Contrasting programs and policies related to poverty Research Paper

Contrasting programs and policies related to poverty - Research Paper Example On the other hand, it can be apparently observed that America is still undergoing through a tough phase in tackling its poverty level, which fluctuates on a constant basis (The World Bank Group, 2014). With this concern, the research paper would describe the programs along with the policies associated with poverty that adopt and implement by the countries i.e. the US and China. Moreover, a comparison would also be taken into concern regarding the same in the discussion of the research paper. Prior to contrasting the programs along with the policies associated with poverty between China and the US, a detailed description of these programs as well as policies of both the nations has been provided hereunder. Since the year 1980, the Chinese government has shown significant improvement in declining the poverty rates. The projected poverty rate in China in the year 1980 was estimated 84%, which came down to 13% by the year 2012. The reason contributed in making this terrific improvement is the rise particularly in GDP rates. This can be justified as that the GDP rate rose from 1.89% in the year 1980 to 11.57% in the year 2012, which further resulted towards increase in per capita income by nearly about 30 folds from $205 to $6064 in recent times (The Economic Times, 2013). However, despite the significant success in uplifting the critical concern of poverty, China in the current scenario, is still facing certain issues relating to poverty. In this regard, the increase in the inequality levels and the concentration of the left over poverty populaces in the rural areas are becoming critical concern for the Chinese government (The World Bank Group, 2014). As a corrective measure, China along with ‘The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)’ has concentrated their efforts on two vital aspects. One of these is the pilot projects that will be brought under superior technical

Political Competence Essay Example for Free

Political Competence Essay In almost any affair that involves multiple stakeholders the idea of partnership and collaboration have essential roles. This is also applicable in building a strong society or country especially since it is composed of numerous people with varying needs that must be addressed. In relation to this the concepts of good corporate citizenship and political competence are vital in giving the necessary services to the people. Corporate citizenship pertains to â€Å"a new contract between business and society, a vision of partnership between different sections of community, which allies profitable companies with healthy communities because what happens to societies happens to business† (Benchmarks, n. d. ). On the other hand, political competence involves skills and attributes that make it possible for the achievement of organizational goals (Wells, n. d. ). Good corporate citizenship and political competence are related because these are interdependent upon each other. In order for good corporate citizenship to make successful partnerships it needs political competence that will make sure that the plans they made will be properly applied so that their objectives can be realized. Since the past up to the contemporary time, the government plays an important role in the organization, information dissemination, budgeting, and funding of a country’s healthcare system. The government is the primary body that is responsible in passing laws for the planning as well as the implementation of various concerns regarding the healthcare system of the country. This is greatly observable in countries like the United States of America, states in the European Union as well as in other parts of the world. However, this kind of system is not always as effective as it seem to be. There are still many people who lack the proper healthcare attention, which is always the reason that there are various sicknesses that most citizens suffer from. The main problem why such incompetence takes place is due to the lack of political will coming from the government and also the improper and sometimes illegal contracts that are happening among the public agencies and corporations. This could be seen in the common practice that is observable in the distribution of the needed medicine for most healthcare centers. Government funded organizations are responsible in commissioning private corporations in buying the needed medicinal paraphernalia. Nevertheless, anomalies often happen in this kind of dealings. Corrupt government officials would allot a huge amount of budget in order to buy medicinal necessities but this money is not consumed for this sole purpose. Some of it tends to fall in the pocket of officials who are only thinking of their vested interests. They would engage in illegal contracts with private corporations who would also gain benefit in the process (Messerli, 2008). This kind of issue is clearly an ethical dilemma that needs to be address immediately. A good solution for this problem is to create an objective, independent body that would see to it that the budget allotted for the healthcare of the citizens are use for the right purposes. This is one good way in order to do something to prevent this kind of anomaly from happening. The healthcare of citizens is a very important aspect of an individuals’ right, which is why it should be given due attentions and importance.

