Different Developments in the British Sociology of Education

Different Developments in the British Sociology of Education Up until recently, education was only accessible to only those who could afford it: The upper middle class and some few people from the middle class group. As it is currently evident, education stands out as one among the key commodities that every person must possess to cope with the ever-changing world.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Different Developments in the British Sociology of Education specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As a result and especially in Britain, there are remarkable developments that are evident in the British sociology of education, as this essay will reveal. There is little doubt that being educated is a great life changing practice. Education as a social institution changes the society. This report will examine the structuralist, interactionist, and postmodernism perspectives of education in Britain (Bank 2011). This will help to explore the purpose of formal education in the contemporary Bri tish society. An essential legislation with regard to the education policy in the United Kingdom is the 1870 Education Act (Haralambos, Holborn 2000). This act is the first official legislation that specifically addressed the British education policy. More importantly, this law portrays the commitment of the government to education nationwide (Haralambos, Holborn 2000). This legislation allowed voluntary schools to continue unaffected. However, it established an education system of management, School Boards, which constructed schools and managed them in places that they were needed (Haralambos, Holborn 2000). The role of introducing free compulsory education was to prevent child labour, to ensure that all Britons had the basic education, to ensure sustainability of the British workforce, and for Britain to continue leading in development issues. Legislations that govern education have continued to change to manage education policies. In 1918, they placed the management of seconda ry education under the Fisher Education Act.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This act made school attendance compulsory for children up to the age of 14 years (Haralambos, Holborn 2000). The age to leave school went up to 15 years in 1947. In 1972, it went to 16 years. Expansion of schools to ensure more skilled workforce accompanied these changes. In this essay, I give special focus on two important things. The first is the role of education in the United Kingdom. There are several points of view when addressing the functions of education in any society and its implications. Second, will be the question as to why it happens that some social groups seem to be enjoying more education success in relation to others (Haralambos, Holborn 2000). Going back to the functionalist perspective, there are two issues that the theory seeks to address. First, it addresses the functions o f education in the society. Putting into consideration the functionalist perspective of need of the social system, the issue leads to the analysis of the contributions that education has made in creation of value and social harmony (Haralambos, Holborn 2000, p. 726). Second, the functional relationships that education has with other social systems. This results in assessment of the connection between the economic system and education, and contemplation of how these relationship, help in integration of the society as a whole (Haralambos, Holborn 2000). In the beginning of the 20th century, schools grew to become major societal institutions. Sociologists since then focused incessant, concerted effort towards comprehension of the structure and the impact this had on society (Arum, et al. 2010). Sociologists of the 21st century, Max Weber, John Meyer, James Coleman, and Pierre Bourdieu among others have developed theoretical frameworks for education. Whereas some researchers concentra ted on economic aspects of education, others concentrated on the associated issues of socialization. For studies in sociology of education, these differences are very important. Education is a very important social investment. It has a very huge role in the society. Whether, a person looks at it pessimistically or optimistically, there is a range of perspectives that are important for understanding for instance, structuralism, post-modern and interractionism. These perspectives are important in defining the function of formal education in contemporary British society.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Different Developments in the British Sociology of Education specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Structuralist theory has three perspectives: the functionalist, feminism, and Marxism. Though functionalist theory application has greatly reduced sociological importance in Britain, for over two decades, it had already made re markable influence on Britain’s educational policy. Thus, it played an important role of shaping the current education system and this should not be underestimated. The design of the British education teaches competition, consensus and success based on merit (Bradley, et al. 2001). From the functionalist perspective, there are two important aspects in the role of education namely institutional relationship and subsequent connection to the larger society. In this regard, therefore, emphasis is on the way education connects outer institutions like workplaces. As intricate as the modern social system, the education system is a link between institutions in a number of ways (Bradley, et al. 2001). Firstly, at institutional level, the systems must have human resource management strategies for doctors, managers, police, and accountants among other professionals. It would make no sense if the system produces many employees yet the government cannot find demand for them (Bradley, et a l. 2001). Secondly, on the individual level, education systems offer an agency of secondary socialization. Secondary socialization -this describes a process of emancipating students from primary attachment to their families to workplace roles. This concept of education helps in connecting childhood to adulthood. Schools offer a range of secondary socialization opportunities, abilities and means (Bradley, et al. 2001). When people grow up, most of their relationships take the form of ‘give and take’ where they form allies based on what they can do for them in return for some other favours. This relationship is not similar to affective association between people in close friendship. Meritocracy – this concept is a reflection of reward of ideas like jobs, better pay and high social status earned because of efforts and capabilities (Dewey 1997). Efforts and capabilities include hard work in school and acquired academic credentials instead of the allotted based on con nection and family links.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Merit based education system are also naturally competitive since different degrees of reward for different heights of academic attainment makes students want to continually prove themselves for the reward (Bourdieu 1986). In the contemporary Britain system of education, like rewards relating to academic qualifications (for instance, A-levels and GCSE) in turn allow students to be eligible for entry into certain job types. Meritocracy functions well when equality of opportunity prevails. This means that no disadvantaged parties face discrimination or the depriving of their opportunity to express their worth (Bourdieu 1986). Differential rewards for different levels of achievement are reasonable as long as the competition offers equal access to opportunities. Functionalist view also allows children to learn the acceptable and unacceptable conduct in the society. Students hence gain self-control. This includes deferred gratification (opposite of immediate reward) as well as internaliz ation of certain societal values and norms (Powers, Wojtkiewicz 2004). Besides secondary socialization, there is coordination of human resources, which connect to the larger society, and it includes things that prepare students for different future careers and social differentiation since different individuals are good at difference roles in the society (Powers, Wojtkiewicz 2004). The post-structuralism is not easy to characterise since it is very diverse. Most of its representations do not take the form that allows characterization of any kind (Cole 2008). The post-structuralism and post-modernism have a wider array of interpretations (Bank 2011). The post structural views on the United Kingdom’s education are harder to categorise as well (Bank 2011). Post-structuralism describes cultural changes that happen in the modern world (Cole 2008). Post modernist views do not have a specified perception as such on the part of function of education since that would mean a question of right or wrong. That might spark competition between two ideologies and tension. Modern institutions like schools fall under this theory especially those that developed out of the industrial revolution and emergence of the contemporary society (Cole 2008). As a result, they exist for certain causes all of which Foucault describes as being because of power. The power doctrine in this context relates to how modern Britain attempts to exert social control by use of educational institutions. The post-modernism aspect of this theory is that there is â€Å"a resistance and decentralization attitudes of students and educators to the tendency of contemporary education system to centralize issues† (Bank 2011, p. 78). The national curriculum is an example of the means the state used to take control by setting out what is worth teaching in schools. The interpretivist theory notes that, for one to comprehend the phenomenon, the entire system must be analysed. From this viewpoint, one can declare interperetivism better than positivism as it targets understanding as a whole, as Neill points out (Neill 2006). In order to understand the problems in the education system, one