Amazon.com - Not Your Average Bookstore Case Study - 3

Amazon.com - Not Your Average Bookstore - Case Study Example For example, one can book the latest Harry Potter book on internet and get it immediately as it is released. It has exploited technology to have a definite and advantageous position within the industry Amazon has used disruptive technology to run its business because it helped transform traditional bookstore in physical format to a virtual store where people can access books of their choice without actually holding them physically. The conceptualization of a virtual store is innovative strategy that has changed the very concept of market. Disruptive technology broadly refers to a new concept that disrupts existing market and creates a new one with more value. Amazon has taken business and marketing to a new level where time and space have become irrelevant. Access to goods and products has become easier and selling and buying more convenient, both for buyers and sellers. It is like mobile phones which has redefined communication. Amazon has been constantly innovating to maintain its customers’ loyalty by personalization and customization to their changing preferences. It has been able to create a one stop shopping experience for the customers and also welcomes personal recommendations and reviews. By providing customers with unique experience of book world where customers not only buy what they want, Amazon has also been able to earn customers’ commitment and loyalty by ensuring that their recommendations are incorporated within the broader strategy and goal of the business. For example, it has started Amazon3 on the recommendations of its customers and provides them with virtual space to store the personal data or books. Amazon’s e business model primarily relies on exploiting technology to meet customers’ changing preferences and uses them to constantly evolve. From a mere virtual book store, it has evolved into a comprehensive service center offering people storage in cyber space to

The Statue of Liberty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Statue of Liberty - Essay Example It is believed that this goddess represents freedom and in one hand, bears a torch as well as an ansata tabula (which involves a tablet that evokes law). It is on this tablet that the date illustrating the day of declaration of America’s independence is inscribed (Landau 34). At the feet of the statue lies a piece of a broken chain. The significance of this statue is its iconic representation of freedom in the United States; this is actually actual representation of welcome signal to the immigrants that come from other countries. It is believed that the politician and law professor Laboulaye Édouard declared in 1865 that any statue or monument representing the American freedom would have to be a joint project between the Americana and French people, motivated the sculptor of this statue in his design. The sculpture is said to have wanted to honor the union victories in the United States as well as the success that had been achieved in ending slavery and brutality against that immigrants and non-natives in the United States. The foundation in the making of this statue was supposed to be laid in the Fort Wood, which was an army base that has been disused on Bedloe’s Island, and had been constructed between 1807-1811 (Kent 14). During that time, this station was often used in the recruitment of people to join the civil war. The process of fortifying the structure of the structure was done to represent the shape of star that has seven points. The pedestal and foundation of the statue were aligned in a way that it was to face the southeast direction. In this case, it was meant to greet ships that would be entering into the harbor especially from the Atlantic (Landau 35). The process of making the statue took a long process and much thinking into its design and final shape. It is said that the committee in charge of making the statues commissioned Richard Hunt to oversee and help in the design of the statue’s

State Bank Of India Marketing Essay

State Bank Of India Marketing Essay The banking industry is highly competitive. The financial services industry has beenaround for hundreds of years and just about everyone who needs banking servicesalready has them. Because of this, banks must attempt to lure clients away fromcompetitor banks. They do this by offering lower financing, preferred rates andinvestment services. The banking sector is in a race to see who can offer both the bestand fastest services. 2.Buyer Power: High With the emergence of larger number of players in the Banking Industry, the switchingcost of the buyer has gone done significantly. The bonus is now on the effectiveness and speed with which the services are provided to the customers. Financial institutions byoffering better exchange rates, more services, and exposure to foreign capital markets -work extremely hard to get high-margin corporate clients. Options in the Auto FinanceSector also give the customers more power to decide upon the kind of financing.Introduction of specialized products for Women and Students etc also show that thebuyer power is high in this Industry. 3.Supplier Power: Low The suppliers of capital do not pose a big threat, but the threat of suppliers takingaway the human resource. If a talented individual is working in a smaller regionalbank, there is the chance that person will be enticed away by bigger banks,investment firms, etc. 4.Threat of New Entrants: Low Starting a bank in a country like India is not as easy as any other industry, but if anew bank is started that is mainly targeted on Niche Segments might pose a threat to SBI. The new entrants from a different country are always discouraged to takepart. BCG MATRIX BCG growth share matrix uses relative market shares and annual rate of market growth as criteria to quick investment decision . It can be subdivided into the following 1.CASHCOWHere mature and successful business that generates excess cash with low investment 2.DOGSlow market share generating very low cash 3.QUESTION MARK?low market share in high grow