World Trade Organisation

The WTO TRIPS traces its origins from the 1994 General Agreement on Trade Tariffs (GATT) Uruguay Rounds which proposed its existence. The TRIPS in essence spells out the standards for divers forms of regulations that touch on the intellectual property rights. To this effect, it divulges on standards each nation must meet to enforce the copyright laws, patenting, trade marks, the protection of confidential information, and the geographical indications. After the narrowness and the limitations that were found in the TRIPS, DOHA was then proposed. The DOHA is a multilateral commercial system that has been enshrined in the World Trade Organization(WTO) and seeks to make enhancements on economic growth, expansion and establishment. Having existed over fifty years, this multilateral trading system aims at working towards the entrenchment of international trade by ensuring a system that promotes the liberalisation of trade and international trade policies that catalyse the recovery of the economy, its growth and development. It is on this backdrop that the DOHA multilateral commercial system is against protectionism in international trade, following the objections that were created in the World Trade Agreement, the Marrakesh Agreement (Yeaman, 2003 pp. 39). Recent developments in the DOHA and TRPS meetings and their impacts on the LDCs' agriculture and industries. The latest DOHA development and TRIPS Agreement national workshop meeting was held on 22nd February, 2007 in Indonesia, under the aegis of the WTO which was in liaison with the ministry of foreign affairs (Oberg, 2002 pp. 14). In the meeting, there were pressure from the developed economies on the developing countries to fulfill their obligations spelt out in the TRIPS Agreement Article 66. 2. This demanded that the Least Developing Countries (LDCs) facilitate and carry out technology transfer so as to introduce and maintain an efficient technological base that will make international trade feasible. The LDCs were censured for only submitting r eports that touch on technological training and capacity erections (Zhang, 2001 pp. 66). This is normally taken as a failure on the side of the developing economies, yet their financial base is too narrow to support this undertaking. The main issue here is the time and the financial resources that are needed to realise the policy- and this is not being well considered by the developed counterparts (Tawfik, 2000 pp. 138). The fourth WTO conference was held in November 2001, in Qatar, to ensure that TRIPS (Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) member states are helped to interpret the TRIPS policies so as to be able to take comprehensive measures on public health. Even in the WTO which is still a confederation of different states which have come together for the sake of trade, interests still thrive. The interests range from interstate competition to competition taking on the form of regional blocks pitted against each other (Plat, 2000 pp. 92). In this sense, regions and states will always seek to have policies that are favourable to them, entrenched by the WTO. For instance, Europe, the biggest global importer of agricultural and farm produce wants all forms of local support accorded to farmers plummeted. Europe's main import zones include the developing economies and few developed countries such as the United States, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and Australia. In the same wavelength, it wants all the export subsidies offered to the same farmers extirpated by 2013. On the other end, it is pushing for lower tariffs (Taylor, 2003 pp. 40). The European Union says that it is pushing for global accessibility of all industrial goods in the international market. For this, it is aiming at pressuring the WTO to cut out high tariffs. From the facade, this seems a good idea, but it is, under close scrutiny, an artifice to strengthen Europe. Reduced subsidies will increase farming expenses for the farmers while at the other end, plummeted tariffs will only enable Europe to acquire agricultural and farm imports at a very affordable rate (Probs, 2002 pp. 155). From the days of the WTO's General Agreement on Trade Tariffs (GATT), there have been serious cases of structural imbalances and over protectionism in some trading regions, compared to the others. Therefore, Developing countries in the Uruguay Round expected that the heavily protected sectors (textiles and agriculture) would be made more accessible so as to make it possible for the LDC products to have sufficient international access. Howbeit, the two sectors remain locked being characterised by highly proscriptive tariffs with some striking and passing the 200%- 300% mark (Correa, 2004 pp. 244). This comes in the wake of the OECD's Domestic subsidies having soared from 275 American billion dollars to 326 billion. In the textiles and fabrics domain, very minimal items produced by the LDCs have been removed from the quota list even after ten years of corrective implementation period has elapsed. According to the Bureau of International Textiles, only thirteen out of seven hundred and fifty have been exempted from the quota list by the US, while Europe has only excised fourteen out of two hundred and nineteen, and Canada, twenty nine out of two hundred and ninety five. This made it obvious that most of the quotas will not have been eradicated by the arrival of the targeted period of 2013 (Thomas, 2005 pp. 39). At the turn of the century, the realisation towards this exercise was retrogressed by America's announcement that she would in order to protect her local steel industry, impose a 30% tariff on her steel imports. This demonstrates clearly the fact that most developed nations in the WTO are not ready to forfeit their interests just to facilitate international trade (Rajan, 2005 pp. 139). Inspite of the fact that the developed countries have not carried out all of their liberalization obligations, yet LDCs are the ones currently under pressure to expedite their liberalisation of their investments and imports from the international financial entities and regional trade facilitators. The paradox of these developments is that the developed countries who propose these policies ask for more time to restructure their textiles and agriculture while the LDCs having been forced to restructure, are told to persevere the pains thereof for a time. For instance, the proscription of investment subsidies and measures makes it very difficult to facilitate the domestic or local industries. This in turn ushers in poverty and then consequently, dependency syndrome. The liberalization of the agricultural sector is also a setback to small scale farmers since their products become subject to international competition which is characterised by cheaper foreign products ,making incursions into the market. The products from the developed countries are always cheap, following the fact that the dealers in them enjoy huge government subsidies. On the other hand, the developing economies do not have a financial pool, large enough to facilitate the issuance of subsidies to its farmers. This amounts to nothing else but unequal competition ( Tomilson, 1998 pp. 106). WTO TRIPS tolerates very high standards of IPR ( Intellectual Property Rights) type of leadership. This leads to the entrenchment of high prices on medicine, health services and other essential services at the behest of Northern corporation patenting. These Northern corporations deal in biological materials which come from the south and their patenting leads to high costs and at the same time, diminishes the accessibility of industrial technology to developing countries (Trebilcock, 2000 pp. 91). Again, on the 15th May, 2003 WTO TRIPS Meeting that was aimed at implementing policies that were to aid development seemed to lack sincerity and good will. The TRIPS were to engage in the technical support and assistance of the LDCs. However, even the Secretariat was not accorded with chance to air the key issues as touching on the options of the LDCs. This means that should this plan be carried out, the assistance may not be that which will truly meet the needs of the LDCs (Hoekman, Philip and Mattoo, 1996 pp. 45). The matter of patenting of the pharmaceuticals that have been proposed by the WTO TRIPS is also posing a potential threat to the LDCs. The developed economies know this well and this is why, in liaison with the movers and shakers of these ministerials, are trying to hoodwink the LDCs by exempting them from subscribing to the Sections 7 and 5 fully, citing an extended grace period that stretches to January 2016 (Gamharter, 2004 pp. 9). However, they are quite sure about the accruals that will begin to trickle in on the inception of these sections. This period is not enough for the LDCs to improve their health sectors to match the competition that will be coming from the international medical and health care practitioners. LDCs are likely then to face untold miseries in the public health sectors, taking the form of the in ability to provide comprehensive medicinal services and health acre due to price fluctuation from the international dealers. The local medical care givers will also face a lot of disillusionment, stemming from competition from the international medical care givers. In the agricultural sector, the TRIPS has also been a let down to the LDCs. This is because, although the LDCs have not yet industrialised, meaning that their economic mainstay is agriculture, yet, Paragraph 11 of the Agricultural Section of the TRIPS only lists down matters pertaining to agriculture, in relation to the LDCs' development, but does not elaborate further how the issues are to be tackled. This section contains serious matters such as the LDCs being excluded from the exercise of curbing the subsidies, so as to extirpate cases of cheap foreign food products from inundating the local food products and market, the ratification of a market access that is quota free to the LDCs agricultural products (Evenson and Staniello, 2004 pp. 203). This section also was supposed to tackle the issue of LDCs being given the chance to re- evaluate their bound tariff rate to ward off cases of disillusionment of local farmers in the LDCs . Inspite of the seriousness of this provision, it has never been developed or revised for ratification, since it seems that the accruals will now not be trickling so much more to the developed economies (Carvalho, 2002 pp. 97). The local service providers in the developing world have also been left non- viable due to the fact that developing economies have been forced to open up to international market, their service sectors. For instance, it is on this backdrop that national telecommunication corporations in Africa, are closing down following the arrival of the international telephone service providers such as the American originated Vodaphone company, and the European telephone service provider known in Africa as the Celtel (Trendl, 2002 pp. 49) LCDs' frustrations stemming from inconsistencies in the running of the WTO programmes. Apart from these glaring facts about the competitive interests of the states, developing countries encounter setbacks in the realisation of its goals due to lack of structural balance and some pitfalls within the WTO. For instance, in 1999 Seattle ministerial and in the 2001 DOHA ministerial, developing economies presented these realities with the intention of making the WTO revoke the pristine stipulations, only for the developed economies to state that developing economies had entered commitments that were legally binding, and that it is incumbent upon the developing economies to complete their payments first before such matters of abrogation of policies are considered. In the fifth Ministerial which was convened in Singapore, 2003, the LDCs were being prevailed upon to postpone the issues for the new agreements but at the same time, the LDCs were still subject to the many concessions on their side. This does not only betray the lopsidedness of the WTO, but also acts as a pointer to the fact that the developing economies were going to continue being subjected to double payments (Twiggz, 1989 pp. 80). Hitherto, the developed countries had not accrued any anticipated gain from the textile or agricultural concessions. Developing countries are, concerning the issue being told that their proposals that they be given access to the Northern markets, will only, as a pay package deal, be considered in the post DOHA meeting schedule. However, this was to be on condition that they conform with new WTO issues. It is a fact that the new agreements may not usher in gains since the WTO lacks reciprocity, as is being seen in the international trade imbalance. This is also intimating the fact that even in the face of new agreements, developing countries will still be poised to be shortchanged. Furthermore, there is no clear pointer to the fact that there will be the WTO systems and policy re- evaluation or balancing. Neither is the access to the Northern market by the developed countries, nor the abrogation of these policies going to take place so easily (Wu, 2003 pp. 120). Many developing countries also find themselves receiving difficulties in the form of plummeted prices of commodities and the incapacitation on the side of the developing countries to diversify or to adjust upwards, their exports, due to the limitations on the side of the supplies and the accessibility of the market. This problem also arises out of the imbalances within the trading system of the WTO (Wong, 2002 pp. 75). Even the process by which consensus is reached in the WTO is wanting. The will of the developed countries always seem to inundate that of their counterparts in the developing countries. While it is true that the majority in the WTO comprise the developing economies, yet their unified voices cannot secure their interests against their developed counterparts. When the LDCs presented their objections to the WTO, the developed economies maintained that there was no apparent need for WTO systems and rules being rebalanced. The developed economies being the minority, yet could still prevail upon the WTO panel to have it that the recommendations by the LDCs be reviewed in peace meals. This is the reason why even after several years before and after the DOHA, no re- balancing or review of these inequalities have been carried out. On the contrary, appeals by the developing economies that there be the reviewing of the problems before the inception of negotiations on new areas were drastically scuttled (Vohra, 2000 pp. 19). Upon these development, the developed countries also arose to exert pressure on the WTO to lengthen its mandate to make rules so as to integrate the new areas that were being opposed by the LDCs, an action which the developing economies countered together with other groupings from other regional blocks (Benson, 1996 pp. 102). Apart from stating their case that they were not set to have new negotiations and/ or to adhere to the subsequent rules, the underdogs stated it clearly that they were not in full knowledge of what the newly proposed issues could portend, in terms of obligations. In addition to the above reasons, the developed economies maintained that the newly proposed agreements would add to their already inundating burdens, more obligations which would continue to further derail their development progress. As a result, the LDCs maintained that these newly proposed agreements be still considered for discussions but without being given first hand priority (Burke, 1999 pp. 33) . However, spates of unusual and enigmatic methodologies in WTO decision making, made it possible for the views of the developing countries not to be considered in Geneva DOHA Ministerial Declaration. This state of affairs elicited disgruntlement from the developing countries' side since they saw in this, nontransparent and unrepresentative draftings. The LDCs posited that a draft elaborating the differences between the two sides be availed in lieu of the one sided draft which tended to carry some elements of deception that it was drafted on a consensus. Strangely enough, once again, these proposals were disregarded and the document that favoured the new issues was adapted as the premise of the negotiations. This gave the developed economies an upper hand. At Doha, in the Green Room meeting, only very few countries were allowed in, to act as the representatives of those left out. The process turned out to be unrepresentative, nontransparent, and not the true representation of their views. Objections arose at the last session at DOHA when the chairperson at the meeting declared that a consensus touching on modalities and the newly proposed agreements was a prerequisite for the negotiations to begin in the next sitting (Chan and Sherman, 2000 pp. 54). The prospects of the post DOHA constructions and how they are likely to affect the LDCs. Experts posit that the talk is to touch on nineteen areas which are broad scaled, touching on politics and economy, as opposed to the Uruguay Round agenda which only touched on economics. The Post DOHA program is said to be heavy since it touches on human resources, time and technical expertise which the developing countries lack. Other issues that are likely to come up are subsidies, electronic commerce, dumping, and the new work program which at the present is said to promote the imbalance between the developed and the developing economies in the WTO. Instead of seeking to offset the inconsistency between the two spheres, the WTO has on the contrary, accorded special handling of the high areas of interests to the developed economies and neglecting the high areas of interest to the least developed economies (Shan, 2007 pp. 203). This has translated into situations whereby areas that are considered to portend deep interests are being rushed after by the developed countries while in the mean time the developing economies try to deliberately hinder these areas from being seized by the developed economies. Some of these areas of interest touch on matters such as electronic commerce, matters touching on the environment and employment (Tsuruoka, 1995 pp. 89). More problems are bound to arise since, whereas the the developing countries consider the implementation issues such as the provisions of the balance of payments, textile