Human Resource (HR) Module in SAP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Human Resource (HR) Module in SAP - Essay Example These products target different aspects or functionalities of a business and offer services accordingly. In this scenario, SAP’s Module for Human Resource Management is also called human resource management system that is commonly used to manage human resource related activities for the business organizations. With an integrated SAP ERP HCM software solution for managing all the human resource related operations, a business organization can be able to more enthusiastically recognize where their workforce's talents are at the present and bring into line the objectives of their employees with their business's overarching business policy. In addition, using this real-time approach to deal with human resources, a business is able to take advantage completely from human-capital policies and programs; and as a result determine their workforce's support to the bottom line. ... Moreover, with integrated building blocks and a matchless partner system, the system facilitates shared services and business operations outsourcing and minimizes operating expenses and risk for these operational models (SAP; kristine; Newman). This paper presents an overview of SAP ERP Human Resource System. This report will outline some of the important aspects of HR Module including its major functions and features. 2- SAP HR The objective of the Human Resources module is to facilitate businesses to process staff related data according to varying needs and requirements of a particular business organization in an efficient and effective manner. Basically, this module makes use of a system of data which is clustered collectively in a specific form known as info-types.   In this scenario, infotypes displays a number of linked data records. Additionally, the infotypes are identified by means of a four character numerical string [for example infotype Addresses (0006)] as well as a co mprehensive listing is incorporated. In fact, an organization can make use of the infotypes with time condition to facilitate a retroactive assessment of their staff data. In addition, the infotypes appears as an entry screen intended for client, through which the employees of an organization are able to enter, update and maintain infotype records.  Moreover, infotypes can also be processed independently or in immediate entry mode (ERP Great; Sieber, Siau and Nah; Jena, Baboo and Patnaik).   3- Main modules of SAP HR? SAP’s Human Capital Management (HCM) module integrates all the functionalities and procedures in three categories (ERP Great): 3.1- Workforce Process Management   This part of module integrates below given

The Role of Women In The U.S. Military Research Paper

The Role of Women In The U.S. Military - Research Paper Example They were first introduced in military in World War I (1914-1918). Initially, the women did serve the military as nurses and also did a number of clerical jobs. After World War II, they were given permanent positions in US military under the Women Armed Services Integration Act, 1948. However, they were restricted to only 2% of the total US military. They were also not allowed higher positions of Generals in army. In 1978, female auxiliaries found in military branches were abolished by Congress and integrated forces were created for the first time. Women were also allowed to take part in many jobs other than those of healthcare and technicians. However, they were still restricted to be included in combat positions. The need of inclusion of women in combat positions was first recognized after the Gulf war in 1991. The women supported the armed forces on combat positions in the war. This brought the women to front lines. Their impressive and extraordinary services in the war gave groun d for the Defense Department of America to reconsider the ban imposed on the women to be included for combat positions. In 1993, the women were allowed to render their services on combat warships and aircrafts. Many military female officers welcomed the alterations. However, critics were of the view that these changes would damage the fighting ability of US forces. However, despite all criticism, more and more women were included for combat positions of US military. During Serbian conflict of 1999, women served as combat pilots in US Air force. Women were took part in Navy combat positions. However, during Iraq War, when two female Johnson and Lynch were captured, a debate regarding women services on combat positions started again. The role of women in US military for technical and healthcare jobs is acceptable for everyone. However, the deployment of women on combat positions is still a controversial issue. There are two view points, one that supports the deployment of women on com bat positions; and other that opposed such deployment. Both have their own arguments supporting their stand. DEPLOYMENT OF WOMEN FOR COMBAT POSITIONS IS ACCEPTABLE: SUPPORTERS’ VIEWS: The critics of women inclusion in combat points argue that the gender-integration of military will damage the morale of the women. This is the same argument which was made before when the US military was being integrated after the long segregation of whole military on racial basis. However, it is noticed later on that the racial integration of the army did not decrease the morale of the army. The same is the case with the inclusion of women for combat roles. The supporters argue that it is just a vague argument that the gender-desegregation of military will reduce the morale and efficiency of the military just as made previously about racial-desegregation of army. The supporters also criticize the point that women are physically weaker than men naturally. It is true but in non-physical attribute s, women are as much stronger as men are. They are psychologically stronger than men. However, some psychologists say that women are subjected to mental disorder same like men. Gender-integration may bring some positive effects on the overall performance of military. It increases the professional standards level of military and also brings cohesion which is by no means defective or less effective than found among men. So, there is no reason to believe that gender-desegregated units on combat positi

The Strategic plan for Toyota Company

The Strategic plan for Toyota Company Executive Summary: The Strategic plan for Toyota is to serve as guideline for conducting and coordinating development, research, marketing ,and all other business activities across the motor industry and for increasing the development of new and exciting efforts based on identification of region in the motor invention opportunity and challenges. Then strategic plan shows a dynamic or changing planning process and brings multidirectional research and manufacturing agenda, together with an interlinked collection of goals and strategies for attaining those goals. Once the plan is setup, it is implemented in the reality for analysing and testing those formed strategies about its effectiveness and attractiveness. Toyota follow the concept of strategy can be updated and changed anytime whenever it is in need of that. Strategy is not any fixed rule that any origination when establishes it, can not change. That means Strategy can be modified anytime when needed. But unless it is updated or said to be changed, all the stakeholders have to follow that to achieve the collective goals of the origination. Some time there is strategy failure in the organisation. But Toyota has never experienced its strategy failure ever. There is constant monitoring of the implemented strategy in Toyota Company in Order To identify the effectiveness and efficiency of implemented strategy. As the Toyota has got distributed architecture of management, all its branch around the world can adopt and implement any separate strategy plan in order to balance the pressure of localization. Literature Review: Seen from the almost mid seventies, it can be noted that scholars can make big difference between big and small business in term of sophistication level, needs, and strategic planning. Pearson and Bracker(1986), Ibrahim and rue(1998), Perry(2001) and Wijewanrena Zoysa, Perera and Fonseka (2004) they all formulated the exact definition of strategic planning which take the distinct of small businesses in consideration and gives the chance that any small businesses cant make on management and resources in a way same as large businesses do. Then