Charles Dickens’ Diary for Writing Great Expectations Essay

I cannot but thoroughly criticize the lackadaisical social and moral abuses in this country. The will to take action has urged me to write Great Expectations in order to assail the abominable conditions that exist in England. In this novel, my dear characters are idealized in order to heavily contrast with the ugly social truths that I reveal. For it is fully my intent to raise the awareness of these corrupting and unjust conditions that we so nonchalantly live with. Oh what a pity! A grief indeed, that the once innocuous and simple Pip may be transformed into the snobbish and opinionated character he becomes. For what was the reason for Pip’s unexpected transformation? Of course, it is naught but the social-class division that feeds the desire of selfish ambition. Here in England, the social-class determines how a person is treated and his access to education. This most discriminatory attitude is displayed when the otherwise indifferent tailor servilely attends to Pip after hearing of his fortune despite turning a cold shoulder to him earlier. Is money enough to turn a man into a mouse? Why is it that charisma does not command respect but pounds and shillings? After attaining a vast amount of wealth, Pip even begins to treat his closest friend and protector, Joe, with a superior air. Was Joe not plenty a’ gentle and fair to Pip? Had Joe been an inadequate friend? Absolutely not, twas’ being Pip now belonged to a higher social class. Not only does social standing determine how one was treated daily, but also played an unfair and villainous part in court reasoning in our society. In the case of the two convicts, the main perpetrator, a gentlemen, stated in his defense speech â€Å"†..here you has afore you, side by side, two persons as your eyes can separate wide; one, the younger, well brought up†¦ one; the elder, ill brought up†¦ which is the worst one?† The most incredulous and vile aspect is not the use of an ad hominem, but the court promptly basing the entire decision of the trial strictly on this statement regarding social appearance. I assure you, this is not uncommon at all in this country. Trials and disputes are unfairly biased and integrity comes arm in arm with class and money rather than logic and proof. Ah! Though it is true that social class plays an enormous role in everyone’s lives, it all but affects one’s character. One’s character is still left intact despite the obstructive society divide. An honest but poor man today shall unquestionably hold more truth than a sly rich man. Alas’, sadly this is far from the case today. The secondary reason that had prompted me to write this novel was the physical condition of London. Being a local resident of London, I bore firsthand witness to the effects of industrialization. At the cost of clean air and green living space, London transformed into a merchant city full of jobs and people. O how I do miss the crisp clean fields of the countryside. This sentimentality was the reason that provoked me to write about the descriptive settings and bustling activities within the city. Not to mention the crowded condition people lived in, primitive sewage and poor working conditions. As a result, I am not particularly fond of aristocrats and express this through my characters. Through them, I expose the malignant social norms such as Magistrates courts and the social divide. As well, my reminiscent memories of familiar settings and my want to explore the conditions in the city have compelled me to write this novel. The end product cannot help but evoke a sense of awareness and social conscientiousness from the reader.

Compensation and Benefits Strategies Essay

A strategic plan for employee compensation determines how much you want to pay employees and what type of employees you want to attract. Your compensation plan entails a variety of aspects including pay scales, reward programs, benefits packages and company perks. A successful strategic compensation plan allows your business to compete in the market for the best employees in your industry (Lister, 2013). In order for this medium sized construction business to structure itself and be market competitive then research around benefits, compensation, merits, and the laws related to benefits and pay programs needs to be conducted. The success of the business will rely on the research put into it. Construction Market Evaluation When looking at the relevant labor markets the task was difficult due to the slowing and sluggish construction economy from 2007 to 2012. Demand in this industry depends heavily on the health of the economy. A midsize company’s profitability and efficient operations require the skills of experienced employees you will be able to work efficiently with available resources because they will not have the advantage of larger commercial construction companies with multiple projects simultaneously in various types of construction. The company’s annual net revenue is $10,000,000 and will need to use their resources wisely to attract and retain talent in the present market and in future expanded markets. When researching labor markets according to (Cascio, 2013), â€Å"This can often be a complex task because employers must pay attention not only to labor markets but also to product markets (e.g., level of demand and degree of competition). Pay practices must be designed not only to attract and retain employees but also to ensure that labor costs (as part of the overall costs of production) do not become excessive in relation to those of competing employers.† The job surveyed for this market evaluation was Corporate Construction Manager on a  national level for companies with 800 to 3,000 employees. The present workforce in this midsized business is 650 employees and they are looking to add over an additional 20% to the current workforce or an additional 130 employees. The company wants to be comparable to other commercial construction businesses as they expand in Arizona while being conscious of the compensation used currently in Detroit, Michigan. The median annual income for a Corporate Construction Manager in Detroit, Michigan is $104,626.00. The core compensation package is based on averages, not personal factors and will be different from those in Arizona. Here is the breakdown of the benefit package for a Corporate Construction Manager in Detroit; Core Compensation Expanding into Arizona, the median annual income for a Corporate Construction Manager is above average at $120,601. Here is a breakdown of what makes up the compensation benefits in Arizona; Core Compensation Median % of Total Base Salary $120,601 65.9% Bonuses $15,405 8.4% Value of Benefits Social Security $9,021 4.9% 401K/403B $5,168 2.8% Disability $952 0.5% Healthcare $6,507 3.6% Pension $8,704 4.8% Time Off $16,739 9.1% Total Compensation $183,099 100% The level of knowledge and skill requires 10-15 years of experience in the industry with a bachelor level degree. According to (Duchon, 2007), â€Å" When construction is booming in a region, and strong able-bodied workers are in short supply, hourly wages can escalate to attract labor from other locations. To attract and retain individuals with appropriate skills/competencies, organizations must be willing to pay competitive rates based on targeted labor markets (local, regional, and national). It’s the law of supply and demand.† Construction and Manufacturing industries are rewarded and paid for prescribed output, project completion, and measured  output. Any bonuses will range according to job level and specific weight based structure. When expanding into Arizona the company will need to consider the total company structure on a national level as they increase headcount and annual revenue. Compensation Structure The use of market pricing to determine wages and salaries is known as market based pay and utilizing this system would be the best practice for a competitive market segment such as construction and contracting. Especially considering the expansion to another region. According to WageWatch, â€Å"committing to a market base pay compensation structure means that employees will be paid at a competitive wage when compared with rates offered to people in similar positions in peer organizations (WageWatch, 2012).† Supply and demand, which rules over the labor market, further drives this approach. A properly designed market based pay system will facilitate companies by controlling compensation costs, enhancing market competitiveness, improving recruitment results, increasing employee morale, and achieving greater internal equity. However, in order establish and inevitably maintain an effective market-based pay system, one needs to know how to successfully match and integrate salary surveys with the company’s data, philosophies and practices. Internal equity is analyzed in a way similar to external market analysis in that the data determines worth relative to benchmarked job titles, but different in that the benchmarks are internally established. Internal benchmarks are particularly useful in evaluating both unique and hybrid job titles for which external benchmarks do not exist. Managing external and internal equity is a dynamic process that requires the organization to stay vigilant on changes in market conditions and business demands. The market based pay approach to compensation gives the influence of the external market on wages precedence over internal equity (WageWatch, 2012). The success of Corporate Construction is contingent on attracting and retaining the best talent needed to efficiently execute the company’s business strategy. Having the right pay structure is at the helm of this. And in recent years organizations have noticed a significant shift with the types of structures that work best. A new study by World at Work and Deloitte, â€Å"2012 Survey of Salary Structure Policies and Practices,† found that market-based salary  structures are the most prevalent type of pay structure in use (64 percent). While traditional and broadband structures are less common today (23 percent and 12 percent respectively). Companies of all sizes in varying industries are understanding the importance of market- competitiveness and are focusing on external equity to attract and retain top talent (Deloitte Consulting, 2012). Total Compensation and Benefit Strategy Performance Incentives and Merit Pay Merit pay, although not covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is still subject to other regulations and laws, up to and including city, state, regional and federal laws, mandates and regulations. Although not mandated by law, especially in Arizona, merit pay and performance incentives are an excellent way to motivate new and current employees to push for specific short and mid-term goals (Saari & Judge, 2004). In a new work environment, the key to growth is hiring and motivating the right employees. In a construction business, these goals can be broken down between the construction crews, and the support and admin staff. Implementing goals for the construction foremen and/ or project managers, and authorizing them sub-goals and incentive pay for contractors, subcontractors, and crews can give the right incentives for completing on-time, on-target, and within budget construction projects. Merit pay for those who work longer hours up to and including authorized overtime, or who complete safe, timely portions of projects within budget constraints will also boost performance without sacrificing quality. (HRHELP, 2011) Whatever benefits and pay program is chosen several laws must be considered. With the location, size of the organization, and projected revenue and personnel growth in the coming year, the following laws will apply. Remember that this is not an exhaustive or complete list, and there may be updates after the time of publication (Cascio W. F., 2013). The Arizona Employment Protection Act (A.R.S. 23-1501), Arizona Legal  Arizona Worker Act (ALAWA), and The Arizona Civil Rights Act (ACRA) are three of the main Arizona laws in particular that Clapton Commercial Construction must abide by. Any incentive, performance pay and compensation programs must be in concert with these laws. Federal laws, principally those to do with government funded construction projects include the McNamara-O’Hara Service Contract Act, Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (CWHSSA), Copeland â€Å"Anti-Kickback† Act, and Walsh-Healey Public Contracts Act. These laws cover everything from properly instituting overtime pay to ensuring that employees receive the merit pay and other benefits afforded to them in a timely manner. (U.S. Department of Labor) References Arizona Attorney General’s Office. Employment Discrimination: Get the Fact. Phoenix: Arizona Attorney General’s Office. Arizona New Hire Reporting Center. (2009-2013). New Hire Reporting Law. Retrieved 12 07, 2013, from Arizona New Hire Reporting Center: https://az-newhire.com/law Arizona Senate Research Staf. (2007-2008). Arizona Senate Background Brief: Labor Laws. Phoenix: Arizona Senate Research Staff. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2013, December). http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes119021.htm#st. Retrieved from www.bls.gov. Cascio, W. (2013). Managing Human Resources; Productivity,Quality of Work Life, Profits. New York:McGraw-Hill. Deloitte Consulting LLP. (2012). Salary structure policies and procedures. Retrieved from http://www.worldatwork.org/waw/adimLink?id=65885 Duchon, M. (2007, June 1). Compensation; Total Reward Plans that Attrack, Retain, and Motivate.Construction Business Owner . Henderson, R. (2012, January). Employment outlook:2010-2020 -Industry employment and output projections to 2020. Monthly Labor Review , p.65-83. HRHELP. (2011). HR & employment Law Compliance Guide for Arizona Employers. HRHELP. Lister, J. (2013). Strategic Plan for Employee Compensation and Benefits. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/strategic-plan-employee-compensation-benefits-15613.html National Right to Work Legal Defense and Education Foundation, Inc. (2010). Right to Work Laws: Arizona . Retrieved 12 07, 2013, from National Right To Work Legal Defense Foundation:

