Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Kristens cookie company Essay

From the given data we can draw the following Process Flowchart The case analysis yields the following points 1. The time taken to fill rush order will depend on whether there are any orders that are being processed currently or not. Accordingly we will have two scenarios a). No order is being processed when the rush order is received. The time in this case will be equal to the sum of the time required for all the processes. Time = 6 + 2 + 1 + 9 + 5 + 2 + 1 = 26minute b). An order is being processed when the rush order is received. In the worst case, the cookies will have just been put in the oven. Thus oven will not be free before (1 + 9)= 10 minutes. By this time, the washing of the bowl and mixing of the dough for the rush order will be done. This will take 8 min. Since oven will not be free for 2 more minutes. Thus total time for this process will be 8 + 2 + 1+ 9 + 5 + 2 + 1 = 28 minutes Every additional order of a dozen cookies will take an additional 10 minutes to fulfill (as the time taken for baking is the only bottleneck involved) 2. If we are open for 4 hours (or 240 minutes), the number of orders that can be filled will be: Every order will take 10 minutes, since the baking time (ie 10min) is the bottleneck, except the first order which will take 6+ 2 =8min in the beginning and the last order which will take 5+2+1=8 more minutes. Thus, [240 – (8+8)] / 10 = 22.4 orders can be filled in a day. That is 22 orders or 22*12 = 264 cookies in a day. 3. I am performing the process of washing, mixing and filling the dough in the tray, while the roommate is putting the tray in the oven, packing, and collecting the payment Thus for each order I spend: 6 + 2 = 8 minutes Roommate spends: 1 + 2 + 1 = 4 minutes A problem of idle time arises when more than one order is to be fulfilled, now if 2 simultaneous orders come, then I will have an idle time of 2 minutes and the roommate will have an idle time of 6 minutes. 4. If we order 2 dozen cookies or 3 dozen cookies, then my time will be reduced for washing and mixing, since the dough for 3 dozen cookies can be mixed together. That is my time will be reduced by 6 minutes for a 2 dozen order and 12 minutes for a 3 dozen order. My roommate’s time will be reduced by 1minute for 2dozen and 2 minute for 3 dozen. It is the time required for collecting payment since now she will collect payment only once for the whole order. However the total time for the process is still the same, since the baking process is the bottleneck and this will not affect the process of baking ,If this time that is saved, can be utilized for some productive work, which can earn more than the discounts we give, only then should we give discounts for 2 dozen or 3 dozen orders. 5. The business can be run smoothly using only one food processor, but the minimum number of trays that are required are 2 trays. This can be explained as follows The total time required for fulfilling an order is 26 minutes, now if another order is taken before the fulfillment of the first order then we will need another tray in which to place the ingredient mix and prepare it for baking. If we have further orders then the first tray can be used again since it will have come back after the cooling cycle. 6. To make cookies in lesser time we can use 3 ovens or use an oven with a larger capacity. With 3 ovens we can make 3 dozen cookies in just 31 minutes as compared to 48 minutes taken with just 1 oven. This amounts to an increase of 35% in sales due to time being saved. Addition of an extra oven can also help in this regard; with an extra oven we can fill 28 orders in a day instead of only 22 orders. Thus the additional rent that we can pay for an additional oven will be an amount lesser than the additional profit made by tending to 6 extra orders in a day. The additional oven will be very useful since the main Bottleneck encountered in this process is the time taken to bake the cookies. Additional analysis 1. If I were to do the whole process by myself it would take me 36 minutes to fill 2 orders which come back-to-back. The problem in this case would be that there can be no parallel processing. Thus after every 2 orders the process of baking has to start afresh, hence the total number of orders that can be filled per day will be X = (240*2)/36 = 13.333 Therefore only 13 orders can be filled everyday as compared to 22 that can be filled by 2 people. Hence working alone would have the same costs but sales would decrease by close to 50%. 2. There will be no effect on the time taken to manufacture the â€Å"Crash priority† order that has come up; both the new order and the order already in the oven can be delivered on time. The only problem here can arise if we have other orders in queue when this order arrives, then those orders will have to be kept waiting when we attend to this order. We can charge the customer a premium which will be equal to the number of orders whose delivery time will be extended beyond an hour due to this order. i.e. if we have 6 orders in queue and 3 of them are delayed due to the new order then Premium charged= No. of orders unfulfilled due to the new order * price; 3. The entire process time taken here is 26 minutes; every additional order will take an additional 10 minutes. Therefore we can service 4 orders in the first hour and 6 orders in every subsequent hour, this holds good if we have to deliver within an hour. If that restriction is relaxed, then delivery time we promise will be determined by the number of orders already in queue and any work-in-progress The formula that we can use for determining delivery time will be Time = (No. of orders in the queue*10 minutes) + (Work in progress* Time remaining in baking) + 10 minutes (Baking time of the new order) + 8 minutes (time till packing) i.e. if we have 3 orders in queue and another order which has to be baked for a further 5 minutes the delivery time we can promise will be Time = (3*10) + (5) +10+8 = 53 minutes. This is how we can promise delivery. 4. The major factors that should be considered at this stage of planning the business are what prices to charge, how many orders to accept and what can the profit be, the business has no extra costs apart from the input costs. But to safeguard against breakdown of equipment we must add a maintenance charge for the machine maintenance, the other costs that can come into picture are the opportunity costs, i.e. if our time was utilized in other tasks what could have been the profit we could have made. Hence these are the important factors that must be considered at this stage of planning. 5. If the product was a standard product then the following changes could be made * We can have 3 ovens, this will be useful because if the product is a standard one then we will always make 3 dozen cookies every time we prepare a mix, thus it would be useful for us to have 3 ovens as it would considerably reduce our time and give faster output * We can increase the number of orders that we can service each night * The order-taking system will be changed since now there is no customization so we will only be required to ask the customer as to how many dozens does he/she want These are the changes that should be made if the product is changed to a standardized one.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

