Remembering My Childhood Essay

â€Å"I want to be just like you† Growing up, Sedaris had a good life. He had a loving family that supported him and made sure he was well taking care of. Sedaris’ friend, Hugh had a very difficult lifestyle. When Hugh was growing up as a child, he saw things that children should not be forced to witness. Hugh’s class took a field trip to a slaughterhouse one day, where they were treated to a pig’s execution. â€Å"†¦One of the brothers drew a pistol from his back pocket, held it against the animal’s temple, and shot the piglet, execution-style.† (Paragraph 6, page 109) At another occasion, Hugh witnesses a dead man on a telephone pole. â€Å"Unlike me, he left the theater two hours later, to find a dead man hanging from a telephone pole at the far end of the unpaved parking lot.† (Paragraph 10, page 110) Hugh was often neglected by this family and spent majority of his adolescence with surrogate parents. Hugh’s life wasn’t the not good at all but Sedaris w anted Hugh’s life. Sedaris describes why he believed his childhood was so bland in comparison to his friend Hugh’s childhood. Sedaris compared his childhood to Hugh’s childhood so much until he started to envy Hugh. Sedaris stated, â€Å"We had a collie and a house cat†¦ They had a monkey and two horses named Charlie Brown and Satan†¦ I threw stones at stop sighs†¦ Hugh threw stones at crocodiles.† (Paragraph 8, page 109) Sedaris thought throwing stones at crocodiles was really fun. He did not realize what kind of danger Hugh was really in. â€Å"No fifteen-foot python ever wandered onto my school’s basketball court†¦ I begged, I prayed nightly, but it just never happened†¦ A military coup in which forces sympathetic to colonel arrived late at night to assassinate my next-door neighbor.† (Paragraph 13, page 111) Sedaris wanted to everything Hugh had. He wanted to travel the around the Continent of Africa too. Sedaris loved Hugh’s childh ood but Hugh did not find his life to be so great. Hugh’s family had moved to Mogadishu, Somalia. Since there was not any English-speaking schools there, Hugh had to stay with a family he did not know. â€Å"Hugh was sent back to Ethiopia to live with a beer enthusiast his father had met at a cocktail party.† (Paragraph 16, page 112) While Hugh  lived with the Hoyts family, he did not feel welcomed at all. â€Å"They invited him to join them at the table, but that was as far as they extended themselves.† (Paragraph 16, page 112) Hugh was not able to celebrate his birthday nor was he able to talk to his family. â€Å"No one ever asked him when his birthday was, so when the day came, he kept it to himself†¦ There was no telephone service between Ethiopia and Somalia.† (Paragraph 16, page 112) The Hoyts had children and they missed treated Hugh every chance they could get. They would say things to Hugh for instead, â€Å"Hey that’s our sofa you’re sitting on† and â€Å"Hands off t hat ornamental stein†¦ It doesn’t belong to you.† (Paragraph 16, page 112) Hugh had a hard life growing up. His life was not what Sedaris make it to be. Although Sedaris had a better life than Hugh, he still envied Hugh’s childhood. He started to take Hugh’s childhood stories and make them his own. â€Å"Rather than surrender to my bitterness, I have learned to take satisfaction in the life that Hugh has led†¦ His stories have, over time, become my own†¦ When my own experiences fall short of the mark, I just go out and spend some of his†¦ It is with pleasure that I sometimes recall the dead man’s purpled face or the report of the handgun ringing in my ears as I studied the blood pooling beneath the dead white piglet.† (Paragraph 21, page 113) There once was a time in all of our lives where we wanted something someone else had and their lifestyle. Do we really see their struggles or are we just looking at what our eyes could see? We should not envy other people and the things they have. Some people work really hard to get the things they have today. We never know what another person had to do or go through in order to get what they have. We should be grateful to God for the things we do have.

Current And Future Use of Technology Essay

Spotify has provided a way for people to access and share music with services such as exchange of selections and even mobile access. In the process of providing these services, the users’ data is acquired through initial registration and this helps categorize the market. The main target for Spotify is not registration of premium accounts without adverts but the free use by the public where adverts can be played in between songs. There are many issues handled by Spotify in the business including competition from existing online music selling companies like Sony and Apple, and challenges on fair artists’ royalties with restrictions by copyrights in some regions. The e business strategy is well established for Spotify as the company deals with music producing companies and companies who look for a way to advertise brands. The peer to peer technology used and the feature of listening to music even when offline together with a simple user interface are all technological advantages of Spotify that make it popular in the market. The future of Spotify is based on integration of the software into hand held processing devices like modern phones, and having a good relation with the sources of music. E-Business background Spotify’s business idea was to create a medium through which to provide advertisers with a way of reaching a traceable and response predictable market. By creating a digital library of a wide variety of music and an interface through which listeners can register and listen to music free, Spotify was able do just that. There are adverts pushed in between songs and last for between 15 and 30 seconds. The users that don’t want to get interference from the audio adverts can pay a monthly fee to stop them. The portion of listeners who pay this fee is so small compared to the free users, who form the main market idea for Spotify. The company has arrangement with the world’s major labels to provide their music and in return claim an 18% stake in the company. The integration of the music producing companies, the listeners and the advertisers forms the e-business model for Spotify. There is competition from similar companies like Last. fm, Amazon (which sells music online), my space and facebook; with the direct rival being Last. fm. Spotify and Last. fm have integrated their systems though and this form a way to create an entry hardship in an effort to protect high profit business and raise competition advantage for both companies to realize. Porters Five Forces model Spotify’s business faces the five forces from threats of substitute, barriers to entry, supply power, buyers power and rivalry (Porter 1985). There are various ways that it has put up strategies to deal with this. First, there is the presence of substitute firms like Last. com; Spotify has planned to sing a deal in merged operations with the company in order to increase the business opportunities for both sides. It was proposed that the advertisers/brands could then be able to buy advertising services across the platforms of the two companies (McCormick 2009). According to the nature of the platform on which the adverts are run, Spotify has created a medium where the message is streamline with the music being listened to. Apart from the major rival with whom Spotify agrees to merge business with, the brands will face a hard time looking for an alternative service of the kind. Thus the buyer’s power is low, considering that there are also many scattered brands to advertise through the electronic platform. Furthermore, the platform provides a way of major record labels availing their music to the users, making sure that brands can get the largest number of music fans at Spotify, which they cannot get from online music shops. On the suppliers’ power towards Spotify’s business, there are many music producing labels that offer a variety of music. Also, the fact that the buyers of the service are somewhat weak, the suppliers are also put in the same line; because advertisers has no much power over Spotify, they cannot demand of specific record labels. Since the entry of Spotify into the e-business, the key issue is to keep the prices offered virtually low in order to provide a barrier of entry of new competition. One strategy applied by firms to this effect is merging their markets and operations so that they can enjoy economies of scale and protect the high profit market from other entrants while keeping the quality of services high. This was a case possible from the Spotify’s deal with Last. fm. There is rivalry in the industry of e-business and marketing through electronic means has been applied by many companies. The industry is disciplined though, from previous competition, the methods of enticing the music fans and through ease of use of platforms by the market forming population. The application streams music with no buffering times and provides a very wide variety of ready to listen categories of songs; from major record labels. The fact that the market for Spotify seems to be exponentially growing means that soon the buyers will be so many and so their power will go down, providing a business advantage for the company ( ). E-Marketing The internet is a unique marketing medium in that it provides a global market with instant response dynamism. The fact that when a product is advertised through the internet can reach millions of users within a short while is enough to make it a rich market. Spotify has its marketing strategy based on online access of adverts by the users in their endeavor to listen to music. Data and Market Analysis The strongest part of Spotify registration of users is that it takes the demographic data so that the company is in a position to provide marketing strategies to advertisers based on age, location and music taste. The ability to analyze and classify a market is important to advertisers, especially when it involves technical goods and services. Promotion and mobile services The introduction of the mobile version of Spotify software has helped in a far reaching marketing strategy. The whole issue has been in news for sometime and major discussion blogs and websites like BBC NEWS, leading to less costly promotion effect in Europe. The market in Spotify is really the online internet resource as well as the users PC’s and portable mobile Activities Spotify engages in various activities that are geared towards having a wide base of users so that it can reach more people when targeting an audience for an advert. These activities include; invite scheme, tell a friend and viral advertising. The â€Å"invite scheme† is where the newly registered and the existing members are given an opportunity to invite friends and family to experience Spotify while still promoting the premium membership. The â€Å"tell a friend† activity involves a Spotify inbuilt tool to spread word of mouth. This is a strategy to use the existing users to get the message to their friends using the already existing internet framework. The other one is viral advertising where the medium mainly used is social networking frameworks like facebook. The most visited WebPages are targeted and a multimedia message displayed. Web-design Spotify has created a peer to peer application that streams music between the listeners computer, whether online or offline. Spotify has a service to which clients connect and have the contents of the cache summarized in an index which is then sent to Spotify’s stream hub. The data in the index is usually used to alert other users of the additional peers they can connect to, to fetch streamed data for specific songs being played. This arrangement is enabled and tolerated by each upon start up. Each client listen to incoming connections from other Spotify clients like a server and connects to other users to exchange cached data. The users are actually not in apposition to configure the connections or alter the bandwidth of transmission of data. These settings are hard coded in the system. The design of the entire architecture may be complicated but the interface used by the listeners is so simple and effective. There are just few controls of play, rewind and forward. The Spotify application offers the following features to the users; Catalogue: Spotify offers users access to millions of music tracks including songs from major music labels. Some specific music from some artists may not be available due to boundary regulations in the copyright. Playlists: it allows users to create collections of favorite music and lets them share them. The users can also edit the playlists with other users together through collaborating software. For this purpose, the playlists can be shared through an email or instant messaging window. On accessing the link, the data gets downloaded into Spotify. Integration with Last. fm: the specific feature from last. fm is the ability to collect the users’ preference in music and store it into Last. fm’s database. This has been integrated into Spotify without requiring external plug-ins (Spotify Archives 2010). Radio feature: this creates random playlists of songs related to the music of the currently selected artist. Spotify has a simple to use interface that allows the user to search for music by artist, album or title. It displays the user chosen playlist and some advert image, which on clicking, one can explore the promotion (Spotify Forums 2010). Business-to-Business (B2B) Spotify has introduced the music service to the listeners and charge a certain rate for ad free music. However, it does not rely on this for its source of revenue. It largely relies on the free service where the listeners will have to bear with the adverts. At this point, it does business with other firms that want to advertise their brands to the listeners. The main target for business is therefore dealing with other companies that want to reach the audience. On the same platform, there is collaboration with major record labels where they claim a certain percentage stake in the company and in turn provide their music libraries to Spotify (Nylander 2009). Spotify focuses on doing business with other businesses in its plans. It has tailored it product for mobile phones and approached the mobile phone making companies like apple in an effort to do business with them (Emerald). This is a direct challenge to Apple’s iTunes though and touches on the competition end. Mobile Commerce Spotify has produced a mobile version of the application that can allow users with premium accounts to access and listen to music wherever they go. It also allows the users to download a certain number of songs on to the phone for listening while out of network range. Mobile business seems to be the future of IT marketing, especially with the progress and expectations of pervasive mobile programming. By considering the mobile version of the application to target the users on the move and virtually at all instances of life, Spotify has provided a wider more reaching market for its business. Given that all the mobile users will have to be premium users, the focus of mobile versions will be to create a customer base where the services will be like a contract between Spotify and the user (Ionescu 2009). This eliminates the advertisers from the picture and allows Spotify to compete with earlier established businesses on the same line like Apple, while still spreading the risk. Instead of relying on the advertising source alone, the company can now create a one to one relation with the music fans through their premium accounts. Conclusions It is a good business plan for Spotify to create such a huge market base by having so many users registered, both free and premium categories. The plan of pushing adverts into streamed music provides an excellent way of gaining the revenue from brands. On the mobile world, it provides a good way of reaching a wider market and a premium account for the mobile is a plus on the revenue. This was a wise decision considering the processing power of phones cannot be compared to that of PC’s. The strategy of extending into the mobile world was a good way of preparing for the future of IT with the trends in pervasive mobile programming. Mobile marketing will form an even wider market considering the more frequent use and an extension of the PC use after work hours. Recommendations The competition in the market is high and Spotify will have to deal with some issues, especially with the application interface and specifically the technology on the size of bandwidth among other resource utilized on users machines. Criticism is usually on the fact that the interface does not give a user the access to control the amount of resources like bandwidth that Spotify uses against other systems on the same machine. The issue of coming up with a way of establishing the classification of music sources with their effect on the market using the users data to determine the ratings would be an important thing to indulge in, in order to establishing a fair royalties to the artists in order to keep everyone happy and the future of Spotify bright (BBC News 2010). More concentration on helping the production teams with useful demographic and ratings information will give the company a strong relationship with the source of music, the medium they use to make money. References BBC News, (2010) ‘Spotify boss Daniel Ek sets out future plans’, [Online], Available: http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/8478599. stm Porter M. (1998) ‘Competitive strategy: techniques for analyzing industries and competitors’, Free Press, ISBN 0684005778, 9780684005775. McCormick, A. (2009) ‘Spotify and Last. fm moot partnership’, Britannica article; Revolution (14605953) [Online], Available: http://www. britannica. com/bps/additionalcontent/18/38216709/Spotify-and-Lastfm-moot-partnership Ionescu D. , Nov 23, 2009, Spotify Lands App for Symbian Phones, today@PCworld, [Online], Available: http://www. pcworld. com/article/182833/spotify_lands_app_for_symbian_phones. html Robert Andrews, 2009, Apple Approves Spotify’s iPhone App, web article on Paid Content: UK, [Online], Available: http://paidcontent. co. uk/article/419-spotify-says-apple-still-testing-iphone-app-spotify-vanishes-from-app-s/ Emerald, Current CITE-ings from the popular and trade computing press, Library Hi Tech News, Volume 26, Issue 9, [Online], Available: http://www. emeraldinsight. com. ezproxy. cqu. edu. au/Insight/ViewContentServlet? contentType=NonArticle&Filename=Published/NonArticle/Articles/23926iae. 001. html Spotify Archives (2010) ‘Spotify for iPhone v0. 4 now available’, [Online], Available: http://www. spotify. com/int/blog/archives/2010/03/31/iphone-v4/ Johan Nylander, Record labels part owner of Spotify, from The Swedish Wire, Published Friday, 07 August 2009, [Online], Available: http://www. swedishwire. com/business/680-record-labels-part-owner-of-spotify Spotify Forums, What is Spotify? Why choose Spotify? How much advertising? [Online], Available: http://www. spotify-forum. com/what_is_spotify. php

