Landmarks in Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Landmarks in Music - Essay Example Music is an expressive type of art form, which can be used to express our emotions, talents and our imagination. Music has evolved over time to its current modern day renditions, but if we are to select the most important pieces, to place in a time capsule, then I would have to select music from the baroque and classical periods. Music from Baroque and Classic periods forms a basis in a critical part of our history when we began to view music in a different light. During these periods, music became more of an art form, than just passive entertainment. Here are the 6 most important songs from the both periods and why they qualify to be put in the time capsule. Baroque music was composed with the intention of arousing the emotions of listeners. This era of music lasted for 150 years, between the years 1600-1750 (Schulenbert, 2001). This stage of musical development saw the emergence of non-religious vocal music, orchestral music and operas. Composers from this period, often faced many financial challenges, and most of them could only earn a living from music if they were under the patronage of a religious institution or a political figure. This patronage would then dictate the content of their compositions, but none the less composers were still able to come up with very memorable and time honored compositions. Baroque period compositions can be broken down into two distinct groups: vocal (opera, oratorio and cantata) and instrumental (sonata, concerto and suite). My pick for the most influential songs from the baroque period are: The Four Seasons: Spring url: http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/sofia-chamber-orchestra/album/antonio-vivaldi-the- four-seasons By: Antonio Vivaldi Four Seasons, as a whole, is often considered the boldest or bravest of program music from the Baroque era. Each concerto is comprised of three distinct movements; one middle movement in a slow tempo and too fast outer movements. Antonio Vivaldi wrote the sonnets, to denote the movements of the four seasons (Schulenbert, 2001). It is also has a great influence in the era as early concertos did not have a standard form, but the success of Vivaldi’s â€Å"Four Seasons† led other composers to mimic his style over time, which led a standard form used to play concertos. Of the four movements, winter is the most technically complicated and also more accurate in depicting nature like imitations of nature, the very inspiration of the sound. It is also very solid even if you break it down into several parts. Each part is creates its own dissonance that may be adapted and reinterpreted as a separate sound. Messiah: The Overture url: http://www.rh apsody.com/artist/george-frideric-handel/album/handels-messiah by: Handel This oratorio was originally intended as a thought provoking work for eastern and lent, but due to its popularity, later became a common part of Christmas festivities that has lasted over many generations. George Frederic Handel, a German born composer, was gifted in playing music from an early age. Handel’s â€Å"Messiah† employs a unique technique dubbed text painting. This technique tries to mimic the lines of the text, to the musical notes (Schulenbert, 2001). â€Å"Messiah† is broken down into three parts, which follows the meaning of the text while still maintaining its opera-like qualities. Handel’s â€Å"Messiah† helped to popularize the oratorio; a musical form that highlighted the performance of solo artists. The Overtures one of only two movements that is purely instrumental. By Handel’s time, the overture was a common, if not standard opening, of an opera a nd was actually meant to welcome the king in an opera. Handel, however, made this one considerably darker by playing it in E minor. It helped assist in the desperate need of the world for a Messiah. Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello: Suite No. 1 url: http://www.rhapsody.com/search?query=Six+Suites+of+Unaccompanied+Cello by: Johann Sebastian Bach These suites were based on a set of instrumental compositions, which were similar

Knowledge Is Virtue Essay Example for Free

Knowledge Is Virtue Essay We define knowledge as the state or fact of knowing, familiarity, awareness or understanding, gained through experience or study and virtue as the moral excellence and righteousness. All of us have knowledge but not all the knowledge we have is the same, same with virtue. All of us have virtue but not all is practicing it. All of us have knowledge because it is a gift from God that we can keep and share to others. Through knowledge, one is also given the knowledge of understanding one’s self and what surrounds him. One can be taught about life through knowledge. Having knowledge is also having the ability to know what is right and what is wrong. With knowledge we can also do change or improvements. For instance, the knowledge of sickness, the more we know about our sickness, the more we know that it can be cured and by that, life our life is improved. We can make improvements through knowledge physically and mentally. We can identify problems and find solutions because of knowledge, but these problems is not caused by knowledge itself but from the individuals’ use of knowledge. By having simple knowledge about these problems, it already creates vision of solutions. Knowledge is a virtue that we should know what is good for us. Virtue is something that is good or something that is right. If we have done something that is not right, for example, if the knowledge of power is used improperly, it is not because of the mere knowledge already. It is because of the emotions that caused him to do that. If that’s the case, he doesn’t possess virtue. Knowledge is like the other virtues that we should keep and be reminded of always. We should use it not to seek advantage over others but to share it and make them a better individual. Through knowledge, we know how to understand and we know how to act right. We just have to use knowledge justly so we will know about virtue. Thus, knowledge is the creation of virtue. Knowledge is virtue.

