Critical Questions on Animal Farm

Critical Questions: Written Assignment 1 7. In Animal Farm the author George Orwell uses animals to represent the Russian revolution. One of the differences in the novel and the two films were old major’s death. In the novel he dies of natural causes however in the movies he calls a meeting to tell all the other animals about his point of view on the rights of animals and man. He teaches them the song (their anthem) â€Å"beats of England† and mr. Jones hears them all singing in the night and to settle them down he shoots his gun and accidentally shoots old major. Also, the way Napoleon punishes the chicken.In the novel he acts like the chicken betrayed the Animal farm and makes the dogs attack them. In the movies he thinks the same ways but instead of getting the dogs to attack, Napoleon hangs the chickens for all of Animal farm to see. Another difference is how the windmill gets ruined. In the novel, the first time it gets destroyed was when there was a huge storm tha t knocked it all over. The second time was during the second battle from the humans. The people place dynamite inside and blow it up. In the movies it only gets ruined once. That time was where mr.Jones and his wife decide to place dynamite and blow it up. These changes alter the overall message of Animal farm slightly. We can still see the same point trying to be proven in both Animal farm films and novel. 3. One of the minor characters from the novel would have to be Moses. Moses is a tame black raven in the novel. He is the one to spread around the stories of sugar candy Mountain. Sugar Candy Mountain in the book is the heaven to which Moses believes the animals from the farm go to once they die. Even though he is not a big role in Animal farm, he was very big importance.Animal Farm the author George Orwell uses Moses to show the others that death wouldn’t be such a bad thing. That if they die, it’s ok because they’re going to Sugar Candy Mountain. 6. In my o pinion if Snowball got rid of Napoleon instead of the other way around, the working and living situations would be completely different. Improved by a lot. Napoleon is the leader pig of Animal Farm after the Rebellion. Napoleon uses his nine attack dogs (stolen dogs) to frighten the other animals and make them do as he says. Napoleon his a little more in to be the leader and in it for himself than his counterpart, Snowball.He challenges Napoleon for control of Animal Farm after the Rebellion. Snowball seems to win the trust of the other animals and when Napoleon sees that he then takes part to get rid of his competition. I feel like if it were Snowball instead of Napoleon, the farm would have been closer to equality. In class we talked about an equal world and how it was impossible to completely obtain equality. Now if Snowball were to be the leader, it probably would have less usage of alcohol, tobacco†¦ Would have stayed tuck to all the 7 commandments. 4.Animal farm can be se en as a fable even though it does not have a moral stated at the end. Just because there was no moral stated it doesn’t mean there was no message Animal Farm author George Orwell was trying to get through. I believe that my own moral of this story would be that you cannot take and take and take and not expect to give. In the novel Animal farm and like most farms, the human would take all that that the animals could provide so that they could have benefits for themselves. This book made sense that the animals got fed up with it all.Then when the pigs got power, it wasn’t a surprise that they became to think the same as the humans. If it wasn’t for the death of all the animals, I feel like the animals would have treated the pigs as human and the same process would have happened. All because of greed. 2. I think that the Animal farm author George Orwell made readers sympathize with all the animals except for the pigs because even though they were the most intellige nt beasts in this case and the closest to the animals, old Major was a pig.That being, the pigs automatically became the first to have power. Once they saw the life of the human and got the ability to obtain so, they fell into the same old bad habits of taking, taking and taking without giving. They then turned into humans. If any other kind of animal would have been in their place the same thing most likely would have happened. For those reasons, the author did not chose to make the readers sympathize the author animals, it’s just the way it played out once the pigs got power and became humans.

