Inclusive teaching and learning Essay

Organisations working within the learning and skills sector face increasing challenges as the UK becomes more diverse and multicultural. Differences are an asset and a diverse learner body and workforce enrich an organisation. However, misunderstandings, negative attitudes, or a lack of awareness, understanding and effective communication can all lead to segregation and underachievement. The aim of this CPD builder is to raise awareness of the inclusion challenges in organisations, and provide ways of meeting those challenges. You might like to use the Small steps – big difference tool to help you identify the challenges most relevant to you. In this CPD builder you will find a wide range of information and guidance on inclusion in the form of research, checklists, case studies, good practice advice, videos and activities. There are suggestions of how you can use each resource for CPD to ensure that inclusivity is embedded into all activities and goes further than a ‘tick box’ approach, alongside prompts to help you reflect on your current practice. The resources use a variety of pedagogy approaches but those most frequently referred to include using e-learning and technology, differentiation and assessment for learning. The learner voice is a crucial aspect in promoting inclusivity as it requires listening to learners’ opinions and involvi ng them in planning – you should consider how the resources can help you do this. Exploring these resources and using and adapting the ideas they suggest will help you to: ensure no learners are isolated or marginalised through language, culture or any other difference that may influence thoughts and actions or form a barrier; work towards eliminating discrimination and harassment;  recognise and accommodate learners’ individual needs;  ensure that all learners have equal access to the curriculum; explore how the 10 pedagogy approaches can promote understanding about inclusion and inclusive practices. Please note: The term ‘inclusion’ has been used in most instances, however ‘diversity’ has also been used when describing actual individual and group differences, particularly relating to cultural diversity. Objectives After using this CPD builder, you should: be able to relate the ideas to your own experiences and inclusion challenges in your organisation; be able to recognise how different pedagogy approaches can spread awareness and accommodate learners needs; and be able to evaluate the usefulness of the resources to your own practice and CPD. Skills I will need to ensure my practice is inclusive The ability to work with colleagues to review the inclusion challenges in my own organisation. The ability to plan sessions that promote active learning and provide assessment opportunities that are accessible to all learners. The ability to develop materials and resources that are accessible to all learners and accommodate their needs. The ability to identify the varying needs of learners and to provide the support or adjustments necessary. Knowledge I will need to ensure my practice is inclusive An understanding of the range of inclusion challenges for teachers, managers and learners. An understanding of the strategies, tools and pedagogy approaches that support a whole organisation approach to inclusivity. An understanding of the materials and resources that enable equal access to learning and assessment and how to adapt them. An understanding of how learners can take responsibility for their own learning. Activities Support for your CPD You can work through the ideas in the CPD builder on your own but you are likely to find it more enjoyable and challenging if you seek the support and involvement of colleagues. There are also lots of sources of further information and guidance you can draw on to help you make the most of the experience. Explore some of the options in the list above. SLC or ALC, E-Guide or e-CPD Professional Development Adviser Your Subject Learning Coach (SLC) or Advanced Learning Coach, E-Guide or e-CPD Professional Development Adviser, or staff with a similar role within your organisation, can support your professional development. They can help you to identify the right CPD builder for you, work your way through the activities you select, and reflect on what you have learned. If e-learning is an area where you particularly want to develop your practice, make  contact with your E-Guide or e-CPD Professional Development Adviser. They have a specific remit for supporting colleagues in their use of technology. It may be that your organisation shares one of these roles with a neighbouring provider. You can also work informally with colleagues in your team. Look out for face to face or virtual networks of colleagues with similar interests to your own.  