STRATEGIC BUSINESS MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING OF NESTLE

STRATEGIC BUSINESS MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING OF NESTLE INTRODUCTION: Nestlà © was founded in 1866 by Henri Nestlà © and is today the worlds biggest food and beverage company. Sales at the end of 2005 were CHF 91 bn, with a net profit of CHF 8 bn. Nestlà © employ around 250,000 people from more than 70 countries and have factories or operations in almost every country in the world. The history of Nestlà © began in Switzerland in 1867 when Henri Nestlà ©, the pharmacist, launched his product Farine Lactà ©e Nestlà ©, a nutritious gruel for children. Henri used his surname, which means little nest, in both the company name and the logotype. The nest, which symbolizes security, family and nourishment, still plays a central role in Nestlà ©s profile. (Bountypat, 2008) Nestlà © has about 250 000  shareholders, none of whom individually own more than 3% of the shares. As of December 31, 2003, Swiss investors held the major part of the stock (42%) followed by US citizens (22%) and British (10%), French (8%), and German (5%) shareholders. Unfortunately, shareholder identities are not made public under Swiss law, but we do know that Liliane de Bettencourt, heiress to the LOrà ©al fortune and the richest woman in France, has a holding in Nestlà ©. Nestlà © and LOrà ©al have a close relationship dating back to a shareholder pact made in 1974. Nestlà © holds a 26.4% stake in the worlds largest cosmetics group and has right of first refusal over the Bettencourt familys 27.5 percents take for 10 years, but with no obligation to buy. Whilst it is unlikely that Nestlà © will take over LOrà ©al in the immediate future, it could well do so in a few years. It already has cosmeceutical joint ventures with LOreal through Galderma and Innà ©ov. Nestlà ©s vision of making good food central to enjoying a good healthy life for consumers everywhere. This implies gaining a deeper understanding in many areas of nutrition and food research and transforming the scientific advances into applications for the company. (Parakhiya, 2009) Having a broad vision the company is doing its best for their consumers to show the great sense of responsibility. Nestlà ©s aim is to meet the various needs of the consumer every day by marketing and selling food of a consistently high quality. The confidences that consumers have in our brands is a result of our companys many years of knowledge in marketing, research and development, as well as continuity -consumers relate to this and feel they can trust our products. Nestle mission is to strive to bring consumers foods that are safe, of high quality and provide optimal nutrient to meet physiological needs. Nestle helps provide selections for all individual taste and lifestyle preferences (Parakhiya, 2009) (http://www.scribd.com/doc/21544545/ Introduction-Nestle-Was-Founded-in- 1866-by-Henri-Nestle-And LITERATURE REVIEW Since Nestle began over 143 years ago, Nestlà ©s success with product innovations and business acquisitions has turned it into the largest Food Company in the world. As the years have passed, the Nestlà © family has grown to include chocolates, soups, coffee, cereals, frozen products, yoghurts, mineral water and other food products. Beginning in the 70s, Nestlà © has continued to expand its product portfolio to include pet foods, pharmaceutical products and cosmetics too. (Bountypat, 2008) Today, Nestlà © markets a great number of products, all with one thing in common: the high quality for which Nestlà © has become renowned throughout the world. The Companys strategy is guided by several fundamental principles. Nestlà ©s existing products grow through innovation and renovation while maintaining a balance in geographic activities and product lines. Long-term potential is never sacrificed for short-term performance. The Companys priority is to bring the best and most relevant products to people, wherever they are, whatever their needs, throughout their lives. Taste of Nestlà © in each of the countries where Nestlà © sell products. Nestlà © is based on the principle of decentralization, which means each country is responsible for the efficient running of its business including the recruitment of its staff. Thats not to say that every operating company can do as it wishes. Headquarters in Vevey sets the overall strategy and ensures that it is carried out. Its an approach that is best summed up as: centralize what you must, decentralize what you can. Nestlà © is