Social and emotional learning (SEL)

Social and emotional learning (SEL) There is a daunting list of issues which face students and educators alike. A growing number of genuinely effective educational establishments are now coming to realise that competence in socio-emotional development and academic achievement are intrinsically linked and an integrated, coordinated approach (i.e. not just teaching children how to pass exams but educating them in how to develop life skills and deal with social challenges) in each of these areas not only helps students maximise their potential in school but throughout their lives. Educational establishments are now viewed as an important if not central arena for health promotion [and] primary preventionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ in addition to the education of students (Roeser, Eccles, Samoroff, 2000, p. 467). This information however, is far from new. Wang et al. (1997) examined 28 learning influence categories which were based on handbook chapters, surveys of national experts and research syntheses. Of their findings they discove red that of the 11 most influential categories, 8 of them involved factors which were socio-emotional (classroom climate, peer group, social interaction, etc). In support of this work the (American) National Center for Education Statistics (2002) cited that among the predominant reasons given for children dropping out of school several involved socio-emotional factors. Generally feeling left out made up 23.2% whilst those who did not get on with peers or teachers accounted for 20.1% and 35% respectively. 12.1% of the students said they did not feel safe. These worrying figures led Wang et al. to conclude that intervention of a direct kind in the psychological determinants of learning promises the most effective avenues of reform (p. 210) which also supports the cohesive provision of social and emotional learning throughout school-life. Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the ability within the student to recognise emotions and manage them effectively whilst establishing positive and healthy relationships with others around them (competencies which are inarguably essential for all pupils). Accordingly, the objectives of SEL are a combination of cognitions, behaviours and emotions. It is this process of knowledge acquisition and its effective application regarding attitudes and the development of related skills (including managing emotions, developing concern and care towards others, decision-making in a responsible manner and capably handling situations which may be challenging) (Beaty, 2008). Through positive engagement in activities within the classroom and outside the learning environment the students can learn SEL skills in a similar fashion to the manner in which they learn academic skills, then apply them and put them into practice. The increasingly complex situations which todays children face have are bet ter faced when these integrated and enhanced skills are applied (Elias et al., 1997). Much of prevalent practice and methodologies on SEL has evolved largely from research conducted by Goleman (1995) and Gardner (1993), both of whom started a great interest in SEL throughout the 1990s which has continued to the present day. On-going research has increasingly shown that those schools which make efforts to employ SEL and adopt its requirements produce outcomes which are positive. Parents and educators alike are progressively recognising the relationships across socio-emotional learning and academia, in particular within the systems of support found within the context of schools (Kearns, 2010). Within the context of safe, caring, well-managed and participatory school, classroom and extraneous learning environments, these learned skills are reinforced in the home, at school and within the community. All children benefit from instruction in social and emotional learning, although those who are already at risk, are beginning to engage in behaviour that is negative or those who may already display problems which are significant are particularly suited to SEL development. This is why early implementation of SEL programming is essential in order to allow children to develop their skills throughout their early childhood into adolescence. SEL programming focusses mainly on the universal prevention of behavioural problems and the promotion of socio-emotional competence as opposed to direct intervention. There may be smaller numbers of pupils who may require treatment which is moderate to intensive in order to develop socio-emotional competence but the intention of SEL programming is to enhance and promote growth in these areas for all children and to allow them to develop healthy behaviour structures as opposed to behaviours which may be mal-adaptive or unhealthy (Rice et al., 2006). A comprehensive and continuous system of support services which are based on student needs is the context within which SEL should be viewed. As such a support system, SEL is a concept which unifies the integration and coordination of school-based promotion and prevention programmes which reduce marginalisation and minimises fragmentation of these efforts. The most sustained and effective approaches should involve a partnership between educators, parents, students and community members in order to continuously and effectively plan, implement and evaluate the efforts of SEL. Socio-emotional education should begin in pre-school and continue throughout formal education. It should also be intentionally entwined to academic development and is an integral element of the national curriculum (Elias et al., 1997; Talay-Ongan Ap, 2005). With so many situations that can have negative effects on both the socio-emotional and the academic development of children, ultimately affecting their happiness in their lives, it is crucial that children are given SEL from an early age. An increased and generalised sense of fear and insecurity is purveyed throughout the media, from fanatical