Purchasing and Buying Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Purchasing and Buying - Essay Example I had other experience though in my life that prepared me to make or buy decision. As a child, I was always interested in business and I created many ways to make small bits of money. My father was instrumental in providing me with an opportunity to understand business and as I continued to learn about business. When I entered the military, I knew I wanted to be a part of the Marine Corps right away. I became a purchasing specialist while living in Virginia and I was able to create 24 Government Purchase card holders. I had to negotiation and execute 1,300 small purchases. The way I did this was through the use of a Request of Quotation. Vendors had to submit this information and I was responsible for making the decision of which ones to purchase. I also learned how to increase revenues by putting together small contracts until we had everything we needed. As an example, I created a net income of $1.2 million for the card holders which made them very happy because I showed them how to save money. I was able to reduce costs again by creating an electronic Point of Sale system. The way that I was able to save money in this situation was to combine three positions into one. This saved 15% in the overall cost. I created a partnership with a local ending institution that gave us good rates and h elped us lower our cost by providing check verification. Since our company did not have to verify checks, I was able to create the opportunity to again save money. Because I continue to educate myself, I have created many skills that provide me with the knowledge that is needed for each of my jobs. I have received many achievements from my military training that has come in the way of various certificates. I also have a specialty in contract law and procurement which broadens my scope of skills and the world. I also have learned that there is more information than I could possibly

Unit 7 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Unit 7 - Coursework Example In order to look at prevalence and reduction of bribery, we look at the relative benefits and costs of engaging in such practice. If the benefits of engaging in such practices are huge for a party in contrast to the costs, then the firm will likely resort to it as a rational act in line with conducting its business. Otherwise, the behavior will be discouraged as the benefits are perceived to be not worth the trouble, or costs to engaging in it. The benefits to facilitate bribery are huge for both the giver and the receiver of the bribe. The giver or the firm gets favor, maybe from the government agencies or another firm from the private sector. The receiver, maybe the government agencies or other firms, receive a sum of money in return for this favor. The main reason why it is not reduced is because these benefits are greater than the costs to participate in such practice. There are not enough punishments in order to make the benefit seem not worth the price to be paid. Apart from lack of moral integrity in some countries, why should such a beneficial behavior to these parties be discouraged if there are not enough costs to punish them? Therefore, in order to discourage bribery, the cost to parties that participate in such practice should be increased. In what form should the cost come in? The cost should come in the form of fines, as what is included in the US laws for anti-bribery. But aside from it, these costs can come in the form of damage in reputation for the parties that involve in facilitating bribery. What multinational companies and the global community can do is to raise moral awareness on a global scale while condemning such practices. This is to increase the costs to parties who are doing it, the costs in the form of damage in reputation, if the fines are not enough, for being seen as firms who lack integrity in doing business in other countries. The effects to US firms

History and Application of Translation

History and Application of Translation   L. Saunders 1. History of translation Language is the most important process in people s lives either if its written, spoken or non-verbal. People would not be able to socialize or interact without language. Across the centuries just as people built bridges to link cities,people used language interpreters and translators in order to built bridges between other cultures. What exactly translation is? Sonia Colina claims that Translation may refer to an activity or a product and the field that studies both activity and product. Translation is the process of transferring the meaning of written texts of one language to another language. There is a lot of confusion between translators and interpreters, but the two terms are very different in many ways. Translators take a written text in one language: e-mail, articles, newspapers, books or academic papers and translate it into another language by writing it down on the paper. It implies time and study of the texts while the interpreters work together with other people either virtually or directly or over the phone, internet or public meetings. The great differences between translators and interpreters is that a translation can take days, weeks or even months depending on the length of the text while interpreting is a process carried out in real time. It is very difficult and very challenging for interpreters to do their job because they must be very fast in both languages and precise, they have no time to consult the dictionary, a colleague. Interpreters have great responsibility especially when they interpret in a political context, one mistranslated word can issue great political wars. Translators on the other hand are more relaxed being able to stay in their own environment, have breaks, and use their dictionaries or grammar books. I explained therefore the difference between translation and interpretation, but I wonder is Translation a process which appeared in the current century or it had existed in the past as well? The process of translating or decoding started centuries ago Along the history we notice that trades were made through people who were able to speak their one language but also another language.The Bible which was crucial in the 8th century managed to be translated by some of the most well-known people: Martin Luther,St.Jerome William Tyndale etc. People who did not have access to education could not understand the religious services spoken in Latin. Therefore Translation was necessary in order for ordinary people to understand the holy service and to have a more personal knowledge and approach towards God. With the spread of Christianity, translation started to gain another role which was the spreading of Gods word. The Bible of the chosen people was originally written in Hebrew.When the Persian empire dominated the Eastern Mediteranean basin, Aramaic became the official language of the area and for religious reasons it was necessary for the Jewish to have the Torah OR Pentateuch (the first 5 books of the Bible) translated into the common language from traditional Hebrew.The result was Targums which survived after the original Hebrew scrolls had been lost. By the mid of the 3rd century a.d. Greek was the dominant language and Jewish scholars started to translate the Hebrew religious text into that language.Septuagint became the Greek version of the Jewish Bible. The zeal of Christianity needed more translators of both the Old and New Testament into:Coptic, Ethiopian,Gothic and Latin. Early translators St. Jerome In 382 the pope, Damasus, commissionsJerome to provide a definitive Latin version. In his monastery at Bethlehem, tended by aristocratic virgins, the saint produces the Vulgate. This eventually becomes established as the Bible of the whole western church until the Reformation. By the time the Vulgate is complete (in about 405), the barbarian Goths also have their own version of parts of the Bible thanks to the astonishing missionary effort of Ulfilas. William Tyndalale William Tyndale has been called the apostle of England and one of the finest man who ever lived.He was a man loved by those who loved God but hated and haunted by Rome because he was the first who would translate the Bible from Greek into English. He was ultimately betrayed by a trustee friend and imprisoned for a time before being strangled and burnt to the stake in a place called Vilvoorde. From the time of Pope Innocent, it had been declared by Rome that As by the old law the beast touching the holy mount was to be stoned by death so simple and uneducated man were not to touch the Bible or venture to preach its doctrines(Schaff,History of the Christian Church VI,p723) In Tyndales time,England was still a Catholic country and priests were communicated the mass in Latin,a language which could not be understood by ordinary and uneducated people, that is why Tyndale who knew Latin wanted to learn Greek therefore he studied Greek under Erasmus another great translator who offered a translation of the new Testament. Tyndale dared to stand upp against the cardinal because he considered that his attitude towards people was ignorant and selfish, people were poor and disorientated because they could not understand but what they were told to do while he was wearing the golden rings emphasizing his pride and ego. William Tyndale was convicted that: it was impossible to establish the laye people in any truthà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦except the scriptures were plainly layde before their eyes in their mother tongue(William Tyndale) Ulfilas and his alphabet: AD c.360 Ulfilas is the first man known to have undertaken an extraordinarily difficult intellectual task writing down, from scratch, a language which is as yet purely oral. He even devises a new alphabet to capture accurately the sounds of spoken Gothic, using a total of twenty-seven letters adapted from examples in the Greek and Roman alphabets. Gods work is Ulfilas purpose. He needs the alphabet for his translation of the Bible from Greek into the language of the Goths. It is not known how much he completes, but large sections of the Gospels and the Epistles survive in his version dating from several years beforeJeromebegins work on his Latin text. A restricted Bible: 8th 14th century AD The intention of St Jerome, translating into Latin the Hebrew of the Old Testament and the Greek of the New Testament, was that ordinary Christians of the Roman empire should be able to read the word of God. Ignorance of the scriptures, he wrote, is ignorance of Christ. Gradually this perception is altered. After the collapse of the western empire, the people of Christian Europe speak varieties of German, French, Anglo-Saxon, Italian or Spanish. The text of Jeromes Vulgate is understood only by the learned, most of whom are priests. They prefer to corner the source of Christian truth, keeping for themselves the privilege of interpreting it for the people. Translation into vulgar tongues is discouraged. There are exceptions. In the late 8th centuryCharlemagnecommissions translation of parts of the Bible for the use of his missionaries in the drive to convert pagan Germans. In the 9th century the Greek brothersCyril and Methodius, sent from Constantinople to Moravia at royal request, translate the Gospels and parts of the Old Testament into Slavonic. These are missionary endeavours, promoted by rulers as an act of government when pagan Europe is being brought into the Christian fold. In the later fully Christian centuries there is no equivalent need to provide the holy texts in vernacular form. Any such impulse is now a radical demand on behalf of ordinary Christians against the church hierarchy. The strongest medieval demand for vernacular texts comes in France from a heretical sect, the Cathars. The suppression of the Cathars is complete by the mid-13th century. But in the following century the same demand surfaces within mainstream western Christianity. John Wycliffeand his followers produce full English versions of the Old and New Testament in the late 14th century. At the same period the Czechs have their own vernacular Bible, subsequently much improved by John Huss. These translations are part of the radical impulse for reform within the church. Indeed the issue of vernacular Bibles becomes one of the contentious themes of theReformation. A complaint by an English contemporary of Wycliffe, the chronicler Henry Knighton, is a measure of how far the church of Rome has swung on this issue since Jeromes campaign against ignorance of scripture. Knighton rejects translation of the Bible on the grounds that by this means the jewel of the church is turned into the common sport of the people. 2. Types of Translation Roman Jakobson describes three types of translation:Intralingual (or rewording an interpretation of verbal signs by means of other signs in the same language), interlingual (or translation proper an interpretation of verbal signs by means of some other language) and inter-semiotic translation or transmutation-an interpretation of verbal signs by means of signs of nonverbal sign systems) Jakobson points out how difficult it is to achieve complete equivalence because of the complexity of the codes involved. Even in intralingual translation we have to make use of combination of code units to interpret meaning. So even synonyms cannot guarantee full equivalence. This becomes complicated when the SL and TL are different. In addition to the difference between two language systems, cultural differences also pose huge barriers to translation activity. Eugene Nida says: Since no two languages are identical, either in the meanings given to corresponding symbols or in the ways in which such symbols are arranged in phrases and sentences, it stands to reason that there can be no absolute correspondence between languages.

