Seventh Group Essays - Probability And Statistics, Computing

Seventh Group 1G Dewi Widyawati (16.9076) Mohammad Ammar Alwandi (16.9227) Sri Indriyani Siregar (16.9432) Title : Statistician, The Most Influential Jobs in The World Thesis Statement : Statistician is the most influential jobs in three reasons. Outline : High salary Normal working hour Related with other studies economics, demography, sociology, biology, Provide data for public policy birth planning policy, state budget, poverty alleviation Many job opportunity high demand of statistician, companies realize the important of statistician in their company Work indoor High job satisfaction Statisti cian, The Most Influential Jobs in The World Karl Pearson, an influential English mathematician and biostatistician said that "Statistics is a grammar of science". It means that science are linking each other using statistics as a grammar to create perfect knowledge. A person who mastered statistics called statistician. A statistician is the most influential jobs in three reasons. The first reason is statistics related to other studies. Statistics connected with economics, demography, sociology, biology, etc. For example, a statistician in biology is called biostatistician. In 19th centuries, Karl Pearson researched about natural selection concept using statistics method, so he was called biostatistician. In the other side, a statistics related to demography in the record of births, deaths, marriages, immigration and emigration and a regular census of the population provides information that is key to making decisions. In addition, in economics, statistics used to calculate gross domestic product precisely. A second reason is a statistician provide official statistics for public policies planning. Statistics is the first thing that looked by the government when they make a public policy. For example, the government must consider the birth/mortality rate statistic if they want to make antenatal policy and population projection to avoid under/overestimated. In addition, the government must consider the inflation rate if they want to set the state budget. Moreover, poverty alleviation needs the social-economy statistic to formulating the policies. All of the public policies need statistic and all of these was made by the statistician. The final reason is the demand of statisticians is increased because of the big data era. According to John Acred, founder and CTO of Silicon Valley Data Science, Big Data refers to a combination of an approach to informing decision making with analytical insight derived from data, and a set of enabling technologies that enable that insight to be economically derived from at times very large, diverse sources of data. The companies begin to looking the use of the statistic to improve their business. Based on a report by Accenture, career consulting company, 89% believe that companies without statistician (big data analytics) in the next year will lose the market share and will not competitive. Furthermore, the companies spending more than 20% of their technology budget on big data analytics. Based on economic principle, if demand increases the price of statistician will increase too. To sum up, in this big data era, being statistician is the most prominent jobs. Without well-qualified statisticians, the targets of development policy will not appropriate with the real condition. Therefore, all of the academicians or practitioners, wherever its job, must understand statistics to encourage his/her career.