The Disorders Of Homeostasis Health And Social Care Essay

The Disorders Of Homeostasis Health And Social Care Essay This assignment will discuss the changes of normal  social,  physical, biochemical and physiological  functions of a disease process of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This is a term used for a number of conditions; including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. COPD leads to damaged airways in the lungs, causing them to become narrower and making it harder for air to get in and out of the lungs. The word chronic means that the problem is long-term. COPD is a condition which mainly affects people over the age of 40, and COPD has a higher prevalence occurring among women than men (NHS-Choices, 2008). COPD is also a condition that is long term and incurable that can have a serious affects on health and quality of life, its not fully understood why COPD develops. (Marieb, 2003). The student will also incorporate local and national health and social policies, including frameworks that are in place in relation to the patients illness. The student identified a patient named Mrs J. She was admitted to hospital due to exacerbation of COPD. Her primary diagnosis is Osteoarthritis of the Hip but also had symptoms of emphysema. Mrs J is a 55 year old woman and is married, Mrs J also has an older child of 34 whom she has become quite dependant on and felt like she had impacted on her childs life and had become a hindrances. Mrs J has become more breathless as her condition develops over time and more so while she was lying in bed unable to carry out her daily activities such as doing the housework, leisure activities, also looking after her appearance as she normally would have done at home . COPD is becoming one of the fastest leading causes of disability (NHS choices, 2008). According to British Lung Foundation, (2010) a recent survey, 83% of COPD patients said their COPD slows them down, 79% said they had to cut down their activities and 56% said their condition has a great affect on their families. COPD is the most common respiratory conditions in adults in the developed world and poses an enormous burden to society both in terms of direct cost to the healthcare services and indirect costs to society through loss of productivity. Recent analysis estimated that National Health Service (NHS) spends  £818 million annually in the United Kingdom (UK). (British Thoracic Society, 2006). However 50% of the cost is accounted for by poorly managed exacerbations resulting in frequent re-admissions to hospital (Coakley Ruston, 2001). COPD is a chronic inflammatory condition of the lungs that causes the respiratory passages to be swollen and irritated, increases the mucus production and damaging the lungs. (Marieb, 2003). COPD develops when irritants are breathed into the airway and down the bronchial tubes. Normally, oxygen is passed through the bronchioles into the alveoli, tiny hollow sack-like structures in the lungs where oxygen is absorbed in to the bloodstream. When air is mixed with smoke or irritants, it will damage the lungs and the ability to take enough oxygen in (NHS-Choices, 2008). Mrs J condition would of been triggered by her heavy smoking, the toxins from her cigarettes has made her bronchioles (airway and lungs) become inflamed and narrowing the airway, this will lead to irreversible damage to the respiratory system by obstructing the bronchial airflow and hindering gaseous exchange within the alveoli (Munden, J, 2007). Mrs J suffers from many symptoms due to her smoking these include shortness of breath, a persistent cough, yellowish green sputum, signs of cyanosis to her lips, also Mrs J has continued to smoke as she thinks the damage has already been done so her condition. The vast majority of COPD patients are smokers. By stopping smoking patients can slow the rate of decline in lung function and thus improve the patients prospects in terms of symptoms and survival. The NICE guidance recommends that short-acting bronchodilators should be used for the initial treatment for breathlessness and exercise limitation and goes on to say that, if this isnt having an effect then the treatment should be intensified using either a long-acting bronchodilator or a combined therapy with a short acting beta2-agonist and a short-acting anticholinergic. The respiratory system is the major part for gases exchange to take place, it allows takes the air that enters are bodies when we inhale and travels through the respiratory system, exchanging oxygen for carbon dioxide and expels carbon dioxide when we exhale (munden, J, 2007). Mrs J has been smoking now for 45 years and on an average day having up to 40 cigarettes a day and is not prepared to quit as she feels the damage is already done. Mrs J smokes for comfort and feels that its all for her pleasure, she has become very isolated, her chronic bronchitis makes her breathless when doing actives and is not able to do her daily activities therefore is becoming depressed. Do this having a huge impact on her mental and social parts of her life. Patients like Mrs J with airflow limitation clinically they have become known as pink puffers and blue bloaters (Kleinschmidt, 2008). Patients with COPD have traditionally been divided into  pink puffers  and  blue bloaters  based on their physiological response to abnormal blood gases.  The former work hard to maintain a normal pO2  which is why they puff away. They tend to have a barrel-shaped, hyper inflated chest and breathe through pursed lips. The latter are blue because of hypoxia and polycythaemia. They are often obese and have water retention. This is why they are bloated. The  blue bloaters  are dependent upon hypoxia for their respiratory drive and to give oxygen and deprive them of this will lead to significant  hypercapnia  and acid base imbalance. (MedicineNet, 1996 2010) Mrs J falls under the term blue bloaters as she linked to chronic bronchitis due to cyanosis which causes a blue tinge to the lips, which occurs from poor gas exchange. Airway Smooth Muscle in Asthma and COPD: Biology and Pharmacology  by Prof. Kian Fan Chung pink puffers has been linked to emphysema as the patients may be showing signs of weight loss, using their accessory muscles with pursed lips giving them a reddish complexion, they may also adopt the tripod sitting position (Kleinschmidt, 2008). Although these conditions separate the patient may present with slight variations of them both, however they do differentiate through their underlying process, signs and symptoms (Bellamy Booker, 2004). The respiratory system can be separated into a conducting and a respiratory portion. The conducting portion consists of the air-transmitting passages of the nose, nasopharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchi and bronchioles. This part of the respiratory system serves to filter, warm and humidify air on its way to the lungs. Principles of Anatomy and Physiology by Gerard J. Tortora, and Bryan H. Specialized portions of the conducting system also serve other functions, e.g., the nose in the sense of smell, the pharynx in alimentation, and the larynx in phonation. The actual exchange of gases occurs in the respiratory portion which consists of the respiratory bronchioles, alveolar ducts and sacs and alveoli. Ross and Wilson Anatomy and Physiology in Health and Illness. Principles of Anatomy and Physiology by Gerard J. Tortora, and Bryan H. Derrickson   There are two separate arterial systems in the lungs, the pulmonary arteries which carry deoxygenated blood, follow the respiratory passages and end in capillaries in alveolar walls, and the bronchial arteries which carry oxygenated blood. (Ross and Wilson,2009). The lungs are richly supplied with lymphatic vessels, which are organized into two sets a deep set that accompanies the pulmonary vessels and airways and a superficial set that lies beneath the visceral and parietal pleura. Little or no anatomises occurs between the two plexus except in the region of the hilum. (SUNY Downstate Medical Center, 2008) The lung is the organ for gas exchange; it transfers oxygen from the air into the blood and carbon dioxide from the blood into the air. To accomplish gas exchange the lung has two components, airways and alveoli. The airways are branching, tubular passages like the branches of a tree that allow air to move in and out of the lungs. The wider segments of the airways are the trachea and the two bronchi. The smaller segments are called bronchioles. At the ends of the bronchioles are the alveoli, thin-walled sacs. Small blood vessels (capillaries) run in the walls of the alveoli, and it is across the thin walls of the alveoli where gas exchange between air and blood takes place. 1996-2010 MedicineNet, http://www.medicinenet.com/chronic_obstructive_pulmonary_disease_copd/article.htm Airways and air sacs within the lungs are elasticised, with the air we breathe the lungs will change shape with inhalation they expand and return to the normal shape after they have been stretched with full of air. With in the Lining the of the nasal cavity is a mucous membrane full of blood vessels, with the many blood vessels this enable the nose to warm and humidify the incoming air quickly. Cells in the mucous membrane produce mucus and have tiny hair like projections (cilia). Usually, the mucus traps incoming dirt particles, which are then moved by the cilia toward the front of the nose or down the throat to be removed from the airway. This action helps clean the air before it goes to the lungs. Ciliated Columnar Epithelium which contains goblet cells and cilia, the goblet cells are responsible for secreting mucus which is able to trap the finer particles from inspired air and the cilia which are fine hairs to trap particles from going into the respiratory track. The cilia carrys the particles by a sweeping the mouth or nose where it can then be swallowed, coughed or sneezed out of the body (Munden, 2007). The two major sources of mucus secretion in the respiratory tract are the surface epithelial goblet cells and mucous cells. In lungs, goblet cells are present in the large bronchi, becoming increasingly thin toward the bronchioles. The sub mucosal glands are in the airways with the thickness decreasing with airway quality. With COPD, sub mucosal glands increase in size (hypertrophy), and the number of goblet cells will increased (hyperplasia) (Rogers, Jackson, 2001). The increased of goblet cells to ciliated cells will cause thickness in the bronchioles, this then impairs clearance of mucus. Patients affected by COPD also show the presence of edema, which can further reduce airway size and compromise the lung function. (Postma and Kerstjens, 1998). In clinical studies, these inflammatory parameters have been shown to correlate with a reduction lung function and an exaggerated bronchoconstriction (Postma and Kerstjens, 1998). The goblet cells are replaced within the small airways (bronchi) with Clara cells they are another form of secreting cell that are form ciliated cells and to help renew the bronchiolar epithelium, they produce hypophase component and a protease inhibitor these help protect the lungs by clearing foreign bodys from the airway (Stokley et al, 2006) Gasses exchange in the lung takes places in the airway with in the alveoli, The largest airway is the windpipe (trachea), this then branches into two smaller airways; the left and right bronchi, At the end of each bronchiole are thousands of small air sacs (alveoli) the walls are a thick network of tiny blood vessels called capillaries. The thin barrier between air and capillaries allows oxygen to move from the alveoli to the blood and allows carbon dioxide to move from the blood to the capillaries into the alveoli (Matterporth Matfin, 2009). Mr J has a poor respiratory drive due to having poor ventilation on the lungs. Hypoxemia and hypercapnia can take place due to the poor ventilation, hypoxia in Patients with COPD like Mrs J have raised CO2  levels and  depend  on a deficiency of oxygen (hypoxia) to encourage respiration. They will develop increased CO2  retention,  respiratory acidosis  and subsequently will require mechanical ventilation (oxygen). It also causes the kidneys to produce erthpoietin which stimulates excessive red blood cell production as Mrs J has poor ventilation intake the blood cells are not fully oxygenated there for cyanosis can occurs (Munden, J, 2007).This has lead to hypercapnia due to raised carbon dioxide levels resulting from suppression of hypoxic ventilation drive. However, this understanding does not account for the many factors that contribute to the control of breathing in patients, and has resulted in oxygen being withheld inappropriately from some patients with acute respi ratory failure.   (Brooker Nicol, 2004). Mrs J has lent to live in hypoxic drive as she has made adjustments in her life and has lived like this for 4 years now and has become normal to her. Mrs J has sensitivity to falling oxygen levels rather than raised carbon dioxide (Brooker Nicol, 2004). A higher level of oxygen within Mrs Js system reduces the stimulus to breath therefore inducing carbon dioxide maintenance (Walsh Crumbie, 2007). Emphysema occurs when the air sacs at the ends of your bronchioles gradually gets destroyed, smoking is the leading cause of emphysema. Resulting in the air sacs (alveoli), in the lungs becoming over stretched making their thin walls tear, there for losing the lung tissue and elasticity. The lungs cannot expand or contract fully, and so become less efficient when breathing. (McCance Huether, 2006)   As the condition worsens, emphysema turns the air sacs which are like a bunch of grapes to become enlarged, irregular pockets with gaping holes in their inner walls; this reduces the number of air sacs and keeps some oxygen entering the lungs from reaching the bloodstream (Munden, J, 2007). This makes you try and breathe harder as insufficient oxygen is not getting into our airways. Our bodies compensates by lowering cardiac output and we then begin to hyperventilate, which then results in limited blood flow through fairly well oxygenated lungs this is in contrast to chronic bronchitis (Brooker Nicol, 2004). Due to low cardiac output in Mrs Js body it will tend to suffer from tissue hypoxia leading to weight loss or muscle wasting (McClance Huether, 2006). Mrs Js chronic bronchitis is a Type 2 respiratory failure; this refers to hypercapnoea, which is a presence of an abnormally high level of carbon dioxide in the blood steam, which can occur with or without hypoxia. This type of respiratory failure is caused by a decline the amount of gas inhaled and exhaled (Higgins,D., Guest,J, 2008). Respiratory failure occurs when alveolar ventilation is ineffective to expel carbon dioxide in the body. Poor ventilation is due to reduced ventilation effort, it affects the lung as a whole, there for carbon dioxide accumulates in the lungs this could deadly if it is not treated (Partridge, 2006). This process is seen in patients such as Mrs J with COPD and can be made more aggressive by an illness (Higgins,D., Guest,J, 2008). Mrs J views her quality of life as poor and hates getting up in the mornings, this is because Mrs J becoming breathless and not being able to fulfil her daily activities. COPD can leave patients feeling anxious and suffering from panic attacks (Christen Antoni, 2000). Mrs J feels frightened becoming breathless as she has had frequent admissions of exacerbation with long stays in hospital, exacerbations is a increased case of breathlessness and sputum experience and very distressing for patients and disruptive to their lives (Alaxander,Fawcett Runciman, 2006). Because of Mrs J being short of breath she feels very lonely and isolated, Mrs J has now got a low self esteem and self confidence this has been induced by her affects of the disease, any activities such as washing, dressing and shopping has become quite dependant on her family in these tasks and feels helpless and a burden to them. The psychological affects of living with COPD can be overwhelming the anxiety and panic levels are very high as Mrs J is living in constant fear and frustration each day of the affects of the illness. COPD patients tend to have a high prevalence rate of clinical depression (N, Haynes, 2000). Depression is very common in COPD patients, around 40% are affected by severe depressive symptoms or clinical depression (Henriksen,A, 2008). Since Mrs J has been diagnosed she has had to make some psychological adjustments, she has some challenges ahead of her such as maintaining her ADLs i.e. self image and personal hygiene. Mrs J feels weak and drained on any activities she does due to breathlessness, most of the time she has to rely on her husband and family to meet these needs and has become dependant upon them; this can lead to activation of negative self image which has lasting changes to the patient (Christen Antoni, 2000). Mrs J feels that dealing with her chronic illness she has had to challenge her own self worth, her own sense of vulnerability and to think of what the future has in hold for her (N, Haynes, 2000). COPD may also adversely affect Mrs J self image which is negatively stigmatised her self inflicted this illness on her self due to smoking (Gore et al, 2000). Stigma has had a huge impact on Mrs Js low self esteem as she has smoked most of her life and has caused her condition to progress, so she only has herself to blame. Having low self esteem can be very difficult for some patients to handle as is plays a role in their lives (Christen Antoni, 2000). The more inactive Mrs J will becomes it will decrease her self esteem and can have an impact on her well being (Haynes, 2000). Mrs J also thinks that she has become depressed due to her condition which has had a huge impact on her quality of life with has lead to isolation and dependant on family and friends (Barnett, 2008). COPD patients are being stigmatized in todays society, this disabling condition has been linked to poor lifestyle changes and people that have smoked (Bartolame, Berger, 2009). Patients with COPD feel stigmatised due to medical profession as they have been labelled under pink puffers and blue bloaters this can have a negative impact on their image (Johnson et al, 2007). Mrs J feels that the main reason that she has become isolated is that she is embarrassed by her visible side affect due to poor mobility and breathlessness. COPD research has mainly focused on the medical side rather than the social impact of the disease. This neglect is seen as patients are not prepared for wider social attitudes of smoking related to their illness and has been looked at as self infliction and avoidable conditions creating stigma which is attached to the disease (Johnson et al, 2007). The National Clinical Strategy for COPD is currently being developed by the Department of Health. This was previously known as the National Service Framework (NSF). Following the Darzi report which stated that high quality for all this was based upon ways to reshape and improve the NHS. The National Clinical Strategy will address the lack of awareness of COPD and also focus on the undiagnosed or inaccurately and also making clear pathways for those diagnosed. (NICE, 2004). NICE guidelines on COPD Cover a full range of care that should be available from the NHS to adults like Mrs J who has this illness and to have the appropriate support and treatments this includes smoking cessation, pulmonary rehabilitation and management of exacerbations and to have easy access to these services (NICE, 2008). COPD has had a huge negative impact on Mrs Js life she has had to overcome challenges due to her COPD such as her basic day to day activities, by making some adjustments to meet these tasks. With Mrs J disabling disease this has lead to loss of function, low self confidence and has become socially isolated in her own home due to her clinical depression (Brooker, 2005). Alexander, M. F., Fawcett, J., Runciman, P. J., (Eds.). (2006). Nursing practice: The adult hospital and home. (3rd ed.). Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone. Barnett, M. (2008). Management of end stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. British Journal of Nursing, 17(22),1390 1394. Barr, R. G. Bourbeau, J, Camargo C. A. Inhaled tiotropium for stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2005 Apr 18;(2) Bartolame, A., Berger, R. (2009). Blaming the patient. Retrieved 2nd February 2010 website: http://www.breathingbetterlivingwell.com/lofiversion/index.php/t6895.htm Bellamy, D., Booker, R. (Eds.). (2004). Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in primary care: All you need to know to manage COPD in your practice. (3rd ed.). London: Class publishing. Bellamy, D., Brooker, R. (2004). Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in primary care. Journal of Community Nursing, 23(4), 24-25. British Lung Foundation. (2007). The affect of the disease of COPD. Retrieved 14th January 2010 website: http://www.lung.uk.org/you-and-your-lungs/conditions-and-diseases/copd.htm British Lung Foundation. (2010). The National Strategy for COPD. Retrieved 7th February 2010 website: http://www.lunguk.org/media-and-campaigning/campaigns/what-is-the-national-strategy-for-copd British Thoracic Society. (2006).The burden of lung disease and statistics report. Journal of Community Nursing, 22(7) 25-26. Britton, M. The burden of COPD in the U.K.: results from the Confronting COPD survey.;  Respir Med.2003 Brooker, C., Nicol, M. (Eds.). (2004). Nursing adults: The practice of caring. (3rd ed.). Edinburgh: Mosby Elsevier. Brooker, R. (2005). Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and NICE guidelines. Nursing Standards. 19(22), 43-52. Christen, A., Antoni, M. (Ed.). (2000). chronic physical disorders: Behavioural medicines perspective. Oxford: Blackwell publishing Ltd. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, NICE Clinical Guideline (2004);  Management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in adults in primary and secondary care Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, NICE Clinical Guideline (2004);  Management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in adults in primary and secondary care Coakley, A. L., Ruston, A. (2001). Pulmonary disease and smoking: A case for health promotion. British Journal of Nursing. 10 (1), 20-24. COPD. BMJ Clinical Evidence.  www.clinicalevidence.com, accessed 10 June 2009 Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease; September 2005. Gore, J. M., Brophy, C. J., Greenstone, M. A. (2000). How well do we care for patients with end stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)? A comparison of palliative care and quality of life in COPD and lung cancer. British Medical Journal: Thorax. 55,1000-1006. Guyton, A.C. and Hall, J.E. (2000) W.B. Saunders, Philadelphia; London. Haynes, N. (Ed.). (2000). Foundations of psychology, (3rd ed.). London: Thomson Learning. Henriksen, A. (2008). Statistics on clinical depression. Retrieved 2nd February 2010 website: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/586751 Higgins, D., Guest, J. (2008). Acute respiratory failure: Assessing patients. Retrieved 1st February 2010 website: http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice-clinical-research/acute-respiratory-failure-assessing-patients/1833932-article Johnson, J. L., Campbell, A. C., Bowers, M., Nichol, A. M. (2007). Understanding the social consequences of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: effects of stigma and gender. The American Thoracic Society, 4:680-682. doi: 10.1513/pats.200706-0845d. Kleinschmidt, P. (2008). Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema. Retrieved from Emedicine website: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/807143-overview Lacasse, Y. Goldstein, R. Lasserson, T. J. Pulmonary rehabilitation for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Cochrane Database, 2006 Oct 18;(4) Marieb, N. E. (Ed). (2003). Essentials of Human Anatomy Physiology. (7th ed.). San Francisco: Benjamin Cummings. Masters, N., Tutt, C. (2007). Smoking pack years calculator. Retrieved on 14th January 2010 from website: http://www.smokingpackyears.com/ Matterporth, C., Matfin, G. (2009). Pathophysiology concepts of altered heath states. (8th ed.). Lippincott, Willams Wilkins: Raven Publishers. McClance, L. K., Huether, E. S. (Eds.). (2006). Pathophysiology the biologic Munden, J. (Ed.). (2007). Professional guide to pathophysiology. (2nd ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott, Willams Wilkins. NICE  (2007)  Acutely Ill Patients in Hospital. Recognition of and Response to Acute Illness in Adults in Hospital. Textbook of Medical Physiology (10th edition) SUNY Downstate Medical Center, . (2008, March 05). The Respiratory system. Retrieved from http://ect.downstate.edu/courseware/histomanual/respiratory.html MedicineNet, . (1996 2010). Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (copd) . Retrieved from http://www.medicinenet.com/chronic_obstructive_pulmonary_disease_copd/page4.htm#symp

