Abolition for Bilingual Education

One half of United States children who are not proficient in English live in California, a state who's future depends on these three million children becoming fluent in English. In 1968, the Bilingual Education Act was passed with the theory that if you academically instructed students in their native language first, learning English would be better and faster in the long run. Since the passage of bilingual education, there has been a continuing debate over whether or not the programs are benefiting children. Although there is not any research to support this conclusion, bilingual advocates believe that â€Å"bilingual students who first master Spanish and then make a transition to English, do at least as well academically in the long run as their English-only counterparts† (Netkin 1). Supporters feel that even if students are not gaining in English, the programs keep them from falling behind in content areas and also boost their self-esteem, which gives them the confidence to catch up later. The search for some proof that the five hundred million dollar industry works to help immigrant children learn English, in order to prosper in a California society, continues with little success. For decades throughout California, bilingual education has been commended as a miracle for schoolchildren who are not proficient in English, but the programs have been proven to be unsuccessful and should be abolished. Research indicates that bilingual programs are not helping children, but instead are bringing about high drop out rates and low test scores. There have been many struggles to educate children in bilingual programs. Teachers and instructional materials are hard to find, which makes instruction in academic subjects to the great number and mix of children difficult. Highly transient students and the inability to involve parents in their children's education present a barrier to instruction. Bilingual programs require great amounts of money that California taxpayers should not have to provide because taxpayers should not be responsible for teaching immigrants the American language. Proposition 227 was passed in June of 1998 that was to eliminate bilingual education and place children with limited English proficiency into classes where English is the only language spoken. This new law will enable California schoolchildren to succeed in America and taxpayers will no longer have to provide for a program that â€Å"actually keeps children from learning English, the language of their future, and hinders success in American society† (McCain). â€Å"63% of research shows no difference between bilingual education and doing nothing† (Research Evidence of Bilingual Education 4). Each year, only five percent of the bilingual schoolchildren gain English proficiency. Scores on comprehensive tests reveal that students who move from bilingual classes to English-only classes are unable to perform. Latino children in bilingual classes â€Å"end up not speaking either Spanish or English well† (Netkin 2). They have the highest dropout rate, forty percent, of any ethnic group and have consistently scored the lowest on Scholastic Assessment Tests. Instructing children in their official language and not teaching them English is making the children unable to succeed in society. Since this is an American country, children should be placed in English speaking classrooms in order to learn the language of the dominant group. Educating children in bilingual programs is difficult. Schools cannot provide the proper bilingual instruction because teachers and materials are limited or unavailable. Students speak languages that are not historically represented in the United States so bilingual teachers and materials for the languages are nonexistent. Even in schools where all students speak Spanish, teachers are hard to find and have to be recruited from Spanish speaking countries. However, sometimes the immigrant teachers cannot be certified to teach because they lack a college degree or simply cannot pass the English portion of a state teacher certification test. The California Department of Education estimates that about twenty-two thousand bilingual teachers are needed for instruction and studies predict that filling the need may be impossible. Bilingual education cannot provide children with the instruction needed to prosper in California so the programs should be eliminated. Immigrant students are highly transient which makes continuous instruction difficult. New students arrive to schools on a monthly basis, contributing to overcrowded classrooms that make teaching complex. Existing students move frequently or are regularly absent for long periods of time, disrupting their learning. Often times, students with excessive absences from school cannot be promoted to the next grade level or graduate, which makes the children discouraged and leads to them dropping out of school. Transient actions effect a student's ability to receive an education, contributing to the failure of bilingual programs. Parental involvement is important for student achievement, but extreme struggles arise when trying to involve parents in their children's education. Many parents are illiterate in their native language as well as English, making communication impossible. Translators are used successfully, but for uncommon languages, very few translators are available. Parental self-help classes are provided to parents who have trouble communicating. The classes have taught parents how to help their children in school, but several problems with parent involvement remain. Without the five hundred million dollars a year that taxpayers provide to the federal government, bilingual education programs would not exist. Why should the taxpayer be responsible for immigrants learning the American language? Before entering this country immigrants know that English is the dominant language, therefore, they should be responsible for learning the language themselves. By not knowing English and being unable to communicate effectively, newcomers are only hurting themselves. Taxpayers should not be responsible for educating immigrants. Learning English should be the responsibility of the person seeking to speak the language. Proposition 227 was passed to eliminate bilingual education. Children with limited English proficiency are to be placed into English-only classes where their native language is never spoken. This practice is called English immersion, a non-taxpaying system that will push children toward the quickest path to success in America. Students will learn English better and faster by being around the language all-day and everyday. The quicker they learn the language the sooner the students will be able to join in with their peers and develop an education. Although Proposition 227 was passed in June of 1998 to eliminate bilingual education, the programs remain in schools. â€Å"In Redwood City, south of San Francisco, the school district reports that eighty percent of Spanish-speaking children are still enrolled in bilingual† (Michels). Many other schools have confessed to not eliminating bilingual classes. The schools feel that the children need to be transferred to English-only classes slowly in order to avoid student confusion. Bilingual supporters feel that the programs give children self-esteem and a better education. This is absurd. Separating children from others because they cannot speak English makes them feel insecure and different. If anything, the students loose self-esteem and pride, making learning difficult. Bilingual programs are a failure and schools should obey the law and abolish the instruction. â€Å"The students will gain whatever added self-esteem they need when they develop proficiency in English, the language in which their peers are learning, and the language that they will need to succeed in the United States† (Netkin 1)

