Wind Shield Survey Community Assessment of a community in Queens , NY Term Paper - 2

Wind Shield Survey Community Assessment of a community in Queens , NY - Term Paper Example The involvement of consumers of health care is encouraged in the development of community activities that contribute to the promotion of education and maintenance of good health (Rooney, Ryan, Bloniarz & Kane, 2005). In order to achieve these activities, a comprehensive health programs are required that pay a special attention to social and ecological influences and specific population that is at a risk. As a community client, nurses should focus on environmental features such as physical, cultural, psychosocial and political features that ensure good health of the population. As a matter of fact, Rooney et al, (2005) adds that community client is not restricted to provision of health care to a particular age or diagnostic group but the health nurse is practicing their profession to all people without any biases. A healthy community is one that makes wise use of its resources and is prepared to meet the dangers and threats that may arise as a result of factors encountered when dealing with health problems. This has been the mandate and the aim of the community client over a quite a long time to ensure a mutual relationship between the community and the location (Rooney, Ryan, Bloniarz & Kane, 2005). As Glanz et al (2008) put it that in assessing the performance of Wind Shield survey in New York, a close examination of the original survey data on beneficiary is needed. According to our expectations, the general satisfaction with the WindShield survey intervention should be high. However, the evidence was found that the endeavor of the WindShield survey to redress the balance between the rich and the poor communities was fairly satisfactory (Kressel, De Leon, Palij & Rubin, 2008). There was a neglect of the isolated communities possibly due to cost reasons and that the accessibility of the WindShield Survey to beneficiary

Telecommuting Essay Example for Free

Telecommuting Essay Telecommuting or telework allows employees of a company to work from home or any other remote location other than an office. Telecommuting requires employees to be able to access all of the computer applications they have available to them at work in order to perform their jobs adequately. The company should provide Internet access to employees at their homes and make sure they have the appropriate equipment to run and access company provided software. While some experts argue telecommuting is more cost-efficient, may increase productivity and create a better work/life balance, others say the cost of decreased face time co-workers, effect it has on workers left at the office, and its failure to live up to some of its expectations could make it a less attractive option. By implementing telecommuting, a company has the possibility to save significantly. Because of telework, employees will be able to work from remote locations and will not have a need to come into the office. This will eliminate the need for a physical location for most employees, which will result in a large savings per month. Each employee can use their computer at home or be provided one by the company. By implementing telecommuting, it would prevent the need to expand physical locations in the future. Savings would also increase based on the lack of utility bills associated with the physical location, cancelling T1 lines, and landline phones. Each employee can communicate with each other and customers via their company cell phone, which usually is already provided to them or their home landline phone if they wish. The company will then be responsible for their Internet connection in the form of a reimbursement. The figure above outlines the total costs of each arrangement. It is clear that telecommuting has the potential to save a company more money almost immediately after implementation. This is true only if every person in the company telecommutes. As some companies telecommuting policies say, the employee who telecommutes must report to a centralized workplace for a portion of time each week. If this is true, telecommuting is not as cost efficient as it seems. Transportation costs are also drastically reduced for employees. Because they would no longer need to commute to the office everyday, costs associated with a daily commute would be drastically reduced. This would also save money for the company. The federal government offers tax incentives to companies who make efforts to reduce their carbon footprint. By implementing telecommuting, any company would be eligible for the tax incentives the very next year. In a study conducted at the Kentucky American Water Company, performed from 1998-2003, it was concluded that a significant savings could be made per employee (Butler, Aasheim, Williams, 2007). The article points out that for the Kentucky American Water Company, â€Å"savings include reduced expenses for office space and parking, and a reduction in complaints handled by the managers. † In a chart produced in the study, it compares the costs and savings of implementing the telecommuting process in the call center portion of the company. Their conclusion, on average, was telecommuting will save KAWC $1,361 per employee (p. 102). Research has shown that telework is related to higher job satisfaction and a variety of positive employee outcomes,† writes Karen Fonner for the Journal for Applied Communication Research (Fonner Roloff, 2010, p. 340). Telework helps employees manage their personal and work lives more effectively than working in an office setting. By releasing employees from the constraints of a physical office, they are empowered to create their own schedules to accomplish work more effectively. This empowerment enables employees to take ownership of their position and will otivate them to perform to the best of their abilities. With the ability of employees to create their own schedules around the clock, it will benefit companies by allowing the employee to have a flexible schedule to adapt to the demanding schedules of business in the new millennium. Another benefit of telecommuting is less absenteeism at work. If an employee has a doctor’s appointment, they can set their work schedule around the appointment and include it in their schedule around both personal and work appointments. If they were to report to a physical location and be forced to be stationary for a set amount of time in an office, the employee would be inclined to take the entire day off for the doctor’s appointment. With the flexibility of telework, the employee would not be inclined to call off and would still be able to work before and after the appointment. The same is true for employees who require creativity breaks in between sessions of working. The flexibility of telework enables more frequent breaks so that employees can use the time set aside for work to be most efficient. Telecommuting also takes employees out of the stressors of the office. Office politics plays a huge role in stress at work and is a huge distraction for employees. â€Å"By working remotely the majority of the time, teleworkers can avoid or ignore some of the unjust practices within the organization, such as cronyism, self-interested behavior, and pressure against speaking out against those in power,† writes Fonner (Fonner, 2010, p. 361). Without the politicking at work, employees who work from home can use their downtime for more productive personal task that don’t induce more stress on their job. In a survey conducted at the telcom company Ericsson in July of 2006, respondents were asked a series of questions related to telecommuting. Employees who were not currently telecommuting were asked what important factors would persuade them to telecommute in the future (Borjesson Markus, 2006, p. 526). The most rated saving time as the most influential reason to adapt telecommunication with increasing efficiency, reducing stress, and having more independence in their daily life as the top four reasons (Borjesson Markus, 2006). Ironically, reducing traveling costs had the smallest amount of supporters. Employees at Ericsson put more emphasis on empowerment as their main reason to choose telecommuting over monetary reasons. Plus, its an important tool for attracting a younger generation of employees who expect that flexibility and greater sense of control over their lives, says Danette Campbell, senior adviser for telework with the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office in Washington when speaking about telework in the article â€Å"Washington Tapping Into Telework For More Flexibility† (Silver, 2010, p. 0). Adding telecommuting as a workplace option will make any company a more attractive employer. The Kentucky American Water Company study proved telecommuters are more productive workers than their on-site employees (Butler, Aasheim, Williams, 2007, p. 101). The study measured productivity based on four factors, â€Å"amount of work; intensity of work; efficiency of work; and adjustments for additional costs associated with telecommuting (such as expenses for equipment, technology support, training, managerial support, and so forth)† (2007, p. 101). The study found, â€Å"the average productivity of telecommuters in the 13 months immediately after the â€Å"go live† period increased by 154%, while the average productivity of in-office agents fell by 13. 3%. Because overall customer service improved considerably (the percentage of abandoned calls decreased from 12. 2% to 3. 