Natural Childbirth is Superior to Drug Induced Childbirth Essay

I remember when my water bag broke; it was August 12, 1992, and the time was 12:15am.I was very excited that I would see my new baby on her due date. I did what the child birthing book recommended. I woke my husband up and told him to call the hospital. In the meantime I decided to take a shower. I was pretty calm because I didn't have any contractions. I wore my best maternity outfit and was spruced up compared to my husband. I even put on some perfume. You see, we had just gone to bed at 11:30 that night. My husband looked a little worse for wear. We got to the hospital and then were led into the maternity room. The room looked a little dingy with its yellow light and peeling paint. The hospital bed was small and narrow. I got scared, and I wanted my mother. My husband and I had moved to the States from the Middle East when I was seven months pregnant. We never had a chance to take any child birthing classes. I was nervous. A very pleasant-faced nurse came into the room to talk to us. My unfounded fears were brushed away by her calm demeanor. A few hours went by, the contractions started to get stronger, and I requested an epidural. After I got the epidural I didn't feel any pain at all. I was excited. I told my husband if this was how child birthing is, I was ready to have a brood like the Waltons. Then my labor pains stopped completely. My dilation stopped at seven centimeters. The doctor came in to check me and said that it would be better if they induced me. So I got a dose of pitocin. I felt pain like I had never before. I couldn't bear the pain of the contractions anymore. Finally, after twenty two hours of labor, the doctors told my husband that they would do an emergency Cesarean section. By then I was oblivious to al... ... experiences labor has a profound long term impact on her life. Goer, Henci. "Epidurals Myth Vs Reality." Childbirth Instructor Magazine Winter 1995: 17-22. I took a deep breath and pushed till I thought my eyeballs would pop out. In a gush she arrived, and they laid her on my chest where she immediately started to nurse. My husband started to cry for joy and I just had the biggest grin on my face. I did it, I did it!! Through the research I have done, I have found that you have choices in everything. The choice that I made was worth it -for me and my baby. Natural child birth is fulfilling, and I am thankful for all the help I got to make that happen. Choices in child birthing have to be made carefully and wisely by the family and their OB/GYN doctor. Information is vast in this country, and it is just a matter of educating yourself to make the right choices.

Inflation & The rise of cost Essay

Inflation can be defined as the rise of cost of goods and services in a country; and therefore the cost of living. Inflation can be measured when the cost of a product/service increases over a period of time and therefore decreases the value of money in an economy. Inflation is bad for the economy because of many reasons. One of the reasons is because inflation can decrease the value of money over time and therefore decrease the purchasing power for common people. Apart from that, it tends to create a lot of uncertainty in the economy for producers and buyers. When there is uncertainty in the economy, this leads to a lower level of investment as people are not confident enough to invest, and as a result this leads to a lower economic growth. Inflation also tends to discourage entrepreneurs to expand their businesses or to start a new business because of the high cost of goods and services. This therefore reduces competitiveness in the market which also affects international trades. When there are fewer businesses expanding or opening up, employment rate reduces which increases the level of unemployment rate. When unemployment rates are high, the crime rates increases as people find ways to survive and this affects the safety of the society. On the other hand, a lot of resources are wasted during inflation. For example, during the inflation period, people tend to save their money and spend less; therefore companies have a lower demand rate and have a high wastage on raw materials that were purchased earlier. High inflation rates also make the economy unsustainable as it’s not strong. Source from the US Inflation Calculator, 2009. The graph above shows the inflation rates from the year 2000-2009 in the US. As shown, there was a 3. 8% inflation rate in the year 2008, and has gone down to 0. 2% in 2009. References: US Inflation Calculator (2009) Retrieved on 28th March 2009. http://www. usinflationcalculator. com/inflation/current-inflation-rates/ Inflation fact sheet (2009) Why is Inflation Bad? Retrieved on 28th March 2009. www. reservebank. co. za/internet/Publication. nsf/LADV/C1E04C14CD41930A42257037003E1C24/$File/Factsheet2. pdf

Group Dynamics Essay

Q. 2 what are the types of groups and group dynamics? Answer2: A social process by which people interacts with each other in small group is known as group dynamics. The word dynamic is Greek word which means study of forces operating within a group for the social interaction. Interaction in small group is not always governed by rules and regulations and conventions. In these small groups social relations between persons may play an important role in communication. The Word Dynamics means force. The term group dynamics refers to the forces operating wide in groups for social interest. The investigation of group dynamics consists of a study of these forces and the conditions modifying them. The practical application of group dynamics consists of the utilisation of knowledge about these forces for the achievement of some purpose. Group dynamics is the combination of the certain techniques to be used within groups. GROUP TYPES One common way to classify group is by whether they are formal or informal in nature. Formal work groups are established by an organization to achieve organizational goals. Formal groups may take the form of command groups, task groups, and functional groups. Formal & Informal groups: Formal groups are created and maintained to fulfil specific needs related to the overall organizational mission: a. Designed by Top management for achieving organizational goals b. Concentrates more on the performance of job c. People are placed in hierarchy and their status determined accordingly d. Co-ordination of members are controlled through process, procedures etc Informal Groups are created in the organization because of social and psychological forces operating at the workplace. a. A natural outcome at the work place & not designed and planned b. Organization is coordinated by group norms and not by norms of the formal organization c. Such group associations are not specified in the blue-print of the formal organization COMMAND GROUPS. Command groups are specified by the organizational chart and often consist of a supervisor and the subordinates that report to that supervisor. An example of a command group is an academic department chairman and the faculty members in that department. TASK GROUPS. Task groups consist of people who work together to achieve a common task. Members are brought together to accomplish a narrow range of goals within a specified time period. Task groups are also commonly referred to as task forces. The organization appoints members and assigns the goals and tasks to be accomplished. Examples of assigned tasks are the development of a new product, the improvement of a production process, or the proposal of a motivational contest. Other common task groups are ad hoc committees, project groups, and standing committees. Ad hoc committees are temporary groups created to resolve a specific complaint or develop a process. Project groups are similar to ad hoc committees and normally disband after the group completes the assigned task. Standing committees are more permanent than ad hoc committees and project groups. They maintain longer life spans by rotating members into the group. FUNCTIONAL GROUPS. A functional group is created by the organization to accomplish specific goals within an unspecified time frame. Functional groups remain in existence after achievement of current goals and objectives. Examples of functional groups would be a marketing department, a customer service department, or an accounting department. In contrast to formal groups, informal groups are formed naturally and in response to the common interests and shared values of individuals. They are created for purposes other than the accomplishment of organizational goals and do not have a specified time frame. Informal groups are not appointed by the organization and members can invite others to join from time to time. Informal groups can have a strong influence in organizations that can either be positive or negative. For example, employees who form an informal group can either discuss how to improve a production process or how to create shortcuts that jeopardize quality. Informal groups can take the form of interest groups, friendship groups, or reference groups. FRIENDSHIP GROUPS. Friendship groups are formed by members who enjoy similar social activities, political beliefs, religious values, or other common bonds. Members enjoy each other’s company and often meet after work to participate in these activities. For example, a group of employees who form a friendship group may have an exercise group, a softball team, or a potluck lunch once a month. REFERENCE GROUPS. A reference group is a type of group that people use to evaluate themselves. According to Cherrington, the main purposes of reference groups are social validation and social comparison. Social validation allows individuals to justify their attitudes and values while social comparison helps individuals evaluate their own actions by comparing themselves to others. Reference groups have a strong influence on members’ behavior. By comparing themselves with other members, individuals are able to assess whether their behaviour is acceptable and whether their attitudes and values are right or wrong. Reference groups are different from the previously discussed groups because they may not actually meet or form voluntarily. For example, the reference group for a new employee of an organization may be a group of employees that work in a different department or even a different organization. Family, friends, and religious affiliations are strong reference groups for most individuals. Factors influencing Team and Group  Dynamics Following are some of the factors which influence Team and Group Dynamics. The factors are as follows:   1. The Context of the Team The country and geographic region form a larger culture in which the organization operates. All of these contribute to the economic, political, technical, and cultural climates in which the organization, the team, and the individuals operate. 2. The Organization The kind of organization, such as business, or non-profit, along with the organizational culture will influence the team functioning just as much as the division of the organization such as sales, research, operations, etc. 3. The Team Identity Teams have an identity of their own. This identity stems from the interrelationship of the larger culture, the organizational culture, the team configuration, the nature of the work (purpose), and the qualities of the individuals. It is not the sum of the types, or preferences, or temperaments of the team members. There are many kinds of teams including ad hoc, project, executive, management, committees, and so on. Each team has a charter to fulfil a certain role in the organization. Team dynamics is heavily influenced by the nature and purpose of the work to be done by the team. 4. The Individuals Within this mix of influences are the individual team members who likely have specific kinds of work to perform and specific roles on the team. Individual members influence the team dynamics as well, so much so that when the composition of the team changes, the team dynamics will change.

vbou Essays

vbou Essays vbou Essay vbou Essay History has shown America that with a strong leader national and international aspiration could formulate. The foreign politics of our founding fathers where the base to the growth of America. These decisions made in the past by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe could have determined how we work internationally today. Yet even through big oversea problems our Presidents pulled through to the US team. For example when the war broke out in 1793 between France and Britain George Washington chooses to stay neutral. Being neutral was picked due to their recovery from the Revolutionary war. It finally ended but the British were under watch in the Ohio River valley. To keep America harms way George Washington sent John J to make a treaty to keep away the British. America got to know this as the Jays Treaty. This for a short time restored the peace we once had. Thomas Jefferson tried to follow in the footsteps of Washington but could not. The French and British were at it again. For years America had import export deals with both counties but that was coming to an end. The Embargo Act was put in place to stop trade with America. With this act in place the French and British egan to siege ships. This made it very hard to stay neutral. Jefferson had to come up with a plan quickly or else Americans would have to be faced with another war. To solve this issue the intercourse act was established. This act restored trade with all nations. It said that James Monroe had the toughest foreign policies. One example is when European nations tried to go to South America and increase the size of their empire and he prevents this from happening. He strictly instructed that Europe had to stay away from South America and allow them to colonize themselves. The Irony of this event resulted in the Adams-Onis Treaty which gave America Florida and outlined the Mississippi River. This also expanded future importing and exporting of materials from Spain. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe had the most successful foreign politics of their time. Even after everything the happened these Presidents stayed strong and stopped issue in their tracks. Thanks to these men this era succeeded. They are had different ways of doing things but in the end they were seen as successful Presidents.

