Critical Social Work And Its Values Analysis Social Work Essay

Critical Social Work And Its Values Analysis Social Work Essay The essay analyses theories underpinning and key elements of critical social work and its values. An exploration of counselling as a form of social work practice and how it is influenced by the critical social work approach will be included. Examples from practice experience/ literature and the influence of inequalities, power and social divisions will be discussed. The views of service users and their contribution towards the practice will also be take into account in the essay. Payne (2005) traces social work in the UK back to the 19th century as a community and charitable activity to support the disadvantaged and poor. From the charitable and community origins it developed into a broader field. Jordan (2004) cited in Collins (2009) believes social work owes its origins to Christian morality than a commitment to social problems affecting individuals. Following the economic crisis in the UK in the 1970s due to escalating oil prices social issues like poor housing, unemployment, and poverty and homelessness social work shifted and broadened its focus and tried to address social issues and problems. Adams et al (2005). Adams et al (2009) mentions that in attempting to address social problems, disadvantage and inequalities social work practitioners have drawn knowledge and ideas from various disciplines such as sociology, psychology, philosophy and politics. From this multi-disciplinary knowledge base the underpinning ideology was anti oppressive principle which provides theoretical tools to understand intervene and respond to the complex experience of oppression. This means social work practitioners have a moral, ethical and legal responsibility to challenge inequalities and disadvantage (Payne 2005). Fook (2002) claims that critical practice can be traced and associated with radical social work in the 1960s-70s deriving ideas from Marxist theory. Marx analysed the capital society he lived in Germany and argued that the structures within society derived from the economy and the changes in the industrial revolution influenced some people to be more powerful and others not. Individuals were restrained by the demands of capitalism. Marx highlighted issues of class and class struggle where there is a struggle between powerful and powerless resulting in different societal classes. Those in power will seek to retain it mostly by exploitation of the powerless. Thompson (2006) affirms that society comprises of a diverse range of people in which social divisions emerge which in turn forms the societal structures which networks relationships, institutions and groupings. These groupings determine, control and regulate the distribution of power, privilege, status and opportunities resulting in social stratification and dimensions. From these groupings however it is important to mention that unfairness, inequality and oppression is witnessed in the group of people who are vulnerable and marginalised. Radical social work upheld the following themes: structural analysis of personal problems, ongoing social critique mainly focusing on oppressive ideas/practice and goals of self emancipation and social change. Parallel to these traditions empowering and anti-oppressive practice to participation in research and community work Adams et al (2005). Several key principles were shared from radical critiques to present critical social work which are: challenging dominant forces and oppression in all forms, a critique of positivist ideas and the need to challenge dominant constructed ways of knowing by developing other ways of knowing. This would be achieved through recognising that knowledge may reflect reality but may also be socially constructed through language and ideology. In order to create more/new knowledge self reflection and interaction are essential tools using communication processes Allan et al (2009). Moya et al (2009) believes that critical thinking was further enhanced by Marxism through academics from the Frankfurt School of Sociologists (Horkeimer (1979), Adorno and Horkeimer, (1979) and Marcuse (1964) from the 1920s/30s and Habermas (1984, 1987)s writing in the late twentieth century. The sociologists held that social interpretation was based on assumptions of a fixed social order mainly derived from religion, politics and social beliefs. When this order is rejected and challenged, sociologists believed that this would enhance knowledge of the environment which makes individuals more effective. Gerth and Mills (1948) and Durkeim (1972) cited in Harrington (2005) established that if we understand how social relationships work we would be able to achieve our objectives in society. This is how critical thinking in modernist way is about and it was termed modernism but has expanded and embraced other theories concerned with transformation and social change. Gray and Webb (2008) argue that critical theory is shifting from the Frankfurt school but at the same time it has not defined its critical base. Allan et al (2003); Fook (2002); Healey (2000) acknowledge that there is tension in defining critical theory as it comprises different theories, some argue that it is an umbrella term that encompasses a range of theories and approaches including Marxist, radical, feminist, anti-racist, anti-oppressive, anti-discriminatory, post colonial, critical constructivist and