Barack Obamas Political Marketing Strategy

Barack Obamas Political Marketing Strategy Using a country of your choice as an example, critically evaluate if or how political marketing has been applied in political campaigning or governmental communication Hilary Clinton began her campaign for the Democratic nomination in 2008 in pole position; she was by far the most recognizable name, already had a core block of support at the grass-roots level and from the outset she had access to the greatest funds. Yet it was the young and inexperienced African-American senator for Illinois who began his campaign as a relative unknown who secured the nomination. This essay intends to examine how the Barack Obama team utilised political marketing in order to win the contest. Specifically, we will analyse three crucial factors of Barack Obama’s political marketing strategy. Firstly it will be shown that by embracing the concept of online social networking the Obama campaign vastly increased its ability to reach out to and connect with his supporters. This produced a wide range of positive results, from increased grass-roots mobilization to greater levels of financial support. Next we will demonstrate that the data mining methods used by the O bama team to profile supporters gave the campaign greater efficiency, both in identifying potential voters and maximizing fundraising opportunities. The third decisive element of Barack Obama’s political marketing will be shown to be the way in which he was branded; his was the most professional, consistent and aesthetically cohesive branding effort, with a distinctive message that gave him a clear demarcation from his rivals. In short this essay will argue that these three strategies – the concept of social networking, the extensive data mining and the professional branding of Obama – all served to play a decisive role in his victory and provide important, even seminal, lessons for future political marketing strategies. Marc Ambinder (2008) argues that â€Å"America’s politics have regularly been transformed by sudden changes in the way we communicate† and he goes onto to show how past Presidents have embraced previous communication revolutions; Lincoln exploited the boom in the newspaper industry, Roosevelt’s radio-broadcast fireside chats enabled him to speak directly to the American people, whilst Kennedy’s assured performance against a less than comfortable Nixon in the first televised Presidential debate in American political history helped win the White House. They all understood and exploited these new media better than their opponents. Today’s newest media is of course the internet and Barack Obama’s campaign for the 2008 Democratic nomination has attempted to fully utilise the internet for political marketing purposes. Whilst using the web to reach out to the electorate, raise campaign money and other such activities is nothing new – witness the success of Howard Dean during the 2004 Democratic campaign – what made this campaign unique was the ‘joining up’ of disparate new-media strands into a comprehensive array of services. The Obama team embraced the concept of internet social networking, as exemplified by sites such as MySpace and Facebook, to a degree that was unsurpassed by any other candidate. So keen were they to incorporate the social networking phenomenon they hired Chris Hughes, one of the original founders of Facebook (Stelter, 2008). The big idea to come from this was that Barack Obama’s internet presence should go further than merely having a website which detailed policies, provided news, allowed donations and so on; rather there should be a network of inter-linked services and tools that enabled supporters to interact with one another and form a virtual community. At the heart of this was the site My.BarackObama.com which acted as a hub for Obama supporters, allowing them to ne twork at a local level with other supporters. In practical terms this meant the establishment of fund-raising events, the mobilization of activists at the micro-level in order to recruit people to do the groundwork of distributing leaflets and knocking on doors. Although the site was established by Obama’s campaign team, once set up it became self-perpetuating; fundraisers were being organized at the ground level, with little or no interaction or involvement from upon high. My.BarackObama.com went further than a standard campaign website, which usually allows the politician to connect with their own supporters. Whilst such an approach can be termed as a sort of vertical, or top down communication, My.BarackObama.com facilitated horizontal communication, that is to say that it allowed Barack Obama’s supports to communicate with each other, as well as being able to participate in the campaign.. For a candidate such as Obama this new method of engaging with the public via new media presented him as part of the zeitgeist, as ‘next generation’; just as John F. Kennedy was seen as the first President to be of the 20th Century so Obama is seen as the candidate that best reflects the 21st Century. Aside from all the inherent practical benefits, the adoption of internet social networking methods also dovetailed neatly with Obama’s wider political message of self-empowerment. Indeed, the man himself has made this connection, declaring that the qualities that best described his campaign â€Å"openness and transparency and participation† — were ones that â€Å"merged perfectly† with the Internet (cited in Cohen, 2008). In fact we could go as far as to say that, in terms of Obama’s use of internet-based social networking, the medium is the message; My.BarackObama.com is significant not because it details radical policy proposals but rather because of the way in which it facilitates communication and allows for greater interaction and collaborative decentralized participation. In other words, its actual message is not what significant but rather the way in which information is conveyed and the symbiotic relationship that is formed as a result. For example, just the very fact the Barack Obama was au fait with ‘Web 2.0’ ideas and trends such as social networking distinguished him from his rivals. The aforementioned Chris Hughes, one of the founders of Facebook who joined the Obama team, ensured that My.BarackObama.com stuck to the founding principles that has made Facebook so popular and effective; despite