Comparing Miley and Taylor

Compare and contrast writing Topic: Compare two famous people: Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus Outline * Background: started to perform at young age * Success: Forbes’ list, teenager’s idol all over the world * Composing habit: write about their own relationship Each celebrity tends to create their own style in both life and music to become unique and then impress audience. On newspapers or magazines, Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus are two obviously different images, the former is innocent and graceful, the latter seems to be stubborn and strong; however, in fact, they share some surprising similarities.One important similarity is their background. Both Taylor and Miley started their career at their young age. When Taylor was nine, she spent most of her weekends singing at local festivals, fairs, coffee houses, etc. After impressing music managers by her performing at Radio Corporation of America records showcase, she signed her first contrast with Big Machine Records at the age of fourteen and released her debut album three years later. Like Taylor, Miley was just eight years old when she has her first role in the film ‘Doc’.Nevertheless, her name has not been known by the world until she received the leading role for the film ‘Hannah Montana’, a Disney Channel’s musical children series. Another similarity between Taylor and Miley is their fame. It goes without saying that both of them have great impact on young people. In 2010, Taylor held the 16th position on the Forbes’s Celebrity 100. Beside many worldwide hits, she sold over 26 million albums and 75 million download digitals and became one of the most successful female singers in the history of the US music industry.Similarly, Miley ranked number thirteen on Forbes’ list in the same year. She also won a Guinness World Record for the song ‘Party in the USA’ and has million fans all over the world. Finally, two beautiful singers share one habit which is that compose and sing songs about their lovers. One of the most famous relationships of Taylor was with Joe Jonas who broke up with her by a 27-second phone call. After the separation, Taylor wrote a song about his faithless and put it in her best-selling album, Fearless.Following this song, Taylor tends to integrate her own experience with man in each song she composes, and they all achieve their popularity. Likewise, Miley wrote the lyrics for the song ‘7 things’ about her ex-boyfriend and 12 other songs which are inspired by her relationship with her finance in her latest album. Although Taylor and Miley are unique artists, there are remarkable similarities in their background, reputation and composing habit. In a way, those are reasons why they are close friend in real life.

Jewish interfaith marriages and its possible impact on Judaism Essay

In the Jewish world there is much concern and ambivalence over the effect of interfaith marriages – Jews marrying non-Jews. Those who are not familiar with their religion and customs may find it difficult to understand why such a dilemma exists in the modern world. A feeling that is not lost in younger generations of Jews. This has prompted many to seek answers whether the Jewish race is threatened by this new trend or will it result in something else. This paper will attempt to shed light on the common misconception that Jewish interfaith marriages (a.k. a. intermarriages) are eliminating Judaism in America. This is because some studies point to the opposite; the high rate of intermarriages can even reinforce Jewish identity – ethnic distinctiveness and Jewish culture – when the community, family and institutions welcome the intermarried couple into their midst. Most of the ideas and concepts that will be used here are taken from Calvin Goldscheider’s twin works an article entitled Are American Jews Vanishing Again? And a book entitled Studying the Jewish Future. Unless noted otherwise the proponent will liberally use Goldsheider’s point of view, which is acceptance of interfaith marriages as a positive force that is shaping modern day Judaism. In Context One generally accepted rule is to never marry a non-Jew. And this may perhaps explain the reason why even in the 21st century Jews can boast of an unbroken line that stretches even as far back to antiquity. It is this determination to survive against all odds that made them a unique people group. There are at least two major reasons why the Jews feel this way. First of all it is part of their religious beliefs that it is much better to marry fellow Jews than to be yoked with an unbeliever. This is also a practice rooted in practicality because it would be difficult for an outsider to follow all the complicated rules and rituals that a Jewish person should observed to maintain his or her status in the community. Secondly, the Jews are conscious of the fact that their people survived countless trials, tribulations and the test of time precisely because of their enduring belief that they should stick together. To fully understand their point of view one has to dig deep into their sacred books. The Jewish Bible, in the book of Yehoshua (Joshua), on the third chapter, one can see a list of ancient peoples that co-existed with the Jews and these are the: 1) Canaanites; 2) Hittites; 3) Hivites; 4; Perizzites, 5) Girgashites; 6) Amorites; and 7) Jebusites. One may try to look hard and scour the modern world; travel far and wide and still could not find any single trace of the aforementioned people groups. They are all gone. But the Jews remain. There is no need to elaborate upon the horrors that this group has encountered in the thousands of years of existence. And all of this can be attributed to an undying devotion to their God and deep sense of community. It is now clear why many see interfaith marriages as a threat to the survival of the Jewish race. It is no exaggeration to say that many are alarmed and convinced that this generation is the end of the road for them, especially to American Jews who live in a materialistic world that seems to have no time to revisit the past and hang on to outmoded traditions. But for a very long time there was no cause for alarm. Shapiro in his book on American Jewry in the 20th century described the self-satisfied demeanor of most Jewish leaders when it comes to exogamy. And he said that it was a common belief that, â€Å"†¦ Jews had a reputation for resisting intermarriage, that the Jewish rate of endogamy was far higher that that of any other white ethnic religious group, and that American Jewish leaders and scholars complacently believed the threat of intermarriage had been contained† (1992, p. 234). They soon found out that this was not the case as the world approaches the 21st century. And everyone was scrambling to reverse the trend but it may be too late.

