Praxis of Pastoral Counseling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Praxis of Pastoral Counseling - Essay Example As the paper outlinesâ since people today are confronted with serious issues concerning their economic wellbeing, it couldn't be maintained a strategic distance from that most issues that are introduced to the guides are engaged with the failure of the people to pick up the things that they should pick up from the general public. Beside this, the way that the contemplations of human way of thinking are not in full understanding with the standards of the Bible, Christian Counseling faces such a great amount of issues regarding how it is viewed as successful by people who are expecting directing assistance. This paper talks about that the emergency in advising systems particularly that of the Christian-based method of guiding is principally centered around the common sense and the viability of the said procedure of advising. The way that Christian Counseling depends on the standards of the Holy Scriptures, and that not all that numerous individuals have confidence in the intensity o f the Bible these days, questions the intensity of the expression of God to really helper people with their own issues and in this way have the option to take care of the said issues in aâ â progressively handy and viable technique. In any case, through the compelling utilization of the standards of the Bible in genuine directing methods, these inquiries could be replied and in this way demonstrate the way that the advice from God’s word is for sure powerful and valuable for each devotee of the truth. Counselors are required to have an exceptional worry on how others are feeling. The enthusiastic showcase of the circumstance that they are as of now managing ought to be promptly seen by the instructors. This capacity isn't at all innate.... g is to have confidence that these specific direction aids could prompt the advancement of the circumstances that every individual arrangements with at present. While God isn't as of now performing such direct marvels, Christians today find that in the event that they 'don't falter in an absence of confidence,' they, as well, can appreciate achievement when they apply God's heading. Said Jesus: All things can be to one on the off chance that one has faith.(Mark 9:23) Since people today are confronted with serious issues concerning their economic wellbeing, it couldn't be maintained a strategic distance from that most issues that are introduced to the advisors are associated with the failure of the people to pick up the things that they should pick up from the general public (Culbertson, 2000, 10). Beside this, the way that the contemplations of human way of thinking are not in full agreement with the standards of the Bible, Christian Counseling faces such a great amount of issues concerning how it is viewed as compelling by people who are anticipating directing help. (Culbertson, 2000, 262) The emergency in guiding methodology particularly that of the Christian-based system of advising is predominantly centered around the reasonableness and the adequacy of the said procedure of directing. The way that Christian Counseling depends on the standards of the Holy Scriptures, and that not all that numerous individuals trust in the intensity of the Bible these days, questions the intensity of the expression of God to really assistant people with their own issues and subsequently have the option to tackle the said issues in a progressively down to earth and powerful strategy. In any case, through the successful utilization of the standards of the Bible in genuine directing methods, these inquiries could be replied and along these lines demonstrate the way that the advice from God's promise is to be sure compelling and helpful for each adherent of the

POW #12 The Big Knight Switch Essay Example For Students

POW #12: The Big Knight Switch Essay POW #12: The Big Knight SwitchPROBLEM STATEMENT:For POW 12, I am inquired as to whether four knights, (two dark and two white) canswitch places, while opposite to one another, (which means two dark knights areon one side of a 33 chess board with two white knights nearby them. They,were feeling fretful and chose to endeavor to check whether this were conceivable. Remembering the accompanying guidelines:No two pieces can possess the equivalent squareKnights can disregard or hop each otherThe can just push two square ahead and one to one side or one forward and two to the rightNothing is referenced about legitimate turns, for example white first, at that point dark, at that point white.etc. With those rules I was set to endeavor to discover on the off chance that it were possiblefor the knights to switch places with one another, after just the guidelinesabove. PROCESS:In first moving toward this POW, I checked on for what it was actually thisPOW was requesting, making an understood mental picture of the POW insert itself into mymind. After cautiously re-perusing the POW and its rules, I had a somewhatsolid thought of how to move toward it. I previously made a custom 33 chess board, and incorporated the chess pieces(two dark and two white). I put each in their fitting segments andproceeded to endeavor to take care of the issue. I determined it to take each piece aminimal of four moves to arrive at the opposite side of the board so I immediately knew Iwould require 16 boxes for my graph. But instead then experiencing thatprocess, I chose to take an a lot simpler one, that being by essentially drawing a 33chess board with the chess pieces. In the wake of finishing it, I started by simplyplotting the focuses and endeavoring to make sense of the procedure through which Iwould experience to comprehend this POW. I was immediately flabbergasted when I found the answeronly minutes after initially beginning. I re-followed my means and made thediagram included. Since, I definitely knew, preceding beginning, that each wouldrequire four moves before arriving at the opposite side, I followed the course each wouldfollow and formulate d a technique in which the could move in a steady progression and notinterfere with one another which before long carried me to my decision. SOLUTION:The answer for POW 12, which is plausible that is currently clear is 16moves which shows that they can do it, exchanging places that is. I know thatthe least measure of moves or the most modest number of moves is 16 since it wouldtake every individual knight four moves to move to the opposite side of the board,which implies 4 increased by 4 is 16 moves complete. The chart I gave explainshow I arrived at this altogether through articulation of craftsmanship (lol).Using theknown truth of it taking a knight to move to the opposite side four moves is reasonenough for me to accept that 16 moves it the insignificant measure of conceivable movestotaled. EXTENSIONS:An expansion to this weeks POW, is consider a POW wherein youwere endeavoring to move or switch the spots of four knights on a 88 or 44chess board. To go in considerably further, think about the insignificant moves, if conceivable, toswitch four religious administrators or shakes on a 66 chess board, if conceivable. To simplifywould be to only expand the chessboard size during the current weeks POW. EVALUATION:As a last assessment for POW 12, I thought the general thinkingrequired may have been fairly an abatement from different POWs weve had. Ifound this POW straight-forward and to some degree plain as day. I discovered it easy,with little inquiry. .u8c99c6b82c67635ed05d6922ca0f0791 , .u8c99c6b82c67635ed05d6922ca0f0791 .postImageUrl , .u8c99c6b82c67635ed05d6922ca0f0791 .focused content region { min-tallness: 80px; position: relative; } .u8c99c6b82c67635ed05d6922ca0f0791 , .u8c99c6b82c67635ed05d6922ca0f0791:hover , .u8c99c6b82c67635ed05d6922ca0f0791:visited , .u8c99c6b82c67635ed05d6922ca0f0791:active { border:0!important; } .u8c99c6b82c67635ed05d6922ca0f0791 .clearfix:after { content: ; show: table; clear: both; } .u8c99c6b82c67635ed05d6922ca0f0791 { show: square; progress: foundation shading 250ms; webkit-change: foundation shading 250ms; width: 100%; obscurity: 1; change: darkness 250ms; webkit-change: haziness 250ms; foundation shading: #95A5A6; } .u8c99c6b82c67635ed05d6922ca0f0791:active , .u8c99c6b82c67635ed05d6922ca0f0791:hover { mistiness: 1; change: murkiness 250ms; webkit-progress: murkiness 250ms; foundation shading: #2C3E50; } .u8c99c6b82c67635ed05d6922ca0f0791 .focused content zone { width: 100%; position: relative; } .u8c99c6b82c67635ed05d6922ca0f0791 .ctaText { fringe base: 0 strong #fff; shading: #2980B9; text dimension: 16px; textual style weight: intense; edge: 0; cushioning: 0; content improvement: underline; } .u8c99c6b82c67635ed05d6922ca0f0791 .postTitle { shading: #FFFFFF; text dimension: 16px; text style weight: 600; edge: 0; cushioning: 0; width: 100%; } .u8c99c6b82c67635ed05d6922ca0f0791 .ctaButton { foundation shading: #7F8C8D!important; shading: #2980B9; outskirt: none; outskirt span: 3px; box-shadow: none; text dimension: 14px; textual style weight: striking; line-stature: 26px; moz-outskirt sweep: 3px; content adjust: focus; content enhancement: none; content shadow: none; width: 80px; min-tallness: 80px; foundation: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/modules/intelly-related-posts/resources/pictures/basic arrow.png)no-rehash; position: outright; right: 0; top: 0; } .u8c99c6b82c67635ed05d6922ca0f0791:hover .ctaButton { foundation shading: #34495E!important; } .u8c99c6b82c676 35ed05d6922ca0f0791 .focused content { show: table; tallness: 80px; cushioning left: 18px; top: 0; } .u8c99c6b82c67635ed05d6922ca0f0791-content { show: table-cell; edge: 0; cushioning: 0; cushioning right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-adjust: center; width: 100%; } .u8c99c6b82c67635ed05d6922ca0f0791:after { content: ; show: square; clear: both; } READ: A View Of Modern Societ Essay