market requiring substantial market 4.STARfast growing industry with high market share which requires investment CUSTOMER VALUES THE VALUE CHAINIt is a tool for identifying the ways to create more customer values through various activity perform to design. MARKETING PLAN: Institution for advanced learning: To provide state of the art training in financial products to middle level and senior level executives. Internal consultant/change agent:To act as a catalyst for change in attitudes and orientation of banking staff and to provide expertise and consultative support. Feedback supplier:Capture and structure feedback from the trainees and the market. Think tank:To provide expert and informed suggestions, model business suggestions, analysis of market development from a bankers perspective. Research and development:To carry out research on contemporary subjects which are relevant to banks medium and short term operational needs and policies. Overlapping staff training centres:Monitoring and validating staff training centres. Strategies employed by State Bank of India To counter the intense competition from private and foreign banks, SBI carried out amajor Organizational restructuring exercise. The key aspects involved: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Ã‚  Redesigning of Branches. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Ã‚  Technological upgradation (Core  Banking System). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Ã‚  Providing alternate channels. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Ã‚  Focus on a  lean structure.The objective being to increase customer satisfaction convenience, simplifyingprocesses for employees, enhancing SBIs competitiveness in the market and in turn increasing the profitability through higher market share and improved processefficiency. MACRO MICRO ENVIRONMENTS OF SBI: For any decisions there are number of factors which influences the decisions.The factors which influences the decision are also termed as its environment.The environment can be internal,can be controlled by the organisation.Micro specific to industry and is different for different industry and Macro generic in nature and is intented for business environment. Macroenvironment of SBI are:- 1.Demographic 2.Economic 3.Socio-Cultural 4.Natural 5.Technological 6.Political-Legal Micro environment factor closed to business that have a direct impact on its business operation and success.The factors are:- 1.Customers 2.Employees 3.Suppliers 4.Shareholders 5.Media 6.Competitors CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOUR: Since SBI has a large number of banking outlets all over the nation, its consumers do transactions to a great extent. MARKETING RESEARCH (SALES FORECASTING): As of August 27 2012,the concensus format amongst 48 polled investment analysts covering SBI advises investors to hold their position in the company. The previous consensus forecast advised that SBI would outperform the market. Share Price Forecast-the 45 analysts offering 12 month price target s for SBI have a median target of 2121 with a high estimate of 2881 pts. BASES AND LEVELS OF SEGMENTATION: Segmentation:To identify groups of buyers within a market place,which are distinguished by varying needs and behaviour. BASES: Geographic:eg:Biometric ATM Demographic:eg:Kisan Credit Card Behavioural:eg:Saving Banks Account Psycographic:Credit Card,Platinum Card,Smart Card,Vishwa Yatra LEVELS:Local Marketing:Tailored to the needs and wants of local customer groups. Mass Marketing:Done through Radio,Television and Newspapers. Niche Marketing:Meant for the elite class(Platinum Cards) Segment Marketing:Recognizes that buyers differ in needs,perceptions and buying behaviour. TARGETING DONE BY SBI: Product Specialization:Car/Auto Loans,Consortium Advances Market Specialization:Home Loans Full Market Specialization:Home Loans,Education Loans POSITIONING: Positioning strategies can be conceived developed in avariety of ways.It can be derived from the object attributes,competition,application,the types of consumers involved,or the characteristics of the product class. Strategies based on:- 1.Customer benefits 2.Pricing 3.Applications 4.Product Process 5.Product Class 6.Cultural Symbols 7.Competitors Some of the Positional Strategies taken by SBI are of the following: 1.Launched new products and services to enhance its image as a customer friendly Bank. 2.SBI has also entered into several alliances and tie-ups with automobile insurance,mutual fund,project finance and medical equipment companies. 3.Marketing initiatives to improve its reach,eg:aggressive marketing through print and television media. QUESTIONNAIRE Name ____________________________________ Occupation ________________________________ Contact Detail ______________________________ Age: Less than 21 22-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 60+ 2. Gender: Male Female 3. Marital Status Single Married Others 4. On which bank you depend for your regular transaction? SBI Allahabad Bank PNB Other Bank, please specify (_______________) 5. Are you aware of the products services provided by SBI? Yes No 6. If yes are you aware of the advance products(Loan Segments) of SBI ? Yes No 7. Which bank you prefer for taking loans ? SBI Allahabad Bank PNB Others, specify(____________) 8. If you prefer SBI for taking loan then what inflence you to take loan from SBI ? _____________________________ _____________________________ 9. Which loan product of SBI have you used ? Home Loan Education Loan Car Loan Personal Loan Other Loans, Specify (_____) 10. What do you feel about the services provided by SBI in advance product ? Bad Satisfactory Good Excellent 11. Which features you like most in loan segments of SBI ? Less paper work Attractive Interest Rate Transparency Simple and Fast processing Flexibility to choose an EMI base loan or an overdraft Longer tenure loan for ease of repayment Specially designed product for self employed Any other feature, specify (______) 11. Mention that account type you are having currently ? _________________________________________ 12. How far are you satisfied with the current services of the bank ? Very satisfied Satisfied Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied Dissatisfied Very dissatisfied 13. The most frequently used service by you is of ________. Banking Outlets Internal Banking Mobile ATM Others 14. Any suggestion you want to give for the betterment of SBI products ? ________________________ ________________________