Light Rare Earth Elements (LREE)

Light Rare Earth Elements (LREE) The light rare earth elements, light-group rare earths, or LREE are a subset of the lanthanide series of  the rare earth elements, which are themselves a special set of transition metals. Like other metals, the light rare earths have a shiny metallic appearance. They tend to produce colored complexes in solution, conduct heat and electricity, and form numerous compounds. None of these elements occurs in pure form naturally. Although the elements are not that rare in terms of element abundance, they are extremely difficult to isolate from each other. Also, the minerals that bear rare earth elements are not uniformly distributed across the globe, so the elements are uncommon in most countries and must be imported. Elements That Are Light Rare Earth Elements Youll see different sources site slightly different lists of elements classified as LREEs, but the US Department of Energy, US Department of the Interior, US Geological Survey, and national labs use a very specific set of criteria to assign elements to this group. The light-group rare earth elements are based on the configuration of  4f electrons. LREEs have no paired electrons. This makes the LREE group consist of 8 elements with atomic number 57 (lanthanum, with no unpaired 4f electrons) through atomic number 64 (gadolinium, with 7 unpaired 4f electrons): lanthanum (La) - used in high-end optical lenses and in  lanthanum nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) rechargeable batteriescerium (Ce) - the 25th most abundant element in the Earths crust (so not rare at all), used in catalytic converters and the oxide as a polishing powder  praseodymium (Pr) - oxide is used as a catalyst in plastic manufacturing and is combined with zirconium oxide to produce a vivid yellow pigment used in ceramicsneodymium (Nd) - used to make super-strong magnets; neodymium-iron-boron (NeFeB) magnets are used to make cell phones vibratepromethium (Pm) - used to make a phosphorescent pigment and to make the starter switch for fluorescent lampssamarium (Sm) - used in high strength magnets and to make servo-motorseuropium (Eu) - used to make phosphors, notably the reddish-orange color of screens and monitorsgadolinium (Gd) - used in a reactor to control rods to control fission reaction and as a contrast agent to improve magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) Uses of the LREE All of the rare earth metals have great economic importance. There are many practical applications of the light rare earth elements, including: lasermagnetsphosphorsluminous paintscatalystsmetallurgysuperconductorssensorsflat panel displaysmedical tracersmicrophones and speakersrechargeable batteriesfiber opticsnumerous defense applications The Special Case of Scandium The element scandium is considered to be one of the rare earth elements. Although it is the lightest of the rare earths, with atomic number 21, it is not classified as a light rare earth metal. Why is this? Basically, its because an atom of scandium does not have an electron configuration comparable to that of the light rare earths. Like other rare earths, scandium typically exists in a trivalent state, but its chemical and physical properties dont warrant grouping it with either the light rare earths or the heavy rare earths. There are no middle rare earths or other classification, so scandium is in a class by itself.

Analysis of Professional Development Plan Essay Example for Free

Analysis of Professional Development Plan Essay The definition of professional development varies in school districts and educators agree that the term is ever changing and involves the use of technology. Some educators have said that the term has an operational definition. In the article, key design factors in durable instructional technology professional development, author John Wells offers the following definition for educators within the context of the technological age:Professional development†¦goes beyond the term training with its implications of learning skills, and encompasses a definition that includes formal and informal means of helping teachers not only learn new skills, but also develop new insights into pedagogy and their own practices, and explore new or advanced understandings of content and resources. [This] definition of professional development includes support for teachers as they encounter the challenges that come with putting into practice their evolving understanding about the use of technology to support inquiry-based learning (p.2). Professional development may encompass various characteristics such as goals and outcomes aligned to the districts, relevant topics in trainings, opportunities for staff collaboration, development maintained by an on-site coordinator, high quality and professional training and evaluations to determine effectiveness of program. James Polk, author of traits of effective teachers, states, â€Å"the need for a strong professional development program is well established in research† (p.2). Mr. Polk (2006) cites a recent study of factors contributing to three aspects of the teaching process that, â€Å"teachers ranked professional development in the top third of importance on each aspect† (p. 2). In analyzing the professional development plan of my school district, Richland County School District One, I noticed several issues that were identified by Mr. Polk. Mr. Polk outlined several problems associated with the traditional in-service programs that are deemed ineffective. Mr. Polk (2006) states that:assumptions, such as periodic in-service being sufficient to develop new teaching methods and improve practice, teachers being able to learn by listening to a speaker, and professional development being a luxury  rather than an integral part of district improvement, are all negating factors in the implementation of patronization of training programs (p. 2). Mr. Polk further identifies research-based, more effective assumptions such as professional development should be perpetual, and school change involves external and internal organizations and personal development. In professional development programs, the instructions to teacher should be demonstrated or modeled, practiced with feedback and professional development should be integrated into the daily life of teachers. Mr. Polk (2006) states that â€Å"if professional growth rests solely on bimonthly, two-hour in-service sessions after the students are dismissed early, then any training received will unlikely be reflected in student mastery† (p.2). Richland County School District One’s (RSDI) professional development program has several components such as the Plan Do Check Act (PDCA), Avatar, and classroom walkthrough. According to the Richland County School District One’s website, Plan Do Check Act is used in â€Å"designing curriculum and delivering classroom instruction, in providing student support services, staff goal setting and evaluation, developing any new program, product or process design, planning strategically and starting a new improvement project or implementing any change†. The Plan component is identifying the learning problem and gathering the needed data. The Do component is analyzing the causes and implementing the plan on a trial of pilot basis. The Check component of PDCA is gathering the data results of the solution and analyzing the data. The Act component is implementing the instruction for all students and modifying the improvement plan. Avatar is the district’s professional development management system that allows for teaches to sign up for trainings offered by the district. All the trainings are offered after school or in the summer; this contradicts the recommendation offered by Mr. Polk that professional development should be integrated into the daily life of the teacher during the school day. The classroom walkthrough team is a district employee, the principal, assistant principal, and the professional development on-site coordinator. The team conducts the classroom walkthrough by observing the instructional strategies of a teacher for a total of five to ten minutes. The teacher is not offered prior information or feedback on the classroom walkthrough to correct or enhance his instructional strategies. The Richland County School District One website offers the levels of engagement of the students who the team should identify during the walkthrough. The levels; Authentic Engagement, Ritual Engagement, Passive Compliance, Retreatism, and Rebellion and their definitions are cited on the web page but teachers would not know their level due to lack of communication from the classroom walkthrough team. The problem of the poor quality of professional development was identified in the South Carolina schools that I have researched. For example, in Richland County School District Two, the district’s professional development program mirrors Richland County School District One’s program by only focusing on providing monthly in-service trainings on half-days for students or summer in-service activities. Both districts also provide the occasional monthly state or national conference in the teacher’s subject area and online training, i.e. Educational Television. Richland County School District Two differs by offering their Richland School District Two’s Technology Education Collaboration Mentors Program. The program is for school-selected representatives from every school in the district. The program focuses on helping fellow staff members develop personal technology skills and integrate technology into their classroom. Besides this program, I was unable to find any difference from the two districts and the professional development training. Richland County School District One and District Two professional development programs consist of low quality training once a month, irrelevant topics, lack of feedback from teachers and administrators, and concepts but lack of implementation. The districts’ programs lack the scope, high quality, accessibility (besides the Avatar system in RSDI), relevancy, and feedback from students. The majority of the district’s professional development program is the poor quality program described by Mr. Polk; two-hour  in-service sessions after the students are dismissed early from school. Polk, J. (2006). Traits of effective teachers. Arts Education Policy Review, 107, p. 23-30. Wells, J. (2007). Key design factors in durable instructional technology professional development. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 15, p. 101-123. www.richlandone.org/ipda/Training_Tools/pdca.htm and www.richland2.org Analysis of Professional Development Plan. (2016, Jul 04). 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Cleopatra Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cleopatra - Research Paper Example Her family, the Ptolomies, had taken over the Egyptian throne after Alexander the Great won the territory. Although they continued the pharoic tradition of royal inbreeding, the family didn’t seem to adopt many of the other Egyptian traditions, continuing to speak Greek and maintaining their close ties with the Empire, but Cleopatra changed much of these customs. Unfortunately, though, she was to be the last pharaoh of Egypt, living her life from 69-30 BC. Her life and exploits became legendary as did her beauty, the tool she used to gain the degree of influence she had over the other rulers of her time. According to historic sources, Cleopatra began her reign in Egypt as a co-ruler, first with her father and later with her brothers, whom she married according to tradition. She was only 14 years old when she was first given a throne at her father’s side and 18 when he died, leaving the country to her and her 10 year old brother (Perry et al, 2004). At this time, the country had already been struggling for several years and the Egyptian throne, as always, remained an unstable place. From 51 BC to 48 BC, the brother-sister and husband-wife team officially ruled jointly over a country that was troubled by famine, floods, political conflict and economic issues, but Cleopatra made it clear on a consistent basis that she had no intention of giving her younger brother greater authority over her or in sharing his bed (Dudley, 1960). Troubles only escalated when she took her brother’s name off of official documents and his face off of the national coin finally instigating a reb ellion against her among the eunuchs of the palace. Although she tried to resist their forces, she was eventually forced to flee with her sister Arsinoe as her brother Ptolemy was restored to the throne (Green, 1990). This might have been the end of her career had her brother been more mature or more politically astute, but it was largely through his actions that Cleopatra was able to

Questionnaire design Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Questionnaire design - Assignment Example The benefits accrued by a business enterprise as a result of using loyalty programs include economic advantage and non-economic advantages such as sociological, psychological and relational outcome. The wheel of loyalty can be used by firms to effectively make sure that loyalty programs are functional. The first component in the wheel of loyalty is building a foundation for loyalty, which entails factors such as market segmentation to meet the customers need, ensure that the firm is geared to excellence in terms of quality. The next component is creating loyalty bonds, which is enhance by issuing loyalty rewards in form of financial, nonfinancial appreciation and recognition; loyalty bond can also be enhanced by building high level bonds in terms of structural, social and customization; and finally loyalty bonds can be enhanced by strengthening the relationship through techniques such as bundling and cross-selling. The last component in the wheel of customer loyalty is churn drivers that requires the business enterprise to demeanor churn diagnostics and monitor decreasing customers, it will also be necessary for the firm to make sure that switching costs are enabled. It is also very important for the firm to search for value in each customer, not the number of customers they

