Employee Welfare and Satisfaction

Employee satisfaction is supremely important in an organization because it is what productivity depends on. If your employees are satisfied they would produce superior quality performance in optimal time and lead to growing profits. Satisfied employees are also more likely to be creative and innovative and come up with breakthroughs that allows a company to grow and change positively with time and changing market conditions Employee welfare defines as â€Å"efforts to make life worth living for workmen†. These efforts have their origin either in some statute formed by the state or in some local custom or in collective agreement or in the employer’s own initiative. Job satisfaction represents the constellations of person’s attitude towards or about the job. In general, job satisfaction is the attitude towards the job as a whole. Job satisfaction is a function of satisfaction with different aspects of job, i. e. supervision, pay, works itself, co-workers, promotion, etc. , and of the particular weighting or importance one attaches to these respective components. Modern management considers human being as resource and it is an importance for the success of any organization. It is the strength and aid. Therefore employees attitudes, interest, quality, job satisfaction, etc. , have a bearing productivity of a firm unless the management is able to recognize employees needs and wants they will lose motivation and morale and it will affect the best interest of the firm. Work is one of the most important activities in a person’s life. Who do have satisfying job rarely have fully satisfying lives. Dissatisfaction in work can lead in many circumstances to lower production and friction on the job. So that it must be considered by the management and steps should be taken to find out the factors which cause job dissatisfaction and to reduce such dissatisfaction. In general employee satisfaction is the attitude towards the work environment, salary, relationship with their colleagues, job security, grievance handling, performance appraisal, training and development, management style, quality policy, career counseling and so on.

Cat in the Rain Ernest Miller Hemingway Essay

Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His distinctive writing style, characterized by economy and understatement, influenced 20th-century fiction, as did his life of adventure and public image. He produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the mid-1950s. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. Hemingway’s fiction was successful because the characters he presented exhibited authenticity that resonated with his audience. Many of his works are classics of American literature. He published seven novels, six short story collections, and two non-fiction works during his lifetime; a further three novels, four collections of short stories, and three non-fiction works were published posthumously. â€Å"Cat in the rain† is a piece of fiction referring to the literature of interpretation. This story is also a psychological one because the author investigates human characters and their relationships. The story is told in the 3rd person narrative. The title of the story admits the fact that the cat’s image makes great play in the story. We can say that it is symbolic title. The characters presented Directly. The text of the story is not homogeneous: it is interrupted with the elements of description and the characters’ dialogues. The plot of the story is meant to begin before the narration itself starts. There isn’t any preface to the story, the reader knows nothing about the couple’s past. Author shows his characters in a certain period of their lives. â€Å"Cat in the rain† is about an American couple on vacation in Italy. While at their hotel the woman saw a cat and the story progresses from there. During the story it is made obvious that the couple’s relationship wasn’t good. Author uses the cat stuck in the rain with nobody to care for it to symbolize the wife wasn’t loved by her husbund. So, the story begins with the description of the hotel where two Americans stopped: â€Å"Palms grew and the bright colors of the hotels facing the gardens and the sea†. We can say that this place is very beautiful. But only one thing breaks the idyll – the rain, that’s why the couple stays in and just a cat in the rain attracted the young woman’s attention. She wanted to get the cat inside. At first sight everything seems to be ideal: a cozy room on the second floor, lovely view from the window. And only the description of the rain evokes the mood of sadness in the reader. To bring home this air of melancholy which is felt when it is raining, the author uses such stylistic device as parallel constructions: â€Å"The rain dripped from the palm trees. The water stood in pools on the gravel paths. The sea broke in a long line in the rain and slipped back down the beach to come up and break again in a long line in the rain â€Å". We can notice that nouns rain, pools, sea belong to one sphere – the water. This stylistic device is employed by the author to create the atmosphere of inevitability. People can not hide from the rain. Water is everywhere: it is on the ground, it is pouring from the heavens as though the nature weeps for something. Here author uses alliteration of sounds [r], [l]: â€Å"Rain dripped from the palm trees, the sea broke in a long line in the rain†, it brings the rhythm to the description of the weather. Complication starts when the American young lady saw a cat in the rain. The cat sat under the table and tried to make herself so compact that she wouldn’t be dripped on†. Suddenly the girl felt strong desire to get this cat. It must have been a miserable spectacle: wet, homeless cat crouching under the table in the empty square. The girl decided to go down and get this cat. Here we get acquainted with her husband. He is lying on the bed and reading and he has no desire to go out in such weather for the cat his wife wants so much. Although he proposed it but sooner out of politeness and he did not insist. â€Å"Don’t get wet†- he said, but it wasn’t a care – he said it just to say something. Later we can see that the hotel-keeper gives to her more attention than her own husband. That’s why she liked the owner of the hotel so much. Emphasizing the girl’s attitude to the hotel-keeper the author resorts to repetition: â€Å"She liked the deadly serious way he received any complains. She liked his dignity. She liked the way he wanted to serve her. She liked the way he felt about being a hotel-keeper. She liked his old, heavy face and big hands â€Å". Unconsciously comparing him with her indifferent husband she liked him because he displayed a kind of attention to her. He always bowed seeing her. His attention can be explained by the fact that he was the owner of the hotel and it was his due to take care of his clients, especially if they were foreigners. He just wanted them to feel comfortable and convenient. He displayed paternal care and attention to her. May be the girl was disposed to the hotel-keeper because he reminded her of her own father who was always kind to her. Anyway, it was so pleasant for the girl to feel sympathy and care. The author says: † The pardons made her feel very small and at the same time really important. She had a momentary feeling of being of supreme importance†. That is the reason she liked him. He made her feel important. He listened to her every word and request, and she knew that her every little whim will be fulfilled, and that can not be said about her husband who never worried about her feelings. The climax starts when the young lady went upstairs in her room. The only reaction of her husband was the question if she got the cat. He did not notice her disappointment. Suddenly the girl felt unhappy. Through her sad monologue the writer shows all her dissatisfaction with the life, beginning with the absence of the cat and ending with her short clipped hair. I get so tired of itâ€Å"- she says about her hair, but it is not just looking like a boy that she is tired of. She is tired of a boring life, of her indifferent and selfish husband who remains deaf to her despair. She does not say directly that she is not satisfied with her family life. But the reader can see it in the context. She says: â€Å"I want to pull my hair back tight and smooth and make a big knot at the back that I feel. I want to have a kitty to sit on my lap and purr when I stroke her†. She wants to have long hair to look solid and respectable. She wants to have children and her own house which she associates with silver and candles. And the cat in her dreams is a symbol of refuge, something that she corresponds with such notions as home and cosiness. The author underlines the idea of dissatisfaction using repetition. In importunate repetition of the construction â€Å"I want† the reader can see the girl’s emotional state. This stylistic device discloses her excitement. The emotional tension increases. â€Å"And I want to eat at a table with my own silver, and I want candles. And I want it to be spring and I want to brush up my hair out in front of the mirror and I want the kitty and I want some new clothes â€Å". Here is an example of polysyndeton. The abundant use of the conjunction and makes the members of enumeration more conspicuous and also serves to emphasize the girl’s state of confusion. The syntax also contributes to the effect of extreme agitation of the girl. The writer deliberately avoids the use of commas in the girl’s speech to show uninterrupted, without any pauses flow of speech which testifies to her emotional excitement. This abstract may be regarded as the climax of the story. Here the emotional tension reaches its highest degree. The girl throws out all her discontent, all her negative emotions which she accumulated during her joint life with her husband. Then the peak of the climax comes: â€Å"Oh, shut up and get something to read† says her husband. Estrangement grows between two people. The girl feels insulted and stays looking out of the window. It is still raining. The rain is present during the whole narration. The moment when hotel-keeper passed her a cat is outcome. Probably pardrone didn’t understand the melancholy of the girl. However human advantage, a kindness are opposed egoism of her husband. In this story, cat is the symbol of woman. Woman feels lonely, dependent, and unhappy. She is just like a cat in the rain wet, alone. She is neglected like a poor kitty. She needs to be loved (by her husband) and need interest, security, and comfort. Her husband doesn’t attach importance her ideas, feelings. He doesn’t behave her like his wife, so the woman doesn’t like her life, her clothes, and her hair. She wants to have a kitty because she wants give her love to this poor kitty. In ‘Cat in the rain† we can see a hidden idea between the lines, author doesn’t say it directly. Hemingway’s talent lies in deep psychological insight into human nature.

Is it possible to see Elizabeth Bennet as a feminist heroine?

