The Rogerian approach to therapy has severe limitations

The Rogerian approach to therapy has severe limitations Carl Rogers (1902-1987) was a major force for psychology in the twentieth century. His theory on client centred therapy is still used today in mainstream counselling though now it is more widely known as person centred. To whether client centred therapy is supportive rather than reconstructive, Rogers work focused on phenomenology and his three core conditions to a working relationship; Unconditional Positive Regard, Empathy and Congruence. I will explore which aspects are supportive and which are reconstructive and whether there are any limitations to this approach. Rogers believed that everyone has the ability to change for the better and they hold all the answers within them even if they do not know it yet. His theory was based around three core conditions that the therapist should abide by in order to help the client feel at ease, feel confident in themselves and develop their own answers. These core conditions are Empathy, Congruence and Unconditional Positive Regard (UPR). This essay will look at Rogers theory on client-centred therapy; Phenomenology and the three core conditions. The essay will also evaluate whether there are any limitations to Rogerian theory due to it being supportive rather than reconstructive. In 1928, Carl Rogers went off to Rochester, NY where he took his first job at the Rochester Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children where he worked essentially as a child clinical psychologist until 1938. In 1936 Rogers became interested in the Rankian approach to therapy after attending a series of Otto Ranks lectures. Rogers always stated that Rankian influenced the shape that person centered counseling took, especially its emphasis on the positive characteristics of the individual, the quality of the therapeutic relationship, and a focus on responding to feelings. I became infected with Rankian ideas. (Kramer cited in www.ottorank.com) When Rogers was at Rochester he worked with a mother whose son was displaying behavioural problems. Dryden (2007) wrote that Rogers saw the root of the problem as the mothers rejection of her son as a baby. Rogers could not get the mother to see this and was about to give up when she asked for adult counselling for herself. This shift in focus served as a catalyst for her to speak about all her problems she was experiencing. Rogers found this case a turning point in what therapy should be about; the client (Rogers 1939). It began to occur to me that unless I had a need to demonstrate my own cleverness and learning, I would be better to rely upon the client for the direction of movement in the process. (Dryden 2007:145) Around the time of Rogers, theorists such as Strange (1950) saw counselling as a relationship, which encourages growth in both and therapist and the client. Smith (1955) defined counselling as therapist led in that they would assist the client in interpreting their problems and thoughts (cited in Chadra Gupta 1989:187) In 1951 Rogers published Client-Centred Therapy which established him highly in the psychotherapeutic community. Rogers claimed that behavioural therapists were preventing their clients from self-actualizing and discovering their own solutions. Carl Rogers (1951) developed his client-orientated approach to meet the demand of personal freedom (Chadra Gupta 1989:187) in that it seats the client at the centre of the process with the therapist just walking alongside. Rogers work was based on the belief that the client know what is best for themselves rather than followers of psychoanalysis and behavioural theories which sees the therapist interpreting the problem and what is solution is. Rogers try to make clients feel unique, he wanted to understand how the client felt and reflected their statements back to them. Rogers (1951) saw the purpose of counselling being a more broadly based structure of self, an inclusion of a greater projection of experience as a part of self and a more comfortable and realistic adjustment to life. (Chadra Gupta 1989:11) Rogers tended to distance himself from already established theories as he felt that it attempted to fit the client into a mould rather than seeing the client as they are. He found then that he could devote his energy instead to relating deeply to his clients and discovering with them what worked. (Thorne 2003:24) Rogers had an understanding that a person was not just made up of ID and Ego (Freudian theory) but was also a product of his or her environment, family and values. He saw a persons behaviour as subjective to himself or herself. To Rogers, the equality between the client and therapist was integral to a healthy and positive therapeutic relationship. Rogers felt that if the therapist were to be seen as the expert it would throw the relationship off balance, as it is the client who is the one with all the answers, not the therapist. The issue of power is central to his understanding of the therapeutic relationship. (Thorne 2003:25) The subjective experience of the client is key to Rogers client centred approach and if the therapist is the one with the power then the client may feel no validity in their own thoughts and self understanding. Hence, the therapeutic relationship breaks down and the client will never achieve success in finding his or her own answers (i.e. Conditional Regard of what the therapist wants). Rogers therapy is supportive in that the therapist accompanies the client on their journey whilst displaying UPR, congruence and empathy but it is also reconstructive as it enables the client to make the right changes for themselves without any judgement of the therapist. The therapist should be a facilitator not an authorative expert. In my opinion, Rogers seeing the clients as client and not patients is what sets aside this form of working from the doctor-patient medical model. Rogers way of working encouraged therapy o be a process about the individual and their needs, not a diagnostic tool which is generic to every patients symptoms. The process is the key factor. (Dryden 2007:186) Phenomenology holds the belief that all humans behave in response and accordance of their own subjective understanding and awareness of where we are in the world. The therapists function is to aid the client in the exploration and discovery of his or her own inner