According to Collis and Hussey Essay Example for Free

According to Collis and Hussey Essay Interviews â€Å"are a method of collecting data in which selected participants are asked questions in order to find out what they do, think or feel†. Saunders et al. (2003) propose the idea that this method is an efficient way of collecting reliable and valid information, because the data gathered comes directly from the source in study, which certainly helps to achieve the research question and objectives of this project. Therefore, choosing interviews was based on its suitability in finding what is happening and seeking new sights when exploring career obstacles for Hong Kong women managers. Interviews are classified based on the degree of flexibility as well as formality and structure that the researcher would like to apply. Therefore, there are three types of interviews, structured, semi-structured and unstructured interviews (Kumar, 1999; Saunders et al. , 2000; Ghauri and Gronhaug, 2002). In the structured interview â€Å"the investigator asks a pre-determined set of questions, using the same wording and order of questions as specified in the interview schedule† (Kumar, 1999, p.109); in semi-structured interview, the questions are also prepared beforehand, but in contrast, they offer more flexibility in facilitating the interviewee to modify the questions to investigate new ideas that might come up during the interview; and the unstructured interviews are based on a general topic of interest, but the questions are spontaneously posed to the respondent (Kumar, 1999; Guillham, 2000; Saunders et al. , 2000; Ghauri and Gronhaug, 2002). See more: Foot Binding In China essay It has been suggested that for phenomenological approaches and exploratory researches, a semi-structure interview is the most suitable type since the interviewer can explore in-depth a specific area that might be of interest (Jankowicz, 1999). The interviews carried out for this research were semi-structured. One of the reasons of choosing this type of interview is because they are more conductible and easier to control in order to establish and maintain empathy with respondents, so make the respondents be more comfortable and express their opinions more freely. It also gives the interviewer the opportunity to discover and understand the respondents’ points of view and beliefs about a specific situation (Zikmund, 2000). Saunders et al. (2000) mention that semi-structured are qualitative research interviews and are classified as non-standardized, where questions might vary from one interview to another since it depends on the course that the conversation takes, hence it would required of additional questions. In addition, Healey and Rawlinson (1994 cited Saunders et al., 2000) point out that more than one type can be used within an interview, where one section may ask factual closed questions, such as personal details, and the next sections could explore more qualitative issues. In this case, a combination of styles was adopted within the interviews held. The first section consisted of a set of factual questions in order to find out the interviewee’s work position and background. The following sections were based on qualitative responses where relevant topics were taking under consideration accordingly to the literature review developed in Chapter II as well as aim and objectives of the research. For instance, in the second section, Hong Kong women managers were asked to shed light on their marriage and family aspects; their nature of job, obstacles in their career pathways; and their plans to grow in their organizations in future. Furthermore, the semi-structured interviews allowed a free-flowing discussion, which in turn produced a better understanding of the way of thinking, opinions, and behavior of women manager in relation to their experiences towards working in an environment that supports male managers and the career obstacles they face. 3. 7. 3. Data Quality Issues There are a number of data quality issues to be aware and consider when conducting an interview, otherwise it would put at risk the findings of the investigation. In this case information supplied to the interviewee, confidentiality, listening skills and recording of interviews is going to be considered for this section (Kvale, 1996; Saunders et al. , 2000). 3. 7. 3. 1. Information Supplied to the Interviewee An important issue to promote credibility to the investigation is the supply of relevant information to the participants prior the interviews. In this way, the interviewee considered the information under study and was prepare to discuss their experiences and opinions, which helped to develop the research credibility. This was reached through a letter sent to the participants, which can be seen in Appendix A. It was also mentioned the duration of the interviews, in order to let them organize their time and provide an approximately one hour to one hour and a half to the interview with no interruptions. 3. 7. 3. 2. Confidentiality According to Kvale (1996, p.114) â€Å"confidentiality in research implies that private data identifying the subjects will not be reported†. The author also highlight that the change of names to protect the privacy of the participants is of an important issue, since encourages people to reveal experiences, feelings and facts which enrich the information given by the interviewee, facilitating the development of the research (Kvale, 1996; Guillham, 2000). Hence, it was explained to the interviewee the purpose of the research and the use that it is going to have in order to gain their trust and confidence. 3. 7. 3. 3. Listening Skills For this quality issue, it is important to have attentive listening skills in order to understand the interviewee’s opinions and explanations, especially to identify comments that are relevant to the research and that might imply of develop new ideas and questions in order to keep the conversation going in the same track which is the basic characteristic of a semi-structured interview (Saunders et al. , 2000). In this case, commentaries were kept to a minimum, which allowed the interviewees to answer freely and avoid bias to the questions asked. 3. 7. 3. 4. Recording of Interviews There have been issues in relation to the recording of information gathered from the data collection methods, and the most acceptable one is the tape-recording, which its record has to be immediately after it was taken in order to obtain a reliable data for its analysis. This issue leads to what have been mentioned above in relation to the confidentiality that the researcher gives to the study per se. In addition, authors suggest making notes as well in order to make the most of the interview, that is, not to miss any relevant information that the interviewee provides (Guillham, 2000; Saunders et al. , 2000; Ghauri and Gronhaug, 2002). In this case, interviews were recorded with the permission of the respondents in order to retain as much data for the transcription and facilitate the analysis procedures, which is going to be conveyed into the next chapter. However, according to Saunders et al. (2000) and Ghauri and Gronhaug (2002), there are some disadvantages that tape-recording an interview can bring, such as the interviewee’s hesitation in responding some question or even not to answer them, which will reduce the reliability of the interview; as well as the transcription is time consuming. In the former, the participants did not have any inconvenient for the interview be recorded; and for the latter time furthermore was reserved for the interviews’ transcription. 3. 8. RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY OF THE RESEARCH. As stated by Collis and Hussey (2003) and Saunders et al. (2003), there are two aspects related to the credibility of the findings, thus it is important to consider the significance of the reliability and validity of the research outcome. In this case, reliability is concern with how well it has been carried out the research project (Blaxter et al. , 2001), which refers to the possibility of obtaining the same exact results if repeating the study (Collis and Hussey, 2003), in other words, the consistency of the methods of data collection, thus the results (Denscombe, 2002). On the other hand, validity concerns with whether the data, approaches and techniques in study actually relate to the issues that have been explored and the results relate to what is really happening in the situation (Blaxter et al. , 2001; Collis and Hussey, 2003; Saunders et al. 2003). There are some discussions which claim that qualitative research often provide valid findings, while quantitative research offers more reliable findings (Berg, 2004). This has been critiqued by Saunders et al. (2000) who state that it is possible for qualitative and quantitative research to provide both valid and reliable findings. Therefore, it can be said that considering the present research, which adopts a phenomenological approach, it is important to highlight that the reliability and validity of the questions in the interviews were maximized by the careful design of the individual questions and the clear explanation of the purpose of the interviews. Moreover, the reliability and validity of the research and the obtained information gathered from the interviews is directly linked to the applied strategy and purpose of the research, as well as to the aim and objectives of the investigation. Besides, validity is ensured by the transcriptions and further analysis of the interviewee’s experiences and opinions by direct quotations. 3. 9. ETHICAL ISSUES Researchers like Creswell (1994), Kumar (1996), Saunders et al. (2000), Collis Hussey (2003) and Jankowicz (2005) have placed emphasis on the importance of ethical considerations when doing a research. For business and management researchers, ethical issues of vital importance are confidentiality, informed consent, and honest representation of findings. Therefore, considering these ethical issues, this research requested the consent of the participants prior to the data collection, guaranteeing them of the confidentially of the information they would provide. In addition, the data collected was analyzed in a logical and scientific manner, allowing the proper representation of findings. CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS OF FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 4. 