Richard Morris Hunt : Administration Building Chicago 1893 :: Architecture History

missing image Richard Morris Hunt: Administration Building, Chicago, 1893 This 11 by 14 inch photogravure of the great Administration Building at the Chicago World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 was taken from a set of 25 drawings of the exposition buildings. It was the main focus of the fair, and one of the masterpieces of its architect, Richard Morris Hunt (1827-1895). With its fine classical detailing and sweeping scale, this large building was integral to the "White City" concept of the fair. To this day it remains one of the most recognizable landmarks associated with the Columbian Exposition . The Administration Building was conceived by a board of architects led by Daniel Burnham as part of the scheme for the Court of Honor, the major public space at the fair. As director of architecture and construction for the entire Columbian Exposition, Burnham was responsible for selecting designers for all the major buildings. After much debate, this group of mostly east coast practitioners decided that all the major buildings were to be cast in a pristine and highly decorative classical style based on the architecture of Antiquity. Burnham assigned the task of designing the most prominent building to arguably the most prominent man of the group, the New York architect Richard Morris Hunt. By the time Hunt was selected to design the Administration Building, he was near the end of his distinguished career. The first American architect to attend the prestigious Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Hunt had acquired the status of "dean of American architecture" (Stein 3). His reputation was supported by his large output of fine eclectic buildings such as the Breakers in Newport (1892-95) and Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina (1888-95), both estates for the wealthy Vanderbilt family. These two stylistically different buildings exhibit the quality of Hunt's architecture known as the "grand manner," where he achieved monumentality by combining different sources of classical architecture. This quality was what attracted the fair organizers, and it would be carried to its furthest expression in the Administration Building. As the focal point of the fair, the Administration Building had an important symbolic function. Although not intended for anything related to the fair other than housing offices, the picture shows that it was much larger than necessary for administration purposes. Its great size related to its function as triumphal gateway into the fair. The large majority of visitors arrived by train at the station located directly behind the Administration Building.

Issues in Art Therapy with Children Essay

Art therapy is the therapeutic use of making art within a professional relationship, and the process involved in making art is healing and life-enhancing. In the early 1980s, the American Art Therapy Association (Levick, 1983, as cited in Newcomer, 1993) regarded art therapy as an opportunity for nonverbal expression and communication with the belief that the creative process of art is a means of reconciling emotional conflicts and of fostering self-awareness. The association later expanded their definition to read: â€Å"Art Therapy is a human service profession that utilizes art media, images, the creative art process and patient/client responses to the created products as reflections of an individual’s development, abilities, personality, interests, concerns and conflicts. Art experiences can provide an alternative to verbal forms of assessment and treatment† (American Art Therapy Association Newsletter, 1998). Kaplan (2000) reviewed the findings of other neuroscientists who noted that graphic representation is a complex activity, involving areas of the brain associated with language. For example, Restak (1994) reported that more brain neurons are devoted to vision than the other senses. Kaplan suggests that studio art can facilitate problem-solving abilities, stimulate pleasure and self-esteem, and provide opportunities for successful functioning in children and adults with cognitive impairments. Malchiodi (2003) cites studies by scientists who found that drawing involves complex interactions between many parts of the brain, and notes that science will be central to understanding how art therapy works and why it is a powerful therapeutic modality. Riley (2003) observed that offering opportunities to create art to depressed adolescents as a means of communication that can be enjoyed and controlled provides a lens for viewing their perceptions through their own images, as well as a vehicle for treatment and a way to address resistance. In addition, she finds drawingless confrontational, less familiar, and less judgmental than talk, and that adolescent depression is often masked. Teenagers may also be angry or aggressive, as opposed to the lassitude characteristic of depressed adults, and art-making can serve to relieve painful self-deprecation. Wadeson (1980) noted that drawings by patients experiencing depression showed less color, less affect, and less effort than the drawings of nondepressed individuals. In addition, they showed more empty space and more depressive affect, such as drawing about harming others. Silver & Ellison (1995) described the behavior and history of a 16-year-old who had been arrested and incarcerated for stabbing another youth with a pencil. His history included a volatile temper and it was feared that he might harm others. His father had disappeared and his mother had been killed in a gang-related incident. During his stay in the facility, he was placed on suicide watch, and then was disciplined for angry acting-out. Three weeks