competitive. Southwest Airlines is one organization that has successfully used value chain management to improve its performance. Southwest Airlines is recognized as a success in the airline industry not just because it is a successful company, but also because it made positive changes to the industry. It is generally considered as a pioneer. This success is linked, at least partially, to its use of value chain management. Pellet (53) describes Southwest Airlines as a company that found creative ways to make improvements, with these improvements especially related to reducing the downtime of aircraft, improving scheduling, and making maintenance more efficient. At the same time, Southwest Airlines needed to improve cost-effectiveness so it could offer a lower price to its customers, but still maximize profits. Southwest Airlines based its success on identifying the industry value chain. This included noting the key industry factors that determine success. With the key industry factors identified, Southwest Airlines was able to find creative ways of improving on these factors. One of the important points is that Southwest Airlines' strategy did not just involve copying what other airlines were doing. This was achieved because they were not comparing themselves to what others were doing. Instead, they were only focused on how they could improve. This allowed them to identify unique ways of doing things and this is how they managed to gain competitive advantage. Southwest Airlines' successes were enough to get them listed in Fortune magazine's â€Å"Top 100 Companies† list. In the magazine, it is noted that Southwest Airline won the Triple Crown award for Best Airline five times; a fact that shows their success is more than just financial (Moskowitz and Levering 148). Southwest Airline became the best in the industry. Their success shows how effective value chain management leads to competitive advantage. Finally, it is useful to consider how value chain management has changed since it was first introduced by Porter in 1985. One of the major changes is that computer software has become an important tool in the process. Computer software has been developed to identify problems and opportunities for improvement in the value chain. This is largely focused on the manufacturing process, but can also be applied to any process where efficiency is desired. Another significant trend is that the value chain is extended further, both upline and downline. For example, many organizations are considering the internal processes of their suppliers. The idea is that if the supplier improves their value chain, the organization that receives the output of the supplier also benefits. In addition, if the supplier can improve efficiency and reduce costs, the benefits can be passed on to the organization by lowering the price of raw materials. The same applies to considering upline organizations, such as distributors and retailers. This is creating an environment where organizations are demanding more from companies that provide them with any type of service. In turn, many companies are becoming less like suppliers and more like partners. This allows the organization to assist supplier companies, while also ensuring that they benefit from the improvements that suppliers make. This creates an environment where organizations are linked together by either formal or informal partnerships. In some cases, both organizations work together to determine how they can best assist each other. In other cases, organizations have contractual demands on their suppliers. In other cases, a formal partnership is in place. In all of these cases, the same trend is seen, with organizations recognizing that other companies are part of their value chain.

Richard Character analysis Essay

The film Little Miss Sunshine directed by Valerie Farris and Jonathon Dayton tells of the Hoover Family’s emotional and physical journey from New Mexico to Florida for the youngest member, Olive’s beauty pageant competition. The viewing audience is introduced to several characters in the beginning of the film and are able to see their development and change as the film progresses. Richard Hoover is the father of the dysfunctional Hoover family who shows an important change in values and viewpoint of life and people. He is introduced as a narrow-minded and arrogant character, however as a result of his emotional journey he encounters he is later viewed as a respectable family man after re-evaluating his own perspectives, and priorities in life. Richard shows the change in thinking and life philosophy, from narrow-minded to accepting of those around him and himself. In the beginning Richard is very concerned about his status, and lives off his definitions of losers and winners. â€Å"There are two types of people in this world, winners and losers.† This shows the extent of his narrow-mindedness as he does not acknowledge or understand that an individual could exhibit traits of both a winner and a loser, and that we should not be defined by a superficial title. The diner scene is a key scene in the beginning of the film that shows Richard’s narrow-mindedness through his black-and-white perspectives about the controversial issue of concern for one’s appearance throughout the pageant society. Richard shows a clear bias towards those thinner through his words of â€Å"fat†¦or nice and skinny.† He is portrayed as a dislikeable character in the beginning scenes of the film. However, when faces with the difficulty of Olive’s eccentric character that does not fit in with the strict expectations of competitors in the beauty pageant, Richard accepts that fact although society may not condone or view Olive as the ‘winner’ of the pageant, Olive is still the ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ of their family and ultimately a winner. Through his consistent encouragement and support whilst Olive is performing on stage, we are able to see the newfound acceptance and appreciation he demonstrates. He exhibits the attributes of a supportive and caring father, who is able to accept Olive for who she really is. From this,  we see the change of Richard from a narrow-minded and careless character to an accepting and supportive father. Richard began as a character that was extremely conscious and perhaps uptight about pleasing society and upholding the law, however he develops into a character that is willing to break rules to meet the means of the situation at hand. When faced with a dangerous situation of getting pulled over by a police officer. Richard acts very cautiously, not wanting to displease the officer or raise suspicion for their potential crime. â€Å"Everyone pretend to be normal.† is a quote said by Richard, showing his need to please society and ‘acting normal’ when clearly they are a very unique, dysfunctional family of characters far from normal. We see his priority of upholding the standards of society and pleasing people. However, from this we can see his self-consciousness and uptight character displayed in the film. Later as the film progresses, Richard is able to develop into a character that is unafraid to break the rules at times to fulfil an ambition or goal. With the H oover family running late to the pageant venue, Richard is sent o make the abrupt decision of â€Å"I’m not going back!† and potentially puts his family at risk. He bypasses the chained gateways and parking barriers in order to fit the means of the situation and arrive on time through this shortcut. He is decisive in leading his family to the objective and now willing to bend rules, though he would have been reluctant to do so previously. Through this we are able to see the change in Richard’s behaviour and actions, as he is able to quickly assess the situation, be decisive and less uptight. Another significant change Richard demonstrates is the change in his priorities, where he begins as a selfish man with no regard for those around him including his family. He changes into a father wiling to sacrifice his pride, for the sake of his daughter’s potential happiness. In the beginning scenes of the film, we are able to see Richard’s selfishness as he hastily listens to the family’s voicemail machine recordings and dismisses all information irrelevant to himself. When talking on the phone about a business matter he te lls those around him to remain silent for him. His only shows concern for himself. We are able to see that he doesn’t tend to prioritise family above his personal matters, and displays his selfishness through this action. However, as the film progresses he becomes more  selfless and willing to sacrifice his pride to beg for Olive’s chance to compete in the pageant. As he gets down on his knees and begs â€Å"You don’t know what we’ve been through.† for a chance, we see the vulnerability and selflessness in Richard which contrasts greatly with his character in the beginning scenes. He changes into a more selfless character, with the newfound sense of what his priorities truly are, as he puts the happiness of Olive before his own pride. The character of Richard Hoover in Little Miss Sunshine displays a significant change in philosophy, attitude, priorities and behaviour through the contrasting in character in the beginning and end of the film. He is introduced and developed into a dislikeable character due to his selfishness, close-mindedness, uptight and need to please society’s expectations of people. However, he develops and changes into a selfless, accepting father with his family as a higher priority in his life. The happiness he receives and gives to those around him due to his change in perspectives and character show us the importance of discontinuing a life centred around ourselves. He demonstrates the change one goes through in behaviour, thinking, and actions when able to prioritise others before oneself.

Deforestation In the amazon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Deforestation In the amazon - Essay Example Agriculture is major factor influencing deforestation in the Amazon as individuals consider it a necessity for life to prosper on the planet. Before, age the Amazon rainforest was protected because individuals were hunters and gatherers hence did not venture into farming. However, changing times has forced individuals and the government to make unwise concession to allow the food growth into the region is a main source of rainfall. Allowing food growth to sustain life does not mean that major sites like the Amazon rain forest should be destroyed. Unfortunately that has been reason behind the deforestation activities going on around the Amazon. The rainforest is slowly being lost as the land in which it is based is being cleared by individuals to enable them practice agriculture in the region. Different land clearing techniques which care harmful to the environment and to the rainforest like slush and burn have been adopted by individuals and are used in clearing the Amazon forest (Ca mpari 2). The slash and burn technique is a cheap way of clearing land in preparation for agricultural activities. Individuals living around the Amazon use it to cut down trees and clear bushes before setting fire on the area to get rid of the cut and cleared trees and bushes. It is also an efficient way which has been proved to be cause of the deforestation in the Amazon as very little costs is associated with accomplishing the tasks. In addition, the situation is further aggravated by the lack proper techniques for farming leading to a speedy desert formation in the Amazon area which for centuries has been considered to be full of fauna and flora life (Campari 83). Moreover, over the last year, the Amazon rainforest experienced an increased rate of forest fires caused by the slush and burn used by the locals in the region. Additionally, individuals keeping cattle have also

The advantages and disadvantages of MoneyGuidepro Essay

The advantages and disadvantages of MoneyGuidepro - Essay Example Financial planning computer software such as the MoneyGuidepro have gained widespread popularity in the recent past (Drucker & Bruckenstein, 2003). The program has many benefits for financial planners and their clients. For instance, the software facilitates timely completion of financial planning. In essence, the software aids in saving the time spent on analyzing financial reports from various sources such as the financial statements and cash flow statements, thereby, easing financial planning procedures. In this regard, the financial planner can develop multiple plans simultaneously since the information required is configured in one location. The software has outstanding capability to handle complex financial planning problems faster and easier compared to manual planning. Multi-tasking With financial computer planning software, it is possible to perform many task at the same time. For instance, the MoneyGuidepro software facilitates calculations of various variables on the same page. In essence, the software supports combination of various problems on one platform and solving them simultaneously. In addition planning for activities such as retirement, college studies, asset allocation and estate planning is done more conveniently than using manual methods for financial planning (Updegrave, 2013). In essence, the software provides alternative solutions for the financial planner and the client in the planning process.