a company which is present in all over the world but It has difference and unique motto to deal in all over the world. Nestlà © believes that they should think about their organizations globally but they deal with people by interacting with them locally. Thinking globally acting locally . ´ SWOT ANALYSIS OF NESTLE Strengths: Nestlà ©s has much strength. Their first is that they have a great CEO, Peter Brabeck. Brabeck emphasizes internal growth, meaning he wants to achieve higher volumes by renovating existing products, and innovating new products. His explanation of renovation is that to just keep pace in the industry, you need to change at least as fast as consumer expectations. (Novak, 2008) Parent support   Nestle India has a strong support from its parent company, which is the worlds largest processed food and beverage company, with a presence in almost every country. The company has access to the parents hugely successful global folio of products and brands. (Amit, 2005) Brand strength   In India, Nestle has some very strong brands like Nescafe, Maggi and Cerelac. These brands are almost generic to their product categories. (Headonist, 2009) Product innovation   The Company has been continuously introducing new products for its Indian patrons on a frequent basis, thus expanding its product offerings. (Headonist, 2009) His explanation of innovation is to maintain a leadership position, you also need to leapfrog, to move faster and go beyond what consumers will tell you. Brabeck has led Nestle into a position to better achieve the internal growth targets (Novak, 2008) Another strength that Nestle has is that they are low cost operators. This allows them to not only beat the competition by producing low cost products, but by also edging ahead with low operating costs. (Novak, 2008) Partnership with other large companies strategy that has been successful for Nestlà © involves striking strategic partnerships with other large companies. In the early 1990s, Nestlà © entered into an alliance with Coca Cola in ready-to-drink teas and coffees in order to benefit from Coca Colas worldwide bottling system and expertise in prepared beverages Acquire local companies -In Asia, Nestlà ©s strategy has been to acquire local companies in order to form a group of autonomous regional managers who know more about the culture of the local markets than Americans or Europeans. Nestlà ©s strong cash flow and comfortable debt-equity ratio leave it with ample muscle for takeovers. Recently, Nestlà © acquired Indofood, Indonesias largest noodle producer. Their focus will be primarily on expanding sales in the Indonesian market, and in time will look to export Indonesian food products to other countries. Relation with Farmers Acknowledging the impact of growing food demand and intensifying water scarcities in its future business, Nestle seeks to improve supplying farmers productivity environmental practices and water usage. The group network of 675 agronomist and 5000 extension workers offer free supporting and training assistance to 112,800 farmers in 21 countries. (Harkort, 2008) Weakness: 1. The main weakness of Nestle is that they were not as successful as they thought they would be in France. The launch in France was in 1994, but since the late 1980s, Danone had already entered the market with a health-based yogurt. (Nazir, 2009) 2. The second weakness is that LC-1 was positioned as too scientific, and consumers didnt quite understand that LC-1 was a food and not a drug (Nazir, 2009). 3. Exports   The companys exports stood at Rs 2,571 m at the end of 2003 (11% of revenues) and continue to grow at a decent pace. But a major portion of this comprises of Coffee (around 67% of the exports were that of Nescafe instant to Russia). This constitutes a big chunk of the total exports to a single location. Historically, Russia has been a very volatile market for Nestle, and its overall performance takes a hit often due to this factor. (Headonist, 2009) 4. Supply chain   The Company has a complex supply chain management and the main issue for Nestle India is traceability. The food industry requires high standards of hygiene, quality of edible inputs and personnel. The fragmented nature of the Indian market place complicates things more. (Headonist, 2009) 5. Nestle also has multiple critical resources. They have a great research and development team. James Gallagher and Andrea Pfeifer were the masterminds behind the research on the La-1 cultures in the LC-1 yogurt. They were also the two that decided on selling LC-1 as