Learners can contribute to your professional development. Involve them as you plan, try out and evaluate new approaches. They are the experts on their learning and insight into what works well can help them as well as you. Supporting your CPD Look at the activities and tools in the Supporting your CPD area of the website. You can use the CPD activity: Small steps – big difference to review your current practice and identify areas for development. As you reflect on your professional development needs and experiences, refer to the reflective tool: Putting CPD into action. This can help you put together your CPD plan and consider the evidence you might look for. Documents in the CPD library can help you as you try out and evaluate new ideas that you have discovered through CPD builder and record the outcomes for your CPD portfolio. You could: devise a Supported experiment using the downloadable guidance notes and form find out more about Action research and how it can contribute to your professional development investigate Peer observation or Teaching squares as ways of working with colleagues to develop your practice. Institute for Learning website For more information about your CPD and the professional registration requirements for teachers in the learning and skills sector, visit the Institute for Learning website at www.ifl.ac.uk You may also want to explore: the different types of CPD activities you could undertake and how the CPD builder can contribute to your professional development plan  how you can use the Institute for Learning tool REfLECT to record your activities and reflections in your personal learning space. Support from LSIS’s Teaching and Learning Programme Subject Learning Coaches (SLCs) and Advanced Learning Coaches (ALCs) supporting coaching activities play a central role in LSIS’s Teaching and Learning Programme. They support individuals, teams and organisations to release their potential. Find out who the SLCs and ALCs are in your organisation and ask how they can help. Coaching has been shown to have a positive and lasting impact on practice. Find out more about the Professional Training Programme (PTP) for SLCs at www.subjectlearningcoach.net Coaches participate in regional Subject Coaching Networks and other peer and community activity such as virtual networks and action research projects to collaborate, bring and exchange ideas and resources developed within their organisations. Any teacher can attend a Subject Coaching Network so ask your SLC for details of the next network in your subject area or visit the website at www.subjectlearningcoach.net/events.aspx Managers’ Engagement and Support Programme The support of senior managers is vital to the successful deployment of SLCs in your organisation. Find out more about the Managers’ Engagement Support Programme (MESP) at www.subjectlearningcoach.net/managers_area/index.aspx If you are a SLC or ALC with a management role, you may want to take part in the MESP and exchange ideas on what you can do to support CPD across your organisation. Effective teaching and learning Teaching effectively and facilitating effective learning requires the use of a range of different but mutually supportive pedagogy approaches. The resources in this topic will take you through the pedagogy approaches and how they can support inclusive teaching and learning, prompting you to reflect on your own practice. These resources can be used individually or within a group CPD session to explore in depth the approaches you might use with learners and to understand more about why and how they work. To develop your skills and understanding in the use of technology to enhance learning, join the eCPD programme and explore the online learning space were you will find teachers sharing their ideas and experiences. Through using inclusive teaching and learning approaches you can support learners in overcoming barriers and achieving their full potential. By listening to learners and encouraging them to take greater control of their own learning you can support progression and help them become expert learners. This topic also provides information about using case studies effectively, which can be a useful tool in promoting inclusivity. These activities can contribute to meeting the Institute for Learning (IfL) 30 hours (or pro rata) continuing professional development (CPD) requirements and can be related to the personalised elements in the professional formation framework to provide supporting evidence of self-evaluation, teaching and learning and subject currency. Developing the expert learner This flexible, generic resource uses a range of learner settings, including prison and work-based learning, to illustrate different aspects of Developing the expert learner under three key strands of: Learner voice; Learning how to learn; and Assessment for learning. The video clips included in the resource provide examples directly relevant to aspects of inclusive teaching and learning, such as age and faith. Becoming ‘expert learners’ enables learners to take greater control of and responsibility for their own learning. Set up a group CPD session using the ‘learner journey’ resource in the ‘Getting started’ section. Try out the two activities in small groups. In what way might inclusion issues have an impact on the development of expert learner characteristics? How can you promote the development of these characteristics? Can you imagine any scenarios where expert learner characteristics might help to break down barriers to learning? Use the information you have gained