terrorism and government fear propaganda to adverts and unattainable levels of exquisiteness in teen magazines and music television. This is compounded by a continually increasing level of inequity between the rich and the poor (Wollman et al., 2003). The media constantly bombards the unprepared public with lurid stories of sleaze and corruption, spanning across all walks of previously respected life. Politicians, businessmen, people in positions of esteem, sports icons and popular culture figures (to name but a few) are all regularly featured in relentless stories and reports of unethical conduct and questionable behaviour. This was not a conc ern for generations gone by when the media was less forthright about the delivery of messages which encouraged unhealthy behaviour, nor was the threat of online danger via internet chat rooms and violent video games so prevalent. With so many role models with publicly tarnished reputations, and unethical behaviour increasingly commonplace, more and more students are finding a feeling of uncertainly with their lives and their futures. This disenfranchisement, insecurity, disillusionment, and in many cases, fear, provides a palpable case for stating that perhaps SEL is now more than ever an essential element of educational reform (Zins, et al., 2004). Many SEL initiatives which currently exist are fragmented in methodology and approach which detracts from their collective effectiveness. Extreme action such as the introduction of metal detectors, searching pupils upon entrance to school property, alongside school change management, recreational activities, school architecture and information materials (brochures, posters, etc.) can help prevent problem behaviours whilst promoting a safe environment but are far from the provision of a coordinated and cohesive programme. Rather the outcome is the loss of opportunities to reinforce skills across activities and initiatives along with a seemingly inevitable competition for resources. By using SEL as the organisational framework for such initiatives it can serve a broad array of positive promotional efforts whilst delivering effective prevention of negative behaviours (Gottfredson Gottfredson, 2001). There are several key competencies that are regarded as essential to be reinforced in SEL programming. They consist of: Self-awareness (the identification and effective regard for ones own emotions, a recognition of strength in both ones self and in others and a sense of self-confidence), a social awareness (which involves a sense of empathy and respect for others), responsible decision making (evaluating and reflecting upon personal, ethical responsibilities), self-management (controlling ones impulses, managing stress, developing persistence, setting goals and developing self-motivation) and relationship skills (learning cooperation, seeking and providing help and developing effective communication) (Bear, 2005). As previously noted, it is when they are taught and developed in a caring, well-managed and supportive learning environment that these competencies are they delivered most effectively. Autonomic development, ethical advancement and self-discipline are all more effectively furthered in environments whereby care, consideration, mutual respect, cooperation and decision making are normal conduct. These contexts find themselves structured in such a way that they encourage exploration among students to try new or innovative learning activities. They can also provide accessible opportunities in order to address personal problems or requirements and allow support with the establishment of positive peer and adult relationships. The result is that students feel a sense of safety and security, and are not fearful of making mistakes. A reciprocal relationship should exist in the classroom between SEL and the climate of the school. The school environment which is positive and promotes SEL effectively is affected positively by the development of SEL in its students. This synergistic process exists due to the interdependent nature of social, emotional and academic growth (Dolby, 2007). Given the continuing positive outcomes of research conducted on SEL it seems clear that the responsibility to deliver effective programmes is evident. This means that educators should not only teach and assess SEL for all students within their care but should also be responsible for the conduction of reliable assessment of socio-emotional, health related and academic outcomes in tandem with acknowledgement and development of the school climate. All of this should be based on input gained from a range of constituencies, including, but not limited to, the students themselves, parents, community members and teachers. The assessment of SEL is an area which is still in need of further development and may soon become an area of particular interest to school psychologists. For acceptability and accountability purposes, a determination needs to be made regarding the value-assessable outcomes of SEL with regards to student learning and socio-emotional development, and to enable adequate devel opmental strategies in order to effectively review and improve the instruction delivered (Stormont, 2007). It is essential for todays students to be prepared not only to pass academic exams but pass tests that they will encounter in day to day life. Socio-emotional competence is closely related to academic achievement and to remain effective, educators should focus efforts on coordinated and integrated instruction on each area thoroughly in order to maintain the greatest potential among pupils to succeed both in academia and throughout their lives. Growing research concludes that SEL intervention of an evidence-based nature is increasingly becoming associated with health, academic achievement and ethical conduct. This creates the constant challenge of how to implement SEL as a core element of the national curriculum and perhaps more importantly how to develop relevant programming which is sustainable and effective.

