Gender differences Essay

It could be said that to some extent the view that processes within schools may lead to gender differences in educational achievement is true. The theory of Interactionist looks at the individual rather than society; therefore it is a bottom up theory. Interactionist argue that the processes within the schools such as the hidden curriculum may lead students in gender differences in educational achievement, as what happens inside the school which is unwritten is what influences the individual in educational achievement, not the formal curriculum or what is written rule such as the subjects which is being studied influences the student to achieve. The sociologist Goffman explains that everyone in society is â€Å"presenting the self in everyday life†. What he means is that everyone is a puppet of society and not in control of what they say or do, but in fact they are attached in strings and act for example in play, such as a female may play the role of a mother at home but play the role of a student at school. Some argue that the structure and settings of schools, generally creates gender differences in educational achievement, for example the socialisation aspect is that the students are socialised into tolerable forms of behaviour ‘pupils are given drill in how to move about the school, sit in desk, raise hands†¦ the puritan of hard work, sober living and good manners is continuously urged upon them. ‘ This socialisation naturally created gender differences as males are seen or expected to behave in classrooms in the manner of ‘masculine’ while females are seen or expected to behave in ‘feminine’ behaviour or otherwise it could be considered odd, and therefore the students who do behave odd are looked at differently or called ‘deviant’. The sociologist Postman and Weingartner, studied that the hidden curriculum consisted of discovering that; knowledge is beyond the power of students and is in case none of their business; secondly recall is the highest form of intellectual achievement and therefore the collection of ‘facts’ is the goal of education; the voice of authority is to be trusted more than independent judgement; feelings are irrelevant in education; passive acceptance is a more desirable response to ideas than active criticism. This study proves that the individual does not play in an important role but rather how to ‘survive’ the school and just pass the exams was important and therefore not keen on which gender is learning or how but on how they should just ‘pass the time’ in school and move on as education is not about the self but on facts and memorising, and not understanding. As a result it could be said that the study of classroom interaction is the idea that the ‘reality’ of the classroom is a negotiated reality. For students and teachers, the hidden curriculum consists of learning how to survive in the classroom.

Application for Gaining Admission to a Course in Optometry in the SCCO

It is my heartfelt objective to study in the graduate school of the Southern California College of Optometry or the SCCO, in order to be awarded the degree of Doctor of Optometry. Some of my reasons for choosing the SCCO are that it has a highly erudite and accessible faculty, who are always willing to bestow their personal attention to the genuine needs of their students.Further, I came to know about the high academic standards that are always maintained at the SCCO from a student who is in her final year of graduation at the SCCO. Moreover, the SCCO has had a formidable reputation for excellence in education for several years; therefore, I am totally convinced that I will acquire an excellent clinical and didactic education at this school.Another reason for my choice is that I am endowed with an open and inquisitive mind, which would be of immense benefit in this school, because it imparts to students the latest technological changes in their field of study.Since, I am committed to devoting a lot of effort and time to acquiring knowledge in this field of study; I will be benefitted to a very great extent, as this school makes the maximum effort possible to help students to succeed in their chosen field of study.Furthermore, I am highly desirous of studying this course at this school for the reasons appended in the sequel. The avowed goal of the Doctor of Optometry, a four year course, is designed to groom primary health care professionals who are well versed with the latest technological developments in their field of study.Every student of this course is given thorough training in anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, clinical patient care and practice administration and management. In addition, there are several clinical programs on offer, which ensure that students become proficient in a number of health care delivery systems and in succoring patients hailing from a variety of social, economic, racial, ethnic and educational milieu (Why attend S CCO?).In addition, the SCCO offers clinical programs that contain patient encounters, which are unique and progressive. Such programs are the best on offer in Optometry education. Moreover, the faculty of the SCCO comprises of erudite scholars in the basic sciences and clinical medicine.These faculty members are not only highly qualified but also highly experienced in their field of specialization. This unique combination of knowledge and experience proves to be extremely beneficial to the students of optometry in the SCCO (Why attend SCCO?).The extent to which the faculty members involve themselves with their students can be evaluated from the fact that these faculty members work very hard to make the students acquire a mastery over optometry and to this end they encourage personal interaction, exchange of ideas and discussions on the outlook of the students towards their chosen profession.  In all these endeavors, an undercurrent of total professionalism is always evident (Why a ttend SCCO?).Moreover, students at SCCO constitute a highly privileged class. These students come from a vast array of cultural, educational and geographical backgrounds and therefore, they are provided with an excellent opportunity to acquire a large amount of social knowledge.Further, students learn in an atmosphere of health and keen competition, due to the proliferation of class notes, study groups and review sessions. It goes without saying that this competition enables the students to perform at their optimum academic level (Why attend SCCO?).In addition, there are a number of activities, in which students are persuaded to engage in. Some of these are intercollegiate contests and competitions, activities that relate to the community, service activities, lectures, social functions and fraternal activities. These activities help the students to become highly proficient in interacting with society and each other (Why attend SCCO?).The above features, which are made readily availa ble to every student at SCCO, make it extremely beneficial and attractive to study at the SCCO. It is an indisputable fact that The SCCO has rendered and continues to render yeoman service in the field of optometry education. Therefore, it is my earnest desire to participate and contribute my mite to this endeavor.ReferencesWhy attend SCCO? (n.d.). Retrieved September 1, 2007, from Southern California College of

My Theory of Literacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

My Theory of Literacy - Essay Example Computer skills are needed in education as well as in the job. What good an individual that can just read and write do in the contemporary organization in which manual work has been replaced with mechanical work? In the past, individuals with an ability to write and read were considered literate because these two skills sufficed to be employed in any organization, but contemporary organizations are way more demanding. The contemporary definition of literacy is incomplete unless the significance of computer skills is acknowledged and set as one of the criteria for judgment of an individual literacy. Charles Bazerman defined literacy in these words, â€Å"Literacy does not require or inexorably lead to any particular development, but it is a powerful tool available for organizing, extending, providing resources for, and transforming all of our social endeavors† (Bazerman cited in Goggin). Writing is conventionally associated with creativity. Every piece of writing has to be orig inal or it would be considered as plagiarized. Thus, writing is essentially a creation and the writer is an inventor, but Bazerman does not consider such a person necessarily literate. His definition of literacy requires a literate person to be able to organize, promote, support and transform his/her social efforts using his/her literary skills. All of these functions are achieved with a computer these days. Computer helps organize the data. Programs like Microsoft Excel help not only organize the data, but also perform different kinds of functions upon it. Programs like Corel Draw transform imagination into reality. An in-depth analysis of the computer skills suggests that use of computer does a lot to improve a person’s social and critical analysis skills. â€Å"Many contemporary perspectives on literacy view scripted text as one component of complex acts and practices of written communication that occur in social contexts† (Goggin). Modern age is characterized by so cial media. Today, writing has evolved so much that it encapsulates a lot of linguistic styles that were unknown to the writers of the past. Old literature is characterized by formality. Modern literature is informal to the maximum limits. In the past, there used to be abbreviations for long words. Nowadays, there are abbreviations for phrases. For example, â€Å"also known as† is written as â€Å"aka†, â€Å"laughing out loud† is written as â€Å"lol†. These are only two of the hundreds of abbreviations that chatting on social media websites has given birth to. Today, an individual who is able to write but does not understand or use these abbreviations in the scripts is as illiterate as anyone in the past who could not write. These abbreviations and such other modifications of literature are a result of the time-based modification in the assumptions and values of people. Robert Scholes had realized the importance of modern and emerging linguistic pattern s in the writing back in 1985. He expressed his realization in these words: What students need from us . . . now is the kind of knowledge and skill that will enable them to make sense of their worlds, to determine their own interests, both individual and collective, to see through the manipulations of all sorts of texts in all sorts of media, and to express their own views in some appropriate manner. (Scholes cited in Schwartz). Of the two texts, Schwartz has presented a more rational analysis of the concept of literacy by emphasizing upon the need to

The Changing Role of Women In Society Today Essay

The Changing Role of Women In Society Today - Essay Example The days when the woman stayed at home and depended on their husbands for household and family responsibilities are being replaced by the scenario where the modern woman has become an equal if not a better contributor in these and other roles that were deemed to belong to men in the past. The advance of education has made women become enlightened and visionary, thus discovering their potential and importance in society. Education has revolutionized women from the notion of only being involved in domestic chores to join their male counterparts in becoming doctors, engineers, Presidents and Prime ministers, mathematicians, economists, teachers, winners of educational and other awards among many other fields. Roles that were branded as only being suited for males like serving in the army, the building industry, the space program and others are seeing the inclusion of women who are handling them with a lot of capability. The past saw women who pursued a career or an education as strange or whose ability to raise up children was hampered, or it was assumed that her husband was not able to provide adequately for his household. This has changed dramatically as women have taken opportunities available to them. Today’s woman has become powerful, independent, competitive , strong and respected in society, and their contribution in society has been immense (Colombo, Cullen, and Lisle, 521). The running of households which was under the control of the husband is now a shared responsibility because the wife’s new status enables her to make a contribution both intelligently and financially, improving the running of the home in this regard. Each of the partners is able to positively impact on raising up children in an enlightened environment, guiding them in their career paths in a world where knowledge is increasingly becoming power.