Occupational Health And Safety Management Essay

Occupational Health And Safety Management - Essay Example In the above context the present study observes the Hazards management of a building construction work site in a residential area. The study identifies the work process of the construction work site, types of hazards during the work process and controlling measures adopted for the identified hazards. Not only that the findings observed in the study are to be correlated and analyzed in the context of south Australian government statutes and existing implications on Occupational safety hazard management system for the effective utilization of the resources. As a relevant place to the purpose of the study, the building construction in the area XYZ was identified as a potential source for the information as it uses modern ways of construction techniques and has relevant working patterns for the observation. The study was carried by direct visit to the XYZ work site. The information on the types of hazards is being analyzed through the discussions with the workers and site inspectors. The information on techniques and safety measures adopted are taken from the site inspectors, Health and safety officer, Building contractors and higher authorities of local government. Findings of the direct visit to the work site: The direct visit to the XYZ has designed in such a way to extract the very key information in regard to the OSHMS practice, and the observed findings are as follows: Working process: The XYZ construction is a multi storied building site, with work in progress to observe the process and to discuss the essentials with the worksite workers. In the work area the workers are involved in the occupations like, masonry works with load carrying, working from heights, plumbing, carpentry works, electrical works, etc., Masonry work: The work process of masonry involves construction of walls, ceiling and floor including 3 or 4 workers working at a same time. Workers are observed to carry the loads of bricks and cement mixture in wheelbarrows to the worker who actually works on the wall construction. The person who is working on the construction of wall is found to be on ladder with all daagjga Types of Hazards observed in work site area: The main types of probable hazards are occurring at the site are observed under 2 categories: 1. Physical Hazards 2. Chemical Hazards. I. The physical hazards: These are the one, which are visible as well as have visible and instant effect on the victims. The following types of hazards are observed in this category. a. Slip/Trip/Fall: There is a high degree of risk observed to occur through these types of hazards, as the work associated with these is carried in a time constraints depending on the machinery and unpredictable weather Falling of workers from High places Accidents in Moving of loads Falling of tools & construction supplies Slipping on watery surface Tripping down of heavy machinery Slipping of ladders from supported wall to floor b. Stuck by: Usually the driver has to

Affection Of Different Identity Categories Essay

Affection Of Different Identity Categories - Essay Example The development of gender relies on the sex of an individual, and it exaggerates the difference between being either a girl or boy. It is influenced by societal beliefs and cultural practices. People are grouped to be either masculine or feminine in this category. Gender dictates what should be done and by who in the society. They are socialized to acquire traditions and values that that will make him or her to fit in the society. They grow holding the traditions of the community that surface later on in their adulthood. This socialization promotes gender disparity in the society. One grows entirely trying to meet the expectations the community has for them. The girl child is socialized to be like her mother. When young she gets associated with various responsibilities that make her learn the difference between her and boys. She starts imitating what her mother does like cooking, playing with dolls, and also cleaning. She grows knowing that women have the responsibility to prepare, t aking care of the kids, aged the sick, cleaning and mainly doing the domestic chores. One becomes an adult knowing that their place is at home and not in the public sphere. Gender determines the courses that we do in schools and also the jobs to do. Gender stereotypes male child. Boys are said to take part in courses such as mathematics and also medicine field while girls who viewed to be feminine are supposed to do social sciences. It further affects the level of employment for women since they cannot freely choose their career.  

English - Pro & Con evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

English - Pro & Con evaluation - Essay Example She uses the same method of evaluation in the second and third paragraphs, which discuss the second option (Chicago) and the third option (Louisville) respectively. The order and details she uses to support her arguments are in line in all the paragraphs. She first looks at the priorities and preferences of each vacation area. She begins by evaluating if the place meets their criteria; somewhere that provides a lively mix of activity and relaxation time. She follows up by evaluating on the cost for food and accommodation per person per night. Finally, she evaluates on the transportation costs to and from Michigan. In the end, Cordaro provides a conclusion on their decision. She tells us which option they chose (Louisville) and why they chose this option. She also gives us a summary of their vacation experience in Louisville. In this summary, she shows how ideal Louisville was as a vacation spot and finishes by commenting on their bravado of planning a fabulous vacation that met their needs and budget. Cordaro’s arguments are highly effective because they consider all their priorities and preferences criteria in choosing the ideal vacation destination, even though their final decision rationale is on a different reason i.e. All of them had been to both Chicago and South Haven, but none of them had ever been to

The Pyramids in Giza Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Pyramids in Giza - Essay Example The flight to Cairo was extremely long, with delays and the usual combination of drama and comedy involved in international flights; the destination would be worth it, I told myself. The Captain had just notified us that we were leaving Saudi Arabia flying towards Egypt when I noticed from my wing side seat that the ground below us looked like a plethora of interesting shapes, mostly â€Å"stones† in the middle of a dessert. I later came to realize that these â€Å"stones† were actually buildings. Along the Nile delta, there is greenery, but I soon discovered that dust and sand was the order of the day. Believe it or not, twenty-eight hours after takeoff, we finally taxied down the runway at Cairo airport. It was a step back in time! It wasn’t a particularly hot evening; thankfully wisdom had decreed that we make the journey during the winter months when the sun was not so likely to bake us from the outside in. After traveling for more than one day, exhaustion ha d set in and the only thing I was truly interested in was a hot shower, something to eat, and a still place to lie down.  At the hotel, which, by the way, faced the Nile River, we secured our room and proceeded to unwind.

English - Pro & Con evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

English - Pro & Con evaluation - Essay Example She uses the same method of evaluation in the second and third paragraphs, which discuss the second option (Chicago) and the third option (Louisville) respectively. The order and details she uses to support her arguments are in line in all the paragraphs. She first looks at the priorities and preferences of each vacation area. She begins by evaluating if the place meets their criteria; somewhere that provides a lively mix of activity and relaxation time. She follows up by evaluating on the cost for food and accommodation per person per night. Finally, she evaluates on the transportation costs to and from Michigan. In the end, Cordaro provides a conclusion on their decision. She tells us which option they chose (Louisville) and why they chose this option. She also gives us a summary of their vacation experience in Louisville. In this summary, she shows how ideal Louisville was as a vacation spot and finishes by commenting on their bravado of planning a fabulous vacation that met their needs and budget. Cordaro’s arguments are highly effective because they consider all their priorities and preferences criteria in choosing the ideal vacation destination, even though their final decision rationale is on a different reason i.e. All of them had been to both Chicago and South Haven, but none of them had ever been to

Multicultural Classroom Essay Example for Free

Multicultural Classroom Essay Teacher’s self assessment about his level of consciousness and awareness of other races, religion and cultures helps him a lot in planning the class room activity effectively. Talking about the crucial role of teachers in creating a multicultural class room, Betty Wilson highlights the importance of teachers learning of new cultures. She says: I think its very important for teachers to know their own cultures very well and study their own cultures, because then they begin to become more reflective listeners. They look at other peoples cultures in a different light, and they begin to see the similarities and differences in their cultures. It becomes a journey in a classroom of learning, because by the teacher sharing their own culture, then the students are more open to that. (Wilson, 2000) As Betty Wilson, the director of multicultural education at Oak Park School, rightly points out learning other cultures will be an enriching experience This demands not only learning new things and cultivating new habits but also unlearning old habits and beliefs. A resource center rich in solutions for the teachers solves many of the dilemmas of the teacher of multi-cultural class room. Sharing the experiences of other faculty members across the university or other institutions will be immensely useful for solving many of the issues in the day to day activities in the class room. Creating opportunities for knowing other cultures about their history and present situation and problems should be made a part of academic curricula. Planning on campus or off campus events teachers and their assistant will have a better understanding of the needs of young people who are members of different cultures. A multi-cultural celebration day is a wonderful idea for all the students who come from different cultures to express themselves freely and to recognize and understand the importance of other cultures. Setting up a bulletin board that gives equal importance to all the five different cultures without hurting the feelings of others is major step in announcing the multi-cultural festival. The board provides ample space for exhibiting the important or representative symbols all the cultures that are present in the class room. Assigning the work to the students to create their own poster expressing their cultural values and symbols encourages all the students and involves every student in the work. Monitoring their work without any interference in their creative expression is a delicate task and it should be dealt with very sensitively. Giving clear instructions in advance will solve many delicate issues. For example, informing the students clearly the place of their poster on the bulletin board following an objective method like the alphabetical order avoids scope for conflict. In fact, to create multicultural class room is a continuous process. It does not end with a multicultural festival. It requires careful planning and meticulous execution over a period of time to establish strongly a base for multicultural class room environment. It will not happen in a day or a semester. It is a demanding work for life long involving learning and unlearning. Creating a healthy multicultural class room is not just the work of the class teacher only. It needs active participation of every teaching and non teaching staff member of the institution. The support and leadership of the authorities who run the institution and the participation of all the departments are the foundation on which the edifice of a multicultural class room can be built. Of course, the process is bound to have certain occasional failures and setbacks but the process should be an ongoing one. It requires a lot of determination, time, effort and money and the investment of all these are worth building a multicultural world for a happy and healthy coexistence. It calls for a long-term investment, an investment in our own growth and change as well as in our students and in the university and society of which they and we will continue to be a part. (Mark Chesler, 2003) References Chesler Mark (2003) Teaching Well in the Diverse/Multicultural Classroom http://www.eduplace.com/science/profdev/articles/scott.html