An Inspector Calls :: English Literature

An Inspector Calls 'An Inspector Calls' was written by J.B Priestley in 1944. The play was set 32 years before the play was actually written. It was set around the year 1912. Britain in the early 1910's was very much a strong, powerful business nation, one of the richest in the world. For large factory and business owners, it was a time for great success. When J.B Priestly wrote the play in 1944, World War 2 was occurring and Britain was involved. The world was turned into chaos and the ideas of highly powered people of the past had been one of its majoring contributing factors. 'An Inspector Calls' is about a family called the Birling's which consist of Mr. Arthur Birling and his wife, his daughter Sheila and her fiancce Gerald and Eric, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Birling. They are a middleclass family in a town called Brumley. The play is based on a girl called Eva Smith who committed suicide by drinking disinfectant. The inspector then visits the Birling's house on the night of Sheila and Gerald's engagement. He interviews all the members of the family and without them realizing, they all have an awful story to say and they all have part to play to her death. At the end of the play, it ends with a very mind thinking twist which you end up asking yourself, how did he know? The twist is the inspector is telling this story about a girl who swallowed disinfectant and questions all the family and they all have something to say about themselves and Eva Smiths relationship. When the inspector leaves, Mr. Birling phones up the police to see if girl has died tonight. The police reply no there hasn't been but when Mr. Birling hangs up the phone, the police call straight back and say someone has just reported a girl committing suicide by swallowing disinfectant. How did the inspector know that the girl was going to die? J.B Priestley's aims are to show the audience that middle classed families in the 1910's were not as clever and capable as some may think. They can be in fact very foolish. Priestly puts across a clear message in the play is that being responsible for you is not enough to make the world a better place. Mr. Birling does the opposite to this in the play by when he says 'a man has to mind his own business and look after himself.' Also the message about power comes across quite clearly in the play. Priestley's view on having power is to use it carefully. You can relate this to Mr.

To Learn...Or Not to Learn Essay -- Education

Have you ever been a student, and you think the teacher is just talking to hear themselves talk? Do you feel yourself being filled with information you will never use in the â€Å"Real World†? These questions have been asked many times and by many people. The school system in the United States is changing from the foundation to the top. The school system has failed many students by their teaching methods and also the textbooks students are forced to use. People such as Paulo Freire PhD and Dr. James Loewen have observed countless hours of good teaching and bad teaching methods. Freire observed and wrote about the different methods of teaching that are being used, and Loewen wrote about how the textbooks are only telling us certain parts of our history. Paulo Reglus Neves Freire, PhD was born in Brazil on September 19, 1921 and died May 2, 1997. Paul Freire was well known for his theories on education. His most noteworthy work was â€Å"Pedagogy of the Oppressed†. In 1993 an exert essay "The Banking Concept of Learning† appeared in continuum. This essay brings to light many ideas current students and alumni have long known; teachers are just using the students head as receptacles for their knowledge. Freire noted many ideas on this subject that are true. Just set back and remember your high school classes or even your college classes. A few examples of one concept Freire named the â€Å"narrative† concept is when the teacher teaches and the students learn, the teacher issues discipline and the students are the recipient and the teacher confuses the knowledge with their own professional authority, in which this limits the freedom of creativity for the students. Teaching such as the â€Å"narrative† concept terro... ...able learning people. The â€Å"problem- posing† concept and practice take the students as face value, and allow a more comfortable atmosphere for learning. Another major flaw in the educational system was identified by Dr. James Loewen, in which he discovered a plethora of misinformation in many History textbooks and other historical artifacts. America wake up, we have to learn the proper way to teach our education but we also have to get our history straight before we send it out into the public. Works Cited â€Å"The Banking Concept of Education,† Trans. Myra Bergman Ramos Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Paulo Freire PhD. New York: Continuum, 1993. Print Loewen, James W. â€Å"Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your History Textbook Got Wrong.† From Inquiry to Academic Writing. Ed. Stuart Greene, April Lidinsky. Boston: Bradford, 2012. 383-403. Print.

Should School Uniforms Be Compulsory?