Culture Clash

Culture Clash In my last entry, Meagan said, Anyways, could you please do an entry on some of colloquialisms that you are learning? That would be awesome. :] Yeah, sooooo, Id love to, but see, most of the words that my new Spanish friends have taught me may not exactly be appropriate for posting here. Seriously, a couple of weeks ago as we sat in a bar and watched Spain beat Russia in the qualifying rounds of the Eurocup, they taught us Americans all the important insults they thought we needed to know. But lets see if I can find something useful AND repeatable. =) Okay, first of all: the famous breakup phrase. In Spanish, Its not you, its me, becomes no eres tú, soy yo. The translation is almost exact: you are not you, Im me. So, the English makes more contextual sense (what youre really saying is the problem IS not you, the problem IS me), but the Spanish makes more grammatical sense, because you actually conjugate the verb to match the subject. The same thing happens when you answer the phone, soy yo (I am me) instead of its me (the person you are talking to is me). I might be turning into a linguistics nut, but I find this utterly fascinating. Ive always hated the expression the straw that breaks the camels back, because its so useful but so ugly! I mean, a camel? Come on. Where did THAT come from? Why isnt it at least a horse or something? Well it turns out that the Spanish expression for this is la gota que colma el vaso, or the drop that overflows the glass, which I think is a much better expression. Now I can just switch to Spanish when I want to express that idea. Which is the beauty of knowing 2 languages. Im finding that sometimes I just need to switch to Spanish. You know how when you cant think of the exact word you want to use to describe something, there is this feeling of relieved satisfaction when you finally figure it out? Its actually kind of silly, because you never really need that exact word, you get your point across just fine by basically describing the definition of that perfect word. And often your friends will say, ah! I know exactly what you mean, but I cant think of that word either! At that point, the continued pursuit of this word is sort of pointless, but you do it anyway, for that great moment when you say, aha! That was the word I was thinking of! Well Ive found that sometimes Spanish just gives me that more satisfied feeling. And its usually for the stupidest words. For example, for some reason I cannot figure out, I just much prefer the word parecido. It means similiar, as in these books are very similar/estos libros son muy parecidos. I mean, of all stupid, boring words. But for some inexplicable reason, parecido just says so much more about the relationship between the books than similar, and I have no idea why. Also, perhaps one of my favorite Spanish words ever is desafortunadamente, which means unfortunately. This one makes a bit more sense, because this is a word with some meaning behind it. And for me, unfortunately just falls flat on its face. Desafortunadamente, on the other hand, hasmoreumpf, yeah? Try it. I think youll agree. Another great Spanish word is tonterías, which are stupid little things. Its basically the word nonsense in plural noun form, and I absolutely love it. Im coming to realize more and more how few words have exact translations. Gato is cat. Ok, thats pretty exact. Gato and cat are the same word. Parecido and similar are aaaalmost the same word, but not quite. Nonsense and tonterías are NOT the same word. I double checked this theory with my friend Martin, who is natively bilingual, to make sure I wasnt just making things up. And he completely agreed with me, yeah, parecido and similar are different words, arent they? Also, cursing. This is quite amusing. I will try to explain this without getting too inappropriate. The basic point is that even though curse words have exact translations, they have completely different contexts. For example, the f word in Spanish is joder. But, its not nearly as strong of a word in Spanish, so I dont feel out of line putting it in this blog. They definitely mean the same thing, but joder is more like damn in usage, which is a much more mild word in English. Also, the most offensive English curse word I can think of becomes a filler word in Spanish. Im not even kidding. It means likewow. Which is a pretty striking difference! Part of this is that Spaniards curse more, I think. (Seriously, I lived in the US (in New Jersey, no less!) for 21 years and Spain for a month and a half, but I think it might know more Spanish insults than English ones.) But also the words just have different cultural significances, because there are Spanish curses which are stronger than their English counterpartsbut now Im really getting into territory where I cant continue without insulting someone, so lets move on. One last language note: Spanish has 2 useful expressions: me gusta and me cae bien, which mean almost the same thing. What do you think of my friend? Me cae bien = I like him, he seems like a cool guy. Me gusta = I like like him. So, first of all, cuidado! (Be careful!) Because me gusta is definitely the only one of those I ever learned in school- you use it for everything. I like the beach, I like apples, I like to read, blah blah blah. BUT you can see how easily you can get into trouble if you dont know the connotation it takes on when used with people! And second of all, how AWESOME is that! So useful! I really wish English allowed you to make that distinction without sounding like you were in the 3rd grade, you know? Here are some other, non-linguistic observations about Spain: 1. Man, people in this country sure love their shoes. I think the number of shoe stores in this city rivals the number of grocery stores. I really not exaggerating. 2. I love that you can go to the grocery store and buy olive oil by the gallon. In fact, its hard to buy it in anything smaller than a gallon. 3. Age is perceived different here. I am much younger in Spain that I am in the US. It was a little annoying at first (someone actually said to me: Youre how old?! Oh my God, youre a baby! exact words) but Im kinda starting to like it. Maybe it means I dont have to grow up yet. 4. They dont do sarcasm! Oh my God its awful! How will I ever survive?! Seriously, humor here is very differet. During my first week or two, I went out with a bunch of friends and made a sarcastic remark. I was met with a moment of silence, followed by one guy saying, Oh! Shes being sarcastic, thats funny! and in that moment, I KNEW I was in trouble. Spanish sense of humor is very cheesy, Im sorry to report. For example: I lost a lot of weight recently, so much so that a lot of my clothing doesnt fit me anymore. To get this joke, you have to understand the verb quedar. Its one of those words that means like a million things, but you only need to know two of those meanings: primarily, it means stay. Voy a quedar aquí = Im going to stay here. But, it can also mean fit, as in my clothing doesnt fit me = mi ropa no me queda So, the following exchange occurred between myself and a coworker. Me: My clothing doesnt fit(stay) me! My friend: Is it running away from you? Hahaha! Basically, its the Spanish equivalent of is your refrigerator running? and my coworker actually thought it was hilarious. Still on the sarcasm theme, the most frustrating thing ever happened today. I didnt have a great day, was sort of in a lousy mood, and my friend and I got into something of a fight. Me: You know what, Im sorry Im not having a good day, maybe you should just go talk to someone else. Spaniard who doesnt ever hear sarcasm, ever: *confused look* Are you being sarcastic? Aarrrgghhh! Please, for a moment, just imagine this. You are really frustrated, fighting with someone, and just want them to leave you alone. So you say, Im sorry my bad day is bothering you, just leave me alone. And then you have to EXPLAIN what that means to them. I dont think words can adequately express the frustration I felt in that moment. Ha! I leave you with some random photos of Madrid. Enjoy. Okay, do you see this building in this picture? This huge, enormous, palace? Thats the post office. Im not even kidding. Its even officially called El Palacio de Comunicaciones. Thats right, the Communications Palace. I think its the most absurd thing about this city. I went in there once and almost got lost. I had to go to the information desk. (Just let that sink in for a minutethe post office has an information desk.) And I asked the woman, UmI just wanna buy some stamps? And do you know what she told me? Go to window thirty one. Thirty one! If window thirty one is for stamps, what exactly are windows one through thirty for?!?! This is Cibeles, its a famous statue right in front of the Communications Palace. The thing about Madrid, is that theres not much to do in terms of sightseeing. If you read any travel guide info about Madrid and look at the top ten things to do, it will include coming to take a picture of this statue. And I mean, its kind of a cool statue butreally? Anyway, this is the Plaza de Cibeles, where all the hard core partying happened after Spain won the Eurocup. El Palacio de Cristal (The Glass Palace) in Retiro park. Its so pretty. I absolutely love Retiro park, its so beautiful and peaceful. Right after taking the above pictures I settled into the grass to read for awhile. When I noticed this tree. Okay, this tree just waiting for you to climb it, isnt it? So thats what I did after taking this photo. =) La Plaza Mayor. Another one of those overrated Top Ten Things to do in Madrid. You go there so you can say youve been there, basically. Apparently this is where super important things used to happen back in the day, like the crowning of a new king and such. By the way, my commentary on overrated sightseeing is not at all meant as a bad thing- its just that Madrid is a city to be experienced more than seen. You come here to go out for tapas and stuff, not to see pretty things. So the sightseeing lists really have to stretch it A random street. Okay, its not really random, its La Calle Mayor, which runs between La Plaza Mayor and El Palacio Real (The Royal Palace), but its pretty typical of Madrid. I love the colors, personally. El Río Manzanares. Madrid is home to what is probably the worlds lamest river. Seriously, its a creek. I have no idea what this building is. But I noticed it when I was walking home at dusk one day. And it was pretty, so I took a picture. Speaking of pretty, check out the colors in my hallway. Where I eat breakfast every morning. The living room in my apartment. Check out that bookcase. I am all about the bright colors lately. Isnt this place awesome? Congratulations, you have just been taken on a virtual tour of like, 5 of the top 10 things to see in Madrid, plus my house. So if you ever visit, skip the photojournalism tour, and just go out for a drink instead. ;-)