State of Racism and Gender Discrimination

?State of Racism and Gender Discrimination What is discrimination? Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of a different person or groups of people based on certain characteristics. In the United States there are seven protected characteristics or classes that are defined by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination Employment Act, and the American Disabilities Act that can not be discriminated against: race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, and disability. This paper focuses on two of the protected classes: race and gender discrimination. What is racism? Racism (also known as discrimination against a race or races) is a belief that all members of one racial group have superior characteristics or abilities specific to that group; it allows the ranking of races based on superiority and implies the importance of one race over the others (â€Å"Racism† 2008). Supremacy ideology is core to racism. In the 20th century, the face of racism was largely black and white; however, in recent times there have been examples of racism against Native Americans, Asian Americans, African Americans, Latin Americans, and some other immigrant groups (â€Å"Racism in the United States† 2008). Today, racism has become multi-colored and multicultural. Racism and racial discrimination are very powerful forces which unfortunately harm the whole economy. Racism can take place in many areas such as the job market, housing market, educational system, and health care services. Even today, racial discrimination against minorities (especially African Americans) can be found in the housing market (i. e. making renting apartments, taking out mortgages, and buying houses extremely difficult or even impossible in some areas). This is not to say, that there has not been significant attempts and progress made, in order to eliminate racial discrimination. Racial discrimination and segregation used to be legal across the southern states of the United States (â€Å"Martin Luther King and the fight against racism in the US† 2008). Many people have tried to stop racial discrimination throughout the history of the United States. One extremely influential and pivotal leader that many people are familiar with is Martin Luther King. While this paper is not a historic telling of Martin Luther King, his ideals are as influential today as they were then. He did not want people to be judged by the color of their skin but by the capability of their character. He tried to revive the Civil Rights movement in the mid 1950s. However, he was tragically assassinated on the balcony of his hotel in Memphis, Tennessee (â€Å"Martin Luther King and the fight against racism in the US† 2008). After his passing and after many fundamental changes in the constitution, African American communities are no longer limited in their rights from society (â€Å"Martin Luther King Jr. † 2008). Today, the eyes of ethics and the highest laws of the land bids society to stop racial discrimination in all its forms, along with other types of discriminations defined under title VII, ADA, and ADEA. Gender or Sex Discrimination is the belief that one gender is more valuable than the other, and can also create doubts in the abilities of a certain sex and exacerbate stereotypes (â€Å"Sexism† 2008). In most countries around the world, gender discrimination is illegal in most circumstances (Manohar 2008). In the United States, Title VII protects against gender and sexual discrimination. There are two types of gender discrimination: disparate treatment and disparate impact (â€Å"Gender or Sex Discrimination† 2008). Disparate treatment is treating people differently because of his or her sex (â€Å"Gender or Sex Discrimination† 2008). The other is disparate impact, when the company policy does not include certain individuals or does not include everyone equally (â€Å"Gender or Sex Discrimination† 2008). The fire department is a good example of disparate impact. The qualifications of the fire department are extreme (i. e. he ability to carry and lift a lot of weight), which makes it hard for women to qualify for a job as a firefighter (â€Å"Gender or Sex Discrimination† 2008). These requirements are important to becoming a fire fighter and many argue that they are more than necessary. However, this does not mean that the fire department does not want to work with women. It is just the policy to set the standards high. Another interesting example: A male employee was fired by his employer because he refused to work at night (â€Å"Small Business Encyclopedia† 2002). This company had a policy saying that women did not have to work at night because the company was located in a high crime area. The male employees had to work the night shifts for the company, while the women employees did not. The male employee in question filed a suit under Title VII against his employer claiming sexual discrimination. The company claimed that several female employees would quit if they were forced to work at night. The company also claimed the policy was a bona fide occupational qualification (BFOQ). This case is interesting because BFOQ can be used as a defense to allow certain discrimination. BFOQ is an exception provided by Title VII for jobs that require a specific religion, sex, national origin, or age as a reasonable necessity for normal operations of a business. Although BFOQ applies to the fire department qualifications, the courts deemed that the company who asked only its male workers to take the night-shift was could not use BFOQ as a valid defense (â€Å"Small Business Encyclopedia† 2002). In the workplace, sexual discrimination usually involves sex becoming a factor in deciding on who gets a job, promotion, or other benefits. Many researches have shown that women are treated unfairly compared to men in hiring, promotions, and benefits (â€Å"Small Business Encyclopedia† 2002). For instance, a young man, who dropped out from high school and does not have a degree, gets a job in a high position over a young woman who has her master’s degree. While the young woman is better qualified for the position than the young man, the man gets the job. This paradigm illustrates gender discrimination. The reverse has also held true. There have been cases where men have been discriminated against, as discussed above. There is also a particular form of sexual discrimination called sexual harassment. Sexual harassment includes inappropriate words or actions of a sexual nature to the opposite sex (â€Å"Small Business Encyclopedia† 2002). Courts expect managers to understand that sexual discrimination may exist in the workplace and companies to take proactive measures to ensure that the environment is free from sexual discrimination. The first law of any federal importance in the United States regarding discrimination was The Civil Rights Act of 1871, also known as the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871; it was mainly established to protect Southern African Americans from the abuse being delivered to them from the Ku Klux Klan. Although the Act had been interpreted by the courts many times, it had very little effect. For one, the Act was loosely defined and provided loopholes for state officials, who did not get litigated under the statue. However, this hole was patched up in 1961, when the Supreme Court of the United States decided Monroe v. Pape. The decision included several provisions to close the inadequacies found in the Civil Act of 1871. The Act is now one of the most powerful statues, in which the State and Federal courts may protect those whose rights are being violated. In particular, Section 1983 of the Civil Rights Act enforces the prohibition of public sector employment discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, and religion, but it rarely applies to the private sector. Eventually, the first Federal law to promote equal opportunity and prohibit employment discrimination in the United States was passed. The law is called the Executive Order 8802, also known as the Fair Employment Act. It was signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941. The law promotes and ensures that all Federal agencies and departments involved with the defense industry were administered without discrimination to race, color, or nationality on the vocational and training programs being offered to its employees and contractors. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited racial segregation in schools, public places, and employment regardless of race, color, religion, sex, or nationality. Originally conceived to help protect African Americans, it also explicitly included sections to protect women in the bill; as a result the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was founded as well. At the time of its creation, this law was seen as one of the most important legislations that abolished all forms and respects of discrimination. During its time at the House Judiciary Committee, the bill was expanded and strengthened to include bans against racial discrimination in employment, segregation in all public facilities, and protection of the rights of black voters. The bill was later passed out to the House Rules Committee, at which the committee’s chairman Howard W. Smith expressed his intention in canning the bill. But after pressures from civil rights groups and movements, Chairman Smith finally let the bill pass through and it was brought to a vote. It passed in the House on February 10, 1964 and was sent to the Senate. During the bill’s stay at the Senate, a group of southern state Senators launched a two month filibuster trying to prevent its passage through the Senate. In compromise, a revised weaker bill than the House version was brought to the tables for Senate vote on June 10, 1964 and was passed. Originally conceived to help protect African Americans, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 also explicitly included sections to protect Women’s Rights in the bill. Added by Howard W. Smith of the House Rules Committee Chairman, it was first seen as a guise to prevent the bill from passing (since at that time it was normally conceived that some groups of men within the House and Senate would oppose Women’s Rights). The Bill was later successfully passed and marked the first time legislation was put into effect to protect women. The Civil Rights Act was later followed by the Civil Rights Act of 1968, commonly known as the Fair Housing Act of 1968; which expanded the prohibition of discrimination to include the housing sector. It specifically prohibited discrimination on the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, religion, nationality and later gender, and the protection of families with children and of the handicapped. The next important anti-discrimination law to pass was the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978. With more than 70% of women with children in the U. S. work force, the law was setup to protect women against discrimination due to their pregnancy (or intentions of becoming pregnant). Employers with prejudices against working mothers (due to the fear of lost productivity, extra costs, expenditures and accommodations associated with pregnant women) who might have been likely to discriminate against them were deterred. The Act also enables the distribution of a monetary pay-out as a result of discrimination against pregnant women. In 2006 alone, The U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission handled 4,901 claims with monetary amount awarded totaling about $10. 4 million (EEOC 2006). The Civil Rights Act was amended again for the last time in 1991, in an effort to address various limits imposed by past United States Supreme Court’s decisions on the rights of employees who had filed law suits against their employers. It was basically setup to bring forth the emotional distress damages caused by employment discrimination while setting a limit on the amount the jury could award (â€Å"List of Anti-Discrimination Acts† 2008). Before the 1991 Act was put into effect, a plaintiff could only sue their employer for discrimination and recover lost wages or salary, lost benefits, attorney fees, court fees, other legal fees, and other costs associated with reinstatement. To prevent from unreasonable court settlements, the punitive damages awarded was capped at $300,000 for most cases (excluding ethnic and/or racial discrimination) (â€Å"List of Anti-Discrimination Acts† 2008). The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission still handles thousands of discrimination cases every year. There is statistical evidence that suggests racial discrimination in the workplace is still commonplace. In 2000, the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) reported a study in North Carolina that states accusations of racial harassment on the job nearly quadrupled between 1996 and 2000. Mindy Weinstein, attorney at the EEOC office in Charlotte, North Carolina, says, â€Å"There's a new generation of workers today who were not raised in the civil rights movement, who may not have been aware of the laws that came about because of that time†¦ We think it's largely a reflection of what's going on in society as a whole† (â€Å"Racial Discrimination† 2008). Since Barack Obama’s win the 2008 presidential election, people would like to believe that racism has seen its last day; unfortunately this is not the case. According to the research of Brown University, during 1970 to 1994, when America liberalized their uncompetitive banking markets, it reduced the wage gap between blacks and whites. Economists call the wage difference between black workers and white workers the â€Å"racial wage gap† (most of which comes from bias). Gary Becker, a Nobel-prize winning economist, argued that prejudice of employees was economically inefficient. Brown University found that deregulation of the American banking industry increased competition and lowered interest rates on loans. People found it easier to start their own business. They found that in an initially high degree of racial bias, the black-white wage gap declined the most. This evidence shows competition itself can not eliminate racial discrimination. Competition can only reduce the bias from employers. Changing attitudes takes a lot of time and effort; even though Obama’s election victory denotes a change in history, there is still a long way to go (â€Å"Race and Red Tape† 2008). Wage gaps can be seen in between genders as well. Though a wage gap between white men and white women may be expected, it is surprising to see this is not the only wage gap that exits between the sexes. In other racial groups, such as African Americans, Latinos, and Asian/Pacific Islanders, men earn more money than women within their own respective race (U. S. Census Bureau 2000). According to a study, women working 41 to 44 hours per week earn 84. 6% of what men earn working similar hours; women working more than 60 hours per week earn only 78. % of what men earn working the same hours (Bureau of Labor Statistics 2002). More over, women tend to work longer before they receive promotions and get a higher pay. Most people think a higher education may increase women’s salary, but the evidence suggests otherwise. The data does not show a narrow gender gap in wages at higher levels of education. On the contrary, at the very highest levels of education, the gap is at its largest (Hilary M. Lips 2008). Racial discrimination is an important issue in the business world and is a genuine problem that still exists—and in some cases it’s getting worse. According to a study published in 1998 by the nonprofit group Catalyst called â€Å"Women of Color in Corporate Management: A Statistical Picture,† it was shown that minority women, while now accounting for almost a quarter of all women in the workplace, occupied only 15 percent of the management positions held by women. The study verifies that a combination of racial discrimination and the glass ceiling was a differentiating factor in those numbers (Racial Discrimination 2008). Glass ceiling is a symbolic phrase referring to an invisible cap preventing qualified women and minorities from progressing into key higher level management positions, or in some cases any management positions. These individuals describe the cap as a â€Å"glass ceiling† because they can see the opportunity that should be theirs through the glass, but due to the ceiling, they can not go any higher. In 1995 the Federal Glass Ceiling Commission described the American labor force as being segregated by gender and race, where â€Å"white men fill most top management positions in corporations† (Glass Ceilings: The Status of Women as Officials and Managers in the Private Sector 2004). The report affirms that the percent of women officials and managers in the private sector used to be 29% in 1990 and had increased to 36. 4% in 2002. Although this is an improvement, women embody 48 percent of all employees, but only 36. 4% of them are in key power positions. In the National Employment Summary released in 2005 by the EEOC, the average salary reported was $40,325. This report indicates that the median income of men is above average ($44,090) and the median income of women is below average ($36,417) (â€Å"National Employment Summary† 2005). The median salary for White and Asian employees was above average as well ($41,525 and $50,762 respectively); whereas Black, Hispanic, and Native American employees had median salaries below the average income (â€Å"National Employment Summary† 2005). When graphed, these findings show that White male population has an income graph that is skewed towards the right, whereas most minorities and women have a normal income distribution. The data here supports the idea that more White men are employed in higher paying jobs. The Federal Glass Ceilings Commission argues that: â€Å"The successful elimination of glass ceilings requires not just an effective enforcement strategy but the involvement of employers, employees and others in identifying and reducing ttitudinal and other forms of organizational barriers encountered by minorities and women in advancing to higher level management positions in different workplace settings. † (Glass Ceilings: The Status of Women as Officials and Managers in the Private Sector 2004) Racism and gender discrimination hurt not only the people discriminated against, but also the economy as a whole. It prevents good, qualified individuals from progressing and attributing to the market. As a result, l ess qualified or poorly qualified people get placed in key positions. This prevents business’ from reaching their potential, and thus prevents the nation from reaching its. These issues are not restricted to the United States. Racism can be found in all countries across the globe, and its effects can be devastating. Africa suffers from constant political unrest where attempts at genocide are commonplace. Will racism and gender discrimination ever come to an end? It is a difficult question to answer, especially since it is human nature to differentiate between â€Å"us† and â€Å"them† (â€Å"So stereotypes persist because we want them to† 2000). The hope and desire for America is that the definition of â€Å"us† truly changes to encompass all Americans (â€Å"from all walks of life†). Works Cited EEOC (U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission). 2006. Retrieved November 29, 2008, from: http://www. eeoc. gov/index. html Feinberg, Mark PhD. â€Å"So Stereotypes Exist Because We Want Them to†. American Psychological Association Public Interest Directorate. Retrieved November 29, 2008, from: http://www. apa. org/pi/oema/racism/contents. html â€Å"Gender or Sex Discrimination†. 008. Retrieved November 29, from: http://www. discriminationattorney. com/lawyer-attorney-1287322. html â€Å"Glass Ceilings: The Status of Women as Officials and Managers in the Private Sector†. 2004. U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Retrieved November 29, 2008, from: http://www. eeoc. gov/stats/reports/glassceiling/index. pdf Lips, Hilary M. â€Å"The Gender Wage Gap: Debunking the Rationalizationsâ € . Retrieved November 29, 2008, from: http://www. womensmedia. com/new/Lips-Hilary-gender-wage-gap. html â€Å"List of Anti-Discrimination Acts†. 2008. Retrieved November 29, 2008, from: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/List_of_anti-discrimination_acts#United_States Manohar, Uttara. â€Å"Gender Discrimination at Workplace†. October 24, 2008. Retrieved November 30, 2008, from: http://www. buzzle. com/articles/gender-discrimination-at-workplace. html â€Å"Martin Luther King and the fight against racism in the US†. 2008. Retrieved November 30, 2008, from: http://www. socialistworker. co. uk/art. php? id=14531 â€Å"Martin Luther King Jr. . November 30, 2008. Retrieved November 30, 2008, from: http://www. 123HelpMe. com/view. asp? id=42718 â€Å"National Employment Summary†. 2005. Retrieved November 29, 2008, from: http://www. eeoc. gov/stats/jobpat_eeo4/2005/jobs/UnitedStatesSummary. html â€Å"Race and Red Tape†. November 13, 2008. The Economist print edition. Retrieved November 29, 2008, from: http://www. economist. com/finance/displaystory. cfm? story_id=12597512 â€Å"Racial Discrimination†. November 29, 2008. Retrieved November 29, 2008, from: http://www. nswers. com/topic/racial-discrimination â€Å"Racism†. 2008. Retrieved November 29, 2008, from: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Racism â€Å"Racism in the United States†. 2008. Retrieved November 29, 2008, from: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Racism_in_the_United_States â€Å"Sexism†. 2008. Retrieved November 29, 2008, from: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Racism_in_the_United_States â€Å"Small Business Encyclopedia†. 2002. Retrieved November 29, 2008, from: http://www. answers. com/topic/gender-discrimination