The Twilight Saga 4: Breaking Dawn 30. Irresistible

There was so much to think about. How was I going to find time alone to hunt down J. Jenks, and why did Alice want me to know about him? If Alice's clue had nothing to do with Renesmee, what could I do to save my daughter? How were Edward and I going to explain things to Tanya's family in the morning? What if they reacted like Irina? What if it turned into a fight? I didn't know how to fight. How was I going to learn in just a month? Was there any chance at all that I could be taught fast enough that I might be a danger to any one member of the Volturi? Or was I doomed to be totally useless? Just another easily dispatched newborn? So many answers I needed, but I did not get the chance to ask my questions. Wanting some normality for Renesmee, I'd insisted on taking her home to our cottage at bedtime. Jacob was more comfortable in his wolf form at the moment; the stress was easier dealt with when he felt ready for a fight. I wished that I could feel the same, could feel ready. He ran in the woods, on guard again. After she was deeply under, I put Renesmee in her bed and then went to the front room to ask my questions of Edward. The ones I was able to ask, at any rate; one of the most difficult of problems was the idea of trying to hide anything from him, even with the advantage of my silent thoughts. He stood with his back to me, staring into the fire. â€Å"Edward, I – â€Å" He spun and was across the room in what seemed like no time at all, not even the smallest part of a second. I only had time to register the ferocious expression on his face before his lips were crushing against mine and his arms were locked around me like steel girders. I didn't think of my questions again for the rest of that night. It didn't take long for me to grasp the reason for his mood, and even less time to feel exactly the same way. I'd been planning on needing years just to somewhat organize the overwhelming passion I felt for him physically. And then centuries after that to enjoy it. if we had only a month left together†¦ Well, I didn't see how I could stand to have this end. For the moment I couldn't help but be selfish. All I wanted was to love him as much as possible in the limited time given to me. It was hard to pull myself away from him when the sun came up, but we had our job to do, a job that might be more difficult than all the rest of our family's searches put together. As soon as I let myself think of what was coming, i was all tension; it felt like my nerves were being stretched on a rack, thinner and thinner. â€Å"I wish there was a way to get the information we need from Eleazar before we tell them about Nessie,† Edward muttered as we hurriedly dressed in the huge closet that was more reminder of Alice than I wanted at the moment. â€Å"Just in case.† â€Å"But he wouldn't understand the question to answer it,† I agreed. â€Å"Do you think they'll let us explain?† â€Å"I don't know.† I pulled Renesmee, still sleeping, from her bed and held her close so that her curls were pressed against my face; her sweet scent, so close, overpowered every other smell. I couldn't waste one second of time today. There were answers I needed, and wasn't sure how much time Edward and I would have alone today. If all went well with Tanya's family, hopefully we would have company for an extended period. â€Å"Edward, will you teach me how to fight?† I asked him, tensed for his reaction, as he held the door for me. It was what I expected. He froze, and then his eyes swept over me with a deep significance, like he was looking at me for the first or last time. His eyes lingered on our daughter sleeping in my arms. â€Å"If it comes to a fight, there won't be much any of us can do,† he hedged. I kept my voice even. â€Å"Would you leave me unable to defend myself?† He swallowed convulsively, and the door shuddered, hinges protesting, as his hand tightened. Then he nodded. â€Å"When you put it that way†¦ I suppose we should get to work as soon as we can.† I nodded, too, and we started toward the big house. We didn't hurry. I wondered what I could do that would have any hope of making a difference. I was a tiny bit special, in my own way – if a having a supematurally thick skull could really be considered special. Was there any use that I could put that toward? â€Å"What would you say their biggest advantage is? Do they even have a weakness?† Edward didn't have to ask to know I meant the Volturi. â€Å"Alec and Jane are their greatest offense,† he said emotionlessly, like we were talking of a basketball team. â€Å"Their defensive players rarely see any real action.† â€Å"Because Jane can burn you where you stand – mentally at least. What does Alec do? Didn't you once say he was even more dangerous than Jane?† â€Å"Yes. In a way, he is the antidote to Jane. She makes you feel the worst pain imaginable. Alec, on the other hand, makes you feel nothing. Absolutely nothing. Sometimes, when the Volturi are feeling kind, they have Alec anesthetize someone before he is executed. If he has surrendered or pleased them in some other way.† â€Å"Anesthetic? But how is that more dangerous than Jane?† â€Å"Because he cuts off your senses altogether. No pain, but also no sight or sound or smell. Total sensory deprivation. You are utterly alone in the blackness. You don't even feel it when they burn you.† I shivered. Was this the best we could hope for? To not see or feel death when it came? â€Å"That would make him only equally as dangerous as Jane,† Edward went on in the same detached voice, â€Å"in that they both can incapacitate you, make you into a helpless target. The difference between them is like the difference between Aro and me. Aro hears the mind of only one person at a time. Jane can only hurt the one object of her focus. I can hear everyone at the same time.† I felt cold as I saw where he was going. â€Å"And Alec can incapacitate us all at the same time?† I whispered. â€Å"Yes,† he said. â€Å"If he uses his gift against us, we will all stand blind and deaf until they get around to killingus – maybe they'll simply burn us without bothering to tear us apart first. Oh, we could try to fight, but we'll be more likely to hurt one another than we would be to hurt one of them.† We walked in silence for a few seconds. An idea was shaping itself in my head. Not very promising, but better than nothing. â€Å"Do you think Alec is a very good fighter?† I asked. â€Å"Aside from what he can do, I mean. If he had to fight without his gift. I wonder if he's ever even tried___† Edward glanced at me sharply. â€Å"What are you thinking?† I looked straight ahead. â€Å"Well, he probably can't do that to me, can he? If what he does is like Aro and Jane and you. Maybe†¦ if he's never really had to defend himself†¦ and I learned a few tricks – â€Å" â€Å"He's been with the Volturi for centuries,† Edward cut me off, his voice abruptly panicked. He was probably seeing the same image in his head that I was: the Cullens standing helpless, senseless pillars on thekillingfield – all but me. I'd be the only one who could fight. â€Å"Yes, you're surely immune to his power, but you are still a newborn, Bella. I can't make you that strong a fighter in a few weeks. I'm sure he's had training.† â€Å"Maybe, maybe not. It's the one thing I can do that no one else can. Even if I can just distract him for a while – † Could I last long enough to give the others a chance? â€Å"Please, Bella,† Edward said through his teeth. â€Å"Let's not talk about this.† â€Å"Be reasonable.† â€Å"I will try to teach you what I can, but please don't make me think about you sacrificing yourself as a diversion – † He choked, and didn't finish. I nodded. I would keep my plans to myself, then. First Alec and then, if I was miraculously lucky enough to win, Jane. If I could only even things out – remove the Volturi's overwhelming offensive advantage. Maybe then there was a chance†¦. My mind raced ahead. What if I was able to distract or even take them out? Honestly, why would either Jane or Alec ever have needed to learn battle skills? I couldn't imagine petulant little Jane surrendering her advantage, even to learn. If I was able to kill them, what a difference that would make. â€Å"I have to learn everything. As much as you can possibly cram into my head in the next month,† I murmured. He acted as if I hadn't spoken. Who next, then? I might as well have my plans in order so that, if I did live past attacking Alec, there would be no hesitation in my strike. I tried to think of another situation where my thick skull would give me an advantage. I didn't know enough about what the others did. Obviously, fighters like the huge Felix were beyond me. I could only try to give Emmett his fair fight there. I didn't know much about the rest of the Volturi guard, besides Demetri___ My face was perfectly smooth as I considered Demetri. Without a doubt, he would be a fighter. There was no other way he could have survived so long, always at the spear point of any attack. And he must always lead, because he was their tracker – the best tracker in the world, no doubt. If there had been one better, the Volturi would have traded up. Aro didn't surround himself with second best. If Demetri didn't exist, then we could run. Whoever was left of us, in any case. My daughter, warm in my arms†¦ Someone could run with her. Jacob or Rosalie, whoever was left. And†¦ if Demetri didn't exist, then Alice and Jasper could be safe forever. Is that what Alice had seen? That part of our family could continue? The two of them, at the very least. Could I begrudge her that? â€Å"Demetri†¦,† I said. â€Å"Demetri is mine,† Edward said in a hard, tight voice. I looked at him quickly and saw that his expression had turned violent. â€Å"Why?† I whispered. He didn't answer at first. We were to the river when he finally murmured, â€Å"For Alice. It's the only thanks I can give her now for the last fifty years.† So his thoughts were in line with mine. I heard Jacob's heavy paws thudding against the frozen ground. In seconds, he was pacing beside me, his dark eyes focused on Renesmee. I nodded to him once, then returned to my questions. There was so little time. â€Å"Edward, why do you think Alice told us to ask Eleazar about the Volturi? Has he been in Italy recently or something? What could he know?† â€Å"Eleazar knows everything when it comes to the Volturi. I forgot you didn't know. He used to be one of them.† I hissed involuntarily. Jacob growled beside me. â€Å"What?† I demanded, in my head picturing the beautiful dark-haired man at our wedding wrapped in a long, ashy cloak. Edward's face was softer now – he smiled a little. â€Å"Eleazar is a very gentle person. He wasn't entirely happy with the Volturi, but he respected the law and its need to be upheld. He felt he was working toward the greater good. He doesn't regret his time with them. But when he found Carmen, he found his place in this world. They are very similar people, both very compassionate for vampires.† He smiled again. â€Å"They met Tanya and her sisters, and they never looked back. They are well suited to this lifestyle. If they'd never found Tanya, I imagine they would have eventually discovered a way to live without human blood on their own.† The pictures in my head were jarring. I couldn't make them match up. A compassionate Volturi soldier? Edward glanced at Jacob and answered a silent question. â€Å"No, he wasn't one of their warriors, so to speak. He had a gift they found convenient.† Jacob must have asked the obvious follow-up question. â€Å"He has an instinctive feel for the gifts of others – the extra abilities that some vampires have,† Edward told him. â€Å"He could give Aro a general idea of what any given vampire was capable of just by being in proximity with him or her. This was helpful when the Volturi went into battle. He could warn them if someone in the opposing coven had a skill that might give them some trouble. That was rare; it takes quite a skill to even inconvenience the Volturi for a moment. More often, the warning would give Aro the chance to save someone who might be useful to him. Eleazar's gift works even with humans, to an extent. He has to really concentrate with humans, though, because the latent ability is so nebulous. Aro would have him test the people who wanted to join, to see if they had any potential. Aro was sorry to see him go.† â€Å"They let him go?† I asked. â€Å"Just like that?† His smile was darker now, a little twisted. ‘The Volturi aren't supposed to be the villains, the way they seem to you. They are the foundation of our peace and civilization. Each member of the guard chooses to serve them. It's quite prestigious; they all are proud to be there, not forced to be there.† I scowled at the ground. â€Å"They're only alleged to be heinous and evil by the criminals, Bella.† â€Å"We're not criminals.† Jacob huffed in agreement. â€Å"They don't know that.† â€Å"Do you really think we can make them stop and listen?† Edward hesitated just the tiniest moment and then shrugged. â€Å"If we find enough friends to stand beside us. Maybe.† If. I suddenly felt the urgency of what we had before us today. Edward and I both started to move faster, breaking into a run. Jacob caught up quickly. â€Å"Tanya shouldn't be too much longer,† Edward said. â€Å"We need to be ready.† How to be ready, though? We arranged and rearranged, thought and rethought. Renesmee in full view? Or hidden at first? Jacob in the room? Or outside? He'd told his pack to stay close but invisible. Should he do the same? In the end, Renesmee, Jacob – in his human form again – and I waited around the corner from the front door in the dining room, sitting at the big polished table. Jacob let me hold Renesmee; he wanted space in case he had to phase quickly. Though I was glad to have her in my arms, it made me feel useless. It reminded me that in a fight with mature vampires, I was no more than an easy target; I didn't need my hands free. I tried to remember Tanya, Kate, Carmen, and Eleazar from the wedding. Their faces were murky in my ill-lit memories. I only knew they were beautiful, two blondes and two brunettes. I couldn't remember if there was any kindness in their eyes. Edward leaned motionlessly against the back window wall, staring toward the front door. It didn't look like he was seeing the room in front of him. We listened to the cars zooming past out on the freeway, none of them slowing. Renesmee nestled into my neck, her hand against my cheek but no images in my head. She didn't have pictures for her feelings now. â€Å"What if they don't like me?† she whispered, and all our eyes flashed to her face. â€Å"Of course they'll – ,† Jacob started to say, but I silenced him with a look. ‘They don't understand you, Renesmee, because they've never met anyone like you,† I told her, not wanting to lie to her with promises that might not come true. â€Å"Getting them to understand is the problem.† She sighed, and in my head flashed pictures of all of us in one quick burst. Vampire, human, werewolf. She fit nowhere. â€Å"You're special, that's not a bad thing.† She shook her head in disagreement. She thought of our strained faces and said, â€Å"This is my fault.† â€Å"No,† Jacob, Edward, and I all said at exactly the same time, but before we could argue further, we heard the sound we'd been waiting for: the slowing of an engine on the freeway, the tires moving from pavement to soft dirt. Edward darted around the corner to stand waiting by the door. Renesmee hid in my hair. Jacob and I stared at each other across the table, desperation on our faces. The car moved quickly through the woods, faster than Charlie or Sue drove. We heard it pull into the meadow and stop by the front porch. Four doors opened and closed. They didn't speak as they approached the door. Edward opened it before they could knock. â€Å"Edward!