Online Classes Are Rapidly Becoming A More Popular And...

Online classes are rapidly becoming a more popular and accepted option among many students. An online course is a course where all or most course material is delivered online and there is little to no face-to-face contact with the instructor or other students in the class. Although online classes have been around for quite a long while, they have only recently become more popular among students. According to one article on the topic of online education, â€Å"6.7 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2011—an increase of more than 500,000 students compared to 2010† (Bird). Another article says that in 2014, â€Å"an additional 411,000 students enrolled in their first online course increasing the total number of online students in the U.S. to 7.1 million,† a 6.1 percent increase from the number of students enrolled in the year of 2012 (Vista College). This article also states that â€Å"one out of every three higher education students ha s at least one online course; an all-time high† (Vista College). This recent increase in the popularity of online classes may have been caused because of advances in and increased use of technology, the accessibility and convenience of online classes and the flexibility they provide, and because online classes allow the student to work at his/her own pace. Recent advancements in technology bolster the growing popularity of online courses among students. Because of technological advancements and innovations, online classes areShow MoreRelatedCan A Community College Benefit You?2568 Words   |  11 Pageshigh school. Students have many options that they can choose from and sometimes decide on an option that doesn’t offer the best of benefits for them. A lot of times, the student is tired of school and does not want to commit to another 4 years of education for multiple reasons. Even the students that do go on and further their education after high school, do not get enou gh training or experience at the time for the jobs they may want down the road and may wish to go back and get more of the trainingRead MoreAttrition Rate of Online Learning12302 Words   |  50 PagesWHAT INFLUENCES ONLINE CLASSES HIGH ATTRITION RATE by Lora Hines Bachelor of Science in Business Education December 1984 College of Education A Research Paper Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Master of Science in Education Degree Department of Workforce Education and Development In the Graduate School Southern Illinois University – Carbondale December 1, 2011 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page Read MoreConsumer Lifestyle in Singapore35714 Words   |  143 Pages.................................................................................................................... 8 Chart 2 Chart 3 Number of Students in Higher Education and Expenditure per Student in PPP Terms 2006-2011 ............................................................................. 9 Regional Ranking of Number of University Students 2011......................... 10 Working Habits ................................................................................................Read MoreStrategic Thinking in Developing Effective Strategies6313 Words   |  26 Pages0 Definition of Subject 5-6 3.0 1st Articles : Implication of Intuition for Strategic thinking: Practical Recommendations for Gut Thinker 6-9 4.0 2nd Articles : Management Framework Guiding Strategic Thinking In Rapidly Changing Markets 10-15 5.0 3rd Articles : Thinking Strategically About Thinking Strategically 15-19 6.0 4th Articles : Strategy Thinking - Learn to Optimize Its Power 20-22 7.0 5th Articles : The Need for Strategic ManagementRead MoreHigh School Student Essay20272 Words   |  82 PagesStudents Chapter 3 Learner Diversity: Differences in Today’s Students Chapter 4 Changes in American Society: Their Influences on Today’s Schools ISBN: 0-536-29980-3 Introduction to Teaching: Becoming a Professional, Second Edition, by Donald Kauchak and Paul Eggen Published by Prentice-Hall/Merrill. 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Research On Disengagement From Gangs - 779 Words

Desistance Research on disengagement from gangs has not been widely looked at, yet most research conducted has been so from within the United States (Gormally, S. 2015). The common term utilized throughout research on this topic is ‘desistance’. According to Kazemian (2009), desistance generally defines the cessation or termination of offending or other delinquent behavior. Two types of desistance occur, both primary desistance and secondary desistance. Furthermore a suggestion in upcoming research state there is a tertiary desistance that exists as well (McNeil, 2014). According to Gormally (2015) primary desistance is defined as a period of time that offending behavior has stopped or paused. Secondary desistance occurs when one’s self-identity has shifted and an individual see’s him or herself as an ex offender. Furthermore McNeil (2014) suggests tertiary desistance is believed to be the level at which social, community and judicial recognition is given; suggesting that identity is socially assembled, therefore depending on long term change that includes how one is seen by others and how an individual is able to fit into society. Gang Desistance According to Gormally (2015), research conducted on desistance from gangs often presents itself as leaving the gang life completely once reaching secondary desistance. These definitions and concepts are not a one size fits all. Research conducted in Canada found that youth gang members who reached desistance did not certainlyShow MoreRelatedA Research Study At Hand Aimed1737 Words   |  7 PagesThe study at hand aimed to investigate the aspects that lead individuals to join a gang, the reasons as to why they decided to part ways with it, and the consequences that resulted from their affiliation. 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Marketing and Ikea Free Essays

string(427) " retailers are offering low cost furniture \* The global economical crisis makes that the consuming behavior worldwide has dropped, because of a increase in unemployment rates and a decrease in disposable income of consumers Conclusion SWOT analysis To being able to make a good conclusion of IKEA’s SWOT analysis, the following figure will give a simple but clear overview of the above described parts of the SWOT analysis\." Case Study IKEA: Expanding through franchising to the South American market? Introduction This report is made by four, fourth year IBMS students for a marketing course. This report is based on a case from the book Global Marketing, by Svend Hollensen. The basis of this report is the international operating company IKEA. We will write a custom essay sample on Marketing and Ikea or any similar topic only for you Order Now The main question that will be answered in this report is: Should IKEA expand further through franchising to the South American market? To answer this question the current situation of IKEA will be taken into account in this report.Next to this also other aspects like a SWOT analysis and other theoretical information will be used to come to conclusion, recommendation and possible implementation. Table of content Current Situation5 IKEA basic information5 The IKEA concept7 IKEA’s vision7 SWOT8 IKEA’s Strengths8 IKEA`s Weaknesses8 IKEA’s Opportunities8 IKEA’s Threats9 Conclusion SWOT analysis9 Marketing Strategy11 Transnational Organization11 Region Centre (Regional headquarters)12 Conclusion Market Strategy13 Entry Mode14 Franchising14 Pros franchising14 Cons franchising14 Strategic Alliances15 Non-equity15Pros non-equity15 Cons non-equity15 Joint venture16 Pros16 Cons16 Conclusion entry mode16 Entering the South American Market17 Brazil17 Brazilian furnit ure market17 IKEA and Brazil18 Short term recommendations19 Long term recommendations21 Sourcing concept IKEA23 Economical and Political Situation Brazil23 Conclusion Sourcing Concept South America24 Overall Recommendations25 Current Situation IKEA basic information IKEA is founded in 1943 a small village called Agunnaryd in Sweden. IKEA is a Acronym, composed from the following components: * I (Ingvar) – Founder’s first name K (Kamprad) – Founder’s last