structural perspectives. This suggests that there are many theories although different they all try to understand the r elationship between an individual and society. Thus critical practice involves ones judgement in a reflective and diverse manner Adams et al (2009). Critical practice involves exploring different options in a situation or actions in judging the best way to address issues. The practitioner would review their ideas, perspectives and options of others before deciding a best way forward. This is underpinned by the fact of accepting change and continuity as practitioners encounter different situations and ideas. Payne et al (2005) further mentions that in order to fulfil the requirements of critical practice which include liberation and empowerment social workers need an open mind, reflective stance that encompasses diverse perspectives, experience and assumptions. This would result in acknowledging individual differences, equal opportunity and respect. Fook and Garner (2007) further identify three aspects of critical practice which are critical thinking, critical action and reflexivity as essential tools to apply when seeking social justice and change. From these theories we can trace the ideas of critical perspective and acknowledge that the powerless can influence policy, societal views and self emancipation from the oppressors. An example of theoretical development implemented by service users was the theorising of disability from the medicalised interpretation to social model of disability. This shift was championed by disabled peoples movements to express how they felt and were treated for more than a century. This shift and theory influenced societal attitudes, influenced policies and to some extent changed societal attitudes in UK and abroad. Abberley (1998); Barnes, (1998). Morris, (1993) supports this by mentioning that the disability movement has overhauled societal perceptions and upheld disabled peoples rights to live independently, promote anti discriminatory practice, fairness and equal opportunities. Systems theory is another major theoretical source underpinning social work. The theory emphasised that peoples existence is determined by the environment they live or grow in. It highlighted that peoples problems are a result of how they interact with their resource systems which are either formal or informal. The informal include friends, neighbours and colleagues. The formal include support groups/ social clubs and associations. The public/ societal include housing, hospitals, work and school which provide certain structure or particular function in society. The system theory encourages growth and provides a wider range of solutions to problems by identifying areas of improvement or needing improvement. However it is said not to be acknowledging power differences within society and with different roles Adams et al (2009). Coulshed and Orme, (1998) clarifies that the nature of diversity in society makes it difficult to be entirely dependent on one theory or approach. Different situ ations and different circumstances entail different approaches through reflective practices and perspectives. Harris and White (2009) further explored events and changes within the welfare state from administering to managing the welfare state. They observed that the Conservative 1979 -1997 and Labour 1997-2010 were influenced by neo-liberalist ideas. This idea upheld the belief that market was superior to the state and as such professionals including social workers were meant to implement competitive government policy and approaches to meet global standards. These changes affected the vulnerable people in society as well because managers had been given the powers to speak on their behalf. These changes, debates and contradictions have put social work practice into a contested dilemma profession although this definition states that Social work is a profession that promotes social change, problem solving in human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-being. (International Federation of Social Workers, 2000 p1). Parton (1998) points out that the present political environment is dominantly global, modernized and authoritarian. As such policies are informed and regulated by market principles which prescribes and narrows professional boundaries which affects the rights of service users. In order to achieve their objectives social workers need to challenge and resist the authoritarian elements by employing critical practice. Fook (2002) articulate that critical social work practice should be concerned with promoting a society without domination, exploitation and oppression. In order to achieve these practitioners need to reflect, reconstruct, deconstruct and unpack more processes for change through careful negotiation within the dominant framework. Many critical social theorists have challenged the existence of a social order and have questioned social order as evidenced in the work of Habermas (1984, 1987) who distinguishes between the system and the life world which interact and sometimes conflict with each other. The system represents the structures like the government departments, transnational companies emerging from globalisation, ideas promoted by communicative reasoning, education and media. All these structures are relaying a world view through different reasoning. As such social work is not excluded as an agent of systematic managerialism in agencies