Approaches to Physical Education in Schools Essay

Physical activity is a broad term to describe movement of the body that uses energy. Unless otherwise stated, taking part in Sport and physical activity is defined as â€Å"All forms of physical activities which, through casual or organised participation, aim at expressing or improving physical fitness and mental well-being, forming social relationships or obtaining results in competition at all levels. † Physical inactivity is regarded a serious, nationwide problem. Its extent poses as a public health challenge for reducing the national burden of unnecessary illness and premature death. Starting activity from an early age and throughout childhood helps an important input to healthy growth and development. There is strong and growing evidence that regular physical activity reduces the risk of suffering from various common disorders. Evidence shows regular physical activity in childhood and adolescence improves strength and endurance, helps build healthy bones and muscles, helps control weight, reduces anxiety and stress, increases self-esteem, and may improve blood pressure and cholesterol levels. There are also many psychosocial aspects of physical activity, such as having the opportunity for social interaction and support (Hughes, Casal, Leon 1986), experiencing increased feelings of self-efficacy (Simons et al. 1985; Hughes, Casal, Leon 1986), and experiencing relief from daily stressors (Bahrke and Morgan 1978), may help improve mental health status in some people. http://www. cdc. gov/nccdphp/sgr/pdf/chap4. pdf If a child has positive experiences with physical activity at a young age it may help set the foundations for being regularly active throughout life. This would mean not just about teaching children how to play sports, there is the wider proposal in terms of their lives, like giving them aspirations, something to aim for and how they can achieve their goals. Parents and carers are important social influencers upon children and young peoples’ lifestyle choices. Hendry, Shucksmith, Love and Glendinning (1993, pg. 59) state that â€Å"Two major elements appear to be dirctly related to attraction towards and avoidance of sport participation: parents as role models and parental encouragement, expectations and support†. Physical activity promotion is a high component of many government policy statements and commitments in the UK. These include those produced by the Department of Health and other departments such as the Department or Transport, the Department of Culture. The Department of Health’s ‘Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation’ is an action plan for tackling poor health and improving the health of everyone in England. The Government has recognised the negative economic and social consequences of physical inactivity. In December 2002, the Government published ‘Game Plan’, a strategy for delivering its sport and physical activity objectives. Game Plan’ set a national agenda: to increase and widen the base of participation in sport, to target success in international sport and to promote any reform necessary for the strategy to be delivered. ‘Game Plan’ sets the target of 70% of the population to be reasonably active 5 x 30 minutes per week by 2020. (http://www. sportengland. org/national-framework-for-sport. pdf) The White Paper also agrees that physical activity is a key aid to good health and an important factor in preventing heart disease, stroke and other chronic disease. This document is the 2004 Government Public Health White Paper published by the department of health. It forms the foundation [2004] of public health policy. The White Paper sets out the key principles for supporting the public to make healthier lifestylechoices.   Physical activity is one of six priorities identified in the white paper and actions to promote physical activity are xamined in several chapters; (‘Health in the consumer society’, ‘Children and young people, ‘Local communities leading for health’, ‘Work and health’, and ‘Health promoting NHS’). Everybody knows that Government and individuals alone cannot make progress on healthier choices. Progress depends on effective partnerships across communities, including local government, the NHS, business, advertisers, retailers, the voluntary sector, communities, and the media. The NHS Plan was produced and set out plans for investment in and reform of the NHS. It included the commitment to develop ‘local action to tackle obesity and physical activity, informed by advice from the Health Development Agency on what works’ (Department of Health,2001 The effectiveness of public health interventions for increasing physical activity among adults: a review of reviews) The Department of Culture media and sport (DCMS) encourages greater sport participation. Its strategy ‘A Sporting Future for All’ recognises sport as a â€Å"powerful tool for social, educational and physical wellbeing†. Published in 2000, this document sets out New Labour’s vision for sport including; sport in education, sport in the community, sporting excellence and the modernisation of sporting organisations. The Department for Transport, Local Government and Regions DTLR, formerly the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions, DETR, aims to make it easier and safer for people to walk and cycle, therefore reducing the amount of cars. The Department of Culture Media and Sport Department for Education and Skills (DfES, formerly the Department for Education and Employment, DfEE) launched a joint ‘National Healthy Schools Standard’ in 1999 with DH which consists of ten central themes; physical activity is one of these. Source: adapted from NAO, Tackling Obesity in England (Health benefits of physical activity,2001) One of the government main concerns and well known agendas is to control the raising levels of child obesity. Rates of obesity have dramatically increased in England over the last decade. If no action is taken, one-in-five children aged 2-15 in England will be obese by 2010. (Obesity guidance for healthy schools coordinators and their partners) There is a need for the departments to involve other partners at national and local levels to help develop and implement solid strategies for prevention, which include adults as well as young people. At national levels, this is taking place already, and departments should develop joint objectives and performance targets relating o aspects of physical activity and diet to ensure that this progress is combined. At the local level, health authorities are well located to start these activities by developing Health. They could provide more Improvement Programmes that involve a wide range of other partners in schemes to increase cycling, walking and physical recreation and to improve diet, such as increased consumption of fruit and vegetables, and the knowl edge for a healthy diet. Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson said: ‘Higher levels of physical activity among children and young people, together with much healthier eating patterns, are the key to averting the potential catastrophic effects of the obesity epidemic which is beginning to emerge. ‘ (Stars back school sports bid to fight obesity 2004) There is a substantial amount of cross-department work in the areas that are central to addressing the rising levels of obesity. Much of this is targeted at schoolchildren. This addresses a section of the population for which obesity is becoming an increasing problem. The NHS aims to halt the rise in obesity among children in the region by 2010. National and regional activities and programmes are already in place to help tackle obesity such as the ‘five a day scheme’, regulation on food promotion and advertising to children, national weight loss guidance and physical activity programmes and work with the food industry on portion size and labelling. Other Government departments have an influence through school education and the promotion of healthy eating. Many schools now provide a healthy eating plan, abolishing foods such as chocolate and crisps on sale in the canteen. The focus of such strategies should be to make it easier for the public to make healthy choices. Such strategies require funding for implementation, but should ultimately lead to a reduction in the costs to the NHS from obesity related ill health. (http://www. iotf. org/childhood/) Schools are seen as being in the front line in the battle against what has been called â€Å"the biggest public health threat of the 21st century† – obesity. (http://news. bbc. co. k/1/hi/education/3751305. stm) The potential of Physical Education to help contribute to health enhancing behaviour has been long acknowledged. Schools have a key role and are in a significant position in helping pupils to reach the recommended daily level of physical activity, both by providing them with suitable activity opportunities and also by helping them to acquire the skills, understanding a nd confidence to pursue activity outside of the school. PE and school sport is an entitlement for all pupils whatever their own particular needs, preference or circumstance. The national curriculum for PE is not prescriptive and provides flexibility that schools can exercise when providing activities so that the needs of all pupils can be catered for. A key role of physical education is to ‘maintain, and if possible improve the health and physique of the children’ (Issues in Physical Education 2000) Three government departments – DH, DfEE (now DfES) and DETR (now DTLR) have set up the School Travel Advisory Group in 1998 as a forum for debate and coordination. They published guidance for local authorities on building a safe environment to encourage more children to walk or cycle to school. To help the promotion of sport and physical activity in schools the National Healthy Schools Target developed by DH/DfEE sets an ‘expectation’ that pupils should have at least 2 hours physical activity each week. A recent poll that Sport England undertook shows that only 1 in 5 primary schools currently meet the 2 hours target. The national PE, School Sport and Club Links strategy was launched by the Prime Minister in October 2002. Its overall objective is to enhance the take-up of sporting opportunities by 5 to 16-year-olds. The PESSCL strategy has set targets to increase the amount of Physical Education and sport young people do. â€Å"The ambitious target is to increase the percentage of schoolchildren who spend a minimum of two hours a week on high-quality PE and school sport within and beyond the curriculum to 75 per cent by 2006 and 85 per cent by 2008. (childhood obesity 2003) It is also trying to bridge the gaps between school and community sport, opening up schools out of hours to provide additional sports opportunities for all children. A recent campaign that Gordon Brown has proposed is that he wants all school children to get the chance to do five hours of sport a week. Currently children under 16 are required to do two hours a week within the national curriculum.