name * E (Elmtaryd) – Farm where Ingvar Kamprad grew up * A (Agunnaryd) – Home village Today IKEA is present in almost 40 countries worldwide. Within these countries IKEA currently has 301 IKEA stores, the IKEA Group owns 267 of the in total 301 stores. These 267 stores are divided over 25 countries. Next to this IKEA employs over 120,000 employees worldwide. IKEA has over 600 million visitors annually, worldwide. The following map shows the coverage of IKEA store worldwide. Legenda: Light orange: IKEA is not present in these countriesDark orange: IKEA is present with one or more store in this country The following table shows how the amount of stores has developed over the last years; Annually IKEA generates around 21,5 Billion Euros. The following graph shows the turnover development of the last years; Currently five countries are responsible for a large amount of IKEA’s turnover worldwide. These countries are: * Germany (16% of total revenues) * USA (11% of total revenues) * France (10% of total revenues) * Great Britain (7% of total revenues) * Italy (7% of total revenues) The IKEA conceptThe IKEA Concept is a concept based on offering not only a wide range of well designed, functional home furnishing products. The concept is also based on offering the products at low prices, this so that as many people as possible will be able to afford them. IKEA wants to reach as many people as possible, by offering their home furnishing products at a low price and hereby help people to live a better life in their own home. Next to this the IKEA Concept also sets guidelines for the product design, the manufacturing, transporting and selling process as well as for the assembly of the products by the customers at home.Together these guidelines contribute to putting the IKEA concept into practice. IKEA’s vision IKEA’s vision is to create a better everyday life for as many people as possible around the world. Our business idea supports this vision by offering a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them. To summarize, IKEA’s mission statement is; â€Å"to create a better everyday life for the many†. SWOT As describe in the current situation IKEA is doing well, and their concept is working worldwide.But as every company, IKEA also has weaknesses and threats also come along IKEA’s path. A good way of making an overview of not only the internal, but also external situation of IKEA, is by a SWOT analysis. In this chapter IKEA’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as the companies opportunities and threats will be shown in a SWOT analysis. IKEA’s Strengths Strengths are company resources that represent competitive assets. Next to this strengths are very important for a company’s competitiveness and ability to succeed within a market.IKEA’s strengths can be defined as following; * IKEA’s strong, and worldwide known brand * IKEA’s strong concept and vision * IKEA`s partnerships with suppliers (long-term and high quality) * Economies of scale IKEA`s Weaknesses Weaknesses are the opposites of strengths, and therefore a company’s comp etitive liabilities. IKEA’s weaknesses can be defined as following; * IKEA’s rapid growth and worldwide of activities (centralized startegy) * Keep the information flow to customers and stakeholders up-to date IKEA’s OpportunitiesA market opportunity is an opportunity for the company is the company’s strengths can be used to gain from the situation. Opportunities for IKEA can be defined as following; * Continue developing (even) green(er) products to fulfill the future demand for environmental friendly products * Increase presence in North American and Asian markets, by making use of economies of scale * Explore possibility of expanding in new markets IKEA’s Threats Threats are opposed by a company’s external environment, and should be recognized by the company so that the company can take measures.Threats for IKEA can be defined as following; * Growing number of retailers are offering low cost furniture * The global economical crisis makes that the consuming be havior worldwide has dropped, because of a increase in unemployment rates and a decrease in disposable income of consumers Conclusion SWOT analysis To being able to make a good conclusion of IKEA’s SWOT analysis, the following figure will give a simple but clear overview of the above described parts of the SWOT analysis. You read "Marketing and Ikea" in category "Papers" Internal Environment Weaknesses IKEA’s rapid growth and worldwide of activities (centralized strategy) – Keep the information flow to customers and stakeholders up-to date Strengths + IKEA’s strong, and worldwide known brand + IKEA’s strong concept and vision + IKEA`s partnerships with suppliers (long- term and high quality) + Economies of scale External Environment Threats – Growing number of retailers are offering low cost furniture – The global economical crisis, drop in consuming by consumers Opportunities + Continue developing (even) greener roducts + Increase pr esence in North American and Asian markets + Explore possibility of expanding in new markets From the SWOT analysis there can be concluded that IKEA is currently very successful. The main reason for this are IKEA’s strong strengths, the combination of these strengths is what makes IKEA so successful. IKEA can use their strengths to become even more successful on the market worldwide. But they have to work on their weaknesses to stay keep the position on the global market that they currently have. Therefore IKEA should especially pay attention to the speed with which they are still growing, this could become a more serious weakness in the future and managerial measures should be taken to oversee this. A way of managing this could be to thoroughly analyze future expansion opportunities, so that IKEA will stay successful in the future. The threat of the global economical crisis is not only affecting IKEA, but still IKEA should focus even more of communication with their customers. By staying true to their concept and vision, and by keep communicating this to consumers IKEA will be able to manage this threat.The treat of competition will become more severe when the current global economical crisis is over. IKEA should pay close attention to the competition, not only on a global level but also on a local level. This will need to be analyzed on a regular basis, so that IKEA will be able to come with new products and or marketing tools to keep customers satisfied and informed. Marketing Strategy Currently IKEA centrally controls their marketing strategy from the corporate headquarter. But because of the speed of expansion, IKEA is facing local pressure.The local pressure comes from demographic and cultural differences that IKEA is now facing, due to their centrally controlled marketing strategy. Managerial measures need to be taken to deal with the local pressure, this can be done by choosing another hierarchical entry mode. Therefore the suitability of a transnational organization or a region centre as hierarchical entry mode will be discussed as alternatives for IKEA’s current centralized strategy. Transnational Organization A transnational organization as hierarchical entry mode is based on the â€Å"lead country† concept.This concept states that the â€Å"lead† country takes the role of coordinator and stimulator on themselves, in combination with a reference to a homogeneous and single product group. In IKEA’s case this would mean that the headquarter still plays a major role in managing IKEA’s strategy, but IKEA will be able to also act upon local differences within demographic and cultural differences. When a transnational organization will be use by IKEA as hierarchical entry mode, the value chain would look as shown the following figure. Lead† country Border Foreign (target) market C Region Centre (Regional headquarters) A region centre, also called regional headquarters, as hierarchical entry mode has two variants. In both variants the headquarter stimulates and coordinates the sales in the whole region. But some within the region parts of the value chain activities will take place, and will be coordinated from here, which differs from the transnational organization as hierarchical entry mode. Under region centre, as hierarchical entry mode, there are four types of internal new venture.These four types are shown in the figure below. Number of countries involved Few Many Multinational trader Export/Import start-up Few activities coordinated across countries Coordination of value chain activities 2 1 4 Global start-up Geographically focussed start-up Many activities coordinated across countries 3 When a region centre, or regional headquarters, will be use by IKEA as hierarchical entry mode, the two variants of the value chain would look as shown the following figure. â€Å"Lead† country Border Foreign (target) market C C Conclusion Market StrategySince IKEA is current facing local pressure from demographic and cultural differences in new regions, it would be better for IKEA to switch from a centrally controlled marketing strategy to a hierarchical entry mode. After taking the above hierarchical entry modes into account, and how the value chain for both entry modes functions, the transnational organization hierarchical entry mode would be a perfect. By using this hierarchical entry mode, IKEA would be able to go in on local demographic and cultural differences, but it will still control, oversee and stimulate from the headquarter.By using transnational organization as an hierarchical entry mode IKEA will still be partially centralized in their marketing strategy, but they will be able to â€Å"think global, and act local†. This change will make IKEA stronger and it will eliminate one