findings of piric shows that at correlation between performance and strategic planning. Nevertheless, those findings are mixed. The survey conducted on twenty-six different studies based on experiments Cardinal and Miller (1994) to find an appropriate positive connection between small business performance and strategic planning. In 1982, Robinson argued that very high level of profitability as well as growth in share value and sales return and quantity of employees, who are working fulltime, in a set of small businesses which has paid the consultants from out of the company for strategic planning purpose. Comparing with other business Pearson and Bracker (1986) discovered an appropriate growth in income and remuneration per entrepreneur in business activities that has prepared that strategic course of action to be followed. But not much increase observed in the expenditure (salary) divided on the sum total of sales. A significant differentiation in the rate of sales increase was found by Rue and Ibrahim (1998) in small businesses that incorporated written planning (basic or sophisticated), as opposed to other businesses. Perry (2001) detected a significant differentiation in the degree to which planning was conducted in small businesses that did not applied for bankruptcy as opposed to those that did. Wijewardena et al. (2004) define three levels of planning: no written planning; basic planning; and detailed planning. The findings indicate that the level of planning stands in direct proportion to the level of increase in sales. Yusuf and Saffu (2005) classify three levels of planning: low; moderate; and high. A connection was found between increase in sales and the low level of planning. No correlation was found between strategic planning and increases in market share or in profitability. Andrews (1998) argued that corporate strategy is decision pattern in any organisation that reveals and determines its goals and objectives, then helps to produce principal plans and policies for achieving formed goals, and also expresses the business range that company can pursuer. Strategy Reveals and identifies the companys purpose in terms of action program, long term goals and objectives and available resources allocation priorities: Finding the business in the organisation where it is in, or it is to be in. Helps to find out distinct task for managers at functional, business and corporate levels Is a unifying, coherent and integrative patterns of making decisions Is organisations strategic intoned expression process Is for nurturing and developing intend of the organisation. Part 2: Analysis Task 1 Construct a management strategy. A) Identify an organisation of your choice which you will discuss as an example in this assignment and give your reasons for choosing this organisation. The organisation I have chosen for this assignment is Toyota Motor Company. The company counts under worlds top ten largest companies and stands second in overall vehicles production worldwide. This organisation has always been of my interest and would like to see further to be a part of it. As the company is in the height of success, it has a very effective and successful strategy management. The company initiated on fourteenth February 1867 has now expanded into a massive motor production known worldwide. The success of any organisation depends on how it is structured, organised, managed and controlled, and in this company all of these important functions are well managed. While having a research on this company it was found very interesting on how the company strategy are set, measured and managed. Therefore i choose Toyota Company, as the best example for this assignment. B) Who are the major stakeholders of your organisation and what considerations should be made to ensure their (stakeholder) participation in developing management strategy? In this complex world, any corporate activities to remain sustainable must consider what society demands and how to work for the best interest of the organisations shareholder. Any person or group that are affected or can be affected by the organisation activities are stakeholders. There are numbers of stakeholders for Toyota Company (external and internal). Toyotas major stakeholders Internal stakeholders Owners/Shareholders of the organisation Employees Senior management team unions External stakeholders Customers Business partners/suppliers Local communities Government Debt holders Environmentalist For all these groups or individual it is important to understand their expectations in detail and how these might differ from each other and the extent to which they are likely to seek influence over an organisations purposes and strategies. These stakeholders have divergent interest therefore they create conflict of interest. Therefore management should set such a strategy that their personal goal leads toward the overall goal of the organisation. In order to achieve that target it is important to have their active participation in management strategy. Given below are some considerations to be made for large motor company like Toyota for active participation of its stakeholders. Shareholders participation: as they are the owner of the organisation, company should run on their best interest. Therefore before setting any strategy there should be the clear vision on what the shareholder wants and how are they going to measure it. After knowing on what direction they want to lead the company and what are their long terms and short term objectives strategy should me made accordingly. Participation of internal stakeholders: Employees or staffs plays a vital role to meet the target of the organisation, therefore it is important to know what kind of environment they want to work on, what kind of culture they are expecting and how can it be set. For instance in Toyota motor company, business is totally oriented on production staff and IT staff thus workable environment is most essential factor. Therefore during strategy formation needs and demands of employees should be considered. Dispute among management and employees can lead to a huge loss even company can collapse, for instance regular strike (recent postal strikes), staff absenteeism, staff turnover etc. Involvement of It department: In 21st century IT plays a vital role. In this competitive market company must have latest technology and infrastructures which can kill or can be killed. Thus IT departments involvement is must in formulating any strategy from the start. Meetings, decision making and reports: the success of company depends on how well the strategy of the company is set. Therefore during planning and formulating strategy all important stakeholders should be called for meeting for group decision. At least a member from external stakeholder should be given to attain the meeting. Experts views and senior management involvement is must in decision making process whose progress can be measured and analysed. Management style: Senior management, staffs, supplier, creditors and production department should interact with each other and deicide on what management technique they want to adopt say directing style, teamwork style, and participatory style and so on. C) What are the key criteria that should be considered when reviewing management strategies options? Following are the criteria for reviewing management strategy: 1. Countrys regulations and restriction: the countrys regulation and restriction has main impact. Strategy formed must be according to the countrys regulation and restriction when the business of Toyota is running 2. Flexibility: Ability of an organization to effect changes in the process components (activities, inputs, resources, information etc.) in a timely manner usually in response to changes in business environment and stakeholders needs. 3. Sustainability: has no negative impact on the global or local environment, community, society, or economy-a business that strives to meet the triple bottom line. Often, sustainable businesses have progressive environmental and human rights policies. 4. Resources: the availability of resources in the organisation. It also needs to be considered while reviewing potential options. 5. Alternative functions and strategy: while reviewing it is necessary to go and analysis all others alternatives too so that best alternative could be selected. 