a functional food. This enabled Nestle to position the product in a way that differentiated it among the other products in the market. They also have four pillars that Brabeck, Nestlà ©s CEO has identified he believes will help their internal growth worldwide. These are operating excellence, innovation and renovation, product availability, and communication. (Nazir, 2009) OPPORTUNITIES-: Expansion   The Company has the potential to expand to smaller towns and other geographies. Existing markets are not fully tapped and the company can increase presence by penetrating further. With Indias demographic profile changing in favour of the consuming class, the per capita consumption of most FMCG products is likely to grow. Nestle will have the inherent advantage of this trend. (Headonist, 2009) Product offerings   The Company has the option to expand its product folio by introducing more brands which its parents are famed for like breakfast cereals, Smarties Chocolates, Carnation, etc. (Headonist, 2009) 3. Global hub   Since manufacturing of some products is cheaper in India than in other South East Asian countries, Nestle India could become an export hub for the parent in certain product categories (Headonist, 2009) 4. Nestle also has an opportunity of being even a larger market leader in Germany with LC-1. Within two years of launching the product in Germany, they had captured 60% of the market. This was due to the fact that they differentiated the product, and Germans simply preferred the taste. (Nazir, 2009) 4. Another opportunity of LC1 is that, because they are a market leader, they can introduce more health-based products in Germany. (Nazir, 2009) 5 As nestle has more then 9000 brands all over the world .they are increasing their products day by day. With very new changes, like now they are introducing Nestle LEMU Malta Threats: 1. A threat to Nestle is the fact that some markets they are entering are already mature. Danone had an established leadership position in the yogurt market in France. Since Danone was the first to arrive in the market, they have always been the market leader there. (Novak, 2008) 2. Also consumers in France liked the taste of LC-1, but researchers believe they did not repurchase the yogurt because they preferred the taste of DANONE products better. (Nazir, 2009) 3. Competition   The Company faces immense competition from the organised as well as the unorganised sectors. Off late, to liberalise its trade and investment policies to enable the country to better function in the globalised economy, the Indian Government has reduced the import duty of food segments thus intensifying the battle. (Headonist, 2009) .4. Changing consumer trends   Trend of increased consumer spends on consumer durables resulting in lower spending on FMCG products. In the past 2-3 years, the performance of the FMCG sector has been lack luster, despite the economy growing at a decent pace. Although, off late the situation has been improving, the dependence on monsoon is very high. (Headonist, 2009) 5. Sect oral woes   Rising prices of raw materials and fuels, and in turn, increasing packaging and manufacturing costs. But the companies may not be able to pass on the full burden of these onto the customers. (Headonist, 2009) 6. Another threat to Nestle is that there is intense competition in the United States yogurt market. General Mills Yoplait division is the leader in the yogurt market in the United States. Yop lait has been the leader for years and is constantly innovating new health products. (Nazir, 2009) 7. The main threat of Nestle these days is  the campaign led by the International Nestlà © Boycott Committee primarily targets Nescafe, the corporations flagship product. To boycott Nestlà © products until the company stops promoting its baby milk. (Novak, 2008) Another threat now a days is in nestle pure life. As its the leading brand and people prefer Nestle pure life but their may be a threat from Aquafina which is introduced by Pepsi Global competitors: Nestlà © towers over its competitors as the worlds largest food company, proudly proclaiming good food, good life Not so good is Nestlà ©s reputation for corporate abuse throughout its operations, ranging from the marketing of infant formula to the production of its chocolate and bottled water. Nestlà © has been the target of strong international criticism for its aggressive marketing of infant formula in countries with scarce potable water, leading to a reduction in breast feeding and increased risk for infants. Nestlà © is one of the