6%)† (p. 102). Understanding that all jobs at the KAWC call center can be performed using telecommunication, parallels can still be drawn from call center work and the type of work performed by most companies. The majority of daily work performed by most employees consists of communicating with clients and co-workers. All communication in most jobs does not rely on an employee being in a centralized workspace. By allowing employees to telecommute, they will be free to meet with customers and clients during any time of the day, thus allowing them to be more productive and available to them. Many clients and customers have problems meeting during a normal â€Å"9-to-5† workday because they are also at work. By implementing telecommuting, employees will be free to meet with them in the evening when they usually wouldn’t be at â€Å"work† if they worked in a centralized location or during business hours if they need to. Telecommuting also requires the use of technology to perform work from remote locations. â€Å"People who use more IT in their work are more productive, and by its very nature telecommuting requires more use of IT,† writes Ralph Westfall in his article â€Å"Does Telecommuting Really Improve Productivity? † (Westfall, 2004, p. 95). By implementing telecommuting at a company, they will be forced to update their technology and train people to use the new technology effectively. In doing this, employees will be forced to become more productive based on their new knowledge and the use of new technology. An argument against telecommuting is the lack of human interaction involved with the â€Å"Employees who worked away from their offices for three or more days a week reported worsening of their relationships with coworkers,† stated Pam Willenz for the American Psychological Association (Willenz, 2007). Employees may seem disenfranchised from their co-workers who report to an office, which has detrimental effects on employee morale to all employees. Telecommuting also could have detrimental effects on promotions for employees. The idea behind â€Å"out of sight, out of mind† plays a large role in the fear that employees who telecommute have less likely of a chance to get promoted from their current position because of their lack of face time with superiors. The lack of office politicking could be a double-edged sword where employees don’t have the chance to mingle with co-workers that could potentially advance their careers. Telecommuting had negative effects on the employees that are â€Å"left behind† in a centralized workplace. In-office employees took less satisfaction in their jobs and felt less of a relationship and obligation to their company as the number of telecommuting coworkers grew,† in a study that David Chartier reported in the article, â€Å"Study: Telecommuting makes work worse for non-telecommuters† (Chartier, 2009). Many of the workers that are left behind perceived that more work was left for them and are forced into other difficulties posed by telecommuting such as, building strong working relationships and finishing group work. Telecommuting is not appropriate for every job. There are still many jobs that cannot be performed through telecommuting. Contemporary Business states, â€Å"the cubicle- filled office will likely never become obsolete† (Boone, p. 22). Many jobs will never be able to completely translate over to a telecommuting environment so many workers will still have to report to a centralized workplace. Many face-to-face customer service jobs cannot be performed via telecommuting and many workers will still have to report to work therefore telecommuting is not an alternative to every job. Since telecommuting is so new, many employers are still experimenting with it and require that the employees who telecommute have to report to the office at least one day a week. Telecommuting is difficult to implement in situations where workers are paid on an hourly basis. The old adage, â€Å"Time worked equals time paid,† does not necessarily translate into the telecommuting environment very well. In hourly positions that can be transferred to telecommuting settings, clocking in and clocking out will be at the discretion of the worker with no oversight available. Employees who are compensated on an hourly basis would have to change their pay scale to a salaried position in order for telecommuting to be fair (Boone, 2010). If that is not the case, truant workers would be enabled by the lack of supervision and can â€Å"run the clock† more easily than if they reported to a centralized workspace (Boone, 2010). Telecommuting also puts company assets and information in an uncontrolled environment where it is difficult to keep track of how and for what they are used. It raises some questions where company information and assets could be compromised in a telecommuting situation. Many employees would easily be put in a situation where they could steal or copy customer information and use it outside of their work (Boone, 2010). Telecommuting is cost effective depending on how it is implemented and can save a company a lot of money only if every employee telecommutes in order to alleviate the need for a centralized workplace. Research supports these benefits of implementing telecommuting saying it will alleviate many stressors on employees by reducing time spent getting ready for work, commuting to an office on a daily basis, and office politics. There are negatives aspects, however, to telecommuting. It cannot be implemented for every job and there will still be a need for a centralized workspace so it may not be as profitable as expected. Telecommuting also puts company property and information inside someone else’s home. Truant workers are enabled to â€Å"run the clock† in a telecommuting setting since there is no oversight on when they are actually working. Telecommuting does have its strengths, but it also has weaknesses. The future will open up doors for telecommuting as technology improves and our culture becomes more technologically savvy. For now, telecommuting in most situations is a hybrid of some workdays reporting to work and others worked from home.

Marketing Plan For Samsung Vacuum Cleaner

Marketing Plan For Samsung Vacuum Cleaner Samsung Group has been recognized as one of the largest Asian companies in the world.  With products that are always innovative and commitment to customers, Samsung is always able to satisfy customer needs. Thus, with this marketing plan, Samsung tried to continue to innovate with new products Vacuum cleaners with a way to add new features and functions in the vacuum cleaner that will satisfy customers. The marketing plan starts with introduction, stating the aim of this business report, which is the promotion strategy for Samsung Vacuum Cleaner. A brief outline of the Samsung is discussed along with some theory definition and explanation. The content on this report will be; Analysis of current situation has been done to avoid competitors over lap Samsung. Understanding of current target market is to help analyse customer wants and needs to grab bigger market share. SWOT analysis is the detail of internal and external which could be used to increase opportunity. Three methods of promotion that Samsung use in order to reach their target market. How corrective action is taken will be describe in the marketing plan, under marketing mix which contain 4P. Measurement the success of the marketing plan, various step, standard, and limits will be determined to monitor the performance, How this marketing plan will increase revenue shown in financial part. There are four methods that Samsung do to control and evaluate products that will be released in the market. ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS Samsung before was a small export business in Taegu, Korea, founded by Lee Byung Chull in 1938 (Samsung 2010). Today Samsung Company has grown up to become one of the worlds leading electronic companies, basically manufacturing electronic devices, such as TVs, Refrigerators, Air Conditioners, Washers, Vacuum Cleaners and etc (Samsung 2010). By innovate and improve top quality of products and services, as followed their mission of making life better for consumers around the world, Samsung has grew their revenue and market share by achieving the No. 1 global market share for their 13 products, including semiconductors, TFT-LCDs, Monitors and CDMA mobile phones (Samsung 2010). Looking forward, to make historic advancement in research and development, as well as producing best-in class LCDs LEDs, mobile phones, digital appliances, Vacuum Cleaners, and more (Samsung 2010). 2.1 Target Market First of all Target market is specific group of people on an organization to satisfy the needs of group members or focuses its marketing efforts (Pride et al. 2006, p. 124). Samsung are targeting at three different social class segments which are lower level, middle level, and upper level. Therefore, Samsung aims at differentiated marketing with different types of designed to satisfy the target market (Schieffer 2005, p. 72). There are three categories of Samsung for target market. First is lower level. The setting of this vacuum cleaner are powerful, lightweight cleaning with flexible control the 360-degree connection swivels which make easier for consumer to maneuver for quick cleaning all around. This lightweight cleaner is best for tackling bare floors and carpets (Mother Earth News June / July 2006). It has powerful with double motor, multi-surface and cleaning capabilities with the switch of button, automatic cord rewind and comes with tools-on-board. Secondly, is middle level in here the vacuum cleaner is more lightweight, ultra quiet, low-noise floor nozzle, so it will make protection for humans ear (Consumer Reports October 2005), which resulting an enjoy clean air and more frequently captures dust and airborne allergens (Consumer Reports March 2006). And finally of course for higher level, it has all the features for lower and middle level vacuum cleaner, and it also has more advantages like micro seal fresh air technology. This improvement makes the consumer enjoy clean air and clean less frequently that captures over 99.97% of dust and airborne allergens and small particles (USA Today Magazine January 2007). The more specific of strategies and product will be discussed in more details in the consequent pages under marketing implementations. 