after his release, he committed suicide. Advantages of Art Therapy vs. Traditional Verbal Therapy for Children Many studies performed by therapist-researchers have been chosen to focus on art therapy in particular because of the expressive arts benefit of allowing children a nonverbal outlet for their feelings. However, because art therapy is a relatively new modality, there is a minimal amount of research that has been conducted to support its efficacy or usefulness. Therefore, traditionally there has been less acceptance of it as a viable treatment option. Due to this belief, it is important to point out the many advantages of conducting art therapy to treat a wide spectrum of mental illnesses, from severe disorders such as schizophrenia to mild behavioral disorders. There are many therapeutic advantages to this particular type of therapy. Pre-adolescent children often have difficulty expressing their thoughts and feelings verbally. Children’s linguistic and cognitive skills are not fully developed, which limits their verbal expression. Because art therapy involves nonverbal communication, it is useful with this age population whose developmental limitations prevent the level of participation often required in verbal therapy (Newcomer, 1993). Instead of words, the image created by the child is the symbolic representation of a feeling, event, wish, etc. This form of preverbal expression and preverbal thinking does not require translation because it is depicted in image form. For children who are not able to make the translation, art is used as a vehicle for expression rather than words (Newcomer, 1993). Another advantage of art therapy is that the image produced can serve as a catalyst for verbal expression. This image then provides the child with structure and a foundation in an attempt to explain or describe the production (Newcomer, 1993). Many children suffer from low self-esteem and low self-confidence. When a child participates in art therapy activities and can master the materials and projects, it provides an opportunity for the child to increase self-esteem and self-confidence. Many of the participants in the present study suffer from a poor self-image and low self-esteem and confidence. Children, particularly in violent neighborhoods, often feel a lack of control over the unpredictable and unstable environment in which they are living. Therefore, it is important to gain mastery of a task, which helps build a feeling of control. Art projects can serve to do this. Art therapy is advantageous to traditional talk therapy in that it helps to provide a socially acceptable opportunity for expression and is relatively nonthreatening, whereas verbal therapy can carry a stigma. Many individuals, both children and adults, suffer from the stigma of being in therapy. Reducing or eliminating this negative stigma can serve to enhance the therapy (Newcomer, 1993). Art therapy provides a forum where children are able to freely express emotion when discussing their artwork without fear of violating social norms. Another benefit of art therapy is the social component that can be worked into the session if providing group art therapy. By working on group projects and sharing materials, it helps develop interpersonal relationships and fosters cooperation (Newcomer, 1993). At the Lake School’s Insight Through Art Program, all children in the groups share materials and at times engage in group projects. Another advantage of art therapy that has been noted is the decrease in energy level that occurs during the creative process (Newcomer, 1993). Individuals in art therapy are still stimulated as in talk therapy, but in a different way that provides greater relaxation. Many of the children at the Lake School are hyperactive, anxious, and overly excited. Working on an art project provides structure, containment, and limit setting that helps to calm children down. Art can also have the reverse effect on depressed, introverted children. Art and art-making can help stimulate these individuals and increase participation in therapy and decrease inhibition. A disadvantage of verbal therapy is that when working verbally, individuals can stop and filter thoughts and feelings (Wadeson, 1980). It is easier to control and tame your words then your art. This editing can slow down the therapeutic process. Harriet Wadeson lists objectification as another advantage. This term is based on the premise that art expression can form a bridge. Objectification is the notion that â€Å"feelings or ideas are at first externalized in an object (picture or sculpture). The art object allows the individual, while separating from the feelings, to recognize their existence† (Wadeson, 1980, p. 10). Hopefully, the individual can then come to own his or her feelings and integrate them into the self. When in art therapy, the individual is left with a tangible object that can be taken with him or her after the therapy has ended (Wadeson, 1980). In verbal therapy, there are no tangible products. The object(s) is symbolic of the work done in treatment and can also serve as a reminder of skills learned. The person then has a reminder of work done, which is especially beneficial for children. The picture or sculpture is not subject to distortions of memory. An additional advantage of having a tangible product is that it is easier to recall and notice emerging patterns. A therapist and the client can derive a sense of ongoing development that occurs in the therapeutic process. The art object provides documentation that is a direct statement by the patient, not filtered by the therapist (Wadeson, 1980). A final noted advantage is that art taps into primary process thinking and allows the child to process the event without the censorship or inhibitions of secondary process thinking. Literature Review of Art Therapy Research Art therapy programs, unlike traditional doctoral programs in psychology, have not emphasized empirical research. Students studying art therapy enter the field because they tend to be more interested in the clinical work rather than in conducting research. Many programs, though this began changing