resources. (Thorne 2003:25) Central to Rogers phenomenological theory is optimism and that a human has a basic optimistic view and if supported in finding an understanding in their subjective world, then the client would start to engage in behaviours and thoughts that were positive. This concept became known as The Actualising Tendency. Carl Rogers believed that there was one motivational force that determined the development of the human being. He called this the Actualising Tendency. (Mearns Thorne 2008:12) In Rogers understanding and anthropological research he found that humans, in nature, have an innate desire to move towards progress, positiviness and their potential. Like a flower sown in rough soil surrounded by darkness and poisons, it will strive towards even a glimmer of light in order to survive and grow. Rogers saw peoples behaviour as no different. Rogers continued this analogy by explaining that the rougher and poorer soil (i.e. the environment someone is in), the more water and nourishment theyll need. The harder a persons situation and circumstances, the more support they will need to find and grow towards their Actualising Tendency. Depending on the person, this process can be slow and sometimes even stop depending on their self-perception or other parts of them, which can be, more resistant to change or self-realisation. The Human Organism itself manifests this tendency and has infinite inner resources. For Rogers the tendency to actualise the self is essentially a subsystem of the Actualising tendency. (Thorne 2003:27) This supportive element of Rogers worth explored questions such as How does it feel and What it be like toà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦known as Spotlighting. Although Rogers is directing the conversion, the client is still recognising their own behaviours and coming to their own conclusions about any changes that need to be implemented; self-actualizing. This is reconstructive an example of this would be weight loss: Within the framework of the Self Actualizing Tendency Rogers believed that humans have enormous resources for successful living and to achieve a happy and fulfilled life. Rogers believed that your body knows what it wants and needs and when it is full; you just need to listen to it. The body and mind are connected together with Phenomenology. To the client food may represent more than food, it may represent comfort, acceptance and stress relief and the natural relationship is changed. This can also happen when people starve themselves or diet unhealthily to be an acceptable size by size 0 society norms. When people are pregnant they tend to listen less to society and more to their body and less to society and previous conditioned values i.e. I might be getting bigger but my baby needs me to eat more. Rogers supported in clients in feeling open enough to talk about their relationship with food and would help them peel back the onion layers i.e. you overeat due to stress, lets address the feelings of stress first. The client then can rebalance their emotional need without eating to feel normal. Through Empathy, UPR and Congruence, the client begins the process of self-actualizing without any limitations imposed from the therapist. This is when the therapist reflects what they key issues that need to be addressed. Although this seems to conflict with Rogers belief that the client finds their own answers, once the key issues are spotlighted, the client then decides what they want to focus on, even if the therapist sees the answers lying elsewhere. Fully Functioning (Rogers 1963) people are as Rogers described are psychologically healthy persons who have been fortunate enough to be surrounded by others whose acceptance and approval have enabled them for at least some of the time to be in touch with their deepest feelings and experiences. (Mearns Thorne 2008:15) Fully Functioning clients have trust in the organismic valuing process and feel confident. Others who are not fully functioning are those who have faced or continue to face negativity, conditional positive regard and judgement. The key to Rogers client centred approach was the concept of self worth. Rogers identified that when we are born we have a tendency towards actualisation. This gets cloudy the older we get, once we inherit parental values, different environments and conditions of worth, reward and our need for positive regard increases. We require at some level and in some way, however minimal, to feel good about ourselves and if this need is not met it is difficult to function in the world. (Thorne 2003: Rogers theory of self was based on the principle that if we are raised in a supportive and positive environment where we receive positive reinforcement for who are and want to do, then we trust in own abilities and our thoughts and feelings in order to make the correct decisions in line with our perception of the world. If however, we are raised in an environment filled with conditions of worth such as If you do x then you will be good or Mummy will love you if, then our need for positive regard in dependant on other people. We will grow up only recognising achievements depending on values and responses of others rather than feeling fulfilled in whom we are and the life we lead; we are only dependent on ourselves. Psychological disturbances will be perpetuated if an individual continues to be dependent to a high degree on the judgement of others for a sense of self worth. (Mearns Thorne 2008:153) Rogers believed that this dissonance between our innate need for approval and our inner self-wisdom is the root cause of much inner disturbance and lack of self-confidence to make positive decisions on our own, for ourselves. Rogers saw this as a lack of self-trust in the organismic valuing process. If people are not raised in a supportive environment where they are listened to and valued then the supportive environment of Rogerian therapy might be their first experience of feeling valued. Rogers believed in a mixture of his therapy being supportive as well as reconstructive and the process should emphasise the thinking with the individual, not for the individual. People cannot only be affected by their inter-personal relationships but also by their social and cultural norms. An example of this affecting a persons Actualizing Tendency is when the media and society portrays a size 0 image as what is the