Elizabeth Bennet is perhaps the least conventional of Austen's characters, and certainly does not conform to what her society expected of her in the way of being submissive. Austen herself admitted that ‘pictures of perfection †¦ make me sick and wicked', and so our lovable protagonist Elizabeth is set apart from the traditional heroine with her independence of mind, and courage to challenge accepted role of women. To the modern day reader her refusal to be the demure, submissive ideal woman of the conduct books written by such a Hannah Moore, insisting ‘girls †¦ hould early acquire a submissive temper and a forbearing spirit' allows her to appear a feminist heroine. By refusing two offers of marriage Elizabeth exercises her only available method of choice, as Henry Tilney of Austen's Northanger Abbey points out ‘Man has the advantage of choice, woman only the power of refusal'. This demonstration of control earns our respect for Elizabeth as a heroine, and it certainly challenges the society's insistence on the significance of class distinction, appealing to the modern reader. Feminist critics Gilbert and Gubar assert that ‘Elizabeth stands out as a young woman who has no intention of following the prescription of restraint and submission for the achievement of happiness'. She demonstrates this with the manner in which she turns down Mr. Collins' proposal, explaining her refusal of his hand in marriage, ‘You could not make me happy, and I am convinced that I am the last woman in the world who would make you so'. Mr. Collins is so shocked by her rationality he believes it can only be due to her modesty; and hopes ‘when I do myself the honour of speaking to you next I shall hope to receive a much more favourable answer'. Her action contradicts entirely the principles set out in the conduct books, and the reaction she receives reinforces the unusualness of our heroine's honesty. Charlotte, however, seems to conform with society's expectations of a young lady, and accepts as though she is presented with no happy alternative, ‘convinced that my chances of happiness with him is as fair, as most people can boast on entering the marriage state'. Austen paints a bleak picture of this marriage for the reader, deeming it ‘impossible' for Charlotte ‘to be tolerably happy', and her position reveals the difficulties facing young women, and the pressure on them to marry. Elizabeth's refusal to submit to this is certainly what sets her apart, with more modern ideas of how women ought to be. When she is around Darcy Elizabeth behaves very differently from the more traditional Bingly sisters, not allowing her herself to be put down. In their discussion over how accomplished young women are, Elizabeth is not afraid to put her own argument forward, and demonstrates her intelligence and rationality by deducing ‘[Darcy] must comprehend a great deal in your idea as an accomplished woman'. Miss Bingly on the other hand simply reiterates what Darcy says, and for this Austen reduces her to ‘his faithful assistant'. Miss Bingly tries to creep towards Darcy, with her flattering tone, whereas Elizabeth is far more straightforward, and spirited. The Bingly sisters had disapproved of Elizabeth since her early entrance to Pemberly, exaggerating her state after walking of having a mucky petticoat and messy hair to call her ‘wild'. Interestingly it seems she is not only referring to how she looked, but also condemning her out of the ordinary behaviour, determined to look down on the people of Meryton. Having been polite to Elizabeth's face Austen reveals the sisters to be false, and unkind. Although Elizabeth does appeal to the reader as a modern heroine, one might argue that Lydia is the sister with the most modern attitude, eloping to a man she lusts after, declaring in her letter that her and Wickham's marriage shall take pace ‘some time or other †¦ it does not much signify when'. However it is clear Austen disapproves of her attitude, and means for the reader to disapprove of her, through the objective narrator; a voice condemning her as ‘always unguarded and often uncivil'. Perhaps it is as punishment that Lydia's marital life shall be unfulfilled, as when Austen exiles Maria Betram in ‘Mansfield Park', for running away with Henry Crawford despite her marriage to Mr. Rushworth – sent to ‘another country, remote and private'. It seems she is also in search of attention, and Gilbert and Gubar's observation that ‘marriage †¦ is the only accessible form of self-definition for girls in her [Jane Austen's] society' helps us to speculate that this may have been her ulterior motive for this relationship. In her letter to Harriett she confirms that she will find their surprise amusing, ‘oh what a great joke it will be! ‘, and her frivolous attitude towards her situation demonstrates her selfishness and compulsive mind, which Elizabeth view kindly. When rationally attempting to deter her father from permitting Lydia to accompany Mrs. Forster to Brighton, her sensible attitude is prominent as she analyses the danger she poses to the Bennets, explaining ‘our importance, our respectability in the world, must be affected by the wild volatility †¦ which marks Lydia's character'. Her key phrase ‘in the world' reminds the reader of the very different world inhabited by the girls, one in which it would not be possible for Lydia's conduct to be deemed acceptable. Elizabeth's attitudes here puts into perspective that although she challenges the assumed role of women in society, Elizabeth is still sensible to the significance of keeping reputation's up, and remains dignified in Austen's ‘world'. Once more exercising her only ‘power', Elizabeth also refuses Darcy's first proposal, despite his having ‘had no doubt of a favourable answer'. This attitude is much like Mr. Collins' expecting, as most men would at the time, an acceptance from girl with notably few prospects (as picked up on by the Binglys), despite his attitude towards the affair communicating his beliefs that it would be ‘a degradation'. She appears to rebel against society's expectations, and her contradiction to Darcy's assumption that a young woman must accept his hand in marriage is almost humorous, lending emphasis to the significance of Elizabeth's choices. When turning him down she tells him in no uncertain terms for why, with a forceful, truthful and compromising response, which uses very plain words like ‘unwillingly' which take her straight to point, and point out a rather painful truth. This demonstrates both her independence and the way she challenges the accepted conduct of a young woman of the time, to be perhaps more considerate of a man's feelings. Elizabeth demonstrates her strength not only by refusing to submit to men, but also through holding her own with Lady Catherine at both Rosings and Longbourn. She declares herself ‘a gentleman's daughter', and as such Darcy's equal, and refutes Lady Catherine's accusation that she has ‘upstart pretentions', refusing to conform to her society's expectation of her not to challenge her class superior. Her forwardness is picked up on by Lady Catherine, who is perhaps actually delivering a compliment, rather than a criticism, when noting ‘you give your opinion decidedly so for so young a person'. Elizabeth also refuses to be humbled just because Darcy earns ‘ten thousand a year', and is intended to marry Lady Catherine's daughters ‘of the same noble line'. In these scenes, Elizabeth appeals very much to the less class-conscious modern reader, and it is here that Vivien Jones sees Elizabeth as an agent for change, arguing ‘the old and new are synthesised in the union of the mercantile Gardiners and the landed gentry'. This suggests her marriage brings about a healthy change in the novel, as Darcy conquers his pride and welcomes the Gardiners to Pemberly. In this way we might regard Elizabeth as a modern heroine – a woman who makes a difference to her society. However, we can not ignore the fact Darcy is as fluent about her ‘inferiority', admitting to having ‘struggled' to suppress his feelings, as he is about his love for her in his initial proposal. Therefore, it seems their marriage shall be still quite traditional; with the woman subservient to her husband. Of course, in Jane Austin's society women were still swearing in their marital vows to ‘love, honour and obey', and so some critics argue that by the end, in choosing to marry Mr. Darcy, ‘Elizabeth conforms in the end to the feminine ideal of the helpmeet'. She is absorbed into Darcy's world, in which she will have little influence at all. But, we must not ignore the fact that it was, in the end her choice for marriage, and although she could not propose when she wanted it, she made sure it did not take place when it didn't suit her. Uniquely, our heroine stands out as a woman who feels she ‘may take liberties with her husband', and to feel this way in such a time must not be overlooked by the modern reader as what is expected. Although Jane Austen herself would never have used the term ‘feminist heroine', there is certainly debate about how she appears to the modern reader. Elizabeth Bennet is certainly appealing as our twenty first century heroine through the intelligence and courage to be independent, and Vivien Jones argues that she has the power to change the social order. However, as Marian Cox observes, ‘though she mocks patriarchal structures, Austen must inhabit them', pointing out that despite Elizabeth's independace, she still must marry, for due to the laws of primogeniture she had no other option of maintaining wealth. This does mean Elizabeth can not be seen as a heroine however, as she still challenges her society, and marries a man she loves which is better than most women of the time.

Managing a global and diverse workforce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Managing a global and diverse workforce - Essay Example Organizations have realized the significance of diversity management as the focus has shifted from earning revenue to enhancing employee satisfaction. In essence, globalization is one of the key contributors to the establishment of workplace diversities making it essential for a human resource manager to build a culturally tolerant environment. The core practice of incorporating this management concept is ensuring that managers utilize all the tools and resources at their disposal in order for the process to be successful. With this, this essay will delve into the compliance-based model of enforcing workplace diversity practice used in the USA in relation to hiring and assigning employees. History of the compliance-based model in the US Initially, the concept of applying workplace diversity began through the introduction of affirmative action as a provision of the law in which human resource professionals had to give equal opportunities to job seekers (Kandola & Fullerton 2003, p. 4) . As per the law, employers cannot use racial, ethnic affiliation, or gender as the basis to offering employment or as a tool for filling out the diversity gaps that may exist within an organization. The process began as a voluntary aspect in which those that desired to apply it could, but it later evolved to be a mandatory practice because of the increase in cases of substandard treatment by employers. In essence, for those that could not comply with the developed legal structures that aimed at enforcing equality at the workplace became subject able to legal penalties. By the mid twentieth century, the quest to achieve workplace diversity had begun in Europe and USA where those that sought employment opportunities in these regions could not experience discrimination (Ozbilgin 2004). The Civil Rights legislation of 1964 and the Directive 2000/78/EC are some of the laws developed in order to protect job seekers from discrimination. Both of these laws safeguard the employees against p rejudicial treatment at the work place because of their religion, gender, sexual preference, personal experience and their ethnic background. Racism as a workplace issue For many years, racism has been a predominant workplace issue that has attracted civil lawsuits because human resource professionals have failed to eradicate out of their organizations. Kumra and Manfredi (2012, p. 101) suggest that the significant fraction of the population that has continued to experience workplace discrimination is the African American population. They argue that blacks experience ‘everyday racism’ at their places of work as compared to any other immigrant population hence making some companies to advocate for institutional racism. Britain is one of the super economies that have minimal regard for people from the black and the ethnic minority groups in relation to positions of power, education, and employment. Further, the percentage of the unemployed from the BME groups stands at 8. 5% because the percentage managers from this community tend to be minimal. The implication of this is that the high percentage registered in the unemployed population is because of having fewer managers at the management levels that can ensure that there is diversity and equality in their places of work (Gold 2009, p. 56). However, this challenge takes from the fact that a significant

The Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 Essay

The Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 - Essay Example The result was a collection of ideas based on the Scottish Youth Justice system, particularly the Scottish Reporter System. The Scottish Reporter System, introduced in the 1960s as part of the Children's Hearing System, is a system where those involved with youth who have offended or are at risk of offending make a referral requiring any services deemed necessary to put the child on the right track be provided. Those making referrals include police, schools, parents and social workers. Referrals are made to the Reporter, who then investigates the case and decides where it should go. "The Reporter must decide whether referrals should be discharged with no further action, whether they should be referred to a local authority social work department or whether the case should be referred to a children's hearing (Arthur 2004)." This is essentially what the U.K.'s referral order is, with just a few minor differences. The referral order was introduced in October 1999 as part of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999. The order's primary aim is to keep first-time young offenders out of the court system and prevent them from re-offending. The Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 was a response to the White Paper, No More Excuses address that the Secretary of State presented to Parliament in 1997. The White Paper addressed specifically the issue of youth crime. "Today's young offenders can too easily become tomorrow's hardened criminals," Home Secretary Jack Straw said in a preface to the White Paper. "As a society we do ourselves no favours by failing to break the link between juvenile crime and disorder and the serial burglar of the future (Home Office 1997)." According to Straw, the general belief was that young offenders would "grow out of" their offending ways on their own. He said research showed otherwise and insisted something be done that could give young offenders that nudge in the right direction. Thus, the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 introduced the referral order, a proactive approach to addressing juvenile crime. The office of the Reporter in Scotland would be akin to the Court of the Magistrate in England, in that they are the ones who refer a child to the family-conference style meetings - Scotland's Children's Hearing and England's Youth Offender Panel (YOP). However, while the Reporter has other options, "Part III of the Powers of Criminal Courts (sentencing) Act 2000 provides that the referral order is to become the standards sentence imposed by the youth courts, or other magistrates court (Arthur 2004)." The referral order is a sentence given by the court referring 10- to 17-year-olds, who have pleaded guilty to a first offence, to a youth offending panel. In Scotland, the age of an offender referred to a Children's Hearing is eight to 16. The order requires the offender and his parents or carer to meet with the youth offender panel and map out a course of action for the youth to help him get on the right track. The court sets the length of time a referral should last, or the compliance period. The compliance period begins once the offender and chair of the panel have signed the contract. By law, the compliance period can be no shorter than three months and no longer than a year. In cases where the offender was previously convicted of a crime, the

Business Function Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business Function Assignment - Essay Example They will influence the decision-making process of the government regulators, the third stakeholder group. Moreover, the concerns of the environmentalists will be muted, as they have been in North America, if the European public-at-large is confident that the science behind GM products is sound and that the risks to the environment and to public health are minimal if not absent. European consumers essentially share the same interests as environmentalists, but couched in a somewhat different way. This stakeholder group expects the products they purchase, and particularly their food supply, to be 100% safe. They understandably want to protect themselves and their families from any potential harm or risk that might be associated with consumption of GM products. While environmentalists are concerned more with the effects of production on the environment as a whole, consumers are more specifically concerned with individual safety. That being said, much of the concern of European consumers regarding GM products is fed by the anti-GM campaign carried on by the environmentalists. The third stakeholder group is government officials and regulators. This group has an interest in carrying out its responsibility to the European public safety. They also have a significant political interest in holding onto power in a democratic system. Doing so requires that they maintain a strong correlation between their own regulatory activities and the will of the public (Minder par. 5). To some extent, this political interest is also tied to the interests of the environmentalists, who also wield political power in the form of campaign contributions and general support or lack of support... This paper talks that the main stakeholders relevant to Monsanto’s attempt to introduce GM products to Europe are special interest groups, particularly environmentalists, European consumers, European governmental officials and regulators, and Monsanto itself along with its employees and shareholders. Each of these stakeholders has unique interests in the outcome of this process. To sum up, the paper says that Finally, Monsanto’s shareholders must be convinced that the company has a sound strategy for moving forward into new markets. This means marketing the marketing efforts. Even if Monsanto remains short of success, as long as it can show a strategy that is highly likely to lead to success within a specific, reasonable time frame, the shareholders should be satisfied that the company is on the right track for long term growth. Shareholder confidence depends on effective management and strategic focus of the company’s long term business plan. Clearly, effective marketing and communications activities that are fully aligned with Monsanto’s long term business growth objectives are the heart beat of that business plan. Informing shareholders and employees about these efforts grows confidence within the company and ensures that the investment capital will continue to be there to support the plan over the long time. Monsanto would like to become an active contributor to environmental groups and devise ways of helping their causes that transcend the GM issue.

Discussion Board Post Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 13

Discussion Board Post Response - Essay Example t (2010), such behavior could have an indirect expense on the organization in terms of "Damaged team morale, lost opportunities to manage future-oriented projects, and increased incidence of disruptive behavior by organizational insiders and emotional costs" (p. 149). If feedback is not given to the primary care supervisor to help prevent such behavior, then other group members could be discouraged to be involved in other projects where the primary care supervisor is present. Hope, the example you gave is a classic representation of many workplaces. Bullying is prevalent in many organizations and if not addressed effectively, it could lead to decreased productivity. Effective relationships in the workplace are imperative as they contribute to improved job satisfaction, nurse retention, and also improved results in nursing practice (Barrett et-al, 2009). In reference to your example, favoring some employees could make other employees feel devalued and hence leave the organization. Failure to take action against bullying affects employees engagement and involvement in care practices. In other words, bullied employees are less likely to engage in teamwork for fear of being harassed. In my organization, policies have been implemented to ensure such cases are reported expeditiously and punitive actions taken against perpetrators. This helps prevent bullying and as a result, improved productivity has been

Team working theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Team working theories - Essay Example   According to Tuckman’s model, there are five stages involved in building an effective team. They are forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. During the formation stage, the team is entirely dependent on the leadership of one person. It is at this stage that clear and specific aims are formed. In the storming stage, everyone is concerned with the impression they are making than the job in hand. It provides an opportunity to challenge other members or the set aims. Conciliation is necessary because different people will challenge for supremacy or the best method of leading. In the norming stage, the challenges are recognized, and some terms agreed. In the performing stage, the team is at its best performance. All the members are in agreement, happy and understand their roles. In the adjourning stage, a sense of closure is brought to a team whose project is completed.According to John Adair’s action-centered model, there are three parts that contribute to effective team building. Identifying the task means setting the vision, purpose and direction of the team. In managing a team, the leader and other team members establish style, culture and ethics of the group. In the management of individuals, the leader should understand the team members as individuals and find the best ways of supporting them.According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, individuals cannot commit themselves to moving to a higher level of needs until the previous need is fully attained.  

The Molecular Mechanism That Make Staphylococcus Aureus Resistant To Essay

The Molecular Mechanism That Make Staphylococcus Aureus Resistant To Antibiotics - Essay Example Once this critical function is affected the bacteria cannot carry out its normal functional roles, and it is eliminated from the ecosystem. Antibiotics bind to proteins making them lose theirs capacity to carry out normal functions. Proteins normally replicate DNA, resulting in cell walls for bacteria or proteins for definite purposes. According to Talaro (2006), these processes are extremely vital in the functioning of bacteria. On the other hand, if bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics, then the drugs’ ability to stop or control their growth fades away; hence, bacteria continue to thrive even when they are exposed to them. This is caused by molecular mechanisms of the bacterial species that render the antibiotics functionless. The resistant species cause infections which cannot be treated with the usual formerly effective drugs, dosages and concentrations that treated the disease successfully. This resilience might be caused by internal mechanisms or acquired from othe r external sources. Resistance to multiple antibiotics as shown by some pathogens is called Multidrug Resistance (MDR). A term superbug has now been coined and is used to refer to the same. Microorganisms have an important trait of being able to adapt fast to their environment hence can survive for a long time without being eliminated. Disease causing pathogens have become a serious threat in medicine due to their resistance to antibiotics. ... There are different lines of antibiotics such as first, second and possibly third. Drug resistant microorganisms may have acquired resistance to the first line of antibiotics hence causing the need to use the second line of antibiotics. The first line of these antibiotics is usually selected based on several advantageous factors which include safety, availability and their cost. In contrast the second line agents usually have a broader spectrum compared to those in the first line. They possess a less favorable risk benefit to the users and maybe more expensive and not accessible in the local marketplace. Resistance to the second and occasionally to the third line of antibiotics is usually acquired in a sequential manner (Bauman, Machunis-Masuoka, and Tizard, 2004). This is usually well illustrated by a bacterial strain called staphylococcus aureus, which is discussed abundantly in this essay. Resistance may be due to mutation which can either be spontaneous or induced by other factor s. It may also be through gaining resistant genes from other resistant bacterial species. This is through horizontal gene transfer which may occur through conjugation, transduction or transformation. These antibiotic resistance genes usually reside on the plasmids expediting their transmission. Contact with antibiotics necessitates natural selection, leading to the survival of organisms with resistant genes. This causes the gene for the antibiotic resistance to spread easily through an ecosystem of bacteria. Staphylococcus Aureus Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterium that has shown resistance to antibiotics for a long period. This resistant pathogen is located on its hosts’ mucous membranes and human skin, is extremely resistant

Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 9

Assignment - Essay Example For running a nursing home, a unit can be treated as cost of a bed, payment to employees and other such services. Therefore, operating expenses include: â€Å"Lean Cost Management is another approach to financial measurement that makes waste and the costs it creates visible, and hence actionable, wherever and whenever it occurs in an organization† (Hobbs, 2011). Following this approach, a business can very well eliminate excessive transaction costs, re-ordering costs; minimize inventories and all other unnecessary costs involved. The lean cost management technique brings into notice all excessive costs and helps the business to reduce it accordingly. It foregrounds the required agility with which the level of production can be increased as well as the cost that can be reduced without hampering quality of products. Its aim is to reduce seven forms of wastages in manufacturing made by any business, like, unsold inventory, which is considered as overproduction as per this method. Lean costing technique is a perfect example of costing in an agile environment. There are various expenses that are incurred by a business. These overheads expenses can be effortlessly allocated by using lean cost management and operating costing technique. Based on these techniques, expenses for each overhead incurred by a business can be noticed more prominently and allocation of funds can be done in an effective and methodological manner. These cost management techniques allow a business to forecast the cost and lessen it as per necessity. Therefore, the technique that Hugh Knock had decided for Pedro’s business was rightly the operating costing and lean cost management method (Gupta, 2009). According to Knock, this method will help Pedro to find out the unnecessary unit cost involved in his future business and curb it accordingly. Hugh also stated the necessity of bigger business to allocate the cost per unit of their service. He made the statement

Ethical Code Of Data Collection Essay Example for Free

Ethical Code Of Data Collection Essay Ethical code is vital to any survey. Researchers today are obliged to follow the different ethical codes designed and guided by different institutions like government agencies, research agencies and marketing associations pertinent to the different countries, societies and communities. This is the first thing researchers should take into consideration while developing or designing research materials. There are ethical code enforcement bodies in almost all layers of our community from local institutions to the federal level, which has the power to control all the research related activities and their impact in the community. Research is highly affected and influenced by ethical codes. One of the major aims of the MRA (Marketing Research Association) ethical code is that while conducting research; researchers should not act in such a way that it violates the general public laws which will discredit people’s confidence against the entire research profession. The research code of ethics is there to establish guidelines and principles to maneuver researchers to achieve the goals and objectives in a socially acceptable manner. Therefore, Marketing Research Association code of ethics guides researchers in almost all layers of their work from their research design phase of the research to the communication of findings of the research to the concerned parties. Some of the principle elements of the MRA ethical codes include: 1. People or the community should be involved as major participants in the all facets of the research. 2. Researchers should get written permission from the people in the community which will be involved in the research project. 3. All the resources (information collected from the community) are direct  assets of that community and therefore researchers should communicate the findings of research to the community and those data should be returned to the community. 4. While publishing the research findings, the community or the people associated with the research should be involved in decision making process. 5. And finally, researchers should make sure that the partners of the research (community) have agreed to make information available to the publication. Above mentioned principles are the major pillars of the MRA ethical code of research. It provides the power to the community and provides the decision making ability to those who are the members or a part of the community. MRA ethical code of research has become a key guiding principle of any research activity. How researchers design their research depends upon MRA’s ethical codes of research, review, and regulation. Respect of the individual person’s or participant’s privacy is the key focus of the research code. It is the degree of control which research participants have over the researchers about their own information and how researchers deal with that information about participants. This code of ethics provides exclusive rights to the research participants about whether to participate in the research or not. In the next level, research code of ethics prioritized the maximization of the benefits of the research to the concerned partner, community or society. A survey result or the research does not always provide advantages or the benefits the community. Therefore, another ethical code of the researchers is to maximize the possible benefits of the research and minimize the harm of research or research findings to its participants or community. Researchers should always have a sense of justice towards its research. Researchers can never include all the members or elements of its target population, therefore while selecting the sample they should be non-discriminatory. By doing so, researchers not only do justice to the participants or the community but also maximize the chances of integrity of the research findings. Another important issue of the research ethical code is the confidentiality of the information provided by the research participants. Researchers are  liable to provide highest level confidentiality of the data towards the participants. MRA research code of ethics makes sure that researchers provides complete confidentiality to its research participants unless the respondent or the participants of the research themselves waives their confidentiality. Besides these basic ethical codes of data collection, researchers should not falsify or omit collected data for any reason during the data collection process. And before collecting the data researchers should specify the methods of data collection, time and date of data collection, sampling frame and method and sampling size and these predetermined methodologies are not subject to change without the permission of the research participants. Data collectors should not reveal the information about the client or sponsor to the participants during the data collection phase without proper authorization. If the respondent wants to know about the sponsor or the clients then the data collectors can only reveal the information only to respondent with the authorization to do so by the clients or sponsor. The data collectors are liable to protect the confidentiality regarding the business of the client without the express written consent of the client and without the necessary ground to do so. If the data collectors are conducting the secondary data collection then revealing the source of the data to their client is their prime responsibility and they should not present secondary data as primary data to their clients or sponsor. If a respondent wants to withdraw or refused to participate in the middle of the data collection process then the data collectors or the researchers have no right to coerce them or make the cooperation obligatory by threatening them with anything. Researchers or the data collectors should always respect and protect the right to participate and right not to participate in the research by the respondent at any time from beginning to the end of data collection. The result of the study or the collected data is the property of the clients or the sponsor therefore, researchers or the data collectors should not at any cost share the findings of the collected data to the third party without the pre-consent of the clients or sponsor. Researchers are liable to follow the standard ethical code of data collections coordinated and enforced by the agencies like Marketing Research Association and federal agencies. References Marketing Research Association (2012). Retrieved on October 5, 2014 from www.mra-net.org Malhotra, N. K. (2010). Marketing Research an Applied Orientation (Sixth ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Tourism in Malaysia Essay Example for Free

Tourism in Malaysia Essay Tourism, including Malaysian tourism, is a big industry worldwide and many countries have already cashed in on its potential. This article seeks to assess the performance of tourism in Malaysia, its development, impacts and future. Implications for students will also be discussed. Tourism success in any country begins from the priority placed on it by the government. The Malaysian government through its Ministry of Tourism Malaysia (hereafter referred to as Tourism Malaysia) plans develops and oversees tourism policies, projects and other activities to realize its vision of making Malaysia an international tourism destination. The activities of this agency are discussed in more details. Overview of Malaysian Tourism International tourist arrivals and international tourism receipts are the popular indicators used in measuringtourism performance. According to the 2010 United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Report, Malaysia ranked 9th in international tourist arrivals, welcoming 24. 6 million visitors through its doors. This good performance represents a 3. 9% increase over 2009 performance. Malaysia achieved a third place in the Asian region after China and Turkey respectively in the world’s top ten country lists of international tourist arrivals. This performance was realized by the governments’ tourism training, incentives and promotional programs. Government incentives include tourism infrastructure fund and special tourism fund to support tourism-related development and projects. Promotional programs include the popular ‘Malaysia my second home’, student tourism programs for secondary schools and education tourism among others. Provision of tourism services according to MS ISO 9001:2000 by the Ministry is an indication of the ministry’s international quality benchmark. The impact of these efforts resulted in international tourism receipt of RM 56. 5 billion in 2010. Therefore, in order to complement this achievement, the government is stepping up efforts in its plan to boost the tourism industry. This was reflected in the 2011 budget where more tourism destinations in various parts of the country will be developed (some are already under construction as of writing), ban of import duties on certain tourism-related products, education promotions and part-funding of tourism related projects with the private sector. Highlights of Tourim sites in Malaysia The developmental efforts of the governments’ tourism agency resulting in the recognition of threeattractions as world heritage sites by UNESCO are truly commendable. Theseattractions are: 1. Gunung Mulu National Park (Sarawak) 2. Kinabalu Park (Sabah) 3. Melaka and Georgetown, historic sites of the Straits of Malacca Potential sites already submitted for inclusion by UNESCO includes: 1. Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary (LEWS) and Ai national Park (BANP)   2.  Prehistoric Archeological Heritage of Lenggong Valley 3. The Taman Negara National Park of Peninsular Malaysia Consequently, increased tourism benefits other sectors such as increasing hotel development, training of tourism related courses in tertiary institutions, manufacturing, transportation and the aviation industry only to mention a few. Future of Malaysian tourism and implications for students As Malaysia inches closer to its vision of becoming a developed country by 2020, the race is on to ensure its tourism industry is not left behind. Continued liberalization of some government controlled sectors, increased incentives, development of more tourism destinations where possible, increased involvement of the private sector are some of the key strides that will continue to improve Malaysia tourism performance into the future. This has a huge implication for students especially students of Hospitality and Tourism management. As populations increase in Malaysia and in the world and the Malaysian government makes its tourism industry more attractive, more skilled personnel will be required to manage the increasing government functions and private businesses resulting from it. One key recommendation for the Malaysian government will be to factor in the projected skilled workforce and skill sets required to realize its future tourism ambitions while making plans for those skills and workforce today. Students interested in the tourism industry will focus on developing additional skills sets more than a passing grade that will provide the distinction to ensure a place in the ever growing Malaysian tourism industry. Conclusion This article investigated Malaysian tourism in terms of its performance, impact, development, future and implications for students.  It was found that Malaysia ranks in the world’s top ten countries in international tourist arrivals, achieved recognition for three UNESCO world heritage sites, and has a coordinated promotion, incentive and program to propel its tourism industry into the future. The implication for students especially student of the Hospitality and tourism industry werediscussed. Finally, it was recommended that a holistic tourism plan must include the projected skill set and workforce required to manage the increasing tourism projects of the future.