Philosophy of Mind Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Philosophy of Mind - Essay Example It is this gap, according to Searle that makes individuals believe that they have the freedom of will. In his observation therefore, whether free will exists or not is a question that is open but the idea that it may be absent is more appealing given that it makes the feeling that freedom does really exist a secondary phenomenon (Searle, p.32). Free will is the apparent ability of agents to make their own choices from several kinds of constrains. Generally, these constraints have always been metaphysical. The test of free will has always been the question as to whether in choosing to do something; an individual would have chosen another option. Chances are holding everything constant, including the will, the choice would probably be the same. The issue that surrounds this concept is two sided. The concept of being free is normally free. It depends on what a person is free to do, or is free from. With an additional concept of constraint and ability, free develops the idea that it coul d only apply in a given context. Therefore, absolute freedom from everything or to do everything denies the concept of having an identity. This applies to all the abilities that an agent possesses. Consequently, the choices we make are obvious not totally free from such things as the knowledge we have, the values we hold or the perceptions of the environment and ourselves. Therefore, in order for free will to exist, is should not be considered by eliminating the influences of such factors but in reviewing the choices that one can ably make; as there is no freedom from these influences. On the other hand, determinism is the concept that the events that occur within a give paradigm are bound by a cause in a way that every state is to some extent determined by previous states. In physics, this principle is often referred to as the cause-and-effect principle. In philosophy, the term explains the concept that in every event including even those that involve human beings are usually deter mined by other events. This is often contrasted with free will. Proposers of determinism believe that any system that is determined is governed fully by the causal laws. Because of this concept, there could only be one option at every point in the system. The opposing positions that have created this debate come from the claim that determinism is false and for that reason, free will does exist, or there is a possibility of it existing on one hand; and those that claim that determinism is true and therefore free will cannot exist on the other. This debate is what gave birth to the concept of compatibilism. Compatibilism is the belief that determinism and free will are two compatible ideas and therefore, there is a possibility of believing in both without actually being inconsistent logically. Generally, those who propose this idea define free will in such a manner that it allows it to exist together with the idea of determinism. Under this concept therefore, free will is taken to mea n more or less the freedom to act according to the determined motives of an individual. According to Searle, the conscious, voluntary decision making aspects of the brain or the mind are not deterministic. As stated above, the fundamental feature that is involved is the perceivable presence of a gap that occurs when one deliberates on what action to take between the cause at every stage and the stage at which the decision and the action occur.

Philip Morris USA v. Williams. Brief facts Case Study

Philip Morris USA v. Williams. Brief facts - Case Study Example At initial trial the jury awarded her $821,485.50 as compensatory damages and $79.5 million as punitive damages in the case. However, the trial court on an appeal reduced the amounts to $521,485.50 and $32 million respectively. On an reverse appeal the Oregon Court of Appeals reversed the trial courts decision and upheld the earlier amount awarded by the jury as compensation. The Supreme Court of United States granted certiorari in the case, vacated the Court of Appeals judgment and sent back the case to the same court of appeal to reconsider the amount of punitive damages awarded in the case. In particular Supreme Court referring to the due process clause of the fourteenth amendment declined to grant punitive damages to individuals who were not part of litigation. In a third appeal before the Supreme Court by Philips Morris the court remanded the case back for re-trial. The basic issues before the jury, trial court, court of appeal and the supreme court were varied. The Court had to decide that if compensatory and punitive damages are made out in the case and if they are maintainable and to be awarded then to what extent. Ans. The basic jurisdiction in this lied till the Court of Appeal in the state of Oregon. ... Ans. The case had been in the litigation process for ten years. 3. What is jurisdiction in relation to this case Ans. The basic jurisdiction in this lied till the Court of Appeal in the state of Oregon. The deceased and the plaintiff belonged to that state. After that on further appeal and review petitions the case was tried by the Supreme Court of United States. 4. What is the relationship between the court system, litigation process, and jurisdiction Ans. There is a threefold relationship between the court system, litigation process and jurisdiction. If we take the example of the present case then we see that the deceased and the Plaintiff(his wife) lived in the State of Oregon, so the jurisdiction of the district court lied in there case. Jurisdiction is of three types. Personal, Territorial and Subject matter. In this case the territorial jurisdiction was made out. The Court system is divided according to the jurisdiction of a State. First it's the trial Court of the State, then the Court of Appeal and further it can also be Supreme Court. The litigation process is said to be started from the trial Court and can go up to Supreme Court till the final decision has not been arrived at. References www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/03/AR2008120303377.html

Construction Health & Safety Policy at Work Act 1974 Essay - 1

Construction Health & Safety Policy at Work Act 1974 - Essay Example The Act defines the general duties which employers have towards employees, members of the public, employees have to themselves and to each other. In general terms it can be defined as â€Å"It is the responsibility of employer to ensure the health and safety of employees along with welfare at all stages of employment†. The Act with 28 main sections came into force in 1975 with the purpose to bring all the workers of all occupations under the cover of legislation. The revision of the law and new regulations paved way for more comprehensive understanding and implementation of legislation with the passage of time. Mainly most of the legislation in this regard is done through the regulations instead of through parliament. European Six pack The commonly known six pack regulations on health and safety is group of regulations which were introduced in Europe on January 1993.The inspiration to develop such legislation was to harmonize the health and safety law throughout the Europe und er the frame work directive. These regulations put into practice various European directions on health and safety issues and also elucidate how employers must fulfill with their duties under the Health and Safety at Work Act (HASAWA) 1974. ... The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 6. The Workplace Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations Approved Codes of Practice (AcoPs) The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations and the Workplace Health and Safety and Welfare Regulations mentioned above have Approved Codes of Practice (AcoPs). These have been approved by the Health and Safety Commission and give useful recommendations on what should be done to fulfill the requirement of the law. While employers and others do not have to follow AcoPs needs to prove that their alternative arrangements ensure same or better standards of health and safety. The salient aspects of each regulation are briefly discussed in subse quent paragraphs. 1. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations These regulations contains duties of employers, self employed workers and employees. The rights of trade unions safety representatives are also elucidated in these regulations. The employer duties encompasses on assessment of risk for the safety of workers, arrangements for implementation of health and safety measures, facilitate in compliance of safety measures by effective means, ensure emergency procedures, adequate training/instructions of employees and sharing of work place. The employees’ duties elaborate the use of equipment and substance in accordance with training, reporting of matters and shortcoming in health and safety issues. The trade union safety representative duties mainly focus on consulting the employer on measures for safety and health of workers.

Firewalls and DMZ Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Firewalls and DMZ - Assignment Example Benefits and Limitations of Firewalls There are several advantages of implementing firewalls at the personal level. A firewall based personal security system comprises hardware and/or software that stop an illegal attempts to use data, information, and storage media on a network (Shelly, Cashman, & Vermaat, 2005, p. 574). In addition, a personal firewall is a utility program that perceives and secures a personal computer and its information from illegal access. Personal firewalls continuously check all the inside and outside communications to the computer and notify of any effort of illegal access. Also, Microsoft's operating systems, for instance, Windows XP, incorporate a personal firewall (Shelly, Cashman, Vermaat, Cashman, & Vermaat, 2004, p. 574). Obviously, a firewall itself must be protected and attack proof, if not its capacity to protect links can be diminished. The implementation of firewalls provides several advantages to the organizations. In an organization, a firewall i s a computer or router that is located between the trusted and un-trusted computers (Silberschatz, Galvin, & Gagne, 2004, p. 692). It confines the network use between the two security domains, and checks and logs all links. Also, it can confine links based on starting place and target location, source or targeted port, or way of the link. For example, web servers utilize ‘http’ to carry out communication with web browsers. A firewall as a result may permit only http get ahead of, from all hosts external to the firewall simply to the web server inside the firewall (Silberschatz, Gagne, & Galvin, 2004, p. 672). Although, the use of firewalls provides help against security threats, but it is not helpful in all the situations. For instance, a firewall is not useful for the threats that are channeling based or go inside protocols or links that the firewall permits (Ioannidis, Keromytis, Bellovin, & Smith, 2000). Additionally, in case of the firewall installation on a persona l computer the speed of processing goes really down that makes the overall processing more problematic and performance slows down because the content of the data and information traffic is checked and confirmed by the firewall. Also, the longer response time in case of web based working and data retrieval. Sometime firewalls are not able to protect computer from internal sabotage inside a network or from permitting other users to right of entry to your PC. Moreover ,Firewalls sometimes present weak protection against viruses' consequently, antiviral software as well as an intrusion detection system or IDS that defends beside port scans and Trojans should as well complement our firewall in the layering protection (Wack, Cutler, & Pole, 2002; Thames, Abler, & Keeling, 2008). The utilization of firewalls in the organizations is not useful in all the situations. For instance, in an organization's business data buffer-overflow threat or attack to a web server cannot be dealt by the firew all for the reason that the http link is permitted; it is basically the contents of the http link that address the attack (Silberschatz, Galvin, & Gagne, 2004, p. 673). Also, denial of service attacks in an organizational structure are