top four water bottling companies in the world, contributing to the problem of plastic waste as well as the usurping of water that should remain a shared resource. (Raj, n.d.) Competitors Cadbury Schweppes Sara Lee -Campbell Soup Smithfield Foods Chiquita Brands Starbucks Coca-Cola Tyson Foods ConAgra Foods Unilever Danone -Vivendi Universal S.A. Dean Foods -Dole General Mills Hershey -H.J. Heinz Company Kellogg Kraft Foods McDonalds PepsiCo Procter Gamble Porters five forces analysis: Analysing the above from the porters framework As we can see above that the company is facing an intense competition in the market by its existing competitors all over the world and is facing a lot of problems because of this in terms of its market share and reputation like in the yoghurt market it is facing intense competition from DANONE along with this it is also facing the threat from substitute products like the Aquafina arising as the competitor of pure life. Hence analysing it from the porters framework we can state that nestle is facing an intense rate of competition from the existing competitors with a fear of losing the market share. CONCLUSION Nestlà ©s overarching principle is that each employee should have the opportunity to develop to the maximum of his or her potential. Nestlà © do this because they believe it pays off in the long run in their business results, and that sustainable long-term relationships with highly competent people and with the communities where they operate enhance their ability to make consistent profits. It is important to give people the opportunities for life-long learning as at Nestle that all employees are called upon to upgrade their skills in a fast-changing world. By offering opportunities to develop, they not only enrich themselves as a company, they also make themselves individually more autonomous, confident, and, in turn, more employable and open to new positions within the company. Enhancing this virtuous circle is the ultimate goal of their training efforts at many different levels through the thousands of training programs they run each year. Suggestions and recommendations: As Nestle is the best company all over the world but there is some recommendations and suggestions. 1. Their prices are little bit higher so they should low their prices to increase their Customers. 2. About 70 % people use their products why the rest dont use them they should conduct survey and concentrate on those facts why they are not using their products. 3. They should also improve their advertising. Their advertising doesnt pay long term effect in the mind of customers. 4. About 17% people are not satisfied from the taste of Nestle so nestle has to improve its taste. 5. Due to a great demand of nestle Milk now a days there is a shortage of nestle milk in shops sometimes they have to consider this aspect too. REFRENCES: Amit, 2005. My Dream Company Nestle. [Online] Available at: http://www.scribd.com/doc/14155655/My-Dream-Company [Accessed 5 February 2011]. Anjaria, H.T.A.J., 2008. Distribution management. [Online] Available at: http://www.scribd.com/doc/37532156/Distribution-Management-Nestle-Ppt [Accessed 06 February 2011]. Bountypat, 2008. Nestle History. [Online] Available at: http://www.oppapers.com/essays/Nestle-History/173749?read_essay [Accessed 03 February 2011]. Gerry Johnson, K.W., 2005. In Exploring Corporate Strategy. 7th ed. Prentice Hall. Harkort, F., 2008. In ood Business and the Global Water Challenge: Exploring the Link Between Food Business, Environmental Stakeholders, Farmers, and Water Resources. 2008th ed. Grin Verlag. Headonist, 2009. Nestle SWOT Analysis. [Online] Available at: http://www.scribd.com/doc/16728461/Nestle [Accessed 02 February 2011]. Kumari, D., 2008. Strategic Management. [Online] Available at: http://www.slideshare.net/deepakumari/nestle-sm-presentation [Accessed 29 January 2011]. Nazir, U., 2009. SWOT Of Nestle. [Online] Available at: http://mgmt280.blogspot.com/2009/11/swot-of-nestle.html [Accessed February 2011]. Novak, D.J., 2008. Nestle SWOT. [Online] Available at: http://marketingteacher.com/swot/nestle-swot.html [Accessed 4 February 2011]. Parakhiya, V., 2009. Nestle Stratigic Management. [Online] Available at: http://www.slideshare.net/vparakhiya/nestle-2464286 [Accessed 3 February 2011]. Raj, L.P., n.d. Nestle. [Online] Available at: http://www.scribd.com/doc/28910655/Nestle [Accessed 28 January 2011]. W, R., n.d. Nestle global Stregy. [Online] Available at: http://www.directessays.com/viewpaper/92539.html [Accessed 8 February 2011].