6. Overall planning and possible outcomes D) Describe a situation with your chosen organisation where a potential strategy might be developed to resolve an issue. Produce an appropriate strategy and indicate its resource requirements. Toyota is already very grown company and its all most all level of management is, I can say best. But still after going throw number of reading and analysis I can say that the Toyota can make more output than it is getting now. It has enough resources and infrastructures and capability to handle any kind of innovative development. But this could be more effective if the human resources could be used more effectively. Here is one hypothetical strategy example presented by me to explain how to create a good strategy Implement the Framework Agreement through the successful alignment of company and staff objectives in the management and treatment of staff. Implement new pay structures for all staff which guarantee equal pay for work of equal value and provide transparent mechanisms for both career and pay progression. Ensure that all managers have successfully realigned their approach to deliver the more effective performance management which should be one of the major outcomes of the implementation of the Framework Agreement. Execute a systematic, transparent and equitable job evaluation process which will be uniformly applied to all posts and informed by rigorous equal pay review. Achieve greater harmonization of staff pay and conditions. Pilot a new approach to the review of all staff which will promote their professional development and will facilitate the effective and equitable introduction of performance pay, with the least bureaucracy possible. Pursue fairness as a guiding principle in relation to all company behaviours Challenge current arrangements by which specific staff groups are excluded from particular activities and introduce new transparent policies, no longer based on unjustified notions of status or narrow expectations of contribution, which will increase morale and facilitate more productive networking between colleagues. Improve the way in which the Company recruits, employs, manages, develops and rewards its contract researchers by introducing improved arrangements upon the basis of a careful analysis of the overall impact of the Company almost exclusive, reliance on the use of fixed-term contracts in relation to these and other members of staff. ensuring that all staff receive equal opportunity and diversity training Improve the Companys performance by recruiting new staff of the highest quality and motivating existing Colleagues. Review Companys staffing strategies, in the light of the objectives, in terms of the age, gender, ethnicity and seniority of the staff to be recruited, the balance to be achieved between the numbers of academic and support posts to be filled and the precise competences to be sought with regard to all advertised positions. Assess, through appropriate benchmarking of the performance of other like companies, the effectiveness of current search procedures and induction arrangements. Ensure that the company response to the Framework Agreement motivates and assists the retention of those staff who make significant contributions to the companys success, utilizing a diversity of approaches to reward and a flexible approach to career development which allows advancement and lateral development of jobs Enhance the well-being of all colleagues as engaged members of a caring Company community. Encourage productive and open interaction about concerns and issues, by, for example, making improved use of the communication channel afforded by the Staff Survey. Ensure the provision by Human Resources of a service which is highly supportive and regarded as both accessible and effective. Preserve the privacy and security of all colleagues in a period in which Company is attracting much external interest Task 2: Develop Vision, Mission, Objectives and Measures. A) For your chosen organisation, list the down its ethical, cultural, environmental, social and business objectives. How are these influenced by the current business and economic climate? Toyotas objectives are discussed below: Business objectives: To maximize shareholders wealth and giving them returns on their capital invested. Effective working capital management Cost management Quality production Resources utilization (manpower, capital, assets and other) Public image in market (national and international) Overcome competition Ethical objectives: No compromise in ethics True and fair presentations, comply with law and standards (in United Stated list and tick basis whereas in The United Kingdom follow what standards say if not explain why?) Maintain highest level of honesty, integrity, professionalism and ethical behaviours. Cultural social and environmental objectives: See foreseeable future needs, companys responsibilities as a manufacturer company and always take proactive steps that benefits customers as well as society. Proper waste management as a corporate social responsibility Protect whistle blowers and have regular meetings and review on social, cultural and environmental issues. Guarantee safety, peace of mind and comfort to its valuable customers Quality production ( Toyota has commercialized vehicles such as the Prius hybrid vehicle that achieve superior driving performance, in addition to high fuel efficiency and low exhaust emissions, source www2.toyota.co.jp). Employment generation. In present, business market has been worse ever due to hard time of recession. Because of economic recession most industries are facing huge wealth loss. As a result Toyotas sales percentage has been effected and having hard time to meet its first and important objective. Company believes it will be better once the market revive. Due to current market situation people are forced to leave their job and are made redundant. However to meet its business objective company has adopted JUST IN TIME (JIT) principle. To make best use of the staff idle time the company staff has starting engaging themselves on activities like promoting green clean environment. Therefore, although the market and economic situation influence the objectives of the company but it depend on how can it be minimised and managed. B) Describe the role of vision and mission statement of chosen organisation. Mission Statement Toyota is a very successful manufacturing company with a mission to contribute to peoples lifestyles, society, and economy through automotive manufacturing. The company is to benefit people worldwide with an affordable automobile. Furthermore company wants customer satisfaction, safety, peace of mind and comfort which protects the goodwill and ultimately provides very attractive returns to its owners. Some of the corporate principles of Toyota are: Respect each trading countrys language and culture. Provide safe and clean product to enhance quality of life through the companys activities. Create new technologies to meet customers changing demand Foster corporate culture and built mutual respect and trust between labour and senior management. Work together with its partner to achieve mutual benefit together with long term growth. Vision statement Toyota aims to achieve long term, stable growth in harmony with the environment, the global economy, the local communities it serves, and its stakeholders. (Hiroshi Okuda, Chairman, July 2003) Company aims to continuously offer its customer combination of environment friendly, safe and comfortable quality automobile and continuously improve: Customer services Quality and design Economic and durable The details of companys mission and vision are stated above and below are the explanation of its role: Role of vision and mission statement Figure1.  