1 COPING STRATEGIES TO COMBAT SEX DISCRIMINATION Two of the participants responded that they have not felt any kind of sex discrimination at their workplace. None of the participants felt that women need to use their feminism in order to progress in their careers. Anna responded that the gap of academic, promotional and employment opportunities for women has almost filled and men and women are getting almost equal opportunities. Anna and Emmy felt that women can do what they have decided to do in their minds and they consider themselves as an example of that kind of women. Maggie, in contrast, does not feel the same because she has an experience of workplace sex discrimination against women. She has also been discouraged to join the old-boy network and she has also experienced sexual harassment in her organization. She informed the researcher that the only way to cope up with the workplace discrimination is to get ready to move to a new job. She agreed with Emmy and Anna by saying that women who want to excel in their career can do it on their own merits. Maggie informed the researcher that she does not believe in confronting her seniors about the elimination of sex discrimination from the workplace. She also does not have any expectations from her seniors that they will try to eliminate sex discrimination from the workplace by implementing strategies to promote anti sex –discrimination policies. Thus the present study confirms the finding of study by Venter (2002) that there is no or little sex discrimination at today’s workplaces in Hong Kong. Venter (2002) found out that 66 % of the women managers interviewed in Hong Kong had responded that they did not find any sex discrimination at their workplace and 83% of them had felt that the attitude towards female managers are same as towards male managers. Westwood Leung (1999) found out that Hong Kong women managers are very less aware of the sex discrimination at workplace. Ng Pine (2003) had reported very interesting information that several Hong Kong women managers believe that sex discrimination is a prominent feature at Hong Kong organizations but when they were asked to describe their experience of sex discrimination then only a small number of the women managers were able to describe their own experience. The rest of the respondents informed that they haven’t experienced sex discrimination personally. Studies have clearly proved that Hong Kong women managers do not have any intention to confront their superiors and fight for the anti sex discrimination policies. Researches have also shown that when Hong Kong women managers are sexually harassed then they even do not confront the harasser and report to superiors and they instead use coping strategies such as they avoid or ignore the harasser, they prefer to quit or get transferred if the problem is not resolved (Chan et al. 1999; Ng 1995b). High attitude towards opportunities is found among Hong Kong women managers. They have great ability to deal any kind of discrimination at their work place. They keep their eyes and ears open and keep themselves in search of a suitable job incase they are fired or they quit. Their general and overall aim is to progress in their careers to get the higher positions in the organizations and thus they use their flexible nature to get the maximum number of opportunities to be succeeded (Venter 2002). Ng Pine (2003) reported that female hotel managers believe in using personal strategies to cope up with the discriminatory issue at their workplace. They believe in developing by looking more presentable, tend to dress up like a professional and rely on working hard to be proved as highly professional. Ng Pine (2003) found that majority of Hong Kong women managers have a high ‘can-do’ attitude and thus they believe in doing their job the best ways irrespective of the discriminatory issues against them at their workplace. Ng Chiu (1997) explained the reason of few organizations with family friendly policies is the low expectations behaviors of Hong Kong women managers who do not confront their superiors for the elimination of sex discrimination from the organization and they instead depends on their personalized strategies. Babcock Laschever (2003) found out the reason of Hong Kong women managers’ less success is due to their less skilful negotiating attitudes. However, it can not be said whether they have less skilful negotiating attitudes but it is clear from the evidences that negotiation is not prominent in the attitude of the women managers. Venter (2002) found out that as Hong Kong women managers do not have the habit to confront their superiors to get their equal rights at the workplace, they simply get less tensed as compared to other female managers who belong to Britain. Thus Hong Kong Chinese women managers are more successful in their careers and reach to the higher positions as compared to British women managers in Hong Kong. Javidan House (2001) explained that high achievement is a part of Hong Kong culture and this culture has changed the attitudes of employed women and has made them enthusiastic to grow in their careers. Hong Kong Women managers who fly high in their careers are seen as highly respected due to their ability to achieve their goal on their own without any support of society and workplace. But the women who do not reach the higher positions are blamed to be a failure due to their lack of sense of professionalism. They are considered as ‘non professional’ when they do not reach to the manager’s position. It is reflected among the society and organizations that a form of sex discrimination is evident due to the stereotyping of sex and power relations based on genders. There are very few structural changes through which the sex stereotyping and gendered roles at organizations can be changed. 4. 2 COPING STRATEGIES TO COMBAT GENDER ROLES The researcher asked all the three interviewees about their perception of single women. All of them have different perceptions on single women. Emmy feels that women stay single when they are not beautiful and thus no men attract towards such ugly women. Maggie sighed that she dreams of being a single but she also feels that being single it would have been very difficult for her to grow in her career and she has not been as successful as she is now. She also said that her roots in careers would have been very weak being a single woman. Anna feels that being a single woman is the best thing in the world. All her single friends are living happily and they do not want to get married because they believe that marriage brings a lot of problems with it. As diversity is more profound among the community of single women, the three interviewees seem influenced by the reflection of such diversity. Maggie, Anna and Emmy, all of them, love their husbands and children very much and they feel that they are the most important part of their lives. Though they consider family as the most important thing in their lives, they also believe that they cannot be stay-at-home women because they feel that they get the sense of achievement when they work and thus they get a balanced life. The nature of job of Emmy is quite flexible so she is allowed to work in flexible hours, and this way she gets a lot of time to spend with her family. She feels that her work has not affected her role as a mother as she takes plenty of time out to spend with her children. Maggie and Anna feel in contrast. They feel that they have been sandwiched between their wish to grow in their careers and their wish to spend more time with their children to ensure that the children’s education is not getting affected. This shows that both of them have both a high sense of achievement and a high sense of parenting. They feel guilty of not fulfilling their wish to be a good parent though both of them have hired foreign domestic helper. All the three interviewees believe that bringing up children is the primary duty of a woman and if a woman is employed then this duty should be handed over to other members of the extended family. All the three interviewees consider their families more important than their careers as compared to their husbands. These women do not have the habit of negotiation so they do not confront with their husbands and superiors to give them equal status. Researches have shown that Hong Kong women managers use personalized strategies to deal with work-family stress by taking help from relative, foreign domestic helpers and tutors (Lo et al. 2003; Ng 1999). Hakim (2003) also supported these positions that Hong Kong employed women are more family-centered as compared to their husbands and thus these women tend to less successful in their careers as compared to their husbands. The coping strategies that Hong Kong employed women used to reduce their work-family stress have a strong relation to the social culture of Hong Kong. Majority of Hong Kong employed women believe that they will not get any help from the government in terms of a caretaker because the social culture promotes the caretaker role of mothers and wives. If these women need help of a caretaker then they have to do it on their own because this is considered as a personal problem instead of a societal problem. All the three interviewees believe that though they are working at higher positions but their husbands should be respected as they are the breadwinners. Wives should help their husbands to be more successful in their careers. This shows that the traditional values of Hong Kong have set the mind of the women regarding their roles as a wife and a mother. The present study confirms the results of the previous studies (EOC 1997; Hong Kong Government 2003a) that the traditional ideology of a Chinese family for a man to be in charge of the work outside the house and for a woman to be in charge of the work inside the house is still present in Hong Kong culture. Due to the impact of this culture, even when both the parents are equally working and are equally concerned about the academic achievements and social well-being of their children, husbands have the liberty to be more career oriented by leaving behind their family without any sense of guilt. Thus, the culture of Hong Kong does not appreciate the growth of women as career women. This is impossible until and unless structural changes are made to understand these cultural contexts. The power structure can be changed only when the society and organizations believe in equal opportunities by dividing the power equally among women and men managers as the career success of a woman on her own basis is of no use. 2. 1. 