† a female voice enthused. â€Å"Hello, Tanya. Kate, Eleazar, Carmen.† Three murmured hellos. â€Å"Carlisle said he needed to talk to us right away,† the first voice said, Tanya. I could hear that they all were still outside. I imagined Edward in the doorway, blocking their entrance. â€Å"What's the problem? Trouble with the werewolves?† Jacob rolled his eyes. â€Å"No,† Edward said. â€Å"Our truce with the werewolves is stronger than ever.† A woman chuckled. â€Å"Aren't you going to invite us in?† Tanya asked. And then she continued without waiting for an answer. â€Å"Where's Carlisle?† â€Å"Carlisle had to leave.† There was a short silence. â€Å"What's going on, Edward?† Tanya demanded. â€Å"If you could give me the benefit of the doubt for just a few minutes,† he answered. â€Å"I have something difficult to explain, and I'll need you to be open-minded until you understand.† â€Å"Is Carlisle all right?† a male voice asked anxiously. Eleazar. â€Å"None of us is all right, Eleazar,† Edward said, and then he patted something, maybe Eleazar's shoulder. â€Å"But physically, Carlisle is fine.† â€Å"Physically?† Tanya asked sharply. â€Å"What do you mean?† â€Å"I mean that my entire family is in very grave danger. But before I explain, I ask for your promise. Listen to everything I say before you react. I am begging you to hear me out.† A longer silence greeted his request. Through the strained hush, Jacob and I stared wordlessly at each other. His russet lips paled. â€Å"We're listening,† Tanya finally said. â€Å"We will hear it all before we judge.† â€Å"Thank you, Tanya,† Edward said fervently. â€Å"We wouldn't involve you in this if we had any other choice.† Edward moved. We heard four sets of footsteps walk through the doorway. Someone sniffed. â€Å"I knew those werewolves were involved,† Tanya muttered. â€Å"Yes, and they're on our side. Again.† The reminder silenced Tanya. â€Å"Where's your Bella?† one of the other female voices asked. â€Å"How is she?† â€Å"She'll join us shortly. She's well, thank you. She's taken to immortality with amazing finesse.† â€Å"Tell us about the danger, Edward,† Tanya said quietly. â€Å"We'll listen, and we'll be on your side, where we belong.† Edward took a deep breath. â€Å"I'd like you to witness for yourselves first. Listen – in the other room. What do you hear?† It was quiet, and then there was movement. â€Å"Just listen first, please,† Edward said. â€Å"A werewolf, I assume. I can hear his heart,† Tanya said. â€Å"What else?† Edward asked. There was a pause. â€Å"What is that thrumming?† Kate or Carmen asked. â€Å"Is that†¦ some kind of a bird?† â€Å"No, but remember what you're hearing. Now, what do you smell? Besides the werewolf.† â€Å"Is there a human here?† Eleazar whispered. â€Å"No,† Tanya disagreed. â€Å"It's not human†¦ but†¦ closer to human than the rest of the scents here. What is that, Edward? I don't think I've ever smelled that fragrance before.† â€Å"You most certainly have not, Tanya. Please, please remember that this is something entirely new to you. Throw away your preconceived notions.† â€Å"I promised you I would listen, Edward.† â€Å"All right, then. Bella? Bring out Renesmee, please.† My legs felt strangely numb, but I knew that feeling was all in my head. I forced myself not to hold back, not to move sluggishly, as I got to my feet and walked the few short feet to the corner. The heat from Jacob's body flamed close behind me as he shadowed my steps. I took one step into the bigger room and then froze, unable to force myself farther forward. Renesmee took a deep breath and then peeped out from under my hair, her little shoulders tight, expecting a rebuff. I thought I'd prepared myself for their reaction. For accusations, for shouting, for the motionlessness of deep stress. Tanya skittered back four steps, her strawberry curls quivering, like a human confronted by a venomous snake. Kate jumped back all the way to the front door and braced herself against the wall there. A shocked hiss came from between her clenched teeth. Eleazar threw himself in front of Carmen in a protective crouch. â€Å"Oh please† I heard Jacob complain under his breath. Edward put his arm around Renesmee and me. â€Å"You promised to listen,† he reminded them. â€Å"Some things cannot be heard!† Tanya exclaimed. â€Å"How could you, Edward? Do you not know what this means?† â€Å"We have to get out of here,† Kate said anxiously, her hand on the doorknob. â€Å"Edward †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Eleazar seemed beyond words. â€Å"Wait,† Edward said, his voice harder now. â€Å"Remember what you hear, what you smell. Renesmee is not what you think she is.† â€Å"There are no exceptions to this rule, Edward,† Tanya snapped back. â€Å"Tanya,† Edward said sharply, â€Å"you can hear her heartbeat! Stop and think about what that means.† â€Å"Her heartbeat?† Carmen whispered, peering around Eleazar's shoulder. â€Å"She's not a full vampire child,† Edward answered, directing his attention toward Carmen's less hostile expression. â€Å"She is half-human.† The four vampires stared at him like he was speaking a language none of them knew. â€Å"Hear me.† Edward's voice shifted into a smooth velvet tone of persuasion. â€Å"Renesmee is one of a kind. I am her father. Not her creator – her biological father.† Tanya's head was shaking, just a tiny movement. She didn't seem aware of it. â€Å"Edward, you can't expect us to – ,† Eleazar started to say. â€Å"Tell me another explanation that fits, Eleazar. You can feel the warmth of her body in the air. Blood runs in her veins, Eleazar. You can smell it.† â€Å"How?† Kate breathed. â€Å"Bella is her biological mother,† Edward told her. â€Å"She conceived, carried, and gave birth to Renesmee while she was still human. It nearly killed her. I was hard-pressed to get enough venom into her heart to save her.† Tve never heard of such a thing,† Eleazar said. His shoulders were still stiff, his expression cold. â€Å"Physical relationships between vampires and humans are not common,† Edward answered, a bit of dark humor in his tone now. â€Å"Human survivors of such trysts are even less common. Wouldn't you agree, cousins?† Both Kate and Tanya scowled at him. â€Å"Come now, Eleazar. Surely you can see the resemblance.† It was Carmen who responded to Edward's words. She stepped around Eleazar, ignoring his half-articulated warning, and walked carefully to stand right in front of me. She leaned down slightly, looking carefully into Renesmee's face. â€Å"You seem to have your mother's eyes,† she said in a low, calm voice, â€Å"but your father's face.† And then, as if she could not help herself, she smiled at Renesmee. Renesmee's answering smile was dazzling. She touched my face without looking away from Carmen. She imagined touching Carmen's face, wondering if that was okay. â€Å"Do you mind if Renesmee tells you about it herself?† I asked Carmen. I was still too stressed to speak above a whisper. â€Å"She has a gift for explaining things.† Carmen was still smiling at Renesmee. â€Å"Do you speak, little one?† â€Å"Yes,† Renesmee answered in her trilling high soprano. All of Tanya's family flinched at the sound of her voice except for Carmen. â€Å"But I can show you more than I can tell you.† She placed her little dimpled hand on Carmen's cheek. Carmen stiffened like an electric shock had run through her. Eleazar was at her side in an instant, his hands on her shoulders as if to yank her away. â€Å"Wait,† Carmen said breathlessly, her unblinking eyes locked on Renesmee's. Renesmee â€Å"showed† Carmen her explanation for a long time. Edward's face was intent as he watched with Carmen, and I wished so much that I could hear what he heard, too. Jacob shifted his weight impatiently behind me, and I knew he was wishing the same. â€Å"What's Nessie showing her?† he grumbled under his breath. â€Å"Everything,† Edward murmured. Another minute passed, and Renesmee dropped her hand from Carmen's face. She smiled winningly at the stunned vampire. â€Å"She really is your daughter, isn't she?† Carmen breathed, switching her wide topaz eyes to Edward's face. â€Å"Such a vivid gift! It could only have come from a very gifted father.† â€Å"Do you believe what she showed you?† Edward asked, his expression intense. â€Å"Without a doubt,† Carmen said simply. Eleazar's face was rigid with distress. â€Å"Carmen!† Carmen took his hands into her own and squeezed them. â€Å"Impossible as it seems, Edward has told you nothing but truth. Let the child show you.† Carmen nudged Eleazar closer to me and then nodded at Renesmee. â€Å"Show him, mi querida† Renesmee grinned, clearly delighted with Carmen's acceptance, and touched Eleazar lightly on the forehead. â€Å"Ay caray!†hespit, and jerked away from her. â€Å"What did she do to you?† Tanya demanded, coming closer warily. Kate crept forward, too. â€Å"She's just trying to show you her side of the story,† Carmen told him in a soothing voice. Renesmee frowned impatiently. â€Å"Watch, please,† she commanded Eleazar. She stretched her hand out to him and then left a few inches between her fingers and his face, waiting. Eleazar eyed her suspiciously and then glanced at Carmen for help. She nodded encouragingly. Eleazar took a deep breath and then leaned closer until his forehead touched her hand again. He shuddered when it began but held still this time, his eyes closed in concentration. â€Å"Ahh,† he sighed when his eyes reopened a few minutes later. â€Å"I see.† Renesmee smiled at him. He hesitated, then smiled a slightly unwilling smile in response. â€Å"Eleazar?† Tanya asked. â€Å"It's all true, Tanya. This is no immortal child. She's half-human. Come. See for yourself.† In silence, Tanya took her turn standing warily before me, and then Kate, both showing shock as that first image hit them with Renesmee's touch. But then, just like Carmen and Eleazar, they seemed completely won over as soon as it was done. I shot a glance at Edward's smooth face, wondering if it could really be so easy. His golden eyes were clear, unshadowed. There was no deception in this, then. â€Å"Thank you for listening,† he said quietly. â€Å"But there is the grave danger you warned us of,† Tanya said. â€Å"Not directly from this child, I see, but surely from the Volturi, then. How did they find out about her? When are they coming?† I was not surprised at her quick understanding. After all, what could possibly be a threat to a family as strong as mine? Only the Volturi. â€Å"When Bella saw Irina that day in the mountains,† Edward explained, â€Å"she had Renesmee with her.† Kate hissed, her eyes narrowing to slits, â€Å"irina did this? To you? To Carlisle? Irina?† â€Å"No,† Tanya whispered. â€Å"Someone else †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Alice saw her go to them,† Edward said. I wondered if the others noticed the way he winced just slightly when he spoke Alice's name. â€Å"How could she do this thing?† Eleazar asked of no one. ‘Imagine if you had seen Renesmee only from a distance. If you had not waited for our explanation.† Tanya's eyes tightened. â€Å"No matter what she thought†¦ You are our family.† â€Å"There's nothing we can do about Irina's choice now. It's too late. Alice gave us a month.† Both Tanya's and Eleazar's heads cocked to one side. Kate's brow furrowed. â€Å"So long?† Eleazar asked. â€Å"They are all coming. That must take some preparation.† Eleazar gasped. â€Å"The entire guard?† â€Å"Not just the guard,† Edward said, his jaw straining tight. â€Å"Aro, Caius, Marcus. Even the wives.† Shock glazed over all their eyes. â€Å"Impossible,† Eleazar said blankly. â€Å"I would have said the same two days ago,† Edward said. Eleazar scowled, and when he spoke it was nearly a growl. â€Å"But that doesn't make any sense. Why would they put themselves and the wives in danger?† â€Å"It doesn't make sense from that angle. Alice said there was more to this than just punishment for what they think we've done. She thought you could help us.† â€Å"More than punishment? But what else is there?† Eleazar started pacing, stalking toward the door and back again as if he were alone here, his eyebrows furrowed as he stared at the floor. â€Å"Where are the others, Edward? Carlisle and Alice and the rest?† Tanya asked. Edward's hesitation was almost unnoticeable. He answered only part of her question. â€Å"Looking for friends who might help us.† Tanya leaned toward him, holding her hands out in front of her. â€Å"Edward, no matter how many friends you gather, we can't help you win. We can only die with you. You must know that. Of course, perhaps the four of us deserve that after what Irina has done now, after how we've failed you in the past – for her sake that time as well.† Edward shook his head quickly. â€Å"We're not asking you to fight and die with us, Tanya. You know Carlisle would never ask for that.† â€Å"Then what, Edward?† â€Å"We're just looking for witnesses. If we can make them pause, just for a moment. If they would let us explain †¦Ã¢â‚¬  He touched Renesmee's cheek; she grabbed his hand and held it pressed against her skin. â€Å"It's difficult to doubt our story when you see it for yourself.† Tanya nodded slowly. â€Å"Do you think her past will matter to them so much?† â€Å"Only as it foreshadows her future. The point of the restriction was to protect us from exposure, from the excesses of children who could not be tamed.† â€Å"I'm not dangerous at all,† Renesmee interjected. I listened to her high, clear voice with new ears, imagining how she sounded to the others. â€Å"I never hurt Grandpa or Sue or Billy. I love humans. And wolf-people like my Jacob.† She dropped Edward's hand to reach back and pat Jacob's arm. Tanya and Kate exchanged a quick glance. â€Å"If Irina had not come so soon,† Edward mused, â€Å"we could have avoided all of this. Renesmee grows at an unprecedented rate. By the time the month is past, shell have gained another half year of development.† â€Å"Well, that is something we can certainly witness,† Carmen said in a decided tone. â€Å"We'll be able to promise that we've seen her mature ourselves. How could the Volturi ignore such evidence?† Eleazar mumbled, â€Å"How, indeed?† but he did not look up, and he continued pacing as if he were paying no attention at all. â€Å"Yes, we can witness for you,† Tanya said. â€Å"Certainly that much. We will consider what more we might do.† â€Å"Tanya,† Edward protested, hearing more in her thoughts than there was in her words, â€Å"we don't expect you to fight with us.† â€Å"If the Volturi won't pause to listen to our witness, we cannot simply stand by,† Tanya insisted. â€Å"Of course, I should only speak for myself.† Kate snorted. â€Å"Do you really doubt me so much, sister?† Tanya smiled widely at her. â€Å"It is a suicide mission, after all.† Kate flashed a grin back and then shrugged nonchalantly. â€Å"I'm in.† â€Å"I, too, will do what I can to protect the child,† Carmen agreed. Then, as if she couldn't resist, she held her arms out toward Renesmee. â€Å"May I hold you, bebe linda?† Renesmee reached eagerly toward Carmen, delighted with her new friend. Carmen hugged her close, murmuring to her in Spanish. It was like it had been with Charlie, and before that with all the Cullens. Renesmee was irresistible. What was it about her that drew everyone to her, that made them willing even to pledge their lives in her defense? For a moment I thought that maybe what we were attempting might be possible. Maybe Renesmee could do the impossible and win over our enemies as she had our friends. And then I remembered that Alice had left us, and my hope vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