National Occupational Standards: Health and Social Care Essay

1.2 – Explain why reflecting on work activities is an important way to develop own knowledge and skills Reflecting on work activities in an important way to develop knowledge, skills and practice it enables us to reach our goals, achieve a better understanding of ourselves, self-awareness, strengths and weaknesses. To be able to reflect on how individuals are doing and to transfer knowledge to our practice. The things that I know or what I don’t know, how to achieve some goals, achievements and where I need to improve. 1.3 – Describe ways to ensure that personal attitudes and beliefs do not obstruct the quality of work To be able to ensure that personal attitudes and beliefs do not obstruct the quality of work you must not let your own personal feelings get in the way of doing your job correctly, treat everybody as an equal and work to support the residents needs, have a positive attitude towards all of the residents we take care of, ensure we follow all policies and procedures of our work setting without making any expectation. Also to respect the rights of each  of the residents and do not allow prejudice in the work setting and give everybody the same opportunities, regardless of our opinion. Outcome 2 – Understand how learning activities can develop knowledge, skills and understanding see more:understand how to handle information in social care 2.1 – Describe how a learning activity has improved own knowledge, skills and understanding Learning activities can improve an individual’s knowledge, skill and understanding by providing us with new ideas, such as something we may have never encountered before. Learning activities also give the individual new areas of learning, such as subjects and topics that you may have not previously covered. And courses on things that make the job easier, or even legally required courses that produce great new areas of learning that allow us to perform our job role, such as manual handling or medication training. It also enables us to apply theories or ideas into practice and discover if they are successful in doing what we intend them to, which in turn is great in developing our self confidence. Confidence is often the key in making strides with a difficult individual or even with self improvement, and with being confident it allows us to learn at an easier pace, which also devel ops our skills into more tangible tools that we understand. 2.2 – Describe how reflecting on a situation has improved own knowledge, skills and understanding Reflecting on a situation can improve an individual greatly by providing personal insight on a subject, which leads to a better understanding of a topic, we can reflect on how well we performed and in what ways our performance could be improved. By reflecting we can examine how effective our practice is by thinking about people’s reactions to us. About how there may have been other outcomes, and how to reach those outcomes, eliminating the bad paths and highlighting the more positive conclusions, in hope of reaching them the next time we face the same situation. 2.3 Describe how feedback from others has developed own knowledge, skills and understanding Having feedback from others and being willing to listen to that feedback, as well as use it to your advantage is a huge part of self improvement, and plays a massive role in developing our knowledge, skills and understanding of certain things. Such as the way you speak to someone, as you’re talking and joking you might believe that the subjects you breach are perfectly acceptable, but the service user you are communicating with may not want to show they don’t want to talk about it either out of politeness or some other motive, but another member of staff  may be able to recognize this, and discuss it with you while they give out feedback which lets you identify the area for improvement. Feedback can increase problem solving capabilities by allowing you to take in a situation from another’s perspective, and approaching a previous problem in a way that you have discovered by listening to others, they will tell you their perspectives and how they might deal with a situation in a more appropriate way. Perhaps in the form of advice or even just a little more information on how a certain service user likes to be treated. Changing the way to act around someone can have a massive impact on them, and sometimes feedback is the only way to identify this. Outcome 3 – Know how a personal development plan can contribute to own learning and development 3.1 – Define the term personal development plan Personal Development Plan’ is a term which describes an agreed way of recording information such as agreed objectives in regards to an individual, proposals on how to meet those objectives and the activities to follow. Including timescales for reviews amongst other things, and dates to assess the progress of any of the above, though the term ‘personal development plan’ may not be used exactly 3.2 – Identify who could be involved in the personal development plan process There are many people who may be involved with certain service users personal development plan, these include but are not limited to people such as The individual Carers Advocates Supervisor Line manager Employer Other professionals. (nurses or doctors e.g.) 3.3 – Identify sources of support for own learning and development Support for own learning and development exists in many places both in the workplace and outside of the workplace. Such as Formal support (Government funded schemes and organizations) A supervision An appraisal Within the organization Outside of the organization. (people with experience and knowledge that you can speak to that exist outside of your workplace, such as family and friends.) 3.4 – List the benefits of using a personal development plan to identify ongoing improvements in own knowledge and understanding The benefits to having personal development plans in place include: Focusing on what an individual wants to achieve and how to achieve it To develop greater self awareness of training needs Increasing the understanding of how to meet those needs It provides evidence to show how and what approach was taken in the attempt to improve your own knowledge and understanding

Modern Relevance of “The Birthmark”