of their weaknesses, when it comes to further expanding into new markets in the international market. Entry Mode IKEA is currently using franchising as their traditional entry mode, when entering new markets. The question now arises whether or not IKEA should keep using this mode of entry or if IKEA should look into alternatives, such as setting up a joint venture and strategic alliances.To see which entry mode would be the best fit for IKEA’s future expanding, all three entry modes’ pros and cons will be evaluated will then decide which mode of entry is most suitable for IKEA. Franchising This entry mode which is based on a form of licensing; the franchisee operates in a local market and pays royalty fees on revenues to the franchisor who owns the brand. The local operator has to invest in the company and has certain rights to operate the business. A guideline laid out by the franchisor has to be followed to a certain extend.In IKEA’s case there is a selection process in which potential franchisees are evaluated on retail experience and sufficient financial backing. The franchisee has to carry a certain number of standardized items, from the product-line of over 12, 000 products, but he also has some room to adapt to local market needs. All products have to be purchased from IKEA’s product lines. All franchisees are periodically audited and compared to overall corporate performance. IKEA also offers training and operational support to its franchisees.Franchisees operate on their own, but all promotional activities and catalogues are taken care of by the headquarters. Pros franchising The current system of franchising offers certain advantages for IKEA. One of the advantages is that this entry mode is safer to use with high risk countries. Since the risk the company takes is limited; the franchisee takes on most of the financial risk. Another advantage is that the company can make use of the local experience of the franchisee; since he already has experience with the local market needs.Next to this is franchising would be in line with the change in using transnational organization as an hierarchical entry mode, this combination would increase the control of IKEA over its franchisees as well. Cons franchising If we look at the cons of franchising we can see that one of the problems is that IKEA has limited control over the single franchisees. The company needs to audit individual franchisees to maintain a certainty quality standard. Strategic Alliances When looking for alternative modes of entry for IKEA to use, the first group that comes to mind are strategic alliances.Since the main con from using the franchising method is the lack of control. Therefore it is reasonable to look into an entry mode that offers more control to IKEA. Strategic alliances involve a number of cooperative arrangements between different firms. These arrangements are more extensive than those of a regular supplier and customer, but are not as extensive as in an acquisition. The partners both make investments in long term relationships and next to this have a common orientation towards individual and mutual goals.When looking at strategic alliances we can see that there are different modes of entry within this category. The first thing that needs to be looked at is whether or not equity in each firm is shared between the partners. A joint venture is an option where there is an equity share between the partners. Non-equity In a non-equity strategic alliance the two firms work out a contractual relationship to share some of their unique resources and capabilities. In IKEA’s case this could be done with a retail agent that owns several stores in the new market that IKEA wants to enter.The thing that IKEA would add to this relationship is the brand name and product range of IKEA. The other company would bring in the existing distribution network and experience in the local market and capital. Pros non-equity The main advantage of using this mode of entry is that IKEA can make use of the existing distribution network and cultural experience of the partner. Another advantage is that this option is not as expensive as a going into a joint venture. Cons non-equity It will be hard to find a suitable partner, because IKEA only wants to have its own products sold in an IKEA store.So the partner needs to be willing to set up a store dedicated to IKEA. Next to this, this option requires IKEA to invest more than when it does by using a franchising entry mode. Another con of this option is that IKEA will have a limited financial benefit from using this option, for this entry mode to be profitable enough IKEA should have a well defined and set up contract. Control for IKEA will still be very limited, since the other company only agrees on terms in the contract. If IKEA would like to influence the partner during the period of the contract its options are very limited.Joint venture Another option for IKEA to consider is a joint venture alliance. In this mode of entry two or more companies start a joint operation together, which in many cases involves transfer of personnel and resources to operate a joint facility in a certain area. There is a certain form of equity in each company, as resources are shared and brought in by both companies. Pros The big advantage for IKEA would be the fact that the company will have more control over the joint venture compared to franchising. Since IKEA owns part of the operations it can influence the structure more.This way the company will have an easier task evaluating and maintaining the quality that the IKEA brand stands for. All in all control will be a lot easier. Cons The big disadvantage for IKEA would be the fact that it requires more financial resources to be invested in the joint venture and a higher risk in general. In the case that the joint venture becomes too risky or is not profitable enough the two parties may decide to close down the operation, taking the losses into account. Opposed to a franchising structure where the franchisee bares almost all of the risk, with joint venture the risk is shared. Conclusion entry mode After evaluating all alternative entry modes and IKEA’s current mode of entry being franchising, there can be concluded from the pros and cons described above that the current method suits IKEA best. Especially when looking at the change to transnational organization as hierarchical entry mode, control over the franchisees will be increased. This change in hierarchical entry mode, in combination with the other pros that franchising has to IKEA, like a low risk and no large capital investments, franchising would stay the best fit for IKEA.The past has also proven that IKEA’s strategy, of using franchising as entry mode for new markets, is working very well and that there is no need for change. Especially not when IKEA changes their centralized strategy making to transnational organization as hierarchical entry mode. Entering the South American Market Over the last 30 years IKEA has grown continuously becoming a global retailer. Over the last 10 year s the company has more than doubled its turnover and the number of stores they operate worldwide. The company is nowadays present in 37 countries and runs stores in 25 of those countries.In the remaining countries 34 stores are run by franchise holders. IKEA is present in Europe, North-America, Asia and Australia but has not yet established itself in South-America. Brazil as the largest country of the continent could offer IKEA good opportunities for IKEA to expand and set foot in the region. It is therefore interesting to see if IKEA should enter that market. Brazil The Federal Republic of Brazil has an estimated population 199 million people and is the 5th largest country in the world. From 2003 to 2006 the country had a real GDP growth of 3,4% and it is predicted to rise at a similar pace in the coming years. As a result of that growth the income of households has risen and a middle class has emerged. From 2002 to 2006 the percentage of households with a disposable income of over 5ooo$ a year has risen from 29 to 33. 5% and should keep on increasing. This income level is similar then the one of the target group of IKEA in other developing countries like China. This would mean that IKEA has a potential target market of 64 million people in Brazil. Brazilian furniture market In 2007 the Brazilian furniture market was worth 10. 