Explain the main factors that influence the rate of economic growth Ess

Explain the main factors that influence the rate of economic growth Economic growth will be different in M.E.D.Cs than it will be in L.E.D.Cs. The reason for this is that M.E.D.Cs are already developed and vast improvement may not be possible but in L.E.D.Cs they have a long way to catch up so it is easier for them to expand vastly. Economies like China and India have potential for vast economic growth because of a huge population. If these countries got their act together then they would be the world leaders. These two countries alone account for 40% of the worlds population. Land- Different countries possess different amounts of land, it is defined as all natural resources not just land itself. For example Saudi Arabia without its oil would just be another poor third world country. The U.K s land became richer with the discovery of oil fields in the North Sea which have only become exploited since the mid 1970s. Today oil contributes to about 3-4% of G.N.P. However the exploit of raw materials is unlikely to be a significant source of growth in developed economi...

Enjoying Life

Study Questions on Eveline for Yud Bet Five test Thursday, December 26, 2002 Some of the questions below are the ones that will appear on your exam, so study them well. (NOTE: you will NOT be allowed to have the text in front of you during the test, so make sure that you study beforehand! ) 1. Why didn’t Eveline go with Frank? Was it a rational decision or more of an emotional response? What do you think about her decision? What do you think the writer thinks about her decision? 2.Where in the story is Eveline compared to an animal? Why does the writer compare her to an animal? 3. After reading Eveline, what impression do you get of James Joyce’s attitude towards the Catholic Church? Find evidence in the story to prove this. 4. Discuss the motif of dust which pervades the story. What does the dust symbolize? 5. There are two points of view present in this story: that of Eveline herself and that of the narrator. How can we differentiate in the story between these two poi nts of view?What is the purpose of having these two points of view? 6. Describe Eveline’s state of mind at the port. What descriptions indicate this most clearly? 7. a. Fill in the following table: |Contrasting Symbols and Images Between | |Eveline’s life and Frank’s life | |Eveline’s life |Frank’s life | |a. ust |a. | |b. Margaret Mary Alacoque |b. | |c. |c. the open sea | |d. |d. â€Å"awfully fond of music and sang a little | |e. |e. face of bronze | |f. â€Å"her head was leaned against the window curtain† |f. | b. Based on these symbols, what can we say that Eveline’s life represents? c. Frank’s life?

Acc/230 Week 6 Assignment

Week 6 Assignment: Candela Corporation Case Rebecca Mouser ACC/230 Financial Reporting: Peeking Under the Financial Hood November 4, 2012 Instructor Nathan McDaniel Week 6 Assignment: Candela Corporation Case Assignment: Candela Corporation Case Resource: Ch. 4 of Understanding Financial Statements * Compose a 500- to 750-word paper responding to questions 1 and 2 of the Candela Corporation Case on p. 146 (Ch. 4). * Format your paper according to APA standards. * Post your paper as an attachment. 1.Using the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows, prepare a summary analysis for the years ended July 3, 2004, June 28, 2003, and June 29, 2002. Analyze the cash flows for Candela Corporation, Inc. for all three years. 2. Explain what information you gain from the statement of cash flows that cannot be found directly from the balance sheet or income statement. â€Å"Candela Corporation is a pioneer in the development and commercialization of advanced aesthetic laser systems that allow phys icians and personal care practitioners to treat a wide variety of cosmetic and medical conditions† (Fraser & Ormiston, 2007, pp. 46-147). After reviewing the corporation’s statement of cash flows for the years 2002, 2003, and 2004, it is clear that the company has taken on many changes financially. In 2002, Candela Corporation had a weak start with several losses compared to the years 2003, and 2004. In 2002, Candela had a net loss of $2,154 (thousands) compared to a net gain in 2003 and 2004. Candela Corporation had a significantly higher amount of loss in its net cash used in operating activities of $7,071 (thousands) compared to its net loss of $2,154 (thousands), a difference of $4,917.Candela Corporation also had a net loss in its investing activities of $1,058 (thousands), and a net loss in its financing activities of $5,141 (thousands). Candela also had a loss of $68 (thousands) on its income taxes for the year. In 2002, the company took a loss in the followi ng operating areas according to their statement of cash flows. Provision for deferred taxes $115 (thousands), tax benefit from exercised stock options $6 (thousands), effect of exchange rate changes on foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities of $305 (thousands).Account receivable $3,525 (thousands), notes receivable $54 (thousands), inventories $1,661 (thousands), and accounts payable $3,069 (thousands) and income tax payable $784 (thousands). Net losses in investing and financing areas include purchase of property, plant, and equipment of $1,058 (thousands), repurchases of treasury stock of $5,215 (thousands), and principle payments of long-term debt of $370 (thousands). In 2003, Candela Corporation had a net profit at the yearend of $6,814 (thousands) with a net cash used in operating activities of $11,655 (thousands); a significant difference from 2002.Candela Corporation still had a net loss in its investing activities of $1,227 (thousands) while they had a net profi t in its financing activities of $176 (thousands). Other net losses the company incurred in its operating, investing, and financing activities sections were provision for bad debts $13 (thousands), provision for deferred taxes $682 (thousands), and tax benefit from exercised stock options of $505 (thousands). Other areas are restricted cash $57 (thousands), account receivable $2,417 (thousands), accounts payable $1,409 (thousands).Accrued warranty costs of $921 (thousands), purchase of property, plant, and equipment $1,227 (thousands), net borrowings (repayments) on line of credit $1,114 (thousands), and principle payments of long-term debt of $3,330 (thousands). Candela Corporation seems to be most successful in 2004 according to its statement of cash flows. In 2004, Candela Corporation had a net income of $8,119 (thousands) and $1,132 used in net operating activities. Even though the company still had several losses in 2004 they were still able to profit from the last two years.Ot her net losses the company incurred in its operating, investing, and financing activities sections were tax benefit from exercised stock options of $1,223 (thousands), restricted cash $200 (thousands), accounts receivable $7,663 (thousands) and inventories of $2,134 (thousands). Other current assets of $2,550 (thousands), other assets $236 (thousands), accounts payable $91 (thousands), income tax payable $1,312 (thousands), and purchase of property, plant, and equipment of $685 (thousands).The income statement and balance sheet provides an adequate amount of information, but the statement of cash flows provides a clearer picture of what a company is doing and how well they are doing. The income statement and balance sheet provides information about the accounts receivable and the accounts payable as well as depreciation; the statement of cash flows also provides this information. â€Å"A company’s financial statements consist of the balance sheet, income statement and cash f low statement. The balance sheet summarizes the assets, liabilities and shareholders’ equity of the company.The income statement shows the sales-related activity over a period, which is usually a quarter of a year. The cash flow statement shows the cash inflows and outflows during a period. Financial information is important in assessing a company’s profitability, detecting problem areas and making investment decisions† (Basu, 1999-2012). References Basu, C. (1999-2012). The importance of Income Statement and Cash Flows. Retrieved from eHow: http://www. ehow. com/info_8274659_importance-income-statement-cash-flows. html Fraser, L. M. , & Ormiston, A. (2007). Case 4. 2 CandelaCorporation. Prentice Hall.