and agriculture, these matters have not been slotted anywhere in the work programmes main text book. On the other hand, matters that are considered more important by the developed countries compared to the developing counterparts, – matters such as science, technology, and finance are already in the main text book of the main program. Matters such as special and designated treatment are also considered important by the developing countries since this party wants to tackle the issue in the next DOHA ministerial, to instill precision, effectiveness and efficiency. In the main text book of the work program, this matter has not been featured anywhere, meaning that the developing countries will in the meantime continue to be subjected to the whims of those with the upper hand in the WTO. This system of special and designated provision plummet the substantive extent of the obligations that are to be presided over by the developing economies. It is thus very clear that even the work programs provision, or its running is lopsided and is therefore of no benefit at all to the developing economies. Instead, it is a stepping stone to the developed countries for their beneficence, yet, these countries give nothing to the developing countries (Schuller, 2002 pp. 144). This happens in the face of total contravention to the GATT/ and the WTO Reciprocal Principle since the process of negotiations amongst all members of the WTO must be guided by the chief principle of reciprocity. The concept of reciprocity according to experts should not be pegged on particular commitments in the agreements, but should also be based upon the designation of items for close attention . Albeit, it must be noted that it is quite paradoxical that the WTO new face started with a promotion of an imbalance. Interestingly enough, this same work program has been at times referred to alternatively as the development plan. It is commonsense that if the development plan itself is faulty, and has also been totally fixed by the top developed countries to suit their own economic interests, given the fact that nothing has been reflected in it to give priority to the developing countries, then the world should anticipate nothing else but the widening of the gulf between the rich countries and the poor countries ( Chan, 2002 pp. 002). Not only this, but if the situation is not turned around (for which there is a very slim chance), then capital is likely to continue flowing from the developing countries into the metropoles, making the metropoles richer day by day, while leaving the poor more emaciated upon every actualisation of an international business deal. As touching on the imp lementation issues, the decisions by Doha has not been very satiating. For instance, it is now a WTO policy that agreements and countervailing policies touching on subsidies in the least developing countries with a Gross National Production (GNP) less than 1,000 US dollar per annum, keep on being included in the sanitary and phytosanitary agreement measures list. It is only upon exceeding this line for three consecutive years that a country will be expunged from this list. On any country's GDP falling below this mark, the country will automatically be re- included in this list (Chan- Gonzaga, 2001 pp. 21). This portends more problems to the Developing economies since they are the ones who are highly susceptible to fall into these traps, given their small scale economies and hence, low GDP. Although there have been proposals by developing economies that these systems that cause imbalances and give rise to problems be revoked, yet as far as touching on these substantive matters, there has been hardly development made on the issue. It is on this premise that many developing economies will be given no priority in the oncoming post DOHA meetings, since these countries will be falling within this rubric of countries that fall below the mark of 1,000 US dollars per annum. Much to the chagrin of these developing nations, the matters already designated for negotiations (the Singapore issues) are not only very sensitive, but are also posing higher potential of reaching the negotiation status. This makes it harder for the rest of the developing countries, should there be need to reach consensus through a plebiscite, which is usually a game of numbers (Das, 1999 pp. 120). Following the stipulations from the Uruguay Round, part of the oncoming designated agenda for the WTO will touch on the negotiation on agriculture. The previous DOHA declaration spells out that in the agricultural negotiations, the principal focus will be working out towards total excision of the export subsidies. This will also include the working towards making governments desist from issuing local support offered to the farmer and the trader, since this local support, they say, distorts international trade. Mostly, this will demand that developed countries be prevailed upon to to revoke the issuance of subsidies (Elchelberger and Allen, 2000 pp. 55). Experts point out that the major developed countries can use these terms to point out that the measures of the domestic support that were included in Annex 2 are not to be subjected to reduction talks. This will lead to the major developed nations being exempt from the reduction injunctions. This will be catastrophic to the farmers and traders in the developing economies since they will not be liable to receiving subsidies while their counterparts in the developed economies will be receiving the subsidies. This brings about unequal competition in the international market yet at the same time, it poses high protectionism in the developed countries. This is an outright application of double standards. The oncoming negotiations will also include the part of services as one of the set- in agenda. This will follow in the wake of the realisation of the fact that the WTO branch, the General Trade on Services, the GATS, is also imbalanced. The developed economies poses far much greater power in the services sector, while the developing countries on the other hand, are very feeble in this sense. In addition to this, they are faced with limitations in supply. This leaves the developing economies with the incapacity to fairly compete with the developed countries. General impact of the WTO stipulations on the LDCs Having looked at that pitfalls of WTO and its bodies (the DOHA and the TRIPS), it is now incumbent that the consequences of these pitfalls on developing economies be looked at. It is also important to note that some of these implications have already been dealt with. The WTO deals with other nations through the two Bretton Woods institutions, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. It is these two Bretton Woods institutions that some times make sure that the policies carried out in the WTO to promote the international financial transactions are implemented or carried out by the developing countries. It is to this effect that these institutions are known to carry out draconian measures on developing countries to ensure that these countries ratify the implementations. For instance, the 1990s saw most African countries and other developing countries being denied foreign aid because they were still resisting the implementation of the Structural Adjustment Programs. Apart from the fact that this measure stagnated the development process and the financial growth rate, most countries were left paralysed, not being even able to support even the running of the daily domestic economic activities (Guo, 2002 pp. 100). These Structural adjustment programs were in themselves not suitable to the developing economies' prospects and programs ( it must be remembered that the Structural Adjustment Programs were the initiatives of the WTO which then was out to bolster international trade). To be more precise, the Structural Adjustment Programs had one of its guidelines being cost sharing. Herein, developing countries were to reduce their debt- to- revenue ratio by accepting this methodology of cost sharing. This policy was being heralded by the developed economies and the two Bretton Woods Institutions as the panacea that was to extirpate the widespread cases of over reliance on foreign aid (Lewis 2000, pp. 208) In the first case, African countries and their developing counterparts were told that they were spending too much on their educational programmes. To turn around the situation, these countries were supposed to withdraw permanently, the custom of issuing allowances to students. In addition to this, access to educational loans was to be plummeted, meaning that only students with high outstanding performance were to access these loans. The governments in the developing countries, and especially Africa, were to invent ways of making money from the educational sector, and for this, the Module Two Programs emerged. These Module Two Programmes, otherwise known as Parallel Programmes run autonomously from the government funded, or subsidised conventional university programs (Hu, 2001 pp. 255). These measures on the educational programs have lead to massive cases in the developing economies not being able to expand their educational programmes, to match the rising educational demand that stems from the growing population. As a result, many students who merit going to the university miss securing admission. In addition to this, the Parallel programmes are too expensive for the ordinary citizens in the developing countries to afford. In a nutshell, this measure of cost sharing in the educational sector only succeeded in making education in the developing countries inaccessible, and thus making these countries susceptible to massive cases of brain drain. For the first time, in the 1994, four years after the inception of the Structural Adjustment Programmes, there were cases of university students being dismissed from universities due to fee arrears in the eastern Africa region. At the same time, those students with good grades and a fair financial pool who fail to make it to the government subsidised programmes opt for oversees studies in the developed countries. Upon completion, these students prefer to work in these developing countries. This massive cases of transnational exodus for greener pastures has left the developing countries more and more subjected to brain drain and lack of skilled labour (Kang, and Feng, 2002 pp. 107). Still on the concept of cost sharing, the governments in the developing countries were prevailed upon by the two Bretton Woods Institutions to reduce their expenditures by carrying out a massive exercise of downsizing the civil service so as to trim its size. These exercises were to be carried out starting from 1995- 2005 in most African economies for example. In Latin America, the measure was to be carried out in phases starting from 1992- 2002. However, contrary to what developing countries were told, the carrying out of this exercise only proved to be a Pandora box, ushering in untold catalogues of untold misery at the hands of poverty. Simply put, the myriad numbers of the retrenched civil servants found themselves subject to poverty ( Low, 1997 pp. 124). In the same spectrum, the concept of international trade which was formed by the WTO and heralded by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund that nations cede away the production of certain products to other countries with specialisation ( both natural and human resources, together with technological endowment), does not ager well with the developing nations. Developing nations are kept from realising their dreams of indutrialisation through this concept. Moreover, the concept itself is innately twisted since a nation can be having adequate natural resources and man power, but can be a fledgeling economy that has not yet fine tuned its technological advancement with its indutrialisation programmes (Lyon, 1996 pp. 51). More importantly, the exercise translates into more problems since it leads to more cases of jobs being forfeited, especially in the developing economies, since developing economies have not yet fully been industrialised. This strain of international outsourcing coupled together with its twin, the downsizing of the civil service, has increased the level of unemployment in the developing sector. The problem proves to be hydra headed since the potential tertiary education students who miss out on learning opportunities together with the retrenched civil servants, add to the bulk of the unemployed population with no means of livelihood. It is on this backdrop that all the developing economies have national security matters making it to the top five national agenda in the annual review of national programmes (Shrybman, 2001 pp. 7). World trade, an undertaking which the WTO Is chiefly interested in, is in itself also bedeviled by many issues that touch on the entrenchment of political, cultural and economic domination of the developing countries by their global trading counterparts, the developed countries. For instance, although the developed countries form the minority in the WTO DOHA, yet their will is highly predominant over the developing countries' (Wong and Mc Ginty, 2002, pp. 40). In addition to this, the same institutions that are used to channel foreign funds to the developing economies, the World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Funds (IMF), belong to the developed economies. In addition to being the conduit through which foreign fundings reach other countries, these two Bretton Woods Institutions are supposed to offer advisory services, and at the same time, carry out investigative and monitoring activities on the developing economies' progress (Mah, 1998 pp. 120). In the course of the monitoring progress, the developing economies are supposed to submit their statements of accounts to either the WB or the IMF. This exposes easily, the developing countries to political manipulation by the developed countries, especially those in the west (Markel, 2000 pp. 43). It is also through the WTO's international outsourcing that different multinational corporations have been able to make incursions into the developing nations territories to indulge in the provision of goods and services in the developing countries. Some of these companies include the shipping company, Maersk, the petroleum companies such as the British owned, British Petroleum (BP) and the Shell, and the American and British owned Kenol Kobil (Lauffs and Singh, 2000 pp. 173). Any country that wants to take part in the trade that uses the sea routes in the eastern African region must register with the Italian shipping and handling company, Maersk. This in itself amounts to economic domination since these countries are accorded a laissez faire condition, devoid of domestic competition. In the same vein, the companies that come from the developing countries are not accorded by the WTO and the international trade counterparts any chance to trade in the developed countries' backyard ( Lewis and Rhodes, 2002 pp. 88). It is a well known fact that the process of international trade relations is mostly hinged upon the concept of instantaneous exchange of information in a trans border sense. Because this process is aided by the existence of technological advancement, the previous WTO DOHA ministerials and the TRIPS meetings have been characterised by the prevailing upon the developing countries to hasten the process of technology transfer and installation (Li, 2002 pp. 187). This was in accordance with the aim to have free and efficient flow of information in an interstate manner that could promote trade. Although this measure being considered by the TRIPS under the aegis of the WTO is not geared towards any harm, yet the WTO has not yet looked at the full repercussion of this measure. For instance, it is on this backdrop that developing nations have fell for serious cases of cultural domination. Since the developed countries exceed the the LDCs in commercial and technological knowledge and skills, most of the trans border exchange of information flow from the developed countries to the LDCs. However, with this huge volume of needed information, also comes, information that always insinuate the socio- cultural traits of the developed countries as being superior to the LDCs'. At the same time, the Socio- cultural practices in the developed economies are insidiously permeated into the social fabric of the developing economies (Lewis, 2002 pp. 62). It is on the above premise that small factions have come up to resist these spates of developments by using terrorist attacks. While these attacks are always aimed at the major developed economies, yet to instill pressure on the developed nations, these quasi religious military ragtags also aim at the trading allies of the major developed countries who are normally, the LDCs. It is because of these state of affairs that there were twin bombings in the two most lucrative capitals in the eastern African region in August 1998 by the Al Qaeda forces. Similar cases are also widely common in the world of the developing countries (Mukherjee, 2000 pp. 172). Conclusion. Therefore, it can be seen clearly that the LDCs in the international trade through their relations with the developed countries, courtesy of the WTO, has elicited more pain than gain. Nevertheless, all is not lost for the LDCs, since the Doha declaration posits that it, as an organisation, has an aim of making the development of the LDCs actualise. To this end, the development needs of the LDCs such as food security and health will continue to remain core issues that will control the implementation of other policies. The LDCs should seize this provision to illustrate that their indutrialisation and development will not come without food security, and food security will not be realised by their economies since the mainstay of their food source remains, small scale farming. These small scale farmers being economically challenged, deeply need government subsidies and domestic support. In nearly the same manner, the LDC factions within the WTO such as the the Group 15 that is made up of the heads of the governments should continue working towards collaborations among the LDCs in calling for new global approaches, as it was agreed upon by the same in the 11th Summit that was held in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Care of Residents and Floor Manager Essay