being a large national-based service, it was organized on a local level so users would interact with those in their real-life communities (Stelter, 2008). An Obama supporter in, say, a suburb of Rhode Island, could interact with other in his/her real-life community, events could be organized, they could meet up if they so wished. Indeed many such social events were arranged; in one example Obama supporters gathered together at each other’s house to watch a live webcast of their candidate’s speech (Kantor, 2007). However the online strategy was designed not merely to facilitate the social lives of Obama supporters but rather to improve grass-roots organisation, as Joe Rospars, Obama’s online director explains; â€Å"Weve tried to orient the tools less a s a social network and more as a mobilization network. Were creating opportunities for people to get out there and do things, the campaign is election-outcome oriented† (cited in Stelter, 2008). The practical benefits of adopting the concept of social networking soon became apparent. The New York Times reported that â€Å"in some primary and caucus states, volunteers used the Internet to start organizing themselves months before the campaign staff arrived†(Stelter, 2008). The real gains of Obama’s new media strategy however can be counted in dollars and cents; in April 2008, as the campaign entered a crucial stage, Obama’s teams raised $31m, whilst Hilary Clinton managed $20m (Sullivan, 2008). This gave Obama $38m for the remainder of his campaign, whilst Hilary $6m for hers (Sullivan, 2008). Such figures should not fool the reader into thinking that Hilary Clinton’s fundraising efforts were in some way ineffective – far from it, as Peter Ley den of the think-tank New Politics Institute explains: â€Å"What’s amazing is that Hillary built the best campaign that has ever been done in Democratic politics on the old model – she raised more money than anyone before her, she locked down all the party stalwarts, she assembled an all-star team of consultants and she really mastered this top-down, command-and-control type of outfit. And yet she’s getting beaten by this political start-up that is essentially a totally different model of the new politics† (cited in Sullivan, 2008) This new model was partly influenced by recent changes in the U.S. in laws pertaining to campaign funding. Due to concerns that massive donations by big business to campaign coffers could potentially cause a conflict of interest once a candidate was in office, the maximum amount allow for an individual donation was limited to $2,000 ($2,300 for the 2008 election). This shifted the emphasis away from the courting of wealthy donors towards attempts to encourage individuals to get their friends, family members and so on to also contribute the maximum donation. This strategy was the one which enable George W. Bush to amass the enormous sums spent on his Presidential bid, through the means of fundraising events and dinners, in which attendees paid considerable sums to rub shoulders with the candidate themselves (Sullivan, 2008). However, Obama’s team use of social networking led to two significant consequences in relation to campaign finance. Firstly, social networking created fund raising events by the grass roots supporters themselves, with no input from the candidate necessary. Secondly, rather than seek the maximum $2,300 from each individual, Obama’s team realized that a greater number of smaller donations meant a higher overall contribution. Of the $31m raised by Obama in April 2008, almost all of it came from online donors (Sullivan, 2008) and 94% came in donations of $200 or less (Sullivan, 2008). In comparison, 26% of Hilary Clinton’s donations and 13% of John McCain’s were under $200 (Green, 2008). Let us be clear; the amount that Barack Obama has raised online is unprecedented. Howard Dean was feted for raising $27 million online in 2004. So far, Obama has raised nearly $200 million (Green, 2008). A great example of how the ‘snowballing effect’ of social networking worked to create donations for Barack Obama is given by Joe Erwin (2008: â€Å"A friend I know, whos an Independent voter and who had never made an online campaign contribution, recently went online and donated $50 to the Obama campaign. Within two minutes she received a thank-you for the contribution and an acknowledgement that someone in Ohio had matched her contribution as a way of also saying thank you. Two minutes after that, she received another e-mail from the campaign asking if she, too, would be willing to match the $50 contribution of a new donor, and whether her e-mail address could be shared so that the new donor could thank her for her match. You get the picture.† The tactic of asking supporters just to give a little was inspired. Not only did it deliver a vast number of donors – over two million (Stelter, 2008).– but as the vast majority did not contribute the maximum amount, Obama was able to continue to ask them for another ‘little’ donation time and time again as his campaign went on. Furthermore, such a request is one that he can make again once the Presidential race against McCain begins in earnest. As The Times declares, â€Å"This is a money machine unlike any other† (Sullivan, 2008). Obama’s method of online fundraising meant that it minimized the amount of time he actually had to be present at events and dinners. In February 2008 the Obama campaign raised $55m ($45m from the internet) without Barack Obama personally hosting a single fundraiser (Sullivan, 2008). There are always multiple demands on a candidates’ time during a campaign, so the opportunity to spend less time trying to sweet talk people into emptying their wallets and purses and more on working on policy, speeches and suchlike is invaluable. Not only were the demands on the candidates time lessened but the campaign team soon found that fundraising events were springing up spontaneously, independent of any official involvement, as Andrew Sullivan (2008) explains: â€Å"This spring, many friends who had never previously been interested in politics suddenly told me about their Obama fundraisers. I was stunned by their activism. No one had asked them. They were arranging the parties or performances or gatherings through Facebook and MySpace, without any formal leadership from Obama headquarters. Just as Obama’s most famous web videos were never commissioned