Major energy and resource demands of a brewery Essay

Major energy and resource demands of a brewery - Essay Example Water is an essential resource in the brewery industry especially because it is a vital ingredient that is utilized in almost every step in the process of making beer, comprising nearly 95% proportion of beer by mass. Breweries in the contemporary world have water demands that range from about 0.4 to 1m3per hl of beer that is produced, and the consumption rate varies considerably depending on a number of key factors of production. For instance, the consumption of water varies based on the beer type, and number of beer brands, the size of the brews, the packaging and pasteurization process, as well as the cleaning system, and the type of equipment used. The bottling process consumes more water than the kegging process, and the cooling systems account for further water losses through evaporation especially in hot climates, but cold climates lead to energy saving in the chilling process (Chauvin 48); in this case, the entire beer brewing process needs large quantities of good-quality wa ter. The brewing process is not efficient on the use of water especially because large quantities of water are lost through wastage; wastewater is a major component of the waste products of brewery operations despite substantial technological enhancements in the industry. It has been estimated that nearly 3 to 10 liters of wastewater is generated per every liter of beer that is produced in brewerie ; the quantity of wastewater generated by breweries largely depends on the scale of production and specific water usage. A large proportion of the wastewater produced through brewing, rinsing, and cooling processes is disposed off, or safely treated for reuse but this process is usually very expensive for average brewers who find it economically unsuitable. In this respect, most brewers hardly reuse their wastewater because the high cost of treating it, leading to the high demand for good quality water in the brewing process. Apart from water, energy is yet another major resource of the b rewing industr

Business information system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business information system - Essay Example In this paper we will discuss different aspects of data warehouse. This section will explain four main characteristics of data warehouse. These characteristics give a more clear view of data warehouse. First characteristic of data warehouse is â€Å"Subject Oriented† (Kimball & Ralph 2002), It means data warehouse should be built for a specific subject or domain. It also means that Data that provides information about the concerning topic/ subject instead of organizations ongoing processes. Second characteristic is â€Å"integrated† nature of data warehouse. It Means data that is gathered from different sources are integrated into a single structure. Third characteristic is â€Å"Time-variant†: It means all data that is stored in the data warehouse is recognized with a specific time period. Forth and last characteristic is â€Å"Non-volatile† nature of data warehouse. Data is never deleted from data warehouse. But when it exceeds from a certain level, it is archived and stored at differ places (Kimball & Ralph 2002). There is a question about data warehouse: When data warehouse has data in terabits, then how it can handle such amount of data? The answer is: data warehouse uses parallelism approach to handle such amount of data. By this approach data is divided into small parts and parallel unit of data warehouse store retrieve and process them individually (Inmon 1995). Architecture of data warehouse consists of different logical layers (Inmon 1995). First layer is input or source layer, then processing layer, out put layer, decision support layer, etc. At source layer we have our data sources; these can be data bases, legacy system or data from web. After extracting this data from the source a process of transformation is applied on it to bring it into coherent format. Because data can be extracted from any type of sources, it contains

Making Decisions Based on Demand and Forecasting Assignment

Making Decisions Based on Demand and Forecasting - Assignment Example For this assignment, Dominos is having thoughts of venturing the market place in my community, which is the Jackson, Mississippi community. Therefore with this said, the objective of this paper is to conduct a demand analysis and forecast for pizza. This will enable me decide as to whether Domino’s pizza store should be founded in Jackson, Mississippi. My community Jackson is Mississippi’s capital state and has a very high population compared to others in Mississippi. Jackson County got its name from Andrew Jackson, as at the time he was the general until after quite a number of years he became the United States president. According to latest demographics research conducted in the year 2012, while Mississippi has 2,967,297 people, with Jackson County having 173,514 (United States Census, 2012). Jackson community has quite a number of industries where people make their living; these comprise of food processing, electric and machinery, agriculture and livestock farming (C ity of Jackson, 2010). Pizza is a food that is enjoyed by not only children, but also the entire family at large. This is why Dominos should open a store at Jackson community especially judging from the demographics and independent variables. Demographics are different kinds of attributes used when determining consumers buying behaviors as well as product preferences. The first is income whereby according to statistics done in Jackson community 80 percent of people living in this community have a salary, another 55 percent are self employed, 20 percent have investments that earn the money. Most of the population in Jackson community earn between $10K and $25K (United States Census, 2012). This means that if Dominos opened a store the people in Jackson community will be able to afford buying pizzas and sodas severally which means good business for Dominos. The Dominos price for a 2-liter soda is approximately $2.50. This is what makes people love Domino’s pizza the world over and that is because of their affordable prices. There are numerous deals and offers whereby customers get discounts. The other demographic and independent variable entails age: especially since organizations’ goods and services appeal to different age groups. Luckily, for Dominos children, teenagers as well as young families love pizza, which means if Dominos were to open a store in Jackson community where there is a huge population, they would get booming business. According to age demographics in Jackson community, the highest population is between 5 and 44 years with females taking the highest numbers. This age group is what will make Domino’s pizza a success in Jackson community. Regression equation is calculated by finding Y=50+0.03X Independent variable X=number of pizzas Dependent variable Y= cost of pizzas X=100 pizzas Y= 53$ From the calculations I have made I will interpret the coefficient of determination indicating how I will influence my decision to open t he pizza business. The number of pizzas people will buy is dependent on the price of pizzas they can afford especially based on the income they are making. Since the number of pizzas that people can afford to buy is high even if they do not have quite a lot of money, this shows that Dominos would make good business, as the people in Jackson community will be able to buy. Based on the demographics and independent v

Contract and Employment Law Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Contract and Employment Law - Coursework Example In this regard, I would be able to offer her better advice concerning what action she could take and the consequences associated with each action. Discussion This discussion will start with first explaining the ‘Garden leave’ clause in relation to employment contracts and proceed to explicate the extent of its enforceability. This will be with the aim of finding out whether Clarissa can be able to successfully proceed with her compensation claim of unfair dismissal and under what grounds she should do that. According to Smith & Thomas, garden leave clause aims at offering protection for companies against competition in the situation where one of their employees who may be in possession of commercial information which may be sensitive or have relationship with the company’s clients. A clause is enforced in the employee’s contract, which requires them to not work and stay at home for a given period and still receive their pay in full. The time for gardening l eave varies and is between six months and an year. There is an implied term though that throughout this period, the said employee can not in any way breach confidentiality or work in competition with the company he/she is in contract with. In order to understand better the â€Å"garden leave† clause, let’s consider the Tucker v William Hill organization Ltd1. In this case, it was held that, where there is no contract provision that prescribe the time for which the garden leave will be in enforceable, there are limitations in this clause where an employee enjoys benefits accruing from professional activities apart from the economic benefits he/she receives. In this case, the court ruling heavily relied on the relation in the Sawdon& Co. v Turner2which the House of Lords approved in Herbert Clayton & jack Waller Ltd v Oliver3 that the term ‘employ’ needed a flexible meaning and provision of work would not have to necessarily be guaranteed. However, in the ev ent that the nature of an employee’s profession requires him/her to constantly be working in order to progress his/her career, such as an actor attending public galleries’, than, if there were no provided work, the employer would be grossly breaching the employment contract. A similar ratio is seen in Lanston v AUEW (No. 2)4and in Herbert Clayton & jack Waller Ltd v Oliver5as far as theoretical performances, following the reasoning strategy followed in Montgomery v Fechter6, Daly’s Theatre Ltd (George Edwards) vMarbe7. Same ratios where there were indefinite fixed wage contracts such as Sawdon& Co. v Turner8 have long not been employed or applied by the courts. In the event that a contract provides that, an employer has no obligation of providing work, as it was held in the Hayward v Provident Financial Group9, there is no obligation for providing work. It was held in Tucker v William Hill Organisation Limited10 regarding obtaining court injunction in order to i mplementing the garden leave clause, the court in its judgment argued that it was simpler to enforce than in the restraint of trade clauses. In addition, there is a requirement that a fair amount of work or money be given as far as remuneration for

Medicare Part D Policy Analysis Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Medicare Part D Policy Analysis - Term Paper Example The program has received praises because it more affordable than the other Medicare programs; the program cuts into half the drug expenditures of beneficiaries. Like Medicare part B, Medicare part D is not mandatory. It is optional and has a cost that is to be paid by the beneficiaries on a monthly basis. Each beneficiary pays 25 percent of the coverage cost and federal government pays the remaining 75 per cent of the premium (Dallas, 2006). However, if a person initially rejects the program, he or she pays a late enrollment penalty to begin the program later. Medicare part D program provide a large list of approved drug plans for the beneficiaries to choose from. However, the plans do not cover all prescription drugs, thus it is important that the users choose a program that meets their needs. Goal One of the major goals of Medicare part D policy was to rely on the competition among private plans to control drug prices and drug spending. This was aimed at lowering the cost of prescr iption drugs in favor of the beneficiaries. However, although the program was developed with an aim of making medication more affordable, it is yet to achieve this goal because about half the total number of beneficiaries still complains of high costs of medications. Moreover, with the program having no authority to negotiate the prices with the drug agencies, this does not seem to be achievable (Neuman, Cubanski and Kimberly, 2008). Target Population of the Policy The Medicare part D policy or program targets all citizens of the United States of America who are above 65 years of age. However, those below 65 years can also be considered for the program but under certain critical medical conditions. For example, persons who need kidney transplant due to kidney failure (Medicare.org 2011). Enrollment To be eligible in part D plan, beneficiaries must affirmatively enroll for the program. Enrollment is done annually and it last from 15th October to 7th December. Eligible Medicare benefi ciaries who fail to enroll during this enrollment period pay a late enrollment penalty in order to receive the part D coverage. The penalty is often calculated from the national average premium and number of full calendar months they were not enrolled (Salzman, 2004). Eligibility People who eligible for Medicare part D are those already enrolled in both part A and B due to three different factors. One of the factors is the End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) which requires anyone suffering from such a disease to apply for Medicare part D coverage. Second is the age factor which argues hat part D applicants should be 65 years and above (Fincham, 2007). Lastly is disability factor which allows individuals with total disability to apply for the coverage. Generally, any person who is 65 years of age or above and has been a legal resident of the United States of America for at least five years is eligible for the Medicare part D coverage. People who have disabilities and are below 65 years ma y also be eligible if they receive Social Security Disability Insurance Benefits. However, if they stop receiving Social Security Disability Insurance, they lose eligibility to the part D Medicare (Barry, 2008). There are also particular medical conditions that may also enable people become eligible to enroll for the part D Medicare coverage. Persons eligible to prescription drug coverage under this plan must also be entitled to benefits under Medicare part A and B. Part D