1 FUTURE OF CAREER DEVELOPMENT OF WOMEN AS MANAGERS IN HONG KONG It is commonly believed in Hong Kong that women can achieve their goals by their enthusiasm and hard work. For this reason, Hong Kong women working at senior managerial positions tend to believe in personally designed strategies to cope up with the requirements of their workplace, homes and kids. Moreover, they believe in handling the situation of sex discrimination personally rather by confronting their superiors for the implementation of anti sex discrimination policies. They are no or little aware of a political agenda that can change their lives by bringing positive changes in institutionalization of their family status, by changing the organizational culture and state policies. Maggie, Emmy and Anna informed the researcher that they do not get time for socialization. Anna informed that in Chinese culture, home is considered as a private place so majority of Chinese do not believe in inviting friends at home unless they are very close to them because they think that it will ruin their privacy. Majority of Hong Kong women trust extended family members to take care of their children but this scenario may result in increased problems for them in future. Mobility of labor force has increased due to globalization. Two of the three interviewees are not originally Hong Kong based. A steady rise has been observed in the number of women managers on the mainland. Due to intensification of globalization, less stability is expected in support from the extended family members in Hong Kong. The traditional heterosexual family system in Hong Kong has been changed and different forms of family structure have appeared. The concept of extended family members was possible in a heterosexual family only. So, this concept does not seem to be valid with the new family structure as single-parent families are becoming common. As the concept of extended family is diminishing, women who prefer to grow in their career would seem to have no children. if primary importance will continue to be given to husband’s career, and wife’s role will be continued as a support to her husband than her husband has been to her, then there are great chances for a large number of career oriented women to remain single. When women will have to work hard and design personalized strategies to cope up with the work-family stress then a large number of women will stop marrying. Thus, number of never-married women will increase in Hong Kong. CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION Push and pull tensions are found among Hong Kong women managers. At one side, the traditional Chinese culture is still dominated in Hong Kong that makes women responsible primarily for their housework and men are considered as bread-winners. Women are expected to bring up and take care of children and other family members. So this traditional Chinese culture does not seem supportive for a woman to dream of getting success in organizations besides performing her domestic duties. At another side, women in Hong Kong that have earned higher degrees are attracted towards handsomely paid jobs due to the realistic approach of capitalism in Hong Kong. Successful women managers in Hong Kong are rewarded. Organizations search for never-married women who are ready to work on the pre-decided terms of men. So it is a common belief in Hong Kong that if women are good they can get success in organizations. If women are very good at setting personalized agenda to balance their work-family stress then they would be successful. But the researcher is not happy with these conditions. The researcher suggests that women should be encouraged and supported by society and organizations. They should be given support to get a balanced life. Organizations should implement strategies to promote anti discrimination policies. Women and family friendly policies should be encouraged in organizations. This means that there is a need to redefine the role of women at home and in organizations. They should be given equal opportunities like men and be promoted to higher positions as per their skills. Appendix A. Letter sent to the Participants of the Interviews Dear Participants, Thank you for agreeing to do this interview and participate in my Masters investigation. This letter is to inform you all related to the interview, to establish your ethical rights and my responsibilities, as well as to provide some information prior to the interview. My intention is to do an investigation to explore whether a bamboo-ceiling exists in the career pathway of Hong Kong women managers. I am currently interviewing women managers that are working in a male dominating environment to find out whether these women managers face any obstacles in order to achieve the purpose of my study. The data will be collected via interviews, which will last one hour and one hour and a half. During the interview you have the right to refuse to answer a question or a set of questions. The participant’s identities will be remained as confidential at all stages, during and after the research. Expected benefits of participation will be the opportunity to contribute knowledge to a largely under researched area and the obtained findings will be used for academic purposes only, so the access to the collected data will be permitted for university lectures and library use only. Thank you once again for your cooperation. Yours sincerely, [Your name] [Your degree] [Your university] Table 1: Ratio of Women Managers in Hong Kong, % Year Proportion, % 1994 17. 5 1995 19. 4 1996 19. 6 1997 19. 9 1998 21. 5 1999 21. 9 2000 24. 2 2001 25. 4 2002 25. 7 Source: Hong Kong Government, 2003b: 57. Table 2: Distribution of Managers by Industry and Gender Table 3: No. of Males and Females Never-Married Aged 15 and Over Source: Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong Government. Table 4: No. of Never-Married Employed Males and Females by Occupation, 2001. Source: Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong Government. Table 5: Main Employment, Female-Male Ratio, Median Monthly Income, Marital Status, Age Source: Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong Government. References Babcock, L. Laschever, S. 2003. Women Don’t Ask: Negotiation and the Gender Divide (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press). Berg, B. , 2004. Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences. International Student Edition. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc. Blaxter, L. , Hughes, C. and Tight, M. , 2001. How to research. 2nd ed. Buckingham: Open University Press. Bryman, A. , 2004. Social Research Methods. 2nd ed. Oxford: Prentice-Hall. Chan, D. K. S. , Tang, K. S. -K. Chan, W. 1999. Sexual harassment: a preliminary analysis of its effects on Hong Kong Chinese women in the workplace and academia, Psychology of Women Quarterly, 23(4), pp. 661–672. Chow, I. H. 1995. Career aspirations, attitudes and experiences of female managers in Hong Kong, Women in Management Review, 10(1), pp. 28–32. Collinson, D. L. , Knights, D. Collinson, M. 1990. Managing to Discriminate (London: Routledge). Collis, J. , and Hussey, R. , 2003. Business Research: A practical guide for undergraduate and postgraduate students. 2nd Ed. New York: Palgrave McMillan. Creswell, J. , 1994. Research Design: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches. 1st ed. London: Sage Publications. Crystal, G. 2003. Cracks appear in glass ceiling numbers, South China Morning Post, 17 October, p. B22. Denscombe, M. , 2002. Ground Rules for Good Research. A 10 point guide for social researchers. 1st ed. Buckingham: Open University Press. EOC. 1997. A Baseline Survey of Equal Opportunities on the Basis of Gender in Hong Kong 1996–1997 (Hong Kong: Equal Opportunities Commission). Fosh, P. , Ng, C. , Snape, E. Westwood, R. 1999. Hong Kong at the end of the twentieth century: management and labour trends, in: P. Fosh, A. W. Chan, W. W. S. Chow, E. Snape R. Westwood (Eds) Hong Kong Management and Labour: Change and Continuity, pp. 3–24 (London: Routledge). Ghauri, P. and Gronhaug, K. , 2002. Research Methods in Business Studies. A practical guide. 2nd ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited. Ghauri, P. N. , Gronhaugh, K. and Kristianslund, I. , 1995. Research methods in business studies: a practical guide. 1st ed. London: Prentice-Hall. Gillham, B. , 2000. The Research Interview. 1st ed. London: Continuum. Hakim, C. 2003. Models of the Family in Modern Societies: Ideals and Realities (Aldershot: Ashgate). Hochschild, R. A. 1989. The Second Shift: Working Parents and the Revolution at Home (New York: Viking Penguin). Hong Kong Government 2004. Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women: Second Report on Hong Kong Special Administration Region (Hong Kong: Health, Food and Welfare Bureau). Hong Kong Government. 2001. 2001 Population Census: Main Report 1 (Hong Kong: Census and Statistics Department). Hong Kong Government. 2002. Women and Men in Hong Kong: Key Statistics (Hong Kong: Census and Statistics Department). Hong Kong Government. 2003a. Thematic Household Survey: Report No. 14 (Hong Kong: Census and Statistics Department). Hong Kong Government. 2003b. Women and Men in Hong Kong: Key Statistics (Hong Kong: Census and Statistics Department). Jankowicz, A. , 2005. Business research projects. 4th ed. London: International Thomson Press. Javidan, M. House, R. J. 2001. Cultural acumen for the global manager: lessons from project GLOBE, Organizational Dynamics, 29(4), pp. 289–305. Kanter, R. M. 1977. Men and Women of the Corporation (New York: Basic Books). Kumar, R. , 1999. Research Methodology. A step-by-step guide for beginners. 1st ed. London: Sage Publications. Kvale, S. , 1996. Interviews, an Introduction to Qualitative Research Interviewing. 1st ed. London: Sage Publications. Law, N. 2003. HK women socially aware, but traditional at heart, South China Morning Post, 23 January, p. 6 Lee, H. 2004. Arming women with knowledge, South China Morning Post, 9 February, p. C4. Lee, K. 2003. Picture forms of cross-border workers, South China Morning Post, 9 May, p.A5. Lo, S. , Stone, R. Ng, C. W. 2003. Work–family conflict and coping strategies adopted by female married professionals in Hong Kong, Women in Management Review, 18(4), pp. 182–190. Mak, G. C. L. Chung, Y. -p. 1997. Education and labour force participation of women in Hong Kong, in: F. M. Cheung (Ed. ) Engendering Hong Kong Society: A Gender Perspective of Women’s Status, pp. 13–39 (Hong Kong: The Chinese University Press). Mak, G. C. L. 1992. The schooling of girls in Hong Kong: progress and contradictions in the transition, in: G. A. Postiglione (Ed.). Education and Society in Hong Kong, pp. 167–180 (Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press). Morrison, A. M. , White, R. P. Van Velsor, E. The Center for Creative Leadership. 1987. Breaking the Glass Ceiling (Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley). Ng, C. W. Chiu, W. C. K. 2001. Managing equal opportunities for women: sorting the friends from the foes, Human Resource Management Journal, 11(1), pp. 75–88. Ng, C. W. Ng, E. G. H. 2002. The concept of state feminism and the case for Hong Kong, Asian Journal of Women’s Studies, 8(1), pp. 7–37. Ng, C. W. Pine, R. 2003. Women and men