Starbucks coffee and dunkin donuts Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Starbucks coffee and dunkin donuts - Case Study Example Opportunities: Due to its global recognition, Starbucks has the opportunity to expand their international market in order to reimburse for any diminish in the US market share. They als have a great opportunity of product diversification The company has a strong branding strategy that makes their presence felt wherever they are located. In addition, to protect them from negative trend cycles, they are in the process of diversifying their specialties into baking and fresh fruit juice. The company is also an American based company, which, since its founding in 1950 has developed to be one of the principal coffee products chain in the world over with a total of 15,000 outlets in 37 different countries. Over time the chain has developed to include and serve over 1,000 items on their menu. The company’s primary competition over coffee sales is Starbucks coffee company. Strengths: The Company has a very strong name that has been established worldwide. This has created a strong brand loyalty among the customers. In addition, the business has a wide assortment of pastry from which the customers can chose from. Further, the quality services provided to customers and their retention strategies are a key strongpoint. Opportunity: The Company has a huge opportunity to increase its revenue and customer base through effective online marketing. There is also great room for expansion into newer economies and regions of the world which they have not tapped into. In addition, there’s an opportunity to diversify by introducing low calorie snacks. The company’s strategy is sort of a different approach from the norm. Instead of putting emphasis on the product and the menu, the firms aim to achieve full customer satisfaction by provision of quality service and the introduction of strategies that facilitate customer

Organizations Essay Example for Free

Organizations Essay An organization can be defined as a group of persons or individuals that unite to perform a common task. Each individual within an organization usually has a relatively well-defined job description, so that the group is â€Å"organized† in a way that will ensure that all tasks necessary for the completion of the goal will be covered. Organizational behavior involves applying the behavioral theory of how persons act within groups to the practice of working within organizations. It is the practical application of research done in such disciplines as psychology. The approach taken in organizational behavior is known as â€Å"systems† through which relationships are probed and defined according to the level of organization and the types of individuals that make them up. The human side of organization is directly related to organizational behavior, as it acknowledges the factors such as personality and behavior that may cause different types of managerial strategies to be employed. The personality of the manager may cause him or her to display a certain type of leadership style, while the personalities of employees may make it necessary for the manager to display a different style. Because an organization is made up of humans, it is practically impossible to separate it from the behaviors that are common to humans. Work is an important part of human life. Because people spend so much energy preparing and educating themselves for the jobs they perform, work tends to define the individual. Also, a large portion of any person’s day is spent doing the work from which they derive monetary and other resources. Therefore, work is more than just a means of earning money. It is also a method of channeling one’s creativity and can be the area in which one offers a unique gift to mankind. I, for example, take inventory for a copier company and I enjoy it because it allows the staff of the company to remain organized. My job is also necessary as it allows the managers and owners to have tangible evidence of the company’s health by gauging the speed at which the stock leaves the shelves and goes into the hands of consumers. Finally, it is a fulfilling job because I am able to make sure that customers are satisfied when all the goods they need are there on the shelves. Reference http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadob.html

Reflective Practice In Pastoral Ministry Education Essay

Reflective Practice In Pastoral Ministry Education Essay The focus of this paper is reflective practice, which is the ability of individuals to learn from critically analysing events and experiences that they encounter in their daily lives besides the values and theories that support those activities. This is employed in various professionals such as in teaching, nursing, environmentalists among other professionals as a supplement for formal professional learning. In this study, reflective practice will be examined from a pastoral point of view. The term reflective practice will be examined with reference to its definition, the various types of reflective practice that exist and the models of reflective practice that are in use today. Additionally, reflective practice will be analysed from a pastoral point of view whereby the various ways in which it can be used in Christian ministry will be explored as well as the ways in which it has enabled the writer of this paper to develop or change their public relations as far as the ministry is concerned. Finally, the role of reflective practice in the learning experience of the writer will be examined. 2.Reflective practice 1)Definition Reflective practice is one of the core characteristics in professions such as education, health, environmental management and theology among others and usually refers to the ability of an individual to reflect on actions or acts in a way that facilitates further learning for the individual. This usually involves paying special attention to the activities of everyday life with special reference to the values and theirs that are the basis for these actions. Reflective learning encourages practice-based professional learning whereby individuals are able to learn from their experiences as opposed to formal and structured teaching. The term reflective practice is composed of two words; reflection and practice whereby the term reflection means to critically and accurately evaluate an item, an individual or a situation while experiencing them or after one has encountered them. Practice on the other hand refers to learning or mastery through repetition. Reflective practice has been defined by Moon as a set of abilities and skills, to indicate the taking of a critical stance, an orientation to problem solving or state of mind whereas Cowan has defined reflective thinking as the situation when they analyse or evaluate one or more personal experiences and attempt to generalise that from thinking. Biggs on the other hand defined reflective thinking as a reflection in a mirror is an exact replica of what is in front of it. Reflection in professional practice, however, gives back not what it is, but what might be an improvement of the original . In conclusion therefore, the process of reflective learning may be thought of as a process through which individuals critically evaluate their actions, thoughts and experiences and through this critical appraisal, are able to experience autonomous learning. The connection between knowledge and practice is further facilitated by the availability of an experienced professional within the discipline, in this case theology and pastoral ministry. In laymans terms, the practices and strategies for reflective practice includes questioning the manner in which one carries out various activities and comparing it to the manner in which others carry out the same activities; the search for alternatives in the course of accomplishing the same activities; comparing and contrasting; keeping an open mind; looking for the framework, theoretical basis and underlying rationale for those activities; viewing from various perspectives by asking for the viewpoints of others; consideration of the consequence s; hypothesising, testing, seeking, identifying and resolving problems . 2)Advantages of practice reflective Reflective practice in pastoral ministry is associated with a higher understanding for the minister of his or her own style in the course of ministry besides validation of his or her own ideas, beneficial challenges to traditional approaches, recognition of the role of ministry in society and the respect for diversity in the course of applying theories in practice . 3.Types Of Reflective Practice 1)Content Reflection This refers to the recounting of something that happened by the practitioner who in this case is the minister . This may be the outright description of a situation or of a problem such as Mr. Stan did not tell me anything that may have been troubling him in spite of the fact that I reassured him that I was ready to listen and despite his revelation that his family was unreceptive to him 2)Process Reflection This is where a practitioner the process that was involved in the happening of an event such as as I narrated in the encounter with Mr. Stan what my purpose was, then I began to carry out an intense physical assessment. I asked again about any concerns once in the middle of taking temperature, and did not mention it again. Mr. Stan failed to make eye contact when he said everything was ok. 3)Premise Reflection Premise reflection is where a problem, issue or situation is evaluated with the view of understanding why it happened or occurred. For example I wonder why he failed to respond to my questions. How come I didnt notice and respond to his body language then? Why did I not feel comfortable digging a little more? Did I ask about her problems too early in the interview and too often again when in the middle of the task? Was I comfortable? What should I do differently in a future situation? Do I feel comfortable acting differently in the future? What would assist me in the future? 4)Action Reflection This is also known as reflection on action and is used to refer to the reflection of actions, activities and events that happened in the past and may involve documentation of those past events and experiences and may be referred to as Schons model of reflection. 5)Critical Reflection Critical reflection is the process of analysing, reconsidering, and questioning experiences within a broad context of issues and can be broken down into various dimensions for the purposes of addressing various activities besides various levels of reflection. The first, second and third dimensions constitute the ordinary process of reflection whereas the fourth dimension constitutes the core of critical reflection. The first dimension involves critical observation for the purposes of understanding the issues in a deep and accurate way through the use of frameworks such as past experiences. The second dimension involves an exhaustive description of what has been observed whereas the third dimension involves the making of the meaning of what has been described. Finally, the fourth dimension refers to the addition of breadth and depth to the issue through asking questions about and relating meanings to a variety of professional and personal issues. 6)Reflection In Action Reflection in action refers to the reflection of an individual on action while in the course of carrying out the action. This is manifested in constant thinking throughout the duration of the action and is referred to as knowing in action, thinking on your feet and keeping your wits about you besides learning by doing as described by Schon. 4.Models Of Reflective Practice The purpose of these models is to enable professionals to draw lessons out of experiences in the course of enabling professionals to develop independence and to create a continuous, life long, learning experience. 1)Argyris and Schon 1978 In 1978, Argyris and Schon proposed the single loop and the double loop models of reflective practice on the basis of the identification and correction of an error, fault or mistake. Single loop learning is where the individual continues to rely on the old procedures in spite of the identification and resolution of a problem whereas double loop learning is where upon the identification and resolution of a problem, new procedures are adopted and in case the same problem appears again, a new solution is found. Later, Schon brought up the idea of reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action whereby the former may be defined as thinking on their feet and the latter may be described as felt knowing. The idea behind these two concepts is that in the course of any practice, a professional normally experiences feeling, emotions and thoughts that are derived from a similar past experience and which enables them to face the situation at hand directly. 2)Kolb 1984 This model was heavily influenced by the works of Dewey and Piaget in the 1970s and besides focussing on experimental learning, is centred on the change of information into knowledge. This occurs when an event has already come to pass and involves the reflection of the individual on the experience in order to gain understanding and insight of the concepts, which are then transferred into a new situation. Thus, knowledge obtained from a specific situation is constantly and regularly utilised and builds on an individuals experience and knowledge . 3)Gibbs 1988 This is an improvement of Kolbs experimental learning cycle whereby structured debriefing is used as a way of enabling reflection. The stages of a full structured debriefing in order are: the initial experience, the description of the experience, the description of the feelings that an individual encountered, the valuation of the experience, an analysis of the experience, the general conclusions that an individual makes from the experience and analysis, the specific conclusion and the personal action plans in case a similar situation is encountered in future. These steps are also known as the Gibbs model of reflection or the Gibbs reflective cycle and are summarised as: description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, and conclusion and action plan. 4)Johns 1995 This is a structured model of reflection that consists of a guide for individuals to gain higher understanding and is designed to include the participation of a colleague or a mentor, who facilitates faster transformation of the experience to learnt knowledge. This model is based on the earlier works of Carper and puts emphasis on the ability of a professional to access, understand and put into practice information gathered empirically through looking in on ones thoughts and emotions and looking out at the events that took place. This model includes Carpers four patterns of knowing which are: empirical, personal, ethical and aesthetic and reflexive. 5)Rolfe 2001 The basis of this model is Bortons developmental model of 1970 and involves a simplistic cycle consisting of three questions that a professional asks. These are: what, so what and what next. This enables an individual to describe a situation accurately, which further enables scrutiny of the situation and construction of knowledge that was learnt through the experience. After this, the various ways and methods in which one may improve as well as the results of ones response to the situation are evaluated . 6)Bauds model Bauds model places emphasis on the feelings and emotions of an individual besides being cyclical. This model recommends a critical analysis of an experience or an event with reference to the emotions or feelings that were experienced in the course of the event or after the event and application of the lessons that were learnt from this experience. 7)Greenaway 3-stage Model This model is based on three activities that are performed in cyclical progression. These are plan, followed by do, which is followed by review and so on. It is suggested that this model is closely related to the Gibbs model of reflective practice. 5.Use Of Reflective Practice In Christian Ministry The role of reflective practice in Christian ministry and Pastoral work cannot be overemphasised. This is especially so taking into consideration that ministry involves the delivery of the word of a perfect God, through an imperfect individual to other imperfect individuals with the aim of bringing them close and closer and closer to the fold. Additionally, Christian ministry is much more than preaching and one of its other components is to set a good example to the congregation and thus the need for reflective practice among the Christian ministers. 1)Reflective Practice in Church Ministry Leadership To begin with, reflective practice is important for a pastoral minister to accomplish his or her leadership role within a ministry. The leadership of any ministry is important in the achievement of the goals and objectives of that particular community in addition to influencing their congregations to view and value these in the same way. The role of leadership demands certain behaviours from the Christian minister and hence the minister needs to constantly reflect on his or her behaviour and adopt behaviour and actions that will serve as an example to the community. This would enable the attainment of goals and objectives besides steering the congregation to greater heights . 2) Reflective Practice in Prayer and Instruction Reflective practice may be used by the ministers to encourage congregation to reflect on their thoughts, experiences and events with reference to Biblical teachings as well as prayer as a way of encouraging them to live lives that are more godly. This may also be used by the ministers themselves as well in striving to live lives that are more godly. 3)Reflective Practice in Improving the Running of the Churchs Affairs. In the course of management of the affairs of the church, not everything that the minister comes across will have been taught in class and it is prudent for him or her to come up with ways of handling such situations. Additionally, the minister may find that some of the management that he or she may have learnt in the classroom are not so practical in some situations and it is in such times when reflective practice should be used to invent more olutions to management problems. 6.Role Of Reflective Practice In The Course Of Learning 1) Reflective Practice in Time Management In the course of learning, reflective practice has come in handy especially in the course of time management. By looking at past events and experiences, I have learnt how to plan ahead for activities, how to prioritise activities and the importance of allocating time both for working and for relaxation purposes. Unlike in the past, I am now able to meet my obligations and the stress that comes with undone work has dramatically reduced in my life. Consequently, in spite of fulfilling my responsibilities, I am able to engage in activities that I like. 2 )Reflective Learning in Accommodating Others Accommodation of others has been a challenge all along in my life and more so in the course of Christian ministry studies as a result of the diverse viewpoints that are held by my fellow students. However, by reflecting past instances of my intolerance towards the opinion of others, I was persuaded to try and accommodate the feelings of others. This turned out to be worthwhile as I learnt that it is important to accept the views and opinions of others no matter how offensive they are to me, since I realised that people like being listened to and understood even if not necessarily agreed with. This, I have learnt is perfect for harmonious living and coexistence even with my classmates. 3)Reflective Practice and Challenges at Work and in personal life Reflective practice has been instrumental in assisting me to deal with challenges at work and at home. In the past, difficulties and work would spill over when I got home and difficulties I experienced at home would affect my work. As a result of reflecting on these situations, I learnt that there is a time and place for everything and that what happens at home should not affect what happens at work and what happens at work should not impact my life away from work. This has enabled me to find fulfilment at home and at work in spite of whatever difficulties I may be experiencing. This has made me more effective in my work and responsibilities. 7.Conclusion This paper has been centred on reflective practice within the context of pastoral ministry. To begin with, the definition of the term reflective practice has been defined in laymans terms but the definitions of various experts such as Moon, Cowan and Biggs have also been included. The advantages of the practice of reflective practice especially among pastoral ministers have also been mentioned besides the types of reflective practice. The types of reflective practice that have been discussed in this study are: content reflection, process reflection, premise reflection, action reflection, critical reflection and reflection on action. This paper also contains brief discussions on the various models of reflective practice that have been proposed by experts over the years which are: Argyris and Schon model of 1978, Kolb model of 1984, Gibbs model of 1988, Johns model of 1995, and Rolfes model of 2001. Additionally, the importance of reflective practice in Christian ministry has been expl ored and in this case, its role in church leadership, prayer and instruction and in the running of the affairs of the church has all been discussed. The impact of reflective practice in my personal life has also been outlined with reference to its effects on the challenges that I encounter in my personal and professional life, in accommodating others, and in time management.