Cosmetics and Revlon

Introduction of the Company Revlon Inc. is a leading cosmetics company offering cosmetic, skin care, fragrance, and personal-care products. Revlon was formed in 1932, and started out with selling only nail enamels. Over the course of the past 75 years, Revlon has become a leading brand in the cosmetic market, recognized both in the United States and worldwide. Revlon owns popular brands such as Revlon, Charle, Mitchum, and Almay. Revlon has recently been struggling with debt, posting losses for the past eight years. Mission Statement AnalysisRevlon’s vision is to glamour, excitement, and innovation through quality products at affordable prices. The key objective of Revlon is to offer high quality beauty products while keeping the costs down for the consumers. I believe Revlon has been holding true to that vision; however they could be following it too closely. Revlon’s recent losses and issues with debt could be attributed to their vision. While the answer to solve thei r issues is uncertain it is clear a new strategy is needed to help Revlon recover. External Analysis External| | | | Opportunities| Weight| Rating| Score| 1. Men are using cosmetics more| 0. 6| 1| 0. 06| 2. Weakening of the US dollar making foreign markets more appealing| 0. 15| 2| 0. 3| 3. Growing trend of using personal care products| 0. 1| 3| 0. 3| 4. The increase in the mini-baby boomers (young teens)| 0. 1| 2| 0. 2| 5. Baby boomer females entering retirement| 0. 12| 3| 0. 36| | | | | Threats| | | | 6. Concern for product safety growing| 0. 05| 2| 0. 1| 7. Concerns about environment and animal testing growing| 0. 07| 2| 0. 14| 8. Increased gas prices greatly reduce disposable income| 0. 15| 1| 0. 15| 9. Natural fashion trends| 0. 05| 2| 0. 1| 10. Intense competition| 0. 15| 2| 0. 3| 1| | 2. 01| 1. There is a growing trend of men using cosmetic products. Product lines marketed specifically for men will be necessary to profit in this market segment. Men will be reluctant to use pr oducts made for women, so separate product lines are necessary. 2. Weakening of the US dollar makes any US based product more appealing in the foreign markets. Not only will people with other currencies favor the currency advantage of buying Revlon, are huge emerging markets growing in Latin America, Asia, and India. 3. There has been an overall growth in the use of cosmetic and personal care products worldwide.As countries become more developed, more people are earning income to spend on these products. Especially in the United States, appearance is strongly valued and cosmetics play a large part. 4. As with the increasing trend in cosmetics, there has been a significant increase in the mini-baby boomer market. Young teens are using cosmetic, personal care products more, and more. This market of teenage women is huge, especially in the United States. 5. The original group of baby boomers are beginning to reach the age of retirement. Most have reached their peak earning potential an d now have large amounts of disposable income.With old age comes the need for cosmetics to help people maintain a youthful look. Retired women of the baby boom era are a significant market segment for Revlon. 6. There have been growing concerns for product safety. Most cosmetics are applied to the face, and some if not properly tested can have adverse side effects. The population is becoming more health aware, and is always looking at the health effects of everyday products. Most companies now advertise the use of natural ingredients to market to health conscious consumers. 7. There is also growing concern for the environment and the use of animal testing.Animal testing had always been an issue for the cosmetic industry; however it is becoming more prominent in recent times. Even more is the growing concern for the environment. Consumers are looking for products that are not harmful to the environment and are eco friendly from the manufacturing process all the way to packaging and d isposal. 8. Increase in gas prices has hurt many industries across the board. Gas is something that the majority of consumers have to buy, and they are forced to pay whatever price is asked. The more consumers have to spend on gas the less to have to spend on items that are not considered a necessity.Costly cosmetics are probably one of the first things to be forgotten when spending needs to be cut back. 9. There is a trend of using natural products from food to cosmetics. There is a trend of going for a completely natural look altogether, meaning no cosmetics whatsoever. Even natural cosmetics discourage the use of other similar or supplementary products that would normally be used. 10. Competition is fierce in this industry. Marketing, price wars, and product differentiation among the cosmetic industry make it an extremely competitive industry. Each company has numerous brands that are recognized globally.Breaking consumer brand loyalty can be a hard task to accomplish. Revlon has a score of 2. 01 which is average. Revlon has been lacking in taking advantages of the different opportunities that it has. Failure to seize these opportunities will allow competitors to move in and gain the upper hand. Revlon should definitely take advantage of the growing foreign markets, especially in light of the weakening US dollar. In terms of threats, Revlon has been passive in responding to are preparing against them. Revlon has to make sure it markets its products in a way that is fitting for the changing view of the consumer.Product quality is becoming less important, as image is becoming everything. Completive Analysis Competitive Analysis: Porter’s Five-Forces Model | | Potential development of substitute products| | | | | I| | | Bargaining Power of Suppliers| -| Rivalry Among Competing Firms| -| Bargaining power of consumers| | | I| | | | | Potential Entry of new competitors| | | Rivalry Among Competing Firms Rivalry is high in the cosmetic industry. A few huge cosmetic makers dominate the market. They all have to deal with the decline in disposable income due to rising gas prices.Companies fight with marketing and cost reduction. Consumers have many ways to purchase these products. While a large amount of cosmetics are sold in drugstores and large retailers such as Wal-Mart there is still a significant sales done door to door. Competition is getting so strong that there has been a move to increase door-to-door sales to help steal market share from competitors. Potential of New Entrants The cosmetic industry is a 200 billion dollar industry. Competition is already high, and the industry as a whole has been faced with difficulties in these economic times.So the threat of new entrants is unlikely. However, new entrants to the industry could be successful if they can make a quality product at affordable prices. While there is a significant amount of brand loyalty, a consumer would easily switch to a more affordable quality product. Potential Development of Substitute Products As mentioned before rivalry is intense in this market. While brand loyalty does exist, price is becoming a very important factor. As a whole the market for cosmetics is very dynamic. While price is important, quality is just as significant if not more significant for some consumers. Companies re faced with the difficult task of balancing the two. Consumers will likely switch to a cheaper product with quality even though they might have loyalties to a particular brand. Bargaining Power of Suppliers Bargaining power of suppliers is low to moderate. Rising commodity prices affect all industries. The raw materials used in cosmetics are used mainly by cosmetic and personal care companies. The cosmetic companies do have some leverage, and these companies are able to keep costs down to offer lower prices to consumers. Bargaining Power of Consumers The bargaining power of consumers in this market is relatively high.Products are easily substitutable and pri ce is probably the most significant factor. Customers have all of the buying power, and often lean towards the cheaper products in these hard economic times. Since consumer bargaining power is high, companies in the cosmetic industry are forced to drive their prices down to stay competitive. While there are segments of the market that will pay a premium for a quality product, are majority of consumers will chose with their wallets. Generic Forces | Approach| Focus| Cost Minimization| Product Differentiation| Broad| X| | Narrow| | |Revlon offers various product lines focused at different segments of the market. The company was founded on the idea of providing affordable cosmetics. While many cosmetic companies attempt to differentiate their products from competitors it is almost an impossible task. Cosmetic products are easily substitutable so cost becomes the more significant factor. A broad focus cost minimization strategy is the one I would recommend for Revlon, there are some pot ential risks. As for any company, introducing new product lines can be a hit or miss. Revlon had recently introduced a product line called Vital Radiance that was aimed towards older women.The new line was not successful and was eventually discontinued, but not without taking losses. I believe Revlon should continue to use the same approach, they just need to make sure enough research is done before introducing new products to minimize the chances of failure. Competitive Profile Matrix Revlon Estee Lauder Avon Critical Success Factors| weight| Rating| Score| Rating| Score| Rating| Score| 1. Financial Position| 0. 3| 2| 0. 6| 3| 0. 9| 4| 1. 2| 2. Brand Recognition| 0. 1| 4| 0. 4| 3| 0. 3| 3| 0. 3| 3. Market Share| 0. 35| 3| 1. 05| 4| 1. 4| 4| 1. 4| 4. Global Expansion| 0. 15| 3| 0. 45| 3| 0. 5| 4| 0. 6| 5. Marketing| 0. 1| 4| 0. 4| 3| 0. 3| 3| 0. 3| Total| 1| | 2. 9| | 3. 35| | 3. 8| Out of the three companies, Revlon is in the worst position. While Revlon does excel in marketing, th e amount spent on advertising is piled on to the already massive amount of debt. The most important factors here in this situation are market share and financial position. In both areas, the competition is clearly ahead of Revlon. Another significant area is global expansion, and Avon is the leader in expansion. The global market is the key to success in the cosmetics industry and Avon's overall score proves that.If Revlon can fix its financial position, then they can begin to look at competing toe-toe with Avon. However, the longer they wait to straighten out the longer they will continue to fall behind. Internal Assessment Internal| | | | Strengths| Weight| Rating| Score| 1. Strong marketing efforts| 0. 15| 1| 0. 15| 2. Large distribution network| 0. 1| 3| 0. 3| 3. Produces Quality Product| 0. 05| 2| 0. 1| 4. Tailors product lines to different segments| 0. 05| 2| 0. 1| 5. Strong Brand Recognition| 0. 1| 2| 0. 2| | | | | Weaknesses| | | | 6. Limited Locations| 0. 15| 2| 0. 3| 7. In crease in long-term Debt| 0. 1| 1| 0. | 8. Weak overall financial position| 0. 15| 1| 0. 15| 9. Risk of Investing in a Project with No Return| 0. 1| 2| 0. 2| 10. Relatively high prices| 0. 05| 2| 0. 1| | 1| | 1. 7| 1. Marketing plays a large part in the cosmetic industry. Most companies compete on price. So ultimately the consumers’ choice is based on the perception of the product. Certain cosmetic lines are marketed towards different groups of people. The success of certain products is directly related to the effectiveness of the marketing campaigns. 2. The channels of distribution also play a large part in the success of any cosmetic company.Today most companies sell their products in a variety of different stores. Having their products available at many different locations helps to keep he competitiveness. Cosmetics are sold at drugstores, grocery stores, and large retailers such as Wal-Mart. Some companies even use door-to-door sales such as Avon. Revlon is beginning to u se that approach in certain regions such as China. 3. While price is the most important factor for most consumers, quality plays a large part with cosmetics. Furthermore actual quality is probably less important than perceived quality. 4.Ultimately people are willing to pay a premium for a higher quality product. In the case of cosmetics, quality is less about the product itself and more about the result to the consumer. 5. In order to make market campaigns successful the products themselves need to be designed differently for different market segments. For example, cosmetics aimed for the older population usually focuses on wrinkle education and skin firming ingredients, whereas cosmetics aimed for young women might offer a lot of color variety and other flashy designs. There clearly exists a different fashion trend among different age groups and different cultural groups.Having product lines tailored specifically for each group can help drive sales for each product line. 6. While Revlon does sell its products globally there are large markets outside of the United States that are yet to be entered. Because of the weakening of the US dollar US products are more favorable to foreigners. This event, along with the recent growth and development of these foreign countries form a large untapped market for cosmetic companies. India, China, and South America are becoming huge unsaturated markets waiting to be taken over. The first company to enter and successfully market to regions will become profitable.If Revlon continues to stay in its concentrated markets it will continue to fall behind the pack. 7. One of Revlon’s largest pitfalls is its failure to reduce its long-term debt. This is due largely to a few failed product lines that Revlon has launched in recent years, with Vital Radiance being the latest disaster. A lot of resources are required to launch new products. Not only are there the costs of production, but also the research and developments before the products are actually made. If the new lines do not yield the expected results the company is left in a net loss.In Revlon’s case, they never get a chance to pay off their debt, and are constantly playing catch-up. 8. Having a large amount of long-term debt is one thing, but for Revlon their overall financial performance is in need of repair. If Revlon able to generate enough income to balance out of their debt they would be much better off. Unfortunately, that is not the case. The amount of income and addition of new assets is not enough to keep out with the increase in liabilities. Because of this their overall financial position is very weak. Something needs to be done in order to set the company on the right path. . The main risk involved in launching new product lines is the potential for complete failure. So much research, time, and capital are spent to launch new product line. If the product does not sell as expected then none of those costs are recovered. Even wit h proper research of both the product and market, there is always a risk of failure. Already having such a large amount of debt, Revlon needs to take its time and do all the necessary research involved to increase its chance of launching a successful new line. 10. Price is the most important factor involved in the consumers’ purchasing decision.Cosmetic companies must find a balance between price and quality. Cost reduction is key to the success of any company in the cosmetic industry. If consumers decide to ignore quality, then price becomes the deciding factor. Though some cosmetic companies might sacrifice quality to keep prices low, they tend sell better when consumers have less money to spend. Revlon obtained a score of 1. 7 which is below average. Revlon’s biggest struggles are faced internally. The inability to pay off their long-term debt and their willingness to acquire new debt leave them in an extremely unstable financial position.Revlon needs to focus on it s marketing and product strategies. In these hard economic times Revlon should focus on price minimization. Consumers are more concerned about price these days with all of their purchases because money is tight. Revlon needs to focus on fixing its internal problems before they can begin to adjust to external factors. Financial Analysis Revlon’s main area of focus should be reducing its debt. Revlon posted net losses from 2004 to 2006. Sales had been leveling off during the same period. Net loss per share went from (. 47) to (. 2) from 2004 to 2006. Overall Revlon had been performing poorly, and failed new product launches helped contributed to the losses. By the end of 2006 Revlon’s long term debt amounted to 2. 3 billion dollars. Because of their ongoing issues with debt, Revlon has been undergoing debt restructuring. Moving forward Revlon must change its strategy to help increase sale, while minimizing the addition of new debt. In 2006 Revlon had a current ratio or l iquidity ratio of 1. 29 which improved slightly from 1. 25 in 2005. However, Revlon’s long-term debt still outweighs their assets.Revlon needs to look at its current product lines, and consider liquidating lines that are not generating expected returns. They are better off canceling unsuccessful product lines, then continuing to take on losses. While it may cost more in the short term, reevaluating existing product lines, and doing the research and development to launch new product lines will be more profitable in the long run. SWOT Matrix | Strengths – S 1. Strong marketing efforts| 2. Large distribution network| 3. Produces Quality Product| 4. Tailors product lines to different segments| 5. Strong Brand Recognition| | | | | | | Weaknesses – W 6. Limited Locations| . Increase in long-term Debt| 8. Weak overall financial position| 9. Risk of Investing in a Project with No Return| 10. Relatively high prices| | Opportunities – O 1. Men are using cosmetics m ore| 2. Weakening of the US dollar making foreign markets more appealing| 3. Growing trend of using personal care products| 4. The increase in the mini-baby boomers (young teens)| 5. Baby boomer females entering retirement| | SO Strategies1. Create product lines for new markets. (O1,2,5+S1,S4)2. The company should expand in to global markets. (O2+S1,S5)3. Focus existing product lines to their targeted demographics. (O1,3,4,5+S4)| WO Strategies1.Open new locations worldwide. (O2,O3+W6,W9)2. Reduce costs. (O4+W10)3. Conduct research before starting new product line. (O1,3,4,5+ W7,W9)| Threats – T 6. Concern for product safety growing| 7. Concerns about environment and animal testing growing| 8. Increased gas prices greatly reduce disposable income| 9. Natural fashion trends| 10. Intense competition| | ST Strategies1. Expand into global markets. (T10+S1+S5) 2. Reduce costs. (T8+S3)| WT Strategies1. Open New Locations. 2. Carefully plan new projects to maximize their profitabilit y. 3. Research safer ways of product testing and formulate safer and environmentally friendly cosmetics. T6,7,9+W9)| Space Matrix ————————————————- Financial StrengthRatings Decrease in Debt1. 0 Increase in Assets 2. 0 Net Income Per Share1. 0 4. 0 ————————————————- Industry Strength Growth Potential2. 0 Profit Potential 2. 0 4. 0 ————————————————- Environmental Stability Competitive Pressure-3. 0 Going Green Trend-3. 0 Economy Dependent-4. 0 ————————————————- -10. 0 —————————†”——————- Competitive Advantage Market Share-5. Brand Loyalty -4. 0 -9. 0 Conclusion ES Average is -3. 33, IS Average is 4. 0 CA Average is -6. 0, FS Average is 1. 33 Directional Vector Coordinate:x-axis: -4. 5+(+2. 0) = -2. 5 y-axis:-3. 33+(+1. 33) = -2. 0 Insert Space matrix The SPACE Matrix shows that Revlon has a defensive profile. They are financially unstable, which is why the point falls in the negative quadrants. BCG Matrix High| Medium| Low| Medium| StarsRevlon Brand| ? ’sAntiperspirants/Deodorants| Low| Cash CowRevlon Beauty Tools| DogsVital Radiance Brand| Revlon’s star product is their Revlon brand.The cosmetic market is still showing considerable growth, and Revlon has a total market share of 13%. Globally the market for cosmetics is expected to grow with the help of the weakening U. S. dollar. Revlon Beauty tools are the cash cow for the company. The overall market share for that product line is almost 25% which makes Revlon a dominant player. Growth in that market is expected, but not nearly as much as the cosmetics segments. Market share of Antiperspirants and Deodorants has dropped within the past year. While growth in that segment is expected, Revlon maintains a small share of the market.However, with the right strategy that segment could become another star for Revlon. Lastly, Revlon’s Vital Radiance line dropped to less than 1% in market share in the most recent year. That segment showed negative growth along with minimal market share. It was a wise decision on Revlon’s part to discontinue that line as it was generating any net profits for the company. Strategy Recommendation Revlon should follow to strategies to help turn things around. The first recommendation I have is for Revlon to expand its business in foreign markets. Currently the US dollar is weak, which makes US products more favorable in foreign countries.There are huge emerging markets in India and China. As these countries become more developed women have more income to spend on cosmetic products. In these countries Revlon might have a better chance at success if they try more direct forms of marketing such as door-to-door sales. There are rumors that Revlon is considering that strategy for China. While I believe times have changed, and marketing has changed especially with the age of the internet, I believe direct marketing works well for cosmetics. The typical users of cosmetics are more likely to buy a product if they get to see it in person, or get to try it themselves.I think door-to-door sales would be successful and could be used in the United States and in other countries. I also believe free samples would be another good form of marketing. I’ve noticed that a lot off cosmetic products are sold on the home shopping network in the United States. I think consumers feel more comfortable buying a cosmetic product when they can see how it is used and what results they generat e. There are cultural differences between the United States and foreign countries. Revlon should create new product lines tailored to each culture.I believe they are better off making fewer product lines focused on broader groups of people, rather than making too many product lines. They need to test the waters of each region, and determine the most effective ways to gain market share. The second recommendation that I have for Revlon is an internal one. Revlon has serious issues with debt. Part of the reason they are in this situation is because of the launch of unsuccessful product lines such as their most recent Vital Radiance. It takes a lot of time and resources to launch a new product line or to acquire new manufacturing locations.Any new product launch poses a great risk for any company. Revlon is not in any financial position to be taking these risks. I believe they need to do two things. First Revlon needs to look at its existing product lines and reevaluate their effectiven ess. Lines that are not meeting sales expectations need to be modified or discontinued altogether. It is better for Revlon to accept its losses and start fresh. The second thing Revlon needs to do is to spend all the time and resources necessary to make a successful new product launch. This was obviously not what happened with the Vital Radiance brand.While it may cost more time and money initially, a successful product line will easily be able to recover those expenses. As they make the decision to launch new brands or re-launch existing brands, Revlon needs to make sure all of its advertising spending is put to good use. Revlon is already deep in debt, and they need to make sure than any additional expenses will generate concrete returns. Revlon needs to refocus some of their brands, and launching new ad campaigns can help them do so. Revlon needs to find out which of its products are successfully marketed, and follow those same strategies to market their less successful product l ines.Focus is necessary in getting Revlon back on track. Effective marketing can help to increase sales both in the United States and abroad. Pro Forma The US market accounts for over half of Revlon’s sales. There is great potential for Revlon to expand its global markets. Realistically their sales in the foreign markets should be more than half of their overall sales. Revlon’s international sales have increased over the past three years, but the growth could be far more rapid. With the reorganization of Revlon’s current brands they could possibly cut some advertising costs by not having to market every product line to the same extent.Refocusing their brands with successful marketing, they might experience a slight increase in sales. I can estimate maybe a 5% increase in sales, and hopefully expenses can remain the same. Whatever extra cash is earned should be used to begin to pay off their debt. However, if neither of the strategies help turn things round, Revl on might consider be bought out by another company. Epilogue Section Revlon had made little improvement since 2007. The company maintains a debt in excess of over 1. 3 billion dollars. Although the company stock price has increased from 13 dollar per share to around 16 dollars. Google Finance) In general Revlon is still in the same boat it was in four years ago. Over half of Revlon’s sales are still from the United States. There has been little progress made in foreign markets. However, things are starting to turn around for the company. Revlon has been facing declines in sales since 2007. Now, in the first quarter of 2011 they managed to increase sales. (WikiInvest) They are estimated to increase overall sales by 2% this year. These sales are attributed to an increase in spending of advertising. Apparently the marketing efforts are beginning to pay off.This additional spending has helped to strengthen some of the Revlon brands. While things are beginning to look positive, th ey are going to need a much greater increase in sales to help pay off the debt. If they continued to lose sales in today’s times I would say it would be smart to consider selling out to another company. The recent albeit small turn around might give Revlon one last chance pay off its debt and become a big player in the industry. Resources: http://www. wikinvest. com/stock/Revlon_(REV)/News/2566033/Revlon_Reports_First_Quarter_2011_Results http://www. google. com/finance? q=NYSE:REV