Point-of-Purchase Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Point-of-Purchase - Essay Example Products and services must be developed that appeal to a mass of individuals. Common wants and needs that pertain to the social, regional, educational, economic, psycho- logical, national, or other group interest of a market segment must be recognized and translated into profitable opportunity. I am satisfied with this new product and I am going to buy it again and recommend to my friends. In general, point-of-purchase (POP) decisions are influenced by spontaneous desire to try a new product. POP is most effective where products can be differentiated, where demand is expanding, where hidden product qualities cannot be identified at the time of purchase, and where favorable company images or strong emotional buying motives exist. The purchasing process and the related acts of accumulation and consumption are means of achieving goals both of the purchaser and those he represents. The acts of accumulation and consumption indicate the differences between consumers and purchasers, and bet ween consumption and buying. Both industrial purchasing agents and "consumer purchasing agents" are essentially engaged in solving problems (Boone and Kurtz 2002). Another product selected for analysis is a new anti-aging crme by Clinique. Product is advertised by many local specialty shops and cosmetic departments through in-store ads and personal selling. This POP campaign annoys me because I do not use this brand and do not need this product. I suppose that this example shows that considerable confusion exists over the meaning of consumer wants and needs. In a most restricted sense, needs refer to things we cannot do without, items that are indispensable to life. Food, shelter, air, and water are needs in this absolute sense. For marketing purposes, however, this definition is much too narrow. Buyers are not totally inept or irrational in making purchases, particularly household purchases. Actually, consumers have become quite professional in some areas of consumption. Veritable purchasing agents, they often plan their purchases, especially of high-priced durable goods such as automobiles and washers and dryers. Information is important to them about the advantages and limitations of various types of items. I did not buy this product and will not recommend it to other people. This example shows that buyer behavior is also concerned with ways of reducing perceived risk. Two types of uncertainty inhere in product decisions. First, products may not be as functional or durable, or perform as well, as anticipated. Second, there is the risk of unfavorable product reflection on one's self image. Product risk is a function of the degree of product knowledge, the price of the product, product visibility, and the social significance of products and their newness (Crawford 2003). In many cases, POP campaign is ineffective and does not meet the needs and wants o manufacturers. However, for many products such as television, stereophonic components, and air conditioners, it should be noted that even given the technical information, consumers do not have the background necessary to interpret the data and make the wisest purchasing decisions. Purchase responses are shaped by communications which, in part, are controlled by the seller in the form of advertising and selling. But seller-dominated market communications do not furnish all the information necessary to satisfy the curiosity and needs of buyers.

Hobbes commonwealth Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hobbes commonwealth - Assignment Example Living in the state of nature is hugely brutish, nasty and short as compared to the human life under the modern government system. Hobbes describes of the commonwealth as a multitude of people admit giving power to a sovereign authority that is established under absolute power over them all (Thomas, 45). According to (Thomas, 30), the authority is aimed at the purpose of availing peace and subsequent common defense that benefits them equally. The social contract is normally referred to as the covenant. The social contract entails surrendering of some rights especially the natural rights by moving them to another person. The move, however, emanates from the basic understanding of the fact that everyone stops exercising certain power with the essence of the coming up with a common move. The contract helps in creating a deliberate conducive environment for everyone with unity and trust under such systems. The social contract only leaves certain notable powers to the people with huge understanding that the people are content to have that power above them. In order to emphasize his point, Hobbes invites the people to understand what life would be in the absence of the commonwealth or the absence of the government. While some people think that it would be good, that may not be the case. A person would possibly act as the prosecutor, judge and executioner in any case involving him especially when dispute arose. Hobbes provides the baseline for the best indicator n that a person can judge the justifiability of various political alignments. The comprehension is hugely considerable as â€Å"the state of mere nature†. The state shows a perfectly very private judgment under which there is typically huge no agency with any eminently recognized authority assigned the role of to arbitrating disputes (Thomas, 210). In conclusion, I agree with Hobbes on his regards for the shift from state of nature to the commonwealth. It notable that all civilizations world have

Cold War Consensus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Cold War Consensus - Essay Example This led to the capture of the invaders. Kennedy also approved the assassination of Fidel Castro and other key Cuban political leaders. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Kennedy never considered the option of doing nothing, he considered full scale invasion of Cuba on short notice as not feasible and air strikes as impossible (Goldfield et al. 803). Kennedy, rather, demanded removal of the missiles and imposed a blockade for the arrival of more missiles. The missiles were removal but on condition that US does not invade Cuba (Goldfield et al. 805). US pledge not to invade Cuba and also promised to remove missiles from Turkey. Kennedy responded to the Berlin issue by increasing military spending and considering attack on West Berlin as an attack on the US. This he demonstrated by adding $3.25 billion to the defense budget and recruiting 200,000 troops to the military. He initially ignores the building of the Berlin Wall as long as free access from West to East Berlin continued. Ken nedy, indeed, preferred the â€Å"wall† to war (Goldfield et al. 803). However, he shows his commitment to supporting West Berliners by sending in convoy, V.P. Johnson and other military personnel, through West Germany. Kennedy exploited US entanglement in South Vietnam to assert US’s firm commitment to containment.

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 3

Marketing - Essay Example The Star Furniture group has been able to establish an international presence with success, operating in countries such as Taiwan. The Star Living Mall is a retailer of the products manufactured by Star Furniture (Star Living, 2011). The Star Furniture group has created a unique shopping mall by making the Star Living Mall because of the one-stop furniture that it provides and the range of brands that it houses. The Mall not only specializes in furniture but also provides related services such as furnishing. The clientele of the Mall is primarily based in Singapore. There are four main branches of the Mall in Singapore, selling furniture ranging from that of living room and dining room to bedroom furniture. Moreover the Mall also showcases the four main retail brands of the Star Corporate Group including Mondi Lifestyle, Star Furniture and Zen Tradition (Get Singapore, 2011). Lucano is regarded as the high-end collection of the Star Furniture and has been able to establish itself as a unique brand in the country. The production of the Star Furniture is such that new products are brought in the market every four months. This helps to keep the brands fresh and up-to-date. Besides the four main brands that the Mall features, it also offers a store-in-store boutique that houses a number of brands specialising in the mattresses and beddings. This boutique, known as BEDz Store, along with the other brands featured, offers the customers a complete and comprehensive shopping practice (Star Living, 2011). The target market of the Mall is mostly Singaporeans. The myriad of brands that the Mall displays caters to a large segment of the population due to the fact that the products displayed have different price ranges. This makes the products affordable for the lesser income group. The customers can choose the products that meet their budgets and lifestyles (Get Singapore, 2011). The four brands that the Mall has cater to the four individual market segments that the brands have created in the years since their launch. Moreover the Mall promotes the brand image that the products are both stylish and functional. The target market of the Star Furniture group is the mass market of Singapore and Taiwan (Star Living, 2011). Question 1 (b) The Brand Asset Valuator (BAV) model is an important means of investigating the stature of a brand. The model was developed by Young & Rubicam in order to analyze the value of a brand by looking into the strengths and weaknesses of the brand. The model helps to measure both the stature of the brand as well as its durability. The underlying principle in the model is that these two components are able to draft an image of the brand equity while identifying problems and providing solutions (Iane, King & Russell, 2008). The model assumes that the brands are composed of a progression of four main consumer trends: differentiation, relevance, esteem and knowledge. Differentiation and relevance combine together to give rise to br and strength whereas esteem and knowledge are representative of the brand stature. Therefore the model helps to compare brand strength with its stature. The brand stature shows the current strength of the brand; on the other hand, brand strength shows the capacity of the brand to progress and grow. When analyzing the Star Living Mall, by the Star Furniture group, one has to take into consideration these four factors to establish brand equity.