Evaluation of Play as an Educational Tool for Children

Evaluation of Play as an Educational Tool for Children ‘Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see’ (Postman, 1994, p xi). The importance of learning, the content and delivery, for children in Year 1 (5 to 6 years of age) is under debate. Arguments are rife through education that formal teaching as prescribed through the Literacy Hour, is developmentally inappropriate for many 6 year olds, and thus recommending that the principles of the Foundation Stage can be extended to cover all children aged between 3 to 7 years of age. From the Government’s point of view David Bell, the Chief Inspector of Schools in England, was reported in the Sunday Telegraph,31 August 2003 in saying that too many children are not ready for school due to their disrupted and dishevelled upbringing. As a result, the verbal and behavioural skills of the nations five-year-olds were at an all-time low, causing severe difficulties for schools. Review of literature Much has been stated in this country over the problems that children of 5 to 6 years of age face with their education. The Government’s Chief Inspector of Schools has been vocal on the subject: In 2003 children are starting school less well prepared than ever because parents are failing to raise their youngsters properly. One of the key causes waste failure of parents to impose proper discipline at home, which led to poor behaviour in class. Another serious concern was the tendency to sit children in front of the television, rather than talking and playing with them. This meant that many were unable to speak properly when they started school, stating that parents were still not doing enough to support teachers. There is evidence that childrens verbal skills are lacking. We should encourage parents to talk to their children and give them a whole range of stimulating things to do and not just assume that the television, or whatever, will do all that for them. He added that the deficiencies of pupils starting school could have lasting effects, particularly where parents continued to fail to offer support to teachers. (Sunday Telegraph, 31 August 2003). At the time a two-part response to this came from a) Mos. Kaman Gandhi(2003) CEO of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists said behaviour is very obviously linked to language and it is very hard to separate one from the other. It is clear some parents have problems with their pre-school children. They have the will but sometimes lack the resources and know-how to cope when faced with a child with language difficulties, Speech and language therapists are involved and engaged with some key initiatives, including Sure Start programmes, which bring together early education, childcare, health and family support to give a sure start to young children living in disadvantaged areas. Along with b) Talk to Your Baby co-coordinator Liz Attenborough(2003) said: All parents wish to do their best for their children, but often lack the confidence or knowledge to implement powerful parenting practices, such as attentive listening, singing songs, playing rhyming games and sharing books. Parents need to be empowered to recognise their valuable contribution to their childs ability to make sense of the world, through encouraging communication at every opportunity Yet prior to this, in January of 2003 reported in the Financial Times, it was stated that every primary school in the country should hold classes for parents to teach them how to play with their children in an attempt to stop language skills disappearing from some homes, Alan Wells (2003) the head of the Basic Skills Agency told the North of England Conference. Head teachers were reporting a steady rise in what has been called the daily grunt monosyllabic conversational skills and a basic lack of language ability that was not connected to the problems of learning another language. This is about children sat in front of TVs or their computers, and its about a lack of families having food together and a general lack of conversation, He also stated that programmes on a national scale were needed to teach some parents how to play with their children, read to them regularly and demonstrate conversational skills within the family. So children’s development is questionable, it was reported in the Sunday Telegraph in June of 2003 that education researchers, who blame increased television viewing and the decline of family conversation forth trend, say that teaching such children the 3Rs is a waste of time because they have not yet grasped the basics of language, and that unbelievable as it seems, some children starting nursery do not seem to have ever had a one-to-one conversation with anyone. Parents rely on television as a distraction for the child, so they can cope with other matters in their busy lives, but where does the problem start, and how do other countries tackle the issue. The cycle of learning, that of perceiving, knowing and remembering, begins in the very first few days of life with the child responding and learning from reflex action. These actions are the beginnings Ofcom-ordination, which become patterns of behaviour. This learning process of a young child becomes very much that of active rather than passive. The Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget (1896-1980) termed these as schemas, and by way of complex research of into the child’s intellectual development, began to explain the evolution of thinking for a child. As the child progresses and grows, their senses of hearing, seeing and touch are used to great effect to understand all-around them and learn. Through observing the forms of logic and reasoning of children, especially their spontaneous comments, Piaget developed his cognitive theory of qualitative changes, in that children think and reason differently at different periods in their lives whilst going through stages of intellectual dev elopment. From this research concept was introduced four fundamental neurological stages of child-development: sensory-motor, pre-conception, intuitive, concrete operational, and formal operation (Child, 1997, pp. 193-201). For this paper concentration will only be on all stages leading up to concrete operational. The first stage of development is sensory-motor: for a mental age approximately 0 to 2 years. Developmentally, the first two years of child’s life is very important. Mental structures of the child are mainly concerned with the mastery of concrete object’s, very early actions, taking place from day 1 to 4 months) involve sucking and general body movements. These are primary actions, mainly the grasping of everything towards it that it comes in contact with. As the senses and actions improve, from cycles repeating and the perfecting of co-ordination, Piaget refers to these cycles of action as significant primary circular reaction. Here new actives appear, with less demand on reflexes. At 4 to 8 months an increase in visual-motorcar-ordination allows interests to take place outside of the child’s body, these secondary circular reactions are basically sensory reflex grasping by limbs of all that comes in range. Next, at 8 to 12 months, these secondary circular reactions are more refined and incorporated into new situations that lead to that of purposeful behaviour. At 12 to18 month’s the child will experiment at extending these secondary circular reactions into tertiary circular reactions, by inventing and developing new ways of completing the required end-result. At plus 18month’s, towards the end of this initial stage the child begins to represent the world in mental images and symbols, and the inception of language allows the depiction of objects in their absence. It was found that with the child’s imagination, the act of play becomes very important, it allows assimilation and enables the complete union of sensory experience and motor activity development. Imitation is shown as an example of accommodation, where the child is attempting to modify behaviour to become someone or something else. The term deferred imitation is where the ability to cope with someone else in their absence, and represents a great advance as it shows that the child’s development is such that it is now able to form images of events that can be recalled for future reference (Child, 1997, p 194). The second stage of development is pre-conception: for a mental age approximately 2 to 4 years. Here the direct link between sensory experiences and motor activity are developed into the intermediate process of mental activity, and the acknowledging of symbols starts to take place, which act on the experience and knowledge gained in the first stage, due to internalizing imitations and actions. The child’s use of transductive reasoning is evident, where the coincidence of two events, possibly non-related, creates a pre-concept. This period in a child’s development is very dominated by symbolic play, where doll’s become babies etc. and direct imitation of what other people are doing. All this takes place with an egocentric nature, as the child is unable to view things from another person’s point of view. The egocentric nature also stops the child from understanding what is seen by way of visual perception, another person’s angle of views the same as theirs or vice versa. Part B of the second stage is Intuitive: for a mental age of approximately 4 to 7 years. Where the mastery of symbols takes place, by the process of mental activity, acting on all experience and knowledge gained in the previous stage. Being very dependent on superficial perceptions of their environment, the development of ideas and understanding of situations are formed by impressions, which are on-reversible. Meaning the child can only comprehend one relationship at a time, this occurrence Piaget terms cantering, the concentrating on one aspect of a problem and disregarding the rest. This results in a lack of conservation of quantity, which relate to problems that involve reorganizing a flexible mass such as water in containers. Because the child is dependent on superficial perceptions it cannot work the problem backwards, Child (1997, p.197) outlines the problem of the child realizing of the mass to its original shape by the compensating for changes in the original dimensions. This mental action of reversibility is a central skill that frees the child from intuitive impressions, and enables an appreciation of the change in physical dimensions without change in the total quantity. Part three of the development stage is concrete operational: for a mental age approximately 7 to 11 years. Where the mastery of classes, relations, numbers, and how to reason takes place. The child describes the environment at the highest levels of abstract reasoning, with consistent classifications leading to the accurate sorting of similar properties, resulting in providing valid concepts. This sorting is referred to as serration and leads to concrete operational thinking, inessential skill of development. Finally stage four in the development process is formal operation or abstract thinking – mental age approximately 11 years and up. Where the mastery of thought takes place, the highest level of thinking, where the person can reason hypothetically and in the absence of material evidence. Piaget put each of these four fundamental stages as part of an invariant sequence, a sequence that could not be broken but could be longer or shorter, and each stage contained major cognitive tasks that had to be completed for successful intellectual development before moving onto the next. These fundamental stages have been the foundation for teaching and learning, which some educationalists argue to reject. Margaret Donaldson (1978) argues that the task Piaget used to observe children was at the time not explained in sufficient detail for them to understand. Therefore on the subject of cantering (Piaget, stage 2B),the findings are invalid, and Donaldson explains that research into this task and another of similar design, have been carried out by several including Martin Hughes (pp. 20-31). The results were dramatic. With thirty children aged between 3 and 5 years, 90% of their responses were correct, and the youngest ten children with an average age of 3years 9 months, achieved a success rate of 88%. Overall the general conclusion seems unavoidable: pre-school children are not nearly so limited in their ability to ‘decentre’ or appreciate someone else’s point of view, as Piaget has maintained for many years (p 30). So what are the reasons that hold a 5-6 year old child back, and how can they be addressed. Other elements to learning exist: that of different social and ethnic backgrounds, that children learn effectively by playing in a calm environment, that the performance and cycle of learning is enhanced when parent/teacher is eager to be positive and praise, and when parent/teacher is quick to be negative, the child is reluctant to learn. With these extra elements, the stages described are not so firmly coupled with age, but as stated, with mental age. This mixture is termed constructivism, the blending of cognitive psychology and social psychology that dictate adaptive behavior, not just cognitive alone. So learning is a constructivist activity. Cognitive development is a process in which language is a crucial tool for determining how the child will learn how to think because advanced modes of thought are transmitted to the child by means of words. The Russian theorist, Vygotsky (1962) reached a conclusion that thought and speech originate from different processes and then evolve in parallel but independently of each other. Children learn the names of objects only when told so. At some point the attitude changes, the child becomes curious about names of things. At this point the child’s vocabulary increases dramatically, with much less coaching from adults, this point in the development of the child is where thought and speech merge. During the course of development everything occurs more than once, in the learning of language our first utterances with peers or adults are for the purpose of communication, but once mastered they become internalized and allow inner conversation, and thought undergoes many changes as it turns into speech. Vygotsky, believes that the meanings of words evolve during childhood, and their meanings are dynamic, not static entities. Tough (1976) found that language and literacy is directed in the young child by factors such as the size of family, parents and their educational background, class, language, their situation and location. Therefore the foundation of learning is on social constructivism that involves language home background; and the importance of play by way of meaningful stimulation that promotes intellectual development. Another argument on Piaget’s theories regarding the pre-conception stage, 2A, was by Povey and Hill (1975) showing that the social activity of language may have been undervalued, not only as a source of variation between children’s concept development but also as the vehicle by which children convey their ability to form concepts (Child,1997, p.195). Povey and Hill also found that children up to the age of four gain specific and generic concepts from pictorial information(pictures, drawings). Moss Penn (1996) produced a broad evaluation of nursery education in the UK and out of this concentrated their results on how the early learning services had been badly neglected. With continual under-funding an issue and increased fragmentation; staff poorly paid and trained; low aspirations and lower expectations, their provocative analysis of this evaluation also showed that young children are seen as important for what they may become, rather than for what they are. In England children are legally required to start the National Curriculum (Key Stage 1) the term after their 5th birthday (31 August,31 December or 31 March). Yet children often