new definition of beautiful. For those that arent that particular size it could make them feel devalued by society and could impact on their esteem and confidence levels. This is turn could affect and superseded their Unconditional Positive Regard (UPR) they received from their parents saying they are ok the way they are and leave the person feeling lost and insecure. Rogers highlighted the importance of giving UPR in sessions, empathising with clients and building a good rapport and level of trust. Through this client-focused medium, the client can start working on the issues they feel are negative to them; comparing themselves and valuing themselves against the size 0 images in magazines. The therapist aims to create an environment in which the client can be supported to achieve personal growth by reconnecting with their Organismic Valuing Process (how I feel), Self-Actualizing Tendency (what do I need) and their Internal Locus of Control (I am worthy). These supportive key elements to Rogers theory highlight the persons need for unconditional positive regard, empathy and congruence. The therapist provides a relationship of trust, warmth and UPR that encourages clients to talk about themselves and their feeling. (Heap Aravind 2002:186) Empathy by Collins dictionary definition is the power of understanding and imaginatively entering into another persons feelings. (www.freedictionary.com) Empathy is the therapists ability to understand the clients subjective perceptual world and how they see themselves and the world around them. It is a process. In person centred therapy the counsellor tries to enter the clients frame of reference and walk alongside him in his world. (Mearns Thorne 2008:69) It is important that the therapist remains reliable and strong and not get sucked down into the clients world so much that they lose sight of their role in this process. A good analogy of where that boundary is and why is The Well. If a client is stuck at the bottom of a well there is little point the therapist getting down into the well with them to find out how they are as then they would both be stuck. Instead, the therapist could sit on the edge of the well, talking to the client and empathising that this situation must be hard, lonely etc without being down there and equally stuck. Rogers believed that an empathetic approach required the therapist to be secure within themselves before entering into a clients world: the As If factor. This is to state that the therapist should enter to clients world as if they were there, not get lost in it. When this is achieved, there can be movement in the clients self-concept and worth, as the therapist is able to express empathetic responses, which show the client they are being understood. Although each person experiences the world differently, a therapists understanding and appreciation of a persons problems and hardship can be supportive to the client. Rogers believed that empathy could be shown in therapy through good body language, summarising and reflection. Empathy is a continuing process whereby the counsellor lays aside her own way of experiencing and perceiving reality, preferring to sense and respond to the experiencing and perceptions of her client. (Mearns Thorne 2008:67) Communication is key to this core condition. When a client feels accepted, valued and understood it aids feelings of alienation, loneliness and desperation. Rogers referred back to these core conditions as integral to person centred counselling therapy. Unconditional Positive Regard (UPR) as non-judgemental acceptance of a client and is key to the client feeling safe enough to work through their negative feelings. Rogers believed in peoples honesty when not faced with judgment and rejection; the client should be accepted as they are not as they want to be or how the therapist feels they should be. Rogers advocated that the client should be totally accepted with no exceptions. If the therapist accepts you, that is one step closer to self-acceptance. If the therapist can show UPR regardless of what the client says i.e. I hate my mother and want to kill her and empathise with how they feel, they will be in a relaxed trustworthy environment to open up to what might be underlying these feelings. Rogers believed these core conditions can help the client come to terms with their emotions and in turn, their self-regard will improve. Although this could be seen as facilitating a change I see it as more reconstructive as it can go far deeper than the presenting need and the therapist might never be aware of where the change is actually happening i.e. being able to talk about hating their mother might spark revelations that can now be accepted i.e. Its not my fault. In practical terms it can be hard for some therapists to let go of the power or lead the client to elicit change. This will lead the client down their own path of self-change and correction of negative behaviours and false statements which is far more powerful. Rogers saw that most people accessing therapy had little UPR in their life and saw this is a root of their problems. Unconditional positive regard is the label given to the fundamental attitude of the person centred counsellor towards her clientà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and is not deflected in that valuing by any particular client behaviours. (Mearns Thorne 2008:95) Rogers believed that this consistent unconditional regard aids the clients process of feeling valued and break down barriers the client might be putting up in order to feel accepted. Unconditional Positive Regard is important as it directly conflicts with the self-defeating cycle. This cycle (Mearns Thorne 2008:99) promotes a clients condition of worth, which they might have carried around all their life. With the therapist counteracting this, it can aid the client in finding a break through in their negative patterns. These core conditions to Rogerian client-centred therapy are both supportive; the UPR, but also reconstructive as the client is the one finding their own answers, without condition or judgment from the therapist. Yet this can only be achieved with empathy and congruence otherwise it may seem false. Congruence is characterised by the therapist being transparent to the client, not superior to them. It is genuine, authentic and real. The therapist conveys this genuine realness and allows the client to see