Bi-Describe the terms and conditions of your contract as set out in your contract of employment or employment agreement. Answer-Turn up to work at the required times, wear the correct uniform, holiday entitlement , pay rate and confidentiality. Bii-Describe the information which needs to be shown on your pay slip/statement. Answer-Hours worked, employee number, NI insurance number, tax code, payment before deductions and payment after deductions and hourly rate. Biii-Identify two changes to personal information which you must report to your employer. Answer-Change of address or Medical condition. Biv-Describe the procedure to follow if you want to raise a grievance at work. Answer-Refer to flow chart. -See attatched. Bv-Explain the agreed ways of working with your employer in relation to the following areas. 1)Data protection: Ensure all information is stored in a secure place and no information is given out if unsure. 2)Grievance:Discuss with floor manager or home manager. )Conflict management:If i had a problem with a member of staff, for example if i didnt like the way that they were treating a resident i would go to my manager and explain my concerns, if after informing my manager the problem persists i would then go back, if my manager dismissed this as she has already talked to the staff member, this would cause conflict and i would seek help from someone above my manager(Regional Director). 4)Anti-discriminatory: Treat everyone as an individual and do no dis-respect race or culture. )Health&Safety:Keep up to date with all training and comply with all requested of me to ensure myself, collegues and residents are not at risk of harm or injury. 6)Confidentiality:Ensure all information is secured properly and dont give out any information to anyone your not sure about, consult Team Leader if unsure. 7)Whistleblowing:Identify the unethical baahaviour in questionand determine how its affecting you or the organisation in which you work. Decide whether the problem is worth reporting and if it will put yours or someone elses job at risk. Whistleblowing encourages and enables employees to raise serious concerns within the ‘setting’ rather than overlooking a problem or ‘blowing the whistle’ outside. Employees are often the first to realise that there is something seriously wrong within the setting. However, they may not express their concerns as they feel that speaking up would be disloyal to their colleagues or to the setting. Follow whisleblowing procedure. Bvi-Explain how your role contributes to the overall delivery of the service provided. Answer-I follow all policies and procedure and my job roles and responsibilities to maintain a high standard of quality care. Promote and maintain a good standard of care, I also ensure that the service users are able to practice their charter of rights, for example: Choice The right to make choices about their own lifestyle, and to excercise that choice and independence whenever possible. Dignity and Individuality The right to be shown respect and courtesy and to be treated as a unique and valued individual. Privacy and Confidentiality The right to choose to be alone, undisturbed, and free from intrusion, as far as possible, within the constraints of living with others in a nursing or residential care home; and the right to have all your personal information kept confidential. Complaints The right to comment and make known any concerns or complaints that you have about the home, or the company, without feeling under stress or threat. Bvii-Explain how you could influence the qualityof the service provided by; a)following the best practice within your work role; By keeping up to date with all training needed to carry out my work, by refering back to my job roles and responsibilities if unsure, ask floor manager or manager if im unsure of anything-this will ensure that I am carrying out a high standard of care to service users. b)not carrying out the requirements of your role; Residents/service users could be at risk, and if person centred approach isnt followed or the rights of the service users are taken away you could be putting them at risk of neglect and institutional abuse. Bviii-Describe how your own work must be influenced by National factors such as Codes of Practice, National Occupational Standards, Legislation and Government Initiatives. Answer-My work is directly impacted by all of the above every day. Codes of Practice and Occupational Standards form our mission, vision and values. Legislation dictates our level and quality of care. Government initiatives impact the people we serve. For example, a code of practice in action, and in a very general sense – may be staff supporting, but also providing the tools, for individuals to become more independent. Too much support, they would learn dependence. Tools alone without support, they may not understand how to use them or when to use them. Occupational Standards would be a general guide for each career within a given field, that expresses the foundational do’s and don’ts for each. Example, we would provide a minimum amount of service, documented and within the guidelines for the individual, while if we offered additional services that are needed and appropriate to the individual, that would be good. Laws protect for the most part. Most laws are based on safety. So legislation that offers greater protection for the people we serve, and laws that provide a clear expectation for staff – which if we follow judiciously, also protects us – are incorporated into all daily activities and decisions. That is protection for the individual. A person passing by an accident and offering help is protected from lawsuits by the Good Samaritan Law. So in these examples, both the individual, and the care-giver have laws that protect them. Government Initiatives – well, that’s a pretty general term as well which could also be interpreted in many different ways. Initiatives – I think of entitlement programs. Social Security, SSI, Welfare, WIC, HE AP, HUD, etc. These programs governmental initiatives provide additional support to people.