in the 1980s, do not offer the foundational courses in research design. Given this focus, the field of art therapy lacks the research studies that utilize quantifiable data. Therefore, much of the research regarding the efficacy of art therapy has been case studies. Many prolific writers in the field have written about the lack of art therapy research (McNiff, 1998a, Rosal, 1998; Malchiodi, 1995). â€Å"As a relatively new discipline we have yet to ‘advance’ to the stage where professional researchers separate the process of investigation from the ‘the practice of the craft† (McNiff, 1998a, p. 86). Many art therapists struggle with the more traditionally acceptable research procedures. Creative research methods seem to lend themselves better to studying this unique field because in enables the researcher a better opportunity to provide evidence regarding the process of therapeutic change. To show the changes that occur after the course of art therapy, many practitioner-researchers try to let the artistic products speak for themselves, coupled with a description of how the client moved through the process and experience of art therapy. â€Å"The practice of art therapy generates a desire to ‘show’ data on the part of both participants and therapists. The presentation of imagery is a natural extension of the therapeutic process and a primary feature of artistic activity† (McNiff, 1998b, p. 93). To date, it was difficult to find studies that investigated behavioral changes occurring after the introduction of a school-based group art-therapy program. However, there is research that addresses other changes art therapy can bring about. Rosal, McCulloch-Vislisel, and Neece (1997) conducted an art therapy pilot study in an urban high school with ninth-grade students. The program goal was to improve attitudes about school, relationships, and life; decrease the number of failing grades; and keep students from dropping out of school. Results of this study indicated that the art therapy, in conjunction with the English curriculum, had a positive effect on the subjects. The investigators found that the participants stayed in school, failed a very small number of courses, and improved their attitude about school, family, and self. Another study, conducted by Jasenke Roje (1995), utilized art therapy with latency age children who were victims of the 1994 Los Angeles earthquake. Roje found art therapy to be an effective and successful treatment modality in the recovery of earthquake trauma. â€Å"It enabled children to express internal processes which they had no verbal awareness of and it facilitated working through the defenses in order to identify underlying conflicts which hindered recovery† (Roje, 1995, p. 243). Rosal (1993) investigated the use of art therapy to modify the locus of control and adaptive classroom behavior of children with behavior disorders. Subjects were fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students living in a poor urban area in a large city. Most of the children came from unstable families. All subjects were identified as having behavioral difficulties at school and poor peer relationships. Results of this study were not statistically significant, however, Rosal noted change in the subjects. One of the measures Rosal utilized was The Children’s Nowicki-Strickland Internal-External Locus of Control (CNS-D3) measure. She found that although there were no statistically significant results, both experimental groups made greater moves toward the norm of the CNS-IE than the control groups. A second measure used in this study was the Conners Teacher Rating Scale (TRS). Results indicated that the two art therapy treatment conditions showed significant differences in changes of diagnosis on the TRS. Both art therapy treatment conditions were more effective than the control group in helping the behavior disordered students improve. Seventy-five percent of the subjects in one of the treatment conditions showed an improved diagnosis on the TRS and 67% showed improved diagnosis in the other treatment condition. The third and final measure that Rosal used in this study was a personal construct drawing interview (PCDI) that was developed specifically for this study to measure changes in self-perception. The students in both art therapy treatment conditions showed an increase in positive attitudes, whereas no major change was noted in the control group. In conclusion, Rosal’s study suggests that art therapy may be an effective modality in helping children with behavior disorders increase levels of control. Pleasant-Metcalf and Rosal (1997) utilized a single-case study research design in a school setting to study the effectiveness of individual art therapy with a 12-year-old girl whose academic performance declined following the divorce of her parents. Evidence in this pilot study suggests that school-based art therapy was effective in helping increase academic performance. This study adds to the growing body of literature supporting the notion that art therapy is an important school-based service and can positively impact academic performance. Avidar (1995) explored through two case studies how art therapy can address treatment needs of children who experience pervasive trauma. The subjects in Avidar’s study, much like the ones in the current study, reside in a violent inner-city housing project in a major metropolitan city. Avidar found that art therapy proves to address the psychological needs of individuals who experience chronic trauma. â€Å"[Art therapy] provides distance, expression, mastery, control, and above all, safety and trust† (Avidar, 1995, p. 16). Omizo and Omizo (1989) used art activities with minority children aged 8 to 11 to help improve self-esteem. It is well documented that poor self-esteem, feelings of incompetence, worthlessness, hopelessness, powerlessness, and feelings of inadequacy contribute to delinquency, substance abuse, unemployment, unrealized potential, poor achievement, and involvement with crime (Roundtree, 1979 and Shaplen, 1982, as cited in Omizo & Omizo, 1989). As in Omizo and Omizo’s study, the children in the current