from using this resource to create an action plan for the coming year. When you have carried out your planned activities, log outcomes and reflections on progress. Using pedagogy to promote inclusive learning These three resources focus on how different pedagogy approaches relate to inclusion and can help promote an inclusive learning environment. Through using these alone or with colleagues you can review how well inclusion is embedded into your practice, and how your organisation can embrace inclusion more fully. The resources will also give you ideas for enabling learners to extend and take responsibility for their own learning. The resources Introducing the 10 pedagogy approaches and Talking teaching, training and learning explore each of the pedagogy approaches and how they can be used. You can also download a set of cards that go into detail about each approach and include suggestions for using the cards individually and with colleagues. The Equality and diversity quick start guide shows how the approaches can be used to promote inclusion. Explore each pedagogy approach and reflect on your own practice. What new approaches could you adopt? How could you use co-operative learning to help prepare learners for job-based team working? How thoroughly do you plan your lessons and how much do you involve learners in planning their own learning? In a CPD activity with colleagues share ideas for setting ground rules or modelling acceptable behaviours to promote inclusivity. Use the information you have gained from using these resources to create an action plan for the coming year. When you have carried out your planned activities, log outcomes and reflections on progress. Effective teaching and learning toolkits The Effective teaching and learning area of LSIS’s Excellence Gateway contains a number of toolkits that can support your practice. The Planning toolkit will help you to understand how to plan sessions and courses effectively with both colleagues and learners. It also explores how to support learners’ planning skills and ways in which you can help them to develop expert learner characteristics. This toolkit will support your use of the resources in the ‘Session and course planning’ topic. The Case study toolkit will help you explore how and when to use case studies to promote inclusive teaching and learning. Case studies help learners engage with real issues and can promote positive attitudes and behaviours. The Effective questioning toolkit focuses on ideas to help you develop your own questioning strategies to identify learners’ needs and use different assessment techniques. The toolkit will also help you support learners in developing their own questioning strategies. These three resources include videos, questions and activities and will help you to understand: why planning is an essential part of successful course delivery and how it can promote individual and whole organisation approaches to inclusive teaching and learning; what is mean by ‘case studies’, the positive impact of using them and how to design effective case studies; why, when and how to ask questions to promote learning and support inclusivity. Explore the resources on your own or with colleagues and consider how you could these approaches in lessons or assessments to promote inclusive teaching and learning. Discuss how effective planning can impact inclusivity. How can you ensure case studies meet the needs of different learners? What pedagogy approaches do you think using case studies and a range of questioning strategies support? How can you work with colleagues and learners to plan inclusive activities and sessions? Use the information you have gained from using this resource to create an action plan for the coming year. When you have carried out your planned activities, log outcomes and reflection on progress. An introduction to inclusive teaching and learning The challenges in ensuring that teaching and learning is inclusive relate largely to the complexity and the number of issues that teachers, managers and organisations need to be aware of in order to meet the needs of all learners. The resources in this topic include specific guidance on disability, learning difficulties, ethnic, cultural, religious and social diversity, gender, age and sexual orientation issues. They also provide guidance on using the 10 pedagogy approaches to promote inclusion, and putting organisation-wide policies into practice. The varied nature of the resources provides a wide range of material to stimulate your thinking and enable you to benefit from others’ experience. Videos show teachers, managers and learners explaining their own inclusion challenges and how they are resolving them, giving you an opportunity for  modelling. Case studies explain how good management and teaching practice aids inclusion in other organisations, and provide ideas you can adapt to suit your own circumstances. Research reports, checklists and detailed guidance offer a menu of suggestions for you to adopt. Using the CPD model of analysis, action and reflection, explore individually or with colleagues those resources which relate to the inclusion issues that currently exist