Key Roles of Mission and Vision (Source: http://www.flatworldknowledge.com/pub/1.0/principles-management/29026 ) Mission and vision is all about organizations objectives and purpose. As in the figure above mission and vision statement helps to set companys strategy. Mission and vision statement acts as a stepping-stone for the employee for better understanding of companys strategy and its implementation. These statements helps to shape companys strategy and can helps in evaluating performance and achieving its targets. For instance, in this case of Toyota Company, it is moving forward vision urges management to find newer and environmentally friendly way of delighting the purchaser of their cars. Therefore the success of business depends upon how well its mission and vision statement are stated and to achieve those how well the strategy are planned and implemented. C) Indicate how it is possible for an organisation to evaluate the achievement of its objectives: There are three important parts for the evaluation process: By making the group of 4 to 5 stakeholders with experts objective achievement need to be evaluated which helps to measure the level objectives met against the objectives and plans set. Forming the group of leaders evaluation of achievement in percentage of their ideas and goals is measured. In fact this stage indicates the level of attainment of the strategic and significant goals proposed by leaders. Social evaluation: for evaluating quality, attitude, work efficiency, work effectiveness, justness and influences from customers and society. The primary phase of performance evaluation is conducted by a numbers of people (5 to 8) who can be from both internal as well as external of the organisation to examine accurately and correctly without biasing report in one direction i.e. independent of others. Second phase evaluation is done by senior leaders of the organisation and the social appraisal is carried out by group formed from representative of given social aspects above in chart. Therefore the evaluation process is 360 degree and it is the combination of both bottom-up and top-down approach. Phase Assessors Number of Assessor Objective Achievement Internal/external examiner including expert 3-5 Leaders evaluation Top level managements (directors, chairman, CEO, stakeholders, departments managers, etc.) All leaders almost Social Appraisal All person concerned with community and society like community members, environmentalist, government representative, citizen representative, employees or staffs themselves, human rights 360 social entities including customers (Source: Book on Corporate strategy 2001 written by: Mk Bhatt) Task 3 A) Discuss how a timetable for strategy implementation can be determined. Include a sample timetable, to include key milestones and their timings After overall planning and formation of organisations strategy it is important to bring it in practise with the obligation to finish by its deadline. Every project and plan has its life and for the given time table it is assumed that the first stage starts from first week of November with a deadline of October 2014.each activities are evaluated, analysed, reviewed and reported on yearly basis or half yearly if required. Implementing HRM Strategy The framework agreement implementation by staff and company corporate objectives in both the treatment as well as management of staff. All colleagues well-being enhancement for making employees engaged member for company caring. Motivating all staffs and recruiting new quality staffs to improve the performance and compete in the market Pursue true and fair guidance principle in relation to company behaviors Implementing Marketing Strategy Advertising, Join The Chamber of Commerce, Participation in Car Shows B) How might the dissemination process be used to help an organisation gain commitment to its strategy and the implementation of this? Monitory term is not always sufficient to bring commitment and motivate people to follow vision of the organisation. Positive outcomes and commitment from staff in the organisation can be obtained by practising 3 complementary and distinct leadership (Antonakis and House 2002; 2004). Among all the complementary and distinct leadership, successful cascading leadership takes place in 3 stages: Stage1: Creating vision stage, Stage2: Created vision and strategies distribution, and Stage3: Monitoring and controlling the effect of the stage 2. 1. Vision creation stage: For this propose, a team of stakeholders with experts come into play that go through number of analysis and deep understanding of different images of the company future. In order to make vision realistic, it must be formed in the form of pictures so that it can be easily felt, understand, and followed by followers and this will also implicate follower action (Den Hartog and Verburg 1997). All the team members must show their equal participation and contribution to the vision formation. At this stage need, importance of strategic initiatives must be articulated to gain the agreement from the all followers and make vision to happen. 2. Using Effective communication distributing the formed strategies and vision: To make mission, vision and strategies formed successful, it is necessary to share this information to all level of organisation ranging from higher level of management to lower level of management. Very effective channel for communication must be used to share and distribute this among the stockholders. Here, the formed vision is converted into concrete actions, and then the implementation plans and milestones are set. 3. Monitor the impact of stage 2: Regular monitoring is very important to know how effectively works are going on. It is necessary to share this information to all level of organisation ranging from higher level of management to lower level of management. Very effective channel for communication must be used to share and distribute this among the stockholders. Here, the formed vision is converted into concrete actions, and then the implementation plans and milestones are set to share this information to all level of organisation ranging from higher level of management to lower level of management. Very effective channel for communication must be used to share and distribute this among the stockholders. C) Describe the importance of monitoring and evaluation of new strategy. Outline how this might be achieved. Importance of Monitoring Monitoring of any new strategy from the time of implementation to its completion is very important in order to make comparison against plan developed and past strategies. The effectiveness or non-effectiveness of any strategy can be only determined by its monitoring after implementation. Therefore all the strategy, not only just new, must be monitor toed in the business process. It also helps to identify and establish what is happening now, what may happen in the future and then compare these trends against existing policies and targets to determine what needs to be done. Once the data or observation is made on the implemented new strategy we do evaluation of that to be sure about effectiveness and efficiency of that particular strategy. Once it is evaluated, it will be helpful for future level of effective strategy formation. Monitoring and evaluation process moves together and can be achieved in the following ways. Determine what to measure: Identify who will be involved in the design, implementation, and reporting. Engaging stakeholders helps ensure their perspectives are understood and feedback is incorporated. Clarify scope, purpose, intended use, audience, and budget for evaluation. Develop the questions to answer what you want to learn as a result of your work. Establish Predetermined Standards: Indicators are meant to provide a clear means of measuring achievement, to help assess the performance, or to reflect changes. They can be either quantitative and/or qualitative. A process indicator is information that focuses on how a program is implemented. Measure actual Performance: Determine the data collection methods like Examples of methods are: document reviews, questionnaires, surveys, and interviews. Analysis and evaluation: Review the information obtained to see if there are patterns or trends that emerge from the process. Evaluation and Control The process of analyzing data and understanding findings should provide you with recommendations about how to strengthen your work, as well as any mid-term adjustments you may need to make. Communicate your findings and insights to stakeholders and decide how to use the results to strengthen your organizations efforts. Monitoring and evaluation not only help organizations reflect and understand past performance, but serve as a guide for constructive changes during the period of implementation. Conclusion From my evaluation, I have realised that the measurement of the performance had been based on communication, human resources commitment, finance, cost and time. The overall result reveals that the strategy which was used by the company was successful as the added to the organisational core competencies shows that the company has the ability to face the future competitive factor that might be prevalent in the business environment in the nearest future. The company, by believing in the committed leadership could achieve its strategic because the company has lots of consistency in the commitment.