Reputation and Privacy Issues in Distributed Computing Research Proposal

Reputation and Privacy Issues in Distributed Computing - Research Proposal Example However, researchers like Katsikas argue that the domain attained an independent identity only during the past 20 years and that there is a wide scope for further research and development (126). While current distributed models are capable of delivering high-speed, on-demand services via a shared pool of resources and can operate with minimal interaction or management, such recent advances have introduced several more dimensions into factors like privacy and data security that are critical when sharing information. Thus, distributed computing is widely regarded as a new programming paradigm that needs further research for better flexibility together with the identification and resolution of all outstanding issues related to information privacy and reputation (Katsikas 54). The proposed study aims to analyze and understand some of these issues and provide some useful solutions that may be incorporated in future implementations of distributed systems. The reasons for undertaking this r esearch and the necessity to understand this specific segment of distributed computing is elaborated in the subsequent sections. ... e element of trust that cannot be controlled by networks themselves becomes a crucial factor and is necessary for authorized and meaningful interaction among users (Hubner 195). Thus, the proper sharing of information across distributed networks is a challenge to network designers and engineers. Petkovic notes that the question of data privacy i.e., how to share information with accurate representation while maintaining privacy and designated delivery is one of the major questions currently being explored by researchers (187). While many studies have devised effective solutions that tackle privacy or reputation (trust) related issues, Subramanian argues that most of these have explored only a specific area (92). Thus, there is not much insight when it comes to evaluating both privacy and trust related methodologies that are capable of collectively solving the overall problem of proper information sharing. Questions remain on the robustness of current privacy framework and trust model s and the extent to which they can cope with a varying range of attacks. Dubitsky adds that existing techniques are not capable of utilizing any human characteristics or transcending beyond the use of trust as a validation of rules (165). The rapid surge in the use of mobile devices in distributed computing has introduced another important complexity into the equation besides raising new issues on reusable identity, ad-hoc access and transient communication. The growth of social networking over the past 5-6 years has also raised questions on the validity of identities and trust. Umar further adds that in a decentralized environment such as in distributed computing, human involvement is prone to introducing challenges in areas like human-computer interaction (HCI) (86). These

Principle and Effectiveness of the concept Rule of Law in the UK Essay

Principle and Effectiveness of the concept Rule of Law in the UK - Essay Example The principle behind the rule of law is that there ought to be sureness in law, such that every person can regulate his or her own dealings accordingly. Even though in UK, it is often argued that it seeks to prevent any arbitrary law making by governing officials or inferior courts, critics argues that it is a complex mixture of principles and sub-principles, with the major contention being on what extent the law allows discretionary powers to be applied. Nevertheless, individual liberties extremely depend on the rule of law, such that its effectiveness hinges on the undertaking of trials through jury or the lack of prejudice from judges. Critics also observe that the success of the rule of law principles hinges more so on its prerogative orders, such that it offers the executive the opportunity to rewrite the principles, in order to attain supposed exigencies of a given political situation as recently. Thus, the aim of this paper is to discuss the principle and effectiveness of the concept Rule of Law in the UK. ... out limiting any exercise of discretionary authority whereby laws are founded on standards with significance given to procedures such that it only allows the implementation of Parliament legislative powers while limiting implementation of legislative authority by the executive. Therefore, legislations are prospective instead of retrospective with an underlying moral foundation for every law. Focus is on having rules and procedures, which can make certain that laws are applied in safeguarding rights instead of being avenues of legitimising exercise of powers. Thirdly, the UK notion of justice is based on interpersonal adjudication and judicial precedent, as the rule of law is not about individuals having to account to arbitrary pronouncements made by governmental officials, but it is about individuals guiding public officials actions by referring to what is barred by plainly defined laws. Hence, decisions made by those in authority or any other public official are exercised based on t he powers that have been reasonably conferred to them, and in good faith. In particular, it calls for the government to offer adjudicative procedures, which are fair, and that avenue that have no prohibitive expenses or filled with inordinate delays are offered in resolving disputes5. Effectiveness The effectiveness of the rule of law has been achieved in UK is because freedom is about accounting only to well-defined and earlier developed laws instead of answering to arbitrary or discretionary proclamation of those in administrative powers. Notably, the separation of powers principle is the one that safeguards the principles, since it calls for admission to courts and those in authority to observe intentions judicial review. As such, disputes are settled based on the law and not the

Scientist Leonardo da Vinci Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Scientist Leonardo da Vinci - Essay Example Da Vinci's art was an integral part of his science, and a way to enact the scientific discoveries that he was unlocking at the time. Leonardo da Vinci would immerse himself deeply in the observation of nature, and through meticulous study uncover the mysteries behind it. Still, it has been only recently that Da Vinci's scientific work has gained the recognition that it deserves, and the importance of his science continues to be revealed today. Leonardo Da Vinci was many things and had many talents, but when taken together he was first and foremost one of the most renowned scientists in the history of the new world. One of the most important features about Da Vinci the Scientist is that Leonardo considered himself a scientist above all, and all his other endeavors were supporting of his understanding of science. The fact that he considered himself a scientist first can be seen in one of his most famous works of art, the Vitruvian Man. While it is fundamentally a work of art, it combines anatomy, proportion, and geometry in an effort to link man, nature, and science. In Da Vinci's version of the Vitruvian Man, he had "developed an obsession with the infinity of geometric transformation as exhibited by his attempt to square the circle" and the image he created was of a female figure with "many of the traits still deemed ideal" (Papel, Thieme, and Frodel 97-98). The image is still used by the scientific and medical community as a point of reference for form and proportion. In this way, da Vinci had found a scientific expression for the beauty of the human body that has stood the test of centuries. To da Vinci, this was not simply art, but was more importantly a work of science containing a myriad of different disciplines. Understanding the importance of da Vinci as a scientist requires an understanding of how far ahead he was of the scientific thinking of the time. Da Vinci was one of the first and foremost proponents of the scientific method. A recent exhibit of "The Inventions of Leonardo da Vinci" presented at Hampden-Sydney College noted that da Vinci, the scientist, "recorded his observations meticulously and sought explanations by comparing one natural phenomenon with another. He conducted experiments to test and verify his hypotheses, recognizing that observations and experiments had to be repeated many times before generalized conclusions could be drawn" (Hampden-Sydney College). This approach to the study of nature fundamentally changed the ways in which the scientific community approached a problem and sough to gain truth. His careful observation of nature, the application to his inventions, and the revolutionary thinking is evidenced by his flying machines. In 1483 da Vinci designed a compl ex machine capable of hovering that would become a helicopter 500 years later (Castillo, Lozano, and Dzul 4). According to Anderson, "Interest in the 'proper' shape for an airfoil dates as far back as the late 15th century and Leonardo da Vinci's ornithopter designs" (304). These designs reflected da Vinci's scientific understanding of nature, and his drawings were merely his method of modeling and recording the science. In addition to being centuries ahead of the science and the scientists of his day, da Vinci was also one of the most prolific scientists in history. His scientific endeavors covered

Community Needs Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Community Needs Assessment - Essay Example This literature review explores the meaning of community needs assessment and the different types of needs. It also highlights the data that is sought in CNA and the reasons behind seeking such information. The methods of data collection have been discussed, as well as the principles that underpin the steps involved in the process undertaking a CNA. Community needs assessment is an important strategy that aims at collecting data regarding a community’s requirements, views, and challenges as well as resources that can be applied to establish the actual needs of the community (Stevens et al. 2006). It is a way of identifying the strengths and assets available in the community that can facilitate satisfaction of the needs of all members of the society, whether young or old; working or jobless; able or disabled and any other aspects of diversity in the society. Acosta and Toro (2000) observe that community needs assessment concentrates on the community’s potential all citizens included, groups as well as organizations. It forms the basis for establishing and classifying services and justification as well as establishing a society that upholds and nurtures children and families. Stakeholders in the community such as NGOs, volunteers and any other parties affected by community affairs are involved in the process of comm unity needs assessment. The process enables planners to determine the manner in which a community is currently accomplishing its needs as well as its potential to provide capital and services in future (Alpi, 2005). There are various needs that the community needs assessment tries to establish. These include; the ability to meet the required standards of living. The employment rates within a particular community are an indicator of the people’s capacity to pay the cost of necessities in their day to day lives. Poverty is mainly a consequence of unemployment in the community. Employment is among the community needs