2.2 SWOT Analysis To monitor the internal and external marketing environment and also to set a new and better marketing strategy, a SWOT analysis must be accomplished first and That the overall evaluation of a companys Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats is called SWOT analysis (Kotler Keller 2009, p. 89). Samsung Company must have a clear understanding of their SWOT analysis in order to develop their new products at the same time increase their profit on annual sales. (Source: Business Teacher 2010) Strengths People A company is its people. At Samsung, were dedicated to giving our people a wealth of opportunities to reach their full potential (Samsung 2010). Loyal Customers By having close customer relationship, the Samsung Company have the possibility to always produce and innovate their product to overcome the customer needs and wants. Excellence Products and Services Samsung Company is motivated by an unyielding passion for excellence-and has an unfaltering commitment to develop the best products and services on the market (Samsung 2010). Best Marketing Experience Nowadays In fast-paced global economy, change or revolution is constant as well as for innovation is critical to a companys survival. As Samsung Company has done for 70 years, they set their sights on the future, anticipating market needs and demands so it can steer our company toward long-term success (Samsung 2010). Integrity Operating in an ethical way is the foundation of our business. Everything we do is guided by a moral compass that ensures fairness, respect for all stakeholders and complete transparency (Samsung 2010). Co-prosperity To become successful a business must also create prosperity and opportunity for others. Therefore Samsung Company is committed to presence a socially and environmentally responsible corporate citizen in every community where we operate around the globe (Samsung 2010). Pricing Samsung products are relatively competitive in the market, so it can compete within all type of customers. Technology With an excellent research and development capabilities, they spend a high percentage of revenue on RD. It resulted in global leadership in the television segment, and in improving its position from the third to second player in mobile phones with their innovative products. Weaknesses Product Perception The customers perception of weak product attributes like Durability. Price Perception The customers perception about the worthiness the price of product on each person that difficult to cover. Standard Model Not pro-active coming out with unique and leading model. Huge Investment on RD 2007 (Mill won) 2006 (Mill won) Sales 98,507,817 85,834,604 Research expenses 2,353,844 2,252,848 Ordinary development expenses 3,720,115 3,461, 914 Total RD 6,073, 959 5,714,762 RD/Sales 6.17 % 6.66% (Source: Samsung Annual Report 2007) Opportunities Electronic Market By Increasing on electronic market, Samsung have the opportunity to take it down. Increasing Demand There is strong customer demand for innovative products value-added features. Increase % of Younger Population High % of Younger population, which can be expand a new market now and in the future. (Source: Population Reference Bureau 2009) Threats Increasing Competition In the third quarter 2008, the market share of LCDs TV Samsung Gain 20.2%, which has been decrease by 2.8% compare to the previous year, therefore it shows the increment of the competition (Samsung annual report 2008). Economic Slowdown The economic slowdown makes demand for electronic product weakens. MARKETING OBJECTIVES The marketing objectives are listed for management approval based on the approach in improving the sales growth. Launch of new vacuum cleaner To launch a new vacuum cleaner that can help to maintain healthiness at home. Marketing Strategies for Existing and New Products To outline a series of marketing strategies aimed at improving the sales. Increase Sales Volume To increase sales volume of vacuum cleaner by three promotions method. The first thing company must do to achieve the objective in above, is to know who is their target market. In the process of targeting their target market, the Samsung Company can use some of target strategies that involve market segmentation, market targeting strategy. Firstly, Market segmentation is an activity of research commons on issues such as characteristics market definition, the unit of analysis, type of consumer behavior to be explained, appropriateness of basis variables, and the relation of all of these considerations (Kotler 2002, p. 279; Pride et al. 2006, p. 115). Market targeting, otherwise, refers to the evaluations activity of identifying each market segment based on their attractiveness and to choose one or more segments to enter (Bradley 2002, p. 47). In the other hand market positioning is a formulating to set competitive position of the product and creating for market detail to achieving a certain position in the target consumers minds (Kotler Armstrong 1999, p. 196). Lastly, pricing strategy deals with response of customer, setting profitable, and also think of competitors (Bradley 2002, p. 222). The first strategy in target market selection process is market segmentation. A market segment consists of individuals, groups or organizations with some common characteristics who respond in a similar way to given set of marketing approach (Kotler 2002, p. 279; Pride et al. 2006, p. 115). There are 4 general bases for segmenting consumer markets which are demographic, geographic, psychographic and behavioral variables (Kotler Armstrong 1999, p. 202). Samsung focuses in Demographic and Behavioral variables. Based on Kotler (2002, p.279), they segment market consists of a group of customers who share a similar set of wants. Demographic segmentation defines market into groups according to demographic variables which include age, gender, income, occupation, education, family size, family life cycle, ethnicity, religion and social class (Pride et al. 2006, p. 115) where Samsung focuses on the gender, income, and social class. Under gender, Samsung uses by female especially maid and also housewife. For the income, Samsung is flexible because it offers from lowest price until the highest price so customers can make decisions easier. On the other hand, behavioral segmentation refers to dividing buyers into the group based on consumer knowledge, behaviors, uses or responses to a product (Kotler 2002, p. 245). Samsung segments the market based on price sensitivity where the consumption of products and services for consumers depends upon consumption value which is best reflected upon quality of products and services (Pride et al. 2006, p. 115). However the most important is focus on quality of products. Then for the three promotions method that Samsung will take on to increase their sales volume of new vacuum cleaner will be explain in the following pages. MARKETING RECOMMENDATIONS The target market for Samsung Vacuum Cleaner are the three different social class family segments which are lower, middle and upper level and also citizens who have home priority and aware for healthy lifestyle. Therefore, Samsung has designed differentiated promotion strategies to satisfy their different target markets (Schieffer 2005, p. 72). Promotion is communication to build awareness, message comprehension and interest to influence the people to make positive thinking and accept the product (Hollensen 2005, p. 258). And in here the company also must understand other important factors, such as centralizing on how to learn many different customers and focusing on a proper approach (Taylor Stankovich 2007). In the process of promotion strategy, Samsung can uses three main promotions method with the first one is advertising campaign. It is a description about any paid form of non-personal creative presentations of ideas, goods, or services and it is transmitted to target audiences (Pride et al. 2006, p. 403). Then, the second method is public relations. This is a method that uses communications efforts to make good relationship between the company and their consumer (Pride et al. 2006, p. 414). And finally, the last promotion method is sales promotion which refers to marketing communication activities in the direction of motivating the consumer purchase and develops the retailer effectiveness (Hollensen 2005, p. 266). 4.1 Advertising campaign Advertising campaign is the first promotion technique that can be chosen by Samsung Vacuum Cleaner to promote its products. Advertising is one of the most patent tools to create awareness of a company, product, service or idea by mass media (Kotler 1999). To develop the campaign, there are generally eight steps which can be used as a guideline and it is shown in diagram below. (Source: Pride et al. 2006, p. 404) 1. Identify and analyse target audience 2. Define advertising objective 3. Create advertising platform 4. Determine advertising budget 5. Develop media plan 6. Create advertising message 7. Execute campaign 8. Evaluate advertising effectiveness Figure (1) Promotion Strategy for Samsung Vacuum Cleaner Identify and analyze target audience From the diagram, it shows that the first step of Samsung Vacuum Cleaners advertising campaign is identifying and analyzing the target audience (Pride et al. 2006). This includes the three different characteristics of social family classes in Singapore, which are lower level, middle level, and upper level. Defining the Advertising Objectives Then the steps continue by defining the objectives of Samsungs advertisement, which are increasing the sales, creating awareness and also expanding consumers knowledge about the product. Creating the Advertising Platform The advertising platform of Samsung Vacuum Cleaner consists of important topics for customer in selecting the product provided (Pride et al. 2006). Determining Advertising Appropriation Samsung Vacuum Cleaner manages the advertising budget by applying up to bottom approach. This done by estimating the cost of performing the advertisement and setting the promotions budget according to the estimates (Pride et al. 2006, p. 406). The reason why Samsung choosing this method is because the brand is well known in the public, therefore the management has no doubt in allocating the budget. Developing the Media Plan After determining the budget, the marketer start developing media plan for the ad. In the case of Samsung Vacuum Cleaner, it will choose television, newspaper and magazine. The medium that enables marketer to reach the largest number of people at any one time is television; therefore Samsung will put its advertisement in weekdays morning and evening session which is the prime time in television, and Saturday and Sunday morning which is the family session (Falk 2003, p. 287). Then for magazine, Samsung will more concern in womens and technologies magazine. And for newspaper, Samsung will place its ad in weekly celebrity tabloid which focusing on housewife. Creating the Advertising Message The company must careful when entering this step, because in here, Samsung starts to convince the buyer that it has something valuable to offer (Bayan 2006). To achieve this, Samsung start the ad by a headline Introducing a Vacuum Cleaner of the Future and Built For Efficiency!, these tag-lines not just capable to inform the buyer about a new vacuum cleaner in the market which gives many efficiency benefits to the customer, but it also help increasing future sales (Garfield 2005). Some of Samsung benefits such as lightweight, ultra quiet vacuum cleaner, Samsungs filtration system and other uniqueness will be stated in the advertisement (Maynard 1995). Besides that, there also some pictures of Samsungs products together with a creative design look. This will give sounds that the promo gives a greater savings to the item (Brandweek 2007). Executing the Campaign After setting the entire ad, the marketer will start to coordinate and execute the effective campaign. Evaluating Advertising Effectiveness However, the management also remembers to evaluate the plan to keep an eye on what is happening on the market. The marketer does not want to get critics saying that the ad is not true, and not achieving what you really see is what you should get statement (Janoff 2004). This can be prevented by pre-test and post-test. The pre-test can identify errors that can result in breakdown of ads communication before the implementation. Then the post-test is evaluating the feedback which is the target audiences attitudes towards the ad (Waller 1998, p. 72). 