Night World : Soulmate Chapter 16

It was a very long time before Hannah heard footsteps again. She distracted herself during the long wait by whistling songs under her breath and thinking about the people she loved. Her mother. Her mother didn't even miss her yet, didn't know she was gone. But by tomorrow she would. Tomorrow was May first, Hannah's birthday, and Chess would give her mother the letter. Chess, of course. Hannah wished now that she'd spent more time saying goodbye to Chess, that she'd explained things better. Chess would have been fascinated. And she had a right to know she was an Old Soul, too. Paul Winfield. That was strange-she'd only known him a week. But he'd tried to help her. And at this moment, he knew more about Hannah Snow than anyone else in Montana. I hope he doesn't start smoking again if he rinds out I'm dead. Because that was probably how she would end up. Hannah had no illusions about that. She had a weapon-but so did Maya, and Maya was much faster and stronger. She was no match for Maya under the best of circumstances, much less when she was weak and feverish. The best she could hope for was to get Maya to kill her while she was still human. She thought about the Circle Daybreak members. They were good people. She was sorry she wouldn't have the chance to know them better, to help them. They were doing something important, something she instinctively sensed was necessary right now. And she thought about Thierry. He'll have to go wandering again, I guess. It's too bad. He hasn't had a very happy life. I was starting to think I could take that sadness out of his eyes†¦. When she heard a noise at last, she thought it might be her imagination. She held her breath. No. It's footsteps. Getting closer. She's coming. Hannah shifted position. She had stationed herself near the mouth of the cavern; now she took a deep breath and eased herself into a crouch. She wiped her sweaty right palm on her jeans and got a better grip on her stake. She figured that Maya would shine the flashlight toward the pole where Hannah had been tied, then maybe take a few steps farther inside the cavern, trying to see what was going on. And then I'll do it. I'll come out of the darkness behind her. Jump and skewer her through the back. But I've got to time it right. She held her breath as she saw light outside the mouth of the cavern. Her greatest fear was that Maya would hear her. Quiet†¦ quiet†¦ The light came closer. Hannah watched it, not moving. But her brain was clicking along in surprise. It wasn't the slanted, focused beam of a flashlight. It was the more diffuse pool of light from a lantern. She's brought another one. But that means†¦ Maya was walking in. Walking quickly-and not pausing. She couldn't shine the light onto the pole yet. And she didn't seem anxious to-apparently it didn't occur to her that she needed to check on Hannah. She was that confident. Hannah cursed mentally. She's going too far-she's out of range. Get up! Her plan in ruins, she flexed her knees and stood. She heard a crack in her knee joint that sounded as loud as a gunshot. But Maya didn't stop. She kept going. She was almost at the pole. As silently as she could, Hannah headed across the cavern. All Maya had to do was turn around to see her. Maya was at the pole. She was stopping. She was looking from side to side. Hannah was behind her. Now. Now was the time. Hannah's muscles could feel how she had to stab, to throw her weight behind the thrust so that the stake went in under Maya's left shoulder blade. She knew how to do it. †¦ But she couldn't. She couldn't stab somebody in the back. Somebody who wasn't menacing her at the moment, who didn't even know they were in danger. Oh, my God! Don't be stupid! Do it! Oh, my Goddess! a voice echoed back in her head. You're not a killer. This isn't even self-defense! Frustrated almost to the point of hysteria, Hannah heard herself let out a breath. It was wet. She was crying. Her arm drooped. Her muscles collapsed. She wasn't doing it. She couldn't do it. Maya slowly turned around. She looked both beautiful and eerie in the lantern light. She surveyed Hannah up and down, looking in particular at the drooping stake. Then she looked at Hannah's face. â€Å"You're the strangest girl,† she said, in what seemed to be genuine bewilderment. â€Å"Why didn't you do it? You were smart enough to get yourself out and make yourself a weapon. Why didn't you have the guts to finish it?† Hannah was asking herself the same thing. Only with more expletives. I am going to die now, she thought. And maybe die for good-because I don't have guts. Because I couldn't kill somebody I know is completely evil and completely determined to kill me. That's not ethics. That's stupid. â€Å"I suppose it's that Egyptian temple training,† Maya was saying. â€Å"Or maybe the life when you were a Buddhist-do you remember that? Or maybe you're just weak.† And a victim. I've spent a couple thousand years being a victim-yours. I guess I've got my part down perfect by now. â€Å"Oh, well. It doesn't really matter why,† Maya said. â€Å"It all comes down to the same thing in the end. Now. Let's get this over with.† Hannah stared at her, breathing hard, feeling like a rabbit looking at a headlight. Nobody should live as a victim. Every creature has a right to fight for its life. But she couldn't seem to get her muscles to move anymore. She was just too tired. Every part of her hurt, from her throbbing head to her raw fingertips to her bruised and aching feet. Maya was smiling, fixing her with eyes that shifted from lapis-lazuli blue to glacier green. â€Å"Be a good girl, now,† she crooned. I don't want to be a good girl†¦. Maya reached for her with long arms. â€Å"Don't touch her!† Thierry said from the cavern mouth. Hannah's head jerked sideways. She stared at the new pool of light on the other side of the cave. For the first few seconds she thought she was hallucinating. But, no. He was there. Thierry was standing there with a lantern of his own, tall and almost shimmering with coiled tension, like a predator ready to spring. The problem was that he was too far away. And Maya was too fast. In the same instant that it took Hannah to make her brain believe her eyes, Maya was moving. In one swift step, she was behind Hannah, with her hands around Hannah's throat. â€Å"Stay where you are,† she said. â€Å"Or I'll break her little neck.† Hannah knew she could do it. She could feel the iron strength in Maya's hands. Maya didn't need a weapon. Thierry put the lantern down and raised his empty hands. â€Å"I'm staying,† he said quietly. â€Å"And tell whoever else you've got in that tunnel to go back. All the way back. If I see another person, I'll kill her.† Without turning, Thierry shouted. â€Å"Go back to the entrance. All of you.† Then he looked at Hannah. â€Å"Are you all right?† Hannah couldn't nod. Maya's grip was so tight that she could barely say, â€Å"Yes.† But she could look at him, and she could see his eyes. She knew, in that moment, that all her fears about him not wanting her anymore were groundless. He loved her. She had never seen such open love and concern in anyone's face before. More, they understood each other. They didn't need any words. It was the end of misunderstandings and mistrust. For perhaps the first time since she had been Hana of the Three Rivers, Hannah trusted him without reservation. They were in accord. And neither of them wanted this to end with a death. When Thierry took his eyes from Hannah's, it was to look at Maya and say, â€Å"It's over, now. You have to realize that. I've got twenty people down here, and another twenty on the surface waiting.† His voice became softer and more deliberate. â€Å"But I give you my word, you can walk out of here right now, Maya. Nobody will touch you. All you have to do is let Hannah go first.† â€Å"Together,† Hannah said, coughing as Maya's hands tightened, cutting off her breath. She gasped and finished, â€Å"We go out together, Thierry.† Thierry nodded and looked at Maya. He was holding his hand out now, like someone trying to coax a frightened child. â€Å"Just let her go,† he said softly. Maya laughed. It was an unnatural sound, and it made Hannah's skin crawl. Nothing sane made a noise like that. â€Å"But that way, I won't win,† Maya said, almost pleasantly. â€Å"You can't win anyway,† Thierry said quietly. â€Å"Even if you kill her, she'll still be alive-â€Å" â€Å"Not if I make her a vampire first,† Maya interrupted. But Thierry was shaking his head. â€Å"It doesn't matter.† His voice was still quiet, but it was filled with the authority of absolute conviction, a kind of bedrock certainty that held even Hannah mesmerized. â€Å"Even if you kill her, she'll still be alive-here.† He tapped his chest. â€Å"In me. I keep her here. She's part of me. So until you kill me, you can't really kill her. And you can't win. It's that simple.† There was a silence. Hannah's own heart was twisted with the force of her love for him. Her eyes † were full. She could hear Maya breathing, and the sound was ragged. She thought that the pressure of Maya's hands was infinitesimally less. â€Å"I could kill you both,† Maya said at last in a grating voice. Thierry lifted his shoulders and dropped them in a gesture too sad to be a shrug. â€Å"But how can you win when the people you hate aren't there to see it?† It sounded insane-but it was true. Hannah could feel it hit Maya like a well-thrown javelin. If Maya couldn't have Thierry as her prize, if she couldn't even make him suffer, what was the point? Where was the victory? â€Å"Let's stop the cycle right here,† Thierry said softly. â€Å"Let her go.† He was so gentle, and so reasonable, and so tired-sounding. Hannah didn't see how anyone could resist him. But she was still surprised at what happened next. Slowly, very slowly, the hands around her neck loosened their grip. Maya stepped away. Hannah sucked in a deep breath. She wanted to run to Thierry, but she was afraid to do anything to unbalance the delicate stalemate in the cavern. Besides, her knees were wobbly. Maya was moving around her, taking a step or two in front of her, facing Thierry directly. â€Å"I loved you,† she said. There was a sound in her voice Hannah had never heard before, a quaver. â€Å"Why didn't you ever understand that?† Thierry shook his head. â€Å"Because it's not true. You never loved me. You wanted me. Mostly because you couldn't have me.† There was a silence then as they stood looking at each other. Not because they understood each other too well for words, Hannah thought. Because they would never understand each other. They had nothing to say. The silence stretched on and on-and then Maya collapsed. She didn't fall down. But she might as well have. Hannah saw the life go out of her-the hope. The energy that had kept Maya vibrant and sparkling after thousands of years. It had all come from her need to win . . . and now she knew she'd lost. She was defeated. â€Å"Come on, Hannah,† Thierry said quietly. â€Å"Let's go.† Then he turned to shout back into the tunnel behind him. â€Å"Clear the way. We're all coming out.† That was when it happened. Maya had been standing slumped, her head down, her eyes on the ground. Or on her backpack. And now, as Thierry turned away, she flashed one glance at him and then moved as fast as a striking snake. She grabbed the black stake and held it horizontally, her arm drawn back. Hannah recognized the posture instantly. As Hana of the Three Rivers she'd seen hunters throw spears all the time. â€Å"Game over,† Maya whispered. Hannah had a fraction of a second to act-and no time to consider. All she thought was, No. With her whole weight behind the thrust, she lunged at Maya. Stake first. The sharp wooden point went in just under Maya's shoulder blade. She staggered, off balance, her throw † ruined. The black stake went skittering across the rough stone floor. Hannah was off balance, too. She was falling. Maya was falling. But it all seemed to be happening in slow motion. I've killed her. There was no triumph in the thought. Only a sort of hushed certainty. When the slow-motion feeling ended, she found herself the way anybody finds themself after a fall. On the ground and surprised. Except that Maya was underneath her, with a stake protruding from her back. Hannah's first frantic thought was to get a doctor. She'd never seen someone this badly hurt before- not in this life. There was blood seeping out of Maya's back around the makeshift stake. It had gone in very deep, the wood piercing vampire flesh like razor-sharp steel through a human. Thierry was beside her. Kneeling, pulling Hannah slightly away from Maya's prone form, as if she might still be dangerous. Hannah reached for him at the same time, and their hands met, intertwined. She held on tight, feeling a rush of warmth and comfort from his presence. Then Thierry gently turned Maya onto her side. Hair was falling across Maya's face like a black waterfall. Her skin was chalky white and her eyes were wide open. But she was laughing. Laughing. She looked at Hannah and laughed. In a thick choking voice, she gasped. â€Å"You had guts-after all.† Hannah whispered, â€Å"Can we do anything for her?† Thierry shook his head. Then it was terrible. Maya's laugh turned into a gurgle. A trickle of blood ran out of the side of her mouth. Her body jerked. Her eyes stared. And then, finally, she was still. Hannah felt her own breath sigh out. She's dead. I killed her. I killed someone. Every creature has the right to fight for its life-or its loved ones. Thierry said softly, â€Å"The cycle is broken.† Then he let Maya's shoulder go and her body slumped down again. She seemed smaller now, shrunken. After a moment Hannah realized it wasn't an illusion. Maya was doing what all vampires do in the movies. She was falling in on herself, her tissues collapsing, muscle and flesh shriveling. The one hand Hannah could see seemed to be wasting away and hardening at the same time. The skin became yellow and leathery, showing the form of the tendons underneath. In the end, Maya was just a leather sack full of bones. Hannah swallowed and shut her eyes. â€Å"Are you all right? Let me look at you.† Thierry was holding her, examining her. Then when Hannah met his eyes, he looked at her long and searchingly and said with a different meaning, â€Å"Are you all right?† Hannah understood. She looked at Maya and then back at him. â€Å"I'm not proud of it,† she said slowly. â€Å"But I'm not sorry, either. It just-had to be done.† She thought another moment, then said, getting out each word separately, â€Å"I refuse to be †¦ a victim†¦ anymore.† Thierry tightened his arm around her. â€Å"I'm proud of you,† he said. Then he added, â€Å"Let's go. We need to get you to a healer.† They walked back through the narrow passageway, which was no longer dark because Thierry's people had placed lanterns every few feet. At the end of the passage, in the room with the vertical shaft, they had set up some sort of rope and pulley. Lupe was there, and Nilsson, and the rest of the CIA group. So were Rashel and Quinn. The fighters, Hannah thought. Everyone called and laughed and patted her when she came in with Thierry. â€Å"It's over,† Thierry said briefly. â€Å"She's dead.† Everyone looked at him and then at Hannah. And somehow they knew. They all cheered and patted her again. Hannah didn't feel like Cinderella anymore; she felt like Dorothy after killing the Wicked Witch. And she didn't like it. Lupe took her by the shoulders and said excitedly, â€Å"Do you know what you've done?† Hannah said, â€Å"Yes. But I don't want to think about it any more right now.† It wasn't until they'd hauled her up the vertical shaft that it occurred to her to ask Thierry how he'd found her. She was standing on an inconspicuous hillside with no buildings or landmarks around. Maya had picked a very good hiding place. â€Å"One of her own people sold her out,† Thierry said. â€Å"He got to the house about the same time I did this evening, and he said he had information to sell. He was a werewolf who wasn't happy with how she'd treated him.† A werewolf with black hair? Hannah wondered. But she was too sleepy suddenly to ask more questions. â€Å"Home, sir?† Nilsson said, a little breathlessly because he'd just come up the shaft. Thierry looked at him, laughed, and started to help Hannah down the hill. â€Å"That's right. Home, Nilsson.†

Paterns of market competition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Paterns of market competition - Essay Example The Post World War II the position was that the US was dominating the world share of FDI by three quarters of the entire market share. The US at this point had around three-quarters of the Global FDI (1945 and 1960).However today in the age of globalisation the FDI is no longer a phenomena restricted to OECD countries. FDI growth is very important for the modern global economy with the FDI stocks now constituting over 20 percent of global GDP. Inward FDI happens when there is an investment of foreign capital within a country's own local resources and can be attracted by tax holidays and tax subsidies, low rates of interest, and more investor friendly laws. However ownership restraints or differential performance requirements are likely to discourage FDI. Outward FDI is local investment in foreign resources and is encouraged by a positive role of the host governments in providing insurance and tax breaks for these people who want to trade abroad. Therefore "Foreign Direct Investment" can be both inwards and outwards for the economy. Academics have expressed a lot ... ion of corporate control over international boundaries: Therefore the recent ability of the FDI to benefit or profit an economy has also suffered from criticism is to its negative effects. In the case of Developing Countries a comprehensive study by Bosworth and Collins (1999) investigated evidence concerning the effect of capital inflows and found that multinationals find it cheaper to expand directly in a foreign country rather than through trade " in cases where the advantages associated with cost or product are based on internal, indivisible assets based on knowledge and technology." The assertion whether large inflows of foreign capital present developing countries with a good opportunity in accelerating their economic development or not is a big question mark for economists in the light of the recent developments that have taken place in the Asian markets. With the governments of developing countries actively seeking our FDI's for their countries there is a large disagreement amongst economists and development agencies whether FDI flows are to some extent determined by the effectiveness of host state legal systems .The main players in the risks associated with FDI's are the host states, foreign investors and those engaged in development assistance and theorising(like the World bank.) There has to be an effective use of legal and economic reforms which balance domestic commercial and non-commercial interests. The following diagram shows the rise and fall of FDI in developing country, Vietnam .Notice how the trends are very irregular thus putting the whole benefit of the FDI in doubt.1 The many theories of FDI Foreign investors will need to be shown whether the local taxation and legal system will not unduly restrict their profits and activities .In