Modern Relevance of â€Å"The Birthmark† â€Å"The Birthmark† is a fable created by Hawthorne that conveys his viewpoint towards the use of science to contradict the laws of nature. The fable also includes commentary on the depiction of men and women in society, along with their presumed roles. Both of these themes in my opinion are even more relevant today than when the story was written. Hawthorne disapproves of science used as a tool to tamper with living beings, for they are not meant to be perfect.This is illustrated in Georgiana’s death after Aylmer attempts to experiment on her: â€Å"As the last crimson tint of the birthmark–that sole token of human imperfection–faded from her cheek, the parting breath of the now perfect woman passed into the atmosphere†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . The implied moral is that attempting to contradict what is originally intended is unethical and will lead to disastrous results. Hawthorne uses the character Aylmer to exempli fy the people who abuse science as a means to control nature.In modern sciences, â€Å"controlling nature† has become the essence of the medical field, progressing to the extreme of cheating death. Hawthorne’s opinion is echoed in the controversies today regarding methods such as stem cell research or cloning, as common arguments point to its immorality and the eventual disaster. The story is an exaggeration that was intended to be almost humorous, although I believe Hawthorne must have had the notion that his fear would someday become commonly practiced and even encouraged. The Birthmark† at a glance might appear to be supporting the stereotypical gender roles of the era. Hawthorne portrays Aylmer as the pragmatic husband and leader, while Georgiana is his complement as the obedient wife. However I believe Hawthorne is using satire to imply just the opposite. Georgiana is deemed to be Aylmer’s intellectual equal; as she was able to read through his experi ments and understand his successes and failures.She also understands Aylmer’s greatest flaw, which he himself can never comprehend, and that is his doomed strive for perfection: â€Å"With her whole spirit she prayed that, for a single moment, she might satisfy his highest and deepest conception. Longer than one moment she well knew it could not be; for his spirit was ever on the march, ever ascending†¦ requiring something that was beyond the scope of the instant before. † Georgiana’s death in the end is the result of her choice to obey Aylmer, even though she knew of his insane obsession and faulty judgement.I believe Hawthorne is making a statement on the folly of intelligent women bending to the ridiculous whims of their husbands, while they’re perfectly capapble of making decisions themselves. This theme translates easily for many modern readers who continue to resist the residual expectation of women being subordinate to men. The rigid role of a woman that Georgiana fits into is still recognizable to us, but it is the intelligence and the small streak of independence she possesses that we can relate to. In the end we lament that she did not take a greater stand for herself, as many would have done today.

The Nomoramide the synthetic morphinomimetic drug project Essay

The Nomoramide the synthetic morphinomimetic drug project - Essay Example The 'painfree' project appears a rather 'painful' project. Potential of the drug Nomoramide (painfree) appears to be immense, as specialists as well as General Physicians are fully convinced and have echoed their support for the drug, but the major drawback in managing the project has been a lack of sound understanding and respect for the views different departments within the company. Project management as such is a set of principles, practices, and techniques applied to lead project team and control project schedule, cost, and performance risks in order to in delight the customers. But in case of 'painfree' the end result appears to be resulting in a rather painful experience for the company as well as for the customers. The project appears successful to the extent that it succeeded in convincing the General Physicians and specialists about the usefulness of the drug. It generated lot of curiosity about the company and the product, which can go a long way in generating marketing potential for the company in the long run. It appears the company has been able to make good use of its contacts in the regulatory and licensing departments of the governments in different countries, yet it appears at loggerheads with authorities like BGA for continuously ignoring the genuine concerns of the people, which is resulting in restriction of the use of the drug to the post-operational pain, in Europe. In US though the company appears to have convinced in regulatory authorities regarding the drug’s unrestricted acceptance with specialists and GPs able to prescribe it for pain relief. The project team chose to launch the drug in Germany in November when accidents cases are at its peak and a large number of migraine cases are linked to the dark season of the year. The launch was a big success with over 700,000 packages being sold from November 1994 to March 1995. The drug even received rave reviews form experts, medical journals and magazines. But in the absence of adequate market communication from the company, about the precautions after the intake of the drug, the cases of orthostatic hypotension soon started reaching alarming levels. The company could have retained the successful beginning, if it had immediately launched an information campaign for consumer and medical fraternity informing them about the precaution like taking rest after the drug intake, no doing physical exercises etc. But the company appeared grossly under-prepared for taking up such an initiative. This resulted in damaging the credibility of the drug and the company. Therefore, despite a promising start and good product the Painfree project appears to have earned limited success. Ans 2: From the available documents it is more than evident that the project was not managed in a very professional and successful manner. It appears unsuccessful on several counts; i. In this market driven economy when we talk about global village concept, any company studies the market with long term perspective, in such a manner that the customer feels being valued. Data and information is gathered from the market regarding the competitor's position, availability of alternatives, outcomes of similar launches etc. In case of a new drug launch additional care is to be taken regarding its side-effects, safety of the consumer etc. To this end extensive researches are carried out for testing the effects of the drug, data is also compiled from existing studies etc. Here it appears the company, despite

Profile Dr. Jonathan Calof Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Profile Dr. Jonathan Calof - Research Paper Example Awards also came to him from educational organizations like Academy of Business Administration, the International Council for Small Business - South Africa, the Administrative Sciences Association of Canada, and the Academy of International Business. The international journals like Competitive Intelligence Review, Business Quarterly, International Journal of Small Business Management, and International Business Review also contain informative articles and eye openers contributed by him. His case on the Sterling Marking products has become a key collection of Ivey School of Business and was a part of the 10 most marketed cases. This is also a selection amongst the best articles collected by Business Quarterly. He has been heard over the radio in different interviews (Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa, n.d.). Dr. Jonathan Calof passed his graduation level from University of Western Ontario, Ivey School of Business and Carleton University. He is a part of the editorial t eam of many publications and an editor of Executive Magazine. In general he is a productive author and has over 100 publications in his name.