FINAL EAM HIS. 101 #2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

FINAL EAM HIS. 101 #2 - Essay Example Plague is also associated with the swelling of the lymph nodes. Plague is a deadly diseases. It resulted in extraordinary cases of mortality in Europe. Because of this, the emergence of plague brought about demographic, economic, and psychological effects. As far as demographic effects id concerned, the Black Death resulted in massive loss of people. The sources claims those two years following the emergence of plague, approximately one of every three people was dead. Furthermore, the findings state that the plague affected both the professionals and the common people. For examples the findings that were collected regarding the loss, soul states that professions suffered higher mortality. The most affected professions were those that tried t control or diagnose the disease. These include the doctors and the clergy. The findings states that approximately two of nine physicians only survived. The plague greatly reduces the productive generation both in the countryside and in the cities. Additionally, the condition did not left behind the university students and the professors. The source has that the whole community of elites suffered. It further states that the condition lead to the closure of the universities and schools located in re gions hardest hit by the disease. This greatly affects the demographic characteristic of the Europe. As far as the economy is concerned, the documented sources states that the plague disrupted the financial business to a greater extend. It lead to the death of debtors and hence forcing the creditors and the money lending institution to remain without recourse. The development of infrastructure was also affected due to loss of artisans. The losses of skilled personnel lead to collapse of mills and other special machinery. The loss of massive population also lead to labor shortages, which, in turn, resulted into negative repercussion such as increase in ages as well as decrease in the prices of goods. This

Motivation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 11

Motivation - Essay Example Managers of the 21st century workplace face new kinds of challenges that include employee retention, flexibility of working hours, and interpersonal conflicts in the culturally diverse workplace, which were hardly ever experienced by managers of the mid-20th century. One challenge that managers commonly face in motivating the employees today is employee retention when the opportunities out there are rampant for the employees. Employees in the present age are constantly in search of better opportunities of employment where they can get better salaries and more flexibility of working hours. The Internet has increased the availability of such opportunities to the employees manifolds because of which managers face the risk of losing the employees any time. Another challenge that managers face in motivating the employees today is the conflict between the managerial and employee perception with respect to working hours. While in most companies, managers think that employees have to stay in the office from the start till the break-off time, employees particularly the young employees hold a different perspective; they think that they have to produce the work required of them and it should not matter whether they stay in the office to achieve that goal or elsewhere. When managers make the employees stay in the office against their will, employees’ level of motivation comes down and managers have to take additional measures to raise it back to the original level or higher. The third challenge that managers commonly face in motivating the employees today is of cultural diversity. â€Å"†¦managing organizational behavior during changing times is challenging† (Nelson, Campbell, and Nelson, 2013, p. 12). Over the past few decades, the society has become increasingly multicultural as a result of rapid inflow of immigrants in the advanced countries from the developing and the underdeveloped countries. As a consequence of

How E-Commerce Began Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

How E-Commerce Began - Essay Example It could share business information ranging from shipment to invoices. In 1979, Americans came up with a system ASC X 12. It shared business information on the electronic network platforms. In 1980s, institutions and firms used USENET networks and transmission control protocol & internet protocol (TCP/IP). It involved the use of a computer terminal and packet-switched technology to connect modems and internet. Later in 1980s, a computer service firm provided e-mail and chat room services to its clients. In 1990, researchers from European Organization for Nuclear initiated a web-based tool referred to as hypertext that could through a web browser (Marc, 2004, p. 10). Technological advancement and internet popularity among businesses took center stage in 1994, when HTTP security protocols came operational. It enabled fast and persistent access to the internet. In the year 2000, several business companies in the western world had their representation on the World Wide Web (www). It was a year when business used e-commerce as the purchase and sale of services and goods via the internet. The set back e-commerce encountered was on the fall out of dot-com whereby many businesses vanished on the web. However, other companies and retailers saw the importance of e-commerce and immediately put their presence on the web. By 2005, a large platform of e-commerce in the form of business-to-business and business- to -consumer had a turnover of more than 700 billion dollars (Alan & Steven, 2001). E-commerce is pivotal in today’s digital world; consumers can get a range of products swiftly and comparing prices at a click of a mouse. Internet provides a platform for consumers without expensive campaign. Internet companies like EBay and Amazon enjoy transactions on the net. Nevertheless, what are the drivers that make e-commerce a success? To date, companies use e-commerce to lower operating costs and increase revenue in

Sociology And Social Worlds Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Sociology And Social Worlds - Essay Example â€Å"Matter† refers â€Å"principally, to the role material objects play in the making of social worlds† (Redman, 2008, p. 8), e.g. money and receipts which help create attachments between people as well as between people and objects. It can be argued that things (or matter) can affect social bonds on their own as well, since they â€Å"have agency as much as people† (Carter & Smith, 2008, qtd. in Redman, 2008, p. 12). Matter is inextricably linked to social attachments as well, both between people and between people and objects, everything material is at some point social and vice versa. There is much that has been said by social constructionists in this regard and this paper attempts to assess the above-mentioned role of matter with regard to what the social constructionists have put forward in this regard. Just how efficacious these arguments are is a matter that will also be addressed herein. In the end, a recommendation is made for more research to be done with regard to the role of matter in our attachment forging. To come back to matter, it may also include certain physical/biological traits, such as gender. But here the question arises if it is indeed gender that causes attachments to be forged between people (for instance mother and child, husband and wife) and not social norms. Thus, social constructionists argue, it can be an effect of both factors simultaneously, a woman is biologically female, and hence is expected by society to rear her child and love her unconditionally, however, this does not necessarily mean that the love she feels for her child is fabricated – it is the role of being a â€Å"mother† that may be socially fabricated, but not the feelings of being a â€Å"mother.† In such a context, it is our bodies, that are â€Å"matter,† and which are used to form attachments between people and between people and things, for instance, a girl having fondness for her doll, whereas a boy having it for his cricket bat. In this regard, social constructionists hold that it is actually the society that causes this errant belief of gender to be transferred into the social lives of people (Gabb, 2008, p. 31). Social constructionists argue that this phenomenon has more to do with social norms and practices than with individual needs and requirements. However, that cannot be completely true. There are certain individual traits that tend to form an attachment between people and objects and between people. In Woodward’s article, for instance, the attachment to boxing has been linked with certain ideals of masculinity, while that in itself cannot be considered to be matter, it is, perhaps, the biological sex of a person, and even the social implications that come with this, that determine and effect the propensity of boxers to be attached to the sport itself and the various factors it brings with it (2008). Moreover, the training of the boxer inculcates in him/her further attach ment to the game. Although some would argue that it is more mental than physical – attachment to boxing is caused by a certain psychological drive in the person.

Food Security Bill Essay Example for Free

Food Security Bill Essay The bill was truncated from the NAC version at the first stage when the government finalized it and then the parliamentary standing committee went along similar lines and recommended further paring down of the benefits. Sources said concerns were raised by the Congress leadership about reducing existing benefits under the Antodaya Anna Yojana to the 2. 5 crore poorest families as well as the recommendation of the standing committee to remove the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) from the mandate of the bill, which was advised by the women and child development ministry. Sources said the party leadership was unhappy with the move to reduce existing entitlements under UPAs flagship scheme instead of providing larger benefits. The government is likely to revise the bill keeping these views in mind and look at a much higher coverage in at least the 250 poorest districts of the country. The standing committee had recommended providing 5 kg of rations per person to 75% of rural population and 50% of urban India a formula the government was happy with till the party leadership intervened. The standing committee had recommended doing away with two categories of beneficiaries with differential benefits a move the government had contemplated anyway after having sent the bill to Parliament. But curtailing the total number of beneficiaries and reducing the benefits to the poorest has not found acceptance with the party leadership, sources said. The government could now consider restoring the monthly allocation to the poorest back to 35 kg of rations per family. Under an apex court order, the poorest and most disadvantaged are provided 35 kg rations at present. With the party keen to see the bill in Parliament during the budget session, a revised version could see the ICDS scheme coming back under the purview of the bill as a legally guaranteed right along with other food delivery mechanisms such as community kitchens. The UPA has already been caught on the back foot with opposition-ruled states providing cheaper rations to greater numbers under their own schemes following the lead of Chhattisgarh. The delay in pushing the bill through, coupled with the constant and often publicly expressed differences between different arms of the government and the UPA on the shape of the legislation have taken the sheen off UPA-2s big ticket scheme Food Security Bill is affordable The subsidies meant for the poor are always under attack, while the rest are able to retain their privileges. The additional allocation in grain and money terms will neither distort the grain market nor place a burden on the fisc. Many recent commentators have portrayed the National Food Security Bill (NFSB) as an â€Å"unbearable burden† on the exchequer. The facts, however, do no substantiate the claim. The NFSB has been trashed from time to time in the English dailies. For instance, Business Line (March 21, 2013) published an article titled â€Å"Food Security Bill will torpedo Budget†. Another national daily claims that the Bill has a â€Å"fundamental flaw† that places â€Å"an unbearable burden† and â€Å"distorts agriculture† (Indian Express, March 19, 2013). Quite often, the claims are partly due to a misconception that the government is making new financial and grain commitments under the NFSB. In fact, the NFSB does little more than turning into legal entitlements pre-existing food security schemes such as the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme, Mid-Day Meal (MDM) Scheme, Public Distribution System (PDS) and maternity entitlements. Some commentators have said that it is precisely the legal commitment that will lead to problems in the future — for example, the fear of the emergence of a government monopoly in the grain market. This fear is not borne out by the facts. Under the PDS, ICDS and MDM, the government currently allocates about 58 million tonnes of grain. To meet this commitment, the government currently procures about 30 per cent of grain. The NFSB commits 62 million tonnes, i. e. , an additional 4 million tonnes. The Budget of 2013-14 allocates Rs. 31,000 crore for two childrens food schemes — school meals and the ICDS which reaches children under six. The Budget allocation for the food subsidy in 2013-14 is Rs 90,000 crore. According to our estimates, the food subsidy will increase from Rs 80,000 crore (in 2012-13) to Rs 1,11,221 crore, under the NFSB. Thus, the NFSB implies an increase of just over Rs 30,000 crores in financial terms and 4 million tonnes in real (grain) terms. Can India afford this? Speaking at a panel discussion at IIT Delhi in February, Deputy Chairperson of the Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, said â€Å"it would be dishonest† to say that we cannot afford the Food Bill, and that the subsidies that we need to target are those enjoyed by the middle classes (e. g. , fuel). Speaking at the same discussion, Amartya Sen made a pertinent point — that the reason why it is more difficult to reduce subsidies enjoyed by the middle classes (fuels such as LPG, petrol and diesel) is that the beneficiaries of those are more vocal than the rural poor or children under six who benefit from the food subsidies. This point is well illustrated by the events following last years Budget. The Budget 2012-13 announced a 1 per cent excise duty on unbranded jewellery and doubled custom duty on gold to 4 per cent. Gold is the countrys second biggest import, after crude oil. This burden on the current account deficit was an important reason for doubling the customs duty. Following this, the All India Gems and Jewellery Trade Federation and others initiated a strike which went on for 21 days. They argued that the industry, including the â€Å"large† number of people it employs, and buyers of gold, would suffer. A massive media campaign was launched, following which the Finance Minister withdrew the excise duty. According to the revenue foregone statement presented along with the Budget 2013-14, the revenue foregone from the gold and diamond industry for the previous financial year was Rs. 5,000 crore. Such tax breaks are often justified on the grounds of the employment potential of the gems and jewellery industry. According to Invest India, a website of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, â€Å"The sector provides employment to around 1. 8 million people. In the next five years, the sector is expected to create additional employment for around 1. 1 million people. † According to the National Sample Survey Organisation, 2009-10, the size of the Indian workforce is between 430-471 million persons. If the gems and jewellery industry employs 3 million people as per the Ministrys target, this would be 0. per cent of the workforce. An industry that employs less than one per cent of the Indian workforce is currently enjoying tax benefits amounting to Rs 65,000 crore (nearly 20 per cent of all revenue foregone). The Food Bill will benefit 67 per cent of the population at an additional cost of Rs 30,000 crore, yet it is said that it will â€Å"torpedo† the Budget. If anything, the NFSB does not go far enough. The NFSB tabled in Parliament in December 2011 included special provisions for the destitute and other vulnerable groups (e. g. , community kitchens and social security pensions). These have been discarded in the version cleared by Cabinet on March 19, 2013. In many rural areas, the Block is already too far to go to complain, yet for violations of rights under the NFSB, grievance redressal only begins at the District level. Viewed in this comparative perspective (for example, it is approximately 1 per cent of the GDP), few can question the affordability or desirability of the NFSB. In absolute terms it is not a small amount. One might argue whether such expenditure is worth it, given the â€Å"fact† that the programmes in its ambit, for example, the PDS, are â€Å"dysfunctional† (Indian Express, March 19, 2013). However, recent data from the National Sample Survey of 2004-05 and 2009-10 suggest that while the functioning of the PDS is far from perfect, we do need to update our â€Å"facts†. In joint research with Jean Dreze, we show that the implicit subsidy from the PDS eliminates 18 per cent (14 per cent) of the â€Å"poverty gap† — or the difference between the poverty line level of income and the median income (or monthly per capita consumption expenditure) of poor households — among poor rural (urban) households. Again, there are marked inter-State contrasts — in Tamil Nadu the corresponding figure is 60 per cent and in Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh it is nearly 40 per cent. The real question then is not whether India can afford to have a right to food but as the Food Minister said in a recent interview, â€Å"Can we afford not to? † Food as a right In its latest form, the National Food Security Bill, 2013 promises to address the extreme irony of an ambitious nation holding mountains of food in storage, while masses of its people are undernourished or even starving. The right to food is finally on the threshold of being legislated. Every step taken to widen the coverage of food security schemes is an advance. Yet, the empirical truth is that incremental measures at targeting the needy are a poor substitute for a cohesive, rights-based universal system of food entitlements. There are, no doubt, many positives to the new legislation, such as coverage of up to 75 per cent of eligible priority households in rural areas, the importance given to women as the head of the household for issue of ration cards, inclusion of pregnant and lactating women for free meals (some in government wanted to take away this entitlement from women ho bear more than two children but the idea was sensibly dropped), and setting up of State Food Commissions to investigate violations of entitlements. Under the proposed law, it will be up to the States to frame criteria and choose the priority households for food entitlements, an exercise that will inevitably be accompanied by the well-documented troubles associated with targeting any welfare scheme. Exclusion of any deserving household is unfair and divisive. It poses a challenge to States that wish to provide universal access, an issue that is bound to be felt acutely in urban areas attracting tens of thousands of migrant labourers. The Centre is unwilling to countenance a Universal Public Distribution System on the ground that too much money is involved. Even under the latest Bill, it is argued, the exchequer would have to bear a heavy expenditure of Rs. 1. 24 lakh crore. Yet, the government has not hesitated to build up expensive food stocks over the years, some of which is left to rot, mainly to pay the high support prices demanded by influential sections of the farm lobby. Moreover, the policy orientation is disproportionately favourable towards some sectors such as infrastructure, compared to food and health care. Evidently, the Food Bill can and should do a lot more, to become near-universal and win over sceptics such as Tamil Nadu, which has opposed it on the ground that it is inferior to the universal PDS in the State. Also noteworthy is the fact that the Chhattisgarh Food Security Act has done better than the Centre’s proposed law in some respects — by supplying subsidised pulses and covering 90 per cent of households, for example.