by the candidate – they were created and disseminated spontaneously online – so his fundraising began to take on a life of its own†¦There is no question in my mind that this is the future of political organisation and fundraising† Joshua Green (2008) witnessed first hand how Obama supporters became empowered to get involved in a meaningful way. Upon visiting the local Obama headquarters in Silicone Valley, Green found it to be â€Å"jammed with volunteers† who were listening to a Obama speech asking volunteers to phone wavering delegates in Iowa in order to try to get them to back him. Soon these volunteers did exactly that. The next day, Obama had gained nine delegates. What struck Green most about this episode was that: â€Å"that the headquarters is entirely self-sufficient—not a dime has come from the Obama campaign. Instead, everything from the computers to the telephones to the doughnuts and coffee—even the building’s rent and utilities—is user-generated, arranged and paid for by local volunteers. It is one of several such examples across the country, and no other campaign has put together anything that can match this level of self-sufficiency† As Obama’s online director Joe Rospars states, â€Å"the idea is to give them the tools and have them go out and do all this on their own† (cited in Green, 2008) Another distinct advantage to the social networking system was that it allowed the campaign team to amass a wide array of personal information regarding Obama’s support. This data went far beyond the usual demographic indicators usually utilized in elections. The subsequent data mining of the information allowed Obama’s team to yet again maximize campaign contributions, as well as giving them a stronger, more organized presence at the grass-roots level. Upon visiting My.BarackObama.com you are prompted to either log-in to your account or sign up if you are not already an existing user. This means that, unlike with traditional candidate websites, to access the full range of services you must provide your email address as well as your zip code. Other personal information can also be volunteered. As a result of his internet presence Barack Obama has over five million people signed up to his email list (Madden, 2008). What is significant however is not how much data was ava ilable to Obama’s people, but rather how it was used. After all, too much information can be overwhelming; how this information was utilized, the way in which it was broken down and ‘sliced up’ meant that the campaign could achieve greater efficiency and function in a much more streamlined manner. Targeting the right demographic is crucial, there is little point in pouring in money and time attempting to recruit voters who are by inclination Clintonites (or in the forthcoming Presidential campaign, right-wing Republicans). By knowing a voter’s age, gender, race, household income, academic qualifications and suchlike, predicting who they are planning to vote for (or indeed if they are likely to vote at all) is made all the more easier. Not only did Obama’s people collect data from their own supporters, they also used information that was already in the public domain, such as census records and voter registration records (Madden, 2008). Statistical software and market research tools used in the corporate domain were then used to isolate trends or common factors that indicated whether someone would be likely to vote Republican or Democrat, for Hilary or Obama. Whilst such research cannot guarantee to predict an individual’s voting behaviour it does allow for more educated guesses. For example, Obama’s campaign team would know that members of the American Civil Liberties Union would be more likely to vote for their candidate than members of the National Rifle Association. This data mining process meant that time and money could be more efficiently targeted and channeled. In the Iowa caucus the Obama team used sophisticated tracking mechanisms to firstly identify supporters, then hold their support . Internet sources were used to build mailing lists based on political, professional and personal interests. To gather information o voters his team trawled social networking sites, and not just MySpace and Facebook but also more niche sites that catered for white collar professionals, baby boomers, African-Americans, Latinos, Asians and the homosexual community (Slevin, P. Vargas, J.A., 2007) Data mining for political ends is nothing new. During the 2004 Election George W. Bush used consumer data to target potential new supporters (Madden, 2008). The Democrats used similar information to target wealthy donors (Madden, 2008). The difference with the Obama campaign is that his team used far more detailed information in pursuit of far wider reaching aims. For Obama’s people even information that may at first seem to have little or no relevance was utilized in order to accrue an advantage. The time at which people on the mailing list read the emails sent to them was monitored and if a consistent pattern emerged, they would always send them at that time of day. As Michael Bassik, a Democratic consultant with online advertising company MSHC Partners explains, â€Å"the marginal benefit of sending some people an email at 2 oclock vs. 3 oclock vs. 4 oclock might not make sense [at first] but once you start getting an e-mail list thats 3 million, 4 million, or 10 million p eople, increasing the returns for a fundraising e-mail by 5 or 10 percent means additional returns of tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars (cited in Madden, 2008). A user of My.BarackObama.com would have their usage tracked so it would be known how often they visited and when and thus their commitment to the campaign could be measured. All members – nearly a million people (Stelter, 2008) – were asked to complete a detailed survey of their voting habits, previous contributions to political campaigns, the political groups and issues they care most about and if and when they visited church (Madden, 2008). All of this information was then collated in order to build a profile of an Obama supporter. This information was then put to use via traditional electioneering methods. Neighbourhoods in which the data showed the highest percentage of likely Obama supporters were extensively canvassed. This integration of old and new methods is what made Obama’s data mining a success. Online