It has long been a controversial topic. Should uniforms be compulsory? The answer is short, absolutely! The reasons which support this argument far outweigh any opposing points. For years, the question has ‘ping-ponged’ back and forth as to whether having uniforms is imperative. Why would anyone choose to spend time carefully selecting different clothes to wear each day, if the option is out there to know every morning what you need to wear simply by having a uniform? Most importantly, uniforms make a group equal.There is no discrimination against someone’s choice of clothing. Commonly, families with a thriving financial status have the ability to spend money on high-end clothing labels, whilst families with an average or poor financial status have no option but to purchase the cheaper alternative. Why should anyone be put in a position of feeling as though they are judged purely on the choice of their clothing? Uniforms keep those who wear them, feeling as though they are â€Å"the same† or similar.Uniforms have the ability to make a group a team. Particularly when attending out of school activities or events, peers feel as though they are a part of team by simply wearing the same thing. It identifies complete individuals and unites them as one in the same. Look at teams of all sorts of circumstances. Soccer teams, wear the same uniform for their training and their games. How else would we be able to identify that they belong to a team or club? The staff at Qantas Airlines all wear the same uniform during their time at work.It would be quite interesting if they all decided to wear their own clothes and we weren’t able to identify them from the passengers. Without even knowing someone, a uniform can quickly identify them to any team whether that is a sports team, a company or a school. When students put on a uniform, it instantly makes them look neat and tidy and when you see hundreds of peers all in the same uniform, all in on e school. It gives the impression that it is a nice, hardworking and a dedicated school.If a school uniform got damaged, you will have the relief of knowing that it’s only a uniform and will most likely get fixed in a hurry but if it was just ordinary casual clothes, you wouldn’t get it fixed anytime soon because you’ll know that there are more clothes waiting to be worn. Just say if there were to be an incident before or after school such like a fight and bystanders witnessed it. There would be less chance of the two offenders facing a punishment because no one can identify who they are and what school they come from. So in conclusion

Agriculture Revolution Essay

The agriculture revolution occurred in the Eighteenth Century. It was the age of new inventions and methods which caused agriculture to boom and end the long problem of famine. The agriculture revolution also caused social and economic consequences. What are some of these methods, inventions an also, the downfalls and consequences of the agriculture revolution? In the eighteenth century it was important to improve agriculture to feed the rapidly increasing population. This meant they needed to make inventions to grow more food at a more rapid rate. This is about the time when they discovered crop rotation, which is rotationing the crop to refurnish the nutrients in the soil by switching the crops that used the nutrients in the soil with the ones that replaced it. This system gave farmers the opportunity to farm all their land at all times, instead of having to let some land set for a long period of time. Some of the important crops were peas, beans, turnips, potatoes, clovers and grasses. Other inventions like the seed drill, threshing machine, along with the enclosure of fields helped produce enough food for the growing population. The enclosure of fields was a new invention, which took a farmers scattered land and put it together in fenced in fields to farm a lot smarter and more efficiently. Not all the people of the eighteenth century went to farming in this new style, they were used to the traditional style and preferred to continue farming that way. The Low Countries and England were the main people that used crop rotation. New crops made ideal feed for animals, which meant farmers could increase their herds, which ultimately meant more meat and better diets for all. Some downfalls of the agriculture revolution meant that if a farmer wanted to experiment with new methods they would have to get all landowners in the village to agree. Enclosure didn’t seem to help the poor rural families; this meant that they couldn’t do the things they traditionally did. They liked using common pastureland to graze stock, forests and marshlands for firewood and berries, therefore the poor highly opposed the idea of enclosure and created allies with the wealthy land owners. The wealthy land owners were also against enclosure, because it required large risks and investments? The agricultural revolution had a very big impact on women; the new inventions and the machinery were much harder for them to handle. This meant women had to find another role in society, working at Cottage Industries or as Domestic Servants. The agriculture revolution was the start of a great stepping stone. The new inventions like Crop Rotation and Enclosure helped form the age we live in today. There were ups and downs to the agricultural revolution, as there is in any new ideas that are trying to be implemented. The revolution ended famine, the methods used caused distress with the poor and even the wealthy at times; they also wanted to keep the traditional ways of farming. The transformation and experimentation of new crops and systems of crop rotation was not completed until the nineteenth century. Agricultural revolution allowed farms to be more compact and increased investments. The agricultural revolution was an essential prelude to the Industrial Revolution.