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Board of directors - Essay Example Some of these challenges include deficiency in the development of adequate Islamic markets for financial and cash investments. There is also an absence of capital structures of investment in Kuwait financial system since weak asset and liability management system curtailed with deficiency of risk management policies. Kachel and his co-authors further add that Kuwait lacks a flexible liquidity market which could allow Islamic Financial Institutions. Due to weak governance factors, the global financial crisis of 2008 had affected Islamic Financial Institutions. The formation of Capital Market Authority in Kuwait led to the prohibition of money laundering, license for stock markets were introduced, foreign funds were regulated, set up of investment standards, use of Arabic language, market fee was set at KWD 50,00 for foreign investment, purchase of credit regulation was introduced. In conclusion, the introduction of Capital Markets Authority, in Kuwait, has significantly improved its governance of its Islamic financial institutions. This has been achieved through several sound regulations, which keep its corporations either owned by the government or foreign in

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Xenophobia - Essay Example However, unlike the Holocaust which built up gradually from Fascist ideas developed by Hitler and his followers in the years after the First World War, and what was seen as the humiliation of the German people, ( The Israeli- American Co-operative 2011) it could be argued that one incident sparked the Rwandan atrocities. The Hutu uprising against their countrymen was triggered when Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu, and at that time the Rwandan president, was killed when he was in a plane which was shot down during a rocket attack near Kigali airport on 6th April 1994. The blame was placed firmly on the shoulders of Tutsi leader Paul Kagame, who is now the current Rwandan President, but then leader of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), (BBC News and Le Monde 2004). This was denied by Kagame who blamed the attack on Hutu extremists. Nevertheless, within a few hours of the attack, violence broke out all over the country; and such violence would not wane until three months after the assassination of Habyarimana. By then nearly a million Rwandans would lose their lives. The persecution of the Jews began in the early 1930’s. when Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany in 1933. The persecution he engendered continued and built up into and through World War II., finally ceasing in 1945 when war in Europe finally ended. .It is believed that some 6 million Jews died , as well as members of other minorities such as Gypsies. Others were tortured or suffered in other ways and some 5000 Jewish communities were totally destroyed. ( Nazi Germany 1933-1941) The deaths did not begin as soon as the Fascists came to power. Time was spent first in spreading propaganda across Germany against those seen by the government as the enemies of the Aryan race, a the same time making life very difficult for the minority group. The aim was to encourage Jews to leave the country and to some extent this succeeded, but Hitler could not wait and in 1938 came Kristallnacht - state

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What are the advantages and disadvantages of EDCT's You - Essay Example In such case, the airline company has to be assigned again with a new EDCT which maybe much later than the other airplanes. This is due to the fact that the issuance of EDCT’s is on the â€Å"first come, first serve basis.† Hence, the passengers may become upset and feel frustrated on the transport service of the airline company due to extension of holding time. Considerably, an airplane company may opt not to fly in accordance with the EDCT for the reason that they only have few passengers aboard and it will expectedly result to an unfair loss of profits. On the other hand, the assigning of EDCT’s significantly helps the air traffic controllers to accurately accept or deny any suggested arrivals or departures by airline companies. This allows them to regulate the air traffic more efficiently and orderly (FAA 21). On the contrary, the assignment of such adds burden to the work of the air traffic controllers. The air traffic controllers are expected to be attentiv e and available at all times. In fact, in times wherein there is a continuous weather disturbance, they are forced to work overtime just to ensure the safety departure and arrival of

Professional Workplace Dilemma Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Professional Workplace Dilemma - Essay Example Johnson; the cashier identified my local police department badge and concluded that we were police officers. She could not have known our identities if it were not for the badge since we were dressed in civilian clothes. The cashier, Ms. Swansea, told me that I did not have to pay because I was from the local police department. This was a difficult situation because the courtesy would have meant money in my pocket, but due to the police department code of ethics for all personnel, I could not accept the gratuity. I paid the waitress the total amount for the food in a tip so that I would not be breaking company policy regarding gratuity and I did not want to offend the cashier. Analysis of the dilemma This scenario challenged my virtues as a human being and my loyalty to the Ethics that govern the operations of the law enforcement officers. There was a distinct difference between me as a law enforcement officer and the cashier. As a law enforcement officer, I am endowed with powers an d authority that come with holding such an office. Such powers can only be necessary in circumstances that the law allows. For instance, as a law enforcement officer, I have the power to interrogate and interview suspects in connection to their alleged crimes (Clark, 1970). I have powers and authority to use legal means to make suspects confess their crimes in order to advance the promotion of Justice to victims of the alleged crime, for instance, applying detention laws to confine suspects in accordance to the law. On the other hand, the cashier has no authority and power in comparison with the law enforcement officers. The cashier, Ms. Swansea, is an employee with the duty of serving clients and receiving cash from them. She has no authority outside her cafe. The ethics in question are: As a law enforcement officer, it is my duty to serve the community and to protect lives and property of innocent people against dishonest acts, and protect the weak against oppression and/or intimi dation (Scheb and Scheb, 2011). In the above scenario, the nature of the office I held intimidated the cashier who, thus, offered me the free meal. It is my responsibility as a law enforcement officer to protect the weak against intimidation, and Ms. Swansea as well. If I had accepted the offer, I would have gone against the codes of conduct and ethics that guide law enforcement officers. As law enforcement officers, it is our duty not to permit personal prejudices, personal feelings and political beliefs to influence our decisions and never to accept gratuities due to the office I am holding (H.M.S.O, 1985). Ms. Swansea offered a gratuity to me in the form of not paying for the meal. Had I accepted the offer, I would have betrayed the law enforcement officer’s code of conducts. As law enforcement officers, it is our duty to take the badge of the office as a symbol of faith from the public. It is a public trust that law enforcement officers hold (Scheb and Scheb, 2011). Thus, it is unacceptable for police officers to accept bribes or engage in corruption due to the opportunities that the office they hold presents. In this case, had I