in your organisation. Putting these ideas into action with your learners or colleagues through a structured Action Plan and Reflective Log can contribute to your 30 hours (or pro rata) CPD requirement and can be related to the personalised elements in the professional framework to provide supporting evidence of self-evaluation, professional development and reflective practice. Promoting equality and diversity The Promoting equality and diversity resource offers tools to help you review how well you and your organisation promote equality and inclusion. They will enable you to find new activities and encourage your organisation to fully embrace an inclusive approach to teaching and learning. Individually, use the Equality and diversity pro forma to examine your own practice and your organisation’s approach to inclusion. Next, set up a group CPD session with colleagues to discuss these issues and share ideas about approaches to help improve your practice. In small groups use the prompts in the Help sheet to stimulate discussion. The Help sheet is divided into: what you should know about your learners; the difference between differentiation and inclusion; strategies for teachers, managers and whole organisation approaches; and terms and definitions relating to inclusion. What strategies could you adopt? How can you ensure that you are promoting inclusivity rather than just differentiating between learners? In a CPD activity with colleagues, share ideas for inclusion-based ground rules or ways of modelling acceptable behaviours. Use the resources as a discussion prompt to learn from each other and to agree organisation-wide improvements. Use the information you have gained from using this resource to create an action plan for the coming year. When you have carried out your planned activities, log outcomes and reflections on progress. Encouraging inclusive teaching This seven-page OFSTED document shows how inspectors assess the impact of a school on community cohesion. The General Teaching Council (GTC) website presents research and case studies on inclusion of learners from different religious, ethnic and social backgrounds, plus further ideas for self-reflection and classroom activities around increasing inclusion. These resources will give you valuable background information on experiences in schools in multi-ethnic and multicultural communities, show you what to aim for, and prompt ideas for ways of enhancing inclusion in your organisation. Whilst these resources are school based, they include useful lessons for the learning and skills sector. Discuss with colleagues what is meant by ‘Community cohesion’, remembering that effective community cohesion embraces all strands of equality and diversity. Consider carrying out a survey of cultural diversity within your organisation and the local community, creating a plan for using this data to promote inclusivity. Consider what impact your organisation is making on the community. How could you use co-operative and experiential learning approaches to enable learners to share personal experiences of cultural, faith and race diversity and social exclusion? How can you ensure all learners are included in all activities? How could you  promote inclusion by embedding language, literacy and numeracy? Use the information you have gained from using these resources to create an action plan for the coming year. When you have carried out your planned activities, log outcomes and reflections on progress. Exploring diversity in the classroom This collection of three resources gives you tools and techniques to explore inclusion in the classroom and ensure learners’ needs are accommodated, plus suggestions for your CPD. The QCA Inclusion resource contains guidance and case studies about diversity and inclusion within the curriculum, under headings such as ‘Race, ethnicity and English as an additional language’ and ‘Gifted and talented’. There is also a ‘Respect for All’ audit tool. The Teaching, learning and assessment resource provides a number of downloadable documents including checklists and good practice guides. There is a specific section on ‘Disclosure, Confidentiality and Passing on Information’ which supports dealing with disclosure in a sensitive and effective way. The Making SENse of CPD resource shows how schools are using CPD to meet the needs of all learners including those with special educational needs. Use these resources to audit your practice. Develop curriculum-based activities with colleagues to address inclusion issues relevant to your organisation following the guidance to help you put ideas into practice. Reflect on how well you provide differentiated support, adjustments, access to the curriculum and assessment for learners. What barriers to learning might your learners encounter? How can you use experiential learning to help learners share cultural, religious and other experiences? Use the information you have gained from using these resources to create an action plan for the coming year. When you have carried out your planned activities, log outcomes and reflections on progress.

Why, according to Lee Kuan Yew, are Western democratic systems unsuited to East Asia?