Honor killingskillings Essay

It is shocking to see that in today’s era when education and awareness has become the most integral part of human and societal development. Moreover, women empowerment and their role in every walk of lives have changed over the period of time. There are still such hideous practices that are being done in some parts of the world under the disguised name of honor killing and Pakistan being one of the countries which holds the highest rates of honor killings in the world. Karo Kari another name for ignorance. This name originated from the rural areas of interior sindh. It is being practiced in areas of Sindh such as Jacocabad, Sukkur, Khairpur, and Larkana along with other areas of Sindh and some places in Punjab. THE TRIBAL SYSTEM Pakistani society is rich with multiple cultures and ethnic backgrounds. Each of these cultures and people from diversified ethnic groups come from distinct backgrounds and live together hence they have their own traditions and customs which they have been following since years. In the rural areas of Pakistan the tribal system still exists such as areas in the interior sindh. This is where the ‘jirga’ system or commonly known as the â€Å"panchayat† system exists. Under this system the rich and the influential class of the village tends to form a committee and takes decisions on behalf of everyone and the decision given by this group is bound to be accepted by every member of the society. They have their own way of judging the case and passing a verdict on that, they take their own time, they think over it and give the date for the decision. The lower and the poor working class is suppressed under this system as they don’t have any say in it and obliged to follow it. KARO KARI Karo Kari is practiced when the women of the family has brought dishonor to the family name by any means. This could be if the woman has any illicit relations with any man, or an extra marital affair, she could be a rape victim or even if she wants to get married to somebody of her choice she is brutally killed by one of the family members themselves in order to bring back the lost glory and name of the family. It is not just this that an innocent women can be categorized as Kari and killed it is also when the family and the brothers want to keep the property and resolve land disputes she becomes a victim of this murder, for example if a man owes some money to a person and that creditor comes to his place in order to collect the money to his place from another village and stays over night. The person who owes the money would kill his wife next day and declare her a Kari so that he doesn’t have to pay the money . in this way the creditor would choose to leave without taking the money rather being declared as Karo and being killed. Similarly a man can be declared a Karo even if he doesn’t have any kind of affair with a woman but he has any form of dispute with some other tribe and he’ll be killed under the name of honor killing. These killings tend to have the most inhuman ways of torturing some one and sentencing them to death. They will bury the girl alive recently in one of the states of Sindh, Khairpur; a girl was thrown in front of dogs to be torn apart as an act of hour killing. THE RISE IN THE NUMBER OF KILLINGS It is very depressing to see that the trend in the number of killings that has taken place due to this has increased over the years instead of dropping. It is estimated that over the last six years in Pakistan the number of deaths caused by Karo Kari have been more than six thousand which included around 800 men too, so it is not just women who fall for this, there are men too but their number is relatively lower than the women. Different societies have different people and thinking therefore they believe what they are doing is the right way but this practice of suppressing the right of women and taking her right to live is a murderous crime and contradictory to the teachings of Islam. It is that barbaric evil of the society that has to be eliminated completely. Even worse is the fact that the rich and influential class tends to get away with this practice while the poor are helpless and they become the victim. THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT As far as the government and other NGO’s are concerned then in the year 2004 there was an amendment made in the constitution which declared honor killings such as Karo Kari as equal to murder however, this amendment never came into practice because under another clause of the constitution it was stated that the accused can get away with the crime if one gets the consent of the family and in this case of Karo Kari the victims family itself is the one who are doing it therefore nobody can be put to trial as they don’t appear in the police station. It is the government’s duty to look into this matter and they should have made an alteration in the other amendment so that this brutal practice can be put to an end, however no concrete step has been taken to curb this. KARO KARI IS UNJUSTIFIABLE Karo Kari is a cultural shock to anyone who belongs to a civilized, developed and educated society and would condemn it. it is a murder not a punishment there could be any other ways of punishing one for their doings but such act is not justifiable on any grounds, it is barbaric and takes away the freedom of speech and expression. The dominating men in the â€Å"jirga† system have curbed the rights of women in these rural areas. It is actually the sardars who are the influential â€Å"waderas† who tend to encourage this practice as this increases their prestige in the society ,over that they get a compensation from the â€Å"jirga† too. Karo Kari is another name for ignorance, Islam has already restricted the Muslims and it has set punishments for the victim therefore any other act that is being practiced under its name is simply ignorance. In Islam having an illicit sexual relationship is condemned and the accused is whipped not subject to killing. How can one justify the killing of a woman who has been subjected to rape? By declaring such a women Kari and killing her society is depriving the soul from getting justice and instead of taking her out of that trauma one is putting an end to her life. Why are women accused more then men in Karo Kari, it is not that men are more faithful then women it is just that women are weak in these areas and men are strong that is why they are able to get away with it. These â€Å"jirga† have no right to take away the liberty to live from such people; they should work for the benefits of the society by coming to a conclusion on the basis of â€Å"shariah† not merely stay ignorant. Women are not property that their life is kept at stake to resolve land disputes. Moreover the killing is done in the most inhuman way. To bury some one alive, throwing her in front of dogs or to burn her alive is unjustifiable. Such practices