Jesus and Women Essay Example for Free

Jesus and Women Essay Jesus Jesus Christ is believed to be the son of God who is a historical person that lived in Palestine about two thousand years ago and research has it that Christians who are believed to be his followers traditionally acknowledged him as their Lord and Savior and they take the initiative of imitating him since they believe that He lived a life without blemish and thus it is their duty to imitate him as much as possible. As far as Christianity is concerned then the description of moral issues is based on the basis of the texts from the bible and is fully authoritative and bear the stamp of God’s authority and it can still be applied in our lives today directly without compromise. Though most people tend to give attention to the voices of Christian tradition that is outside the written scriptures, some to the psychological arguments, sociological, medicinal or even evolutionary biology and others to their personal intuition, we are all influenced by the culture of our times whether we like it or not. Character is a very important thing in our lives since everybody will want to know how to associate with you according to your character since character determines a lot about an individual and that everybody including those outside the church have the idea of seeking guidance that is authoritative in our habits and the culture of our present times and this gives a lot of problems to Christians who want to participate in debates that deal with morals. Research also states that reading the bible is like listening to a conversation that has many voices that continues to speak to us and arguing in our hearts and we feel like it continues in us as time goes by thus we need to have intelligence and creativity in the interpretation as we listen to it. Mostly when questions were asked to Jesus during his mission, they were surrounding the references of the laws of Moses since people wanted to know his attitude towards the laws and people also wanted to know what they could learn from his attitude in order to get help on how to address similar issues in their own days whether the bible has something to say about it or it is silent. The bible gives evidence that the attitude of Jesus to the Old Testament was not straightforward since he highly respected the law and giving interpretations that strengthened it though on the other hand he sometimes seems to set the law aside and finding himself in a position of arguing with legal elders of his time. As we try to learn the character of Jesus, it is noted that some of his actions such as the healing on the Sabbath and welcoming people who are unclean such as the woman who committed adultery tends to bring contradiction to the way people regard him and it also reveals an approach that is flexible to the aspects of the law. A woman who was found committing adultery was supposed to be stoned to death according to the laws of Moses but when it happened during the time of Jesus and the woman was brought to him his response contradicted the law completely because he did not condemn the woman nor judged her actions but instead asked anyone who had not sinned to throw a stone at her but they all left without doing so as Jesus wrote on the ground and asked the woman to go and leave her sinful life and she was forgiven her sins and all this was a critical point of view of many elders of his time. This action of Jesus triggers a lot of questions as far as women are concerned such questions as was Jesus a feminist? Or was he just showing love and compassion to the woman? And many questions that still remain unanswered to date because the verse in John 8:1-11 in King James Version gives a different meaning to what is recorded in other bible versions. The love and compassion that Jesus had mostly leaned on the side of the inferior people in the society such as the lame, the blind, sinners who needed to be saved and also the women who were seen to be inferior beings in the society by the people of his time and also the old testament times since they could not be allowed to read the torah and thus Jesus wanted to call all these people to the equality that he believes they have in the kingdom of God. The status of women during the time of Jesus and also in Palestine as a whole was that of people who were considered to be inferior although there were still heroines at that time. There are no negative attitudes that are indicated in the gospels by Jesus towards women and thus research has it that Jesus is considered to be a feminist because by his actions he tries to bring out the value of women that was not seen or was neglected by everyone and that women did not have any value in Palestine. The attitude of Jesus is considered to be a positive attitude since he is the only person who did not disregard women as people who are inferior in the society and he does not portray it through the primitive Christian communal point of view of women and this gives out his feminist attitude which is referred to as feminism and is the personalism that is highly extended to women and is considered to be the constitutive part of the gospel which is the good news of Jesus. Jesus action towards the woman who committed adultery is really not to be questioned as far as positive attitude is concerned because in many occasions in the gospels Women were treated as second-class citizens and also treating women not as persons but as sex objects and they also expected Jesus as he was one of them to do the same. Seeing a woman as an evil sexual creature does not necessarily mean that she is was one of the points that Jesus wanted to get to the minds of the Pharisees when they saw the woman who came to wash the feet of Jesus with her hair when they were having dinner at a Pharisees house. Jesus wanted to make a difference in the opinions that people had towards women since that was one of the only way he could give them hope because nobody could give the women a second chance due to their strong beliefs that women were not supposed to be treated as humans but did by showing them that women deserve equal treatment to men through his actions of forgiving the woman and not condemning her. The language that Jesus used when responding to the issue of the adulterous woman is seen to be a critical language that is used to enlighten the moods of the reader and to make the people who were hearing the message from Jesus to understand what he fully meant by telling them to throw a stone at the woman if they did not have any sin. Jesus is still not in a position to be condemned since the laws of Moses indicated that both the woman and the man should be stoned to death once caught in the act of adultery and this was not the case when the woman was brought to Jesus because the woman was brought alone and it is evident that she did not commit adultery alone and that the people were referring to the laws of Moses and so they were the people to be condemned anyway through their unfair action. Due to facts that women were never regarded as of any value, the character of Jesus proved to be unique and with a plan since he was the only person who could see the value of a woman in any given situation whether good or bad since the woman who committed adultery was considered to be an evil person who was not even supposed to be in the presence of Jesus and never expected that Jesus could treat her the way he did. The translations of different versions of the bible concerning this event of the adulterous woman has to be criticized since they all portray different opinions that don’t give a matching conclusion since the language that can be found in the New International Version is quite different from that in the King James Version and also the New King James Version of the bible. As part of this discussion of Jesus and the women it is good for us to take a close look at other instances where Jesus was seen to be supporting women in the bible or even in his mission. Most of Jesus disciples were men but he also had women disciples who also played a big role as far as his ministry is concerned. The attitude of Jesus towards women is seen to be a good attitude since he taught them the gospel, what the scriptures meant, and the truths in the Christian religion in general. According to Judaism some of the actions of Jesus towards women is considered to be very improper like teaching the women the scriptures and as it is recalled this was very wrong. Jesus was always seeing the potential of women which other people could not see and through this he tried his level best to break some of the customs deliberately in an extraordinary way since this custom was invidious to women As the men tried to tempt Jesus with a question regarding the adulterous woman he did not tense because he knew that the same people who were condemning this woman were also sinners, he used a style of rhetorical questions where he did not have to answer them the way they expected him to do so. There were many women who were following Jesus both the married and the unmarried and they all wanted to be part of his ministry since they had been given the privilege to have a say in his ministry that made them feel like they belong somewhere since they had been feeling rejected by all people and they had been feeling very inferior in the society since nobody was in the position to give them a helping hand in their weaknesses. In the book of Luke 8:1 the presence of women in the number of disciples that Jesus had is felt since there are those who are even mentioned by name in the sentences with the twelve disciples when Jesus made his way through towns and villages and the twelve were with him preaching and proclaiming the word of God which was the good news of the kingdom of God. At that time the twelve disciples were with him as well as certain women who were there to provide for them the resources that they needed. The roles that were played by these women in early Christianity are the same as those played by the present deacons of the churches today since in the Greek language the words used in the bible such as â€Å"provided for† has the same meaning as the word â€Å"ministered to† as used in the gospel of Mark. It is significant to appreciate the freedom of women being in a position to follow him and minister to him when it is recalled that women were not even supposed to leave their households whether married or still a daughter of someone and even being allowed to read the scriptures or study it in the more observant settings. The connection of women to Jesus is still very intimate even during his resurrection from the dead because there are other three accounts of the resurrection of Jesus in the bible that are all related to the raising of a woman, Jairus’ daughter in the book of (Mathew 9:18. ; Mark 5:22. ; Luke. 8:41. ) The second resurrection that was performed by Jesus was that of the only son of the widow that lived in Nain, Jesus had compassion on her and asked her not to weep and made his son well. The other resurrection that Jesus performed which was the third resurrection was that of Lazarus at the requests made by his sisters Martha and Mary who were also women in the book of (John 11:43-44). For Lazarus to be resurrected it was the efforts of the women who were his sisters, at first Martha and Mary had sent for Jesus when Lazarus was ill and when he finally came, Lazarus had been dead for four good days and Martha pleaded with Jesus to resurrect him. Thus Jesus raised one person and the other two were raised at the request of women. In the case of Jairus daughter Jesus touched her corpse but in the case of Lazarus and the Widow’s son Jesus just used words to raise them. We can wonder why He chose to violate the the laws of the rituals of purity in order to help a woman and not men and also the message about his resurrection is revealed to a woman. Jesus is seen to violate the common code that was concerned with the relation between men and women when he found a Samaritan woman at the well of Jacob and talked to her and yet the Jews were not allowed to talk to Samaritan women and a man would not also speak to a woman in public and once again the messianic nature of Jesus was also revealed to a woman. Jesus revealed himself as the â€Å"resurrection,† to Martha, the â€Å"risen one† and also revealed himself as the â€Å"messiah† which was his key role in his ministry to a woman again and she immediately bore witness of that fact to all the villagers that were around to come and see Jesus who was the messiah and this would seem like John the Gospel writer was trying to deliberately highlighting this event and clearly wished to reinforce thereby Jesus’ on the equal dignity of women to men that he saw. As the Samaritans approached Jesus was talking about the field and the sewers and the way people would reap what others had sown. He was speaking of the souls of men directly and he did it in general and not only Jesus in particular though it would seem like the evangelist was also meaning specifically to include the Samaritan woman among those Samaritans since he added the mentioned verse â€Å"Many Samaritans of that town had believed in him on the strength of the woman’s testimony†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . As far as marriage of women is concerned the most important stand of Jesus in relation to their dignity is his position on marriage. He had an unpopular attitude towards marriage though his stand highly sided monogamy and elimination of divorce since both the man and the woman were to have equal rights and responsibilities as they related with each other (Mk10:2; Mt. 19:3 New International Version) This is one of the instances that was rather thoroughly assimilated by the Christian church though it can be doubtless since it was reinforced by many sociological factors and historical accidents like the present strength of the Greek world of the Stoic philosophy though the notion of equal rights between man and woman and their responsibilities as far as marriage is concerned was not extended very far in the Christian marriage. Jesus had never thought of women as people who could only have their roles as in restricted terms such as only being a housekeeper like when he visited the house of Martha and Mary and Martha was taking the typical role of a woman of being in the house and preparing food for the visitors and complaining that Mary was not helping her and Jesus responded by treating Mary first as a person and applauded her for putting his service as the priority in her life and told her that she had chosen the better part compared to Martha and it was not to be taken from her. In short Jesus was trying to let people understand that Martha was not doing a bad thing but the way she had put her priorities was the problem that he had since he wanted women to know that women also have the right to engage themselves in intellectual life and also acquire religious authority and spiritual life just as men were called to. There is another instance in the bible in the gospel in the book of (Luke 11:27 Revised Standard Version) when a woman who was impressed with the way Jesus was teaching and she gave her compliment by mentioning the womb that bore Jesus and the breast that fed him and talked of how happy she would be to have a son like Jesus though it was not typical at that time for her to utter such a word since this reduced his sexual linage of a woman and Jesus felt it necessary to reject it by insisting on the personhood, the intellectual and the moral faculties of a woman by saying that blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it. Jesus has tried in so many ways possible to help people in whichever condition he has found them because even when he was busy teaching a group of men came to interrupt him with the issue of the woman that they wanted him to condemn for her actions of adultery. Jesus wanted to show the equality between men and women and mostly communicate the equal dignity of women and he did this through the parable of the woman and the lost coin and here Jesus projected God in a way that he put him as a woman when the despised tax collectors and the sinners were all gathered around him but the Pharisees and the scribes all complained about it. Jesus related three parables at a go and they all depicted that God was more concerned with those who were lost and the first story was that of the shepherd who left the ninety nine sheep for one sheep that was lost and the shepherd is God the second story is that of the woman and the lost coin and the woman is God and the third was that of the prodigal son where the father is God and in all this instances Jesus tries to portray a woman as a special being that has equal dignity to a man. A woman is still regarded as a dignified creature by Jesus Christ since there are other instances in Christian history where the Holy Spirit been associated with a feminine character that is woman like in the Syrian Didascalia where speaking of different offices in the church states that deaconess should be honored as the linage of the Holy Spirit. Giving the Holy Spirit a feminine lineage would give a rather negative result which would be a rather positive one since in many cases pictures show Jesus carrying the sheep on his shoulder as the shepherd, in the parable of the prodigal son the father takes the position of God the father and finally the woman who looks for the lost coin takes the position of God the Holy Spirit and if this interpretation has existed then it has not been common or maybe it might not be accepted by many people as far as male chauvinism is concerned. If there is lack of logic for the attribute of the general denigration of the culture of women of the pagan goddesses though Christian abhorrence of pagan gods has never resulted in a Christian rejection of God’s male linage. As far as the life of Jesus is concerned talking of his attitude in various events is quite hard to understand since his attitude changes from time to time and from event to event because if we take a look at his attitude towards the laws of the Old Testament then we should be in a position to point out that his attitude was not straight forward since he wanted almost everything to have new interpretations from the way they had already been written and that in another possible way he tried to strengthen the laws. The fact that Jesus ignored speaking the large or great towns in Galilee and using a wide imagery of rural areas in his teachings also tells a lot about his social character and are at variance with the predominantly urban character of the primitive church and it gives no reason that the church concerns have dominated the gospels in the ministry of Jesus. In other words dealing and coming to a conclusion about the attitude of Jesus since it changed a lot during his ministry and this is obscured for us by the orders of the events which are uncertain to talk about. It can be thought that Jesus was a charismatic innovator and was tamed by experience and maybe he began as a conventional and a man who abided in the laws and later on became disillusioned by the way the laws had to be applied since in adultery he extends the commandments by emphasizing the thoughts to actions, in loving the neighbors he extends to enemies and also performing a miracle on the Sabbath day bringing a controversy in the teachings had already been given out. It is therefore a fact to say that the attitude of Jesus is not something to come up with a conclusion to since the way it changes it brings about controversies in many possible ways in both his life and ministry at large. References Amba, M. (2001): Introducing African Women’s Theology. Pilgrim Press Ann, L. (1992): The Meaning of Gender in Theology. Problems and Possibilities. Batterd, J. (1995): Marriage, Sex and Violence in the Hebrew Prophets. Minneapolis. Fortress Press. Bright, H (1998): Hidden Voices: Biblical Women and Our Christian Heritage. Smith And Helwys. Dickey, P. (2000): Feminism Theology/ Christian Theology: In Search of Method. Elizabeth, F. (1993): Searching the scriptures. I. A Feminist Introduction. London King, U. (1995): Religion and Gender. Blackwell, Oxford Letty, M. (1985): Feminism Interpretation of the Bible Mollenkott, V. (1992): Men, Women and the Bible. New York Phyllis, T. (1978): God and the Rhetoric of Sexuality. Minneapolis: Fortress Press. Rosemary, R. (1995): New Woman New Earth: Sexist Ideologies And Human Liberation. Beacon Press. The Holy Bible, Luke 11:27 King James Version (KJV) The Holy Bible, John 11:42-43 King James Version (KJV) The Holy Bible, Luke 8:41 King James Version (KJV) The Holy Bible, John 8:1-11 King James Version (KJV) The Holy Bible, Romans 8:1 King James Version (KJV)