4 Reasons Why Trees Drop Nuts Early

4 Reasons Why Trees Drop Nuts Early Sometimes nut-bearing trees, such as hickory, walnut, and pecan, drop their fruit before full maturity. At times, it can be a natural shedding of a portion of the nut crop. Other causes can be more problematic, including adverse weather conditions, poor tree health, inadequate  pollination, insects, and disease. How Nut Trees Set Fruit Most nut-bearing trees have male pollinators and female flowers, both called catkins. Female flowers produce nuts during the current seasons growth and have to survive through that years growth before the crop of nuts is set. Not all flowers on a tree will produce a nut each year; in fact, they may alternate years.   There can be several natural nut drops between mid-Mays pollination through the end of Augusts fruit set, and they can be minimized by proper tree fertilization. For example, if a tree wasnt adequately pollinated or didnt have enough potassium to set good fruit, there will be nuts that may be malformed with few seeds inside (fruits on the tree grow but embryos inside dont develop). The tree will drop this fruit early because its not biologically sufficient for the trees reproduction. The tree will concentrate its energy on growing fruits that are going to set good seeds. A Trees Physical Condition Poor tree health can cause premature dropping of nuts. A trees health is often compromised because of inadequate nutrient uptake, which is most evident during drought. Insect and disease infestations increase during these times of tree stress and can further degrade a trees condition, especially if trees are growing in poor soil. Any early defoliation will cause nut drop and low-quality fruit. Water and fertilize your tree adequately to make sure it has the proper nutrients to set and grow its fruits. Weather Influence on a Trees Nut Crop Excessive rain or frost during late spring/early summer pollination will cause inadequate pollination of female flowers. Those poorly-pollinated flowers may produce a nut that will drop early or produce no nut at all. Sometimes, male pollen can mature either before or after the female flower is receptive, and this condition is usually weather-related. An extended drought during nut growth may also result in the dropping of tree nuts, particularly if the plant is in sandy soil that dries out quickly. Thats a resource competition drop, or a so-called June drop, as the tree is concentrating its energy on the number of nuts it can support.   Mechanical injury to leaves, flowers, and nuts from hail and wind may cause premature dropping as well. Insects and Diseases of Nut Trees Early pecan scab infection of young nuts will cause nuts to drop and is a major cause of pecan crop failure. Black walnut is highly vulnerable to anthracnose, and the disease is of much concern in commercial orchards. Leaf diseases in nut trees such as scab, scorch, mildew, blotch, brown spot, and downy or vein spot may also cause nut shedding. The pecan nut casebearer probably causes more nut shedding than all other insects combined in pecan orchards. Codling moth causes significant premature nut drop in black walnut groves. Other insects, such as black aphids, walnut caterpillar, shuckworms, stink bugs, and pecan weevils may cause early nut dropping. Avoid using pesticides during flowering, as chemicals can kill beneficial insects and result in inadequate pollination.

Free Essays on Terrorism & America

Terrorism & America Terrorism wasn’t something that Americans thought much of up until the 1990’s. Prior to the 90’s, Americans felt secure against any major political violence at home. Since then, we have been introduced to growing ways of our vulnerability. With 9/11 and the Oklahoma City bombings in 1995 killing 169 has raised the possibility of a sustained campaign of violence on U.S. soil. There hasn’t been a war on U.S. soil since the Civil War. The problem with terrorism now is that we don’t know what to expect. The hostility built up mostly in the Middle East has yet to seriously backfire on us. We have to understand what terrorism is and how to deal with it in order to take part in counter terrorism. Terrorist’s actions aren’t considered acts of war. Rather, proof that they can beat us and get away at it. Webster’s Third International Dictionary defines terrorism as  ¹the systematic use of terror as a means of coercion.  ²An atmosphere of threat or violence. What Americans really think of when something like 9/11 or the Oklahoma City bombings happen is, why? Definition What terrorism really is as far as the U.S. government sees it is, â€Å"premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by sub national groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence and audience.† This definition has four main elements. The first, premeditation, means there must be an intent and prior decision to commit the act that would qualify as terrorism. It isn’t a matter of accident. The second element, political motivation, is what all terrorists have in common and separates them from other violent criminals, it is the claim to be serving some greater good. The noncombatant target element explains itself. Terrorists attack people who cannot defend themselves with violence in return. The final part of terrorism deals with sub national groups. This would be a... Free Essays on Terrorism & America Free Essays on Terrorism & America Terrorism & America Terrorism wasn’t something that Americans thought much of up until the 1990’s. Prior to the 90’s, Americans felt secure against any major political violence at home. Since then, we have been introduced to growing ways of our vulnerability. With 9/11 and the Oklahoma City bombings in 1995 killing 169 has raised the possibility of a sustained campaign of violence on U.S. soil. There hasn’t been a war on U.S. soil since the Civil War. The problem with terrorism now is that we don’t know what to expect. The hostility built up mostly in the Middle East has yet to seriously backfire on us. We have to understand what terrorism is and how to deal with it in order to take part in counter terrorism. Terrorist’s actions aren’t considered acts of war. Rather, proof that they can beat us and get away at it. Webster’s Third International Dictionary defines terrorism as  ¹the systematic use of terror as a means of coercion.  ²An atmosphere of threat or violence. What Americans really think of when something like 9/11 or the Oklahoma City bombings happen is, why? Definition What terrorism really is as far as the U.S. government sees it is, â€Å"premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by sub national groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence and audience.† This definition has four main elements. The first, premeditation, means there must be an intent and prior decision to commit the act that would qualify as terrorism. It isn’t a matter of accident. The second element, political motivation, is what all terrorists have in common and separates them from other violent criminals, it is the claim to be serving some greater good. The noncombatant target element explains itself. Terrorists attack people who cannot defend themselves with violence in return. The final part of terrorism deals with sub national groups. This would be a...

Aztec Calendar Stone Essay Example for Free

Aztec Calendar Stone Essay Obtaining the knowledge that was passed down to them from earlier Mesoamerican cultures, the Aztecs carved the calendar stone in 1479 (Smith 253). At the time, the Aztecs lived in a very civilized world filled with amazing architecture, an impressively complex government system, and they also employed intricate systems of writing and calendric systems (Taube 7). The Calendar Stone was made by basalt stone. For the Aztecs, everything was pictorial in nature around this era. The calendar stone depicted different pictograms or Codex Magliabechianoand, which was primarily written on religious documents (Aztec-History). Art was centered around religion in this era. So the pictograms of the gods on the calendar stone would correlate with that subject matter. The Aztecs were a highly ritualistic civilization devoted to divination and their Gods. The Aztec calendar stone was created as a divinatory tool which was used for rituals, to forecast the future, and to determine which days were lucky and which days not for the outcome of various actions and events (Smith 254). The calendar had two systems. It had the sacred Tonalpohualli, which was based on the 260-day cycle and the Iuhpohualli, which was a 365-day cycle (Palfrey). Seen by the count, there is a five day difference between these two calendars. The five day differences were thought to be the most unholy, unlucky days of the year (Smith 257). The world was thought to be coming to an end. On the Aztec Calendar, the year was divided into 13-day periods. Each group of 13 days had a different deity ruling over the unit. This is because these units were thought to have a special symbolic influence and the deities were to ensure a positive outcome (Smith 256). In the middle of the Sun Stone, is the sun god Tonatuih. His tongue protruding between his teeth resembles a sacrificial flint knife. In his claw like hands he clutches human hearts (Palfrey). ‘Many scholars have debated on the stone’s meaning and purpose. Some suggest that, fixed horizontally; it served as a sacrificial altar, which would make sense because the stone was dedicated to the sun deity. Most agree though, that it offers a graphic representation of the Mexica cosmos’ (Palfrey). In The Aztecs, Smith sums up what is to be believed the thought of the Aztecs when they carved the calendar stone â€Å"The Aztec calendar stone conveyed the message that the Aztec empire covered the whole earth (territory in all four directions), and that it was founded upon the sacred principles of time, directionality, divine warfare, and the sanction of the gods† (Smith 270). Keeping the Aztec calendar is proof of ancient cultures mathematical and scientific achievements without the aid of modern technology. The study of the sun stone could lead to further advances in mathematics and acts as a road map to our celestial bodies from that era of our history. The Aztecs believe they felt justified in believing in this calendar because of numerous events that changed the course of history for them. Because Aztec Indians were fervent astronomers, they tracked the stars and correlated that between the days to create this sun calendar. Examples of events happening within the timeline of the calendar stone being built are these: Between 1452 and 1454, their capital city Tenochtitlan suffered from flood and famine, the following year on 4/16/1445 (Julian calendar) there was an eclipse of the sun. From 1473-1479, there were 4 more solar eclipses within a five year time frame (Aveni, Calnek). During this time the Aztec nation conquered and sacrificed many of the neighboring towns. Their leaders were wounded or killed, followed by violent earthquakes (Aveni, Calnek). There may have been even more visible eclipses seen by the Aztecs that have not been discovered because they were lost, or destroyed, or even confused with other natural events (Aveni, Calnek). If one were to take into consideration the Aztecs being a society with strong beliefs in deities, the Aztecs constant state of turmoil from wars and death and then couple that with a constant flow of solar eclipses; it wouldn’t take much to consider that the Aztecs might have thought there Gods were planning on ending their world†¦. again. The Aztecs might have carved this massive calendar from stone to give their future generations a chance to do things right, where they did not. Many other artifacts of the same caliber and craftsmanship were excavated around the time the calendar stone was. This was an amazing find, because in the early colonial period of the sixteenth century, pre-Hispanic stone sculptures were considered potent satanic threats to successful conversion (Taube 25). With the Spaniards thinking this, this lead to the destruction of many great pieces of art, manuscripts, and other forms of architecture. Thankfully, with the Aztecs foreseeing this frame of mind being a possibility and other circumstances occurring, many artifacts survived by being hidden in caves, on mountain tops, and even buried under Mexico City (Taube 25). After the artifacts were excavated, rather than being destroyed, they were treated as objects of curiosity and to be studied (Taube 25-26). I account for any differences between reception then and today by knowing people today have so many different religions and beliefs. Whereas the Aztecs were ignorant of the different beliefs we have today. They just had knowledge of what was taught to them by their elders as we do ours. There were not that many differences and very many similarities between American Indians of this era. In the way they did things to their architecture and sculptures. As a matter of fact, the Aztecs calendar was based of the earlier Mayan cultures. The Aztec calendar stone and Mayan calendar share many similarities. Both calendars have ritual days. The Aztec ritual day that was formed is the Tonalpohualli and the Maya ritual day is the Tzolkin. The day names on both calendars are also very similar. Both calendars used 18 months with 20 day counts along with other counts. The Aztec and Maya calendar stone is believed to have both mythological and astronomical significance. Both Native American cultures regarded their calendars as religious. Using the calendars, the Aztec and Maya priests dictated when to grow crops, when the dry and rainy seasons were, when to go to war, etc. (World Mysteries). The main way the Aztec calendar differed was in their more primitive number system and less precise way of recording dates. The year also started with different months. The Maya calendar tracked the movements of the planets and the moon. From this came their reckoning of time, and a calendar that accurately measures the solar year to within minutes. The Aztecs also kept the two different aspects of time, the Tonalpohualli, which was counting the days and the Xiuhpohualli which was counting the years (World Mysteries). The Aztecs believed they were living in the fifth and final stage of life. Because the Maya used a 360 day long cycle, they could tell that there were time periods way longer than the age of our universe (World Mysteries). It helped me figure out what some of the major celestial events where during the time the Aztec Sun Calendar was created. Palfrey, Dale. Mysteries of the Fifth Sun: The Aztec Calendar. n. p. Web. 8 January 1999. http://www. mexconnect. com/articles/199-mysteries-of-the-fifth-sun-the-aztec-calendar This is a website with basic information about the Aztec Sun Calendar. It gave me more insight into what the calendar looked like. Aztec-History. N. p. , nd. Web. 1996-2012 http://www. aztec-history. com This website has an enormous amount of information about Aztec Indians, from clothing to their demise and pretty much everything in between. The website gave me most of the information about the calendar stone I have so far. Smith, Michael. The Aztecs. Blackwell Publishers Inc. , 1996. Print. The book is Aztec Indians and their culture. This book helped me to understand the calendar stone more and why it was just a big part of Aztec life. Taube, Karl. Aztec and Maya Myths. British Museum Press, 1993. Print. This book detailed facts and myths about Aztec and Mayan Indians. This book helped me find what the Aztecs art and idols were see as in the early colonial period. Aztec Calendar Stone. (2018, Oct 26).