Lee Kuan Yew, prime minister of Singapore between 1959 and 1990, and now Senior Minister of his country, commands much respect and influence in both the East and the West. This respect and influence reaches to the highest echelons of world leaders, to the vast multitude of academics, commentators and development strategists, and to the millions of people who live in East Asia. Regardless of whether or not this esteem is justified and deserved, ti is real, and therefore must be analysed, interpreted, criticised or praised while not forgetting the importance and effect his beliefs and proclamations have had, and will have. Any discussion of world politics, especially in East Asia, cannot ignore the hows, whys and wherefores of the current situation and the influence that current ideas and thought may have on the future. Lee's views have undoubtedly shaped his own country, certainly have influenced other governments in the region, and will definitely bear their markon the short- to mid-term future of East Asian politics. This explains the reasons why this essay solely deals with him. The essay is divided into three main sections. Firstly, I will discuss Lee's ideas and policies, and why he believes in an ‘Asian values' view of the politics of the region. Secondly, I will explore some of the responses that have been made in opposition to his views, and thirdly, I will present some observations and conclusions of my own. These observations will draw on some other problems and inconsistencies with Lee's ideas. Let us turn then to the man and his ideas. The central theme running through any study or discussion of his political ideas and actions is the importance that culture has on shaping the society and its structures. The shared history, traditions, make-up, worldview and social relationships are the key factors that determine how a state should be organised and governed. Thus, if the culture is different between two sets of peoples, then the resulting state structure and government type will also be different. Culture is the driver, the basis of society and the legitimacy used by those in power to decree what is best for their people. This viewpoint is often referred to as the ‘Asian values' system (Ng, 1997, Theodore de Bary, 1999, Hague & Harrop, 2001) and is summed up succinctly by the title of a famous interview with Lee which appeared in a 1994 edition of Foreign Affairs – ‘Culture is Destiny' (Zakiria, 1994). The importance that Lee places on the cultural aspect of a society does not mean that what is right for his country is also right for other countries. Whilst consistently dismissing Western-, and in particular, US-style democratic systems as valid models for Singapore, he does not suggest that the US-style system is neccessarily wrong for the US. It is not my business to tell people what's wrong with their system. It is my business to tell people not to foist their system indiscrimately on societies in which it will not work (Zakiria quoting Lee, 1994, p. 110). This can be seen as a statement recognising the particularity of political systems depending on the society / culture in question. Whilst Lee has been described as being authoritarian, semi-, or soft-authoritarian, he certainly doesn't make claims for the world to be based on an Asian values system. It appears that his position is more concerned about keeping hold of power in Singapore rather than exporting it around the world. The main, fundamental as Lee calls it, cultural reason why Western democratic systems are unsuited to East Asia is the difference between the place and status of the individual in those societies. The fundamental difference between Western concepts of society and government and East Asian concepts†¦ is that Eastern societies believe that the individual exists in the context of his family. He is not pristine and separate. The family is part of the extended family, and the friends and the wider society. The ruler or government does not try to provide for a person what the family best provides (Zakiria quoting Lee, 1994, p. 113). This focus on the moral and virtuous notion of society is stongly linked to Confucianism, so often portrayed as being fundamentally East Asian and always compared with Western systems. Lee's manifestation of this doctrine is used by him to legitimate and promote an East Asian society based on strong hierarchical structures to bring about social and political stability. In the East the main object is to have a well-ordered society so that everybody can have maximum enjoyment of his freedoms. This freedom can only exist in an ordered state and not in a natural state of contention and anarchy (Zakiria quoting Le, 1994, p. 111). These three main features of Lee's take on East Asia's political and social climate – culture, the place in society of the individual, and a well-ordered society – are admittedly affected and influenced by the West over time, and are not seen as developing without the impact of colonial rule and imperialism. †¦ ur Confucianism has been attenuated by 120 years of British rule and education in British and other English-speaking universities (IHT, 2001). But, despite this impact Lee steadfastly denies any further infusion of Western democracy into East Asia, especially Singapore. †¦ this doesn't mean we are going to be like a Western society. The values are different (de Borch, 2001). Lee is not the torch-h older for everyone though. Whilst he receives praise from his counterparts around the world, there are many in the academic and development strategist world that strongly disagree with him. Of course, it is not just a simple case of