Kinesiology-- Essential nutrients Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Kinesiology-- Essential nutrients - Essay Example Each vitamin has different functions in the body. Vitamin B helps in releasing energy from ingested food. There are also required in the synthesis of RNA and DNA. Vitamin C is mostly important in the development of bones, teeth and gums. Vitamin D is also used in bone development. Vitamin E functions as an antioxidant. Vitamin K enables blood clotting. Water forms about 60% of our body weight. It enables the maintenance of body temperature, blood pressure and blood volume. In addition, it provides moisture for moth, eyes and nose tissues. Helps to avoid constipation, enables muscle functions and lubricates joints. Fibers and indigested forms of carbohydrates. They enable normal bowel movements and decrease the risks of constipation, colon cancer and hemorrhoids. They increase the excretion of cholesterol thus minimizing risks of heart disease and obesity. Vitamins are classified as either fat-soluble or water-soluble vitamins. Water soluble vitamins are not stored in the body. After they are ingested they have the ability to dissolve in water. They are then taken in the blood stream. The body is able to incorporate the amount it requires at the time and the excess is excreted in urine. Water soluble vitamins are all vitamins B and Vitamin C. they can be obtained from grains, vegetables and fruits. Fat soluble vitamins are vitamins that are stored in the body. After ingestion they are dissolved in fat. After ingestion the body uses the required vitamins and the rest is stored and used when required in future. The excess is excreted as stool. The main sources of fat soluble vitamins are oily fish, liver, animal fats, butter, vegetable oil and dairy products. In the body, 45% to 65% of the total calories are carbohydrates. A daily caloric level should be maintained should be maintained at a daily concentration of 1800 calories. This translated to 202-292 grams of carbohydrates daily. A high fat intake is classified to be above 35%

Week 2 #1 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Week 2 #1 - Coursework Example The firm needs technical skills and knowledge to operate effectively. In order to acquire these technical skills, the firm needs to recruit competent and highly qualified employees. These employees can then be used to impart the skills and knowledge to other company employees thus improving the company’s overall level of knowledge, skills and abilities (Staines 2012) Conducting widespread recruitment communications makes it easier for qualified candidates to apply for the vacancies in the firm. This is then followed by thorough interviewing process that seeks to establish the interviewee’s level of knowledge, skills and abilities. After recruiting the most qualified candidate for the task, the firm forms a team around the individual so as to encourage knowledge sharing. According to Zhang et al (2014) knowledge sharing enables the company to access the necessary skills with reduced cost implications while at the same time improving the motivation of staffs that learn new things. Zhang, R., Chen, Q., El-Den, J., Jie, Z., & Wankun, Z. (2014). Team members’ knowledge sharing satisfaction in enterprise competition simulative games: An empirical research. Paper presented at the 436-444. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1674840406?accountid=62741 Politis, J. D. (2003). The connection between trust and knowledge management: What are its implications for team performance. Journal of Knowledge Management, 7(5), 55-66. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/230318989?accountid=62741 Staines, G. M., PhD. (2012). Finding the best people in a tough economy: The role of knowledge, skills, abilities, attributes, and the challenges of the talent acquisition process Library Leadership & Management (Online), Retrieved from