How Governments Work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

How Governments Work - Essay Example All nations throughout the world have some form of government. Governments are intended to be in place to protect the governed. They help keep order in most societies, provide certain common services, and protect themselves from attack by hostile countries (in most cases). The way in which these governments were formed and their laws can vary. Not all nations provide for the same level of personal freedoms as others do. Lawmakers rely on written and unwritten rules to help them determine laws for their people. Most governments are run with their people’s best interests at heart while other governments are run for the sole purpose of satisfying the best interests of leaders. A constitution can be defined as a â€Å"set of rules and customs written or unwritten, legally established by which a government conducts its affairs.† (Roskin, Medeiros, Jones & Cord, p. 46) Almost every nation has either a written or unwritten Constitution. They legally limit the authority of the government. Authority of the government is divided with laws enacted by one segment and administered by another, and an independent judiciary which acts to ensure that laws are administered fairly. Constitutions describe sections of government, their authority and individuals rights to freedom. These descriptions may change based on adaptations made on existing laws. The amendments of nearly any Constitution cannot be changed so easily however the way in which they are interpreted may change. In the United States the Supreme Court must make sure that the interpretations of various laws do not contradict the intended meaning of the Constitution. The Supreme Court’s interpret ation of the Constitution changes as time passes. For example in Plessy vs. Ferguson â€Å"the Court ruled that state laws requiring racial segregation in public transportation did not necessarily violate the Fourteenth Amendment , which provides for equal protection under the laws, as long as the transportation facilities for whites and blacks were physically equal.† (Roskin, Cord, Medeiros & Jones, p.337) However many years later the Court ruled that separate public schools for blacks and whites were unconstitutional because they did not promote equality even though the children were educated in similar facilities. Society’s ideas about the rights of individuals had changed but the Constitution itself did not. Constitutions do not have the solution for every legal problem that can arise so it does not need to be specific. Interpretation of various laws would depend on who is in power and how it may be applied to certain incidents. High courts similar to the United St ates Supreme Court in thirty other nations have this decision making

Executive Summary- Annual Marketing Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Executive Summary- Annual Marketing Plan - Essay Example To address these, a brief background on Sears Holding Corporation would be introduced prior to expounding on the executive summary, as required. The history of Sears Holding Corporation is traced in 1886 when its incorporator, Robert Sears, started selling watches for the purpose of augmenting his source of income as a station agent (Sears: Chronology, 2010, par. 1). With hard work, perseverance and innovative marketing approach, the legendary growth and ability to meet challenges in its business environment led to its continued successful existence after more than a century of serving the customers’ needs. Today, with its merger with Kmart Holdings Corporation in 2005, it is considered the â€Å"fourth largest retailer in the United States, behind Wal-Mart, The Home Depot, and Kroger (Stores.org, 2006). With the combined efforts of Kmart and Sears, the organization’s executive summary of the marketing plan for the year appears below: Sears Holding Corporation (SHC) has attained a successful profitability performance boasting of â€Å"$1.8 billion of Adjusted EBITDA, an improvement of more than $200 million over 2008† (Sears Holding Corp.: Chairman’s Letter, 2010, par. 1). With the financial success despite the global financial crisis, SHC’s five pillars of marketing strategy assisted in directing all efforts towards growth and improvement, to wit: â€Å"(1) Creating lasting relationships with customers by empowering them to manage their lives; (2) Attaining best in class productivity and efficiency; (3) Building our brands; (4) Reinventing the company continuously through technology and innovation; and (5) Reinforcing â€Å"The SHC Way† by living our values every day† (Sears Holding Corp.: Chairman’s Letter, 2010, pars. 7 – 11). For the coming year, the objectives of the company are summarized herewith: â€Å"(1) focus on new and innovative products for the Kenmore laundry business; (2) enforce leadership through heavy marketing efforts and