International Business Environment & Trade Essay

International Business Environment & Trade - Essay Example The remedies are not determined easily as they may be complicated when the contracting parties originate from countries that have different legal systems. The codes of law from different countries contain legal principles which are upheld and enforced by courts. Legal frameworks exist from scratch borrowed from civil law system and may incorporate the common law principles. This paper attempts to explain the complexity that is involved in harmonizing the international trade through international transaction for the sale of goods. The international transaction for the sale of goods to harmonize the laws on international sales. This serves as a code for the common law and incorporates the principles outlined in common law, civil and socialist laws. This strikes a compromise between the principles from various legal systems but criticisms have been leveled against it. However, there has been a shortcoming which must be applauded as worthwhile attempt towards harmonizing in place of diversity that otherwise would prevail. The CISG provides common rules that govern the international sales. This does not apply to all transactions involving sale of goods. CISG only governs formation of sale contracts and outlines the rights and duties of both buyer and seller. This has altered the established law o sales. Nevertheless, this does not allow for terms of usage and validity of the contract. The scope of CISG application is contained in articles 4 and 5. Similar to other conventions that aim at harmonizing certain secti ons of the law, CISG has not been able to provide a comprehensive code regarding the regulation of the matters falling within certain spheres of application. Some matters have been termed as controversial due to the difference between national laws making it hard to harmonize various approaches (Burnett, 2004). In its move to ensure maximum support, drafters decided to neglect some issues outside the scope by CISG and opted for a highly acceptable

Long Beach Municipal Cemetery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Long Beach Municipal Cemetery - Essay Example hich is understood to have been developed as a graveyard for Bixby Ranch employees according to the information provided by the City of Long Beach official website. Despite of the presence of a Bixby Mausoleum on the site, none of the Bixby family members are said to have been buried there as the bodies of George and Helen Bixby were exhumed on February 27, 1923 and now lay in the Evergreen Cemetery, Los Angeles. The cemetery site is home to some standing headstones that date back to as early as 1900s, while a few flat headstones are also present, they have become so deteriorated over the passage of time that it is not quite possible to read the writing on them as the dates and names have become faded. Records suggest that the City of Long Beach assumed the responsibility of a majority of the ground’s maintenance on 10th of July, 1900, for which the Long Beach Cemetery Association was previously accountable for. As per the information provided in the book released by Questing Heirs Genealogical Society, INC., the first interment at the cemetery took place in 1878, which was of a 17-year-old boy named Milton F. Neece. Other famous internments at the cemetery apart from that of Willmore’s are of U.S Congressman Alexander Hamilton Jones, who died on January, 29th, 1901, Amanda Ellen Wiley Harmon, a deaf inventor who died in 1933 and Grace Bush Eads, the first Long Beach school teacher who departed in 1944. It can be interpreted that the demographics of the community surrounding the cemetery have not gone through a substantial change over the past 50 years, with the racial makeup containing a majority of White population followed by African American members, according to the United States Census Bureau. Even though, diversity in the area does exist with Hispanic and Asian inhabitants it is unclear and inconclusive whether they constituted of a major part of the community around the time when the Long Beach Municipal Cemetery was established. However, indication of

Lamb to the Slaughter- Movie Poster Essay Example for Free

Lamb to the Slaughter- Movie Poster Essay A dagger-pierced heart is usually associated with the Catholic Sacred Heart of Mary. It is known to represent the grieving mother of Christ, who is also often called the Lady of Sorrows. However, the heart also migrated into a â€Å"darker† side; a modern day symbol of vengeance and cruelty. But the real power of the image of a dagger through the heart is a combination of both, each known in their individual rights. The heart is seen as the seat of emotions, the core of every person, as well as love and passion. The dagger has long represented a stealthy weapon of choice, which is easily concealed and quiet. Roald Dahl’s, â€Å"Lamb to the Slaughter† tells us of one obvious betrayal: Patrick Maloneys decision to leave his pregnant wife. This violation of the marriage-vows is obviously not the only betrayal in the story. If you look deeper you see that Marys killing of her husband is definitely the ultimate betrayal. Her strategically planned alibi and convincing lies all add up and go under the category of betrayal. Mary and Patrick Maloney are equally guilty of betrayal, as Patrick emotionally kills his wife, while Mary physically kills her husband. Both parties have hearts full of years’ worth of emotions, and both hearts have been stealthily and quietly killed. SYMBOLISM: THEME IDENTITY The fingerprint is an impression on the surface of a person’s fingertip and is used for identifying individuals from the unique pattern of spirals and lines. Detectives, much like the ones in the chosen short story, use these prints to identify those that have taken part in a crime scene. It’s made clear through Dahl’s description of the Maloney house that Mary has committedly taken on the model of the perfect middle class wife. Ms. Maloney is a young mid-twentieth-century housewife, keeping a tidy home and catering to her husband. The text states that she’s found pouring drinks when Mr. Maloney finishes his day at work and caters to his every need; which is what makes her sudden murderous action the incident to shatter her once perfect image. When dusting and scanning a fingerprint one owner is usually found, but when scanning Mary’s fingerprint multiple women appear; the on-task housewife, the loving and caring spouse and soon-to- be mother and finally the murderer. In the end, Mary Maloney will always have one print, but many identities. SYMBOLISM: CHARACTER MARY MALONEY A white lamb is a young sheep, and is portrayed as gentle, meek and innocent, but is also seen as a weakling and as prey. The lamb is usually cheated or outsmarted. The white concept represents its purity. Mary Maloney is definitely a â€Å"lamb† in her innocence and devotion to her husband. When you act out of anger, more than a lamb is slaughtered. It actually quite ironic that this â€Å"lamb† is capable of committing the most clean and cunning murder known of. She’s able to commit murder, get rid of the murder weapon, create herself an alibi as well as outsmart the policemen and is still is able to come out with a clean slate. After doing something so horrible and finding the nerve to scheme her way out of it, â€Å"[†¦] Mary [†¦] began to giggle.† Her dark giggles at the end of the story, show a different character than the one who started. Murder has changed her from a lamb into a lion. SYMBOLYSM: CHARACTER PATRICK MALONEY A mirror is generally defined as a reflective glass coated surface that reflects a clear image, but more importantly when looked into, you see yourself. Patrick is a very self-centered person, which is why I chose a mirror, as mirrors are associated with selfish people. When informing Mary that he was planning to leave her he gave her all the details and made sure to add, â€Å"[†¦] it wouldn’t be very good for my job.† It’s made obvious that Patrick didn’t think of his wife’s feelings at all, but made sure that everything was done so that it was in his favour. Throughout any situation, in the end Patrick is focused back on himself. Not only does he not consider the feelings of his wife, but he also isn’t thinking of his son. Of course he tells Mary that she can keep the baby, but does he think of what life would be for him without his Father? QUOTE ANALYSIS: CHARACTER PATRICK MALONEY This character is stereotyped as an unhappy husband who is not pleased with his current marriage. He comes home tired and stressed, but his frustration seems to be coming from his home life rather than his work life. He’d made up his made and got up the nerve to say what he has to say, â€Å"This is going to be a bit of a shock to you [†¦] I hope you won’t blame me too much.† This quote illustrates the author’s outlook on life, which is that people aren’t always what they seem. Patrick used to be well-liked, respected and the perfect husband; but after divorcing his wife he was probably seen as a dog, cheater and fraud. Just as his wife, his identity has changed because of a major complication in his life. QUOTE ANALYSIS: THEME – IDENTITY The author does an excellent job of clearly describing the setting in the first few lines of the story, in order to set the scene for the reader. The setting is seen when Roald Dahl introduces the Maloney home to his new readers, saying, â€Å"The room was warm and clean, the curtains drawn, the two table lamps alight – hers and the one by the empty chair opposite. On the sideboard behind her, two tall glasses, soda water, whiskey, Fresh ice cubes in the Thermos bucket.† This quote suggests the Mary is the model housewife; perfect in all she does. Surprisingly, when Mary finds out that her husband is leaving her she, â€Å"[†¦] simply walked up behind him and without any pause she swung the big frozen lamb high in the air and brought it down on his head as hard as she could [†¦] [killing] him.† This demonstrates how Mary’s identity changes from a sweet innocent wife into a killer after just hearing bad news from her husband. FORSHADOWING An example of foreshadowing occurs when Patrick takes his drink after getting home from work. Dahl includes in this famous short story that, â€Å"[†¦] as [Patrick] spoke, he did an unusual thing. He lifted his glass and drained it in one swallow although there was still half of it[†¦] He got up and went slowly over to fetch himself another[†¦] When he comes back, [his]new drink was dark amber with the quantity of whiskey in it.† This quote suggests that Patrick doesn’t usually act like this. It’s quite obvious that he is very uneasy, and is most likely drinking and delaying in order to build the courage to say or do something he might regret. Patrick does this just before breaking the news to his soon-to-be ex-wife. His actions foreshadow the unfortunate things that are to come.