information was joined up with offline data, everything became integrated, as the following example given by Andrew Sullivan (2008) shows: â€Å"Obama’s trademark mass rallies†¦aren’t just media draws. Everyone who wanted to get into the 75,000-strong rally in Portland†¦had to provide an e-mail address. By the time they came home from the event, an e-mail was waiting for them, asking them for money or for referrals to other friends, and encouraging them to form â€Å"affinity groups† to spread the network wider and wider† The information gleaned from data mining was combined with the advantages of social networking by Obama’s team when users of My.BarackObama.com were encouraged to help the campaign by canvassing in their own areas. They were supplied with information that told them which of their neighbours were most likely to vote Democrat and who in their area was registered as an independent voter (Stelter, 2008). The final key element of Barack Obama’s political marketing strategy that we will discuss is branding. In his campaign Obama applied practices used for the branding of consumer products by corporate entities. He realized that consistency was the watchword; consistency of message and consistency in the way in which that message is delivered The use of consistent and expertly designed fonts, logos, slogans and web design prompted Newsweek to declare that â€Å"Obama is the first presidential candidate to be marketed like a high-end consumer brand†¦ in a way that transcends the mere appropriation of commercial tactics to achieve the sort of seamless brand identity that the most up-to-date companies strive for† (Romano, 2008). Just as with much else of the campaign, the operation to create ‘brand Obama’ was consistent and wide ranging. The online efforts were joined-up and synchronized with offline marketing. Obama’s team again took what can be desc ribed as a holistic approach. All of the graphics were in the same typeface, the Gotham font. This is true of the website, placards, leaflets and other literature. At Obama rallies all non-homemade signs are in the same font, which, according to graphic designer and critic Michael Bierut, is a more impressive feat than one might initially imagine; â€Å"every single non-handmade sign is in that font. Every single one of them. And theyre all perfectly spaced and perfectly arranged. Trust me. Ive done graphics for events and I know what it takes to have rally after rally without someone saying, ‘Oh, we ran out of signs, lets do a batch in Arial’†¦Theres an absolute level of control that I have trouble achieving with my corporate clients†(Romano, 2008). There were even occasions at rallies when supporters were requested to trade their home-made signs and placards for official Obama material so as to maintain the aesthetic cohesion (Brady, 2008). The typography used by Obama is significant for the message that it relays to us. His use of the Gotham font is fitting, as like the man himself it is a modern American creation. It was devised in 2002 for New York’s public buildings (Romano, 2008; Heller, 2008; Brady, 2008). Experts in the field insist that it is â€Å"assured, elegant, and plain-speaking† (Brady, 2008), â€Å"conversational and pleasant† (cited in Romano, 2008) and â€Å"substantial yet friendly†¦Up-to-date yet familiar† (cited in Heller, 2008). Various experts have waxed lyrical abut their admiration for how consistent, comprehensive and professional Obama’s branding campaign has been, whilst insisting that to successfully orchestrate such a huge, nation-wide branding effort in such a short and concentrated time-frame is something that even the major players in the corporate world have not been capable of (Romano, 2008; Heller, 2008; Brady, 2008). As we have seen with the adoption of social networking, the Obama campaign was as comfortable in dealing with new media sources as well as traditional media outlets. His campaign was transmedia, he understood that many people, especially those in the younger demographic, no longer get their news and other information from solely the television, radio or printed word. Instead many diverse platforms are used; websites, email, podcasts, mobiles phones and other such devices. Obama’s branding strategy, along with the rest of his political marketing operation utilized all media forms to deliver a coherent message. Keith Reinhard of the major advertising agency DDB Worldwide sees Obama as the ideal political product; â€Å"Barack Obama is three things you want in a brand. New, different, and attractive. Thats as good as it gets (cited in McGirt, 2008). His inspirational rhetoric, his promise of change, his idealism are his unique selling points, they differentiate him from the other candidates. The ‘Yes We Can’ message appeals to the younger, perhaps more cynical and apathetic segment of the demographic, it resonates with an audience tired of negative campaigning and broken promises. His is a message in of inclusivity, of empowerment; Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other timeWe are the hope of the future (cited in McGirt, 2008). In conclusion, Barack Obama’s use of political marketing has been crucial in making him the Democrat’s choice to contest the 2008 election. The use of social networking strategies was perhaps the most impressive and important element. The Obama campaign exploited the new opportunities of social networking far better than any other. The ‘Yes We Can’ attitude of his speeches took hold so strongly with his grass-roots support because the opportunities that new media provided for them to become part of the campaign. Supporters were enabled to organise events and engage in political activism with minimal ‘top-down’ management from the campaign team. The amount of money raised online, and the number of donors is unprecedented. Instead of reaching out to the wealthy elite and big business in the hope of large donations, Obama’s fundraising methods have conclusively shown that greater funds can be gathered by receiving smaller donations in much higher amounts. The data mining used meant that targeting potential supporters was made easier and more efficient. Having better information on the political issues that voters were interested in also helped to maximise donations and build support. The Obama brand achieved a remarkable level of consistency, professionalism and aesthetic