start earlier than this. Children are taken into nurseries from 5 months through to 5 years. Across the world it is about the same, the age of 5 in Canada, and 5 in the USA. In the state of Indiana, USA, a child has to be 5 by August1st, last year it was 5 by July 1st, and prior to that it was June 1st. In the USA since 2004 plans were being made for a start age of 3 by researchers at the Frank Porter Graham (FPG) Child Development Institute in the USA were formulating plans to develop a rich learning environment for pre-kindergarten (Pre-K) that took into account the child’s social, emotional and physical development. Now in 2006 the plans are a reality with First School, a new vision for early schooling of children ages 3 to 8. Developed through a partnership among families, the community, the FPG Child Development Institute and The University of North Carolina, which together are passionate about the future of schools and schooling for young children. The FPG aim is to use this model to inform other educational institutions to guide them to a successful early learning experience for children and families. The early start age reflects the lives of working mothers in today’s society, trying to balance work and family life, whilst trying to improve life chances for their children. First school offers a safe, constructive and significant haven for children, bringing a quality into pre-school environments. The problem of childcare for parents on low income or in a workless situation, is not exclusive to one country, it is a global problem, and is a major consideration towards education. In the UK this problem is being addressed by the Government taking on ate-year strategy for childcare, published in 2004, which is now subject to Parliamentary Approval in 2006 (Education Skills,2006). It is the Government’s response to a fundamental challenge facing Britain in the need to ensure available, affordable, and high-quality childcare in the 21st Century. The problems that face the teaching of Language and Literacy are highlighted here in examples from the UK and in the USA, yet it is recognised as a global problem. Many studies have been carried out over years, highlighting the contribution of high quality early education, which tends to be more targeted at disadvantage children. This underlines the concern of literacy problems in later years, which is being addressed now for the education standards of tomorrow. In the US long term studies in early childcare NICHD (1991) highlighted the fact of high-quality childcare was found to give a better cognitive and language ability than children in low-quality care. It also found that children who spent more time in childcare were seen to display behavioural problems, such as aggressive tendencies at 4.5 years onwards, than children in less care. The largest and most lasting academic gains were seen in disadvantaged children. For the UK the Department for Educational Studies (Dress) funded the Effective Provision of Pre-School Education a longitudinal study in1996, it was an evaluation for children of 3 to 7 years of age inure-school through into primary from different social backgrounds. The summary in Findings from the Early Primary Years (EPPE Summary 2004)where collected data was about the children, parents, home environment and the pre-school they attended, and proved that cognitive and social effects were positive going into primary. The findings of the study showed that parent’s education and social class remained as predictors of intellectual and social development, and that very long periods of pre-school were connected withanti-social behavioural problems. This fact was attributed to the presence of non-parental childcare before three years of age. The education level of the child’s mother was also seen to be a major factor in the child’s performance. Major findings from the pre-school period included that of disadvantaged children benefit significantly from good pre-school experience, especially when they are with a mixture of children from different backgrounds. It was also found overall, that disadvantaged children tend to attend pre-school for shorter periods of time than those from more advantaged groups (EPPE Summary 2004). Several recommendations were made, that included: to encourage more episodes of ‘sustained shared thinking’ with the children; work towards an equal balance of child and adult initiated activity; and ensure that staff have both the knowledge and understanding of curriculum and child-development. The UK Government in the UK introduced an extended National Curriculum (Education Act 2002) and the Foundation Stage that was for the 3 to 5year olds, giving this period in the child’s education a distinct identity and attention. The six areas of learning became statutory, and the Act also specified that there should be early learning goals for each of the areas: Personal, social and emotional development; Communication, language and literacy; Mathematical development; Knowledge and understanding of the world; Physical development; and Creative development. A national consultation on the content of the early learning goals as set out in Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage was carried out in autumn 2002. Following this consultation the early learning goals, and use of the Curriculum guidance as a guide, became statutory in March 2002. This new move was aiming to secure learners participation and ensure appropriate opportunities for them to achieve, and offered flexibility within for schools to develop their own curriculum. It offered a less prescriptive approach, in which flexible allocating of time for required subjects allowed them not to taught each week, term or year, therefore allowing choice of method and the advancement of teaching and learning. The Act also established a single national assessment system for the foundation stage, replacing baseline assessment schemes. The Foundation stage profile was introduced into schools and settings in 2002-3. This profile has 13 summary scales covering the six areas of learning, which need to be completed for each child receiving government-funded education by the end of his or her time in the foundation stage. The Foundation Stage developed the key learning skills: listening, speaking, concentration, persistence, learning to work together and-operating with others, along with the developing of communication, literacy numeric skills in the preparation for entry into of the National Curriculum at Key Stage 1. Progress for the child through the Foundation Stage is categorised as Stepping Stones, where developing knowledge can be identified through the 13 stages of the Foundation Stage Profile, the assessment of which is completed in the final year prior to entry into Primary School. Emphasis is placed on successful personal, social and emotional development for all, especially those children with behavioural or communication difficulties. Throughout, the curriculum requires a safe and secure, rich environment for the child that is vibrant, purposeful, challenging and supportive, where trust for the practitioner is forthcoming, and progress is positive and rewarding. A prolific body of research in the USA has centred on early childhood programmes, in the state of Carolina, USA, in 2004 plans were being made for a start age of 3. Researchers at the Frank Porter Graham (FPG)Child Development Institute were formulating plans to develop a rich learning environment for pre-kindergarten (Pre-K) that took into account the child’s social, emotional and physical development. Now in2006 the plans are a reality with First School, a new vision for early schooling of children ages 3 to 8. Developed through a partnership among families, the community, the FPG Child Development Institute and The University of North Carolina, which together are passionate about the future of schools and schooling for young children. The FPG aim is to use this model to inform other educational institutions to guide them to a successful early learning experience for children and families. The early start age reflects the lives of working mothers in today’s society, yet it also offers a safe, constructive and significant haven for the child, bringing a quality into pre-school environments. From an article in Nursery World (Feb, 2004), it stated that the number of children who have speech and language difficulties in day nurseries across the UK is rising fast, according to a survey of nursery staff, and that the results of the survey by I CAN, the charity the helps children who have speech and language difficulties, found that 89 present of nursery staff were worried that speech, language and communication difficulties among pre-school-age children were growing. Nursery staff reported more children having problems concentrating, speaking clearly and following instructions. Children often responded with monosyllabic answers or gestures rather than appropriate language. Almost all (96 per cent) of the respondents said they has at least one child with communications difficulties in their nursery, while 10 present said they had at least 10 children with such problems. Respondents of the survey blamed several factors, including a lack of time spent by children and adults talking together, the use of television to pacify child and the trend for parents to talk on behalf of their child instead of letting the child have a say. It shows that the problem is crucial that children with speech and language difficulties have the same opportunities in life as other children. A study of the transition from infant to Primary in England: from Foundation Stage to Key Stage 1 was carried out in 2005 (Sanders et al,2005), where it was discovered the biggest challenge to children being the move from play-based approach in the Foundation Stage to a more structured curriculum in Key Stage 1. It also noted that the Literacy Hour had proved challenging as it was difficult for young children to sit still and listen to their teacher. In European countries, the transition to primary school (age of 6) is linked with a play-based exploratory curriculum to a more formal one. In England the transition begins around the age of 5, and into a more formal curriculum one year later (Sanders et al, 2005). This report also highlighted the question that staff may not be appreciating the anxiety for children and parents at this time, which proves quite surprising. The recommendations of the report included: a communication between staff of Foundation Stage, staff in Year 1 and parents to plan for the child’s needs; that School’s should have resources to enable the children in Year 1 to have play-based activities, for role play, construction and outdoor learning; that formal sitting and listen in Year 1 should be reduced, and more opportunities for learning through play; and that there is a further need for research into this transition. In February of this year a study (FGP 2006) was carried out in the Fusion 240 state funded Pre-K programs for 4 year-olds. The assessment was selecting one classroom at random, and within that classroom four children were chosen for individual assessment in the areas of language, literacy and number skills. The major findings in this study are reproduced here. Children: †¢ More than half of the children enrolled were from low-income families. †¢ African American, Latino, and Asian children were more likely than White children to be in a Pre-K class with a high concentration of poor children. †¢ A large percentage of the mothers had only a high school education or less. †¢ Almost one-quarter of the children spoke a language other than English at home. †¢ With their entry into Pre-K, the language ability of most children from low-income families was below the national average, as was their math ability. On standard measures of language and math, these children made small but meaningful gains from fall to spring of their Pre-K year. Pre-K teachers: †¢ They averaged 42 years of age; most were female and White. †¢ Overall, about 70% of teachers had at least a bachelor’s degree. †¢ About half had at least a bachelor’s degree and state certification to teach 4-year-olds. †¢ About 30% had a two-year degree or no formal degree past high school. †¢ Pre-k teachers’ salaries were higher than those of child care teachers and approached the salaries of public school teachers. †¢ Teachers with lower qualifications (less than a bachelor’s degree)were more likely to teach poor children and children who were African American or Latino. The finding’s highlighted the concerns of teachers not being able to give the high quality experiences required to those children that need it most. It also reveals that using the widely used measure of classroom quality of Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale-Revised(where a score of 7 is ‘excellent’, a score of 5 is ‘good’, and a score of 3 is ‘minimal’) the average score was 3.86. This score is disappointment to all concerned, considering the enthusiasm, and shows an environment that is not able to take full advantage of learning opportunities for young children. These findings were endorsed by Kauerz (2006) who states that although Pre-K provides crucial gains in achievement, especially in reading and math’s, it is only short term due to what is termed as ‘the fade-out problem’. This problem is that the advantage that the child has gained could be lost (60-80%) during the first two years of elementary school, when joining a year/class that includes children of a lower level(those that did not participate so early). They are held back whilst the teacher’s attention is put to those of a lower standard. It also has an effect if the elementary school that the child from high-quality Pre-K joins is of low quality. This factor is covered widely in research in the USA as entry is entirely dependent on residential location, therefore it could be a problem for children from low-income families. Yet on the positive side, Campbell, Miller-Johnson, Sparling Ponselle (2001); National Research Council (2001); Steinhart et al(2005) all confirm that through rigorous research high quality early childhood experiences produce impressive life-time benefits to society including fewer grade retentions, fewer special education placements, increased high-school graduation rates, and finally increased employment earnings (Buyers, 2006). Statement of scope and aims of the study The aim of this study is to discover and evaluate how schools use play as an educational tool for children aged 5 to 6 years of age. Along with how it is used in line with the National Curriculum and Early Years learning objectives. The study will investigate if play is used enough in school, and which benefits come from this, with finally, to support these findings, an overview of studies completed in other countries, on the subject of play in education. The sample size will be thirty, which is less than perfect, but in the small time frame allowed it will produce a representative sample that will be supportive of this papers aim. Methodology Section A – the justification The method used in the design of this research as a factual enquiry, the following were considered: †¢ The aims of the study and theories to be investigated †¢ Reviewing the relevant literature: interested organizations †¢ Preliminary conceptualization of the study †¢ Deciding on the design of the study and assessing its feasibility within the limitations †¢ Deciding which hypotheses will be investigated †¢ Designing the required research instrument and technique: postal questionnaires †¢ Drawing the sample: who to interview †¢ Doing the field work †¢ Processing the data †¢ Assembling the results †¢ Writing the research report A study of this nature is a complex operation, and a first requirements therefore the development of a clear plan, overall research design. It is the research design that must hold all the parts and phases o