them as a human being not a doctor hiding behind certificates and metaphorical white coats. Congruence can be displayed verbally; thats terrible, I dont understand, please say that again, and non-verbal communication such as facial expressions and body language which reflects, not mimics, the clients. This process of the three core conditions supports the client in feeling relaxed and confident to look at their problems honestly and without judgement though it is reconstructive as the client is the one in the drivers seat; making the changes for themselves. From the reading I have done for this essay I feel that the one main limitation to Rogerian theory regarding its supportive nature would be that Rogers non-directive approach to therapy is not consistent as reconstructive as with techniques such as summarising and selective reinforcement, answers and reactions can be shaped. I have found another limitation is Rogers belief in the potential of the fully functioning person, which is not achievable in reality. Although the idea is something to aim for! Does supportive mean it cant be reconstructive? Only the client knows what they need and once they connect with that, only they will know how they feel. The therapist can support them in their journey but it is actually made by the client. Rogation therapy is based on both a supportive and reconstructive stance as the client benefits from the empathy, Unconditional Positive Regard and congruence the therapist gives them but ultimately it is the client who recognises where changes could be beneficial and implicates them. One of the most rewarding moments in a counselling process comes when a client discovers or re-discovers the dependability of his organismic valuing process however temporary or partial this may be. (Mearns Thorne 2008:14) I feel in conclusion that Rogerian therapy can be both supportive and reconstructive and that is the mix of the two, which takes away any major limitations. WORD COUNT: 3449

Kawabata’s Beauty and Sadness and Murakami’s Hard-Boiled Wonderland and

Kawabata’s Beauty and Sadness and Murakami’s Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World Although wildly different in subject matter and style, Kawabata’s Beauty and Sadness and Murakami’s Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World both show how Japan has been internationalized as well as how it has remained traditional. Kawabata’s novel is traditional and acceptable, much like the haiku poetry he imitates, but has a thread of rebelliousness and modernity running through the web that binds the characters together. Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World is devastatingly modern, and yet has a similar but opposite undertone of old Japan, or at least a nostalgia for old Japan. In both novels a more international culture has taken root in Japan, and it seems that the characters both embrace and run from the implications of a globalized, hybridized culture. With the graceful starkness of traditional Japanese haiku, Kawabata reveals a twisted set of love affairs between four people that ultimately lead to their downfalls. Haiku depicts a meditational view of the world where nothing is meaningless; in Beauty and Sadness all of the relations represent aspects of new and old Japan, mirroring the rise and fall of Japanese culture in their movements. Among these relationships, perhaps the most traditional is found between Oki and Otoko– although it is tragic and somewhat leacherous, the bond between a young woman (or girl) and an older man is an acceptable affair in traditional Japanese culture. They represent the oldest parts of Japanese custom, and adhere to that measure throughout the novel. Oki’s wish to hear the temple bells with Otoko reflects this long established pattern of old man and young girl, as ... ...lly, however, he begins to fight back against this loss of identity and struggles to regain himself, realizing that â€Å"stealing memories was stealing time... forget the end of the world, I was ready to reclaim my whole self.† (Murakami, 239) As he sits back in his car and waits for his world to end he gives himself the tools to fight this loss of identity, telling himself tâ€Å"Now I can reclaim all I’d lost. What’s lost never perishes.† (Murakami, 396) Although his identity has crumbled almost past recognition, the Narrator and the Dreamreader hold the key to retrieving it– memories and the unrelenting search for identity. Even though the identity of the Japanese culture has been undermined by globalization and internationalization, Murakami believes that it will be found again when the culture receives the proper stimulus– when they begin to read the dreams of unicorns.

Mark Twain :: essays research papers

In our time, there has been many authors. Perhaps the most interesting and most widely known author has been Mark Twain. Born Samuel Langhorne Clemens in 1835 in Florida, Missouri, Clemens has been known as a humorist, narrator, and social observer. Clemens works are some of the most widely known pieces in this country, and perhaps even the world. At the age of 4, Clemens moved with his family to Hannibal, Missouri, a port located on the Mississippi River. In 1851, he began setting type for and contributing sketches to his brother Orion's newspaper, the Hannibal Journal. Later, Clemens was a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River until the Civil War. In 1862 he became a reporter for the Territorial Enterprise in Virginia City, Nevada. In 1863, he started using his pseudonym Mark Twain, which was a river call for a depth of two fathoms. This was the beginning of Mark Twain, because in 1865, he published The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calavaras County and within months the author and the story had become national sensations. Two of his recent novels have also been extremely popular. The Gilded Age, which was published in 1873, took a look into the materialism and corruption in the 1870's. Another book, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, has been very popular. The story celebrates boyhood in a town on the Mississippi River. Reporters and many other people have been awaiting a sequel to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, but the author has not promised anything. He states that he is now working on another novel, which has yet to be named, but has given the plot away.