Cultuur en Opvoeding

Cultuur en Opvoeding Interculturele Pedagogiek Extra opdracht Beoordeling Cultuur en opvoeding Cultuur en Opvoeding. Een recensie over het boek van Lotty Eldering. De discussie over het multiculturele karakter van de Nederlandse samenleving keert herhaaldelijk terug. Eà ©n van de redenen hiervoor is de toename van immigranten en vluchtelingen uit niet-westerse landen naar Nederland. Prof. dr. Lotty Eldering, emeritus hoogleraar Interculturele Pedagogiek aan de Universiteit Leiden, heeft vijfentwintig jaar lang onderzoek gedaan onder allochtone gezinnen. Naar aanleiding van dit onderzoek heeft ze begin 2002 een overzichtwerk geschreven, waarin aandacht wordt besteed aan zowel de huidige (opvoedings-)situatie van allochtone ouders en kinderen, als hun voorgeschiedenis en de daarbij behorende cultuur als hun verdere leefsituatie. Dit boek heet Cultuur en Opvoeding. Interculturele pedagogiek vanuit ecologisch perspectief. Niet eerder was er een studieboek verschenen over het onderwerp interculturele pedagogiek. Lotty Eldering is een van de eerste schrijfsters die zulk grondige informatie verschafte over de nieuw bevolkingsgroepen die in Nederland binnenkomen. Het doel van dit boek is het bij te dragen aan het tot stand komen van een beter inzicht in de culturele orià «ntatie en sociale positie van allochtone ouders en jeugdigen. Daarnaast is het de bedoeling de culturele sensitiviteit, ten opzicht van deze mensen, van haar lezers te vergroten. Het boek is bestemd voor een groot publiek, namelijk studenten en docenten die zich willen verdiepen in de opvoeding en leefwijze van allochtone jongeren, praktijkwerkers, onderzoekers en anderen die behoefte hebben aan kennis en inzicht van cultuur op de opvoeding. Daarnaast is het ook handig als naslagwerk te gebruiken. In Cultuur en opvoeding wordt de manier van opvoeden van allochtonen in Nederland duidelijk besproken, zodat je er een goed beeld van kan vormen. Telkens wordt hierbij ook gesproken over de islamitische en de hindoestaanse manier van opvoeden. De religie en tradities van deze groepen worden hierbij ook behandeld om een beeld te krijgen hoe zich dit in de Nederlandse samenleving inpast. Ook wordt hier een vergelijking gemaakt met de Nederlandse gewoontes en de christelijke opvoeding. Nederland wordt hier gezien als multiculturele samenleving, door toename van het aantal immigranten en vluchtelingen die afkomstig zijn uit niet-westerse samenlevingen. Wat hier allemaal bij komt kijken wordt beschreven te samen met de waarden en normen in Nederland. Eldering schrijft vanuit een ecologisch perspectief. Dit perspectief gaat er van uit dat de sociale en culturele context van het gezin, de omgeving, grote invloed heeft op de opvoeding en ontwikkeling van het kind. Tot nu toe is het ecologisch raamwerk voornamelijk gebruikt bij het bestuderen van een stereoculturele omgeving en niet, zoals Eldering doet, bij het bestuderen van kinderen die opgroeien in een multiculturele samenleving. Eldering beschrijft kritisch het ecologische model en het developmental niche model (ontwikkelingsgebieden) van respectievelijk Bronfenbrenner Harkness en Super. Cultuur en opvoeding geeft de informatie erg beschrijvend weer. Het leven van allochtonen in Nederland wordt beschreven en geÃÆ' ¯llustreerd aan de hand van voorbeelden in aparte kaders. Door het boek loopt over het algemeen een goed volgbare rode draad die de lezer langs al die aspecten leidt. De indeling van het boek verloopt op een logische manier, van het grote algemene (wat zijn allochtonen, waar komen ze vandaan) naar het meer uitgewerkte (hoe wordt er opgevoed, welk risico- en probleemgedrag komen er voor). Doordat de voorgeschiedenis en de cultuur in de landen van herkomst, van de allochtonen gezinnen die in dit boek worden behandeld, eerst toe te lichten kom je tot een beter beeld van deze gezinnen. Ook verklaard dit veel van wat er in de rest van het boek volgt. Deze twee punten hebben namelijk nog steeds invloed op zowel de opvoeding als de andere dagelijkse dingen in de allochtone gezinnen wanneer deze in Nederland wonen. Na een voorwoord van de schrijfster zelf, volgt een inleiding over de interculturele pedagogiek en het gebruik van dit boek. Hierin worden drie theoretische perspectieven, namelijk het ecologische model (invloed omgeving op de opvoedingssituatie), historisch en vergelijkend en acculturatie (dichterbij elkaar komen van mensen uit verschillende culturen) en cultuurverschillen, genoemd die gebruikt zijn in dit boek als richtlijnen. In hoofdstuk 2 worden de identificatiecriteria, herkomst en migratie van allochtonen in Nederland beschreven. De meeste aandacht gaat hier uit naar de (Creoolse en Hindoestaanse) Surinamers, de Marokkanen en de Turken. In hoofdstuk 3 gaat het om het theoretische kader. Hier worden de integratie, het multiculturalisme, het ecologische raamwerk (met hierin het ecologische model van Bronfenbrenner en de devolopment niche van Harkness en Super), de cultuur en de risicofactoren (zowel in het algemeen als speciaal voor allochtone jongeren) beschreven. De religie staat centraal in het volgende hoofdstuk. Hier worden de Islam en het HindoeÃÆ' ¯sme verder uitgewerkt, van het ontstaan tot de komst van dit geloof in Nederland. In hoofdstuk 5 draait het om de maatschappelijke participatie en de culturele orià «ntatie van de allochtonen hier in Nederland. Hier komen onder andere de sociale positie, taal en de banden met het land van herkomst aan bod. In hoofdstuk 6 gaat het boek vervolgens verder met de crossculturele verschillen in opvoeding. Hier wordt het socialisatiemodel van Kagità §ibasi en visies op kinderen en hun ontwikkelingen behandeld en de punten opvoeding, leren en identiteit worden nader uitgelegd. In hoofdstuk 7 gaat Eldering daarop door, want hier staat de opvoeding van allochtonen gezinnen centraal. Dit is geschreven vanuit de allochtonen gezinnen (Marokkaans, Turks, Surinaams) zelf. De adolescentie is het onderwerp van hoofdstuk 8. Hier gaat het over relaties (met ouders en leeftijdsgenoten), vrije tijd en vriende n, school en werk, seksualiteit en huwelijk. In het laatste hoofdstuk wordt tot besluit de risicofactoren en het probleemgedrag behandeld. Hier gaat het over wat een belangrijke basis is wat een jongere nodig heeft, welke risicofactoren er zijn en met welke psychosociale problemen ze te maken kunnen hebben. De manier van schrijven, de indeling van het boek en de vele voorbeelden, van zowel tekst als illustraties, maken dit boek tot een leerzaam boek die ook prettig is om te lezen. Wel mist er zo nu en dan wat structuur. Wat tussen hoofdstuk 6 en hoofdstuk 7 wel duidelijk is, is tussen andere hoofdstukken sporadisch. Tussen hoofdstuk   6 en 7 is een duidelijk verband, er wordt in het eerste hoofdstuk een achtergrond geschetst voor de tweede. Vrijwel alles waar aan gedacht wordt bij het denken aan allochtone mensen in Nederland, komen aan de orde. Aspecten die hier worden bedoeld zijn bijvoorbeeld religie, manier van opvoeden, sociale positie en andere cultureel specifieke dingen. Het is een interessant boek voor diegene die geÃÆ' ¯nteresseerd zijn in cultuurverschillen hier in Nederland. Alles bij elkaar maakt dit informatieve boek compleet.

When Will We Learn :: essays research papers

The gods must be crazy. Strange pollen is in the air. Like Mr. Dylan said, 'The times, they are a-changin' '. What has it been, thirty years since he penned that line? What has changed? America, as a whole has wallowed in the pitfalls of it's own failures and mistakes for so long that we can't seem to break through this bad habit. Sitting here in out artificial pride and patriotism as we go out on the limb of World War Three. We tap dance on the landmines of world dominance. We are not in control anymore. And yet, we think he have this power over all. And it's this grand feeling of strength that fills our weakening hearts every time we look at that flag, that is going to spread it's poison through out us when we least expect it. 'The times they are a changin' '. Or at least we thought they were. Or have we just spent our lives covering up every threat, masking every failure, and then proceed with advances with hopes that they will overshadow that horrible truth? The fact of the matte r is, we have grown too comfortable. Spontaneity is dead and gone. Or maybe it is just buried alive, and someone or something will dig through the soil and revive the American Dream. Because it has been discarded from our minds. We have lost that motivation, that inner drive, that heart and soul of what made this blistered nation appear to be great. We've degenerated so far that now the warts are beginning to emerge from underneath the surface. Underneath where the truth lies. And the truth lied underneath because no one ever learns from their mistakes. No one owns up to the responsibility. Which explains this whole conflict in Kosovo. God willing this will be the end of times, the final straw. On the brink of nuclear war. Just wipe the whole fucking world, and cut God a break from having to do it himself. Of course, that is what the book of Revelation is really saying. I don't honestly find the apocalyptic nature of that book very frightening, not after I stop and take one look aro und me. I don't think that I will be woken from the sounds of sleep by the beckoning blows of trumpets from the sky to see Jesus Christ descend from the clouds.

Importance of Bridging the Digital Divide Essay -- Technology Society

Children today are not born with an umbilical cord, but a computer cord. Kids aren’t the way they use to be. How many times have you caught yourself thinking or saying this? Theories today believe that children form these generations are actually different, meaning their brains are different from when we were children. What can we do about it, or should we do anything at all? This paper will examine children today and the difference between the generations. Secondly, due to the difference in generations, the importance of maintaining social interaction, critical thinking and problem solving skills, which, are just as important as technical fluencies for the 21st century. In order to maintain the â€Å"humanity† skills, I will discuss the importance of Daily Physical Activity (DPA). Furthermore, the paper will also examine the importance of building a bridge between the digital divide. It is necessary to examine the educational system and the digital divide. Chi ldren are engulfed in a digital world and have different experiences and environment. How do we build a bridge between the technical fluencies and the humanity skills necessary to be successful in the 21st century? Digital Residents are they really different? Mark Prensky (2001) has coined the phrase Digital Natives versus Digital Immigrants. To put it simply, Digital Natives (DN) have always had the new technology (cell phones, video games, digital music, computers) while Digital Immigrants (DI) have come into these things later on in life and have had to learn â€Å"it† above and beyond the old ways they had of doing things. Is there a difference? Children today are born into a digital world and use technology from a young age. The Digital Natives/Learner finds technol... ...talKids.pdf Ministry of Education, Education. (2005). Daily physical activity (ISBN: 0-7794-8884-9). Ontario: Queen's Printer of Ontario. Pink, D. (2010). Drive: the surprising truth about what motivates us. Proceedings of the RSA animation, www.youtube.com Prensky, M. (2008). The role of technology. Educational Technology, Nov-Dec. Prensky, M. (2008). Turing on the lights. Educational Leadership, 65(6) Prensky, Marc. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants, part ii. On the Horizon, 9(6), Prensky, Marc. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5), Robinson, K.(2010). Changing education paradigm, [Web]. Retrieved from http://sirkenrobinson.com/skr/watch Small, G, & Vorgan, g. (2008). ibrain: surviving the technological alteration of the modern mind. New York: Collins Living.