01 billion $, an increase of 44% since 2004. During the same time period, imports increased by 300% from 92 million $ to 284 million $ but still represent only a marginal share of the total Brazilian furniture market (less than 2%). The market is split in 3 main segments: residential, office and institutional with respectively 60%, 20%, 20% of the total market share. For imports the main sectors are office and institutional furniture, the high end high quality residential furniture being the only furniture of that sector which is imported for the wealthier members of the country’s society.The main import countries for Brazil are Germany and the USA with each a 20% share of total imports. As an example of the type of imports, over two thirds of imports from the USA in 2005 were institutional and office furniture. As for retail and distribution there are no large local furniture chains, most imports are done by direct importers, the end user or in small quantities by local manufacturers as a complement to their existing pr oduct lines. As IKEA is a fairly unique concept and has no global rivals, they would be the first stores of that kind in Brazil. One main obstacle for mporting furniture into Brazil is high tariffs and taxes which can go so far as to double the price of a product for the end consumers. The Brazilian furniture manufacturing sector is made up of a large number of small to medium sized companies, which produce thanks to the large wood reserves of the country. They are mainly situated in the south of the country where most wood plantations are situated. This sector is in the process of modernising, investing in new machinery so to be able to compete on an international market and fulfil the requirements of western industrialised markets.IKEA and Brazil Just by looking at the size of the Brazilian or South-American market one can easily come to the conclusion that those are markets with potential for IKEA. Following the international growth of IKEA it seems unlikely that they will not enter South-America at some point. The question remains if this is the right time for it and how they should enter the market. Due to the complexity of the question the recommendations will be in two parts, one being short term the other one being long term.Short term recommendations On the short term, next 5 years, we advise against IKEA opening a store in Brazil. The current situation of IKEA combined with the specifics of the Brazilian market does not seem to offer immediate opportunities which could be taken advantage of. Regarding the specific situation of IKEA the following aspects have to be taken into account: Disregarding their entry mode, self owned stores as well as Franchisees are obliged to carry a large part of IKEA’s international catalogue.Those products are standardises for the whole world and are currently produced in countries outside of Brazil which makes them vulnerable to Brazils import tariffs, therefore IKEA would have difficulties selling the products at a price which would make them competitive on the Brazilian market.. Furthermore considering that the average IKEA store has an annual turnover of more than 80â‚ ¬ million and the demand for imported furniture of the type that IKEA sells in Brazil; it seems unlikely that there is currently enough potential for a store to be profitable. The geographic location of Brazil also poses a problem if IKEA ants to continue using some of its strategies and it might be one of the reasons they are not in South-America yet. The strategies we are referring to are both for environmental protection and cost saving, meaning that by applying some principles to protect the environment IKEA has been able to reduce its costs. Two of those principles are: * Using railroads for long-distance transportation. * Maximizing the efficiency of shipments: reduce the number of transports and the number of empty transports, make maximum use of cargo vehicle space, utilize return transportation, and avoid rush-hour traffic.When looking at Brazil in the light of this, it shows that IKEA’s logistics network is not adapted to that country. When looking at IKEA store locations and sourcing countries at the same time, it is easy to see how IKEA uses its logistics to improve efficiency. Currently IKEA is sourcing 67% of its products from Europe, 30% from Asia and 3% from North-America and those are also the places they have stores in. When we look at a world map we can see how goods flow both ways, making it possible for IKEA to use transportation efficiently (for example by using transport units both ways).By generalising we can say that IKEA stores are located in producing countries, close to producing countries or on major world trade routes. When looking at IKEA’s efficiency, it also is important to mention that they are faced with some sourcing problems, or more precisely a sourcing bottleneck and are only able to open and supply 20 new stores a year. Considering that IKEA only has 36 stores in the USA and 10 in China compared to 44 in Germany, it would be logical for them to first concentrate on expanding withing countries or regions they are already present in until those markets are fully serviced or the bottleneck issue is solved.The last issue with IKEA entering the Brazilian market in the near future are cultural differences. Those have an impact on two main points: * The first point is the bad experiences that IKEA has made in the past in other developing countries, regarding corruption which have made them loose millions of euros. In world rankings Brazil is in the middle field but that still puts it far behind IKEA’s traditional markets in western Europe. IKEA has in the past tried to avoid risks and this could be a factor slowing down their possible ambitions in South-America. * The second point is the need to addapt IKEA to local markets.Like their experienced showed in the USA and other countries IKEA has to addapt its concept to local culture to be able to be successful. This applies to products offered as well as the way of managing the company in that country. Since Brazil is a country IKEA has no experience with, does not know the culture or preferences of, it would take major efforts on IKEA’s part to start operations there. All these factors combined lead to the conclusion that Brazil is not yet a good country for IKEA to open a store in, so our recommendation for the near future is not to open a store there.Long term recommendations On the longer term, the recommendations are different because we belive that it is in the interest of IKEA to get involved in the South-American market and specialy Brazil for their futur e. The two mains reason for that are the growing wealth of the large local population and the potential of Brazil as a sourcing country for IKEA. Regarding the local population and the wealth it would not be logical for IKEA not to enter South-America if the markets there keep on developping in the current direction.So on the long term IKEA will be present on that continent when conditions make it more interesting for them, then it currently is. As for Brazil presenting opportunities for sourcing this should be seen as something worth looking into for IKEA. Currently IKEA is looking into turning Russia in one of their main supplying countries, because of the amount of timber availableinthat country. The same would apply to Brazil, which has large reserves of wood and a developed furniture manufacturing base. As IKEA develops in North-America, Brazil becomes more interesting as a supplier country. Currently China produces a lot of products for IKEA but it does not have enough raw materials available and must import some of those. It would therefore be smart for IKEA to develop it’s relations with Brazilian producers as an alternative manufacturing base to Asia. This would probably be a relatively slow process considering that illegal logging is still a common problem in Brazil and IKEA must make sure it can trust it’s suppliers. Once that relations are established with suppliers, IKEA sould then consider opening a store in Brazil, preferably under franchise to avoid some of the risks associated with the Brazilian market.This would also give access to knowledge about the local preferences. In the mean time IKEA should collect knowledge about Latin-American consumers, in their North-American markets and in the future with their first store in the Dominican Republic.. This last store opening also shows the posibility of progressive expansion by going south of the USA. By starting in the Dominican Republic (close to Florida) and maybe following with Mexico, IKEA could expand it’s geagraphical coverage without over extanding their logistical network. Sourcing concept IKEAIKEA is making use of use of their self-owned Swedwood Group, which produces wood based furniture and also all wooden components. Swedwood Group is present in 11 countries, which are in majority European countries. Together with IKEA they strive to produce all products as cost efficient as possible, by at the same time taking social responsibility and environmental responsibility. Swedwood’s production concept is to set up and/or further develop existing production units, this in order to maximize capacity utilization and the production plants.The production is concept ‘s goal is to optimize efficiency and volumes. Next to the fact that this concept ensures short lead times, it also makes an efficient distribution channel possible. When looking at the current situation the current situation of IKEA it becomes obvious that they are makes use of effective sourcing strategies to make their production as cost efficient as possible. IKEA outsources their raw materials to other companies and uses Shedwood Group for, for example, the production of wooden furniture. Economical and Political Situation BrazilAs previously stated the Brazilian furniture market has grown with 44% since 2004, to a market size of $ 10. 01 billion. Although imports of furniture have only increased with 2 %, the market is growing in Brazil. As shown in the table below, the economy of Brazil is growing and the position of the consumers is becoming better. Demographic and economic indicators| | 2005| 2006| 2007| 2008| 2009| Population aged 65+: January 1st (‘000)| 11,403. 24| 11,778. 91| 12,150. 42| 12,526. 21| 12,918. 18| Population density (people per sq km)| 22. 00| 22. 24| 22. 47| 22. 9| 22. 90| GDP measured at purchasing power parity (million international $)| 1,584,678. 23| 1,696,680. 73| 1,836,914. 57| 1,958,293. 49| 2,028,681. 20| Real GDP growth (% growth)| 3. 16| 3. 97| 5. 67| 5. 08| -0. 66| Inflation (% growth)| 6. 87| 4. 18| 3. 64| 5. 66| 4. 85| Consumer expenditure (US$ million)| 531,822. 46| 656,971. 56| 813,584. 75| 958,968. 26| 973,270. 17| Annual gross income (US$ million)| 694,076. 13| 834,724. 42| 1,032,305. 74| 1,220,762. 89| 1,237,535. 93| Annual disposable income (US$ million)| 543,442. 51| 672,063. 55| 830,185. 96| 980,754. 8| 994,446. 