cohesion and was delivered across a whole host of media, both old and new. His campaign, particularly the way in which the internet was utilised, could well signal a seismic shift in political marketing. Regardless of whether not he becomes President it seems almost certain that Barack Obama has changed the way politicians market themselves to the electorate. Bibliography Ambinder, M., 2008. HisSpace. Atlantic Monthly, June Brady, W., 2008. Obamas media campaign branding our consciousness. The Guardian, 10 July Cohen, N., 2008. The Wiki-Way to the Nomination. The New York Times, 8 June Erwin, J., 2008. How They Grew Brand Obama. Advertising Age, 27 February  [internet]. Available from: http://adage.com/campaigntrail/post?article_id=125377  [cited 29/07/2008] Green, J., 2008. The Amazing Money Machine. Atlantic Monthly, June Heller, S., 2008. To the Letter Born. The New York Times, 2 April Heller, S., 2008. To the Letter Born. The New York Times, 2 April Kator, J., 2007. Obama’s Online Strategy Seeks Big Bonus From Small Turnout. The New York Times, 1 April Madden, M., 2008. Barack Obamas super marketing machine. Salon, 16 July [internet]  Available from: http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/07/16/obama_data/#  [cited 29/07/2008] MacAskill, E., 2008. Obama sends out army of volunteers. The Guardian, 14 June McGirt, E., 2008. The Brand Called Obama. Fast Company, April [online]. Available from: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/124/the-brand-called-obama.html  [cited 31/07/2008] Rawsthorn, A., 2008. Brand Obama, a leader in the imagewar. International Herald Tribune, 6 April Romano, A. 2008. Expertinent: Why the Obama Brand Is Working. Newsweek, 27 February Schifferes, S., 2008. Internet key to Obama victories. BBC News, 12 June [online] Available from:  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7412045.stm  [cited 29/07/2008] Slevin, P. Vargas, J.A., 2007. Obama Tries New Tactics To Get Out Vote in Iowa. The Washington Post, 31 December Sifry M., 2008. President 2.0 The Guardian, 25 June Stelter, B., 2008. The Facebooker Who Friended Obama. The New York Times, 7 July Sullivan, A., 2008. Barack Obama is master of the new Facebook politics. The Times, 25 May

Can Retention Be Good for a Student Essay

In today’s society, there is a large debate of what is best for a child’s learning development when they are below level in learning. Educators debate the fact about whether grade retention is good for a student, or is it more appropriate to advance them with their peers, and there is research available to support what is being said. What is meant by retention or non-promotion is having a child repeat a particular grade or requiring a child of appropriate age to postpone entry to the next grade. In doing research I have found some interesting facts, and one of the biggest impacts I have found was by using the search engine to research positive effects of grade retention, the results that were found showed that there is not much available to support the facts. By retaining a child can be extremely hurtful to their self-esteem, risk ridicule and bullying from other children and may also increase behaviors caused by retention. Other things to consider would be at what cost will a child be retained, and what are the results as the child grows older. There are different options that could be considered as opposed to retention. The cost of retaining a child varies from on an average of $5,000 per year and the cost of the child’s shame and embarrassment should also be considered. So why not take this money and apply it to meeting the needs of a student in the areas where he or she might require the help as opposed to causing any shame and embarrassment one might experience. As a mother of two classified children who were faced with learning disabilities and one who just had difficulty learning. I was always told the worst thing you can do to a child who has difficulty learning is retained them, let alone if they were classified. For the simple fact that a child already beats themselves up by thinking they are stupid that they cannot learn what all their friends seem to be learning, and by doing this they are killing whatever self-esteem they have left. I found it helpful to know there was more than one option out there for my children. I made the choice not to have my children retained based on what I researched and what I thought was best for my children. My children stayed with their peers, obtained extra help by attending pull out service and in class support, and whatever other services were available by which was provided by my school district. I also had the advantage of the government on my side because my children were classified; the school district received extra money for my children’s education. If a child is retained, it might give them the opportunity to relearn, refresh and acquire the skills that were missed the first time around and might help them move to the next grade level (Malone, 2005). But what happens when these children who get â€Å"caught up† in the skills and are not with their own peers? The ridicule that they receive from their new set of peers begins to set in and their self-esteem becomes crushed. In addition, what happens after that first year of retention, when the child is caught up on that level and then begins to fall behind in the years to come? Does this child keep getting retained? Or does someone come up with new ideas? The intentions of the educators, I am sure, think they are doing what is best for the child, but in reality is seems to be more of a gamble. When a child does not meet the standards of the school district to continue with his or her peers, some feel it makes sense to retain them and let them repeat the grade. The hope is that these children will pass the grade the second time around. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, as a nation we fail to promote 13% of our students (Bowser, 1998). According to Philip Bowser (NEA Today, 1998), a district-wide school psychology, who had followed children who were retained over the years, the results might have seemed good after the first year, but as time went on things with these children did not appear to be particular pretty. He witnessed children who did not make the academic progress as others had wished, and at the same time, these children developed measurable deficits in mental health problems. He also observed that the â€Å"Old for grade† adolescents increase the risk for substance abuse, earlier age of sexual introduction, behavioral problems and emotional distress (including suicidal thoughts). Comparing retained students with similar students who were socially promoted frequently shows that most students do not catch up when they are held back; even though they seem to do better at first, they tend to fall behind again in future grades. The results are most likely to become alienation from school and eventually drop out and these finding are just as much for kindergarten and first-graders held back because they were alleged to lack maturity or readiness as they do for older students. By using retention as an option it provides either no achievement benefit or only a short lived advantage comparative to social promotion, and the inflict cost on the retained students, their teachers, and the school system. According to the studies, the children most likely to be retained are small in physique or youngest in their grade, more boys than girls, who often moved around from home to home and or from low-income families whose parents are not involved in their schooling and also have a lower educational achievement. These students who are often retained have a lower achievement in reading and language arts compared to most students in the classroom; however, there are often peers who are equally low-achieving but promoted (Jimerson, Carlson, Rotert, Egeland, & Sroufe 1997; Sandoval, 1998). Educators feel by retaining children they are offering them the gift of time to store up on learning and prepare for the future. When in reality school districts are just trying to improve on the standardize tests. In researching this subject, I have found mixed emotions on the topic of retention, and it has seemed to me that although some might think one is better than the other, I feel the answer lies in the other options that are out there for children besides retention. If a child or children can be promoted with their peers and offered other solutions to their academic issues then why not help these children the best way we know how? If we start at an early age helping these children by offering preschool intervention programs, we could be getting a jump on the problems. According to Casto & Mastropieri, 1986; Zigler & Styfco, 2000 A primary purpose of preschool intervention programs is generally to assist at-risk students before they experience academic challenges, through enhancing foundation skills necessary for subsequent academic success. Basic literacy skills, pro social behaviors, and socio emotional development are often emphasized in pre-school programs. By enhancing skills for academic success through preschool programs, retention maybe prevented (p.52) Other solutions might consist of comprehensive program to help promote a child’s social and academic development such as that help integrate strategies to promote children’s academics by having after school programs and or summer school programs where children can seek extra help in the academic areas that need reinforcing. Another idea that can be offered is Looping and Multi-Age classrooms. Looping is a classroom in which a child can spend more than one year with one teacher so this teacher can provide the instruction that is needed and embrace a child’s strength in the process of learning. Multi-Age classrooms allow students of different ages and abilities to move ahead at his or her own pace and the possibility to learn from one another (May, Kundert, & Brent, 1995) By districts offering other solutions to retention such as parent involvement, early reading programs and effective strategies with academics and behavior modification programs it will be making long term goals for these children as opposed to the short term objective of a child being retained. Parents need to be aware of their rights and their children’s right and realize that sometimes we do know what is best for our children and just because someone says or thinks retention is in your child’s best interest, just do not agree, they should know the facts and know what is available for their children. By educating themselves as parents is the best defense they have to protect their children and their right to an education that meets their needs. These solutions are clear that by assisting children and helping them gaining the knowledge and self-esteem to learn it will help reduce the rate of children wanting to drop out in the long run. It will allow for them to get the education they want, let alone deserve. The success rate will be higher and the educators and parents can be proud of the choices they made to help children progress and succeed in life. So to use the words of social promotion is not exactly fair because it sounds like a child only gets promoted for social reasons. In fact, it is the right of these children to go to school with other children their own age. Then the educators can provide the help these children need and deserve when falling behind in their academics and cognitive skills, and not just to say retention is the only way they have to go. Reference Bowser, P. B. Can Retention Be Good for a Student?. Retrieved February 1, 2008, Web site: http://www. roseburg. k12. or. us/sec/handouts/GRADRETE. htm Casto, G. , & Mastropieri, M. A. (1986). The efficacy of early intervention programs: A meta-analysis. Exceptional Children,52, 417– 424. Jimerson, S. R. , Carlson, E. , Rotert, M. , Egeland, B. , & Sroufe, L. A. (1997). A prospective, longitudinal study of the correlates and consequences of early grade retention. Journal of School Psychology, 35, 3–25. May, D. C. , Kundert, D. K. , & Brent, D. (1995). Does delayed entry reduce later grade retentions and use of special education services? Remedial and Special Education, 16, 288–294. Sandoval, J. (1984). Repeating the first grade: How the decision is made. Psychology in the Schools, 21, 457– 462. Social Promotion – In Comparison to Grade Retention, Advantage and Disadvantages, Different Perspectives. In Education Encyclopedia – StateUniversity. com: Education Encyclopedia [Web]. Retrieved 1/31/2008, from http://education. stateuniversity. com/pages/2431/Social-Promotion. html†>Social Promotion – In Comparison to Grade Retention, Advantages and Disadvantages, Different Perspectives.