can only understand the real problems when we address the entire education system. This has seen the theory address issues ranging from curriculum, function of education, educators, students, and government participation. This theory offers answers to anything that education should have critically addressed (Tozer, Violas Senese 2002). Marxist perspective has not been dominant in the Britain’s government policies – this barely surprises because Britain has been critical of capitalist societies. Expanding further the Marxist perspective for the function of education in the capitalist society identifies several ideas (Rikowski 1999). Althusser (1971) did not simply address ‘cultural reproduction’ in the society and how it related to the problem of societies replacing its elf over time (transfer of cultural values to the next generation) rather, he also discussed how the dominant social class managed to stay in control by reproducing its social and political power (Althusser 1971). He argues that one of the most efficient ways of controlling is through education. Thus, education is an instrument of class suppression and domination. He however included other institutions like media and religion to seem fair. Today, the ruling class limit access to education by restricting or regulating the subjects that are included in the curriculum (Taylor, Smithers 2005). The higher students advance in education, the wider the access to knowledge base (Apple 1995). This helps to restrict students’ ambitions and expectations. The fact that education has a structure that appears in a way that it has different levels of qualifications facilitates restriction. In many cases, in the British curriculum, students have to prove their capabilities to handle the chal lenges of the next step in their education through sitting for transitional examinations. These examinations act as selection instruments that pick only those capable of making it to the next level. According to the Marxists, this is entirely in place strategically as a plot to justify the oppression that befalls those unable to proceed further in their studies as those that the system favours use them as menial labourers. In addition, there is theory versus practical knowledge. Schools help to institute social control where students learn respect for authorities. The attainment of commoditization of education makes it more expansive as it is possible to custom it to some level (Apple 1995). By having examinations as part of education, schooling receives monetary value. Hence, there is the possibility of selling education. With the contemporary system of education in Britain favouring commercialized education, capitalists are taking advantage of this scenario to oppress the masses t hat are in search of skills to better their situations. With the school owners being the owners of the means of production, the educational facility, rather than serving its function of freeing the people from ignorance further, oppresses people by taking all that they had. Cultural reproduction is a concept based on secondary socialization but with a new look. Marxists like Althusser argue that, the reproduction of capitalism occurs via education to next generations. The reason is that future generations have to acquire life skills to enable them to take up positions in the workforce (Althusser 1971). The new look here is that schools cannot just select, allot and differentiate students for these roles even through public examination is in the interest of the society. This puts education on the spot as not being meritocratic (Marx 1977). The role of education is to facilitate children from powerful class to attain education level that would allow them to work as professionals. The trick here is â€Å"to educate many children ‘just enough’ to qualify as useful worker and few, ‘more than enough’ to qualify for high-powered jobs† (Bourdieu, 1977, p.85). Cultural reproduction theory explains why there is relatively low to lack of mobility at the lower-class levels in the British society. Education in this case, therefore, only serves in the interest of the ruling class in that only the children from the ruling classes receive the best form of education that would enable them to rule over the others in the lower social classes. With the current education systems in Britain only granting free education on the lower levels of the system and then very expensive education in the higher levels, according to the Marxists, the system is destined to fail just as the capitalist rule in the world. Bowles and Gintis (2002) and Willis (2003) cite cultural reproduction as the ideology leading to elite self-recruitment making the top players to close mobility for the lower class. Though the main focus of the feminist educational research has not changed significantly over the past two decades, its emphasis has slightly shifted from the vague explanations as to why girls’ performance is poor compared to boys’ (reason being they don’t anymore) to explanations of how girls cope with school and workplace obstacle -mainly prejudice based on gender (Bourdieu 1977). This subtle shift should not imply that historically feminist theory’s impact on Britain’s education was insignificant. Its study remains relevant for explaining the differences in higher education choice of courses and career choices too (Blanden, Machin 2004). Feminist impact on modern British education is on socialization, hidden curriculum and the societal norms. Different socialization experiences and subsequent varied social expectation between male and females, direct them to different gender identities and role performance. The education system in the past contributed to the way women perceived their primary role in the family as wives and mothers. Despite the seemingly widened female horizons, feminist argue the traditional mindsets about masculinity and femininity still affects family and work relationships (McKenzie 1997). Feminist perspective is reflected in sociology of education in two ways – work and gender stereotypes. There is a consistent sidelining of women at the work place regardless of their academic credentials. Treneman (1998) has shown that statistical under-performance in schools does not match the statistical over-achievement of men at workplaces. The differences are evident in their earnings. In Britain, it remains illegal to pay women and men different wages for the same job or comparable jobs (Treneman 1998). This was effective following the passing of the equal pay act of 1970. However, women still earn averagely 17.2% less per hour, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (20 06) revealed. Women graduates get less payments right from the very beginning when they join employment (McKenzie 1997). Gender stereotyping, on the other hand, stands out in career aspirations from school. Warrington and Younger (2000, p.495) noted men and women chose careers based on stereotypes for or against them. Women tended to focus on secretarial jobs, caregivers, nursing, and hairdressing, men in the other hand tended to pursue plumbing, accounting etc (Powers, Wojtkiewicz, 2004). Gordon (1996) says that teachers in Britain focused more attention on boys as they seemed interesting to teach, though they frequently praised girls for their efforts. The equal opportunities Commission (2007) argue that girls’ education credentials do not necessarily help them to attain well-paying jobs. Roger and Duffield have identified several causes of the tendency to avoid sciences among girls. Primary socialization ingrains certain gender identity concepts in boys and girls (Roger Duffield, 2000). Reay (2001) showed a variety of female identities that developed from the primary classroom. The most interesting is that girls wanted to be like boys. In primary, most teachers are female, about 90% (Reay 2001). In the early childhood education level, for instance, it has been on the record that more women teach at the preparatory schools than men have. One can attribute this to the stereotypes on women as being better placed to watch children as they grow than men. They exemplify the role model concept, which connects gender, and work hence building this notion in students (Feinstein, 2003). Besides, career advisers from early ages have a propensity of reinforcing traditional men/women roles and separation of tasks (Roger Duffield, 2000). Lauder et al. (2009) looks through the history of British sociology of education since 1950s to the current system. They explain how the main audience for research has changed from the policy creators in 1970s to teachers in tod ay’s system, Shain and Ozga share similar sentiments. They argue that, â€Å"the close association with teachers and education was an important factor in causing a shift of the sociology of education from the mainstream sociology† (2001, p. 110). This was part of the paradigm shift from mere tutoring to training – this meant that sociologists of education in effect lost most of their followers and audience. As Shain, and Ozga (2001, p.114) point out, â€Å"A dramatic cultural turn from the old socialization theories to the more flexible accounts of identity, together with the shift towards new policies in 1990s and 2000s shows that whereas the concept of social justice remained, there was no central audience for the sociology of education†. Lauder et al (2009, p.580) argues that the severe nature of the sociology of education made the discipline unpleasant. This also means it was challenging to the policy makers and educators. A wider, more applicable, in terdisciplinary, and pedagogically determined faculty of education studies was developed to realise the need of practice and policy (James 2010). These primarily targeted problem solving instead of criticising the systems. This was characteristic of previous theories and an inspiration for evidence based practice regulation (James 2010 Shain, Ozga 2001). Whereas the traditional sociology of education in Britain has successfully allowed incorporation of its concepts in other fields, its current availability to maintain dialogue