Invasion of Privacy Essay

While straightening your teenager’s room, a book falls on the floor. You pick it up and see that it is her diary. As a parent, do you have the right to read it? Would it matter if you found the diary outside her room? Is it okay to read the diary if you suspect there is problem your teen is not telling you about? As a child, did you ever go into your parent’s room (without permission) and snoop around? Was that an â€Å"invasion of their privacy†? Did you find anything you weren’t supposed to? Did you learn from it? Did you tell them? You have every right to read your child’s diary whether it’s found in the laundry or their bedroom. There is nothing wrong with knowing what your child is thinking, the changes that they are experiencing, or perhaps any troubling matters they don’t feel they can approach one of their parents with. Consider yourself lucky you found it. Invasion of privacy? I don’t think so; it could save their life. As long as your child is living at home with you, yes, you should read her diary entries. You are there to protect your child not only from outside influences but also from herself. If it means going through their belongings then so be it. When they move out and establish lives of their own, this is when you give up certain rights as parents, including reading their diaries. I guess my term is not snooping; it is monitoring your children. My parents monitor me. There is nothing in my room that my mother does not have access to. It is unacceptable for anyone to hide anything in our house. And, she monitors which people I hang out with. Granted, I didn’t appreciate it for a while, but as some of her â€Å"NO WAY† choices started ending up hurting me, or others, I knew she had my best interest at heart, and wasn’t trying to sabotage my life. I agree that it’s okay to go through your kid’s belongings. What should be done if you are going through it and you find something inappropriate, you find some roundabout way to bring it up to your child and see if they open up about it. By no means do you say, â€Å"Oh, I was in your room snooping and found this or that.† You have to protect your kids. Sometimes they will get into the habit of believing everything their friends say, not thinking that their mom or dad have been through or experienced just about everything they’re going through and have the wisdom to help them out in certain situations. Of course children do not believe that you should be snooping into what they want to call â€Å"their privacy†. They also think they know everything and can make wise decisions. They think it is ok to text and drive, drink and drive and show their private parts while on spring break. Kids think they should not have to go to school or have a bedtime. Do I have to go on? I think you get the picture. Bottom line is, they are not paying for a phone, internet, computers, Ipads and the electricity it takes to keep them running and until they do those items are not theirs. They are the property of the parent or guardian and can be looked at, searched, monitored at anytime they please. My point is, if you’re not doing anything wrong then there should not be a problem with anyone looking at your text messages or emails which by the way are not private anyway. If you feel you should have privacy and you are old enough then get a job, be responsible, and pay for all of your things yourself and you may also want to move out on your own until then, As my mom says â€Å"My house, my rules.† Legally, parents have the right to monitor their child’s communications simply because they are legally responsible for the child’s actions. Parents are legally responsible for their children. I know of past cases where parents have been arrested for crimes a child has done and they also can be held financially responsible. The trust element also comes into play when both the teen and the parent know they can trust each other that their home is a place free of harmful communication. To do that, the parent has to actively monitor the media that the teen uses and engage in censorship, no matter how awful the word seems. It is simply the act of a responsible society that harmful communication is not displayed to children and that children do their part in respecting the laws of society. I am a teenager. I think parents should be able to monitor my personal life, specifically my texts, because of all the dangerous things in the world. You start to notice on the news teens using drugs more often than they have before. Using a simple text message to one of your friends about drugs or anything can start peer pressure. You’re not talking in person so it’s easier to text it then actually say it. I was reading a story on CNN about a computer programmer who figured out slang use of words to cover so parents won’t get it. He does have a website up with the meaning of the slang use of words. I looked at one and it said â€Å"tdtml†. This means â€Å"talk dirty to me later†. Parents should be able to ask for the phone to see what they are talking about. They should be able to ask for it at random times. My parents also told me that they will check my phone whenever giving me a heads up that I will just hand it over at any time. This has helped me a lot in my life to stay away from peer pressure and many other things as well. Using the website noslang.com can help parents figure out what their kids are texting. Reading the CNN report on what they could code for words was absolutely amazing. Go to cnn.com and in the search bar type in â€Å"Parents do you know what these texts mean?† Parents you will be stunned at the reports and the type of coding teens use in these days.

Globalization and Fashion Essay

In the 19th century, countries started trading more, because it was right after the Great depression of the 1930 when mass production became more accessible. The reason for this was the advance in technology. Improvement in technology has made life in many certain extents easier, not only for trading, but for many other aspects of human life. Meanwhile technology is getting so advanced that it has a great influence on cultures. With globalization, all the cultures in the world are fading away and giving their place to one major common culture. Evidence of this can be seen clearly in fashion. From planes to the Internet, people and their culture are strongly connecting with each other. To  this date people travel from one country to another for various reasons including business, touring and education. Some of business people are the buyers of great fashion departments. They have a major influence on bringing different culture from one country to another. For instance, a trend in Europe transfers to North America from tourist who has traveled to Europe and buyers of department stores who choose the items. On the other hand, buyers are strongly concerned about what is going to sell and what is not. If the garment that they are buying for is for United States of America, it must be more practical than something, which they transfer from New York to Europe. The reason behind that is that culture of fashion in America is more practical than the culture of fashion in Europe. In American life style practicality has a strong voice, therefore, it is a better target market for casual wear. People tend to wear more comfortable clothes, such as jeans, sportswear, t-shirts, as well as converse shoes[1]. A good advertisement on the Internet has a worldwide impact, which can lead to a new trend. Most women in the world are very vulnerable to these beautiful new items shown on the Internet advertisement; they catch new trends and mix them up with their own home country fashion. The spread of globalization will bring changes to the countries it reaches, but change is very important part in everyone’s life. The Internet has proven a big part in projecting traditional culture. Various reports have showed that the world trade in goods with cultural content increased over the years. Magazines are one thing that has always been there and has always been a strong way of communication between cultures. Today’s world of commercials and advertisements has made a huge diversity in the world of magazines. Magazines such as Vogue have had a major role in changing the fashion world. Vogue was first published in 1910 in Britain, but now there are vogue in Italy, France, Spain, and America[2]. The strongest and most influential one of all is Americas Vogue People tend to pick up new trends from such sources every day in every single place in the world, but since English is the most spoken language across the globe,  American Vogue sells the most and it automatically transfers American fashion more around the world. Satellites and TVs are just as influential as magazines. For example, Fashion TV was found in 1997 in France as the first fashion only international network. In later years even in countries in the Middle East, some fashion channels were created and changed the whole country’s fashion. People copy all the new western trends, and try to use them as much as possible even though they have some restrictions in how they are supposed to dress in Muslim countries. For example, all Iranian woman follow the European  fashion[3]. They are forced to cover up their hair but they are still very much fashionable and dress nice. The effects of globalization on culture has also been perpetuated through music. Music has been termed as one of the strongest culture that has taken over a large number of young people across the globe. The different music genres including gangster rap, hip-hop, RNB, rock, reggae and others plays an important role in creating a global culture. This has been made possible by technology and media including MTV, You Tube as well as other social networks in the internet. More particularly, the hip-hop culture is a wave that has dominated in various countries[4]. Today, every young man and women want to associate with a particular hip-hop star and imitate and adore their dressing code, style and even speaking. Hence, a college boy in New York living under the footsteps of Tupac Shakur (A popular hip-hop pioneer) is no different to a peer in China or Africa idolizing the same. As a result, these young men share the same fashion mode of wearing jeans, necklaces famous as ‘bling bling’, and even earrings as part of their accessories[5]. Similarly, the fashion trend goes beyond clothing. Globalization has made people in the world adopt a particular fashion of identity. The influence of media also blamed for brainwashing people’s identity. The contemporary woman as depicted in western movies is slender with long legs. This has influenced several young women to emulate this style to an extent of undergoing cosmetic surgery. Likewise, an ideal man portrayed in the movies emphasizes a well built masculine figure which has also influenced the lifestyles of many young men around the world. There has been concern that globalization is synonymous with Americanization. The western particularly American culture is highly idolized all over the world. The fashion trends in America spreads more quickly and are readily embraced in all countries with music, Hollywood celebrities and even models playing as agents for perpetuating American fashion to the rest of the world. The internet has enabled the transfer of the American culture to the global community. In conclusion, Globalization has a major affect in world’s fashion. Sources such as Internet, telemarketing and advertisements tend to change peoples  perspective about fashion. People pick up trends from such sources and sometimes mix them up with their own ideas and cultural restriction. Globalization is sometimes associated with Americanization due to the large adoption of American fashion in virtually all aspects of lifestyles. Globalization has transformed the diversified culture in the world into one single culture, the global culture. Hence, the world has become a global village sharing everything including fashion and culture. Bibliography Anthony Giddens. Runaway World: How Globalization is Shaping our World. New York: Sage, 2003. Dress – Globalization Of Fashion retrieved Dress – Globalization Of Fashion [accessed May 4, 2010] Ian Condry and Shara Rambarran. Hip-Hop Japan: Rap and the Paths of Cultural Globalization. Durham and London: Duke University Press, 2006. Kai Hafez, Alex Skinner. The Myth of Media Globalizations. New York: Polity, 2007. Kolawole A. Owolabi. Globalization, Americanization   and Western Imperialism. Journal of Social Development in Africa. 16, No. 2 (2001): 71-92.