Challenges For Mental Health Social Workers

Challenges For Mental Health Social Workers Service users with mental health problems can present social workers with their own unique challenges; by exploring these challenges it is possible to gain a greater understanding of the role of the social worker. It is intended to look at the desired outcomes from Social Work intervention and the processes that a Social Worker can use to facilitate these outcomes.   Prevention-Work with groups at risk of mental health problems to promote positive mental health -work with individuals and families reduce the negative effects of institutionalisation and to promote social integration. (DAVIES, 2008)pp260 Multidisciplinary Teams-medicine- Psychiatrist-nurses-psychologist-occupational therapists-social worker All Social Workers, not just Mental Health Social Workers, need to be aware of the multitude of mental health conditions that exist. Whilst it is not the role of a Social worker to diagnose a mental illness; it is important for Social Workers to recognize that a client may have a mental health problem and be able to refer the client to a medical professional. Mental Health issues are present across all areas of social work including, child protection, older people, criminal justice and physical illness. (Manktelow, 2008) It is also important that Social Workers understand the various causes and contributing factors that can lead to the onset of mental health problems. It is widely agreed among health professionals that the causes of mental illness can be physical, psychological, social and environmental or more usually a combination of these factors. Physical- Genetic, brain injury, illness, pre birth factors such as maternal substance abuse or maternal illness during pregnancy Psychological- Abuse or trauma, bereavement or divorce Social and environmental factors- Lack of support network, stressful job, unemployment, living in a deprived or high crime area, poor accommodation, and lack of privacy. (www.rethink.org) http://www.rethink.org/about_mental_illness/what_causes_mental_illness/index.html [accessed 23/11/2010] Whilst physical causes can generally be put purely in the realm of the medical professionals; some issues such as substance abuse during pregnancy are a social work issue and whilst it is intended to concentrate on the work of the social worker within the bounds of mental health it is important to remember that many of the agreed causes of mental health problems are also social work issues and that early intervention in these areas can prevent future problems. The Social Workers role is especially important for service users with a dual diagnosis i.e. schizophrenia and substance dependence as the two conditions tend to be managed by different agencies; add to that issues with housing and benefits and it can be seen that effective communication as facilitated by the Social Worker is paramount (Parrish, 2010) The ultimate role of intervention is to improve the quality of life for the service user, their families, carers and all concerned. Cite Perhaps now would be a good time to look at what a person requires to feel that they have a good quality of life and the negative effect that a mental health problem could have on these requirements. Maslow with his Hierarchy of Needs tells us that to achieve a good quality of life we need firstly, the basic requirements of life without which a person will die then next in the hierarchy is the need for safety followed by Love and belonging, esteem and finally self actualization. Whilst the theory has its critics; most of the criticisms are aimed at the hierarchal nature of the theory. When the theory is applied to a specific population as in Majercsiks study of the needs of geriatric patients it can be seen that the hierarchy can be skewed.(Majercsik, 2005) It is generally agreed that if these needs are not met then this will have a negative effect on quality of life. E. Majercsik. (2005). Hierarchy of Needs of Geriatric Patients. Gerontology, 51(3), 170-3. Retrieved November 26, 2010, from ProQuest Nursing Allied Health Source. (Document ID: 823764721). The initial concerns during assessment and intervention are to ensure that the basic needs of the individual are being met and that they can continue to be met either by the individual or if necessary by a care plan. As well protecting the client from harm Service users with mental health problems my present a safety risk to themselves or others and it is important that these risks be assessed and if necessary steps taken to reduce these risks. If a client is deemed to be a risk to themselves or others they may be detained for treatment under the Mental Health Act (1983). This process requires an Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) to make an application for admission to hospital for assessment or treatment. Deprivation of liberty is a serious matter and as such it is covered by strict laws and guidelines. It is important for a Social worker working in the field of mental health to know the laws and procedures involved with compulsory detention. (Golightley, 2008) Mental illness can be caused by abuse but also having a mental illness can leave a person vulnerable to abuse. Individuals with mental health problems are vulnerable to abuse in many forms, physical, sexual, psychological, financial, discrimanatary and neglectful. This abuse can come from many sources, friends, family, neighbours, strangers and even care proffessionals. This abuse can be intentional or unintentional. Working with vulnerable people puts a Social Worker in a position of power both real and percieved and it is important that this position of power is not abused. The GSCC Codes of Practice state that as a Social Worker you should recognise and use resposibly the power that comes from your work with service users and carers (GSCC 2002). The use of anti oppressive, anti discriminatory and reflective practices is therefore essential to good practice. Working in partnership with clients, setting the client realistic goals and the use of a person centered approach all serve t o redress this balance of power. Recognizing how ones own emotions, circumstances and values effect the way in which a person or situation is percieved is an important factor in being non-judgemental. A Holistic approach, taking into account, race, culture, social standing can help prevent discrimination. It is important to appreciate that any care plan should meet the needs of the individual and to ensure that the family/carers are also supported. Caring for a family member with a mental health problem can have many negative effects on the carer. The family may suffer financial hardship, social stigma and isolation. Children may feel or even be neglected due to the demands of caring placed on a family; this can lead to attention seeking behaviour, missing school, poor hygene, poor health or criminal activity. They may feel fear or intimidated by the unusual behaviour exhibited in some forms of mental illness. Carers may feel helpless, overwhelmed, tired, socialy deprived and may neglect their own care in favour of that of the ill family member; this can lead to physical or mental illness for the carer. If the carer can no longer cope with the caring role then the individual can be neglected. It is essential then that the family/carers receive support in their role. The Social Worker must develop a care plan that helps the family cope with their role as carers; this may include carer support groups, coping strategies for dealing with aggressive behaviour or hallucinations, advice on benefits, bringing in outside carers and explainations of treatments and illnesses. An effective care plan can improve the quality of life for the service user and their family and this in turn reduces the need for hospitalization and can prevent a host of future problems. Service users who require hospitalization for long periods of time can present different problems. They can become institutionalized and require a lot of work when the time comes that they are ready to re enter society.