Google in China Case Study Essay

In the case study presentation regarding the Google Company there have been many challenges that have arisen during the growth of the global leader. One of those challenges is in regards to the penetration of the largely available market in China. Google has a mission â€Å"to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.† (Closing Case: Google in China) Google has constructed a largely profitable advertising business that piggy backs its search engine; which by far is the largest in the world. Using a business model called pay-per-click; advertisers pay Google each time a user of the search engine clicks on one of the paid links that are usually listed on the right hand side of engines results page. These are the paid links and are not included in the main search results generated by Google. The Move In order to penetrate a larger market and further increase popularity Google began running a Chinese language service in 2000 for the largest country on the planet; even though the service was operated from the United States. In 2002, Chinese authorities blocked the site. The people that would have been using Google’s search engine were directed to a Chinese rival search engine company. This came as a huge surprise to Google’s managers. When this occurred the co-founder of Google quickly ordered several books on China and began studying in order to understand its vast country and its culture. In just two weeks’ time the services were restored in China. It appeared that this had just come out of nowhere. It was reported by Chinese users that politically sensitive material sites were no longer accessible. This gave way to the suggestion that the Chinese government had begun monitoring search activities more aggressively. This also generated the suggestion that the Chinese government had constructed a giant firewall between Chinese internet and the internet in the rest of the world allowing the Chinese government to block any sites that were deemed insurrectionary. Due to the fact that serving the Chinese from the United States was incredibly slow and the new censorship imposition was ruing search results Google decided it was time for some change. In a new mindset of operations Google decided to open up a site in China using Chinese management and employees and even a Chinese home page. The Culture and Conclusion It appeared that the cultural divide between Google and China caused some misunderstandings to take place; this in-turn caused some serious offenses to be made. Chinese government did what it felt needed to be done in order to keep the divide between government and citizenship as strong as it has always been. Realizing that it had crossed the line, the search giant Google decided to move its Chinese operations overseas. Google was faced with two choices, they could give up China or and lose over 100 million users, a number that rapidly increases every year, or operate out of China and respect the culture. Now that Google is up and operating in China, even though they have to provide a slightly more less lucrative service, they have provided a small notation for every site that has been blocked once the search results show up; a service no other provider gives. References Closing Case: Google in China; by International Business. Competing in the Global Marketplace, Seventh Edition Chapter 4: Ethics in International Business: by Charles W. L. Hill copyright  © 2009 McGraw-Hill, a business unit of the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/content/eBookLibrary2/content/eReader.aspx

Sex Education in primary schools Research Proposal

Sex Education in primary schools - Research Proposal Example Many think that giving them sex education in school will help them understand the dangers of sex before they are ready and help them abstain from sex. Children are not capable of understanding sex at such an early age and therefore it gives them a license to have sex if they are not already doing so. The truth is that when children have free sex information available to them and they receive condoms and other contraception methods they will want to experiment and have sex early. This is not a good thing. There are three main reasons for this: 1) Without being taught about ethics and responsibility, kids will see this education as a green light to do whatever they want; 2) It should be more the responsibility of parents to discuss this with their kids rather than teachers who may or may not know the students very well; 3) Sexual education is not one-size-fits all—people should be taught according to their maturity. Where do children get their information about sex? In todays world they are getting it from their teachers in most elementary, secondary and high schools. With the Internet and other methods of information that children have access to they are able to find just about anything they want easily. The question then is why should they have access to sex education? They are very young and the more information they receive the more they will want to try sex early. There education should be commensurate with their ability to take responsibility for their actions. In this case, there is a big gap between the two. There are several sides to this debate. Much of it comes from parents. Many parents think that all children should be taught abstinence which means that children are told to abstain from sex before marriage. Kim and Rector report that according to a 2005 study those children who took a vow to abstain from sex when they were adolescents are the least likely to engage in sexual intercourse as teenagers (74). This is a very

AT&T Company background Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

AT&T Company background - Research Paper Example In 2005, the company was bought by one of its Baby Bells, the former Southern Western Bell, and it was rebranded to AT&T Inc. On December 18 1899, the company bought American Bell assets making it its parent. In 1892, the company achieved its first goal by opening a long distance line from New York to Chicago which at the time could only handle one call at a time. When Theodore Vail started his second term as the company’s president, he generated the viewpoint, approaches and structures that guided it and the Bell system for about seventy years. In 1919, it set up the first dial telephones in the Bell System, in Norfolk VA and in 1922, it opens the first money-making radio station in New York called WEAF. From 1927, it began its first transatlantic telephone services and also showcases the first television demonstration. 1934, it started the transpacific telephone services and by 1946, mobile telephone had been introduced which was capable of carrying out over fifteen simultaneous calls. In 2002, the company introduced a nationwide intelligent optical network which is renowned for its ability to restore services faster if any disastrous event occurred, (Anton,

Effective Team and Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Effective Team and Management - Essay Example One outstanding person who has shown this is Virgin Group founder, Richard Branson. This essay will evaluate the success and achievements of Richard Branson (as a case study) on leadership and teamwork in relation to the theoretical models that conceptualise leadership and at the end it will unfold in a much more practical way, those ways that an effective leadership can be achieved. To meet this objective, the essay will analyse critically leadership styles that Richard Branson deployed that heightened his performance in effectively coordinating the teams he had and comparing this to the existing theoretical conceptions. Richard Branson was born on 18th July, 1950 in England and later on started going to school of which he did not complete. His school life was a misery and at age 16, he stopped going to school, an event that saw his life change for what it is today. It was this drop-out that got him into business enterprises which begun from the sector of music but has since developed to a myriad other sectors. His mother Eve (flight attendant) and father (Edward Branson) struggled with him so much to help him in education as he had dyslexia disorder but these failed and at age 16 he drop out. This prompted him to found a youth magazine called â€Å"Student† which he ran for some time until 1969 when he thought of venturing in a record shop that could help support his magazine financially and in 1973, he launched Virgin Records. Branson continued to go in his business enterprises step by step and today the Virgin Records he launched in 1973 has grown expansively and it is now a group of companies that host over 200 companies in very many countries. It’s not only that one line of business that Branson owns but number of several other businesses across the economy that has escalated him financially to become a billionaire. Virgin Group is a

Sales Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sales Proposal - Essay Example The brochures containing information about the different models of air conditioners are with me. All I need to do is make a concise proposal and hand it to the customer along with the prices and the brochure. The proposal must be made in a letter that is not more than two pages in length. The proposal begins with the reference to the customer’s verbal enquiry, and goes on to thank him for the same. The range of the air conditioners is divided into three categories, as top class, medium level, and the regular air conditioners. I arm myself with all the information and brochures of the top class air conditioners. I also take with me a few brochures of the medium and the regular ranges. The literature containing my proposal and the brochures are packed into my brief case. I neatly place two ball pens at the slots provided inside the brief case. The proposal provides the main features of the air conditioners and requests the customer to refer to the brochures for more details. The proposal is careful to mention the advantages of the company’s air conditioners compared to the other air conditioners available in the market. I take a blank proforma invoice with me so that when the order is placed the customer gets the proforma invoice against which he can make the payment. I will send him the regular bill with the air conditioner. It is 4.00 pm and I am at the customer’s residence. I politely introduce myself and enter the residence. I open my brief case and hand him my proposal and the brochures. The customer goes through the proposal in silence. Then he asks me how much time it would take for the air conditioner to be fitted in his bedroom. I tell him it would take about an hour. He asks me some more routine questions and I answer them politely. I then convince him about the benefits of the air conditioner and the changes he can expect in his residence with the new air conditioner.