Childcare Level

The expected stage of social development for a child age four is being able to eat with a fork and spoon, despite not being able to use a knife yet the child should be able to skillfully use a fork and spoon on their own. They should also be able to dress and undress themselves, but not yet expected to be able to tie laces, or back buttons. They should also be able to do more hygiene essentials such as washing and drying their hands without any support/ help, and brush their teeth.They should also have developed a skill to show sensitivity towards their friends and other people and show n understanding of how the other person may feel. They should also show a willingness to be around and play with other children, and Like to be Independent and take more control in what they do. They should start to show a sense of humor when talking In a conversation, or wealth an actively.The expected stage of social development for a child age five would be for a child to be able to dress and undre ss themselves with no help, and beginning to learn how to do laces, but may show some difficulty. They should be able to find an Interest In an activity for a longer period of mime, without needing the attention of an adult or getting bored. An example of this would be reading a story or watching a film.They should be able to show an understanding to other people's emotions, and show sympathy and comfort to their friends when they are hurt. As well as this enjoy looking after and petting pets. They will have certain likes and dislikes, and have strong opinions on it; some may have no apparent logic such as cutting a piece of food in a certain way for them to like it. They will be able to choose their own friends, and be able to make decisions whether they like someone or dislike someone for a reason. Childcare Level The expected stage of social development for a child age four is being able to eat with a fork and spoon, despite not being able to use a knife yet the child should be able to skillfully use a fork and spoon on their own. They should also be able to dress and undress themselves, but not yet expected to be able to tie laces, or back buttons. They should also be able to do more hygiene essentials such as washing and drying their hands without any support/ help, and brush their teeth.They should also have developed a skill to show sensitivity towards their friends and other people and show n understanding of how the other person may feel. They should also show a willingness to be around and play with other children, and Like to be Independent and take more control in what they do. They should start to show a sense of humor when talking In a conversation, or wealth an actively.The expected stage of social development for a child age five would be for a child to be able to dress and undre ss themselves with no help, and beginning to learn how to do laces, but may show some difficulty. They should be able to find an Interest In an activity for a longer period of mime, without needing the attention of an adult or getting bored. An example of this would be reading a story or watching a film.They should be able to show an understanding to other people's emotions, and show sympathy and comfort to their friends when they are hurt. As well as this enjoy looking after and petting pets. They will have certain likes and dislikes, and have strong opinions on it; some may have no apparent logic such as cutting a piece of food in a certain way for them to like it. They will be able to choose their own friends, and be able to make decisions whether they like someone or dislike someone for a reason.

Generation Music

It is All the Same Thing If you are a teenager then you have heard that the music of today is trash and it will never compare to the music of the past. What makes our music so much worse? The songs are saying the exact same thing. What is the difference between music now and music then? As I listen to the music of the past, I notice that their way of presenting the music differs from music today. The way they used words were masks for what they were actually saying, but now artists say exactly what they mean.In Rick James's hit â€Å"Mary Jane†, for example, he is talking about his excessive use of Marijuana. A person who has no knowledge of Marijuana would not know what Rick James was referring to when he said Mary Jane. He calls Mary Jane a she as if it were a real woman. He uses personification to express his passion for weed. â€Å"I'm in love with Mary Jane. She's my main thing. She makes me feel alright. She makes my heart sing†¦ Takes me to paradise. † His o pening verse is all expressing his love for weed and how weed makes him feel.Wiz Khalifa is a rapper known for his weed obsession. In his song â€Å"Up†, he Just comes right out and says that everything is better when you are high. He does not hide behind nicknames and descriptive words. Both songs agree that weed makes life better. Although both songs are equally bad influences, â€Å"Mary Jane† would be better entitled than â€Å"Up†. Betty Wright's song â€Å"Slip and Do It† is all about taking another woman's significant other. She says â€Å"Girl, don't blame me for what I'm doin'. It's your man; he won't leave me alone!And it feels so good when you slip and do it. † She is practically saying that cheating is not bad, and that women whose men cheat on them are at fault. The message is completely wrong, but the song was a hit. Her vocals and beat distract from the real message of her song. If an artist of todays time made a song even close to B etty Wright's song then it would be titled as trash. For example, Trey Songz's â€Å"Cheat On You† has never been a hit. Although Trey Songz is a talented artist, his music will somehow never mount to the music of the past.Trey Songz and Betty Wright messages are the same, but Betty Wright's song was a hit. Songs with the same messages, but different time periods are looked at differently. One is titled as award worthy, but the other has never gotten the attention it deserves. Time has changed, but messages in music have remained the same. The contrast between music of different time periods is hard to find. Music of the past and music of the present both present the same messages. The music Generation Music By shidahbee

Effect of Alcohol on Family Conflict

Owing to its legality, many individuals engage in alcohol consumption. A growing body of evidence indicates that alcohol is the widely used drug among the various populations. Evidence also indicate that there are many health risks associated with alcohol consumptions.Many families have one or two members who have problems associated with alcohol use. Alcohol has many social, psychological and economic consequences that are not desirable and as such, often leads to conflict. However, it has been suggested that marital, family or workplace conflicts leads an individual to drink.There are also suggestions that marital, family of workplace conflicts are consequences of abusive drinking. All these suggestions hold some truth as alcoholism is associated with various problems while on the other hand; various problems are associated with alcoholism. These problems, such as marital, workplace and conflicts can be risk factors for the problem of drinking. However, they can also be conceptuali zed as consequences of alcohol use.The conceptualizations of these problems as emerging as a result of alcohol use is important in designing intervention strategies and policies that reduce the negative effects of alcohol use. The aim of this paper is to look at the social consequences of alcohol use, specifically with regard to conflict.The social consequences of alcohol use can be categorized into those that leads to changes in social interactions with others and those that leads to the changes in an individual's social position or life chances.One of the major factors that influence the consequences of alcohol consumption is the quantity consumed. Many psychosocial consequences are associated with episodes of acute intoxication or prolonged dependency symptoms that accompany alcoholism (Hauge and Ingens-Jensen 1986). For instance, family violence is often associated with episodes of intoxication.The proximal biological and psychological consequences of the consumption of alcohol that are relevant to the analysis of the social consequences are the chronic and acute effects of alcohol on an individual's physiological processes and the effects of alcohol on memory, cognition and mood.An individual's ability to interact with other people may be seriously incapacitated by dependence symptoms and acute changes in the thinking process and mood. This may also impair an individual's performance in their roles. Beyond this, alcohol may lead to aggressive behavior resulting in direct social conflicts.There are some mediating factors which determine the degree to which consumption may result in particular biological and psychological consequences. Among them are the expectations about the effects of alcohol, alcohol metabolism, gender and other biologic vulnerabilities or resilience (Kreitman 1992).The majority of these factors are not mutable. The expectancies about the possible effects of alcohol consumption play an important role in the degree and patterns of consum ption. These however may be subject to educational interventions. The consequences of alcohol consumption are largely influenced by the social context where the drinking takes place.According to Herd (1984), social context encompasses the social or ethnic group norm that defines relevant and irrelevant occasions for and the level of drinking. For instance, alcohol intake in communities practicing abstention may result in immediate negative consequences for social interactions and hence threaten an individual's social position in the community.As such, he will be in conflict with the rest of the community members owing to his decision to contradict the norms of the community. This is often the case since not many communities encourage drinking. By contrast, heavy drinking may be encouraged in some social groups and ethnic communities where alcohol consumption is valued and expected.The effects of alcohol use in particular social contexts such as at home may lie on the negative conseq uences of use in unre4lated contexts such as work. Alcohol consumption may or may not be considered as problematic by spouses depending on whether it affects job performance or maintenance of the functions of the household.

Must write an individual report of 1500 words. This report must be Essay

Must write an individual report of 1500 words. This report must be based on the consumer focussed web site you are due to presen - Essay Example Thus, website development is highly crucial and it should be mainly designed using a customer centric approach so that it can steal the show among their existent competitors in the market (Chaffey and Dave, 2008, p. 152). I am a member of a website development team who is developing a website which deals with laundry products and apparels. The paper will focus on my justifications regarding the Internet market techniques along with other crisp business strategies which will be highly useful in making our website stand well in the competitive front. Promotion of Brand Awareness The promotion of brand awareness is one of the crucial parts to highlight the website and is one of the benevolent strategies of the e-commerce industry. The brand awareness must be executed in such a manner that the customers receive detailed and rational information regarding the firm and its offerings. This technique can be used as a signal to the current and prospective customers, which will state that the customer is on the cutting edge. I will develop a model with product differentiation strategies along with an image rich message with a tag line which should be in line with the actual performance of the products of delivery. Another stylized technique which I will apply to promote the website is AdWords which are an established mechanism of targeting the potential customers and establishing brand awareness at a reasonable price. I would also be posting some testimonials from our pleased customers along with a few photographs of our ways of functioning to support the services offered in my website. Target Audience Another major decision is the selection of target customers. The market has to be segregated into subparts of customers and sections should be set in the order of priority. Since our website focuses on the marriage laundry, domestic and hotel laundry, the market will be divided into subparts and focus on the micro analysis. People think of marketing management as finding a s many customers as possible and increasing demand. But it is not the right policy and it is not possible for the marketing manager to serve all the customers coming in their way. Trying to serve all the customers, it would not be possible to serve any of the customers properly. So in our area of target, our top priority will be on the marriage sector as well as the hotel sector. For example, Holt Renfrew and Harry Rosen stores profitably target affluent professionals; Dollarama stores profitably target families with more modest means. The advertisement budget will also have to be considered and will be concentrated on key areas. The main things which will be taken into consideration are targeting, demographics, key words and the budget. Keeping a close watch on this, our target customers can be attracted (Website Promotion, 2012). Creating Value Proposition The value proposition of the company