Origin of the term black money Essay Essay Example

Origin of the term black money Essay Essay Example Origin of the term black money Essay Paper Origin of the term black money Essay Paper The term black money is of a recent beginning which foremost came to be used around the twelvemonth 2000. It is another fluctuation of progress fee fraud and is besides called a ‘wash wash scam’ . The cozenage came to be known as black money cozenage was originally handled by defrauders or conmen who fraudulently obtained money from their victims by working their assurance. They convinced their victims that a trunk-full of existent money had been dyed black to avoid sensing by imposts. The bole really contained bank-note sized documents dyed black. They would someway carry their victim to pay for the chemicals to rinse the money with a promise to give him / her portion from the returns. In this manner. the conmen duped their clients stating them that the chemical required to take the black dye was really dearly-won and fraudulently obtained a good amount of money from the fleeceable and guiltless Term black money as used in modern times In the modern universe. the term black money is used for the money which is unaccounted and no statutory revenue enhancements are paid to the governments since it is kept within the state of abroad hidden from the eyes of the governments. This belowground. live and irregular billboard of wealth in any signifier is what is said to be running a shadow economic system or a parallel economic system in a state. Black money can besides be termed as production of goods and services whether done lawfully or illicitly but which is non taken into history for the official appraisal of the country’s Gross Domestic Product ( GDP ) because it is neither detected by the governments nor is declared by its Godheads. India’s stands at the tenth place every bit far as the richest people in the state are concerned. This list is created by taking into history the sum of white money which is available for investing and does non include personal assets whether movable or immoveable. Just see what will India’s place among the richest people in the universe if the sum of black money is besides take into consideration while roll uping this list of the affluent individuals in the universe. The paradox is that it is go oning in a state where more than 50 per cent of the population is populating below the poorness line ( BPL ) . Causes for the creative activity of black money Corrupt patterns indulged into by corrupt people at all degrees There are several causes due to which the black money is created in a state. Black money is created by the corrupt patterns indulged in by politicians. administrative officials and other high and low degree civil retainers. They take immense or little payoffs which are unbroken hidden as they illegal beginnings of gaining money. The minutess in black money do take topographic point in the market due to which the term parallel economic system comes into being. Merely really seldom these minutess are caught and most of the wrongdoers of creative activity of black money are neer known to the authorities. The 2nd of import ground that these minutess remain concealed is that both the wrongdoers and the executors of jurisprudence collude with each other and go the partakers in black money. Peoples in all walks of life from the rich concern barons. the high degree politicians. the senior administrative officials. high ranking officers of the authorities. large contractors to the low degree authorities retainers including category IV employees are involved in this phenomenon of black money creative activity. Recently a racket of bogus certifications of OBCs and SCs has been found for admittance into Delhi University. It is reported that Rs. 3 – Rs. 5 hundred thousand were paid to obtain these payoff certifications. Complex revenue enhancement construction and corrupt revenue enhancement functionaries Adding fuel to the fire. is the country’s complex revenue enhancement construction and corrupt revenue enhancement functionaries which is the cause of creative activity of black money. The honest and sincere people who may otherwise be willing to pay revenue enhancements shy off from paying them before the complex processs. signifiers and returns involved in the payment of revenue enhancements. Merely a few sincere authorities employees whose income is paid from the authorities estimations are made to compulsorily pay the revenue enhancements. But the bulk of the concern community. bargainers. professionals and all incomes which do non come within the organized sector are left to the earnestness of the earners to unwrap their wealth. Complicated and drawn-out regulations and ordinances which are even beyond the comprehension of the common earners stand in the manner of revenue enhancements to be paid by them. There are no inducements to the rise the morale of the honest taxpa yers. The honest taxpayer rumblings when he or she sees that how his or her difficult earned money is is swindled by the corrupt functionaries of the authorities. The financess allotted by the authorities for developmental undertakings are drained half manner by the corrupt functionaries before they eventually reach the donees. Foreign Bankss are oasiss for black money hoarders Foreign Bankss particularly the Swiss Banks which do non unwrap the specifics of the history holders have become a safe oasis for the people who want to conceal their income without paying the revenue enhancements. There are different versions by different beginnings as to amount of the black money stashed in Swiss Banks. As alleged by Baba Ramdev during his agitations against black money. the sum of black money stashed in the Swiss Bankss scopes between Rs. 50- 75 lakh crores of rupees. Even if there is merely half the truth in the allegation. so besides the money stashed in the Swiss Bankss is so high that it can do our economic system rather sound if this can be brought back to India and deposited in the authorities exchequer. Harmonizing to one study the Swiss Banks have admitted that Indians stand at the top in the list of the people who have deposited money in the Swiss Bankss. The black money in Swiss Bankss became a hot argument in 2009 general elections when the issue was raked up by the BJP premier ministerial campaigner Mr L K Advani. He quoted from Global Financial Integrity Study undertaken in 2006 which estimated Rs. 43 – Rs. 51 lakh crores lost by developing states over a period of five old ages due to illicit fiscal escapes from these states including India. Lot of black money is transacted during election runs The election procedure of our state is besides a large generator of black money. Election runs run by the campaigners for parliamentary or assembly elections or for any local organic structures generated crores and crores of black money during the period of election. A survey by the Mumbai-based Centre for Monitoring Indian Economics ( CMIE ) found in 2006 that each parliamentary canvass generates between $ 10. 19 billion and $ 11. 33 billion of black money. It will go a shocking and head boggling figure and the black money so created will run into several crores of rupees if we besides include the elections to the legislative assemblies of the provinces and brotherhood districts and the local organic structures. Black money washing fiscal companies and chit financess Money washing fiscal companies and chit financess are another beginning of making black money. Cases have come to detect that several fiscal companies had been running and might still be running without paying any income revenue enhancement paid for their minutess which are non brought to the cognition of the authorities. We know that there are several lakhs of unauthorized chit financess which are running by persons in the settlements of the towns and metropoliss and even in small towns including certain authorities offices and industrial composites where the money is collected and circulated among little clip single earners. The operation of non-banking fiscal companies ( NBFCs ) had become so uncontrolled that the authorities had to convey in a statute law on the Non-Banking Financial Companies in 1997 and a separate Department of Non-Banking Financial Companies was opened in all offices of the Reserve Bank of India in March 1997 to do these companies to follow the ordinances laid down under the Act. Consequently several 100s of those NBFCs which could non follow with the regulations and ordinances of the authorities went out of operation. Unscrupulous charitable trusts and societies create black money Unscrupulous charitable trusts and societies including spiritual establishments manipulate the financess of the establishments run and managed by them and make black money. A blunt illustration of this has come to visible radiation when crores of rupees in difficult hard currency and several more crores of rupees deserving jewelry. diamonds and other valuables have been taken over when the personal Chamberss of the late Satya Sai Baba were opened late at Puttaparthy in Andhra Pradesh. There are a batch of treatments traveling on in the affair whether the money found at Satya Sai Baba’s Ashram at Puttaparthy is accounted or unaccounted money. Merely sincere probes undertaken by the authorities in this affair can happen out the exact truth. This is one illustration which has come to light and many more are still likely to be running this deceitful concern merely because such establishments had been exempted to subject the studies of their income and outgo. It is feared that a batch of black money is being generated by the spiritual. societal and educational trusts throughout the length and comprehensiveness of the state. Hawala concern is a great beginning of black money minutess The minutess of hard currency made through the hawala path are besides one of the greatest beginnings of creative activity and usage of black money. Several hawala rackets were busted by the constabulary on many occasions but the hawala operations are still traveling on. Minutess through hawala path are thought to be the south Asia’s biggest money minutess system. The hawala minutess are common across our national and international boundary lines where money alterations hands through non-banking channels and therefore goes live and becomes black money. The persons running hawala rackets have developed their ain codifications to transact this illegal concern. Such revenue enhancement hedging cozenages have been found several times particularly in Maharashtra and Gujarat. two of India’s rich provinces. Daily hawala minutess are reported to be running transacting in foreign exchange therefore robbing the authorities of the revenue enhancements which should otherwise hold gone to the government’ exchequer. Investings in belongings. jewelry. luxury autos. rare pieces of art etc Investings in belongings. jewelry. diamonds. dearly-won and rare pictures. luxury autos. rare pieces of art etc. are some of the other beginnings where black money is transacted. It was reported sometime back that when the functionaries raided a few builders in Mumbai a few old ages back. it was revealed that the hired comptrollers had advised their clients to conceal their black money in rare art aggregations. It was found that a man of affairs had in invested $ 4. 50. 000 in a picture. The governments found that builders had invested over a crore of rupees of their undeclared income in pictures bought from local art galleries of Mumbai. Investing of unaccounted income is done at a big graduated table in gold and diamond jewelry. It is pertinent to observe that India is one of the largest consumers of gold. Stock market is another channel to put black money. One can gain large net incomes after one pays a little sum of capital additions revenue enhancement @ 10 % . Past instances of stock cozenages have shown that agents. Bankss. industrial houses have all colluded to trip the stock markets. A few old ages back a adult female from Gujarat named Roopal ben Panchal reportedly opened 10. 669 bogus histories. In a handbill dated December 2. 2005 the Reserve Bank of India had alerted the Bankss with sing to the black-money laundering activities traveling on and wanted them to hold ticker on any leery banking activity. But what when the Bankss themselves start conspiring with the stock agents to consequence the monetary values in the stock market. Contributions to educational establishments transacted in black money The heavy contributions paid for admittances in establishments of higher acquisition and even big corporate schools and colleges are another large beginning of creative activity and go arounding black money. Are these contributions received and paid by checks? Are the proper grosss issued for the minutess? Are the minutess written in the official histories of the establishments as they are done? The reply to all these inquiries is possibly is a large ‘No’ . This is non done because many of these private establishments are run by the administrative officials. politicians and industrial houses that are either do it in collusion with the jurisprudence implementing governments or corrupt them the black money they create. Black money minutess take topographic point in the scene and leaking of inquiries documents and aid rendered in scrutiny Centres to acquire certain pupils pass through unjust agencies or to acquire some of them the top ranks in the scrutiny. This non merely involves black money minutess but is besides doing the jeer of our educational system and scrutinies. Issue of licenses. contracts to Indian and foreign companies Large industrial houses. large contractors. administrative officials and politicians all collude with each other in really heavy minutess and underarm traffics are indulged when publishing licenses and come ining into contracts even with the foreign houses. The agents are agents are involved in the minutess on heavy fees. All these minutess among these people are non routed through normal banking channels. The great cozenages like the Bofors. 2 G Scam. the Commonwealth Games Scam. Adarash Society Scam. etc have already come to the visible radiation of the populace. Many such cozenages may be lying concealed and might non be brought out at all. There have been hard currencies where difficult hard currency had been discovered in the ownerships of politicians like Sukhram and others. The Mauritius Route to utilize black money Taking advantages of loopholes in the Double Taxation Avoidance Convention ( DTAC ) concluded two decennaries ago. certain people claiming themselves to be the Mauritanian occupants set up paper companies in Mauritius. These companies so masqueraded at Mauritanian companies. These companies so invested in India. Thus they avoided paying revenue enhancements in India amounting to crores of rupees under the screen of dual revenue enhancement turning away understanding between India and Mauritius. Consequences or the impact of black money Loss of gross to the authorities and running of parallel economic system in state The circulation of black money has a deep impact on the economic system ensuing in a lessening in authorities grosss. A portion of the black money which circulates in the economic system could hold gone into the custodies of the authorities in the signifier of revenue enhancements. Such is the volume of the black money in the state that a parallel economic system is said to be running in the state with the black money entirely. Harmonizing to some estimations the sum of black money in the state equals 40 per cent of our gross domestic merchandise. ( GDP ) Black money and corruptness signifier a barbarous circle Since most of the minutess done in black money are illegal. it adds to already bing high degrees of corruptness. All payoffs for whatever ground they are paid goes unaccounted wrinkling more black money in the society. This barbarous circle of corruptness bring forthing black money and black money bring forthing corruptness will neer come to an terminal. unless some serious stairss are taken by the authorities to control this evil pattern. Black money effects existent capita income and national income of state Since the black money go arounding in the state is non recorded in the government’s books of histories. the existent per capita income of the people and the national income of the state are shown as low. If all the black money go arounding in the economic system is flowed back into the national economic system of the state. there will a significant rise in the existent incomes of the people and the national income of the state. For illustration. although the incomes earned by the immigrant labor of our state aid to better the criterion of life of the people gaining them. yet they don’t acquire added into the revenue enhancement cyberspace of the state if transacted through hawala. So they can non be taken into history in calculating the national income and per capita income of the state. Black money causes lessening in quality of public goods and services When payoff which are to paid as black money to the manufacturers of goods and supplier of services. it is but natural that they will supply the quality of goods and services merely to the people who pay payoffs whereas the general populace has to endure as the same quality and service is non provided to everyone. For illustration. if you have to acquire a occupation done in office. your work will be done without any hold if you pay payoffs to the functionaries who have to make your occupation. But for the same sort of occupation. another individual who does non corrupt the functionaries has to wait for several yearss. hebdomads or even months. Black money consequences in higher revenue enhancement and rising prices The authorities revenue enhancements the people to gain gross for its disbursals in order to equilibrate the budget. It is but natural that if the black money go arounding in the economic system is brought back to the government’s exchequer. the authorities will hold more money in its manus for its disbursals and thereby the revenue enhancement load on the people can be reduced. Similarly the rising prices consequences with excessively much money pursuit excessively few goods available in the market. The accounted money in the market is hyped by the figure of unaccounted money in the market and the existent money in circulation becomes much more to trail the goods produced in the state taking to higher inflationary tendencies. Black money causes trouble in the formation of pecuniary and financial policy Since the authorities can non take into history the black money in circulation in the economic system while organizing its pecuniary and financial policies. the policies so formed by the authorities can non be realistic. It is hard to organize these policies in the absence of the exact computation of the black money and without conveying it in the accounting processs of the authorities. Black money consequences in increased condemnable activities The dirty money in the market consequences in all kinds of condemnable activities that go on in the society including corruptness of all kinds in the society. It encourages its illegal usage particularly during elections. The black money is used to back up terrorist activities which undermine even the security of the state. It is used to acquire illegal arms in the custodies of the groups of unsocial elements. The illegal money is squandered on big graduated table in nines and hotels on all types of illegal activities including drug trafficking. Even slayings are got done for political retaliations where black money alterations hands among the liquidators and the people who engage these liquidators to prosecute in these offense. It is said that money corrupts and the surplus of it corrupts highly. And it is more so when such extra money is in the signifier of black money. The munificent and pretentious manner the hoarders of black money live in India and the uneconomical outgo they indulge in observing their societal. political and even spiritual maps is a societal offense even though the jurisprudence does non take awareness of it. How to command the black money Normally. the authorities has to take two classs to command the black money. The first is to change over the bing black money into white money through assorted steps. The 2nd is to take appropriate steps to forestall the creative activity of black money. So. the controlling of black money can be discussed under these two caputs. Controling black by money by its transition into white money First of all. the authorities should stop up loopholes in its two decennaries old Double Tax Avoidance Convention entered into with Mauritius to look into influx of black money into India by fake companies of Mauritius which evade paying revenue enhancements in India under the screen of this bilateral understanding between India and Mauritius. Voluntary revelation of income strategy ( VDIS ) Though such steps were initiated by the authorities earlier including gilded bond strategies. but this was resorted on a big graduated table when the authorities launched a Voluntary Disclosure of Income Scheme ( VDIS ) on June 18. 1997 whereby the tax-defaulters were given an chance to unwrap their hidden incomes at the prevalent revenue enhancement rates by giving them unsusceptibility from major Torahs associating to economic offenses from 01 July 1997. The so Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said that the VDIS aggregations amounted to collection about Rs. 8. 000 crores from about two hundred thousand declarents when the strategy closed down on December 31. 1997. The authorities may one time once more denote such a strategy with proper guidelines to enable the people concealing their black money to declare the strategy. The authorities at the same must demo its political will to ordain a measure with rigorous penalties against the people who were found with unrevealed income after certain specified day of the month. How to convey back money from the Swiss Bankss A similar option must besides be given to the people concealing their money in the Swiss Bankss giving them a one clip chance to voluntarily convey backtheir money from the Swiss Bankss and sedimentation it in the Indian Bankss by paying the revenue enhancements as per the Indian Torahs. At the same clip a terrible penalty may be threatened for the people who were found with black money in the Swiss Bankss after a specified day of the month. Entering into bilateral understandings with the foreign authoritiess The authorities should take all possible steps to come in into bilateral understandings with the foreign states to unwrap the names of the history holders and the money deposited in foreign Bankss. The authorities has already initiated some stairss in this way by revising the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement to supply agencies for probes of black money in Swiss Bankss in August 2010. This alteration is likely to take consequence in January 2012. To control black money. the Indian authorities has besides signed Tax Information Exchange Agreement ( TIEA ) with 10 states. viz. – Bahamas. Bermuda. the British Virgin islands. the Isle of Man. the Cayman Island. the British island of Jersey. Monaco. St. Kitts and Nevis. Argentina and the Marshal Islands. The authorities should take immediate stairss to subscribe more such understandings with other states as good. Block loopholes in the Mauritius path The authorities should barricade loopholes in the Double Taxation Avoidance Convention ( DTAC ) entered into about two decennaries ago to forestall unscrupulous investors to get away from paying revenue enhancements in India. Court instances and terrible penalties for economic offenses The tribunals in India should give due importance to the instances affecting black money and must give the severest of the penalties to the individuals involved in the instances. The Supreme Court of India is making a applaudable occupation in this regard. The Supreme Court asked the authorities in January 2011 as to why the names of those have stashed money in the Liechtenstein Bank have non been disclosed. In April 2011. Hasan Ali Khan was arrested on charges of hoarding over Rs. 36. 000 crores in foreign Bankss. This is one case where a individual has been arrested for hoarding black money in the foreign Bankss. but there may be many more against which the authorities can take action merely with a strong political will and strong belief. Baba Ramdev had even gone to the extent of proposing that black money wrongdoer should be treated as treasonists of the state and should be given the severest of the penalties. Demonetization of currency notes of high value like Rs. 500 A ; Rs. 1000 Another step suggested to delve out black money is to demonetize the currency of higher denominations like bank notes of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000. But the authorities has already rejected this suggestions as it is non economically feasible suggestion. Issue of Particular bonds by the authorities Particular bonds may be issued by the authorities inquiring the black money hoarders to put in them by supplying them unsusceptibility from condemnable continuing bing under the bing jurisprudence. Controling black by money by preventative steps Restructuring revenue enhancement system A ; terrible penalty to errant revenue enhancement functionaries The authorities should reconstitute its revenue enhancement system including GST and VAT doing it more convenient and easy for the income earner to pay the revenue enhancements. All the cumbersome processs in entry of signifiers and returns should be done off with. The authorities has become cognizant of this and have done a batch of work to better the system. It has late come out with an proclamation that salaried employees with salary income up to Rs. 5 hundred thousand and salvaging bank involvement up to Rs. 10. 000 need non to register income revenue enhancement returns for the twelvemonth 2011-12. Much more needful to be done by simplifying the regulations and ordinances in this regard. The authorities should broaden the revenue enhancement base and should convey all people in whatever is the beginning of income including agricultural income if the income exceeds Rs. 5 hundred thousand a twelvemonth. All people above this bound should be taxed with no freedoms. No return needs to be filed by any individual if the income is below Rs. 5 hundred thousand. Similar revenue enhancement reforms should be made in the corporate direct revenue enhancement and all other indirect revenue enhancements. Severe penalty should be mooted out to the revenue enhancement forces who are found to be involved in the corrupt patterns including the individuals who are found to hold paid payoffs to the revenue enhancement functionaries to avoid revenue enhancements. These should include revenue enhancement advisers and hired comptrollers who guide the revenue enhancement remunerators with tips to avoid revenue enhancement taking advantage of loopholes in the revenue enhancement Torahs. Use of electronic media and Bankss for money transportations Maximum usage of electronic media should be made for money transportations. Most of the money minutess should be encouraged to be made through the banking channels. Restriction should be laid down for hard currency minutess in any trade. Use of PAN and individuality card should be made compulsory for all minutess amounting immense sums. There should be a powerful Income Tax and Vigilance section. Peoples should be continuously made aware of the benefits of paying revenue enhancements. Peoples should be made cognizant of the immorality of black money on a continual footing Peoples should be made cognizant of the effects of black money. The recent motions run by certain reputed personalities like Baba Ramdev and Anna Hazare whether successful or non has brought about a societal revolution in the society to do the people aware of this great immorality. It has alerted the authorities at all degrees to take awareness of the affair and the authorities is said to hold constituted a high degree commission to travel into this facet. Decision It may be pointed out that many more steps be taken which might hold been left out in composing this article. There are many masterminds and intelligent individuals in our state including economic experts of distinction who can propose steps to the authorities to make off with the threat of black money afflicting our state. Conversion of black money into white money is merely a short term step. but it is the preventative steps which can root out this evil for good. The most of import facet of nationality and love for one time state in all facets must be taught to our kids from their basic educational system. It should get down from their earlier school instruction because whatever the kid learns in his / her formative old ages is carried frontward towards the ulterior phases in his or her life.