Scan Of The Airline Industry For Flydubai Tourism Essay

Scan Of The Airline Industry For Flydubai Tourism Essay Dubai is considered one of the most important trading hubs in the Middle East region. Its rapid growth in its major infrastructure elements had attracted many multinational companies across the world to open their regional offices in the city. This had its positive effects on Dubai economical growth as it became a golden gate for regional Middle East businessmen to trade with other international companies. As a result of this, the need for a low cost airline that provides its services for business men within the region had increased. The city experience with the airline industry is not new as it is the home city of Fly Emirates, which is considered one of the best airlines in the region. This industry had its great effect on Dubai economical growth in the past 20 years and will have its strong impact in shaping the emirate future. In March 2008, the second low cost airline was lunched under the name of Flydubai and started its operations in Dubai International Airport Terminal 2 in J une 2009. (For more information on Flydubai and its operations, please refer to Appendix 1). We have defined our relevant market for Flydubai as a low cost carrier (LCC) within the product form level. Being positioned as a low cost national airline carrier, its facing a high competition from other national airlines which force the relevant market to be within the product form. (For more information on the relevant market please refer to appendix 2). This paper will focus on presenting an environmental scan of the airline industry within the Middle East region during the time frame of 3 years (2009-2012). In order to do so, we will identify the significant trends and their consequent implications on Flydubai relevant market. This report will include an in depth review of the macro, micro analysis and its implications of Flydubai relevant market in the next three years. Body: In identifying the major key trends in the macro environment of Flydubai, we have addressed several issues that include the political, social and economical trends. Flydubai was established by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Prime Minister and Vice-President, and Ruler of Dubai orders in march 2008 and started its operation in its first flight to Lebanon on June 1st 2009.Being fully owned by Dubai government and enjoy the full facilities offered in terminal 2 at Dubai International Airport, the company is having a competitive advantage compared to its rivals in the market as it enjoy the full government support and airport services. Furthermore, the current government trend in the labor force is towards emiratization and protecting labors rights. Being a part of the Fly Emirates Group, the organization will face no problem in emiratization as it will follow Fly Emirates emiratization strategy. The major challenge that Flydubai will face is being able to offer high paid jobs and reduce its operational costs as it is considered a low cost airline company. Living in the current financial crises era, Flydubai was established in one of the most difficult time the country economy had faced in the last 25 years. Falling oil prices, cooling real estate and construction markets, together with a slowdown in the tourism sector, especially in Dubai, means the UAE is expected to post low or possibly negative GDP growth in 2009, according to analysts (Arabian Business, 2009). This information may be considered negative to many airline companies but it may be positive to a low cost airline like Flydubai as people are now focusing more in reducing their expenses as the incomes are reduced. This means their tendency of consumers focusing more on prices is increasing. Furthermore, consumer behavior is changing towards low cost airlines especially in the Middle East region as consumers are persuaded by low prices and a better service offered by low cost airlines. According to a study done by Arabian Business website, it was found that 83 percent of the respondents would switch their preferred airline carrier, for a cheaper price, while 17.6 percent believed they would consider alternatives and trade off between the discount and lost air miles. It can thus be inferred that pricing plays a significant role in consumer behaviour and the decision making process especially in the current economic downturn era (Glass, 2008). According to Dubai department of Tourism and commerce marketing 3.85 million tourists had visited the emirate in the first half of 2009, a five percent increase on the same period of 2008. This figure strongly shows the current tourism industry market and how attractive it became even though of the current economical downturn. Other figures expect that the number of tourists will fall compared to 2008 figures but most figures have stated that there will be a positive growth in 2010. This figure shows that Flydubai will see a future growth rates in the coming 3 years as terrorism sector restore its high figures after overcoming the current downturn. As observed by Andrew Cowen, CEO of SAMA Airlines, the market is shifting from the traditional major airlines business travel towards low cost carriers for trips within the GCC. Business travelers are changing their perception of low cost carriers, supported by the current economic downturn and the increase number of foreign businesses within GCC countries entering the UAE. This shows a trend of an increasing demand for low cost carriers in the next three years (High time for low cost carriers, 2008). (For in depth information on the analysis of the macro environment of the airline industry please refer to Appendix 3) In identifying the major key trends in the micro environment the following aspects that includes, Customers, Employees, media, shareholders, competitors and suppliers. Customers who are price conscious are concerned with low cost airlines. Flydubai has focused on pricing strategy and flexibility because these two factors play a big role in determining the customers decision process on which airlines they choose to travel with. Moreover, the number of tourist from around the world including the region will grow more than 40% in the next 3 years in Dubai (www.realtyna.com). This shows that there will be increased number of customers who will use Flydubai airlines within the next three years due its successful use of pricing strategy and flexibility. The Employees of Flydubai have good experiences and they were carefully selected from twelve different nationalities. According to Kenneth Gile, chief operating officer of Flydubai said: We are extremely pleased with the talent of the pilots we have on board. On average, they each have more than 4,000 hours serving as captain in similar aircraft and a total experience of more than 8,000 flying hours this is impressive by any standard (Sambidge, 2009). Flydubai is fully owned by the government of Dubai and its considered as a part of its mother company the Emirates Group. The main strategy that Flydubai is willing to use for their marketing strategy is through word of mouth (buzz). This is because Flydubai is a low cost airline; they tend to set low budgets for their advertisements to keep their prices low. The direct competitors of Flydubai are Air Arabia and Al Jazeerah airlines because these two airlines are also low cost airlines in the same country as Flydubai. However, the major competitor of Flydubai is Air Arabia because, first of all, they are the first to claim about low cost airlines in the Middle East region. Moreover, they hold the highest market share in the relevant market as identified before. Our market share comparing to those two carries are low because Flydubai just recently launched to the market. But, within the next three years we expect rapid growth in the market share because Dubai is a destination for tourists. The major indirect competitor is Fly Emirates which stands as the leader in airline industry in the relevant market and it will keep its performance in the next three years. The second indirect competitor is Etihad Airlines which is growing fast because of the unlimited support from Abu Dhabi government. In addition, those airline carriers make low price offers for the same destination that we have flight lines to. The supplier of Flydubai is Boeing. Flydubai announced an order of 50 next generation 737 aircraft from Boeing. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al Maktoum said: The Boeing Next-Generation 737 is ideally suited to our mission to bring some two billion regional inhabitants affordable, efficient and flexible travel options to and from Dubai.(For more information on the micro environment analysis, please refer to Appendix 4). Implications: Primary demand: Low cost airlines are focusing on customers who are price conscious. The number of customers using the LCC airlines is increasing and it will continue growing in the next three years (www.gulf-daily-news.com). This is because, first of all, the percentage of tourists will increase by 40% within the next three years which shows that the market share of LCC will increase as well. Secondly, because of the economic condition, many people tend to save money and spend it on low cost airlines to travel more to the desired destinations. Users of Low cost airlines contain all different ages and nationalities. Moreover, cost is one of the main factors that affect customers ability to buy. The costs of these carriers are low and will continue to remain low in the next three years. This will increase customers ability and willingness to buy. Selective demand We can define the consumer decision making process as an extensive problem solving level, where they are introduced to a complete new brand with low brand knowledge. So, Flydubai should infusive more on their brand identity through the media and other communication types in order to enrich consumers knowledge. Once Flydubai had increased the level of consumer knowledge, we expect huge increase in market share in the next three years because the decision making process is going to shift from extensive problem solving to routine which is low information search about the company. Therefore, we expect major change within the next three year upon the factors we mentioned above. Segmentation: As for segmentation we expect to see a rise in the population of the UAE in the following 3 years. According to the electronic portal of Gulf News the population of UAE is approaching six million as of now and it is expected to escalate even further by the end of this year. An increase in construction in the coming years requires more labor to be imported from foreign countries, thus increasing the number of potential customers (low income and middle-class lifestyles) who might want to use our services. Moreover, economic boom can also be a factor for businessmen to travel to and from Dubai more frequently. In addition, the number of students travelling to the UAE for education is expected to increase in the near future; this implies that they will most probably select Flydubai as their primary mode of transport to travel to and from the UAE, since the economic condition shows very little signs of improvement in the near future. More tourists are expected to arrive in the UAE within the near future out of which a section of them are extremely price sensitive travelers. Another scenario would be that the current economic downturn continues to effect economies world-wide within the coming three years increasing the number of price-sensitive customers in the eight markets we operate in. To keep up with the projected demand, Flydubai is planning to increase its fleet size from 5 (currently) to 54 aircrafts in the coming years. An increase in fleet size would allow Flydubai not only to accommodate a large number of clients but also expand its reach in terms of destinations. Conversely, the announcement of the new GCC rail network which is the new transportation class in our relevant market is expected to have a slight negative effect on Flydubais operations in terms of loosing clients that fall in our target segmentation. The GCC rail network and Flydubai have one common destination which is Qatar. Once the GCC rail network begins its operations there is a high possibility of losing out on our current and potential clients. (For more information on segmentation please refer to appendix 5). Competitor analysis Our major competitive in our relative market is Air Arabia and then Al Jazeera Airlines. Air Arabia is holding major market share because they are the first to claim about launching first low cost airlines in Middle East region. However, Flydubai can compete with those two direct competitors when we focus on our competitive advantage which is price leadership. Also, location is another important factor due the number of travelers that are using Dubai Airport comparing to Sharjah Airport. In addition, being part of the Emirates Group will add more value to Flydubai brand equity which will make it easier to make customers shift toward our company within the next three years. (For more information on competitor analysis, please refer to Appendix 6) Conclusion: In conclusion after analyzing the environmental micro and macro trend for Flydubai, we observed that there are two major changes in our relevant market. First, the increase of the tourism level in Dubai as we expect the current economic downturn era to change its direction towards positive figures in the next three years. Also, the companies holders and businessmen attitude towards low cost airlines is changing by using it as these airlines are providing business men services aboard such a business class and wireless internet connection. The number of competitors within the low cost airline industry is going to increase in the coming years as new airlines such as Bahrain Airlines starts its operation this year. Secondly, full service airlines are expanding their market towards low cost airline by introducing low price tickets that attract price sensitive consumers. We expect that within the next ten years a new class level will enter the market in the GCC region which is trains trans portation. Also, a new form level will emerge in the relevant market which is a combination between full services and low cost carriers. Finally, within the next three years we expect those changes in the relevant market to be reshaped affecting the primary and selective demand. Bibliography (2009, October 18). Flydubai airline. Retrieved from http://www.dubaifaqs.com/Flydubai.php McKechnie, D, Grant, J, Katsioloudes, M. (2008). Positions and positioning: strategy simply stated. Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 9(5), Retrieved from http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/ViewContentServlet?Filename=Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Articles/3300090502.html doi: 1751-5637 (2009). Environmental scanning. Wikipedia. Retrieved (2009, October 17) from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_scanning (2009). Flydubai. Wikipedia. Retrieved (2009, October 17) from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flydubai (n.d.). flydubai, who we are. Retrieved from http://www.Flydubai.com/whoweare/fleet.aspx (2009, June 8). Two more tough years for the airlines. Retrieved from http://www.eturbonews.com/9675/two-more-tough-years-airlines Nagraj, A. (2009, September 16). Gloomy skies for the airline industry. Retrieved from http://www.kippreport.com/2009/09/gloomy-skies-for-the-airline-industry/ Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, Initials. (2009, October 15). Middle East LCC wrap: Air Arabia, Jazeera, Flydubai, nasair, sama and Bahrain Air. Retrieved from http://www.centreforaviation.com/news/2009/10/15/middle-east-lcc-wrap-air-arabia-jazeera-Flydubai-nasair-sama-and-bahrain-air/page1 Riaz, D, Kapadia, S. (2007). Air Arabia, Priced so that you can fly [5-14]. (Adobe Digital Edition Version), Retrieved from http://ae.zawya.com/researchreports/efg/20070701_efg_110604.pdf Schewe, , Charles, D, Hiam, A. (n.d.). market segmentation. Retrieved from http://www.quickmba.com/marketing/market-segmentation/ (2009, 10 07). UAE population reaches six million. Retrieved from http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j24H1v8s1BWuNXEwptqRIiB_-OOA (2009, 10 07). Expat numbers rise rapidly as UAE population touches 6m. Retrieved from http://uaeinteract.com/docs/Expat_numbers_rise_rapidly_as_UAE_population_touches_6m/37883.htm (2009, April 7). FlyDubai opens for business with flights to Beirut and Amman. Retrieved from http://www.ameinfo.com/191649.html (2009, October 8). Number of tourists in Dubai set to grow by 40 per cent . Retrieved from http://74.125.153.132/search?q=cache:EPQhPUeolAEJ:www.realtyna.com/dubai_real_estate/dubai-rss-news/number-of-tourists-in-dubai-set-to-grow-by-40-per-cent.html+http://www.realtyna.com/dubai_real_estate/dubai-rss-news/number-of-tourists-in-dubai-set-to-grow-by-40-per-cent.htmlcd=1hl=arct=clnkgl=ae Sambidge, Initials. (2009, March 18). flydubai appoints pilots, cabin crew. Retrieved from http://www.arabianbusiness.com/549994-Flydubai-appoints-pilots-cabin-crew Sambidge, A. (2009, August 11). Dubai tourists up 5% in H1 official. Retrieved from http://www.arabianbusiness.com/564508-dubai-tourists-up-5-in-h1official (2009, 10 07). UAE population. Retrieved from http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/09/10/07/10355378.html Redpath, H. (2009, June 16). Dubais First Low Cost Airline Takes Off. Retrieved from http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/Flydubai/38830/ Redpath, H. (2009, June 16). Dubais First Low Cost Airline Takes Off. Retrieved from http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20090616081711 Appendix 1 Back Ground information on Flydubai: Flydubai is the UAE second low cost airline that was established in March ,3rd 2008 on the orders of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Prime Minister and Vice-President, and Ruler of Dubai. The company first flight was in June 1,2009 to Beirut in Lebanon followed by flights to Amman, Jordan, on June 2, Damascus, Syria, on June 8 and Alexandria, Egypt, on June 9, giving the new airline a total of four destinations in just nine days. (Redpath, 2009). The company had ordered 50 Boeing 737 and is going to receive 10 airplanes each year for the next five years. (Flydubai,2009) Currently the company runs its operations in Dubai International Airport terminal 2 that was redesigned for the new airline. Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Flydubai said: This region is very dependent on air transport. It is a great credit to the vision and leadership of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, that this airline has now taken off, thereby ensuring residents and visitors alike will be able to travel to more places more often. (Redpath, 2009). The Flydubai model is simple, with customers only paying for the services they want. The ticket price includes all taxes and one piece of hand baggage, weighing up to 10kg, per passenger. Passengers have the option to purchase checked-in baggage in advance at just 40AED for the first piece and 100AED for the second, weighing up to 32kgs, subject to availability. Checked baggage is strictly subject to availability and passengers are advised to book early to secure the space, as only pre-purchased baggage can be guaranteed. (Redpath, 2009) Flydubai aims to make travel a little less complex, a little less stressful and a little less expensive, explained Flydubai CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith. Our passengers have the option to customize their travel experience depending on what services they want and how much they want to pay. (Redpath, 2009) We plan to stimulate the markets in which we operate and encourage people to travel to more places more often. Flydubai aim is not to drive traffic away from the other carriers but to help grow these markets. When you consider that low cost travel in this region could be as little as 2% of all air travel, as opposed to more than 20% in Europe and America, it is clear that there is a lot of untapped potential in these markets. (Redpath, 2009) In addition, Flydubai will fly to airports that are currently underserved by the traditional carriers. In a region which is so dependent on air transport, we are looking forward to providing the reality of accessible, low cost, uncomplicated travel (Redpath, 2009). Appendix 2: Product Market Structure: The above market structure was used to identify Flydubai relevant market within the airline industry in the Middle East region. We started the structure with the most basic need which is the need to travel in the region. This provided us with three alternatives that include airplanes, buses and cars. The product form is divided between full service carriers and low cost carriers as they differentiate in prices and services being offered to customers. From this structure we can identify Flydubai relevant market within the product form level. This is because the degree of competition and substitutability within the brand suppliers are high, as they all offer low prices with similar routes within the region. This push the relevant market upwards towards the product form level. Furthermore, Flydubai indirect competitors include Fly Emirates, Etihad airlines and Saudi airlines. These full service airlines are competing with Flydubai indirectly by providing low prices with full services. O n the other hand our direct competitors include Air Arabia and Al Jazerra airlines that are both low cost airlines that perform within the region. Further explanation on competition will be provided in the Micro analysis in the competitors section. Appendix 3 Macro Environment: In studying the external environment of Flydubai in the next three years we will focus on the Macro and Micro environment. This study will help us in finding out the effect of these external factors on the company in the next few years. The Macro environment factors will include Political, economical, social and technological aspects under which Flydubai will be affected by. 1) Political Analysis: A) Government Regulations: Flydubai was established with orders of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Prime Minister and Vice-President, and Ruler of Dubai. Being owned by the Dubai government the company faces no difficulties in laws and regulations as the airline industry in the Emirates is booming through the process of liberalization the airline industry that the United Arab Emirates is adapting. B) Political Analysis: In studying the overall political environment of the United Arab Emirates, we find it one of the most stable countries within the region. Such political approach of peace seeking had made the country a trading hub in the region. This will certainly have its positive effect on flydubai operations as to perform in stable political environment. C) Employment Laws: Protecting labors rights and Emiratization is considered the main aspect that the UAE government is taking into consideration now a days. Companies are now forced to have a certain percentage that of emirates locals that will increase in the following years as there is more emphasis on employing locals in the private sector. Being a part of Emirates Airlines Group, Flydubai will certainly adapt its mother company in hiring and training locals in suitable jobs. The challenge that Flydubai will going to face is to decrease costs in one hand and provide well paid jobs in the same time . 2) Economical Analysis: A) Inflation Rate: The inflation rate in the UAE is predicted to fall from last years 11.1 percent level to seven percent in 2010, according to a new report. (Sambidge, 2009). This is considered a positive aspect for Flydubai as it will have its positive effects in reducing the company costs in oil and ground operations. High inflation rates reaching to 11 percent last year was a threat to low cost airlines such as Air Arabia and Al Jazerra Airlines that faced a problem of high oil prices. This good news will make Flydubai compete even stronger on prices as inflation rates goes down. B) Economical Analysis: Falling oil prices, cooling real estate and construction markets, together with a slowdown in the tourism sector, especially in Dubai, means the UAE is expected to post low or possibly negative GDP growth in 2009, according to analysts. (Sambidge, 2009). Living in the current World Financial Economic Crises the UAE economy in general and Dubai in specific faced a hard time in 2009 but analysts forecast that there will be more positive figures in 2010. This information is considered a negative too many airline companies but may be positive to Flydubai as people are now more focus in reducing their expenses as the incomes are reduced. This means their tendency of consumers focusing more on prices which is a positive thing for a low cost airline. Additionally, analysts forecast that the economy will grow in 2010 again and this will certainly have its effect on the company growth. 3) Social Analysis: A) Demographics: More than 300,000 people will be added to the UAE population this year to record the highest growth of 6.3 per cent in five years and Dubai would likely emerge as the fastest growing emirate, official figures show. The rise rebuffs reports that the global financial turbulence has triggered a mass exodus of expatriates out of the country, mainly Dubai. From 4.75 million in mid 2008, the UAEs population is projected to increase to 5.066 million in mid 2009, showed the figures by the Ministry of Economy. This figure are going to increase in the next few years which will certainly have its positive effects on the airline industry in UAE considering that expatriates make an approximate percentage of 80.1 of the above figure in 2009 according to the ministry of economy. Furthermore, the figures show that the 25-29 year age group was the largest in the UAE in mid 2008, standing at 777,186. It was followed by the 30-34 age groups, which was estimated at 754,289 and 35-39 groups of 588,505. This clearly indicates that most of the population is young and is going to shape the tourism and aviation market in the next couple of years. B) Consumer Behavior: According to a study done by Arabian Business website, it was found that 83 percent of the respondents would switch their preferred airline carrier, for a cheaper price, while 17.6 percent believed they would consider alternatives and trade off between the discount and lost air miles. It can thus be inferred that pricing plays a significant role in consumer behaviour and the decision making process especially in the current economic downturn era. Furthermore, customer loyalty in the low cost carriers is low as its directly related to price. Flydubai should consider this into account and introduce customer loyalty programs in order to maintain a higher level of customer loyalty. (Glass, 2008). C) Leisure Interests: 3.85 million tourists had visited the emirate in the first half of 2009, a five percent increase on the same period of 2008 According to Dubai department of Tourism and commerce marketing . This figure strongly shows the current tourism industry market and how attractive it became even though of the current economical downturn. Other figures expect that the number of tourists will fall compared to 2008 figures but most figures have stated that there will be a positive growth in 2010. D) Career Attitude: Business travelers are changing their perception of low cost carriers. As observed by Andrew Cowen, CEO of Same, the market is shifting from the traditional major airlines business travel towards low cost carriers for trips within the GCC. This changing attitude, supported by the current economic downturn and the increase number of foreign businesses within GCC countries entering the UAE, shows a trend of an increasing demand for low cost carriers in the next three years. (High time for low cost carriers, 2008). E) Technological Development Analysis: Following its mother company Emirates Airlines, we expect that Flydubai become a market leader in providing advanced technological solutions to its passengers by using the large experience that emirates airline have. If such direction was adapted, it will certainly provide the needed strength that Flydubai need in competing with its direct and indirect competitors. Appendix 4 Micro Environment: Stakeholder Analysis: This means to analyze the micro environment which includes the following factors: the customers, employees, shareholders, media, and the competitors. A) Customers: Customers who are price conscious are concerned with low cost airlines. Flydubai has focused on pricing strategy and flexibility because these two factors play a big role in determining the customers decision process on which airlines they choose to travel with. Price strategy and flexibility of Flydubai include low pricing strategy and easy booking with increased choices. As Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman of Flydubai said: As a true low cost airline we are geared towards providing our passengers with the best price and increased choice. We will operate efficiently and continually evolve to deliver the best possible product to our customers. (Flydubai opens for, 2009). The cost of Flydubai from Dubai airport to Doha airport would cost 200DHS, whereas other major airlines such as; Emirates or Qatar airlines would cost approximately 1000 or more for a one way ticket (Flydubai home page, 2009). This shows that Flydubai is much cheaper and has managed to keep prices low due to the successful use of their pricing strategy. Moreover, the number of tourist from around the world including the region will grow more than 40% in the next 3 years in Dubai (Number of tourists, 2009) .This shows that there will be increased number of customers who will use Flydubai airlines within the next three years due its successful use of pricing strategy and flexibility. B) Employees: Flydubai airline has received more than 11,500 applications from flight and cabin crew. There are 18 first officers, 61 captains, and almost more than 8000 candidates for pilots were selected from twelve different nationalities (Sambidge, 2009). The staff has good experiences and was carefully selected. According to Kenneth Gile, chief operating officer of Flydubai said: We are extremely pleased with the talent of the pilots we have on board. On average, they each have more than 4,000 hours serving as captain in similar aircraft and a total experience of more than 8,000 flying hours this is impressive by any standard (Sambidge, 2009). Furthermore, employee and staff hospitality is very important. This is because the employees and staff were selected from twelve different nationalities and they need to feel comfortable with the new culture they are facing in order to work efficiently. D) Shareholders: Flydubai is fully owned by the government of Dubai and its considered as a part of its mother company the Emirates Group. The company has no other shareholders currently as there its 250 million dirhams capital is completely raised by the government. E) The media: Obviously, through observations, Flydubai has made many advertisements through publicity such as; Newspapers (e.g. gulf news) and internet websites. However, the main strategy they used