with such workers and decision makers is greatly compromised (James, 2010). Most researches in sociology of education focus on explaining why some social groups tend to attain higher education more easily than others do (Blanden, Machin, 2004). Experts measure education level achievement in terms of academic qualifications. More attention is placed on the differences existing between the social classes (high, middle and lower), on the gender (boys and girls) and sometimes ethnic groups. Attempts to explain this uses the interactionist concept. The differential achievements studied so far show that factors that the students have no control over affect their progress in education, for instance, social background and intelligence (Machin, Vignoles 2004). However, the most obvious place where one can find explanations in the education system itself. The previous approaches explaining differences in performance did not address schooling itself. The scholars then partially assumed that schools played a crucial role in the determination of educational success or failure. Families that could afford paying for education spent large amounts of money paying for their children’s education in fee-paying institutions (Machin, Vignoles 2004). The main reason for parents to do this was that they believed that such schools as opposed to free public school offered the best education hence an advantage to their children. This, however, never hap pened as hoped. Despite these schools, social class inequality remains this has shifted focus on the studying of the differential treatment of students even when they attend same schools (Blanden, Machin 2004). For Marxists, British education system is an ideological instrument of the government (Rikowski 1999). That means education serves in disseminating the upper class or ruling class ideologies. Education creates myths and its existence promotes incongruous ideas. This is similar to the arguments presented by Louis Althusser, one of the staunch French Marxists (Althusser 1971). Accordingly, Althusser (1971) claims that, no class can be able to stay in power forever exclusively using threats. Therefore, ideology offers the most efficient tool for attaining long-term control. Educational facilities such as schools serve as places to teach ideologies that aim at brainwashing the students and justifying the oppressive systems. In these institutions, students learn taught never to q uestion the authorities even when the decisions of such authorities are not in their favour. Marxists are of the believe that educational system and facilities are only important when they are involved in highlighting the masses and giving them the necessary knowledge of their oppressed conditions and the hope that one day they will overcome the oppression. When the state is able to control what people think, it can then control what they do, hence making this the downright type of control. Education systems have taken over religion as the major agent of disseminating ideologies, which is a prerequisite for maintaining capitalist economic structure (Althusser 1971). It is evident that the higher your family’s social class, the higher you would probably attain education qualification and the longer you stay in school (Willis 1977). Class still determined where one ended up in most of the cases. The education system propagates the concept, nonetheless, that success is mainly du e to hard work and intelligence (White 1990). According to people like Althusser who upheld the Marxist view of education, education systems in this way deprive the students of the knowledge that they can still succeed even in the absence of the education offered in classroom. This is a fallacy according to Althusser (1971), as it aims at killing the hopes to succeed for the students who are naturally lazy or not intelligent. This targets making them to be quiet observers of their destiny, as the society turns against them and starts oppressing them. Status attainment studies in general supports the individual and personal collective benefits when individuals attain higher educational levels (Dale 2009). From the policy point of view, the social challenge or social concern is expansion of the educational opportunities and promotion of greater efficiency in schools and universities. Opponents of the status attainment paradigm nonetheless dispute the reliability and legitimacy of scho ols as mechanism of dissemination of social resource and promotion of socio-economic welfare, at least as they are currently operating. Even though sociologists continue to debate the purpose and function of education, most agree that education gives students the qualifications and opportunities for survival in the job market (Dale 2009). Addressing policies pertaining to school choices, curriculum and finance is important. Britain is said to be a capitalist society therefore it justifies social inequality especially wealth, opportunity to access resources and power (Blanden, Machin 2004). If ever a person questions these inequalities, as well as the way people manifest them, then that could result in erosion and replacement of the capitalist economies. One can prevent such a situation by promoting the ideology that inequalities are acceptable. Education system in the UK makes inequality more socially right by spreading the myth that education provided equal opportunity to everyone (Blanden, Machin, 2004). Is there any response from the British government? Today in Britain, all children are entitled to state education. The argument is therefore that, those who attain the best qualifications qualify for top jobs and that they deserve success because they are brilliant and more hardworking than classmates who did not perform as well as they did (White 1990). Education fosters this viewpoint leading people to think that they fall along such classes simply because they exist. Bowles and Gintis (2002) identify that chances of educational prowess were closely linked to the class the family student comes from. Children from rich families stayed longer in schools and performed better. The evidence that educational qualification is proportional to intelligence is at stake with such perceptions. Research truly shows that students with higher IQs performed better in relation to those with average IQs. Rich families can also afford other educational resources for their children like textbooks, which have been growing very expensive each day (Machin, Vignoles 2004). Students can be able to access a computer and internet and a printer, which could play a big role in how they handle their homework and their knowledge base as well as enhance creativity. Despite what the teacher may say, the style of presenting school assignments is important just as the content of the assignments (Machin, Vignoles 2004). According to Bowles Gintis (2002), the relationship between intelligence and academic achievement is not a casual one. Intelligence does not necessarily determine academic prowess Bowles and Gintis (2002). Education ideology promotes specific values that function to ensure the continuation of capitalism. The ideology therein consists, not only of certain distorted beliefs, but also promotes functions, which work to preserve the status quo. One of these values prevalent in Britain is competition (Bradley, et al., 1997). Education offers a platform f or competing with educators as judges. These competitions have also incorporated sports where students participate in sports like rugby, and football (Bradley, et al., 1997). In any case, where there are two opposing ideas, there is also bound to be winners and losers. This happens because each side would try to outsmart the opponent. The UK’s education also fosters another ideology, which is socialization as mentioned in preceding paragraphs. Much of what people know came from education in schools and colleges. However, only certain things that the state wants students to know are included in the curriculum. Therefore, people should not see it as coming from teachers as reactionary outcomes because they are middle class (Carchedi 1975) even though most are, but because they teach a curriculum designed by the government. The government dictates teaching. Therefore, even though teachers may which to teach socialism, anarchy, and negative consequences of free enterprise structu res, they cannot risk it (Machin, Vignoles 2004). In terms of the material wealth, the effect on education is profound and it evidently plays a crucial role in education prowess. A rich parent can afford to take his/her children to good fee-paying schools despite how undeserving the children maybe. With good schools, they have an assurance of academic prowess (Machin, Vignoles 2004). It is rumoured that in Britain, the ‘Toffs’ normally have their examinations marked more leniently that their counterparts from state schools. Whether true or false, the standards of teaching are certainly higher in the public schools compared to the poorly financed comprehensive schools with demoralized staff (Machin, Vignoles 2004). Even in cases where parents cannot fully afford to pay for their children’s education in public schools, they can hire private tutors to subsidize for the comprehensive education. When this tuition took place with teacher paying close attention to th e students and over a long period, it brings out better results of academic success. One of the areas that concerned the policymakers in the UK was the general lack of basic skills among its workforce, particularly younger employees. The government responded to this problem by the introduction of standardized national curriculum for all students between ages 7 and 16 years (Provenzo, 2002, p.65). This was set to make sure that the students had minimum depth and breadth of the curriculum. In the 1990s, there was the introduction of another policy to ensure students were very qualified in terms of basic skills. This policy, referred to as numeracy and literacy policy, described how the primary school teachers should teach (National Literacy Trust 2004). It stipulated a minimum