Crimes And Misdemeanors Analysis Philosophy Essay

Crimes And Misdemeanors Analysis Philosophy Essay Woody Allens film, Crimes and Misdemeanors, explores the different ways that ethics play in the inner workings of the human mind. Throughout the film, the audience witnesses the roles that ethics play in the lives of five different men: Judah Rosenthal, a successful ophthalmologist; Clifford Stern, a struggling documentary filmographer; Lester, a famous producer; Ben, a rabbi whose sense of sight is beginning to fail; and Louis Levy, a philosophical theorist. By the end of the film, each character demonstrates, through his words and actions, how his own system of ethics affects the choices he makes in life. The films first central character to be introduced is Judah Rosenthal, a successful ophthalmologist who seems to be living a perfect life; he is wealthy, successful, and lives with a loving wife. However, despite how he has everything that would seemingly lead to a happy life, he remains troubled by his immoral affair with Dolores Paley, a lonesome woman whom he met years ago. Despite how he managed to keep his affair a secret, Judah realizes that his success is put in danger as Dolores begins to pressure him to make their relationship public. She threatens that unless Judah fulfills her wishes, she would jeopardize him revealing his shady financial transactions and their scandalous affair to the public, including to his wife and friends. Judah must now make a decision that is ultimately an ethical dilemma: he could either do the right thing by confessing his misdeed and hope for the best, which could mean potentially ruining everything hes worked for, or he could save himself the tr ouble by hiring his brother Jack to find someone to murder Dolores and to bring to an end all of his troubles. Though he initially hesitates to do so, Judah ultimately chooses the latter, believing that life is harsh and empty of values and that the murdering of Dolores is the only way he can save himself. As the film progresses, it is revealed that Judah believes that we live in a cold world, where there is no God on whom we can look up to. He states that, God is a luxury that [he] cant afford, and reveals that he would ultimately choose not to confess and beg his wife for forgiveness. In his eyes, such mercy does not exist; he believes that, in the real world, one must do whatever it takes to achieve happiness and success because there exists no higher power to maintain justice. Moreover, one must fend for himself and independently determine what is right, what is wrong, and what is best for him. This ethical system, which prioritizes self-preservation, is what ultimately causes J udah to murder Dolores. On the other hand, Ben, the rabbi, at one point states that Judah maintains a spark of [moral] notion deep inside. This notion, which leads him to know in his heart the morality of his actions, is what causes him to become anxious and tense; it is what reminds him that Dolores isnt just an insect that he can step on. Judah conclusively chooses to murder Dolores, but tries to justify his actions because acted using a utilitarian rationale, protecting his success and doing what is best for the most people. In the end, Judahs decisions and his ethical rationale, which emphasizes self-preservation, have their roots in his view of the life as being cold and harsh. A character that has a minor, but important, role in the film is Ben the rabbi. He serves somewhat as a foil to Judah: as a man of religion, he believes that the world is a lawful and loving place. He believes that the world has a moral structure, with real meaning, [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] and a higher power. Without this structure, the world would have no basis to live. Hence, it becomes evident that Ben lives his life according to his system of ethics, which revolves around his faith in the omniscient God. The choices he makes pose no problem for him because he puts all of his faith and trust in a universe that is loving and lawful. When he counsels Judah, he simply tells him that he must simply accept life as it is presented because God will eventually justify everything in the future. The fact that Ben is physically blind has some symbolic significance: he disregards the wickedness and darkness of the world and blindly trusts his faith. Despite the fact that his blind faith may be mistaken, Ben accepts God over truth and believes that it will lead to a better life than all those that doubt. The films second central character is Clifford Stern, a struggling documentary filmmaker. Clifford is also a virtuous man, but in a different manner. Rather than putting all of his faith into one entity or idea, like Ben, Clifford lives by his own terms. He decides for himself what is right or wrong by examining the effects an action has on the world. He spends his time looking at the effects that his words and actions will lead to rather than the happiness or success to come. This is demonstrated through the manner in which Clifford creates his documentaries: he focuses on material that he sees as significant, such as pollution, cancer, and philosophy, rather than trying to earn a quick buck by simply doing what other demand of him. Though Cliffords loving affection for Halley Reed despite his marriage may be seen as being immoral, it is ethically acceptable in his perspective because not only he knows that he and his wife are bound to become divorced, but also because he is trying to find true love with Halley, a pursuit that he considers to be a fundamental aspect of life. It becomes evident that Clifford is an idealist; he is always looking for meaning in both his documentaries and his life, and this ultimately serves as the basis of what he sees as right and wrong. Clifford remains steadfast in his moral beliefs despite how they may stop him from obtaining what he desires most. For instance, he makes Lester appear absurd and shallow in his biographical documentary of him despite how it could have brought Clifford recognition and success. Despite how the film closes with Clifford feeling dejected, he is still portrayed as a man of virtue who remains steadfast in his system of ethics. The films foil to Clifford is a character named Lester, a famous Hollywood producer. His system of ethics mainly relies on whatever makes him the most successful and happy. To Lester, whatever bring the most satisfaction is right while whatever brings failure is wrong. As a result, Lester does whatever he pleases and seems to completely ignores the moral aspect of things. This is particularly the reason why Lester is portrayed as being crude, arrogant, and womanizing. Additionally, Lester is the complete opposite of Clifford when it comes to the significance of the material he produces-he only cares about the ratings because they will grant him wealth, fame, and a closet full of Emmys. Lesters shallow demeanor can be further seen in his seemingly only ethical question in the film when he asks, Am I a phony? Immediately, however, he resolves the troubling though by believing that others are merely jealous of him, and he proceeds to quickly forget about it. The fact that Lester is able to quickly forget about the troubling matter supports the view that he is faced with seemingly no inner conflict due to how he merely accepts what grants him happiness instead of actually considering the moral aspects of his actions. Another character in the film that has a unique ethical system that he abides by is Louis Levy, a philosopher that Clifford features in his documentaries. Levy uses love to judge whether something is right or wrong. He states that only love gives meaning to the indifferent universe. He believes that life is simply a search for the thing that will allow us to survive the indifferent universe and that the actions people take to attain it makes them who they are. But if love is not found and people feel that it isnt worth it anymore, people begin to feel an inner anxiety and pressure. This struggle was what led Levy to commit suicide or go out the window. Hence, by observing the actions and the words of the films different characters, the different types of ethical system and ways people judge right and wrong are revealed. From an examination of each characters distinct set of virtues and ideas of morality, the audience is able to comprehend the nature and the reasoning behind their decisions and actions.

Effects Of Technology :: essays research papers

The Effects of Technology   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is no escape from technology. In most cases this is not a problem though. Many people respect and admire technology because it is there to benefit them. Without the technological advances we have had over the years, the world would not be what it is today. What people don’t understand is that technology can actually be a bad thing. In society today, people are looking for more and more ways to be entertained, and all it is doing is causing problems. People are doing less and less thinking and more and more watching, listening, and playing, all because of technology. Forms of entertainment like the Internet, television and even video games seem harmless to people, but they are really not. When the Internet was first introduced, people never thought it would be as big as it is today. The Internet is an easy to use technology that can do just about anything. But what people don’t understand is that the Internet is not all good. Much of the information posted on sites on the Internet is merely opinions, not factual information. When people look at this information, it looks and seems like trustful information, but most of the time, it is not.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although the Internet is a relatively new technology, television has been around for about fifty years. There are many problems with television though, mainly with the content of the shows. Many of the shows on television portray violence, drugs, sexual activity, and profanity. People who watch these shows see what the actors and actresses are doing and then feel it is all right for them to do the same things. If a kid is watching a show were one of the actors or actresses use profanity, they will feel it is all right for them to use the same language. When television first came on the market about fifty years ago, families had one television at the most in the household, and most families only used the television for the news or for an occasional show or two. Today, it is a rarity if you find only one television in a household. Most families have numerous televisions in their house and use it more and more for entertainment purposes. People of all ages are addicted to television. On average, people watch about thirty hours of television a week. But the people who go beyond this mark are known to society as “couch potatoes';.

Freedom of Thought in Solzhenitsyns One Day in the Life of Ivan Deniso

There are many definitions of the term "freedom." Some will say that to be free one must be allowed to do as one pleases in terms of one's physical body, while others will say that one must only be able to think to be truly free. Yet another group will argue that both aspects must be present for true freedom to exist. In many of his books, but specifically One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn deals with the idea that the mind is not truly free. He believed that since there is an inherent desire for approval within the human race, any thoughts that agree with the values of society cannot be deemed free thinking since the thinker could simply be searching for approval. Some critics believe that "this implies a double standard on freedom of thought," and that "freedom is inherent in the very process of thought" (Fink 1). Solzhenitsyn believed that it was nearly impossible to have truly free thoughts under the prison camp conditions described in One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, or in any situation where there is an authoritarian ruler. In a pris... Freedom of Thought in Solzhenitsyn's One Day in the Life of Ivan Deniso There are many definitions of the term "freedom." Some will say that to be free one must be allowed to do as one pleases in terms of one's physical body, while others will say that one must only be able to think to be truly free. Yet another group will argue that both aspects must be present for true freedom to exist. In many of his books, but specifically One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn deals with the idea that the mind is not truly free. He believed that since there is an inherent desire for approval within the human race, any thoughts that agree with the values of society cannot be deemed free thinking since the thinker could simply be searching for approval. Some critics believe that "this implies a double standard on freedom of thought," and that "freedom is inherent in the very process of thought" (Fink 1). Solzhenitsyn believed that it was nearly impossible to have truly free thoughts under the prison camp conditions described in One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, or in any situation where there is an authoritarian ruler. In a pris...

Dell Computers Essay

Dell Computer pioneered a new way of making and selling personal computers. Its customers â€Å"custom-design† their computer over the Internet or phone. Dell reengineered its â€Å"supply chain† as it coordinated its efforts with its suppliers and streamlined its order-taking and production process. It can ship a computer within two days of taking an order. Personal computers lose 1 percent of their value every week they sit on a shelf. Thus, having virtually no inventory is a great advantage to Dell. Compaq tried to adopt Dell’s approach, but with limited success. Dell’s CEO Michael Dell understood that kind of execution. His direct-sales and build-to-order approach was not just a marketing tactic to bypass retailers; it was the core of his business strategy. Execution is the reason Dell passed Compaq in market value years ago, despite Compaq’s vastly greater size and scope, and it’s the reason Dell passed Compaq in 2001 as the world’s biggest maker of PCs. As of November 2001, Dell was shooting to double its market share, from approximately 20 to 40 percent. Dell turns its inventory over eighty times a year, compared with about ten to twenty times for its rivals, and its working capital is negative. As a result, it generates an enormous amount of cash. In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2002, with revenues of $8. 1 billion and an operating margin of 7. 4 percent, Dell had cash flow of $1 billion from operations. Its return on invested capital for fiscal 2001 was 355 percent—an incredible rate for a company with its sales volume. Its high velocity also allows it to give customers the latest technological improvements ahead of other makers, and to take advantage of falling component costs—either to improve margins or to cut prices. These are the reasons Dell’s strategy became deadly for its competitors once PC growth slowed. Dell capitalized on their misery and cut prices in a bid for market share, increasing the distance between it and the rest of the industry. Because of its high velocity, Dell could show high return on capital and positive cash flow, even with margins depressed. Its competition couldn’t. The system works only because Dell executes meticulously at every stage. The electronic linkages among suppliers and manufacturing create a seamless extended enterprise. A manufacturing executive we know who worked at Dell for a time calls its system â€Å"the best manufacturing operation I’ve ever seen. In 1998, Dell Computers launched its first global brand advertising campaign, beginning in the United States and Canada, to further highlight the advantages of its direct business model. The brand advertising campaign carries the theme â€Å"Be Direct. † The campaign highlights Dell’s unique business model, which helps to eliminate barriers between customers and the manufacturer, providing Dell with the means to enhance the overall customer experience. Dell’s advertising has focused primarily on its products and has been targeted largely at computer-enthusiast and industry trade publications, cable and local television and a few national newspapers. The â€Å"Be Direct† campaign will be in addition to the company’s ongoing product-oriented advertising. The new brand campaign emphasizes the strengths and advantages of Dell’s direct-to-customer business philosophy. The direct model, pioneered by Dell in the computer industry, enables Dell customers to have computer systems built to their specifications; a single point of accountability; award-winning service and support; and fast access to the latest relevant technology. Presently, the growing number of orders comes in over the Internet. The order-taking system interfaces with Dell’s own supply chain control system, which ensures that inventory is where it needs to be for the computer to be manufactured quickly. In addition, Dell stores very little inventory. Instead, Dell’s suppliers have built warehouses close to Dell’s facilities, and Dell orders parts on a just-in-time basis. By implementing these strategies, Dell has been able to provide customers with exactly what they want very quickly. In addition, inventory costs are low, and Dell minimizes the danger of parts obsolescence in the rapidly changing computer industry. In this way, Dell has become a dominant player in the desktop PC market and is well on its way to doing so in the laptop and server markets. References Cravens, D. W. & Piercy, N. (2003). Chapter 1: Strategic Planning and Decision Making. NJ: McGraw-Hill Companies. http://www.dell.com