Training for Health, Fitness and Sport Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Training for Health, Fitness and Sport - Essay Example Moreover, endogenous and exogenous fuels for energy production are considerably dissimilar. Aerobic exercise lasts for a relatively long period and involves the working of the heart and lungs. Dubbed as endurance exercises, it implies that it lasts for a long time. The type of race the cyclists specialize in is categorized as endurance and therefore aerobic. It would therefore, be important to consider the efficiency of their heart and lungs in taking the oxygen and conveying it to the muscles, that is, their aerobic fitness. The cyclists would derive energy from aerobic energy systems or metabolism. The aerobic system is quite slow in producing adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Energy requirements and intake of macronutrients varies across gender and sports. This paper is a report, which discusses factors that affect exercise performance based on empirical evidence. The paper will also discuss the nutritional requirements of five cyclists and the importance of macronutrients and micronu trients according to the specific demand of each track-cycling event. The relevance of participation and development in the success and performance will be discussed. Macro and micro nutrients functions and sources Macronutrients in foods provide a rich source of energy and they include carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Sources of simple carbohydrates include fruits, dairy produce, confectionery, soft drinks, and cakes and biscuits. Sources of complex carbohydrates include rice, wheat, oats, corns, vegetables, and pulses. Wheat products such as bread, pastry, pasta, and biscuits provide rich sources of complex carbohydrates. Sources of proteins include eggs, poultry, dairy products, cereals, wheat, rice, oats, meat and fish. Sources of fat include dairy products, oils, cakes, confectionery, and meat. Micronutrients include vitamin and minerals. They do not provide energy although perform key functions. Foods rich in vitamin include vegetables, nuts, fish, seeds, bran, whole grains, beans, and legumes. Water is also required in addition to macronutrients and micronutrients. Endurance cyclists are involved in aerobic exercise, which entails use of oxygen. Oxygen tends to have adverse effects on the body including increasing chances of contracting certain cancers and heart diseases. Antioxidants tend to nullify such adverse effects on the body. The antioxidants such as Vitamin A, C, and E, and some minerals such as zinc and selenium are obtained from fruits and vegetables. Water is also important in diet (Donnelly 2008). Dunford and Doyle (2008) observed that dietary supplements that contain vitamins, amino acids, and minerals would have less significant impact on exercise performance. Ergogenic supplements having the necessary vitamins, proteins and minerals would therefore, be more appropriate. Importance of the nutrients to cyclists and their specific needs concerning physical demands of sport cycling Nutrition is an important extrinsic factor that influences physical training and recovery. Endurance cyclists train for endurance, power, and strength (Seebohar n.d). Donnelly (2008) observed that dietary proteins provide rich source of energy, which is necessary for preserving body’s basal metabolic processes. Proteins provide amino acids that are necessary for the production of broad range of proteins vital for the body functions. Petrie, Stover, & Horswill (2004) indicated that intense and constant exercise tends to increase daily protein demands for adult cyclists. Heavy training coupled

Develop an interview methodology for a digital forensic examination Research Paper

Develop an interview methodology for a digital forensic examination - Research Paper Example It will depict the instructions and definitions for the forensic examiner. Examination: This phase is meant to facilitate the evidence visibility while providing an explanation regarding its origin and significance. The examination phase also involves the revealing of hidden information and the relevant documentation (Kohn, 2012). Developing the interview methodology is very critical in a digital forensic investigation. The major steps involved in the development process include preparation for the interview, selecting/determining participants, establishing a pilot test/study, Constructing the research question, following-up the question, implementation of the interviews, and data interpretation (Selamat, 2008). The first and one of the most important things to do is to initiate a preparation for the digital forensic examination interview. The interview preparation will help in breaking the forensic investigation process in such a way that any problematic circumstances are alleviated or exacerbated. Such problems usually occur after the investigation is fully implemented (Turner, 2010). The forensic examiner should determine the possible problems and establish a way of evading or dealing with them. The preparation should be done in such a way that unambiguous focus is established. This is meant to enhance the feasibility and the associated benefit of the digital forensic examination (Turner, 2010). To ensure an effective interview preparation, the forensic examiner needs to choose the forensic investigation setting. This choice of forensic investigation setting will ensure that the examination is done within a feasible context. The purpose of the forensic interview should also be explained effectively. Further, the confidentiality terms need to be addressed. This requirement is very important because respondents will require guaranteed safety once they provide

OBSERVATION 5 OBSERVING KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOM Essay

OBSERVATION 5 OBSERVING KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOM - Essay Example Inside the class, the children were gossiping with one another and making a lot of noise. Some were even banging their desks while others started to take out their notebooks and pencils from their bags. The teacher asked the children to be quiet so that she could take the roll call but the children would not listen. The teacher then shouted at the top of her voice saying, â€Å"Be quiet!† and also clapped the rostrum with her palm loudly to gain the children’s attention. Suddenly, there was pin-drop-silence. Some children looked terrified while others put their fingers on their lips. The teacher called the students â€Å"a mess† and similar rude words. Once everybody was quiet, the teacher then started taking the roll call. It was the kindergarten classroom and the average age of the children was 5 years. They were 25 children in total. The teacher made a very rational approach in transiting from the exercise activity to the classroom activity. She asked the children to arrange themselves in a line. This not only organized the children so that they could move toward the class in a disciplined way, but also saved the teacher’s time and energy that would have otherwise been consumed in guiding the scattered children toward the classroom. The children even looked very disciplined when arranged in the form of a line. While the teacher’s approach here was very praiseworthy, her way of getting the children’s attention in the classroom was just as much indecent and unsophisticated. She looked struggling very hard to gain their attention and she even had to bang the rostrum and shout at the top of her voice to make them quiet. She was loud enough to be heard shouting outside the classroom as well. Her shouting even terrified the children. This not only broke her emotional connection with the children but might also have set a bad impression on the other teachers who had heard her shout. Rather than shouting, the teacher could have easily