of one hour every day to be set for numeracy and literacy. The evidence of these policy reforms is not ample. The national evaluation of the national curriculum has been impossible. In terms of literacy, the stu dents graduating since then have improved reading ability and English prowess (Ryan, Bohlin 1999). The other important policy relies on the relatively small number of students persisting in education past 16 years and therefore less number of students graduating from second and third levels compared to other developed countries. Britain introduced two educational policies to increase the number students participating in post compulsory education (Clark, et al., 2005). The first policy was Vocational qualifications for entry job for new employees designed based on national vocational qualification. The second policy for this was maintenance allowance paid to students aged 16 to 19 (Dixit 2002) from disadvantaged background to encourage their continued participation in fulltime education (Clark, et al., 2005). Another important policy subjected to reform is higher education. Traditionally, British higher education had been a preserve for few people in the higher social class (Blanden , Machin 2004). Even though enrolment in higher education has increased considerably over the past few years, the low class is still under-represented, as their enrolment remains low. The policy seeks to expand the higher education opportunities further to increase access to encompass the previously under-represented social classes (Blanden, Machin 2004). Durkheim’s theories have had a critical impact on the modern sociology and education. Durkheim’s viewpoint has been that the contemporary schools have placed attention on building individuals and less attention on the roles and responsibilities that these individuals should perform towards group life (Durkheim, Emirbaye, 2003). In order to attain dignity, an individual has to attain a sense of competence, a sense of contributing to something and of getting appreciation from the society where he/she belongs. There needs to be changes in curriculum that will address these feelings. Critics have declared Durkheim†™s views as far from clear that Modern education in Britain has been effective in transmitting shared values, promoting personal discipline, and reinforcing social solidarity (Durkheim, Emirbaye 2003). Politically, the social gap that the education in Britain has not been able to bridge has received the policy concern from all the three major political parties. All these parties have been involved in the important discussions as to whether the education system as it is has played any significant role in the effort to bridge the social gap or it has simply been an impediment to social mobility and meritocracy(Chevalier Dolton 2005). There are several discoveries made though about the reasons why the education system has failed the test of time in ensuring greater engagement in education from the working class. These include the realization that the curriculum has been enforced to the people in what is called the top- down approach whereby no sufficient research was conducted to i dentify the most felt needs of the people that could possibly be addressed by the system of education (Apple, 1995). There are differing contexts that require unique treatment as realized through research conducted by several interested parties in the field. Because of this, most political debates that handled the topic of the effectiveness of the education system in Britain lie on the need to have a system that uniquely encourages the participation of students and eventually helps them in the process or at the end of the day (Shilling 1993). Gillborn and Mirza (2000) argue that outcomes of many research studies conducted on this areas clearly point on the fact that academic prowess among British children is majorly connected to the occupations, wealth and influence of the parents. This impacts to slowed class mobility as it is hard for students from the working class to compete with others on a level ground, as they are disadvantaged. According to the National Literacy Trust (2004) , in some areas of Britain that are termed as disadvantaged, up to 50% of children reach the school going years without the required and necessary communication and language skills. The Education secretary in a recent remark that triggered a lot of criticism directed to him, is recorded as saying to a Commons education committee that kids from rich families who are considerably thicker tend to perform much better that others from the poor families who are clever even before they attain the school going age. Though most of those criticizing his remarks termed the language as unprofessionally blunt and emotive, there is indispensable truth in his words as far as the connection between poverty and underperformance is concerned. Social democrats, for instance, are convinced that it is only through the intervention of the government that education will be of benefit to everyone. According to Crozier (2000), they constantly push the government to exercise control over the free market that result to inequalities in the education sector. They in this manner totally disagree with their counterparts the functionalists who are of the argument that the education system in place in Britain encourages the genuine spirit of equal opportunity. As Gillborn and Mirza (2000) point out, â€Å" To the social democrat, education in this sense fails to offer equal opportunities to the children from the lower social classes as compared to those in the upper social classes†. Social democratic theorists argue that, if run properly, the education systems can, at the end of the day, produce better results as far as achieving social equality is concerned. Although the educational success in Britain majorly depends upon the social class background of the students, it cannot attain social mobility at any degree according to the Labour party politician Antony Crosland (Crozier, 2000). Education is supposed to ensure that the society is more meritocratic and therefore enable one to att ain his potential and eventually contribute to the overall development of the society. However, this is not the case in British education as the system is constantly shifting from the intentions that led to its development (Archer, 2007). The social democrats are in this view also opposed to the functionalists who are very contented that the education system in place in Britain is serving its functions. These arguments constantly spark open-ended discussions in the political arena as far as the education of the British population is concerned. Nonetheless, the stance of the social democrats and the theorists who support these arguments does not escape criticism based on the recorded evidence that proves that the education system is in a way working towards the increase in equal opportunities and social mobility. One might ask, is there anything to boast about concerning the education system in Britain? Whether or not the education system in Britain and its positive developments over time have achieved anything in contributing to the growth of the economy has been a discussion in the political field since the days of the labour prime minister; James Callaghan in 1976. In his speech at Ruskin College that particular year, Callaghan pointed out that the education system was failing in that it did not meet Britain’s’ industry needs. The criticism on the effectiveness of education continued further with the election into office of Margaret Thatcher in 1979. This made the debate even more heated as the conservative right thinkers were of the opinion that the efforts to enforce equality of opportunity and also the liberal ideals in the existing education system was a blow to the education sector since they were degrading its value and standards (Bourdieu, 1977). These efforts in their view were holding back the most talented in an effort to provide a basis of equality, which was a blow to the standards of education in Britain. All the social education t heorists, as well as politicians, however, share a similar assumption in their arguments on the developments and effectiveness in the British education system that it should work to the benefit of the society as a whole (Gillborn Mirza, 2000). Despite the fact that some critique the manner the education policies are implemented, they all share the hope that the existing education system can in a way be modified to the greater good and to ensure the realization of a society determined by merit either inside or outside the class environment. The government and the different parties may have their differing opinions on the effectiveness of the education sector. By focusing on the function it plays on economic growth and its sustenance, they have to unite since the repercussions affect the nation equally without discriminating the rich or the poor (Apple, 1995). References Althusser, L., 1971. Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses in Louis Althusser Lenin and Philosophy and Other Essays. Monthly Review Press. Available at marxists.org/reference/archive/althusser/1970/ideology.htm. Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings., 2007. Gender Pay Gap Narrowest Since Records Began. Oxford: Office for National Statistics. Apple, M., 1995. Education and Power. London: Ark Paperbacks. Archer, L., 2007. Social justice in schools: Engaging with equality, in J. Dillon and M. Maguire (eds), Becoming a teacher: Issues in secondary teaching, Berkshire: Open University Press. Arum, R., Beattie, I., Ford, K., 2010. The Structure of Schooling: Readings in the Sociology of Education. New York: McGraw Hill. Bank, B., 2011. Gender and Higher Education. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. Blanden, J., Machin, S., 2004. â€Å"Educational Inequality and the Expansion of UK Higher Education†. Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Special Issue on the Economics of Education, 54(1), pp. 230-49. Bourdieu, P., 1977. Outline of a Theory of Practice. Cambridge, Eng: Cambridge Un iversity Press. Bourdieu, P., 1986. The Forms of Capital in Richardson, John (Ed). Handbook of Theory and Research for the Sociology of Education. Westport: Greenwood Press. Bowles, H., Gintis, S., 2002. â€Å"Schooling In Capitalist America Revisited†. Sociology of Education, 75(2), pp. 1-18. Bradley, S., Johnes, L., Millington, J., 2001. â€Å"School Choice, Competition And The Efficiency Of Secondary Schools In England†. European Journal Of Operational Research, 135(6), pp. 527-544. Carchedi, G., 1975. â€Å"On The Economic Identification of the New Middle Class†. Economy Society, 4(1), pp.1-69. Chevalier, A., Dolton, P., 2005. The Labour Market for Teachers. What’s the Good of Education? The Economics of Education in the United Kingdom. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Clark, D., Conlon, G., Galindo-Rueda, F., 2005. Post-Compulsory Education and Qualification Attainment. What’s The Good of Education? The Economics of Education. The U nited Kingdom: Princeton University Press. Cole, M., 2008. Marxism and EducationTheory: Origins and Issues. London: Routledge. Crozier, G., 2000. Parents and Schools: Partners or Protagonists? Stoke-on-Trent and  Britain. Britain: Stylus Publishing, Trentham Books. Dale, R., 2009. â€Å"Renewing or Rupturing the Sociology of Education?† British Journal of Sociology of Education, 30(3), pp. 379–387. Dewey, J., 1997. Experience and education. New York: Touchstone Books. Dixit, A., 2002. â€Å"Incentives and Organizations in the Public Sector†. Journal of Human Resources, 37(3), pp. 696-727. Durkheim, É. Emirbaye, M., 2003. Émile Durkheim: Sociologist of Modernity. Malde: Wiley Blackwell. Feinstein, L., 2003. â€Å"Inequality in the Early Cognitive Development of British Children in the 1970 Cohort†. Economica, 70(1), pp. 73-97. Gillborn, D., Mirza, H., 2000. Educational Inequality: Mapping race, class and gender, London: HMI. Haralambos, M Holb orn, H. 2000. Sociology. Perspectives and Perspectives. London: Collins Educational James, D., 2010. â€Å"Theory and Educational Research: Toward Critical Social Explanation†. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 31(2), pp. 243–248. Lauder, H., Brown, P., Halsey, A., 2009. â€Å"Sociology of Education: A Critical History and Prospects for the Future†. Oxford Review of Education, 35(5), pp. 569–585. Machin, S., Vignoles, A., 2004. â€Å"Educational Inequality: The Widening Socio-Economic Gap†. Fiscal Studies, 25(1), pp. 107-28. MacKenzie, J., 1997. Its A Mans World: Class And Gender In School Work Experience Programmes. Spotlight No. 60. Edinburgh: Scottish Council for Research in Education. Marx, K., 1977. Capital: A Critique of Political Econom. London: Lawrence Wishart. National Literacy Trust., 2004. The structure of the literacy hour. Available at literacytrust.org.uk/Database/Primary/lithour.html#structure . Neill, J., 2006. Analysis of professional literature class 6: Assumptions of Interpretivism. Available at http://wilderdom.com/OEcourses/PROFLIT/Class6Qualitative1.htm . Parsons, T., 1959. â€Å"The School Class as a Social System: Some of Its Functions in American Society†. Harvard Educational Review, 29(4), pp. 297-318. Powers, R., Wojtkiewicz, R., 2004. â€Å"Occupational Aspirations, Gender, and Educational Attainment†. Sociological Spectrum 24(5), pp. 601-622. Provenzo, E., 2002. Teaching, Learning, Ad Schooling: A 21st Century Perspective. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon. Reay, D., 2001. â€Å"Spice Girls’, ‘Nice Girls’, ‘Girlies’, And ‘Tomboys’: Discourses, Girls’ Cultures And Femininities In The Primary Classroom†. Gender and Education, 13(2), pp. 153-162. Rikowski, G., 1999. Nietzsche, Marx, and Mastery: The Learning unto Death. In Apprenticeship, Towards a New Paradigm of Learning. London: Routledge. Roger, A., Duffield, J., 2 000. â€Å"Factors Underlying Persistent Gendered Option Choices in School Science and Technology in Scotland†. Gender and Education, 12(3), pp. 369-381. Ryan, K., Bohlin, K., 1999. Building Character in Schools. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Shain, F., Ozga, J., 2001. â€Å"Identity Crisis? Problems and Issues in the Sociology of Education†. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 22(1), pp. 109-120. Shilling, C., 1993. â€Å"The Demise of Sociology of Education in Britain? : Voicing Concerns: Sociological Perspectives on Contemporary Education Reforms by Madeleine Arnot Len Barton†. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 14(1), pp. 105-112. Taylor, M., Smithers, R., 2005. New Academy Schools Fuel Education Row. The Guardian. Available at guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,1562665,00.html . Tozer, S., Violas, P., Senese, G., 2002. School and society: Historical and contemporary perspectives (4th Ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. Treneman, A., 1998. W ill The Boys Who Can’t Read Still End Up As The Men On Top? The Independent, Gender, And Achievement. Available at independent.co.uk/opinion/will-the-boys-who-cant-read-still-end-up-as-the-men-on-top-1136972.html . Warrington, M., Younger, M., 2000. â€Å"The Other Side of the Gender Gap†. Gender and Education, 12(4). pp. 493-50 White, J., 1990. Education and The Good Life: Beyond The National Curriculum. London: Kogan Page. Willis, P., 2003. Social Class Defines School Achievement. The Guardian. Available at guardian.co.uk/education/2003/apr/23/schools.uk5 . Willis, P., 1977. Learning To Labour: How Working Class Kids Get Working Class Jobs.  Farnborough: Saxon House.

William Henry III Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

William Henry III - Essay Example In Plato's Allegory of the Cave, Socrates presented a caveman who only knows of darkness. He further presented another caveman who went out, saw the light, came back and considered blind in the darkness. And then he asked who is better off between the caveman who remained and the caveman who left and then blinded by the light. (350 B.C.) The caveman who left is better learned but the caveman who remained can better see. So, are they equal In my opinion, men are never equal. With regard to the cavemen, being in the cave at that point in time, I think the caveman who remained is superior compared to the caveman who left. For if you are bound and chained inside the cave with no chance of escaping, what use is your knowledge of light However, if eventually, the caveman who left was able to adjust his vision so he is no longer blind in the darkness, he is superior. For he no longer has a handicap and yet he knows something the other caveman does not. In Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics he said that every art, inquiry, action and pursuit is aimed at some good. And that certain activities produce different ends. Some might result to the end itself or master end, while some might result in a product leading to the end or subordinate end. (350 B.C.) For example, the end of Medical Arts is health. Thus the act of the doctor of prescribing medicine to the sick and the act of the nurse of taking care of the patient all leads to the master end: health. However, the act of an x-ray technician only leads to a subordinate end: the production of the x-ray result. This is because without analysis of the result and without a cure given, health is not attained. Hence we can say a doctor is superior that an x-ray technician. With respect to medical arts, they are not equal. And this even applies to the normal work setting. In the office there are maintenance people, there's the staff and there's management. All of which are not equal. We have discussed the 'master end' in a particular art. However, there are different kinds of art and sciences. But is there a master art that in which all the ends of all the art fall unto to, the most superior art According to Aristotle, it is politics. Politics uses all the sciences, like medicine and economics. Thru legislature ordains what sciences to be studied, who should learn it and to what extent. It determines what we ought to do and what we should avoid doing. (350 B.C.) Politics directs the state and thus directs all individual men. In the modern day setting, politics is represented by the government. We abide by the law that it legislate. We pay taxes. And we accept punishment from it. Even the richest and most powerful private company answers to the government. Indeed, the government is superior compared to all the other institutions. So far we have established that within a certain activity, art, science or institution, there is inequality between men. William A. Henry III was right. Some are smarter, more diligent, harder to replace and simply better. So is this necessarily anti-egalitarian Does

COM101 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

COM101 - Essay Example ce the audience that a child raised by a gay couple is no different from other children, he uses his achievements in school and his small business to illustrate this fact. He also uses examples from his own family to show that this family is no different from others. Finally, the overall structure of the presentation was excellent. He starts by introducing himself as a son of a lesbian couple, offers his supporting arguments and then closes by restating that children raised by gay couples are just like any other children. This organization helps to bring out the key points clearly. However, this presentation could have been more effective if the speaker had used a slower pace in his speech. Some of the words may not be captured by everyone in the audience, especially those whose first language is not English. Secondly, in order to address concerns the audience may have had, the speaker should have taken some time to respond to the questions from the audience. Finally, in order to make his argument more convincing, he needed to give some statistics relating to the issue. For example, he could give statistics relating to children raised by gay couples in Iowa

Food Cloning Essay Example for Free