Financing a Small Business Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Financing a Small Business - Research Paper Example Luckily, there are still many ways which a smart and proactive person can use to make his living. Something which is better than his previous job infact. This is to start his own business. One might ask why anyone would want to start his own business and go through such a huge risk of investing so much and finding out in the end that it was all a bad idea and loses all his money. Well the answer is already given above. But apart from not having any other choice, it is wrong by many people to consider a business as a "risky investment" because a business is as secure as you want it to be. If you start out with a stupid idea which only you believe is going to sell, well then you will lose your money. On the other hand, if you value your investment a lot and do not want to take big risks, you can start something simple like a general or medical store. This type of business will give you lesser profit but it will be stable and will involve routine supply chain techniques which will there fore lowering the risk to a minimum. Now comes the most crucial part, one which actually makes a person decide on his destiny. It's how to finance his business. The first thing a person needs to answer is how much investment is he going to need. If his business plan is well defined and thoroughly covers the default five year plan technique, he will know exactly how much he will need in order to get it started. He will also know in how much time he will be able to reach break-even for his investment therefore answering his second query of repayment of his installments. There are several ways a person can finance his business, for the purpose of simplicity, we will discuss three of the most common ways which are used by small businessmen and even by big multinational giants (James E. Burk, Richard P. Lehman, 2006). Personal Credit This technique is primarily designed for small businessmen deciding on opening a low risk and stable earning platform. This is because as the name suggests, the businessman will borrow money from his personal contacts either by formal or informal agreements. These personal contacts are usually family members who come in the businessman's trust circle like his parents and siblings. This is the safest way of acquiring money for investment because there is a lot of flexibility involved in the process. Also, the business man will be more careful of investing it wisely as his share is the highest in the whole investment and he cannot gamble with it too much. Upon interview of selected people on whether they would lend money to a close relative, the answers received were highly unexpected. 80% of people interviewed said they were not comfortable in lending their hard earned money as they were not sure if they would be able to get it back once they lend it. On the other hand, people also said that they would not like to ask their family members for help as they do not want to parade about the fact that they are starting a business as they might become prey to extreme jealousy. Bank Loan This technique is the most common used in the business world today. Even banks offer special packages to customers seeking money for investing in their own small business which are good because they have lower markups and they are granted more easily thanks to governmental

Human and Animal Interrelationships from Domestication to Present Term Paper - 2

Human and Animal Interrelationships from Domestication to Present - Term Paper Example Also, Romans relied on various provinces they had acquired after wars for agriculture yet most of their focus was on Italy which was quite suitable for a wide variety of crops (Jhonston 55-56). Also, many Romans during the era were fond of purchasing Italian crops. Furthermore, land ownership was the means to constitute a part of the aristocracy in Rome; the more land a person acquired to higher his esteem in society and politics was. Even the brave soldiers were allocated land as rewards for their services. Land was also the sole factor behind slave labor since men were enslaved to work of these fields. Thus, agriculture was the dominant factor behind every aspect of Roman life and the paper aims at exploring how the Romans farmed to understand their values more. In order to understand how the Romans farmed, it is significant to study the phases in which these Romans evolved. Back in the 5th Century, there were small pieces of land owned by families in Rome. However, by that time the technique of crop rotation had become popular and Romans were indulged in estates to further enhance their wealth. Furthermore, the interactions amongst Romans and other advanced nations like Greece had improved already which also contributed towards perfecting the agricultural techniques to reap better crops. During the early empire era, the agricultural practices in Rome were at its peak and there was immense efficiency in the crops yield. Studies indicate that farms in Rome can be classified in three different forms. Smalls farms constituted an area of 18-108 iugera while medium range farms were around 80 to 500 iugera in size. However, large estates constituted an area as large as 500 iugera (Jhonston 33-34). Thus, those peasants who owned small sized farms didn’t have the technology or the resources to earn a living via their lands. The wealthy land owners saw it as an opportunity and bought lands from the