Stereotyping of Latina Women in the United States Research Paper

Stereotyping of Latina Women in the United States - Research Paper Example But some sections of society seem to be purposely promoting the stereotypical images of some races for conveniences of a certain kind. One of these sections is the entertainment media industry and their convenience in this regard is the ease in selling their product. While there are a few common tendencies of the TV and film industry of stereotyping groups of people, like African Americans and chopper riders, this paper sheds light on the entertainment media’s love affair with certain portrayals of Latino women. It traces the origins of the practice of stereotyping Latinas on TV and film, investigates its immersion in modern society, calculates its impact on the lives of its affectees and alludes to the solution of the problem. Stereotypes It was Gary D. Keller (2) who, in 1994, first drew a detailed picture of the problem, characterising the three principle types of stereotypes that are promulgated by the mainstream TV and film media. These include the image of a sexually att ractive, flamboyant middle-aged woman; the ill-fated, subservient, selfless single woman and the deceptive and cunning beauty that stabs its admirers in the back for vested interests. The portrayal of Latino women as sexual objects is the most common stereotype of Latinas in the TV and film industry. ... It is also common for producers to cast Latinas as poor housewives sacrificing their joys for the well being of their family’s interrelations or as housekeepers showing utter selflessness and subservience to their masters. In a recent study (Rivadeneyra, 393), seven groups of thirty seven students in total were shown montages of different TV shows and movies casting Latino actresses. In their observations, two of the seven groups noted that that it is rare to see Latinos playing positive roles on television: â€Å"They always portray them as the lower class or as the maids or whatever. You never see a CEO of a company being Hispanic or whatever like in a regular TV show.† These trends of stereotyping of Latinas are not fading away yet. Just this year a new show called "Devious Maids" (Shearmur), produced in the famous ABC studios aired, depicting the story of five Latino maids. The show seems to combine two popular stereotypes of Latino women and proves that there still is great market demand for such portrayals of Latino women. Origins and Causes The portrayal of a certain group of people on camera cannot have much bearing on the group’s place in the real world. How then, does this stereotyping of Latinas by the TV and film industry translate to the great inaccuracy in perception of Latinas in American society? In her critical analysis of this issue’s manifestation in the popular TV series Desperate Housewives, Debra Merskin (133) answers this question: â€Å"It is through the repetition of these Latina stereotypes in mass media, both on and off screen that solidifies these stereotypes of Latina women in society.† It is evidently well qualified to say that

Aboriginal culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Aboriginal culture - Essay Example Western science and Aboriginal knowledge are complementary and both provide insight into our world and environment. Just as western science seeks to provide answers to questions pertaining to our past, present and future, so too does Aboriginal knowledge (Dreaming) and one cannot be dismissed in favour of the other, instead the two should interact and work together. The English term Dreaming is more an analogy than a translation of Aboriginal spirituality. b. It is wrong to consider Aboriginal societies as being primitive to western societies in the misbelief that they had no religion, philosophy or political systems prior to colonization; all three are integral to Aboriginal existence. Religion, philosophy and laws (political systems) are components of every aspect of life and underpin all behaviours, interpretations and expressions both within ceremonial life and daily life. The principles and codes of behaviour (laws) relate to all things on earth not only humans, are complex and live and breathe in the people and their environment. Aboriginal religion, philosophy and political systems were known and past down from their ancestors and are lived and maintained in their practice. c. It is inaccurate to classify Aboriginal societies as nomadic; they were semi-nomadic which meant they did not stay in one place until the food supply was exhausted as is the nomadic norm, but instead they moved from one place to another and back as food supplies became available. Rather than use the land, they belonged to the land, only took what they needed, and moved to allow the plants to re-grow and the animals to regenerate; in other words their occupation of land was seasonal, their movement was cyclical and they and the land were inseparable. d. To assume that Aboriginal societies did not create technologies is wrong because they have developed technologies to make their lives better, just as western societies have done. As hunters and gatherers, Aboriginal societies develop ed weapons, tools and other kinds of equipment from a diverse range of materials obtained from the land; these tools and weapons were developed for specific uses and tasks in different situations and so had a functional use. Their technologies were founded on their complex knowledge system that included an understanding of aerodynamics, physics, chemistry and biology, as well as ecology. e. Aboriginal laws were not written because it was not necessary to do so; instead they were passed down by their ancestors through stories, song and ceremony. Aboriginal law rises above all things and directs them through life; it is who they are and it is integral to every aspect of their lives. The law is all around them – everywhere – and is in everything they do; they eat, sleep and breathe it; they sing it and live it. Unlike our laws they do not require a written form and are not a set of rules that can be broken; instead Aboriginal law lives within their very substance. Questio n 2 Living – their very existence - for Aboriginal Australian people includes art, ceremony, stories and songs dating back for thousands of generations. According to Sutton (1988), Aboriginal art, music, dance and ceremony are demonstrations of the Dreaming that relate to the extensive symbolism of beliefs and daily life that make up a complicated and multifaceted ‘code of interaction’ (p.14). Just as the Dreaming is essential to the discernment of Aboriginal art, stories, song and ceremony, they in turn are a means of right of entry to the Dreaming (Morphy, 1998) that constantly reflects and modifies a person’s beliefs, values, ideas and sociality. Throughout history man has been intent on preparing children to become responsible and useful adults within

OBSERVATION 5 OBSERVING KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOM Essay

OBSERVATION 5 OBSERVING KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOM - Essay Example Inside the class, the children were gossiping with one another and making a lot of noise. Some were even banging their desks while others started to take out their notebooks and pencils from their bags. The teacher asked the children to be quiet so that she could take the roll call but the children would not listen. The teacher then shouted at the top of her voice saying, â€Å"Be quiet!† and also clapped the rostrum with her palm loudly to gain the children’s attention. Suddenly, there was pin-drop-silence. Some children looked terrified while others put their fingers on their lips. The teacher called the students â€Å"a mess† and similar rude words. Once everybody was quiet, the teacher then started taking the roll call. It was the kindergarten classroom and the average age of the children was 5 years. They were 25 children in total. The teacher made a very rational approach in transiting from the exercise activity to the classroom activity. She asked the children to arrange themselves in a line. This not only organized the children so that they could move toward the class in a disciplined way, but also saved the teacher’s time and energy that would have otherwise been consumed in guiding the scattered children toward the classroom. The children even looked very disciplined when arranged in the form of a line. While the teacher’s approach here was very praiseworthy, her way of getting the children’s attention in the classroom was just as much indecent and unsophisticated. She looked struggling very hard to gain their attention and she even had to bang the rostrum and shout at the top of her voice to make them quiet. She was loud enough to be heard shouting outside the classroom as well. Her shouting even terrified the children. This not only broke her emotional connection with the children but might also have set a bad impression on the other teachers who had heard her shout. Rather than shouting, the teacher could have easily

Aboriginal culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Aboriginal culture - Essay Example Western science and Aboriginal knowledge are complementary and both provide insight into our world and environment. Just as western science seeks to provide answers to questions pertaining to our past, present and future, so too does Aboriginal knowledge (Dreaming) and one cannot be dismissed in favour of the other, instead the two should interact and work together. The English term Dreaming is more an analogy than a translation of Aboriginal spirituality. b. It is wrong to consider Aboriginal societies as being primitive to western societies in the misbelief that they had no religion, philosophy or political systems prior to colonization; all three are integral to Aboriginal existence. Religion, philosophy and laws (political systems) are components of every aspect of life and underpin all behaviours, interpretations and expressions both within ceremonial life and daily life. The principles and codes of behaviour (laws) relate to all things on earth not only humans, are complex and live and breathe in the people and their environment. Aboriginal religion, philosophy and political systems were known and past down from their ancestors and are lived and maintained in their practice. c. It is inaccurate to classify Aboriginal societies as nomadic; they were semi-nomadic which meant they did not stay in one place until the food supply was exhausted as is the nomadic norm, but instead they moved from one place to another and back as food supplies became available. Rather than use the land, they belonged to the land, only took what they needed, and moved to allow the plants to re-grow and the animals to regenerate; in other words their occupation of land was seasonal, their movement was cyclical and they and the land were inseparable. d. To assume that Aboriginal societies did not create technologies is wrong because they have developed technologies to make their lives better, just as western societies have done. As hunters and gatherers, Aboriginal societies develop ed weapons, tools and other kinds of equipment from a diverse range of materials obtained from the land; these tools and weapons were developed for specific uses and tasks in different situations and so had a functional use. Their technologies were founded on their complex knowledge system that included an understanding of aerodynamics, physics, chemistry and biology, as well as ecology. e. Aboriginal laws were not written because it was not necessary to do so; instead they were passed down by their ancestors through stories, song and ceremony. Aboriginal law rises above all things and directs them through life; it is who they are and it is integral to every aspect of their lives. The law is all around them – everywhere – and is in everything they do; they eat, sleep and breathe it; they sing it and live it. Unlike our laws they do not require a written form and are not a set of rules that can be broken; instead Aboriginal law lives within their very substance. Questio n 2 Living – their very existence - for Aboriginal Australian people includes art, ceremony, stories and songs dating back for thousands of generations. According to Sutton (1988), Aboriginal art, music, dance and ceremony are demonstrations of the Dreaming that relate to the extensive symbolism of beliefs and daily life that make up a complicated and multifaceted ‘code of interaction’ (p.14). Just as the Dreaming is essential to the discernment of Aboriginal art, stories, song and ceremony, they in turn are a means of right of entry to the Dreaming (Morphy, 1998) that constantly reflects and modifies a person’s beliefs, values, ideas and sociality. Throughout history man has been intent on preparing children to become responsible and useful adults within