Monday, July 29, 2019

The Effects of Divorce on Children and the Issues Involved Research Paper

The Effects of Divorce on Children and the Issues Involved - Research Paper Example It has been unveiled that divorce draws very strong and negative impact upon the children. The mental and physical health of the children is disturbed when their lives are changed due to the separation of their parents and the difficulties in adjusting in the new setting often evolve several short and long term negative impacts upon them. Proper handling of all the issues raised from the divorce of the parents is very important to ensure the normal future life of the parents and for this, it is imperative that the parents must manage the pre and post divorce relationship in a manner that they could sustain and support their children both physically and mentally (Laumann and Emery, 2000). The divorce of the parents generally acts as multiple stressors for the children. When they came to know that the things going to abruptly change for them after the divorce they are surrounded with lots of worried and uncertainty because it is not possible for them to figure out what exactly would happen to them and how their life would be managed after the separation of the parents. This uncertainty not only injects stress and depression among the children but also makes them fearful and frightened about their future. They have to cope up with the changes in their family structure brought by the divorce and then possible remarriage of the custodial partner. The situation seems highly challenging and distressing for the children because their immature minds often fail to understand several behaviours and reasons behind certain actions and ultimately their mind set is badly affected from the divorce of the parents. Children are strongly affected from the way parents deal with each other and when one partner hurts the other physically or emotionally, the children also experience stress and extreme depression. The poorly managed conflicts bring high level of apprehension

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Looking back over the span of American history since 1607, what Essay

Looking back over the span of American history since 1607, what historical evidence supports Kinzer's assertion - Essay Example They vary in heritage and their ancestors came from different coasts. However, they share commonalities in valuing enjoyment of rights, liberty, fairness, and equal treatment of people which serves as purposive guide in their way of life. It is from this context that America has been historically intervening in varied nations in the name of freedom. It’s also from this political purview that Stephen Kinzer, prominent writer author of Kinzer, Overthrow: America’s Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq, pointed that America perceived itself as ‘a peculiar, chosen people, the Israel of our times.’ Kinzer (2006), a political analyst, perceived that most of the intervention done my American government in other sovereign nations is motivated to protect its business interests from possible restriction and regulations-- such as demands for taxation, labor laws and environmental protection, through geopolitical strategies. Kinzer (2006) pointed that these rest rictions imposed by nations, where American multinational companies are operating, are perceived anti-American, repressive or probably dictatorial. When conflict is heightened, the intervention could either be considered economic, political or an operation for liberation from perceived tyrannical governments. He cited that US lead-participation in overthrowing governments was evident in Hawaii in1893 to Iraq in 2003. Kinzer (2006) also contended that American-led or supported coups d'etat in Hawaii, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Philippines, Nicaragua, Honduras, Iran, Guatemala, South Vietnam, Chile, Grenada, Panama, Afghanistan, and Iraq was a result of similar causes and motivation. Critical of its view, Kinzer argued that in 1898, US helped local rebels in Cuba to overthrow the Cuban government. Is this messianic political view of America indeed evident in the anal of its history? In the 16th century, under Colonial America, it was reckoned that Europeans traversed to America for economic r easons, to escape religious persecution and they settled at what they called the New World. Many of them lived with the assistance of Native Americans and started farming to produce corn grains and tobacco. They also engaged themselves in mercantilism to increase political power and wealth—thus, the extraction of gold and silver from North America and subsequently brought to London market. Mercantilism was protected by government through trades’ regulation and by providing subsidies for emerging industries to develop exports and control imports. The period was however characterized with smuggling, an American way to dodge out trading restrictions of European nations. Conflict rose as pirates launched several attacks. Conflict heightened until Seminoles from Georgia killed the remaining Indian residents at Florida. The regions of New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma, California and Kansas were also explored by Spanish conquestadores. Missionaries were sent in these a reas to propagate Christianity and to declare historic claims. American conquered and recovered the sites

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Creative Writing Program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Creative Writing Program - Essay Example Another intriguing fact is that, the Times Higher Education placed UTSA among the top 400 higher education institutions globally. UTSA’s English department is particularly interesting since it encompasses a wide array of programs ranging from creative writing and linguistic studies to community outreach and doctoral programs. This department also affords students an opportunity to focus on cross-cultural or international linguistic aspects. For this reason, scholars can not only explore Native American linguistics, but Latina and African-American philology as well. This serves as a clear indicator that, the UTSA English section is comprehensive and non-discriminate. Nevertheless, the program of interest, in this case, is UTSA’s Creative Writing Program. This program is provided under the name â€Å"Bachelor of Arts Degree in English with a Creative Writing Concentration† (UTSA n.pag). For students to get awarded with an English Arts Degree, with specialty in creative writing, they must effectively manifest expertise, dedication and professionalism in composition portfolios. It is also imperative to complete several predetermined classes. First, each creative writing student must accrue at least 45 credit hours learning English. Of these hours, 21 are apportioned to British and American literature, literary analysis and criticism, Shakespearean plays and English majors’ seminar. Of the remaining 24 course credit hours, students must use 6 hours in creative writing either in nonfiction, poetry or fiction. Additionally, 9 credit hours are allocated equally to disciplines within three categories, from which a scholar can select. These classes include: (a) Historical, American, English; (b) Gender, and Cross-Cultural Studies and (c) Ethnic & Race Studies. The additional 9 credit hours, under English studies are purely

Short Answer Questions Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Short Answer Questions - Coursework Example An example of a landscape radically transformed for economic reasons is the Mississippi River – Gulf Outlet Canal. This canal was constructed on the river for the transportation of goods into the interior of the United States of America from the harbor. In the long run, humans do not benefit from such environmental changes since the construction of this canal has resulted in storm surge amplification and wetland erosion. Severe weather conditions such as those witnessed during Hurricane Katrina lead to massive loss of life and property (Jones, 2010). The social functions of kinship in traditional non-state societies may be considered unsociable and dangerously selfish because it involves dividing duties based on ones gender. This is unsociable because boys and girls will not socialize when performing their social functions and will not know how to act in each other’s company. For example in marriage the woman has the role of taking care of the children, while the father protects the family from physical harm. This is dangerous since it portrays the woman as a weaker sex. The man in society is also considered the head of the family; this means that the opinion of the woman shall not be taken into consideration. In certain religions, women are not allowed to perform certain rituals and this leaves them spiritually unfulfilled. An example of soft power is the several fast-food franchises exported to Asia and Europe such as McDonalds. This has changed the manner in which people eat whereby people prefer French fries and fried chicken. The social media in the internet has influenced the political world in the Middle East. This is evident through the â€Å"Arab Spring† that liberated several Middle Eastern countries from tyranny. Such influence turns into propaganda when these freedoms encouraged are meant to bring a nation to its knees through civil war (Jones,