Design a management plan for a patient Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Design a management plan for a patient - Essay Example He admits that especially since his divorce he hasn't been paying much attention to his health. The percentage of Australians who smoke nowadays is much less than in 1945 according to the Cancer Council (2007) statistics. But smoking is still a huge problem that causes many unhealthy side effects and can lead to death (Heart Foundation, 2002). It also presents a substantial financial burden for the health care system because of the resultant morbidity that is associated with smoking (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2006; Heart Foundation, 2002; Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy, 2004). The scenario of a smoker who seeks medical care because of a heart condition is very plausible. Smoking and heart disease are often found together (Better Health Channel, 2002). The Australian Bureau of Statistics (2006) lists smoking as a key risk factor for ischaemic heart disease, and other fatal illnesses. Heart disease itself has a high prevalence. It is the most common cause of sudden death and also the single disease from which the most people in Australia-and most industrialised nations-die (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2006). There are many forms of heart disease, but coronary heart disease, or ischaemic heart disease is most common and often presents itself in form of angina (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2006), as in the case of our patient, John. This paper will deal with the actual ... This paper will deal with the actual and potential health issues in cases such as this one, examining the broader scope of matters to be considered in planning the management of such a case, as well as identifying specific actions that can be taken to improve the patient's situation. It will also reflect on possibilities for primary and secondary preventive measures and take into account as many factors that might be relevant for the overall well-being for this particular patient. Management Health Issues The two obvious core health issues of this patient are smoking and heart disease. However, both smoking and heart disease can be connected to other complaints (Heart Foundation 2002, JBI 2005). The first contact with patients is a good time to find out what is worrying them most. In John's case, the overall social situation will be of interest. His performance at work may be seriously impeded by his heart condition. If he is not accustomed to taking care of himself without a wife, his diet may be unhealthy and he may have emotional problems connected to the stress of divorce. Cigarette smoking has many detrimental effects (Heart Foundation, 2002). The main part of the problem is that many habitual smokers are addicted to nicotine (Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy, 2004). Addiction is a complex health problem, and Tan et al. (2000) report that almost 80% of smokers in Australia have already tried to quit but failed. In fact, the addiction itself makes it hard for smokers to want to quit. The drug nicotine affects the ability to make a rational decision. Because the brain and body suffer from withdrawal symptoms, quitting is

Summarize the Ssources Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Summarize the Ssources - Coursework Example For example, in the case of Marijuana, it evaluates health issues related with the drug. Medical anthropology is discussed in the book’s first part; the second part evaluates the environment and health along with the social sources of certain health issues, the range of medical systems in various societies is evaluated in the third part while the fourth part is in support of the fusion of social action and theoretical perspectives (Baer, et al., n.p.). The book provides an approach that is proportional and engaging in terms of both local and state politics. It demonstrates how the government and politics vary between communities and the states in which the communities are situated. It also identifies and discusses the sources and impacts of these differences. The book also looks at concepts put forward by societal scientists concerning the impacts of institutions and regulations on policies and politics. An example is that of the Arizona department of health that was tasked with regulating sale and use of Marijuana specifically for medicinal reasons. By evaluating such institutional mandates, the book gives insight on the outcomes and impacts of such regulations. The book also evaluates the effects of public policies and political bodies on public predicaments, and people like policies on prohibited drugs and their use (Donovan et al., n.p.). The book specifically and categorically looks at the campaign by the federal government against Marijuana. According to the book, the campaign by the federal government against Marijuana is focused on all aspects of Marijuana that include, its growth, cultivation, sale, and use that includes medicinal and recreational purposes. The book goes through the various administrations that have led the federal government including the Clinton, Bush, and Reagan administrations. It evaluates the efforts of these administrations to stop every use of Marijuana. The book looks at how these administrations disregarded

Marriage, families and relationships; making choices in a diverse Case Study

Marriage, families and relationships; making choices in a diverse society - Case Study Example People stay together and lose focus on the right thing to do after staying together for too long. Another reason is the low quality of life. They believe that, lives of couples living together cannot be compared to those of married couples. There is an increase in the number of Americans who are unmarried because of a number of reasons. One of the chief explanations is that, the career choices taken by many individuals today are demanding (Lamanna & Riedmann, 2012). Time taken to concentrate on the right thing to do with regards to career limits the time taken to have a family. This is considered one of the main reasons as to why people remain unmarried in modern society. Another reason could be the demise of a partner or unfaithfulness. These factors can cause people to make the choice of remaining alone, instead of suffering the heartache of losing someone. Moreover, the preferred lifestyle of choice prevents many people from committing to marriage. The sense of responsibility among people today is not as it used to be long ago. People tend to remain unmarried since the thought of responsibility does not appeal to the modern person. Not everyone who has children wants to have them. There are some pressures that society places on individuals to have children in order to fit in this setting (Lamanna & Riedmann, 2012). One of the social pressures that ensure people have children is, to create the setting they grew up around as children. When people grow up, the urge to create and develop something similar to what they had as children tends to overwhelm people. This leads to the formation of a family, complete with a wife and children. People also have children so that they can feel immortal. They tend to think that they go on living through their children after death, or old age. In many societies, it is seen as a sign of strength. Children usually seal the deal between married

Analyze George Orwell's, Shooting An Elephant through the eyes of the Essay

Analyze George Orwell's, Shooting An Elephant through the eyes of the author of the Moral Instinct Steven Pinker - Essay Example This has never been put across more effectively as in the George Orwell’s essay, shooting the elephant. The author is forced by the general expectation to do what he does not believe in. He takes us through his ordeal so that we can understand the reasoning we often undergo in order to make decisions that seem conflicting in our lives. It’s not just the content of our moral judgments that is often questionable, but the way we arrive at them. We like to think that when we have a conviction, there are good reasons that drove us to adopt it (Steve 1).Orwell goes to a great length to try to justify decisions he made in this essay. A great lesson can be learned from his work. The author hated being a police officer. This was because he was secretly against imperialism which he was a part of. He was against the oppression of the Burmese people. He says he hated the job bitterly than he could clearly put across in the essay. He lives a miserable life, since he hates his empire and cannot voice his concerns. The people he seems to care about are against him and they make his life impossible. This is a tough way to live. He hated the conditions of prisoners huddled together and the sight of the oppressed. What keeps him on the job? Orwell tries to draw an emotion from us. He tries to make us fit his shoes so we can see how tough it was for him to quit his job. He was uneducated and young and could not seek employment elsewhere. He would have chosen to quit this job which did not stand his moral grounds rather than stay in unhappy employment. This builds on the fact that people seek justifications for actions they do in order to feel accepted. This is not the only incident that the author is faced with such a situation. He is called upon to kill an elephant which had gone rogue. He describes the pressure he felt. â€Å"And suddenly I realized that I should have to shoot the elephant after all. The people expected it of me and I had got to do it; I could fe el their two thousand wills pressing me forward, irresistibly.† (Orwell 1). What made the matter worse was that the elephant was a tame one. He considered shooting a working an elephant a very serious offence comparable only to destroying a piece of machinery a decision which should have been avoided at all costs. With these strong convictions the reader is almost led to believe that Orwell was not going to kill the elephant. However despite being so against the action of taking the creatures life he goes ahead and does it. In trying to justify his action he claims that he would have looked like a fool. He did in order just to save face. This according to the reader is not a good enough reason but to him it is a reassurance that what he did was right. The oppressor is often viewed to be above the oppressed. Orwell in this situation proclaims that this is not always the case. He realizes that tyranny only jeopardizes the freedom of the oppressor. The tyrant is viewed by the opp ressed as being heartless and has to live up to these expectations. The tyrant is not allowed to show any signs of affection or weakness despite them being a part of human nature. One has to spend his life trying to impress the natives and so in every crisis he has got to do what the natives expect. The general expectation was that the white man was not supposed to be afraid of anything. Thoughts of what the people would think in case something went wrong during the

The Global Exploration by the European Assignment

The Global Exploration by the European - Assignment Example To this end, factors that motivated Europeans to explore globally were primarily wealth, religious freedom or supremacy, and fame or glory (Newitt 2005, 1402). Explorers who found gold would bring trade and material gain to themselves and their countries. The wealth resulting from this was equated to power, which became a great motivation to explore. Others decided to move to new regions where they could earn a living in friendlier environments. For example, groups of European settlers migrated from the Holland plantations to America where they intended to start farming and better lifestyles. Religion was another factor, whereby the smaller ones in Europe were looked down upon. When members of the smaller religious groups got news of newfound territories, they began moving out to explore the possibility of spreading their religion, getting new followers and gaining supremacy over others. Finally, many explorers were motivated by fame and glory. Kings and queens paid them to discover, map and name new land, hoping to be remembered by it. In conclusion, the three factors that motivated Europeans to explore globally can be summarized as wealth , religion and fame (Newitt 2005, 1409). Absolutism is where the sovereignty of a state is embodied exclusively in the absolute king’s or ruler’s person and not an assembly or nobles. Constitutionalism, on the other hand, limits government by law, implying a balance between the government’s authority and the subjects’ rights. Whether written or not, the constitution governs the nation according to its provisions and protects the freedom of the subjects. The development of absolutism and constitutionalism can be compared and contrasted from the perspective of England, and France (Aboukhadijeh 2013). Â  

Project Management of Heavyweight Cruiser Motorcycle Assignment - 3

Project Management of Heavyweight Cruiser Motorcycle - Assignment Example The company already has its product line up in medium weight motor cycles, ranging from 500 cc to 1000 cc. Now the company wants to introduce a new model over 1100 cc. It includes the details of the operation process, like leadership style, short term and long term needs, resources needed and risk mitigation strategies. The entire management process is developed from the point of view of a project manager (Scheid, 2011). Managing a project requires optimum uses of resources and commitment of project team members to successfully complete an undertaking. This project is for the development of a new heavy weight cruiser motorcycle. This new project will introduce a new category of line up above 1100 cc. A successful completion of a project is dependent on the right decision of which project management structure to use. This project needs the â€Å"Project-based Organization Structure†, because the project manager is solely responsible for the successful completion of the project. The project members who work in this project, report directly to the project manager, thus, avoiding multiple leadership. Secondly, all the decisions regarding the operations are taken within the project team only. Thirdly, this structure also allows high cohesion among the team members and they all share a common goal of the project (Bobera, 2008). The distribution of roles enables the smooth running of the project operations. It helps avoiding any kind of conflict. With reference to the ‘Belbin Model’ of Team Work distribution, the following work distribution is done (Belbin. 2014). a) Identify the project need: Identification of the project involves having a clear idea about what the project is about and what are the needs it fulfils for the company. In this case, this project will extend the product line of the company.