4.2 Public Relations The second methods that will be used for Samsung Vacuum Cleaner is public relations. Public relation is created to make, keep or shared understanding between the company and their customers (Kitchen 1993). Because creating and keeping the relationships with customers is one of the key to make the product become famous. Before a company releases a product, they have to know the customers needs and wants (Pride et al. 2006). They also have to know which component of public relations that is useful for their product. There are reasons why Samsung vacuum cleaner selects this promotional strategy, which are to help the company to have good relationship with the public, then to keep positive image of this company and finally showing to the public about the companys goals and objectives (Lamb et al. 2002). An increase in awareness also can be the effect of the Samsung Vacuum Cleaners public relations campaign (Jeff 2003). According to Kotler and Keller, there are many kinds of public relation tools, which are identity media, public activities, press conference, speeches, events, and publications. For Samsung, the company has chosen two tools, which are press conference and identity media. 4.3 Press Conference The first thing to show the product in the public is press conference. In here, the Samsung Company will call the entire reporters from different mass Medias and give an explanation or describe generally about the efficiency about the product. Hence the reporter will write about it. 4.4 Identity Media The other public relation which is used In Samsung Company is identity media. In here, Samsung uses brochures to create awareness and incentive to buy the vacuum cleaner. In brochures, it will be written about description of the product in general like the specification of the product. Besides that, it also will be written information about healthy environment. The leaflets will be distribute in the crowded park, supermarket, mall, mini-market, road and others place in Malaysia which are possible for the customer to see and get it. 4.5 Sales Promotion The final method that Samsung Vacuum Cleaner uses to promote its product is Sales Promotion. This is the ways to urge the consumer to shop at a particular store or to try specific product (Pride et al. 2007). In Samsung Company, they use coupons system, demonstrations, and consumer sweepstakes. Coupons In order to promote the Samsung vacuum cleaner, the company uses coupon as one of sales promotion method. There are some places that the coupon can be placed. For example: Newspaper about celebritys gossip. Woman magazine, like Women Weekly and Glamour. Samsung Vacuum Cleaners coupon does not have a specific size for different media. The important thing is the coupon is readable. There is a coupon which is distributed by Samsung. The coupon is discount of the product. By entering the promotional code (via internet) or bringing the coupon to the nearest counter, the customer will get a discount or depend on how much money off that is written in the coupon. Demonstrations Another method of sales promotion that Samsung uses is demonstrations. The demonstration will be like some of presentations how to use the vacuum cleaner maximally and effectively to satisfy the user needs and wants. The demonstration will be placed or performed in mall and housing Resident Park. This is because the places usually have many housewife or family that sightseeing in that place. This means that it will be performed where there are possibilities to attract more customers. Consumer Sweepstakes Consumer sweepstakes is the last method that Samsung Vacuum Cleaner uses to attract more consumers. The name of this lucky draw is Say YES to Samsung sweepstake. In here, the customers who buy the new of Samsung Vacuum Cleaner will get a change to enter the sweepstake. The customers will write his or her identity in a form which is provided by every branch of the company. For customers who buy via internet, they also will get opportunity to give their details in the internet. Therefore the consumers can become a contestant of Say YES to Samsung sweepstake. The prize for runner up of this lucky draw is three winners will get each a brand new Samsungs 42-inch LED 3D TV. And for the first winner, the customers will have a change to go to 2 day 3 nights trip to Shanghai, China for two persons. MARKETING IMPLEMENTATIONS We decide to treat all the capitals of developing countries as the same market, as demographically they have many similarities among ladies. We are targeting to housewives to fulfill their needs with our innovated products. 5.1 Product We have proposed new reproduction of Samsung vacuum cleaner. In reproduction, we will add few extra functions and features in our new products. Apart from it, we will change the designs and colors according to the age groups of our main audience: housewives those who are between the ages of 23 to 60. As for the additional, we will make it available to clean the everywhere of home with the gas pipe and steel pipe. For example, in the bathroom, you can see that there are few yellow dirty places on the floor that we cannot take out and refine. Here our product come to solution of the problem, the customers only have to turn on the button, the gas pipe will automatically emit the gas to remove the dust and refine the places easily without needing to use the human effort. After refining with gas pipe, there will be little water because of using gas. The customers do not need to worry to clean it out again, just simply change the steel pipe, and turn on the button again. It will be automatically clean. It can be said that the product is the combination of few household things. In addition, we add the MP3 player in the product in order to give the happiness to our housewives while they are doing domestic chores. As we will add the music player, we will make the product to be in the silent mode while it is working. On the other hand, the size and weight will not be getting big and heavy because of the additional things. Theses all will be as same as the normal vacuum cleaner. Those are the differences between our vacuum cleaner and others. 5.2 Price We will price our range of products competitively as we want our target customers to know that we are there to give them an offering of our best products and services not necessarily expensive. We are sure that the customers will guess that our new product will be expensive because of the additional features. The price is possible to go higher than normal vacuum cleaner but we are trying our best to adjust the prices reasonable to our targeted customers as possible as we can. 5.3 Promotion and Advertising It is necessary to expand our market places and customer services in developing countries. For being able to do so, we will distribute and display our products in shopping malls and in our showroom. Even our product is not difficult to use; we are planning to provide the staff especially for explaining about the product such the usage, effectiveness and weaknesses. Apart from it, we will also provide the season-promotion, special days-promotion to our customers by giving discount, give the present for our existing and new customers, and have the lucky draw occasionally. We have drawn the plan to serve the delivery system which is if a retailer or customer wants to order our product through the internet or telephone or invoice, we are serving delivery system depending on the amount they order. For being able to control the current market and penetrate the new market across geographical area, our company focus on both online marketing and mass media in order to achieve in no time. 5.4 Place As we have mentioned in the above, the position to display the products will be exactly in the zone of shopping mall, famous household market, and our own showroom. We will try our best to reach companys provided services to reach the target audience. BUDGET Budget is a plan that outlines an organizations financial and operational goals. Moreover, budget may be thought of as an action plan; planning a budget helps a business allocate resources, evaluate performance, and formulate plans (Ward 2010). Based on Samsung Annual Report in 2007, Samsung spent a million of money to do research and development. However, the total of sales in 2007 was less than in 2006, it was only 6.17 %. It because the percentage of promotion that Samsung spent is very small compare with the other allocations budget. However, to increase sales volume in 2010, especially for new product in this case new vacuum cleaner, we propose the estimation budget plan for 2010. Financials Here is the breakdown of the budget planning Activity(Description) Budget (in %) Product research and development 8% HR development (recruitment) 2% Production staff training 4% Sales staff training 4% Administration 2% Campaigning 25% Advertising 25% Sales and Promotion cost 15% Market research 15% Total Budget 100% MARKET EVALUATION AND CONTROL 7.1 Sales Research We expect to raise the sales within 6 months after launching the product. In order to know the increase rate of sales, we will measure the amount of net profit we earn cross over the sales of shopping malls, showrooms and online. 7.2 Market Research We will find out the percentage of customers satisfactory on our product through their feedback on market place. According to the result of it, we will do the improvements in customer services and raise the consumer rate. 7.3 Product Research For the product research, we will try to know the acceptance of our products and ranking of popularity in the market. According to the ranking and acceptance, we will manufacture the products for the next launching. 7.4 Promotion Research For the promotion research, we will find out the information from the customer feedback which promotion they like most and the sales become higher during which promotion. Then the company can know which promotion is preferred by customers most. CONCLUSION We will build up the customer reliability on our products in able to achieve the higher profit and expand the market place by keeping the good quality products and convenience customer services. We will reach our goal by analyzing the customers behaviors, market place, and having business performance.