Diagnosing a Need for Organizational Change Case Study

Diagnosing a Need for Organizational Change - Case Study Example In this regard, the disaster that befell the shuttle Challenger provided a strong focal point from which organization within bodies could be viewed. The Challenger broke into pieces moments after takeoff on January 28 1986. Prior to this culmination of events, there had been revealing signs that were overlooked by the bodies in authority. A commission was formed to look into the matter and it filed its report after carrying out its research. In light of the above, NASA made most of the recommended changes brought forth by the commission that was looking into the Challenger disaster. Despite this, the occurrence of the Columbia accident on February 1, 2003 opened a new chapter into the effectiveness of the recommendations, and most importantly, shed some light on the issue of organizational culture that tends to undermine the effectiveness of organizations. Organizational culture is the aspect or custom of workers of an organization tending to carry out their activities in a way that may not be fully recommended, but in their organization, it is the norm (Carnall, 2007). While trying to counter this, models have been set up to ensure the best productivity of organizations. Such is the Burke-Litwin model for organizational change. It aims at bringing change to an organization through the creation of connections between performance and the factors within or without the organization, which has an effect over the performance (Burke, 2010). The model relies upon a framework through which the analysis of both internal or organizational factors and external or environmental factors can be linked together to ensure superb performance of an organization. It links both theoretical aspects and practical ideas to result in the best performance (Burke, 2010). This is done in twelve dimensions each of which caters for a particular aspect of the organization. Therefore, the Columbia Accident Investigation Board report and recommendations as put under the Burke-Litwin model wou ld give a better view as follows: 1. External Environment. Following the Columbia disaster, CAIB realized that a number of external factors also indirectly resulted in the catastrophe. Such included such aspects as performance pressures from the public that tended to rush the organization into action hastily. Moreover, the budgetary allocations for the agency proved to be insufficient following shifting national priorities. 2. Mission and Strategy. Furthermore, CAIB analyzed NASA’s mission, and in comparison to the strategy employed to achieve that mission, the two were found not to tally. Moreover, the employees’ perspective was not in tandem with that of the top management (James, 2007). 3. Leadership. CAIB’s report found the leadership of NASA solely to blame for the disaster. It stated that the leadership lacked open-mindedness and could have acted quickly upon realizing that the space ship was damaged. However, this was not done hence exposing the laxity of leadership at NASA (James, 2007). 4. Organizational Culture. The report found out that NASA had come to adopt a culture through which matters were casually schemed through thereby leading to loopholes that provided avenues for such disasters. The foam responsible for the disaster had