Friday, July 26, 2019

Analysis of the integrated marketing communications mix strategies of Essay - 3

Analysis of the integrated marketing communications mix strategies of your chosen smartphone brand - Essay Example Apple should ensure consistency in the messages and slogans should focus on the unique selling points or the differentiated benefits. Apple should segment its market and select an appropriate media channel for each target audience in order to improve the effectiveness of marketing communication. The company must position the brand as innovative and premium brand that delivers added customer value. Apple Incorporation is a multinational company that designs, creates and sells consumer electronics, personal computers, computer software and smart phones (Arthur 2014). The company has attained consistent market growth and profitability due to its culture of product innovation that ensures that the company anticipates and meets the changing customer product requirements (Arthur 2014). Some of the innovative products that have attained global customer loyalty include the iPhone, iPad and iPod products that revolutionalised the technology industry (Arthur 2014). The mission of Apple is to bring the best personal experience to students, creative professionals, educators and consumers across the world through offering them with innovative hardware software and internet products (Arthur 2014). The report will analyse Apple Smartphone brand integrated marketing communication strategies with a focus on how branding and positioning strategies can facilitate the design and implementation of integrated marketing communications mix. The next part of the report will be an analysis of the Smartphone market in UK including the key competitors, market trends and environment factors that have influence on the strategic decisions. The report will also discuss the strategies implemented by Apple including the target audience, brand positioning, media selection and communication mix management. The last part of the report will be a recommendation that explains how Apple Inc can make the IMC

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Aniconism and the Multivalence of Emblems Assignment

Aniconism and the Multivalence of Emblems - Assignment Example Huntington has her own view on this question. She believes that many of the images associated with Buddha's absence—such as an empty throne—are in fact intended to mean something else. The empty throne, for example, was intended to represent the â€Å"sacred nuclei of worship† at religious sites and not the fact of Buddha's absence on that throne (Huntington, 402). Her new research suggests that inscriptions on these images indicate that many of the so-called images are more quotidian representations of sacred sites. Vidya Dehejia has a different view of these questions. He believes that scholars have overlooked the double-meanings of many words in the ancient scripts. He thinks that someone like Huntington has been too literal. He admits that some scholars have gone too far in their interpretations, but that some images do indeed depict the absence of Buddha. He suggests that the emblems of many images â€Å"may carry different meanings in varying contexts† and that scholars should be sensitive to this (Dehejia, 64). The debate over the absence or presence of Buddha in early Buddhist art is a fascinating one. Both scholars present convincing arguments. Whether we will ever know the truth remains an open question.   

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

International Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words - 1

International Business - Essay Example Our baby foods will include fruits, vegetables, meat, chicken and rice. They would all be full of nutrition and will fulfill baby’s body growth needs. The company will have 3 main units; the baby food unit, clinical nutrition department and the research and development department. They all will work simultaneously analyzing the market needs and improving the product. European Union; which is the union comprised of 27 member states of Europe has set rules and policies for the business which have to be adhered by the company. The company has devised few strategies which would help it in the stage of final implementation of the project. The company’s aim is to manufacture and sell the baby food for the baby’s from age 4 months to 2 years. Our intention is to produce premium quality food which fulfills the hygienic standards and is full of nutrition’s for the baby, keeping in mind his growing needs. It will be a new experience for the company to enter into a new market, thus realizing its needs it has signed partnership agreement with local manufacturers Mr. Z and Mrs. Z who will help in implementing appropriate strategies, plans and provide necessary knowhow to the company about the local market. The profits will be shared in the ratio of 20:80, 20 % to Mr. and Mrs. Z and 80% to the company. Furthermore the company will finance the projects and Mr. and Mrs. Z will aid in selling the products to local retailers. The company will require setting up its factories in Europe in order to manufacture baby food, thus it has decided to enter Europe in 2 countries; United Kingdom and Spain. It has planned to establish its factories in London and Madrid respectively. As being capitals these two places are easily accessible with transport facilities and there is ease of goods availability. In addition they are busy cities and will attract

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Corporate Social Responsibility in McDonalds Essay

Corporate Social Responsibility in McDonalds - Essay Example According to the research findings, McDonald’s corporation is the leading retail outlet in fast foods and hamburgers and has grown to be a major multinational in different parts of the world. Today, the company serves over 68 million customers in over 119 countries in different parts of the world including Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America.Corporate social responsibility is defined as the relationship that exists between business entities and the society with an aim of giving back and empowering members of the society. Corporate social responsibility brings together business organizations, members of the society and government agencies in an enabling environment. Corporate social responsibility rises above the selfish interest of individual business owners who are motivated by the desire to increase profits at the expense of the society. Corporate social responsibilities engage the society in the process of achieving the missions and objectives of the business organizatio n. This is achieved through the engagement in a number of philanthropic exercises, conservation of the environment and upgrading the economic status of the members of the society. The engagement of business in corporate social responsibility programs is guided by a number of principles aimed at created a leveled playing ground and ensuring that all members of the society benefit from the program. First, corporate social responsibility is controlled by the legal compliance principle, which requires business units to understand and follow both local and international laws which affect its operations in a certain industry. Following procedures such as environmental regulations and treaties signed by the home country of the business demonstrates a commitment to the society and the environment. Corporate social responsibility is also governed by the need to adhere to the customary international laws that govern the operation of various for-profit institutions across the globe. Government agreements and declarations made are binding on all businesses and this must be done based on free will and an understanding of the sector of operation.

Monday, July 22, 2019

Tradable Indices Essay Example for Free

Tradable Indices Essay 1) How many boards are available in Malaysia share market? It consists of a Main Board, a Second Board and MESDAQ with total market capitalization of MYR700 billion (US$189 billion). 2) What are the characteristics of all boards MESDAQ (Malaysian Exchange of Securities Dealing and Automated Quotation) was launched on 6 October 1997 as a separate securities market, mostly for listing technology-based companies. It is part of Bursa Malaysia. The Mesdaq has now been changed to the ACE Market. Bursa Malaysia offers three (3) boards, Main Board, Second Board and MESDAQ Market. Generally, Main Board is for more established companies, Second Board for relatively smaller companies and MESDAQ Market is for high growth and technology companies. Both the Second Board and MESDAQ Market provide an avenue for relatively smaller companies to access the capital market early to fuel their expansion plans. Once established, they can transfer their listing status to the Main Board. 3) Index. How many index traded? (e.g. KLCI) TRADABLE INDICES FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI Index (effective 6th July, 2009) * This tradable index comprises the 30 largest companies in the FTSE Bursa Malaysia EMAS Index by market capitalisation. FTSE Bursa Malaysia Mid 70 Index * Comprises the next 70 companies in the FTSE Bursa Malaysia EMAS Index by full market capitalisation. FTSE Bursa Malaysia Top 100 Index * Comprises the constituents of the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI and the FTSE Bursa Malaysia Mid 70 Index. FTSE Bursa Malaysia Hijrah Shariah Index * The FTSE Bursa Malaysia Hijrah Shariah Index is a tradable index which comprises the 30 largest companies in the FTSE * Bursa Malaysia EMAS Index that meets the following triple screening process: * FTSEs global standards of free float, liquidity and investability * Yasaars international Shariah screening methodology * Malaysian Securities Commissions Shariah Advisory Council (SAC) screening methodology FTSE Bursa Malaysia Asian Palm Oil Plantation Index (USD and MYR) * This index comprises the companies from the universes of developed, advanced emerging and secondary emerging countries as classified by FTSE in the Asia Pacific region excluding Japan, Australia and New Zealand that derive substantial revenue from palm oil activities 4) What is characteristics of Index (e.g. FTSE composite index) The two main eligibility requirements stated in the FTSE Bursa Malaysia Index Ground Rules are the free float and liquidity requirements. Free Float * Each company is required to have a minimum free float of 15%. The free float excludes restricted shareholding like cross holdings, significant long term holdings by founders, their families and/or directors, restricted employee share schemes, government holdings and portfolio investments subject to a lock in clause, for the duration of that clause. A free float factor is applied to the market capitalisation of each company in accordance with the banding specified in the FTSE Bursa Malaysia Ground Rules. The factor is used to determine the attribution of the company’s market activities in the index Liquidity * A liquidity screen is applied to ensure the company’s stocks are liquid enough to be traded. Companies must ensure that at least 10% of their free float adjusted shares in issue is traded in the 12 months prior to an annual index review in December. * It contains 30 companies from the main market with approximately 900 to 1000 listed companies. The index has a base value of 100 as of January 2, 1977.[2]