Justice :: essays research papers

Justice Should the strong be required to support the weak? How does society "distribute" wealth among its members? These are the questions. There are three basic sides to this issue. The permissive system entitles individuals to a subsistence income supply for existing as a human. The puritan system requires that people at least be willing to contribute to society in order to receive a subsistence income. Finally, the Individual view holds the property rights of the individual to be sacred: no one may forcibly deprive him of his goods. I will argue for the last alternative. Individualism is an extension of Locke's idea of property rights. An Individualist believes each person owns his own life, the fruits of his labor, and his property. No one may deprive him of these property rights. He is free to act as long as his actions do not interfere with the property rights of others. At this point it is important to define what money is. Money is an exchange of value. Money has value because it represent labor, or value, one has created but not yet used. Money in my pocket is what I have created but not yet consumed. Money is not a natural resource; it does not grow on trees. Men can make money by their physical or mental labor. Do I not, then, have full claim to my earnings? If A discovers a cure for AIDS; it surely was not solely a product of A. Society's framework made the discovery possible: A had to build on previous knowledge; she had to use a laboratory she probably did not own. All of these factors make society a partner in the discovery. Therefore, she does not have the right to all of the benefits of her discovery; she must give up some of her benefits to society at large. It is true that A did not personally create every piece of equipment she used to make the discovery; however, the point missed by in this situation is that property is held by individuals, and A had to exchange value in the form of money to buy or rent the equipment she used. The owners have already been paid for the use of their equipment. Business agreements occur between individuals; there is no entity, "society," that handed her a gift. If A were to have to pay more to "society," then she would, in effect, be paying twice. If a permissivist responds with "but she will get rich selling the cure for a high price while thousands are dying," there are basically two responses.

Prison Rape Victims

Meeting the Needs of Prison Rape Victims A Technical Assistance Guide for Sexual Assault Counselors and Advocates PENNSYLVANIA COALITION AGAINST RAPE The mission of PCAR is to work to eliminate all forms of sexual violence and to advocate for the rights and needs of victims of sexual violence. At PCAR's core is the statewide network of sexual violence centers that work in concert with PCAR to administer quality services to survivors and their significant others.PCAR centers provide 24-hour services, seven days a week, including free and confidential crisis intervention; individual and support group counseling; hospital, court, and police accompaniment; prevention education within schools and the community; and information and referrals. In addition to providing technical assistance in a variety of areas, the role of PCAR is to oversee the sexual violence centers' contracts; monitor relevant legislation and public policy issues; provide library resources and educational trainings; and create public awareness/prevention campaigns for statewide implementation.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS PCAR wishes to thank Rachel Shupp, BSW, Shippensburg University, class of 2006, for her work on this guide. As part of her senior-year internship at PCAR, Rachel researched the issue of prison rape extensively, visiting various prisons throughout Pennsylvania and responding to letters from victims of prison rape. These experiences and Rachel's compassion for victims helped inform this publication.Copyright  © 2006 The content of this publication may be reprinted with the following acknowledgement: This material was reprinted from the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape's publication entitled, Meeting the Needs of Prison Rape Victims: A Technical Assistance Guide for Sexual Assault Counselors and Advocates. This guide is available on our website: pcar. org Meeting the Needs of Prison Rape Victims A Technical Assistance Guide for Sexual Assault Counselors and Advocates TABLE OF CONTENTSIntrod uction The Prison Rape Elimination Act Inmates as Victims Ethical Dilemmas: Working with a Victim who is also an Offender Prison Entry: The Basics Collaborating with Correction Staff Inmate Support Groups State Level Responses in Pennsylvania Conclusion 2 3 3 5 8 10 14 18 19 INTRODUCTION P rison rape has gone largely unaddressed by social service programs; correctional institutions; and until recently, lawmakers in this country. When prison rape is mentioned in the media or general public, it is often in the form of a joke or jest. Nothing about rape is funny, regardless of where or to whom it occurs.Victims of prison rape are at high risk of becoming victims again, largely because they may be too fearful to reach out for help or when they do, they find services specific to their needs are unavailable. They often fear experiencing further trauma and shame if they come forward. If they do choose to tell someone, their cries are sometimes ignored or disregarded. When victims of prison rape are released-as the majority of inmates areand rejoin our communities, they often suffer a complex interplay of biopsychosocial effects from their victimization. There is a severe lack of research surrounding the frequency of prison rape.It was approximated that inside correctional facilities in the midwestern region of the country, one in five males experience a pressured or forced sexual incident, and approximately one in 10 males report completed rape (Stop Prisoner Rape, 2006). According to the same study, rates of female sexual assault in prisons in that same region are estimated to range from six percent to 27 percent. Due to underreporting, it is likely that these figures do not capture the full scope of sexual assault in correctional facilities. The incidence of prison rape also varies between institutions, thus increasing he difficulty of acquiring accurate and nationally representative statistical figures. The collection of accurate prison rape data is impeded by lim ited definitions of â€Å"sexual assault† and flawed reporting and response protocol in operation within many correctional institutions throughout our nation. 2 THE PRISON RAPE ELIMINATION ACT (PREA) The problem of prison rape, its underreporting, and lack of appropriate responses to victims were catalysts for the passage of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA). Passed in 2003, PREA specifically addresses the issue of rape in correctional institutions and facilities throughout the nation.The main goal of the law is to support the reduction, elimination, and prevention of rape within correctional facilities at the federal, state, and local levels. PREA also mandates national data collection efforts, provides funding for program development and research, and endorses a national commission to develop standards and accountability measures. Anti-sexual violence coalitions, local rape crisis centers, and correctional institutions are currently collaborating across the country in response to PREA and the needs of prison rape victims.For more information on such collaborations, see RESHAPE, a Newsletter on the Prison Rape Elimination Act, Issue #18, the National Sexual Assault Coalition Resource Sharing Project, available at http://www. resourcesharingproject. org/ newsletters. html. The main goal of PREA is to support the reduction, elimination, and prevention of rape within correctional facilities at the federal, state, and local levels. INMATES AS VICTIMS Many people carry strongly-held beliefs about prisoners that are not easy to sway.Some see the inmate population as undeserving of services and that prison rape is a form of poetic justice, or part of the punishment for their delinquent behavior. Prison rape seems to be an accepted norm and almost expected in the prison environment and therefore difficult to address and prevent. Many people blame rape victims for their victimization. Public blame is often magnified when the victim happens to be incarcerat ed. It is difficult for many people to empathize with â€Å"criminals† and to see them as â€Å"victims. † 3 Try to imagine you are living within the walls of a prison.You can almost touch both walls of your cell when you open your arms as wide as they can go. When you close your eyes, you can still see the graffiti that adorns your walls-desperate pleas of the inmates that came before you. The bars on the window allow only a sliver of sunlight into your cell. You have little or no contact with anyone on the outside and no one you can trust on the inside. You committed a nonviolent crime that you deeply regret. You live in fear everyday of being beaten or raped. The trauma of a rape can be especially devastating to someone who already feels isolated and without power or choices.Because of the social stigma and shame attached to the issue, it is difficult to tell even a close friend or family member that you have been a victim of rape. Imagine having to tell your story to a perfect stranger who is likely unprepared for or unsympathetic about such a disclosure. If correctional officers and staff are unresponsive, the victim's mental health status can quickly deteriorate. This can lead to long-term problems that manifest themselves upon this person's release. Rape not only poses a threat to the mental wellbeing of an individual, but also to the physical health of that person.For example, HIV and AIDS are a serious threat to the prison population with higher rates of infection than in the general population (Mariner, 2001). 