Conventional Cost Allocation Systems versus Activity Based Cost Essay - 2

Conventional Cost Allocation Systems versus Activity Based Cost Systems - Essay Example Quite a number prefer the ABC systems over the traditional cost allocation systems. One issue that has been pointed out when comparing the cost systems is the accuracy. Martin (59) argues that the ABC systems are more accurate than the conventional system. The information that is delivered through this system is more precise and can help the management in decision-making. This means for effective use of this system there should a combination of the internal decision making with the external reporting system (Kaplan 58). The fact that there are no details that are assumed by the ABC system according to her proposition. In support of the conventional systems, the issue of efficiency and effectiveness arises. While the ABC system is efficient it provides so many details that are not necessary for the day-to-day running of the business (Cooper and Robert 1). These details accumulate to make a huge workload that is unnecessary. On the other hand, the conventional systems provide only the required details. The facts that stockholders, as well as creditors, have no interest in knowing the product that generates more profit neither the customers. However, the ABC system can be advantageous over the conventional system because it does not assume any detail hence there are high chances of increasing profitability due to the well-kept inventory (Cugini and Oilonato 127). Another issue raised is the ability of ABC systems to increase the company’s competitiveness. Some of the opponents of ABC systems have argued that ABC systems are not the only solution that faces the business world. The argument has been, there is the need for the systems to be complementary instead of having to compete (Martin 70). He proceeds on to argue that despite the accuracy in costs that comes with the system, the issue that should be addressed to increase the company’s profitability is a change in processes.  Ã‚  

Are Stem Cell Treatments Effective Research Paper

Are Stem Cell Treatments Effective - Research Paper Example The embryonic SCs (ESCs) are â€Å"pluripotent† cells which can produce tissues of all embryonic germ layers namely, endoderm, mesoderm and ectoderm. The adult SCs (ASCs) are â€Å"multipotent† cells having the capacity to generate a limited subset of cells (Lodi et al., 2011). of The characteristic ability of the stem cells to renew themselves continuously for long periods and differentiate into specific cell types under appropriate conditions (Zhong, 2008) make them good candidates for cell-based therapies in regenerative or reparative medicine, especially to treat conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis and several neurodegenerative diseases. Research on and application of ESCs for clinical use is a raging controversy. No regular human ESC therapies are available yet. According to the latest literature on the topic, the only on-going clinical trials employing ESC are being conducted on patients with spinal cord injury (Aznar and Sanchez, 2011 ). However, numerous trials have been/are being conducted with ASCs. ... The human heart muscle damaged by a heart attack does not heal naturally. The primary treatment protocol involves a rapid reperfusion of the infarct related coronary artery in order to curtail the ischemic area and reduce tissue damage (Lodi et al., 2011). Also, angioplasty is required to be conducted soon after, to effectively reestablish the coronary flow. A new strategy of restoring damaged heart tissue is through facilitating repair or regeneration of the tissue. Using ASCs as well as ESCs for heart muscle repair is, currently, an active area of research (stemcells.nih.gov). Autologous skeletal myoblast transplantation undertaken as a major multicenter study for MI treatment did not show any improvement especially with regard to the echocardiographic heart function (Menasche et al., 2008) but improvement in the ejection fraction (EF) was noted (Hagege et al., 2006). Adult human stem cells therapy (AHSCT) could successfully improve EF without causing adverse left ventricular remod eling (Schachinger et al., 2009). Also, in a multicenter double-blind study, intracoronary infusion of HSCs into the infarct artery of 204 patients with acute MI following successful reperfusion therapy was found to significantly reduce MI recurrence restenosis or arrhythmia which are two major adverse post-MI cardiovascular events (Schachinger et al., 2006). Bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells introduced with a catheter into the heart of 21 patients with severe heart failure in a nonrandomized, open-label study appreciably improved myocardial blood flow with associated enhancement of regional and global left ventricular function (Perin et