Social Work Theories Analysis

Social Work Theories Analysis Introduction Social work brings about social change. It addresses complex relationships between humans and the environment. Social work involves analyzing human problems and addresses issues to resolve injustice, discrimination, and dysfunction. Thus, according to International Federation of Social Workers (2000 qt. Ramsay 2003), the social work profession can be defined as a profession that â€Å"promotes social change, problem solving in human relationships, and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-being. Using theories of human behavior and social systems, social work intervenes at the points where people interact with their environments. Principles of human rights and social justice are fundamental to social work.† Social work profession is based on the fundamental interrelation of a system of values, theory and practice. Although over the years, the definition of social work has undergone tremendous transformation. Nevertheless, the essence of its humanitarian and democratic ideals of social work through the centuries has remained the same. Today, social work has a global context and professionals follow national and international code of ethics that make the scope of their work more complex and challenging. Moreover, social work professionals also draw their experiences from accepted methods developed through systematic evidence-based knowledge from extensive research designed for both specific and general practices (Ramsay 2003). Theoretical frameworks form the basis of their evaluation of human behaviors, development and social systems and enable them to resolve the problems inherent therein. Social Work Theories Social work theories have their roots from the need to develop a disciplined approach to social work. By adopting common principles, social professionals were able to focus on the social goals. Charles Loch developed this conceptual framework during the early 20th century. Later social work scholars took up his seminal work. During the 21st century, renowned Harriet Bartlett (Bartlett 1970) had taken up and continued to develop professional frameworks for social work to â€Å"articulate words, terms, concepts to represent the important facets and components of the professions practices as a whole.† As more and more formalized ideas, theories and disciplines formed, social work has come to be acknowledged as an independent discipline with subset knowledge and systems for dealing with problems of the society. Bartlett (1970) also further reiterated the three key concepts person, interaction and environment as the basis for social work practices. Any theory developed with the v iew to examine, evaluate and resolve social issues must be based on these three key concepts. Given the above background on the development of social work theories, the researcher now shall discuss theories of particular interests, which are the theories of problem solving and psychoanalytic. In the following discussion, the researcher shall trace the theories in its historical context, values, concepts and fitness with the strengths approach. The strengths approach basically involves challenging the traditional problems-oriented way of working through training, expectations and work experience of professionals. The problems are then resolved through developing a collaborative framework based on examination of the professionals strengths and resources for positive growth and development (Morgan 2006; Wormer and Boes 1998). Problem-Solving Theory Social Work Treatment According to Duncker (1945): â€Å"A problem arises when a living creature has a goal but does not know how this goal is to be reached. Whenever one cannot go from the given situation to the desired situation simply by action, then there is recourse to thinking Such thinking has the task of devising some action which may mediate between the existing and the desired situations.† According to this definition, a problem arises when it is not clear to the individual what action(s) are to be taken to achieve some desired goals. The action to rectify this problem is known as problem-solving. Problem solving starts from a given situation where the problem or state of the situation requires additional knowledge to work towards its solution (Anderson 1980). Problem-solving theory has its developmental origin to Herbert Simon, Alan Newell and colleagues at Carnegie Mellon University during the 1980s (Patel 1991; Newell and Simon 1972). The general theoretical approach is that problem-solving theory is based on a given problem-solving situation. The second premise is that knowledge is a set of rules that specify actions to be performed in specific situations. The third premise is the distinction between weak and strong methods for resolving problems. Thus, an expert is expected to utilize the set of rules to find the solution for the given problem situation by using forward reasoning or observations. Alternatively, problem solving can involve using exhaustive knowledge base for deductive reasoning and assessing the validity of the hypothesis or goals against the facts given. This is a backward reasoning approach (Patel 1991). Newell-Simon theory of problem solving describes processes for developing expert systems in cognitive psychology, which forms the basis for other experiments in specific fields. Social work field In social work field, problem solving has its origin in the concept of social change developed by Helen Harris Perlman of the University Chicago (1957). In her work ‘Social Casework: A problem-solving process, the author views casework and problem solving synonymous which are based on constant elements, forces and processes. The constants form the reasoning framework for analyzing problems just as humans solve their daily problems. Learning is developed when individuals are involved in organizing, synthesizing and imagining the solutions of the problems (Perlman 1957). Perlmans theoretical framework is limited to the casework components such as the individual, problem, place, process, expert relationship and the resolution to the problem. The emphasis is more on the components rather than on the problem solutions itself and the scope of the solution is limited by the casework situation. Alternatively, Compton and Galaway (1979) also developed a problem-solving model for social work practice, which emphasizes on intervention and beyond processes. According to their theoretical framework, problem solving is connected with human relationships in a dynamic manner, which may involve partners, family members, friends or co-workers or group relationships such as race, ethnicity, gender or religion. Social works can resolve problems depending on the micro, mezzo or macro level practice they are involved in. Compton and Galaways (1979) problem-solving theory is based on two phases first the definition of the problem must be established for identification of intervention methods. The second phase involves intervention methods based on the problem context defined by human, societal and physical environment. Thus, Compton and Galaways (1979) problem-solving theory is based on human relationships with the environment and other individuals. The focus is on intervention rather th an on the problem itself. These investigations and conceptualization leads to the unified theory of problem-solving, which holds that experts process new information and integrate it into their existing knowledge base which helps them to recall and deal with situations rapidly through forward reasoning within limited time span and scope. There is little account for differences in complexities in domains and situations. For this reason, the problem-solving theory is only valid for responding to domains that are apparent through explicit patterns of results. From the social work practice, context problem-solving theory presents social worker as the expert and the source for intervention, and the individual with the problem as the client of the environment. The worker encounters problem situations within the work environment. To resolve, he/she refers to activities that co-workers or peers have undertaken on behalf of clients. Working with the client, the social worker analyzes, and identifies problem commonality to resolve it through group relations. Hence, problem solving in the social work practice means participation and direct involvement of the client with the worker (Sheppard 1991). Intervention method Another underlying element of the problem-solving theory is the intervention method. Unlike early perception of social workers, the value of work is not gauged by the duration of its intervention. Instead, it is gauged by the significance of the knowledge base used to analyze the problems to develop solutions. Therefore, intervention is further defined by the relationships of interaction among individuals involved in the problem. The social worker is the support element who is responsible for mediating between the environment and the person (Sheppard 1991). As an intervention method, problem-solving method is dynamic in the sense that it mediates problems by resolving on a case-by-case basis. Each individual problem in this theory is unique and is defined by the individual, relationship and context of the environment which makes it versatile in addressing numerous problem solutions. Furthermore, the option of forward and backward reasoning helps social workers to analyze and determine problem solutions from different perspectives depending on the nature of the problem. In the social work context, this is a valuable tool as it allows individuals to work on a case from the grassroots level, without having to eliminate vital facts and situations to achieve desired social goals. Furthermore, the researcher is of the view that problem-solving theory, though limited by the expertise and knowledge base developed by peers and colleagues, is flexible in allowing new avenues to be included in the problem-solving process. As workers work their way through resolving the problem, they discover new facts, and perhaps new solutions, which might be different from the initial premise that they have set for its solution. From a strengths perspective this implies that problem-solving methods add new resources; they enrich the experiences of the social workers by allowing them to explore new perspectives; and add value in developing new approaches for solving similar albeit unique problems. Psychoanalytic Theory The study of the unconscious was relatively schematic and meager before the advent of Sigmund Freud. For this reason, it could be said that Freud was the pioneer in psychoanalytic theory. Freud held that the human mind takes into account of transactions