Business Entrepreneurs :: Business Development

The entrepreneur is the pioneer, the managers the applier of existing best practices. The entrepreneur engages in strategic activity, the managers need to focus on tactical or operational activity. The entrepreneur formulates a strategy, the manager implements that strategy. Business success will depend on the continuing renewal and application of the entrepreneurial spirits. Business success depends on the application and an efficient management team. The attrition rate of any new business is extremely high. In the US, the supporter of the entrepreneurial spirit, numerous new enterprises will fail each year. However in a long-term historical perspective, business success is short-lived. Only a handful of the largest companies with break even status existing in any country at the beginning of the twentieth century will exist today. Even those enterprises that is likely to be unrecognizable as the original creations. The causes of small-business failure depending on the study cited ra nge from inadequate accounting systems to inability to cope. Finally Growth of underlying problem appears to be an overall lack of strategic management beginning with an inability to plan at strategy to reach the customer and ending with a failure to develop a system of controls to keep track performance.' What considerations should small business entrepreneurs keep in mind when they are deciding whether a company should follow a growth or a stability strategy? The launch of any new ventures, which is best undertaken with a detailed understanding of the resources available and the strategic actions needed to achieve project objectives. There should be an indication of what should be done in various contingencies. In other words, a new venture needs to be planned in a detailed manner. This is situation an above. Frequent lack of any such planning, even significant strategic management, will help to explain the extremely high attrition rate for small businesses in all types of economy. Companies may however, choose a stability strategy because the entrepreneur is mostly generating employment for family members. Providing the family a "decent living†, and being the "boss" of a firm small enough that he or she can manage it comfortably. Finally some business owners don't pursue a growth strategy because they do not want the loss of control that results from bank debt or the sale of stock to outsiders. Question 12 What are advantages and disadvantages of privatization of state- owned business? The privatization of state-owned business enterprises is likely to continue globally for most of these enterprises must expand internationally in order to survive in the increasingly global environment.

What does the Shannon Matthews Case Suggest about Family Life in Modern Britain

This essay will examine and discuss whether the Matthews family is a typical representation of family life in modern Britain. It will take a look at social class and investigate whether this effects the morals and mechanics of family units today, taking into account contributing factors such as financial issues, the benefit system and changing values in the 21st century. Nine year old Shannon Matthews from Dewsbury, West Yorks, went missing for a period of 24 days in February this year, in a suspected kidnapping. Shannon was found a short distance from her home, and later media coverage informed us that despite her publicised pleas for Shannon's safe return, her mother Karen, had known of her whereabouts the whole time. Since her release Shannon has remained in the care of social services. Her mother has been charged with child neglect and perverting the course of justice. Shannon's stepfather Craig Meehan was charged with possessing indecent images of children. Public and media speculation suggests that the kidnapping was little more then a publicity stunt that went wrong. Police officers are examining alleged similarities between Shannon's disappearance and a storyline from the Channel 4 drama series ‘Shameless' that was shown shortly before the nine-year-old vanished. Stokes, P (2008) Shannon Matthews' mother charged over disappearance. Telegraph. 9 June. As the family depicted in ‘Shameless', The Matthews family live within a typical example of an unloved and unkempt council estate. According to the local newspaper, The Dewsbury Reporter, Moorside is â€Å"†¦one of the most deprived areas in the country† This is backed up by information collated in the ‘Index of Deprivation 2007†². Kirklees, the county in which the town of Dewsbury is located has been deemed as the 12th worst district in England in terms of low income levels, high crime rates, health deprivation and unemployment. Only 11.2% of the 32'482 other LSOA's are in a worse state than Moorside itself. Karen Matthews is unmarried, has seven children by five different fathers, only four of which reside with her. She comes from a working class family and is one of seven siblings, her parents were married and both worked, as does her sister who also has seven children, by one man, her husband. Despite the differences between her and her family, Karen is not an exceptional case within her surroundings, or for that matter, in other deprived areas around the country. † †¦here was an example of Britain's feckless but fecund underclass, churning out children at a reckless rate, cushioned by benefits and permanently estranged from the world of work.