Views of Heaven in From the Fifteenth District :: Fifteenth District

Views of Heaven in From the Fifteenth District Mavis Gallant presents us with a disconcerting view of death in the short story "From the Fifteenth District," where dying is not a salvation from the pains of life but where the dead are forced to suffer eternally. In this story, the author sets out three distinct cases of 'haunting,' except that these hauntings are reported by the dead about the living. Major E. Travella, killed during World War I, is angry that he is being exploited by the church and the public. Mrs. Ibrahim is upset that her doctor and social worker are fighting over her death. Finally, Ms. Essling is frustrated that she is unable to get on with her 'life' after death because of her husband. All three of these individuals are harboring anger and hostility after death and are unable to move on and rest in peace. Major Emery Travella feels as if the church is trying to capitalize on his death. When the Major visits the church for Communion he realizes that the congregation is not there to pay tribute to God but instead, "the congregation sits, hushed and expectant straining to hear [his] footsteps" (282) which signal his haunting of the church. The Major is upset that the church is allowing the congregation to make a mockery of the church by devoting their time to him instead of the Communion which should be the reason they are there. The church is also trying to profit by the Major's haunting by allowing cameras and tape recorders into their place of prayer. Travella feels that the church is sacred and is supposed to be seen as a place of worship, not a place to record abnormal phenomena. Major E. Travella feels that he is not being respected by the congregation, instead, he is being insulted by people only caring about him because he is a ghost, not because of who he was as a living per son. Mrs. Ibrahim is bothered that her doctor and social worker cannot settle their differences in opinion in their accounts of her death. She does not see the point of fighting over her because she is no longer living and has died of natural causes. They are both lying to save themselves from punishment, and even though no one was at fault, they were both trying to place the blame on the other.

Hamlet Plot :: essays research papers

HAMLET PLOT The play opens during the evening watch at the castle of Elsinore in Denmark. The last two nights, a ghost dressed in the dead King Hamlet’s armor has appeared as the clock strikes one. Three men, Horatio (Hamlet’s friend), Marcellus, and Bernardo, are talking, when the ghost appears once more. Horatio tries to talk to the ghost, but the ghost is silent and then disappears. The men try to figure out why the ghost has returned and decide that Hamlet should speak to his father’s ghost. Meanwhile, Prince Hamlet is at the castle with his mother, Queen Gertude, and her new husband, King Claudius, who is also Hamlet’s uncle. Claudius tells Hamlet that prolonged grieving for his dead father is not right. When they leave the room, Hamlet is alone to lament and think. "O God, God! How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable Seem to me all the uses of this world!" Horatio then comes to greet Hamlet, who is delighted at his friend’s arrival. Horatio tells Hamlet about the ghost and Hamlet agrees to meet them. Laertes, the son of Lord Chamberlain Polonius, is getting ready to leave for France. He leaves his sister, Ophelia, with a warning not to pay much attention to Hamlet, who is trying to court her. Polonius also gives advice to Laertes. At night, Hamlet joins Horatio and Marcellus to wait for the ghost. The ghost calls Hamlet and Hamlet follows him, even though his friends plead against it. The ghost tells Hamlet the horrible secret--- his father did not die from a serpent’s bite but from poison. His father was murdered by Hamlet’s uncle, who has now married Hamlet’s mother! Hamlet is told to revenge his father’s death, but to leave his mother alone. As the ghost leaves, Hamlet becomes enraged at his uncle. From his intelligent, civilized self, Hamlet changes into an enraged person determined to kill his uncle. He decides to act insane so that no one will suspect him. Hamlet makes Horatio and Marcellus swear to tell no one what happened here. Later on, Ophelia tells her father in a fright that Hamlet appeared to her, his face white as if he had been to hell. Polonius believes that this madness is due to the fact that Ophelia doesn’t love Hamlet back. He goes to tell the King this. The King and Queen agree that Hamlet has gone insane.