A shot by shot analysis of a major scene in Hitchcocks Notorious :: essays research papers

The 3rd Major Scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s Notorious 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The scene begins by fading in on the back of the silent man’s head (Cary Grant) in Alicia’s bungalow. Then the camera zooms out while sweeping right to give the first full shot and view of both of the main characters. They are shown seated at a table, with many empty bottles of liquor and glasses. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Then a tight reverse over the shoulder shot of Devlin’s face (Cary Grant) is next. Devlin then proclaims: â€Å"There's one more drink left apiece. Shame about the ice.† 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Next the shot reverses again to another tight over the shoulder shot but of Alicia’s face this time. Where she asks a question about what Devlin says. Devlin then answers her question about the ice when the shot is still on Alicia. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Now the shot reverses again to a tight shot of Devlin’s face over Alicia’s shoulder. He then asks Alicia a question: â€Å"Why do you like that song?† 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Then the shot reveres again to an over Devlin’s shoulder shot tight on Alicia’s face. She begins to smile and laugh. Then Alicia gets suddenly serious and says: â€Å"There’s nothing like a good love song to give you a good laugh.† 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The shot reverses again to a tight over the shoulder shot of Devlin’s face where he answers Alicia’s question. 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Immediately reverses again to a tight over the shoulder shot of Alicia’s face, where she is shown yawning with her hand over her mouth. Then Alicia asks: â€Å"It’s too stuffy in here isn’t it?† Devlin answers while the shot remains the same. Alicia leans in towards Devlin and asks him another question: â€Å"What about †¦ we have a picnic?† 8.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The shot then reverses again to another tight over the shoulder shot of Devlin’s face. He then answers her question with a question. 9.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The shot reveres again to a tight but brief over the shoulder shot of Alicia’s face where she begins to stand up. 10.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Next the shot changes to a full shot of Devlin and Alicia where she continues to stand. The camera follows them up as they now both fully rise, thus revealing more than just there faces in over 9 shots. Alicia states that they should go outside, while Devlin has a drink in hand. She then asks if Devlin is going to finish his drink. Devlin says that he is and takes down the rest of the drink leaving only a few drops, as Alicia gazes into his eyes. A shot by shot analysis of a major scene in Hitchcocks Notorious :: essays research papers The 3rd Major Scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s Notorious 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The scene begins by fading in on the back of the silent man’s head (Cary Grant) in Alicia’s bungalow. Then the camera zooms out while sweeping right to give the first full shot and view of both of the main characters. They are shown seated at a table, with many empty bottles of liquor and glasses. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Then a tight reverse over the shoulder shot of Devlin’s face (Cary Grant) is next. Devlin then proclaims: â€Å"There's one more drink left apiece. Shame about the ice.† 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Next the shot reverses again to another tight over the shoulder shot but of Alicia’s face this time. Where she asks a question about what Devlin says. Devlin then answers her question about the ice when the shot is still on Alicia. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Now the shot reverses again to a tight shot of Devlin’s face over Alicia’s shoulder. He then asks Alicia a question: â€Å"Why do you like that song?† 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Then the shot reveres again to an over Devlin’s shoulder shot tight on Alicia’s face. She begins to smile and laugh. Then Alicia gets suddenly serious and says: â€Å"There’s nothing like a good love song to give you a good laugh.† 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The shot reverses again to a tight over the shoulder shot of Devlin’s face where he answers Alicia’s question. 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Immediately reverses again to a tight over the shoulder shot of Alicia’s face, where she is shown yawning with her hand over her mouth. Then Alicia asks: â€Å"It’s too stuffy in here isn’t it?† Devlin answers while the shot remains the same. Alicia leans in towards Devlin and asks him another question: â€Å"What about †¦ we have a picnic?† 8.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The shot then reverses again to another tight over the shoulder shot of Devlin’s face. He then answers her question with a question. 9.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The shot reveres again to a tight but brief over the shoulder shot of Alicia’s face where she begins to stand up. 10.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Next the shot changes to a full shot of Devlin and Alicia where she continues to stand. The camera follows them up as they now both fully rise, thus revealing more than just there faces in over 9 shots. Alicia states that they should go outside, while Devlin has a drink in hand. She then asks if Devlin is going to finish his drink. Devlin says that he is and takes down the rest of the drink leaving only a few drops, as Alicia gazes into his eyes.

How to prepare my ‘Romance Cheesecake’ Essay

â€Å"Food is symbolic of love when words are inadequate.† —Alan D. WolfeltIt’s. It’s that time of year again! A wonderful day where lovers show they’re appreciation for each other, although every day we should. However, Valentine’s Day is generally spent with your lover or even family; either by exchanging gifts, watching love movies and eating chocolate to set the mood or mostly just having a nice dinner. There are always delicious meals prepared for dinner, but what’s a good dinner without dessert? The most traditional dessert in my country would statistically be cake and ice-cream (we’re not such fancy eaters). Therefore, this Valentine’s Day I’ve decided to surprise my lover and â€Å"spice up† this special day with one out of his many favorite desserts ‘my famous homemade Cheese cake’ this year. Well, here’s the way to do a delicious romantic cheesecake dessert that your spouse or f amily will love and it’s quick and easy! The first step in baking, of course, is to gather all the ingredients necessary for the job. Luckily with this dessert, most of what you need, you’ll already find in your kitchen. Whatever you don’t have, you can just pick up at your local grocery store: For the crust; 2 cups (475 ml) of Digestive biscuit, 2 Tbsp sugar, Pinch salt, 5 Tbsp (70 g) unsalted butter (if using salted butter, omit the pinch of salt), melted. For the filling; 2 pounds cream cheese (900 g), room temperature, 1 1/3 cup granulated sugar (270 g), Pinch of salt, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 4 large eggs, 2/3 cup sour cream (160 ml), 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream (160 ml).  ­Ã‚ ­The toppings; 2 cups sour cream (475 ml), 1/3 cup powdered sugar (35 g), 1 teaspoon vanilla, 12 ounces (340 g) fresh pineapples (whatever fruit you’d rather), 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 g), 1/2 cup water (120 ml). And Special equipment needed; 9Ãâ€"13 inch high sided heavy-duty baking pan, and aluminum foil. You may also need a measuring cup and measuring teaspoons if you want to measure the ingredients evenly. Also, you’ll need a small bowl, to beat the three eggs and melt the butter in, and a lar ge bowl to mix the ingredients together. Now that you have all your ingredients, you can get started on the fun, but first Prepare the pan so that no water leaks into it while cooking. Place a large 18-inch by 18-inch square of aluminum foil on a flat surface. Place the pan in the middle of the foil. Gently fold up the sides of the foil around the pan. Make sure to do this gently so that you don’t create any  holes in the foil. If there are any holes, water will get into the pan and ruin the crust. Press the foil around the edges of the pan. Place a second large square of foil underneath the pan, and repeat, gently folding up the sides of the foil around the pan and pressing the foil against the pan. Gently crimp the top of the foil sheets around the top edge of the pan. Then, preheat oven to 350 °F, with rack in lower third of oven. Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor or blender until finely ground. Put in a large bowl, and stir in the sugar and salt. Use your (clean) hands to stir in the melted butter. Put all but 1/4 cup of the crumbled digestive biscuit in the bottom of the pan. (Save the remaining 1/4 cup for if you happen to have any holes that need to be filled in, either while you are making the crust, or after the cake has cooked and you’ve unmolded it.) Gently press down on the crumbs using your fingers, until the crumbs are a nice even layer at the bottom of the pan, with maybe just a slight rise along the inside edges of the pan. Be careful as you do this, as not to tear the aluminum foil. Place in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 °F. On to the filling now, cut the cream cheese into chunks and place in the bowl of an electric mixer, with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed for 4 minutes until smooth, soft and creamy. Add the sugar, beat for 4 minutes more. Add the salt and vanilla, beating after each addition. Add the eggs, one at a time, beat ing for one minute after each addition. Add the sour cream, beat until incorporated. Add the heavy cream, beat until incorporated. Remember to scrape down the sides of the mixer bowl, and scrape up any thicker bits of cream cheese that have stuck to the bottom of the mixer that paddle attachment has failed to incorporate. Place the foil-wrapped pan in a large, high-sided roasting pan. Prepare 2 quarts of boiling water. Pour the cream cheese filling into the pan, over the graham cracker bottom layer. Smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Place the roasting pan with the pan in it, in the oven, on the lower rack. Carefully pour the hot water into the roasting pan (without touching the hot oven), to create a water bath for the cheesecake, pouring until the water reaches halfway up the side of the pan, about 1 1/4 inches. (Alternatively you can add the water before putting the pan in the oven, whichever is easier for you.) Cook at 325 °F for 1 1/2 hours. Turn off the heat of the oven. Crack  open the oven door 1-inch, and let the cake cool in the oven, as the oven cools, for another hour. This gentle cooling will help prevent the cheesecake surface from cracking. Cover the top of the cheesecake with foil, so that it doesn’t actually touch the cheesecake. Chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours, or overnight. To prepare the sour cream topping you place sour cream in a medium sized bowl, stir in the powdered sugar and vanilla, until smooth. Chill until you are ready to serve the cake. Note that this recipe produces enough sour cream topping for a thick topping and some extra to spoon over individual pieces of cheesecake, if desired. If you would like a thinner layer of topping and no extra, reduce the sour cream topping ingredients in half. And to prepare the pineapple sauce, Place pineapples, sugar, and water in a small saucepan. Use a potato masher to mash the pineapples. Heat on medium, whisking, about 5 minutes, until the sauce begins to thicken. Remove from heat. Let cool. Now it’s time to serve my cake; remove the cake from the refrigerato r. Remove the foil from the sides of the pan, and place the cake on your cake serving dish. Run the side of a blunt knife between the edge of the cake and the pan. You may use a hair dryer to heat the sides of the pan to make it easier to remove if any problems occur. Gently open the pan and lift up the sides and spread the top with the sour cream mixture. Serve plain or drizzled with pineapple sauce. Finally, I’m set! My lover came over with the intensions of having the same old valentine’s restaurant date. Well, I surprised him this time with a special dessert. Not just any dessert but ‘His Favorite.’ It was a real surprise actually because he always told me how much he loved this dish and knowing that I specialize in baking in my community, he proposed that I made one for him but I lingered which gave him the impression that I wasn’t going to do it. But what kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn’t grant my boyfriend that has been so good to me wish? Nevertheless, after dinner I brought out dessert as promised and surprised him with the cheesecake neatly done and placed it in front of his eye which was filled with awe. I oozed out some whipped cream on the top to give it some added sweetness. My boyfriend loved my homemade cheesecake so much that he named it ‘Romance cheesecake’ and it became a regular craving for him. This year, I made valentine’s day â€Å"really† special for us. Why not surprise your spouse with my tasty ‘Romance cheese cake?’ I know he or she will love  it as well.

Political Efficacy Essay

FACT: No Black person has ever been elected as president of the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   United States of America.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   FACT: In spite of Blacks’ considerable population in America, very   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   few Black Representatives are elected; if elected, they still   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   remain in low positions in the government.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   These concepts remain to be unsolved puzzles that need deeper attention. These lead me to do a research regarding the present situation of Blacks in their political system and their way of thinking and behaving with regards to political matters that concerns them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This paper focuses mainly on how the issue on political efficacy among Blacks largely affects the views of people around the world. The paper aims to answer the major question: What major factors affect trends and even inconsistency in political efficacy among Blacks?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Based on my research, there are six major causes on why Blacks have very low political efficacy compared to non-Blacks, namely: segregation, political cynicism, socio-economic status, and awareness of inequality.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   These issues among Blacks concern us all. We can recall that Blacks have been a great part of world history and have major contributions on the world’s culture. The Blacks are the representation of almost all the other races in the world. My point is, in our world today, the mirror of reality shows us the two divisions of the world: the Whites, and the rest of the world. What is happening to the Blacks in almost all terms of their lives is happening to the ‘rest of the world’. Despite of their great number compared to Whites, the Whites still out-numbered them in terms of political, economical, educational, social, and all other rights. This research on political efficacy can fill or clear the gap primarily between the Whites and the Blacks. This paper will present the effects of the factors of political efficacy (segregation, socio-economic status, etc.) on the Blacks so that when there comes a time that the government will make policies, they know how these policies may affect the Blacks. The paper will also focus on the involvement and behavior of non-Blacks that might affect or is already affecting Blacks’ behavior and concerns in politics. LITERATURE REVIEW   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Scholars even from the past have been interested in studying political behaviors of the Blacks. One of the primary reasons of their interest might be the paradox on the large population but low political efficacy among Blacks. â€Å"Sense of political efficacy, according to Campbell, is the feeling that individual political action does have, or can have an impact upon political process.† Political efficacy as a whole is about â€Å"the impact of the individual citizen: the citizen affects political and social processes through elections, lobbying and other way of influencing political actors who in turn are expected to be responsive to the citizens’ interests and implement policy through their work and decisions effectively.