Victorian Society Essay Example for Free

Victorian Society Essay In the novel Hard Times, Dickens reveals the Victorian Society as apathetic, harsh and depressing. Both the environment and characters are shown to be dark, dull and drab. Dickens uses a variety of techniques to show these. I am going to explore several issues from Dickenss point of view on Victorian Society, including education, marriage, industrialisation, the relationship between the middle class and the working class, and how Dickens uses different methods and techniques to present all these. I will refer to chapters one, two, five, eleven and fifteen while discussing all these different aspects. In chapter 2, Murdering the Innocents, the title immediately tells us that someone is going to react in a certain attitude towards someone else. This is an effective way to start the chapter as it gives a hint to the reader about what will happen in the chapter. Dickens is basically trying to show us as the reader how boring and demanding life was at school in Victorian Society in this chapter. He uses phrases like Girl number twenty unable to define a horse! And Bitzer, your definition of a horse to show how the pupils were being treated by Mr Gradgrind. Mr Gradgrind is described as dictatorial and square which means that he is a tyrannical person and he likes to order people to do things for him because he thinks he has more power than other people. A good example of this is when Mr Gradgrind talks to Sissy Jupe. He asks her for her name and when she replies, he immediately changes her name for her dont call yourself Sissy, call yourself Cecilia. This shows exactly how strict and harsh time was for the pupils. Dickens has chosen the characters very carefully in this novel like the name Mr Gradgrind it basically means he grinds on and on and on about things just like the way he teaches his students. He created this character because he is wanting us to react in a certain emotion and feeling. A good example of this is when Gradgrind talks to Louisa about the marriage proposal, You have been well trained, you are not impulsive, you are not romantic, you are accustomed to view everything from the strong dispassionate ground of reason and calculation. From that ground alone, I know you will view and consider what I am going to communicate. This tells us how Gradgrind brings up Louisa and how hard life is for her. He always tries to fill the pupils with facts waiting to be filled so full of facts and he also tries to take all their imagination and excitement away. When Bitzer explains the definition of a horse quadruped, graminivorous, forty teeth, namely twenty four grinders, four eye teeth and twelve incisive. Here Dickens is trying to show us how the students are being taught and trained by Mr Gradgrind. They are all brought up with facts, facts and facts and they eventually become not impulsive and with no imagination at all. Dickens totally hates the education policy in Victorian Society; he gives a few examples of showing this. In the first paragraph in chapter 1, Dickens shows straight away that life was a misery for the pupils now what I want is Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but facts! Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else and root out everything else. This is the principle of which I bring up my own children and this is the principle on which I bring up these children. This dialogue from Mr Gradgrind automatically shows that he doesnt like anything apart from facts and that he is trying to make all these pupils including his own children to follow his footsteps, Facts alone I wanted in life is what Mr Gradgrind believes and tells his students. Another point Dickens tries to tell us is that the pupils dont have their own freedom and individuality, they are known as different numbers instead of their name, girl number 20! This suggests to us that they are being trained and looked after like animals in a zoo. The setting Dickens has chosen in this chapter is in a very plain and dull classroom described as, plain, bare, monotonous vault of a school room This is not a good place for education as it is dull, ray of sunlight which, darting in at one of the bare windows of the intensely whitewashed room. Dickens uses all these different techniques to express his views on education. Dickens shows us that Mr Gandgrind is a bit selfish, demanding and aggressive. He only looks at one point and believes he is always right and other people are wrong, with a rule and a pair of scales, ready to weigh and measure any parcel of human nature and tell you exactly what it comes to. Dickens has used this phrase to describe Mr Gradgrind, and it is a very effective phrase because it creates an image in our heads of how demanding he is and how obsessed with facts he is. Mr Gradgrind thinks his way of educating is excellent but really, he is destroying all the students precious lives and his own children as well, he keeps them in a small private study room and never allows them to see the real world. An example of this is when Louisa and Tom goes and visits the circus, peeping at the circus. Dickens is trying to suggest that Louisa and Tom are sick of their lives and they really want to visit the outside world. They have no other friends at all apart from each other and they can not communicate with any other people outside their house or class, I am sick of my life, Loo. I hate it altogether and I hate everybody except you! This shows how dull and boring their lives were and how bad they were brought up by Mr Gradgrind. When Mr Gradgrind finds out that they were in the circus, he was very furious because he thought circuses were foolish things and wasnt anything to do with facts, Thomas and you to whom the circle of the science is open; Thomas and you, who may be said to be replete with facts; Thomas and you, who have been trained to mathematical exactness; Thomas and you here! In this degraded position! Yet, he is still talking about facts when he is telling them to go home! Dickens really puts a picture in the readers mind that Mr Gradgrind is totally obsessed with FACTS and he finds nothing else interesting or entertaining. Because of Gradgrinds obsession with facts, this has leaded on a huge effect on Louisa. When Louisa got older and older, she became more dispassionate. Even when a marriage proposal was being made, she act as though she didnt care about it and marriage was a huge commitment. Dickens shows an interesting point on marriage. He suggests to us that life was unfair for people who got married and wished to get divorced because there were strict laws to punish them and he also shows that marriage wasnt about real love in many cases. Dickens shows this by using phrases like, there is a law to punish me when Stephen Blackpool asks for advice about ending a marriage with Mr Bounderby because he is sick of his wife and he can not stand it anymore, I cannot beart nommore! Blackpool tries very hard to get divorced and he even pays his wife a lot of money to keep her away from him, I ha paid her to keep awa fra me but it never worked because she kept coming back and coming back. Dickens is trying to suggest that there is no love at all in their marriage and that Stephen Blackpool is really suffering from marriage. Another reason why Blackpool wants to get divorced is so that he could marry Rachel instead, he wishes to be free, to marry the female whom he speaks Dickens is showing us how much Stephen Blackpool loves Rachel here. After the conversation between Blackpool and Bounderby, Bounderby could not help him because Stephen needed a lot of money on order to get divorced and Bounderby wouldnt lend him the money. This chapter reveals that Mr Bounderby is a very law abiding citizen and that he wont go out of his way to help other people. Another interesting point that Dickens suggests about marriage is when Mr Gradgrind talks to Louisa about the marriage proposal. When she hears the news from Gradgrind, she had no emotion at all, she never said a word and without any visible emotion. This suggests that she doesnt care who she gets married to even to the person she hates the most, a good example of this is when Mr Bounderby kisses Louisa on the cheek (Chp 4) and when he left, she immediately rubbed her cheeks furiously, you may cut the piece out with your penknife and I wouldnt cry!

Differences Between Qualitative And Quantitative Research Methods Psychology Essay