Literature Review On Skills For Life Education Essay

Literature Review On Skills For Life Education Essay Introduction The importance of the education sector of any country lies in its ability to meet the production demands of its economy. The shaping of traditional education (where students are passive learners), for example, was mostly done at a time where the Government needed the mass to conform to the decisions of the elites (Botsford, 1993), who were the ones to be able to access the best form of learning, which the mass could not reach, irrespective of their abilities (Kelly, 2004). As the needs of the society changed, so did the educational system. From the DFEE report (Department for Education and Employment, 2001), a need for an improvement in basic skills has been identified, hence the document Skills for Life. The Leitch Review (2006) also reinforces the need of the UK society to meet the demand of higher level skills in the job market. This report analyses the impact of the Skills for Life (SFL) document on the curriculum that I am teaching (Postgraduate Diploma in the Lifelong Learning Sector- DTLLS). It is developed in the following manner: A literature review on SFL An evaluation of the curriculum design model being implemented and the impact of SFL on the curriculum The above mentioned impact is also evaluated via the analysis of interviews carried out with the Awarding Body and a College representative and a questionnaire filled by the students in the course of an activity conducted in a session on Skills for Life and the extent to which as a teacher I can influence the curriculum and hence the DTLLS programme itself. Literature Review on Skills for Life Policies are introduced to solve issues identified. The Skills for Life (Department for Education and Employment, DFEE, 2001) endeavour was an attempt by the Government of that time to maximise the earning capacity of citizens by increasing the levels of their essential skills including literacy, and numeracy. The then Secretary of State, Mr D. Blunkett (DFEE, 2001) stated that there were, shockingly, seven million Britons who did not know how to read and write and use numbers. These skills are important throughout an individuals life hence the name Skills for Life. The document discusses on how illiteracy can affect a person physically and emotionally in terms of not being able to do certain tasks by himself/herself, which, consequently, can affect his/her self confidence. The vision expressed in this document is the eradiation of illiteracy and low numeracy skills, (DFEE, 2001). The DFEE proposed to achieve such targets by introducing national standards for numeracy and literacy, assessment tools that will diagnose the exact areas to be improved, and resources to support this endeavour. The department also suggested the training of teachers as specialist in these domains (literacy and numeracy) and promoting and motivating the involvement of learners and those who can support their learning process. This will undoubtedly require quite an effort because it not only means improving the levels of those who have already passed through the formal education pe riod but also ensuring that those who are still in that period do not face the same problems in terms of their functional skills (literacy, numeracy and ICT). One of the major influences of this project is the Moser Report (DFEE, 1999) which is based on research such as It Doesnt Get Any Better. The impact of poor basic skills on the lives of 37 year olds by Parsons and Bynner (1997) and Skills for Life national needs and impact surveys (2003) carried out by the DFES (Department for Education and Skills). Literacy and numeracy levels can be classified from Pre Entry to Level 2 and above (Pre Entry, Entry level 1 to 3, Level 1 and Level 2 and above). Basic skills have sub elements, for example literacy has reading, writing, speaking and listening (The Sector Skills Council for Lifelong Learning, LLUK, 2007). The overall level of a learner will be determined by what they achieve in each of these sub areas. Parsons and Bynner (1997) found a relationship between low levels of literacy and numeracy and many social issues that the learners faced. Such a link is quite obvious because if a person is not able to read and count adequately, he/she wi ll not be confident in social interaction. A solution was put forward in the form of the Leitch Review (2006) where one of the main arguments was that Britain was losing ground in terms of the academic strength of its population compared to countries such as India and China. Another point that I quite agree with is that the educational system of the country should produce individuals with the qualifications which are being demanded by the job market. Therefore if there is a need for increased levels of functional skills, this is the area where the educational investment should be poured. These findings concurred with the survey, conducted by the DFES, which mentioned low levels of literacy and numeracy (2003). The reasons suggested for the lower levels were the social and economic background of the individuals, the extent to which they stayed in education and whether English is their first language or not. The last factor is obvious in my teaching practice. I teach international students for whom low literacy level (English) proves to be a barrier in the achievement of their course. These students are studying a Postgraduate Diploma in the Lifelong Learning Sector, after which they aspire to gain a Qualified Teacher Status in the Lifelong Learning Sector, teaching adult learners. Despite being highly literate in their native language, they find it difficult to critically analyse concepts (an essential skill at their level of studies) due to their low English level. This is where the importance, of the impact of the Skills or Life policy on the programme that I am currently teaching, is apparent. Because of the embedding of strategies to improve the student-teachers functional skills (which are the skills promoted by the policy) the language barrier that they face during this course is being addressed by the curriculum being taught. Over the years, the meaning of the term curriculum has evolved specially with the development of the perceived purpose of education. Thus, there are various types of curriculum identified, among which the learner focused curriculum (Brown, 2003) predominates learning in the institution where I teach. Right from the start of the learning journey of a student, we carry out an initial assessment to identify the needs of that learner and to formulate their individual goals with regards to the course. The delivery and assessment of the curriculum are then shaped bearing in mind the information obtained from these initial and any subsequent assessments done thereafter. Based on the course specifications which are provided by the Awarding Body, I have prepared the curriculum of the course that I teach: Postgraduate Diploma for Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector (DTLLS). During this process, I had to incorporate the requirements of Skills for Life through embedding literacy, numeracy and ICT. The Lifelong Learning UK (LLUK) an independent organisation providing guidance to educational stakeholders about the developments in this sector- elaborates on how the learners needs, with regards to their functional skills, can be addressed (Lawton and Turnbull for the Sector Skills Council for lifelong learning on behalf of LLUK,2007). Guidance is given with regards to every aspect of the teaching and learning process namely the resources used, the classroom environment, the teaching and learning approaches and communication strategies. The logic behind embedding these skills is that no matter what a student is learning, he/she will be developing his/he r skills for life, be it knowingly or unknowingly For example by using presentations, the learner will not only be demonstrating knowledge about the topic but also will be improving his/her speaking and listening skills. From the very start of the learning process, therefore, the principles of the Skills for Life project are embedded: the initial assessment process includes a skills test so that their learning plan can include improvement of such skills (for example combining their main courses with a skill course depending on where their need lies). Therefore, developing a curriculum with the principles of the SFL project concurs with the constructivist approach (Bruner, 1960)-which involves constructing learning adopted by my institution. Thus the impact of the SFL principles on the curriculum relevant to my practice has caused it to improve. But investing in skills is not always an applauded endeavour. Investing in human capital has been from long the priority of the Government. There has been a link pointed out between educational background of individuals and their social and economical success. Investment in learning in the 21st Centrury is the equivalent of investment in the machinery and technical innovation that was essential to the first great industrial revolution (DFEE, 1997a, pp.15, cited in Coffield, 1999) I would agree with Coffields (1999) argument that focussing on the Human Capital Theory (HCT) enables politicians to overlook other factors which could have contributed towards the economic status of individuals. Karabel and Harsley (1997) further criticised this theory saying that it puts the blame of being poor on the poor! Investing in human capital does seem to be profitable for the population. But as Levin and Kelley (1997) pointed out, this theory does not state where the individuals will go after being educated if there is no job market for them. Being given that the investment has already been done, the best we can hope for is that it has been profitable. When any policy is suggested and implemented by the Government, I feel the urgency of trying to find its political implications. In an article in the Guardian, Kingston (2006) quotes Mr. Wells (the then Director of the Basic Skills Agency) as criticising the Labour Government for exaggerating the number of adults in the UK who cannot read and write to make their task seem more successful. Vignoles (cited by the Press Association, 2009) further argued that trying to develop literacy skills at an adult age might not be effective because such skills are more easily developed at an early age. Personally, I do not believe that more difficulty teaching adults language is reason enough to completely eradicate the benefits that such a project brought to many individuals: improved chances in terms of job seeking, more confidence, a better social life, among others. Even if the Gover nment may have a hidden agenda for starting the Skills for Life project, the focus brought on these skills have enabled educationalists to give even more weight to their learner-centred approach in designing their respective curricula around very crucial needs of the learners- Basic Skills. This leads us to the analysis of the impact of the SFL policy on the curriculum I teach. Implications of the policy for curriculum change and pedagogy There is much debate about what is to be called a curriculum. With the shift of focus from the teacher to the learner, curriculum is moving away from being just content to be completed during a time period syllabus- and more of a learner centred approach (Dolence,2003; Coles, 2003). For the purpose of this report, Wojtczaks (2002) definition will be adopted. According to him, curriculum is An educational plan that spells out which goals and objectives should be achieved, which topics should be covered and which methods are to be used for learning, teaching and evaluation. (Wojtczak, 2002, pp 6) Therefore, the construction of a curriculum can start from its objectives, its content and the methods used to teach. If Tylers (1949) four questions with regards to curriculum design are considered, another approach of curriculum models can be added namely evaluation (Kelly, 2004). The curriculum I use is designed from the Lifelong Learning teacher training programme. The key driver of the curriculum set by the Awarding Body is the assessment criteria. As the teacher trainer I derive the outcomes to be achieved from the assessment criteria and the content set by the Awarding Body. This is done by discussing the assessment criteria and how to achieve them as a class exercise with the student-teachers at the start of a Unit. The rationale behind this is that if the students are shown what they need to achieve from the start, the learning journey becomes easier. The teaching and learning methods and formative (or ongoing) assessment tools are developed from the outcomes with close adaptation with regards to the learners targeted (in line with being learner focused) whereas the summative assessment is set by the Awarding Body. It is important to note that wherever the starting point of a curriculum design may be, it will have to use the four approaches identified by Tyler (1949). For example, although I designed the curriculum for Lifelong Learning for my College by forming objectives from the assessment criteria, I still need to adhere to the content expected and apply the appropriate teaching methods. At this point it is important that I differentiate between the Unit aims provided by the Awarding Body and the learning objectives that I derive with my learners which are based on the assessment criteria. The learning objectives formed with the learners are more detailed than the aims prescribed by the Awarding Body  [1]  . Since they are formed by the learners (guided by the teacher trainer), they understand better the reasons for these outcomes and thus are able to take control of their learning process (Knowles, 1984). It is also important to differentiate between the prescriptions provided by the Awarding Body and the curriculum that I design for my student-teachers. For the purpose of this part of the report, the curriculum to be analysed will be what I design in terms of a long term plan of how the assessment criteria set will be achieved (the teaching methods, activities, the assessment techniques and resources to be used). The manner in which I build up my sessions is thus objective based (firstly because the assessment criteria set by the Awarding Body act as general objectives and secondly because I derive specific objectives to be achieved with my students) which can be said to be very precise and scientific (Kelly, 2004). As Bobbitt (1918; cited by Kelly, 2004) stated, the learners are more focused in terms of what they need to complete to achieve the certificate. Building a curriculum from objectives has been criticised by Kelly (2004) as assuming passive learning. The learning goals seem to be more extrinsic. This is closer to the behaviourist approach to learning where the learners are moulded to achieve goals, which most of the time, are derived for them. Szasz (1991) strongly criticised such an approach to education stating that humans, unlike animals, need to have intrinsic motives to learn. If Kellys (2004) thinking is considered, one might have the impression that this curriculum is closer to training as opposed to education. According to him, training is very focused on what knowledge is to be gained and does not consider the students at all. But this is where the combination approach to curriculum design comes as a rectifying tool. Although the curriculum starts with objectives (based on assessment criteria), I can adapt