How was Macbeth’s fall from grace a tragedy? Essay

Shakespeare presents an image of Macbeth originally as a hero, a role model of courage and bravery. However his indiscernible fascination with darker forces, portrayed by the witches, and whilst he is aware of the treachery in his subsequent actions throughout the play, his ambition engulfs his better judgement, where he contributes to his downfall from such greatness, and thus his character is human, enhancing such a tragedy. Macbeth experiences a sudden disastrous reversal in fortune where his material wealth rapidly multiplies and his personal values swiftly decrease, leaving him loveless, as well as childless, and eventually lifeless, factors which are remnant of Shakespearean tragedies. Even as he retains comprehension of his fate, approaching the play’s finale the audience experiences a certain catharsis, in which they feel pity for his misfortune, even if this character has behaved appallingly, in that his ambition and Lady Macbeth had pressure him to transform someone he himself did not like. Originally, Macbeth is portrayed as an image of prominence, and his relentless enthrallment with supernatural forces results in circumstances whirling out of his control. ‘Brave Macbeth†¦like Valour’s minion carved out his passage†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ and thus assisted significantly in the victory which ensued, earning him a multitude of respect from not only the people, but King Duncan. In fact, the worthy King does see to it that as an added prestige and a gift of gratitude to such a noble gentleman, the title of Thane of Cawdor which has been retrieved from a most ‘disloyal traitor,’ and somewhat ironically considering Macbeth’s fate, ‘what he has lost, Macbeth has won.’ It appears, that upon the meeting of the three witches, who do deliver the three prophecies that indicate such a prosperous future for Macbeth, he is fuelled by his own ambition. It could be argued that this is beyond his own control, a mere circumstance often viewed in tragedies, where other characters and conditions are unrestrained by the protagonist, as it is realized that the witches have arranged to ‘meet with Macbeth’ and tempt him, yet he is aware of the possibility of their lies as ‘imperfect speakers’ and thus, his ‘rapt’ removes the possibility of his providence being unpreventable. The reader forms an impression of Macbeth prior to his personal introduction into the play, and thus Shakespeare employs a clever technique in placing Macbeth on a pedestal from our perspective prior to his  arrival. Unexpectedly, Macbeth experiences a sudden reversal in fortune, where he is forced to maintain criminal conflict in order to preserve his status which he has come to rely upon, and in doing so, manages to lose all that was initially dear to him. In what seems like moments, Macbeth achieves the Thane of Cawdor alongside the King of Scotland, but eludes the intimacy he once shared with his wife, and once such a conspirator, leaves her an innocent spectator to ‘applaud the deed.’ The gradual separation of Macbeth and his Lady is strangely sardonic, especially subsequent to the death of Lady Macbeth, where his perspective offers that ‘she should have died hereafter’ resignedly, similar to his manner upon achieving realization that his death is impending, thus presenting a double meaning in referral to himself and his deceased beloved. Shakespeare displays a sharp contrast in which Macbeth seems to have at one instant everything a man could desire including a kin gdom and pregnant wife, afterwards he is found to be truly alone, ‘abhorred tyrant, stripped of his love, child and eventually life. Such abrupt affluence exchanges in which a protagonist moves from happiness to misery, perhaps even death is often a result of dramatic conflict, typical in an Elizabethan tragedy. Disasters which are to follow Macbeth’s foremost crime are inevitable, and his awareness of this increases his humanity, as he has a flaw of pride which eventually is fatal. His evident ignorance of the many signs which do indicate to him to discontinue this murderous work are either for his own personal objectives as he has ‘no spur†¦but only vaulting ambition which o’erleaps itself’ or for that of Lady Macbeth’s taunts which stimulate him as she insults his manhood in her opinion of him as a ‘coward in thine own esteem.’ Early in the play, he does establish the distrustfulness of the witches, as ‘the instruments of darkness’ and with knowledge of their ‘imperfect’ speech he still allows their words to effect him greatly, so much as to he ‘is in blood, Stepped in so far that †¦should wade no more, returning were as tedious as go’er.’ Upon knowledge of Macduff’s flight, Macbe th’s overruling passion for his prominence engulfs his better judgement, and he does order to murder of ‘his wife, his babes, and all  unfortunate souls that trace him in his line.’ Macbeth’s judgment is so weakened by worship for the position he holds that barbarian acts of murder to innocent women and children is no longer beneath him, and Shakespeare presents this in such little light that it appears to be of no importance to Macbeth at all. Prior to Macbeth’s death, the audience experiences a purgation of emotions, almost a catharsis in which empathy is felt for the protagonist, due to the fate dominated by supernatural forces which he appeared to never have true influence over. For his fate was partly predetermined, and his eventual loss followed by a release from such a suffered life is partly relieving, and partly saddening, as his eventual outcomes differ so greatly from his intentions. This misfortune he experiences may be larger than he deserves. Macbeth was once ‘valour’s minion’ and now communicates and consorts with ‘black and midnight hags,’ a procedure used to represent his obvious downfall. Formerly, upon the initial assassinations Macbeth does commit, we see glimmer of conscience when he ‘could not say Amen.’ His discarding of God’s ways in the Elizabethan era would have caused uproar from certain people, yet others would be moved to pity with empa thy for somebody who could lose such faith in God. In fact, Macbeth pities himself, when he realizes that to ‘know my deed, ’twere best not know myself’ and thus the reader commiserates with Macbeth in his regret. Finally, the reader experiences such compassion as Macbeth admits he has ‘lived long enough’ and cares not about his lack of army, and only wishes to die fighting, a soldier, the way he did begin, and agrees to ‘let them fly all.’ In termination, Macbeth’s fall from grace is a tragedy in the way in entails many such factors, involving elements of catharsis, as well as a sudden reversal in fortune for the protagonist. The circumstances beyond Macbeth’s control also contribute to his collapse, thus his disgrace was premeditated, and the pity exploited amongst the audience for Macbeth allows for a purgation of emotion, leading to the belief that the tragedy’s conflicts were a result of human flaws and perhaps his death was whilst deserved for his actions, perhaps not his beliefs.

Pros & Cons of Textbooks

The first popes of which were printed in 1454-1455. Only forty-eight original copies are known to existence, of which twenty-one are complete, Here Is a photo of a preserved Gutenberg Bible located at the New York library. Monsoons, 2011) In 2012, Steven Krebs author of The Printing Press states, â€Å"Printing facilitated the dissemination and preservation of knowledge In standardized form this was most Important In the advance of science, technology and scholarship. The printing press certainly initiated an â€Å"information revolution† on par with the Internet today. (Krebs, 2012) The ability to ass-produce and supply books led the world to formal schooling. Out of a demand for books that were specially designed for scholars, the textbook was created. The title of the first textbook used in American schools was â€Å"The New England Primer. † According to the Library of Congress. Books That Shaped America 1800 to 1850. â€Å"More than 6 million copies In 450 editio ns of the New England Primer were printed between 1681 and 1830. † (Rosemary Fry Polkas, 2014) Now two centuries later there is another Information revolution.The move to open-source material Is on Its way to the classroom. In addition, it will be accelerated by President Beam's push to invest in creating free online course as a part of his proposal to have digital textbooks in schools by the end of 2017. Textbooks have not gone the way of tablets yet, but many educators say that it will not be long before they are replaced. Being students and having to purchase, carry, and use textbooks led to tonight's topic on the pros and cons of textbooks In the classroom. Textbooks are frequently controversial, are they up to date?Are they effective? Now its forms of presentation are subjects of debate. Five sections including the introduction, the pros for textbooks, the cons, followed with tonight's recommendation and lastly, a strong conclusion. At the end, you will learn the pros and cons of textbooks in the classroom and a detailed explanation of why our recommendation will make the most sense. Transition: The four pros in favor of the textbook in the classroom. L. The four pros of textbooks In the classroom. A. First, textbooks provide organized units of work.According to The Complete Idiots Guide to Success as a Teacher by Anthony Fredrick's, a textbook will give you all the Lana and lessons you need to cover a topic in some detail. (Frederick's, 2005) When you are a student or teacher In class, you can depend on your textbooks to have the right information needed to complete a lesson and pass a test. Teachers are able to focus on what or how their teaching because textbooks contains the tools that practices for students like linking the past and present, and recognizing cause and effect. B. Secondly, a textbook is very durable and dependable.Unlike tablets, if you drop your textbook there is no worry of it breaking. There are many varieties of textbooks. Wh en you read and learn from a textbook, you are more likely to remember that lesson later in life. According to Science Teaching Reconsidered: A Handbook, the study of text structure has focused on how a reader builds cognitive representations from the text. In addition, studies indicate that using principle-first or textbook structure is more effective for long-term retention and understanding by novice readers. We are used to using textbooks. (Committee on Undergraduate Science Education, 1997) C.Next, children are more focused and have a positive outcome with textbooks. According to an article based on literacy issued by riff. Org, states that in 11,000 reports, children's book lending and ownership programs were shown to have positive behavioral, educational, and psychological outcomes. Children whom have access to print materials or textbooks reading performances are improved. Why? When children are