4 ETHICAL DILEMMAS: WORKING WITH A VICTIM WHO IS ALSO AN OFFENDER Advocates bring many skills to their work with victims-professionalism, compassion, empathy, and resourcefulness are just a sampling. Advocates also bring their personal experiences, values, morals, and beliefs to the work, which can strengthen and sometimes hinder services depending on the situation. On one hand, rape crisis advocates and counselors may feel ethica lly obligated to erve victims of prison rape as well as other traditionally underserved victims such as people of color; males; children; elderly; people with disabilities; people living in poverty; immigrants, refugees, and victims of sex trafficking; lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered individuals; and others. On the other hand, rape crisis advocates and counselors may struggle with the idea of helping someone who has potentially hurt another person or has even sexually abused or assaulted someone. It can be a wonderful experience to expand horizons and travel beyond one's comfort zone.At the same time, it can also be upsetting to enter into unfamiliar territory or work. Think about what is possible. Prepare. Listen to one's inner voice and instincts and acknowledge ethical obligations and limitations. Basic Human Rights All humans are entitled to rights, including incarcerated individuals. One basic right that many victims of prison rape do not enjoy is that of safety-wheth er physical, mental, or spiritual. The rape crisis movement has been dedicated to exposing different types of sexual assault, empowering victims to speak out, and providing services to victims in need.As we know well, anyone can be a rape victim. There is no room for discrimination in our quest to help survivors of rape. All victims who reach out should be provided with help for past or present sexual assault. Ethical Decision-Making The offender-victim dichotomy is complex. There is no single answer on how to overcome this ethical dilemma but rather, a process of selfreflection that may produce several options. Before meeting with a victim of prison rape, advocates and counselors should reflect on their personal values, morals, beliefs and biases as well as the mission and policies of their parent agency/organization.Supervision may provide a safe and supportive environment in which this self-reflection and 5 analysis can occur. Discussing the ethical challenges with a trusted coll eague can also be helpful. It is important to explore one's preconceived notions and ideas about the prison population and their sources. Advocates may find the following resource helpful in their ethical decision-making process: Ethics in Victim Services, by Melissa Hook (available from the Sidran Institute, sidran. org). Below are some questions that might help guide advocates in the process of ethical decision-making: 1.What are the needs of victims of prison rape? 2. What are their resources? 3. What is known or believed about the prison population? 4. What is unknown? 5. What is behind one's knowledge or feelings about the prison population? 6. What fears and hopes are at play? 7. What past experiences inform present-day feelings, beliefs, fears, and motivations? 8. What are ways to overcome personal and professional barriers in working with the prison population? 9. What opportunities exist to develop and strengthen knowledge, skills, and awareness? 10. What are the ethical pr inciples at play? 1. Which ethical principles are in conflict? 12. Which ethical principle should take priority and why? 13. Are there certain individuals with whom an advocate cannot and should not work because it would be unethical (due to the negative impact the advocate's personal biases, beliefs, and limitations would have on such individuals)? 14. If an advocate cannot meet the needs of a victim due to the above, who else in the agency/organization can assist the victim? 15. What is the agency/organization's mission? 16. What is the role of the advocate or counselor within that mission? 6 17.How do the needs of the prison population fit into that mission? 18. How can the agency/organization meet the needs of the prison population? Working with a Victim who is also a Sexual Assault Offender The ethical discussion gets more complicated when the victim is not only an offender, but also a sexual offender. It may be easier for advocates to work with victims who are incarcerated for nonviolent crime or crimes not of a sexual nature. It may be more difficult to work with a victim who has sexually assaulted or raped someone. In these cases, it is important to remember the parameters of the advocate's role.In a direct service capacity, the focus of advocacy is on victimization, not on perpetration. The rape crisis advocate's role in the counseling capacity, is to help victims process their trauma and heal from victimization, not to address offender issues. It is critical that advocates clarify their role and purpose with the client from the beginning. If offender issues arise, which they may, advocates should be prepared to refocus attention back to the victim experience. It may be necessary to refer the client to another service provider for offender treatment. Keep referral information handy for this purpose.As always, advocates should consult with their supervisors and agency policies as to whether providing services to victims who are also sexual offenders is even possible. Funding Considerations Advocates may question whether they are able to provide services under provisions of the agency or source that funds their practice. For example, advocates can not use Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding to â€Å"offer rehabilitation services to offenders or to support services to incarcerated individuals, even when the service pertains to the victimization of that individual† (US Department of Justice, p. 4, 1999). Agencies may find that they can use alternative funding streams to provide services to the prison population, such as Department of Public Welfare and other monies. Consulting with supervisors and agency policies and mission statements will help advocates determine whether limitations exist for the provision of services to the prison population. 7 PRISON ENTRY: THE BASICS Entering an unfamiliar territory can be intimidating, especially when it is surrounded by barbed wire and locked gates. The prison environment is very diffe rent from other settings where services are provided to victims.Providing services in prisons requires special consideration and planning. It may be difficult to navigate a prison without prior knowledge or experience. Each correctional institution has a complex set of rules and regulations, but there are some basic things to keep in mind when planning services. A Handbook for the Families and Friends of Pennsylvania Department of Corrections Prison Inmates (available at cor. state. pa. us) provides valuable information to people who are entering the prison environment for the first time (Hardesty & Sturges, 2005).This handbook is not a blanket policy for all correctional institutions, so it is best to consult individual facilities before attempting to visit. Visits: Correctional facilities have specific protocols that visitors must follow. To visit or call an inmate, sexual assault advocates and counselors must be on that inmate's approved visitors and phone lists. If an inmate req uests services by letter, advocates and counselors should ask to be placed on these said lists (and notified when this has happened).Remember to request specific information about visiting hours and days, when the inmate is available for contact by telephone, and what kind of assistance he or she would like. For example, does this person need or want information and pamphlets? Does this person want counseling or referrals? When advocates and counselors have been approved to call or visit, they can establish a meeting time. Dress: Each prison has a specific dress code that prohibits certain items of clothing. Short shirts, shorts, halter-tops, and a variety of other articles are deemed inappropriate or prohibited by facilities.Use judgment when determining wardrobe, but consider dressing somewhat conservatively. As visitors pass through a metal detector before entering the prison, it is best to avoid wearing a lot of metal, such as belt buckles 8 and buttons on a coat. This may delay access to the facility. Also, many facilities are quite large and a lot of walking is often required, so you may wish to wear comfortable shoes that are easy to remove if they need to be inspected. Belongings: There are several items that are considered contraband in Pennsylvania prisons, even though some may seem harmless.To avoid complications and delays, take as little into the prison as possible. Weapons are prohibited in the prison and on the property, including the parking lots. Weapons may be defined as anything from the obvious such as guns, pocketknives, and cans of mace, to items that seem less threatening, such as nail files, clippers, scissors, and notebooks with metal spiral binding. Some commonly banned items include wallets, handbags, cell phones, electronic devices, weapons (or anything that can be used as a weapon), food, and medications.For a full list of banned items, contact the prison directly. Your vehicle may be subject to searches as well. A driver's license is required. If available, bring agency or organization identification. Safety Considerations: Some advocates may question their safety when working in the prison environment. While it is critical that advocates trust their gut instincts, especially if they sense danger, it is also important to challenge stereotypes that all inmates are violent or â€Å"bad people. † There are many nonviolent offenders currently behind bars.Nonviolent offenders are more likely to become the victims of sexual crimes inside of prison walls than those who have been convicted for more serious crimes (Mariner, 2001). Self-awareness: Before entering a prison it is a good idea to mentally prepare. During the time it takes to travel to the prison, or sometime before, advocates and counselors may want to think about the steps they need to take while at the prison-everything from entering and walking through the prison, how they might feel as they pass inmates, finding the meeting room, meeting with c lients, and exiting the prison.It is strongly suggested that advocates and counselors request to tour the prison, including where they will be meeting with clients, prior to their first session with victims. 