Reporting Practices And Ethics Paper Essay Example for Free

Reporting Practices And Ethics Paper Essay As you visit a medical clinic or hospital you may have concerns about the medical care you will receive. You would hope that you will receive fair and ethical treatment from the staff. It is the responsibility of the staff to do the best job possible to service not only the paient but also the employer. There is a need for an ethical foundation, especially in the health care setting. According to Bringing Ethics And Integrity Into Focus (2012), â€Å"Patients and family members desire high quality care, patient safety and the latest medical technology. But, ultimately, trust in the integrity of the caregiver is the foundation for their peace of mind.† Elements of Financial Management Financial management is vital to an organizations effectiveness. Financial management consists of four elements. The financial manager takes the necessary steps to identify and organize the organizations objectives. This is the element called Planning. Controlling is when the financial manager ensures that the plans set by the organization are being followed properly and efficiently. The financial manager then makes the decision of how to use the resources of the organization to carry out the plans that have been established. This is where the organizing and directing comes in. The last step that the financial manager makes is the decision making process. This is where the financial manager will make informed choices through primary tasks of analysis and evaluation. Accounting Principles and Financial Ethics Standards It is very important that accounting and financial professionals abide by the ethical standards that regulate what kind of business is conducted, how they use their skills and who they serve. This is called Gernerally Accepted  Accounting Pricinples. Ethical standards are determined largely by professional accounting and finance organizations and the Financial Accounting Standards Board. Accountants and financial professionals must continue their education and practice the ethics that prepare them for their positions, and they must also continue that education by learning new information that can affect their practices. Accountants must be objective, avoiding conflicts of interest. They must not, for instance, perform accounting services for firms that they have a vested interest in. When working with a clients financial information, financial professionals have access to a great deal of personal information. This is not only limited to financial information but also includes the names and contact information of employees as well as the names and locations of firms with which the company does business. Financial professionals are required to keep that information private except when ordered to disclose it by a court of law. Keeping information private is an example of an ethical standard. Another example of ethical standards of conduct and financial reporting practices would be the company Enron. Enron is a company known for its ethical scandals. Enron was unethical due to the fraud that was committed by its top executives. On paper the accountants made Enron more powerful than they appeared. Subsidiaries, known as special purpose entities have a single purpose and it was not necessary that they were included on Enrons balance sheet. These subsidiaries were used to hide risky investment activities and financial losses. (Folger, 2011). It was later determied that Enron assets and profits were inflated, and even fraudulent and non-existent. Enron was one of the worst accounting scandals of all time. Conclusion With the Enron scandal, organization ethics are more important now than ever, but not only does it make a businesses practice sound, it also allows the employees of the organization to go by a higher standard of integrity in their daily functions. It is more critical in health care settings than any other environments that there is an ethical foundation. It is important that health care staff conduct themselves with integrity, honesty, and respect for others and health care organizations must adopt standards of professional practice and having ethics is critical to the care patients  receive. . References Bringing ethics and integrity into focus. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/bringing-ethics-and-integrity-focus Folger, J. (2011). The Enron Collapse: A Look Back. Retrieved from http://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/1211/the-enron-collapse-a-look-back.aspx