Pease (2005). Fook (2002) and Gardner (2007) proposed alternative forms of critical theory which are feminism and post modernism. They focus on the understanding that the world reflects personal experience and social historical context. They argue that personal experience constructs and is constructed by the world we live in. They advocate to listening to peoples experiences (narratives) seriously and from these we can hear how they view and experience the world in different ways. Powell (2001) suggests that feminists maintain that the narration of experiences by individuals gives us a clue on how they construct the world and how they want to engage with their problems and situations. Thus postmodernists say there is an alternative way of viewing the world than what it seems to be. Post-modernity argue there is a different way of viewing the world and different ways to deal with societal problems hence critical social work seeks for different options and take the best way forward. Adams et al (2009) suggests that in order to seek the best way forward social workers are encouraged to adopt the eclectic approach which entails selecting crucial aspects from different theories and blend them together as one approach. Alternatively they can use different theories for different cases. This has an advantage of addressing inadequacies in particular theories as they compensate one another. However there are also limitations as to master different theories and selecting crucial aspects may be difficult. It might as well be difficult to select the appropriate theory to use in the first place. To overcome these limitations Epstein (1992) suggested that continuous reflection, agreement, debate and teamwork would encourage flexibility in complex issues. Milner and Obyrne (1998) propose that in trying to address social injustices and inequality social work uses a variety of skills and knowledge based on theory perspective and methodology. This empowers social workers to put in place intervention which is appropriate to individual circumstances. This intervention empowers social workers with skills to engage service users to bring positive outcomes. Banks (2001) holds that values are diverse, may overlap, can conflict and socially constructed. Traditional social work and critical social work values overlap and are based on Biestek 1961 and consist of the following: Individualism, non judgemental, self determination, purposeful expression and controlled emotional development. In post modernity terms these can be interpreted to promotion of social justice, emancipation, anti-oppressive, anti-discriminatory, empowerment, non judgemental and respect and dignity. Above all the language used may affect the way we interpret the world resulting in assumptions, overrepresentation or misrepresentation of issues and ideas, Adam et al (2009). Critical social work as discussed explores the best way forward to individuals problems and seeks to listen and engage with the individual to tell their story and work in partnership to find the best way forward. The limitation is critical social work is surrounded by external forces which are beyond it control, for example resources in the current economic climate globally and at home. It is also criticised as its values and origins are Eurocentric and do not represent universal circumstances as what seems to work in UK might not necessarily work in Afro/ Asian communities. For example the issue of confidentiality is valued and essential in UK and Europe whereas in Afro Asian cultures they value kinship support in times of distress. However they would not want anyone else outside the kinship clique to know about their situation. This brings interpretation problems to confidentiality Morley (2003). In order for all these theories to be implemented there should be contact with individuals in society who experience inequality and disadvantage. Furthermore it is also important to mention at this point that social work intervention and practice is broad and spreads into other disciplines. Group work, Counselling, Advocacy and Assessment are examples of different forms of practising social work. I will not focus on the broadness of disciplines but will focus on the aims of the essay which are to explore how the critical social work approach influences counselling. Counselling requires a lot of skills and approaches as it seeks to address and resolve individual dilemmas, decision making and resolving issues. According to Dryden (2004:40) cited in Adams et al (2009) counselling is described as principled relationship characteristics by the application of one or more psychological theories and a recognised set of communication skills, modified by experience, intuition and other interpersonal factors, to clients intimate concerns, problems or aspirations. Its predominant ethos is one of facilitation rather than of advice-giving or coercion. It may be of very brief or long duration, take place in an organisational or private practice setting and may or may not overlap with practical, medical and other matters of personal welfare. The Barclay report in the early 1980s mentioned that it was essential for social workers to engage in counselling as it helped to engage with individuals to help them manage their problems, worries and anxieties, Barclay Committee,(1982). This is no longer the situation today as noted by Brearley (1995) when he states that political, administrative, legislative