Digital Encoding Technique Of Scrambling Computer Science Essay

Digital Encoding Technique Of Scrambling Computer Science Essay Scrambling is a digital encoding technique that is used in modern data communication schemes and can principally provide aid in retrieving information from received data enhancing synchronization between the transmitter and the receiver. In digital systems it is common to encounter long sequences of 1s and 0s making it difficult for the receiver to retrieve timing information [01]. As a result, the input device randomizes data but the receiver fails to obtain them in their consistent countenance. Adaptive equalization, clock recovery and variations of received data are difficulties that can be eliminated if the bit sequence is randomized and that is a procedure that a scrambling device can guarantee. Scrambling techniques can be divided into two classes; additive scrambling and multiplicative scrambling. In the first case scramblers tend to use modulo-2 addition in order to transform the input data stream and attain synchronization of both ends by using a sync-word. A specific pattern is placed at the beginning of each frame thats being sent and can be decrypted only by the receiver [googlebook]. On the other hand, multiplicative scramblers are named that way because they implement a multiplication between the input signal and the scrambler transfer function. This class of scrambling is also referred as self-synchronizing scrambling because they dont need a sync-word for synchronization [googlebook]. Scramblers are used in a variation of applications. In security systems for example, they can encrypt data and send them into a channel sequence with safety. That way they cant be intercepted on the way to the receiver and can be decrypted by the descrambler installed at the terminal. The main purpose of scrambling devices in data communication systems is to make sure that information from data that has been received from a terminal include timing material that aid the synchronization of both ends such as two modems [01]. 2. Understanding scrambling Accuracy in data communications is highly considerable as otherwise could lead to data loss. For example, a huge network malfunction could take place considering modems scramblers in the infrastructure of a countrys stock market were data must be represented live. This failure could be catastrophic considering the fact that data is being transmitted and received from all over the world. Thus, an errorless communication system is essential with quite accurate timing devices appended to it. This could be easily feasible if communication networks were simply constructed but at present numerous devices are being attached and large data sets are being processed in complex communication grids making it difficult to achieve or even approach the objective of punctual contact. 2.1 Additive (Synchronous) scrambler Data scrambling basically uses fixed binary sequences that mostly resemble a random signal. Feedback generates and provides shift registers with these sequences that afterwards are being exploited by modulo 2 adders. Shift register consists of flip-flops which are placed in a specific order in which they receive the bits and gradually forward them to the next flip-flop in a cascade formation [DTS]. Feedback connections in some stages include taps in which the tapped signals are added modulo 2 and fed back to the first flip-flop. In figure 1 flip-flops 2 and 5 are mod-2 added, flip-flops 1 and 2 are shift to 2 and 3 until they gradually land at flip-flop 4 and 5 and mod-2 output reverts back to flip-flop 1. The result of this shift register will go through thirty-one different states and then it will repeat this process of incoming bits from scratch. This outcome sequence might look fortuitous at first sight but taking under consideration the shift register, length and taps one can pe rceive the exact bits of the fed sequence [DTS]. Following, a simple example of the scramblers operation is comprehensively explained. Paradigm copes with an additive scrambler were an input bit sequence is exploited to fit the modulo 2 logic addition of a pseudorandom sequence. As shown in figure 1 a sequence is granted from a pseudo-random sequence generator and is composed of a 5-bit non zero seed. This sequence of bits (s1) is brought to the scrambler which are summed modulo 2 of locations 2 and 5 in the shift register.. Before the data transmission begins, bits are shifted up one stage as follows: 5 shifts to channel, 4 shifts to 5, 3 shifts to 4, 2 shifts to 3 and 1 shifts to 2. After this procedure takes place, sequences next bit is imported and this process is repeated. When data transmition (s2) arrives the descrambler, bits are summed in to modulo 2 sums at the stages of 2 and 5, just like the values given in the in the primary phase of scrambling. The first bit of the incoming sequence results from this sum and the contents at the registry are shifted up one stage as follows: 5 shifts to receiver, 4 shifts to 5, 3 shifts to 4, 2 shifts to 3 and 1 shifts to 2. This procedure is then repeated. Looking up to the beginning of the paradigm, it should be mentioned that scramblers structure is identical to the one that descrambles the data of the outgoing frame. Therefore, any optimization of the scramblers circuit must be implemented on both ways in order to carry out an accurate scrambling and descrambling action [02]. Suppose that the channel hasnt enticed any bit errors a successful scramble and descramble is being performed regarding that s1 = s2. Going even deeper with the scramblers action, a moreover examination of the example above should take place considering the circuits application. The basic characteristic of scrambling is the use of Galois Theory on polynomials which finds implementation in the afore mentioned example in the following equation: s2 = 1 + D2s2 + D5s2 (1) Where D is a unit delay operator representing the delaying sequence by one bit. Thus, D2s2 and D5s2 refer to the equivalent bits of the scrambled sequenced that is transmitted into the channel as represented in figure 1 and the binary X-OR operator taking place between them. Taking all terms of s2 in one side of the equality the following equation is obtained: [1 + D2 + D5] s2 = s1 (2) or, regarding the transfer process: s2 = [ 1 / (1 + D2 + D5 )] s1 (3) As for the descramblers equation approach, it is reflected as follows: s3 = [1 + D2 + D5] s2 (4) All the above circuits in depth approximation can be generally represented form the following equations: s2 = F(D)s1 (5) and s3 = G(D)s2 (6) which, in the scrambling and descrambling pair procedure are used as: F(D)G(D) = 1 (7) Thus, any receiving or transmitting connected shift registers that indulges Equation 7 are proper for use as a scrambler and descrambler pair. Furthermore, it is now clear that data can be scrambled for many reasons but in order for a terminal to receive these data and modify them into a distinctive countenance a descrambling device is necessary. Descrambling is the inverse of scrambling and its purpose is to restore the signals data state as they were originally supplied to the coupled scrambler [descrambler]. Descrambling is accomplished through using the exact algorithms that were implemented at the initial scrambled signal. Any other use of algorithms at the descrambler doesnt cohere to the complete scrambling and descrambling procedure. 2.2 Multicapitave (Self-synchronizing) scrambler Self-synchronizing scrambling operation acts in two modes. First mode is called start-up and copes with data which are placed to a coupled scrambler and descrambler. This specific seed of information is similarly stored on both ends. After a predestined time interstice, the first mode is terminated and the second one initiates a procedure were information that is stored on both end devices is used to form key signals [03]. This technique deals successfully with randomizing bits by using a logic addition of delayed digits from the source sequence. While in this steady-state mode, errors cannot affect the data as they are already loaded in the devices before the descrambling initiates. Figure 2 represents an indiscriminate scrambler and descrambler that contains M stages and output is given by the following equation: in which + (X-OR) and ÃŽÂ £ denote modulo addition. Shift register of the descrambler receives the M error-free scrambled bits and initiates decoding after affirming that they are identical to the ones transmitted by the receiver [DTS]. Descramblers decoding equation is familiar to the one of scramblers and favors the following: Figure 2 Block diagram of Self-Synchronizing Scrambler and Descrambler [DTS]. Guided scrambling In data communication systems where scrambling contains bit stream transmissions, an improved method of self-synchronizing technique can be applied. Guided scrambling is accepted to be an extension of multicapitave scrambling and its basic principle is based on a refined encoding technique which provides an enhanced transmission [06]. Analytically, this method exploits the drawback of a single source bit affecting many other quotient bits. For example [06], if 01001010001001010100101 is the source sequence, the scrambled should be: 01000000001000000100000 which is an unbalanced sequence presenting only a few alterations. The most significant bit of this sequence is 0 but if an altered quotient required this bit to be 1 the new sequence would be: 11010110010111000010111 This sequence, with the alteration of only one bit, carried in the modulo-2 scission process, plainly depicts better transmission attributes. Guided scrambling is widely implemented in fiber optics communications and assures balanced, efficient transmission with high transition density. 3. Data scrambling in the employment of security Since the amount of digitalized content increases rapidly, data protection becomes a great issue to deal with, as important as encoding techniques implemented to achieve desirable security [MIS]. Scrambling is greatly well-known and effective security technique as its applied on most communication forms [AMIP]. Encryption is the formal name of the scrambling process which applies the function that alters the scope of data in order to be protected before transmitted [SC]. Modern encryption involves algorithms that are based on complex mathematical functions making difficult or in some cases impossible to reverse the scrambled data. Confidentiality is clearly the need that encryption is called to fulfill. However, integrity is also a great issue that data encryption successfully faces. For a long time it has been believed that the feature where one can copy and distribute content freely is advantageous but apart from reading data one can easily change them in a meaningful manner [AMIP]. Furthermore, data scrambling and encryption are fundamental components of protocols that enable the provision of security while executing a system, network or communication task [SC]. 4. Implementation of scramblers in 56kbps V.92 modems V.92 modems are almost extinguished since broadband internet has been solidly established all over the world, but its quite interesting to investigate the implementation of the scrambling and descrambling technique on this device because this is where it was elevated. Wherever GSTN and PSTN are the only communication networks infrastructure, this type of modem is the state of the art. Data rates of a V.92 modem are 56kbps for downstream when in use from server to client connection and 48kbps for upstream when in use from client to server. Term modem emanates from the words modulation and demodulation which basically refer to the main process executed by this specific device: turning to account of the analog signal carried by telecommunication network for data transmission and elaboration. Scrambler in this case guarantees sufficient transitions in the transmitted data for clock extraction and avoids a continuous stream of ones and zeros using an algorithm to alter the data sequence [DCCN]. In order for a modem to perform a one to one mapping between bits and encoding procedure of another modem device it must also be equipped with a descrambler. Data communications very often transmit idle characters, particularly when paired modems make no use of the transmission medium for a relatively long period [DCCN]. Initiating a data transmission again could evoke a data blast with repeating errors presented at the beginning of data. This error occurs because clock phases pattern is quite sensitive but can be overcome from scramblers ability to randomize data before their transmission [DCCN]. Figure 3 Scrambler block diagram [MATLAB] A scramblers block diagram is characteristically represented in Figure 3. As mentioned before, all adders perform a modulo-2 addition and switches in the schematic are defined by the implementing polynomial. In the case of a 56kbps modem the polynomial in use is: y(x) = 1 + x-18 + x-23 which reflects a self-synchronizing scrambling procedure yet bearing a feature of creating the handshake between the terminals. If transmission in the communication network is errorless then the descrambler will be able to translate the signal using the same polynomial contrarily. 5. Application of Matlab to simulate a 56kbps modems scrambler Matlabs Simulink toolbox can fulfill the potential of simulating a scrambler with all the adjustments required. Figure 4 enacts a full scrambling procedure from the signal generation to the scrambling feature and after that to the scope function. Figure 4 Scrambler simulation on Simulink Going deeper in this scheme analysis, a signal generator is situated at the beginning of the diagram. Bernoulis Binary Generator is using a distribution to produce a sequence of random 0s and 1s. In addition to that, a probability of P is applied to produce 0s and 1-P for 1s. The scrambler feature is using a scheme like the one represented in Figure 3 for its fundamental use and utilizes all polynomials capabilities. For example if the polynomial is y(x) = 1 + x-6 + x-8 then the data to be imported are: p = [1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1] and p = [0 -6 -8] [MATLAB]. Last, but not least, the scope widget where conclusive measurements can be extracted from all the previous signal processing. The most common test to be implemented in this simulating scheme would consider time and the input value of P. Particularly, P configures the quantity of 0s and 1s that will shape the outgoing stream of the binary generator. Speed of the user on the other hand in comparison with the real speed of the 56kbps modem is quite low, resulting a long stream of idle status or 0s. In the subsequent examination P will be given the value of 0.9 in order to have maximum possibilities for this stream to appear. Using the spectrum analyzer from Matlabs Simulink the following results of Figure 5 appeared.