within the limits of the body. Unlike traditional belief that the human mind is shaped by culture, Freud believed that the depth and endurance of human personality is dependent on the social context in which an individual is born. A psychosomatic process is the traditional method by which physicians analyze symptoms of mental disorders within the pathological discourse. However, Freud holds that psychosomatic processes are limited, as he believes that individuals are influenced by elements that are outside the body that is the environment. To exemplify that, he writes of the influences of human association and its impact on the unconsciousness. It is only through observational procedures that the expert would extricate subtle and mul tiple ties of the personality with the other individuals and environmental elements. Observations of body language, as well as human acts in relation to sequences of interaction form the study of individuals within the context of the society (Ruitenbeek 1962). Freuds conceptual framework was based on the observation of the human consciousness and unconsciousness, and its relation with the basic nature of man. It lacked the social work context. His theory implies that man is exceedingly indulgent or deprived by his/her surroundings which give rise to a certain psychiatric state of mind. The Theory of Psychoanalytic Technique Menninger (1958), in his work ‘The Theory of Psychoanalytic Technique counteracts the practice of external influence by suggesting that individual behavior is a reflection of behaviors that occur during and after the events they are involved in. Menninger and Holzman (1973) differed from Freuds theory for psychoanalysis in the sense that they were of the view many individuals may demonstrate similar behavior without having any psychiatric problems. Therefore, psychoanalysis is not essentially about the physiological influence but rather associated with stimulus from interactions. The authors emphasize on new methods for observing and interpreting behavior in the context of culture and personality through structured research instruments. They believe that the psychoanalytic approach has particular associations with socialization sequences that lead to individual relationships with the environment, culture and personality. This implies that psychoanalysis approaches emphasize on the role of the professional engaged in the observation of individual behaviors and interpretation of the same. The skills used to deduce valuable information about the personality is derived from daily life processes. Likewise, an intervention is inherent in the behaviors and actions of the individual under study. Alternatively, works by Roy Schafer (1976) and Irwin Hoffman (1983) have entirely altered the conceptual framework of psychoanalysis theory and practice. They emphasize on the reality of social construct and its impact on both the individual and the professional. They present the view that solutions for problems in psychoanalytic are dependent on the cultural life at large. It is based on objective knowledge derived from social agreements and human actions are the narrative of the acts. Therefore, psychoanalysis is the study of the language of the human acts and interpretation of the same to represent possible accounts of the past or present life of the individual. Transactions between the analyst and the patient are constructed by subject experience, human agency, and fragments of individuation/separation etc. Thus, For Schafer, (1) psychoanalysis is concerned in a primary fashion with language and its equivalents; (2) subjective experience, objective reality, and selves are all con structions brought to life in language; (3) these present-day tellings could be told in other terms and do not represent real world events; (4) unitary selves are displaced by the notion that we tell useful stories about multiple selves in order to conduct our affairs; and (5) cure accompanies changes in discourse. qt. Leary 1994). Similarly, Hoffman believes that human beings, whether professional or individuals, requiring intervention live worlds within worlds to make social interaction highly ambiguous. Observation of individual behaviors cannot construct individual social environment alone. Individual experiences must be taken into account to understand the influences of elements surrounding them. Intervention follows the paradigm of change and analysis of the participants because he believes individuals are incapable of understanding their own dilemma. These later conceptual frameworks of the psychoanalytic theory not only pose challenges for social work practices but also offer new dimensions for analyzing complex individual social problems. The role of the social worker in the psychoanalytic context is separate from the individual and the environment, as he/she has to observe objectively to interpret individual behaviors in the psychiatric context as well as in the context of the environment in which the individual inhabit. Thus, the professional is segregated and does not really participate in the problems faced by the individuals. This tends to dissociate the analyst from the individual, which at times hinders problem resolution. However, objective observations in psychoanalysis enable the social work professional to emphasize on interventions methods. Since interventions are not set in paradigms or experiments or processes from knowledge base, the social worker has more leeway in developing creative interventions that meet des ired social goals at the individual and from the broader societal contexts. At the same time, there are certain limitations to the theory of psychoanalytic. There is too much emphasis of the individual and less focus of intervention for the broad social context. As individuals live in the society interact, transact and have relationships with other entities within the environment it is natural to assume that any problems or issues that they face should be resolved in the context of the community they live in. It is not natural to assume that the problem is inherent within the environment and the intervention method should be for the individual only. From this perspective, the psychoanalytic theory is limited. Therefore, the psychoanalytic approach does not really fit the strengths approach, which basically emphasizes on resource development. Although psychoanalysis emphasizes on problem resolutions, this is limited to the issues faced by individuals not from a communal or global context. There is little scope for adding value to interventions in the social work practice as it represents the realities of the individuals. Therefore, world events, social change and communal issues become secondary to the analyst who adopts this approach. Compare and Contrast At the beginning of the discussion, the researcher emphasizes on the importance of the key components in social work i.e. person, interaction and the environment. These key components, as one observes over the course of the evaluation of the theories of problem-solving and psychoanalytic, play integral roles in synergizing the conceptual framework for social work and professional practices. In this context, if any one component were missing from the theoretical framework, it would destabilize its validity and usefulness to the profession. Theoretical fit with the social work professional focus From the discussion, the researcher observes that the problem-solving theory, as compared to the psychoanalytic theory, has more dimensions to the mission of social work. The nature of forward and backward reasoning enables social work professionals to trace the problem from multiple layers of contexts such as culture, race, gender, ethnicity and religion, to extricate the inherent issues prevalent within the individual, a community or a society. In doing so, it encompasses broader social perspectives and addresses problems such as poverty, cultural diversity, discrimination, gender bias or social injustice. Thus, the problem-solving theory serves the purpose of problem identification and eventually leads to its intervention as well, even though the problem-solving theorists have not emphasized as such. Interventions, according to the theory, stem from set rules and the knowledge base that professionals can acquire through experience and expertise. On the other hand, the psychoanalytic approach adopts similar processes for problem identification within the individual and in the social context but does not really view the problem as a social problem. The components of person, interaction and environment are not synergistic but rather segregated from each other. This makes finding interventions difficult as the social work professional would have to differentiate the person, relationship and the environment, before individual resolutions can be devised. This is because the psychoanalytic approach mandates objective observations and following set processes, which does not allow social workers to view the problem from different dimensions which are inherent in the social work mission. Therefore, psychoanalytic theory mostly identifies problems within the society from micro perspectives, thereby, limiting the scope of intervention. Unlike the problem-solving theory, the psychoanalytic theory integrates social problems like poverty, cultural diversity, discrimination, gender biases and social injustice into the social environment and explains its influence on the individual. Sometimes, these factors may or may not be the culprit for individual problems but, in fact, the problem stems from within the unconscious. Thus, the abstract nature of the psychoanalytic theory makes it difficult to devise interventions realistically that are practical in the social work field. Progress on the part of the client and ethical concerns As a social work professional, one is responsible for the progress of the client. The problems or issues my client faces may be from the micro, mezzo and macro environment and therefore require different approaches towards interventions. Therefore, I would reserve the psychoanalytic approach for micro interventions so that I would be able to analyze the psychological as well as physiological dilemmas, and ultimately devise interventions that address the root problem. On the other hand, if the nature of the problem that my client is experiencing stems from the outset and requires a broad perspective in evaluation, then I would adopt the problem-solving approach to address the problem, first from the macro level then narrow it down to the micro level and resolve it accordingly. The approaches differ because, as a social work practitioner, I need to have flexible tools to evaluate the progress of my client. This can only be possible if I use a combination