Group Dynamics Essay Example for Free

Group Dynamics Essay What is â€Å"group dynamics†? Perhaps it will be most useful to start by looking at the derivation of the word â€Å"dynamics†. It comes from a Greek word meaning force. In careful usage the phrase, â€Å"group dynamics† refers to the forces operating in groups. The investigation of group dynamics, then, consists of a study of these forces: what gives rise to them, what conditions modify them, what consequences they have, etc. The practical application of group dynamics (or the technology of group dynamics) consists of the utilization of knowledge about these forces for the achievement of some purpose. In keeping with this definition, is not particularly novel, nor is it the exclusive property of any person or institution. It goes back at least to the outstanding work of men like Simmel, Freud, and Cooley. Although interest in groups has a long and respectable history, the past fifteen years have witnessed a new flowering of activity in this field. Today, research centers in several countries are carrying out substantial programmes of research designed to reveal the nature of groups and of their functioning. The phrase â€Å"group dynamics† had come into common usage during this time and intense efforts have been devoted to the development of the field, both as a branch of social science and as a form of social technology. In this development the name of Kurt Lewin had been outstanding. As a consequence of his work in the field of individual psychology and from his analysis of the nature of pressing problems of the contemporary world, Lewin became convinced of society’s urgent need for a scientific approach to the understanding of the dynamics of groups. In 1945 he established the Research Center for Group Dynamics to meet this need. Since that date the Centre has been devoting its efforts to improving our scientific understanding of groups through laboratory experimentation, field studies, and the use of techniques of action research. It has also attempted in various ways to help get the findings of social science more widely used by social management. Much of what I have to say in this paper is drawn from the experiences of this Center in its brief existence of a little more than five years. We hear all around us today the assertion that the problems of the twentieth century are problems of human relations. The survival of civilization, it is said, will depend upon man’s ability to create social interventions capable of harnessing, for society’s constructive use, the vast physical energies now at man’s disposal. Or, to put the matter more simply, we must learn how to change the way in which people behave toward one another. In broad outline, the specifications for a good society are clear, but a serious technical problem remains: How can we change people so that they neither restrict the freedom nor limit the potentialities for growth of others; so that they accept and respect people of different religion, nationality, colour, or political opinion; so that nations can exist in a world without war, and s that the fruits of our technological advances can bring economic well-being and freedom from disease to all people of the world? Although few people would disagree with these objectives when stated abstractly, when we become more specific, differences of opinion quickly arise. These questions permit no ready answers. How is change to be produced? Who is to do it? Who is to be changed? Before we consider in detail these questions of social technology, let us clear away some semantic obstacles. The word â€Å"change† produces emotional reactions. It is not a neutral word. To many people it is threatening. It conjures up visions of a revolutionary, a dissatisfied idealist, a trouble-maker, a malcontent. Nicer words referring to the process of changing people are education, training, orientation, guidance, indoctrination, therapy. We are more ready to have others â€Å"educate† us than have them â€Å"change† us. We, ourselves feel less guilty in â€Å"training† others than in â€Å"changing† them. Why this emotional response? What makes the two kinds of words have such different meanings? I believe that a large part of the difference lies in the fact that the safer words (like education and therapy) carry implicit assurance that the only changes produced will be good ones, acceptable within a currently held value system. The cold, unmodified word â€Å"change†, on the contrary, promises no respect for values; it might even tamper with values themselves. perhaps for this very reason it will foster straight thinking if we use the word â€Å"change† and thus force ourselves to struggle directly and self-consciously with the problems of value that are involved. Words like education, training, or therapy, by the very fact that they are not so disturbing, may close our eyes to the fact that they too inevitably involve values. How can we change people so that they neither restrict the freedom nor limit the potentialities for growth of others; so that they accept and respect people of different religion, nationality, colour, or political opinion; so that nations can exist in a world without war, and so that the fruits of our technological advances can bring economic wellbeing and freedom from disease to all people of the world? The proposal that social technology may be employed to solve the problems of society suggests that social science may be applied in ways not different from those used in the physical sciences. Does social science, in fact, have any practically useful knowledge which may be brought to bear significantly on society’s most urgent problems? What scientifically based principles are there for guiding programmes of social change: In this paper we shall restrict our considerations to certain parts of a relatively new branch of social science known as â€Å"group dynamics†. We shall examine some of the implications for social action which stem from research in this field of scientific investigation. Consider first some matters having to do with the mental health of an individual. We can all agree, I believe, that an important mark of a healthy personality is that the individual’s self-esteem has not been undermined. But on what does self-esteem depend? From research on this problem we have discovered that, among other things, repeated experiences of failure or traumatic failures on matters of central importance serve to undermine one’s self-esteem. We also know that whether a person experiences success or failure as a result of some undertaking depends upon the level of aspiration which he has set for himself. Now, if we try to discover how the level of aspiration gets set, we are immediately involved in the person’s relationships to groups. The groups to which he belongs set standards for his behaviour which he must accept if he is to remain in the group. If his capacities do not allow him to reach these standards, he experiences failure, he withdraws or is rejected by the group and his self-esteem suffers a shock. Consider a second example. A teacher finds that in her class she has a number of trouble-makers, full of aggression. She wants to know why these children are so aggressive and what can be done about it. A foreman in a factory has the same kind of problem with some of his workers. He wants the same kind of help. The solution most tempting to both the teacher and the foreman often is to transfer the worst trouble-makers to someone else, or if facilities are available, to refer them for counselling. But is the problem really of such a nature that it can be solved by removing the trouble-maker from the situation or by working on his individual motivations and emotional life? What leads does research give us? The evidence indicates, of course, that there are many causes of aggressiveness in people, but one aspect of the problem has become increasingly clear in recent years. If we observe carefully the amount of aggressive behaviour and the number of trouble-makers to be found in a large collection of groups, we find that these characteristics can vary tremendously from group to group even when the different groups are composed essentially of the same kinds of people. In the now classic experiments of Lewin, Lippitt and White (1939) on the effects of different styles of leadership, it was found that the same group of children displayed markedly different levels of aggressive behaviour when under different styles of leadership. Moreover, when individual children were transferred from one group to another, their levels of aggressiveness shifted to conform to the atmosphere of the new group. Efforts to account for one child’s aggressiveness under one style of leadership merely in terms of his personality traits could hardly succeed under these conditions. This is not to say that a person’s behaviour is entirely to be accounted for by the atmosphere and structure of the immediate group, but it is remarkable to what an extent a strong, cohesive group can control aspects of a member’s behaviour traditionally thought to be expressive of enduring personality traits. Recognition of this fact rephrases the problem of how to change such behaviour. It directs us to a study of the sources of the influence of the group on its members. Within very recent years some research data have been accumulating which may give us a clue to the solution of our problem. In one series of experiments directed by Lewin, it was found that a method of group decision, in which the group as a whole made a decision to have its members change their behaviour, was from two to ten times more effective in producing actual change as was a lecture presenting exhortation to change (Lewin, 1951). We have yet to learn precisely what produces these differences of effectiveness, but it is clear that by introducing group forces into the situation a whole new level of influence has been achieved. The experience has been essentially the same when people have attempted to increase the productivity of individuals in work settings. Traditional conceptions of how to increase the output of workers have stressed the individual: * Select the right man for the job * Simplify the job for him * Train him in the skills required * Motivate him by economic incentives * Make it clear to whom he reports * Keep the lines of authority and responsibility simple and straight. But even when all of these conditions are fully met we find that productivity is far below full potential. There is even good reason to conclude that this individualistic conception of the determinants of productivity actually fosters negative consequences. The individual, now isolated and subjected to the demands of the organization through the commands of his boss, finds that he must create with his fellow employees informal groups, not shown on any table of organization, in order to protect himself from arbitrary control of his life, from the boredom produced by the endless repetition of mechanically sanitary and routine operations, and from the impoverishment of his emotional and social life brought about by the frustration of his basic needs for social interaction, participation, and acceptance in a stable group. Recent experiments have demonstrated clearly that the productivity of work groups can be greatly increased by methods of work organization and supervision which give more responsibility to work groups, which allow for fuller participation in important decisions, and which make stable groups the firm basis for support of the individual’s social needs (Coch French, 1948). It is points out future research will also demonstrate that people working under such conditions become more mature and creative individuals in their homes, in community life, and as citizens. A few years ago the Research Center for Group Dynamics undertook to shed light on this problem by investigating the operation of a workshop for training leaders in intercultural relations (Lippitt, 1949). In a project, directed by Lippitt, they set out to compare systemically the different effects of the workshop upon trainees who came as isolated individuals in contrast to those who came as teams. Six months after the workshop, however, those who had been trained as isolates were only slightly more active than before the workshop whereas those who had been members of strong training teams were now much more active. They do not have clear evidence on the point, but they are quite certain that the maintenance of heightened activity over a long period of time would also be much better for members of teams. For the isolates the effect of the workshop had the characteristic of a â€Å"shot in the arm† while for the team member it produced a more enduring change because the team provided continuous support and reinforcement for its members. What conclusions may we draw from these examples? What principles of achieving change in people can we see emerging? To begin with the most general position, we may state that the behaviour, attitudes, beliefs, and values of the individual are all firmly grounded in the groups to which he belongs. How aggressive or cooperative a person is, how much self-respect and self-confidence he has, how energetic and productive his work is, what he aspires to, what he believes to be true and good, whom he loves or hates, and what beliefs and prejudices he holds—all these characteristics are highly determined by the individual’s group memberships. In a real sense, they are properties of groups and of the relationships between people. Whether they change or resist change will, therefore, be greatly influenced by the nature of these groups. Attempts to change them must be concerned with the dynamics of groups. In examining more specifically how groups enter into the process of change, we find it useful to view groups in at least three different ways. In the first view, the group is seen as a source of influence over its members. Efforts to change behaviour can be supported or blocked by pressures on members stemming from the group. To make constructive use of these pressures the group must be used as a medium of change. In the second view, the group itself becomes the target of change. To change the behaviour of individuals it may be necessary to change the standards of the group, its style of leadership, its emotional atmosphere, or its stratification into cliques and hierarchies. Even though the goal may be to change the behaviour of individuals, the target of change becomes the group. In the third view, it is recognized that many changes of behaviour can be brought about only by the organization efforts of groups as agents of change. A committee to combat intolerance, a labour union, and employers association, a citizens group to increase the pay of teachers—any action group will be more or less effective depending upon the way it is organized, the satisfactions it provides to its members, the degree to which its goals are clear, and a host of other properties of the group.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Acupuncture for Chronic Headache in Primary Care