changes and ideologies have affected the relationship between counselling and social work. Some social work practitioners are in dilemma as to whether they can do counselling or not and where to start with counselling and when to stop. Because social workers operate in a legislative, organisational, ideological, value and ethical context it is becoming increasingly difficult to engage in counselling without pushing boundaries, Furthermore the economic environment, budget cuts and lack of resources makes it difficult to manoeuvre and employ uncontested interventions McLeod (2009). However despite the above constraints social workers at some point carry out counselling as not carrying it out would render their job inadequate and inefficient. McLeod (1998) identified a number of counselling theories which are Person centred, Existential, Cognitive Behavioural (CBT), Motivational, Humanistic, Psychodynamic, Karpmans (1969) Drama triangle and Eclectic or Integrative approaches. Some of the theories have been criticised as inadequate and resource straining. One approach that is complimentary to social work is the eclectic/ integrative approach. Integrative theory is adaptable to the needs presented by the client or specific circumstances which is flexible and adoptable to client needs. McLeod (2003) supports this statement when he maintains that eclectic approach enables the counsellor to choose the best option and techniques from a range of theories to meet the client needs. It can mean employing different elements from different theories to blend them into a new suitable model or theory. These compliments with one of the social work theory of eclecticism which seeks to integrate different theories to intervene (Adams, 2009). It can be argued that the aims of social work and the aims of counselling are both focusing on individuals and their interaction with the society, problems they face and how they solve them. As Egan (2006) puts it and complimented by Coulshed and Orme (2006) social workers adopt skills that compliment counselling skills such as empathy or understanding, respect, self knowledge and acceptance and honest. Although there are criticisms on Egans work as being ignorant of psychodynamic ideas meaning it has limited application and effectiveness. A reflective practitioner would seek to promote social justice, anti -oppressive and anti-discriminatory practice based on knowledge to promote inclusive practice. Both professions are being challenged by increasing literature developing and need to engage in best, critical and anti discriminatory practice to reach all individuals and communities Morley (2003). My privilege in practice working with clients is that I have acquired knowledge and on values of social work issues and intervention. I also have a black African background which has some conflicting values to social work. I will focus on the social work values to overcome any prejudices and biases which may jeopardise my work. I also have the law on my side which would give me power to intervene and practice. In my experience as a caseworker at Refugee Action (RA) I used counselling as a technique to working with clients. Clients from different background accessed the service to resolve their immigration matters. Mostly the approach we used was the integrative approach which meant that the outcomes met the needs of individual circumstances. I did not allow my own values and prejudices to influence my practice. The advantage of having my own values and knowledge made it easy for me to overcome any prejudices and stereotypes towards my clients. As a person from an African background with different values from those of the British society, it was easy for me to understand how it is to be in the clients shoes. I also observed that Muslim women preferred to work with female caseworkers and male Muslims preferred male caseworkers. They appeared not comfortable working with people from the opposite sex and tended to withhold information if that was the case. I therefore ensured Muslim clients were assisted by a person of preferred gender. Above all I applied the Narrative approach which solicits encouragement to clients to tell their stories. This enabled me to explore clients situation at their own pace and actively listened to assess and establish the real problem in the situation. Carniola (2005) observed that social workers are in the right direction of developing critical consciousness about the psychological impact of oppression on individuals. He further expressed that there is concern on the degree of awareness among social workers on the impact of privilege or dominant status on individuals subjectivities and world views. Rossitter (2000) concurs that the position/ impact and ways in which professionals engage with clients is overlooked and underestimated as they possess a certain class in the form of gender, race, and sexual privilege. Having explored critical social work practice and theories underpinning it, it is important to acknowledge that there is continuous transformation and contest within the academic field and socio-political arena. This is greatly impacting on vulnerable people and how they are treated and marginalised in issues affecting their lives. If the values of critical social work could be fulfilled and the theories underpinning it are integrated social work and counselling would be forces for change to promote social justice.