Bullies :: Free Essay Writer

Bullies Upon reading last Sunday’s issue of the newspaper, then scanning the Editorial Pages my eyes were drawn to thick black letters entitling a column â€Å"Time to pick on bullies†. This editorial of Bill Thompson immediately laid claim that after a school shooting, news follows that the shooter was â€Å"bullied† by fellow students. Seeing where this topic was headed, I was intrigued to read on. After a short reminiscent review of how kids used to either tolerate the ridiculer, or as Mr. Thompson wrote, resort to an â€Å"old fashioned schoolyard fist fight.† He then began fortifying his stand on the issue. Three schools, which, fell victim to such a crime as a school shooting were used as examples. The first, Santana High School in Santee, California. Secondly he mentioned a Catholic school in Williamsport, Pa. And finally, the school which broke in this sick trend, Columbine High school in Colorado. Now, by this point I was wondering if I had picked the wrong columnist, but out of nowhere I saw his whole case fall apart. He writes, and I quote, â€Å"We are ready, willing, and able to blame the epidemic of school shootings on the right to bare arms, on the shooters parents, on violent music, video games and TV shows. Why don’t we want to place some blame on the bullies who drive these kids to murder?† It was after reading that statement that I knew I’d picked a winner. I mean, was this guy serious? To place blame on our right to bare arms makes for good sense because it answers the question of how these kids are arming themselves. As for blaming the shooters parents, that topic alone spans the spectrum of parented morality. Our environment growing up whether it is where we live, to how our parents cared for us, all aspects of our childhood good or bad carry with us through life eventually molding us into adults. And when it comes to the level of violence in music, video games, and television that simply boils down to parental decision. The entertainment industry rarely slows its money machine to consider the welfare of its listeners and viewers. To be perfectly honest, I don’t feel it should have to. These quotes left me even more aggravated at how society is viewing this problem. It’s as though they’re reaching for explanations as to why. Well how will we ever be able to answer that? Bullies :: Free Essay Writer Bullies Upon reading last Sunday’s issue of the newspaper, then scanning the Editorial Pages my eyes were drawn to thick black letters entitling a column â€Å"Time to pick on bullies†. This editorial of Bill Thompson immediately laid claim that after a school shooting, news follows that the shooter was â€Å"bullied† by fellow students. Seeing where this topic was headed, I was intrigued to read on. After a short reminiscent review of how kids used to either tolerate the ridiculer, or as Mr. Thompson wrote, resort to an â€Å"old fashioned schoolyard fist fight.† He then began fortifying his stand on the issue. Three schools, which, fell victim to such a crime as a school shooting were used as examples. The first, Santana High School in Santee, California. Secondly he mentioned a Catholic school in Williamsport, Pa. And finally, the school which broke in this sick trend, Columbine High school in Colorado. Now, by this point I was wondering if I had picked the wrong columnist, but out of nowhere I saw his whole case fall apart. He writes, and I quote, â€Å"We are ready, willing, and able to blame the epidemic of school shootings on the right to bare arms, on the shooters parents, on violent music, video games and TV shows. Why don’t we want to place some blame on the bullies who drive these kids to murder?† It was after reading that statement that I knew I’d picked a winner. I mean, was this guy serious? To place blame on our right to bare arms makes for good sense because it answers the question of how these kids are arming themselves. As for blaming the shooters parents, that topic alone spans the spectrum of parented morality. Our environment growing up whether it is where we live, to how our parents cared for us, all aspects of our childhood good or bad carry with us through life eventually molding us into adults. And when it comes to the level of violence in music, video games, and television that simply boils down to parental decision. The entertainment industry rarely slows its money machine to consider the welfare of its listeners and viewers. To be perfectly honest, I don’t feel it should have to. These quotes left me even more aggravated at how society is viewing this problem. It’s as though they’re reaching for explanations as to why. Well how will we ever be able to answer that?

Why Childcare is Good for Children

Charndrea Johnson Composition Instructor:   Linda  O'Connor Week 12: Individual work Introduction This Essay I choose is basically to tell you why you should choose childcare for your child and why it’s good for children. Also why I approve of my child being in one. Choosing an appropriate childcare for your young children seems very overwhelming. But as a parent it’s your responsibility to ensure that your children are safe and happy in a childcare that is fun, educational, and nurturing all at the same time, so that you know your child is comfortable in their environment.Whether it’s an in-home, center based daycare or preschool. And you should also know your children’s temperament, which are their likes, dislikes, health, interests, and behavior. Yes they might give you a hard time the first few times you drop them off but once they get use to their care taker they are going to be comfortable around them. I choose my topic to be about child care, be cause I feel that it could be good for any child but I do and don’t like some parts of child care.For instance I would prefer for my child to be in a facility where they are active with other children, learn educational material that can prepare them in the long run. Not sitting in someone’s home watching TV, playing, and taking naps. That more like you’re paying a teenager to babysit your child while you’re at work not somewhere professional. But I approve of an exalt professional child care where you know your child is safe and happy. Not somewhere where you are having second thoughts about putting your child.The child care where my child go I love it, because I know that while she is there she’s safe and happy playing with children her age and learn real educational material not just sitting on a couch watching cartoons. In many important ways, our preschool years determine our future competitive role in the global economy, the public safety of our communities, the cost-effective investment of public and private dollars, and the success of welfare reform. When child care becomes necessary for families; quality child care becomes critical for children.If done well, child care benefits us all. The economic structure of society has significantly influenced how families care for their children. Because women are usually the primary caregivers, the nature of their work roles has an important effect on childcare. In some societies, mothers as well as fathers can provide childcare, food, clothing, and shelter for their families through work located in or near the family home. In other situations, men are employed away from home and the daily care of children becomes the primary responsibility of women (Carnoy 2000).Some women work only before marriage, before children are born, or after children are mature enough to care for themselves. However, for a variety of personal and economic reasons, including single parenthood, many mot hers with young children today work outside the home and can no longer fill the traditional responsibilities of home and childcare. Because children's early experiences and relationships with caregivers have a significant influence on their future development and achievements, the quality of their care is an important concern for all.And this is why I choose the topic about childcare, because I feel every child should have a chance at on early education in childcare. And not just sitting at home looking at their parents or watching cartoons all day. And the good thing about it is that you can get a break from your children and they can also get a break from you. And yes they have help for you if you can’t afford to pay the full amount of childcare in certain states. I don’t know about every state but I know you can get help with childcare if you’re in school, working or both.But childcare is good for both the child and the parent, so this is why I feel you shoul d choose childcare. Reference Textbook Roen, D. , Glau, G. , Maid, B. (2010). The McGraw-Hill guide: Writing for college, writing for life (2nd Ed. ). New York: McGraw-Hill. Why choose childcare http://family. jrank. org/pages/220/Childcare-Why-Childcare-Important. html choosing childcare http://kidshealth. org/parent/positive/family/child_care. html DCF http://www. dcf. state. fl. us/programs/childcare/ ELC www. elcalachua. org/

Advantages and disadvantages to have a car Essay

Cars are today something useful for society. However there are a lot of advantages and disadvantages when owning a car. In my opinion and one of the advantages is that you can move around freely because you can decide the place you can visit and when to go. Furthermore you do not waste time waiting for buses or depending on timetables. Other advantage is that it does not take you so long to go to different places. On the other hand, they are polluting and they are dangerous because a lot of people are irresponsable when driving as they drink or drive dangerously or speed. Other disadvantage is that they are very expensive. Not only to buy them but also to keep them. Petrol is also expensive and the maintanance. In conclusion, cars are good invention but they are not toys and you have to be responsible when you drive and of course you must have money!!!. Advantages and disadvantages to have a car  Cars are today something useful for society. However there are a lot of advantages and disadvantages when owning a car. In my opinion and one of the advantages is that you can move around freely because you can decide the place you can visit and when to go. Furthermore you do not waste time waiting for buses or depending on timetables. Other advantage is that it does not take you so long to go to different places. On the other hand, they are polluting and they are dangerous because a lot of people are irresponsable when driving as they drink or drive dangerously or speed. Other disadvantage is that they are very expensive. Not only to buy them but also to keep them. Petrol is also expensive and the maintanance. In conclusion, cars are good invention but they are not toys and you have to be responsible when you drive and of course you must have money!