study face the aforementioned feelings and problems. Children in the Omizo study were assigned to an experimental group or a control group and were pre- and post-tested using The Culture-Free Self-Esteem Inventory for Children (SEI) to measure self-esteem. Results on the post-test indicated a significant difference between the experimental and control group. The minority children who participated in group counseling that utilized art activities had significantly higher social peer-related and academics/school-related self-esteem. Application of Art Therapy in Counseling Children Historically, therapy has been provided in private offices, hospitals, and community clinics. Traditionally, schools have been viewed narrowly as places to educate. Now that we have entered the 21st century, an expanded notion of the function of the school needs to be considered. Schools are not just the place where students learn academic material; schools also shape students’ psychological well-being, especially in poor urban neighborhoods where there are few resources available to families. Schools are the primary institutions where children gather, and as such, they provide an excellent setting in which to deliver effective services to children in need. Individuals and families may not be able to obtain services if they are required to go to an office-based treatment setting. School-based services can provide a solution to the problem of children not being independently mobile and having to rely on a family member, guardian, or some other adult to take them to therapy. Schools are â€Å"where the children are. We have to take the service to them, rather than expect them to come to us† (McNiff, 1997). This is especially the case when working with disadvantaged, at-risk children. There are a multitude of factors that may lead to a lack of participation in treatment. It is often not a lack of desire or motivation for treatment, but rather a confounding situation. Disadvantaged families usually do not have a reliable source of transportation. Therefore, it makes it very difficult to make a scheduled session that possibly is miles away, outside of their community. Another problem with children receiving services outside of the school is that they have to rely on an adult to get them there. Parents in poor urban settings are often disenfranchised by the system and may lack the motivation to get their child to treatment. In addition, there may be crises that arise and other children whose parents or guardians are caring for that make it difficult to get to scheduled appointments. However, with school-based interventions, if the child attends class, he or she is able to receive treatment without relying on an adult to provide transportation. The school is therefore a more effective place to reach children more consistently. The earlier the intervention, the more likely it is that one can eradicate and reshape unhealthy behaviors among children. The longer the behavior continues, the more difficult it is to extinguish. By meeting the needs of children in a school setting, there is a greater chance of targeting and changing negative behaviors at an early stage. There are numerous advantages to school-based treatments when compared to more traditional settings. There is a push for briefer treatments in which the patient takes a more active role in the therapeutic process. In addition, there is no longer the belief that one type of treatment is appropriate for all presenting problems. Art therapy in the public schools is an alternative approach to a variety of problems, one that is both active and brief. The therapy takes place when school is in session; therefore, the school calendar dictates treatment to only be a certain length of time. Another advantage is that the therapist, by being in the school, is part of the school system and climate and has an opportunity to â€Å"gauge the general social climate that is impinging on the child† (Nicol, 1979, p. 83). The therapist can witness the child interacting with peers and teachers and identify problematic social relationships and social skills that are causing difficulties for the child. Providing treatment in a familiar environment is linked to clients remaining in treatment. The school is a very familiar environment for children, thus increasing the chances that the child will remain in treatment. A final advantage of the school-based setting is the collaboration that can occur amongst professionals (Nicol, 1979). Teachers do not receive the necessary training on how to handle children with behavioral problems. The school-based therapist can serve as a resource for the teachers and school staff, providing consultations and in-school workshops. Given the central role that schools play in the lives of children, we need to expand upon this by not only educating children on subjects of reading, writing, and arithmetic, but also help to foster positive self-esteem and emotional and cognitive growth. In addition, schools also should help children build interpersonal relationship skills and help students to develop positive behaviors. By broadening the definition and role the school plays beyond academic success, children will have a greater chance of success and a larger set of skills necessary to make it in the outside world. Most of the literature on art therapy in schools represents work that is taking place in specialized settings, not urban public schools. â€Å"The severity of problems that children bring into school settings is rising dramatically. Violence, sexual abuse, suicide, substance abuse, poverty, and the decay of family and community structures are just some of the numerous issues affecting children today† (Essex, Frostig, & Hertz, 1996, p. 182). Children bring these problems into the classroom and schools are left with the responsibility to handle these grave situations. When a child is in distress, it interferes with the child’s ability to learn. In 1990, a decision by the Supreme Court of New Jersey emphasized the critical need for public school support of these issues. There have been several other legislative initiatives that