Food Cloning Essay Food cloning is a very controversial topic to be discussed because of the large number of disagreements associated with it. Just like anything else in the world, it has positive and negative sides to it. The consumers all over the world only see the negative side. It is time that they now witness the benefits that cloned food brings along with it. This paper will outline these controversies and will describe how the media portrays them. It will also demonstrate the effect of food cloning on our culture, if there is any, and will highlight what this new technology can do for man’s future. Discussion Food cloning is basically obtaining food from cloned animals. How exactly does this work? It is as simple as this. Biotech companies clone animals such as cows, pigs and goats etc by taking the nuclei of cells from adults and combining them into other egg cells from which the nuclei have been extracted. Using this method, a large number of livestock have already been cloned for sale to producers (Reuters, 2003). The first cloned animal that was ever produced was a sheep in 1997. Since then, this technology has become more common and common with time. Because of this reason, the Food and Drug Authority asserted its control over cloning (Patel Rushefsky, 2002). Food cloning is a controversial topic since the time cloning of animals was introduced in 1997. Consumer groups all over the world want authorities to look in ethical and moral issues that are associated with cloning. People are not accepting this new technology and the benefits that come with it for a variety of reasons and controversies. The controversies largely have to do with the degree of safety of the meat, milk and other food products that are obtained from these cloned animals. Why is safety an issue? The answer to this question is obvious. Man is once again trying to intervene with nature and this may not give out the best results because man is subject to errors. Therefore, man will never be able to produce or reproduce animals and food products exactly like the ones present naturally with the help of science and technology and this difference is the main health concern of authorities all over the world. Another reason why cloned food is considered unsafe is that cloned animals usually have higher death rate, low life expectancy and are more prone to diseases (Poulter, 2008). Other safety issues that are considered to pose include the possibility of causing allergic reactions in human and unexpected genetic effects, altering of significant nutrients that are required, containing higher level of toxicants, reducing the effects of antibiotics, and others (Gralla, Gralla, 2004). After the famous Mary Shelly’s story in which she creates a Frankenstein, people have started to associate cloned animals with that as well. They fear that just like the Frankenstein turned against its creator, the food products obtained from cloned animals may also back fire. They think that just like the Frankenstein turned out to be harmful, cloned food products will also turn out to be harmful. Because of these health concerns, consumers all over are getting worried and concerned regarding whether of not the food products they are having are cloned or not. According to a source, companies now want their produced food products to be labeled as â€Å"clone free† so that their consumers can buy and consume food products without having to worry about safety issues. We can take the example of Ben and Jerry’s. Because of this non acceptance of the consumers, Ben and Jerry’s which is a popular ice cream producing company want to ensure their customers through media that the ice cream they produce comes from normal cows and not clones (The Associated Press, 2008). The media has a huge role to play in this. It made the debate regarding food cloning very open and all the concerns were right there in front of the consumers. Despite being confirmed as safe by the government, cloned food will not be accepted by consumers. However, the reality may be a lot different from this perception that the general public has regarding cloned food. Various legal authorities have given a green light to the use of cloned food as they consider it safe. These include the government, scientists and agencies like the Food and Drug Administration are using media to affirm the fact that there is no difference in food products from cloned animals and from conventional livestock. Stephen F. Sundlof, director of the Food and Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine announced that â€Å"meat and milk from cattle, swine and goat clones is as safe to eat as the food we eat every day,† Both cloned and natural foods are equally safe and this also goes for the food obtained from off springs of cloned animals (The Associated Press, 2008). They say that there is nothing in the world that is completely natural, therefore there is no reason to stop when it comes to food and not use science and technology to use ways in which abundant food can be made available and that too at better quality. An example of potatoes is given. It is said that potatoes are not edible in their natural form as they are poisonous. Only after selective breeding, they are made edible (Crompton, 2007). Another point put forward to counter the argument of cloned animals being more prone to diseases and having a lower expectancy age is that the milk and meat obtained from cloned animals while they are healthy and alive will not harm the consumers in any way. Therefore there is no reason to be scared to consume such foods. The government and agencies like FDA have confirmed the safety of the foods but still the businesses are not ready to use cloned animals for their products. They fear that if they use such animals, they will have to label their products as ‘cloned’ and because of this people will not go for this product. However, their fear is logical because people are not ready as yet. We are living in a world where the population is increasing at a very rapid exponential rate. This increasing population will eventually demand food and the rate at which we are using up all our resources, it is predicted that very soon man will not have a lot to eat. We need to find better and newer ways which enable that we have abundant food supply for everyone in the world. Biotechnology is a new field that has been grown because of this. Cloned food is something that has been developed as a result. There were health concerns in the past regarding cloned food, but since now the government and other authorities like FDA have confirmed the safety of food obtained from cloned animals, we consumers must learn to accept it as in near future, this food will become a necessity and out only option. Conclusion In conclusion, I would once again like to emphasize on the need to accept such technologies. Food cloning was considered unsafe in the past because it is something new. Everything new has to go through a testing stage until it can be made ready to use. Similarly, food cloning has undergone the testing stage and it is now safe and ready to use. It is no longer the Frankenstein that it was once considered and because of this it has been made legal all over the world. References The Associated Press (2008) Cloned food may prompt ‘clone-free’ labels. Retrieved, 4 Oct, 2008, from MSNBC. Web site: http://www. msnbc. msn. com/id/16383458/ Crompton, S. (2007) Frankenstein’s monsters or the future of food? Retrieved, 4 Oct, 2008, from Times Online. Web site: http://women. timesonline. co. uk/tol/life_and_style/women/body_and_soul/article1461151. ece Gralla, J. D. Preston Gralla (2004) Complete Idiots Guide to Understanding Cloning. Alpha Books. Patel, K. Mark E. Rushefsky (2002) Health Care Policy in an Age of New Technologies. M. E. Sharpe. Poulter, S (2008) EU gives green light for cloned food to go on sale in UK shops. Retrieved, 4 Oct, 2008, from Daily Mail Online. Web site: http://www. dailymail. co. uk/health/article-507700/EU-gives-green-light-cloned-food-sale-UK-shops. html Reuters (2003) Cloned Food OK by FDA. Retrieved, 4 Oct, 2008, from Wired. Web site: http://www. wired. com/techbiz/media/news/2003/10/61038

Coopers Chingachgook :: essays papers

Coopers Chingachgook The Death of Chingachgook as the Apogee of the tragedy of the Indian Nation in Cooper^s The Pioneers The Pioneers, written by James Fenimore Cooper in 1823 opens the popular series of books about the adventures of an inhabitant of the New England forests Natty Bampo ^ a white man, a scout, and a hunter. However, the novelist does not merely narrate the life of Natty, his main aim is to present the whole situation on the Eastern Coast of America in the seventeenth century. In The Pioneers, in particular, Cooper writes about the new settlers in America, about their conquest of the lands, and about the tragic extinction of the Indian people, who had been proud owners of the lands of America. One of the most important moments in this book, and even in the whole cycle, is the scene of the death of Natty Bampo^s best friend Chingachgook, the last representative of the Indian tribe of Mohicans. In this scene the author presents his most important ideas about the vices of the new settlers, hypocrisy of Christianity, and the tragedy of the native inhabitants of the American lands. C! ooper actually makes the death of the Mohican sound as a final chord in the calamitous history of the Indian people, who under the onslaught of European civilization are doomed to disappear. He makes the dying Indian chief a symbol for his perishing nation, presenting him at the last minutes of his life in his national costume and believing in the Indian morals and gods. Moreover, by misspelling his name on the gravestone, Cooper redoubles the tragic implication that after the death of Chingachgook his culture is forgotten and lost, and a meaningful Indian name loses its importance for the white people who come to live in the formally Indian forests. Towards the end of The Pioneers the tragic story about the Indians who were expelled from their lands by the white Europeans, reaches its apogee. The scene of the Chingachgook^s dying is full of sadness, pain, and hopelessness. In a very meaningful way Cooper presents his Indian hero on the threshold of death, sitting "on a trunk of a fallen oak" (p.381). Thus he hints at the identity between the old chief and the tree, implying that once young and strong they both are now old and lifeless. Moreover, as the fallen tree is now disconnected from the company of the strong young forest mates, thus also Chingachgook with his "tawny visage" (p.381) is lonely among the liveliness of the newly established colonies. So Cooper writes that in place of the once virgin forests where the