The Hong Kong Chinese Community :: essays research papers

The Hong Kong Chinese Community The Hong Kong Chinese community is an affluent, educated, and swelling population in the Greater Toronto Area. The enigma is why they have only made marginal inroads into the political arena. Olivia Chow, a Metro councilor representing the Downtown ward says "this community has potential to be very powerful...it's nowhere near its potential." Chow is the highest-profile Hong Kong expatriate to win elected office in the GTA. Others include Tam Goosen, Soo Wong, Carrie Cheng, and Peter Lam. Many are convinced that the reason is because Hong Kong "is a colonial place where they had no say in government whatsoever." "In Hong Kong, there's never been any democratic procedure until a few years ago." "Chinese culture through thousands of years has never had an elected-representative type of Western democracy system. So it's not a surprise...(Hong Kong) is not a place where people exercise their democratic rights." There is a very common belief that you should not offend or challenge authority. People have lost a lot of confidence in politicians because of poor examples provided by ongoing tensions between Communist China and nationalist Taiwan. "We have to educate them and tell them politics in North America and Canada is very different from what they saw of politics in Hong Kong and China." Dr. Joseph Wong, whose community activism has earned him the Order of Canada, thinks that despite changes in Chinese attitudes, fear is still an obstacle towards political evolution. People are not afraid to demand for equal rights but the so-called mainstream politics and elected office is still baffling to the Chinese. The Chinese community's history in Canada also plays a major role in its reluctance to venture into politics. Following the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway, the federal government imposed a heavy head tax on new Chinese immigrants. Only from the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Trudeau government liberalization of immigration that Chinese people came to Canada from Hong Kong. In 1979 , he organized a demonstration to urge the federal government to admit more "boat people" - community members were appalled. "Don't rock the boat" was exactly what they said. They said that Canada had given them a shelter and they should not demand any rights. Later that year, W5 - a CTV public affairs program - aired a segment called Campus Giveaway, which was about Chinese students taking over Canadian universities and leaving Canadian students out in the cold. Within 2 to 3 months, there were 16 anti-W5 committees. The protest eventually forced W5 to offer an unqualified apology. Those 16 groups went on to form the Chinese

Risk Management and Prevention at a Medical Facility Essay -- Medical

Risk Management Risk management is defined as a program directed toward identifying of, evaluating of, and taking corrective action against potential risks that could lead to injury of patients, staff, or visitors. It is a planned program of loss prevention and liability control, and its main purpose is to identify, analyze, and evaluate risks and then to develop a plan for reducing the frequency and severity of accidents and injuries (Decker and Sullivan, 2001). Risk management is a continuous daily program of detection, education, and intervention. This paper will describe the risk management issues at Great River Medical Center as they pertain to medication errors, and will describe the methods that are currently taking place to address this issue. Identifying Potential Risk Identifying potential risks for accident, injury, or financial loss requires formal and informal communication that involves all organizational departments in the facility. The risk management department at Great River Medical Center conducted on study on medication errors in the facility during preparation for a JACHO inspection. During this study, they discovered that medication errors had increased steadily over a 2 year period, and that many of them were because of illegibility reasons. The two most common legibility reasons included reading the initial order and reading the medication on the hand written medication sheet. According to Michael R. Cohen, MS, FASHP, from the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, poor handwriting is the leading cause of medication errors. Poor handwriting can blur the distinction between two medications that have similar names. And, many drug names sound similar, especially when spoken over the telephone, enunciated poorly, or mispronounced. At Great River Medical Center, this was also found to be one of the leading causes of medication errors. The inability of the nurse to read the written order and the inability to read the written medication sheet accounted for 20 % of the medication errors at GRMC. Other reasons for medication errors at GRMC include the following: ï‚ § Incomplete patient information (not knowing about patients' allergies other medicines they are taking, previous diagnoses, and lab results, for example); ï‚ § Unavailable drug information (such as lack of up-to-date warnings); ï‚ § Miscommunication of drug orders,... ...ch new implementation process. With the use of the Omni Cell dispensers, computerized order entry, and the electronic medical record, the hospital has seen a reduction of errors and near misses at approximately 75%. Along with this great statistic, also comes peace of mind to an already stressed out and over worked staff, that wants to provide the best care possible for the patients. References: Anonymous, (2004). Nursing BC. Vol.36, Iss.5; pg.33, Vancover. Retrieved December 18, 2004 from www.proquest.com. Business Wire, (2004). Hospitalist Physicians Partner with Clinical Pharmacists to Improve Patient Outcomes, Reduce Medication Errors. Business Wire, pg. 1, New York. Retrieved December 19, 2004 from www.proquest.com. Davis, J.L. and Smith, M. (2002). Medication Errors Rampant in Hospitals. WebMD Medical News. Retrieved on December 20, 2004 from www.mywebmd.com. Institute for Safe Medication Practices, (2004). Measuring Medication Safety, retrieved on December 19,2004 from www.ismp.org. Stein, R. (2004). Automated Systems For Drugs Examined; Report: Computers Can Add to Errors. The Washington Post, pg. A03. Retrieved December 20, 2004 from www.proquest.com. Risk Management and Prevention at a Medical Facility Essay -- Medical Risk Management Risk management is defined as a program directed toward identifying of, evaluating of, and taking corrective action against potential risks that could lead to injury of patients, staff, or visitors. It is a planned program of loss prevention and liability control, and its main purpose is to identify, analyze, and evaluate risks and then to develop a plan for reducing the frequency and severity of accidents and injuries (Decker and Sullivan, 2001). Risk management is a continuous daily program of detection, education, and intervention. This paper will describe the risk management issues at Great River Medical Center as they pertain to medication errors, and will describe the methods that are currently taking place to address this issue. Identifying Potential Risk Identifying potential risks for accident, injury, or financial loss requires formal and informal communication that involves all organizational departments in the facility. The risk management department at Great River Medical Center conducted on study on medication errors in the facility during preparation for a JACHO inspection. During this study, they discovered that medication errors had increased steadily over a 2 year period, and that many of them were because of illegibility reasons. The two most common legibility reasons included reading the initial order and reading the medication on the hand written medication sheet. According to Michael R. Cohen, MS, FASHP, from the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, poor handwriting is the leading cause of medication errors. Poor handwriting can blur the distinction between two medications that have similar names. And, many drug names sound similar, especially when spoken over the telephone, enunciated poorly, or mispronounced. At Great River Medical Center, this was also found to be one of the leading causes of medication errors. The inability of the nurse to read the written order and the inability to read the written medication sheet accounted for 20 % of the medication errors at GRMC. Other reasons for medication errors at GRMC include the following: ï‚ § Incomplete patient information (not knowing about patients' allergies other medicines they are taking, previous diagnoses, and lab results, for example); ï‚ § Unavailable drug information (such as lack of up-to-date warnings); ï‚ § Miscommunication of drug orders,... ...ch new implementation process. With the use of the Omni Cell dispensers, computerized order entry, and the electronic medical record, the hospital has seen a reduction of errors and near misses at approximately 75%. Along with this great statistic, also comes peace of mind to an already stressed out and over worked staff, that wants to provide the best care possible for the patients. References: Anonymous, (2004). Nursing BC. Vol.36, Iss.5; pg.33, Vancover. Retrieved December 18, 2004 from www.proquest.com. Business Wire, (2004). Hospitalist Physicians Partner with Clinical Pharmacists to Improve Patient Outcomes, Reduce Medication Errors. Business Wire, pg. 1, New York. Retrieved December 19, 2004 from www.proquest.com. Davis, J.L. and Smith, M. (2002). Medication Errors Rampant in Hospitals. WebMD Medical News. Retrieved on December 20, 2004 from www.mywebmd.com. Institute for Safe Medication Practices, (2004). Measuring Medication Safety, retrieved on December 19,2004 from www.ismp.org. Stein, R. (2004). Automated Systems For Drugs Examined; Report: Computers Can Add to Errors. The Washington Post, pg. A03. Retrieved December 20, 2004 from www.proquest.com.

Essay --

Mindy Pang Pearl Final (Analysis /Synthesis) 1. I think it is ironic that Kino is being followed by trackers because all throughout the story, Kino makes connections with animals. Kino and Juana are compared to being animals that are chased down by hunters. As Kino is supposedly an animal, it is ironic because trackers are known to follow animals. Just like animals, Kino and Juana try to escape the hunters, going to the mountains, where there is high elevation, something an animal would do. Another example of Kino’s comparison to an animal is when Kino needs to find a strategy in which the trackers won’t see him, so he takes off his clothes (what us, humans wear), as an animalistic technique, since animals don’t wear clothes. His own son also â€Å"becomes† an animal, at least to the trackers, who think the baby’s cry was a coyote cry, and this causes Coyotito’s death by a gunshot from them. This also brings us to the irony of Coyotito’s name, and as readers, we find out why he was named this at the end of the story. Steinbeck also describes the characters literally as animals; for example, â€Å"Kino hissed at her like a snake, and Juana stared at him with wide, unfrightened eyes like a sheep before the butcher.† Not only does this help us picture what is going on, but the author is also trying to make more references to animals. These are only a few of the examples of when the author creates animal imagery/ reference, but because the author compares Kino and his family to animals so often, it is ironic how they is being followed by trackers. 3. The brief introduction connects to rest of the story very well. John Steinbeck explains the book’s parable. The introduction is pretty self-explanatory. The story is not just about Kino, it i... ...d to harm Kino, mugging him, injuring him, attempting many times to steal the pearl, destroying his precious pearl. Kino could no longer protect himself, like he used to. He tried his best, but now his protection â€Å"shell† has been cracked and he is no longer as strong as he used to be, just like an oyster without a pearl. The oyster protects its precious pearl on purpose, and has a shell to help protect it, but when the pearler forces the shell open, the protection is gone. The canoe had its wood, as a layer of protection, blocking out things on the outside that could potentially harm things that are inside the boat, but the canoe was destroyed and its protection is now useless. Kino, the canoe, and the pearl all caused and meant trouble. Now they all have lost, they have all shattered, they have been destroyed. Now, they all represent and have become something else.