the learning journey of my student-teachers through the teaching and learning methods that I use  [2]  which include embedding the requirements of SFL. The curriculum content for the DTLLS programme was introduced after the SFL project. When this project came to be put in place, it has, thus, affected the curriculum that I utilise in two ways. Firstly, SFL amplified the skills required as teachers to include minimum core areas. Secondly, the teachers had to learn skills to embed these minimum core subjects- literacy, language, numeracy and ICT- in their teaching strategies. These two aspects are linked because to be able to address the needs of learners, teachers must have an adequate level of these skills themselves  [3]  . Every Unit of the teacher training programme has opportunities for the student-teachers to improve their own functional skills. This will enable them to be in a better position to identify the SFL needs of their learners and adapt their teaching strategies accordingly. Therefore, each part of the curriculum has to reflect SFL in these two aspects: developing the student-teachers own minimum core skills and equipping them with the ability to develop those of their students. Taking Wojtczaks (2002) definition of curriculum, SFL will have to be reflected in: the goals and objectives to be achieved the methods to be used in the teaching and learning process The above will again be in two folds: as a student-teacher and as a future educator, that is, the improvement of the student-teachers own SFL and his/her ability to embed the minimum core subjects in his/her teaching. To be able to start this teacher training, the student-teachers have to have a level 2 in Literacy and Numeracy. This is conducted, using the skills test, which was developed by the Secretary of State in 1999, following the Green Paper published by the Department for Education and Employment (DFEE) in 1998 on improving skills of teachers (Blunkett,1998). Thus, right from the start of their learning journey (Lawton and Turnbull for the Sector Skills Council for lifelong learning on behalf of LLUK,2007), the student-teachers feel the impact that these skills mentioned in the SFL policy will have on their teaching and also their learning processes. The Individual Learning Plan of the student-teachers then will contain individual objectives to be achieved in terms of their functional skills. The goals are negotiated in line with the principles of Androgogy (Knowles, 1984) as part of my motivation strategy. With regards to the teaching methods, with each Unit of the DTLLS programme, as the teacher educator, I had to make sure that the improvement of these skills was being encouraged. This was done by encouraging more group discussions and presentations and, more recently, by including a literature review hour where the student-teachers will be discussing on the articles and books that they have recently read. These will not only improve their communication and discussion skills and develop their research skills (which are crucial for the professional development of a teacher) but also will enable them to construct learning in line with the principles of social constructivism (Vygotsky, 1978; Bruner,1986, 1990, 1996). Although great emphasis is not made on Numeracy Skills in this teacher training programme (unless the specialist area of the student-teacher is related to numbers such as science and mathematics), there are aspects of these skills which, as a teacher educator, I can develop in my learners. Part of the continuous professional development of the student-teachers is being able to evaluate their own skills. In the second part of the training programme, the student-teachers learn to represent data in a simple graphical manner to be able to interpret the extent of success or a particular teaching method. If such exercises are carried our frequently, the student-teachers improved numeracy skills will enable them to better explain their continuous professional development. Another important aspect proposed by the SFL project is computer skills, which the majority of the student-teachers lack. In the current age, where learners are digital natives  [4]  (Garrison and Anderson, 2003), future teachers cannot afford to be below average in ICT  [5]  skills. Their responsibilities include not only to improve the ICT skills of learners who are not in tune with their peers but also to challenge the skills of the digital natives. The curriculum has thus to comprise of strategies such as use of computers for research and presentation purposes  [6]  . During the completion of the teacher training programme, the student- teachers have to build up their teaching (planning and delivery) and assessment strategies. For each of the strategy developed, they need to demonstrate how they will embed the principles suggested by the SFL project. When embedding these principles in teaching my student-teachers, I am also giving them ideas which they themselves can use in their own teaching practice. It is to be noted, however, that their embedding strategies have to be specific to their own specialist area. The SFL endeavour has thus influenced the teacher training programme to a very large extent. Not only do the student-teachers need to develop their own skills as part of their Continuous Professional Development, but they need to create and/or adapt ways to improve the skills of their learners. Thus the curriculum that they have to follow as learners (and I have to follow as their educator) has to promote the development of their functional skills, be it in terms of the goals to be achieved or the methods and resources to be used. As future teachers, they need to be well equipped with regards to their own SFL to be able to facilitate the learning process of their learners. The purpose of this research is to ascertain the impact of the Skills for Life policy on the curriculum that I teach. After reviewing the literature on the topic and an initial analysis of the SFL policy on the DTLLS programme (which affects the curriculum I build for my teaching), I wanted to analyse the views of three main stakeholders of the College- the department executive, the students and the External Verifier from the Awarding Body- on the matter. Evaluate curriculum changes resulting from the policy / research document. Because of the individualised nature of collecting opinions, a quantitative approach to data collection and analysis will be quite useless (Miles and Hubermans, 1994). Moreover it is the depth and meaning of the data which I am after and therefore a qualitative direction seems to be more appropriate (Bryman, 2001). The data collection tool chosen for this purpose is semi structured interview (Appendix A). Semi structured interviews combine the benefits of structured and unstructured ones. They not only provide the interviewee with the freedom of expressing his/her views in detail (which is required to obtain a deeper understanding of the opinion given), but also, with the questions set by the interviewer, the discussion is more focused on the relevant topic (Horton, Macve and Struyven, 2004). Instead of hindering my conclusion, the subjective nature of this tool (Bryman, 2001) will, hopefully, provide new ideas about the project. Because it is also very specific to the curriculum that I teach, the issue of inability to generalise the results (Bryman, 2001) will also not arise. The third stakeholder to be questioned will be the student-teachers. A session will be conducted on Skills for Life (Appendix F) after which the student-teachers will be asked to work in groups to fill the questionnaires (Appendix B). To ensure confidentiality (Bryman, 2001), the names of the stakeholders will not be disclosed. The results of these two approaches are analysed below. The student-teachers seem to grasp the impact of the SFL policy on the DTLLS programme and even identified the aspects of the programme which develop their own basic skills. As one of the groups mentioned the objectives that they have to achieve have been affected by the SFL policy in that they have to Embed minimum core subjects in the curriculum (Extracts from questionnaires, Appendix D). On the other hand, both the External Verifier and the Vice Principal of the College described the link between SFL and DTLLS programme quite similarly in terms of development of the student-teachers own skills and embedding strategies that he/she has to implement to develop that of his/her students (Appendix C). As the Vice Principal suggests: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ DTLLS students have, to apart from a select group of specialists who do are not involved in SfL, consider SfL as a key focus for all their work. Approaches to delivering DTLLS therefore have to be adapted to achieve SfL requirements (Extract from transcript, Appendix C) I quite agree with both of them that the programme as it stands, although it does offer resources and teaching methods that reflect SFL principles, can still be improved. Offering an optional module which is specific to SFL instead of the fragmented state it is now (as the Vice Principal states) will provide the student-teachers with unique skills that are very much in demand in the education market. As mentioned before, the DTLLS programme came after the SFL policy. However, had there not been this policy, the programme would not have included the minimum core requirements as it does now. The impact that the SFL policy has on the DTLLS programme will inevitably affect the curriculum used to deliver it. This leads us to the evaluation of the curriculum built on the basis of the assessment criteria and general objectives prescribed by the Awarding Body. The first aspect to be analysed is the purpose of the evaluation. Most evaluations done are to determine the extent to which set objectives are being met (Tyler, 1949; Kelly, 2004), that is summative evaluation. However, a more meaningful evaluation would be one which assesses the objectives themselves. As Kelly (2004) states, curriculum should be subject to continuous evaluation as an essential element of continuous change and development (pp 36). This leads to the next issue which is choosing a model of curriculum evaluation. According to Kelly (2004), this should match the curriculum model adopted, otherwise the criteria of evaluation will not reflect the purposes of the planners or the teachers (pp 139). The DTLLS curriculum that I developed is based on a combination of the four perspectives proposed by Tyler (1949) with objectives as starting point  [7]  . But if I use an objective model of curriculum evaluation, it will not serve my purpose as it will only identify success or failure of achieving the objectives set (Kelly, 2004). According to MacDonald, a more holistic approach would be assessing the projects impact on the educational system and the types of evaluation problems which the impact would throw up (1973, pp 83 cited by Kelly, 2004, pp 142). As mentioned before, the curriculum is designed on the basis of the outcomes derived from the assessment criteria set by the Awarding Body. This enables the student-teachers to be focused on what is to be completed to achieve the Units. But one of the consequences of such an approach is a decreased possibility of achieving unintended (but potentially beneficial) outcomes. Although the student-teachers do have to attain a certain level in the minimum core subjects (similar to SFL), if they are already at that level there is no incentive to improve them further (since there are no specified needs to do so in the curriculum). Developing SFL is often drowned in the achievement of the multitude of other objectives to be achieved. Having said that, with the embedding strategies -where the student-teachers learn to develop the minimum core subjects of their own students- the picture is more promising. This is because the focus is then on developing these skills. But the extent to which my curriculum evaluation will be considered by the Awarding Body is questionable. If we take the interview carried out with the EV (Appendix C), when I was discussing about agreeing a date for the interview, she initially did not see a link between SFL and DTLLS, To be quite honest with you Shaivi, at first I thought that there was no direct link. Basic Skills is what it saysà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..basic. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ But if we analyse it deeper, we can see that one of the requirements for teachers on the programme is to have a level 2 in literacy, numeracy and ICT. (Extract from transcript, Appendix C) After I explained my project and my point of view, she agreed with me and hence the interview was much more useful. The Vice Principals suggestion that SFL delivery techniques should be added as an optional module to the curriculum as the next cycle of improvement is valid because this will increase the marketability of the award. But, although the External Verifier shared his views, from our experience in terms of suggestions we made, it is doubtful that she will take it on board and suggest it to her institution. Thus as a curriculum developer, although I can certainly build up outcomes which will further improve the minimum core levels of my student-teachers, the extent to which I can influence the curriculum development is restricted. This brings us to the argument that the External Awarding Body still has a very strong hold on what is important in terms of delivery and assessment. The extent to which they will consult the Delivery Centres (such as my College) to determine or assess what is to be delivered is quasi nil, that is their own evaluation of the DTLLS programme and resulting curriculum seem to be more autocratic (Mac Donald, 1975, pp 133, cited by Kelly, 2004). A more democratic approach to curriculum evaluation (where the teachers are involved) would have served the purpose of meaningful continuous curriculum development (Kelly, 2004). If we were to measure how stringent the Awarding Body is with regards to the four perspectives of curriculum identified by Tyler (1949)-Appendix E- we can see that assessment has a medium level of stringency since we can choose the evidence linked to practice to be included in the portfolio from a set list. The same is with the specific objectives which we can form on the basis of the assessment criteria set by the Body, which is thus the key driver of the curriculum. The only way that the curricula will differentiate in different centres is through the delivery methods being used and the objectives to be set (which is however based on the assessment criteria set by the Awarding Body). Centralised control (Kelly, 2004) is apparent over the content of the curriculum. This also demonstrates how the programme is driven by its assessment process (Kelly, 2004). Any method or activity used is geared towards the final portfolio of evidence of achievement of learning (based on the assessment criteria set by the Awarding Body). The DTLLS programme, although very specific to the age group the student-teachers are being trained to teach, have similar outcomes to the other programmes on the market (Postgraduate Certificate in Education for Post Compulsary Education) with regards to strategies of embedding basic skills. Because the student-teachers are mostly international, they have specific timeframes within which they have to complete the programme. Therefore, they do not have time to explore the topics in dept