† Tweedie, N (2008) Another side to Shannon Matthews' Moorside. Telegraph. 27 September Britain's social classes were originally divided into three distinct social groups, these represented an individuals level of education, occupation and financial status; The Upper, Middle and Lower/Working classes. Since the welfare system was created a new class has begun to emerge. The Underclass, consists of people that are reliant on state benefits for the majority of their income. Not only does it include; teenage and single mothers who are unable or unwilling to work, and temporary benefit claimants who are trying to get back on their feet, but also; layabouts, high school drop outs, drug addicts and those involved in criminal activities. Many of the underclass are quite happy to live and raise their children on state benefits. Through an attempt to help the needy the welfare state has created a dependency culture with no incentive to work, marry or educate themselves and who expect handouts to survive. The benefit system highlights the perks of not working, recipients not only receive free money from the state but can also be entitled to free health care, interest free loans and free or discounted accommodation and council tax. Council housing estates increase the segregation of the underclass from the rest of society and creates a never ending social circle of crime, dependency and insolence. People who live on these estates rarely have any positive influences around them, grouping deprived families together in one community leaves them with nobody to learn from except each other. â€Å"Council estates became places of last resort for people who had failed to keep up. They have been given this label of the ‘underclass' †¦.and begin to act like worthless people. So you get domestic violence, alcohol abuse and family breakdown.† (Estates; An Intimate history – Lynsey Hanley) It is not only the welfare system and morals of the lower classes that have brought about changes to modern society and family life, prior to the 20th century, women married young, stayed home and raised their children. After the war women's aspirations began to change as they questioned their positions as wives and mothers. It was within the same era that contraception became commonly available and divorce was liberalised. People were no longer restricted by so many rules, regulations and assumptions regarding what kind of behaviour was acceptable and as the 20th century progressed this new state of mind caused the traditional aspects of family life to change tremendously. People no longer had to marry before beginning a sexual relationship or starting a family, and could choose divorce when things didn't work out the way they had expected. In modern society it is acceptable for both parents to work, and for children to attend childcare settings whilst their parents are occupied. In some ways working families are depriving their children of the necessary parental interactions needed to aid their development. In their aspirations to make more money in order to keep up with modern living parents are having to prioritise their jobs over their families. Halsey A H Quoted in Dennis N and Erdos G Families without Fatherhood, 1993 â€Å"..children of parents who do not follow the traditional norm (i.e. taking on personal, active and long-term responsibility for the social upbringing of the children they generate) are thereby disadvantaged in many major aspects of their chances of living a successful life. On the evidence available such children tend to do less well at school, to exist at a lower level of nutrition, comfort and conviviality, to suffer more unemployment, to be more prone to deviance and crime, and finally to repeat the cycle of unstable parenting from which they themselves have suffered..† Conclusion Shannon Matthews family is not a valid representation of family life in modern Britain. Families now come in many shapes and sizes and are defined by much broader categories. It would be stereotypical to assume that untraditional family units or those that are further down the social ladder are more likely to have come from an unstable family background and themselves incapable of creating and sustaining a successful family life. Despite the fact that modern life has altered the mechanics of the family unit, many families/parents are still striving to provide for their children in the best way that they can, regardless of social status. Parents from lower and underclass backgrounds are just as likely to provide loving and caring parenting and create insightful and ambitious children as those from other classes. In comparison, those from the upper and middle classes are just as likely to create dysfunctional family units where the children feel neglected and unloved because of their parents busy lifestyles. It is the ignorance of individuals that play the main part in the creation of dysfunctional families and the negative psychological issues this then creates for those within that family. Overall an individuals personal strengths, weaknesses and morals are what cause them to make their choices in life regardless of nature, nurture and social grouping.