Consultative selling Essay

For the last five years, I have held the fulltime sales position of Client Partner with a performance improvement origination. In this roll, I sell individual, team, and organizational solutions to mainly Fortune 500 and Fortune 100 organizations. My position as a Client Partner is a consultative sales job. I partner with clients helping them achieve better results. Consultative sales are quite different and very unique, from traditional or transactional sales. In the Consultative sales it is not about convincing the potential client that you have the product they need, or how you have the best price. Consultative sales are about results based conversations. Key concepts to Consultative selling are relationship building, effective listening, and closing the sale. Within the role of consultative selling, one must have the ability to build relationships, demonstrate effective listening, and then close the sale in order to be successful. I have been in this role for nearly five years. The last two years have been spent in the field, meeting face to face with clients and potential clients weekly. The face to face meeting is essential to the consultative sales role, as this is where the three key concepts are demonstrated. Prior to moving to the field, I had very limited experience in live consultative selling. My first year was really trial by error. I am confident in this first year; I lost many sells and even client relationships due to my lack of skills. However, I can recall one of the most satisfying consultative selling face to face client meetings where using all three key concepts, resulted in a large client engagement. The client was Orica they are the largest manufactures and full service explosive organization specializing in the mining and engineering fields. I received a call from someone in Orica, the individual was technical lead, and she was looking for time management training. She did not want to spend much time with me on the phone, nor did she want me to come out and meet with her face to face, she simply wanting the course outline and pricing to be sent over to her. This is the non-optimal consultative selling situation. However, two weeks later, I heard back from her, stating she wanted to go forward with the time management training program. Again during this conversation, she limited how much information she wanted to provide. All she communicated was this was for an engineering group of 25 employees who had challenges around working very long hours. In addition they were challenged with too many emails in the day. Although any sale is very much appreciated, this sales situation is not optimal. With consultative sales we are looking to solve business problems. If we do not fully understand the problem (diagnose) we cannot solve it (prescribe). Most often when we land sales as these, the clients do not reach the desired results, resulting in no future sales. During this work-session, I went out and sat in on the time management training. I joined in one of the tables. I began to participate to principals outlined in this session. This allowed me to hear the group responses to the questions, hearing what the actual challenges this particular group faces. Throughout the program, I checked in with my contact and would ask however thing was going. Unfortunately, she would not have much to say. Shortly after the work session ended I received a call from my consultant who delivered the program. He communicated to me that within the group today the Vice President of Learning and Development for Orica had been a participant. At the end of the session, the Vice President asks our delivery consultant many questions about the particular solution, and its capabilities. Due to the lack of communication from my original contact, I was never aware this executive would be attending! It was soon uncovered that there was building interest. The fact that there could be additional opportunity was great news! Two days later I called on the Vice President of Learning and Development for Orica, as soon as the conversation began, my intent was building a relationship. I called the Vice President asking for an appointment, with the intent of hearing his feedback on the work session along with giving a high level view of who FranklinCovey is and potentially have a deeper dive in conversation if he felt it was in alignment with Orica. I did not lead the conversation with what else I could offer Orica, but really wanting to hear his thoughts. He immediately agreed to appointment. The next day I drove out to his office. In the key concept of relationship building, one of the ways to do this is with a face to face appointment. In addition one must lead with questions that are personal, this always help to build rapport and allows me to really begin to understand the client. The second part to the questioning is to demonstrate effective listening. As soon as I arrived for the appointment, almost immediately as we shook hands I notice he had a unique metal bracelet on with multiple engravements. I asked him about the bracelet, and this began a fifteen minute conversation, he explained that he served two terms in Afghanistan with the United States Navy as an E. O. D. (Explosive Ordinance Device). The names inscribed on the bracelet are those friends who were killed. I spend the next hour really trying to understand him personally. I asked question, after question, the conversation flowed so naturally. The conversation evolved to where I uncovered his biggest challenge in moving to the civilian world which is finding purpose. There I had begun to build his trust. The questioning and effective listening have paid off. Through effective listening I navigated the conversations from personal question, to business framed questions. I really began to question the current organizational strategies, and structure, and goals. When I demonstrated effective listening, the questions naturally flow. The conversation did not sound interrogative, but genuine. Through this conversation, I uncovered so much more than just organizational time management needs. It allowed me to uncover the fact they are looking for a global time management solution, they needed a project management solution, an entry level managers training program, and even a solution to help them execute on their goals. Almost always when I schedule a face to face client meeting, it is always scheduled for an hour. This client appointment had gone nearly two hours and forty five minutes. The meeting thus far was spent building the relationship though effective listening. During the late portion of the conversation I looked down at my page full of notes, it is time for me to make my recommendation. I made a series of recommendations. My first recommendation is around the time management needs, then project management, then I tie in all the global and manager needs. I held off on the execution needs for the time. At the final closure of the meeting, I make the promise to send him what we talked about and the associated pricing. He shakes my hand and communicates he has already made his decision, and he would like to start with the first phase immediately. Because I was able to build the relationship, demonstrate effective listening, I did not have to sell him on the data. He didn’t need case studies, or industry comparisons, or how our solutions match to their competencies. He trusted me. He believed I did have the solution. He was ready to move. Had I not had the meeting with him, and was limited to the first contact within Orica; I would have never had this account produce what it has. When I initiated my face to face meeting with the potential client, I recognized almost immediately how well he responded to my personal questions. Walking into the meeting I knew what needed to be achieved, I needed to be closing a sale. I was aware of the key concepts behind a consultative sales role, but was unsure how I would achieve this. Opening the conversation with a personal question relating to his bracelet he was wearing, immediately set the tone for the remainder of the time together. It really was exciting to have the conversation flow so naturally. One question led to the next and the next after that. It was an enjoyable conversation that allowed me to learn so much about the client personally and his background with the war. I also enjoyed hearing more about his transitions and its struggles moving from military to civilian organizations. During this time of the conversation, I was not concerned about talking about the solutions I could offer, or how I would close the sale, I was simply engaged in what the client had to say. With this appointment I was able to experience first hand why being face to face is vastly more valuable than a virtual meeting. Had I not been meeting with this client face to face, I would have not seen his bracelet, and chances are never had the opportunity to ask him about his background. I also realized that once I was in the midst of this personal conversation that was so very interesting, I was able to demonstrate effective listening. Because of the nature of the conversation, I was easily able to listen effectively. As I ask one question, how he responded would result in my next question. I was able to be very specific in my questions, really trying to understand the personal challenges he had face along with the new challenges as a result of becoming a civilian. As I reflect on the results of listening effectively, I realize how I was able to navigate the