† (Schneider 2006, p.1) Scholars construct several theories regarding political efficacy and conduct vast number of researches such as interviews, surveys, and observations. They even consult differ ent books, magazines and journal publications about political efficacy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Scholars present theories and go deeper to finding about the patterns, cause, behavioral conditions, internal and external factors that might be the key to explaining the issues on political efficacy among Blacks.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ananat and Washington pointed that segregation has a negative impact on Black political efficacy. The more segregated the metro areas are, the less likely that its residents are represented in the United States House by an individual who is from the Democratic Party or who votes in accordance with the desires of Black residents on civil rights and other issues. â€Å"We do however find evidence that in more segregated areas, non-Blacks are more likely to hold negative views of Blacks and of the policies that aid Blacks†¦. As Blacks are a minority of the population, in all metro areas, this polarization could explain the finding that Black civic efficacy is decreasing in segregation.† (Ananat and Washington 2006, p.4)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Poverty and resultant environment of deprivation were the driving factors in low levels of political efficacy (Woodly p.2). Ananat and Washington also agree when they stated that lower income subgroups are less likely to vote. They even mention that Blacks in more segregated metropolitan areas are fare worse than their counterparts in less segregated areas on a variety of economic outcomes (2006 p.20 & 26).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to Schley, R. Lyons, political cynicism is the belief that the government officials and authorities cannot be trusted. At all political levels of education, Black youth felt less politically efficacious and were more cynical than white youth. This has been remarkably constant across time and region.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Woodly argues that because of Blacks’ awareness of inequality, they are both less politically trusting and less politically efficacious. (Woodly p.27) The Clark tests found that Black children were more ambivalent about the racial identities than White and they identify themselves more closely with Whites. (Woodly p.11) This statement alone will show that Blacks tend to lose trust in the government on whether they will be given equal rights like the Whites as they give out their votes. These doubts will prove the unwillingness of the Blacks to vote. In this era of globalization, the media takes part in almost all the events that concerns the people’s view on everyday news and issues. Robinson (1976) argues that increase viewing of television programs increases the frustration with the political system and cynicism. Similarly, media use might also reduce the feeling of control held by the political institutions over the world. (Schneider 2006 p. 3)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   From all these sources that I have gathered, I have observed one inconsistency in the work of Ananat and Washington. They stated that the more segregated Blacks are the more contact they have with other Blacks and the more likely they are to be able to influence Black political behavior. However, they also mention a contradicting statement that segregation decreases Black voter turnout and/or increases non-Black voter turnout resulting in a decrease in Black civic efficacy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The problem with some writers is they did not consider the other factors that may have an effect on political efficacy of Blacks such as history, religious beliefs and family or tribes traditions. There are also statements and even researches that are not very much relevant to the topic. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the points of the authors in the different works related to my topic for us to view the bigger picture. THEORIES AND HYPOTHESES Factors of Political Efficacy in Blacks   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the effort of explaining the present situation and behavior of political efficacy among Blacks, we first explain some concepts that I have crossed referenced from a number of literatures and arguments that tackles the same concept of political efficacy (as given in the review of literature). And from these sources, I have derived these following certain points and factors wherein I believe political efficacy among Blacks can be further explained and in these factors I have given closer attention and consideration. Racial Segregation. In this study of political efficacy in Blacks, it is impossible not to consider the status and limitations of interactions of Blacks with other races; which gives the concept of segregation or racial segregation. Racial segregation is quite different from racial discrimination; the latter being ranging from individual actions to enforced discriminatory behavior. Racial segregation is typically the spatial and institutional separation of races; as exemplified by separate neighborhoods, attending different schools and receiving different social services (Wikipedia). Economic Status. Although economic status have numerous meanings and measures, its use and meaning will be in accordance with the context of income. In this study, we use poverty rates as the general measure of economic status; a measure that can be easily quantified and compared in the process of analysis. Political Cynicism. Literally, cynicism is the belief of using self-interest as the main motive of behavior (Wikipedia). In the political context, political cynicism can be defined as the belief that government officials and authorities can not be trusted (Woodly, p. 2). From this definition, we can plainly use political cynicism as a measure of external political inefficacy as suggested by opposition of the government and its policies. Self-esteem. In its common term, can literally and plainly mean trust to one’s self. In the context of this study, self-esteem will be constantly interrelated with self-efficacy and political efficacy as well. However, this does not mean that self efficacy and self-esteem are the same; it may even mean the opposite at times. Woody even supports the difference between the two and limited self-efficacy as the sense of competence or personal control of one’s self (Woody, p. 13). Institutional Inequality. Because this study is about the behavior of a certain race or identity, it can not be helped that certain clashes and conflicts are met in between this race and the environment. As we study the behavior of Blacks, we will also consider their interactions with the non-Blacks. Institutional inequality can be referred to as the dominance of non-Blacks over Blacks considering the imbalance in number of representations and policies in the government and other institutions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Black Political Efficacy as a Whole   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the comparative works done in understanding the political efficacy on blacks in its current context, this paper addresses the matter as a byproduct and interrelation of numerous factors and events and not just a simple cause and effect phenomena.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although rigorous studies and measures were made in trying to explain black political efficacy as a whole, we now try to get a bigger picture by compiling these works and adding new factors into the matter such as the social events that may have affected the present situation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As earlier discussed in this study, numerous inconsistencies and non-correlation of factors have been observed and given much attention. This includes the inconsistencies on segregation (of Blacks and Whites) and the matter itself of political efficacy in the work of Ananat and Washington(2006).