were there in the olden days when there was no education and no awareness but it’s shocking that it still exists in our society and nobody has done anything to put an end to it. It is unjustly exploited by the feudal land lords and the elite class of the village who use Karo Kari to resolve their personal matters. One such incident took place when a native of interior Sindh came home after years of hard work from Dubai and brought money back home to start some form of business in his native land. He came in the eyes of the feudal lord due to his money and business. The opportunist wanted to trap him in the case of Karo Kari and he got the opportunity when the man by mistake prayed on the grave of some other women, thinking it to be his wife’s grave. The feudal lord took advantage of this and declared him a Karo; the man not only paid 15million to the land lord in order to save his life, he was kicked out of his home land and his business was taken away. There are many such instances when the influential people of the â€Å"panchayat† system tend to trap others for their own good and they use this practice of Karo Kari as a tool in order to get away with it. It is unfortunate to see that such murders are given the name of honor killings. THE URBAN AREAS VERSUS THE RURAL SETUP The tragedy with these women lies in the fact that they are born in such a set up and society where they are considered as a burden on the family. Girls still cannot compete with the boys and neither can they express their opinion. Sons are preferred over daughters. Daughters are not encouraged to go to school or get exposed to the outside world. Therefore their thinking is confined to just one place. They are expected to do what they are asked for and nothing else. Lives in the urban areas are an extreme opposite view of this. If one may not go far and compare with places in the similar province such as Karachi. The region is developed and modern. It is a cosmopolitan city and comprises of people from all caste, color and creed and they all share different cultures and languages and live altogether. Women here are educated and empowered like never before. They are independent, focused and know exactly what they want out of their lives. They are working as well as having a family and they are doing well in every walk of lives and competing with men. They take their own decisions. The living and culture of these societies varies from the rural areas actually there is no comparison. The two societies share the same religion and language yet again there are differences of opinions and thinking process. The urban life of Karachi is mush more modern and liberal as they are adopting the western culture in their society. Apart from the right to go out or make money, women can dress up the way she wants, socialize, make friends and do whatever she wants to. Girls are actually encouraged to go and study in co education and moreover sent abroad for further education and their families and relatives support them in this. In these urban areas there is no such thing as ‘jirga system. Life is different here justice drawn through legal courts and with the help of police. A rape victim can go to the police and lodge a complaint against the culprit and she has the right to live and fight for her right and nobody can stop her. All kinds of disputes pertaining to property, ownership, marriage or anything are resolved through legal procedure in the courts. After the age of eighteen years the girl and the boy have the right to choose her own life partner and get married to him legally. The concept of honor killings does not exist in these urban areas. This society has its own set of evils and drawbacks such as poverty, corruption, unemployment, terrorism. Women in urban areas are as influential and resourceful then men that they can not be dominated unjustly. Tribal system is a sign of backwardness and illiteracy and refusal to accept this fact is what is leading to what it is today. These two societies have completely different set of values, cultures, traditions and norms that they follow. The living and lifestyles of these people are also different. In the urban areas there are also powerful and influential people who tend to subjugate the weaker class, however that is done in entire different way where the free will of everyone is not included like the â€Å"jirga† system where everyone is bound to listen to them? Life in the urban society has made men and women strong and independent that’s the way they are brought up, whereas the tribal system has put them in a much weaker stand. The practice of Karo Kari is a social issue and it can not come to an end until there is no change in the social structure of the society and in order to change to be there, there has to be awareness and education and the powers of the rich and the land lords needs to be curbed so that they don’t exploit the common man who work for them as their slaves. It should not be encouraged but since it has been following from years and the people in the villages associate it as a matter of prestige and honor that is why is strongly accepted and being followed. It is not being used in villages to make easy money. The men’s of the family tend to kill their own daughter, wives and sisters ruthlessly in order to make easy money. it is actually depressing to see this that in today’s time such type of unjust ways of killings are taking place by the wrongdoers and they are justified on the basis of honor killings. 60% cases of the cases of Karo Kari are reported to be where the accused were innocent and yet killed. Every society and every religion have their own set of limitations which are known to all. Yet again those are not being followed that doesn’t mean that one can make use of it and exploit it on the basis of â€Å"ghayrat†. There are officials in the government who haven’t done anything to stop this practice because they feel it is not wrong, not only men, there are women who are seen in the political setup who have the ability to do something, yet are not doing anything. There are different cultures and people living in one country and each of them have their own problems and drawbacks. Whereas in one province one woman can get married by giving a divorce to her husband and in the other society she is buried alive if she has her own opinion. This tribal system has gone so worse that the people who live under it fear their death and therefore few try to escape and the ones who have money give that and get away with everything. Even if people try to escape these killings the villagers look for them and they kill them whenever and wherever they find them. Education is the key in all this that can reduce the gap and disparity among the two societies and give everyone the freedom to live as an independent citizen. ohou Key words Honor killings in Pakistan Karo Kari and the tribal system Women empowerment