conversation to uncover many challenges within the organization. At the end of the client meeting, I looked down at the notes I had taken. I was genuinely impressed by how specific and deep my notes were. I could now make very specific recommendations. This really was an experience I had wanted for very long. The more specific and clearer understandings of what the client’s needs are the clearer and more specific of a recommendation I can make. As I talked through the solutions and then followed it up with the recommendation on next steps, the client was extremely engaged. He was even surprisingly enthusiastic, that I was able to provide solutions to the challenges to which he had been tasked. What came as an even bigger surprise, he agreed to my recommendations on the spot! He wanted to talk though the details of starting the implementation. This was the first client appointment I had experience where I had demonstrated building the relationship, through effective listening resulting in a client agreeing immediately to the recommendation. As a result I know have a deep pervasive relationship with the client who is so fulfilling and rewarding. In addition to this joyous relationship, I also have a large revenue producing account. This is the dream of every sales person. Since experiencing such success in executing the three key concepts, I have change and altered how I facilitate a face to face client appointment. I now see that the face to face appointment is more impactful and valuable to the sales process. Demonstrating the three key concepts at the meeting is vital to the success of my business. When meeting face to face with clients, I focus on building the client relationship by primarily focusing on the person to whom the meeting is focused. If I can build repoire by effective questioning and listening, the recommendation, and making the sale will come much earlier. This experience has also resulted in deeper personal relationships. In addition to applying these principles in a professional environment, I have now begun to practice these concepts in personal relationships. I spend time really focusing on gaining deeper relationships through effective listening. I have now gained the experience on how to grow deep pervasive relationships. An essential element of sales is building client relationships. â€Å"The fastest way to get what you want is first to help others get what they want† (Gaffney 2010). The best behavior change we can make as a sale professional is to simply get over ourselves and start focusing on our client and their needs. â€Å"Commonality of purpose unites you with people; it builds rapport that leads to trust and to the development of a long-term, profitable relationship’ (Graffney 2010). The key first step of the sales process is establishing trust though development of the relationship. The client or potential client is not interested in what we have to say or what we are selling, unless they see how it is in their best interest. When engaging with client the universal truth â€Å"Focus on the client is the key to getting what you want† (Graffney 2010). When meeting with a client, we need to maintain this as a paradigm; building the client relationship and not falsely ‘pretending’ to be interested. The interest generated prior to the sale must be intentional and genuine. A clients sustainable success is based on the principle; â€Å"success in business is about-helping your client, not helping yourself’ (Graffney 2010). The top 10 percent know that they can only be successful if they’re focused on helping people rather than helping themselves making the sale. Consultative selling is about starting a dialogue to uncover a prospect’s problem and then helping them solve the problem in the best way possible. In order to uncover the problem we must have the ability to not only ask questions, but to demonstrate the skill of effective listening. Listening is both a behavior and a skill† (Bonet 2001). Many believe they have the skill of listening. Effective listening is â€Å"receiving information, giving meaning to the information, deciding what you think or feel about that information, responding to what you hear† (Bonet 2001). Most of us are not good listeners. Research indicates â€Å"We listen to 25% of our potential which means, we forget, ignore, distort, or misunderstand 75% of what we hear† (Bonet 2001). When we are able to listen effectively we are able to â€Å"understand problems, and build relationships† (Bonet 2001). If we are not effectively listening to prospects or clients; how is trust established? Without trust there is no client relationship. â€Å"Consultative selling, in a nutshell is the art of effective questioning, listening, and probing the client to effectively ascertain their problems, challenges, goals, and objections; then presenting solution options, which is customized to meet their specific needs and are designed to form long-lasting working partnerships with the client to maximize their investment (Bennett 2006). Consultative selling us focused almost exclusively on the clients rather than the product they are selling. The object is to understand the client’s situation to the degree that the â€Å"sale and implementation of the product or service becomes a seamless integral part of the client’s ongoing business operation† (Bennett 2006). It is apparent when the sales individuals executes successfully on building the client relationship through effective listening, advancement of the sell through competent recommendations is inevitable. The success I experienced from the client face to face meeting has the potential to change almost all of my personal engagements with others. For example; by applying the same concepts to both personal and professional relationships I can deepen and broaden these relationships. The skillset of being intentional on building relationships through effective listening can transform almost any relationship. People enjoy talking about themselves. If we genuinely want to develop and grow any relationship, personal and professional, by taking the attention off of ourselves, and focus on the learning about others, people respond positively. The behavior of effective listening communicates to the individual that they are unique and special. I have learned that people are accustomed to only talking about themself. People are often pleasantly surprised when they learn you are not there to talk about yourself, but rather learn about them! Prior to this experience I would be very nervous and almost sick over high value appointments. I was under the belief that I need to have a strong business case, and with that alone, I would be able to make the sale. This experience demonstrated that focusing on the client through effective listen is the most effect way to gain sustainable results. I will now have the confidence and ability to meet and work with larger more complex clients. By applying the same principles of building the client relationship though effective listening, I can make competent recommendations, that the client will trust. This will allow me to grow my business and the depth I am able to penetrate. Finally since this experience, I am now aware the building relationships requires being intentional. A quote that really emphasis this, is by former GE CEO, Jack Welsh â€Å"Be interested, not interesting†. The experience with this particular client taught me how true this statement is. I have since experienced the same success in the personal setting as I did in the professional. I look forward to additional successes, based on this model.

Leedsichthys - Facts and Figures

Name: Leedsichthys (Greek for Leeds fish); pronounced leeds-ICK-thissHabitat: Oceans worldwideHistorical Period: Middle-Late Jurassic (189-144 million years ago)Size and Weight: 30 to 70 feet long and five to 50 tonsDiet: PlanktonDistinguishing Characteristics: Large size; semi-cartilaginous skeleton; thousands of teeth About Leedsichthys The last (i.e., species) name of Leedsichthys is problematicus, which should give you some clue about the controversy occasioned by this gigantic prehistoric fish. The problem is that, although Leedsichthys is known from dozens of fossil remains from around the world, these specimens dont consistently add up to a convincing snapshot, leading to grossly divergent size estimates: more conservative paleontologists venture guesses of about 30 feet long and 5 to 10 tons, while others maintain that superannuated Leedsichthys adults could attain lengths of over 70 feet and weights of over 50 tons. Were on much firmer ground when it comes to Leedsichthys feeding habits. This Jurassic fish was equipped with a whopping 40,000 teeth, which it used not to prey on the larger fish and marine reptiles of its day, but to filter-feed plankton (much like a modern Blue Whale). By opening its mouth extra-wide, Leedsichthys could gulp in hundreds of gallons of water every second, more than enough to cover its outsized dietary needs. As with many prehistoric animals discovered in the 19th century, the fossils of Leedsichthys were an ongoing source of confusion (and competition). When the farmer Alfred Nicholson Leeds discovered the bones in a loam pit near Peterborough, England, in 1886, he forwarded them to a fellow fossil hunter, who misidentified them as the back plates of a stegosaur dinosaur. The next year, during a trip overseas, the eminent American paleontologist Othniel C. Marsh correctly diagnosed the remains as belonging to a giant prehistoric fish, at which point Leeds made a brief career of excavating additional fossils and selling them to natural history museums. One little-appreciated fact about Leedsichthys is that its the earliest identified filter-feeding marine animal, a category that also includes prehistoric whales, to attain giant sizes. Clearly, there was an explosion in plankton populations during the early Jurassic period, which fueled the evolution of fish like Leedsichthys, and just as clearly this giant filter-feeder went extinct when krill populations mysteriously plunged at the cusp of the ensuing Cretaceous period.