Dialectical Theory

Interpersonal relationships have been the subject of research and discussion for many centuries. Whether a relationship lasts or breaks depends so much on how the parties involved respond to the emerging challenges and how they respond to issues. According to the dialectic theory, all relationships undergo tensions which often result into contradictions. It is how the parties engaged in a relationship respond to tensions that shapes the way parties will handle tensions. For a husband and wife in a marriage or a boyfriend and girl friend in a love affair, the knowledge of the underlying assumptions of the dialectic theory is fundamental. This essay looks into the impact of dialectical tensions in relationships, the management of tensions in relationships and finally the strategies those in relationships can adopt to deal with tensions. The writer incorporates personal experience of tensions to expound and make clearer the points deliberated. Autonomy This is the desire to be independent in the things that you set out to do and also in your entire life. It occurs regardless of the closeness or intimacy that one has established with his/her partner or even with other people. The need to be autonomous in a relationship may lead to conflicts since your partner expects you to cooperate and do everything together inclusive of sharing ideas and experiences. Individual identity This refers to the process of trying to understand oneself in a better way. It involves making attempts of stabling ones weaknesses and strengths so that one can be able to his/her living grounds. It can result to tensions in a relationship in that on the process of trying to understand yourself your weaknesses may outweigh your strengths and this may bring about doubts on the side of tour partner. Change This is the desire to acquire and sustain variety for example in a relationship. It can be both positive and negative whereby negative change brings about much tension in a relationship. This refers to turning against the plans and agreements that were entered into during the beginning of the relationship. Desire for Separation This refers to the strong need to part ways with your partner may be because of inevitable circumstances like a job or due to existence of varied decisions between the partners whereby none wants to give in to each other’s decisions. This leads to tensions in a relationship and it can even yield into a divorce. Varied approaches- this refers to use of different means and ways to solve problems or address issues in the relationship by the partners. The partners may therefore have a lot of disagreements and this strains and puts tensions to the relationship. Privacy- this refers to the tendency of keeping things to oneself. The partners may decide not to disclose anything to each other and this really puts a lot of tension to the relationship since open-ness is not practiced. I have been in an intimate relationship for the past five years. Although there have been fundamental communication differences, at least the theory of dialectical tensions has been evident through out. There have been tensions which require to be solved constantly. First of all, my partner is from a different religious background, very committed and totally unyielding to compromise. Constantly the practices and doctrines he advocates are against my personal beliefs. On the other hand, I am reserved and although religious, I am not overly given into religiosity as was the case with my partner. Dialectical tensions are manifested in that, while my partner desires to have a baby I do not and often it is a subject of debate, something which has been going on and on for the last three years. Although both of us have learnt how to balance the tensions, it has taken quite a number of strategies and a good measure of effort. First of all, we had to agree on how many kids we were going to have if any. Secondly, we were in different careers with different goals in life. The prospects of marriage and therefore of having to raise a family together implied that one or both of us had to make quick changes to career path and it turned out to be me. This obviously was the last thing I had anticipated for and my family members as well as close friends were very much against such a decision. So a decision had to be made and for that matter very fast. To achieve a balance of the contradictions I had to balance between what I wanted for my relationship versus what my friends and family wanted for me. I also had to balance between the career and the prospects of changing as well as the cost that goes with raising a well rounded family. I also had to balance between being faithful and obedient to my spouse and being truthful to myself. Integration/separation. The fact that I was changing career paths in order to be together with my spouse meant that, I was undergoing a major dilemma as far as sacrificing my identity was concerned. We were going to integrate into marriage and therefore someone if not both of us needed to make some sacrifices. I made some. In terms of the advice and discouragement from my friends, I had to ignore their pleas. This was a separation in that, my decision which was final was against their advice and therefore a separation resulted. Stability/change. Having underwent several relationships which were all intimate, switching or at least breaking one and later forming another was a change in itself. This resulted into stability tension in that. Every time I entered into a relationship, I never wanted to break it even if it seemed like it was not headed into a marriage. There was and imminent fear of life without this and that partner and this was a major cause of stability tension for me. Expression/privacy. This tension has continued to grip me to date, disclosing to my partner something has never been easy especially when the consequences are not clear and are unpredictable. In my current relationship, I am the private one while my partner is the open one. While my partner can virtually open up about any issue however damaging or secret, I always find myself struggling to do that. It takes a lot of pestering to get information out of me especially when I consider the information potentially damaging. Strategies of responding to the above tensions. The strategies discussed here are real and have worked for me. In my relationship whereby the partner and I have major differences, including religious beliefs, I had to select to hang by my feelings and choice of action. It was not going to join my partners bandwagon and subscribe to the religious sect he belonged to. This eventually worked as he later accepted my choice. If I had acted in order to please him, I was going to suffer. I would have just sacrificed too much for nothing. In that, my strategy worked. By sticking to my position but still maintaining the relationship, I learnt how to cope with the tension of differences. In all other relationships before marriage, I ended up adopting separation strategy hence the reason why I would break up if a relationship was not working. Reaffirmation to me was not an ideal strategy in my relationship, although I hold the view that, it is applicable in cases whereby a spouse may be sickly but however serious the condition, the loved ones look up to the person getting well one day. In some cases it could be that, a relationship is abusive and a partner keeps on promising that they will change although actually nothing ever happens. Reframing again for me is a strategy I use in my current situation whereby I look at the demands of my relationship differently and therefore gives a new meaning to every contradiction. The tension of having to change career path so as to marry was a dialectical tension I overcame using the reframing strategy. Conclusion. Dialectical theory is very much effective for relationships and I would suggest it to all of the buddies out there who are undergoing hard times in their relationships. From the meanings to the strategies, an in-depth solution to tensions is offered. Therefore theoretical theory is an ideal alternative to solving crisis in relationships.

How to Discover Your Life Dreams

How To Discover Your Life Dreams I have an assignment for you Do you want to know why you were born? What your sacred mission In life Is? Here's what you do: Schedule a few hours for a personal retreat; a whole day is even better. Get your calendar and cross out that special day with a fat red pen. No one touches that day, It's your date where you discuss your life with God. Take that extended time of personal reflection and bring these questions with you. Here are some â€Å"heart questions† for you to answer†¦ Questions To Answer: What are your greatest strengths?What Is the primary gift that has been given to you to bless the world? What do you enjoy doing the most? What were the happiest moments of your life? What were you doing during those moments? If given an opportunity to live In anyway and do anything?no matter how crazy your choice would be?what kind of life would you choose to live? Imagine yourself on your 75th birthday: What kind of person would you want to be by that time? If family members were to honor you on your 75th birthday party, and thank you and speak about the good things that you have done,what would you want them to ay to you? Ђ Write down a tentative Personal Mission Statement: From your answers above, write a tentative Personal Mission Statement. This one sentence should express what you most deeply believe your life should attain at the end of your days. It should be inspiring and moving as well. And don't worry if it won't be perfect. Your Personal Mission Statement should undergo much revision and editing as the weeks, months, and years go by. You should review your Personal Mission Statement in prayer regularly.Finally, write down your Life-Dreams Now that eve written down a Personal Mission Statement, write down a description of your life twenty years down the road. Picture yourself, your schedule, your work, your house, your relationships, your projects, your character in vivid detail. Don't worry if you fill a few pages for your Life-Dreams. Let your heart speak as you paint in the canvas of your imagination. Create Your Financial Plan Based On Your Life-Dreams After writing your Life-Dreams document, write your financial plan: How much you should be earning next year. Writing down a financial goal is an exercise in faith.And an exercise in personal commitment. Your mind will be forced to open up and think of ways how those goals would be met. When I did this, it was as though power was being released as I wrote my financial goals. But as I scribbled on paper every crazy idea that came to my mind, I repeatedly kept going back to my divinely appointed mission in life? because that was how God was going to provide for me. Let me explain. I believe that when we're faithful to our mission and give ourselves to the world and genuinely help people live a better life, we see the world repaying back.When we give, we receive?and we Just don't receive, but we receive much more than what we have gi ven. Why? Because God has written the Law of reciprocity in the fabric of the universe. Naturally, for this Law of Reciprocity to work, you need to charge what you are worth and not undersell yourself. Earning money doesn't make you less spiritual. If the money that you're going to earn is to support your God-appointed Life-Dreams, it is very spiritual. (It's another issue altogether to be working for a religious ministry or a rather to pick up non-monetary rewards in the after life.So far, Vive been able to attain my financial goals?enough to support my family and more than enough to be generous to those in need? the second part being an intrinsic part of my mission. But more importantly, by creating a financial plan based on my Life-Dreams, I live deliberately, and money is still connected to my mission?not something apart from it. Because success for me isn't having the greatest wealth but the fulfillment of my life-dreams?ninety percent of which aren't financial. May your dreams come true, Boo Sanchez

Cancer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Cancer - Essay Example However, in the recent times, the incidence of cancer has been on the rise (Dein, 2006, p. 35). There are various dietary, genetic, lifestyle related and environmental factors that could cause cancer (Dein, 2006, p. 35). Medical experts associate this trend with a range of factors such as pollution, smoking, stress, improper dietary choices, faulty lifestyles, substance abuse, genetics and the like, which negatively influence the cell division mechanisms in the body and lead to cancerous tumors in different human organs (Dein, 2006, p. 35). To put it in simple words, cancer happens to be an uncontrolled division of cells in an organism’s body (Weinberg, 1999, p. 1). In a healthy individual the division of body cells is systematic and controlled and facilitates many important body functions and physiological developments. However, in case this cell division gets uncontrolled, it may form a tumor, the name attributed to a mass of abnormal cells (Weinberg, 1999, p. 1). As cancero us tumors are composed of abnormal cells, they do not serve any healthy function in an organism’s body. Rather, an unobstructed growth of cancerous tumors obstructs the normal working of the healthy tissues and in extreme cases, if not checked through medical intervention, may cause death (Weinberg, 1999, p. 1). Cancers are caused by a variety of reasons or factors. They may infect any part or tissue in a body. Many a time cancers are caused by genetic disorders (Adrouny, 2002, p. 7).