Evaluation of Dworkins and Habermass Approach to Civil Disobedience E

Evaluation of Dworkin's and Habermas's Approach to Civil Disobedience The following essay will attempt to evaluate the approach taken by Dworkin and Habermas on their views of civil disobedience. The two main pieces of literature referred to will be Dworkin?s paper on 'Civil Disobedience and Nuclear Protest?' and Habermas's paper on 'Civil Disobedience: Litmus Test for the Democratic Constitutional State.' An outline of both Dworkin's and Habermas's approach will be given , further discussion will then focus on a reflective evaluation of these approaches. Firstly though, it is worth commenting on civil disobedience in a more general context. Most would agree that civil disobedience is a 'vital and protected form of political communication in modern constitutional democracies' and further the 'civil disobedience has a legitimate if informal place in the political culture of the community.' Civil disobedience can basically be broken down into two methods, either intentionally violating the law and thus incurring arrest (persuasive), or using the power of the masses to make prosecution too costly to pursue (non persuasive). Dworkin takes a categorical approach to civil disobedience, by breaking it down into a number of different types then applying certain conditions to each type to assess wether the disobedience should be allowed or not. He states that there are three different types of disobedience based on the motivations behind the action. These are integrity based, justice based and policy based civil disobedience. Briefly, integrity based disobedience is motivated when the law requires people to do something that goes against their personal integrity and is usually a matter of urgency. Dworkin gives an example of this as the Northern American citizen who covertly harbours and shelters slaves from the Southern citizens in violation of the Fugitive Slave Act.# The second type of disobedience, justice based, is motivated by a peoples desire to oppose unjust policy in the hopes of reversing the policy, for example the civilian protest about the war in Iraq recently. Thirdly, policy based disobedience is somewhat different to the first two in that it is usually activated by minority groups who think a policy is dangerously unwise. As Dworkin puts it ?they think they know what is in the majority?s own interests.? Given these three types of disobedie... ...rity is not necessarily a clear majority and also that majority decisions are quite often made under the pressures of time and lack of resources. Both Dworkin and Habermas have the same general views on civil disobedience (they both believe it is an essential form of political communication in a democratic state) but when they begin to examine the issues more closely, the differences in justification begin to become apparent between the two writers as outlined above. Bibliography. 1. Articles/Books/Reports Ronald Dworkin, ?Civil Disobedience and Nuclear Protest? in A Matter of Principle (1985) 104-16. JÃ ¼rgen Habermas, ?Civil Disobedience: Litmus Test for the Democratic Constitutional State? (1985) 30 Berkeley Journal of Sociology 95-116. 2. Other Sources Andrew Calabrese, Virtual non-violence? Civil disobedience and political violence in the information age (2004) 6 Emerald Info 326 available at http://spot.colorado.edu/~calabres/Calabrese%20(civl%20dis).pdf William Smith, Democracy, Deliberation and Disobedience (Paper presented at the UK Association for Legal and Social Philosophy Annual Conference, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, April 2003).

Bmw Marketing Mix

History: The origins of BMW trace back to 1913 when Karl Friedrich Rapp, who was a  Bavarian(well-known engineer in a German aircraft company in Munich. The company specialized in airplane engines. But it was a  problematic area. He had a  financial difficulties and decided to form new company owners Franz-Jozef Popp and financier Camillo Castiglioni and relaunched Motoren Werke and because Rapp was Bavarian there was a  new name Bayerische Flugzeug-Werke (BFW) was formed after a  short time the name was changed to BMW and from the beginnig they started to produce airplane engines.At the beginning of the 20? s BMW slapped their logo, which is unchanged until today. After the 2. world war the treaty of versailles prohibited BMW to switch to manufacturing air brakes for railway cars. After this treaty company started to focus on developing motorcycles engines. Ower a  2 years they built 2 motorcycle models(Victoria, Flink) and after this they built their first BMW factory. Two-wheeled