Richer Sounds Essay Example for Free

Richer Sounds Essay The main business objectives for the company are to increase sales and market share, increase profits, new product developments and employee career development. Sainsburys has these business objectives to help meet its overall objective which is stated in the companys mission statement. They also want to increase profits by reducing expenditure. SAINSBURYS MAIN ACTIVITIES Sainsburys consists of both secondary and tertiary sectors, which means that they manufacture their own goods and they also sell products and provide services through the internet which makes them a tertiary sector as well. Due to the fact that Sainsburys manufactured their own goods; most of the money goes back to them and isnt really shared out between with the manufactures. Sainsbury have a bakery and fish section in all their stores, they also produce their own bread and pastry. Due to Sainsbury doing very well in the marketing industry they also started selling stationary and electrical goods, which will boost up their sales. Sainsbury offer a club card, which means people who shop at Sainsbury get points for shopping there, these points can later be exchanged for cash or vouchers. By offering a club card Sainsbury are able to attract more customers and by attracting more customers they will increase in sales, which then will lead to an increase in profits and shares. COMPARISON Both of the businesses have similar aims, which is that they want to give excellent service to their customers. The main difference between the two businesses is that Richer Sounds isnt as well known as Sainsburys is which gives Sainsburys a great advantage over them. This means that Sainsburys will have more customer awareness than Richer Sounds. Both of the businesses have different objectives. Sainsburys wants to increase sales by reducing expenditure, this means that Sainsburys already knows how they going to achieve their objective. Richer Sounds want to expand their company, they want to open 4 to 6 stores in the current year, they want to develop their audiovisual cinema range and they want to keep their customer service level above 90%, they do this by asking customers to fill in questionnaires at the till. The two objectives show that Sainsburys are concerned more about their profits than customers and Richer Sounds are concerned about their customers more than their profits. Both businesses also range in different activities, whereas Richer Sounds sell hi-fis and home cinema systems etc, Sainsbury sell mainly food products but they also sell non-food related goods as well such as stationary and electrical goods, giving them another great advantage over Richer Sounds. Both business sell goods from stores, online and orders can be made over the phone as well. RICHER SOUNDS OWNERSHIP LOCATION Richer Sounds are a Public limited company. They are a limited company so that if they come across any financial problems their owner and founder Julian Richer wouldnt be responsible for any debts. Even though Richer Sounds are a plc they are unlisted from the stock exchange, this is because they dont want to lose any control of the company to shareholders, and Richer Sounds want to have full control over their company. Also if they do become listed in the stock exchange they will have to have certain requirements such as File full accounts, Have a minimum issued share capital of i 50,000 etc. They will have to abide by all the legal requirements under the various Companies Acts and the Finance Act, which means the directors, will have to take up certain legal duties, such as to make sure that proper accounting records are kept. Being a unlisted public limited company is suited to them because they are a large company and by being unlisted they will have one less thing to worry about, which is shareholders, because they wont have any. The business is located mainly in the UK, they have a couple of stores outside the UK as well and their main warehouse is in Lancashire. Richer Sounds first store was in central London at the London bridge walk. When choosing locations Richer Sounds consider two main points which are; to make sure that there are a lot of customers nearby who would actually be interested in purchasing from them, and to keep it as far as possible from another Richer Sound store, so that they dont end up sharing customers instead of attracting new ones. Their stores are essential for customers because customers wont have to look every where for their stores since their often on the corner of a road, which makes it really visible to see, and their mainly nearby a parking, so that customers wont have to worry about finding parking space on the road. Richer Sounds consists of only the tertiary sector which means that they only sell products; they dont manufacture the products themselves or make it from the raw materials. Richer Sounds could make more money if they actually manufactured their own products like Sainsburys does, this way they wont have to pay the main manufacturer a bit of the profit for selling the goods.

The Kent County Councils football Essay Example for Free

The Kent County Councils football Essay This project will be researching many different areas of football. I will begin at the grassroots level, which is primary school, local and junior leagues progressing through county, club and country. The areas included will be funding, incentive schemes, provision for different abilities etc. The local provision of football around my area with the help from my own experiences locally will be compared to the National set-up. Though they are two separate topics they will link together. Review of Literature  In my local area there is large mounts of youth leagues ranging from under 8s competitions upward, the grassroots football. The Kent messenger (KM) newspaper shows the variety of league and cup competition. Youth football in my area ranges from Maidstone Minor Leagues to the Kent League, North, Central and South. The KM and another resource, The Downswood Mail always have advertisements for players to join clubs, or managers that are needed for youth football. The Football Association (FA) consists of the professional and amateur game, with different branches off of it, for example, Kent Football Association. The FA gives you details about coaching schemes and initiatives available to young footballers hoping to progress in the game. The FA also gives details of semi-pro clubs like my club Lordswood who play in the Kent League up to the main, elite premiership clubs. These clubs are local and National clubs to me. Football is getting bigger all the time; a lot of money is pumped through this sport, one example is the à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½45 million pounds the FA is giving to grassroots facilities. Though a lot of this money is given and accumulated by the top clubs. Coaching courses are available around my area, such as Andy Fords Soccer School, also larger clubs issue advertisements for when they bring coaches to your area, e.g. Manchester United Coaching Course came to Maidstone, my area, three to four years ago. The Kent County Councils football section shows details of coaching courses available in Kent. SportsAid allocates awards usually between 250 and 500 to young sportspeople aged from approximately 12 -18 years (junior competitors) who have competed with distinction within their respective age group and achieved. This helps to promote sporting excellence and it gives them a better chance of succeeding. Locally there is the Sports and Play Team, which helps in many ways the progress of football in Maidstone. The Sports and Play team will be setting up Football in the Community with local professional and amateur football clubs in order to create more opportunities for young people to engage in positive activity after school and to develop the clubs. The Sports and Play Team are one of the partners in the Active Sports programme and are keen to work with local clubs. Voluntary Club Facility Hire Grant helps to provide the facilities needed to run training sessions and to have a good quality pitch for match days, ranging form hundreds to thousands of pounds and this scheme was also set up by the Sports and Play team. Gillingham Football Club, local pro team, runs many after school and holiday training camps with opportunities for the younger players to help their schools out. The players can win competitions for equipment and small grants for sport in their school.  Discussion  Football as a whole is a growing enterprise in England and around the world. TV money and worldwide football stars show a lot of money is in and around the sport. Local football around my area uses a lot of recreational ground and schools playing fields, so facilities for players are limited. More money needs to be spent on proper catering specifically for football. à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½45 million pounds from the FA is going to be invested in pitches and facilities over the next three years from the National Game Scheme. This does help, but it is not enough for national improvement in this sport. Local amateur football gives a good impression of football nationally; this means that more input in the sport is needed. More progress is being made with issues inside football than with actual provisions for the sport. Schemes such as Fair Play, Eliminating Racism From Football and Child Protection Best Practice do not help with local and national provision. These issues should be addressed but equally with factors like facilities and pitches. Maidstone runs a Youth Sport Action Group developing football with the help of coaches, teachers and members of the community. They organise Youth Sport Achievement Awards and the Sports Fair. Conclusion The FA seems to be the main contributor to grassroots all the way up to the national game. More money is needed for County Councils, such as my local county, Kent. I suggest that schemes to improve facilities for amateur clubs are needed to help bridge the gap between amateur and professional clubs because the breach is currently massive. Money will improve players capabilities because of the enhanced equipment, providing the top clubs with better quality players and the players with a better chance of reaching the top clubs. The more money the FA gives to councils and the Government, the more football will prosper and generate money. If local and national grassroots football improves, more money will be generated by itself, which then takes off all the pressure from the Government and the FA in the future. Appraisal There are lots of ways in which the study could be improved. Without a comprehensive study of another Borough or County its hard to tell if my local area equates in a similar way to another. Many figures that I have found only say what money is going to be put in; it would help to find where the money has been spent so far. Many coaching schemes and building enterprises are organised but the popularity and success is not always shown. My area really only has one professional club, Gillingham, regions in and around London for example will have many clubs reasonably close. This means my area is disadvantaged but I would like to find out whether these major clubs to make a big difference to local and national provision.