Homework Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Homework - Assignment Example ng if or not the kanban system is the modern equivalent of Economic Quantity Research system and whether or not, the operating conditions are more important than the reorder point system used. According to the World Wide Web, kanban may be defined as a system that is designed to ensure that sufficient tools/supplies for workers for when and where they need it. In other words this production system is designed for continuous manufacturing. This system is most times compared to a supermarket. For example a supermarket that uses a Point-of-sale (POS) system, once a customer pays for something through the cash point and the items are scanned, at the end of the day, it sends the sale history to the warehouse. From there they will know what to order to replenish stock. In contrast to the Economic Order Quantity Research (EOC), which is basically an equation used to determine minimum and maximum stock levels they perform the same duties and provide satisfactory results. I believe they are similar in more ways than one but the main difference is the way they are carried out. 2. There is considerable evidence that getting the correct operating conditions is more important than the choice between MRP, kanban, or reorder point methods in the MPC system. How general do you believe this situation to be? Generally, I agree reason being, all the methods mentioned above provide basically the same results with little difference in calculation methods and time. So most definitely the only thing that would hinder positive and profitable results would be conditions under which they are

Does Playing Violent Video Games Increase Aggressiveness Research Paper

Does Playing Violent Video Games Increase Aggressiveness - Research Paper Example Principal Investigator (PI) Information Name Maricel Walsh Relationship to NSU: Faculty Staff Student x Home Mailing Address (for students) 15420 SW 74th circle ct City/State/Zip: Miami, Fl 33193 Office Phone: 786 873 0511 Home Phone (for students): 305 752 7884 NSU Center/College/Dept: Farguhar College Behavioral Science Dept. NSU Email Address: wmaricel@nova.edu Fax: Co-Investigators (Co-I) Information (including faculty advisers): Co-Investigator 1 Co-Investigator 2 Co-Investigator 3 Name Todd Coy, Ph.D. Address Dept of Social and Behavioral Science Contract Phone Number Email Address Crandy@nova.edu Have the PI, Co-I, and any research assistants completed the NSU-designated human subject's research training (CITI Program) Yes X No If you answered yes, please include a copy of your training certificate. If you answered no to this question, please note that no IRB action may take place until proof of completion of training is provided. II. Funding Information Will this research be funded Yes No X If yes was indicated, please provide the following information: A. Source of Funding N/A_______________________________________________ B. Project Title (if different from above) ________________________________ C. Principal Investigator (if different from above) __________________________ D. Type of Application: Grant____ Subcontract_____ Contract_____ Fellowship______ E. Date of Submission ______________________ F. Grant Amount ___________________ Do any investigators have a significant financial interest (as defined by NSU policy: http://www.nova.edu/ogc/forms/ogc9906.pdf) in relation to this study Yes No X If you answered yes, please be sure to include within the...Please note, ONLY ONE copy of all research instruments (tests instruments, interview protocols, etc.) must be submitted. The completed package must be received by the OGC by the last business day of the month prior to the next scheduled IRB meeting. The IRB web site should be consulted for the meeting dates of the IRB. Incomplete forms will delay review by the IRB. For either type of review the pages of the packet must be numbered sequentially. For further information, refer to the Policy and Procedure Manual for Research with Human Subjects. If you answered yes, please include a copy of your training certificate. If you answered no to this question, please note that no IRB action may take place until proof of completion of training is provided. If you answered yes, please be sure to include within the description section of all applicable consent forms the following statement: "The principal investigator a

Organisational Behaviour Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Organisational Behaviour - Research Paper Example It is difficult for any workplace to be without stereotypes. This is because the nature of a workplace has an evaluation aspect, and stereotypes are responses to evaluation (Kray & Shirako 2009). The generalisations arising from stereotyping are usually done to make the decision making process easier, and are not deliberate attempts to make others feel incompetent. Stereotyping thus reduces the effectiveness of organisations. Correct organisational behaviour practices minimize the negative effects of stereotyping in the workplace. The purpose of organisational behaviour, as a field of study, is to make the organisations work with more effectiveness (Robbins & Judge 2013). This research paper will discuss the effects, evidence and applications of stereotyping based on the grouping of age. The issue of age in the workplace is an important aspect for at least three reasons. One, there is a perception in most cultures that the productivity of a person decreases with increasing age. Two, the workforce is aging in many developed countries including Australia, UK and USA. And three, many countries are increasing the retirement age, or completely doing away with the concept of retirement age. The influence of negative stereotype can affect ones performance at work. A case reported by Roberson & Kulik (2007, p.26) describes a situation where older workers have mastered ‘the look’ when they are introduced to persons who feel that they are too old to do work. A fifty seven year old accountant will conclude that a person finds him to be incompetent because of his age with comments such as ‘you had such a young voice on the phone’. A comment similar to the one describe can be concluded to mean that the commenter would have preferred (and was expecting) a younger accountant for one reason or the other. Desmette and Gaillard (2008) report that older workers

Possible Danger of Posting Personal Information in Networking Research Paper

Possible Danger of Posting Personal Information in Networking - Research Paper Example On the sites, the content creation of the users and the social interaction and networking between users are not separate. Both the activities take place in one environment and this poses a challenge to the policy developers. More than 50 per cent of the teens use these social networking sites and do not appear to have reservations about balancing privacy and awareness. The adults use it to remain connected and the businesses to derive benefits out of it. Despite the benefits, the pitfalls can be precarious. This paper will discuss whether this has led to a generational shift in how people relate between private and public space. Web 2.0 is the second generation of web-based services and tools that emphasize online sharing collaboration among users. It is no longer a place that holds static pages; it is no longer a â€Å"medium† that people come to. The web pages are now dynamic and organized and based on serving web applications to users. It is now a platform that enables or delivers Web-based services to users, independent of the computer they use. Web 2.0 has no ‘walled gardens’ which implies information can freely flow in and out of the web services (James, 2007). There are rich user experience and data organization; it provides services and has characteristics that support and enhance interaction among users. Web 2.0 helps to create websites that look and can act like desktop programs. Examples of web 2.0 include Blogs and Wikis, IM Chat, tagging, RSS Feeds, Google Maps and Docs. Photos and video sharing and social networking are the web 2.0 tools, social office suites and podcasts (C arpenter & Steiner, 2005).

High school diploma Essay Example for Free

High school diploma Essay I did 4 years in Senn High School and there were a lot of problems in school. Dropping out of high school is a huge issue for many teens today. As society demands hardworking graduates with good character, the nation should require keeping teens from dropping out of school and improving student’s education for the future. There are many causes for why teenagers drop out of school. But there are few solutions for allowing them to finish high school with high diplomas. Pregnancies, drugs, gang involvement and bullying play a big role in the dropout rate. How can high schools help students to earn their high school diplomas and stop dropping out of school? Many kids attend High schools that have a different culture, or way of doing things. I will always remember my years of high school. However, I feel my high school years have been the most memorable. I strongly believe that high school is the open door, into the rest of my life. The last days of my high school career are fast approaching and I can only imagine how Ill be feeling when I step out of Senn High School for the very last time. Throughout these four years, I have felt a lot of requirements about graduating high school. I didnt think that the time to graduate would come soon enough. I came across a great interest essay that starts with the question of why smart kids are, on average, low status in the high school environment. The short answer is that being popular in that environment is a full time job, and smart kids, even if they want to be popular, want to do other things as well. The author goes on to make quite a lot of interesting, understanding, and disturbing points about how children are brought up. What bothers me is not that the kids are kept in prisons, but that they arent told about it, and the prisons are run mostly by the person who is confined in a prison. In my high school Spanish class we were supposed to speak in Spanish. I dont think any of us knew Spanish well enough to make our way through this huge book. Like the rest of the class, I just study the notes. When we were given a test on the book, I noticed that the questions sounded odd. They were full of long words that our teacher wouldnt have used. Where had these questions come from? From the notes, it turned out. The teacher was using them too and we were all just pretending.