Astrological Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Astrological - Essay Example They are also good story tellers. I think that I am imaginative in a positive way. I am very much interested in riding a horse. Whenever I am free, I look forward to taking a horse ride because it gives me immense pleasure. I enjoy riding a horse because I had always imagined riding a horse from my early childhood. I don’t know it was cartoons or films but I am interested in horse riding from childhood. During horse riding I love to see beautiful sites. This has always been my dream and it has something to do with my astrological sign. Another good example that explains my imaginative power is that I like to try new things very often. I quickly get bore of doing the same thing. For example, I often rearrange of my room after every other month even if it only involves shifting my bed from one side to another. I have different posters set up on my bedroom walls and I keep on changing them as well. I try to make my room look different using my different posters and art work. I of ten am the one who persuade my friends to try out new and different things. Going out to same places very often is boring to me. I keep on planning different picnics and other activities with friends just to keep the spice in my life. For me, different is always better. Another interest of mine is to read short stories. I love to read short stories as they give me great pleasure. I also keep on thinking about writing a short story and think about different topics. These are some of the examples of my imaginative power. The second personality trait of my personality is cleverness. I think I am a clever person because I can pick new things very quickly. I am a fast learner as I quickly apply things that I see around me. I learned how to ride a horse with any major help. Also I prefer going through a website and reading about different things instead of relying on other people. I am also clever in a good way

India Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

India - Research Paper Example Another problem centres on Kashmir, the province with a Muslim majority where India’s neighbour Pakistan supports a separatist movement. So media labs coexist alongside continued outbursts of sectarian violence. This said (March 2002) Shashi Thahoor, 2Indian writer and social critic, ‘is one of the ironies of Indias muddled march into the 21st century.’ Despite all the latest positive developments Thahoor sees India as still ‘shackled to the dogmas of the past.’ According to Cohen (2001, page xiv) ‘New Dehli still finds it difficult to translate economic potential into political and strategic influence.’ In fact there are so many problems that it is feared that the much vaunted Indian tradition of plural development and secular government could be at risk.. Meanwhile, India, already a nuclear power, is pressing for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council. At a 2002 United Nations debate on the future of the Security Council,3 A. Gopinathan Indias deputy representative to the U.N, put forward a proposal that the number of countries permanently represented be expanded. The present set up was decided before India even had self government as a country, and reflects the world of the 1940’s rather than the present day situation. It was argued that the present format is both unrepresentative and anachronistic. as quoted by the Press Trust of India in March 2002, and should be revamped to better reflect the increasing importance of India and other emerging nations. India’s sectarian problems are of course nothing new. Although there is an Hindu majority, there are also a number of other religions represented including Muslims, Christians, Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs. Onwards from the year of modern India’s birth in 1947, when more than a million people died , violence has been a common part of Indian life. In February 2002, as reported by Celia Dugger, 458 travellers, including children, were

The Influence of Marketing on Consumer Behaviour Coursework

The Influence of Marketing on Consumer Behaviour - Coursework Example Teacher and staffs of the Department and the Faculty Dean are extremely helpful. Devoid of their assistance this study could not have reached its ultimate conclusion. What motivation methods are used in the Total UK's Carwash Marketing Activity to motivate Consumer Behaviour in the U.K. have analysed from different social thinkers interpretation. The U.K. Government cooperated entirely to collect data for this study. State employees helped with their openness, dedication and sincere desire to serve. Encouragement, love and caring of my family ensured a working environment for such a project without disturbing the normal family routine. All the optimistic attributes of this dissertation have driven from those mentioned above. The conclusions or any other errors, omissions and mistakes within this dissertation are attributable just to the author. Carwash market is an environmentally sensitive segment and its customers are of varied characteristics. Carwash market is a big user of water and also energy. The leaders of the industry are making efforts to reduce demand on environment for the growth in their business. Many present in the industry are already using water reclamation systems to reduce water usage and a range of energy efficient solutions. My present dissertation is 'The Influence of Marketing on Consumer Behaviour: A Review of Total UK's Carwash Marketing Activity'. ... This covers mainly 'Consumer behavior - how consumer buys a product, the way he uses it and mode of its disposal'. It also includes post-purchase behavior. Product used by the consumer is of great interest to the marketer; because they know better how best to position their products or better still how could the marketing managers could influence consumers to consume more of the same product. Most of the environmental problems are emerging from product disposal or the wastage of resources during the provision of service. This is of particular interest to Carwash industry. The Total UK's Carwash market is an important segment of the Transport Industry of UK and its employees play a key role in delivering the services to its customers that goes a long way in enhancing the image of the business. Provision of improved and quality service creates long lasting positive experiences for the customers - the spirited supply of first-class services of Total UK's Carwash play an important role in achieving high satisfaction among its valued customers. The motivation of employees, whether professional one or not, skilled or unskilled, is a major issue in all service organizations. For the Carwash Market, employee motivation is of major importance. It is a big challenge for the management of the Total UK's Carwash Market to motivate employees to stay on the job, maintain low attrition level and to offer the efficient, good service, which customers expect from it. If Customers are not satisfied, they will not comeback to buy service again, it means less sale and los s of revenues. To understand customer's needs, managers should first understand key theories of Consumer Behaviour that will help them do a profitable

Crocker on Ethnocentrism Essay Example for Free

Crocker on Ethnocentrism Essay David A. Crocker asks the question of who should be tasked with the development of moral ethics on a global level, especially in regions where ethical thought is relatively shallow. If there was one way he would answer this question, he would state that a combination of insider and outsider ethicists would find the best and culturally sensitive form of morality for particular cultures. For this to have any meaning however, a description is required for both insider and outsider. An insider, as termed by Crocker, is one who is counted, recognized, or accepted by himself/herself and the other group members, as belonging to the group (Crocker, 29). In regards to ethical thought of the group, Crocker outlines several advantages and disadvantages of being a predominant insider. When a development ethicist is an insider of a group they understand their past, present, and goals when it comes to moral thought, and can therefore help the group to develop (with ease on the topic of communication) in the most beneficial ways foreseeable in tandem with their beliefs. Along the lines of communication of an insider, they have a foundation from which to criticize and rebuke negative actions of a group because of their familiarity with said groups customs and beliefs. However, insiders do not come without inhibitions as well. Insiders may become so immersed in their society and its customs that they are unable to expand their own, and their societys horizon on the topic of moral thought. Crocker argues that because of the familiarity of the culture, an insider may be blind to factors that define a culture in an existential manner, Like a f ish unaware of the water in which it continually swims (Crocker, 33). In essence, an insider has an easy time familiarizing with their culture, but may have trouble assessing the culture from an unbiased manner. Outsiders are the direct opposite to an insider meaning they do not have a recognition or acceptance of the culture, or themselves within that culture. An outsider can be beneficial to a social group in the way the outsider can  assess the culture in an unbiased manner, and with this perspective, outsider-ethicist strengths are the mirror image of an insider-ethicist weaknesses and therefore the outsider is able to give insight on the things the culture may be unaware of (Crocker, 35). Outsiders are also able to bring out new ideas to a group based on their own culture, ideas the culture in assessment may not have even considered. The last advantage of an outsider is that they are not bound by the insiders commitments to the group or status quo, and can therefore say things, or criticize things that a member of the group would not. Being an o utsider has a list of negative attributes as well. Outsiders do not have the same familiarity with the customs of the group and how certain actions affect them, and Crocker argues that these key understandings are relevant for progressive social change (Crocker, 34). Outsiders who come from a more developed region and culture tend to put more trust in their own ideas and disregard the ingenuity of the group under assessment. In the long term, the groups that have an outsider ethicist may become dependent upon them for ideas, and thereby never becoming able to express their own ideas, and their own norms become weakened. David Crocker explains ethnocentrism as having 2 main concerns. The first he describes as being a habitual disposition to judge foreign peoples or groups by the standards and practices of ones own culture or ethnic group, and the second is described as the tendency toward viewing alien cultures with disfavor and a resulting sense of inherent superiority (Crocker, 27). Crockers accounts of insiders and outsiders do answer some of the concerns raised by ethnocentrism. Not one, nor the other is predominantly to blame for ethnocentrism, rather both insiders and outsiders demonstrate these negative aspects. Insiders can reject any advice from an outsider with the existence of an a priori that gives the insider the notion that nothing can be learned from an outsider. Outsiders exhibit ethnocentrism in the way they give more credit to the ideas of their own culture because it is often socio-economically more developed. Ethnocentrism in cross-culture assessment and dialogue, Crocker states, can be diminished by things like achievement of more equality between various centres and their corresponding peripheries, the recognition of dangers peculiar to insiders and outsiders, respectively, and the promotion of appropriate kinds of insider/outsider combinations in  development ethicists (Crocker, 35). Essentially an equilibrium in insider and outsider ethicists. This is how he answers his question of whom is responsible for ethical thought, the correct combination of insider and outsider ethicists. Bibliography Koggel, Christine M.. David A. Crocker.Moral issues in global perspective. Volume II: Human Diversity and Equality ed. Peterborough, Ont.: Broadview Press, 2006. 27-35. Print.