Accountability and Assessment in Nursing Mentorship

Accountability and Assessment in Nursing Mentorship Introduction The Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC) (2008a, p.23) declares in its Standards to Support Learning and Assessment in Practice that a â€Å"mentor is a mandatory requirement for pre-registration nursing students†. This simply means that student nurses must be guided by nurse mentors. The Royal College of Nursing (2009, p.3) declares that the â€Å"significance of the role of a mentor and the quality of the mentorship offered in practice cannot be over-emphasised†. The NMC (2008a, p.23) defines a mentor as â€Å"a registrant who, following successful completion of an NMC approved mentor preparation programme or comparable preparation that has been accredited by an AEI (approved educational institution) as meeting the NMC mentor requirements has achieved the knowledge, skills and competence required to meet the defined outcomes†. The NMC (2008a, p.13) also provides for eight domains in the framework to support learning and assessment of students in practice. In essenc e, this means that in order to become an effective mentor, a nurse must be able to accomplish these eight domains. These domains are establishing effective working relationships, facilitation of learning, assessment and accountability, evaluation of learning, creating an environment for learning, context of practice, evidence-based practice and leadership (NMC 2008a, p.13). This essay will explore one of the eight domains, specifically the domain of accountability and assessment in mentorship. This will be done in relation to mentoring two first-year adult branch nursing students placed in the Dermatology Department. Before proceeding any further, it is imperative to relate that the NMC (2008b, p.3) declares the need to respect people’s right to confidentiality. In compliance with this, the real identities of the student-mentees will be kept anonymous. Main Body Accountability is essential in the professional practice of nursing (NMC 2010, n.p.). A literature review in defining professional nursing accountability conducted by Krautscheid (2012, p.45) revealed that accountability is usually linked with responsibility particularly the responsibility for one’s own actions and behaviours related to the practice of one’s profession. The professional accountability of a nurse is expressed by no less than the Nursing Midwifery Council in its Code for Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics. To be specific, the NMC (2008b, p.2) states that â€Å"as a professional, a nurse is personally accountable for actions and omissions done in practice and must always be able to justify one’s decisions†. The accountability of a nurse as a mentor is also grounded on the same NMC Code. The NMC (2008b, p.5) states that a nurse must facilitate students and others to develop their competence. This specific provision directly requires a nurse playing the role of a mentor to be accountable for the learning of students during practice placements. In the case of the two first year adult branch nursing students, it is safe to declare that a mentor is accountable for the total learning experience of the students while in the placement. To effectively mentor the two students, it is necessary to first establish a positive mentoring relationship with them. This is because a positive mentor-mentee relationship can help make the mentor and the mentee feel more comfortable with each other and this facilitates the smooth interaction and communication between them. Gopee (2011, p.28) supports this when he declared that a mentor and his or her mentee are initially strangers to each other and so they must develop rapport and cultivate a positive working relationship in order for the mentorship to really work. A practice placement is where students begin to apply their knowledge and practice skills in order to achieve the required competence for registration (RCN 2006, p.1). The need for a strong and positive mentoring relationship is crucial especially because clinical placements can be a daunting environment for the students. This is particularly true during the first few days of the placement. A clinical placement can pose a great challenge for students such as during a busy day and the ward or department is understaffed (Levett-Jones and Bourgeois 2011, p.227). It is therefore vital for the mentor to initiate a friendly but professional approach when interacting with the students in order to help them feel at ease in the clinical environment of the placement. One way by which this can be done is for the mentor to conduct an orientation wherein the students are made familiar with the different areas of the Dermatology Department and are introduced to the entire healthcare staff working there. Beskine (2009, cited in Walsh 2010, p.23) state that an â€Å"orientation is the gateway to a successful placement†. Walsh (2010, p.23) suggests that an initial orientation is a vital part of helping a student get off on the right foot and make the most of their placement. Walsh (2010, p.23) further relates that one strategy for the mentor to accomplish this is by sharing with the students information about one’s personal experiences as a student and one’s expectations as a mentor. This strategy can be made formal by providing an information or welcome pack. Typical contents for a welcome pack include a welcome letter encouraging the student to visit the placement prior to that start of the actual placement, the location of the placement, a list of learning opportunities and learning outcomes, the expected roles and responsibilities of the students, a dress code or guidelines on what to wear and the shift hours (Stuart 2013, p.157). It should contain a de scription of the various areas within the ward or department and a list of the names of personnel working within the placement (Bailey-McHale and Hart 2013, p.129). The importance of making the two students feel welcome in the placement is actually a simple but effective means of showing one’s accountability as the mentor for the students. This is because it is clear that a mentor is accountable for the total learning experience of his or her students and the first step to ensure the learning of students begins with making the students familiar and comfortable within the learning environment. This should then be followed by conducting an initial assessment of the learning needs of the students related to the area of the placement. A mentor is responsible for making initial interviews with students to assess their learning needs and to develop a plan on how to address these needs (RCN 2006, p.6). Naturally, the interview will be smooth sailing if the mentor is successful in building a positive mentoring relationship with the students. In interviewing the two students in the Dermatology Department, it is important to take into consideration the preferred learning styles of the students. In essence, this means that along with identifying the learning needs of the students, it is also vital to identify how they can learn best from the placement. The Royal College of Nursing (2006, p.6) states that a mentor’s responsibility includes being approachable, supportive and being aware of how students learn best. There are many theories and models that can be adopted to label the preferred learning styles of students. An example of this that may be use in the two students is the Honey and Mumford learning styles model. The Honey and Mumford model identifies four types of learners namely activists, reflectors, theorists and pragmatists. An activist learner is a hands-on learner and prefers to learn by trial and error (Temple 2012, p.75). A reflector is someone who prefers to be thoroughly informed before acting on a situation (Temple 2012, p.75). A theorist is someone who utilises theories to make sure that a particular u ndertaking makes sense (Temple 2012, p.75). A pragmatist is someone who learns best by observing a demonstration from an expert (Temple 2012, p.75). In the case of the two students placed in the Dermatology Department, both have been identified to be pragmatists and so actual teaching of the skill of bandaging was done through demonstrations which the students carefully observed. A simulation strategy was also used wherein the two students were given the opportunity to practice their bandaging skills onto a mannequin before they were allowed to perform the skill onto real patients while under supervision. In using the demonstration and simulation strategies, it is crucial for a mentor to also take into consideration the internal and external factors that affect student learning. This can be further identified by using the SWOT (strength, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) Analysis. The SWOT Analysis is a useful tool to help mentors identify factors that can either improve or hinder their mentoring skills (Murray and Rosen 2010, p.103). The strengths and weaknesses are the internal factors that affect the efficiency of mentoring while the opportunities and threats are the external factors (Murray and Rosen 2010, p.103). In the case of the two students, one prevailing strength that has been identified is their genuine eagerness to really learn while in the placement. For the mentor, one strength is the mastery of the nursing skills that need to be taught to the students. One weakness of the students was their initial hesitation to interact with the mentor. One weakness of the mentor is the initial uncertainty on how to begin interaction with the students. One opportunity is the presence of diverse learning opportunities in the placement while one prevailing threat is the very hectic schedule of the department which causes frequent interruptions during actual teaching sessions. In teaching the two students about correct bandaging, it is also important to adopt the concept of andragogy. To simply put it, andragogy refers to adult learning which is in contrast to pedagogy which is all about child learning (Walsh 2010, p.82). The concept of andragogy implies that adults prefer to take an active role while children are passive learners and therefore leave everything to the discretion of the teacher or mentor (Kinnell and Hughes 2010, p.60). Base on these premises, teaching the two students who are adult learners will require the mentor to actively seek the students’ input. This means that the mentor should not on his/her own decide on what and how to teach the things which the students need to learn in the placement. The mentor should brainstorm with the students on how the students’ learning needs can be best met. This will allow the students to have a more active role in planning their own learning during placement. There is also the need to consider the current level of aptitude of the students in relation to the skills that will be taught to them. In this case, the Benner’s Skills Acquisition Model will be helpful. Stuart (2013, p.126) states that a student or even a newly qualified nurse will have to pass the five stages of nursing competence as identified in Benner’s Model. The model classifies learners into five stages namely novice, advanced beginner, competent, proficient and expert. It is safe to deduce that the two students being mentored are still under the novice stage; hence, it is vital for the mentor to create teaching strategies that would fit their current level of knowledge and skills. For instance, it would be unfair to teach the students advance skills on four layer compression bandaging without first teaching them the basic principles of bandaging. Blooms Taxonomy should also be adopted by a mentor to enhance teaching sessions. Cannon and Boswell (2012, p.140) state that Bloom’s Taxonomy is an important learning theory as it distinguishes learning into three domains: namely affective, cognitive and psychomotor. Teaching correct bandaging skills naturally involves the cognitive domain since it requires mastery of steps or procedures. It also involves the psychomotor domain because it entails using instruments and tools. It also incorporates the affective domain because it requires positive and encouraging feelings and emotions which help motivate a student to do the procedure correctly. It is also important for a mentor to make the learning objectives SMART. This means that the objectives are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bounded. In the case of the two students, this has been achieved since the objective involves making the student understand and perform the steps of bandaging. This makes the objective specific. This will be done under supervision with the policy on bandaging as the criteria. This makes it measurable and realistic. The said objective is to be accomplished at the end of the placement. This makes it time-bounded. A mentor’s accountability naturally includes assessing the students’ performance. Aston and Hallam (2011, p.60) relate that assessing students’ learning while they are under one’s mentorship is one of the important role of a nurse mentor. This is grounded on the Nursing Midwifery Council (2008a, p.16) declaring that students must be supported and assessed by mentors. Mentors are responsible for assessing the total performance of students including their knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours (NMC 2008a, p.23). It is vital to relate that there are basically two types of assessment namely formative and summative assessment. Formative assessment happens during the course of the placement wherein it is done on a continuous basis to gauge how much progress a student has reached without necessarily grading such progress (Kilgallon and Thompson 2012, p.153). It typically involves the giving of feedback in order for the student to further improve (Kilgallon and Thompson 2012, p.153). This kind of assessment is done in order to prepare the student for the final assessment which is the summative assessment. Summative assessment marks the end of the mentorship and involves the actual grading of the student’s final performance (Kilgallon and Thompson 2012, p.154). It is essential to point out that the giving of feedbacks is an important component of effective student assessment. Kinnell and Hughes (2010, p.96) relate that â€Å"feedback must be constructive and not destructive†. It must highlight the strengths as well as the weaknesses of the student (Kinnell and Hughes 2010, p.96). Kinnell and Hughes (2010, p.96) further relate that it must emphasise areas for improvements and incorporate praises appropriate for the student’s achievements. Constructive feedbacks given by mentors and the clinical staff can help the student grow and develop as a future professional (Levett-Jones and Bourgeois 2011, p.48). One strategy for the effective giving of feedback is to use a strategy called feedback sandwich. This involves sandwiching a negative feedback between two positive feedbacks to avoid hurting the student’s feelings and self-esteem (Elcock and Sharples 2011, n.p.). There are several methods and strategies by which a mentor can effectively assess a student’s competence. The Royal College of Nursing (2009, p.8) states that assessment can be done through direct observation, simulation, objective structured clinical examinations or OSCE, testimony of others, student self-assessment, written portfolio evidence, active participation, interactive reflective discussion, learning contracts, guided study, interviews, patient comments, peer evaluation, collection of data, case studies and team mentorships. In the case of the two students, one was assessed through direct observation and questioning while the other was assessed through direct observation and through written reflection. This was in consideration of the fact that one student has a prior degree in English literature, while the other one was awaiting a dyslexia test; hence, it would be unfair for both of them to be assessed through written reflection. In assessing student performance, the mentor’s accountability includes making sure that all the possible opportunities for learning has been exhausted and that the students have been given ample time to master the skills that will be assessed from them. This is because it would be unfair for the students to be assessed for skills which were never taught to them or where they were never given a chance to improve on it. This points to the accountability of the mentor to the students he or she is mentoring. There is also the accountability of the mentor towards the general public. This accountability signifies that ultimately the mentor’s role in guiding students is to ensure that future generations of nurses are truly competent to serve the general healthcare consumers. This suggests that if after giving opportunities to improve, the student has failed to show competence, then the mentor must not hesitate to give a failing mark. On the other hand, a study conducted by Duf fy (2004, n.p.) revealed that failing students is a difficult thing to do for majority of mentors and this is because it raises emotional issues for the mentor. The emotional dilemma of failing a study is carried by mentors and sometimes this emotional stress overcomes the need to practice a fair and objective mentoring. It is logical to assume that sometimes the decision to either pass or fail students is influenced by the personal sentiments of the mentor towards the students. This is something that should be avoided because it threatens the very essence of why there is a need to assess students under mentorship. A good mentor is someone who knows when to empathise with students and when to detach themselves in order to objectively assess a student’s performance; therefore, it is important for a mentor to learn when to empathise and when to be objective. In essence, this means that in assessing the final performance of the two students in the Dermatology Department, it is i mportant for the mentor to be objective and set aside any personal friendly relations which he or she may have established during the course of the mentorship. Conclusion Accountability and assessment in mentorship in this case involves the responsibility of the mentor to ensure the learning of the two students in the Dermatology Department. Being accountable for their learning starts with establishing a positive mentoring relationship with them. This can be accomplished by using a friendly but professional approach. An orientation can help the mentor inform the students on what to expect from the placement. It is important to assess the students’ learning needs and learning styles by using different theories and models. This is important in order to maximise their learning in the placement. Using demonstration and simulation are only two of the many teaching strategies that may be used to effectively mentor students and the choice of strategy depends on the kind of learner a student is. Assessment is another important role of a mentor. This can either be formative or summative assessment. Assessment should be fair and objective. A mentorâ€⠄¢s personal friendship built during the course of the mentoring relationship should never hinder objective assessment of students’ performance. References Aston, L. and Hallam, P. (2011). Successful mentoring in nursing. Exeter: Learning Matters Ltd. Bailey-McHale, J. and Hart, D.M. (2013). Mastering mentorship: A practical guide for mentors of nursing, health and social care students. London: SAGE Publications Ltd. Cannon, S. and Boswell, C. (2012). Evidence-based teaching in nursing. London: Jones Bartlett Learning International. Duffy, K. (2003). Failing students: A qualitative study of factors that influence the decisions regarding assessment of students’ competence in practice. [online]. Available from: http://www.nmc-uk.org/documents/Archived%20Publications/1Research%20papers/Kathleen_Duffy_Failing_Students2003.pdf [Accessed on 12 October 2014]. Elcock, K. and Sharples, K. (2011). A nurse’s survival guide to mentoring. [online]. Available from: http://books.google.com.ph/books?id=t6na8wOS5X4Cpg=PT131dq=feedback+sandwich+mentoring+nursinghl=ensa=Xei=bjY6VPSCHs-ruQSjloH4Bwved=0CBwQ6AEwAA#v=onepageq=feedback%20sandwich%20mentoring%20nursingf=false [Accessed 12 October 2014]. Gopee, N. (2011). Mentoring and supervision in healthcare. 2nd ed. London: SAGE Publications Ltd. Kilgallon, K. and Thompson, J. (Eds.) (2012). Mentoring in nursing and healthcare: A practical approach. Chichester: John Wiley Sons, Ltd. Kinnell, D. and Hughes, P. (2010). Mentoring nursing and healthcare students. London: SAGE Publications Ltd. Krautscheid, L. (2012). Defining professional nursing accountability: A literature review. Journal of Professional Nursing. 30(1):43-47. Levett-Jones, T. and Bourgeois, S. (2011). The clinical placement: An essential guide for nursing students. 2nd ed. Chatswood: Elsevier Australia. Murray, C. and Rosen, L. (2010). Mentor updating: Other activities/sources of evidence. In: C. Murray, L. Rosen and K. Staniland (Eds.). The nurse mentor and reviewer update book. Maidenhead: Open University Press, pp.95-111. Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC) (2008a). Standards to support learning and assessment in practice. London: NMC. Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC) (2008b). The code: Standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives. [online]. Available from: http://www.nmc-uk.org/Documents/Standards/The-code-A4-20100406.pdf [Accessed on 10 October 2014]. Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC) (2010). Regulation in practice. [online]. Available from: http://www.nmc-uk.org/Nurses-and-midwives/Regulation-in-practice/ [Accessed on 10 October 2014]. Royal College of Nursing (RCN) (2009). Guidance for mentors of nursing students and midwives: An RCN toolkit. London: Royal College of Nursing. Royal College of Nursing (RCN) (2006). Helping students get the best from their practice placements. London: RCN. Stuart, C. (2013). Mentoring, learning and assessment in clinical practice: A guide for nurses. 3rd ed. Philadelphia: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone. Walsh, D. (2010). The nurse mentor’s handbook: Supporting students in clinical practice. Maidenhead: Open University Press.