Relationship between Poverty and Educational Outcomes

Relationship between Poverty and Educational Outcomes Children in Poverty:  Addressing Inequalities in Educational Outcomes Jodie Somerville The American Psychological Association (2007) asserts that socioeconomic factors and social class are fundamental determinants of human functioning across the lifespan including development. Levels of parental education, occupation and income are factors used to quantify socio-economic status and classify social class (Duchesne, McMaugh, Bochner Krause, 2013). Socioeconomic status (SES) is a recognition of the economic, environmental and education factors in the lives of parents, which affect educational outcomes of children. Often the relationship between SES and education focuses on those individuals living in poverty, the lowest tranche of economic privilege. Boston (2013) asserts that there are disparities evident in educational achievement between children from advantaged backgrounds and those experiencing deprivation. Students with higher family SES have higher educational achievement than students with lower family SES with a wide gap evidenced between the two (Thrupp, as cit ed in Boston, 2013). Those disparities and the inherent causes thereof will be outlined herein. Changes that may alleviate the effect of poverty on educational outcomes in New Zealand will also be highlighted. In particular, the need for a multi-faceted approach towards addressing inequalities in educational outcomes arising from poverty and SES. In 2012, 285,000 children in this country aged 0–17 years lived in poverty equating 27% of all New Zealand children (Craig, Reddington, Wicken, Oben Simpson, 2013). It is important to note that poverty rates for MÄ ori and Pasifika children are around double those for PÄ kehÄ /European children with evidence suggesting that MÄ ori and Pasifika children are almost twice as likely to be living in severe poverty and face a higher risk of remaining in poverty for extended periods of time (Boston, 2013). Major influences on the overall level of child poverty are changes in demographics, family structure, unemployment rates, benefit and retraining levels, childcare services and housing costs, all of which are influenced in broad terms by social policy and legislation to some degree (Davies, Crothers, Hanna, 2010). These factors have led to a rise in the cost of living particularly housing affordability, food and medical care (Boston, 2013). The changes have also seen low wages and relatively high taxes for low income families with family assistance programmes not sufficient to meet shortfalls for those in poverty (Every Child Counts, 2010). These aforementioned factors that give rise to poverty and low SES have subsequent health, cognitive and socio emotional outcomes which affect child development (Duchesene et al., 2013). The development of the child then in turn affects his or her educational achievement. The relationship between SES and educational attainment of children is evidenced in a New Zealand study by Fergusson and Woodward (2000). That study noted that children from higher SES backgrounds achieved university entrance rates five times higher (57%) than those of children from families of a lower SES (11%). Further, there is a statistically significant relationship between family income during the early years of a childs life and subsequent school completion rates and adults income with children from poorer families having worse outcomes (Gibb, Fergusson, Horwood, 2012). Boston (2013) cautions that although there is evidence of a strong correlation between the socio economic status of children and their education achievement, socio economic status in itself is not the only cause of poor educational outcomes. He asserts there other interlinking factors associated with SES, particularly factors prevalent in situations of poverty, that contribute to the educational attainment gap . The first aspect affecting educational achievement is family SES and income. Duchesne et al. (2013) state that children of low SES backgrounds often have poor nutrition, are exposed to environmental hazards and have inadequate access to healthcare. Boston (2013) highlights that limited finances place constraints on choices and opportunities for those living in poverty. This includes being able to afford nutritious food, access to primary healthcare and quality early childhood education, accommodation choices and providing for a stimulating home environment. The effects of poverty on educational outcomes are wide reaching. Poor nutrition can effect physical and mental growth and development and cognitive function. It can also result in lethargy and resultant decreased motivation to learn. Boston (2013) states that children from low SES backgrounds are likely to eat fewer healthy foods and have higher cholesterol intake than their peers in elevated socioeconomic circumstances. They are also much more likely to start the school day hungry and have little or no lunch. This reduces the child’s ability to concentrate and learn and generates negative behaviours. In New Zealand lack of access to health care for children living in poverty is linked to the high rates of otitis media, an infection of the middle ear particularly prevalent in MÄ ori children, which leads to hearing loss (Duchesne et al., 2013). Boston (2013) also notes that during their early school years economically disadvantaged children typically have less access to a variety of important learning resources such as books, newspapers and the internet. The second link between poverty and educational achievement are parenting factors. Bradley Corwyn (as cited in Duchesne et al., 2013) highlight a strong association between poverty, low levels of parental education and lower levels of school achievement for children. Parental education has an effect on interactions at home and the ways in which parents interact with their children (Duchesne et al., 2013). Children whose parents, especially mothers, have higher levels of education were more likely to be supported in ways that encouraged engagement in education including better resources. Overall experience in homes with lower levels of parental education was likely to be less with lower parental input (Duchesne et al., 2013). This is evidenced in activity levels and language use with parents in poorest families using only one third of the spoken language of other families when conversing with their children (Hart Risley as cited in Duchesne et al., 2013). Language is important to le arning and displaying knowledge at school. Parents own experience of education affects interactions with children including their ability to prepare children for school, their expectations and attitudes towards education. Parents from lower SES groups may value education but have little expectation for their children to excel. They may have little or no relationship or trust towards the school or teachers. This low level of expectation is linked with a negative orientation towards school, a sense of indifference and alienation from education and influences the attendance and participation patterns of children (Boston, 2013) making further schooling beyond what is compulsory less likely (Duchesne et al., 2013). Parents with low educational achievement were also less likely to provide cognitively stimulating enrichment such as trips to libraries or specialist classes such as music lessons for their children (Duchesne et al., 2013). The third link between poverty and educational achievement is stress. Families living in poverty encounter employment uncertainty, poor financial stability, transience and often live in substandard overcrowded accommodation in neighbourhoods where violence is prevalent (Duchesne et al., 2013). These conditions of hardship are contributors to parental stress, relationship difficulties and mental health issues (Boston, 2013). Both Duchesne et al. (2013) and Boston (2013) assert a correlation between stress and maladaptive parenting behaviours (including a higher incidence of neglect and maltreatment) and lower levels of warmth and responsiveness in familial relationships. This situation