9 COLLABORATING WITH CORRECTIONAL STAFF Advocates and counselors who work with victims of prison rape will inevitably have contact with staff at correctional facilities. At a minimum, advocates will rely on the staff for safety and assistance while providing services within the prison environment. At the other end of the spectrum, advocates may find it helpful to collaborate with prison staff in the development and provision of services to victims of prison rape.Whatever degree of collaboration, it is important to be aware of the distinct roles advocates and corrections personnel fulfill and to discuss those differences with each other from the beginning. It is very important to establish strong working relationships with corrections staff. They are a valuable resource in the ad vocate's network and are familiar with the ins and outs of working within a prison system. In cases of uncertainty, staff is often a knowledge source. They may have advice and tips for those who come in from other agencies to work with the prison population.Counselors, psychological staff, and chaplains are especially helpful because they are in tune with the emotional and supportive needs of the inmates and can provide insight into how victims of sexual assault, past or present, may benefit from different types of programs and services. They may also have ideas about what works and what does not work in a correctional setting. Overall, establishing cooperation and mutual respect with corrections personnel from the beginning of the collaboration will greatly enhance advocates’ work with victims.It is very important to establish strong working relationships with corrections staff. They are a valuable resource in the advocate's network and are familiar with the ins and outs of working within a prison system. 10 Training as a First Step towards Collaboration Collaboration may not be possible without adequate training of both corrections staff and rape crisis advocates on the problem of prison rape; the unique needs of its victims; and the differing cultures, goals, and missions of corrections and the anti-sexual violence movement.Corrections staff and administrators may not be aware of the seriousness of rape in correctional settings. They may lack the skills and knowledge to respond to a sexual assault emergency. Furthermore, they may be ill equipped to address â€Å"non-emergency† situations such as rape, sexual abuse, or incest that may have occurred prior to an inmate's incarceration. Advocates and counselors may also have room to grow and skills to develop in meeting the needs of victims of prison rape. When opportunities arise, engage in cross-training with prison staff.These exchanges may help rape crisis advocates teach prison staff about se xual violence, the needs of victims, and the goals and mission of rape crisis services. In turn, cross-training will also help rape crisis advocates integrate their services within the prison environment in an effective and informed way. Understanding the Differing Roles of Prison Staff and Rape Crisis Advocates The correctional facility's staff is primarily concerned with the security of the facility. They are interested in maintaining order and keeping everyone safe.Advocates' primary concern is to meet the needs of victims of prison rape and protect their right to confidentiality. Although the correctional personnel may know the role of the advocate, they must still uphold the rules of the facility to keep order. For example, if advocates are running a group and are using supplies, such as scissors or spiral bound notebooks, they may have a problem. Despite the importance to the work, those items may be prohibited and therefore cannot be brought into the facility. It is not uncom mon to feel frustrated in having to alter or completely change entire plans when working with inmates. 1 Understanding Confidentiality in the Prison Environment Confidentiality and client-counselor privilege may create a challenge in collaborating with corrections staff. By statute, the communications between sexual assault advocates/counselors and clients are privileged, or confidential. However, prison personnel may not be able to live by this ethic if the threat of danger to staff or inmates exists. For example, corrections officers must share most of the information they receive in order to maintain safety in the institution both for themselves and inmates.Confidentiality is a cornerstone of the anti-sexual violence movement. It is important that advocates collaborate with corrections staff while maintaining client confidentiality. For technical assistance on this matter, contact PCAR at 1-800-692-7445 or visit pcar. org. Finding Common Ground It is important to point out the di fferences between correctional staff goals and rape crisis advocate goals. Acknowledging differences is important, but alone it is not an effective way to foster the growth of a professional relationship. It is equally important to identify similarities and common goals.Both corrections personnel and rape crisis advocates try to protect inmates from harm, by their own hand or others. Rape crisis advocates protect mental health and wellness and corrections employees protect physical status and safety of inmates. This common ground leaves room for collaboration and cooperation. With psychological staff, parole officers, and the prison chaplain, a common goal is rehabilitation. All involved are focused on improving the inmate's situation and condition-whether through education, counseling, skill development, or other interventions-so he or she can be a productive and functional member of society upon release.With help, positive changes can occur and the client will become empowered. Em powerment is a goal that both corrections staff and rape crisis seek to realize, just by different means. 12 Developing Positive Working Relationships Rape crisis advocates and prison personnel may not always see eye to eye, but the following tips may help develop positive working relationships: 1. Always show respect for each other. If a person feels respected, he or she will usually reciprocate that respect. 2. Demonstrate tolerance, understanding, and empathy at all times.Try to see the situation from another perspective. 3. Keep communication lines open. Talk about potential problems before they arise. Be a focused listener, ask questions, and try to inform the staff about the role and purpose of advocacy. A person who understands what is happening is usually less resistant and uncooperative. 4. Look for ways to connect with corrections staff before you enter the prison. Serve on task forces and boards together. 5. Attend trainings on serving victims of prison rape and ways to c ollaborate with prison personnel. Engage in cross-trainings with corrections staff. . Remember the distinct roles of corrections staff and rape crisis advocates. Acknowledge when these differing roles are at play and find ways to compromise or respectfully agree to disagree. 7. Seek common ground whenever possible in collaborations. Keep the big picture in mind: the needs of victims of prison rape and the ways that corrections staff and rape crisis advocates are united. A strong working relationship with prison personnel will not only help enhance advocates' experiences and comfort levels inside the prison walls; it will also positively impact victims.By maintaining positive relationships, advocates will have greater access to victims and prison staff may be more likely to appropriately respond to victims. A strong working relationship with prison personnel will not only help enhance advocates' experiences and comfort levels inside the prison walls; it will also positively impact vi ctims. 13 INMATE SUPPORT GROUPS Like community-based support groups, facilitating support groups inside of a prison may be challenging, especially if the group is lacking in participation, both in terms of numbers and members' willingness to share.Advocates might face challenges unique to the prison population when planning and facilitating support groups. For example, in prison populations, the importance of confidentiality may be even more salient, given the high risk that may exist for victims who are unfortunately trapped under the same roof as their offenders. Victims of prison rape may be even more reluctant to come to a group with â€Å"sexual assault† or â€Å"victim† in the name, as being identified with such a group may make victims seem even more vulnerable to existing and potential perpetrators within the prison.Trust may be even more difficult to establish among group members, given the dangers of the environment and the need to look out for oneself. Below are some strategies that may help attract and retain victims of prison rape as well as enhance their experiences with the group. Pick an innocuous name. It may be difficult to attract members to a group with the words â€Å"rape,† â€Å"sexual assault,† or â€Å"victims† in the title. Unfortunately, social stigma surrounding rape and victimization is still potent enough to prevent victims from attending such a group.Being identified as a â€Å"victim† in the prison environment could be dangerous. Choose names that relate to health and wellness, safety, or prevention as opposed to ones that boldly announce they pertain to sexual assault. This may help recruit group members while still leaving room to address the purpose of the group: to address rape and sexual assault issues. Collaborate with prison staff to ensure inmates' access, protection, and privacy. Prison staff members can be pivotal in getting a support group off the ground.They can make the grou ps accessible to inmates by enabling inmates to attend such groups. Furthermore, prison staff members can protect group members' safety and privacy among the larger prison population by keeping their participation in such groups confidential. 14 Combine your resources with allies. When developing a new group, it can be helpful to build upon existing relationships and partnerships with allied professionals. Combining resources with others may help advocates reach a wider audience in a more holistic way, focusing on more than one topic or issue.Collaboration allows allied professionals to address the complex relationships between sexual violence and other social struggles, such as substance abuse, domestic violence, poverty, and other issues. Often, substance abuse and dependency is a form of self-medication or a way to cope with past sexual abuse. Even if the sessions do not directly deal with sexual assault issues, the topics still have potential to bring rape issues into the spotli ght if they are in a related area. Collaborating with allied professionals may help advocates get their programs into prisons.Partnering with other professionals also enables advocates to address multiple issues in the group setting, thereby meeting the needs of individual victims holistically. Screen participants. Advocates should screen each potential group member before he or she enters the group. Screening helps to ensure group membership includes voluntary victims who are ready to address their experiences in a group setting. The following questions may help advocates screen potential group members: 1. What experiences bring you to the group? 2.What do you hope to gain from this group? 