Essay examples --

Mackenzie George 10085404 Religions 131 Michelle Wagner Introduction The author of this book is a professor and the chair of the history of medicine Association of the Queens University. The author is experienced in philosophy, medicine, law and history. The author also headed the association of the history of medicine in Canada. The author of the book also wrote many research articles in various fields of study in the society. This book gives an overview of the origin, function and the meaning of the aspects of veneration of the twin Saints Damian and Cosmas especially in Europe and North America. The aspects of the case studies in the Italian immigrant culture and the devotions were also given emphasis by the author. The book also gives an exploration of the nature and history of religious aspects in healing as well as the medical views concerning such religious healings. This book, therefore, tries to separate the religious aspects of healing from the medical means of treating people. The modern culture takes into consideration the differences between the two aspects of healing. The miracles are therefore separated from the medical healings and treatment of the people in the society. The histories of medicine and miracles have a close relation as shown by the author of this book. The saints in the Roman Catholic Church are recognized based on proximity or closeness to God. This was shown by the fact that the miracles recorded in history were closely associated to a combination of some medical assistance or physician testimonies. Most of the miracles were recorded between the periods of 1588 to 1999.These records in the book contained intimate analysis of prayer, illness and treatment in relation to the lives of the peasants an... ...ealing was given much emphasis in this book. In conclusion, the author explored the themes on cultural diversities and Christianity religious views. This, therefore, helped bring out the how the society accepts the change in religious views due to improvements in the medical field. The book also played an important role in showing how the healing activities are facilitated. The book, therefore, tried to clearly separate the aspects of Christianity from the medical views of healing. This also challenged the human reasoning due to the dilemma of the history presented by the victims of the miracles healing in the society. The author of the book presented information in a manner that the reader can easily understand the cultural and religious views in the society. The relation between the Italian culture and Christianity were also given focus and emphasis by the author.