Essay --

Imagine yourself strapped upright in a chair, so tightly that you can move nothing, not even your head. A sort of pad grips your head from behind, forcing you to look straight in front of you. This place is bigger than most of the cells you had been in. But you hardly notice your surroundings. All you notice is that there are two small tables straight in front of you, each covered with green baize. One is only a meter or two from you; the other is further away, near the door. For a moment you're alone; then the door opens and I come in. You asked me once what's in Room 101. I told you that you knew the answer already. Everyone knows it. The thing that's in Room 101 is the worst thing in the world. The door opens again. A guard comes in, carrying something made of wire, a box or basket of some kind. He sets it down on the further table. Because of the position in which I'm standing, you can't see what the thing is. The worst thing in the world varies from individual to individual. It may be burial alive, or death by fire, or by drowning, or by impalement, or fifty other deaths. There are cases where it's some quite trivial thing, not even fatal. You move a little to one side, so that you have a better view of the thing on the table. It's an oblong wire cage with a handle on top for carrying it by. Fixed to the front of it is something that looked like a fencing mask, with the concave side outwards. Although it is three or four meters away from you, you could see that the cage is divided lengthways into two compartments, and that there's some kind of creature in each. They're scorpions. In your case, the worst thing in the world happens to be deathstalker scorpions. A sort of premonitory tremor, a fear of you're not certain what, ha... ...ck panic takes hold of you. You're blind, helpless, mindless. [As didactically as ever:] It was a common punishment in ancient Persia. The mask is closing on your face. The wire brushes your cheek. And then -- no, it's not relief, only hope, a tiny fragment of hope. You're falling backwards, into enormous depths, away from the scorpions. You're still strapped in the chair, but you'd fallen through the floor, through the walls of the building, through the earth, through the oceans, through the atmosphere, into outer space, into the gulfs between the stars -- always away, away, away from the scorpions. You're light-years distant, but I'm still standing at your side. There's still the cold touch of wire against your cheek. But through the darkness that envelopes you, you hear another metallic click, and know that the cage door had clicked shut and not open. Wake up now.

Translations Essay -- Literary Analysis, Brian Friel

Shakespeare once wrote, â€Å"What’s in a name? That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet.† I would have to disagree with Juliet’s assertion that a name is a meaningless convention, and I think Brian Friel would as well. It is a concept addressed in his play Translations, set at a time of change for his native Ireland, when the country itself is on the cusp of submission to the imperialism of England. Two significant colonial events are taking place: the implementation of the National School System which replaced locally-run hedge schools like the one in which the play is set, as well as the remapping of Ireland and anglicising of place names by the British. To translate something means to change it from one condition to another, or adapt it from one system or language into another; indeed this metaphor can be applied to this play but also to Irish history. In this paper I will discuss this play as an examination of language as a defining characteristic of a particular culture and its consequent power as a colonizing tool, the way language and communication can manifest themselves as positive or negative influences and how Friel exposes the violence, figurative and literal, suffered by the Irish people as a result of these translations. The English colonizers are using language in a negative capacity, as a vehicle to exert their power over Ireland. They claim that the renaming of places is being done â€Å"to advance the interests of Ireland,† (31), when in fact it is a step to eradicating the Gaelic language. While the English may not be enslaving the Irish or moving them all to reservations, as in the case of Canadian and American First Nations peoples, this is an example of a more subtle, but equally as damagin... ...slating a story (and struggling with the translation of it) that celebrates the triumphs of the Roman Empire, and written in Latin, the language of the conquering Romans. The irony of this final scene is that Translations is a play written by an Irish playwright, but written and performed in English, the language of Ireland’s conquerors. The message of Translations is simple: language is something much bigger than a way to communicate. Language is at the cornerstone of identity, whether it personal identity or that of an entire nation. To attempt to eradicate the language of a particular place is a crime against its character and legacy. Given Ireland’s unique colonial history and the challenges it still faces today in regards to the preservation of its culture and language, it is easy to see why this play has become such an important piece of Irish culture.