War on Terrorism is too Soft to Insure Victory :: essays research papers

America seems to have learned nothing from Vietnam. A few troops here and there, appeasement of protesters and an overall mediocre effort by the "forces of freedom" led to the debacle known as the Vietnam War. Our war veterans, who are truly heroes, fought for freedom, while a lack of impetus and an overflow of politics and propaganda in Washington fought the same war on the wrong side. Once again, America seems to have found a way to make a mess of foreign policy, and similarly, a way to disregard the ideals of freedom, truth and morality that provide the basis for the United States of America. My generation's Vietnam is called "The War on Terrorism." I have not heard such a blatant misnomer since California called its command-market power schemes "deregulation." It seems to me, only mere months after the climax of Sept. 11, that the United States had no real intention of waging war on terrorism. This fact is no bother to President Bush, who, as long as he keeps up appearances, garners better approval ratings than even Clinton (when he was impeached, no less). The fact that everyone loves to ignore is, quite simply, that governments that harbor, aid, abet or even condone terrorism must be eliminated swiftly and unequivocally. When gone, the Taliban and its sister regimes must be replaced with governments that allow the freedoms we take for granted in the West. Make no mistake; this is as close to imperialism as it gets. Anti-Western, liberal hatemongers who protest war and clamor for a peace that amounts to murder will absolutely hate this idea a fact I find ironic given the relative condition of the Western world. Putting it simply, the Islamic fundamentalist countries that harbor and condone terrorists are putrid hellholes by comparison to the United States. Those who call for peace only seek to deny the blessings of freedom, self-interest and individuality to those who now suffer under these bloodthirsty regimes. There is no question that those who call for peace when the United States' very moral fabric has been attacked are lacking proper priorities. There must be a moral code in the life of every human being, which takes absolute precedence over every action. Without a moral code, human life is aimless and wasted. Those who would trade morality for a shaky peace must question their rationale. Unfortunately, the worst of the anti-war protesters are those who claim to be for a compassionate sort of war.

Banjo Paterson’s Clancy of the Overflow and Henry Lawson’s Up the Country Essay

Australian Bush Ballads have captured the essence of early Australian life. Bush Ballads do more than this they often deal with the hardships encountered living on the land as well as the people of the bush. The poetry of â€Å"Henry Lawson† and â€Å"Banjo Paterson† deal with these concepts. While Banjo Paterson defends and romanticises the bush in his many ballads for example â€Å"Clancy of the Overflow†, Henry Lawson provides a more balanced view of the bush in his poems, in particular â€Å"Up the Country.† Poem – Clancy of the overflow by Banjo Paterson Topic sentence – â€Å"Clancy of the Overflow† is typical of an Australian Bush Ballad. In this poem, Clancy serves as the representation of what Australians should be like, which is wild, adventurous, pioneering, friendly and free. Body – Paterson’s poem â€Å"Clancy of the overflow† criticises the dynamics of town life because it objects to the values the bush is based upon. For Paterson, these values included order, stagnation, narrowness of vision and unfriendliness. Paterson feels as though these values will not create a better Australia. Banjo Paterson romanticises about the Australian bush and in this poem he describes how wonderful and extravagant life in the bush is by using flowing and expressive language for example vision splendid, sunlit plains, wondrous glory and everlasting stars. An extract from his poem sums up the landscape of the bush, â€Å"In the murmur of the breezes and the river on its bars, and he sees the vision splendid of the sunlit plains extended, and at night the wondrous glory of the everlasting stars.† Banjo Paterson has created a flowing stanza of rhyme which depicts and portrays the awe of the Australian bush using imagery making the reader more involved in the story. Clancy personifies Paterson’s vision of what the Australian should be. He is an individual who is a part of the historical evolution of Australia in touch with the traditions of life on the land. Paterson is celebrating this aspect of Australia and idealising the experience of the shearer and drover,  in general. Quote – â€Å"In the murmur of the breezes and the river on its bars, and he sees the vision splendid of the sunlit plains extended, and at night the wondrous glory of the everlasting stars.† Poem – Up the Country by Henry Lawson Topic sentence – â€Å"Up the Country† by â€Å"Henry Lawson† contrasts city and bush life but still conveys a balanced and descriptive perspective on what the bush and city are like. Body – Henry Lawson’s ability to portray and capture a true image of the bush and city in his poems is exemplary particularly in his poem â€Å"Up the Country.† Although Henry Lawson dislikes the Australian Bush and degrades the scenery, he also describes the isolation of the outback and the devastation brought by the fires, floods and droughts. Therefore Australian Bush Ballads do show us the challenges of living in the Australian Landscape. Henry Lawson believed that an Australian identity must emanate from its own soil, not from the safe green fields of the mother country, Britain. This is why he took such a strong stance on the bush. The landscape in the poem â€Å"Up the Country† is described as being filled with â€Å"miles and miles of thirsty gutters† which is reflecting on the Australian landscape being affected by drought, and Isolation, for the thirsty gutters stretch for miles and miles. In this extract the reader is brought to the understanding that the bush is an isolated and harsh place. Henry Lawson has written this poem in first person, so as to give his personal opinion of the bush. This can clearly be seen by the title, Up the Country. In this poem he has depicted and conveyed different alley ways into the world of the Australian bush, by using descriptive language he has shaped and given the reader an understanding of what life in the bush would really be like. Quote – â€Å"Miles and miles of thirsty gutters†