The Ambassadors Body Essay -- Screen Theory Films Essays

The Ambassador's Body "Screen theory" developed in the 1970s from the work of a group of French and English film theorists including Christian Metz, Laura Mulvey, Jean-Louis Baudry, Jean-Louis Comolli, and Stephen Heath. In the form in which it has come to influencecultural studies, it combines elements of an eclectic range of theoretical perspectives, including the early structuralist work of Roland Barthes which proposes that the meanings of signifiers are determined by their position within a network of oppositions and equivalences; Louis Althusser's conceptualization of interpellation as a process of meconnaissance (misrecognition); and Jacques Lacan's seminal work on the mirror stage as a foundational step in the child becoming a subject. Screen theory treats filmic images as signifiers encoding meanings but also, thanks to the apparatus through which the images are projected, as mirrors in which, by (mis)recognizing themselves, viewers accede to subjectivity. One of its major strengths lies in its techniques for uncovering ideological messages encrypted in images, messages which are taken to have a direct constitutive impact upon their viewers. In the context of the 70s, this aspect of the theory contributed importantly to the development of a politics of the image which critiqued the mass media on the assumption that the images which they circulate shape the subjectivities of their viewers. Such a view, divorced from the heady mixture of "high theory" and left politics associated with Screen theory, remains the cornerstone of much contemporary censorship practice as well as P.C. politics. According to Screen theory, in addition to functioning as a vehicle for ideological meanings, th... ...en it is in a highly overdetermined way, from the canvas as a whole, rather than, as Lacan claims, from a single formal element, namely the image of the skull. Despite these concessions to Lacan's critics, my theoretical account of the gaze remains firmly Lacanian. In particular, I reject Screen theory's account of the gaze as specular in favor of Lacan's rival claim that the gaze is a site at which the Real disrupts the visual field. My differences from Lacan reside in an attempt to historicize his work by showing the way in which ideological factors mediate the effect of visual objects upon their viewers. *(From Chapter Six of my forthcoming Fetish: An Erotics of Culture to appear with Cornell UP, 1999; an earlier version of this same chapter will appear in Chapter Seven of Tom Rosteck ed., At The Intersection to appear with Guilford, 1998).

Service Cycle of Medical Tourism in India

One of the major practices in healthcare is the process of ‘patient outsourcing’, in the form of medical tourism or ‘Medical travel’.This form of business protocol is becoming hugely popular in the developed countries of the world, as it has tremendous benefits.   Medical tourism is a deliberate effort to combine health issues along with travel for tourism and leisure (Health Base, 2006, Recover Discover, 2007). Several organizations may be involved in the process of medical tourism including:-The governments – They are responsible for framing a policy that would ensure regulated flow of tourists from one part of the globe to another to enable effective healthcare provision.   Besides, it would also ensure that the tourists can obtain valid travel documents easily.Hospital Associations – Associations founded between the hospitals of the tourist and the destination country are required to communicate with each other so as to help in the flow of medical tourists.   This is to ensure that all ethical and legal issues are addressed, and an effective marketing communication system can exist.It would be ideal for the patient to first speak to his/her usual healthcare provider before seeking medical facilities in another nation.   Hospitals in the west can also consider recognizing and providing accreditation for hospitals in developing nations, so that the quality standards pre vailing is well-understood.Travel authorities – They are the authorities who are providing valid travel documents and permission required to enable medical treatment in another nation.   The authorities should understand the need and urgency for medical treatment and hence would have to permit such travel.Travel agencies – They would have to communicate with other parties in the destination to ensure that the health and travel needs of the tourist is meet, keeping in mind quality, cost-effectiveness and hassle-free processes.The travel agency would have to provide the travelers with customized packages that are cost-effective and seem attractive.   They would also have to market the health packages in the West, to demonstrate clear advantages to the ones existing at home. Ministry of Commerce and trade (Hutchinson, 2005, Heatlhbase, 2006 & American University, 2003).Through the process of globalization, many countries are beginning to closely review their economic strengths and risks.   If something is costly in one nation, immediately the resources present in other nations would be approached and utilized.In medical tourism, the individual would be using cost-effective options in order to fulfill their healthcare needs in areas where the limitations may be less.   These limitations can be several and can be utilized to the advantage of the individual.   Some of the limitations which can be met through medical tourism include:-Going from one nation where certain types of treatment are not available, to another where treatment is available.  Ã‚   Going from one country to another, where the quality of treatment is better, improved technology and where expertise in health is available, and innovative options are presentGoing from one country to another where treatment is provided in a more cost-effective manner Going from one nation to another where medical treatment including surgery is provided in a more timely manner (to reduce the w aiting periods for elective surgeries)Including the family members and seeking treatment away from home where the usual stressful factors would not be felt (Hutchinson, 2005, Heatlhbase, 2006 & American University, 2003)Medical tourisms can take place from one nation to another and from one region of a nation to another region within the same nation. The trend today is that many people from the western or developing nations (which have a very restrictive health setup) are moving to the east, where the practices and policies do favor provision of several benefits in healthcare. There are many unique features of the prospects of medical tourism:-The nations which serve as a market for medical tourisms are providing several attractive policies and practicesThey are using vary attractive marketing strategies to encourage business – An example of this would be to combine medical health visits with holidays to exotic tourist destinations.   Many people from the developed nations are finding such packages very attractive and are considering them as they are not only cheaper but also meet their customized needs, conveniently.The developing nations such as Thailand, India, Latin America and China, are offering more holistic kind of treatment and are providing several complementary and alternative treatments that deviate away from allopathic medicine.   Many of these treatments have proven to be effective.   Besides, the treatment facilities are provided in more natural kinds of environment, thus encouraging better healing and recovery (Hutchinson, 2005, Heatlhbase, 2006 & American University, 2003).Medical tourism can be held for various reasons including health and wellness tourism, reproductive purposes, alternative treatment strategies, preventive medical care, spa tourism, surgical tourism, dental tourism, diet and nutrition tourism, transplant tourism, cosmetic tourism, spiritual tourism or even for end-of-life purposes.Often the individual requiring health treatment would also like to include their family members in the process.   They would also like to take their family members along.   People also want to visit resorts and spas to get away from the usual humdrum.   Several theoretical frameworks have been proposed for Medical Tourism:-Consumer Motivation – Consumers may find the health packages offered at the destination nations cost-effective, of better quality and would also combining their travel needs Medical tourist motivation – Some people prefer traveling and getting treatment done in a foreign nation, away from home Push-pull motivation – This has been one of the most explanation to justify medical tourism.The pull factors are usually contributed to the attractiveness of the market and the various marketing strategies that have been employed.   The pull factors are tangible and are attributed by the destination.   The push factors are intangible and may need a lot of explanation.   So me of the push factors include:-  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Fulfilling travel needs ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Preferences for certain destinations ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Travelers often have the intention of traveling for whatever need, even if a such a need can be fulfilled at home (Hongnaphadol, 2008)India has been one of the success stories of medical tourism in the world.   Thousands of tourists from various parts of the World including the US, UK, Australia, Middle East, European Union, etc, visit India every year for medical and surgical treatment.   India is also one of the sought out destinations for alternative forms of treatment including Yoga, Ayurveda, herbal medicine, massage therapy, etc.Effective collaborations between the tourism industry and the healthcare industry have existed in India to enable medical tourism to be a success.   This has been an initiative from both, private and public parties.   India has several other cha racteristics that have permitted medical tourism to prevail:-Rich culture and tradition – favoring tourism Natural characteristics of the country Traditional systems of medicine – which seem to be very attractive for the West Cultural competence of the professionals existing in IndiaLow waiting time Cost-effective treatment Good quality of medical care Pre-existing tourist destination Effective collaboration with organizations in the US/UK which would enable movement of touristsEasy currency conversion processes Good quality of education prevailing in India – Academic organizations are able to meet with the requirements of the healthcare industry Connectivity with international airports Good technology utilized in healthcare (Recover Discover, 2007).The service cycle of the medical tourism process and is an experience for the customer.   It starts even before the consumer meets the service provider to obtain an effective medical tourism package that would meet his/her travel and health needs.The process starts when the consumer understands that there is an unfulfilled health need which has to be met.   The process would go on and the several steps present including (as fulfilling health need is not a single transaction and involves several processes):-Meeting with the service provider Discussing an effective package that would meet their needs (the package would include several aspects including air and travel costs, hotel stay, food, consultation charges, investigation costs, treatment and surgical charges, medications costs, holiday packages, etc).The customer should be provided with a number of options and choice of destinations.   Negotiations should also be permitted. Purchasing the health/travel package Preparing to enter in the package Starting with the travelEntering and experiencing the destination country Getting used to the destination country Meeting the healthcare provider and ensuring that the electronic health records are received – the healthcare professionals should take an adequate history of the patient and should also conduct adequate diagnostic tests.Identifying the health problems and developing a plan to solve these problems Presenting the plan to the patient and taking the consent Initiating the treatment plan – May include several visits; The pre-treatment period may include several precautions, restrictions in diet, lifestyle, medications, travel, etcPost-treatment period – Taking adequate precautions regarding diet, lifestyle, exercise, rest, medications, etc.   The patient should be adequately informed of these so that they may be comfortable. Follow-up visits – Any additional treatment Advise or consultations before the patient goes back to the home nationFulfilling any other travel needs Returning back home Contact with the healthcare providers through telephone, e-mail, chat services, etc (Health Base, 2006, Wachovia, 2008, Monash University, 2004).Th e process may not be complete once the patient returns home.   This is because fulfilling health needs is a continuous process and the requirements are never ending.   At each of the steps, the customer would be having certain expectations.   The quality standards of the service are usually determined by the ability to fulfill the customer’s expectations and to meet as to what was promised in the initial package (contract).   Some of the expectations of the consumers include:-Having a high quality travel package which is cost-effective Finding the destination country comfortable and relaxing Getting used to the destination quickly Developing rapport with the new healthcare professionals and the healthcare system – Ability to clear all doubts and queries.The patient should be assured about the quality standards of the organization and the qualifications of the healthcare professionals.Preferable a standard prevailing at the home nation should be sought.   It i s also important that the processes existing in the hospital should be similar to that of the home nation.   The healthcare system prevailing should be culturally competent to that of the tourists.Able to meet with the precautions and advise from the healthcare professionals easily Undergoing the treatment processes without much complications, side-effects and negative events Resolving any problem the patient has during the treatment processes Enjoying the benefits of treatment Ability to contact the healthcare provider and fulfilling any problem (Health Base, 2006, Wachovia, 2008,)References:American University (2003). Globalization and Medical Tourism, Retrieved on August 15, 2008, from American University of Delaware Website: http://www.american.edu/ted/medical-tourism.htmHealth base (2006). Medical Tourism FAQs, Retrieved on August 15, 2008, from Health Base Website: https://www.healthbase.com/hb/pages/medical-tourism-faq.jsp#1Hongnaphadol, W. N. (2008). Medical Tourism, Retri eved on August 15, 2008, from Leeds University Website: www.leedsmet.ac.uk/research/W_Hognaphado-pm_1.ppHutchinson, B. (2005). Medical tourism growing worldwide, Retrieved on August 15, 2008, from University of Delaware Website: http://www.udel.edu/PR/UDaily/2005/mar/tourism072505.htmlMonash University (2004). The Cycle of Service, Retrieved on August 15, 2008, from Monash University Website: http://www.adm.monash.edu.au/cheq/support-services/cycle-service.htmlRecover Discover (2007). Medical Tourism – Medical Tourism India – Healthcare Tourism, Retrieved on August 15, 2008, from Recover Discover Website: http://www.recoverdiscover.com/Wachovia Corporation (2008). The Cycle Of Service – How To See Things from the Customer's Point of View, Retrieved on August 15, 2008, from Wachovia Corporation Website: http://www.wachovia.com/small_biz/page/0,,447_972_1697_1994_2016,00.html