The Ethics Of Human Cloning - 918 Words

The advancement of technology and scientific ideas has raised debates about the ethics of in-vitro fertilization, preimplantation, stem cell research, demographic control, for example, by sterilization, genetic modification for health or physical enhancement, and human cloning. The idea of human cloning is most interesting because it is most mysterious and very complex. The topic of human cloning inclusively brings up issues also raised in the mentioned technologies. Human cloning is of two types: therapeutic and reproductive. Therapeutic cloning aims to produce tissues or organs from cells of a cloned embryo, whereas reproductive cloning aims to further develop the cloned embryo into a human being (Glannon 89). Motivations for human cloning are therapeutic, research, and enhancement. Bioethicist John Harris explains that human cloning may benefit people’s understanding of genetic nature and abnormalities, as intended with animal cloning (148). Harris expands explaining that human cloning could, if proved safe, could provide an alternative or better choice to techniques, such as pre-implantation, for scientific testing (144). In addition, human cloning could supply needy people with organs (148). Most popular, human cloning would give people another way to have children of their own, helpful to infertile people and people with hereditary genetic diseases. (148). Leon Kass explains that people might also seek human cloning to substitute for a dear relative (149). HarrisShow MoreRelatedThe Ethics Of Human Cloning890 Words   |  4 Pages The ethics of cloning Early in 1997, Scottish scientist Dr. Ian Wilmot revealed to the world that he had successfully cloned an adult sheep, Dolly. With this invention, the world made a aggregate astonishment at the realization that cloning was no longer an aspect of a Science Fiction movie. Since then, human cloning has become one of the most expressing divergent topics in the world, discussions began regarding the ethic consequence of human cloning. In several recent opponents argue thatRead MoreHuman Cloning Ethics1908 Words   |  8 PagesKant and Kass Tackle the Cloning Dilemma Although there are some important benefits to the use of human cloning, there are also moral challenges as well. The benefits include eradicating defective genes and infertility and a quicker recovery from traumatic injuries among other advantages. However, the disadvantages are truly thought provoking as first an individual must answer the question, â€Å"When does a human life begin?† This paper will oppose the use of human cloning on the basis that life beginsRead MoreThe Ethics Of Human Cloning2096 Words   |  9 Pagesbodies, the human race stands easily as one of the most extraordinarily complex and mysterious species in the world. Since the beginning of time our race has been evolving with knowledge, constantly searching for a complete understanding of how we function, and how we can improve ourselves. Through various studies, researchers have thought of ways to modify the human body by means of medication, surgical procedures and other processes. One of these methods is through human reproductive cloning. The veryRead MoreThe Ethics Of Human Cloning Essay1927 Words   |  8 Pagesis created, and this act of reproductive cloning is regarded with controversy; is it morally permissible, or is it morally grotesque. There are certain elements to consider when debating the ethics of human cloning. Leon Kass in his article â€Å"The Wisdom of Repugnance† contends that reproductive cloning is morally corrupt, describing it as offensive, repulsive, and repugnant, believing these terms to be commonly associated with regards to human cloning. Kass goes forth with his arguments byRead MoreThe Ethics of Human Cloning Essay1294 Words   |  6 PagesHuman cloning is separated into two major categories; reproductive cloning, which uses cloning technology to create a human embryo that will produce an entire human, and therapeutic, which adopt cloning into field of medical practices to find a cure for many diseases (Kass). Reproductive cloning requires a somatic cell, a DNA-less egg, and a surrogate mother; as a result, it creates a new individual with the same genome, or genetic coding. The idea originated in Germany in 1938, but the first successfulRead MoreThe Controversy Concerning The Ethics Of Human Cloning1008 Words   |  5 PagesClones are humans. This statement embodies the crux of the controversy regarding the ethics of human cloning. If clones are humans, then they should receive the same rights as humans who were born ‘naturally’. But how do you determine humanity? The film Never Let Me Go (2010), ba sed on Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel of the same name, helps answer the question â€Å"Should we clone?