Acupuncture for Chronic Headache in Primary Care Research Critique Introduction Research involves the use of systematic procedures to answer an inquiry. It involves data collection, synthesis and analysis in the light of the question or inquiry; and formulation of conclusions and recommendations, (Badke, 2004). General types of research include experimental studies which â€Å"are used to test the effect of a treatment or intervention†, (Peat, 2001, p. 16). Clinical trails fall under the broad category of experimental trials. Clinical trials are controlled experiments with patients, which range from â€Å"studies to prevent, detect, diagnose, control and treat health problems to studies of the psychological impact of a health problem and ways to improve people’s health, comfort, functioning, and quality of life†, (Brooten, 2006, p.86). Generally, clinical trials can be categorised into either randomised trials or non-randomised trials. This paper will try to evaluate the scientific research conducted by Vickers and colleagues (2004), entitled: Acupuncture for chronic headache in primary care: large, pragmatic, randomised trial, which was published on 15 March 2004 at the British Medical Journal. This particular topic was selected due to its relevance to this field of study. Numerous insights from this field of study and valuable best practice information in quantitative research methods can be gained from undertaking this critiquing task. This critique will be carried out using the research framework for critiquing health research formulated by Caldwell and co-workers (2005), which provides a comprehensive set of criteria against which the elements of the research article by Vickers and colleagues (2004) can be appropriately measured. This paper will first evaluate the overview of the study, including the abstract, literature review and the methodology used. Next, it will critically analyse issues concerning resear ch ethics, data protection and research funding. Then, it will evaluate the reliability, validity of the research results, including the sampling methods employed. It will then identify the specific strengths and weaknesses of the research article. Finally, the concluding judgement about the research article will be presented. Below are the definitions of selected important terms used in the research article: Acupuncture – pertains to the â€Å"technique of traditional Chinese medicine, in which a number of very fine metal needles are inserted into the skin at specially designated points†, (â€Å"Acupuncture†, 2007). ANCOVA – stands for ‘analysis of covariance’ which is a statistical treatment that combines analysis of variance (ANOVA) and regression; whereby â€Å"the predictable component of the individual differences can be removed with regression analysis†, (Anderson, 2001, p. 283). Chronic – â€Å"all impairments or deviations from normal that have one or more of the following characteristics: are permanent; leave residual disability; are caused by nonreversible pathological alteration; require special training of the patient for rehabilitation; or may be expected to require a long period of supervision, observation or care†, (Sidell, 1997, p. 1) Negative binomial regression – â€Å"is one of a class of mixed Poisson models that mix a second source of variance with the Poisson variance to account for overdispersion†, (Cohen, et al., 2003, p. 531). Outcome measures – â€Å"reflect patient health status at either the individual or the aggregate (population) level†, (Stommel Wills, 2004, p. 234). Randomised trial A randomised trial is a clinical trial that pertains to â€Å"an experiment in which therapies under investigation are allocated by a chance mechanism†, (Brooten, 2006, p.86). Sham Treatment – is the experimental treatment that â€Å"has no effect and which subjects cannot distinguish from the active treatment â€Å"(Peat, 2001, p. 20). Critical Analysis In March 15, 2004, the BMJ Publishing Group Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Medical Association, published the research article in its medical journal, the British Medical Journal (BMJ). Its â€Å"print BMJ has been published continuously since 1840, and now appears in four weekly editions, varying only in their advertising content. Together, their circulation totals about 122 000 copies, of which 10 000 are distributed outside Britain†, (BMJ, undated). Its website provides â€Å"the full text of everything published in the print journal since 1994, as well as much material unique to the web†, (BMJ, undated).These make the BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. an influential and authoritative source of medical articles. The authors are recognized medical practitioners with different fields of specialisations. Andrew Vickers is an assistant attending research methodologist at the Integrative Medicine Service, Biostatistics Service, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York; Rebecca Rees is a research officer at the Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Co-ordinating Centre (EPPI-Centre), Social Science Research Unit in London; Catherine E Zollman is a general medical practitioner from Montpelier Health Centre in Bristol; Rob McCarney is a research officer at the Department of Psychological Medicine, Imperial College in London; Nadia Ellis is lecturer Department of Health and Social Sciences, Coventry University in Coventry; and both Peter Fisher, who is the director of research and Robbert Van Haselen who works as the deputy director of research are from Royal London Homeopathic Hospital. Thus, based on their qualifications, the authors have the credibility, needed knowledge and e xpertise to engage in an extensive scientific study such as the article being evaluated. The article is appropriately titled as Acupuncture for chronic headache in primary care: large, pragmatic, randomised trial, since it essentially focussed on the effectiveness of the use of acupuncture to relieve chronic headache. Moreover, the title expressly implies that the methodology utilizes a large sample in the randomised trial. The abstract appears to be concise and complete. In a few paragraphs, the essential research components were summarised in the abstract, namely: (1) the research objective; (2) setting; (3) participants; (4) interventions; (5) main outcome measures; (6) results; and (7) conclusions. The abstract provides the complete key information that the readers need to fully understand the article. The introduction explained the health costs related to headache, which is the main topic of the article, including the need to apply other approaches in its treatment, particularly, acupuncture. The introduction also provides the main aim or rationale of the study, whi ch was: â€Å"to estimate the effects of acupuncture in practice† in general; and â€Å"to determine the effects of a policy of ‘use acupuncture’ on headache, health status, days off sick, and use of resources in patients with chronic headache compared with a policy of avoid acupuncture†, in particular, (Vickers et al., 2004). However, the literature review was limited to only one source of published work – the Cochrane review of 26 randomised trials. This would be very insufficient in terms of the extent of evaluating available sources of information related to the topic of the study. Moreover, it does not provide a comprehensive evaluation of scholarly work from which the rationale of the study could be based. The study is a quantitative research, since the data obtained are represented in the form of numbers and statistical treatment was employed to interpret the data gathered (Grinnell Unrau, 2005, p. 62). Despite the lack of implicit statement of the hypothesis, the audience or reader can obtain a general notion or idea of what is being tested (the effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of chronic headache). However, the variables were not clearly defined. Nevertheless, the procedures employed in the methodology were intricate and systematic. The participants were clearly identified and adequately described in the study. In the accrual of patients, several stages were established to facilitate the flow and recruitment of participants. Figure 1 in the appendix illustrates the flow of participants in the study. Moreover, ethical principles were upheld during the conduct of participant recruitment. Since most legal instruments expressly prohibit the use of human subjects for medica l research, the researchers obtained written informed consent from the participants. The researchers implemented a system to ensure randomization of the study through a ‘password protected database’, thereby eliminating the potential for bias and subsequently improving the quality of the results. As Peat (2001, p. 28), explains: â€Å" in randomised controlled trials, the quality of the evidence is improved if measurement bias, such as observer or reporting bias, is reduced by using objective outcome measurements and if observers are blinded to the group status of the subjects. The method of data collection proves to be valid and reliable, as evidenced by the relatively high number of treatments (12 treatments) employed over a sufficient length of time (3 months). Moreover, a follow-up procedure was implemented to generate â€Å"a global estimate of current and baseline headache severity†, (Vickers, et al., 2004). This further enhanced the validity of the results. The large sample size helped ensure the reliability of the results. Additionally, t he use of measurable outcomes such as the Likert scale of headache severity helped eliminate bias by extending common measurement criteria for the respondents. The article correlated its results with the findings in â€Å"prior literature on acupuncture†, (Vickers, et al., 2004), suggesting a high degree of validity of results generated. The presentation of results was systematic and at the same time, clear and comprehensive. The results portion explained the process of participant recruitment including the flow of participants through the trial, patient compliance and dropout rate and their characteristics. It also provided a clear explanation of data that were obtained with accompanying tables and graphs. Thus, the audience can easily comprehend the results obtained. In the discussion, the results generated were translated into the main findings of the study which were stated in a clear, yet simple manner. Moreover, the strengths and the limitations were identified and discussed clearly. The strengths of the research article are anchored on its methodology, such as in the recruitment of participants with a large sample size, the implementation of a system to conceal the randomization and the meticulous follow-up procedure one year after the experiment. Such procedures helped ensure that the research findings are reliable and valid. On the other hand, one of the limitations of the study is the absence of sham acupuncture for the participants, thereby failing to consider the potential placebo effects. Additionally, the participants were not blinded in the study; thereby raising the possibility of bias in terms of the participants’ assessments of their headache scores. In terms of the literature review, the article failed to provide an objective evaluation of a sufficient body of literature related to the topic of the research. Thus, it failed to address the gaps in knowledge related to acupuncture and chronic headache due to the lack of an extensive evaluation o f available literature. Conclusion In the final analysis, the research article serves as an additional source of authoritative and credible information regarding the use of acupuncture for the relief of chronic headache. The findings of the study strongly support available scientific evidence. The weaknesses of the research article discussed above can serve as important considerations for researchers who are planning to engage in a similar undertaking – they must evaluate a substantial body of literature to gain insight into the currently available information and subsequently identify knowledge gaps. Moreover, future randomised clinical studies in acupuncture should include a sham treatment to be able to consider potential placebo effects; and blinding of participants must be observed to eliminate bias. Bibliography Acupuncture. (2007). In The Columbia Encyclopedia (6th ed.). New York: Columbia University Press. Anderson, N.H., 2001. Empirical Direction in Design and Analysis. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Badke, W.B., 2004. Research strategies: Finding your way through the information fog. (Second Edition). New York: iUniverse, Inc. British Medical Journal. Undated. Available from: http://resources.bmj.com/bmj/about-bmj. [Accessed: 18 April, 2008]. Brooten, D., 2006. Clinical Trails. In: Encyclopedia of Nursing Research (Second Edition). Joyce Fitzpatrick and Wallace, J.J., (Eds). New York: Springer Publishing Company. Caldwell, K., Henshaw, L., Taylor, G., 2005. Developing a framework for critiquing health research. Journal of Health, Social and Environmental Issues, 6(1), 45-54. Cohen, J., Cohen, P., West, S.G. and Aiken, L.S., 2003. Applied Multiple Regression / Correlation Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. Grinnell, R. M., Unrau, Y. A., (Eds.), 2005. Social Work Research and Evaluation: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches (7th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. Peat, J. K. (Ed.), 2001. Health Science Research: A Handbook of Quantitative Methods. Crows Nest, N.S.W.: Allen Unwin. Sidell, N. L. , 1997. Adult Adjustment to Chronic Illness: A Review of the Literature. Health and Social Work, 22(1), 5+. Stommels, M., Wills, C.E., 2004. Clinical Research: Concepts and Principles for Advanced Practice Nurses. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins Vickers, A.J., Rees, R., Zollman, C.E., McCarney, R., Smith, C.M., Ellis, N., Fisher, P., 2004. Acupuncture for chronic headache in primary care: large, pragmatic, randomised trial. Available from: http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/328/7442/744. [Accessed: 15 April 2008]. Appendix Figure 1Flow of Participants Through the Trial Source: Vickers, et al., 2004

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Marketing Research Tools Essay -- Market Research