Benihana Of Tokyo Essay

1. What is the Benihana concept? The Beninhana of Tokyo, basically a Japanese Steak House has a very unique concept in terms of the idea of watching the food being cooked live on the table in front of eyes. Benihana featured traditional Japanese cuisine experience in the urban U.S metropolis. It was the first introducer of Hibachi Cooking style in USA, celebrating the cooking of food so alive and entertaining. This experience comes with Teppanyaki tables which accommodated eight people and live cooking of food with service being provided by a chef and a waitress. The concept featured a chef dramatically preparing meals while engaging the eaters around him at the Teppanyaki Table which gave a totally new dining experience. The chefs were mostly trained for the showmanship and the Benihana form of cooking from Japan. This gave a feeling of exclusivity as each table had its own chef and waitress resulting in high engagement and participation from customers end. Benihana not only started with an adopted innovative cooking experience (something that did not exist in USA Before) but also featured Japanese historical authenticity in its design layouts and interior dà ©cor, the walls, ceilings, beams, artifacts and lightings were all from Japan to create a Japanese effect in the restaurant. 2. How does Benihana`s cost structure differ from that of a typical sit-down restaurant? The cost structure of Benihana differs a lot from that of a typical-sit down restaurant resulting in lesser costs and higher profit: Rocky borrowed the method of Hibachi Table to counter the problem of availability and cost of labor and by eliminating the need for a conventional Kitchen, the cost of labor was around 10%-12% of sales as compared to industry average of 30%-35%. By reducing the menu to simple three entrees the wastage was reduced and can cut food costs by 30%-35% compared to the industry average of 38%-48%. The cost of beverages as percent of sales was 20% for Benihana as compared to the industry average of 25-30% resulting in higher gross profit. Due to parental management relationships with the staff, the management salaries were around 4% of Benihana as compared to the industry average of around 6% were lower. Though the sites were chosen carefully but the rent was usually lower for benihana around 5% compared to industry average of 9%. Benihana on average advertised more than the industry and deliberately sent advertising messages to position it differently. Benihana spend 10% of its sales on advertising while the industry only spends 2%. Net Profit after income tax was relatively higher than the industry average for benihana.

Flowers for Algernon Essay

If you were given the chance to triple your intelligence through surgery would you? In the story â€Å"Flowers for Algernon† by Daniel Keyes, is about a man named Charlie Gordon who has a low I.Q. and has a chance to triple it through surgery. He is a 37 year old man and is keeping a diary to see if he will be used for the surgery. In this book two doctors give Charlie a chance to triple his intelligence through surgery. Charlie should not get the surgery because nobody likes him, everyone feel sorry, and he eventually gets sick of being smart. Charlie should not have had the surgery because nobody likes him when he’s so smart. When he is smart no one can understand him. â€Å"Everybody seems frightened of me.† (232) At this time Charlie has had the surgery and he is so smart everyone is afraid of him. If he didn’t have this surgery everyone wouldn’t be frightened by Charlie. Because of this surgery Charlie lost his job. â€Å"They have driven me out of the factory.† (235) Here Charlie’s workers don’t want him at the factory anymore. Ever since he had the surgery bad things have happened. Nobody wants anything to do with Charlie. â€Å"People don’t talk to me or kid around like they used to.† (232) Charlie is now finding out that no one likes him when he’s smart just because they can’t understand him. Without the surgery he would still have friends. Since Charlie got the surgery it caused him to lose all the memory gained from the surgery. Because of the reason, he should not have had the surgery. Charlie has a job at the factory and â€Å"Everyone feels sorry for me at the factory.† (245) Without the surgery Charlie would not have lost his memory causing everyone to feel sorry. Charlie is finding that no one likes him and everyone feels bad. Charlie had an adult teacher Ms. Kinnian, since he lost his memory he went there and â€Å"She ran out of the room crying.† (243) This quote also shows everyones sorrow towards Charlie. During this quote Charlie lost his memory and went back to his old class. Charlie shouldn’t have had the surgery because everyone feels sorry for him and he lost all his friends. Without the surgery, he would never have lost his memory and friends. The final reason why he should not have had the surgery, because he eventually sick of being smart. He had a job that he liked and since he had the surgery he doesn’t want to be smart, so he quit his job. â€Å"I’ve quit my job at Domangans Plastic Box Company.† (234) This is showing Charlie becoming depressed. Without the operation Charlie would still be living happily and would never have quit his job. Charlie had the surgery because he wanted to become smarter, but now he feels differently. â€Å"I don’t want to be smart anymore† (243) When he had the surgery he had overcome his low I.Q., but he eventually became too smart and no one understood him. They thought he was odd, so nobody spoke to him. He became sick of being smart and wanted to not be smart. If he didn’t have the surgery he would have never wanted to not be smart. Charlie should never have had the surgery, because he gets sick of being smart, nobody cares for him, and everyone feels bad about him. The key points why he should not have had the surgery are, he lost his memory from the surgery, he quit his only job at the box company, plus nobody even understands him, he’s so smart. To conclude, these reasons clearly show why Charlie should not have had the surgery.