of theories and approaches to o ffer me flexibility as well as dynamism in my work. The only ethical concern I have regarding the application of these theories would perhaps be the scope and limitations each poses for social work practice. The problem-solving theory, as discussed earlier, emphasizes too much on the processes, which at times may result in compromised interventions. On the other hand, the psychoanalytic approach is too narrow and limited in its scope in addressing individual perspectives and tends to neglect the broader scenario. In resolving individual problems, perhaps I would neglect to incorporate the bigger picture and, thereby, inadvertently harm the society instead of benefiting it as a whole through my social work practice. Conclusion Despite the above reservations, the researcher is of the view that each of the theories has its own merit and application in intended practice. It is difficult to choose one over the other, as social work professionals realize no social issues or problem congruent with the other. Each problem is unique and requires unique resolutions. Since human beings are dynamic, their problems are dynamic too, requiring diversity in resolutions and intervention methods. Yet, from a broader perspective, the researcher would prefer the problem-solving approach over the psychoanalytic as it would more commonly be used in every day practice for the interventions of common problems. Such problems require a knowledge base to be developed from set rules and experiments, and require less time for interventions. On the other hand, for complex problems the researcher would prefer to use the psychoanalytic approach for individual objective observation and interventions. References Definition of Social Work Profession International Federation of Social Workers general meeting in Montrà ©al, Canada, July 2000, and endorsed by the International Association of Schools of Social Work in 2001 in Ramsay, R. F. (2003). Transforming the Working Definition of Social Work Into the 21st Century. Research on Social Work Practice, Vol. 13 No. 3, pp. 324-338 Bartlett, H. M. (1970). The Common Base of Social Work. New York: National Association of Social Workers. Compton B. Galaway, B. (1979). Social Casework A Problem-Solving Process. revised edn. Homewood, IL: The Dorsey Press. Fine, R. (1979). The History of Psychoanalysis. Columbia University Press. Leary, K. (1994). Psychoanalytic Problems And Postmodern Solutions. Psychoanalytic Quarterly. Volume: 63. Issue: 3. pp. 447. Menninger, K and Holzman, P. S. (1973). Theory of Psychoanalytic Technique. Basic Books. Menninger, K.S. (1958). The Theory of Psychoanalytic Technique. New York: Basic Books. Morgan, S. (Accessed 15-10-2006). A Strengths Approach Practicebasedevidence.com, Online accessed from: http://www.practicebasedevidence.com/strengths.htm Newell, A., Simon, H. A. (1972). Human Problem Solving. Englewood Cliffs, NJ:PrenticeHall. Patel, V. (1991). A view from medicine. In Toward a Unified Theory of Problem Solving: Views from the Content Domains. by Mike U. Smith (ed). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates: Hillsdale, NJ. pp. 35. Perlman, H. (1957). Social Work Process Social Casework: A Problem-Solving Process. The University of Chicago Press. Ruitenbeek, H. M. (1962). Psychoanalysis and Social Science. Dutton, New York. pp. 16. Sheafor, B. W., Horejsi, C.R. Horejsi, G.A. (2005). Techniques Guidelines for Social Work Practice. Allyn Bacon. Sheppard, M. (1991). Mental Health Work in the Community: Theory and Practice in Social Work and Community Psychiatric Nursing. Falmer Press pp. 32. Wormer, K. and Boes, M. (1998). Social Work, Corrections, and the Strengths Approach. Paper presented at the Canadian Association of Social Workers National Social Work Conference, June 20 24, 1998 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Poverty and Food Shortages :: Famine World Hunger

There is a serious development that concerns not only hungry people but all of us. Food is becoming too expensive and food riots are spreading. There were tortilla riots in Mexico when the praise of grain became unaffordable which can happen again. Most countries have been able to feed their own but there is a fear that the millions of the unfed will come across borders to eat. If this happens those with food will battle to keep it from the hungry. Supermarkets will be forced to place armed guards in front of their doors and refrigerators will be padlocked. There are food riots going on at the present time in Haiti where the government was overthrown. Nobody can predict tomorrows costs of grain or rice. Many say it will double in price in the coming months. Over a billion Chinese people are now eating meat products that are grain fed. This is a result of an increase in their standard of living. They grow very little grain so more than ninety percent of all meat eaten in China is imported. This is one of the causes of the shortage of world wide grain. The Chinese people have a right to eat as much meat as they can afford. It would be ridiculous to ask them to curb their appetites for the sake of the hungry in other countries. We must look elsewhere for a solution. The rising price of oil is the main cause of rising grain costs. Harvesters and trucks that use oil have to pass on added expenses. A loaf of bread cannot be sold for one dollar when it costs two to produce. The hungry must eat but if they cant afford to buy bread who will pay to feed them? The best solution is to lower oil prices which will bring down the costs of grain production. This would bring to a halt world wide hunger. There have been many famines where millions have starved to death. The Ukraine suffered a man made famine less than seventy five years ago where over a million died of hunger.

Cellular Phones :: Mobile Cell Cellular Telephones Phones Essays

Cellular Phones Cellular phones are a phenomenon that has engulfed people in the nineties. They have become a common occurrence whether you are waiting in line at the super market or in a movie theatre. One professor at Murray State University said, â€Å"Many students are carrying them, I had a student get a call in the middle of a test last semester.† Although many people have accepted the thought of carrying a telephone wherever they go, others have not taken the onslaught of cell phones quite so easily. Cell phones have become part of everyday life, and with the dramatic changes that have been made, there is no sign of their existence diminishing. Today, cellular service is available in all 306 Metropolitan Statistical Areas across the country and all of the 428 Rural Service Areas. Cellular phones carry a diverse group of users. In June 1985, there were about 203,000 cellular phone service subscribers. By June 1989, the number had exploded to 2.7 million subscribers, and by June 1995 there were mire than 26 million subscribers. When cell phones were first introduce, only people with a lot of money had them and the service was very expensive. It was a lot cheaper to stop and use the pay phone than it was to use a cell phone. Now, it is almost as cheap to use a cell phone to make a long distance call as it is to make a long distance call using AT&T. Long distance calling has become a vast market of sales and bribery. A majority of cell phone users have a long distance plan with there cellular package. A lot of college students have cell phones just to make long distance calls home to their friends and family. Depending on the time of day, a person in Fayetteville, Arkansas can call a person in Dallas, Texas for as little as 9 cents a minute. That is very cheap for that type of telephone call. Why have Americans become so attached to cellular phones? Is it convenience, or just the way a person feels driving down the road talking to someone. There is no way to tell. I think it is very important to look at the reason Americans buy and use cellular phones. In a survey taken in 1996, Southwestern Bell Cellular asked 5,000 of its users to fill out a survey.

Is Science to Blame Essay -- Science Scientific Essays

Is Science to Blame Science has played an important role in the American culture. One way or another it has transformed our way of living and our way of thinking towards human beings and nature. Science has been blamed for its new science inventions due to causing harm to individuals or the environment. As we are aware, science can have many benefits towards the health and environment, but at the same time there are consequences if new science ideas are not properly handled under the hands of the scientist or us, the individual. No doubt, science has provided many solutions to our unanswered questions and has removed our fears. J.Michael Bishop explains in his essay â€Å"Enemies of Promise† â€Å"science is the art of the possible, of the soluble† (239). For example, without scientist having the abundant knowledge that they do, the people and animals would not have survived infection’s diseases. People would not be aware of a habit they consume as being listed as a dangerous one nor would they know the facts on how to take care of their animal (s) or the environment. The solution to the diseases is that science has evolved with the proper vaccination though some are still in the process and others are about to be discovered. Also, nature has resulted to provide benefits to the human skin and even to cure some illnesses, has been discovered by scientist. There has been many other science solutions provided to Americans but many scientists are not appreciated for their development, rather people seek to find more answers to their health or environmental problems. If individuals are not meet with their needs they begin to criticize the science technology. Many Americans do not understand the concept of science. They imagine a... ...nswer can vary, depending on your beliefs, but it’s logical to say that science should be blamed when scientist introduce a new scientific idea just for selfishness, who don’t take into consideration the consequences of their product. Also, individuals who take advantage of any science development are the ones responsible for their failure not science. Science provides a different perspective on how to view others our natural environment. Works Cited Bishop, Michael J. â€Å"Enemies of Promise†. The Presence of Others. Ed. Moller. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2000. 237-242. Rifkin, Jeremy. â€Å"Biotech Century: Playing Ecological Roulette with Mother Nature’s Designs†. The Presence of Others. Ed. Moller. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2000. 244-253. Shelley, Mary. â€Å"Frankenstein†. The Presence of Others. Ed. Moller. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2000. 231-235.