Analysis of the Public Health User Fee Reforms in Malawi

Analysis of the Public Health User Fee Reforms in Malawi RESEARCH PROPOSAL Research title: The political economy analysis of the implementation of public health user fee reforms in Malawi. BACKGROUND AND BRIEF LITERATURE REVIEW The economic crises of the 1970s and 80s led many countries to undergo structural reforms that called for reduced public expenditure for basic services. The reforms resulted in the introduction of cost sharing on the part of beneficiaries (Lucas 1988). In several countries, user fees were imposed as a means to address recurrent costs problems and an extra source of revenue for previously â€Å"undervalued† services of professional providers. Countries responded differently to the introduction of user charges depending on domestic political risk and institutional capacity to efficiently administer the fees. With the reforms, public financing of health declined in many countries, and in some cases, private service providers seized the opportunity to fill the gap (Romer, 1986). Although the involvement of private service providers helped to meet demand for those able to pay, it limited access of the poor to the same services due to the prohibitive costs. Over the past ten years, research on economic growth has demonstrated that human capital is a powerful force in the development process (Becker 1990). In consequence, a sustained increase in this form of capital is crucial for poverty reduction in low-income countries and for an ever rising standard of living. Health is one of the commonly used proxies for human capital an unobservable magnitude or force that is part and parcel of human beings (Schultz 1960). Developing countries are struggling to improve the lives of people living in both rural and urban areas. The big challenge in these countries is lack of resources and problems in allocating the scarce resources. Various governments have prioritized different sectors depending on the needs and demands of the people. Some have prioritized primary education and agriculture while others have prioritized mining and health sector. Developing countries have come up with different interventions purposed to cushion people and be able to manage the risk. Some interventions have taken the form of subsidy while others have taken the form of user fee exemption to mention but two (Schultz 1961). These interventions sometimes are driven by politics, that is why for one to effectively intervene needs to understand the interplay of politics and economics in the developing countries. Depending on policy makers, some would prefer to implement subsidy programmes while others would have user fees exemption or both. User fees are charges one pays at the point of use. The stated interventions are good for the people but to the larger extent over burden the already struggling economy of the developing countries, (Litvack et al 1993). Consequently, government sectors suffer due to being underfunded which has resulted to poor service delivery defeating the whole purpose of subsidy or user fee exemption. Some countries, thus, they have resorted to meet the deficit through the introduction of user fees. For example, in respective of health for all, Malawi government offers free public health services to everyone in the country (ibid). Through observation, the public health services in Malawi particularly those in bordering districts such as Mchinji, Nsanje, Mwanza and Mulanje face very stiff competition on health resources because the hospitals in these districts serve even those from the neighboring countries such as Zambia and Mozambique. Currently with the growing population, government is failing to meet the demand of the free public health services which is manifested through the lack of medical resources in the hospitals. Lack of resources might be because the government has a limited tax base to finance the public health services. For instance, in Daily Times of 18th August, 2014 carried a story that Kamuzu central hospital had suspended all the booked surgeries because the hospital had no medical resources required to carry out operations in the theaters. Burns unit department also suffered the same. In such circumstances the introduction of user fee in public hospitals becomes not an option but a necessity. The user fees may therefore, help in three aspects within health service sector: improving efficiency by moderating demand, containing cost, and mobilize more funds for health care than existing sources provided PROBLEM STATEMENT The aim of free public health services in Malawi was to bring equality and equity in accessing health services. It has been argued that with user fees in accessing public health services, the poor people could be disadvantaged. Axiomatically, healthy people make healthy nation and participate actively in the development activities. Defeating the aim of free public health services, it is the same poor people who are now struggling while the better off and even politicians use the private hospitals. Every person has got the right to good quality health, but the poor people in Malawi are now voiceless and spend painfully on the services that were meant to be free. The situation begs a question that are the public services in Malawi really free at all when a person is told to buy aspirin tablets in private hospitals or pharmacies while the public hospitals have given the medicine to undeserving individuals such as those coming from other neighboring countries e.g. Mozambique just because public hospitals in Malawi are free. Poor people are also voiceless and lack responsibility on the hospital resources for it is given to them for free. Hospital workers have been frustrated because their working environment is not conducive since they are forced to work even when they do not have resources and are sometimes frustrated due late or nor payment at all for the extra hours rendered. Provision of quality health services is one of the social indicators of development. However, looking at the persistent resource shortages in the public health sector, Malawi as a country is far behind the expectation. Optionally, national policy makers in some countries such as Kenya and Mozambique thought to enlarge government revenue base through the introduction and implementation of user fee with an aim of improving services, for example, by improving drug availability and the general quality of health care and extending public health coverage. Therefore, the current study aims at undertaking the political economy analysis of the implementation of public health user fee reforms in Malawi. The study will be guided by the following sampled questions: What are the challenges towards the implementation of public health user fees in Malawi? What is the reaction of policy makers towards public health user fee implementation? Is user fee good option to finance public hospitals Can Malawi manage to embrace user fee policy (in terms of attitudes, willingness and capacity) How much is raised from the paying ward in the central hospitals, are the services different from the non-paying ward? If they are different, how do they differ? And how is money used. Has it brought any change? What are the problems that public hospitals meet? OBJECTIVES Main objective: to undertake the political economy analysis of the implementation of public health user fee reforms in Malawi. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES Exploring the historical discourse of public health user fee in Malawi. Determining the reasons of government failure to introduce and implement user fee in public hospitals. Analysing how people have been deprived of good health services through free public health services in Malawi. Comparing the challenges in managing the resources faced in the CHAM hospitals and public hospitals. Analysing stakeholders’ attitude, willingness and ability to embrace public health user fee implementation policy. HYPOTHESIS Poor quality of public health services can motivate public willingness to pay towards some improvement of the services Inadequate funding leads to poor public health services in Malawi Malawians are deprived of quality public health services through free public health services. User fee reform in public health services can lead to efficiency and equity in public health resources in public hospitals. Politicians wish to introduce public health user fee reform but are deterred by the fear of losing popularity METHODOLOGY STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS The study will mainly use qualitative descriptive and analytical cross sectional approach. Objective 1 and 2 on public health user fee trend and government failure to introduce and implement the same respectively will use qualitative descriptive approach. Whilst objectives 3-5 on analysis of people’s deprivation of good health, comparison of challenges in managing resources and analysis of stakeholder’s attitudes respectively will employ qualitative analytical approach. STUDY SETTTING The study will take place in Malawi, population n of people; the ministry of health headquarters in Lilongwe, Malawi’s four central hospitals, n number of district hospitals n community hospitals and n health centers. There are also CHAM facilities, private hospitals and NGOs (both local and international) that support health system. The study will focus in all central hospitals because they provide tertiary management care. The ministry of health, because it is the headquarters, some selected CHAM facilities in four regions and few selected NGOs in Malawi. TARGET POPULATION Objective 1-2 will target key informants at the headquarters and in the central hospitals and the reviews of available literature in Malawi. Objective 3 will target the discharged patients in the central hospitals and some community around the selected hospitals. Objective 4 will target the health workers in CHAM and central hospitals. Objective 5 will focus on key informants in NGOs which work with health sector. SAMPLING STRATEGY Since the study will employ qualitative design, hence, participants will be selected purposively. DATA COLLECTION PROCESS Before data collection, consent will be obtained from the ministry of health head-quarters and all in-charges of the facilities where the study is going to take place. The research will be explained to the participants to seek their informed consent. Data collection tools will be pre-tested, these will include interview guide for 1) discharged patients to find out any deprivation of their care, 2) health care workers to assess the challenges in resources 3) key informants to analyse their attitudes. And checklist to assess challenges faced by health care workers and patients deprivation of care. ETHICAL CONSIDERATION In carrying out the proposed research, the concept of research ethics will not be ignored. All people involved in this research will have to give consent. No one is going to participate against his or her will but the research would prefer to have full participation from the participants and not partial. Attention will be deployed to make sure that people’s rights are not violated through this research. Participants will be told the aim of the research and everything crucial so that they should be able to give informed consent. Participants’ identity will not be revealed in the data presentation and analysis. However, upon request, some participants predominantly NGOs will have the copy of the research findings. DATA MANAGEMENT Data will be transcribed from Chichewa to English then themes will be developed from which quantitative data will be analysed while quantitative part will be managed by SPSS. Data will be kept confidential unless strict measures are taken to access the same. PRESENTATION OF DATA The data will be presented through quotes and where necessary tables and graphs will be used for the part of quantitative. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK The nature of the research demands SIDA’s Power Analysis framework. The introduction and implementation of public health user fee involves power of various stakeholders who have different powers of influence. The research then aims to analyse and gauge how much power Do these stakeholders have towards the introduction and implementation of user fees in public health services, (Shaw RP et al, 1995). SIDA’s power analysis focuses on understanding structural factors impeding poverty reduction as well as incentives and disincentives for pro-poor development. Thus, health sector is a hub to development of which the poor have to be targeted. SIDA power analysis tool also serves to stimulate thinking about processes of change in terms of what can be done about formal and informal power relations, power structures and the actors contributing to it. The framework seeks to either deepen knowledge, facilitate dialogue, foster influence or feed into policy developing and programming of which in this case will be the introduction and implementation of user fee in public hospitals (Shaw RP et al, 1995). In the same vein, political economy analysis also looks at the interaction of formal and informal institutions. The collected data will also be subjected to the critical analysis under the interaction of informal and formal institutions (ibid). 8.0 JUSTIFICATION OF THE RESEARCH The current research is of paramount importance to the people of Malawi. The study will facilitate the improvement of public health services throughout Malawi. The big problem in the health sector is inadequate resources, consequently, the research is purported to carry out analysis of how public health user fee can be an alternative to financing public hospitals. The improvement in public health services entails healthy people who can actively participate in development activities. The success in the implementation public health user fee will help not to over burden the government because public health hospitals will be able to meet some needs through user fee, hence, the government will be able use the part of budget allocated to the health sector in other sectors of priority. The study will provide an insight of development health sector and bring satisfaction to people especially those who use public health services. The study assumes that if the public health user fee reform is implemented, people will access the services of higher quality compared to the current situation in which patients are told to buy the prescribed medication in the private pharmacy because hospitals have no medicine. In this then, the implementation of user fee reduces the cost of accessing public health services in Malawi. No country can develop if the health services are poor. The vitality of the current study cannot be over emphasized, if it will be well done, Malawi as a country will register good health and social development. REFERENCES Becker, Gary (1991). A Treatise on the Family. Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University Press. Lucas, Robert, E. (1988). On the Mechanics of Economic Development. Journal of Monetary Economics 22(1): 3-42. Pritchett, Lant and Lawrence H. Summers (1996). Wealthier is Healthier. The Journal of Human Resources XXX(4): 841-68. Schultz, Theodore W (1960). Human Capital Formation by Education, Journal of Political Economy 68(6): 571-83. Schultz, Theodore W (1963). The Economic Value of Education. New York: Columbia University Press. Schultz, Theodore W (1961). Investing in Human Capital. The American Economic Review 51(1): 1-17. Romer, Paul (1986). Increasing Returns and Long Run Growth. Journal of Political Economy 94. Shaw RP, Griffin C. (1995), SIDA power analysis Washington DC: World Bank Sophie Witter (2010) Mapping user fees for health care in high-mortality countries: evidence from a recent survey ; HLSP institute Audibert M, Mathonnat J. 2000. Cost recovery in Mauritania: initial lessons. Health Policy Plan: Chawla M, Ellis RP. 2000. The impact of financing and quality changes on healthcare demand in Niger. Health Policy Plan: 76-84. Lucy Gilson ()The Lessons of User Fee Experience in Africa Center for Health Policy, Department of Community Health, University of Witwatersrand, South Africa, and Health Economics and Financing Programme, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom. Litvack J, Bodart C. ( 1993) User fees plus quality equals improved access to health care: results of a field experiment in Cameroon. Social Science and Medicine. Mbugua JK, Bloom GH, Segall MM (1995). Impact of user charges on vulnerable groups: the case of Kibwezi in rural Kenya. Social Science and Medicine. Moses S, Manji F, Bradley JE, Nagelkerke NJ, Malisa MA, Plummer FA (1992). Impact of user fees on attendance at a referral centre for sexually transmitted diseases in Kenya. Lancet