disagreeing over a matter of opinion, there are many valid and strong arguments against Lee's ideas. From this myriad of arguments, I have identified three main strands of contestation – historical arguments against Lee's ‘Asian values', the theoretical arguments concerning discussions of what democracy should be and how it should be followed in East Asia, and the problems and criticisms of the actually existing governing style of Lee. First then, arguments against Lee taken from history. There are two key aspects to this – the relevance of Confucianism to East Asia today, and evidence of a democratic tradition throughout East Asia's past. Famously, Max Weber theorised about the particular contribution to advanced capitalism of the ‘Protestant ethic'. This, in turn, explained how other cultures, including Confucian cultures, were not suited to advanced capitalism. Clearly this can now be questionned, especially if, as many commentators have said, that East Asia is economically dynamic. If Confucianism explains the economic boom in East Asia today, does it not also explain that region's stagnation for four centuries? Zakiria, 1994, p. 125). Kin Dae Jung, writing in response to the ‘Culture is Destiny' interview, identifies a strong tradition and history of democratic ideals and institutions in East Asia's past. This suggests that an argument could be made for ‘Asian values' actually referring to a much more democratic system than the Confucian-based one that Lee propagates. A thorough anaylsis makes it clear that Asia has a rich heritage of democracy-oriented philosophies and traditions. Asia has already made great strides toward democratisation and possesses the necessary conditions to develop democracy even beyond the level of the West (Jung, 1994, p. 91). The second major criticism of Lee comes from studies of the theoretical nature of democracy and what it means, shuold mean, or can mean to East Asia. The basic premise is that why should democracy only be relevant to particular cultures and why should particular cultures have to follow other political paths? This highlights the argument for democracy's universality. There is nothing special about torturing the Asian way†¦ human rights are human rights (Vatikiotis cited by Hague & Harrop, 2001, p. 29). The rejection of Western-style democracy by East Asian leaders is also seen by some as merely an excuse for not moving beyond ‘soft-authoritarianism' and into democracy. This is strongly tied up with the observation that this is simply the most effective way for leaders such as Lee to rule their countries. The biggest obstacle is not its cultural heritage but the resistance of authoritarian rulers and their apologists (Jung, 1994, p. 194). The third area of opposition to Lee's ideas that can be identified is that of problems with the actually exisitng state and society structures and institutions. For some, just observing Lee's form of rule is enough to reject his notions of what is the correct way to govern. These doubts stem chiefly from the Singapore government's undeniably harsh treatment of the opposition, as evidenced in its most recent elections (Ng, 1997, p. 21) Also, there appears to be two threats to the whole ‘Asian values' theory. Firstly, we have on the one hand Lee purporting to leave the individual's private matters to the individual, whilst on the other it can be observed that his government is actually intruding into the private sphere more than ever (Jung, 1994, p. 90). Secondly, an external threat is apparent from the global spread of modernisation. †¦ as an inevitable consequence of industrialisation, the family-centred East Asian societies are also rapidly moving toward self-centred individualism. Nothing in human history is permanent (Jun, 1994, p. 21). In conclusion it must be said that Lee's position in East Asia, and his reverance amongst Western opinion-formers should not distract us from dissecting and criticising his ideas. It is not good enough to assume that cultural traits should determine, worse still, justify the actions of governments, particularly Lee's. There should be certain aspects to a government and society that are unacceptable no matter what setting. Lee makes much of the need for a ‘well-ordered' society. The heavy-handed way this society is brought about blatantly contradicts Lee's notions of freedom. He talks of East Asians being able to have â€Å"maximum enjoyment of his freedoms† but Lee's notion of what is behaving and what is misbehaving sets a Singaporean's realm of freedom for him. This is certainly not the freedom that John Stuart Mill wrote about. It could be argued that it is better to have a society that is not so ‘well-ordered' but democratic, than it is to live in a society such as one that Lee envisages; faith must be placed with society to check its members' activities rather than have all aspects of life limited by an all-seeing government. Lee's ways may also only be suited to a small state such as Singapore. Even he admits that, within that small population, total control is practically impossible. This for me leads to the heart of the importance placed by Lee on ‘Asian values' and why Western ideas of democracy are unsuited to East Asia. It is very hard to escape the conclusion that the justification of ‘Asian values' is solely a political smokescreen to maintain power. It is even harder to escape this conclusion when the man himself proclaims: So when Americans tell me: you ought to govern in this way, I say thank you very much, I have listened to you very carefully, if I don't think we are ready for that, I have to do it my way (IHT, 2001, my emphasis).