Nutritional Analyzes Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Nutritional Analyzes - Research Paper Example At last I tried to find solution for achieving required diet. I recorded everything I eat and drink for 7 days seven consecutive days, recording both what I am consuming and how much. Then I entered these details into a diet analysis program with a best fit approach, and many assumptions made. The computer program calculated the totals of each nutrient for each day, and averaged the data. I compared these averages to the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI's). A set Profile values for an average person of my body type is used for comparison to these calculated averages. My goal values are calculated based on my body composition, activity level and determination of an Ideal weight goal. My ideal goal weight is 175-180 lbs. This shows I am under weight. The GOAL values for Energy, Protein, Carbohydrates, Total Fat, and Fiber is displayed in a table 1 showing a comparison with my average values and average intake of person with same height, age, and activity level. Comparison of my average intake and GOAL values shows that my energy consumption is perfect. But I need to Increase protein consumption to reach 30% Goal value, although these values are very high as compared to average nutritional parameters. ... The number of servings and/or quantity of each food group I consume is estimated and compared to the recommended serving distribution for my average Caloric intake discussed in the Daily Food Guide. Daily Food Guide Recommended Servings Average Servings Grains 10 3.57 Vegetables 4 3 Fruits 2.50 1 Dairy 3 10 Meat 7 17 Table 2 MICRONUTRIENTS The computer programs average my vitamin and mineral intake and report those values. I created a table reporting the results of comparison between my average values and established AI's or RDA's. VITAMINS MICRONUTRIENT RDA/AI 7 DAY AVERAGE DIFFERENCES THIAMIN 1.20 4.06 2.86 RIBOFLAVIN 1.30 9.39 8.09 NIACIN 16 10.56 5.44 VITAMIN B6 1.30 11.56 10.26 FOLATE 400 197.56 202.44 VITAMIN B12 2.60 11.67 9.07 VITAMIN C 90 231.18 141.18 VITAMIN A 900 613.69 286.31 VITAMIN D 5 1.78 3.22 VITAMIN E 15 8.22 6.78 Table 3 MINERALS MICRONUTRIENT RDA/AI 7 DAY AVERAGE DIFFERENCES CALCIUM 1000 237.49 762.51 PHOSPHOROUS 700 680.94 19.06 MAGNESIUM 400 376.20 23.80 IRON 8 7.11 0.89 ZINC 11 8.72 2.28 COPPER 1 8.22 7.32 Table 4 DISCUSSION Comparison of my average intake and GOAL values shows that my energy consumption is perfect. But I need to Increase protein consumption to reach 30% Goal value, although these values are very high as compared to average nutritional parameters. Again carbohydrate and fat consumption is very high compared to GOAL value. Primary resources for my energy consumption are chicken, Tilapia and flex oil. So to decrease my fat consumption I need to decrease these intakes. Carbohydrate consumption is mainly because of protein shake, rice, black beans, steak and vegetables. So I need to keep consumption of such food items also in control. At the same time I need to increase intake of food items which gives me

Internal analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Internal analysis - Essay Example Financial Resources and Analysis The financial resource of a company is the money available to the company in the form of cash, cash equivalents, credit lines and liquid securities. An entrepreneur needs to have sufficient amount of cash to operate a business successfully. Analytical tools like ratio analysis determine the profitability and business risks of the company. The management of the company needs to analyze the company’s profitability, business risks and financial condition to take a decision related with the company (Abacus, â€Å"Management†). The company had generated sales of $12 million in the financial year 2011. The current ratio signifies the company’s ability to meet the short term obligations of the company and a current ratio between 1.5 and 3.0 signifies that the company is in a healthy condition (Brigham, and Houston 87). The current ratio of ABS is 0.77 and 1.12 in the financial year 2011 and 2012 respectively. The company’s ability to meet its short term liabilities was very poor in the year 2011, however the company’s current ratio strengthened in the year 2012. ... The debt to equity ratio was negative in the financial year 2011 and improved considerably in the financial year 2012. The cash ratio of a company determines the ability of the company to repay its short term liabilities in a short time. The cash ratio of the company should be equal to or below 1.00. The cash ratio of ABS is 0.22 and 0.64 in the financial year 2011 and 2012 respectively. The cash ratio of the company is stronger in the year 2012 which signifies that the company has the ability to repay its current liabilities immediately by using cash or cash equivalents (Gibson 246). The inventory turnover ratio indicates the effective use of the company’s inventory management practices (Andrew, and Gallagher 97). The inventory turnover ratio of the company is 17.16; a high inventory turnover ratio is unhealthy because they represent an investment with a rate of zero. The return of the shareholder’s equity indicates the profitability to the shareholders of the company after including the tax and other expenses. The return on equity ratio in the year 2011 was negative which indicates that the shareholders did not receive any profit in the same year. This was mainly due to the fact that the hospitality industry was not performing well during recession. At the present situation, the hospitality industry is earning meagre profits because the economy is recovering from recession. The return on equity ratio was 5.06 percent in the year 2012 which signifies that the company is yielding profits and may provide better returns to the shareholders in the future. The current ratio of the company has been rising and the acid test ratio is weak. A strong current ratio coupled with a

Social Media Application Program Interfaces Assignment

Social Media Application Program Interfaces - Assignment Example The emergence of the World Wide Web has made it possible to reach a large number of people from all over the globe with the simple touch of a button. As a result the social media came into existence which can be described as a virtual platform where individuals can interact with one another as well as seek or give information on various subject matters (Jacobson, Woods & Brail, 2011). The social media application interfaces were created in order to exploit this market segment. An API (Application Program Interface) can be described as a technological platform that allows different software components/programs to run in harmony with one another allowing for a type of connection to be made between them that allows for the sharing of information (Benslimane, Schahram & Amit, 2008). The social media application programs that have been developed have been designed in order to allow the different major social networking sites to run in harmony with one another. The development of these pro grams have allowed for the provision of a number of API services that are available to marketers who are interested in using the social media as a platform for the promotion of their products (Evans & Mckee, 2010). ...and some of more preferential ones that can be used for marketing purposes include: Sharing Features Photographs from one site can be shared onto another site by an individual and this can be said to be one of the most popular features of social media application program interfaces (Evans & Mckee, 2010). For example, a marketer is able to post a picture on their website and provide an option that allows for an individual to share the same photo onto their Facebook page. Information such as news items can also be shared in a similar manner where instead of a photo being reposted, an individual is able to post the link to whatever particular story he wants to share with others (Jacobson, Woods & Brail, 2011). The main reason for using this service would be to reduce the amount of work that a marketer has to do through the creation of such shortcuts where they are not only able to share things on other social networks faster and more easily (Benslimane, Schahram & Amit, 2008). The feature also encourages individuals to help with the marketing through providing them with the share option. Embedding This is a process that has similarities to that of the share feature and can be said to be slowly fading from the scene (Evans & Mckee, 2010). It still has its advantages however as one is able to embed any content they desire to share to the profile of a social media site making it accessible to everyone.

Women and Culture in the West Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Women and Culture in the West - Research Paper Example nce, mathematics, history, philosophy, Latin, Italian, French, Greek and German unlike the majority who preferred the girl child doing worsted work and practicing quadrilles. Their education was his responsibility (Aler, 2008). All these teachings resulted to Florence being intelligent and well educated which in some way shaped her to the nurse she came to be. Since Florence came from a wealthy background she was not expected to work. Her mother most of all deemed it best if she was to get married some day because she assumed that was her destiny. It was after a long emotional battle that tutors were eventually allowed to teach Florence mathematics over home duties. She was taught a number of subjects such as algebra, geometry and arithmetic’s. During her leisure time, Florence spent it tutoring children on this particular topics thus in the process enhancing her knowledge and having a wider scope on mathematics. She enjoyed being of service to others (Aler, 2008). Unlike these present times where people are strongly campaigning for the girl child to have a decent education and a lead a decent life where they are able to fend for themselves and be independent there was once upon a time an era where the English girls had little or no education at all, this was during the nineteenth century. Boys had an advantage over girls in the sense that parents were more willing to take them to private schools and pay more since there was no system of free schools until the 1880s. Girls of all ages had a disadvantage in relation to boys of the same age and level because of the depravity of education knowledge. Governesses taught the girls of the upper –class since they did not go to school at all but the funny part is that these very governesses who are supposed to be the source of enlightenment had no formal training. The objective of this strategy of the upper-class being taught at home was to alienate them from the lower classes as well as to keep them away from the

Peer Support Program for New Nurses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Peer Support Program for New Nurses - Essay Example Every day that nurses see a distressed person, an injured person and even deaths occurring almost every day in their presence. Although they are trained to handle this, they nonetheless have to sometimes be overwhelmed by this (Robinson, 2003). These nurses need peer-support in the workplace. Â  Nurses also almost always have to work with precision which means that any small mistakes can lead to serious repercussions for the patients as well as the nurses. Peer support is definitely appreciated to maintain this accuracy in working. New nurses may not be able to have everything in their fingertips and sometimes can have a very difficult time getting their head around the many tasks they carry out every day. In this regard, a peer support program for new nurses would have to include the following; Â  Like any workplace, nurses and especially new ones need social support from their peers. Social and psychological support is important to the nurses because that feeling of belonging is a vital ingredient in increasing the nurse’s efficacy (Hughes, 2012). Â  Building the formal social support systems can be made from the informal to make formal systems. It is good to note that informal social support systems develop naturally everywhere in the workplace. Unfortunately, these informal social support systems are not efficient in their ways and it is necessary to make sure that they are harnessed. To formalize this system is important to make sure that the new nurses can benefit as soon as they join the working force in a care centre or hospital. Â  New nurses can be overwhelmed by their work. Needless to say, overwhelmed nurses can only give healthcare which is of lower quality to the patient. This can also lead to their mental health deteriorating and they therefore need support. This peer support can be accessed through information systems which make real-time consultations with other nurses (Michael, 2014). Â  

Abolition of African American Slavery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Abolition of African American Slavery - Essay Example From this paper it is clear that  the educated and elite blacks deserved equal rights of citizenship since they could contribute to the growth of the country. The blacks also used various political and judicial platforms to advocate and fight for this right of citizenship. Also, the tireless efforts of the blacks and the abolitionists played a key role in structuring and supporting the black freedom.   When the non-violent strategies that were used by the abolitionists failed, those that were enslaved and those that were free considered the use of radical actions.As the report discusses  since 1864, the blacks used the National Black Convention Movement to fight for their right to vote and full representation in the American affairs. One aspect of the history is abolition. In the history of Black Americans, there was the formation of the abolitionist movement. The aim of the group was to allow emancipation of all slaves after racial discrimination and segregation. Advocating fo r immediate emulsification made the difference between moderate antislavery advocates and abolitionists. Abolitions due to race were mainly encouraged by regional favor during second great awakening. This activity prompted many people to advocate for emancipation with the consideration of their religion. The idea on abolishment became prominent in other churches and political beginnings in the start of 1830s. This mainly contributed to the division of the region to the north and south and fueled the occurrence of the cold war.