provided with the right material or books it helps, them read better. With great er access to books, children are able to convey their enjoyment of books or academics, resulting of improved attitudes towards reading and learning. Mm Lindsay, 2010) D. The final pro about a textbook is if taken care of properly, a textbook will last for a very long time. One of the oldest multi-page books in the world is the Etruscan Gold Book. According to Winning Lane Books, the Etruscan Gold Book was discovered 70 years ago while digging off the Stratum River in Bulgaria. Monsoons, 2011) The estimated age of this book would be 2,763 years old. Textbooks are reusable and are handed from classroom to classroom. Transition: Now that you have heard the pros of textbooks in the classroom here is some of the cons. II.The four cons of textbooks in the classroom. A. Having textbooks in the classroom can have its downsides, such as having a limited source of information, the weight it bares on a student's back and cost. According to The Complete Idiot's Guide to Success as a Teacher by Anthony Frederick's, having a designated textbook per class only provides one perspective on a concept or issue. It is a sole source of information. How good is a mechanic if he only has one tool? (Frederick's, 2005) B. Next, another problem textbooks present are the weight that it bares on a student's back.An article posted in Kids' Health on icepack safety last accessed in June 2014 the weight from books in a backpack can compress the vertebrae in a child's growing spine and can lead to poor posture and back pain. (Dowdies, 2013) I found this fact especially concerning as a student who carries books back and forth from class. At times, I find myself hunched over trying to even out the weight of my books in my bag. Now imagine an elementary school student with his or her math book on that small body. Concerning right? C. Another default of having textbooks in the classroom is the impact on the environment.In an article posted in the Washington Post in 2010 by Stephan Lawman, appear . 1. 45 million tons of paper was used to produce textbooks. (Lawman, 2010) That's must continue to be â€Å"Green† in our way of living. D. Lastly, cost is a large drawback of textbooks in the classroom. According to an article posted on Scholastic Publishes Literacy Resources and Children's Books for Kids of All Ages composed in November of 2008, an average elementary book can cost more than $100. 00. (Rap, 2008) A very popular topic of conversation in politics is educational budget and how there Just is to enough money for schools.How are we to afford books that cost over $100. 00 each? In Florida, the average class size is approximately 25 students. That is $2500 for just one classroom. The real question we must ask ourselves is can we really afford books in the classroom. Transition: Now, in detail our recommendation for keeping printed textbooks in the classrooms and why it is the best option. Ill. Recommendation A. All of those cons can easily be countered with a simpl e logical explanation. Outdated source information is an invalid argument for most courses because codebooks are recycled every seven-ten years.How much has a pre-1900 history class changed in the past 10 years? Not much, because it would be impossible to changed what happened. In addition, for most basic science class, focus on the scientific laws has not changed in a hundred years. For more advanced and current classes online sourcing may be an additional layer for resources but the textbook still offers a good basis of information on the subject. B. Textbooks are long lasting and durable. They can fall from your desk or slip out of your hands and when it hit the ground it goes not crash or have a black out moment.You pick them up and they are ready to continue from where you left off. C. Back pain is a large problem in today's society however a type of eye fatigue or eyestrain commonly caused by computers is known as computer vision syndrome. It affects about 50%-90% of computer workers. (Eye Fatigue: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment) If students start using computers instead of textbooks, this could affect them too. D. Cost is a complaint many people have about textbooks, but E-Books are usually only $10 less than textbook form. That is cause most of the cost is writing and publishing not paper.E. After reviewing all the pros and cons, we are recommending that it is in the best interest of the students and the learning process to continue using textbooks instead of adopting different technologies. Textbooks were made to be in the classroom and should stay in the classroom. Transition: Thank you for listing to our recommendation for keeping textbooks in the classroom, here now is the final wrap up. IV. Conclusion A. Remember, that nothing on this planet is perfect; there will always be pros and cons of everything that exists.With that said there are pros and cons of textbooks, as many of you know. The pros of texts books are that material is well organized i n particular sections, books are durable and you do not have to worry if you drop it, textbook will last forever. The cons of textbooks are that it limits us to one source of information, textbooks are heavy, and that it cost a lot of money having to buy new textbooks for every class. B. Based on our group's personal experiences and our pros and cons of textbooks, we feel comfortable in recommending that keeping textbooks in the classroom is best.