The role of parents in young childrens development

The role of parents in young childrens development Introduction The following essay proposes to look into the changing role of parents within the context of childrens development and learning, focusing in particular upon the way in which government policy has impacted upon this change at both an ideological level and a grass roots level. We propose to concentrate upon the change in language and focus inherent within contemporary curriculum documents, analysing the shift in policy discernible within the Early Years Foundation Stage as a means of accenting the changing role of parents with regards to childrens development and learning. This, therefore, clearly represents an especially complex topic to attempt to tackle with the vast array of reforms to educational standards witnessed over the course of the past two decades constituting a watershed moment in the history of social welfare provision in the contemporary era (Ball, 2008:1-11). We cannot, in the final analysis, divorce the education reforms of the 1990s and the first decade of the twenty first century from the broader changes to the welfare state that have come about as a result of a combination of economic, social and cultural forces in the post-modern epoch. Education today should therefore be seen within the context of the broader ideal of market forces, which shape the socio-political pattern of life in every post-industrial democratic capitalist state. Concepts relating to increased competition, social inclusion and the fostering of a decidedly a market mentality consequently dominate the contemporary policy making agenda with regards to the provisi on of education (Jones, 2002:143-170; Tomlinson, 2005:48-71). Thus, where, prior to the advent of the privatising policies of the Thatcher era and the neoliberal assault that characterised the first two terms of the Blair governments education was conceived of as a matter for the state and central government, after the widespread reforms to the public sector administered over the course of the past two decades, education has increasingly become the concern not only of the government but also of private sector institutions as well. As a result, local businesses and families have been increasingly integrated into the concept of educational provision in the contemporary era with this new policy initiative resting upon the twin pillars of partnership and accountability (Chitty, 2004:114-119). Partnership therefore represents the key concept underpinning all education and social reforms at the dawn of the twenty first century, constituting evidence of a shift in emphasis at government, local and settings level away from a top-down approach towards a bottoms-up approach. (Gasper, 2009:1) As a consequence, it is important for us to note from the outset the way in which the role of parents and of the family and the home should no longer be seen as being separate from the role of the state as the primary educational provider. Rather, we should make a point of underscoring the way in which the vast array of education and social policy reforms witnessed over the course of the past two decades represents a protracted process best understood in terms of the blurring of the boundaries between the public and the private spheres set to the backdrop of a devolved vision of welfare provision in the contemporary age (Alcock, Daly and Griggs, 2008:108-130). In this way, policy makers have intended to establish a clear and concise framework for education provision that would eventually positively impact upon paradigms relating to inclusion, equality, selectivity and most importantly standards (Alcock, 2008:48-50). It is within this radically altered landscape of welfare provision, education policy and social policy reform that the new educational framework for twenty first century Britain has been constructed with parents invited to play an increasingly prominent role in the development and learning of their children, particularly young children in a pre-school context (Clark and Waller, 2007:1-19). As a consequence, it is prudent to begin our examination by analysing the Early Years policy initiatives of the New Labour government and their broader impact upon parents and the family in order to establish an ideological and conceptual framework in which the remainder of the discussion can effectively take place. The Early Years policy initiatives and the family The election victory of New Labour in May 1997 telegraphed a major turning point in the way in which early years education provision would be meted out in contemporary Britain. Indeed, compared to the relative inertia of the previous Conservative government, the New Labour regime can be seen to have radically altered the very concept of Early Years social policy with much greater attention being paid to the way that young children are looked after and taught during the preschool years (Palaiologu, 2009:3-10). This fits neatly into the broader policy objective of raising standards and imposing a discernible market mentality into education, which we briefly outlined during the introduction. Improving the way in which early years education is provided will, in theory, have a positive impact upon the way in which primary and secondary education is provided with a new generation of economically independent young adults emerging from the reforms enacted during the last decade of the twenti eth century and the opening decade of the twenty first century. Viewed from this perspective, Early Years education policy in the contemporary era can be characterised in terms of a social construct; part of a much broader vision of a reinvigorated twenty first century British society built upon ideals relating to equality and cohesion as opposed to difference and segregation (Baldock, Fitzgerald and Kay, 2009:39-43). When, for instance, we pause to consider the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (2008), we can see that the New Labour government has taken significant policy making steps towards reconstructing the provision of education for young children around the new paradigms of accountability and partnership. Furthermore, by analysing this document we can see the foundations upon which this new early years educational has been built with the role of the parents underlined at a fundamental level, especially with regards to fostering a working relationship with the education professionals charged with bringing about reform to the youngest elements of contemporary British society (Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, 2008:6). As a consequence, we should acknowledge the important change to the partnership approach where, rather than teachers working with parents under the auspices of the old Childrens Act of 1989 where professionals were conceived of as an aid to parents in need of advice and help concerning bringing their children up, under the auspices of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, professionals and parents are supposed to work together during the key, formative years of a young childs educational, social and cognitive development. In this way, the role of the contemporary education professional at the early years foundation stage is integrated around childrens lives and childrens learning (Tarr, 2009:92-111). As a result of the fresh, partnership-centric ideological impetus fuelling the policy initiatives of the New Labour government, we can begin to see a new working partnership between the state, education professionals and parents emerge that is increasingly reminiscent of the relationship between the producer and the consumer in the private sector with educational change being underpinned by greater scope with regards to educational choice (Coffey, 2001:22-37). In integrating parents and the family into the policy making landscape of the Early Years Foundation Stage the state can be understood to have facilitated an increase in choice with both parents and professionals working out the best way to move forward with regards to implementing government policy (as opposed to simply following legislative guidelines as was previously the case). When, for example, we consider the advent of the Sure Start Centres in the UK and the way in which these state-funded nurseries and day care institutions look to adopt a decidedly holistic interpretation of early years education, incorporating educating parents as well as children, we can see the extent to which the blurring of the boundaries between the public and the private spheres has served to incorporate a wholesale re-configuration of the role of the parent within the context of the development of their children (Weinberger, 2005:31-43). Indeed, according to Valerie Wigfall, Janet Boddy and Susan McQuail, parental involvement is a vital component in the ongoing development of childrens services in the contemporary era, especially in state run institutions such as Day Care centres which have been built upon the premise of partnership as the key concept upon which childrens learning and growth can be further consolidated (Wigfall, Boddy and McQuail, 2007:89-101). As a direct result of this fundamental shift in both policy and practice, the concept of partnership need no longer be thought of solely in terms of government rhetoric and political hyperbole. Unlike, for instance, the concept of partnership as it relates to the community and the police which, on account of the special authoritative powers placed upon the police force, is a partnership more in name than in practical purposes, understood within a discussion pertaining to education, the ideal of partnership is a contemporary, relevant manifestation of policy and practice at both a central governmental level as well as a local grass roots level. Without the active input of parents, New Labours Early Years initiatives would differ little from previous governments attempts at overhauling and modernising the British educational system. By including parents within the policy making framework of young children, the state has therefore championed a radical new approach to rights and responsi bility in contemporary society whereby the government plays only one part within the broader tapestry of public service provision. This is especially true with regards to education where the New Labour government has made a clear and identifiable effort to tackle deep-seated inequalities in all aspects of the British educational system (McKnight, Glennester and Lupton, 2005:69-93). We should, at this point, though acknowledge the essential paradox that resides at the epicentre of the discussion whereby, on the one hand, the state has advocated a de-centralised approach to government, reducing the impact of policy upon practice in the process, while, on the other hand, the state can be seen to have presided over a period of policy overkill where, as far as education and indeed all social policy reform is concerned, there has been dramatic rise in the visibility of the government as both the arbitrator and instigator of education policy and educational standards (David, 1999:111-132). This paradox is a reflection of the uneasy relationship between the public sector and the private sector as well as the conflicting demands of instilling a policy making landscape built upon the harmony of the home and the family while at the same time championing education policies aimed at getting parents back to work as quickly as possible. Understood in these terms, New Labours educational reforms enacted since 1997 can be understood in broad terms relating to industrial policy with pupils and parents alike both being conceived of as economic actors working within the framework of a more efficient early twenty first century state (Stedward, 2003:139-152). This paradoxical relationship between economic and social policy, and between the public and the private spheres, is likewise mirrored in the often uneasy relationship between professionals and parents within the context of Early Years welfare provision. To understand more about this paradox and the way in which it impacts upon the governments vision of a more egalitarian society constructed upon premises pertaining to choice, competition and inclusion we need to turn our attention towards attempting to understand the home-school setting as the bedrock of the partnership approach to education and social policy that defines New Labours approach to governance. Home-school setting partnership The changing role of the home-school partnership reflects the constantly shifting landscape of policy and practice with regards to childrens development, especially children operating within the context of the early years. Where, previously, education was interpreted as a matter for the state with teachers constituting the primary means of educating young children about both themselves and the world in which they live, today there is an increasing emphasis upon the home as the new locus for learning with a radically new vision of educational culture being founded upon a partnership between the school place and the home (Beauchamp, 2009:167-178). As Miller succinctly observes, education is not something that happens to children; is something that they do. (Miller, 2002:373). Thus, we should observe the fundamental difference between a passive early years education and an active early years education with the latter representing the front line of contemporary approaches to young childrens education and preschool development. It is therefore the stated aim of contemporary policy makers to instigate a partnership approach towards an active Early Years education with professionals, parents and day care workers all expected to move away from the passive approach to young childrens development which many educational researchers and experts believe represent an outmoded method of educating preschoolers. When, for instance, we pause to consider the way in which the curriculum for the Early Years Foundation Stage has evolved over the course of the past decade, we can better understand the extent to which the home-school partnership represents the ideological backbone of the new active approach to young childrens learning and development. Unlike the national curriculum in the primary and secondary stages of the educational system, which is conceived of as a rigid framework where teachers and students must adhere to certain rules and regulations, the curriculum at the Foundation Stage is a much more amorphous concept where teachers and education practitioners have more leeway with regards to discerning the best way of improving learning and instigating development. Thus, the curriculum for the Foundation Stage is not defined by dictatorial rules; rather the curriculum for the Foundation Stage is underpinned by guiding principles which, in this instance, are understood as: a unique child , positive relationships, enabling environments, and learning and development. Each of these guiding principles is further augmented by four commitments that explain how these principles can be put into practice. (Department for Children, Schools and Families Website; first accessed 02.04.10) Examining the guiding principles of the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework serves to bring to light some important points on both the perspective of parents and young childrens learning that are crucial to our understanding of the subject matter at hand. Firstly, it is clear that, in keeping with the shift towards a discernibly more active educational environment, young children are expected to learn and develop through doing, not merely through being told about themselves and the world in which they live by adults. Thus, we should, once again, underscore the significance of an active Early Years curriculum which focuses upon development, social interaction and play as much as language and cognitive development. This, in turn, has impacted upon the role of the adult within the learning and development