Importance Of Privacy Scale Survey Essay Example for Free

Importance Of Privacy Scale Survey Essay A survey is a systematic process by which data is collected from or about people, places, or things with a description, comparison, and/or explanation relating to their knowledge, stance, and behavior. The process is made up of seven different activities: setting objectives in order to collect data, designing the study, preparing an unfailing and official survey mechanism, administering the survey, managing and examining the survey data, and eventually reporting the results. (Fink, 2002) The survey is conducted by inquiry where people give consent to be asked specified questions and they give answers as well. It may be completed orally, in written form, or visually. Surveys are also conducted visually to examine people’s reactions to a specific model. For example, surveys may be conducted to see how people react to the taste of certain juices. It is obvious that most people would not like a bitter juice while others will like juices like lemonade, which is sour, or kool-aid which is often sweet. In this specified survey, it is concerning issues with regard to intrusive measures of privacy in effort of preventing future terrorist attacks. Politicians need to be aware of how the public feels regarding these issues. The wording or phrasing of the questions allows the consenting public to give very direct answers concerning these issues. If the wording were different, the answers may be very vague; therefore, the poll would not obtain the results necessary to make the right improvements to take the essential measures to ensure safety. Also if the right survey instrument is not used, it may manipulate the survey negatively which makes it invalid and useless. It is very important to use the right methodology pertaining to the topic of the survey to acquire accurate results. By wording questions very similar, it allow the surveyor to attain a confirmation of the previous question making the answer more valid and more definite. I used this repetitive strategy for this reason and also to help eliminate bias that is sometimes found in conducting surveys. (â€Å"Opinion Poll†, 2009) The purpose of this survey is to provide the public with very basic questions concerning the approval of taking intrusive measures to aid in the prevention of future terrorist attacks. Politicians and the government alike are eager to know how the public feels about the topic of invading privacy for this reason and in order to obtain that specific information this survey is necessary. Works Cited Fink, A. (2002). The Survey Handbook. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc. Fink, A. (1995). How to Analyze Survey Data (Survey Kit, 8). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc. Opinion poll. (2009, March 27). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 02:39, March 31, 2009, from

Recommendations for Philippines Health Services

Recommendations for Philippines Health Services QUESTION: How do we improve quality of health services in the Philippines as a whole? What efforts have been taken and what are the challenges. ANSWER: In developing countries like Philippines, quality of health services has been an issue. Though the Philippine government provide projects on how to improve quality of care, still there are people who encountered problems on how to seek medical attention and treatment. It is said that the deficiencies in quality of care represent neither the failure of professional compassion nor necessarily a lack of resources. They result from gaps in knowledge, inappropriate applications of available technology, or the inability of organizations to change (Berwick 1989). These are just some examples of factors affecting the quality services that needs to be given attention. Local health care systems may have failed to align practitioner incentives and objectives, to measure clinical practice, or to link quality improvement to better health outcomes. Improving clinical practice and quality of care should take place over months and not years so as to achieve economic growth, educational advancement o r new technology (Improving Quality of Care in Developing Countries by John W. Peabody, Mario M. Taguiwalo, David A. Robalino and Julio Frenk). Health systems provide health actions or activities in order to improve or maintain health. The government has set some policies and programs that will help Filipino people but it is not implemented well. In December 2011, by an article from the USAID/Philippines, United States Agency International Development (USAID) has conducted a pilot demonstration of citizen participation in health governance from June 2009 to August 2010. Through improvements in health governance at the facility level, the goal was to demonstrate increase in the utilized MCH services. Health Systems 20/20 supported the establishment of facility-based governance committees that focus on improving quality of health services: Quality Assurance Partnership Committees (QAPCs) located at the three sites in Mindanao. The Quality Assurance Partnership Committees (QAPCs) is a governance mechanism that brings together local leaders and government officials, health service providers, civil society, and community representatives to address issues related to access, availability, and quality of maternal and child health related services in local facilities. The QAPC was envisioned to provide oversight and problem solving actions to improve maternal and child health services in the three pilot facilities. Through a grant from Health Systems 20/20, the Gerry Roxas Foundation (GRF), a local NGO, facilitated the introduction, organization, and functioning of QAPCs in the three demonstration sites, with enthusiastic support from elected officials, health facility managers, and loca l officials. The three sites were:. the Rural Health Unit in the municipality of Lopez Jaena, the City Health Office in Oroquieta City, and the Provincial Hospital in Compostela Valley. Aside from giving the civil society a voice in health service delivery and quality, at the same time, it can increase the accountability of local officials and providers to their communities for services delivered. From an end-of-project assessment field visit conducted in July 2010, the following findings emerged: Anecdotal evidence suggested that community participation via the QAPCs contributed to client-focused and responsive MCH service delivery, expanded outreach from the facility to MCH service users, and increased MCH service utilization. The QAPCs strengthened the linkage between facilities and service users by sensitizing communities regarding MCH issues, and mobilizing community members to utilize available services. The major governance outcome at the facility level was increased responsiveness to community needs and preferences. A related secondary outcome was some increase in accountability to clients. Beyond governance at the facility level, the QAPC experience demonstrated the importance of decentralized local government to the effective functioning and sustainability of a co-governance innovation that brings together citizens and public-sector health providers. The integration of the QAPC pilot with the Philippines Department of Health’s existing quality assurance program, the Service Delivery Excellence in Health (SDexH) initiative, was critical to the success of the demonstration project. SDexH provides an accepted framework that connects quality clinical standards and accreditation to a definition of quality that incorporates client perceptions and community input. The potential for institutionalization of the QAPCs was enhanced by the ownership of the concept by local government officials. In all three cases, local chief executives issued Executive Orders giving official recognition to the QAPCs, and were strongly supportive of the committees. Two of the three QAPCs received a commitment from local governments to provide ongoing financial support to cover expenses for community members to participate in the committees. In the Compostela Valley Provincial Hospital, the director included the QAPC as an activity the Wellness Center, which assures the committee ongoing support and a venue. The demonstration project team drafted aQAPC process guidefor use by other local governments in the Philippines that are interested in replicating the committees for health facilities in their jurisdictions (www.healthsystems2020.org/section/where_we_work/philippines ). Access to the health care system is required to obtain the care that maintains or improves health,but simple access is not enough and it is said to be applied skillfully. Quality is comprising of the following elements to achieve it, namely structure, process and the outcomes. Structural measures are the easiest to obtain and most commonly used in studies of quality in developing countries. Many evaluations have revealed shortages in medical staff, medications and other important supplies and facilities, but material measures of structure are not causally related to better health outcomes (Donabedian 1980). Process, by contrast, can be measured with every visit to a provider. In addition, evidence-based clinical studies have steadily revealed which process measures lead to better outcomes. This combination of ubiquity, measurability,and linkage to health outcomes makes the measurement of process the preferred way to assess quality. Another project of the government is the committment to the United Nation millennium declaration that translated into a roadmap a set of goals that targets reduction of poverty, hunger and ill health (www.doh.gov.ph/node/1076.html) . In the light of this government commitment, the Department of Health is faced with a challenge to champion the cause of women and children towards achieving MDGs 4 (reduce child mortality), 5 (improve maternal health) and 6 (combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases). Pregnancy and child birth are among the leading causes of death, disease and disability in women of reproductive age in developing countries. The Philippine government commitment to the MDGs is, among others, a commitment to work towards the reduction of maternal mortality ratios by three-quarters and under-five mortality by two-thirds by 2015 at all cost. Confronted with the challenge of MDG 5 and the multi-faceted challenges of high maternal mortality ratio, increasing neonatal deaths particularly on the first week after birth, unmet need for reproductive health services and weak maternal care delivery system, in addition to identifying the technical interventions to address these problems, the DOH with support from the World Bank decided to focus on making pregnancy and childbirth safer and sought to change fundamental societal dynamics that influence decision making on matters related to pregnancy and childbirth while it tries to bring quality emergency obstetrics and newborn care to facilities nearest to homes. http://www.doh.gov.ph/content/national-safe-motherhood-program.html . This moves ensures that those most in need of quality health care by competent doctors, nurses and midwives have easy access to such care. The Department of Health has set the national objectives for 2011-2016 with overall goal that is to improved access to quality hospitals and health facilities by all Filipinos, especially the poor (www.doh.gov.ph). Their strategic objectives have improved, enhanced, ensured and these are the following : 1: Access to quality health facilities and services, especially those commonly used by the poor; 2: Quality of inpatient and outpatient care; 3: Availability of essential drugs and medicines in all levels of government health facilities; 4: Access to specialized services in sib-national health facilities; 5: Governance,sustainability and fiscal autonomy of government hospital; 6: and the client responsiveness of health facilities. For the government to achieve the objectives,they do a targeted health facility program that shall leverage funds for improved facility capacity to adequately manage the most common causes of mortality and morbidity, including trauma; setting provision of fi nancial mechanisms drawing form public-private partnerships to support the immediate repair, rehabilitation and construction of selected priority health facilities; making fiscal autonomy and income retention schemes for government hospitals and health facilities; unifying and streamlining DOH licensure and Phil Health accreditation for hospitals and health facilities and regional clustering and referral networks of health facilities based on their catchment areas to address the current fragmentation of health services in some regions within the Philippines. (Improving Access to Quality Hospitals and Health Services, www.doh.gov.ph/sites/default/files/6%20Chapter4.pdf ) Though it has not 100% achieved, the government with the help of many institutions, banks, and support from other countries, can be reached with the efforts of the people who are responsible for the implementation and monitoring of these activities. I believe that thru these efforts, Philippines will have an improved health services in the near future. REFERENCES: John W. Peabody, Mario M. Taguiwalo, David A. Robalino and Julio Frenk, Improving Quality of Care in DevelopingCountrie, (http://www.hivqualus.org/sites/default/files/Improving%20the%20quality%20of%20care%20in%20developing%20countries_Peabody.pdf ) http://www.healthsystem2020.org Women’s Health and Safe Motherhood Project,( www.gov.ph./node/1076.html ) Improving Access to Quality Hospitals and Health Services , http://www.doh.gov.ph/sites/default/files/6%20Chapter4.pdf http://www.scribd.com/doc/45621892/The-Aquino-Health-Agenda-Achieving-Universal-Health-Care-for-All-Filipinos http://www.doh.gov.ph/node/583.html http://www.wpro.who.int/health_services/service_delivery_profile_philippines.pdf