† by establishing that humanity is more than the way one enters the world and by highlighting the unethical issues that may ariseRead MoreEssay about The Ethics of Human Cloning979 Words   |  4 PagesThe Ethics of Human Cloning In order to make a fully justified decision on whether human cloning is ethical or not, one must be exposed to the background of the subject. To start, a clone is an exact replica of an organism, cell, or gene. The process itself is done asexually with the use of a cell from the original human. It is then placed inside a female capable of bearing a child and is then born as a clone. Along with this comes questions of whether or not it is rightRead MoreThe Cloning Of The Human Genome And With No Standard Line Of Ethics951 Words   |  4 PagesThe issue at hand is that scientists are in a period of enlightenment with the human genome and with no standard line of ethics pertaining to editing human embryos in research development other countries are taking liberty to beat around the bush to explore this concept of eugenics. After the cloning of dolly the goat and China cloning two monkeys without a genetic blood disease through a process called CISPR society are asking the same question. Are scientists taking this too far before it is readyRead MoreEthics of Human Cloning and Genetic Engineering Essay1843 Words   |  8 PagesINTRODUCTION When the Roslin Institutes first sheep cloning work was announced in March 1996 the papers were full of speculation about its long-term implications. Because of this discovery, the media’s attention has focused mainly on discussion of the possibility, of cloning humans. In doing so, it has missed the much more immediate impact of this work on how we use animals. Its not certain this would really lead to flocks of cloned lambs in the fields of rural America, or clinically reproducibleRead More The Opposition to Human Cloning: How Morality and Ethics Factor in2864 Words   |  12 PagesThe Opposition to Human Cloning: How Morality and Ethics Factor in If a random individual were asked twenty years ago if he/she believed that science could clone an animal, most would have given a weird look and responded, â€Å"Are you kidding me?† However, that once crazy idea has now become a reality, and with this reality, has come debate after debate about the ethics and morality of cloning. Yet technology has not stopped with just the cloning of animals, but now many scientists are contemplating

Comparative analysis of Marketing Communications strategies and mix for the Free Essay Example, 3000 words

Subsequently, in order to create product differentiation the company went in for logo changes in 1905, in 1906 and subsequently during WW-II. It was in late 90s that Pepsi started a new era in competition by targeting the young and fresh, with the unveiling of the GeneratioNext campaign. With the exception of brief bankruptcy stints in 1923 and 1932, Pepsi-Cola kept its place firmly at the heels of Coca-Cola through its creation of an extensive franchise bottling network and distribution outlets (Yoffie, 2004). On the other hand The Virgin Drinks group first launched the Virgin Cola company in 1994 with Virgin Cola in UK. And Virgin has been very fierce in its marketing efforts, with Richard Branson in the forefront. Markets in which Virgin Drinks are currently being locally manufactured and sold include UK, USA, Canada, France, China, Switzerland, Italy, Sweden, Japan, Bangladesh, South Africa, Tunisia, Afghanistan and Iraq. Virgin Drinks is also present in the French West Indies t hrough export opportunities. In fact UK market has one more serious contender for the market share in the form of Sainsbury, which has its own committed batch of consumers relishing on its non-alcoholic range including Elderflower crush, Watermelon crush, Spiced Indian tea, Fruit punch, and Quick lemonade. We will write a custom essay sample on Comparative analysis of Marketing Communications strategies and mix for the or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now At one time it also provided some bubbling effect to the already fierce cola war, but now it has more or less opted out of the war syndrome. Analysis and Discussion As far as the Cola war is concerned, it is limited to the two main rivals in the UK markets which is quite apparent considering the following facts; i. Virgin is a relatively new entrant. ii. Though Virgin has given good competition to both Pepsi and Coke as it has eaten up into their market share, but the ‘War’ mechanism remains within Pepsi and Coke because Virgin is eating up the share of both companies in equal measure. iii. Apparently the Airlines business is the main business for Virgin, and to supplement this very business, Virgin has launched the soft-drinks. For example way back in 1946 when sugar supply was rationed, Pepsi CEO Walter Mack purchased a sugar plantation in Cuba which proved to be highly profitable for Pepsi, but that did not result in Pepsi becoming a sugar giant. Similarly Richard Branson wished to have his own brand of cold drinks, he came out with Virgin. But he is not too bothered with its limited growth over the years. Now Virgin has started strategically placing the drink in many more countries and markets.