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Car Advertising - Assignment Example Considering the car market in UK, till 1980, the general opinion of Audi was that it was a car built in Europe and customers were not certain of even the nation of building, the technical capacities and the car had no specific image. The car was not clearly positioned according to the Louis Harris Car Image Study. The position of the car changed to some extent and by 1987, the car slowly moved towards the group of prestige cars. This was due to the "Vorsprung durch Technik" Campaign of the 1980s. Though the car was of the same size as Ford and Vauxhall, it was positioned as a car above them in terms of image. Further improvement was achieved in 1995 when Audi took advantage of the marketing opportunities that were available to it and to an extent this was due to the new models that were introduced. These were called Audi A8 and the Audi A4 and both these cars were far better that the previous models that this brand had. (Members only - how advertising helped Audi join the prestige ca r club) The models were liked by the press and the potential customers, and the particular brands have won a number of awards. This range of models was an improvement on the previous models that it had and those were called Audi 80 and Audi 100. Yet the brand had strong opponents in terms of brand names and prices. There were also new launches coming up from the competitors and the brand had not many advantages in terms of product itself. Thus, it was essential to establish the brand on certain parameters. The advantage of the brand getting into the prestige segment was that it would permit the brand to retain value after a few years of usage and this would encourage the users to buy the car. This can be seen in the case of Mercedes C class, Saab 900i, and Ford Mondeo 2.0 Si, where Mercedes retained 87.5 percent of the value, Saab retained 76 percent and Ford retained only 61 percent. Naturally, the car with the highest prestige would provide unseen advantages for its buyer and thus would f ind it easier to sell. (Members only - how advertising helped Audi join the prestige car club) The general positioning in Britain seems to be with Porsche and Ferrari as members of the Super Prestige group, BMW, Mercedes and Jaguar being members of the prestige group; Volvo and Saab being members of the quality cars group; Ford, Vauxhall, Rover and Renault being members of the mainstream cars group and Kia and Proton being members of the budget cars group. The cars in the prestige and super prestige group are able to charge a higher price, while the sales are the highest for the mainstream cars. In terms of positioning, it was always the objective of Audi to be a member of the prestige cars group. (Members only - how advertising helped Audi join the prestige car club) The logic for this is based on volume of production, desired profits and other matters. The consumers also view cars within different groups in a manner that keeps their image in line. The purchasing decision is then based on the cost of the cars and what the user can afford to pay. So far as prestige and super p restige cars are concerned, they charge a premium price and this has to be supported by their image. The positioning of a brand is

The Homless Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Homless - Essay Example 2011, or risk being arrested. This belies the earlier efforts and fanfare that city officials had for The Journey Home, a 10 year plan to defeat homelessness, under which several beds were provided for homeless women on the streets. Credibility of Source: Good, since it shows action taken by the authorities and the effect it will have on the proposed plan to end homelessness. The reasons for homelessness are also highlighted. The author, a college student, has addressed social problems before in other writings. The Baltimore Sun is a trusted and widely read source. Reasonableness and Clarity of Purpose: Good; the information presented is fair, balanced and objective. Both sides of the issue are presented, can be appreciated by general audience as well as homelessness advocates and affected population. Organization and Support: Fair, since claims can be supported by statistical studies and facts on the ground about homelessness in Baltimore. No bibliography, table of contents or index for this newspaper article. 2. "Homelessness Timeline."(2011). Leading Issues Timelines. 02 Mar 2011: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. Accessed on 18 Dec 2011at http://sks.sirs.es.vrc.scoolaid.net/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=SNY5270-0-6545&res=Y&ren=N&gov=N&lnk=N&ic=N&method=&keyword=&sid=SNY5270-0-6545&view.x=117&artno=0000281999&translationtarget=ko&submitButton2=Translate This timeline chronicles the story of homelessness in the USA from 1729 to Feb 2011. The Panic of 1837 and 1873, the Bowery Mission, Hull House, Labor Department and Housing Commission studies are some of the events covered, including the Great Depression of the 1930s and its aftermath. The works of various housing commissions and efforts to establish low cost housing are mentioned. It is clear that the United States has been dealing with homelessness issues since colonial times. Many of the homeless end up living on the streets, which forces the Federal