The eNotes Blog Writers Spaces, Places, and Advice AboutWriting

Writers Spaces, Places, and Advice AboutWriting It starts with this: put your desk in the corner, and every time you sit down there to write, remind yourself why it isn’t in the middle of the room. Life isn’t a support system for art. It’s the other way around.   ~  Stephen King,  On Writing Pictured above is Stephen Kings own attic writing space at his home in Bangor, Maine.   In contrast to his statement above, his desk does appear to be in the middle of his room, but surely he means corner to be taken metaphorically; that is, any place that is quiet, that is yours; the place where  you  sit  to write  your  work.   While there are some writers who purportedly can write in the midst of chaos, most of us require a place of retreat. I believe it was J.K. Rowling who said that she cleared out a walk-in closet, put a desk and a lamp in there, and sealed herself off from the rest of the family while she was composing her first  Harry Potter  novel. Here are ten intriguing places where writers write, along with some advice for all who write: 1.   Neil Gaimans Gazebo/Cabin 8  Good Writing Practices Write. Put one word after another. Find the right word, put it down. Finish what youre writing. Whatever you have to do to finish it, finish it. Put it aside. Read it pretending youve never read it before. Show it to friends whose opinion you respect and who like the kind of thing that this is. Remember: when people tell you somethings wrong or doesnt work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong. Fix it. Remember that, sooner or later, before it ever reaches perfection, you will have to let it go and move on and start to write the next thing. Perfection is like chasing the horizon. Keep moving. Laugh at your own jokes. The main rule of writing is that if you do it with enough assurance and confidence, youre allowed to do whatever you like. (That may be a rule for life as well as for writing. But its definitely true for writing.) So write your story as it needs to be written. Write it honestly, and tell it as best you can. Im not sure that there are any other rules. Not ones that matter. 2.   Edith Whartons view from The Mount in Lennox, Massachusetts Habit is necessary; it is the habit of having habits, of turning a trail into a rut, that must be incessantly fought against if one is to remain alive. 3. Dylan Thomass Boathouse at Laugharne, Wales Go on thinking that you dont need to be read and youll find that it may become quite true: no one will feel the need to read it because it is written for yourself alone; and the public wont feel any impulse to gate crash such a private party. 4.   Ernest Hemingways Home in Key West, Florida â€Å"Writing is something that you can never do as well as it can be done. It is a perpetual challenge and it is more difficult than anything else that I have ever done.† â€Å"There’s no rule on how it is to write. Sometimes it comes easily and perfectly. Sometimes it is like drilling rock and then blasting it out with charges.† â€Å"Ordinarily I never read anything before I write in the morning to try and bite on the old nail with no help, no influence and no one giving you a wonderful example or sitting looking over your shoulder.† 5. Rudyard Kipling:  Dummerston, Vermont â€Å"I am, by calling, a dealer in words; and words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.† â€Å"I never made a mistake in my life; at least, never one that I couldnt explain away afterwards.† â€Å"If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.† 6. Ian Flemings home, GoldenEye, in Jamaica â€Å"All the greatest men are maniacs. They are possessed by a mania which drives them forward towards  their  goal. The great scientists, the philosophers, the religious leaders all maniacs. What else but a blind  singleness  of purpose could have given focus to  their  genius, would have kept them in the groove of purpose. Mania is as priceless as genius.† 7.   Norman Mailers Fourth Floor Apartment, Brooklyn Heights, New York Ive written at times about the spooky element in writing. You go in each morning, and theres a blank page. Maybe it takes five minutes, maybe it takes an hour. Sooner or later you start writing, and then the words begin to flow. Where does that come from? You cant pinpoint it. You always wonder, Will it all stop tomorrow? In that sense its spooky. In other words, youre relying on a phenomenon thats not necessarily dependable.   (Norman Mailer Interview, The Academy of Achievement, June 12, 2004) Over the years, I’ve found one rule. It is the only one I give on those occasions when I talk about writing. A simple rule. If you tell yourself you are going to be at your desk tomorrow, you are by that declaration asking your unconscious to prepare the material. You are, in effect, contracting to pick up such valuables at a given time. Count on me, you are saying to a few forces below: I will be there to write. 8.   Virginia  Woolfs Writing Desk at Monks House, Sussex, England Mental fight means thinking against the current, not with it. It is our business to puncture gas bags and discover the seeds of truth. To write weekly, to write daily, to write shortly, to write for busy people catching trains in the morning or for tired people coming home in the evening, is a heartbreaking task for men who know good writing from bad. They do it, but instinctively draw out of harms way anything precious that might be damaged by contact with the public, or anything sharp that might irritate its skin. Arrange whatever pieces come your way. 9. John Steinbecks Summer Home in Sag Harbor, Maine The writer must believe that what he is doing is the most important thing in the world. And he must hold to this illusion even when he knows it is not true.   Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.   The discipline of the written word punishes both stupidity and dishonesty. In utter loneliness a writer tries to explain the inexplicable. 10.   Roald Dahls The Gipsy House,  Buckinghamshire, England Dahls Advice on Writing 1.   You should have a lively imagination 2. You should be able to write well.   By that I mean you should be able to make a scene come alive in the reader’s mind.   Not everybody has this ability.   It is a gift, and you either have it or you don’t. 3.   You must have stamina.   In other words, you must be able to stick to what you are doing and never give up, for hour after hour, day after day, week after week, and month after month. 4.   You must be a perfectionist.   That means you must never be satisfied with what you have written until you have rewritten it again and again, making it as good as you possibly can. 5.   You must have strong self-discipline.   You are working alone.   No one is employing you.   No one is around to fire you if you don’t turn up for work, or to tick you off is you start slacking. 6.   It helps a lot if you have a keen sense of humor.   This is not essential when writing for grown-ups, but for children, it’s vital. 7.   You must have a degree of humility.   The writer who thinks that his work is marvelous is heading for trouble.

Oil production essays

Oil production essays THE ROLE OF THE INDEPENDENT OIL PRODUCER IN TODAYS MARKET Should a poll be taken of the populace of our nation regarding the role of the independent oil producer in todays economy, the likelihood of negative feedback is highly probable. For, most Americans are disgruntled with the high price of gasoline and generally feel anyone remotely connected with the oil industry is quite wealth, to the point of being a fat cat. In the few minutes I have today, please allow me to present an alternative view. Hopefully, you will agree with me that, not only is it is a much more accurate view but is also one in which you now can espouse. Granted, the price of gasoline has risen sharply in recent months to record levels. However, it has been less than five years that the price of a barrel of crude oil was approximately $10, a far cry from the current market. And, although I will deal with the pricing issue later in the presentation today, it should be a sensitive consideration due to the expense side of the ledger. For, the oil production related expenses have continued to escalate over the past several decades with no consideration for the available revenue. Within the last three decades alone, the intangible drilling costs of one prospective well has risen almost 300% to approximately $275,000. Thankfully, there is a tax incentive available whereby an explorer can write off those costs, but he is still out the money should the venture be a dry hole. The lifting costs of a stripper well in South Arkansas, the outlay to produce one barrel of crude oil into the stock tank, is approximately $20 per barrel. Furt her, continued environmental safeguards and preventive systems, continue to spiral. Although completely justified, those expenditures add nothing to the value of the crude produced, but are only ancillary expenses which must be absorbed. In regard to pricing, oil is an interna ...

Critical Thinking and Clinical Judgment Skills Written Assignment Essay

Critical Thinking and Clinical Judgment Skills Written Assignment - Essay Example Thus, critical thinking surpasses the provision of a way of ascertaining veracity, partial veracity or falsehood of a claim, to embrace and encompass the passing of judgment not just in academic fields, but in practical ventures as well. Nursing is one of these many ventures in which critical thinking is greatly applied. As a matter of fact, critical thinking and nursing are mutually inclusive of each other that any nurse devoid of critical thinking skills seldom succeeds. That critical thinking in nursing is indispensible is a matter which is underscored by the fact that it [critical thinking] helps nurses carry out the assessment process, question, evaluate, analyze and reconstruct the process of delivering nursing care, by logically and systematically challenging the established nursing theories and practices. The magnitude of critical thinking may therefore be seen in light of the discussion which ensues forthwith. Critical Thinking and Decision-Making in Patient Care In the firs t place, when going about the nursing process or duty, it will behoove the nurse to decide [by critically thinking through] the pieces of patient information which is critical, from those that are not. Those that have been determined as important may then be analyzed. After the analysis, the nurse may need to work closely and in consultation with the patient, so as to form a consensus, which is a mutually agreed upon care goals. In this case, the nurse will need to use sound judgment to arrive at key decisions, when and by studying a wide variety of sources and by making personal observations about the patient, in relation to his medical records. In this case, the nurse will need to incorporate and use a reflective component in decision-making. Herein, the reflective component is essentially a review of the judgements and the validation of these judgments’ appropriateness (Alfaro-Lefevre, 2009). Critical Thinking in Reconciling Nursing Practices and Ethical Issues When Admini stering Patient-Based Care Above all the needs of critical thinking in nursing, is the application of critical thinking in the delivery of patient-based care. Since patient-based supports the active participation of patients and their families in decision-making about individual options for a patient’s treatment and designing new care models for the patient’s treatment. This means that in administering patient-based care, the nurse will administer care which is responsive and respectful to an individual patient’s needs, values and preferences, and making sure that patient values are the rallying points to all clinical decisions. Herein, critical thinking will be critically applicable, since the administration of patient-based care sometimes seems constrained by, and to fundamentally clash with the dictates of medical and clinical rules and guidelines (Mann, 2012). Thus, Bowles (2000) observes that when administering patient-based care, the nurse will have to: ap preciate the importance of nursing guidelines and rules of medical care; factor the patient’s preferences, values and needs; and establish the status of the patient spelled out in his medical records; think through the options needed to strike the delicate balance among delivering patient-based care, not breaching nursing and medical guidelines and not subjecting the medical institution to legal liabilities. An instance which expressly exemplifies the situation above took place on

Psychology - Memory, Attention & Performance Essay

Psychology - Memory, Attention & Performance - Essay Example ory serves as a filing cabinet in our brains but one that only holds files for a short period of time, up to a minute or so without having practiced or rehearsed information. After such time, those memories (files) are either discarded completely as they are either not important and not worth remembering or are not properly filed into long term memory, or they are in fact filed into our long term memories from short term memory. The capacity of short term memory is limited as is its ability to hold information for long periods of time. Long Term memory has not only a much larger capacity than sensory and short term memory, but also a much longer retention ability. In some cases, long term memory can retain information for a lifetime. Such can be the case with a phone number that is practiced within the an individual’s memory though repetition, this number may remain in the person’s long term memory for the span of their entire life. The types of long term memory are implicit memory and explicit memory. Most memory that we can actually readily access is considered explicit memories. Explicit memories can be grouped into either declarative or episodic memories. Episodic memories deal with personal events whereas declarative memory deals with general but factual information. Implicit memory is more subconscious memories that we don’t necessarily realize that we remember but that does in fact influence our behaviors. Reasons why the memory of a healthy person may fail can be environmental such as medication induced memory loss. Some analgesics (pain killers) and anti -anxiety medications can cause memory loss in healthy persons. In many cases, memory loss can be due to a normal aging process, â€Å"People with memory loss due to something other than normal aging, such as Alzheimers disease, may feel that somethings not quite right, but theyre unable to pinpoint whats bothering them. Rather than call attention to a memory lapse, they may behave as if