Reflecting on Developing Teaching Practice Essay

The word reflection has been used consistently throughout our first module and has been seen to be prerequisite of good teaching and development. Reflecting itself has been a very useful practice. Taking the time to observe and analyse, whilst using a detailed checklist has also enabled us to use this process correctly. I have found that there are patterns within my reflective log and an awareness of what is needed to change in terms of improvement in my teaching practice and how I implement that in a classroom. Phil Race (2014, p228), describes reflection as having the intention to improve by finding out what is going on in an element of learning. By considering what elements of learning I need to address through my ILP I can now adopt feedback and apply improvements for future teaching. Observing has also helped my reflection Donald Schà ¶n (1987 p121), talks of imitation through observation. He links the ideology of education to â€Å"thinking for one’s self† and th e draws upon the term â€Å"Copycat† as a negative expression. However, he goes on to say â€Å"Reflective imitation demands, on the contrary, a willingness to do as the studio master is doing and, at the same time reflect on what one does.† Therefore, by observing and imitating we take on the role of our mentor/teacher and at the same time our reflective practice allows us the freedom to explore our own avenues of teaching and the ability to adapt, improve and develop what doesn’t work for us and, what we believe we could do better. Although I appreciate Schà ¶n‘s models of reflection, I have found I have not yet had enough experience to draw from to â€Å"reflect in action† but I can still use that method where applicable and in future practice. I’m fond of (Gibbs, 1988) methods pictured below. Gibb allows for a description of what happened, an analysis and evaluation of my experiences. This not only helps me make sense of my experiences but also helps me to examine my own teaching practice. Gibbs is very similar to Schà ¶n’s model of reflection but seeks a little more from the reflective practitioner. Like Schà ¶n, it is about â€Å"reflection in action† but aligns further with â€Å"reflection on action.† Gibbs model considers taking action and using what you have learned and applying it to practice in the shape of an action plan so if the same situation were to arise again I would have the  capacity to reflect â€Å"in action.† Personally my own areas of development have been in confidence and time management. By using Gibbs model of reflection I have been able to analyse where I am going wrong. I recognize the value of what I am doing and actively reflect both descriptively and emotionally. As (Brunner, 1994) states the fusion of the inte llectual and the emotional must be present or there cannot be a true reflective practice. For example, in my own practice I have sometimes tried to cover too much ground in a lesson, that has made me worry about the time frame, in turn this has affected my confidence. By analysing both what happened, what I am feeling and then evaluating this, I am able to make sense of the situation and formulate an action plan. I can reduce the amount in my lesson plan but have an activity if the lesson finishes early. If it doesn’t it can be given for homework. This helps me in practical terms, but in addition will help me with any confidence and anxiety I may have regarding the time management. â€Å"Reflective thinking†¦ involves a state of doubt, hesitation, perplexity, mental difficulty†¦[Reflective] persons†¦ weigh, ponder, [and] deliberate†¦ a process of evaluating what occurs to them in order to decide upon its force and weight for their problem.† (Dewey, J, 1997) p9 Gibb echoes Dewey above in â€Å"How we think† and uses the same ideologies of praxis and then draws upon the application of this to the Pedagogy. I will say I have had difficulty selecting the right method for my reflective practice and have employed parts from all models. Steven Brookfield’s (1995) Four Lens Theory uses a different model of reflection that encourages an individual to look at the situation from different viewpoints in order to maintain pedagogical rectitude. This is a process that never stops (as are all forms of reflection), and it seems to be the one that works best for me at the present time, as it fits perfectly within the trainee teacher milieu. The first of the four lenses Self would be the foundation of my critical reflection. Perhaps looking at my own experiences as a learner/teacher and the period in between now and qualifying and beyond that. Taking into account the â€Å"paradigmatic assumptions and instinctive reasoning’s that frame how we work.† (Brookfield.S, 1995) p30. This moves into the realm of the Students eyes and my Peers. I can do this by observing and being observed as  well as the process of feedback and self-evaluation, (from both my peers and students). This will help me to reveal aspects of the pedagogy that I am strong with and reveal areas of weakness. I can then apply the Scholarship lens, which is something I am currently working on as a trainee. By looking into theoretical literature, I can expand the Epistemology of my subject specialism, the discourse and discursive practice in addition to the pedagogy and learn to put my assumptions and reasoning’s to one side. I am then able to approach reflection openly and un-defensively. Geoff Petty (2010) explains, if we attribute our problems to something that is out of our control, we are defensive and will not feel the need to change our own practices. However, we should not blame ourselves. Instead we should think about how the lesson could have been made to go well and apply these principles to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Something that I have found hard is planning my lessons as this has proved to be rather time consuming. Film, Photography and Media Studies all include a broad range of skills for the learner to ascertain. In addition to creative and theoretical input on my behalf I have to also think about the particular technical skills regarding technology that need to be addressed. Once this has been decided, I still need to know where to start and how to simplify the subject as well as the introduction to technology and software. This is to make sure the students at the level I am teaching can understand it. As Muffoletto (2001, p296) suggests; â€Å"educators need to be reflective, that is self-aware, engaged, and not passive in their relation to the discourse and practices relating to technology.† I know from experience in the classroom that I have to critically reflect on the idea of technology and software in order to keep up with the students that live in the ever-changing world. Just recently I was told I would be giving a class on Final Cut Pro X, an upgrade from the Final Cut Pro 7 that I had previously been familiar with. From previous lessons I have come to accept that some students may know more than I do about this software package, when I first went into the classroom I was very nervous about the students asking me questions and how I would find the answer for them as well as how I would deliver the lesson. At lunchtime I spoke to the teacher who teaches the class next door. He told me he too was not up to date, that it takes time to learn the new packages. â€Å"Use the students† he said, â€Å"they probably know more than us†. His comment made me  feel at ease, as when a question was asked about the software that I was unsure of I asked the class. â€Å"Does anyone know how to do this?† There was always one who put up there hand and volunteered and when a question that no one could answer regarding transition’s popped up, I gave the student something else to do, whilst I quickly browsed a two minute tutorial on Youtube and gave them the help they needed with my findings. (Reflecting In Action’) This may not have been the best idea, but on reflection I would probably still do the same. For me to ask the other teacher to explain would have taken almost the same amount of time if not more, (not to mention the focus being taken from his own class) and to make the student wait until the next lesson would be unnecessary, slowing down the progress of work. However, in hindsight I can â€Å"Reflect On Action† because looking back I should have explained the transition method to the re st of group, but I have made note of it now for my editing class. Delivering learning was one of my areas for development in regards to confidence and projection of my voice; I know from feedback that I sometimes focus the lesson too much on my own person and my delivery of the subject. As a new teacher I am very aware of the focus on me and it affects my confidence greatly. I found this especially hard for my micro teach in front of my peers and find I am very nervous in this environment, one it’s because I know they are observing me as a teacher, rather than following tasks as a student might and two they have a higher level of education, which makes me feel a little insecure. Reflecting on this has helped me look at it from their viewpoint and understand that we are all in a similar situation and all feel the same pressure. Taking the saying a ‘problem shared is a problem halved’ is true, given the benefit of hindsight I can look back and know that we were all nervous, so when it comes to a similar situation, (such as me knowing less than some of my students about a new software package) I can look at it from the perspective of Brookfield and not be afraid to seek answers from students and peers. In addition to this I have researched different methods of planning my lessons after receiving feedback suggesting I focus the attention on the class itself, instead of myself. I have looked into the perfect Ofsted Lesson In Moving English Forward, where we are told to simplify lesson plans and concentrate on important learning objectives. At the beginning of a lesson we are encouraged as educators to give the class a  starter activity to â€Å"stimulate curiosity and †¦prepare the brain for learning.’’ This is something that would take the focus from myself until I build my confidence. It also seems a good way to motivate learners and get them engaged with the subject before moving on to the more in depth, main body of a lesson. I have found a lack of motivation to be very prominent feature in the BTEC Media classes. The self-regulatory approach to the BTEC means that students have a coursework deadline to work to, for which they have a number of components to hand in. It is all too easy to give the student the work and hope that they complete it. I have found a lack of motivation in the BTEC Media classes and have found it hard to get students working towards handing in components of their work. In the lesson I try to give them positive feedback when they are doing well and provide them with areas of development. As a result they work hard to meet targets set for them. But giving them positive feedback in the classroom is not enough. It is one of the negatives of Skinner’s behaviourist’s theory. Since most of their practical work takes place in their own time, when they are out of the classroom in their own environment there is no positive reinforcement and so it doesn’t work. The same could be said for Photography. As when it comes to creating their own photographic projects, motivation is affected by â€Å"Judgement of their own abilities to complete a specific task† (Bandura,2003). The student’s self-efficacy is sometimes poor, which restrains a learner’s progress. I ask myself; Ho w do I motivate a learner outside of the classroom? What can I do to make them want to engage with their chosen subject beyond the space of the classroom? How do I impart the necessary time management skills and contingency planning that is needed for their coursework? The answer is I am still learning and reflecting on this, through theoretical research and observing other teacher’s work. There are very few video productions or photo-shoots that go seemingly without any problems and students have encountered problems out of their control such as the weather or lighting. The students with high self-efficacy will work harder and be more persistent when trying to overcome obstacles. It is when motivating the students with lower self-efficacy when it becomes hard for me, as I do not yet have the experience. For this I have again taken the Brookfield’s  approach and asked my peers how they do it. I have learned that they use strategies and don’t leave the skills of self-regulation up to the learner to grasp for themselves. They find the student often struggles with regulating their own study and motivating themselves to study. They rely on the facilitation of metacognition by setting tasks within the learning material and assignments to hand in, so that the coursework is broken down into compartments of the learning material. By having clear aims of what is needed from them in a lesson and deadlines within the coursework deadline as a whole, they can assess learning and build the students skills, such as scheduling, budgeting, trouble-shooting, contingency planning where needed (weather problems etc) which also falls in with time management. Zimmerman (2011), suggest there are three successive phases pictured below. With vocational or self-regulated projects the students usually learn whilst doing a task. The cyclic phase is a continuous circle of self-monitoring, a lot like the lenses of reflection. To meet set targets the student needs to continually self-observe, self-evaluate and continually assess their aims to make sure they are achievable and if they are not, reflecting on that and finding ways to trouble-shoot where necessary. In addition the use of SMART targets can be applied so that they can be met for motivational purposes. These can be done in the lesson so they can learn from each other (imitation) to promote a positive ‘reciprocal determinism’ (Bandura,2003). It was a teacher that also suggested the Cyclic phase to me and explained that sometimes a lack of work does not mean the student is de-motivated, but instead they may be overwhelmed and does not know where to start. By helping them break down course work and compartmentalising it for the first year of a BTEC and supervising it yourself, you give them the necessary skills to do the same in their second year without supervision, thus building towards a high self-efficacy and motivation. With the support of the media studies teacher I have been able to observe how clear aims can be set out using a tick sheet. The more aims a student meets the more ticks they have next to their name on the projection monitor. This has helped when reinforcing targets within the lesson. After giving positive feedback a new list of aims are set and we can reach those who have fewer ticks to find what we can do to facilitate them. On a short note; In addition to classroom motivation I  have tagged along to a few trips to film festivals and Q&A’s, the students are always buzzing after speaking to people within the industry and learning how they got to where they are, they realise that the goals are achievable if they want to work hard enough to grasp them. It is something to think about in the future when planning my own trips with students. In the first module of my teaching practice I have learned a lot about myself as a teacher by applying the reflective process. During our personal lives we reflect on how we handle certain situations so that negative circumstances are not repeated and apart from in the medical occupation we don’t seem to do this in a professional working capacity, instead of taking a step back and thinking how did this happen? How can I make sure it doesn’t again? We tend to repeat the same or similar mistakes. Overall the self-reflection process has been an eye opener, I did start off a little sceptical on just how important it was to be reflective but I have to say I did start off not knowing how to be effectual in my refection process and how valuable that is before making judgements about my teaching capabilities. I found that by using Brookfield’s model of reflection and observing my practice from different perspectives, I can now look at my teaching objectively I have found that the constructive feedback for my micro teaches and the feedback I have received from teachers in the classroom have really helped and informed my reflection for an action plan to improve my teaching methods. Whilst I am happy with some elements of my teaching such as the visual aspects and my use of scaffolding, I had been unaware that I wasn’t projecting my voice and that my body placement was sometimes bad. Being made aware of these factors by observers highlighting them, is invaluable and will aid me when I come to do presentations and lesson planning, as I can incorporate this into my practice. As I have previously stated, I have problems with my confidence and so with that in mind I aim to focus my lessons on the class, especially at the beginning of a lesson. In doing this I will be able to gage the students and if I feel comfortable bringing the focus back to myself, I can. I aim to do this gradually until I have enough confidence not only in myself but also my ability to lead a class. In regards to Motivation in the vocational BTEC Media and project led assessments that might crop up in Photography and film, I aim to use Zimmerman’s model and methods that other teachers implement in their classrooms. This is a learning process for me,  which I will reflect upon to make the necessary progress needed, but applying theory to my practice should only help it whilst I’m learning the ropes. (Plato and Aristotle, 2005) both defined ‘good’ as performing to the best of your ability and that being moral and reflective were stages of ethical development to reach a Socratic intellectualism which is â€Å"One will do what is right or best just as soon as one truly understands what is right or best† (Socrates,2011) and to understand we must keep reflecting, as the situation is ever changing. BIBLIOGRAPHY ARISTOTLE (2005), The Art of Rhetoric, trans. Hugh Lawson-Tancred London: Penguin classics EFKLIDES, A (2011), Interactions of Metacognition With Motivation and Affect in Self-Regulated Learning: The MASRL Model. The American Psychological association: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group Available online at http://www4.ncsu.edu/~jlnietfe/Metacog_Articles_files/Efklides%20(2011).pdf [Accessed 12th November 2014] BANDURA, A (2003), Bandura’s social cognitive theory: an introduction, Davidson Films DVD (Available from IOE Library) BROOKFIELD, S (1995), Becoming a critically reflective teacher, San Francisco: Jossey Bass Publishers BRUNNER, D. (1987), Inquiry and Reflection, Framing Narrative Practice in education, Albany: State University of New York Press DEWEY, J (1997), How we think, Republication of original works 1910. USA: Dover Publications, Inc GIBBS (1988), Model of reflection Available online at http://pdp.northampton.ac.uk/PG_Files/pg_reflect3.htm [Accessed 12th November 2014] MUFFOLETTO, R (2001), Education and Technology, Critical and Reflective Practices, USA: Hampton Press Inc. OFSTED – Moving English Forward Available online at www.ofsted.gov.uk/sites/†¦and†¦/Moving%20English%20forward.doc [Accessed 12th November2014] PETTY, G. (2010), A Practical guide, 4th Ed. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes LTD RACE, P (2014), Making Learning Happen, a guide to Post-Compulsory education, London: Sage Publications LTD Schà ¶n, D. (1987), The Reflective Practitioner, Towards a New Design for Teaching and Learning in the professions, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers SOCRATES (2011) Socratic intellectualism. Available online at http://philosophyfaculty.ucsd.edu/faculty/rickless/Rickless/PHIL100_files/Intellectualism3.pdf [Accessed 16th November 2014] ZIMMERMAN, B. (2011), SCIENCE WATCH Zimmerman discusses self-regulated learning process, Emerging research front’s commentary Available online at http://archive.sciencewatch.com/dr/erf/2011/11decerf/11decerfZimm/ [Accessed 14th November 2014]