Competency Goals Essay Example for Free

Competency Goals Essay In order for children to feel safe away from home they need a safe environment where they can learn and play comfortably. I am always alert and continuously observe the children at all times. Children must never be left unsupervised. In the class, safety precautions such as checking all tables and chairs for damage and sharp edges is done weekly. All electrical outlets that are not being used are covered with safety caps. I guarantee that the children’s work and play areas are free of clutter. When the children are using scissors, pencils or other instruments, I make sure they carry them in an appropriate manner to prevent injury. We have on file written permission from the parent’s to take their child for any emergency medical care if the nurse isn’t on campus. Outdoor play areas are checked daily for harmful objects such as bottles, cans, or other litter items before the children go out to play. In the center, a fire drill is conducted Once a month. A Healthy Environment A healthy environment is essential for effective learning. A visual daily health check is done each day upon each child’s arrival. I respond immediately to accidents, health concerns and emergency conditions calmly. The classroom is maintained in a clean and hygienic environment. While working with parents, together we assist the children in building good grooming habits b maintaining consistent routines at school and encourage them to do so at home. Hand washing following toileting, washing hands before meals and brushing teeth is done in the center to encourage healthy needs. Children are able to flourish in an environment that influences their growth and development. A Learning Environment Children learn by doing and by imitating each other, their parents and their teachers. I respect and acknowledge each child’s ideas, concern and feelings. We provide a variety of materials in the class from the books we  use to the toys with which the children play. Participation is encouraged without any of the children feeling frustrated. An environment is provided where each child has fun during activities that are allowed and encouraged to participate in various activities to appreciate each other’s cultural differences. Each child display their work around the classroom they enjoy seeing their accomplishments. Open communication is provided for each child. I try to make sure the children’s daily schedule is followed, but sometimes we get a little behind. Transition from one activity to another is smooth. COMPETENCY GOAL II TO ADVANCE PHYSICAL AND INTELLECTUALCOMPETENCE Physical Physcial development is important for healthy development. Physical activities are designed to be fun for the children. Children like a lot of physical movement. In the class we schedule time to use both gross and fine motor skills. We plan physical activities during outside time, such as relay races, jumping rope, hula hoops, throwing a ball and just plain exercising. Play enhances learning both inside and outside. My enthusiasm is shown when I actively play with the children. In the class, we exercise to music, combining music and movement. Parents are encouraged to get involved in physical activities with their children. We plan, develop and coordinate fine and small motor skill activities such as stringing large and small beads, cutting with scissors, turning single pages in books, drawing and putting puzzles together. Sleep is also important for growth. Children need rest during the day. Quiet time with music is played in order to help the child relax. Intellectual Children want answers to their questions. Most of their questions start with â€Å"Why†. As their teacher, I know that it is important to their questions answered. It is their way of learning. They need to learn how to perceive different things. In the class we use symbols as part of comprehending.  Books are used to ask questions and think about what is being read to them. As part of our schedule, I let the children plan their own activities. They tell me what center they want to go in and what they plan to do in their centers. Children are given the opportunity to talk about their parents, friends and things happening around home and community. On some Fridays we do show and tell or idol Friday. The children bring items from home and tell the class something about the item. We also bring something to share; this way the children in turn ask us questions. In the class, we sing our Alphabet and sounds song. This helps them to learn letters of the alphabet. We play number gam es for rote counting and shape searching in the class for shapes recognition. COMPETENCY GOAL III TO SUPPORT SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND TO PROVIDE POSITIVE GUIDANCE Social Development Teachers are very important role models for a child. Promoting social skills includes helping children begin to understand the feelings and needs of others. In the class, I always model good social skills around the children. Observation is an important tool while learning how a child feels and behaves. When a child tells me no one will play with him/her, through observation, the child is monitored around his/her peers to see if there is a lack of social developing skills. Helping, sharing, showing concern and cooperation with each other is always encouraged. Children are rewarded with praise for kindness, being helpful and cooperative to each other. Each child is made to feel special. Addressing social skills, knowing the children’s cultural background and environment is very important to me. Social interactions are provided through play. Play socially helps children to cooperate and appreciate each other. Children have to be able to get along with each other in order for the day run smoothly. Emotional Development As a teacher, I try to make a great difference in developing emotional skills in the children. Children are encouraged to express love, fear, and anger. It is important for me to help the children control both negative and  positive emotions. Emotional development through play is encouraged. It helps children relieve feelings in a safe environment and promotes self-confidence. I respect each child as an individual and the natural differences in how children express their feelings. In the class, puppets and role-play are used in exhibiting emotions whether positive or negative.in the class, I plan and provide a place for the children to have some down time when they are experiencing negative emotions. Positive Guidance The way a teacher acts influences the children. I always maintain a positive attitude around the children. The climate of the class is always relaxed. My tone of voice is calm, when speaking with the children. As the teacher in the class, I use guidance techniques such as modeling appropriate behavior and allowing the children to act their age. Directions are given in a positive way. The schedule is provided and followed daily so the children will know the routine and can make transitions easier. A helper chart is put up this way, all the children share responsibility of keeping the classroom clean and orderly. As a group, we together come up with a set of class rules, which are agreeable with the students and me. Children are encouraged to feed and dress themselves. Children are praised when they cooperated and help each other, especially during clean up Time. COMPETENCY GOAL IV TO ESTABLISH POSITIVE AND PRODUCTIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH FAMILIES It is very important to me to let parents and families of the children I work with know and feel they are a big part of our program. The parents as well as their children are important to me and the overall success of the program. I encourage a cooperative atmosphere among each child’s relationships within the family structure. Parents are always welcome in the classroom. Regular communication with the parents is important. It is important to present a united effort to the family of the children with whom I teach. Newsletters are sent home on a weekly basis t parents to inform them of upcoming events. A parent news board is set up to provide daily  updates to parents on meals, activities and important dates. In order to maintain an open, friendly and cooperative relationship with each child’s family we provide parents with opportunities to become involved in the programs. We encourage parents to volunteer in the classroom, attend workshops, serve on policy and advisory committees, attend field trips and attend parent meetings. During parent meetings suggestions are made for improving the daily program. Information about their child’s experiences and achievements in the center is provided to the parents. Reports are distributed periodically to help parents understand the progress of his or her child. Home visits are made twice throughout the school term to share activities and materials that parents can use at home with their child. Each family’s cultural background, religious and parenting beliefs are respected. Parent-Teacher conferences are another means of communication with parents they are also held twice in a school term. Parents need to know and feel they are a part of the teaching team in the classroom. Together, our common goal is always, the children. COMPETENCY GOAL V TO ENSURE A WELL-RUN PURPOSEFUL PROGRAM RESPONSIVE TO PARTICIPANT NEEDS To ensure a well-run program, I maintain an open communication with my Lead Teacher and other staff members. We work as a team to provide quality, developmentally appropriate activities and materials for the children each day. I’m always willing to work with bus monitors, parents and volunteers. It is important to me that the children can flourish well in an environment that influences their growth and development. Each child’s nutritional needs are met. Up-to-date records is maintained on each child. Each child’s record is kept confidential. Confidentiality secures the privacy of the children and their families. The parents, staff members Lead Teacher and myself work to identify the strengths and needs of each child. Records and reports concerning growth, behavior, health, and progress of each child is maintained. This information is shared with each child’s parent. Schedules are posted and followed daily they are where the parents can read them. This way, they know what their child is working on daily. By using appropriated  guidelines, I observe the children for signs of abuse or neglect and follow through if needed. Center brochures are distributed to each child’s family. Each child’s progress is discussed with his/her respective parents. Planning is essential. A great deal of time is sent on planning, so that children will have their needs met. I ensure that the classroom is clean and safe. The classroom is always prepared before the children arrive. Reference materials, are utilized as needed each day. To stimulate and motivate the children, I consistently look for new and innovative methods. I read various books and education websites to acquire acknowledge. It is important to maintain appreciation for each child’s cultural background. COMPETENCY GOAL VI TO MAINTAIN A COMMITMENT TO PROFESSIONALISM As a teacher, I enjoy teaching Pre-K. I demonstrate a positive attitude toward the children and their parents. It is important to promote quality services. I take advantage of all opportunities to improve my personal and professional growth. This growth is beneficial for the children I teach, as well as their parents. I take advantage for personal development by attending conferences, in-service trainings, staff meetings and study groups. I read books, stay in contact with other pre-k teachers and resource coordinators to help keep me informed of changes in the teaching field. Information about the children, their families and staff is kept confidential. Effective communications and working well with my co-workers is very important. I perform my duties professionally no matter where I work. While dressing in a professional manner, my hair, nails and attire are maintained clean and attractive. A positive, professional attitude is projected at all times. Cultural differences in the chi ldren are respected at all times. Parents are informed about field trips, home visits and conferences. I ask parents to volunteer in the class, each week I send home a family activity this keeps them involved in learning about their child’s experiences at school. I am committed to keeping the children safe, providing good communication, positive guidance and working with the families of the children. It is important for the children’s family and me  to work together. The key is teamwork. The common goal is that the parents and myself will do what is best for the child.