Learning Plan Essay Example for Free

Learning Plan Essay The learning plan described in this paper is to have students debate a topic related to the Civil War. The debate topic is â€Å"Was the Emancipation Proclamation enacted for moral reasons or political reasons?† The main concept of this learning plan is to have students work collaboratively to research facts, and recall and use facts from the Civil War unit to incorporate into their arguments. (It should be noted that the learning plan described in this paper will take several classes to complete, however the learning plan procedures will only address the class where the debate will occur. ) It is assumed that debate skills were taught in a previous class. The learning theory certainly incorporates constructivist aspects. They are constructing knowledge rather than absorbing it. This is constructivist approach is illustrated through the collaborative nature of the assignment, as well as through the research that students’ must produce. In terms of the use of technology and media; the students will be instructed to research one source of information, from the internet, related to their argument. They must submit a one-page analysis of the information in which they found along with a references page. This must be submitted to the teacher a week before the scheduled debate. The teacher will assess the content of the paper, but the references page will also be important. Teacher must evaluate the kinds of internet sources that the students have used. The credibility of the internet source, and the strength of student’s research will be analyzed by the teacher. The purpose is to assess student’s traditional literacy and critical analytical skills (assessed when evaluating the content), and information literacy/interpretation skills of online material (assessed by reviewing the reference page). Finally, the teacher will hand back papers to the students, and he/she will instruct each group to use at least two of their group members’ papers into their group’s arguments. Media and technology will also be incorporated with the use of social media. The teacher will tell students that their debates will be recorded and submitted to youtube or a private school website (if issues of privacy are raised). Others will be allowed to view th e video to evaluate the strength of each team’s arguments. Based on the comments of public viewers, a winner will be chosen (by popular vote). This popular vote will be incorporated as a small percentage into the assessment. This is being done as to allow students to  participate in new media opportunities within an educational context. Learning Plan Context Setting The high needs school will be a High School in the Bay Area, either in San Francisco or Oakland. There will be 25-30 students in an individual classroom.  The lesson will take place the week after the Civil War unit is finished. It is anticipated that the unit will last about two weeks, therefore the debate class will occur during the third week. The actual debate class will take up one class period. The content area is US History/Politics. The grade level is Juniors (11th grade). In sum, the curriculum unit is 11th grade, US History/Politics, Civil War unit. Standards According to California standards for literacy in History/Social Studies in 6-12th grades. A student must be able to demonstrate analysis of primary and secondary sources, and connect these insights to the understanding of the whole text. This ability will be addressed and assessed when students must incorporate information learned from the textbook with information gained from the internet, and use both sources of information, into their debate. The student’s ability to undertake this task will be evaluated by the teacher with the submission of student’s sources, and also during the debate. (http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/finalelaccssstandards.pdf.) Also according to California standards, students must be able to evaluate various explanations for events and actions. This standard is illustrated in the nature of the activity. A debate, in itself, evaluates different explanations for one event, which makes it an ideal means of addressing this standard (http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/finalelaccssstandards.pdf.)  Finally, according to California standards, students must be able to evaluate differing points of view on the same historical issue. Once again, this standard is illustrated within the nature of a debate. It is also illustrated when students submit their own analysis of internet research (http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/finalelaccssstandards.pdf.) Learning Objective Students will be able to collaboratively demonstrate their knowledge of Civil War policy, events and information, from the textbook and from online sources, by formulating arguments to be presented within a debate. Learning Theory Applications Constructivism is certainly at play in this lesson plan: The activity allows knowledge to be organized into schemas, concepts, and worldviews. This activity is emphasizing the use of authentic activities by constructing knowledge through interaction with the environments (internet and peers), and applying it to real-life situations (debate). The collaborative component certainly illustrates constuctivism; learners will help each other create conceptual connections. Finally, students are working autonomously with the help of the teacher as facilitator, supporter, and model (Ormrod, 2006). Learning Accommodations: Individualized Education Plan for Special Accomodations: In each team, all students will be assigned a role. For example, â€Å"speaker†, â€Å"writer†, â€Å"time-keeper†. A student’s IEP will be taken into consideration when assigning roles. A student with an IEP, will be assigned a role that best fits their IEP. For example, a student with ADD, may be best suited to be a time-keeper since their attention span is not as focused. They may be anxious to change the pace of the group’s discussions, and therefore they may be eager to keep track of the time. Language Development needs: When assigning the internet-based research; the teacher will give ELL students a website to navigate to, instead of having the students navigate the internet themselves. Teacher will give explicit instructions as to where to look on the website so students do not feel too overwhelmed with the English language. Teacher will ask the students to try to comprehend some of the information, however if this proves too difficult, then the teacher will ask the students to find 15-20 words from the website that the student did not understand. The student will then find the meanings of these words in their own language. They must write at least a paragraph about the Civil War unit incorporating five of the words that they found on the internet. Also,  at least two of these words must be incorporated into the arguments of their team. Gifted and Talented needs: This is a challenging component to consider because a gifted/talented student does not necessarily mean an academic-rigorous student. To really tailor the lesson to address the interests of a gifted/talented student, then the teacher will have to be familiar with the personality of that particular student. However, some situations will be addressed here. First of all, from the research, the lesson itself befits that of a gifted/talented student. Competition, which characterizes a debate, usually suits the nature of gifted/talented students. (http://www.teachersfirst.com/gifted_strategies.cfm) The first situation to consider is a student who is gifted/talented, but not academically rigorous. This student will be given a leadership role within his/her team. He/she may be assigned to organize/manage all the ideas of the students. He/she is the one who will be given the rubric for what the teacher is assessing when observing the team’s discussions and arguments. He/she is the manager, and he/she will be assessed on their ability to keep his/her team on task. In this way, this student isn’t necessarily doing more â€Å"academic† work, but he/she is being challenged in a rather difficult manner. A second situation to consider is to have a gifted/talented student who is academically rigorous. The teacher will give this student a second component to add to his/her research paper. The student must connect textbook material and internet material to the US politics of today. This is increasing the cognitive process from analyze (which all students must do with their research papers) to evaluate (Anderson and Krathwol, 2001). The student can choose to incorporate this extra component into their team’s arguments. Resource Accommodations: Low tech: There are no computers, projector, or internet access in the classroom. If this is the case, teacher may have to allocate time in different lessons to use school facilities where computers are available. Computers must be used so that the teacher can show students the kinds of websites that are credible, as well as to use sites, like youtube, to show students examples of debates. Computer use is necessary so teacher may have to take time before or after school to meet with students (who are willing) to show them the above-mentioned websites. Mid tech: One computer connected  to a projector is available in the classroom. The teacher can use this computer to show examples of credible websites, as well as to show examples of debates online. High tech: Class is equipped with several computers. Teams can go online themselves to view videos of debates and start research for their paper. In this way, the collaborative nature of the lesson will start even earlier (in the pre-plan ning stage). Content-Based Literacy Skills In terms of text-based literacy; students must incorporate information from their textbook into their arguments Critical thinking, reflective thought, and text-supported thinking will be illustrated when students must draw connections between internet-based information and textbook information while doing their analysis/research paper. This connection will be evaluated when student’s cute their sources within their paper. (This explanation will also illustrate students’ information literacy.) New Media Literacy Skills Performance: This skill is illustrated when students view sample debates on the internet and use this as models of performance in their own debates. Collective Intelligence: This skill is done when students are within their respective teams and they must draw upon their own and others ideas, research, and knowledge to formulate strong arguments. Judgement: This skill is illustrated when students must judge which websites and information are to be included in their research/analysis paper. Networking: Once again, this skill is illustrated when students must search, connect, and analyze information on the internet for the purpose of their research/analysis paper (Jenkins, 2001). Learning Material: Textbook: Learners will need textbook so that they can recall information. Paper, pen: Leaners will need so that they can write down information. Rubric: Both the learner and teacher needs. Learners need it so that they are aware of what’s expected of them while working in teams and formulating their arguments. Teacher needs it so that he/she can refer to it when assessing the team’s progress. Notes: Learners will need them as a reference when formulating arguments. Stopwatch/watch: This will be given to the student whose job is timekeeper. Video Camera: Used to record the debate Learning Plan Procedures Phase I: Motivation Activity Teacher will show a short clip of a very powerful, interesting debate. Possibly a presidential debate. The clip will only show the most poignant part (according to the teacher) of the debate. Hopefully the clip will be no longer than 5 minutes long. (if there’s no computer available, then teacher must bring in her/his own computer.) In a class of 30 chair/table. There will be 15 chairs/ tables on each side of the room. They will be facing eachother. Learners will enter the classroom and sit down immediately with their team. The teacher will then show the video as soon as the class is seated and quiet. This activity is being done to motivate, encourage, and remind students of what a good debate looks like so that the output of the students’ debates can match skills such as speaking (clear and concise) and eye-contact of the debaters within the video. Phase II: Input (Teacher Driven) Activity: During this class, the teacher will, serve only as facilitator, therefore not much activity will be driven by the teacher. However, after the video, the teacher will remind students of the rubric that was given to them, and tell students that she/he is only their to assist in the logistics of the debate (time, flow, managing emotions if this becomes a problem). The teacher will also instruct students to take notes on each other’s arguments because this assignment will be important for their homework assignment. She/he will also remind student that they will be recorded. Teacher will tell all students to take out their rubrics. She/He will go over some key point from the rubric as it relates to the debate. The teacher will tell students to make sure that they keep these key points in mind because these points will be assessed during the debate. The teacher will instruct students to have their rubrics out for the entire class so they can monitor their team’s progress by themselves. Teacher will formally go over key questions from the rubric that he/she hopes the teams have incorporated into the nature of the debate (clear speech, eye contact,  concise points, respectful behavior) as well as into the content of the debate. In term of the nature of the debate, questions might look like â€Å"Is my team being quiet/respectful as the other team presents their arguments?†, â€Å"Are my responses to the other’s teams arguments not insulting?† etc. In terms of the content of the debate, questions may look like, â€Å"Did my team incorporate facts from the textbook?†, â€Å"Did my team use at least two credible internet sources within the argument?†, â€Å"Did my team follow special instructions assigned by the teacher (e.g. incorporating ideas from IEP students, ELL student, gifted students)?.† This activity and these questions serve to remind students of the importance of the collaborative nature of the learning objective. They also serve to remind students that they must be able to demonstrate their understanding of the Civil War unit, as well as their understanding of outside sources within the context of an argument. Phase III: Output (Learner Driven) Activity Students will take part in a debate. The topic is â€Å"Was the Emancipation Proclamation enacted for moral reasons or political reasons?† This activity will illustrate the learning objective in several ways. First, the collaborative nature of the previous classes will finally be demonstrated. Second, the students must illustrate their knowledge of Civil War policies within their arguments. Third, both sides’ arguments must include information from outside sources. The teacher will select one team to present their arguments first. Recording will begin The speaker of that team will stand up and come to the front of the class. They will present their team’s argument. In the argument they must mention the sources in which they got their information. For example, if they got a particular piece of data from the textbook, then they must state â€Å"As is presented in the textbook†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . If they got a particular piece of data from the internet then they must state, â€Å"As is presented on so-called website, or by so-called author†¦Ã¢â‚¬  They must also explicitly state how they used the â€Å"special instructions† from the teacher. For example, â€Å"(ELL’s student’s name) found that ‘compromise’ was not a possible solution of the Civil War.† In this example, it is assumed that compromise was on a list of words that an ELL student did not understand. He/she presented these list of words to  his/her team. The team reviewed the list, and chose to use the word compromise as part of their argument. The student will finish the presentation of his/her argument. The teacher will tell the next team to present its argument. The team will follow the same procedure as above. The teacher will then stop recording of the debate. This debate will naturally lead to questions, comments from both the teacher and the students. Phase IV: Culmination.  The teacher will ask the groups to clear up any misunderstandings or misinformation the teams may have had within their argument. This is to give other team members a chance to speak about the argument, which reinforces the collaborative effort of the lesson. The teacher will also ask students how their team’s or the other team’s information and debate skills differed and how these things were similar to the debate presented in the beginning of the class. As a smaller activity, the teacher will instruct all the students to come up with one question, comment, critique of the other team’s argument. This assignment will illustrate each student’s understanding of the Civil War Unit because it challenges students to relate, connect, or counter-argue their own knowledge of the unit. This question will be submitted to the teacher. Phase V: Exte nsion For homework, students will write a one-page analysis of the opposing teams arguments. The student will address the opposing side’s arguments. He/she will evaluate the argument’s weaknesses, strengths; and why he/she disagreed or agreed with the points that were made. Learning Plan Analysis Formative assessments will include analyzing the collaborative efforts of the team, the behavior of each team during the presentation of the opposing team’s arguments, how well each team member took on their role within their team, and how well the team incorporated textbook information, outside information, and ‘†special instructions† from the teacher into their argument. A summative assessment will include the teacher’s evaluation of the internet analysis/research paper, the one-page analysis of opposing team’s argument, teacher’s evaluations of the strength of the arguments, and finally the â€Å"popular vote† (the results of youtube or school-based website). Weaknesses of this lesson plan include time constraints, and the many assessments involved. It may be difficult to accurately assess how well each team members took on their roles. Some students may still be taking on more work than others. Also, incorporating ELL/IEP students proved to be a difficult task.. Strength of the lesson is it fosters team work, analytical skills, and gives students more power in the direction and implementation of a lesson. The teacher will implement these varied assessments in its first year, and then will evaluate the effectiveness of these assessments for future classes. The learning theories applied in the first phase was Vygotzky’s Cognitive Process. Students are witnessing two adults debating and they are expected to try to learn/imitate the behaviors of those adults. In the second phase, social cognitive theory is at play. The teacher both models desired behaviors/outcomes, as well as emphasizes self-efficacy and self-regulation. In the third phase, constructivism is illustrated. The debate is student-driven because the students are demonstrating their constructed knowledge within the debate. The assessments have a behaviorist component. Negative reinforcement (decrease a behavior) is illustrated when the teacher warns students that if they are not respectful or a team member does not contribute meaningfully, then they may be marked down (Ormrod, 2008). References Anderson, L. W. , Krathwol, D. R. (2001) . A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing, 28-31. California Department of Education. (2013) California Common Core State Standards. http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/finalelaccssstandards.pdf Jenkins, H., Clinton, K., Purushotma, R., Robison, A. J., and Weigel, M. (2006). â€Å"Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century.† Chicago, IL: MacArthur Foundation. Ormrod, J. E. (2008). Educational Psychology Developing Learners, 8. 25-36. Teachers First. (2014) http://www.teachersfirst.com/gifted_strategies.cfm