Differences Between Qualitative And Quantitative Research Methods Psychology Essay The aim of any science is gaining knowledge and choosing the appropriate method that allows us to know the reality is therefore essential1. The problem is to accept as true the wrong knowledge or vice versa. Inductive and deductive methods have different objectives and could be summarized as theory development and theory analysis, respectively. The inductive methods are generally associated with qualitative research while deductive method is often associated with quantitative research. Health Social scientists using qualitative approaches now facing epistemological and methodological problems that have to do with power and ethics in data generation as well as external validity of these2. The quantitative research is one in which data are collected and analyzed quantitative variables. qualitative research prevents quantification. Qualitative researchers make narrative records of the phenomena that are studied by techniques such as participant observation and unstructured interviews3. The fundamental difference between the methodologies is that the quantitative studies the association or relationship between quantifiable and qualitative variables makes structural and situational contexts4. Qualitative research seeks to identify the underlying nature of reality, its relations system, its dynamic structure. The quantitative research is to determine the strength of association or correlation between variables, generalization and objectivity of the results through a sample inference to a population sample from which all comes. After the study of the association or correlation seeks, in turn, make causal inferences as to why things happen or not a particular way. The most obvious differences between the methodologies are shown in Table 1 5.6. The fundamentals of quantitative methodology can be found in the positivism that arises in the first third of the nineteenth century as a reaction to the empiricism which was devoted to collect data without entering any knowledge beyond the field of observation. Some of the scientists this time focusing on issues related to health sciences are Pasteur and Claude Bernard, the latter being the proposed experimentation in medicine1. In the early twentieth century, neo-positivism arises or logical positivism to be one of the most important contributions to probabilistic induction. The key is logical positivism and testing hypotheses probabilistically if accepted and demonstrated in different circumstances from those develop general theories. The statistics available quantitative tools to test these hypotheses and to accept or reject a particular security7. Thus the scientific method, following an observation generates a hypothesis and subsequently broadcasts contrasting conclusions arising from that hypothesis testing. The verified repeatedly test an hypothesis does not give an absolute guarantee of generalization because, as Karl Popper points out, not it has no method can guarantee that the generalization of a hypothesis is valid8. With the example of the swans, K. Poppers thesis refuting the generalization neopositivists on assumptions9 all swans were white from Austria no data are available about the color of swans outside Austria all swans are white . At present there is no method to ensure that generalization of a hypothesis is valid, but one can refute a hypothesis with a shred of evidence against it. That is why science, as noted by K. Popper looking increasingly better explanations Advantages and disadvantages of the methods The advantages and disadvantages of qualitative vs. quantitative methods are shown in Table 2 11-13. In general, quantitative methods are very powerful in terms of external validity as a representative sample of the population makes inference to this population from a sample (Figure 1) With a defined security and accuracy. Therefore a limitation of qualitative methods is their difficulty to generalize. The quantitative research to test hypotheses not only eliminates the role of chance to exclude or reject a hypothesis, but to quantify the clinical relevance of a phenomenon by measuring the relative risk reduction, absolute risk reduction and number of patients needed to treat to prevent one event14. The question that obviously do qualitative and quantitative research is how are your general particularize ? Today there is a clear predominance of quantitative research in relation to qualitative and we can objectify it in a Medline search to date 20/4/2002 using the keywords quantitative research vs. qualitative research are 11,236 and 1,249 items respectively generating a ratio 11.236/1.249 = 8.99. The select one or other methodology may rely on different approaches: Are looking for the magnitude or nature of the phenomenon?, Is looking for an average or a dynamic structure?, It aims to discover laws or understand human phenomena?. When in the Medline search on the keywords above mentioned add nursing to focus the question in nursing work objectify the ratio of qualitative vs. quantitative items (610 vs. 535) clearly decreases to 1.14 thus showing a significant weight of qualitative research in nursing despite a predominance of the quantitative and still expanding in recent years in this group. The use of both qualitative and quantitative procedures in an investigation would probably help correct the biases of each method, but the fact that quantitative methodology is the most widely used is not the product of chance but of the evolution of scientific method along the years. We believe in this sense that quantification increases and facilitates the compression of the universe around us and long before the logical positivists or neopositivists Galileo Galilei argued in this sense measure what is measurable and make measurable what is not is . Table 1. Differences between qualitative and quantitative research5.6. Qualitative Research Quantitative Research Focusing on the phenomenology and understanding Based on the probabilistic induction of logical positivism Uncontrolled naturalistic observation Measuring pervasive and controlled Subjective Objective Inferences from their data Inferences beyond the data Exploratory, inductive and descriptive Confirmatory inferential, deductive Process-oriented Result oriented Data rich and deep Data solid and repeatable Not generalizable Generalizable Holistic Particularist Dynamic reality Static reality Table 2. Advantages and disadvantages of quantitative versus qualitative methods. Qualitative Methods Quantitative Methods Propensity to comunicarse withThe study subjects11 Proneness use ofThe study subjects11 It merely ask11 Only responds11 Horizontal communication between researcher and researched greater ease and ability to study social factors in a natural setting12 ÂÂ   They are strong in terms of internal validity, but weak in external validity, which are not generalizable to the population They are weak in terms of internal validity, almost never know if they measure what they want to measure, but are strong in external validity, what they find is generalizable to the population13 Quantitative ask: How particularize are the findings? Qualitative ask: Are your findings generalizable? Figure 1. Elements of statistical inference Quantitative methodology is one that can examine the data in figures, especially in the field of statistics. Quantitative Methods For there is required that elements of the research problem there is a relationship whose nature is linear. This means that there is clarity between the research components that make up the problem, it is possible to define, limit and know exactly where the problem starts, in which direction to go and what kind of impact between its elements. Quantitative research is widely used in the natural sciences and social, from physics and biology to sociology and journalism. In the social sciencesThe term is often used in contrast to qualitative research. Types of quantitative research [edit] Descriptive research [edit] It refers to the preparatory phase of scientific work that allows ordering the result of observations of the behaviors, features, The factors, Procedures and other variables of phenomena and facts. Such research is not hypothesis explained. Analytical investigation [edit] It is a more complex procedure with respect to descriptive research, which mainly consists in making the comparison of variables between study groups and control without applying or manipulating variables, studying them as they naturally occur in the groups. It also refers to the proposition hypothesis that the researcher is test or deny. hg Experimental Research [edit] It is a methodological procedure in which a group of individuals or conglomerate, are randomly divided into study groups and ontrol and are analyzed with respect to one factor or as the researcher introduced to study and assess. INTRODUCTION The research is a process thorough, careful and systematic which seeks to resolve problemsEither vacuum knowledge (scientific research) Or ManagementBut in both cases is organized and guarantees the production of knowledge or viable alternative solutions. In this test Needless to say, our object of study is to establish the differences between the qualitative research and quantitative research., although both are generally part of research science, which is defined as a methodical and systematic process aimed at solving problems or scientific questions, by producing new knowledge, which constitute the solution or answer to these questions. From this it is possible to reflect on the approach that there is clear: If we are trying to scientific research, it is possible to develop two major approaches: qualitative and quantitative, in the former means that the amount is part of the quality, as well as given further attention deep into the results and not its generalization, while in the quantitative approach, the important thing is the generalization or universalization of research results. Therefore, an investigation should not speak or to Paradigm Qualitative, Methodology Qualitative or Qualitative Research, as are the qualitative or quantitative approaches to scientific research, and both can be used in one investigation, interacting methodologies. We believe that differences are not present at the type of problem to be investigated, but in terms of the methods and instruments which each applies and the way they treat the results. We hope that the information gathered here helps to understand the importance of scientific research whatever the paradigm that is used. Finally, the combination of both paradigms help achieve optimal results research in the field of health and particularly in that the Nursing.. The Group 1 .- Qualitative Research The qualitative methodology, as its very name, is aim the description the qualities of a phenomenon. Find a concept that can cover a part of reality. This is not to prove or to measure the degree to which a certain quality is given a certain event, but to discover so many qualities as possible. In qualitative research should discuss in depth understanding rather than accuracy: it seeks a deep understanding as possible. The origins of qualitative methods are found in antiquity but from the nineteenth century with the rise of science social especially the sociology and anthropology This methodology begins to develop gradually. However after the Second War World there was a predominance of quantitative methodology with the dominance of functionalist and structuralist perspectives. It is not until the 60s that cut qualitative research methodology emerged as a front-line, mainly in United States and Britain. From this moment, in the academic and investigative there are a constant evolution theory and practice of qualitative methodology. Among the main features of this methodology include: Qualitative research is inductive. It has a holistic perspective, ie considering the phenomenon as a whole. These small studies scale which only represent themselves It emphasizes the validity of research through proximity to the empirical reality that provides the methodology. Not usually probe theories or hypothesis. It is primarily a method generate theories and hypoththesis. No rules procedure. The collection method data not specified in advance. The variables are not operationally defined or are prone to measurement. The base is in intuition. The research is nature flexible, evolutionary and recursive. Generally does not allow analysis Statistical You can incorporate findings that were not foreseen (Serendipity) Qualitative researchers involved in research through interaction with the subjects they study, is the measuring instrument. Analyze and understand the subjects and phenomena from the perspective of the last two; must delete or remove their prejudices and beliefs 1.1 .- QUALITATIVE FEATURES OF THE METHODOLOGY The characteristics of qualitative methodology that we can point to as a synopsis are A first characteristic of these methods has resulted in their Strategy to try to know the facts, processes, structures and people as a whole, and not through the measurement of some of its elements. The same strategy already indicates the Employment of procedures giving a character only to observations. The second characteristic is the use of procedures that are less comparable observations in the time and in different cultural circumstances, ie, this method finds less widespread and closer to the phenomenology and symbolic interactionism. A third important strategic feature for this work concerns the role of the researcher in their intensive-treatment-with the people involved in the research process to understand. The researcher develops and maintains guidelines and central problems of their work during the research process itself. For this reason, the concepts found in qualitative research in most cases are not operationalized since the beginning of the investigation, ie not defined since the beginning of indicators to be taken into account during the research process. This feature points to another debate epistemological, very hot, on the question of objectivity in the social research. 2 .- RESEARCH QUANTITATIVE Surge in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, in the process consolidation Capitalism and within the Society Western bourgeois. In order to analyze the conflict social and economic fact as Universe complex. Inspired by the Science Natural and these in physical Newtonian from knowledge of Galileo. With Claude Saint-Simon and Auguste Comte arises Sociology as Science. Their rationale is based on scientism and Rationalism, As institutionalists epistemological stance. Profound attachment to the tradition of Science and use of value-neutrality as a criterion of objectivity, so the knowledge is grounded in the facts, with little attention subjectivity of individuals. His representation of reality is partial and fragmented. The expert becomes a authority really. Hurtado and Toro (1998). They say the research Quantitative is a linear, meaning that there is clarity between the elements of the problem, which has definitions, limitations and know exactly where the problem starts, it is also important to know what kind of impact between its elements. 2.1 .- CHARACTERISTICS METHODOLOGY QUANTITATIVE Quantitative methodology is one that allows us to examine the data numerically, especially in the field of Statistics. Quantitative Methods For there is required that elements of the research problem there is a relationship whose Nature is linear. This means that there is clarity between the elements of the research problem that make the problem, it is possible to define, limit and know exactly where the problem starts, in which address going and what kind of impact between its elements. The elements consist of a problem, research Linear, are called: variables, Ratio between variable and unit observation. Edelmira G. La Rosa (1995) says that there should be clarity Quantitative Methodology between elements of research from which starts until it ends, the approach is static data is assigned numerical significance. The approach of the quantitative data are statistical, demonstrates with separate aspects of all, the meaning assigned numbers and make inferences Objectivity is the only way to achieve knowledgeAnd therefore uses the measurement comprehensive and controlled, trying to find the certainty of it. The object of study is the unique element Empiricus. She maintains that the relationship exist independence between subject and object, since the researcher has a perspective from outside. The theory is the fundamental element Social research, Brings its origin, context and purpose. Explanatory and predicative understanding of reality, under an objective conception, unitary static and reductionist. Linear conception of research through a Strategy deductive. It method Hypothetical Deductive. 2.2. QUANTITATIVE RESTRICTIONS The limitations are placed at a number risks distortion, the least of which is certainly not the conversion of the qualitative deformans in quantities previously artificially transmuted calculated on ad hoc data Gonzalez Casanova (1975) mentions that the prospect Quantitative and emphasis are related to many other characteristics of the researcher. Overall we can say that analysis Quantitative is typical especially in the social sciences who work with people, binds to Empiricism and the Ideology the process of Social Sciences. Sorokin researcher has indicated the limitations of quantitative research: Quantitatively disguised subjectivity. Quantitative conjugation groups to study the systems Social. Take one part of system as the independent variable (cause) and all of the quantitative data that can be seen in the research traditional. 3 .- Differences between quantitative and qualitative research The aim of any science is gaining knowledge and choosing the appropriate method that allows us to know the reality is therefore essential1. The problem is to accept as true the wrong knowledge or vice versa. methods inductive and deductive are objectives different and could be summarized as development theory and theory analysis, respectively. The inductive methods are generally associated with qualitative research while the deductive method is often associated with quantitative research. Social scientists in health Doctors, nurses, health technicians, etc.. Using qualitative approaches now facing problems epistemological and methodological approaches are concerned with the can and ethics in data generation as well as external validity of these. Quantitative research is one in which data are collected and analyzed quantitative variables. Qualitative research prevents quantification. Qualitative researchers are records Narrative of the phenomena that are studied by techniques as participant observation and interviews unstructured. The fundamental difference between the methodologies is that the quantitative studies the association or relationship between quantifiable and qualitative variables makes structural and situational contexts. Qualitative research seeks to identify the underlying nature of reality, its system of relationships, structure dynamic, While quantitative research tries to determine the strength association or correlation between variables, generalization and objectivity of the results through a sample to make an inference population which shows all relevant. After the study of the association or correlation seeks, in turn, make causal inferences as to why things happen or not a particular way. The Employment both procedures quantitative and qualitative research could probably help correct the biases of each method, but the fact that quantitative methodology is the most used is not product accident but the evolution of scientific method over the years. We believe in this sense that quantification increases and facilitates the compression of the universe around us and long before the logical positivists or neopositivists Galileo Galilei asserted in this sense measure what is measurable and make measurable what is not. Differences between qualitative and quantitative research Qualitative Research Quantitative Research Centered phenomenology and understanding Based on the induction probabilistic positivism logical Uncontrolled naturalistic observation Measuring pervasive and controlled Subjective Objective Inferences from their data Inferences beyond the data Exploratory, inductive and descriptive Confirmatory inferential, deductive Process-oriented Result oriented Data rich and deep Data solid and repeatable Not generalizable Generalizable Holistic Particularist Dynamic reality Static reality ÂÂ   Advantages and disadvantages of qualitative methods vs. quantity. Qualitative Methods Quantitative Methods Propensity to comunicarse withThe study subjects Proneness use ofThe study subjects It merely ask Only responds Horizontal communication between researcher and researched greater ease and ability to study social factors in a natural setting ÂÂ   They are strong in terms of internal validity, but weak in external validity, which are not generalizable to the population They are weak in terms of internal validity, almost never know if they measure what they want to measure, but are strong in external validity, what they find is generalizable to the population Quantitative ask: How particularize are the findings? Qualitative ask: Are your findings generalizable? One criticism that often make the quantitative approaches from the perspective of qualitative methods is their propensity to use more to communicate with, the study subjects. The argument is that the polls individuals used to extract them information which is then processed without holding without any sort of return to those who gave rise to the data. It is further said that the situation of interview is as artificial-one simply ask the other to respond, it is possible to make very strong questions about the validity of the data thus obtained. In change, Qualitative methods seem to find one of their sources of legitimation primaries that allow communication more horizontal-egalitarian-between the researcher and the subjects investigated. Without denying that some of the qualitative approaches such as depth interviews and life histories enable a more natural subjects, must be considered with more details on the conditions that make such encounters possible. In countries America America, including Cuba, Most studies are done on / socials subjects living under some form of subordination of gender (for women), sexual (in the case of sexual minorities, etc.). In many cases it is precisely this condition of subordination which gives rise to its willingness to collaborate. Authors such as Castro and Bronfman suggest that for more democratic we are, access to groups subordinate is given to us by what our status is. This produces a dilemma that challenges the root of the argument made at the beginning of this section, in the sense that qualitative research itself is claimed from his naturalism of his supposed ability to study the social actors in its natural setting. CONCLUSIONS The research is a rigorous, thorough and systematic which seeks to solve problems, either from lack of knowledge (scientific research) Or ManagementBut in both cases is organized and guarantees the production of knowledge or viable alternative solutions. Research is a methodical and systematic process aimed at solving problems or scientific questions, by producing new knowledge, which constitute the solution or answer to such questions Quantitative research is analyzing the various elements that can be measured and quantified. All information is obtained based on population samples and the results are extrapolated to the entire population at a given level of error and confidence level. Qualitative research reports on the credibility of the communication, or concepts, or the benefits offered. Qualitative studies are seen to individual respondent, on the one hand, and on the other hand look at the product, or under investigation and on which survey and that is the stimulus generator of certain behaviors among individuals. These observations acquire a character probabilistic, and hence projectable to the universe in a second stage of the investigation that it will be quantitative. Quantitative research uses numbers and statistical methods. Part of individual cases to reach a description general or check hypothesis causal. It says a quantitative systematic-generalizing. Qualitative research includes approaches by definition, not based on numerical measures. He uses in-depth interviews and analysis materials historical. Use the method of discourse and attempts to comprehensively examine an event or unit. They say quality-humanist discourse. From this it is possible to reflect on the approach that there is clear: If we are trying to scientific research, two approaches can be developed significant qualitative and quantitative, in the former means that the amount is part of the quality also be given greater attention to the depth of results and not its generalization, while in the quantitative approach, the important thing is the generalization or universalization of research results. Therefore, an investigation should not speak or to Paradigm Qualitative, Qualitative or Qualitative Research Methodology, as are the qualitative or quantitative approaches to scientific research.