Wallace v. Jaffree - School Prayer Silent Meditation

Wallace v. Jaffree - School Prayer Silent Meditation Can public schools endorse or encourage prayer if they do so in the context of endorsing and encouraging silent meditation as well? Some Christians thought this would be a good way to smuggle official prayers back into the school day, but courts rejected their arguments and the Supreme Court found the practice unconstitutional. According to the court, such laws have a religious rather than a secular purpose, though all the justices had different opinions as to why exactly the law was invalid.​ Fast Facts: Wallace v. Jaffree Case Argued: Dec. 4, 1984Decision Issued: June 4, 1985Petitioner: George Wallace, Governor of AlabamaRespondent: Ishmael Jaffree, a parent of three students who attended school in the  Mobile County Public School SystemKey Questions: Did Alabama law violate the First Amendments Establishment Clause in endorsing or encouraging prayer in schools if it did so in the context of endorsing and encouraging silent meditation as well?Majority Decision: Justices Stevens, Brennan, Marshall, Blackmun, Powell, OConnorDissenting: Justices Rehnquist, Burger, WhiteRuling: The Supreme Court ruled that an Alabama law providing for a moment of silence was unconstitutional and that Alabamas prayer and meditation statute was not only a deviation from the states duty to maintain absolute neutrality toward religion but was an affirmative endorsement of religion, violating the First Amendment. Background Information At issue was an Alabama law requiring that each school day to  begin with a one minute period of silent meditation or voluntary prayer (the original 1978 law read-only silent meditation, but the words or voluntary prayer were added in 1981). A students parent sued to allege that this law violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment because it forced students to pray and basically exposed them to religious indoctrination. The District Court permitted the prayers to continue, but the Court of Appeals ruled that they were unconstitutional, so the state appealed to the Supreme Court. Court Decision With Justice Stevens writing the majority opinion, the Court decided 6-3 that the Alabama law providing for a moment of silence was unconstitutional. The important issue was whether the law was instituted for a religious purpose. Because the only evidence in the record indicated that the words or prayer had been added to the existing statute by amendment for the sole purpose of returning voluntary prayer to the public schools, the Court found that the first prong of the Lemon Test had been violated, i.e., that the statute was invalid as being entirely motivated by a purpose of advancing religion. In Justice OConnors concurring opinion, she refined the endorsement test which she first described in: The endorsement test does not preclude government from acknowledging religion or from taking religion into account in making law and policy. It does preclude government from conveying or attempting to convey a message that religion or a particular religious belief is favored or preferred. Such an endorsement infringes the religious liberty of the nonadherent, for [w]hen the power, prestige and financial support of government is placed behind a particular religious belief, the indirect coercive pressure upon religious minorities to conform to the prevailing officially approved religion is plain.At issue today is whether state moment of silence statutes in general, and Alabamas moment of silence statute in particular, embody an impermissible endorsement of prayer in public schools. [emphasis added] This fact was clear because Alabama already had a law that allowed school days to begin with a moment for silent meditation. The newer law was expanded the existing law by giving it a religious purpose. The Court characterized this legislative attempt to return prayer to the public schools as quite different from merely protecting every students right to engage in voluntary prayer during an appropriate moment of silence during the school day. Significance This decision emphasized the scrutiny the Supreme Court uses when evaluating the constitutionality of government actions. Rather than accept the argument that the inclusion of or voluntary prayer was a minor addition with little practical significance, the intentions of the legislature that passed it was enough to demonstrate its unconstitutionality. One important aspect to this case is that the authors of the majority opinion, two concurring opinions, and all three dissents agreed that a minute of silence at the beginning of each school day would be acceptable. Justice OConnors concurring opinion is notable for its effort to synthesize and refine the Courts Establishment and Free Exercise tests (see also Justices concurring opinion in ). It was here that she first articulated her reasonable observer test: The relevant issue is whether an objective observer, acquainted with the text, legislative history, and implementation of the statute, would perceive it is a state endorsement... Also notable is Justice Rehnquists dissent for its effort to redirect Establishment Clause analysis by abandoning the tripartite test, discarding any requirement that government is neutral between religion and irreligion, and confining the scope to a prohibition on establishing a national church or otherwise favoring one religious group over another. Many conservative Christians today insist that the First Amendment only prohibits the establishment of a national church and Rehnquist clearly bought into that propaganda, but the rest of the court disagreed.