Smoking During Pregnancy

Smoking During Pregnancy The Dangers of Smoking During Pregnancy When a baby is conceived, it is most often a joyous occasion for the parents. A lot of changes are obviously in store for them, as well as some apprehension about what the future holds. They will have approximately nine months to plan for the birth of their child. Undoubtedly, they will begin making arrangements for day care, because they understand that, upon birth, the child will be totally dependent on them for all of his or her needs. What they may not realize is that complete dependence begins long before birth. During the first couple of weeks after conception, the embryo travels from the mothers fallopian tubes to the womb, where it will attach itself to the uterine wall. During this voyage, the embryo will spend its time splitting cells and multiplying rapidly. While the embryo is extremely busy during the first 17 days, this is not an extremely critical time of development when major organ systems are formed. If anything unhealthy is introduced into the mothers body during this time, the affect on the embryo will either be no affect at all or they may completely destroy the embryo, causing a miscarriage. If this happens, it is likely that the woman will have no knowledge that she was ever pregnant (Hawkesley 8). It is an entirely different situation during the next stage of fetal development. Many organ systems are developed during the second stage, which happens from the third to the tenth week of pregnancy. Any abnormality that forms during this time will be present from that time forward (Hawkesley 9). Because this stage is a significant period in which organs are being formed, its unmistakably essential that the mother take tremendous care in what she ingests, injects and inhales into her body. Any unhealthy substance that enters her body may have a tremendous impact on the health of her unborn child. The third stage of fetal development lasts from day 56 until the baby is born (Hawkesley 10). During this time, organs developed in the second stage are simply becoming larger and more robust. While its unlikely harmful substances will affect the development of organs, they may retard the growth of them. It should be noted that the brain continues developing throughout the entire pregnancy, meaning that any harmful toxins used by the mother may, in fact, cause the baby to be born with brain damage (Hawkesley 10). The fetus is attached to the mother by the placenta, which carries all of the oxygen and nutrition it will need until it is born. It is imperative for the mother to eat well-balanced meals because she is not only providing nutrition to her body, but to her babys body as well. Anything she eats, sniffs, injects or inhales will be passed onto the fetus and may impair the development or growth of it. Due to the fact that cigarettes contain 580 carcinogenes in addition to nicotine, smoking is not only harmful to the mother, but it is also extremely harmful to her unborn child. Cigarette smoking can cause a greater chance of miscarriage, premature birth, low birth weight, and placental abruption. These babies also have higher perinatal death rates [stillbirth or death soon after delivery]. It is believed that the carbon monoxide in cigarettes negatively effect the fetuses red blood cells and cause small blood vessels to constrict, consequently reducing the oxygen transferred to the fetus (Thurston 381). Nine months later and the baby is born, apparently healthy. The mothers smoking didnt seem to cause any harm to the child; or did it? There are many other risks associated with smoking during pregnancy. One of them is SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). While babies appear seemingly healthy, the CDC reports that babies born to mothers who smoked during their pregnancy, have an increased chance of dying from SIDS before their first birthday. The risk is 1.4 to 3.0 times than those babies born to women who did not smoke during their pregnancy (CDC website citation). While its also very important that the mother not smoke during her pregnancy, she also needs to be cognizant of her surroundings. If she is around anyone else who is smoking, the secondhand smoke she breathes in is just as harmful to her growing fetus as though she were smoking the cigarette herself. The same is true of infants who are exposed to secondhand smoke. Additionally, infants exposed to smoke both in the womb and secondhand smoke after birth have an even greater risk of SIDS. Simply states, the CDC says that â€Å"parents can help protect their babies from SIDS by taking the following three actions: not smoking when pregnant, not smoking in the home or around the baby after the baby is born and putting the baby down to sleep on its back [another risk factor for SIDS]† (CDC website citation). Other complications that can arise are asthma, learning disabilities and behavioral problems. Works Cited http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/health_effects/pregnancy.htm (Aug 14, 2007) http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/Factsheets/Sids.htm (October 2006) http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/TobaccoUsePregnancy/index.htm (Oct 2,2007) Tobacco Use and Pregnancy: Home

Psychological and Social Characteristic of Juvenile Offenders Essay

However, social interactions and socialization theories also have been a popular way to reason criminal behaviour. The followers of routine activity stated that if a child learns that for example stealing is one way to get what they want, they will do it again. All they need is motivation, suitable target and absence of guardians. At this point, we might notice a link with the above mentioned reasons (absence of father, or lack of loving treatment in family) which indicates that there is no one commonly accepted reason or special background what predicts criminal behaviour but it is a complex situation effected by a lot of complementary circumstances. In the following, the focus will fall on an analysis of a forensic psychological reports prepared for juvenile offenders and other reports of the characteristic of juvenile offenders. Presenting these results may help us to decide whether the previously mentioned reasons behind criminal behaviour comply or not. I am well-aware of the fa ct that is far not representative or not even close to decide the discussion about the psychological background of juvenile offenders but might be a good step to start. 2. Empirical researches of juvenile offenders Psychological reports are commonly requested by juvenile courts throughout the world to assist in determining the most appropriate options for juvenile offenders. The written report is the major vehicle for psychologists to communicate their assessment procedures, findings and recommendations. In 2003, Anthony Thompson and Megan Webster embarked upon to analyse 81 forensic psychological court reports on juvenile offenders. The results have shown that almost all of the young people who were ordered for assessment experienced multiple problem... ... and delinquency. They concluded that â€Å"proportionately more adjudicated delinquent children than public school children were learning disabled,† although self-report data indicated no significant differences in the incidence of delinquent activity. 3. Conclusion The aim of this short paper was to present different theoretical approaches and then tests them on empirical results and facts. Altogether we saw that there is no one coherent and eternal reason with which one could reason the criminal activity, however, a few factors such as broken family, lack of education and other different circumstances might contribute to criminal behaviour. This topic and further researches are highly relevant and desirable in order to create and maintain an efficient crime prevention system, which reacts to the possible risk factors and divert children from dangerous situations.

Destruction of the American Dream Essay examples -- Knowledge Dreams S

Destruction of the American Dream I’ve talked about it in the past, the destruction of the American Dream. Always, there have been papers, writings, and thoughts that quantify a particular section of its ultimate demise, be it due to money, education, or sexuality. Maybe the destruction cannot be viewed as a singular event or cause. Perhaps instead it must be examined as a whole process, the decay and ultimate elimination of a dream. Self destruction, if you will†¦ Mr. Self Destruct In all of us, there is a duality of existence which allows for the American Dream to be within our minds. Part of the mind believes in the dream, is swallowed up by its fantasy and perfection, while the other part is the screaming voice of reality that tries to expose it for the lie that it is. Most of the time, such a voice as the second is pushed away, hidden, and ignored, but it is always there, sitting in the back of the mind, driving its owner mad. Our lies cover so many spectrums and so many facets of life, focusing around the pleasures that keep the dream real in our minds. The pleasure turns to control us, because without it we would see the reality of our twisted world. It takes us where we want to go, and gives us what we want to know. A machine that feeds on desire, sex, drugs, money, and so many other things, and that produces a fake sort of happiness so efficiently that it not only hides its own existence, but makes us want for it to be there and fight to protect it. Ignorance is bliss, and knowledge is destruction. Piggy One of the primary fuels of the machine of illusions is materialism and money. They are the most easily projected images of success and power and as such, become th... ...oms of two broken states of mind. One of them would like to sit back and do nothing, while the other would like to end it all. What we need, is to develop a way of thought that excludes the other two. A way of honor that leads down a path less traveled, a path that leads to true happiness and true success. The way is hard, the path is long, and nothing is ever easy, but perseverance will bring about a life that is true. With hope, go forward into the world and make the best of yourself. Don’t allow the world to tell you how to do it. Find the way for yourself. Works Cited Anyon, Jean. â€Å"From Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work† in Rereading America, Gary Columbo, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle, eds. Gatto, John Taylor. â€Å"The Seven-Lesson Schoolteacher† in Rereading America, Gary Columbo, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle, eds.

Employee Appraisals Essay -- business, employee appraisals

Employee appraisals are a key component to a company’s long-term success. The appraisals should be objective, rational, and accurate (Sims, 1987). Without effective appraisals, the employee is not aware of how they are performing and a company is not getting the very best out their investment, the employee. In addition to appraisals, the employee should be afforded development feedback and opportunities. The appraisal allows the employee to understand what areas they are excelling in and what areas they need to work on and improve. Discussing with the employee the developmental opportunities will allow the employee to see the possibility for career advancement if they achieve the goals set out in the appraisal. The appraisal is also a time when the employee can openly voice their concerns and aspirations pertaining to their job. The employee can also get clarification as to what is expected of them and what it will take in the way of performance and goal fulfillm ent to advance in their career. Employees are well aware of the fact that appraisals for the basis for promotions and salary increases (Purwanti, 2011). The end result of both the employee appraisal and the opportunity feedback and opportunity is to allow the company to avoid employee turnover. Turnover is not only costly to the company but it can affect the overall performance of those employee left at the company when a unhappy employee either leaves by their own decision, or one that the company has to let go. The appraisal should be a structured approach and be consistent from employee to employee thereby not showing any type of favoritism. The expectations of the appraisal need to be addressed up front. Next the manager needs to let the employee sa... ...ted Minshew, K. (2012, July 31). 6 tips for better performance reviews. INC Magazine, Retrieved from http://www.inc.com/kathryn-minshew/best-practices-for-performance-reviews.html Purwanti, Y., Pasaribu, N., & Lumbantobing, P. (2011). Harmonization Process Between Individual Performance Appraisal and Business Unit Performance Appraisal Without Decreasing Employee Engagement. Proceedings Of The European Conference On Intellectual Capital, 577-581. Sims, J. P., Gioia, D. A., & Longenecker, C. O. (1987). Behind the Mask: The Politics of Employee Appraisal. Academy Of Management Executive (08963789), 1(3), 183-193. doi:10.5465/AME.1987.4275731 Swiercz, P. M., Bryan, N. B., Eagle, B. W., Bizzotto, V., & Renn, R. W. (2012). Predicting Employee Attitudes and Performance from Perceptions of Performance Appraisal Fairness. Business Renaissance Quarterly, 7(1), 25-46.