vehicles quickly turned into four-wheeled ones in 1928. With their motorcycles they made world records, because they were the fast motorcycles.In 1932 they launch new car model 3/20 PS. As time passed by, BMW got bigger and bigger and, shortly before the Wold War II outbreak, took over some more factories in the vicinity of Berlin. Due to BMW's versatility and need for mechanized faming implements and spare parts, the first BMW bicycle was born. They started to export their motorcycles to new york in 2 decades. The last one at the beginning of the 40? s. The 1955 Isetta, powered by a 12/13 hp motorcycle engine, becomes a favorite among customers.Over 160,000 units are sold, transforming the Isetta into a symbol of the post-war decade. They had a  lot of technological improvements on their cars. With the help of Herbert Quandt, BMW, still a share-owned company, is brought one step closer to independence. The 60's brought a multitude of achievements with the 1500 and 160 0 series, as well as a range of new sedans, the 2500, 2800, American Bavaria and the 2. 5 CS and 2800 CS coupe models. Production lines that would become worldwide pieces of success soon came out, such as the 6 and 7 series and the recently reconstructed BMW M1 model.By the end of the 70's, BMW had dug deep into other car-improvement related fields as well, and electronics proved to be the perfect ground for growing BMW's next generation of computerized car devices. Economic fuel research then became top priority. Research started to be heavily reinforced and reached new uncharted areas through the employment of over 6,000 people. Once the Z1 one came along, the profits kept pile-up trend. Caring for the customer and staying ahead of competition was proof enough that BMW had turned into a true, mature brand. Business development:BMW has various sources for research and product development: A well known BMW location is the Engineering Center (FIZ) in Munich. This institution was laun ched in 1987, implementing the idea of co-location. Co-location stands for bringing together all people into one site, who are concerned with the product development process, incl. suppliers. Nowadays about 5,000 researchers, engineers and technicians are working at the FIZ. A design studio in California, which provides trendy designs from one of the most creative places of the world. A project team in Japan, which serves as an antenna into Japanese technical developments.BMW-Technik GmbH, which was launched in 1985 and is responsible for idea generation off-site, equipped with own design facilities, acoustic wind tunnel and various other facilities for noise reduction. This company employs about 100 people. Company mission and business focus: Reading the BMW Group mission statement, it's easy to understand why the BMW Group is clearly associated with premium products, premium prices, and premium experiences. The BMW mission statement is†¦ The BMW Group is the world's leading p rovider of premium products and premium services for individual mobility. Beyond that, each brand of vehicle under the BMW Group umbrella has its own distinct brand identy†¦ BMW Brand – â€Å"The BMW brand stands for one thing: sheer driving pleasure. Sporting and dynamic performance combined with superb design and exclusive quality. † MINI Brand – â€Å"The MINI brand wins hearts and turns heads. MINI is refreshingly different: extroverted, spontaneous and in every respect something out of the ordinary. † â€Å"For over 100 years, motor cars of the Rolls-Royce brand have stood for truly outstanding engineering, quality and reliability.The BMW Group is the world's leading provider of premium products and premium services for individual mobility. † Focus: he concept of premium will be increasingly defined through sustainability in the future. BMW, like no other brand, will still stand for vitality and driving pleasure in the future. But it will also represent efficiency and environmental friendliness. .. We have introduced our fuel-saving technology, Efficient Dynamics, as a standard feature in all series. It uses start-stop technology, brake-force energy recovery and other methods to drastically reduce fuel consumption, while at the same providing more power.We call this â€Å"Sheer Driving Pleasure 2. 