undermines a child’s sense of security and self-esteem, identified as factors that may provide some resilience for children at risk from poverty (Duchesne et al., 2013). Stress also contributes to learnt helplessness and feelings of powerlessness. Children living in stressful environments, partic ularly substandard accommodation and more likely to suffer illness that impacts on learning. The transient nature of low socio economic households also has damaging educational outcomes. A fourth connection can be made between school factors and educational achievement. In the same way that a childs school outcomes are not purely as a result of their individual characteristics but subject to wider family and environmental influences, there are influential factors within schools themselves and their interactions with families that affect educational achievement for low SES children (Duchesne et al., 2013). McLloyd, 1998 (as cited in Duchesne et al., 2013) suggests that teachers often perceive students ability and behaviour more negatively for those from lower SES circumstances. Children from poverty were less likely to receive positive attention and reinforcement for academic achievement possibly attributable to lower teacher expectation for those students. Duchesne et al. (2013) highlights that there are a number of ways in which the relationship between schools and their families and communities contribute to educational disadvantage. Firstly, children whose home ex periences fit the style of the school experience better educational outcomes than those who dont. Secondly, a division may exist and be maintained between home and school where the values of the school and home differ with home values of lower SES families, particularly ethnic minorities, perceived as less valuable. In line with that, differing communication styles of home and school also serve to create a barrier for lower SES children with misunderstandings and conflict between the two environments. Lastly the perceptions of and about minority groups, who are often over represented in lower SES families, may be stereotypically based in wider societal beliefs. This can be exacerbated by practices within schools that reject or marginalise those students. Overall, these school factors can lead to withdrawal and alienation from the education system and poor outcomes for disadvantaged children. It is clear that children from lower SES backgrounds experience poor educational outcomes. The challenge of policy makers and educators is to work together collaboratively to mitigate the effects of child poverty on the education of our most vulnerable citizens. A 2014 report by the Child Poverty Action Group entitled Our Children, Our Choice sets out a number of measures which it asserts will alleviate some of the effects of poverty on childrens education. Its first recommendation is to develop culturally appropriate measures of the cognitive, affective, behavioural and developmental needs of new entrants. This data could then be used to make funding allocations to ensure children in poverty receive meaningful, enjoyable and empowering experiences to address their disadvantage, not a narrow focus on standards. In line with that, the reports second recommendation was to abandon national standards as they have been found ineffective, disadvantaging poor children’s learning and teaching in low decile schools. The third recommendation is the provision a 100% government subsidy to the lowest decile secondary schools for NCEA and scholarship examination fees. It also recommends providing NCEA subject pathway guidance to tertiary study on entry to secondary school for all students. In particular, academic counselling and target setting to improve outcomes for Pasifika students and extension of kura kaupapa MÄ ori and wharekura to more communities. The Child Poverty Action Group report from 2014 also highlighted some social measures to mitigate some of the environmental disadvantage experienced by children from low SES homes. Its first recommendation in that regard was to provide free breakfast and lunch for children in decile 1-4 schools. It extrapolated on that with an assertion that low decile schools have multi-agency services on site which would include social workers, health workers, alternative education programmes and providers and teen parent units. The Child Poverty Action Group (2014) highlight the recommendations of the Expert Advisory Group on Solutions to Child Poverty which suggest solutions also include expansion of the positive behaviour plans and extension of school-local community collaboration initiatives. The report also recommended a reduction in class sizes in lower decile primary schools and providing salary incentives to encourage quality teachers into schools in areas of low SES. Its final recommendati on was to retain the decile funding system principles currently in place, which are based on need and equality of outcome. In conclusion, there is substantial evidence of the correlation between socio economic deprivation and low levels of educational achievement. Boston (2013) asserts that child poverty, especially when experienced in early childhood and/or when persistent and severe, has damaging effects which are twofold firstly to the individual child but secondly the wider society. Child poverty contributes to the large educational achievement gaps between children with different SES backgrounds. The Child Poverty Action Groups measures target investment of resources and interventions towards those of highest need. Boston (2013) notes that the goal of such interventions is not merely to assist the children and families currently experiencing situations of disadvantage, but also to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty and its effect on educational achievement. By ensuring that more of the children from current low-income families achieve educational success, this will translate to improved o utcomes for the next generation. Children whose material circumstances, quality of life and experiences are improved through a multifaceted approach aimed at reducing child poverty will enjoy greater choices, opportunities and success and have more favourable educational outcomes. REFERENCES: American Psychological Association Task Force on Socioeconomic Status. (2007). Report of the APA Task Force on Socioeconomic Status. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/pi/ses/resources/publications/task-force-2006.pdf Boston, J. (2013, May). Improving educational performance: why tackling child poverty must be part of the solution. Symposium conducted at the Poverty Impacts on Learning Conference, Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand. Retrieved from http://igps.victoria.ac.nz/staff/team/Education and child poverty V4.pdf Child Poverty Action Group (2014). Our children, our choice: Priorities for policy. Retrieved from http://www.cpag.org.nz/assets/Publications/1-0 Our Children Our Choice Part 3.pdf Craig, E., Reddington, A., Wicken, A., Oben, G., Simpson, J. (2013). Child Poverty Monitor 2013 Technical Report (Updated 2014). Dunedin. New Zealand: Child Youth Epidemiology Service, University of Otago. Retrieved from http://nzchildren.co.nz/document_downloads/2013 Child Poverty Monitor Technical Report MASTER.pdf Davies, E., Crothers, C., Hanna, K. (2010). Preventing child poverty: barriers and solutions. New Zealand Journal of Psychology. 39 (2) 20-31. Duchesne, S., McMaugh, A., Bochner, S., Krause, K.-L. D. (2013).Educational psychology : for learning and teaching(4th ed.). South Melbourne, Vic.: Cengage Learning Every Child Counts (2010). Eradicating child poverty in New Zealand. Retrieved from http://www.everychildcounts.org.nz/resources/child-poverty/ Fergusson, D. M., and Woodward, L.J. (2000). Family socioeconomic status at birth and rates of university participation. New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies, (1), 25. Gibb, S. J., Fergusson, D. M., Horwood, L. J. (2012). Childhood family income and life outcomes in adulthood: Findings from a 30-year longitudinal study in New Zealand. Social Science Medicine(12), 1979. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.02.028