Companies for Social Responsibility Essay

Whether made in business, politics, science, or sports, most decisions are judged as either right or wrong, ethical or unethical. Regardless of what an individual believes about a particular action, if society judges it to be unethical or wrong, whether correctly or not, that judgment directly affects the organization’s ability to achieve its business goals. For this reason alone, it is important to understand business ethics and recognize ethical issues. Ð «ocial responsibility, an organization’s obligation to maximize its positive impact on stakeholders and to minimize its negative impact. Philosophers increased their involvement, applying ethical theory and philosophical analysis to structure the discipline of business ethics. Companies became more concerned Bowie contends that when a business also cares about the well-being of stakeholders, it earns trust and cooperation that ultimately reduce costs and increase productivity.24 Much evidence shows that social responsibility, including business ethics, is associated with increased profits The opportunity that employees have for unethical behavior in an organization can be eliminated through formal codes, policies, and rules that are adequately enforced by management. For example, financial companies Company Q is a small local grocery store chain located in a major metropolitan area. They have recently closed a couple of stores in higher-crime-rate areas of the city, reportedly because these two stores were consistently losing money. After years of requests from customers, all of their stores have started offering a very limited amount of health-conscience and organic products—all of which were high margin items. When asked by the area’s food bank for donation of day-old products, management declined deciding instead to throw the food away, citing worries over lost revenues due to possible fraud and stealing by employees who might say they are donating the food. Company Q is a small local grocery store chain. Unfortunately company Q is having a hard time with the idea of social responsibity, which in turn is hurting their business. Let’s first look at the definition of corporate social responsibility. This is a term that means a company big or small tries to maximize its positive impact on, investors, customers and on the community. Now let’s look at why Company Q is low on the evaluate scale of social responsibility. Company Q has three areas that could use some improvements, in the regards to social responsibility. The first one is the donation of the day old products to the community food banks. The community will look bad on the company for just throwing the day-old products out. And there is a way of placing rules and regulations on the employees so the company is not losing profits and having to deal with fraud. The second one is that the company has taken years to respond to their customers asking for health conscience and organic products. And then after finally getting some health option the store only offers limited amounts. Because the company took a long time to respond to their customers need. The consumer thinks that the company really does not care too much on what they need or think. The third one is losing their two stores in a high-crime area that was reportedly losing money. Having two abandoned store does not give the company a good look, it shows stockholders that the company cannot flourish and survive. And also the company’s reputation with their consumers starts to go down, and less people will go to their stores. By seeing just these three areas of company Q’s ethics it is clear that the company is not seeing the big picture on being social responsibly. The company is on the low end of leaving a positive impact on its customers, investor and their community. The company is not responding to the consumers’ needs and wants, in a timely manner and when they do, it is a low end response. The consumer will go somewhere else, and in turn the company will lose money. The community will see that the company does not even try to help to make the area a better place to live. Then what happen are the leaders of the community talk with the people around them about the company and more consumer stop shopping at their stores. If the company help with some charities in the area that the stores are in might get a little bit better and the crime would go down. And finally not looking in to the reasons or trying to find solution on the stores that were having troubles. Evaluate Company Q’s current attitude toward social responsibility. 1. Recommend three areas that could be improved regarding the company’s attitude toward social responsibility. TABLE 2–2 Fortune’s Best and Worst Companies for Social Responsibility Best Companies Worst Companies 1.International Paper 2.United Parcel Service 3.Starbucks 4.Fortune Brands 5.Walt Disney 6.McDonald’s 7.Medco Health Solutions 8.Herman Miller 9.Weyerhaeuser 10.Union Pacific 1.Constellation Brands 2.WellCare Health Plans 3.Sears Holding* 3.Dana* 5.Federal-Mogul 6.Beazer Homes USA* 6.S&C Holdco 3 (Swift & Co.)* 8.Dollar General 9.Brown-Forman 10.Delphi There are four levels of social responsibility—economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic—and they can be viewed as steps (see Figure 2–3).34 At the most basic level, companies have an economic responsibility to be profitable so that they can provide a return on investment to their owners and investors, create jobs for the community, and contribute goods and services to the economy. Of course, businesses are also expected to obey all laws and regulations. Business ethics, as previously defined, comprises principles and standards that guide behavior in the world of business. Finally, philanthropic responsibility refers to activities that are not required of businesses but promote human welfare or goodwill. Ethics, then, is one dimension of social responsibility. Reputation is one of an organization’s greatest intangible assets with tangible value. The value of a positive reputation is difficult to quantify, but it is very important. A single negative incident can influence perceptions of a corporation’s image and reputation instantly and for years afterwards. Corporate reputation, image, and brands are more important than ever and are among the most critical aspects of sustaining relationships with constituents including investors, customers, financial analysts, media, and government watchdogs. It takes companies decades to build a great corporate governance. Accountability refers to how closely workplace decisions are aligned with a firm’s stated strategic direction and its compliance with ethical and legal considerations. Oversight provides a system of checks and balances that limit employees’ and managers’ opportunities to deviate from policies and strategies and that prevent unethical and illegal activities. Control is the process of auditing and improving organizational decisions and actions. The stakeholder model of corporate governance adopts a broader view of the purpose of business. Although a company has a responsibility for economic success and viability to satisfy its stockholders, it also must answer to other stakeholders, including employees, suppliers, government regulators, communities, and special interest groups with which it interacts. Due to limited resources, companies must determine which of their stakeholders are primary. Once the primary groups have been identified, managers must then implement the appropriate corporate governance mechanisms to promote the development of long-term relationships.47 This approach entails creating governance systems that consider stakeholder welfare in tandem with corporate needs and interests. The opportunity that employees have for unethical behavior in an organization can be eliminated through formal codes, policies, and rules that are adequately enforced by management. For example, financial companies Thesis Paper Outline Format I. Introduction: In this section, give the reader an idea of why your paper will be important and/or interesting, what you will be arguing, and make the organization of the paper clear to the reader. a. Explanation of purpose and background information (optional): Explain why this topic needs to be written about (may require some background on the topic) b. Thesis statement: A basic statement of your position; your answer to your research question c. Expanded thesis statement: A brief listing of the major points that you will make in your paper, in the order in which you will make them II. Arguments: Each of your main arguments can either argue a point that supports your position, or argue against something you believe is wrong. This is a lengthy paper, so ideally you will have more than three arguments to make. You should make as many as you can. Organize your arguments to flow from one to the next or, ideally, to put your strongest arguments first and last. d. Argument 1 i. Supporting evidence (author, pg. or para. #) ii. More supporting evidence! (author, pg. or para. #) iii. Even more supporting evidence!! (author, pg. or para. #) e. Argument 2 iv. Supporting evidence (author, pg. or para. #) v. More supporting evidence! (author, pg. or para. #) vi. Even more supporting evidence!! (author, pg. or para. #) f. Argument 3 vii. Supporting evidence (author, pg. or para. #) viii. More supporting evidence! (author, pg. or para. #) ix. Even more supporting evidence!! (author, pg. or para. #) III. Conclusion: This section of your paper should summarize and look to the future. g. Acknowledge the opposing side of the argument h. Re-emphasize your own argument by summarizing the main points that you made i. Draw final conclusions about the strength of your position Fictional Outline for a Thesis with Parenthetical Citation in MLA Format I. Introduction a. Background i. The number of flavors of ice cream produced by major companies has quadrupled over the past decade (â€Å"Consumer Choice† 25). ii. People debate which flavor is the best. b. Thesis: High-quality vanilla ice cream remains the best ice cream flavor on the market. c. Expanded thesis: People will continue to enjoy vanilla ice cream more than any other flavor for its simplicity, versatility, and its cultural significance. II. Argument d. Vanilla ice cream is the best because it is simple, yet never boring. iii. Vanilla ice cream can be made with only four ingredients (Breyers 6). iv. In her new book Rachel Ray argues, â€Å"The flavor of vanilla is a simple, yet classic one that goes well with any meal!!!† (43). v. Despite the simplicity of vanilla ice cream, it comes in many different varieties, such as French Vanilla, Vanilla Bean, and other delicious variations (â€Å"Edy’s Ice Cream† par. 6). e. Vanilla ice cream is better than any other flavor because it is versatile. vi. Vanilla can be eaten plain, but also goes well with many different toppings. vii. Vanilla is the most popular base flavor for Blizzards at Dairy Queen (McBurty 56). viii. Vanilla is easily made into a milkshake as well as eaten plain, which is not the case with a flavor like cookie dough (dangerous when sucked through a straw!) (McKay 73). f. Vanilla ice cream has significance in American culture. ix. Chef Julia Child has written, â€Å"Vanilla ice cream is one food that bridges generations. I share it with my children and grandchildren each summer† (16). x. Classic American movies like Back to the Future and Anne of Green Gables have prominently featured vanilla ice cream (â€Å"Ice Cream in the Movies† par. 8). xi. American presidents have served vanilla ice cream at the White House for over 200 years (Clinton 8). xii. Research has found that more Americans prefer vanilla ice cream than any other flavor (â€Å"Gallup Poll† par. 3). III. Conclusion g. Although chocolate is a close second, vanilla reigns supreme. h. Nothing can beat vanilla ice cream’s simplicity, versatility, and cultural significance. i. In the future, others will attempt to beat it. j. Try as they might, no manufacturer can come up with a way to top classic vanilla.