0. MARKETS OF BMW The main markets for BMW automobiles have been in Europe, the USA, Japan and the Pacific region, with the markets of Germany and the US accounting for almost half the total car sales. Important markets have also been the fast-growing UK, and the Italian, French and Japanese markets. Sales in the USA market have been particularly successful, as they grew by over 8 per cent on the previous year to 277,000, becoming the biggest market for the group and overtaking the Lexus brand for the first time.At the end of 2003, the outlook for 2004 by group management and industry observers was upbeat. This view was s upported by the successful launch of the new 5-series, the consolidation in Europe and Asia of the BMW Z4, the introduction of the BMW X3. The new BMW 1 Series and the BMW 6 Series cabriolet were launched early in 2004. By far the most successful models were the MINI, the 3-series and the 5-series, but the other models were also in significant demand. In the Chinese markets there was growing demand for the higher end models of the range, specifically for 7-series and 5-seriesTarget customers: Upper middle class — professional employees at the upper part of corporate ladder such as financial analysts Product policy: Assortment: cars: BMW 1 series (3, 5 door, coupe, convertible), BMW 3 series (sedan, coupe, convertible, touring, compact) BMW 5 series (sedan, touring) BMW (coupe, grand coupe, convertible) BMW 7 series (sedan) BMW X1-X6, BMW Z4 roaster, BMW M series( 3,5,6) also MINI :MINI is one of the most entertaining cars on the road, with dynamic performance and handling and an unmistakable appearance that makes it instantly recognisable.It is currently available in a range of models including: MINI Hatch (MINI One, MINI Cooper, MINI Cooper D, MINI Cooper S), MINI John Cooper Works, MINI Convertible (MINI One Convertible, MINI Cooper Convertible, MINI Cooper S Convertible) and MINI Clubman (MINI Cooper D Clubman, MINI Cooper Clubman, MINI Cooper S Clubman). MINI is produced in England and is now sold in over 70 countries worldwide. The Rolls–Royce Motor Cars :Rolls-Royce launched the Drophead Coupe in 2007 which has a V / 12 / 48 engine, reaches a top speed of 149 mph and does 0-100km/h in 5. 9 seconds. The Rolls-Royce Phantom features a 6. 5 litre light alloy V12 engine that provides 460PS (453bhp) of power. Rolls–Royce also launched the Centenary Experimental 100 EX and the limited edition Centenary Phantom in 2004. Summer 2008 saw the production of the new Phantom Coupe, the most driver-orientated model in the Phantom line. Motorcycles : SPORT, TOUR, ROASTER,ENDURO,URBAN MOBILITY SPORT: S1000 RR, K  1300S TOUR: F800GT, R 1200RT, K  1600GT, K  1600GTL, ROASTER: F800R, R1200R ENDURO: G 650 GS, S  650 GS sertao, F 800 GS, R 1200 GS, R 1200GS adventure URBAN MOBILITY: C 600 sport, C 650 GT Scooters: BMW C 600 Sport BMW C 650 GTBMW C EVOLUTION e-Scooter Acessories: DVD systems, radios, car care, lights, navigations,air condition†¦ Clothes Quality: in 2008 BMW received a score of 3 out of a possible 5 points in the averaged category of Overall Quality( like ford, kia, nissan) Logo: The BMW logo consists of a thick black ring encircled by a silver lining. The letters ‘BMW’ are inscribed in a non-serif font in the top half of the black ring. The gap within the ring is divided into four equal alternative blue and white quarters. The BMW logo, commonly known as â€Å"roundel†, was created and registered in 1917.The created logo design is remarkably simple and projects an identity that is sma rt, clear, sporty and image-conscious. It is one of the most distinctive logo designs in the world, speaking highly of a brand-led company. The 1929 Dixi was the first vehicle to carry the famous BMW logo. The BMW logo has been altered very rarely and minutely and has maintained its original look throughout the company's history. Here are some of the logos that have been used since 1917. People think that the BMW logo is based on a rotating airscrew. The origin of this interpretation is the cover of a BMW aircraft magazine.This picture (shown below) was taken in 1929, years after the logo first came into existence. BMW chose the Bavarian national colours as a  symbol Innovations: BMW Innovations With a constantly updated menu of inspired new technologies and products, BMW is leading the charge in automotive evolution. We engineer our renowned vehicle lineup to be the most advanced in the world. And we continuously push the limits of efficiency and performance. We do this because o ur goal is not to be ahead of the curve; we are determined to be ahead of everything else on the road. Connected Drive:BMW is focused on connecting you, the driver, in meaningful ways to your vehicle, and to your world at large. Intelligent innovations provide you with unprecedented mobility, so you enjoy the best possible combination of safety, comfort, entertainment, and – above all – driving pleasure. Head-Up Display: BMW's full-colour Head-Up Display projects critical driving