Marketing Research Tools Before launching or expanding a business venture, there needs to be an understanding of the industry, its competitors, and its customers. Market research is vital in assisting companies in the decision-making process and their marketing direction. Data from marketing research is important because it provides companies with ways to identify opportunities, identify market potential, minimize chances of loss, devise effective marketing strategies, gauge customer satisfaction, and serve as an evaluation tool. A wide-range of marketing research tools is available to market researchers and organizational decision makers. The following focuses specifically on data collection methods for conducting both primary and secondary research and provides an examination of the differences in primary and secondary research when using qualitative and quantitative approaches. Primary and Secondary Market Research Primary Market Research A company’s marketing research objective could be to establish the market level of a product or service; establish strategies of industry competitors; establish the level of consumer awareness, and establish what the four Ps should be (product, price, place, and promotion). Market research is categorized into two types; primary and secondary market research. Primary market research, also referred to as field research, is tailored to the specific needs of a company. Primary market research allows companies to investigate specific areas of interest, which is conducted directly by the company or contracted out to a third party research firm. Primary data-collection methods aim at getting the right information about the trends in the market firsthand; under this approach a company gets inf... ... the company already knows what it wants to study or not. Works Cited Brockfield Solutions. (2012). Secondary & Primary Research. Retrieved from http://www.brockfieldsolutions.co.uk/secondary-and-primary-research.aspx DeVault, G. (n.d.). Choosing Between Qualitative and Quantitative Methods. What Are You Trying to Prove? Retrieved from http://marketresearch.about.com/od/market.research.techniques/a/Choosing-Between-Qualitative-And-Quantitative-Methods.htm Entrepreneur Media, Inc. (2012). Marketing Research. Retrieved from http://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/term/82400 (and 82616).html Kumar, D. A., & Day, G. S. (2007). Marketing Research (9th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. SFGate. (2012). The Difference Between Secondary and Primary Market Research. Retrieved from http://allbusiness.sfgate.com/marketing/market-research/1310-2.html Marketing Research Tools Essay -- Market Research Marketing Research Tools Before launching or expanding a business venture, there needs to be an understanding of the industry, its competitors, and its customers. Market research is vital in assisting companies in the decision-making process and their marketing direction. Data from marketing research is important because it provides companies with ways to identify opportunities, identify market potential, minimize chances of loss, devise effective marketing strategies, gauge customer satisfaction, and serve as an evaluation tool. A wide-range of marketing research tools is available to market researchers and organizational decision makers. The following focuses specifically on data collection methods for conducting both primary and secondary research and provides an examination of the differences in primary and secondary research when using qualitative and quantitative approaches. Primary and Secondary Market Research Primary Market Research A company’s marketing research objective could be to establish the market level of a product or service; establish strategies of industry competitors; establish the level of consumer awareness, and establish what the four Ps should be (product, price, place, and promotion). Market research is categorized into two types; primary and secondary market research. Primary market research, also referred to as field research, is tailored to the specific needs of a company. Primary market research allows companies to investigate specific areas of interest, which is conducted directly by the company or contracted out to a third party research firm. Primary data-collection methods aim at getting the right information about the trends in the market firsthand; under this approach a company gets inf... ... the company already knows what it wants to study or not. Works Cited Brockfield Solutions. (2012). Secondary & Primary Research. Retrieved from http://www.brockfieldsolutions.co.uk/secondary-and-primary-research.aspx DeVault, G. (n.d.). Choosing Between Qualitative and Quantitative Methods. What Are You Trying to Prove? Retrieved from http://marketresearch.about.com/od/market.research.techniques/a/Choosing-Between-Qualitative-And-Quantitative-Methods.htm Entrepreneur Media, Inc. (2012). Marketing Research. Retrieved from http://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/term/82400 (and 82616).html Kumar, D. A., & Day, G. S. (2007). Marketing Research (9th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. SFGate. (2012). The Difference Between Secondary and Primary Market Research. Retrieved from http://allbusiness.sfgate.com/marketing/market-research/1310-2.html

Friday, July 19, 2019

Al Capone Essay -- essays research papers

Alphonse "Scar Face" Capone was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1899, to an immigrant family. He was born with type O blood. People supposedly born with O type blood tend to have the drive to succeed in leadership quality. They are strong, certain, and powerful, as will be seen later. However Al Capones leadership was taken to the extreme. (4 Blood Types, 4 Diets Eat Right 4 Your Type) Certainly many Italian immigrants like immigrants of all nationalities, frequently came to the new world with very few assets. Many were peasants escaping lack of opportunity in rural Italy. When they came to America they ended up as laborers, because they could not speak or write English. This was not the case with Capones family. Gabrielle Capone, Alponse’s father was one of 43,000 Italians who arrived in the United States in 1894. He was a barber by trade and could read and write his native language. He was from the village of Castellmare Distabia, sixteen miles south of Naples. (Encyclopedia Of World Crime) Gabrielle who was thirty years old when he arrived in America brought with him his pregnant twenty seven year old wife Teresina, his two year old son Vincenzo and his infant son Raffaele. Along with thousands of other Italians, the Capone family moved to Brooklyn near the Brooklyn navy yard. (Encyclopedia Of World Crime) Gabrielle’s ability to read and write allowed him to get a job in a grocery store, until he was able to open his own barber shop. Teresa in spite of a growing bunch of boys, took in sewing piece work to add to the family helpings. Her third son Salvatore was born in 1895. Her fourth son and first to be born in the new world was born on January 17, 1899. His name was Alponse. The Capones were a quiet, conventional family. Laurence Bellgreen says "The mother†¦ kept to herself". Her husband Don Gabrielle made more of an impression(Blood Letters and Bad Men). Nothing about the Capone family was inherently disturbed. The children and parents were close, there was no apparent mental disability, and no traumatic event. In May of 1906, Gabrielle became an American citizen. Within the family his children would always be known by their Italian names. Shortly after Al was born, Gabrielle moved the family to a better area in an a... ...s sentenced to eleven years in federal prison. He was fined fifty thousand dollars and charged seven thousand six hundred and ninety two dollars for court costs. In addition to two hundred and fifteen thousand plus interest due back on taxes. The six month contempt of court sentence was to be served concurrently. While awaiting results of appeals, Capone was confined to the Cook County jail. Upon denial of appeals, he entered the United States penitentiary at Atlanta, serving his sentence there at Alcatraz. Following his release, he never publicly returned to Chicago. He had become mentally ill. In 1946, his physician and a Baltimore psychiatrist concluded that he had the mentality of a twelve year old child. Capone resided on Palm Island with his wife and immediate family, in a secluded atmosphere, until his death due to a stroke and pneumonia on January 25, 1947. In conclusion, Al Capone was a very strong, powerful, and deadly man which was seen in many of the cases stated. Al Capone influenced people back then and he will continue to influence people forever.

The National Health Services Essay -- Health, Insurance

The National health services (NHS) provides a comprehensive healthcare services across the entire nation. It is considered to be UK’s proudest institution, and is envied by many other countries because of its free of cost health delivery to its population. Nevertheless, it is often seen as a ‘political football’ as it affects all of us in some way and hence everyone carry an opinion about it (Cass, 2006). Factors such as government policies, funding, number of service users, taxation etc all make up small parts of this large complex organisation. Therefore, any imbalances within one sector can pose a substantial risk on the overall NHS (Wheeler & Grice, 2000). This essay will discuss whether the NHS aim of reducing the nations need for provision of health was achieved or not, taking into account different health models. The concept of NHS came into power from 5th July 1948. Although, Bevan who had this ideology of ‘welfare state’ was successful in architecting NHS. In fact, the need for such a consolidation of service provision was initially identified in 1919 by the Dawson Committee report (Christopher, 2004). The state in which healthcare system operated before1948 was incomprehensive, full of inequality and even lacked in providing minimum adequate standards to the general public. The people living in poverty and on Low income (working class) were affected the most; whereas, rich families were able to afford the healthcare services adequately. The health insurance was provided under the National Insurance Act 191, but was only available to the workers, whereas, their dependants (wife and children’s) were excluded. Therefore, every time they used the services they were required to pay for it. Thus, because most... ...are immense, as it has only finite resources to use, but needs its services to be clinically effective as well as able to meet the needs of individual’s, their choice of preferences and be value for money. To accomplish this NHS will need to harness more securely its investment in surveillance, analysis and budgets, and therefore establishing a framework that would than serve and provide a better health outcome to the entire nation. Lastly, UK spends about half of what is spent by the US (about 14 % of GDP) on its healthcare, yet in US out of 250 million over 30 million citizens are still without health care provision. Thus, despite such a massive expenditure by US government, failure to provide basic health care to millions of its citizen is not overcome, however, that is certainly not the case in UK (Bilton, et al., 2002; Christopher, 2004; Smith I. , 2007).