03| From the table above, there can be concluded that the GDP ,at purchasing power parity, is steadily growing since 2005. Also the real GDP growth, in percentage, is growing. In 2009 there was no growth in the real GDP, but a drop of -0,6, this decrease can be well connected to the global economical crises. The annual gross income has almost doubled in 2009, compared to 2005. These economical indicators shown that Brazil is an attractive market for IKEA since this market is growing for years. The Brazilian political situation has changed compared to the past.Brazil is a republic, and current has Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of the Workers’ Party as left-wing president, with 61% of the vote. The past years both left and right politicians have shown their respect for democratic institutions. Both sides are bringing efforts to highlight this as evidence of the political, but especially democratic maturity of Brazil. The political situation in Brazil is not comparable to democracies in Europe, but Brazil is working hard on their democracy to work fair and correct. Although corruption scandals come to light, the democracy in Brazil is on its way to develop into a stable democracy.Conclusion Sourcing Concept South America When possible IKEA will therefore make use of near-shoring as sourcing strategy for the South American market. This concept is already used worldwide by IKEA and would also fit the expansion to South America. It also fits to Shedwood’s production concept to produce all products as cost efficient as possible, by at the same time taking social responsibility and environmental responsibility. IKEA wants to expand further by entering the South American market through expand to Brazil.This would be the good country to go to in South America, since Brazil has over 4. 6 million hectare of forest, which can be used for locally sourcing. The advantage of sourcing locally is based on IKEA’s idea to â€Å"think global and act local†, which means that multinational corporations are encouraged to build their own roots. Furthermore Brazil? s economical situation is growing and will keep growing, since Brazil is one of the key emerging economies today. The political situation in Brazil has improved a lot over the years and is becoming more stable with time.These factors together make Brazil an attractive market and once IKEA has opened a first store in Brazil, the South American market is entered. This opens up the possibility for IKEA stores to expand to countries like Mexico which will be able to use sources from Brazil, or other countries on the South American continent, due to near-shoring. Overall Recommendations Taking everything into account the recommendation to IKEA is as following. IKEA should firstly change their centrally controlled marketing strategy to a transnational organization as hierarchical entry mode.This would be a managerial fit to the problems on demographical and cultural differences, that IKEA is currently facing when entering new markets. IKEA should take some time to implement this new hierarchical entry mode, so that the currently problems and weakness concerning rapid growth will be solved, and could become a strength of IKEA. As an entry mode IKEA is currently using franchising. After analyzing other entry mode options and when taking into account that IKEA would change their centrally controlled marketing strategy to a transnational organization, franchising would still be the best fit.In combination with a transnational organization IKEA would get more control on their franchisees and would be able to adapt better to local needs. Taking everything of above into account IKEA should not enter the South American market on the short term. Next to this the high tariffs, relatively small size of the Brazilian market and lack of experience within the South American market, are also the main reasons for not yet entering the Brazilian market. On the long term the South American market could be a could option for IKEA to expand to.The economical situation is improving every year and also the political situation is getting more stable with the years. By changing to the transnational organization developing relations with suppliers, and looking for suitable franchisees within Brazil, IKEA would be able to enter the South American market with success. When entering the South American market on the long term, IKEA could make use of near shoring to supply the stores in Brazil. This fits IKEA’s production concept, to produce their products on the hand of low cost efficiency and at the same time taking social responsibility and environmental responsibility. How to cite Marketing and Ikea, Papers

To what extent can Grendon be considered a Maverick prison Essay Example

To what extent can Grendon be considered a Maverick prison Essay Ongoing debates surrounding the idea of prisons have highlighted how prisons arent working. HMP Grendon has become a landmark in British prison history as a prison that has sought alternative methods of treatment for the incapacitation of offenders. This paper will outline the methods used by Grendon in the prisons attempts to rehabilitate offenders and how those methods compare to those currently employed in regular prisons. It will finally be argued that Grendon, supported by a number of empirical findings, has taken the risks and gained the results that ensure the prisons status as a Maverick prison. HMP Grendon is a category B prison outside Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. It opened in 1963, in a period of great social change which saw homosexuality legalised, the Open University founded, an equal pay act established, and the implementation of race relations legislation (Wilson, D. , 1994). In understanding the social context of the prisons beginnings we can start to understand the theoretical underpinnings of its core aspects. With new ways of understanding the old, Grendon brought a new way of understanding how to deal with offenders into the light. The prison is divided into six wings, five of which are relatively independent therapeutic communities with 40 or so residents in each, with a smaller assessment and preparation wing for 25. Most of the prisoners are in for crimes such as armed robbery, murder and a variety of sex offences. All have sentences of more than four years and all have volunteered to go there. Often many of the members have given up the option of parole to try to sort themselves out before being released. We will write a custom essay sample on To what extent can Grendon be considered a Maverick prison specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on To what extent can Grendon be considered a Maverick prison specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on To what extent can Grendon be considered a Maverick prison specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The therapeutic communities used by Grendon incorporate four main elements that contribute to the running of the establishment which are democracy and empowerment; the prisoners have rights of power over the administration and running of the prison; They also have responsibility; the prison encourages responsibility on an individual and collective level; Support; the system employed at the prison allows for the support of offenders from a variety of staff including psychiatrists, psychologists, probation staff, as well as those there to educate the prisoners; and finally confrontation; the prisoners are force to confront their crimes and the impact they have had on any victims and the prisoners are confronted if they should play down their crimes or if they attempt to harm others in the therapeutic community. Our current prison system is based on the idea that prison works and to varying extents the models of deterrence, prevention, retribution, and rehabilitation are heavily imbedde d in the idea of incarceration. The thinking behind the deterrent/ prevention model is that prison acts as a deterrent because of its unpleasant nature. Jeremy Bentham particularly advocated this view, that punishment should be sufficiently distasteful to the offender that the discomfort experienced would outweigh the pleasure to be deprived from criminal activity (Olsen, 1999:213). According to theorists such as Bentham such punishment can work on either a general or individual level in that both the general public who may be considering a crime are deterred as well as those who experience the prison system first-hand. By deterring crime through prisons it is hoped that it will be prevented. The retributive model of punishment states that those who offend deserve to suffer and that punishment institutions should inflict the punishment they deserve, which is justified for deliberate wrong doing. It favours the philosophy of an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth and is considered to be backward looking in that it focuses on the crime already committed by the person rather than the utilitarian focus on the future consequences of punishment seen in deterrence models. Rehabilitation aims not to punish the offender but to teach them how they can reintegrate into society to lead law abiding lives. It is hoped the prisoners problems can be identified and resolved- The objective of reform or rehabilitation is to reintegrate the offender into society after a period of punishment, and to design the content of the punishment so as to achieve this. (Hudson, B; Understanding Justice; 1996 p26) The effectiveness of rehabilitation in regular prisons has come under much scrutiny due largely to the overcrowding of the prisons At every level of the prison system, overcrowding is having an effect on the ability of prisons to deliver rehabilitative programmes. In spite of