information, such as speed, directions, and alerts, directly in your field of vision, so distraction is minimized. This virtual image appears approximately two metres ahead of you, at the end of the hood, seamlessly integrating into whatever scenario your find yourself in.Your eyes and attention stay focused on the road, where they rightfully belong. BMW Apps: Introducing a new way to stay in touch. With the BMW Apps you can bring Facebook, Twitter, your calendar, or even your favourite web ra dio station into your car on the iDrive screen. Your Control Display can show the latest status updates from your Facebook or Twitter account, as well as upcoming events, while the car's audio system can read them out using the text-to-speech function. Get ready for the next generation of mobile communication and entertainment – with your iPhone and BMW ConnectedDriveBMW Concierge: There's much more than just a welcoming voice on the other end of BMW Concierge. Whether you're looking to book a flight or hotel, find the nearest ATM, or make a reservation at your favourite restaurant, our customer relations agents are always there for you. BMW Concierge is available 24/7 and transfers address data directly to the Navigation System of your BMW. And in case of emergency, BMW Assist is equipped with a host of helpful tools, including Emergency Request, Enhanced Roadside Assistance, Remote Door Unlock, Advanced Automatic Collision Notification, Stolen Vehicle Recovery, and more.Nig ht Vision: Your command of the road doesn't end when the sun sets. BMW Night Vision is our exclusive infrared technology that allows you to see through the dark, up to a class-leading 300 metres ahead. Objects, animals, and pedestrians are instantly distinguished, leading you to safer nighttime driving. Google MyInfo: Use Google Maps to send points-of-interest information directly to your BMW using your e-mail address and BMW Assist account.Find restaurants, friends' homes, or even the location of your next meeting. With Google Maps, you can send any destination to your vehicle from your computer, and then accept the information into the Navigation System once in your car. You can even call your destination using Bluetooth integration by selecting the displayed telephone number. http://www. bmwvictoria. ca/BMW/Innovations/tabid/206/Default. aspx tam videa Services: Financing, insurance,credit cards, leasings, Pricing policy: Price strategy-

Essay on An Insight on Wilmington’s Water Pollution

It’s no mystery that having clean water is a fundamental element to living in a prosperous society and one of the few things essential for human survival. Water not only sustains our health, but is required in making everything from electronics to clothes. Clean water may seem as ordinary as putting on your shoes, but it’s a daily party of our life that’s being threatened. On September 12, 2013, environmental groups filed a law suit against Duke Energy for their inability to properly clean up toxic ash, which has caused the pollution of Sutton Lake and severe groundwater pollution in the surrounding area (WWAY). In particularly, the environmental group claims that, â€Å"coal ash pollution threatens to destroy the fishery of Sutton Lake and†¦show more content†¦When it rains, much of the water that falls isn’t absorbed into the ground because of the roads, parking lots and other non-porous surfaces. As water runs over these non-porous surfaces, many unwanted pollutants are picked up and flow downward to the nearest storm drain or water source. â€Å"Anything that enters a storm sewer system is untreated and discharged into the bodies of water we use for swimming, fishing and providing drinking water† (â€Å"After the Storm,† 2003, para.2). Examples of the various pollutants that make up storm water runoff includes pet waste, yard debris, litter, sediment, fertilizer, pesticides, car wash soaps and auto fluids. This untreated runoff eventually ends up in the Cape Fear River or the Intracoastal Waterway causing fish kills, algal blooms and contaminated water. Another major threat to Wilmington’s water quality is the great number of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), which house the 10 million hogs being raised in North Carolina. According to Olivier (2012) â€Å"There are approximately 24,000 major swine facilities in North Carolina with the vast majority located in the coastal plain region of North Carolina† (p. 26). Food Water Watch reports that, â€Å"This waste contains toxins including ammonia, methane, hydrogen sulfide, cyanide, phosphorus, nitrates and heavy metals, as well as antibiotics and other drugs that have been given to the