Identify Unnecessary Services from a Saved Vulnerability Essay

Nmap/Zenman is an application that allows users to scan networks to see what ports and services are open. It can be used by network security to find holes in their networks and plan what to do with them or it can be used by hackers to scan other networks to get a clear look at a networks topology and map out where everything is and plan for an attack. In this case, we have a scan of our network at Corporation Techs and need to look at what services that we have and make a decision on whether or not we should keep or get rid of them. According to the scan we have, we have a bunch of difference services that we use. Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) is how our employees sent their mail. Post Office Protocol (POP) is the services on how we receive them. These are both important in any business so they could send and receive messages so I would not recommend closing them. As I look through more services that we have on our network, I notice that we have Sophos installed on our app server. Sophos is a company that works in anti-virus software. They been in business for a few years and to my knowledge they do a good job. However in this case we have enough anti-virus software and our network is very stable. Matter of fact, the scan also shows that we have other IDS and other services that will protect this network. I believe that Sophos is a good service but it is unnecessary at this time so I would suggest removing this. My plan for removing unnecessary services is simple. Go though our network to see we have and have not been using and make a list of services that are necessary to keep this network working. Any services that do not make the cut, gets cut.

Hw Answer Operation Management Heizer Ch 4

4. 9 [pic] (c)? MAD (two-month moving average) = . 075 MAD (three-month moving average) = . 088 |Table for Problem 4. (a, b, c) | | | | |Forecast | ||Error| | | | |Two-Month |Three-Month |Two-Month |Three-Month | | |Price per |Moving |Moving |Moving |Moving | |Month |Chip |Average |Average |Average |Average | |January |$1. 0 | | | | | |February |? 1. 67 | | | | | |March |? 1. 70 |1. 735 | |. 035 | | |April |? 1. 85 |1. 685 |1. 723 |. 165 |. 127 | |May |? 1. 90 |1. 775 |1. 740 |. 125 |. 160 | |June |? 1. 87 |1. 75 |1. 817 |. 005 |. 053 | |July |? 1. 80 |1. 885 |1. 873 |. 085 |. 073 | |August |? 1. 83 |1. 835 |1. 857 |. 005 |. 027 | |September |? 1. 70 |1. 815 |1. 833 |. 115 |. 133 | |October |? 1. 65 |1. 765 |1. 777 |. 115 |. 127 | |November |? 1. 70 |1. 675 |1. 27 |. 025 |. 027 | |December |? 1. 75 |1. 675 |1. 683 |. 075 |. 067 | | | | |Totals |. 750| |. 793| | | | | | | | | | | |4. 9 |(d)? Table for Problem 4. 9(d): | | | | |( = . 1 | | |( = . 3 | | |( = . | |Month |Price per Chip |Forecast ||Error| |Forecast ||Error| |Forecast ||Error| | |January |$1. 80 |$1. 80 |$. 00 |$1. 80 |$. 00 |$1. 80 |$. 00 | |February |1. 67 |1. 80 |. 13 |? 1. 80 | . 13 |? 1. 80 |. 13 | |March |1. 70 |1. 79 |. 09 |? 1. 76 | . 06 |? 1. 74 |. 04 | |April |1. 85 |1. 78 |. 07 |? 1. 74 | . 11 |? 1. 72 |. 13 | |May |1. 0 |1. 79 |. 11 |? 1. 77 | . 13 |? 1. 78 |. 12 | |June |1. 87 |1. 80 |. 07 |? 1. 81 | . 06 |? 1. 84 |. 03 | |July |1. 80 |1. 80 |. 00 |? 1. 83 | . 03 |? 1. 86 |. 06 | |August |1. 83 |1. 80 |. 03 |? 1. 82 | . 01 |? 1. 83 |. 00 | |September |1. 70 |1. 81 |. 11 |? 1. 82 | . 12 |? 1. 83 |. 13 | |October |1. 65 |1. 80 |. 5 |? 1. 79 | . 14 |? 1. 76 |. 11 | |November |1. 70 |1. 78 |. 08 |? 1. 75 | . 05 |? 1. 71 |. 01 | |December |1. 75 |1. 77 |. 02 |? 1. 73 | . 02 |? 1. 70 |. 05 | | | | | 4. 41? (a)? It appears from the following graph that the points do scatter around a straight line. [pic] (b)? Developing the regression relationship, we have: (Summer |Tourists |Ridership | | | | |months) |(Millions) |(1,000,000s) | | | | |Year |(X) |(Y) |X2 |Y2 |XY | |? 1 |? 7 |1. 5 |? 49 |? 2. 25 |10. 5 | |? 2 |? 2 |1. 0 | 4 |? 1. 00 |? 2. 0 | |? 3 |? 6 |1. 3 |? 36 |? 1. 69 |? 7. 8 | |? 4 |? 4 |1. 5 |? 16 |? 2. 25 |? 6. 0 | |? 5 |14 |2. 5 |196 |? 6. 25 |35. 0 | |? |15 |2. 7 |225 |? 7. 29 |40. 5 | |? 7 |16 |2. 4 |256 |? 5. 76 |38. 4 | |? 8 |12 |2. 0 |144 |? 4. 00 |24. 0 | |? 9 |14 |2. 7 |196 |? 7. 29 |37. 8 | |10 |20 |4. 4 |400 |19. 36 |88. 0 | |11 |15 |3. 4 |225 |11. 56 |51. 0 | |12 |? 7 |1. 7 |? 49 |? 2. 89 |11. 9 | and (X = 132, (Y = 27. 1, (XY = 352. 9, (X2 = 1796, (Y2 = 71. 59, [pic] = 11, [pic]= 2. 6. Then: [pic] andY = 0. 511 + 0. 159X (c)? Given a tourist population of 10,000,000, the model predicts a ridership of: Y = 0. 511 + 0. 159 ( 10 = 2. 101, or 2,101,000 persons. (d)? If there are no tourists at all, the model predicts a ridership of 0. 511, or 511,000 persons. One would not place much confidence in this forecast, however, because the number of tourists (ze ro) is outside the range of data used to develop the model. (e)? The standard error of the estimate is given by: (f)? The correlation coefficient and the coefficient of determination are given by: [pic] ———————– [pic][pic] Hw Answer Operation Management Heizer Ch 4 4. 9 [pic] (c)? MAD (two-month moving average) = . 075 MAD (three-month moving average) = . 088 |Table for Problem 4. (a, b, c) | | | | |Forecast | ||Error| | | | |Two-Month |Three-Month |Two-Month |Three-Month | | |Price per |Moving |Moving |Moving |Moving | |Month |Chip |Average |Average |Average |Average | |January |$1. 0 | | | | | |February |? 1. 67 | | | | | |March |? 1. 70 |1. 735 | |. 035 | | |April |? 1. 85 |1. 685 |1. 723 |. 165 |. 127 | |May |? 1. 90 |1. 775 |1. 740 |. 125 |. 160 | |June |? 1. 87 |1. 75 |1. 817 |. 005 |. 053 | |July |? 1. 80 |1. 885 |1. 873 |. 085 |. 073 | |August |? 1. 83 |1. 835 |1. 857 |. 005 |. 027 | |September |? 1. 70 |1. 815 |1. 833 |. 115 |. 133 | |October |? 1. 65 |1. 765 |1. 777 |. 115 |. 127 | |November |? 1. 70 |1. 675 |1. 27 |. 025 |. 027 | |December |? 1. 75 |1. 675 |1. 683 |. 075 |. 067 | | | | |Totals |. 750| |. 793| | | | | | | | | | | |4. 9 |(d)? Table for Problem 4. 9(d): | | | | |( = . 1 | | |( = . 3 | | |( = . | |Month |Price per Chip |Forecast ||Error| |Forecast ||Error| |Forecast ||Error| | |January |$1. 80 |$1. 80 |$. 00 |$1. 80 |$. 00 |$1. 80 |$. 00 | |February |1. 67 |1. 80 |. 13 |? 1. 80 | . 13 |? 1. 80 |. 13 | |March |1. 70 |1. 79 |. 09 |? 1. 76 | . 06 |? 1. 74 |. 04 | |April |1. 85 |1. 78 |. 07 |? 1. 74 | . 11 |? 1. 72 |. 13 | |May |1. 0 |1. 79 |. 11 |? 1. 77 | . 13 |? 1. 78 |. 12 | |June |1. 87 |1. 80 |. 07 |? 1. 81 | . 06 |? 1. 84 |. 03 | |July |1. 80 |1. 80 |. 00 |? 1. 83 | . 03 |? 1. 86 |. 06 | |August |1. 83 |1. 80 |. 03 |? 1. 82 | . 01 |? 1. 83 |. 00 | |September |1. 70 |1. 81 |. 11 |? 1. 82 | . 12 |? 1. 83 |. 13 | |October |1. 65 |1. 80 |. 5 |? 1. 79 | . 14 |? 1. 76 |. 11 | |November |1. 70 |1. 78 |. 08 |? 1. 75 | . 05 |? 1. 71 |. 01 | |December |1. 75 |1. 77 |. 02 |? 1. 73 | . 02 |? 1. 70 |. 05 | | | | | 4. 41? (a)? It appears from the following graph that the points do scatter around a straight line. [pic] (b)? Developing the regression relationship, we have: (Summer |Tourists |Ridership | | | | |months) |(Millions) |(1,000,000s) | | | | |Year |(X) |(Y) |X2 |Y2 |XY | |? 1 |? 7 |1. 5 |? 49 |? 2. 25 |10. 5 | |? 2 |? 2 |1. 0 | 4 |? 1. 00 |? 2. 0 | |? 3 |? 6 |1. 3 |? 36 |? 1. 69 |? 7. 8 | |? 4 |? 4 |1. 5 |? 16 |? 2. 25 |? 6. 0 | |? 5 |14 |2. 5 |196 |? 6. 25 |35. 0 | |? |15 |2. 7 |225 |? 7. 29 |40. 5 | |? 7 |16 |2. 4 |256 |? 5. 76 |38. 4 | |? 8 |12 |2. 0 |144 |? 4. 00 |24. 0 | |? 9 |14 |2. 7 |196 |? 7. 29 |37. 8 | |10 |20 |4. 4 |400 |19. 36 |88. 0 | |11 |15 |3. 4 |225 |11. 56 |51. 0 | |12 |? 7 |1. 7 |? 49 |? 2. 89 |11. 9 | and (X = 132, (Y = 27. 1, (XY = 352. 9, (X2 = 1796, (Y2 = 71. 59, [pic] = 11, [pic]= 2. 6. Then: [pic] andY = 0. 511 + 0. 159X (c)? Given a tourist population of 10,000,000, the model predicts a ridership of: Y = 0. 511 + 0. 159 ( 10 = 2. 101, or 2,101,000 persons. (d)? If there are no tourists at all, the model predicts a ridership of 0. 511, or 511,000 persons. One would not place much confidence in this forecast, however, because the number of tourists (ze ro) is outside the range of data used to develop the model. (e)? The standard error of the estimate is given by: (f)? The correlation coefficient and the coefficient of determination are given by: [pic] ———————– [pic][pic]