focus on the benefits of creative art therapies to help individuals who do not respond to more traditional therapies. â€Å"The Senate and House Report (No. 96-712, May 18, 1980) on the Mental Health Systems Act of 1980 gave special attention to the creative arts therapies in the treatment of persons who required mental health services but who did not respond to traditional therapeutic modalities† (Bush, 1997b, p. 10). Janet Bush (1997a) introduced the first comprehensive art therapy program in a public school in Dade County, Florida during the 1979-1980 school year which still exists today. Other art therapy programs have been started in the United States, but they are not as extensive as Dade County and have developed differently. Initially, the goal of the pilot program in Dade County was to provide art therapy for students with physical, emotional, educational, and psychological problems â€Å"to ameliorate a variety of unacceptable behaviors and to help the students learn by improving students’ insights, attitudes, and skills† (Bush, 1997a, p. 9). Eventually, the program narrowed its focus to only include students with emotional problems. While obtaining her graduate degree in art therapy, Bush recognized how students’ problems were directly and indirectly affecting their educational goals. By introducing art therapy in the school, she hoped to assist the children in problem resolution by providing tools to foster self-expression and emotional and cognitive growth. In 1999, the Bade County school district employed 20 Mi-time art therapists to work in 28 public schools. (Minato, 1999, p. 59). As the art therapy program grew and developed, other professionals (psychologists, social workers, family therapists, and teachers) joined the treatment team. At first, the program combined art education along with art therapy. This was due to the fact that the original funding for the program came from the art education department. In 1995, the program shifted away from art education and started focusing entirely on clinical art therapy objectives with severely emotionally disturbed children (Bush, 1997a). The activities the school art therapists provided were very comprehensive. They included: consultation, assessment, intervention, professional training and development, research, program planning, and evaluation (Bush, 1997b). Although the Dade County school-based art therapy program has been a success, its success has been measured by observation and experiences of the therapists. This program, along with most school-based art therapy programs, lacks the documentation to support empirical research. The Dade County program has continued to prosper since its commencement in 1979, but empirical research supporting it is minimal (Bush, 1997b). Art therapy in schools, however, has not taken root. It is time for controlled research and documentation on the application of art therapy in schools. Relevant outcome criteria on the effectiveness of art therapy in treating students and the effects of participation on a school’s team should be reported. (Bush, 1997a, p. 13) The Dade County art therapy program is a model program, which can serve to inspire future development of similar school-based art therapy programs. Art therapy in a school-based setting can provide at-risk children with an outlet to work through obstacles that are hindering their educational, emotional, and social growth. Conclusion Behavioral science research has focused on the psychological, emotional, behavioral, and cognitive problems that children exposed to chronic stress and violence face. Research in this area has become increasingly prolific as the rates of violence and risk of exposure increases. This is especially true in large urban cities where the prevalence rate of urban youth exposed to violence and chronic stress is rapidly increasing. There are many factors in the lives of impoverished African-American children that lead to chronic stress. Rutter (1978) identified six significant familial stressors that increased the probability of behavioral disorders among children. They are: (a) the father having an unskilled/semiskilled job, (b) overcrowding in the home or a large family size, (c) the mother suffering from depression or a neurotic disorder, (d) the child having ever been â€Å"in care,† (e) the father having been convicted of any offense against the law, and (f) marital discord (Rutter, 1978). Other researchers examined multiple stressors on school-aged children’s psychological functioning: parental conflict, maternal depression, overcrowding, and family income. Shaw and Emery found that â€Å"cumulative family stressors predicted clinically-elevated child behavior problems and below-average ratings of children’s IQ and perceived social competence† (1988, p. 204). The research suggests there is a significant relationship between exposure to chronic stress, crime, and violence and behavioral, psychological, and academic problems. It is necessary to then take the next step and focus on ways in which to ameliorate these negative effects. Traditionally, psychological services of art therapy have been provided in hospitals, community mental health centers, and private offices. There are, however, numerous factors that impede the ability of at-risk children from getting these needed services that are often provided outside their community. School-based interventions in art therapy can provide one solution to this problem. School-based therapeutic interventions have been effective in helping children to deal with the emotional repercussions of living with multiple stressors. By addressing common problems in a novel way, school-based art therapy therapy opens the doors to many children who otherwise would not receive the needed therapeutic help. The children are in their schools everyday, so why not bring the service to them. Outcome literature supports the notion that school-based intervention programs in art therapy can yield to positive outcomes in the lives of children. References Art therapy: Definition of profession. (1998, Summer). American Art Therapy Association Newsletter, 31, 3. Avidar, A. (1995). Art therapy and pervasive trauma: Working with children in violent communities. Pratt Institute Creative Arts Therapy Review, 16, 10-16. Bush, J. (1997a). The development of school art therapy in Dade County public schools: Implications for future change. Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 14(l 9-14. Bush, J. (1997b). The handbook of school art therapy. Springfield, IL: Charles C Thomas. Essex, M. , Frostig, K. , & Hertz, J. (1996). In the service of children: Art and expressive therapies in public schools. Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 73(2), 181-190. Malchiodi, C. A. (1995). Does a lack of art therapy research hold us back? Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 12(4), 218-219. Malchiodi, C. A. (2003). Art therapy and the brain. In C. A. Malchiodi (Ed. ), Handbook of art therapy. New York: Guilford Press. pp. 16-24 McNiff, S. (1997). Art therapy: A spectrum of partnerships. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 24, 37-44. McNiff, S. (1998a). Enlarging the vision of art therapy research. Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 15(2), 86-92. McNiff, S. (1998b). Art-based research. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers Ltd. Kaplan, F. F. (2000). Art, science, and art therapy. London: Jessica Kingsley. Minato, Laura. (1999). Book Review. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 26(1), 59-60. Nader, K. , & Pynoos, R. S. (1991). Play and drawing techniques as tools for interviewing traumatized children. In C. E. Schaefer, K. Gitlin, & A. Sandgrund (Eds. ), Play diagnosis and assessment (pp. 375-389). New York: Wiley. Newcomer, P. (1993). Art, Music, and Dance Therapy. In P. Newcomer (Ed. ), Understanding and teaching emotionally disturbed adolescents (pp. 515-553). Austin, TX: Pro-ed. Nicol, AR. (1979). Psychotherapy and the school. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 20, 81-86. Omizo, M. M. , & Omizo, S. A. (1989). Art Activities to improve self-esteem among native Hawaiian children. Journal of Humanistic Education and Development, 27(3), 167- 176. Pleasant-Metcalf, A. M. , & Rosal. M. L. (1997). The use of art therapy to improve academic performance. Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 14(1), 23-29. Restak, R. M. (1994). The modular brain. New York: Scribner. Riley, S. (2003). Using art therapy to address adolescent depression. In C. Malchiodi (Ed.), Handbook of art therapy. New York: Guilford Press. Roje, J. (1995). LA ’94 earthquake in the eyes of children: Art therapy with elementary school children who were victims of disaster. Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 12(4), 237-243. Rosal, M. L. (1998). Research thoughts: Learning from the literature and from experience. Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 15(1), 47-50. Rosal, M. L. , McCulloch-Vislisel, S. , & Neece, S. (1997). Keeping students in school: An art therapy program to benefit ninth-grade students. Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 14(1), 30-36. Rutter, M. (1978). Family, area, and school influences in the genesis of conduct disorder. In L. A. Hersov & D. Schaffer (Eds. ), Aggression and anti-social behavior in childhood and adolescence (pp. 95-114) Oxford: Pergamon Press. Silver, R. , and Ellison, J. (1995). Identifying and assessing self-images in drawings by delinquent adolescents. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 22, 339-352. Wadeson, H. (1980). Art psychotherapy. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Book Fair Essay

It was a fine sunny morning when I with my bunch of my classmates went to the 18th annual Delhi book fair on 6th September 2012 at Pragati Maidan. It was a nine-day affair featuring discussions on proliferation of e-books and interaction with authors, apart from availability of vast number of books on divergent genres. We were supposed to report for a radio show as per our curriculum and were told to reach Pragati Maidan at 10 in morning. Getting up early and witnessing the bumpy metro ride I reached Pragati Maidan at 10. 30 am. All are group members waited for the respected teachers to give us the gadget. The time we waited for the teachers to come we discussed about the theme of our radio show. As soon as we got the recorder we tightened up our belts and went to hall no. 8 from where the book fair commenced. We chose children’s book as our theme for radio show and decided to take the bites of all the students and children. First of all we went to the information desk to know about the number of stalls that were based on children books and educational games. We found that out of 235 stalls 40 to 45 stalls were dedicated for the children of all ages. We also came to know that the theme of the book fair this time was e-books. We started with the school children of classes 3rd to 5th of New India Modern Public School and recorded their experience at the book fair. Also we talked to their teachers who told us about the books they preferred for their children. Then we all went to the group of school girls who came all the way from Himachal Pradesh along with their teachers to explore Book Fair 2012 as it was a part of their training program to learn English. They told us that it was their first visit to book fair and how it helps them in their training program. We also talked to the parents and children and different stall owners and recorded their aims and aspirations from the book fair this year. After we got the required bites we handed over the recorder to the other group and I went to look for different books especially the e-books. The new theme e-books influenced me a lot personally. The idea of saving trees by omitting paper for e-books was quiet paramount. I really liked the concept and especially the material that it offered. It was one of the easiest and environment friendly ways that makes reading and learning fun. I also went and saw many books by national geography and saw the epical photographs that were printed in them. Over all it was a nice educational expedition that was accompanied by fun and new learning ventures. VINAYAK VERMA