Indian Education Essay

A strong education system is the cornerstone of any country’s growth and prosperity. Over the last decade, India has made great strides in strengthening its primary education system. The District Information System for Education (DISE) reported in 2012 that 95% of India’s rural populations are within one kilometer of primary schools. The 2011 Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), which tracks trends in rural education, indicated that enrollment rates among primary-school-aged children were about 93%, with little difference by gender. However, behind the veil of such promising statistics, the learning outcomes of India’s children show little progress. The country ranked 63 out of 64 in the latest Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) study, with some of its best schools ranked about average among those surveyed. The 2011 ASER stated that only 48. 2% of students in the fifth grade can read at the second grade level. The number of students completing their primary education with inadequate numeracy and literacy skills is startling. To see this manifest in an economic sense, one may attribute India’s productivity growth — lagging behind that of East Asian economies — to a lack of progress in the foundational elements of countrywide, high-quality education. India’s private-schooled, English-speaking urban elite may attract global attention, but they are in the minority. The vast majority of Indian children attend government-run primary schools in rural areas. In 2008-2009, rural India accounted for more than 88% of India’s primary-school students, of whom over 87% were enrolled in government-run schools. This is where we see some of the nation’s toughest challenges. A Diverse Set of Problems India’s education system has not achieved strong learning outcomes for reasons that are as diverse and nuanced as the country itself. Key among these reasons is poor teaching quality, which results from a multitude of factors. Inadequate Teacher Qualification and Support: Teachers working in primary schools across rural India have a difficult job. Dhir Jhingran, a senior civil servant in the Indian Administrative Service, with more than two decades of experience in rural primary education, explained the multiple challenges they face: â€Å"Teachers have to teach multiple grades, textbooks are pitched far above the comprehension level of students, and each classroom has children with different levels of learning achievements. † Anurag Behar, CEO of the Azim Premji Foundation, an education non-profit, noted that â€Å"the average school teacher in India does not get adequate pre-service or in-service education, nor does she get the support to overcome these problems. † Compounding this is the relatively low educational qualifications of many teachers themselves. In 2008-2009, on average, 45% of these teachers had not studied beyond the 12th grade. Low Teacher Motivation and High Absenteeism: A key factor affecting the quality of primary education appears to be low levels of teacher motivation. In 2002-2003, 25% of primary-school teachers in rural India were absent on any given day. The impact of absenteeism is exacerbated by the fact that the average primary school in India has a workforce of no more than three teachers. At a school for girls in rural Rajasthan, we observed this problem first hand: Of the eight teachers assigned, only five were present. The three who were actually teaching were juggling eight different grades. The obvious reason — remuneration — does not appear to be a driver. In fact, both education experts and ordinary citizens argue that government-employed school teachers are paid relatively well. UNESCO surveys from as early as 2004 indicated that the annual statutory salary of primary school teachers in India with 15 years’ experience was more than $14,000, adjusted for purchasing power. This was significantly higher than the then-statutory salaries of $3,000 in China and Indonesia, and the Indian GDP per capita in 2004, which was $3,100. Indian primary-school teachers may not be underpaid, but some argue that they may be overworked. For Vivekanand Upadhyay, a seasoned educator and language professor at a leading national University, one reason for the lack of motivation is that â€Å"primary school teachers employed by the government, particularly in rural India, are required to perform a wide range of duties completely unrelated to imparting education. † These duties — including administering government programs such as immunization clinics, assisting with data-collection for the national census, and staffing polling stations during elections — in addition to their teaching responsibilities, place significant demands on teachers’ time. Another disheartening factor has been a highly bureaucratic administrative system that discourages bold decision making and makes implementation difficult. For example, as Jhingran observed, â€Å"it is difficult to test new practices on a small scale before rolling them out: If a new program has been developed, the philosophy is that every school must have it. † Such indiscriminate application often means that teachers are implementing programs without understanding their key principles and ultimate goals. Flawed Teaching Methodology: In India, rote learning has been institutionalized as a teaching methodology. â€Å"Primary school teachers in rural India often try to educate students by making them repeat sections of text over and over again,† said Jhingran. Often they do not explain the meaning of the text, which results in stunted reading comprehension skills over the course of the children’s education. For example, many students in grades two and three in one particular school struggle to read individual words, but can neatly copy entire paragraphs from their textbooks into their notebooks as though they were drawing pictures. Linguistic Diversity: Finally, India’s linguistic diversity creates unique challenges for the nation’s education system. The country’s 22 official languages and hundreds of spoken dialects often differ considerably from the official language of the state or region. Jhingran commented that â€Å"the teacher not only has to account for varying learning abilities within the classroom, but also dialectic nuances which affect students’ comprehension of the subject matter. † Government-school-educated children from rural India struggle to speak even basic sentences in English. â€Å"Students with rural primary schooling are at a significant disadvantage as they transition to higher education, because India’s best universities teach exclusively in English,† said Upadhyay. Part of the problem is that there is no one to teach them. As Chandrakanta Khatwar, an experienced middle school teacher in a rural government-run school in Rajasthan, asked: â€Å"When teachers themselves know little English, especially spoken English, how will students learn? † A Parallel, Non-governmental Education Universe Since the late 1980s, government efforts to augment rural primary education have been supplemented by the emergence of an intervention-based non-governmental system that spans multiple institutional types. While private schools have emerged as a parallel system over the last two decades, their impact is limited because they serve less than 13% of India’s rural primary-school children. However, do private schools really make a difference? Some studies have found a small, but statistically significant, â€Å"private school advantage† in rural India. Behar was skeptical about the superiority of private rural schools over their government-run counterparts, noting, â€Å"Once we control for a child’s socioeconomic background, private schools add little-to-no value. In many ways, private schools are in much worse shape. † However, according to Khatwar, â€Å"more and more parents in small towns are choosing to send their children to private schools if they can afford it† — perhaps with good reason, because, on average, the number of students in each classroom in private schools is often smaller and school heads exert greater control over teachers. Some organizations are attempting to innovate with new formats and systems of education. Avasara Academy, a new school for girls, is a private institution whose mission is to mold leaders from among the best and brightest girls in India, regardless of their background. While admission is merit-based, the school intends to draw half its students from disadvantaged rural and urban backgrounds, awarding them full scholarships. In addition, it is developing a special curriculum that encourages excellence beyond academics. â€Å"Avasara seeks to identify high potential young women and guide them along a powerful journey of leadership development. We expect that our graduates will form a network of leaders who will collaborate to drive positive change across the country,† explained Mangala Nanda, humanities department chair for Avasara. While still in the early stages of its development, Avasara’s successful implementation would provide a viable model for high-quality, accessible education and integration across socioeconomic boundaries. Governmental Efforts The Indian government at every level recognizes the need for educational reform and has made a conscientious effort to achieve it. The midday-meal plan, for example, is a highly publicized nationwide program through which government school children across India are provided with a midday meal every day of the school week. The program is largely considered a success. A study in 2011 by Rajshri Jayaraman and Dora Simroth found that grade one enrollment increased by 20. 8% simply if a midday meal was offered. According to Behar, â€Å"The Indian government has worked very hard to provide rural schools with adequate infrastructure, something that was critically lacking a few decades ago. † For instance, DISE reported in 2012 that more than 91% of primary schools have drinking-water facilities and 86% of schools built in the last 10 years have a school building. However, there is still a long way to go: Only 52% of primary schools have a girls’ toilet, and just 32% are connected to the electricity grid. In 2012, the Central Government enacted the Right to Education (RTE) Act, under which every child between the ages of six and 14 receives a free and compulsory education. In addition to regulating access to education, the act contains certain provisions that could positively impact the quality of education. According to Jhingran, one of its major achievements has been â€Å"the dramatic reduction of non-teaching duties assigned to government school teachers, freeing up valuable time and lowering absenteeism. † Partnering with the Government Over the past few decades, many organizations have begun working with government schools and teachers to improve learning outcomes. Pratham, a joint venture between UNICEF and the Municipal Corporation of Mumbai, runs multiple programs to supplement school education, such as learning support classes, libraries and additional learning resources. A hallmark of these initiatives is that Pratham engages volunteers from local communities and trains them to run these programs. Another important initiative that has resulted from Pratham is the annual ASER, an assessment that measures reading and arithmetic abilities by surveying more than 600,000 children across 16,000 villages in India. This remarkable exercise in data-gathering constitutes the foundation for informed decision-making and benchmarking. Other initiatives address teaching quality by placing specially trained teachers in government schools. Teach for India, modeled after the Teach for America program, was introduced in 2006. Young, motivated Indian college graduates and professionals apply for two-year fellowships to teach at government-run and low-income private schools that lack sufficient resources. An important distinction of Teach for India is that instruction is, by design, always in English. As Mohit Arora, fellowship recruitment manager for Teach for India, noted, the organization’s philosophy on this point is that â€Å"learning English is essential to future success, as English in today’s world is more than just a language. It is a skill set. † Students who do not speak English may have some difficulty initially, but the organization has made learning at these schools experiential and therefore engaging. The dynamics of one particular grade 3 Teach for India classroom were in stark contrast to other classrooms at the same school — students were listening intently, contributing in class, answering questions beyond the textbook and demonstrating a strong command over English. The challenge is scaling this model to rural India. Still other organizations focus on capacity development of teachers in government schools, such as the Azim Premji Foundation. As CEO, Behar is categorical in his view that the foundation â€Å"works in partnership with the government,† and that it â€Å"does not believe in supplanting the government school system. † The foundation has established scores of institutes at the district level that provide in-service education and also empower teachers to learn from each other. For example, Behar described a voluntary teacher forum in a district of Rajasthan, initially organized by the Azim Premji Foundation, but now being run increasingly independently by teachers in the district. The Future of Primary Education in India Education in India has improved dramatically over the last three decades. Schools are accessible to most children, both student enrollment and attendance are at their highest level, and teachers are adequately remunerated. The RTE Act guarantees a quality education to a wider range of students than ever before. However, challenges in implementing and monitoring high standards in teaching and learning outcomes across regional, cultural and socioeconomic subsets prevent India from fully achieving this goal. In addition, teacher support and scalability of high-performing teaching professionals in disparate areas, funding allocation for schools in remote districts and limited use of technology in the classroom remain barriers to reforming primary education. India’s growth story remains one of the most anticipated global economic trends, and its fulfillment relies on a well-educated and skilled workforce. Improving education is a critical area of investment and focus if the country wants to sustain economic growth and harness its young workforce. A weak foundation in primary education can derail the lives, careers and productivity of tens of millions of its citizens. Already, a significant proportion of the adult workforce in India is severely under-equipped to perform skilled and semi-skilled jobs. As Rajesh Sawhney, former president of Reliance Entertainment and founder of GSF Superangels, noted, â€Å"No one is unemployed in India; there are just a lot of people who are unemployable. † Furthermore, in order to develop India as a consumer market of global standards, it is imperative that all of its children reap the full benefits of a high-quality education. Otherwise, large segments of the population in rural India will continue to have low purchasing power, find themselves in highly leveraged scenarios and, more often than not, continue to make a living through agricultural means. While some of this can be attributed to deficiencies in secondary and tertiary education, the root of these issues lies in low-quality primary education.