Thursday, July 18, 2019

Modifying The Conduct Of Professional Military Education Education Essay

Education, in the military profession, is the procedure of culturing a individual to the hereafter needs of the administration. This procedure of preparing an person to accommodate the wide-ranging demands of the system is of paramount importance. Airmen of tomorrow will hold to set about operations which are non merely web centric but besides knowledge centric. As the universe changes at an unprecedented and speed uping rate, the constructs of war, peace, and struggle merge with each other. Human-centered aid, war against panic, insurgences, and rebellions now occupy the Centre phase for most armed forces. Success in any operation will come from sound preparation and quality instruction. Professional Military Education ( PME ) will play an of import function in guaranting that the IAF theodolites onto a more effectual acquisition environment. Effective PME will play a important function in the effectivity of any contending force in the hereafter. There is frequently confusion in the form in which military instruction should be conducted and the mode in which the officers have to be groomed. IAF requires officers who are educated so that they are able to happen solutions to the battalion of unexpected challenges that are bound to face them in the class of their callings. 2. Education is a uninterrupted procedure. If any organisation does non acknowledge the importance of instruction, it certainly is non germinating. It is a ‘must vision ‘ for an organisation like Indian Air Force to hold its officer cell strong in professional cognition, flexible and turning in idea and imaginativeness. Amidst turning national security challenges, Professional Military Education ( PME ) has to germinate to provide for the demands of a more complex and engineering intensive environment as we head towards our vision of tomorrow. In fact continued and comprehensive instruction plan is indispensable to develop rational abilities amongst officers to set about diverse missions in an intricate security scenario.Purposenecessities of instruction procedure and to give matter-of-fact and practical suggestions to modify the behavior of professional military instruction for officers in the IAF, providing to the complexnesss of future wars.Understanding EducationDiffe rence between preparation and Education4. Training and instruction are two different procedures despite being associated with the similar demands of acquisition. The construct of preparation is usually designed to get specific accomplishments. These acquired accomplishments make a individual more employable and specialized in any profession. Therefore preparation is more specific, more focussed on a peculiar undertaking and is for a limited period of clip. Education on other manus is more wide based and is related to geting cognition and heightening mind. It is a procedure of complete mental and moral development. The methodological analysis of preparation is through specialised classs while instruction is a uninterrupted womb-to-tomb procedure. Another glowering difference concerns the limited range of originative thought and normative methods used in preparation. In the preparation procedure a individual is introduced to right methods go forthing small range for original originati ve thought. Education, in contrast focal points on making independent minds. Military instruction focuses on the art of war and on developing penetrations on how to contend the wars cleverly. It enables the forces to comprehend future menaces, engage in originative ways to decide struggle, select the right tools and methods, and achieve the coveted consequence. 6. In a complex and fast changing universe, there is demand for a comprehensive, broad ranging and all inclusive educational frame work embracing an academic course of study which trains for the certainty and yet is diverse plenty to be able to educate for uncertainness.Need for a alteration in Education Pattern7. Rapid progresss in engineering and easy handiness of information dictate a serious reconsideration into the mode in which military instruction is conducted. Technology has revolutionized modern war combat. Basically what it means is easy entree to knowledge and in general an addition in cognition. In the yearss to come the full art of war combat will acquire engineering driven at an even faster rate thereby increasing the necessity to educate and intellectually equip officers to maintain gait with this alteration. In simple footings, officers will hold to possess necessary rational accomplishments to manage machine-controlled systems and work the overplus of information in the battleground. In any instance newer capablenesss would intend newer functions which will necessitate specialised accomplishments and above all a mentality to alter. A good structured educational form will play a important function in fixing officers to understand and confront these challenges. Military officers will necessitate particular accomplishments to believe, understand and show the effects of modern engineering.Importance of Critical thought8. The profession of weaponries nowadayss legion occasions where officers are confronted with diverse and complex jobs. Teaching good thought solutions may assist officers get the hang some of these jobs. However, the cardinal prevarications in critical thought which provides the tools for happening specific solutions for a battalion of unfamiliar jobs. Critical thought pertains to the ability to measure information and mental idea processes in a structured mode. The implicit in rule is to be able to buttockss and understand informati on more comprehensively. In short it is all about doing the right judgement. PME in the IAF needs to advance critical thought so as to enable officers to get at rational and good reasoned determinations. A critical mind should be able to sift through overplus of informational inputs available to him and descry precisely what is unlogical and irrational. It is indispensable to provide for the extremely intricate and unstable nature of environment that the officers face presents. PME within the IAF needs to make full up nothingnesss created by deficiency of formalistic instruction for developing critical thought. To get down with there is demand for a vision in this field. Appropriate academic course of study and specialised classs can thenceforth be defined. The academic plan designed should advance believing accomplishments which remain unschooled in other educational classs. Thereafter, IAF can travel on to develop non traditional methods to absorb critical thought accomplishments in its officer cell. Web-based collaborative acquisition environments can be efficaciously utilised to educate officers utilizing simulations of modern-day military jobs.PROPOSED MEASURES FOR INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT9. One of the most ambitious undertakings of a well planned PME plan is to bring forth inventive, advanced, adaptative and critical thought officers. The cardinal prevarications in following an educational plan which targets rational development and in a go oning mode. Some methods of guaranting overall rational growing are as given below: – Comprehensive Educational Framework. PME templet has to be complete in all respects in order to provide for comprehensive rational growing. This would connote taking and aiming the right topics at an early phase of an officer ‘s service calling. Most bing PME plans in IAF trade with basic professional and service specific topics and deficiency range for rational growing. In current scenario IAF is likely to be involved in a broad spectrum of operations including transnational operations necessitating all officers to hold an in deepness apprehension of complex topics such as Strategy, International Relations, Geopolitics, International jurisprudence, Economics and Military operations. These topics need to be introduced and taught from an early phase of an officer ‘s service calling so as to develop appropriate consciousness and consciousness right from the beginning. PME plans soon target limited transverse subdivision of officers and are non crossing the full service call ing. In-service classs in the IAF have been classified as mandatary, desirable and need based classs. While basic classs such as BASCO, ISCO, APKC and the Air staff Course are compulsory for all officers, there are other classs such as LDMC, HDMC, Higher Command, NDC etc which are merely desirable or need based and non done by all officers. Education is an indispensable tool for officers at all degrees of senior status. IAF may even believe of outsourcing military instruction and promote officers to avail survey leave and take up educational classs in civilian universities or with professional institutes abroad. Any signifier of pursuit for higher instruction should non be a hinderance to career promotion, but alternatively should be complementary and compulsory to career patterned advance. Most in service classs have now been made assessable and contribute to career patterned advance at least at the junior degree. Assessment in classs will merely give scholarly end product and may non needfully give out the existent rational degree of an officer. In any instance appraisal should ne'er be ultimate the purpose of any signifier of instruction, alternatively it should be rational development. PME should be compulsory for all degrees of officers, merely the demands at each phase should change. Some idea besides needs to be given to the sort of module we employ for carry oning PME. Often majority of our instructors come from within the service and may non possess needed educational experience or professional instruction accomplishments. Specialized topics would necessitate experient instructors who are non merely qualified but besides competent. Adapting Educational Programs to accommodate contemporary conditions. Security environment in the universe and within the state has changed over the old ages. Indian military readiness has changed from being simply Pak centric to modern twenty-four hours concerns like internal security, procuring our maritime boundary lines, international terrorist act, cyber warfare and atomic issues. PME besides needs to alter as per the demands placed on the present twenty-four hours IAF officer. Academic plans need to be diverse plenty to fix IAF officers non merely for tactical operations but besides strategic and operational degrees of operations. In simple footings, PME must fit IAF officers with suited academic abilities to cover with current jobs and besides remain relevant to the drawn-out functions. Adequate clip for Assimilation. All instruction plans have to be focussed to guarantee maximal assimilation, cognition augmentation and enhanced apprehension. Towards this IAF must follow educational waies with good spaced out academic course of study. Education is a womb-to-tomb procedure and can non be enforced. Alternatively there is a demand to foster and inflame quest for cognition. Assorted larning methods could be adopted changing from distance larning to net enabled acquisition bundles. Scenario based practical acquisition methods and determination simulations can be used to polish larning experience. Besides the content, equal thought demands to be given to manner in which the instruction will be conducted. Often unequal clip and deficiency of focal point by the administration towards educational plans tend to set off a scholar. The current distance larning plan implemented for junior officers in the IAF is an illustration. In short IAF has to hold a vision Any sort of PME p lan in IAF must guarantee dedicated learning clip for officers. Education for life. The service life of an officer can be loosely categorized into different phases of development get downing from the clip he joins the service to the clip of retirement. At each phase, the type of mental training and instruction demands are specific yet interlinked. A comprehensive educational plan with ample deepness and comprehensiveness has to be defined for the full service calling of every officer. Learning has to be broad ranging, wide based and uninterrupted. The different phases are: – Early Stage ( till 6 old ages of service ) . This is the most important phase of mental training and doubtless the most of import period in an officer ‘s calling. This phase lays the foundation for all subsequent rational growing. Education during this period should chiefly be concerned with professional topics with an purpose of fixing a sound professional. Apart from this educational plans could besides be utilized to transfuse a strong sense of pride in state and service, chumminess and espirit-de-corps. Complex topics such as leading, direction, moralss, scheme and international dealingss need to be introduced at this phase in order to foster a thought head at a ulterior phase. Availability of clip is frequently a restraint to effectual execution of any sort of educational plan at this phase and at that place has to be a balance between professional preparation activities and educational plans supplying rational growing. Phase II. This phase is from 7 to 18 old ages of service. The officer in this phase must be educated in nucleus competences of professional activities. Career patterned advance usually is the focal point during this phase. The officer must be encouraged to hone his planning and executive accomplishments. The traits that need to be watched are over assurance and misplaced sense of accomplishment. Educational focal point should now get down switching from service-specific proficiencies to joint operations. Once once more accent has to be on developing a thought head. Self acquisition has to be encouraged and rewarded. Phase III. Stage III is from above 18 old ages of service. During this phase an officer gets a opportunity to command an independent unit and goes on to work in assorted bid and staff assignments. Good cognition of executive maps, effectual fiscal, stuff and human resource direction are some important demands at this phase. In add-on educational plans have to transform selected officers into strategic analysts and advisers. Military officers in this class have to maturate as military leaders with a balanced, unfastened and academically complete head. Quest for instruction has to be promoted by promoting doctorial and Masterss ‘ grades in strategy-related subjects at reputed civilian universities both within the state and abroad. Encouraging Critical idea. Problem work outing and critical thought accomplishments have become necessary for all classs of officers and non merely for senior Air Force officers. Critical thought is an country that needs to be consciously addressed in PME plans. Blending Education with experience. In this context, the demand for instruction and experience are critical to the officers in the hereafter environment. The modern defense mechanism scheme demands us to keep a combat capableness across the full spectrum of struggle and we must make so in an environment of decreased resources being available for purchase of new high engineering equipment. As good, the choice of what high engineering equipment is to be purchased will go more of import as we try and maintain interoperability with Alliess in the hereafter. Finally, there is a demand to put a new construct of what it means to be a thought soldier. What is needed is non soldiers advised by bookmans – but instead soldier-scholars, or soldier-linguists, or soldier-social scientists, at appropriate degrees.DecisionEducation of officers within the IAF is a critical and cardinal investing. Any educational plan is borne out of experience over the old ages. It is an germinating procedure, which changes from clip to clip, maintaining the complexnesss demands of the administration in head. The quality of PME within the service will specify The human resource policy on manpower use Sept 2010 ( Jaspreet Singh ) Wg cdr