Poetry and Writers Different Ways

‘Casehistory: Alison (head injury)’ Learning Objectives: – AO1: Respond to texts critically and imaginatively, select and evaluate textual detail to illustrate and support interpretations. – AO2: Explain how language, structure and form contribute to writers’ presentation of ideas, themes and settings. ( Pre-reading activity Here is a riddle for you†¦ Who do you think would be ‘†¦my husband’s wife’? ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ What about ‘†¦my mother’s only daughter’? _____________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ The title of the poem is ‘Casehistory: Alison (head injury)’. What do you think this poem is going to be about? ( Make a note of your ideas. ___________________________________________________________ ___ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ Why might you talk about yourself in the third person? What is the effect? ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ( Take 2 minutes to discuss the effect with your partner.Swap and develop your ideas. Feed back your ideas to the rest of the class. First impressions ( Read the poem. ______________________ ________________________ _________ _________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ ________________________ _____________________ What do you think has happened to Alison? The opening line above has a play-like feel.Imagine how this scene might look on stage. ( In the box below, sketch out the scene you imagine. In the notes box below, summarise your ‘vision’ of the action. How might you describe the attitude of the speaker of the poem? ( Choose the word or phrase that gives you this impression and write it in the box below. The first one has been done for you. Alison seems†¦ Wistful ____________ ____________ What does the younger Alison have that the Alison of the present does not? ( Fill in the table below. Alison of the past |Alison of the present | | | | |‘Autocratic knee / Like a Degas dancer’s’ |Knees that now ‘lug’ her ‘up stairs / Hardly’ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Let’s take a closer look ( Answer the following questions by providing quotes and analysis. Think PEA – point, example, analysis. 1. The poem is arranged in even, regular three line stanzas. What is the effect on the reader? _____________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Where does this regular pattern come to an END, and what is the effect of this? ______________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ 3. There are two lines in the poem that begin with a single word followed by a full stop. What are they, and what is the effect on the reader? _____________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ Poetry detective Spot the following linguistic and structural devices at work in the poem. What is their PURPOSE and EFFECT? |techniques |examples and analysis of their effect | |Parenthesis |‘(She looks at her photograph)’ – | |( ) | | |Ambiguity | |(the puzzle / riddle o f the first stanza)| | |Mid-line full stops | | |Repetition | | |Powerful adjectives | | |Enjambment | | |Use of the third person | | Get creative – AO2: Explain how language, structure and form contribute to writers’ presentation of ideas, themes and settings. ( Using ‘Casehistory: Alison (head injury)’ as a guide, you are going to write a poem of your own, using pictures of historical figures as inspiration. You are going to bring the long-dead subject of the painting to life in the form of a dramatic monologue! ( Take an online stroll through the 30 ‘must-see’ paintings hanging in The National Gallery: www. nationalgallery. org. uk/paintings/explore-the-paintings/30-highlight-paintings/ ( Which character did you choose? _____________________________ Writer’s toolbox ( With your choice of speaker in mind, tick the techniques you think would be useful in creating an accurate voice for your poem. Think about the intended effect of your selected techniques. If necessary, you can add additional techniques at the bottom. Poetic techniques: |Use: | | | | |Intended effect: | |Rhyme | | | |Non-standard English | | | |Mid-line full stops | | | |Enjambment | | | |Assonance | | | |Repetition | | | |Alliteration | | | |Metaphors | | | |Similes | | | |Onomatopoeia | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Get writing! _________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ _____________________________________ _________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ __________________________ ____________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ | |My Itchy Toes Smell Loads | | |( Complete the table below with what you consider to be the most important quotes and poetic devices | | |within each category. | | | |meaning | | | | | | | | |imagery | | | | | | | | |tone | | | | | |Structure and Form | | | | | | | | |language | | Comparing poems – AO3: Make comparisons and explain links between texts, evaluating writers’ different ways of expressing meaning and achieving effects Use the Venn diagram to find the differences and similarities between the two poems. Sample exam question and ‘Medusa’. Comparing poems – AO3: Make comparisons and explain links between texts, evaluating writers’ different ways of expressing meaning and achieving effects ( Use the Venn diagram to find the differences and similarities between the two poems. Sample exam question Planning an essay ( Using MITSL as a guide, create an essay plan or spider diagram for your essay question. You must include 3 – 5 points of comparison. Number each point in the order you would write about them in your exam. When you write your essay, remember to analyse structural and poetic devices for their effect and meaning. Don’t just list. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ | |Casehistory: Alison (head injury) | | | | | |(She looks at her photograph) | | | | | |I would like to have known | | |My husband’s wife, my mother’s only daughter. | | |A bright girl she was. | | | | | |Enmeshed in comforting | |5 |Fat, I wonder at her delicate angles. | |Her autocratic knee | | | | | |Like a Degas dancer’s | | |Adjusts to the observer with airy poise, | | |That now lugs me upstairs | | | | |10 |Hardly. Her face, broken | | |By nothing sharper than smiles, holds in its smiles | | |What I

American Revolution

American Revolution To what extent was the American Revolution caused by an ideological commitment to republicanism? There has been much debate surrounding the causes of the American Revolution. It has been a key debate amongst historians producing several schools of thoughts with conflicting interpretations of the revolution. They all place a different focus, some blaming short term issues while others trace the revolution back to a combination of factors. Fundamentally, no historical event can be fully explained by one single event or development. I hope to show that the American Revolution was a result of a long term process, its causes lie in the change in relationship between the American people and their English colonialists. Part of this process is the development of and commitment to a republican ideology. However such an ideology cannot be produced within a vacuum but is the result of an accumulation of social change triggered by certain grievances or objections to the existing order. On the o ne hand, it has been argued that the causes of the American Revolution lay in the political changes that came about after the 1760s. The materialisation of a considerable political ideology namely republicanism has been argued to have been the key force which propelled the American people into a revolution. Comparatively, Americans had previously been content and indeed loyal to the mother country and its monarchy. Steve D. Crow even labels Virginians as ‘royalists’ and proclaims that the majority of people had once ‘sided with the King’.[1] However this is not a view that lasted but one can trace the collapse of such a view from the 1760s and perhaps even earlier. Republicanism is the political embodiment of this very shift in belief toward the mother country. America went from it being primarily controlled by English colonialists to Americans demanding sovereignty, self government and freedom from English influence. Inspired by enlightenment writers such as John Locke the Republicans believed that a legitimate state authority should be derived only through consent of the governed.[2] Through such criteria, Britain was increasingly seen as corrupt, hostile and a threat to the liberties that Americans enjoyed. The greatest threat being ‘corruption’ as colonialists were seen as royal appointees not answerable to the people, causing unnecessary taxation and being part of an inherited aristocracy: This all against the ideals of republicanism.[3] Therefore, as the strength of republicanism greatened, with it augmented the breakdown of the relationship between the English and the Americans. Republicanism is indeed a key movement which combined a number of objections to the British, an organised movement that had not before existed. The nature of the movement most definitely spurred on masses of support and marked a departure from the acceptance of British rule. However, it is questionable whether this commitment to republicani sm was enough on its own to have caused the American Revolution. There are several causes that predate republicanism, these causes not as organised but certainly are key turning points in changing the attitude of the American people in favour of revolt against English control. However, the Neo-Conservative School of Thought would argue that the commitment to republicanism was indeed enough to cause the American Revolution. They place the main reason for the revolution in the ‘conservative act’ which took place as American tried to preserve a life they had started. The revolution was based upon certain ‘principle’ that they sought to protect.[4] These very principles were the foundation of the Republican agenda. Robert E Brown and Daniel J Boortsin write that the American people sought to ‘maintain the status quo’ through revolution. For example, the British imposed taxes to create capital after the French and Indian war even though it was contr adictory to the constitution. Neo-conservatives argue that the Americans rebelled against this as they were protecting their existing rights of no taxation without representation. Boortsin rights ‘the patriots more true followers of the British Constitution than the British themselves.’ A natural evolution if this desire to maintain and protect ‘principles’ can be argued to have been Republicanism. This is because, Republicanism sought to condemn the ‘corruption’ of the British rule and protect American rights which have been betrayed under British rule as it became clear that the British were seeking their interests. In a similar vein the Imperial School of Thought believes that it as also political issues namely constitutional issues that caused the revolution. Historians such as George L. Beer, Charles M. Andrew and Lawrence H. Gipson are not as negative about British rule as the Neo-Conservatives. Instead they highlight the prosperity exper ienced by colonies under British rule. As Andrews asserts the British protected ‘American goods and ships’. Gipson puts forward the case for taxation as being just as the British had made great sacrifices â€Å"defending the North American colonies in the Great War for Empires.†[5] Nevertheless, despite this positive view of British rule the Imperial School of Thought agree that ‘constitutional’ disagreements erupted between the two countries. As Americans sought self government the British in parallel pushed for more control. Thus, the British and the colonies clashed as the fought for different gaols. Therefore, these groups of historians favour a political explanation as the main cause of the American Revolution. In this light they may than agree that a commitment to the republican ideology was indeed the main cause of the American Revolution. However, by centring their explanation of the revolution upon political developments and clashes such his torians ignore other factors that were influential in creating a revolution. Others historians have brought forward the economic occurrences that in their opinion hold greater weighting when it comes to what they believe caused the American Revolution.