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the work of Ananat and Washington (2006), it has been stated that the more blacks have contact with each other, the more likely they will influence political behavior (Ananat and Washington 2006, p. 3). But then again, she then deduced that segregation or groupings of Blacks causes political inefficacy as prescribed by their voter-turnout (Ananat and Washington 2006, p. 20). Judging these statements, we now turn on the assumption that there is a different driving factor that correlates segregation and political efficacy among Blacks. Having these views, we now look at another concept – political cynicism among Blacks. Although there may be relations between political cynicism and segregation, the relation is very vague. In another study (Woodly), political efficacy among Blacks was found to be quite varied among communities, may it be segregated from Whites or not. Having established the contrast between the two (segregation and political cynicism), political cynicism and Black political efficacy can now be correlated independent of segregation. Just form the definition itself of political cynicism; it is no longer a question that cynicism significantly correlates with low political efficacy; more particularly with external political efficacy. We can now eliminate segregation and p[political efficacy and take a much closer look at cynicism in further understanding this subject.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although segregation’s direct link with political efficacy has been disproven, we now look upon how it indirectly affects efficacy by being a variable in other considerable factors. In the same study between segregation and efficacy (Ananat and Washington 2006), economic status; as measured by rates of poverty; was tackled as it varies in segregated and non-segregated areas. To see the point of comparisons between segregation and economic status, we must first see how economic status and political efficacy relates to each other. Through additional studies, it was significantly concluded that political efficacy among Blacks decreases in communities of high poverty rates. These are supported by reports that lower income sub-groups are less likely to vote (Ananat and Washington 2006, p. 20). This exemplifies that Blacks loses trust and hope in the political issues, government policies, and even in the government itself when they are in low income status. We now establish the trend that as economic status increase, political efficacy increases as well. We now go back to the comparisons between segregation and economic status among Blacks. The trend exhibits a very high correlation between being segregated and being of low economic status among Blacks, and vice versa (Ananat and Washington 2006, p. 20). The opposite goes to Whites, the more they are in less contact with Blacks, the higher their economic status is (Ananat and Washington 2006, p. 20). From here, we may deduce that in non-segregated areas where Whites interact more with Blacks, it seems that Whites are less productive or work-oriented. Intuitively, we can sense the concept of power-play between Blacks and Whites. And based on these assumptions, we can now introduce another factor into the matter of political efficacy among Blacks – the concept of institutional inequality. In this matter of institutional inequality, we may find that non-Blacks has the need to be segregated from and dominant over Blacks for social and economic efficiency, as supported by Ananat and Washington’s study. In the point of view of Black’s, this is very apparent and the effect to their economic actions has been proven. In metro areas where there are more job and income opportunities, it has been found that these are also the places where Blacks are the minority of the population (Ananat and Washington 2006, p. 4). This play of domination is not just in the context of the working office. In further studies, it seems that these trends have rooted from the pillars of the social community; more specifically from the childhood environment. In the findings of Kardiner and Ovesey (1951), it is significantly seen that Black children have negative evaluation of themselves, thus giving room for the concept of inequality. The more alarming idea in this study is that these children tend to start having cynicism tendencies at these young ages (Lyons 1970, p. 290). At these stages, studies have concluded that Black children derive their self-esteem by blaming the system or the government itself (McCarthy and Yancey 1971). These statements are supported by Hughes’ tests wherein the self-efficacy of these children; which is defined as competence and self-control; significantly scores lower than non-Black children. Relating this to political efficacy, we may find that this institutional inequality really does exist in the community. This then causes economic drops in the status of Black adults, and at the same time, develops the tendencies of children for political cynicism. Having laid all these factors into the way, this leads nowhere else but to the decreased political efficacy among Blacks. CONCLUSION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Political efficacy among Blacks is not simply a matter of societal chance and thinking; it has a more complicated nature wherein a number of factors constantly defy and support each other. Although there are already numerous studies concerning the political efficacy in Blacks, it is found that there may be points and arguments that need more detail and attention; and some may even be misinterpreted and incorrect. The interrelation between segregation and political efficacy, though thoroughly studied and measured, in the end is found to have no direct link after all. However, having a direct effect on economic status (segregated areas have lower economic use for Blacks), segregation is still a factor in this matter. Economic downfall (measured by poverty rates), turns out to be a good reason and explanation of being less efficacious. On the other hand, the concept of political cynicism has; no doubt; the most understandable direct relation with political efficacy in Blacks. Simply from its definition of opposition to the government, political inefficacy increase along with levels of cynicism. Institutional inequality, by being present in a number of ways, has a lot of bearing in the status of Blacks. Its evident effect in economic status is proven by giving more financial advantage to the dominating race or group. And in turn, having deflected economic outcomes, affects political efficacy of Blacks. Not only that, these imbalance in equality is a basis of varying self-esteem. obviously, those of the dominating class will have higher self-esteem than the â€Å"lower class†, which in this case are the Blacks. The status of Blacks in the community; though it may be ignored and jeopardized; is still should be of concern to each and everyone. Although this study of literature and points of different authors about political efficacy is not a substitute in solving the problem stated, I hope to lighten and broaden the points by trying to look in different perspectives in the hopes of clearing out conflicts that may be or is already there. Having scanned and analyzed the articles concerning political efficacy among Blacks, I also have done my part in further strengthening their arguments; and if needed; also try to clarify and correct some inconsistencies and conflicts for intellectual purposes. But most of all, this paper is intended for readers to understand the situation and thinking of fellow Blacks, so that in the future we may have a deeper knowledge and consideration in our actions as to how it may affect each and every one of us.   References Ananat, Elizabeth O. and Washington, Ebonya. 2006. â€Å"Segregation and Black Political Efficacy.† New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. Hughes, M. a. D. H. D. 1989. Self-Perceptions of Black Americans: Self-Esteem and Personal Efficacy. The American Journal of Sociology 95(1):132–159. Kardiner, A., and Ovesey, L. 1951. The Mark of Oppression. New York: Norton. Lyons, S. 1970. â€Å"The Political Socialization of Ghetto Children: Efficacy and cynicism.† Journal of Politics 32: 288-304. McCarthy, J. and W. L. Yancey. 1971. Reply to Washington by McCarthy and Yancey. American Journal of Sociology. 77: 590. Schneider, Daniel. â€Å"Extending Political Efficacy: Voters Perceptions of Efficacy of Elected Officials.† June 2006. http://www.stanford.edu/~danielsc/prop_nes_pilot_2006.pdf (November 30, 2007). Wikipedia. â€Å"Racial segregation.† December 3, 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racial_segregation (December 3, 2007). Wikipedia. â€Å"Cynicism.† November 30, 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynicism (December 3, 2007). Woodly, Deva. â€Å"Black Youth Book Project: Political Efficacy Literature Review.† http://blackyouthproject.uchicago.edu/primers/reviews/efficacy.pdf (November 30, 2007).