of young children with a much greater emphasis placed upon adults as educational enablers charged with creating a learning culture in both the home and the school or day care enviro nment which, in conjunction with one other, can help to significantly and positively impact upon learning and development. By this we mean to state that, rather than passively transferring information to young children as a means of educating and developing them, adults working within the Early Years setting are expected to adopt a more involved, participatory role in the learning and development of young children. For instance, according to the Northern Ireland Curriculum Guidance notes, young children require adults who will treat them as individuals and sensitively participate in their play. (Miller, Cable and Devereux, 2005:96) In this way, therefore, the revised role of the adults as the key enablers within the broader context of young childrens learning and development represents the convergence of the four guiding principles for the Early Years Foundation Stage with the principles of a unique child, positive relationships, enabling environments, and learning and development all being underpinned by a new role ascribed to adults as facilitators within the new educational environment offering a decidedly more active approach to the Early Years curriculum underpinned by ideals relating to playing, moving and learning as a way of young children becoming better acquainted with the world and the society in which they live (Parker-Rees, 2007:13-24). It is under the auspices of these guiding principles for the Early Years Foundation Stage that the new home-school partnership has been championed with the key part to be played by parents being underscored time and again, as the following excerpt from the Departmen t for Education and Skills attests: Partnership with parents should be a key aspect of provision. Parents should be recognised as childrens first and enduring educators, and should be seen as key partners in supporting childrens learning and development. (Draper and Duffy, 2006:151) Understood in this way, the home and the epicentre of the private sphere that this represents is no longer seen as constituting a separate realm from the educational environment of the school and day care centres. Rather, understood in these terms, the home and the school appear to have been fused into one realm where children learn and develop through play and interaction with adults in both the school environment and the home. Parents, therefore, are interpreted as educators in the same sense as educational professionals which, has created fresh dilemmas for both parents and teachers seeking to construct a common ground upon which these new Early Years guiding principles can flourish (Nurse, 2007:9-19). As a result, it is prudent to turn our attention towards highlighting the true nature of the key problems and dilemmas of the partnership approach to learning and development within the Early Years context in order to understand how partnership in preschool education can be made mor e effective. In this way, we will be better able to comprehend the nature of the paradox that characterises the blurring of the boundaries between the public and the private spheres. Making partnership effective: Obstacles to effective partnership Perhaps the greatest obstacle to championing an effective partnership approach to Early Years provision concerns the views of both the parents and educational professionals who are the key actors charged with responding to the vast, fundamental changes to education policy and social policy witnessed over the course of the past two decades. Put simply, it is clear that not all families and parents wish to be involved in partnership. Some families and parents will expect education professionals to perform the task of educating their children, keeping within the guidelines of the Early Years framework as is the case with children operating in the primary and secondary spheres. There are a number of reasons why this, quite logically, is the case. Firstly, we have to acknowledge the pressures upon working parents in the contemporary era where, with many mothers and fathers having full time jobs, parents do not feel as if they are able to make the time to take such an active role in the le arning and development of their children. Understood in this way, when parents drop their children off at day care centres, nurseries and other preschool institutions, they expect the education professionals working within these buildings to take care of all the important aspects of learning and development so that parents can get on with their own work commitments while at the same time getting on with the basics of parenting once they finish their jobs in the evening. The idea that the task of learning and development should be undertaken on a partnership basis with parents having to take on the role of educational enablers in addition to working appears as something of an anathema to many parents and families. Ultimately, this is a problem arising from the generational aspect of the vast array of education and social policy reforms enacted in the contemporary era whereby many parents assume that the conditions in which they were brought up remain the same at the present time. As a result, we have to underline the nature of the obstacle posited by a lack of perspective afforded to parents attempting to understand the new educational parameters dictating the pattern of Early Years provision at the dawn of the twenty first century. As Norman Gabriel observes, adults concepts of childhood are rooted and rigid; as such we have to be aware of the major obstacle to partnership manifest in the way in which parents think of the early years and preschool provision where conceptions of childhood harboured by adults are inherently difficult to change (Gabriel, 2007:59-69). We must, therefore, observe the dichotomy between traditional interpretations of early years learning and modern notions of early years learning and the way in which this threatens to undermine the partnership approach to Foundation Stage education in the contemporary era (Waller and Swann, 2009:32-40). The paradox of the blurring of the boundaries between the public and the private spheres can therefore be seen to have been meted out in a practical level within the context of the partnership approach. Although, in theory, there exists fertile grounds upon which parents and education professionals can work together in order to improve the learning and development of young children in the Early Years Foundation Stage, in practice there remain many obstacles to achieving a consensus between the public and the private spheres as they relate to the partnership between parents and education professionals. Overcoming the considerable divide between theory and practice remains one of the gr eat obstacles to achieving a harmonious, effective partnership during the Early Years Foundation Stage. We also have to take note of the other ways in which parents might be put off working with teachers and professionals within the context of the contemporary partnership approach to education and welfare provision. We should, for instance, bear in mind that many parents will naturally shy away from any involvement with any form of state and welfare services because of a previous history of neglect or incompetency. Some families and parents that have been involved in child protections proceedings, for example, are afraid of engaging in any kind of partnership approach to early years education because of the inherent possibility that their children could be taken away from them. A lack of trust on the part of some parents is therefore another major obstacle to attaining an effective relationship between the public and the private spheres. Furthermore, we must take due note of important social and cultural differences in contemporary multicultural society whereby diversity can negatively impact upon attempts at fostering an effective and harmonious partnership approach to education provision in the early years. Certain ethnic, racial and religious groups will not, for instance, be versed in the modern approach to child care provision championed in the vast majority of western post-industrial capitalist states and, as such, will not be prepared for the joint venture of learning and development that characterises the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum. There are also a number of related issues to consider involving single mothers whereby much of the language and rhetoric surrounding the education and welfare reforms of the past two decades have been shrouded in problems pertaining to gender inequalities and socio-economic differences. As a result of all of these inter-related factors, we have to acknowledge the impl ications of diversity and difference upon Early Years Professionals (EYP) who will be faced with a variety of social, economic, cultural and political obstacles to partnership at a practical level (Tedam, 2009:111-122). Although policy makers might assume that, in theory, professionals and parents ought to understand the need to work together in order to raise educational standards, in practice there remains a considerable divide between the school place and the home which is mirrored in the vast differences in society at large. Overcoming these obstacles cannot be achieved solely via recourse to policy and principles; rather, education professionals and parents need to be able to find a common ground so as to put into practice some of the ethics and ideals talked about at a settings and policy making level. Thus, improved communication between parents and professionals represents the greatest opportunity of the new partnership approach to education provision and it is towards such a scenario that we ought to now turn our attention before necessarily attempting to formulate a conclusion as to what this means for parents within the context of young childrens learning and development. Fostering Good Communication We have already noted the chasm that exists between theory and practice when it comes to implementing the reforms to Early Years policy enacted over the course of the past two decades with parents and professionals having to work together, bringing together two very separate spheres of the private and the public sectors. The crux of the problem consequently relates to a lack of communication between the two spheres with parents in particular being wholly unsure as to the new guidelines and principles which form the backbone of contemporary Early Years policy. It is, therefore, up to the Early Years Professionals to better equip parents with the requisite knowledge they need to assist their understanding of the deep-seated changes that have occurred to education and indeed the whole concept of welfare provision at the dawn of the twenty first century. This increasing emphasis upon good communication as a means of bridging the divide between Early Years Professionals and parents has been addressed in a number of recent policy documents published by the New Labour governments departments. For instance, one of the key documents for the training and professional development of teachers and Early Years Professionals is the Common Core Skills and Knowledge for the Childrens Workforce (Department for Education and Skills, 2005), which observes at the point of introduction the significance of effective communication and engagement with children, young people, their families and carers. (Tarr, 2009:102). As a consequence, it is clear that fostering good communication between teachers and parents serves to narrow the divide between the private and the public spheres (Beckley, Elvidge and Hendry, 2009:53-63). This has been proven in a number of independent studies and surveys undertaken in recent years. A developmental project undertaken at the Pen Green Centre in Corby, England, for example, found that increased dialogue between professionals and parents from the outset directly and positively impacts upon the learning and development of children in the Early Years. Positive communication related to childrens achievements and learning served to erode some of the barriers that exist between families, carers and education professionals. The results suggest that rich and challenging dialogue can develop when early years practitioners work collaboratively with children and families and when, given the opportunity, parents demonstrated a deeper and more extended interest about their children and became more equal and active partners. (Einarsdottir and Gardarsdottir, 2009:200) Thus, it is evident that, as we outlined in the above chapter, effective partnership between the home and the school place can occur where parents are willing to engage in such a collaborative developmental scenario. Furthermore, it is evident that parents will be more likely to engage in the partnership approach to Early Years education when the teachers and professionals make parents and families feel as if they are equal, active partners as opposed to pupils being taught how to bring their children up (Beckley, Elvidge and Hendry, 2009:53-63). Thus, it is also clear that good communication and effective dialogue between education professionals and teachers is the key to achieving this more effective, harmonious partnership where parents feel as if they are playing an active role in their childrens learning and development. It is, therefore, crucial that Early Years Professionals instigate a dialogue with parents and families from the very beginning of the relationship. In this way , the partnership approach to development and learning can become normalised and routine. More importantly, parents, carers and families will not feel as if teachers and Early Years education practitioners are encroaching upon their own sphere of influence. Thus, the key to creating a more effective partnership approach to Early Years education rests not in perpetually merging the private and the public spheres; rather, success within the context of partnership rests upon adopting a fresh perspective where teachers retain influence in the classroom, parents retain influence at the home and where both parties can meet in an open manner in the territory that exists between the two. With this in mind, we must now turn our attention towards reaching a conclusion as to the changing role of parents within the context of young childrens learning and development. Conclusion We have seen how a fresh approach to welfare provision in the contemporary era has telegraphed a completely new ideology of education based upon a partnership approach with a bottoms-up policy of integration and accountability being championed at both a policy making and local level. This, in turn, has had a clear and identifiable impact upon the role of the parents as educational enablers with the previously private sphere of the home being opened up to the same curriculum and policy making objectives that serve to shape the school place. In this way, the role of the parent has become merged with the role of the Early Years Professional with both parties being charged with improving standards by working together to positively influence the learning and development of preschoolers. There are, however, obvious obstacles to achieving a harmonious partnership between parents and Early Years education practitioners with the blurring of the boundaries between the public and the private spheres resulting in a discernible sense of paradox with regards to rights and responsibilities concerning the learning and development of young children. Parents and families still expect professionals to take care of the education of their young children while, conversely, teachers and practitioners are swamped within an avalanche of policy overkill that makes the day to day job of teaching increasingly difficult. Finding a lasting, durable common ground between these disparate spheres represents the greatest