Marketing Mix Essay

â€Å"Marketing Mix† is a set of strategy marketing tools that a firm mingles and pursues its marketing objective in the target market. (Kotler and Armstrong, 2006, p.51) The main purpose of marketing is satisfies the needs of consumers. This concept was introduced by Harvard University Professor Neil Borden first adopted in 1964. (Neil Borden, 1964) It is the basis for the development of corporate marketing strategy in order to guarantee and satisfaction consumer needs and wants. In addition, it is also a trick for corporate against a strong competitor to rational allocation of corporate marketing budget costs and avoids the market failure. In the early 1950s, Professor McCarthy inference if a firm wants to develop marketing activities should be controlled factors grouped into four categories which are product, price, place and promotion. (McCarthy, 1960) The emergence of the marketing mix means that the concept of market operators to complete the transformation of old and new regulations read, the development of new ideas – marketing concept. The marketing concept is the core of the target customers’ needs as the centre, the implementation of the marketing mix focusing on the overall market to obtain profits and achieve corporate marketing objectives. For example, the marketers will use the tools to adapt the consumer differ from that of a traditional and new technology product which is telegraph and Apple. The telegraph is a kind of communication services in the early 19th century invention, is the earliest use of electricity to communicate. The telegraph has greatly accelerated the flow of messages, is one of the important inventions of the industrial society. Early telegraph communications in the land, and later used the submarine cable to carry out long-distance service. To the early 20th century, began to use the radio sent telegram to the telegraph business basically have been able to reach most of the region on Earth. Telegraph is mainly used as a pass text messages. (Robert, 2012) Apple’s was established in 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, the core business is electronic technology products. The most famous product is the MacBook, iPod music player, iTunes Store, iPhone and the iPad Tablet PC. It is known for innovation in high-tech enterprise. When they introduced  iphone4 and iPad, it is shook the entire world, because it delivers the latest advanced and progressive in the smart phone to the people. Coupled with the advances of the Internet, people can communicate with each other in the quickest and shortest possible time. (Shane, 2010, p.2) When the telegraph was invented was shook the world; Apple technology developed was also shook the world. However, two products were invented at different times, so the marketing mix will be also different. Marketing Mix Tools Product Product is anything that can be offered to the market/consumer in order to satisfy their needs and wants. The types of product divide into tangible (physical goods) and intangible (services). (Philip Kotler et al, 2005, p.34) The telegraph was provided service to send the message from place to place and the Apple Company was provided physical goods to consumer e.g. IPhone and MacBook. According the MarketingTeacher theory, the core level of the two products is same. The reasons that both products shocked the world are the great inventions and consumers really want to buy for communications. 19th century, the augmented product are limited because the technology is not so developed, the telegraph service will be hampered, such as, Malaysia sent a telegram to the British have to spend more on time. Moreover, this service is difficult to guarantee that service failure in the middle or cannot reach. (Marketingteacher, 2012) However, at that time, the telegraph is the most advanced ways of communication. The telegraph introduced was successful to meet the consumers’ expectations. The Telegraph can do is keep the research becomes more convenient such as e-mail developed. With the advancement of the Internet, using IPhone to send information may only need a few of seconds or minutes. Advanced technology has been sufficient to attract and influence customers to buy e.g. Internet-ready communications device complete with email, web browsing, maps, application and more Apple has been able to become the largest electronics company because the brand-strategy decision. According Kotler and Keller theory, a company has 4 choices when it comes to brand strategy. Apple’s continuous  with line extension in recent years, such as the IPhone 3 development to the iPhone 4s. In addition, they also focus on brand extension e.g. IPod music player, MacBook, and IPad. (Kotler and Keller, 2011, p.260-261) Constant innovation will affect consumers become more eager to get better items. Apple’s was stimulated the certain product by implementing new design, operability, and user-friendly features. (Shane, 2010, p.13-19) Price Price is the amount of money paid by consumers in order to obtain goods and services. It is the most flexible marketing mix tools compared to the other three P because it can be changed according to certain situations. (Kotler and Armstrong, 2006, p.290) For example, price can change to low when serve a familiar customer. The era of the telegraph, telegraph monopoly by one company and demand more than supply. The absence of competitors, the level of prices is actually not greater impact on consumer decision-making. (Anonymous, 2010) In fact, the telegraph has reached maturity which mean successfully to maximize profit and maintain the market share, but in the end cannot be avoided the market penetration by new technology such as telephone and fax. Nowadays, the harvest strategies for the telegraph were still processing, but it become the history and use less service. â€Å"Apple also plans to continue lowering product prices, despite the fact that doing so would affect the company’s gross margins unfavourably.† (Shane, 2010, p.19) This obviously shows Apple considering the current trend. There are a lot of competitors, the price must be reduced, and consumers will give priority to their own economic situation and needs. For example, the MacBook is very expensive, but other brands have the same technology, but the price is low, then the Apple will lose in price. In fact, there are many factors to help Apple successful, such as, iPhone does not have the driving force without internet, or, people do not have high purchasing power in less advanced country, Place Place refers to urban and suburban whereby goods and services are made available to customer. (Philip Kotler et al, 2005, p.34) Location is also very important tactic, if the telegraph company established beside garbage,  this is impossible there are business opportunities. Apple’s successful because it expands the market size of the company’s product to every urban in the world’s. They have a priority to brand honor, low price, and then choose a high population place, coupled with a reasonable promotion, the consumer is difficult to reject the attractive of the good opportunity to satisfy the needs and wants. For example, consumers can buy the iPhone in every city. Even if Apple was provide a good product, but there are other factors to affect the sales volume such as PEST. For example, in Malaysia, the government set the minimum salary is not high; economic downturn; the extremists are not satisfied with phone radiation; or higher scientific and technological discovery. The contrary, the telegraph machine may be a country only a few units, if consumer want to send a message, he must go very far in order to be sent information. However, they share the invention to the world, thus affecting the entire market. Countries can use the telegraph to the purchase of advanced equipment from foreign countries, is very fast compared to letters. Communications make it easier for the world to develop their own countries, such as London and New York. At the same time, the inventions of telegraph available share to other inventors in order to research and development other invention, such as telephone and Internet. Promotion Promotion is a planned effort of an organization to communicate the company offerings to customer as well as trade members, it is also known as marketing communications. (Philip Kotler et al, 2005, p.34) As competition, Apple’s combinations of more promotional tools (promotion mix) (Kotler and Armstrong, 2006, p.290) used to provide information and services to consumers, such as advertising the new type of iPhone 4s, or, remind the iPad product still available on market. And, sales promotion which is the package promotion provided by the middle man. For example, Maxis communicate company launched buy in low price with two 2 year contract for using Maxis service line. (Maxis 2012) In opposite, the telegraph was invented, may be placed on billboards to inform the existence of the telegraph service. Or, they may in publish in the newspaper to post the benefits of the telegraph.  