3. What do you hope to offer other group members? 4. Would you have any concerns/difficulties in engaging in discussions about sexual violence victimization? 5. Are you prepared to protect confidentiality and the privacy of other group members? Determine if the group will be closed or open. A clo sed group is one in which new members are not allowed to join from week to week, or after the group has been officially established. An open group is one in which members are allowed to join and drop off from week to week.There are benefits and drawbacks associated with each group composition. A closed group may help establish and maintain a stronger sense of trust and group cohesion among members. In a closed group, the curriculum or content of each session can build upon the previous week in a linear way. An open group may reach more victims, 15 as it is available to new members from week to week. Whichever format, advocates should learn about group dynamics and be prepared to address the challenges and build upon strengths of any group.Obtain ongoing training in group facilitation and dynamics. Even the most seasoned advocates can benefit from ongoing group work training. Knowledge is continuously evolving, as are the needs of victims. Advocates new to the field of prison rape ma y benefit from trainings specific to the inmate population. Involve group in establishing ground rules and goals of group. Retaining membership in groups can be difficult, but there are a few things that can be done to increase retention. Involve group members in establishing the ground rules.This generates individual members' investment in the group and its progress. Such ground rules should cover basics such as punctuality, confidentiality, communication during group (one person speaks at a time), the need for breaks or individual support, showing respect for others, and expectations for behavior. Remember, the group can continue to add ground rules to the list as the group unfolds and as the need arises. Structure and rules can help create a safe and inviting atmosphere. Develop and safeguard trust. Allow appropriate time for group members to get to know each other.Inmates may be distrusting of other inmates and especially of staff and other outside authority figures. Give them t he opportunity to warm up before starting intensive work. Keep groups relatively small so that members can build a sense of rapport with facilitator(s) and other participants. Empower group members as active leaders. Listen to group members. Seek their input. People are more likely to keep attending a group if they are involved in decision making. Plan a topic or discussion, but be flexible and go with the flow.Allow group members to lead the discussion rather than pushing a preconceived agenda. Gently guide the group back onto topic if necessary. 16 Lighten up! Balance challenging individual and group processes with fun activities when appropriate and possible. There are plenty of engaging activities that foster personal growth and strengthen bonds between members. Interspersing lighter content between heavier sessions can help the group's cohesion and collective mental health. If the group is not enjoyable from time to time, advocates may lose group members.These ideas are applica ble to working with any group. While it is important to identify and meet the unique needs of the prison population, victims of prison rape deserve and can benefit from many of the same approaches and efforts advocates use with non-incarcerated victims. Victims of prison rape may be even more reluctant to come to a group with â€Å"sexual assault† or â€Å"victim† in the name, as being identified with such a group may make victims seem even more vulnerable to existing and potential perpetrators within the prison. 17 STATE-LEVEL RESPONSES IN PENNSYLVANIASince January 2005, the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape (PCAR) has been working with the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, the Pennsylvania Office of the Victim Advocate, and law enforcement officers to develop prison rape prevention curricula for inmates and corrections staff. It is their goal to increase awareness about sexual crimes that occur during terms of imprisonment, to encourage reporting of and respo nses to sexual assault and rape, and to support prison personnel and rape crisis advocates in meeting the needs of victims.This state-level collaboration has resulted in two sexual assault training curricula-one for inmates and one for prison staff. The inmate curriculum is now provided in all state facilities to inmates at orientation and at annual reviews with counselors. All state corrections staff members now complete a sexual assault training program-which includes an overview of sexual assault, prevention, reporting policies and protocol, the needs of victims, and services in Pennsylvania-by computer as part of their job requirements.The hope is that these two curricula will improve responses and services to victims of prison rape as well as prevent sexual violence from occurring within the prison environment. Additionally, statewide training and technical assistance will be available to both corrections staff and rape crisis advocates as a means to supporting their work with victims of prison rape at the local level. For more information, contact PCAR at 1800-692-7445 or visit pcar. org for more information. 18 CONCLUSION The Prison Rape Elimination Act marks an important shift in our society.Its passage helps place the needs of victims of prison rape on the radar of social service agencies and correctional institutions throughout the country. Victims of prison rape have gone largely unnoticed and worse, ignored for too long. Working with any â€Å"new† group or population can present challenges. Advocacy within the prison setting may pose unique barriers and rewards. While it is important to identify and address potential limitations and concerns, it is equally important to acknowledge and build upon strengths and resources in meeting the needs of victims of rison rape. Collaboration-with corrections staff, community allies, and others-is integral to this work and reaching victims. Victims of prison rape depend on rape crisis centers for support . It is likely that they will not receive help from any other source. RESOURCES ON PRISON RAPE Human Rights Watch (212) 290-4700; hrw. org National Sexual Assault Coalition Resource Sharing Project Newsletter on the Prison Rape Elimination Act, Issue #18, Spring 2006 (319) 339-0899; http://www. resourcesharingproject. org/newsletters. tml National Sexual Violence Resource Center 877-739-3895; nsvrc. org Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape 1-800-692-7445; pcar. org Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (717) 975-4859; cor. state. pa. us Pennsylvania Office of the Victim Advocate 800. 563. 6399; http://www. pbpp. state. pa. us/ova/site/default. asp The Pennsylvania Prison Society 800-227-2307; prisonsociety. org Stop Prisoner Rape (213) 384-1400; spr. org 19 REFERENCES Hardesty, K. , & Sturges, J. (2005). A handbook for the families and friends of Pennsylvania department of corrections prison inmates.Retrieved February 21, 2006 from www. cor. state. pa. us/portal/lib/bis/Handbook_for _Families_and_Friends. pdf Mariner, J. (2001). No escape: Male rape in U. S. prisons. Retrieved March 1, 2006 from www. spr. org Stop Prisoner Rape. (200). The basics on rape behind bars. Retrieved February 22, 2006 from www. spr. org. US Department of Justice. (1999). Subgrantees’ training guide: Victims of Crime Act assistance grant program (NCJ 175717). Washington, DC: US Department of Justice. 20 This guide was funded in part by a National Institute of Corrections grant.

how it affect the people around you when speaking in our own language Essays

how it affect the people around you when speaking in our own language Essays how it affect the people around you when speaking in our own language Essay how it affect the people around you when speaking in our own language Essay how it affect the people around you when speaking in our own language BY kauri5 Humans communicate with one another using a dazzling array of languages, each differing from the next in innumerable ways. Do the languages we speak shape the way we see the world, the way we think, and the way we live our lives? Do people who speak different languages think differently simply because they speak different languages? Does learning new languages change the way you think? Do polyglots think differently when speaking different languages? These questions touch on nearly all of the major controversies in the study of mind. They have engaged scores of philosophers, anthropologists, linguists, and psychologists, and they have important implications for politics, law, and religion. Yet despite nearly constant attention and debate, very little empirical work was done on these questions until recently. For a long time, the idea that language might shape thought was considered at best untestable and more often simply wrong. Research in my labs at Stanford University and at MIT has helped reopen this question. We have collected data around the world: from China, Greece, Chile, Indonesia, Russia, and Aboriginal Australia. What we have learned is that people who speak different languages do indeed think differently and that even flukes of grammar can profoundly affect how we see the world. Language is a uniquely human gift, central to our experience of being human. Appreciating its role in constructing our mental ives brings us one step closer to understanding the very nature of humanity. I often start my undergraduate lectures by asking students the following question: which cognitive faculty would you most hate to lose? Most of them pick the sense of sight; a few pick hearing. Once in a while, a wisecracking student might pick her sense of humor or her fashion sense. Almost never do any of them spontaneously say that the faculty theyd most hate to lose is language. Yet if you lose (or are born ithout) your sight or hearing, you can still have a wonderfully rich social existence. You can have friends, you can get an education, you can hold a Job, you can start a family. But what would your life be like if you had never learned a language? Could you still have friends, get an education, hold a Job, start a family? Language is so fundamental to our experience, so deeply a part of being human, that its hard to imagine life without it. But are languages merely tools for expressing our thoughts, or do they actually shape our thoughts?