Clique Pens Analysis Essay

Currently Clique pens is stuck in a situation where they are competing with other pen brands including BIC, Scripto, Pentel, Pilot, Papermate, and Sharpie. The fight for shelf space is among some of the biggest retailers worldwide such as Wal-Mart, Target, CVS, and Kroger. Because of the immense power retailers hold in this market, companies like Clique need to make sure they are allocating their funds in ways that deem appropriate to stay on the shelves. Pens are a high profit and high-turnover items which for retailers is great, but because retailers haven’t changed the price for almost over a decade, manufacturers are receiving less and less profit from their items. Retailers hold the power over the manufacturers in this market due to the amount of brands available; if one brand wasn’t working for the retailer, they could simply choose another brand. In order to remain profitable Clique’s brand managers have worked with different marketing and ad agencies to d evelop an integrated package of advertising, trade and consumer promotions to maintain the market share. Clique allocated 15% of its total promotional budget to advertising, 30% to consumer promotions, and 55% to trade promotions. Types of advertising Clique used consumer promotions and price off deals through the retailer, in such ways you would see in an ad in a magazine, â€Å"available at target†. Consumer promotions were mostly used as coupons distributed to the customer through newspapers, in-store displays, and cash register receipts. Coupon redemption rates deemed useless for the most part considering rates were about 1.3% lower than most other consumer products. Elise Ferguson (president of the writing implements division of U.S. home) has a very important decision to make; whether or not the company should spend their time and money marketing towards retailers or towards consumers, in order to grow Clique’s profits. One option that the company could choose to go with would be marketing towards the consumers rather than the retailers. Logan Chen, vice president of marketing feels that reducing trade discounts and establishing a consumer oriented MDF (Market Development Funds), coupled with additional consumer-targeted marketing programs is the way to ensure that consumers are receiving the full benefit of Clique’s promotional dollars. However, Ross McMillan, sales vice president disagrees on that course of action whole heartedly. If Clique were to use a majority of their sales and marketing funds towards the consumer the company could  lose considerable shelf space and sales to competitors, due to the reduced marketing controlled funds. Consumers in this market also do not hold much if any brand loyalty, which means they wouldn’t pay much mind to advertising. Another large factor to keep in mind would be the fact that coupon redemption rates are 1.4% lower than other consumer products, which means wasting money that was spent on this type of advertising. Going with this option would be extremely costly for Clique as well as a dangerous move in the already fragile market; one wrong move towards the retailers and Clique could kiss their shelf space goodbye.

Financial Comparison of Burberry and French Connection Research Paper

Financial Comparison of Burberry and French Connection - Research Paper Example This shows that the company can easily pay all its debts in case of liquidation due bankruptcy or other reasons. Current assets include cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable and notes receivables, inventory end, office supplies (bond paper, folder and others), furniture and fixtures, office equipment (computers, calculators, adding machines and the like) and many others. When the total debt of Burberry amounting to 286 is divided by its equity to the tune of 387, the result is seventy -four percent. This shows that the company does have a good leverage ratio. The leverage ratio is a must analytical tool when borrowing huge sums of money from banks and other credit institutions. Based on the above analysis, Burberry has a better debt to equity ratio because its debt to equity ratio is seventy -four percent. On the other hand, French Connection has a bad leverage ratio because its debt to equity lower at only forty eight percent. The best debt When the net income of Burberry is divided by its revenues amounting to 106 is divided by its net sales or revenues of 743, the result is fourteen percent. This shows that the company should increase its net profit ratio by either increasing its revenues or decreasing its costs and or expenses. Based on the above analysis, Burberry has t... This shows that the company does have a good leverage ratio. The leverage ratio is a must analytical tool when borrowing huge sums of money from banks and other credit institutions.Based on the above analysis, Burberry has a better debt to equity ratio because its debt to equity ratio is seventy -four percent. On the other hand, French Connection has a bad leverage ratio because its debt to equity lower at only forty eight percent. The best debt To equity ratio is one hundred percent. C. French Connection Net profit Ratio = 11.08 = 0.05 246.3 When the net income of French Connection amounting to 11.08is divided by its revenues amounting to 246.3, the result is five percent. The company should try to increase its net profit by either increasing revenues or/ and decreasing costs and expenses. Burberry Net profit Ratio = Net profit = 106 = 0.14 Net sales 743 When the net income of Burberry is divided by its revenues amounting to 106 is divided by its net sales or revenues of 743, the result is fourteen percent. This shows that the company should increase its net profit ratio by either increasing its revenues or decreasing its costs and or expenses.Based on the above analysis, Burberry has the better net profit ratio because its fourteen percent net profit ratio is clearly higher than the net profit ratio of French Connection at only five percent. D. French Connection Return on Equity 11.080.10 = 110.46 = When the net income of French Connection amounting to 11.08 is divided by its equity amounting to 110.46, the result is ten percent. This shows that its return should increase by increasing revenues or decreasing