additional resources, the movement of prisoners and the gap between the number of prisoners and the spaces available are making it very difficult to provide sufficient positive activity for enough prisoners (Rehabilitation of Prisoners, first report of the Home Affairs Select Committee, 2004-05, November 2004). The amount of inmates in prisons clearly means that rehabilitation does not make up a significant part of the prison regime for prisoners. Over the years there has been much debate over which models are most effective of rehabilitation in prisons has been widely questioned; In 1974 Martinson questioned What works? and in his paper stated that our present strategies cannot overcome, or even appreciably reduce, the powerful tendencies of offenders to continue in criminal behavior (Martinson, 1974: 49), and so proclaimed the nothing works. Later however, in 1979 he stated that some treatment programs do have an appreciable effect on recidivism. (Martinson, 1979: 244) and that [s]uch startling results are found again and again in our study, for treatment programs as diverse as individual psychotherapy, group counselling, intensive supervision, and what we have called individual/help (aid, advice, counselling). (Martinson, 1979: 255). Although he did not advocate rehabilitation as a primary tool for the punishment of offenders, his view that nothing works moved to everything works a little bit and can be seen as an important time for the future of rehabilitation. The differences between HMP Grendon and other regular prisons first become apparent in the physical running of the prison. The unlocking of the prisoners at 7. 45am until 21. 00pm and the calling of the staff by their first names all symbolise a more relaxed atmosphere than that of regular prisons. All types of category B offenders are deliberately kept together and encouraged to socialise with each other which is a stark contrast to the running of standard prisons which tend to cultivate a kind of hierarchy with armed robbers and murderers at the top and sex offenders at the bottom. This hierarchy often causes numerous threats of abuse often ending in segregation. In encouraging all prisoners to take part in the system together and on an equal level there is no need for segregation. Those at Grendon have no privacy however and there are no secrets allowed within the prison which can often be difficult for the prisoners as the us and them ethos of their previous prison experience was often characterised by secrecy between the prisoners as well as between the prisoners and staff. One of the biggest distinctions that set Grendon apart from all other prisons in the UK is its democratic structure that aims to empower the prisoners in giving them a voice on matters of conduct within the establishment. Empowerment within the prison is considered important for the growth of each prisoner as an individual and each of the prisoners have a direct say in every aspect of how the prison is run. They are given the opportunity to work out for themselves what is right and wrong and have the right to vote other prisoners out of therapy should they break any of the three rules of therapy, which are; no drink; no drugs; and no violence. Those who are voted out of therapy are returned to their sending establishment. In giving the prisoners a chance to stop such behaviour, issues such as drug addiction, which is often fuelled or created, not stopped by being in prison, automatically becomes less of a problem than in other prisons. In being able to apply their own values to the world in which they are living they are given, it is hoped, a better feeling of self worth than what is given in regular prisons in that they are not told what to do, they are encouraged to decide for themselves what is right. It is hoped that the prisoners can then apply that idea to the outside world. At Grendon the barriers between staff and prisoners are broken down and very often members of staff become more like friends than prison staff and a kind of mutual respect is formed which encourages good behaviour amongst the prisoners. This is illustrated well in David Wilson and Stephen McCabes (2002) study which attempted to understand how Grendon works in the words of those undergoing therapy. One of the prisoners stated that They [the prison staff] gave me respect, and that made me have self respect. I started to see things for what they were, and when you feel good about yourself, you feel good about other people too. The distinction between regular prisons and Grendon becomes clear here; at Grendon democracy and respect go hand in hand whereas elsewhere in other prisons, neither exist. In England the prison population has risen dramatically and is at its highest ever recorded level. In February 2004 the prison population in England and Wales reached an all time record population of 74,594- an increase of 3. 6% over the year. Since 1995, over 15,200 additional prison place have been provided at a cost of more than    £2 billion and the UK has the highest imprisonment rate in the European union at 141 per 100,000 (Baker, N. , 2004). With the prison population growing so rapidly and prisons costing so much it is evident that the current solutions to crime are not working. Of particular concern is the fact that recidivism rates for those coming out of prison show that 45% of men re-offend within two years, 38% of women, 72% of young males and 51% of young females re-offend within two years of their release. (Prisons). This evidence unmistakably indicates that traditional punishment does not work. Research carried out by the Home Office has found strong links between time spent at Grendon and low rates of recidivism. There findings found that; Lower rates of reconviction were found for prisoners who went to Grendon than for prisoners selected for Grendon but who did not go; Time spent at Grendon was strongly related to reconviction reconviction rates were lower for prisoners who stayed for longer periods; Prisoners who stayed 18 months at Grendon exhibited reductions in reconviction rate of around one-fifth to one-quarter; Both mode of release from Grendon (i. e. transfer back to the prison system or release into the community) and length of stay at Grendon had an impact on reconviction rates, but of the two, length of stay seemed considerably more important (Marshall, P. , 1997). This work supported the results found by Cullen in his 1994 study that found that time in therapy at Grendon was significantly related to rates of reconviction with 18 months being a threshold for the greatest improvement, with those who left therapy before 18 months having reconviction rates twice that of those who completed 18 months or more. (Wilson and McCabe, 2002). Research findings such as these suggest a contrast in the success rate of Grendon and other prisons in terms of recidivism and indicate wholly that Grendons achievements have far outdone those of the prison system and Grendon appears to be working. As well as recidivism, the fact that those who go to Grendon (arguably) come out better people and can actively participate and contribute to society also must be taken into consideration. Whilst those who have served in regular prisons are constantly churned in and out of prisons having reproduced the same morals and values that got them there in the first place, Grendon is able to aid the prisoners in developing values and morals compatible with leading non criminal lifestyles. This means that not only does the prisoner not (it is hoped) commit crimes but he is also able to make a positive contribution to society. The major differences that can be seen between Grendon and regular prisons is of course the fact that they are a rehabilitative establishment rather than purely a punishment establishment. This has meant that the focus has been on teaching prisoners the effects of their crimes and to understand why and how they came to do the things that they have done and why they should not continue doing them. While regular prisons continue to make bad people worse Grendon has been able to work with the prisoners instead of against them and so allowing the prisoners to see how the process can be mutually beneficial to both the prisoners and the staff, as well as the outside world. The democratic nature of the way the prison is run empowers the prisons but at the same time, with democracy comes responsibility and being responsible for ones own actions is one of the first steps to being able to shrug off a criminal lifestyle. With Grendon being based on communalism the prisoners are able to learn how to become one of the working components that make up a community and this in turn enables the prisoner to feel that they have a worthwhile contribution to make to the outside world. Though criticism does exist about Grendon, particularly from prisoners in other establishments who see it as the soft option, it has in fact been found (Wilson and McCabe, 2002) that once the prisoners are there they find the methods employed by Grendon as tougher than any other bird they have had to do. Often, being forced to face the crimes that they have committed or having to face personal issues from their past can be much tougher than having to sit in a cell for 23 hours a day. HMP Grendon has undoubtedly shown itself to be standing apart from other prisons in the United Kingdom. In terms of its structure, what it aims to achieve and how those achievements are realised, it has contradicted the deterrence, prevention and retribution models that our current prison system is so heavily based on. It has shown that rehabilitation works and the rates of recidivism at Grendon, compared to those of regular prisons, reflect that.