Today it is impossible to see the telegraph promotional, because the telegraph has reached decline stage in product life-cycle. The promotion is a very important tool to reach consumers, providers must be given attractive and priorities guideline to consumers, in order to achieve market comparative advantages Conclusion Conclusion, if the company has long existed in the market, consideration must be given to 4p will not stop the service to the consumers. Second, companies must avoid all factors that influence consumer decisions making and continuous research and development in order to avoid be eliminated by new technology. ————————————————- Question 2 (Part 2) a)  My name is â€Å"Apple† is a red with white strips of fruit plants. Apple flesh has a wealth of minerals and vitamins, the most commonly people used fruit. My flesh contains vitamin C and B, carotene, riboflavin, pyridoxine, dietary fibre and vitamin B complex, and so on Nutrition. Vitamin C is a powerful natural antioxidant which helps the body to develop and increase the resistance, and cleared from the body of the harmful free radicals. Dietary fibre can helps prevent absorption of dietary LDL cholesterol in the gut. The dietary fibres also help protect the mucous membrane of the colon from exposure to toxic substances by binding to cancer causing chemicals in the colon. (Nutrition-and-you, 2012) In addition, my skin is yellow, green and red, yellow and red where the flesh is sweet, while the blue is sweet with a tart. Planting apple will not be very difficult, farmer only need the seeds of apple and buried in the soil to take care of, in the end can grow a new generation of â€Å"me†. People’s market, consumer can buy me with 0.2 pounds per unit. However, not every country of the soil can be cultivated apple, in some countries, the weather was too hot, or too cold, there are not suitable to  grow a sweet and delicious apple e.g. Arabia and Egypt. (Rutuja Jathar, 2011) My apple peel is rich in antioxidant function, so it gives me more durable. Businesses are regarded me long-distance transported to other countries, and keep fresh selling out. My fleshes bring a lot of benefit; therefore, businesses have to use my benefits to earn profit in the market. Some marketers edit my appearance as a billboard to let people know the benefits; some lecturer launch courses to teach people why eat apple; some even speak â€Å"An apple a day keeps the doctor away.†, let people every days put me into their mouth. But I am very happy, because it can provide nutrition to the people, and also to give business opportunities to the businesses. b) The 21st century, as the people’s lifestyle changes, healthy is the future trends. Marketers were took my benefits packed into the marketing mix to make a profit e.g. health care products. In fact, the benefits also allow employers to solve some problems, that is, reduce the employee’s work attitude. Some unemployed tradesmen are quite willing to interview, but less than enthusiastic about taking a job. In fact, every company’s marketing strategy will directly affect the employees’ attitude, such as the company’s tactics cannot growth the profit, so will make employee lose fighting spirit. My marketing mix, it is undeniable that can help many employees. First, according to the Matt Michel theory, the visibility and benefits of the product is to improve the company’s sales. Sales will be able to enhance the employee’s salary, which is the best reason to convince the employees. If the company is not profitable, the employee is no longer rescued by the employer. The employee will be particularly concerned about the ability to obtain better benefits, such as salary increase, allowances, and so on. Secondly, although the price is just one ringgit an apple, but this price is a very big influence to the market. Some people believe that the price of one ringgit is difficult to obtain more profit, but the global populations are more than 6.9 billion, if one person to eat an apple a day, if an apple earns 0.01 pounds, the employer successful to earn 69million. If the employer with a high brand image, employee can be proud to work in the  company. Thirdly, apple can sell all over the world can affect the employment rate. Some places cannot grow apples, but the employer can transfer the apple to the country with the advance of technology e.g. keep fresh and air transportation. The finally is promotion. â€Å"An apple a day keeps the doctor away’, I believe everyone knows the proverb. There is no doubt that it was enough to affect the consumers of existing and next generation, and only need the proverb advertising to remind the consumers to buy it. Apple’s low has been reached maturity, unless it was confirmed that the Apple bringing harmful, otherwise the employee will agree that the business opportunity of apple will not be end. (Matt Michel, 2010) c)  Admittedly, I have many benefits but also have a negative side. Apple skin can protect the pulp of fresh, but if it loses the apple skin, the pulp will become no nutrition and broken just in ten minutes, so consumers must be finish it in short time. Of course, the solution is placed the flesh in the water contains antioxidant, so apple can maintain and extend the nutrition of the flesh, but this is only a temporary solution, it is best to immediately eat. Apple is a natural plant items, Apple can improve people’s health, which is the largest business opportunities. Consumer only can use the existing technology to maintain the nutrition of apple such as plastic fresh wrap. Reference Part 1 reference Philip Kotler, Gary Armstrong, 2006. Principles of Marketing 14th edition, p.51-290, Pearson Education Limited, Prentice Hall, USA. Borden, Neil H. (1964), â€Å"The Concept of the Marketing Mix,† Journal of Advertising Research, 4 (2), 2-7. Robert McNamara, unknown year (2012 copyright). The Invention of the Telegraph Changed Communication Forever: A Communication Revolution Wired the World In the 19th Century, online, n.d, available from World Wide Web: http://history1800s.about.com/od/inventioninnovation/a/telegraph01.htm [accessed date 03th May 2012] Shane R. Mittan, 2010. APPLE: A Case Study Analysis, 28th Jan, Western Michigan University, West Michigan Ave, Kalamazoo, Philip Kotler, Veronica Wong, John Saunders, Gary Armstrong, 2005. Principles of Marketing, 4th European Edition, p.34-36, Pearson Education Limited, Mateu-Cromo Artes Graficas, Spain. Anonymous, 2010, History of the U.S Telegraph Industry, online, 01th Feb, available from World Wide Web: http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/nonnenmacher.industry.telegraphic.us [accessed date on 03th May 2012] Marketingteacher, 2012, Three Levels of a Product, online, n.d, available from World Wide Web: http://marketingteacher.com/lesson-store/lesson-three-levels-of-a-product.html# [Accessed date on 04th May 2012] Philip Kotler and Kevin Lane Keller, 2011. Marketing Management, 14th Edition, Pearson Education Limited, 18th Feb, p.260-261, Prentice Hall, USA. Maxis, 2012. iPhone 4S: iVALUE PLANS, online, n.d, available from World Wide Web: http://www.maxis.com.my/personal/iphone/rates.asp [accessed date on 04th May 2012] IOANNIS KOMNINOS, 2002, Product Life Cycle Management, online, n.d, source from URENIO, available from World Wide Web: http://www.urenio.org/tools/en/Product_Life_Cycle_Management.pdf [accessed date on 04th May 2012] Part 2 References Rutuja Jathar, 2011. Apple Trees Planting: Location, online, 20th September, available from World Wide Web: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/apple-trees-planting.html [accessed date on 07th May 2012] nutrition-and-you, 2012. Apple fruit nutrition facts, online, n.d, available from World Wide Web: http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/apple-fruit.html [accessed date on 07th May 2012] Matt Michel, 2010. tilize a marketing mix to recruit employees, online, 1st Nov, available from World Wide Web: http://contractormag.com/columns/michel/utilize-marketing-mix-1110 [accessed date on 07th May 2012]

Student from Myanmar

When I was a grade 10 transferee student from Myanmar to Philippines in 2008, I saw how different our education system and the atmosphere of learning from other country. My experiences during these high school years in the Philippines inspired me to become an educator in Myanmar. My first step in preparing for my goal to become an effective educator was when I enrolled Bachelor of Secondary Education major in English at University of the Cordilleras in Baguio City, Philippines in 2011. I understood that education course would equip me with the necessary knowledge and skills to be an effective teacher and leader. I took advantage of all the lessons taught in the classes, I was studying my best in understanding the lessons from my lecturers, professors and classmates knowing that I would return to my mother land, share and apply what goods I have learned in abroad. When, I graduated my bachelor degree in 2015, I came back to my country and started working as a full time English teacher in Yangon, Myanmar. As a teacher my passion is to instill and encourage an inquiring mind to my students. Teaching allows me to work on hearts and minds, to guide people in becoming empowered, creative, liberated human beings who are interested to make a better place for all of us. Secondly, for about three years of teaching, my passion for education reform in Myanmar grow, I have realized that investment must be made in creating education that meets the need of building peace in the country especially with ethnic minority groups, the needs of Myanmar's growing economy and industry growth. It is also vital to enrich the country's academic offerings as I believe education is the ultimate to development of a country and the growth of its people mind. This teaching journey have led me to dream a bigger part of change agent, a desire to improve the education system in my country Myanmar, provide individuals free and quality education, inspire students to strive with the right mindset and creativity, because with the right mindset, it's possible to make all developments from private sectors to public administrations in the country and its citizens' potential. The more I realized it the more I am encouraged to pursue Master Degree in Education. So that I can work for educational reform, and with ample experience I will be able to work with ministry of education in Myanmar, AND VARIOUS NGOs which focus on the improvement of education system, I hope that students are aware of information regarding their chances of becoming their dream person, by running campaigns to inform students about scholarship programs all around the world, giving them guide how to achieve the scholarship, even work for students to achieve their dreams. Eventually I will like launch my own organization that focus on quality education as a whole particularly training teachers all around the country, who would reach out to their individual places and educate children, who are the hope and backbone of our country's development. It is important that students are given many choices and opportunities to complete their bachelor degree without having to struggle so much with their financial crisis and geographical dispersal.