Boston Consulting Group Matrix (BCG) Explained

Boston Consulting Group Matrix (BCG) Explained The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) growth-share matrix is a very vital inclusion in marketing or strategic management. The Boston Matrix developed by Bruce Henderson in the early 70s of the Boston Consulting Group. Even thou considering the flaws in the model, the Boston Consulting Group model is one of the most famous portfolio management tool implemented in product life cycle theory. It can provide effective guidance towards resource distribution. The BCG matrix works on two variables: market share and market growth. This variables point at the status of the organisation. It can be also stated as, products which have a greater market share or fall in the fast growing category can yield higher profit margins. It basically serves four distinctive purposes: It can be used to categories products portfolio in four types namely Stars (high growth, high market share) , Cash Cows (low growth, high market share), Question Marks (high growth, low market share) Dogs (low growth, low market share); it can be used to prioritize products in the products portfolio; classifying products on the bases of cash usage and generation; helps generating strategies to tackle possible product lines. Hence, the BCG model proves to be a useful analytical tool to value a companys product ranges. The four cells classified in the BCG are: Stars This category holds the market leaders which also have greater market share. The products in this category generate large amount of income but also require heavy investment to sustain market share rapid growth. Cash Cows The products in this category basically have high market share in an already developed market. They generate high profits and generate good cash flow. Such products do not require much investment as they are already established products. Question Marks Question marks are products which fall in a high growth market with relatively low market share. Such products require considerable investment to hold and increase the market share. The return on investment is also low due to the lack of market share. Dogs Dogs thrive in a low growth market with a low share. They do not generate any effective profits for the company and show little signs of growth. Such products should be generally liquidated. Although BCG matrix is a well-known tool for portfolio analysis, it has numerous constraints too. Some of them are: The foremost and important problem is how to define the market and collection of data regarding a products market share. It is not necessary that a product with a high market share result in profitability at all times. The model only works on two aspects namely market share and market growth. Businesses with low market share can also be profitable. It only rates the products on the bases of one competitor i.e. the market leader. It overlooks small competitors with high rate of growth. It overlooks the effects of synergy between strategic business units. Internal and External Audits The marketing audit forms a very core part of the marketing planning process. Audits are undertaken at the beginning of the plan, as well as at fixed intervals during the execution of the plan. The marketing audit consists of both internal and external influences on marketing planning, also considering the review of the plan itself. Many tools and methods are available to undertake such audits, e.g. SWOT analysis which can be used for auditing internal as well as external environment. Altogether such marketing audits help evaluate the opportunities and threats, and help the marketing heads to assess and make necessary changes to the plan. Many a times when things start going downhill in a company in ways like falling sales, weakening margins, reducing market share, the need for an audit spurges up. Management often overlook the actual problem and work towards the wrong symptoms. Launching of new products, reducing costs, cutting costs are some of the tactics used. Such measures are highly ineffective, if core problems are not addressed. Such problems have to be effectively identified and auditing helps in defining such problems. Internal Audit Internal audit consist of controllable variables in a firm. Internal audit helps in evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of an organisation which provide certain advantages and can relate to the needs of the specific target market. Strengths can be classified as internal factors which can support an organisation accomplish its objectives or to reduce threats. Weaknesses are factors which may hamper the organisational growth and foil organisations from achieving their targets. Some of the areas of internal audit in order to analyse the internal factors of a company are:- Resources, sales, market share, profit margin, costs, marketing procedures, marketing organisation, marketing information, marketing mix variables as : Products, Price, Distribution, Promotion. External Audit External audit is related with the uncontrollable variables, outside the firm such as the market, the competitor, etc. The external audit is concerned with factors such as political-legal, economic, social-cultural and technological (also known as PEST or STEP), with these the ecological and competitive factors which may stand opportunities or pose threats. An opportunity can be termed as an external factor which the company can exploit to gain higher profits margins. A threat can be any external circumstances that could curtain organisational performance. Areas of analyses for external audit include information regarding customers, suppliers, partners, market share, technical standards; customer feedback through surveys, suggestions, complaints; government, academic or syndicated studies of the market, the industry, competition; industry groups; employees, suppliers, and other partners; media and online reports; special interest group (Woods, 2007)*. SWOT TOWS It is very an important part of planning to understand the environment an organisation operates. SWOT analysis summarises a companys strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. SWOT analysis is a tool for auditing a company and its environment. It is conducted at the initial stage of planning and helps point out the key issues. SWOT is an acronym used to define Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats which are strategic factors for a company, where the strengths and weaknesses form the internal factor, opportunities and threats are external factors to the firm. Where SWOT analysis is a tool used to identify business strategies for an organisation to adopt. It comprises of specifying and grouping together internal organisational strengths and weaknesses and environmental opportunities and threats. In real life scenario this is not so viable as although having all identified all the information in hand, the problem arises of what to do with the information. Whereas, the TOWS matrix is a mechanism which helps in explaining the strategy rather than just helping in its generation. The TOWS matrix (Weihrich, 1982)* presents a mechanism for facilitating linkages and presents a framework for identifying and formulating strategies. In order to conduct Strategic management, brief market research needs be carried out using accurate information systems to evaluate key issues in the company and environment. Factors such as: Market Research External and internal which may affect a company. Target customers. Driving forces behind sales trends. Company Research Information of company resources assets, I. P., etc. Information of company capabilities. Competition Research Competitive edge. Needs of products and services. The information thus collected needs to be scanned and evaluated into four elements: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, where in opportunities and threats are used to analyse the external factors and strengths and weaknesses are used to analyse the internal factors. It is very important to bear in mind that internal and external factors should clearly distinguished, as it may obscure both the management approach and decision making body. The SWOT TOWS process can carry on till the time the body feels it is productive, as long as the information is properly evaluated and refined by discussions and arguments. At the end, the points put forward should be agreed by the whole board on which points to reject and which to retain, so the final gird will contain only the key strategic marketing external opportunities and the key strategic internal strengths and weakness. As concluded by Tony Proctor (2000)* with his case study on over 50 organisations, that practising such tec hniques have helped the organisations in gaining greater insights in the process of strategy creation and have helped structure their thinking process and have helped them profoundly in coming up with better strategic ideas. Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning process The STP process is a very important process in a marketing strategy as it helps the organisation in creating personalised marketing mix packages which target specific group of the market segment with similar characteristics and needs. The STP process consists of three main activities: market segmentation, market targeting and market positioning. The level and category of segmentation process employed varies significantly depending factors like Dimension of the organisation Point at which it is carried in the marketing planning process Financial position of the organisation Current market position Segmenting targeting positioning (STP) consist of different steps as stated by Pelsmacker and Geuens (2007)* namely, definition of segmentation criteria, definition of segment profiles, assessment of the attractiveness of segments, selection of target groups, definition of the desired unique position in the mind of targeted consumers. The STP implementation begins with defining potential factors based on which segmentation of the market can be carried. The market segments created should further be divided in to generalized subgroups, in which the members of one group should respond identically to marketing stimuli and be different in their reaction to such stimuli from members of other segments. For example, the furniture market can be disturbed into different groups such as home and business market. Further division of these segments can be carried out such as, home market can include segments like student home furniture, classic furniture, design furniture etc.; likewise business segment can be divided into office furniture, hotel furniture etc. In the next stage, Points in each segment can be combined to form segmentation profiles. On the basis of identified segmentation profiles, their attractiveness can be assessed. The attractiveness of the segments depends on many factors like the size and forecasted progression of sales, buying power and competition amount targeted for the segment. Considering the analysis of segment attractiveness, a number of target groups will be selected which will be focused upon, keeping in mind the companys strengths. This process is called targeting. Further objectives, strategies and tactics created will circle around these particular groups. In the end, the organisation has to create a unique and appropriate position for its product in the mind of the target group. Positioning can be defined as how a product is perceived by the target group based on its important attributes. Positioning is one of the fundamental element of marketing strategy and of marketing communications.