The Federal Minimum Wage

The federal minimum wage is a hotly debated topic and a main point that invariably separates the beliefs of the Democratic Party platform from the Republican Party platform. Today's federal minimum wage is $7.25 (Jamieson, 2018). The federal minimum wage is determined by the FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act), and has not been adjusted from a $7.25 hourly wage since July of 2009. Because of the lack of advancement, many states have developed their own methods for determining minimum wage, but federally, any addition or subtraction must first pass directly through the FLSA (United States Department of Labor, 2018). States determine their minimum wage by analyzing their costs of living which differs depending on location, and analyzing their GDP (gross domestic product) per capita (Stoll, 2014). For example, the minimum wage in Montana as of January 1, 2018 is $8.30 per hour whereas in Massachusetts, where the cost of living is greatly increased, the hourly minimum wage is $11.00. There are 29 states that have an increased minimum wage adjusted specifically to the state's cost of living. The wages in these states range from $7.50 to $12.50 per hour (United States Department of Labor, 2018). Even though many states already increase their minimum wage many people living in the United States claim that the federal minimum wage is entirely too low. The preponderance of evidence suggests that increasing the federal minimum wage would have little effect on poverty and would in time reduce job security and increase unemployment. Other factors that could potentially be affected by an increase in the federal minimum wage include consumer prices, suppressed wages for higher skilled workers, and an increase in outsourcing. Prior to the 2016 election the Democratic Party platform was updated and members decided to adopt a $15 per hour minimum wage. They claim that $15 an hour is the only way that American workers can survive and support their families. The push towards an increase in federal minimum wage began in New York City four years ago when a group of fast-food workers went on strike. The movement caught the attention of many popular political figures and eventually the members grouped together to form the #fightfor15 movement (Seitz-Wald, 2016). Experts that claim the federal minimum wage is not sufficient to support a family and live comfortably argue that an increase to the federal minimum wage would provide an â€Å"important lift† to over 2.2 million people in the United States (Lu, 2017). Usually these experts begin their arguments stating that the federal minimum wage real amounts have eroded nearly 25% since 1968 (Scott & Perez, 2017). The federal minimum wage amounts to only $15,080 annually for full time employment. $15,080 is such a low annual income, experts predict that it is one of the main reasons why living standards have declined nationwide. This number may also contribute to the decline in economic stability, and the shrinking middle class (Lu, 2017). On a national level, supporters of the minimum wage increase provide data that proves the federal minimum wage should be at least $12.00 per hour based on the United States' GDP. A poll taken by The Economist reports that over 1.3 million people work at minimum wage, and nearly 1.7 million work below it, thus meaning these employees are not paid hourly rather are tipped employees (Komlos, 2015). Many people would associate a push for minimum wage strictly with larger cities and areas where the cost of living is significantly above average, however even in Montana, a republican dominated state, many citizens still are pushing for a higher minimum wage. Swartz, a home care worker residing in Great Falls, Montana claims that the amount she makes working for three caregiving agencies is simply not enough to support herself comfortably. The three agencies all pay over both the federal minimum wage and Montana's state minimum wage but due to the inconsistency of job hours she claims that making ends meet every month can be a difficult task. Swartz claims that typically some parts of low-wage workers are â€Å"overlooked†. People who do not make low wages and are not forced to work 70+ hour work weeks do not understand the struggle. Swartz also states that â€Å"Home-care workers, who help people stay in their homes and live with dignity, deserve a $15-an-hour minimum wage.† Attached to Swartz's article is a report published by The Alliance for a Just Society, which claims that the living wage in Montana is $14.36 an hour for a single person with no dependents. Montana determines their state minimum wage using the Consumer Price Index, and updates it annually according to the index. Still however, 3,329 Montana employees earn minimum wage which makes up about 1.2% of the entire workforce. Over half of Montana's minimum wage workers are older than 25 and over 60% are women (Jay, 2016). Beginning January 1, 2018 Montana again raised its minimum wage standard to $8.30 per hour. Governor Steve Bullock addressed the issue in an email that read â€Å"People who work full time for a living shouldn't be living in poverty. This modest increase in minimum wage means more Montana workers will have a little extra money in their pockets,† The workers who Bullock may have been addressing include workers in the accommodations and food industry and also the retail trade industry who are recurrently the largest number of workers that receive minimum wage (Tribune Capital Bureau, 2017). On the contrary, many experts counterclaim that an increase in minimum wage is not the extreme â€Å"poverty tool† that the Democratic Party is hoping for. In fact, one of the biggest arguments against raising minimum wage is the idea of individual states already taking care of the low wage issue. As stated previously Montana, is one of 29 states that already adopted a minimum wage that is higher than the federal minimum wage, and many experts believe that if states were to adjust their incomes according to their cost of living, etc. that would be better fitting rather than adjusting the entire nation's minimum wage. Dr. Simon Johnson, MIT Sloan expert, claims that raising the federal minimum wage would actually have unintended consequences, in the sense of reducing hiring and potentially increasing unemployment. He states â€Å"It is unlikely that states with lower living costs would be able to support a $15 per hour minimum wage increase, while keeping hiring processes and current employment rates the same.† He proposes a gradual, stepwise increase to the minimum wage that would occur over time. A drastic increase to $15 per hour would be too abrupt and would have career-changing consequences. A study completed by Harvard's Economic Department points out that most minimum wage earners are second or third job holders in households with other income sources. This could include teenagers, summer employees, etc. Another group that comes to mind when thinking about minimum wage workers is retirees who already receive financial benefits from savings and social security. It is unlikely that an increase in minimum wage would truly benefit the nation, simply because some people working for minimum wage are not attempting to support dependents or themselves entirely. Usually, they are people who are looking for a little extra money rather than needing money to pay for utilities, a house, a car, etc. An even more concerning drawback of raising minimum wage is the elimination of jobs. If the United States government were to demand businesses to pay entry-level workers $15 an hour there would be a huge decrease in job security and job availability. Because, most businesses do not pay entry-level workers at this wage, if they were required to do so, they may attempt to find other means of labor including robots, computers, or other advanced technology. In fact, the Nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that former President Obama's proposed $10.10 minimum wage, once fully implemented and in use, â€Å"would reduce total employment by about 500,000 workers.† Below is a political cartoon that shows the adverse effects of raising the current minimum wage. Although, many low-wage workers support and advocate for the idea of earning a $15 per hour wage, its effects could actually be deteriorating. Statistics show that raising the federal minimum wage to $15.00 per hour the United States risks eliminating roughly 550,000 part-time jobs and even if the minimum wage was raised to only $9.50 per hour nearly 1.3 million jobs could be lost. Previously, the United States has raised the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25, and adversely only 15 percent of the workers who were expected to gain from it lived in poor households. If the minimum wage today were to be raised to $9.50 per hour, only 11 percent of current minimum wage workers living in poverty would gain from this increase. In 2012, a study completed by the Wilson Review claims that both state and federal minimum wage increases between 2003 and 2007 had no effect on state poverty rates. Thus, proving the idea that increasing minimum wage does not provide a tool for lowering poverty levels. David Neumark and William Wascher performed over 100 minimum wage studies and found that about two-thirds of the studies had negative effects on unemployment. Thus, meaning that with an increase in minimum wage business owners and corporations would be forced to decrease their labor force and potentially cut long-time in employees in order to compensate for the wage increase. Half of the country's workforce is employed by small businesses. Raising the federal minimum wage is often cast largely as a necessity to ensure that many workers are able to earn a decent living, but in reality it's a complex issue. An example of this complexity has occurred in Oakland California in March of 2015 after they increased their statewide minimum wage by 36%, from $9.00 to $12.25 per hour. The effects are varying but some restaurants have raised their food pricing by nearly 20%, or adding a mandatory service charge and doing away with voluntary tips. The issue, business owners recognize and are working hard to resolve is finding the balance between paying a decent wage and keeping customers rather than driving them away. Some people claim that aside from the direct cost of doing business from salaries, they are also paying more for goods and services in their own communities. They question whether or not a higher wage will raise the cost of living for all employees, including those who currently earn a high-wage. Critics who are against raising the minimum wage also claim that if every entry-level worker was paid $15 an hour to begin with, many would lose incentive to get an education and move up to a higher-paying jobs. Ira Stoll, a minimum wage evaluator, states that † The lower the minimum wage, the more eager a minimum wage worker would be to enroll in a community college course at night, improve his/her skills, and apply for a higher-paying job.† Stoll also states that, â€Å"Making the entry-level jobs higher paying increases the risk that workers will get stuck in them for longer instead of moving on to something more rewarding. â€Å"Another point that many supporters fail to bring about is the idea of freedom of contract. This freedom is not directly protected by the constitution, but it as seen as a â€Å"natural right† and should be exercised. President Kennedy once said â€Å"The rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God. † Thus, meaning that if two free people want to enter into a voluntary contract or agreement that does not infringe on anyone else's rights or wellbeing the government has no right to step in and stop the deal that is being made. Experts use the idea of freedom of contract to prove that the government should not be involved in every contract made between two people. If a man wants to work for another for $5 an hour, and the other man wants to hire him and pay him $5 an hour than the government should have no authority to infringe on this deal. Raising the federal minimum wage would also affect welfare spending and could potentially increase taxes. Raising the federal minimum wage puts money into the pockets of the working poor people, but this occurs at the expense of business owners. By raising the minimum wage, politicians are taking the roundabout approach of minimum wage increase, rather than building actual political support for these policies. A report published by the Cato Institute claims that evidence shows minimum wage increase â€Å"disproportionately hurt the people they're supposed to help.† In this article the Institute cites a 2012 analysis of the New York State minimum wage increase from $5.15 to $6.75 per hour that found a â€Å"20.2 to 21.8 percent reduction in the employment of younger, less-educated individuals. † They also note that since 1995, eight studies have examined the income and poverty effects of minimum wage increases, and all but one of those studies have found that past minimum wage hikes had no effect on poverty.One of the largest concerns expert's share about a federal minimum wage increase is the impact it would entail on consumer prices. Basically, to raise minimum wage means to pay more people more money which has to be supplied from somewhere. Experts against the increase claim that the extra money will come from increased consumer prices. The 2012 Wilson Review notes: â€Å"A 2004 review of more than 20 minimum wage studies looking at price effects found that a 10 percent increase in the U.S. minimum wage raises food prices by up to 4 percent.† To back up this idea a report posted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago states that restaurant prices increase in response to minimum wage increases. The federal minimum wage is at a lower real value than it once was, but in order to change it law makers are going to have to look deeper into the problem rather than attempting to change the outcome quickly by increasing the minimum wage in all states to $15.00 hourly. Our country is unique in the nature that each state is able to make and regulate their own minimum wage and this matter is better dealt with inside certain states than from the federal government as a whole. There is most definitely a need in the United States to implement a method to decrease the rising poverty level, but this method should not be an increase in federal minimum wage because this method is directly related to rising prices, higher unemployment, job loss, and lack of job security. Small businesses, as stated previously, make up approximately 50% of the nation's workforce and if the government were to demand these businesses to pay their starting employees $12 or more, the businesses would be forced to either higher less people, lay off long term workers, or even more devastating, shutdown. This method proves ineffective in decreasing the families living underneath the poverty line and instead harms those workers who are higher-skilled and higher-paid.