External and Internal Environments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

External and Internal Environments - Essay Example The company is engaged in the business of running retail stores that come in various formats like discount stores, supercentres, neighborhood markets, etc. worldwide. The products of the company are also offered through different e-commerce websites that includes samsclub.com and walmart.com. Wide range of merchandise products are also offered by the company which comes at every day low price (EDLP). The company's operation is divided into three broad segments namely, Wal-Mart International, Wal-Mart US and Sam's Club. External Environment Analysis The external environment in which Wal-Mart operates its business activities can have a significant impact on its growth and sustainability in future. The various external environmental factors that can have an impact on the company and its corresponding retail industry can be better understood through the PESTEL analysis. It stands for Political, Economical, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal factors concerning the organization . Of all these six environmental factors the Economical and Social factors can have a significant impact on the organization and the industry in which operates its business. A detailed analysis of these two factors has been discussed below: a. Economical Factors: United States is considered to be one of the largest economies of the world with gross domestic product (GDP) of around $15.09 trillion and per capita GDP of around $49,000 in 2011 (CIA, 2012a). The recent global financial crisis (GFC) had a significant negative impact on the US economy but it recovered well. The US retail savings which also suffered a setback due to GFC is expected to have a steady growth. The disposable income of the US population is also expected to increase. All these factors can have a positive impact on Wal-Mart in increasing its sales in the forthcoming years through its low and competitive pricing strategy. b. Social Factors: The increasing healthcare costs and the ever increasing aging population o f US are major concerns for the country at present. Another major social concern for the country is the rising inequality of income. United States has been ranked 42 out of 136 nations with respect to the income equality parameter as evaluated by the Gini coefficient (CIA, 2012b). Although US economy as a whole has experienced consistent growth it has not translated into redistributive social policies and increased wages. All these social concerns can have a significant impact on Wal-Mart because it employs large number of laborers and the wages issues associated with them can hamper the future growth prospect of the company. Industry Analysis Porter’s five forces model helps an organization to assess the competitive forces which exists within the industry (Hill & Jones, 2012, p. 49). The forces which help out in the process are named as a) threat of new entrants, b) threat from the substitute products or services, c) bargaining power of the suppliers, d) bargaining power of the consumers and finally e) competition within the industry (Society for Human Resource Management (U.S.), 2006, p.38-39). Out of the five competitive forces mentioned above two most important forces that can have a significant impact on Wal-Mart has been described below: a. Buyer Power: The retailers that operate in the retail industry vary greatly in their size with respect to companies like Wal-Mart who are having large chain of supermarkets